The Misery

The Misery I'm a retired lawyer who worked in contract administration at a large aerospace firm from 1950 to 1963. I had a staff position [that] put me in contact with much of the top brass, as well as engineers and scientists involved in such programs as the Atlas and Minuteman ICBMs and the Apollo moon mission. During those years, the engineers and scientists I was in contact with had it pretty good, what with so many contractors bidding for their services. But I was able to see even then that scientists were probably in for hard times, once the cold war was over. Part of the problem facing the scientific community1 is the fact that almost all scientists have a very strong sense of rationality and ethics, whereas the people who are able to gain control over the industries that hire them are not handicapped with those emotional limitations. I say "limitations" because, given the nature of capitalistic industry, there is more to being successful than being smart. I have finally found the answer to the question: 'If you're so damned smart, why aren't you rich?' The answer is that getting rich takes a talent, the same as being a successful artist or musician. No matter how smart one may be, he is not going to be a successful musician without a good deal of special talent. And becoming rich is just as demanding of a special talent to be successful. I think you will find that the scientists who justifiably complained of their compensation simply lack the necessary talent to make money, and they are dependent upon those who do have that talent to provide them with both a place to work and a paycheck. I have long felt that those who actually do the work and produce things, be they houses or scientific breakthroughs, have never been adequately compensated. And it appears the scientific community is having it much harder than before, which makes me want to cry, for it is they who are actually making this world a so much better place, not the wealthy managers (although the managers play a significant role, too). Whether the scientists are smart enough to organize for their own financial welfare, I tend to doubt. Some teachers have managed to organize, and the California correctional officers have been very successful in boosting their payrolls via organization and campaign contributions, so there is hope. I think what the scientists need is a charismatic leader with the talent to organize them into an effective bargaining unit. If the scientists, even most of them, do manage to join together for their mutual financial benefit, they have tremendous bargaining advantages and should be able to improve their situations greatly. But the big "if" is whether they are actually smart enough. Carl Croel ccroel@webtv.net 1. R. Gallagher, "Postdocs: Truly, Les Miserables," The Scientist, 17[4]:16, Feb. 24, 2003. function sendData() { document.frm.pathName.value = location.pathname; result = false if (document.frm.score[0].checked) result = true; if (document.frm.score[1].checked) result = true; if (document.frm.score[2].checked) result = true; if (document.frm.score[3].checked) result = true; if (document.frm.score[4].checked) result = true; if (!result) alert("Please select") return result; } .myradio{background-color : #94bee5} Please indicate on a 1 - 5 scale how strongly you would recommend this article to your colleagues? Not recommended 1 2 3 4 5 Highly recommended Please register your vote

The Misery

The Misery

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of