I'm not a physicist (I'm a biologist), but I still find this email highly suspicious.
Basically, the message boils down to:
« Don’t criticize our field. We at academia need taxpayer’s money to do useless research. But keep this confidential ».
I can’t see how such a message could exist.
The content repeats what she has been saying almost point for point, is highly damaging to scientific research in general, yet the email's author (a researcher) would have asked Sabine (a YouTuber) to keep it confidential. This makes no sense. But it is very convenient as Sabine wouldn’t have to provide any evidence for the message’s legitimacy.
Despite the author sharing Sabine’s views, they would at the same time criticize her for having written an opinion paper about it (in Nature Physics). This also doesn’t make sense. If the goal of the email was to make Sabine aware of the damage she’s done to the field, why include content that is even more damaging? A legit email would have at best included phrases like « I know there are issues in our field, but... ».
Describe your own research as "crap" in an email you ask to keep confidential? Give me a break. I don't know any researcher thinking what they do is "crap". In research, you believe in what you do.
The email also says that the problem exists in "all other areas". Yeah sure. And how would the emailer know about "all other areas"? Incidentally, this is exactly the idea Sabine tries to convey.
Another inconsistency: the author says they're sorry for being harsh. Why apologize to Sabine for stating what she believes? For me, this is Sabine speaking to her audience right here.
Basically, the message boils down to:
« Don’t criticize our field. We at academia need taxpayer’s money to do useless research. But keep this confidential ».
I can’t see how such a message could exist. The content repeats what she has been saying almost point for point, is highly damaging to scientific research in general, yet the email's author (a researcher) would have asked Sabine (a YouTuber) to keep it confidential. This makes no sense. But it is very convenient as Sabine wouldn’t have to provide any evidence for the message’s legitimacy.
Despite the author sharing Sabine’s views, they would at the same time criticize her for having written an opinion paper about it (in Nature Physics). This also doesn’t make sense. If the goal of the email was to make Sabine aware of the damage she’s done to the field, why include content that is even more damaging? A legit email would have at best included phrases like « I know there are issues in our field, but... ». Describe your own research as "crap" in an email you ask to keep confidential? Give me a break. I don't know any researcher thinking what they do is "crap". In research, you believe in what you do. The email also says that the problem exists in "all other areas". Yeah sure. And how would the emailer know about "all other areas"? Incidentally, this is exactly the idea Sabine tries to convey.
Another inconsistency: the author says they're sorry for being harsh. Why apologize to Sabine for stating what she believes? For me, this is Sabine speaking to her audience right here.