Swiss Ph.D student’s dismissal spotlights China’s influence • Hacker News Board

Re: Swiss Ph.D student’s dismissal spotlights China’s influence

#201

Post by amrcnimgrnt » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 1:36 PM UTC

queuebert wrote: post #190

amrcnimgrnt wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well I got my PhD, so let me read between your lines ([1]). Faculty have little fiefdoms and they expect students to live on salaries bellow minimum wage. If the advisor is sub-par (i.e. the university made a mistake hiring them) it's incredibly difficult to change advisors without poisoning the relationship with other faculty members. Dealing with sub-par professors sucks. Some are not too bright. Others sexually ha…

You're entirely correct. Academia is broken is so many ways. A lot of my colleagues are wastes of space and some are indeed harmful. I don't think I'm a great advisor either. No one teaches us how to advise students. My take is based entirely on facts of the article interpreted through an advisor's lens rather than that of a journalist trying to get clicks.

You know what, I owe you an apology for this:

"[1] I'll admit it's a bit weird to see a professor that I'm assuming given the forum, is in a tech field "read between the lines" instead of engaging the facts."

I'll keep it up in my comment because I despise it when ppl scrub clean what they wrote.

Either way, sorry for making it personal.

Re: Swiss Ph.D student’s dismissal spotlights China’s influence

#202

Post by almosttoolate » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 1:38 PM UTC

Please realize that any forum that deletes or undermines the words of its users is not worth your time nor patronage. Twitter is the antithesis of free speech. Stop using it. Period.

Re: Swiss Ph.D student’s dismissal spotlights China’s influence

#203

Post by bigbillheck » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 1:41 PM UTC

dash2 wrote: post #147

curiousgal wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, if I were a professor and my PhD student was overly critical of the US online, I too would distance myself. Visa applications are hard enough as they are.

Is there is any evidence that any PhD student has ever found it hard to get a US visa because of criticizing the US or US policy?

Is this close enough: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=201908301... ?

Re: Swiss Ph.D student’s dismissal spotlights China’s influence

#204

Post by everly » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 1:43 PM UTC

rocqua wrote: post #122

Barrin92 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

from the context of the article it seems like he's getting his PhD in Chinese studies, and obviously that likely means you will have relations to China, which is what the professor in question was worried about. It's a little bit like majoring in Iranian studies, insulting the Ayatollah and prophet on Twitter and then being upset when you get barred from the country and people start professionally ditching you. Like,…

His PhD was about environmental damage in China. That is not something cultural or diplomatic. It does not require close ties with China, though it does help to have access. Nothing here means you shouldn't criticize China. In fact, the premise of the research becomes moot if you cannot criticize China.

I think it actually requires both diplomacy and cultural awareness.

If you want to study the ‘damage’ that a country is doing, it seems like it would serve you well to avoid ruffling too many feathers so that you can do your work in peace and without being accused of bias.

Re: Swiss Ph.D student’s dismissal spotlights China’s influence

#205

Post by Marvin_Martian » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 1:44 PM UTC

yann2 wrote: post #73

casualracism wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I said in another comment, in the U.S., if you’re an African American studies PhD student and you post a racist cartoon depicting black stereotypes, it’s not hard to imagine losing your doctorate candidacy.

What happens if I study cockroaches? Chinese cockroaches to be specific. Am I allowed to post cartoons about them? What about bears?

Considering that the UBS put their chief economist on a leave of absence (initially they communicated that he had been let go of completly), for calling pigs in china "chinese pigs", I think ever mentioning that topic alone would already be to much.

Re: Swiss Ph.D student’s dismissal spotlights China’s influence

#206

Post by bigbillheck » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 1:44 PM UTC

yann2 wrote: post #73

casualracism wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I said in another comment, in the U.S., if you’re an African American studies PhD student and you post a racist cartoon depicting black stereotypes, it’s not hard to imagine losing your doctorate candidacy.

What happens if I study cockroaches? Chinese cockroaches to be specific. Am I allowed to post cartoons about them? What about bears?

> Am I allowed to post cartoons about them?

Are there a lot of those floating around?

Re: Swiss Ph.D student’s dismissal spotlights China’s influence

#207

Post by jkhdigital » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 1:45 PM UTC

varjag wrote: post #189

esquivalience wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It actually is. It's a fundamental human right under the European Convention on Human Rights (to which Switzerland is a party) , Art. 10: "ARTICLE 10 Freedom of expression 1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This Article shall not preve…

I am quite aware of declaration of human rights. It is not a fundamental law in scientific sense, i.e. it is not a natural property of any kind. You want freedom of speech, fine, but you have to fight to get it and keep it alive. Otherwise it becomes just another unenforceable legalistic quirk like beheading for insulting the Queen is today.

> You want freedom of speech, fine, but you have to fight to get it and keep it alive.

This needs to be said more often… rights cannot be reduced to a “declaration” or a “bill”. They are social constructs that wither away and die without constant social reinforcement, both formal and informal.

Re: Swiss Ph.D student’s dismissal spotlights China’s influence

#208

Post by jollybean » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 1:48 PM UTC

casualracism wrote: post #156

jollybean wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A cartoon which has Chinese characters is not racist.

Again, it’s not just a “cartoon which has Chinese characters”. Stop pushing misinformation in obvious contradiction with available information.

"Again, it’s not just a “cartoon which has Chinese characters”."

Where is your evidence?

Provide evidence of racism or stop harassing people.

Re: Swiss Ph.D student’s dismissal spotlights China’s influence

#209

Post by bigbillheck » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 1:51 PM UTC

fmajid wrote: post #100

The Confucius Institutes should be closed and the mission of representing Chinese culture transferred to Singapore or Taiwan.

> the mission of representing Chinese culture transferred to Singapore or Taiwan

This is certainly an interesting view.

Who would do the transferring?

Re: Swiss Ph.D student’s dismissal spotlights China’s influence

#210

Post by jacquesm » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 1:51 PM UTC

ipnon wrote: post #23

javert wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For anyone else wondering if the above commenter is a Chinese propaganda account, you can see from his or her comment history that that is not the case.

Lest ye incur the wrath of dang, HN newbies, accusing others of astroturfing or hidden agendas is against the guidelines.

He didn't. And I resent your portrayal of Daniel he's not vengeful. Which given some of the idiocy he has to deal with quite amazing.