Claims of academia being out of touch with the “real world” are hardly new. This week, it was the turn of a Conservative MP in the UK to draw the ire of many after a Twitter attack on the profession.
Personally, never thought of academics as 'experts'. No experience of the real world.
— Glyn Davies (@glyndaviesmp) October 29, 2016
Glyn Davies, MP for Montgomeryshire, posted the tweet on 29 October, inspiring vast numbers of academics to defend their honour, uniting under the hashtag #realworldacademic, a term coined by Times Higher Education's very own editor-at-large, Phil Baty.
Feels like a hashtag is needed for this. Are you a #realworldacademic ? Let your MP know! https://t.co/rXjcbjDTRv
— Phil Baty (@Phil_Baty) October 30, 2016
Some scholars' responses to the inflammatory tweet featured plain statements of fact…
>50% of US's economic growth since WWII attributable to science & technology. That's real world. #realworldacademic https://t.co/n6KfPxOoOs
— Scientists for EU (@Scientists4EU) October 30, 2016
...while others focused more on tried-and-tested academic wit.
That moment when you just can't choose the window of your ivory tower from which to throw scraps to the peasants. #realworldacademic
— Ben Stanley (@BDStanley) October 30, 2016
In fact, light-hearted mocking seemed to be the preferred method of expressing disapproval…
Since Waitrose started accepting rambling lectures about Foucault as payment for expensive cheeses I've no need to be a #realworldacademic
— Harriet Palfreyman (@hjpalfreyman) October 30, 2016
Sometimes I reload the printer with paper I've opened all by myself #realworldacademic
— Scott Hames (@hinesjumpedup) October 31, 2016
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion...and I worked in Asda once #realworldacademic
— Martin George (@martingeorge) October 30, 2016
Mr Davies’ tweet also allowed for some lovely online academic bonding…
@JHolmesSheff yeah, 5 years at the SPAR, one as Asst Manager, one as Manager #realworldacademic
— Dan Horsfall (@DanHors83) October 30, 2016
...while some chose to highlight the irony in a well-paid MP attacking academics for lacking the “common touch”, either through precise, poignant comparisons…
Dear @glyndaviesmp I could have funded my whole project on chemo side effects in kids for same £ as your annual expenses #realworldacademic pic.twitter.com/OoeeomNz6M
— Dr Vicky Forster (@vickyyyf) October 31, 2016
...or through the use of a somewhat blunter instrument:
Dude, you literally work in a palace. #realworldacademichttps://t.co/4TeoTbrgxy
— Jonathan Healey (@SocialHistoryOx) October 30, 2016
Beyond the humour, the serious implications of dismissing and demoralising people who have chosen to dedicate themselves to a life of the mind, cannot and should not be ignored.
#realworldacademic @glyndaviesmp - you need a reality check, so here's my bio. We all now need an apology. pic.twitter.com/XqAKMLuT9l
— Claire Nally (@tinyhippo1979) October 30, 2016
You can follow the #realworldacademic hashtag on Twitter, where you can also follow THE.
Read next: Real World Academics – a response to Glyn Davies MP
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Print headline: A lesson from Twitter: don’t dismiss academics’ work
