So i saw that you are planning on attending the science march on washington. I have heard some discussion in and around my office (i work a federal science organization(left out here in case you want to publish this response) about it being not a good idea because it turns science into another issue/cause. and science isn't an issue/cause. it's SCIENCE. Fact. etc. not a self-interested group. (this is a discussion i've had very briefly with my boss. curious as to your thoughts!)
Well, you’re right. Science is science - but I disagree that science is neither an issue nor a cause, especially now.
Science has been turned into an issue and a cause - a cause requiring public support, outcry, and defense - because our scientific institutions, our federal funding agencies, our progress, our international and highly diverse collaborators have already been politicized by being put at risk - and facts tell us that losing these opportunities and resources isn’t going to be good for anyone if we hope to have a productive, healthy country. That risk was growing, and the threat largely happened while we were inside, looking at our facts. It is abundantly apparent that Facts do not suffice in changing some people’s minds- facts are not the persuasive tools we (science-loving nerds) find them to be; they are neither a cure for misunderstandings, nor a remedy for falsehoods, when presented to a person for whom facts are neither resonant nor comforting.
Whether or not people think the march ought to happen, it’s gonna happen, and here’s why I think that’s okay, and why I want you to join me:
I am a professional and effective science communicator, but nothing I can do alone - no video, no witty tweet, no long-winded blog post - has as much potential to impress in as many people’s minds the importance of supporting scientific endeavors as this march does. I believe the March on Science does have the potential to demonstrate the value of supporting science by way of a highly visible, compelling assembly of people who know a lot, who are concerned, and who are ready to act in support and in defense of scientific sanctities. There will certainly be people who use it as their last excuse to 100% totally and completely write off scientists. Okay, fine. After all, science has historically not done a great job of marketing itself, even to people who like science, so we’re just going to have to try something else to gain the trust and affection of people for whom facts don’t matter and science seems unimportant- but that’s later.
It’s difficult and time consuming to demonstrate, time and again, the benefits that scientific research, discoveries, and innovations positively impart in our societies. But imagine how powerful it would be if all of the 821,517 members of the March for Science Facebook group - scientists, and supporters of science - actually showed up, signs in hands, marching together, in D.C. and in cities across America. That would be enormous. The American Chemical Society is the largest scientific society in the world, with over 157,000 members - some scientific meetings have around 20,000 attendees. But the March for Science could absolutely dwarf those numbers. It would be the single greatest meeting of people unified in collective support for global scientific endeavors than any other such gathering in the history of our planet.
And that ^ is worth being a part of.
April 22nd, 2017 - Join up in D.C. or find the nearest march: MarchForScience.com
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