Re the attack on university research

[jon-nyc]

It seems to me that a couple of years ago the right (and centrist) critique of our research institutions was that "being woke is distracting them from doing good science."

Now on the right, it seems to be more like “these institutions are woke, therefore they’re bad and we should punish them”. Doing good science doesn't enter into it anymore. Quite the opposite, it’s viewed as acceptable collateral damage in the race to harm them.

When did this change happen?

[Mik]

Doesn't look like small government, does it?

[89th]

@jon-nyc said in Re the attack on university research:

It seems to me that a couple of years ago the right (and centrist) critique of colleges was that "being woke is distracting them from doing good science."

Now on the right, it seems to be more like “colleges are woke, therefore they’re bad and we should punish them”. Doing good science doesn't enter into it anymore. Quite the opposite, it’s viewed as acceptable collateral damage in the race to harm them.

When did this change happen?

Started in 2014, gained steam in 2016, and really took off in 2025.

[LuFins Dad]

I believe there was much discussion about how bad the next pendulum swing was going to be…

[Mik]

And how fast. But I think it's already swinging back. The thing we have to remember and recognize as a strength is that the opposition here can still oppose vehemently.

[89th]

True.

The tea party movement in 2010 was (seemingly) an anti-demo/Obama reaction to his substantial 2008 victory (and executed mostly at the local level in the midterms) whereas 2016 and 2024 it seems were a similar "pendulum" reaction to the woke/BLM/America-shaming movement prior to those elections, but executed this time with the alpha dog in the oval office.

One could hope eventually the pendulum will stay in the middle for longer than we've seen recently. But if McCain couldn't do it and we see folks like Bernie or Trump pulling their extremes, I'm not holding out hope.