The extinction of science in America began in earnest with the first election of Donald Trump. For Trump it was one more arm of factual data that needed to be attacked and ultimately repudiated, even destroyed. Why? Because truth and facts invalidate Trump’s message and plans for the future. It began with Rupert Murdoch’s “Fox News” and the trolling by right-wing Republican publications and quickly expanded into online forums and platforms. There the uneducated, the uninformed and the ignorant listened carefully to 30 second sound bites that validated their beliefs and lack of ability to discern truth from lies.
Science is anathema to Trump. How can he constantly spin a message of “Fake News” if science provides factual information that refutes his assertions? However, it mattered little as the majority of followers of Trump themselves believe in conspiracy theories and pseudo-science.
Trump, with his recent cabinet appointments has doubled-down on ignorance, disinformation, misinformation and outright lies, appointing such believers as RFK, Tulsi Gabbard and Matt Gaetz for starters. His claims that climate change is a ‘hoax’ created by the Chinese to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive, and his statements that “The covert expensive global warming bullshit has got to stop”, and; “Our planet is freezing, record low temps, and our global warming scientists are stuck in ice,” are beyond ludicrous. The scientific data is clear and unequivocal that global warming is occurring. There are many such statements by Trump, parroted by Fox News and some Congressman in office.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-comments-on-science-are-shockingly-ignorant/
RFK’s statements about vaccines creating autism, Trump’s statements on Ebola, on health care, fracking, wind farms, and how environmentally friendly lightbulbs can cause cancer are outright lies and lunacy. The appointment of Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for FEMA, who rejects climate science entirely is another stake in the heart of science, logic and rationality.
With scientific literacy in America at 28%, it’s not surprising that a majority of Americans are willing to swallow any ignorant comments on science emanating from the mouths of Republicans.
Science is not opinion. Science is facts, determined through data, researched and carefully analyzed in order to reach consensus among scientists who will review that data, critique it and validate it through experimental proof to verify its assertions and then further to accept criticism and even greater in-depth analysis by peers. It isn’t someone with no scientific understanding whatsoever, asserting his ‘beliefs’ or stating ‘fake news’ like a six year old in the playground.
Trump has a child’s understanding of the sciences as most of his statements attest, which is incredibly dangerous for a person whose political world is increasingly dependent upon science, medicine, physics, chemistry, biology, climate science, nuclear science, etc. etc.
More importantly, Trump’s proclivity for appointing ‘yes-men’ steeped in the lies and disinformation that Trump believes, enabled his successful bid for the Presidency. Worse, within his administration there is no ‘’voice of reason”, never mind knowledgeable sources, in order for intelligent decisions to be made.
In a world overwhelmed with negative impacts on the environment, ecosystems, natural systems, nature generally, plant and animal life, and ultimately where human survival hangs in the balance, – science is the fortress, the bulwark that creates understanding and rational decision-making which enables politicians to make choices that will have implications for billions of people, either favourably or to their detriment.
Meanwhile Trump and his peons will ignore, denigrate and continue to destroy and disadvantage science and scientists in order to facilitate his policies, which only consider profits for corporations and for the 1% of the planet’s richest people.
Shame on Republicans for enabling this. The natural world is hanging by a thread and Republicans are actively engaged in cutting it.
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