I hope lots of people will join in the March for Science. There are hundreds of them being held around the world. There are ten events being held in Australia, and more than 500 others elsewhere. I'll be going to the rally and march in Melbourne.
To find the nearest march to you, the best site to start with is the main March for Science website, where you can look it up.
I don't think I need to say much about why science is important. We wouldn't all be here without it. Some of our elected and/or appointed leaders and many voters are wanting to dumb down society, which would be a steep and slippery slope to the end of civilisation. I do know some scientists have mixed feelings about attending the rallies. Some have strong feelings about it, too, and either are or aren't going because of their strong feelings. Some people might be having trouble thinking it through:
— PHD Comics (@PHDcomics) April 18, 2017
If you're not a scientist and care about science, and care about facts, and value knowledge and its creation, then this is your chance to get policy makers and lobbyists thinking about it too. It's also your chance to let scientists know that you value the work they do.
If you are a scientist, there's a chance demos and marches and rallies aren't your thing. You might shy away from them, or you're above all that, or you've grown out of it. But think about this - this is your chance to see that the general public values the work you do. This is your chance to let the world know that you, too, know that your work is important - nay, it's more than that, your work is essential. It's not every day that there are 518 marches being held all around the world for your profession (or any profession or trade such as bloggers, management consultants, hairdressers, engineers, cleaners, or mechanics). Even if you don't attend, that thought should give you a warm glow :)
The mission is on the main March for Science website (which has a lot more words than this). It's a bit waffly, but you should get the drift:
The March for Science champions robustly funded and publicly communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. We unite as a diverse, nonpartisan group to call for science that upholds the common good and for political leaders and policy makers to enact evidence based policies in the public interest.
On the site for the Melbourne march, the message is clearer:
SCIENCE, NOT SILENCE
The March for Science celebrates the public discovery, distribution, and understanding of scientific knowledge as crucial to the freedom, success, health, and safety of life on this planet.
We are a nonpartisan group, marching to demand action in the following areas: Literacy, Communication, Policy, and Investment.
[Incidentally, I'm not normally a rally-attendee. I've only been to one since uni days (Vietnam moratorium etc). That one was to protest the war we sent people to wage, under false pretences.]
Links to get you thinking and get you marching
March for Science, Earth Day, Saturday 22 April 2017 - where you can look up the march or rally for science that's closest to you.
March for Science - Melbourne - the main website for Melbourne Australia, with a rather long pdf file to download.
Earth Day And The March For Science - article by Adam Frank at NPR, 18 April 2017
Peter Doherty: why Australia needs to march for science - speech to be given by Peter C. Doherty, from The Conversation, 21 April 2017
Why non-scientists need to join the March for Science - article by Jocelyn Prasad in the Sydney Morning Herald, 19 April 2017
What Experts Have To Say About The 'March For Science' Event This Weekend - article by Rae Johnston at Gizmodo, 20 April 2017
The March for Science, explained - article by Brian Resnick at Vox, 19 April 2017
If you love science, join thousands of Aussies on the March for Science - article by Larissa Bricis at Techly, 31 March 2017
Can March for Science Participants Advocate Without Losing the Public’s Trust? - article by Emily Vraga, George Mason University at MarCommunique, 20 April 2017
How a Scientist Who Studies Marches Sees the March for Science - article by Ed Yong at the Atlantic, 19 April 2017
Getting Scientists out of the Lab and Into the Street Is Harder Than It Sounds - article by Rebecca Leber at Mother Jones, 20 April 2017 (background to the March for Science)
Can March for Science Participants Advocate Without Losing the Public’s Trust? - article by Emily Vraga, George Mason University at MarCommunique, 20 April 2017
How a Scientist Who Studies Marches Sees the March for Science - article by Ed Yong at the Atlantic, 19 April 2017
Getting Scientists out of the Lab and Into the Street Is Harder Than It Sounds - article by Rebecca Leber at Mother Jones, 20 April 2017 (background to the March for Science)
Trump’s denial triggers 500 marches for science globally - article by Brendan O'Malley in University World News, 14 April 2017
If anyone's going to the Melbourne march and wants to meet up, let me know - here or by email.
ReplyDeleteHere's one marching in Helsinki, Finland. We've been warmed up by our own government's apparent scorn of academia and recent deep cuts to universities.
ReplyDeleteThat's not good. Seems to be a worldwide trend.
DeletebTW - If anyone has any pics they're willing to share on HW, let me know - or email to me.
Sou it is simply that humanity is led by cretins who have no real depth of knowledge in anything. They make up for their inadequacies with made up memes to engender fear in the people they lead.
DeleteMost ordinary people are too busy surviving or climbing the greasy pole to get nearer to the nebulous glittering prizes.
I spent my whole working life working in science for the betterment of my fellow man with many others.
A very rich man told me at a fancy pissup that I wasted my intellect on science when I could have been making a shedful of money in finance. I told him that I felt sorry for him as he did not even understand that when I told him "Science is more than a body of knowledge. It is a way of thinking." Carl Sagan.
The science deniers are just rationalizing their own selfish desires for so called wealth in the same way.
Throughout history all Empires that failed had the same symptoms before the fall.
The consumer western society shows all these symptoms. The USA is 'number one' as they always claim!
Bert
A society is in decline when absolute morons are elected or designated as leaders. The general populace lacking in a decent education will believe any sort of propaganda that fuels their fears.
DeleteA good example is Labor's Carbon tax. It was reviled by the MSM and Opposition.
Meanwhile Australia's gas and coal and iron ore were being taken away for free! Bert