“I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time – when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness…
The dumbing down of American is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance” ― Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark(1995)
Wow. Completely nailed it, unfortunately.
Do you also start to get weary of how they’re always dead-on when it comes to pessimistic predictions? :(
I mean there are a few good actuate positive predictions. The family of laws that collectively are called Moore’s law is decent offhand example.
Fuck.
There’s no way I’d send my kids to Harvard or MIT (or Stanford, Caltech, Yale, Princeton, etc. etc.) if I were a foreigner. Shit, I am an American and I think I’d probably prefer to send my kids to McGill at this point. I hope my outlook changes. And I write this as someone who has walked the halls of two of those prestigious universities.
Idiocracy had their time predictions wrong, it’s already nearly there.
It’s part of the plan. If you can’t win over the more left-leaning academia, you can always just get rid of it. Worked out for both Hungary and Russia.
“in danger”
Why is it that all these articles seem to be written in the past?
Brain drain? They’re flushing them!
Brain Cistern
Unironically I would be literally thrilled to contribute to this brain drain. I’d drop everything and get on a plane right this very second for a chance to do a PhD in literally any other country.
If anyone is looking to fill a electrical engineering PhD position literally anywhere but America then I’m ya boy.
Finland has tuition free PhD programs for nationals of any country, Germany and Netherlands offer paid research positions where you basically are a full time student and still a part time lecturer - working hours can be tough though, since you need to balance the two. If you have some modest savings, Malaysia has some excellent universities and very cheap tuition (I’m doing my phd here and pay about 10k USD for a 3 year program) and cost of living is very low.
Does Malaysia do their classes in English?
Yep, from highschool onwards the education system is fully in English. It’s pretty much an exact copy of the British system from that point on, thanks to the colonial past.
In EEng most positions in Germany are without mandatory teaching. Unless you want to, as you would need teaching experience to be eligible for a professorship.
Germany is actually really good if you have a full-time position, as the salary is somewhat comparable to a normal job, at least in CS/CE.
These are places I would consider if I were able to go back to school:
- https://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/ece/degree-options/electrical-and-computer-engineering-phd/
- https://grad.uwo.ca/admissions/programs/program.cfm?p=41
- https://uwaterloo.ca/electrical-computer-engineering/doctor-philosophy-phd
- https://www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/program/electrical-engineering-phd
- https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/programs/electrical-and-computer-engineering/
Yeah, we gonna need loads of that for 7th gen fighters, resilient next-gen green smart grids, etc. Bon voyage!
PS: we’re not better than the US, but at least our political systems can delay full fascist takeover for about 5-20 years…which may be enough time to reverse it politically or to at least create defenses against it.
Thank you for this. I couldn’t find this for some reason.
So I am in no position to help you but I do have a very strange and hypothetical (ish) question:
How feasible would it be to hack a monitors firmware and use it to send and receive data, assuming that the data being sent is encoded on, say, the green color channel of said monitor and you had an sdr or some specially configured device set up somewhere to help make this very specific and bizarre idea work?
I think at this point, the danger has crystallized pretty thoroughly. Even if you somehow stopped everything that was currently happening, I don’t really know why anybody would want to come here anymore for university. Getting a degree is already stressful enough without having to worry about whether or not the institution will legally be allowed to keep you enrolled for the entire duration of your program.
and the job markets in the us are pretty unstable as it is, especially lot of biotech is preferentially hiring H1B visa holders anyways over citizens, if you dont have a Doctorates.
the problems at the BS/MS level is the low amount of lab experience that is given to students, and universities make it very hard to get them in general.
I don’t really know why anybody would want to come here anymore for university
I mean if my advisor can secure the funding, the two reasons I plan on doing my PhD in America are (1) I like my advisor and (2) I went to school here and I don’t like my chances of being accepted somewhere else. Like I would rather do a PhD in literally any other country.
People move here for university at the higher end because there is no where else in the world where you will have more access to research money. Whether government or private sector. Although this may no longer be the case under Trump.
also salary is higher in the usa than anywhere else too.
Of course. We have people in government who don’t believe in germ theory. Education is extremely expensive, and if you don’t pick a “Good” major, not only are you in debt, but shamed and mocked for it, since no one “forced” you to go. Jobs that require these degrees, even doctors, are not paying enough for people to live, study, and afford food. Why would you stay?
Also educated people tend to vocally disagree with fascists, so obviously fascists wants fewer of them around.
College educated skilled worker. I already left. I’m not looking back. Thanks Trump for making me realize how much the US was holding me back
Yuuup. Trump getting elected once was the writing on the wall, I wasn’t going to wait and hope he didn’t manage to return to power. Turns out that was a great decision, the Netherlands are amazing.
Yeah I was like, “In danger of? Bro it’s already happening”.
I do sure love it when cowards leave the country instead of remaining here to vote in their interest. To everybody patting themselves on the back for leaving America, you’re part of the fucking problem
Clearly I’d be more helpful in El Salvador
Any particular resources you found helpful in your move? My main concern is how to make the visa work and how to find a livable wage abroad
Not OP, but I did the same, when I first realized the US was on a slippery slope towards idiocracy (and, in fairness, I realized it three decades after many intellectuals already warned about it). In my case, I was fortunate to work for a multinational, which agreed to transfer me to a country within the EU, and to take care of the paperwork. Over a decade later, I have citizenship here, my own house, and I feel fully integrated into the local society. And I don’t need to worry about college tuition for my kids. They’ll have a choice of free education anywhere within the EU, and by the time they’re old enough, they may have access to a wide variety of educators who left he US.
I’m in a similar boat, except I’m waiting to find out if my multinational will be willing to move me. I’m the lead developer, admin, product owner, and architect for a very publicly-facing web presence for my company, so I’m hoping they’ll be willing to in order to keep me happy.
And if they won’t, I’m going to be applying for similar jobs abroad the moment I know.
It’s not just for me. My son is trans and my daughter is gay. I have to get them both out of here before the ovens start firing up.
If you get the impression that at this point I believe the U.S. is a lost cause, you’re correct. If we make it to the 2026 elections intact, the elections are valid, and Democrats sweep, I’ll be extremely surprised.
Getting a work/student visa takes a lot of time so start it early. It’s generally easiest to get PR through work or study.
But it’s only one piece of the puzzle. My partner and I spent 2 months before we moved going through everything we own and deciding what to get rid of. We got rid of about half of our stuff, anything you don’t get rid of will have to go through customs, not to mention figuring out how to physically move your stuff.
Once you get to a new place, setting up is also its own logistical nightmare. You won’t have any credit established so getting an apartment or credit card might be difficult to start. You also need a bank account, which might have its own requirements.
And then there’s the social part of it. I’m lucky that my community is international and I was very quickly able to find my people, but if you don’t know anyone you’re going to be very lonely until you do. Try to make some friends before you move.
Where did ya go?
More privilege on display from the elite in American society.
And also bragging about it. Gross.
Fucking bizarre take to lob at someone fleeing a country rapidly falling to fascism and ethnic cleansing.
It’s not bizarre to shame someone for bragging about the ability to just up and leave to a country halfway across the world.
Most Americans do not have that kind of privilege. It must be nice.
They weren’t bragging. They stated their situation and experience because it’s relevant to the article, which is about academics.
It is, and I’m well aware of just how hard it is to be in my kind of position. I’m leaving very soon for a job overseas.
It took 12 years of college. It took massive debts that I spent a decade earning to pay off. It took a further 15 years of competing in academia to become a desirable candidate for the job. I’m taking a serious pay cut and spending the saving from a decade of work to make the move.
Its a privilege, but having come from a family that valued education, but had little money to help me, I kinda feel like I’ve earned it. Decades of effort on my part went into this.
You can be pissed all you want, but I’ve paid my dues and I’m spending them on a better and safer future for my children away from the US Banana Republic of Dumbfuckistan.
Ive paid my dues, fuck everyone else
Lol.
So what would you have them do instead?
That’s what everyone who voted for Trump basically said. America was founded on this principle. You give what you get
You are displaying crab bucket mentality.
If more of you cowards can run away that would be great. Make room for those that will fight, but please dont come back when we the people rip it all down.
smart people leave and fight another day, dumb ones stay and become either fodder, or become “Slaughtered by the regime”. especially people in the sciences will improve other sectors in other countries that USA will never have again. the only ones that fight, is if they get trapped and unable to move abroad. i know you’re a troll like on reddit, but this how its always been, look at ww2 poland, germany,etc.
Make room for those that will fight
Hahahaha
i have no idea what that means, he means to get fat and fight them.
You don’t need to be in the USA to fight.
The fight was won by Russian troll farms operating in Iran. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html
Oh, these Russians, they manage to get everywhere without any lubricant.
And you’re implying the people proudly turning their backs on the U.S. are going to do something to help the citizens of the U.S.?
Seems like twisted logic, to me.
Yes. I understand the desire for more bodies, but the world isn’t black and white, and not everyone is able to fight.
To elaborate on my own situation, my demographics make me and my community VERY vulnerable to this administration. While the desire to help each other is there, resources are slim and everyone is struggling to sort out their own survival. A lot of the community is also disabled and reliant on others.
Now that I’m out of that, I actually have the capacity to offer support. I’m still very connected to everyone I know and love back home, but now I have the backing of a new community that is very understanding of the situation and able to offer resources. I personally can offer travel advice, a place to crash temporarily, and a safe landing to anyone who decides to follow suit. We also have established safe houses along the way. Since we made the decision to leave, my partner and I have received nothing but love and support from both communities.
Not everyone is a Fighter or a Paladin. Some are better at offering support from a distance.
What I mean is that, with any individual — you start with what you can control. Whatever that sphere of influence might be, your immediate surroundings make up a large part of what you’re actually capable of influencing.
You can’t fight a fire from 3000 miles away. I get that we’re not all capable of running into a burning building, but you’re severely overestimating (and underestimating, oddly enough — but in different directions) an individual’s ability to affect real change.
TBH if the economy crashes HARD for the next 3.5 years that may help wean some MAGA away from their FOX/OAN/RT propaganda bubble
Idk, that’s certainly an optimistic view of a very bad thing happening.
It isn’t going to be just MAGA suffering, and if everyone with a brain leaves — there’s no telling what kind of system will fill the void. I think it’s unrealistic to assume these people will course correct on their own simply because bad things have happened to them.
US cant be helped, its pretty much beyond saving at this point, and besides most of them are complicit or blisfully ignorant of the situation. by the way WITHOUT immigration usa wouldve been just like russia in the end.
Unless you’re a true sociopath ready to take advantage of the situation, past a certain threshold of intelligence and knowledge being surrounded by MAGAmericans and propaganda aimed at them, and knowing your country can only get worse, must feel like torture.
It is. MAGA support just feels like insanity. Trying to discuss things with them about their reasoning is excruciating. I avoid people who I know are MAGA for the most part now. It’s just a black hole of demoralizing energy to try to break through their bubble.
That threshold is like, slightly below average intelligence
Yeah but many Americans are illiterate receptacles of propaganda so there ya go. 😔
I’d argue that’s the case in most countries. Almost all ppl need is a singular common enemy to turn off their brain and latch onto facism. Ppl are so quick to accept the easiest solution to all their problems is getting rid of the foreigners. Propaganda wasn’t created in the US, it just it’s most recent victim
There are definitely varying degrees as to how far that phenomenon has taken hold, and it has done so to a much larger degree in the US than in a lot of other countries. There is not really any point in trying to relativise this, it is not “business as usual”, this is radicalisation on a 1930s Germany level.
I am not going to miss the “pax” Americana, but it’s sad seeing this and knowing that the world’s total rate of scientific advancement will go down considerably for at least a decade.
Good! Let me know where they set up shop so I can move there.
Anyone with the brains and means is welcome in EU! Several member nations are setting up funds for exactly this reason.
But are we though? Because based on my research, it’s a lot harder to get into the EU than it used to be like 10 years ago. It’s not as if anti-immigration sentiment isn’t picking up there either.
not if you have a PHD, or a MD in some specialty, they always in need of those. but to “immigrate” normally it might be more difficult unless you are rich.
Anyone with the brains is doing everything in their power to get out ASAP unless they’re nearing retirement, have elderly parents or close relatives, etc.
You cannot do legitimate science under fascist or fundamentalist governance. Too much of reality is considered wrongthink.
Does it count as being in danger if it’s the ultimate goal?
