President Donald Trump's administration is pushing a "deliberate destruction of education, science, and history," wrote Adam Serwer in a scathing analysis for The Atlantic published on Tuesday — and it recalls the "Dark Ages" that followed the fall of the Roman Empire.
"Every week brings fresh examples," wrote Serwer. For instance, Trump "is threatening colleges and universities with the loss of federal funding if they do not submit to its demands, or even if they do. The engines of American scientific inquiry and ingenuity, such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, are under sustained attack. Historical institutions such as the Smithsonian and artistic ones like the Kennedy Center are being converted into homes for MAGA ideology rather than historical fact and free expression."
One of the most prominent of these attacks is on Harvard University, which the administration today announced will have all its remaining grants canceled, he said. That matter is currently the focus of legal action as Harvard fights back, but it's just the tip of the iceberg.
This purge is already snuffing out free thought across the country, wrote Serwer: "Libraries are losing funding, government-employed scientists are being dismissed from their jobs, educators are being cowed into silence, and researchers are being warned not to broach forbidden subjects. Entire databases of public-health information collected over decades are at risk of vanishing. Any facts that contradict the gospel of Trumpism are treated as heretical."
The result of all this will be to "undermine Americans’ ability to comprehend the world around us," he warned. "Like the inquisitors of old, who persecuted Galileo for daring to notice that the sun did not, in fact, revolve around the Earth, they believe that truth-seeking imperils their hold on power."
And the harm done to America's ability to conduct basic research to improve our lives and advance technology is hard for lay people to comprehend, he continued.
While private companies do a lot of innovation themselves, he continued, "the research that leads to that invention tends to be a costly gamble — for this reason, the government often takes on the initial risk that private firms cannot." For instance, "commercial flight, radar, microchips, spaceflight, advanced prosthetics, lactose-free milk, MRI machines — the list of government-supported research triumphs is practically endless." And even when private companies do their own research, it takes a back seat to profit — after all, "Exxon Mobil knew climate change was real decades ago, and nevertheless used its influence to raise doubt about findings it knew were accurate."
As the Trump administration burns down America's capabilities in the pursuit of destroying "forbidden ideas," Serwer concluded, history could be on track for a grim repeat: it "will dramatically impair the ability to solve problems, prevent disease, design policy, inform the public, and make technological advancements. Like the catastrophic loss of knowledge in Western Europe that followed the fall of Rome, it is a self-inflicted calamity. All that matters to Trumpists is that they can reign unchallenged over the ruins." 1.7K Comments / 1K
It’s too late for America. You can’t save a country when half of its citizens want to burn it to the ground.
The best outcome is the left reorients and rebuilds systems independent from the federal government, either by focusing on the state and local level or through interstate compacts.
I'm sorry but I disagree, I think we can make it through. It's not going to be easy but if we unite and fight together we can stop this madness. If we split up it's going to screw all the Democrats and normal people who are stuck living in red states for reasons such as can't afford to move.
Either advocate violence or shut up. No other option exists.
May I introduce your barbaric uncivilized ass to the ideas of "voting" and "education"
That didn't work for the past 70 years and it hasn't worked on overthrowing any fascist organization ever. Why do you think you would suddenly work now?
What is the basis of your disagreement? I have hoped for this outcome for my entire adult life but things have only gotten worse and more hateful during that time. There simply is no interest from the right and even much of the center to fight against this. It’s time to let go and realize we can’t save everyone. If they want to fight for local autonomy we can support them. If they want to flee we can welcome them.
But what we can’t do is continue down the same path of the last 15 years. We can’t have a national government that 50% of the time wants to continue the status quo and 50% of the time wants to go on a violent rampage against itself and the people of this country. That just can’t work, and I don’t see a path to a place where it can. We need to build something new for the people who haven’t lost their minds as best we can and let the lunatics self-destruct if that’s what they want to do.
Things have gotten worse on the internet.
There is an entire population of people that don't live perpetually online.....you know? The place that gives a platform to the loudest most annoying people?
Whatever. I really only ever comment because sometimes I like writing.
Live in your pretend land.
heres the reason its too late.
well sure but that's like saying if Superman shows up he can make the GOP behave
so far there hasn't even been a note worthy march and those seem to have died down now
There's going to be huge protests on June 14. I believe protests are just one component. I think what people should be doing is trying to beat the pillars of support that are holding Trump up. For example boycotting his top donors, educating people on things like media literacy and trying to reach people who are not informed on what's going on. Getting his poll numbers way down especially among Republicans would have a big impact on stopping him.
The Economic boycotts against those fascist allies (including Target) are working and should be continued. The next step of the revolution requires targeted lone-wolf hits, as well as generic counter-attacks against ICE and other soldiers on our streets. #FreeLuigi
What they need to be doing is arming up and visiting Fox News, right wing influencers, Heritage Foundation offices, MAGA souvenir shop owners, Salem Media outlets, Baptist churches, etc
looking forward to this for the sake of everyone!!