When the authors of "How Fascism Works" and "On Tyranny" feel it's time to get out of Dodge, you know things are bad.
According to a report from The Toronto Star, three standout professors, employed by Yale University are picking up stakes and moving North of the Wall. Jason Stanley and everyone's favourite rough an' tumble history teachin' couple Timothy D. Snyder and Marci Shore, have accepted positions at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy in Toronto, Canada.
From The Toronto Star (subscription required):
In a statement to the Star, Shore said she and Snyder were approached by the school two years ago and she was particularly compelled by the Munk School for its "attractive" principles and also for nostalgic purposes as she completed her Master of Arts in history at U of T in 1996.
But most important for Shore was that she and her husband made the decision with a sense of what would be best for their 14-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter — citing the "American catastrophe" playing a role in their thinking.
"Their whole childhood has been coloured by one world-historical catastrophe after another: the first Trump administration, the plague, the gruesome Russian-Ukrainian war, the American descent into fascism," wrote Shore.
Shore goes on to say that she believes that, in light of Washington's clampdown on free-thinking individuals, student protests, and funding freezes, more than a few academics will follow in her family's footsteps and get out while the getting is good.
In conversation with The Guardian, Professor Stanely explained that while his arse had been feeling the itch for a while, he really felt the fires of impending fascism lit under his ass once he saw Columbia University roll over for President Trump; giving in to a whack of demands in exchange for $400 million in filthy federal funding. The changes requested? Internal reviews of select Columbia programs (Middle Eastern studies, surprising no one,) and a hardline stance on student protests.
Stanley said he wasn't concerned about his ability to continue his scholarship at Yale, but the broader climate against universities played a role. He praised other faculty at Yale for standing up against the attacks on their profession and said he wished he could stay and fight with them.
"But how could you speak out loudly if you're not an American citizen?" he questioned. "And if you can't speak out loudly if you're not an American citizen, when will they come for the American citizens? It's inevitable."
Hoo boy.
Previously:
• 1963 Twilight Zone episode warned how fascism spreads
• Umberto Eco's chilling warning: 14 signs of fascism
• Video: What fascism is…and isn't
