Bristol March for Science
This was my first week back in the UK after a brief time off traveling. I got straight back into it, though, starting a new job the morning after my return, and then traveling to Bristol this past weekend for the March for Science! I love Bristol and got to see a lot more of it this time around than my last 16 hour stint in October. I’m sure I’ll post more details on all the adventures (read: FOOD) the weekend included, but today, in the after glow of Earth Day and my *first ever* march, I want to talk about the March for Science!
If you don’t know what the March for Science is, it originated in the USA, but soon sister marches developed all across the country and the world (including the sister march I attended in Bristol, and the one my parents attended in Michigan!). It was scheduled for Earth Day, in an effort to emphasize its message and non-partisan base. Its message can essentially be summed up by 1) reason over ideology, and 2) supporting evidence-based policy. So even though the March for Science was non-partisan, it was still political.
I’d never participated in a march before, and neither had my friend Amanda who I dragged along with me. It was a very gentle march to start off with (bar some angry honking from a bus driver whose route was blocked), but it felt very empowering and was so interesting to listen to the speeches and see people’s signs. My fave sign was probably the yellow labrador whose halter read: LABS 4 LABS. (lololol).
So I’m posting today to both share my experience but also share that it is the March for Science week of action! You can read more about the specific actions and petitions you can sign etc. here.
On a fun note, here are some of the funniest signs from the March for Science. A few of my faves:
- So bad, even introverts are here
- Only atoms are allowed to just make stuff up!
- Girls just wanna have fun(ding)
- Ice has no agenda, it just melts
- Do you have the plague? Me neither! Thanks Science!
- What do we want? evidence-based international science! When do we want it? After peer review!
- Make the Barrier Reef Great Again
- The Revolution will be peer reviewed
Most of my life I identified more as an “artist” than a “scientist” – but I’ve always had a love and appreciation for science (which has of course come in handy as now, as a grad student, I’m a scientist!). Both of my parents are biologists, so from a very young age “science” has been a part of daily life. And I put science in quotes because I think the idea of this march goes beyond test tubes and microscopes to really encompass how we think about things – the importance of being critical of where we get our information (AKA not facebook headlines or snapchat news), being critical of how this information was created (are you reading an article about how McDonald’s can reduce diabetes incidence…. that is written by the McDonald’s CEO??), and critical of how we prioritize information. It is said that this march was pretty unprecedented… there aren’t many times in history when such an international collective of scientists have made an outcry for policy change.
What did you think about the March for Science? Have you ever been in a march? Would you ever do one?
Sarah xx
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As usual, I’m linking up with Lauren of Lauren on Location, Van of Snow in Tromso, Isabel of The Sunny Side of This, and Marcella of What a Wonderful World for Wanderlust Wednesday.
So glad that you went to this!! Loads of my friends went and it showed up in my FB feed … made me feel so proud of what we’re doing right now in mobilizing and resisting!
Ooh yes – the London march looked huuuuuge. The Bristol one was a bit more modest ;P
Loved seeing this march happen all over the world, and the great signs people came up with! We also had it here in Santiago and as my husband is a scientist, he of course went along.
Also, those Bristol blue skies are beautiful!!
That’s so cool that he went as well – did he like it? I can imagine the Santiago one was a lot larger and more boisterous than the Bristol one! Probably the most polite march I will ever go to 😛
It’s so, so frustrating that we even need to march for science – come on, world (especially Trump), this is 2017, why do we still need to march for this?!?! So glad to see people coming together around the world to fight for research and reason.
Yep it’s getting a bit ridiculous isn’t it!! But it is truly wonderful to see all the solidarity that has resulted from the crap going on in the world at the moment.
Love, love, love that you went to the March for Science! I went to the DC march and, like you, I thought it was very inspiring and enlightening to see so many like-minded people! While the signs were pretty hilarious, I actually witnessed some people talking science during the march. I’m not a science person, but they were talking about like atoms or something? I was like “wah?!?” lol. That moment when you are at a march and the people talking are over your head. But it was fun, though. Hopefully, the world (and Trump) got the message. (I’m more hopeful for the world. I have zero expectations for Trump.) #wanderfulWednesday
Oooh that must have been amazing – my dad flew out of DC the night before the march and I was like, why didn’t you stay?!?! Yes – so much science talk. I was hoping to absorb the brain power by osmosis 😛
There was a big sugar company funded piece of research into links between sugar consumption and heart disease that was incorrectly summarized there was no link. You just reminded me of it. Good for you for doing the walk!
There’s legit sooooo much silly “research” out there all because people are just trying to steal our money. And often the research that is performed is biased as well as usually journals only want to publish the pieces with positive results. And thank you, it was fun!
Well done for doing the march! I chuckled at labs 4 labs. Aren’t we living in a ridiculous world…
Hahaha it is quite ridiculous. The labrador was blissfully unaware of his scientific activism… sniffing other dogs butts and all.
I LOVE the “ice has no agenda” sign! They did a march here in Tromso as well and it’s really scary to hear what’s happening to Arctic research at the moment in the US…
Yes!! I loved that one so much. All of the signs were hilarious…. but also sad…. because they are true!! I do think that arctic research and fisheries/marine/oceanographic research is some of the most important we can be doing right now. I think there was even a (mini) march in Antarctica!
The revolution will be peer reviewed! Love that! I live in Bristol but was away when the march for science was on. Thank you on behalf of all of us for marching. #WanderfulWednesday
You are lucky to live in such an interesting and open minded city!! It’s jumped up my list of places I think I could live in the U.K…