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12AX7
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FIGHT FOR SCIENTIST RIGHTS!!!
I have the PERFECT idea. There were black rights activists. There are gay rights activists. All WE need to do is start a Scientist Rights Movement.
If we make it look like racism and discrimination, the politically-correct average person can't help but feel sorry for us and we will be accepted!
Tim
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chromium
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It's good idea but not that easy. Most of us just do not have time to spare but writing good article for newspaper or making short film about home
scientists may be as hard as acetic anhydride preparation. Communicating with public is very complicated and one has to read lot of books to be
succesfull in any kind of propaganda work.
It may be usefull to look around for friends among writers, journalists or filmmakers. Current state of hobby science in US may well be used to make
awardwinning documentary film.
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Chris The Great
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If some of us are ethnic minorities we should have no problem at all. Modern society will trip over itself to rush to help minorities who feel
discriminated against in any way. Just show the cops beating up on some minority chemist cause he was doing some interesting, safe experiment that
looks cool (and doesn't take too long either) and people will feel sorry for us.
A documentary film would do alot of good, but I doubt any of us here could make a good one, and get it distributed widely. If someone did know
someone who could do it, and it happened (and was a good, interesting yet informative film) then it could do alot of good.
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DeAdFX
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good luck convincing anything about chemistry is safe... See current new fad: everything gives you cancer and natural things are a lot safer than
synthetic things:rolleyes:
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chloric1
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Another perspective
Point out that Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison both had home "labs" and that the great contributions to society they made.
Also, there needs to be someway to relate to the public that even in this advanced technical age, there is stil some very simplistic inventions being
granted patents. IT should be said that you don't have to discover something new but only a different, easier, cheaper, or better way of making or
fixing something.
Fellow molecular manipulator
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The_Davster
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I think it would definatly be good to remind the public just how much of the important chemical and technological advancements were done in home
laboratories. Nobel, Curie, Hall(yup, Al was first produced in the backyard of his parents house  ), Tesla, and others all did their experiments in their homes. It is only within the last fifty years or so that
science has been deemed bad for the public.
Interesting to note, Edison's Menlow park research firm was actually the first company simply for research.
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Nerro
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We could raise an army of clones dressed in labcoats and armed with spatula's!!!
*laughs hysterically!*
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Bill
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Check this out
http://www.jce.divched.org/cgi-bin/JCE/jce-idx.pl?type=artic...
I hope that helps.
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DDTea
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Everyone is saying it's hard to fight for rights, to lobby for what we want. But is anything worth doing easy? Stay quiet, and see what will happy
to our hobby.
I might be making an assumption, and sorry if I am, but we need to stop viewing Chemists solely as people wearing labcoats and synthesizing the next
big thing. What one can do with Chemistry is *extremely* broad in terms of careers, and included in that is public relations/government advising/etc.
Think about it. The guys on Capital Hill, the average person on the street doesn't know a *thing* about Chemistry or Chemicals. So they cannot be
expected to make rational decisions based on facts because they just do not have the background knowledge that a chemist does. It is up to the
chemists, then, to show that their field is not the modern day witchcraft which will bring wrath from above and destroy our society.
Public relations with Chemistry is actually a big deal. Consider when a freight train derails and releases Hydrogen Chloride, as what happened in
Baltimore back in 2002...who was there to calmly explain to the public what the situation was, what the risks were, and what was NOT to fear?
So I don't think it is far-fetched for the politically savvy among us to write some petitions or to start mailing congressmen about how much they are
truly hurting science in this country by their "crackdowns" on terror and drugs--which no doubt are scourges to society, but at the same time reason
must be applied. A model rocket is not a Surface to Air Missile.
"In the end the proud scientist or philosopher who cannot be bothered to make his thought accessible has no choice but to retire to the heights in
which dwell the Great Misunderstood and the Great Ignored, there to rail in Olympic superiority at the folly of mankind." - Reginald Kapp.
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YT2095
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I`m all for it!
and as for drugs and funny smells etc... Who better qualified to know what they`re on about when reporting some smack head lab or tcap bomb synth in a
bath than people like US.
they ask the public to be Vigilant, but joe public doesn`t know his ass from his elbow half the time, WE on the other hand have Much better training
visually and nasally (except for those that make it habit to breathe Cl2 ) to ID
such an occurance.
if Anything WE should be on the Gov`s fu(kin` payroll!
[Edited on 11-7-2007 by YT2095]
\"In a world full of wonders mankind has managed to invent boredom\" - Death
Twinkies don\'t have a shelf life. They have a half-life! -Caine (a friend of mine)
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gregxy
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Unfortunately there is a big problem
Many "hobby type" activities are on the decline, even ones that are considered "safe" and dont have connections to terrorism or drug cooking. There
was an article in the San Jose Mercury news about a year ago about how hobby shops are going out of business. The reason is video games. These days
kids would rather play the video games than build model airplanes. The games are very seductive & give instant gratification with no risk of
failure. I have two teens and have built battlebots, gocarts, potato-cannons, fireworks etc but I can't even get my kids to go into the garage to look
at the stuff, they would rather play the games allll dayyyyy longggggg.
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chromium
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I agree with 12AX7 but must say that this is much harder task than it seems at first.
Nowadays no one gets continuously positive attention in media if someone powerfull enough wants things to change. No, do not get me wrong! You will
not be blackmailed or threatened any way, there are much better ways to deal with you.
There are always journalists who are ready to frame up something against you if they are paid for it. They are much more skillfull in media world than
you are and can tune up public against you without lying anything for which they could be accused. This is especially easy to do if you are not
visually attractive or just are not very skillfull in defending yourself against provocations.
It's also rather hard to find popular journal or newspaper which wants to publish your opinions. Most of them sincerelly think that this does not
interest their readers and thus is not profitable for their business. Most of them earn their money by writing what their readers want to belive the
world is like. And you wish them to write something completely different.
In reality i belive that there is still possibility to make usefull propaganda for hobby science but then we should go to streets with banners or do
other classic "rites" wich are proven to be so effective for gay movement, feminism, pacifism etc.
I do not belive in presenting us as "those who carry light of science" because its generally thought that academic institutions are more than enough
for science to blossom. Most professors also will rather denounce amateur science as something that does things not as safely and not as controlled
way as "professionals" do. Their point of view is usally something like "if you love science then go to college and use all your time there doing your
courses to get good job afterwards - what else do you want".
To represent us as somebody who just can not live without those "useless" experiments, may be much more effective.
Gay activists have told us that they just can not live as was formerly considerd normal and they got what they wanted. The same was with conscious
objectors (from armed services) and it could as well be with us.
[Edited on 11-7-2007 by chromium]
When all think alike, then no one is thinking. - Walter Lippmann
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tito-o-mac
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First things first. What are the issues of scientist rights? What have they done to condemn us? One should ponder on such questions before taking any
actions!
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Sauron
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The idea is absurd on its face.
Society does not regard amateurs as scientists at all.
Professional scientists are not having a rights problem that I am aware of.
What we need is community outreach and better public relations, not some dimwitted Hundred Man March on Washington in defense of our rights to
experiment in our garages. I can see us all sitting around with hand made signs singing We Shall Overcome.
We need fewer Swerleins in our midst and FAR fewer dope cooks, I daresay.
We need to bolster our image as good neighbors and responsible citizens, NOT eccentrics, not explosives nuts, even if we are into energetics. Swerlein
setting off charges in his driveway at 3 am is PRECISELY what we do not need to be associated with in anyone's mind, not the media, not the cops, and
not the public.
Scrap the 60s mentality, burn your old Peter Paul & Mary albums. We don't want to be collateral damage in the War on Terror or the War on Drugs.
That's all there is to it.
What we need is the ACS on our side. Every one of us should join if not already a member. If you do not have a formal degree in chemistry you can
still join as an associate.
The ACS has political clout and can if it wishes do a lot more for amateur chemists than the ACLU can. The ACLU cares only about certain civil
liberties and won't lift a finger or spend a dime on quite a few others.
[Edited on 12-7-2007 by Sauron]
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quicksilver
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Chris The Great
If some of us are ethnic minorities we should have no problem at all. Modern society will trip over itself to rush to help minorities who feel
discriminated against in any way. Just show the cops beating up on some minority chemist cause he was doing some interesting, safe experiment that
looks cool (and doesn't take too long either) and people will feel sorry for us.
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I am your poster boy!
I grew up on a reservation. The PC crowd thinks any tribal member can do no wrong. Fucking idiots.
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YT2095
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LOL, That`s the Spirit!
we can have a Mad-Scientist Pin-up Calendar too! (I`ll take one of the Longer months, the chicks will go Wild seeing me).
ok Who left the Top off the Toluene Bottle...
\"In a world full of wonders mankind has managed to invent boredom\" - Death
Twinkies don\'t have a shelf life. They have a half-life! -Caine (a friend of mine)
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Sauron
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I did not grow up on a reservation, but I did have a lot of reservations about growing up.
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chromium
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Sauron
The idea is absurd on its face.
Society does not regard amateurs as scientists at all.
[Edited on 12-7-2007 by Sauron] |
You are smart as always. I also agree that we should be (and look as) good neighbours and responsible citizens. And ACS seems valuable idea although i
live in quite another country.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Sauron
Professional scientists are not having a rights problem that I am aware of.
[Edited on 12-7-2007 by Sauron] |
In my opinion scientists have quite a lot of problems with rights but for some reason they do not think they should have any (specific) rights at all.
Only specific scientists rights that i can think of are "right" to be part of academic institutions (and thus use some of possibilities that academic
institutions have) and "right" to get some specific jobs that otherwise are not available.
When chemistry professor starts home lab he is quite in the same position than uneducated 14 year old because criminal-, environmental- and any other
laws do not make any difference here. In some sense professor has it even worse because he may lose his job or licence if LE only says he is
suspicious man - and his collegues will not help him. He may even lose his job because of scandals that are not related at all to science or his
ability to do usefull scientific work.
When all think alike, then no one is thinking. - Walter Lippmann
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Sauron
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I would hope that a professional chemistry association analogous to ACS would exist in most countries.
Is this not the case in your own land, @chromium?
I guess that you are correct that a chemisstry academic (be he/she professor, or lecturer/instructor) would be putting himself in the same problem set
as a layman is he set up a home lab but, why would one do so?
After all they have facilities at their institution.
I had a private lab of my own when I was a research assistant, a stock room or two to draw from, ordering privileges when I needed something not at
hand in those. And that was as a student. Were I on staff the situation would be even better because I'd have all that and be getting paid for my
labors as well. Well, maybe not paid very well, but paid.
An academic has a lot more freedom to follow their whims than does a commercial employee, companies get nasty about use of corporate equipment and
materials for personal projects, at least until you are quite senior. Or unless you own the company.
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tito-o-mac
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What about those genetic-cloning human rights stuff? They used it "in the name of science" though some human or animal rights despise them...
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YT2095
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yeah until the Tech is proven Viable and it`s one of Their kids lying there with only a week to live?
most tend to get a nice tall glass of Shut-the-fuck-up then!
\"In a world full of wonders mankind has managed to invent boredom\" - Death
Twinkies don\'t have a shelf life. They have a half-life! -Caine (a friend of mine)
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Bromide
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| Quote: | Originally posted by tito-o-mac
What about those genetic-cloning human rights stuff? They used it "in the name of science" though some human or animal rights despise them...
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I tried but I can't really grok what the big deal is about human cloning. Seriously--what exactly is the supposedly awful thing about the possibility
of creating "time-shifted twins" that gets the masses (and the politicians who feed off them) so worked up?
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Sergei_Eisenstein
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I only have to look out of the window to know why I'm opposed to human cloning 
damnant quod non intelligunt
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The_Davster
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Wow, I don't say sentences very often starting with 'there should be a law'...but there should be a law that only people with IQs over a certain
number can be cloned.
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chloric1
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Sauron
What we need is the ACS on our side. Every one of us should join if not already a member. If you do not have a formal degree in chemistry you can
still join as an associate.
The ACS has political clout and can if it wishes do a lot more for amateur chemists than the ACLU can. The ACLU cares only about certain civil
liberties and won't lift a finger or spend a dime on quite a few others.
[Edited on 12-7-2007 by Sauron] |
Yes I think this is a good begining at least as a way to seperate us from the kewls out there. Maybe the amatuers could have our own represented
chapter within the ACS or the Royal chemical society. Maybe a number of us could become a not for profit research organizations selling products and
holding fundraisers for income. Our major mission would be the importance of teaching children how to experiment safely. Make being a kewl REALLY
uncool. I was bored today and have been waiting to share this idea.
[Edited on 7/20/2007 by chloric1]
Fellow molecular manipulator
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