"Baloney. Here in the Netherlands, scientists working at universities and research institutes get a pretty decent salary. Sure, they don't get filthy rich, but fortunately there are more than enough people who don't care about that."
Maybe it's baloney in the Netherlands, but it's not baloney in the states. I do happen to know what a post-doc makes in the Netherlands (I had a job offer there), and it wasn't anything to get excited about (it was about on par with the earning power of a post-doc in a mid-sized city in the US -- which isn't much). But you're right about one thing: nobody is in danger of getting rich.
That said, I believe you're overlooking one incredibly important difference between life in the US and life in the Netherlands: we don't have a robust social welfare system to support us in old age. Taking 10+ years to do a PhD and post-doc in the US eats into your prime earning years, and puts retirement at risk. From this perspective, the "system" is indeed broken; there's a much stronger financial incentive to start saving while you're young.
€ 2800 per month is definitely not a bad salary. You're right, I can't speak for the US, but here you can live a comfortable life with that (and if you keep rising through the ranks, you'll have a nice retirement when you're done). And I should probably mention that getting your PhD is a paid job here as well (at least the first four years, in which you're expected to obtain your PhD). Anyone who thinks that is economic martyrdom isn't going to solve poverty, no matter how the system works. You just don't get to be a businessman and a hero at the same time.
If that's a salary, it's a pre-tax number. I don't know the tax code in the Netherlands, but in Belgium that would amount to about EUR 1700 after taxes. That's enough to live a comfortable life, but don't even think about buying a house with that [alone].
That's enough to live a comfortable life, but don't even think about buying a house with that [alone].
That's my point: it's not economic martyrdom. Sure, it's limiting, but it's not some huge sacrifice that you can't possibly expect people to make.
It just sounds as if TFA is saying "Woe me, I am smart and talented and I want to make the world better, but society expects me to do that for less than what I can make somehwere else." Well, boo hoo. How about you (the writer of TFA) be thankful for being "just" smart and talented and be satisfied with a decent salary? Or else, just quit claiming that you want to save the world.
(Disclaimer: I have a master's degree, not a PhD, and I make considerably less than 2800 pre-tax with a job that requires that master's degree. This is not abnormal. And yes, I live a comfortable life)
Maybe it's baloney in the Netherlands, but it's not baloney in the states. I do happen to know what a post-doc makes in the Netherlands (I had a job offer there), and it wasn't anything to get excited about (it was about on par with the earning power of a post-doc in a mid-sized city in the US -- which isn't much). But you're right about one thing: nobody is in danger of getting rich.
That said, I believe you're overlooking one incredibly important difference between life in the US and life in the Netherlands: we don't have a robust social welfare system to support us in old age. Taking 10+ years to do a PhD and post-doc in the US eats into your prime earning years, and puts retirement at risk. From this perspective, the "system" is indeed broken; there's a much stronger financial incentive to start saving while you're young.