Our own 'palatable' Propaganda: Trump v. Education

[Maxmars]

I begin with a plea: Understand that I will attempt to undertake observation, rather than criticism. Forgive me my... wordiness.

I offer an example of what some might not think is propaganda...
an opinion piece... it's central message echoed nearly everywhere media "informs" or "entertains."

That message is consistent... rather "one note."

The media is actually using the name they "inflamed" over multiple election cycles, as a "trigger alert."
... and no one saw that coming?

Here is a piece recently published at the ArsTechnica site...

[This treatment is made lengthy because the opinion piece itself is lengthy. And very "opinion-as-fact" built.]

The gist of it seems to be that "Education" [meaning the institution] is "under attack" - slathered onto this is some
spurious conspiracy theories about people and agendas...

While apparently coincidentally (obsessively) focused on a single personality, (perhaps even tailor-crafted for the role)...
who's 'villainy' has been given the "media treatment" for decades.
While equal treatment has been provided to raise him to high hopes for "remedies" to "urgencies."

People often recoil with revulsion when they recognize examples of propaganda...
... and I somehow get a sense of smug schadenfreude displayed, especially when it's in a nation we think of as 'bad' somehow.
But, we should never pretend it's not here...

ArsTechnica has been "fully engaged" in the anti-Trump messaging effort.  (Not a criticism.)
This is an editorial right, in principle... and an editorial privilege, in practice.

An opinion piece was selected for publication: Resist, eggheads! Universities are not as weak as they have chosen to be.

Here are the first three paragraphs of this opinion:

The wholesale American cannibalism of one of its own crucial appendages—the world-famous university system—has begun in earnest. The campaign is predictably Trumpian, built on a flagrantly pretextual basis and executed with the sort of vicious but chaotic idiocy that has always been a hallmark of the authoritarian mind.

At a moment when the administration is systematically waging war on diversity initiatives of every kind, it has simultaneously discovered that it is really concerned about both "viewpoint diversity" and "antisemitism" on college campuses—and it is using the two issues as a club to beat on the US university system until it either dies or conforms to MAGA ideology.

Reaching this conclusion does not require reading any tea leaves or consulting any oracles; one need only listen to people like Vice President JD Vance, who in 2021 gave a speech called "The Universities are the Enemy" to signal that, like every authoritarian revolutionary, he intended to go after the educated.

It begins by characterizing "the university system" as a "crucial appendage" of America.

1st sentence... I have issues...

The actual beginning of the "system" is debatable... whether it is actually "the American system" is debatable...
Whatever narrative where the university system is "American" eludes me.  In fact, it is most renowned for expressly
"Anti-America" postures... if your own media is to be believed.

This crucial Anti-American "appendage" has been extracting pure profit from the money given them to expand knowledge...
it's as simple as that.  What's even more egregious is that rather than boast creating new scientists, professionals, and artists...
it's all about research...

The second sentence is just the usual poison... reemphasized to promote faith in it, for it's abundantly willing audience...

The author characterizes the policy sideways, with terms like "waging war"... telegraphing the 'victim' cries to come.

The narrative continues, framing this as an assault (implying violence? perhaps)  "beating" the "university system" with the 
essentially "MAGA Ideology."

In honesty, I was never about MAGA, I could never commit to an movement I was uncertain of.
(Frankly, I don't "do" movements. Hell... I now have issues with something's I've agreed with at some past point.)

But MAGA, whatever each person believes, is not really an ideology... it appears to be only a 'movement.'
Your characterization of the movement as ideological lacks balance on it's face,
The very things you allege they do is exactly what we've been learning those wishing you to infer victimhood
have been doing all along.

Does that make the posture presented in the narrative seem disharmonious with reality?

As for the last paragraph... "context" is always the key...
I believe in pedagogy as an invaluable trade...
Just no longer as an "entitlement" to abuse.
(I called it "cloistering" once upon a time... it happens to these old institutions... a lot.)

Even the idea of characterization of this being about a "university system" linked to "America" is sideways...
Systems imply order, in the gist... 
It's because they have no order that there has been made a public issue.

Certainly, not ALL universities and ALL elements of the institution can be so casually lumped in...

But why are they the exception, rather than the norm? Or perhaps... what sets the Anti-American university apart?
Why exactly, is it tolerant... only of appearing to champion Anti-American sentiment.

__________________________________________________________________________

OK, OK...  This thing is too damn long... but if you enjoy spotting 'the bump" in published opinions... it's like a 
crossword puzzle for aficionados.

I got to reading this and got that 'itch' that I could not scratch... I mean you can't "talk" to the author.... not really,
It's all constrained, filtered, curated...  And the forums are a horror-show of brewing bias and anger (and blessed "bot" activity)... 
 
Just humble side offering of mind-bending by the Bene Gesserit press... ever present to "exemplify how you should think."

[UltraBudgie]

third phase of an "embrace, extend, extinguish" strategy. first phase set in motion more than 100 years ago by carnegie et al.

professional accreditation absorbed into the university system. embrace.
sole source of credentialed authority experts via university system. embrace.

translation of social means of change:
dissolution of labour unions, replace with university system. extend.
refocus of cultural change to youth movements centered on campus experience. extend.
college for everyone, necessity for upper middle class job. extend.
universities become only non-online means of socially coherent change. extend.

constraint of entrapped culture:
university system beholden to federal funding. extinguish.
covid constraints on assembly. extinguish.
social equity constraints on expression. extinguish.
anti-terrorism constraints on political action. extinguish.

the 'trump' tool is merely the particular device being used at this point to enact the more bluntly obvious aspects of the agenda. he is perfectly aligned with the larger decades-spanning plan of the elite governing cabal.

[Shoshanna]

I read the article and I have two things here that I thought about.

1. The author complains that Trump wants universities to have "diverse viewpoints" yet describes Trump's government as authoritarian. This seems like opposite day to me since one would think that authoritarian governments DO NOT WANT diverse viewpoints, especially in education.

2. The author seems to have a problem with "institutional neutrality" essentially the idea that schools are there to teach facts not offer opinions or stances on issues political or otherwise. This seems odd to me, like why would anyone have a problem with a university just teaching people subjects that will help them succeed. If these people really want to pay a bunch of money to hear divisive rhetoric under the guise of "higher education" I am sad for us, really.

This article/opinion piece is pretty inflammatory and uses a lot of forceful language like I get the impression the author actually personally hates Trump.

[Keymaster]

Leftist media supporting leftist indoctrination mills?
What are the chances?
I've been listening to left wing nutcases going off about Trump not having the right to get involved with Iran.
He's a fascist Nazi.
All while calling for Israel and its supporters to be destroyed.
The Irony.
Correction...The Stupidity.
Pure smug Stupidity.
Lead by an entire generation of toothless, diaper wearing bootlickers that will vote for anything that keeps them living comfortably for their last 10 years at the expense of EVERYONE else.
I was so rooting for Covid to drastically reduce the nuisance, but even that was a lie dropped on us from those same fools.