“What did these people [voter] think was going to happen?”
They didn’t think. They emoted. Because Tromp succeeded in manipulating their emotions.
It’s especially disappointing of course when even educators act/vote like that.
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A statement by the American Association of University Professors:
Unfortunately, troubling recent events suggest that some administrations are not only acquiescing to attacks on fundamental principles but engaging in what scholars of authoritarianism call anticipatory obedience—that is, they are acting to comply in advance of any pressure to do so. 4 One case in point is the recent review of all course content for “antisemitism or anti-Israel bias” in the Florida state university system, initiated by its chancellor at the urging of a member of the state house of representatives. Courses flagged by the review for further scrutiny included Percussion Ensemble, Global Hip Hop, General Parasitology, and Painting Workshop. 5
Similarly, the University of North Texas administration recently censored the content of more than two hundred academic courses, including by mandating the removal of words such as race, gender, class, and equity from undergraduate and graduate course titles and descriptions. 6 These actions were allegedly taken in response to state legislation banning certain diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and practices, even though the legislation specifically exempted academic course content. While university administrators and faculty members may be compelled to comply with legislation and court orders, even where these run counter to professional and constitutional principles, they remain free to register their disagreement. And under no circumstances should an institution go further than the law demands. Yet, the examples above depict an eagerness to obey on the part of administrative officers, portending a bleak future for higher education.
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I like reading about history and I used to read everything I could about the Second World War. One day I read an article about the Manhattan Project and how the United States, despite all its economic power, was far behind in the atomic race precisely because it lacked “brains” and had to import scientists and machinery from Europe. The author of the article said that the American authorities no longer wanted to take risks and started investing in education and ways to attract students to science. Then they started investing in science fairs and similar events. Seeing all that is happening in the United States, it gives the impression that they are shooting themselves in the foot.
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My frustration with the US is that it’s been very well understood that the country is having a shortage of skilled labor but also certain professions that involve a lot of intensive schooling. I can’t speak for other states, but looking at what schools here in TX are really spending money on is gigantic football stadiums. For high schools.
Instead of investing in other things that will improve creative and intellectual drive they invest in the one thing that actively reduces brain cells.
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Very true… but we’re here in part because people became convinced that you don’t need the humanities, so it was quite fashionable to attack those fields, and of course, the anti-intellectualism led to a devaluing of the sciences, too, except where it can benefit corporations. Universities have already suffered from cutting of federal funding, with private industry and non-profits often filling in the gaps. Writing grants is a major part of being a professor at a Research university. There is much more money for the sciences than for the humanities, from either public or private sources.
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This is something I would expect from my country, except that the authorities don’t even invest in sports, let alone in good schools…
In the last government they invented a so-called civic-military school, a common school, but managed by military personnel and with an emphasis on discipline and hierarchy. Of course the parents loved the idea of having their children tamed, but in the end, the result was mediocre.
The real military schools (which are not like the American military academies) in Brazil have high quality teaching, but their cost is much, much higher than traditional schools.
Instead of increasing investment in education, they preferred to increase discipline.
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The Pledge of Allegiance is already required in Alabama public schools; now the legislature wants to require a “Judeo-Christian” prayer as well.
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Christofascist fuckheads.
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Oh this makes me wish I were a teacher there, there are just so many delicious possibilities for malicious compliance.
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