On polite discourse in mixed company

There are certain things I have recently been informed that it is improper to discuss in mixed company.
So I’ll put the rest of the discussion after the jump.

One of the great things about the semi-anonymous / pseudonymous science careers internet community is that one gets to rub elbows with people at different career levels a little bit more freely. One can get a little more into career-level frictions because the discussions aren’t quite so personally risky. Trainees can spout all kinds of angst they’d rather not express to their PIs. PP and I get to blow off some mentor steam now and again that we’d never load on our actual trainees. Etc.
So that’s a good thing.
OTOH, it is inevitable that whilst we are rubbing elbows with our internet friends that there are going to be…..awkward topics.
Many of our good blog friends are junior scientists who are *extremely* anxious about getting their first faculty level appointment. So is it really not going to be all that cool for those of us who are already faculty to whinge about minutia like 2% either way on our annual raises, the size or corner-ness of our offices, etc. And of course it is way out of bounds to complain about the screwing we get at the Bentley dealership, knowhatimsayin PP?
Others of our good blog friends are junior faculty who are *extremely* anxious about landing their first major research grant award. So again, not so cool for the more fortunate among us to go on about how hard it is to land that 4th R01, amirite? Or other minor frustrations about grant management or award that our junior colleagues are dying to have to “suffer”.
Anyway, congratulations to all those out there with fantastic grant scores or recent awards who can’t brag about their accomplishments in mixed company on the internet. You know who you are. Fantastic job, well done!