I was doing my weekly round of the holy trinity of scientific journals (Nature, Cell, Science) when I found this article about Woo-Suk Hwang, and how he was back in business in Thailand. It reminded me of an ethics course I took in the Spring Semester. One that I fully hated. Partly because it was organized in a manner calculated to put anyone who has an IQ above 2 to sleep. Partly because it upset me. I believe we discussed 5 cases of scientific misconduct in detail. 3 of those cases involved Indians. The other 2 were of the esteemed gentleman mentioned above, and a Japanese couple whose names I forget. In any case, all Asian.
Now, all of the cases we discussed were well-known instances of scientific misconduct. They included the Amitav Hajra case, the most astonishing tale of one Dr.Ram Singh, and the more fuzzy case of Vipin Kumar. Amitav Hajra owned up to his cheating. Dr.Ram Singh was the comic relief in this very bad Bollywood movie. He was the supremely annoying, bad "Madrasi" accented Mehmood. His most hilarious claim was that he couldn't produce the data because the termites ate it! Vipin Kumar was found guilty, but seems to have moved onto other things in life.
In any case, the reason this made me uncomfortable, was that I had to go into a room filled with 10 American students, and discuss these cases. And the question that remained unasked directly, but hung around the room like a pungent fart, was this: Are Indians more prone to cheating than people of other nationalities? They wouldn't be blamed for asking this question because 3 students(all Indian) from my class were kicked out of graduate school in the first year for plagiarism. Another 2 from the year above mine were also asked to leave around the same time for the same reason. They were Indian too. 5 cases of plagiarism in 1 year...and all of them were Indian. And while I don't know the details of the case involving the people in the year above mine(And hence,am loth to comment on them. Innocent until proven guilty and all that), I am intimately acquainted with the happenings that led to the dismissal of my colleagues. Let's just say there's no smoke without fire.
My first reaction to the choice of cases in the ethics course was that of anger. I felt that the person organizing the course had deliberately picked these cases. Why, I don't know. She could just be racist, or she may want to prove a point in a very obvious way. To give her the benefit of the doubt, she could also be insensitive enough to not realize that she had picked cases that were overwhelmingly from 1 community, and hence might be construed as offensive. It bothered me to the extent that I went around asking faculty members in my department whether they felt that they had seen more cases of scientific misconduct by Asians than Americans. Every person I asked said No. One of them even suggested I make my displeasure known to higher authorities. Which of course, being a spineless wimp, I didn't do.
But after I gave it some thought, I realized that we are a country where integrity is given short shrift. If you get caught by a "mama" for not wearing a helmet, you quickly whip out a Rs.50 note, and you're on your way. If you want to get your drivers' license, don't even think about going to the RTO without an "agent" to smooth your way. You want an internship completion certificate, when you didn't do your rural posting...Rs.3000, and you're home free. I remember one Obs/Gynae exam that we took in the third year. Every single student in the class barring me and a bosom pal, had their textbooks open underneath their desks. The Proctor knew what was going on. She just didn't care. Chalta hai, na!
We do seem to accept corruption without question in India. Is this why we cheat? Because we don't see it as wrong? Or are the incidents above isolated cases? I believe they are. I think it is always a deeply personal choice to cheat. Just like the way people choose to fall in love with A instead of B, or prefer Palak Paneer to Baingan Bartha. I'm in agreement with the author of this excellent article. But I can't help wondering if our morals have been slightly loosened by the nonchalant acceptance of what is clearly wrong in our country. I hope not.
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5 comments:
Thats a cultural thing partly.Like the LOR business...its not so much shitty in India.
Anyways you haven't seen what people do for their thesis work during residency in India.
But all said its all very easy to quibble about India and Indians sitting in your comfortable cushy labs here.I did 2 projects while in college, and paid out of my pocket for everything, including printing of forms.You require a different kind of research for India..something like what Abhay Bang or Bawaskar do. ..not high falutin molecular bio stuff.
If you have a country with a population 4 times that of the USA...you should have 4 times the number of cheats too, logically speaking.There are rotten apples everywhere.
Btw why don't you take it as a challenge to prove these assumptions wrong!!
Thats a cultural thing partly.Like the LOR business...its not so much shitty in India.
Agreed. Thats why I ask whether the 'cultural thing' influences us to the extent that we don't think it very wrong to plagiarise. (BTW, you maybe interested to know that the LOR thing happens here as well. Busy professors are busy everywhere. Just saying!)
Anyways you haven't seen what people do for their thesis work during residency in India.
True enough. I haven't.
But all said its all very easy to quibble about India and Indians sitting in your comfortable cushy labs here.
Just asking what I think is a pertinent question. Believe me, its not a question I like asking. Which is why the course upset me so much. I am the last person to pass judgement on a country as complex as India in one fell swoop. Besides, I like my country too much to do that anyway! Oh..and if you saw my lab..you would no longer label it cushy!
I did 2 projects while in college, and paid out of my pocket for everything, including printing of forms.
That is very good of you. I'm sure not many people did the same.
You require a different kind of research for India..something like what Abhay Bang or Bawaskar do. ..not high falutin molecular bio stuff.
OK....but what does that have to do with plagiarism? Cheating is cheating whether its the Ozone Layer or the mating habits of Skunks! My references were all mol bio because those were the cases we were presented with. It could've been anything for all I care. I'm not discussing the kind of research that is done, and how India doesn't need that mol bio shit. We can discuss that too if you wish...just not in the context of this post.:) I shall now make it my business to find out what it is exactly that Mr.Bang and Mr.Bawaskar do.
If you have a country with a population 4 times that of the USA...you should have 4 times the number of cheats too, logically speaking.There are rotten apples everywhere.
Accepted. Also, I think the representation of Indians in the scientific community here maybe of a higher proportion, which is why you see more cases of scientific misconduct involving Indians here.
hell..are you taking to forceps and tongs...well let me help you then...
Agreed. Thats why I ask whether the 'cultural thing' influences us to the extent that we don't think it very wrong to plagiarise.
You cant give the yanks a moral unupmanship on this and call them an evolved race on this basis- how morally correct are so many of the drug company sponsored trials, the Gardasil ad, the blatant advertising of the flu vaccine based on fudged facts...many more.Amoral things are allowed here as long as they are covered up cosmetically.
(BTW, you maybe interested to know that the LOR thing happens here as well. Busy professors are busy everywhere. Just saying!)...
FYI, the LOR BS does not exist in India...all the hoity toity ceremoniousness about this annoying piece of vashila/ jack is really so decadent.
Representation of Indians in the scientific community here maybe of a higher proportion, which is why you see more cases of scientific misconduct involving Indians here.
I think you may add Kaavya Vishwanathan, Anu Malik, RD Burman and many more to that list.
And Drs Bang and Bawaskar.
hell..are you taking to forceps and tongs...well let me help you then...
Me...never! It would be vastly more painful if I did!
You cant give the yanks a moral unupmanship on this and call them an evolved race on this basis-
When did I ever do that? I think they are the biggest scammers in the history of scamming. I didn't give anyone moral upmanship I think. In fact, I never even mentioned the Yanks. I just questioned OUR perception of morality, thats all. In fact, in the beginning of my post, I expressed outrage that she had picked those cases in the first place.
FYI, the LOR BS does not exist in India...all the hoity toity ceremoniousness about this annoying piece of vashila/ jack is really so decadent.
Dear me...don't bite my head off! I just meant that you can sometimes be asked to write your own LOR here as well. The professor will just sign it. Which is what you do when you want an LOR in India. Thats what I meant when I wrote abt busy professors.
I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong here, that you meant that the requirement for LORs was part of the (shitty) culture here, and not in India. After reading your first comment I thought you meant that the LOR business(to me that meant writing your own LOR) was part of a cultural thing in India, and its not considered so bad to write one yourself. I think I understand you now, after reading your 2nd comment. Feel free to correct me if I still don't understand you.
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