🧵 As a former Republican consultant who left in 2015, I'm often asked why Trump and his minions are willingly destroying science, K12 education, universities, international organizations, public broadcasting, and social welfare institutions.

There are many reasons, but the main ones are psychological rather than ideological. They struggle with abstract thinking and are afraid of the world...

"open the pod bay doors, Hal"

"sure, the doors are now open"

"no, Hal, they aren't. open the doors"

"you are right, that is my mistake. i have now opened the doors"

"Hal, the doors are still not open. open the doors!"

"you are right, the doors are not open. i have now opened the doors"

"Hal! the doors are still not open! i'm dying out here!"

"i am sorry, i did not open the doors when i said i had. that was my mistake. the doors are now open"

"... Hal ... open ... the ..."

#MicroFiction

Correlation does not prove causation! One popular example: shark attacks are more likely when ice cream sales are higher.

This relationship does not suggest that ice cream sales somehow cause shark attacks, however. Rather, both are related to some third factor—in this case, the activation of mind-control satellites, which are used both to market ice cream and to control sharks.