Casualties in the American Right-Wing's War on Science and Education

American innovation. The US used to lead the world in innovation. Our dedication to basic R&D was a keystone in our ability to keep our economy a step above the rest. These days...not so much. It began decades ago and both the attacks on public education and the denigration of science in general began at roughly the same time corresponding with the rise of the American right-wing Christianists.

Public education has been a favored kicking post for some time now. Don't get me wrong, our education system is far from perfect and it's based on an outdated system that leaves teachers frustrated and children bored and unmotivated, however, the enemies of public education use the worst case scenarios to paint the entire school system as a failure and batter incessantly in order to chip off huge pieces to turn over to corporations. It's part of the right's "starve the beast" agenda that equates simply to cutting budgets to the point where improvement is impossible, lobbying the media to run stories that point out flaws while ignoring the good points (not hard to do at all in a 24/7 media cycle that is controlled by large corporations), and then advocating the complete destruction of a long cherished institution. Rather than tweak something, the right wants to take a sword and cut its head off if they feel that they can make a quick buck or it goes against one of their "principles". So we have underfunded school systems with teachers who are underpaid, understaffed and forced to run classrooms of ever-increasing sizes full of kids who are overstimulated while the right-wing runs around and pushes their anti-intellectualism ideology. Something has to crack and unfortunately, it will get worse before it gets better. Something is bound to crack and its bound to be end up as another nail in the middle-class's coffin.

Science. The mere mention of the word seems to send far-right-wingers into a frothy fury. Scientist is probably just under liberal in terms of epithets that the right-wing media likes to fling around attached to its vitriol. What is it about science that the right hates so much? Is it because corporations are no longer interested in the next big advancement and are happy to sit back on their laurels collecting off their massive libraries of acquired patents and copyrights? Is it because due to lax or nonexistent regulations overseas, R&D is cheaper in other countries? American innovation. The US used to lead the world in innovation. Our dedication to basic R&D was a keystone in our ability to keep our economy a step above the rest. These days...not so much. It began decades ago and both the attacks on public education and the denigration of science in general began at roughly the same time corresponding with the rise of the American right-wing Christianists.

Public education has been a favored kicking post for some time now. Don't get me wrong, our education system is far from perfect and it's based on an outdated system that leaves teachers frustrated and children bored and unmotivated, however, the US education system is tasked with the Herculean effort of providing education for EVERYONE regardless off their socio-economic status. Public students CAN get an excellent education within the system, however their parents must be engaged in the process and most just aren't willing to actively participate to ensure that their kid is using the full benefits that are available to them. Meanwhile, the enemies of public education use the worst case scenarios to paint the entire school system as a failure and batter incessantly in order to chip off huge pieces to turn over to corporations. It's part of the right's "starve the beast" agenda that equates simply to cutting budgets to the point where improvement is impossible, lobbying the media to run stories that point out flaws while ignoring the good points (not hard to do at all in a 24/7 media cycle that is controlled by large corporations), and then advocating the complete destruction of a long cherished institution. Rather than tweak something, the right wants to take a sword and cut its head off if they feel that they can make a quick buck or that it goes against one of their core "principles". So we have underfunded school systems with teachers who are underpaid, understaffed and forced to run classrooms of ever-increasing sizes full of kids who are overstimulated while the right-wing runs around and pushes their anti-intellectualism ideology. Something has to crack and unfortunately, it will get worse before it gets better. The result is bound to end up as another nail in the middle-class's coffin.

Science. The mere mention of the word seems to send far-right-wingers into a frothy fury. Scientist is probably just under liberal in terms of words that the right-wing media likes to fling around as epithets attached to its vitriol. What is it about science that the right hates so much? Is it because corporations are no longer interested in the next big advancement and are happy to sit back on their laurels collecting off their massive libraries of acquired patents and copyrights? Is it because, due to lax or nonexistent regulations overseas, R&D is cheaper in other countries? After all, we've become a world without boundaries for corporations while workers are locked within borders protected by bullets and bombs. Why invest in a research facility in the US when you can build one in India staffed by people who have been trained in the US's "failing" education system? There are few penalties, you can pay what you want and still market the goods as an American company even though you really only have a post office box in order to maintain your status. I think the real reason, though, that the right-wing absolutely abhors science is that it asks and answers questions that they don't like. It questions their existence. The scientific method is progressive in nature. It is always presenting questions. The results are always being questioned. Science moves forward as old paradigms collapse and new ones take their place. Change is the right's worst enemy as they are just a bunch of dinosaurs waiting for the "event with global ramifications" to happen. Who needs to save the Earth when God is going to return and sprinkle it with Jesus Juice wiping it clean for all the "Christians" to inherit while the libruls are relegated to Hell?

Let's be perfectly clear, public education and science aren't the only institutions that the right despises, however, they are two entities that the constant salvos by the right are greatly affecting in a negative way. The decades of denigration have led to an ant-intellectual sentiment that percolated in the depths of the far-right's increasingly small tent but have spread out to taint our culture in general. The attacks are not going to stop. They are only going to continue virtually unabated until the US is so far behind that we can never catch up.

So what can we do about it?

http://blogs.forbes.com/ciocentral/2011/01/20/danger-america-is-losing-its-edge-in-innovation/

I’ve visited more than 100 countries in the past several years, meeting people from all walks of life, from impoverished children in India to heads of state. Almost every adult I’ve talked with in these countries shares a belief that the path to success is paved with science and engineering.

In fact, scientists and engineers are celebrities in most countries. They’re not seen as geeks or misfits, as they too often are in the U.S., but rather as society’s leaders and innovators. In China, eight of the top nine political posts are held by engineers. In the U.S., almost no engineers or scientists are engaged in high-level politics, and there is a virtual absence of engineers in our public policy debates.

Why does this matter? Because if American students have a negative impression – or no impression at all – of science and engineering, then they’re hardly likely to choose them as professions. Already, 70% of engineers with PhD’s who graduate from U.S. universities are foreign-born. Increasingly, these talented individuals are not staying in the U.S – instead, they’re returning home, where they find greater opportunities.

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