Week 4 - Nicholas Suen

The corporatization of academia contributes to the development of a “greedy” academic culture that does not foster a healthy environment for education. I am confident that the increased flow of money through a university/through programs associated with a university allow more opportunity for corruption. This promotion of corruption also creates a culture that looks down upon those that speak against it. People that speak out against a monetized establishment, for example “whistle blowers”, they are impacting the establishment's ability to make money, thereby eliciting a whirlwind of backlash as people attempt and protect their money, protect their “cash cow.” The negative connotation surrounding the concept of whistleblowing also contributes to the lack of action by those who see something wrong and are capable of “blowing the whistle” but choose not to.

In Amy Block Joy’s  Whistleblower, the author discusses her experience as a whistle blower and the intense internal turmoil she endures as she juggles with her emotions regarding the unwanted attention from her peers and the looming pressure from her superior (whom she was accusing). In Whistleblower, Joy talks about her research on the topic of “whistleblowing”, and how often it resulted in “...tales filled with financial ruin, chronic stress, marital conflicts, workplace hostility, and ongoing harassment…” (2010), thereby illustrating the ordeals a person must endure when challenging the integrity of a for - profit establishment.

Another example of a person creating mistrust and illustrating the wrong doings of a large establishment, is the Edward Snowden wiki leak. In the summer of 2015, Edward Snowden disclosed information regarding a secret program run by the NSA that collected information on people through social media, telephone use, internet use, etc. (2017). Although the National Security Agency is not for-profit (I would hope), Snowden’s story is an example of how affecting the reputation of a larger administration can cause incredible backlash and lack of trust within the establishment as a whole (in Snowden’s case, the United States Government is the establishment).

(2015)

Question: Does the concept of "whistleblowing" carry a negative connotation because we are social engineered to believe it is? Is this done by larger corporative establishments? 

References

Allen, N. (2015). Political Robin Hood. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from https://whrhsarrowhead.com/11243/uncategorized/political-robin-hood/

CNN Library. (2017, June 14). Edward Snowden Fast Facts. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/11/us/edward-snowden-fast-facts/index.html

Joy, A. B. (2010). Whistleblower. Point Richmond, CA: Bay Tree Pub.