Dear Academia Gossip,
When I walked into the world of research, I had no idea you existed.
I knew people were competitive, smart, and driven — that wasn’t surprising. What I didn’t expect was how mean some of them could be. I was standing outside the office of a prominent researcher at my university when a classmate came up to chat. Next thing I know, they’re talking smack about her — loudly — knowing full well she was inside and could probably hear them.
I know I’m in America now, and maybe I’m overreacting. But I didn’t think that was right. It made me really uncomfortable.
What turned that spark into a full-blown fire was hearing about another moment just like it — same professor, same hallway. Apparently, someone else was saying rude things about her again, right outside her open office door. I later heard that she told the person she was speaking with to close the door because she could hear people talking about her, and it was making her uncomfortable.
Of course it was.
How could they have no self-awareness?
Then there’s another prominent researcher at my university — tall, large, and Black. People say he’s “aggressive” and “intimidating.” I’m bringing race into this because it matters. There’s literally a Reddit thread calling him an “aggressive manipulator,” and I just… I don’t see it. In fact, in all of my experiences with him, he’s been the opposite.
I’m not dismissing anyone’s personal experiences, but I can’t ignore my own either.
If you knew how he spoke before you joined his lab — the occasional cuss word and all — then why act surprised later? Why stay and gossip?
I’m not saying we all have to like each other in academia. That would be unrealistic.
But at the very least, we need to be respectful, especially to the people who are mentoring us, funding us, or giving us space to learn and grow. Why bite the hand that feeds you?
Academia is already competitive. Everyone here is smart — and we know it. But sometimes that can make us arrogant. It can make us harsh with others because we’re already harsh with ourselves.
But still. At the end of the day, it’s really simple:
If you have a problem with someone, either talk to them… or move on.
Don’t turn our academic spaces into toxic ones with whispers and door-side drama.
Gossip isn’t culture. It’s corrosion.
Signing off,
Edidiong C.
Creating My Autobiography 