Longtime lurker here and I'm wishing I would've spoken up sooner. The "adults" who really use this thread to "get their own emotional needs fulfilled" are PhDs and more senior grads who constantly use a website for graduate admissions so they can punch down and stroke their egos. I'm not sure why else they'd feel the need to be so condescending, pompous and self righteous. Since everyone is focused on the job market, this is a good reminder that your field is always a mucchhh smaller world than you think. The criticisms of this forum aren't the brand new ideas of whiney applicants who want a safe space. Those who act badly on places like this GC forum and academic Twitter get widespread reputations amongst graduate cohorts and faculty alike. The longer you stay in academia the more you'll see the the academy's demands and exploitation weaponized as an excuse to be an ass to "inferiors." This is, sadly, not uncommon but most people see it for what it is -- bullying. A lot of newbies tried, especially initially, to be reasonable and genuine and were met with snarky, patronizing, and often unfair and mischaracterizing responses.
No one in this recent discussion has rejected or dismissed the realities of the job market, suggested that they're expecting a tenure track position at the end of all this, seemed to take this decision lightly, said we should never discuss how bad the job market or whatever. No matter how many people explain that they're already aware of what they're signing up for because any complaint about behavior is written off as secret denial about the job market or wanting to be coddled and shielded from any sad news or something. There hasn't been so much disfavor with the forum in the past day or so because we've been exposed to shocking new truths about academia from valiant truth tellers trying to save us and we're just too mentally weak to accept it. Rather, there's been a group of users preferring GC to be mostly about our current applications as that's what CG and this particular thread are supposedly predominately for. There are threads for the job market and its been discussed here and in other application threads to give very needed context. As a few others have pointed out, most of us already did our research before we applied. Right now, we're overwhelmed by the step right in front of us and figuring out what's best for our research. Some just wanted a place mostly dedicated for applications for practically's sake if nothing else and I get that. Wayyy more importantly, people done with the smugness and belittling that are falsely categorized as altruism.
Everyone has a right to be discontent with the hellscape that is the job market to say the least. But the victim complexes of those now worried about being "silenced" and "safe spaces" is ironic. I'm amazed at the recent discussions of privilege and how truly blind some people still are
There's a ton of truly solid advice on this forum, but its great advice can be found elsewhere and those giving it would tell you that. The application and job market wisdom will always be here to revisit. To me, it's worthwhile to carve out a new space as others did yesterday. I'm sure those who are okay with how the forum has been run and are "staying" would like this all to end anyways. My two cents: use the results page for updates, take note of what is/was useful from the forum, but save your breadth for the new platform that was posted about yesterday. That's what I'm doing at least. Okay, logging out of GC and going to touch grass now. To those moving to the new platform, see you on the flip side. Good luck with apps, everyone
