Everybody MARCH!!!
January 25, 2017 4:46 PM Subscribe
Scientists are now planning their own march on Washington, date to be determined. A rundown on the reasons why from Gizmodo. Following the success of the Women's March, an entire profession looks forward to trying out public dissent.
Every week, or every month, let a new group or issue getting fucked or suppressed by this administration descend on Washington. Eventually they'll get the message. I have no doubt you could fill a calendar with them.
We teachers won't be available until summer, I'm afraid.
posted by absalom at 5:02 PM on January 25, 2017 [33 favorites]
We teachers won't be available until summer, I'm afraid.
posted by absalom at 5:02 PM on January 25, 2017 [33 favorites]
I'm going to a sister march if at all possible. If some local archaeologists will still have me (I majored, I did nothing more) I will stand with them and raise a Marshalltown trowel instead of a sign.
posted by Countess Elena at 5:08 PM on January 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 5:08 PM on January 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
Have they chosen a knitted hat pattern yet?
posted by bq at 5:12 PM on January 25, 2017 [22 favorites]
posted by bq at 5:12 PM on January 25, 2017 [22 favorites]
It seems like they should start with a theory of when the march should happen, then measure each scientist as they arrive in DC, and take the mean.
posted by wormwood23 at 5:13 PM on January 25, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by wormwood23 at 5:13 PM on January 25, 2017 [19 favorites]
lab coats, man, gotta be lab coats
posted by Countess Elena at 5:15 PM on January 25, 2017 [38 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 5:15 PM on January 25, 2017 [38 favorites]
Are the people behind the "Alternate Park Service" Twitter gonna be there?
Because I wanna fangirl them.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:15 PM on January 25, 2017 [16 favorites]
Because I wanna fangirl them.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:15 PM on January 25, 2017 [16 favorites]
Have they chosen a knitted hat pattern yet?
A potential option.
posted by pemberkins at 5:17 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
A potential option.
posted by pemberkins at 5:17 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
They will be releasing tools in the next few days to help people organize local marches.
posted by stevil at 5:18 PM on January 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by stevil at 5:18 PM on January 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
lab coats, man, gotta be lab coats
Maybe these underneath...
posted by Huck500 at 5:21 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Maybe these underneath...
posted by Huck500 at 5:21 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
I hope they're open minded enough to allow humanities scholars and researchers to join.
posted by Stanczyk at 5:23 PM on January 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by Stanczyk at 5:23 PM on January 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
I think we need to consider masks; I don't want to have a $1 salary.
posted by acrasis at 5:23 PM on January 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by acrasis at 5:23 PM on January 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
For those of you wondering who is welcome... from the FAQ:
Who can participate:
Anyone who values empirical science. That's it. That's the only requirement.
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 5:26 PM on January 25, 2017 [85 favorites]
Who can participate:
Anyone who values empirical science. That's it. That's the only requirement.
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 5:26 PM on January 25, 2017 [85 favorites]
I don't know if I can knit a lab coat that quickly.
I'm also not sure I want to wear my lab coat in public. It has lots of.... stains.
posted by bonehead at 5:29 PM on January 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
I'm also not sure I want to wear my lab coat in public. It has lots of.... stains.
posted by bonehead at 5:29 PM on January 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
Better move fast, before it's legal to "accidentally" run over protesters. A few more major marches and, mark my words, they'll find terrifying ways to stop protesting.
posted by aramaic at 5:29 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by aramaic at 5:29 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Have they chosen a knitted hat pattern yet?
I think I would die of happiness (Gyre's heart swelled three times its size, that day) if they chose a variation on the Pussyhat.
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 5:31 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
I think I would die of happiness (Gyre's heart swelled three times its size, that day) if they chose a variation on the Pussyhat.
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 5:31 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Gyre, It would indeed be great if each march chose new colors for the pussyhat so that eventually, it was a sea of rainbow pussyhats. (And also, it's so easy to knit! I wish I could knit a resist hat, but that's well above my skill level.)
posted by not that mimi at 5:35 PM on January 25, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by not that mimi at 5:35 PM on January 25, 2017 [11 favorites]
You can order a shiny new lab coat on Amazon right now for $10. If they make this happen, I am totally going to be wearing one.
posted by KGMoney at 5:39 PM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by KGMoney at 5:39 PM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
I ran into a couple of people who learned to knit just to make pussyhats, and I think the obvious next step for them is cables. The scientists should adopt a cabled hat, so that the new resistance knitters can master a new knitting skill. Then for the public school teachers' march, they'll be ready to learn stranded colorwork, and we can move on to the resist hat. By summer, they'll be making super elaborate Estonian lace shawls, and we'll have won the revolution. But on second thought, lab coats probably work better.
I know a lot of people who will probably want to participate in this. Hell, I'm the furthest thing from a scientist, but I would definitely march in solidarity.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:42 PM on January 25, 2017 [84 favorites]
I know a lot of people who will probably want to participate in this. Hell, I'm the furthest thing from a scientist, but I would definitely march in solidarity.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:42 PM on January 25, 2017 [84 favorites]
Nthing lab coats. Non-optional. Safety first!
posted by mcstayinskool at 5:45 PM on January 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by mcstayinskool at 5:45 PM on January 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
You can order a shiny new lab coat on Amazon right now for $10.
Fisher is ISO certified though
posted by bonehead at 5:48 PM on January 25, 2017
Fisher is ISO certified though
posted by bonehead at 5:48 PM on January 25, 2017
The official headwear should be the always stylin' poly bouffant.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:16 PM on January 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Lyn Never at 6:16 PM on January 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
Super excited about this! Very relevant to my interests.
I'm also looking forward to the other marches. Would this be easier to organize if we plan on showing up weekly and have a new theme for the next four years?
posted by Otherwise at 6:22 PM on January 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
I'm also looking forward to the other marches. Would this be easier to organize if we plan on showing up weekly and have a new theme for the next four years?
posted by Otherwise at 6:22 PM on January 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
I think we need to carry on with the pussyhats, but add different decorations to them. Like adding tiny brains onto the top of them (I've read that brains were a suggestion).
I can't wait to see how my alma mater handles this one.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:31 PM on January 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
I can't wait to see how my alma mater handles this one.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:31 PM on January 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
Cancer remains uncured while scientists spend day marching. Sad!
- DJT
posted by davebush at 6:31 PM on January 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
- DJT
posted by davebush at 6:31 PM on January 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
LGBT march has been announced for June 11th, to coincide with Pride. I think there are going to be a lot of marches.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:32 PM on January 25, 2017 [33 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:32 PM on January 25, 2017 [33 favorites]
TMBG just posted #ScienceIsReal on their account, which is only what thousands of other Americans are doing, but we need to beg them to play this march, whenever it happens. Scientists, science teachers and huge nerds everywhere will travel great distances to the sound.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:32 PM on January 25, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 6:32 PM on January 25, 2017 [16 favorites]
Hmm, how does one knit full HAZMAT gear?
posted by pernoctalian at 6:32 PM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by pernoctalian at 6:32 PM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
I will be there.
posted by triggerfinger at 6:35 PM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by triggerfinger at 6:35 PM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
The American Physical Society "April" meeting will be January 28-31 in Washington, D.C. Maybe good dates?
posted by heatherlogan at 6:37 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by heatherlogan at 6:37 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Ravelry has some Mobius hat patterns.
Or just mobius scarves, which might be easier for beginning knitters.
Mobius strips are kind of sciencey, right?
posted by xris at 6:43 PM on January 25, 2017
Or just mobius scarves, which might be easier for beginning knitters.
Mobius strips are kind of sciencey, right?
posted by xris at 6:43 PM on January 25, 2017
I really hope there's enough interest and organizational support to do local marches. The Dems in Congress have been demonstrating lately that they need to be reminded why they were elected. Local marches seem like a good way to do that.
(Plus, slefishly, it's way easier for me to turn out for a march in Boston than one in DC.)
posted by tobascodagama at 6:44 PM on January 25, 2017
(Plus, slefishly, it's way easier for me to turn out for a march in Boston than one in DC.)
posted by tobascodagama at 6:44 PM on January 25, 2017
HAZMAT gear is really the worst. If it's hot the stupid viewport window fogs up, and you can't see for shit, even with the towel you have inside and your boots fill with sweat and you slosh while you walk. This only takes about ten minutes. If it's cold, the sweat freezes out on the viewport and you need to scrape it off, but all you have is a stupid towel and that doesn't work so well. Also the suit plastic gets stiff and even more super loud and annoying than usual to move about. Again, this only takes a few minutes. And then your stupid SCBA bell starts ringing, meaning about 5 minutes of air left and you haven't even got to the decon line yet so you can unsuit and shower. Plus you have to pee.
Not ideal wear for a multi-hour march. I'd stick with the lab coat and bouffant. At least going to the toilet is easy.
posted by bonehead at 6:45 PM on January 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
Not ideal wear for a multi-hour march. I'd stick with the lab coat and bouffant. At least going to the toilet is easy.
posted by bonehead at 6:45 PM on January 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
I just read about the gag order barring external communication from the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as from agencies within the departments of Transportation, Agriculture and Interior.
Harperman Trumpman, it's time for you to go...
posted by heatherlogan at 6:45 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by heatherlogan at 6:45 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
I love the idea of cables. We could knit DNA! It has to be seen from space- bright green or sky blue both seem super sciencey to my knitter brain.
posted by metasav at 6:46 PM on January 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by metasav at 6:46 PM on January 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
Tobascodagama, there's a reddit sub called /march for science where local marches are already being proposed.
posted by not that mimi at 6:50 PM on January 25, 2017
posted by not that mimi at 6:50 PM on January 25, 2017
I hope it happens a lot sooner than summer. We can't wait for summer. We might not be able to wait for spring.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:58 PM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:58 PM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
As a mathematician who works in a bio-institute and was once asked to wear a lab coat for a photo for a newspaper article to make it more "science-y" (and who didn't understand the colour-code size system when quickly grabbing one from the cupboard, so ended up looking like I was wearing a very tight straight jacket) I vote for not-a-lab-coat as the symbol of the march. There is a whole genre of scientific knitting which every attendee could select their own favourite from. I personally would make a Klein bottle hat.
posted by drnick at 7:26 PM on January 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by drnick at 7:26 PM on January 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
Lab coats seem like the obvious choice. Test tubes, charts and graphs, goggles, full-on archaeologist gear, if there's one thing science has, it's paraphernalia. You could also dress like any number of famous scientists.
But yeah hazmat suits would scare people and be uncomfortable don't wear those.
If there's a local one I'll go. I am not a scientist but am a lover of science and that's plenty good I'm sure.
posted by emjaybee at 7:27 PM on January 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
But yeah hazmat suits would scare people and be uncomfortable don't wear those.
If there's a local one I'll go. I am not a scientist but am a lover of science and that's plenty good I'm sure.
posted by emjaybee at 7:27 PM on January 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
My name is Maxwell's demon, and I approve of this.
posted by Maxwell's demon at 7:34 PM on January 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Maxwell's demon at 7:34 PM on January 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
I think the more marches the better but the Womens March had a LOT of people taking days off work and spending money to get to Washington. I wonder if that can/will be repeated.
I think lab coats are a great choice. They have built in symbolism of "I am not here to play" that's also shared by doctors, etc.
I also saw people on Twitter organizing a "release your taxes" themed march.
posted by bleep at 7:35 PM on January 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
I think lab coats are a great choice. They have built in symbolism of "I am not here to play" that's also shared by doctors, etc.
I also saw people on Twitter organizing a "release your taxes" themed march.
posted by bleep at 7:35 PM on January 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
an entire profession looks forward to trying out public dissent.
Awesome, but not a first! Credit where credit's due - the Nurses' March on Washington in 1995, an empowerment march opposing widespread budget cuts and underpayment associated with hospital privatization.
There were a bunch of people in lab coats sprinkled throughout the women's march. i assumed healthcare, maybe they were scientists too? It does make for an eye-catching symbol. And a symbol is a really good idea. Not only does it lend a sense of unity, as someone else pointed out, it makes it impossible to pretend the pictures are from just any old march.
posted by Miko at 7:36 PM on January 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
Awesome, but not a first! Credit where credit's due - the Nurses' March on Washington in 1995, an empowerment march opposing widespread budget cuts and underpayment associated with hospital privatization.
There were a bunch of people in lab coats sprinkled throughout the women's march. i assumed healthcare, maybe they were scientists too? It does make for an eye-catching symbol. And a symbol is a really good idea. Not only does it lend a sense of unity, as someone else pointed out, it makes it impossible to pretend the pictures are from just any old march.
posted by Miko at 7:36 PM on January 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
Oh yes also at the SF March there was at least one contigent of self-identified scientists and I saw a lady in a labcoat which she had written "Physicians for/against something I don't really remember" with a sharpie
posted by bleep at 7:41 PM on January 25, 2017
posted by bleep at 7:41 PM on January 25, 2017
absalom: Every week, or every month, let a new group or issue getting fucked or suppressed by this administration descend on Washington. Eventually they'll get the message.
I guarantee you that they won't. I'd put money on it, but I don't have any.
posted by tzikeh at 7:50 PM on January 25, 2017
I guarantee you that they won't. I'd put money on it, but I don't have any.
posted by tzikeh at 7:50 PM on January 25, 2017
Thanks for posting this. I'M IN.
I can't go to Washington so if there isn't a march planned for the SF Bay Area, I'll organize it myself. I'll keep an eye out for those tools and contact them to volunteer. With all the universities and biotech companies around here, we should be able to get a pretty good turnout!
Lab coats are more my style than pink hats, anyway ;-)
posted by Quietgal at 7:51 PM on January 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
I can't go to Washington so if there isn't a march planned for the SF Bay Area, I'll organize it myself. I'll keep an eye out for those tools and contact them to volunteer. With all the universities and biotech companies around here, we should be able to get a pretty good turnout!
Lab coats are more my style than pink hats, anyway ;-)
posted by Quietgal at 7:51 PM on January 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
Lab coats, at least the cotton ones, take a really nice tie-dye. Just saying.
posted by bonehead at 8:02 PM on January 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by bonehead at 8:02 PM on January 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
Sounds like it's time to finally buy my doctoral regalia...
posted by The Tensor at 8:37 PM on January 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by The Tensor at 8:37 PM on January 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
The crowning glory of the pussy hat is that aerial footage of a sea of bold pink knits can't be used as fake news for anything else (like, say, an inauguration crowd). Headgear is important, folks should pick a colour. Don't pick red.
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 8:38 PM on January 25, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 8:38 PM on January 25, 2017 [17 favorites]
I'm also not sure I want to wear my lab coat in public. It has lots of.... stains.
Oh thank god it's not just me.
(ArbitraryandCapricious, there's a really good DNA cable around if anyone wants to play with incorporating it into a pussyhat. I'm pretty sure it's vertical, annoyingly, though, which makes it difficult on a hat...)
posted by sciatrix at 8:41 PM on January 25, 2017
Oh thank god it's not just me.
(ArbitraryandCapricious, there's a really good DNA cable around if anyone wants to play with incorporating it into a pussyhat. I'm pretty sure it's vertical, annoyingly, though, which makes it difficult on a hat...)
posted by sciatrix at 8:41 PM on January 25, 2017
I'm on the private Facebook group for this, and green hats seem to be a popular choice (my Facebook is in my profile, let me know if you'd like an invite)
posted by lizjohn at 8:44 PM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by lizjohn at 8:44 PM on January 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
If you look at it, if you look at the pictures, okay, they're supposed to be pictures but people are doing a lot with the cyber these days, but these scientists -- they say they're scientists, but who really knows, okay, they're definitely haters, and they're saying they represent some kind of position but they're haters, okay, I mean, we all saw, everybody saw, the crowds I had -- people keep telling me, the crowds at your inauguration, they were tremendous, really off the charts -- so I just don't know what this was about, some people in lab coats, okay, and we've got a movement, possibly, probably the biggest movement ever, and we're going to make America
(etc.)
posted by uosuaq at 8:59 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
(etc.)
posted by uosuaq at 8:59 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
More seriously, here's the comment I posted the last time I got tagged in on this from enthusiastic friends and fellow Texan folks organizing:
Honestly, after five years of seeing public funding and support for my chosen career cut and bleeding to pieces, I think I'd burst into tears to see this march get serious numbers. We're down to a funding climate where only 6% of the grants my colleagues submit are funded, and grants are things that support the whole lab's work for one to three years. UT is pushing us grad students out as fast as they can, much faster than when I started grad school, and hell knows if I can even secure a postdoc. I've felt abandoned by the public for years now and I'm only 26.
I meant it, too. I hear Jacquelyn Gill is thinking about running for office now to get more scientists on the Hill, and I'm all for that. She's kickass.
posted by sciatrix at 9:00 PM on January 25, 2017 [19 favorites]
Honestly, after five years of seeing public funding and support for my chosen career cut and bleeding to pieces, I think I'd burst into tears to see this march get serious numbers. We're down to a funding climate where only 6% of the grants my colleagues submit are funded, and grants are things that support the whole lab's work for one to three years. UT is pushing us grad students out as fast as they can, much faster than when I started grad school, and hell knows if I can even secure a postdoc. I've felt abandoned by the public for years now and I'm only 26.
I meant it, too. I hear Jacquelyn Gill is thinking about running for office now to get more scientists on the Hill, and I'm all for that. She's kickass.
posted by sciatrix at 9:00 PM on January 25, 2017 [19 favorites]
I also like the idea--sorry, I'm about to go to bed in a minute--I like the idea of green pussyhats or something similar. A color for every cause, and a hat for every head. *yawns* Get folks knitting and have a sea of the patterned hats rolling across the landscape.
Plus honestly the idea of marching in full PPE just fills me with horror. I don't wear a HAZMAT suit when I'm running experiments but I do wear hairnet, foot cover bootie things, and nitrile gloves on top of an n95 mask, and I'm pretty sure that the idea of wearing a n95 in downtown Austin (especially on a warm or humid day) is my actual idea of hell. It looks cool to have the big white mask and all, sure, but then your mouth breathing gets all over everything and your whole face is warm and the straps dig into your face and your glasses perch precariously atop the nosepiece and when you can finally take it off you look like you got raccoon face around your mouth. It is deeply unpleasant as well as hot.
No, just gimme a hat please!
posted by sciatrix at 9:09 PM on January 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
Plus honestly the idea of marching in full PPE just fills me with horror. I don't wear a HAZMAT suit when I'm running experiments but I do wear hairnet, foot cover bootie things, and nitrile gloves on top of an n95 mask, and I'm pretty sure that the idea of wearing a n95 in downtown Austin (especially on a warm or humid day) is my actual idea of hell. It looks cool to have the big white mask and all, sure, but then your mouth breathing gets all over everything and your whole face is warm and the straps dig into your face and your glasses perch precariously atop the nosepiece and when you can finally take it off you look like you got raccoon face around your mouth. It is deeply unpleasant as well as hot.
No, just gimme a hat please!
posted by sciatrix at 9:09 PM on January 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
The actual Deep State in rebellion against tyranny - these sleeper cells date all the way back to Roosevelt, but not the one you'd think.
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:10 PM on January 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:10 PM on January 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
If we're still shopping for colors, the traditional graduation cap tassle colors for scientists and engineers is gold or orange.
posted by hwyengr at 9:44 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by hwyengr at 9:44 PM on January 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
I never wear a lab coat, but I will wear a lab coat for this. Possibly with duct tape over my mouth; not sure. My boss and I are very aligned politically but I have been getting my fair share of "keep your head down" from him post-election, which is probably heartfelt advice for my own career and safety but also seriously, everything is on fire so that's feeling pretty irrelevant. I have done some good science lately, though. When I can get in the zone, it's great for clearing my head and feeling productive, so I'm trying to do a lot of benchwork right now.
Also I have this MeFi scientist Slack I'm starting up for anyone else coping with this professionally right now. Sent about a dozen invites so far. MeMail for details.
posted by deludingmyself at 11:06 PM on January 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
Also I have this MeFi scientist Slack I'm starting up for anyone else coping with this professionally right now. Sent about a dozen invites so far. MeMail for details.
posted by deludingmyself at 11:06 PM on January 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
Physicians for/against something I don't really remember" with a sharpie
Physicians for [illegible] (PO qd)
posted by atoxyl at 1:10 AM on January 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
Physicians for [illegible] (PO qd)
posted by atoxyl at 1:10 AM on January 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
I have cases and cases of Tyvek suits left by my predecessor, and no idea why he ordered them. They're basically a one-piece jumper with long sleeves but stop at the neck. If sciency garb becomes one of the things and it's not oppressively hot, I will mail them off to whoever wants to march.
posted by Fig at 3:07 AM on January 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Fig at 3:07 AM on January 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Definitely lab coats, but why not a Klein bottle hat?
posted by Mchelly at 3:34 AM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Mchelly at 3:34 AM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'll likely wear my science blue polo (along with whatever hat the consensus settles on).
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 4:31 AM on January 26, 2017
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 4:31 AM on January 26, 2017
I'm also on the Sekret Facebook for this and my favourite hat suggestion so far has been the Team Zissou beanie.
It's about time the scientific community demanded a formal role in government, imho. The idea that a bunch of old business and DC guys can dictate the course of modern science without going to actual war has become laughable. They don't even understand it. And I've met enough eleceted reps in my career to say that with absolute certainty. We give them too much power and respect in relation to their actual skills and understanding, which are few and limited.
posted by fshgrl at 5:48 AM on January 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
It's about time the scientific community demanded a formal role in government, imho. The idea that a bunch of old business and DC guys can dictate the course of modern science without going to actual war has become laughable. They don't even understand it. And I've met enough eleceted reps in my career to say that with absolute certainty. We give them too much power and respect in relation to their actual skills and understanding, which are few and limited.
posted by fshgrl at 5:48 AM on January 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Whatever the hat we choose, I hope we have enough marches and enough scraps of many colored yarn or fleece left over from them to make rainbow hats for the LGBTQ march in June.
posted by sciatrix at 5:52 AM on January 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by sciatrix at 5:52 AM on January 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
lab coats, man, gotta be lab coats
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH MY BABY ALREADY OWNS A LAB COAT AND WE ARE DEFINITELY PLANNING TO ATTEND THIS IS PERFECT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS LOVELY GIFT
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 6:09 AM on January 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH MY BABY ALREADY OWNS A LAB COAT AND WE ARE DEFINITELY PLANNING TO ATTEND THIS IS PERFECT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS LOVELY GIFT
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 6:09 AM on January 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Hm. I kind of hope this falls at a time when the kids are out of school - this would be a perfect reason to finally take them to DC.
posted by jferg at 6:23 AM on January 26, 2017
posted by jferg at 6:23 AM on January 26, 2017
Am I the only one who gets a little weirded out when someone says "hey, our democracy is under unprecedented threat, and we need to take to the streets to resist", and the general reaction is "ooh, a protest! I love protests! What kind of hats should we wear? I'll bring vegan cupcakes! I can't wait to see all the memetastic signs!"
I mean, I'm glad people are participating.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 6:34 AM on January 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
I mean, I'm glad people are participating.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 6:34 AM on January 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
No, it's weird. I think the "what kind of hats" is what we say to make ourselves slightly more cheered up as to why we have to have another one, though.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:39 AM on January 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:39 AM on January 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
Am I the only one who gets a little weirded out when someone says "hey, our democracy is under unprecedented threat, and we need to take to the streets to resist", and the general reaction is "ooh, a protest! I love protests! What kind of hats should we wear? I'll bring vegan cupcakes! I can't wait to see all the memetastic signs!"
I do get this but I think people feel excited to DO something. I alternate between feeling hopeless and thinking about ways to resist and it's a huge rush whenever it feels like something is happening. So many things feel bad right now and the idea of coming together with other people for action and mutual support feels really good and I think that's what you're seeing expressed.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 6:43 AM on January 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
I do get this but I think people feel excited to DO something. I alternate between feeling hopeless and thinking about ways to resist and it's a huge rush whenever it feels like something is happening. So many things feel bad right now and the idea of coming together with other people for action and mutual support feels really good and I think that's what you're seeing expressed.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 6:43 AM on January 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
escape from the potato planet, I totally get what you're saying here. But why not try to lighten things up a bit so long as people are mobilizing and doing the work? (Although the concern that people will think showing up for a march once in a while is enough is a very valid concern.)
posted by smirkette at 6:44 AM on January 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by smirkette at 6:44 AM on January 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Okay. Fair enough. Just sayin'.
I'm gonna go to this thing. I hope it's big.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 6:48 AM on January 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'm gonna go to this thing. I hope it's big.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 6:48 AM on January 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I get the trepidation and I feel like it comes from the cultural idea that protesting/politics needs to be serious business. But anything that makes people excited and happy to turn out works for me. we saw this with the women's march: I thought the tone and pussy hats were sorta frivolous/too mainstream at first, but I definitely learned my lesson. The important part was the turnout, and if fun gets people to turn out and mobilize, more power to us.
edit to add - our enemies are going to lie about us regardless of what we say or do. ("Non-violent historically large protest? Complain about litter!") It's clear that what made them so mad was our irrefutable strength in numbers and solidarity with one another. Let's keep it up however we can.
posted by Emily's Fist at 6:50 AM on January 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
edit to add - our enemies are going to lie about us regardless of what we say or do. ("Non-violent historically large protest? Complain about litter!") It's clear that what made them so mad was our irrefutable strength in numbers and solidarity with one another. Let's keep it up however we can.
posted by Emily's Fist at 6:50 AM on January 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Thinking further about my comment, I think what I said is true AND ALSO part of what you're seeing is more people with a lot of privilege taking part in protests. I think it's great that more people are participating and I also wish it hadn't had to reach this point before people with lots of privilege started attending protests/speaking out.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 6:55 AM on January 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 6:55 AM on January 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I Kind of want to drop a line to the organizers and tell them to schedule it for sometime late enough that we don't have to wear lab coats over winter coats.
posted by deludingmyself at 7:04 AM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by deludingmyself at 7:04 AM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Am I the only one who gets a little weirded out when someone says "hey, our democracy is under unprecedented threat, and we need to take to the streets to resist", and the general reaction is "ooh, a protest! I love protests! What kind of hats should we wear? I'll bring vegan cupcakes! I can't wait to see all the memetastic signs!"You know, I really can't do any more despair. It is literally not possible for me to despair any more than I already have been. I threw my heart and soul into working on this election, only to see people whom I respected write in Bernie because they thought both sides were equally bad. My formerly blue state went Trump by 10%, and I don't know how I'm going to deal with living here anymore. I spent a month after the election going to the grocery store and idly wondering which of the other shoppers literally wanted to murder me. I am really struggling, to an extent that is actually kind of paralyzing. I'm going to need a little bit of levity and joy if I'm going to keep fighting, because right now it's kind of a challenge to get out of bed every morning. And I actually think that there's a lot of precedent for injecting a little bit of joy and levity into serious struggles. If I can't dance, I don't want your revolution, etc.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 7:20 AM on January 26, 2017 [45 favorites]
I'm going to need a little bit of levity and joy if I'm going to keep fighting, because right now it's kind of a challenge to get out of bed every morning.
This. It's a long game and if they break our spirits, they break us and they win. Someone posted a link to a site that autoconnects your phone to one of Trump's businesses so you can complain about his policies in response to him not taking appropriate steps to separate from his business interests while in office. That's the kind of trickster resistance that makes me smile and helps motivate me to keep fighting the more standard fight by calling my reps, marching, etc. Laughter makes dealing with this awfulness so much easier and personally, I find despair really doesn't make me productive.
posted by smirkette at 7:58 AM on January 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
This. It's a long game and if they break our spirits, they break us and they win. Someone posted a link to a site that autoconnects your phone to one of Trump's businesses so you can complain about his policies in response to him not taking appropriate steps to separate from his business interests while in office. That's the kind of trickster resistance that makes me smile and helps motivate me to keep fighting the more standard fight by calling my reps, marching, etc. Laughter makes dealing with this awfulness so much easier and personally, I find despair really doesn't make me productive.
posted by smirkette at 7:58 AM on January 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Have they chosen a knitted hat pattern yet?
Klein bottle hats, please!
posted by cnidaria at 8:05 AM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Klein bottle hats, please!
posted by cnidaria at 8:05 AM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
We fight for bread, but we fight for roses too. Yes? Bringing the demand for joy and laughter to protests, even protests that spring out of grievous injustices. We don't only need to fight for the ability to acquire the bare minimum resources for us to survive; we need to fight for the ability to be human again. And that means laughter, for many of us.
By the way, I am also seeing murmuring now about plans for an Immigrants' March, at least in Texas. There's a lot of people planning one for Dallas. I want--I need that joy now in my life.
posted by sciatrix at 8:06 AM on January 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
By the way, I am also seeing murmuring now about plans for an Immigrants' March, at least in Texas. There's a lot of people planning one for Dallas. I want--I need that joy now in my life.
posted by sciatrix at 8:06 AM on January 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
We fight for bread, but we fight for roses too.
Bread, roses, data.
posted by deludingmyself at 8:11 AM on January 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Bread, roses, data.
posted by deludingmyself at 8:11 AM on January 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Ugh, meant that to say "Bringing the demand for joy and laughter to protests, even protests that spring out of grievous injustices, is not new." Nice, self, that's what I get for gluing myself to MeFi while I'm actively running experiments.
posted by sciatrix at 8:17 AM on January 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by sciatrix at 8:17 AM on January 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
The other thing I'd add about the hats and cupcakes is that these have long been an element of protest. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was fueled in part by the women who cooked for it and funded it with their creativity. Georgia Gilmore opened a restaurant in her home which by all accounts was a fun place with great food, but also funded the movement and provided a space for meetings and organizing. Women's suffrage activists have the reputation of being super serious, but in fact they regularly deployed satire and humor , and wore costumes, symbols, and colors designed for their protest events. Having fun with protest might be a vital contribution of women/feminine folk, emotional labor that goes a long way toward maintaining energy, connection, and cohesion.
posted by Miko at 8:26 AM on January 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by Miko at 8:26 AM on January 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
What Emma Goldman really said (often paraphrased as "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution")
I was tired of having the Cause constantly thrown into my face. I did not believe that a Cause which stood for a beautiful ideal, for anarchism, for release and freedom from conventions and prejudice, should demand the denial of life and joy. I insisted that our Cause could not expect me to become a nun and that the movement should not be turned into a cloister. If it meant that, I did not want it. "I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody's right to beautiful, radiant things." Anarchism meant that to me, and I would live it in spite of the whole world--prisons, persecution, everything. Yes, even in spite of the condemnation of my own comrades I would live my beautiful ideal.posted by Miko at 8:28 AM on January 26, 2017 [26 favorites]
I am thankful if a knitted hat helps anyone feel more confident in participating. These symbols only matter because of the people who wear them, and I am deeply grateful to those who march, with or without hats. Thank you for marching. Thank you for caring. I don't know how you got here, and maybe we can do better next time, but I'm glad you're here now, and I won't turn you away. There is room enough in the streets for laughter and tears.
posted by Diagonalize at 8:43 AM on January 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Diagonalize at 8:43 AM on January 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
I work with scientists at a state university and my husband is a computer scientist who works with scientists at a Federal agency - we've both been deeply worried about our jobs and futures since the elections, so this idea for a march made me excited and happy.
And since I'm a knit nerd and work with geologists, I instantly thought of this trilobite hat.
posted by Squeak Attack at 8:50 AM on January 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
And since I'm a knit nerd and work with geologists, I instantly thought of this trilobite hat.
posted by Squeak Attack at 8:50 AM on January 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
I'm married to a physicist, and most of the scientists I know don't wear lab coats, so I would rather show the world that science is more than beakers and test tubes, but I'll admit, it's a compelling symbol. I still like hats more because of how well they photograph from above and encourage on the ground shots to focus on faces for the human element.
And much as I appreciate the Klein bottle and Resist hats, the Pussyhat pattern works so well because of its simplicity. A novice knitter can make one without too much trouble, and a veteran knitter can churn out dozens to share. I hope that the organizers of the Science March take that into account if they go the hat route.
posted by Diagonalize at 8:56 AM on January 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
And much as I appreciate the Klein bottle and Resist hats, the Pussyhat pattern works so well because of its simplicity. A novice knitter can make one without too much trouble, and a veteran knitter can churn out dozens to share. I hope that the organizers of the Science March take that into account if they go the hat route.
posted by Diagonalize at 8:56 AM on January 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Well, field scientists do regularly wear hats, as evidenced by these field geologists (who aren't my particular geologists but very much could be, down to the yellow field book) so I was going to make a crack about knitted bucket hats, but I won't.
posted by Squeak Attack at 9:07 AM on January 26, 2017
posted by Squeak Attack at 9:07 AM on January 26, 2017
I mean the obvious no-effort DIY opposition hat would be this one.
posted by Mchelly at 9:28 AM on January 26, 2017
posted by Mchelly at 9:28 AM on January 26, 2017
not that mimi: congratulations, you got your juggalo march: Insane Clown Posse plan 2017 march on Washington
bah the article's from July 2016, I got overexcited :(
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 10:22 AM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
bah the article's from July 2016, I got overexcited :(
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 10:22 AM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
There were a lot of men at the various women's marches with signs that said "I'm with her" with arrows pointing all over at the crowd. I am not a scientist but if there is a march in L.A. I will carry a sign that says "I'm with the scientists" with arrows pointing at the crowd. #Solidarność
posted by Room 641-A at 12:08 PM on January 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 12:08 PM on January 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Given the sort of science that is currently under the greatest threat, my preference would be for ecosystem field gear: green triangle/waterproof work boots, ball cap, and high-vis vests , like this guy.
posted by bonehead at 12:33 PM on January 26, 2017
posted by bonehead at 12:33 PM on January 26, 2017
bonehead: "I'm also not sure I want to wear my lab coat in public."
What? You only have one? Screw it, wear it anyway, even if it's dirty. Hell, ESPECIALLY if it's dirty. Science is hard work and it is sometimes messy. We needn't hide that.
I have at least 6 lab coats. Of those, about 3 have the logo of my Federally-funded research facility on the pocket. Setting aside those, I would happily bring my own coat and 2 to spare for a couple of friends to help fill up the ranks with white (or somewhat off-white & stained) coats.
My 7 year old has his own little lab coat. I'll bring him. He can wear his coat too. He was excited that his friend went to the "women's parade" so he'll be excited to go to the "scientist's parade". He told me just yesterday that "we need more parades to tell people that our President is not nice" - so "parade" it is.
posted by caution live frogs at 1:06 PM on January 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
What? You only have one? Screw it, wear it anyway, even if it's dirty. Hell, ESPECIALLY if it's dirty. Science is hard work and it is sometimes messy. We needn't hide that.
I have at least 6 lab coats. Of those, about 3 have the logo of my Federally-funded research facility on the pocket. Setting aside those, I would happily bring my own coat and 2 to spare for a couple of friends to help fill up the ranks with white (or somewhat off-white & stained) coats.
My 7 year old has his own little lab coat. I'll bring him. He can wear his coat too. He was excited that his friend went to the "women's parade" so he'll be excited to go to the "scientist's parade". He told me just yesterday that "we need more parades to tell people that our President is not nice" - so "parade" it is.
posted by caution live frogs at 1:06 PM on January 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Well, no.
Truth be told most of the time we don't wear coats at all---we're physical/analytical. For the dirty work of bulk handling we actually use disposables (which do get very heavily stained and stinky). For management visits, we have the pristine white ones we otherwise keep in a cupboard.
I'd still rather wear my field sampling gear. And it's festooned with logos.
posted by bonehead at 1:32 PM on January 26, 2017
Truth be told most of the time we don't wear coats at all---we're physical/analytical. For the dirty work of bulk handling we actually use disposables (which do get very heavily stained and stinky). For management visits, we have the pristine white ones we otherwise keep in a cupboard.
I'd still rather wear my field sampling gear. And it's festooned with logos.
posted by bonehead at 1:32 PM on January 26, 2017
Technically, I am not even supposed to have my lab coats washed anywhere but an "approved lab coat laundry facility," in case bits of singing mouse tissue turn out to contain some kind of rare disease that leaps off the cuffs and kills us all. I feel vaguely guilty about typing on my laptop while I'm running experiments! A couple of years ago the university's IACUC started threatening to make us go out and check trap lines in n95s and nitrile gloves, for crying out loud. No one's ever found anything transmissible to humans in our study species, but apparently the new policy is that you can't be too careful. They even added a line to the Occupational Health and Safety forms purely for my lab that says we have to check in on the form once a year instead of once every three years, along with everyone working with bats and primates.
Iiiiii do not feel good about wearing my soiled lab coat in public, no. Especially not since the likelihood is high that the stains on those cuffs are either related in some way to mouse feces or to blood, and that seems likely to scar some of the public. I honestly feel kind of uncomfortable pointing out that I sacrifice mice for their tissues here sometimes, and you don't have to actually see the tangible evidence of that or anything that way.
posted by sciatrix at 1:46 PM on January 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Iiiiii do not feel good about wearing my soiled lab coat in public, no. Especially not since the likelihood is high that the stains on those cuffs are either related in some way to mouse feces or to blood, and that seems likely to scar some of the public. I honestly feel kind of uncomfortable pointing out that I sacrifice mice for their tissues here sometimes, and you don't have to actually see the tangible evidence of that or anything that way.
posted by sciatrix at 1:46 PM on January 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Plus there's scientists like my ex-college roommate, now in Galveston, who I expect to be marching too. She currently studies Nipah virus, because she is insane and only wants to work on diseases that kill people horribly. I cannot express how little I want her to be going out in a crowded public march wearing one of her dirty lab coats.
posted by sciatrix at 1:54 PM on January 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by sciatrix at 1:54 PM on January 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
I'm generally not a fan of wearing PPE outside of PPE required areas, especially soiled PPE.
Am ambivalent about (clean) lab coats, but since they've been acceptable as Halloween/costumes they should be ok.
As a PSA to enthusiastic supporters, please do not include any hazard symbols (nuclear, biological, chemical, or any others). It's not a done thing to label anything with the improper hazard label.
posted by porpoise at 2:52 PM on January 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Am ambivalent about (clean) lab coats, but since they've been acceptable as Halloween/costumes they should be ok.
As a PSA to enthusiastic supporters, please do not include any hazard symbols (nuclear, biological, chemical, or any others). It's not a done thing to label anything with the improper hazard label.
posted by porpoise at 2:52 PM on January 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Yeah, lab coats aren't considered sufficiently hygienic for my branch of science, we only wear disposable PPE. I haven't had a lab coat in over 10 years. If I march in a lab coat, it'll be because I bought one to march in.
posted by biogeo at 2:58 PM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by biogeo at 2:58 PM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
We have lab coats because we have to have lab coats. They live on a hook unless Environmental Health and Safety gets on a tear. (We work with yeast.)
posted by deludingmyself at 3:54 PM on January 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by deludingmyself at 3:54 PM on January 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Used to wear labcoat + mask + gloves + booties to protect my immunocompromised mice from me, and clean labcoats + gloves to protect my in vitro mouse brain cells from me, also.
Working in the lentivirus room, though, it was strictly disposable PPE (to the gills) to protect me from everyone else who use the space.
But for molecular work? Pfft. Spot decontaminated latex/nitrile gloves at best (DNA crosscontamination for sensitive/realtime PCR, maybe to protect myself from some denaturing chemicals/acid/bases).
posted by porpoise at 5:13 PM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Working in the lentivirus room, though, it was strictly disposable PPE (to the gills) to protect me from everyone else who use the space.
But for molecular work? Pfft. Spot decontaminated latex/nitrile gloves at best (DNA crosscontamination for sensitive/realtime PCR, maybe to protect myself from some denaturing chemicals/acid/bases).
posted by porpoise at 5:13 PM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
If it was an Engineering march, I think we'd use this as our symbol of resistance:
--VVVV--
posted by puddledork at 5:23 PM on January 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
--VVVV--
posted by puddledork at 5:23 PM on January 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
The Humanities March would not be bean plating about whether or not to wear representative symbols and/or costumes
posted by bleep at 5:58 PM on January 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by bleep at 5:58 PM on January 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
It actually cheers me up a little to be arguing about what to wear to the protest. Just like the old days of overthinking every little bean...
Anyway, I think lab coats are the best costume, even for people who don't normally wear them, since they are instantly recognizable by the general public. Bonehead's field gear kinda looks like what sportsmen/hunters/fishermen might wear and doesn't really say "science" to the public. And hazmat gear just looks scary (besides being beastly uncomfortable), so a clean white lab coat is the way to go, says I.
Hat could be white, to create a solid block of color with the white coats - it would make for striking photos to have a whole crowd clad in white. Or hats could be pink for solidarity with the Women's March that started us off. Or they could be green for the environment, or blue because everybody knows that's the color of Starfleet uniforms in the science division, and what could be geekier than that?
Mostly I want to think about hats so I don't sink into despair or panic.
posted by Quietgal at 7:40 PM on January 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Anyway, I think lab coats are the best costume, even for people who don't normally wear them, since they are instantly recognizable by the general public. Bonehead's field gear kinda looks like what sportsmen/hunters/fishermen might wear and doesn't really say "science" to the public. And hazmat gear just looks scary (besides being beastly uncomfortable), so a clean white lab coat is the way to go, says I.
Hat could be white, to create a solid block of color with the white coats - it would make for striking photos to have a whole crowd clad in white. Or hats could be pink for solidarity with the Women's March that started us off. Or they could be green for the environment, or blue because everybody knows that's the color of Starfleet uniforms in the science division, and what could be geekier than that?
Mostly I want to think about hats so I don't sink into despair or panic.
posted by Quietgal at 7:40 PM on January 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm leaning towards lab coats (or other labwear if you wish) but sticking with the pussy hat since it's really caught on. And as another MeFite pointed out in I forget what thread, they're easy for relative noobs to keep making, as opposed to cables with sciency-things. Though if you want to make a trilobite hat, you go for it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:52 PM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:52 PM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Finally, a use for my chemistry lab goggles. I'm sure they will be great for tear gas, too.
posted by arachnidette at 10:05 PM on January 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by arachnidette at 10:05 PM on January 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Someone on the March for Science FB page has suggested this cool brain hat. But it looks awfully daunting for novice knitters.
Personally I love the idea of keeping the pussyhats as a unifying theme across the protests. Maybe different official colors for each protest, but also fine to wear whatever color you have from the last time. (The only thing is, though--if we stick with pussyhats, pretty quickly they'll become commercially available, when what made them cool was the fact that they were only handmade.)
posted by HotToddy at 10:38 PM on January 26, 2017
Personally I love the idea of keeping the pussyhats as a unifying theme across the protests. Maybe different official colors for each protest, but also fine to wear whatever color you have from the last time. (The only thing is, though--if we stick with pussyhats, pretty quickly they'll become commercially available, when what made them cool was the fact that they were only handmade.)
posted by HotToddy at 10:38 PM on January 26, 2017
The Humanities March would not be bean plating about whether or not to wear representative symbols and/or costumes
Between the JOSH, the HAZWOPR training we do for others and our own renewals, the planning for field trips, I probably spend a few weeks if not more than a month a year worrying about PPE, or What to Wear.
If you prefer, we could talk about Quality Systems instead. What are the Data Quality Objectives for the march, does anyone know yet?
posted by bonehead at 11:23 PM on January 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Between the JOSH, the HAZWOPR training we do for others and our own renewals, the planning for field trips, I probably spend a few weeks if not more than a month a year worrying about PPE, or What to Wear.
If you prefer, we could talk about Quality Systems instead. What are the Data Quality Objectives for the march, does anyone know yet?
posted by bonehead at 11:23 PM on January 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Yes please nobody wear blood spattered/ potentially biohazardous coats kthx.
posted by emjaybee at 4:21 AM on January 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by emjaybee at 4:21 AM on January 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Someone on the March for Science FB page has suggested this cool brain hat. But it looks awfully daunting for novice knitters.
Forget novice knitters, I have been knitting for years and that trilobite hat was like my fourth project so I'm happy to jump into the deep end, right, and I don't want to make that brain hat. It's so so much work. Then you get into the idea of making brain hats for other marchers to wear and nope nope nope nope fuck that noise.
Like, before the march I had SO MANY enthusiastic non knitting women pressuring me for a damn hat and I have so much going on, you guys, I barely got three made with a simple, soothing, and totally fucking mindless pattern. The idea of being expected to make intensely detailed shit like that brain hat to clothe people I don't already love a whole fucking lot--like, I might make that hat for my partner or my baby sister at their explicit request for a significant birthday, pretty much no one else--the idea of being asked to give that much effort and time to strangers gives me hives and makes me want to never touch my needles again.
For the love of little green apples, people, think of the knitters and crocheters here and pick something simple and energetically cheap. Quit getting excited about what you would like to wear and think about the making cost you want (largely female, largely busy) crafters to donate.
And if you don't want hats to be mass produced, for crying out loud make the hand knit thing a selling point or brag on it or tell stories about how you made yourself knitworthy or something. Go nuts. But Jesus Christ remember that making these things takes some effort!
posted by sciatrix at 6:13 AM on January 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Forget novice knitters, I have been knitting for years and that trilobite hat was like my fourth project so I'm happy to jump into the deep end, right, and I don't want to make that brain hat. It's so so much work. Then you get into the idea of making brain hats for other marchers to wear and nope nope nope nope fuck that noise.
Like, before the march I had SO MANY enthusiastic non knitting women pressuring me for a damn hat and I have so much going on, you guys, I barely got three made with a simple, soothing, and totally fucking mindless pattern. The idea of being expected to make intensely detailed shit like that brain hat to clothe people I don't already love a whole fucking lot--like, I might make that hat for my partner or my baby sister at their explicit request for a significant birthday, pretty much no one else--the idea of being asked to give that much effort and time to strangers gives me hives and makes me want to never touch my needles again.
For the love of little green apples, people, think of the knitters and crocheters here and pick something simple and energetically cheap. Quit getting excited about what you would like to wear and think about the making cost you want (largely female, largely busy) crafters to donate.
And if you don't want hats to be mass produced, for crying out loud make the hand knit thing a selling point or brag on it or tell stories about how you made yourself knitworthy or something. Go nuts. But Jesus Christ remember that making these things takes some effort!
posted by sciatrix at 6:13 AM on January 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Honestly I was all uncomfortable at all the people selling hats for the March and people asking me to buy hats from me but Jesus fuck maybe pay women for their work too, it takes me as an intermediate knitter whose time is limited and who is doing other things with her hands something like six hours to make a hat. If you were paying me minimum wage I'd expect like $50 minimum for each one, so if you don't have money to pay you had better the fuck pay for them in love and appreciation. Jesus Christ on a crutch, this is why nearly every knitter and crocheter I know is either super careful about making things for other people or straight up won't make complex pieces for anyone who can't knit themselves.
posted by sciatrix at 6:18 AM on January 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by sciatrix at 6:18 AM on January 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
Like as a neuroscientist, knitter, and marcher who has been well aware of that hat for literal years, seeing that folks are suggesting that hat took me from massive enthusiasm and a desire to signal boost in my department and maybe help organize a local march straight to "fuck this, how dare you take women's work, my work, for granted as you try to celebrate an overworked profession that at least in my field is being constantly demanded to provide more and more volunteer labor? Fuck you. Fuck you all."
I seriously appreciate that wasn't the intent here with all the increasingly complex hats but it has me seriously angry and upset this morning.
As soon as I finish setting up this run of mice I will be bringing this pissed off sentiment to the Facebook group.
posted by sciatrix at 6:42 AM on January 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I seriously appreciate that wasn't the intent here with all the increasingly complex hats but it has me seriously angry and upset this morning.
As soon as I finish setting up this run of mice I will be bringing this pissed off sentiment to the Facebook group.
posted by sciatrix at 6:42 AM on January 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'll be fair, I looked at the brain hat pattern and it's not nearly as hard as I was expecting. If you know how to knit or crochet any kind of beanie hat, you can do that. Then the rest of it is just an extremely large amount of knitting an I-cord and then sewing it on to the hat.
But that said: not a hat I'd recommend that complete noobs start out with, and it wouldn't be fast to produce (especially if you go with size 3 needles as the pattern says, jeebus). If you want to make one for yourself, go to it, but I don't think it's the hat I'd recommend to everyone. Unfortunately almost all of the science hats I've seen mentioned on Ravelry (Ravelry link, if you're not a member you probably can't see this) are pretty complicated, what with the DNA and all. The Klein bottle looks like the only one that wouldn't be too complicated to do.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:58 AM on January 27, 2017
But that said: not a hat I'd recommend that complete noobs start out with, and it wouldn't be fast to produce (especially if you go with size 3 needles as the pattern says, jeebus). If you want to make one for yourself, go to it, but I don't think it's the hat I'd recommend to everyone. Unfortunately almost all of the science hats I've seen mentioned on Ravelry (Ravelry link, if you're not a member you probably can't see this) are pretty complicated, what with the DNA and all. The Klein bottle looks like the only one that wouldn't be too complicated to do.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:58 AM on January 27, 2017
I had popped into the Facebook group a couple of days ago to make some of the points sciatrix did, but not nearly as eloquently, and the hat conversation there was going so fast at the time it was hard for any comment to get traction. So yes, please, more folks, go point this stuff out.
Because, yeah: I made pink hats. I am STILL making pink hats, ten more people asked me for them post-March to wear to future protests. I may be making pink hats until I die. But I would quickly and with great delight set aside my pink hats temporarily and make green or blue hats for science, because hell, my day job is as a sort of support staff for science, I've worked in research labs, I will probably attend a local science march even if I can't get to DC for the big one, I'm enthusiastic about offering my support to this effort any way I can. It needs to be simple, though. I'm not going to learn to make I-cord for this specific purpose, much as I'd like to learn eventually. Gear the choice to novice skill levels, and let more advanced folks fancy it up with DNA patterns etc. as they will, if you want a widespread movement of people donating their time and labor and materials to support the movement.
posted by Stacey at 7:18 AM on January 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Because, yeah: I made pink hats. I am STILL making pink hats, ten more people asked me for them post-March to wear to future protests. I may be making pink hats until I die. But I would quickly and with great delight set aside my pink hats temporarily and make green or blue hats for science, because hell, my day job is as a sort of support staff for science, I've worked in research labs, I will probably attend a local science march even if I can't get to DC for the big one, I'm enthusiastic about offering my support to this effort any way I can. It needs to be simple, though. I'm not going to learn to make I-cord for this specific purpose, much as I'd like to learn eventually. Gear the choice to novice skill levels, and let more advanced folks fancy it up with DNA patterns etc. as they will, if you want a widespread movement of people donating their time and labor and materials to support the movement.
posted by Stacey at 7:18 AM on January 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
I kind of like the idea of just keeping the pink hats for every march and then augmenting with an additional fun costume- in this case labcoats are the most obvious for sure.
posted by TheLateGreatAbrahamLincoln at 7:29 AM on January 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by TheLateGreatAbrahamLincoln at 7:29 AM on January 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Hey sciatrix, you sound really upset and overwhelmed and I'm concerned you'll burn out if you try to keep up this pace. I would be happy to make some hats for you or anyone else who wants one. I'm at work now but I'll PM you when I get home.
posted by Quietgal at 9:48 AM on January 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Quietgal at 9:48 AM on January 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I think that if the scientists want hats, they should make them. I would be happy to arrange learn-to-knit-or-crochet events for scientists who don't yet know how to make hats! But yeah, I apologize if I seemed like I was volunteering knitters for a lot of unpaid labor. That's an issue that we already face, and the gender dynamics could get a little icky once you get away from the women's march and into more male-dominated fields like science.
(I-cord is crazy easy, btw. You knit three or four stitches on a DPN, push them to the other side, bring the yarn around the back, and repeat until your i-cord is as long as you want it to be. The "i" in i-cord stands for idiot, because literally anyone can do it. This is not to say that anyone should knit i-cords if they don't want to!)
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:57 AM on January 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
(I-cord is crazy easy, btw. You knit three or four stitches on a DPN, push them to the other side, bring the yarn around the back, and repeat until your i-cord is as long as you want it to be. The "i" in i-cord stands for idiot, because literally anyone can do it. This is not to say that anyone should knit i-cords if they don't want to!)
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:57 AM on January 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I went off and ran experiments and also made a similar, if slightly less ragey, rant about priorities to my local march FB group--because the national one is already much too big to deal with and I won't be there anyway--my own feeds and a local activism network. While I was at it I came up with some Texas- and Austin-specific scientific things to support and get involved with for other people there to do, so that was better. I am back up to enthuse levels and a little less, um. hair-trigger. for the moment.
also HotToddy I am really sorry for using your cheery comment to trigger a rant of, um, that level of frustration. you totally knew that thing I was frustrated about and you pointed it out yourself in-comment and I should probably have made it clear that I'm not actually mad at you, or about you in particular before I went off on three comments of angry ranting. Just, you know, in case you were worrying.
posted by sciatrix at 10:13 AM on January 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
also HotToddy I am really sorry for using your cheery comment to trigger a rant of, um, that level of frustration. you totally knew that thing I was frustrated about and you pointed it out yourself in-comment and I should probably have made it clear that I'm not actually mad at you, or about you in particular before I went off on three comments of angry ranting. Just, you know, in case you were worrying.
posted by sciatrix at 10:13 AM on January 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
All the talk about "what should the hat look like" is prompting me to ask:
is this a protest march, or the Easter parade?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:50 AM on January 27, 2017
is this a protest march, or the Easter parade?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:50 AM on January 27, 2017
I am fucking terrified. I am 100% NIH funded and up for competitive renewal this year.
I feel like I am pretty employable, but damn, I'm scared.
posted by Sophie1 at 12:12 PM on January 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I feel like I am pretty employable, but damn, I'm scared.
posted by Sophie1 at 12:12 PM on January 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
is this a protest march, or the Easter parade?
People have already pointed out that the sea of pink hats makes it impossible to claim that photos from the Women's March were actually taken at the inauguration.
Symbols matter. Is a pink hat the best symbol possible? Probably not, but it's the one that seems to have arisen.
posted by Lexica at 12:16 PM on January 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
People have already pointed out that the sea of pink hats makes it impossible to claim that photos from the Women's March were actually taken at the inauguration.
Symbols matter. Is a pink hat the best symbol possible? Probably not, but it's the one that seems to have arisen.
posted by Lexica at 12:16 PM on January 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
No worries, sciatrix, and I totally understand your frustration which is why I think we need to 1) keep it simple so people can knit their own damn hats and 2) make it okay to wear the one you already made. Knitting for the cause is super cool but people have their limits. As we see. :)
posted by HotToddy at 1:19 PM on January 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by HotToddy at 1:19 PM on January 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I mean, even as a biochemist, I only wear lab coats for specific subsets of experiments (in some cases to protect experiments from me, and in some cases the other way 'round). And I certainly tire of the (old white dudes in) lab coats = scientists thing. But they're a recognizable symbol (and one that I think would actually show up well in aerial views, and be identifiable in photos). They're also often accessible even in labs where they're infrequently used, and available cheaply online. Complicated custom knit patterns increase the activation energy of symbolic protest wear; field gear is no more representative than lab coats but is less recognizable; all in all, I'm inclined to go with the straightforward if imperfect answer.
While definitely all for a science march, I am worried people will hit march fatigue (on top of "wtf is going on" fatigue and in my case also the very real "oh man I need to graduate" fatigue*), and also concerned that, well, fewer people will turn out to support science than turned out for the womens' march. Not that that means we shouldn't do it, just that it might take some work getting the right messaging going to manage expectations.
*...this has been a very, very long week.
posted by ubersturm at 6:17 PM on January 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
While definitely all for a science march, I am worried people will hit march fatigue (on top of "wtf is going on" fatigue and in my case also the very real "oh man I need to graduate" fatigue*), and also concerned that, well, fewer people will turn out to support science than turned out for the womens' march. Not that that means we shouldn't do it, just that it might take some work getting the right messaging going to manage expectations.
*...this has been a very, very long week.
posted by ubersturm at 6:17 PM on January 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Ok, this just my $0.02 (and worth every penny), and is a little late, and I'm not a scientist (but I will totally march with y'all). But it would seem the most important thing, if you're going the headwear route, would be to pick one color. The aerial shots of the Women's Marches with the sea of pink heads were, as has been mentioned above, A) instantly identifiable and B) impossible to claim as another crowd. I didn't get a pussy hat for the Women's March, so instead wore an old pink hat I already had, and loaned my friend who came with me a pink scarf she wore as a bandanna.
Especially with all the comments above re the different types of work and wear required across different scientific disciplines, just pick a head/hat color. Want to knit a (let's say) green pussy hat? Great. Have the spoons and expertise to knit a green brain/DNA/flask hat? Awesomesauce, do that. Got a green bucket hat, because that's what you wear in the field? Go for it. Ran out of time and all you could find is a green ball cap or bandana? Yes, yes, yes.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 9:31 AM on January 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Especially with all the comments above re the different types of work and wear required across different scientific disciplines, just pick a head/hat color. Want to knit a (let's say) green pussy hat? Great. Have the spoons and expertise to knit a green brain/DNA/flask hat? Awesomesauce, do that. Got a green bucket hat, because that's what you wear in the field? Go for it. Ran out of time and all you could find is a green ball cap or bandana? Yes, yes, yes.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 9:31 AM on January 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
crippledscholar: I have Concerns about The March for Science
posted by Lexica at 1:39 PM on January 29, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Lexica at 1:39 PM on January 29, 2017 [5 favorites]
April 22 has been announced as the date for a Boston march.
posted by maryr at 11:14 AM on January 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by maryr at 11:14 AM on January 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'm on my way out the door but I'm sticking a pin in this thread to come back and read it properly. Yesterday I saw that an acquaintance of mine has stepped up to the task of organising a Science March for our country, and I volunteered to help her out. I'm slightly worried because as far as I know neither of us has organised a demo before (although she is a very capable person and is asking other Science March organisers, etc, for advice). I might be back later this week with a question for AskMe.
posted by daisyk at 9:19 AM on January 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by daisyk at 9:19 AM on January 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
sciatrix: "A couple of years ago the university's IACUC started threatening to make us go out and check trap lines in n95s and nitrile gloves"
Why do they always pick on the labs with the exotics? (Grad work focused on Nile grass rats - our lab got blamed for every parvo outbreak on the entire campus... with zero evidence for any of it. At one point we literally had buckets of bleach water we had to step in on our way out of the housing rooms.)
posted by caution live frogs at 2:49 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
Why do they always pick on the labs with the exotics? (Grad work focused on Nile grass rats - our lab got blamed for every parvo outbreak on the entire campus... with zero evidence for any of it. At one point we literally had buckets of bleach water we had to step in on our way out of the housing rooms.)
posted by caution live frogs at 2:49 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
April 22 appears to be the march date in general.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HATS?!?!
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:51 PM on February 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HATS?!?!
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:51 PM on February 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
My godless ladies group's Designated Knitter is making all of us who want one a knitted brain hat. We're all going to go pick our colors soon, and I think most of us are opting for a pink of some kind but the one physicist in the group has asked for green instead.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:13 PM on February 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Lyn Never at 1:13 PM on February 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
A couple of years ago the university's IACUC started threatening to make us go out and check trap lines in n95s and nitrile gloves
For a while, I was required to wear a hard hat to count plants.
posted by pemberkins at 4:15 AM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
For a while, I was required to wear a hard hat to count plants.
posted by pemberkins at 4:15 AM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
I just had a friend request that I make her a brain hat. Challenge accepted, though I figure what with all the icord it might take weeks.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:22 PM on February 4, 2017
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:22 PM on February 4, 2017
Is there a preferred color for the brain hats? Knitting miles of icord is just the kind of mindless knitting I could use right now.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:48 PM on February 4, 2017
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:48 PM on February 4, 2017
I went with light pink since that was what I could find. I'd try to find something light peach-ish if you could, but brain colors would be my guess.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:58 PM on February 5, 2017
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:58 PM on February 5, 2017
If you're a knitter and not interested in hand-knitting all the icord for a brain hat, or a non-knitter who would like to help a knitter friend out, there are a few icord machines out there that should make the process quicker and easier. Clover has the Wonder Knitter, and Caron has the Embellish Knit (both probably cheaper on Amazon.) I haven't used either of these, but had a non-crank version as a kid in the 70s that I loved. Made so much rainbow-colored icord.
posted by Squeak Attack at 8:28 AM on February 6, 2017
posted by Squeak Attack at 8:28 AM on February 6, 2017
Does anyone know whether there will be official posters for the march? I need to print some up and put them around my campus. Currently the official store site only has shirts, not posters.
posted by StrawberryPie at 9:55 AM on February 13, 2017
posted by StrawberryPie at 9:55 AM on February 13, 2017
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This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
I'm kind of wondering if we're looking at a future of South Korean-style protests where we need to be out in the streets every weekend until he's impeached (and beyond).
posted by not that mimi at 4:51 PM on January 25, 2017 [43 favorites]