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Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints

arstechnica.com

71–80 of 245 posts

Re: Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints

#71
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What chills me the most, is the self-censorship Americans engage on social media today, everywhere online. It seems Americans today are afraid of talking clearly about general strikes, protesting, rape, sexual violence, censorship and more "taboo" topics, and I'm guessing it's because the platforms kind of shadow-ban people quickly for it. Growing up, I always heard Americans bragging about freedom of speech, and how…

> Americans today are afraid of talking clearly about general strikes, protesting, rape, sexual violence, censorship Americans are talking about protesting, rape, sexual violence, censorship all the time ... and I mean literally all sides - liberals, conservatives, leftists, feminists, MAGA ...

Using what words specifically? Besides HN, even people commenting on reddit tends to self-censor words like "r@pe" just because they've realized they get penalized if they talk about things too clearly, on other platforms. Same with general strikes, censorship and more, even on platforms where you don't get downranked automatically just because you used specific terms, people have now started self-censor in those ways.

Re: Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints

#72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many of us are protesting every day.

By actually striking, or by waving a sign outside? Don't get me wrong, anything is better than nothing, and many small streams may form into one big river, eventually. But short of a general strike across impactful industries, I think the current wave of protests won't actually achieve anything. There is a reason "general strikes" are so feared by the political and wealthy class, and it's because there is no way for…

When was the last general strike? And what would it ask for if it happened?

I understand you’re a fan of the method and it can be impactful but that’s not a reason to state that protesting does not accomplish anything.

Re: Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints

#73
This is unacceptable, and it’s fascist behaviour.

These kind of behaviour should trigger the dismantling of the whole ADA organisation, then to be rebuilt on proper grounds.

As usual i’m not surprised these fascist behaviours (“you’d better align with us and publicly pledge allegiance to us or else”) comes from the left. They’re the real fascist.

Re: Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints

#74
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their so-called "protest" was just distributing an article already published in the journal of the medical association to which this conference is attached, which probably discussed matters of interest for the attendance, like the future of research financing in this domain. I can hardly think of a more peaceful form of protest, which only intended to make aware the participants about the content of the article. Thos…

I'm no doctor, but I suspect the conference organisers wanted the conference to focus on diabetes. Rather than exploring whether the USA is a "free" country where anyone can say anything about the government, without consequences.

> suspect the conference organisers wanted the conference to focus on diabetes

The article they were distributing is pretty clearly about diabetes. If the actions it describes continues, significant efforts towards treating and even curing diabetes will be lost.

Re: Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints

#75

A reminder to anyone who finds themselves in this kind of situation, do not engage with the rhetoric of the enemy. You cannot win an argument where they set the rules. So here, where they question whether or not they were "protesting" distracts from the reality of a censorious organization that will weaponize regulations it controls without good faith. Instead you need a simple, memorable statement of condemnation wh…

I’d disagree with trying to make it political. If it’s just about funding, plenty of people are happy the grant spigot is being turned off.

Something that may resonate with a broader spectrum is how science requires debate and polite disagreement. Good ideas can survive being pressure tested. Compelling consensus has terrible long-term outcomes.

Re: Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints

#76
post #2

Headline is weird. It's not a copyright thing, as I had assumed. It was because it was an editorial criticizing how the administration is running the NIH.

It was because the group made the mistake of inviting the federal appointee currently running NIH.

This would probably have been fine if this administration was not comprised of individuals that cannot abide any sort of pushback.

The protest would not have been needed without the official there - but their presence made the organizers so nervous that they tossed the editor in chief of their own journal.

The problem is how deep the federal dollars go into these systems that enable fear of pulling it. That is the mechanism of control. Our own tax dollars being weaponized.

Re: Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints

#77
post #31
post #2

Headline is weird. It's not a copyright thing, as I had assumed. It was because it was an editorial criticizing how the administration is running the NIH.

Protesting is not allowed by the rules. Though there is a good case that breaking that rule is the best action. Getting kicked out probably did more for their cause then their protest. They just need the guts to publicly stand by.

Others have already quoted TFA, which rightly points that the distributing (by some of the coauthors) of an article published in the journal of a medical association, at the conference of the said medical association, a conference which has the claimed purpose of exchanging information between the members who attend the conference, can hardly be called a "protest" or a "violation of the code of conduct".

There are few cases where it is so clear cut that only the organizers have violated the code of conduct, and not those who were expelled from the conference.

Re: Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints

#78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many of us are protesting every day.

By actually striking, or by waving a sign outside? Don't get me wrong, anything is better than nothing, and many small streams may form into one big river, eventually. But short of a general strike across impactful industries, I think the current wave of protests won't actually achieve anything. There is a reason "general strikes" are so feared by the political and wealthy class, and it's because there is no way for…

> short of a general strike across impactful industries, I think the current wave of protests won't actually achieve anything

If like another 5% of eligible voters committed to voting every election, minor or not, and committed to calling their electeds on one issue every quarter, we’d likely see a sea change.

The threshold for laziness is very low, currently only 1 in 5 [1]. That’s both annoying and an opportunity.

[1] https://www.governing.com/archive/gov-national-survey-shows-...

Re: Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints

#80
post #62

[flagged]

> When you look to make a statement, you should always fully understand the cost and how it could play out. These were not children and they are responsible for their actions.

Huh. A while back on here (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42390479) you were complaining that Alex Jones was getting too many consequences for his statements. Was he a child? Why the change in tune?

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