Is Trump a "Stable Genius"?
Top Story: Trump vs. Academia
Donald Trump once referred to himself as a “very stable genius.”
But this “stable genius” doesn’t have much use for the nation’s educational institutions.
In fact, there are few enemies Trump seems to enjoy punishing more than students and educators who disagree with his agenda.
For years, Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point U.S.A. and its Professor Watchlist gang have penalized professors who voice opinions their cronies disagree with.
The right-wing group, with the anodyne name ACTA (American Council of Trustees and Alumni) has applauded efforts to disempower higher ed faculty members they disagree with by putting more decision-making power in the hands of partisan governors and their carefully appointed and politically aligned trustees.
Meanwhile, inappropriately named groups like Moms for Liberty — a book banning outfit — routinely launch campaigns designed to financially harm teachers who teach books they don’t like.
If that weren’t enough, the anti-union group The Freedom Foundation recently launched a new outfit — the Teacher Freedom Alliance — to pit itself against teacher unions who seek better conditions and salaries for poorly paid teachers.
All to say, Trump’s war on academia is part of a larger effort. And when you report on these efforts, it’s important to let people know that.
How to Contextualize Education Battles
Follow the money.
A lot of seemingly moderate campus groups are backed by behind-the-scenes funders who support extremist views and have pointed political aims. People deserve to know that.
Clarify when names lie.
Understand that a common tactic of extremist “education” groups is to give themselves innocuous-sounding names that hide their true goals — to ban books, politicize campuses, attack unions, get rid of diversity initiatives, or privatize public schools. If a name sounds like something it’s not, clarify.
Watch out for Trojan Horses.
A common tactic for folks who are trying to “lay siege” to American educational institutions is to create a Trojan Horse reason for their actions. Be aware of efforts to push unpopular and draconian libertarian economics, for example, via campus centers with names and missions that make them appear to promote things few people would find fault with like —teaching classics, free speech, or open debate.
Always Ask: What’s the motive here? Who’s benefitting? Why is this fight happening, anyway? Is there a larger goal?
For more information, background or quotable material about efforts to protect professors, reach out to Faculty First Responders.
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Nancy MacLean, William H. Chafe distinguished professor of history and public policy at Duke University and author of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America
Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War
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