Republicans have been trying to undermine education for 50 years. They want people uneducated and uninformed, they need it. They want people afraid, particularly of other beliefs, cultures, and colors. People who are less educated are easier to frighten. This is why Republicans do well in red states where the GOP have been undermining education for decades. Republicans need frightened, under-educated voters in order to win elections. People who have been taught critical thinking skills can figure out when they’re being lied to.
I don’t think your premise is far off, but really I think it’s simpler than that. Angry people vote, and children are an exposed nerve among “values” voters. “Won’t somebody think of the children!” has been a meme for longer than memes have been called memes. Conservativism relies on outrage and fear to motivate voters, so they manufacture it in school districts and PTO meetings. And because the outcome is so inconsequential, it doesn’t even matter if they win. They want the fight, so that progressives must spend time and resources defending against fiction. Win or lose, their supporters are energized and primed to hate anyone who is trying to corrupt their children.
This 1000%. Birth rates decline with more education, empathy goes up, religiosity goes down, critical thinking and skepticism go up. All of these shifts are antithetical to high-control systems.
Republicans have been trying to undermine education for 50 years. They want people uneducated and uninformed, they need it. They want people afraid, particularly of other beliefs, cultures, and colors. People who are less educated are easier to frighten. This is why Republicans do well in red states where the GOP have been undermining education for decades. Republicans need frightened, under-educated voters in order to win elections. People who have been taught critical thinking skills can figure out when they’re being lied to.
I don’t think your premise is far off, but really I think it’s simpler than that. Angry people vote, and children are an exposed nerve among “values” voters. “Won’t somebody think of the children!” has been a meme for longer than memes have been called memes. Conservativism relies on outrage and fear to motivate voters, so they manufacture it in school districts and PTO meetings. And because the outcome is so inconsequential, it doesn’t even matter if they win. They want the fight, so that progressives must spend time and resources defending against fiction. Win or lose, their supporters are energized and primed to hate anyone who is trying to corrupt their children.
This 1000%. Birth rates decline with more education, empathy goes up, religiosity goes down, critical thinking and skepticism go up. All of these shifts are antithetical to high-control systems.
They are failing in red states for thanks to the internet. Why they are attacking it and banning of books.