Laura HelmuthMay 25, 2024
The anti-reality industry pushes lies about abortion, climate, COVID, gender-affirming care, race, sex, evolution, education & more, and it's all connected https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/we-must-face-down-the-expanding-anti-reality-industry/ @SeattleBryn traces the intersectional awfulness on Scientific American
We Must Face Down the Expanding Anti-Reality Industry

Exposing the antiscience playbook reveals the antiregulatory motives of its deep-pocketed bankrollers

Scientific American
Show threadAlexander KarnMay 25, 2024

@laurahelmuth @SeattleBryn

Three interlinking crises:

Environmental

Political

Epistemological

No hope for 1 and 2 without more traction on 3.

Show threadBryn NelsonMay 25, 2024

@xankarn @laurahelmuth

One key solution would be teaching kids more science and media literacy as part of a critical thinking toolkit. Finland, for example, is often cited as a success story here. Not a panacea, of course, but those skills can definitely help counter disinformation, whether it’s environmental or political.

https://www.cip.uw.edu/2023/03/01/finland-media-literacy/

What we can learn from Finland

CIP continues work to foster educational ties with Finnish peers around efforts to improve information literacy skills.

Center for an Informed Public
Show threadnshrubs
@SeattleBryn @xankarn @laurahelmuth We'd love to. Unfortunately we also have these hideous state & federally mandated tests from 3rd grade on that carry consequences for districts/schools/teachers/kids, thus much of our focus ends up on ensuring content coverage in reading & math for testing, plus we lose several weeks of instruction to test prep & testing.
May 26, 2024 at 1:21amWeb
Show threadBryn NelsonMay 26, 2024

@Nshrubs @laurahelmuth @xankarn

Yeah, unfortunately it would require some significant restructuring of educational priorities. Finland at least shows it’s possible but I totally understand that the reality here is far different.