"Arguments about how we should consider some measure of accommodation (to fascism, to AI) abound, and some are even reasonable-sounding. These are powerful forces with their hands around the throat of our futures. Certainly no one can be blamed for doing what it takes to nudge those hands back a few millimeters so you can get enough air to breathe."
"Your dignity must be given away by an act of free will. Maybe I was naïve to think that more people would be protective of their dignity in these times, but I see so many instances of the opposite that I'm frequently stunned by the eagerness with which people are willing to hurl their dignity into the abyss for some perceived benefit."
"The worst examples are found in the members of Donald Trump's cabinet, who are occasionally tasked with a public performance of sycophantic fealty to their dear leader. It is amazing to see accomplished people treat the president of the United States like a toddler in need of a level of affirmation that would make Stuart Smalley blush. I think I understand the motives of these people: They are wielding power at a level that allows them to literally remake society or even the world."
A Trump administration and an expanding AI industry exert dual pressures that threaten democracy, academic institutions, employment, international students, and freedom. Institutional leaders frequently fail to resist these forces, leaving laborers exposed and vulnerable. Some advocate limited accommodation to preserve immediate survival, framing compromise as pragmatic. Such accommodations risk surrendering dignity, which remains a personal possession requiring voluntary relinquishment. Many individuals nevertheless trade dignity for perceived benefits. Public displays of sycophancy among high officials exemplify moral capitulation and highlight the stakes of concentrated power wielded by those capable of remaking society.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]