Prof Peter Hotez M.D. offers solution to mounting antiscience aggression in the United States

[CousinIT]

https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001369

. . .

In summary, the aggression against science and scientists in America arises from three sources: 1) Far-right members of the US Congress, 2) the conservative news outlets and 3) a group of thought leaders who provide intellectual underpinnings to fuel the first two elements (Fig 1).

https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article/figure/image?size=inline&id=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001369.g001

For researchers working in the pandemic response to continue to do so effectively, we seek help in halting the aggression. This is essential not only for our personal safety or national security, but also the reality that attacking science and scientists will both promote illness and cause loss of life. For example, currently more than 99% of the COVID-19 deaths now occur among unvaccinated people, and almost as many hospitalizations. To begin, the following steps must be considered:

The President of the United States, together with science leaders at the federal agencies, should prepare and deliver a robust, public, and highly visible statement of support. The statement would reaffirm the contribution of scientists across United States history.

We should look at expanded protection mechanisms for scientists currently targeted by far-right extremism in the United States. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) has introduced a bill known as the Scientific Integrity Act of 2021 (H.R. 849) to protect US Government scientists from political interference, but this needs to be extended for scientists at private research universities and institutes. Still another possibility is to extend federal hate-crime protections.

As Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel once pointed out, neutrality or silence favors the oppressor. We must take steps to protect our scientists and take swift and positive action to counter the growing wave of far-right antiscience aggression. Not taking action is a tacit endorsement, and a guarantee that the integrity and productivity of science in the United States will be eroded or lose ground.

[Enter stage left]

1. K & R x 1 trillion

[Stinky The Clown]

2. He is absolutely right

[Dan]

3. And maybe, make the "thought leaders" and others that promote bogus claims,

Liable both financially and criminally.

[Sgent]

4. I'm not sold

although during the Trump era most of the volume was coming from the right wing, there is a large left wing contingent of antiscience as well. Much of the antivaccine literature comes from people like RFJ, Jr. in the 90's and 00's.

[mopinko]

9. that's cuz they are also targeted and have been for a long time.

a lot of the 'alt med' shit that flies around originates in st petersberg.

[wnylib]

22. Alt med has been around for decades.

Books on natural foods instead of processed, whole gran breads and pasta over white wheat, health foods in general, yogurt, granola, vitamin and mineral supplements, herbal and home remedies went up in popularity back in the 1960s and 1970s.

[mopinko]

23. sure, but it's been weaponized in the last decade or so.

gmo phobia, anti-vax, anti pharma to nutty degree.

[erronis]

14. So you're calling RFJ, JR (who is that!!!) a left wing person

If you're going to try to "contribute" to this conversation, please get at least one or two facts straight.

Please identify your "large left wing contingent of antiscience." So far you only misidentified one well-known crackpot.

[70sEraVet]

19. I really wouldn't worry about JFK, Jr. He, at least, is an HONEST crackpot

I'd like to see Fox News, and their ilk suffer some repercussions for spewing lies that they KNOW are lies. THEY'VE all been vaccinated, yet they're constantly pushing the bullshit that Faucci is some evil madman with his vaccines.

[LiberalFighter]

21. Jr is just a nutbag.

[BootinUp]

5. Its just getting worse all the time. nt

[mjvpi]

6. The war on science started as a reaction to the EPA and the government holding big business......

………accountable. The original alternative facts. We have had sixty years of Americans not understanding the basic scientific method and the altruistic nature of scientists.

[erronis]

15. Yup. Science threatened big business. Discredit science.

The populace listens to the T.V. and sincere-sounding ads more than they'll ever listen to a knowledgeable person.

[elleng]

7. by Isaac Asimov

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Support Tonko's Scientific Integrity Act. . . . nt

[spanone]

10. ...K&R...

[highplainsdem]

11. The problem is that the government statement of support he recommends either will NOT

reach the antiscience extremists at all, or will reach them only after being twisted by RW news and social media sources.

[Poiuyt]

12. Anti-intellectualism is a terrible trend

When Kennedy made his speech about going to the moon, it became cool to be a scientist. That has since faded away

[Paladin]

13. Dr. Hotez is correct, as usual.

Those protective measures should already be in effect---by executive order, if necessary.

[Mr.Bill]

16. Sounds good on the surface,

but I recall Trump having no trouble finding "doctors" and "scientists" to promote his policies.

[ZonkerHarris]

20. k&r

[live love laugh]

24. Including mathematical scientists I hope.

[James48]

25. Nope. We just need to open FEMA camps

And put them all inside, where they can’t hurt anybody else.