
Let us breathe
An allegory for physicists
This analogy is by a white junior researcher who prefers to remain anonymous. The toxicity of physics culture is such that it makes sense that attaching her name to a critique of the community could be dangerous. — Chanda❤
Physics is great. But physics culture can feel like working in a giant building with no oxygen. Most people are given oxygen masks, but a small subset aren’t. [I’m guessing the same applies for tech/any male dominated and/or non-diverse field.]
“What’s the problem?” The ones with oxygen masks ask. “You’re free to work in the physics building! We’re having a great time here! Maybe your discomfort is because you aren’t actually as good or as committed to physics as we are . . . ”
At this point the people with oxygen masks come together to make special theories that explain why the people without oxygen masks aren’t succeeding in physics due to intrinsic differences of people without oxygen masks. “How can you disagree with science and reason?” They say. “The scientific establishment of only people with oxygen masks isn’t biased!”
After many years of seeing the people without oxygen masks die and disappear, someone decides to open one room with oxygen for them. Since there is limited space, it doesn’t make sense to put the people who already have oxygen masks in this room.
The people with oxygen masks start rising up in outrage. “It’s not fair to have a room we can’t go to!” They cry out. “It’s discrimination against people with oxygen masks.” Some of them suggest that people without oxygen masks must be less competent due to these special advantages. Meanwhile the loudest oxygen mask people have never done anything more than superficially to actually promote equal access to oxygen masks in the first place.
Certain of them get upset when you talk about people with oxygen masks in generality. “Not all people with oxygen masks!” They proclaim. “You don’t know how difficult any given oxygen mask person’s life has been! And how do you even know that they have an oxygen mask?”
When one of them says or does something particularly egregious against people without oxygen masks and is punished for it, many become defensive. They imagine that people are being punished just for expressing an alternate viewpoint, not for promoting bigoted views against people without oxygen masks. It could have been me being punished! They think, even when that isn’t really true. “Free speech!” They cry. “We are against all authoritarianism that would keep us from expressing our true opinions about people without oxygen masks!”
There are others that come to ally meetings run by people without oxygen masks. Some actually care, but many can’t take criticism and end up being the worst offenders against people without oxygen masks underneath their facade of equality. This is why the people without oxygen masks tend to be distrustful of people with oxygen masks even though some of them are good.
Finally, not all the people without oxygen masks are treated equally. The ones who are wearing a special pin are allowed into the oxygen room first, and those who aren’t are told they will be admitted but really get second dibs compared to the ones with the pin. Meanwhile, the people with oxygen masks direct the biggest portion of their anger towards the people who are least likely to even get into the oxygen room in the first place.
Throughout this, all the people without oxygen masks are trying to do is breathe.
