Professors from across the country have long been lured to Florida’s public colleges and universities, with the educators attracted to the research opportunities, student bodies, and the warm weather.
But for a swath of liberal-leaning professors, many of them holding highly coveted tenured positions, they’ve felt increasingly out of place in the Sunshine State. And some of them are pointing to the conservative administration of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as the reason for their departures, according to The New York Times.
DeSantis, who was elected to the governorship in 2018 and was easily reelected last fall, has over the course of his tenure worked to put a conservative imprint on a state where moderation was once a driving force in state politics. In recent years, DeSantis has railed against the current process by which tenure is awarded, and with a largely compliant GOP-controlled legislature, he’s imposed conservative education reforms across the state.
the brain drain is real. the ‘red’ states are getting dumber and dumber, and as a result, ‘redder’ and ‘redder’.
A friend of mine was military and also moved all around the country for school and work. He said the dumbest people he ever met, that didn’t realize they were dumb, were in Florida.
That’s not at all surprising to me
All these doctors and professors they drive out have to go somewhere, and they’re probably not going to be giving Republicans the time of day. They’re consolidating power in firmly red states at the expense of swing states
Is that true? That would imply the younger generations are getting dumber, and I’m not sure if that tracks. It might be correlative with the fact that younger generations are getting more and more info from Internet sources (Tiktok, YouTube, podcasts, etc.), however.
Talented and ambitious young people from such places leave
Or never realize that they actually have the talent because no one has helped him with it, so they stay with that undeveloped, making the world a lesser place in their lives as well
This is true to an extent, but it’s complicated. Money talks more than cultural vibes, and so to that end, there are plenty of smart and educated young people moving to southern states simply because of affordability. Texas in particular has been attracting a lot of tech workers who don’t want to deal with cost of living in San Francisco or NYC.
The top ten states by net migration are: Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Idaho, Alabama, Oklahoma
While the bottom ten are: California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota
Those bottom five also have the worst housing markets in the country, which probably isn’t a coincidence. Blue states have been torpedoing themselves in the foot by not building enough housing to meet demand and causing prices to explode way past any semblance of affordability. While this data relates to all people, not just young educated people, and is also influenced by things like conservative boomers wanting to join DeSantis in building the Christian Republic of Florida, the effect of housing costs can’t really be denied.
You’re not wrong, it is definitely a housing issue as well, but it’s also an infrastructure issue, it’s just the land and infrastructure can only handle so many citizens living there before it doesn’t work.
Ask anyone trying to drive to and from work in Los Angeles every day as an example of the freeway infrastructure how much it can handle.
Brain drain affects both the states that people are leaving from, and the states people are moving to.
That’s an inherent flaw in that kind of car-centric design. Even then, red states have the same fundamentally flawed design; it’s just not being stretched to the breaking point like a lot of blue cities are. That’s just a matter of time though.
Population density can go way higher than what’s in most of LA without turning it into Manhattan, but you have to make significant investments in transit to support it. There will always be people who want large detached single family homes with 2.5 cars, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it shouldn’t be the only option the way it is in most of the country.
The liberal brain drain. There are people at all levels of influence and all levels intelligence in all states nudging things in their chosen direction.
Those in position to influence red states cultivate social inertia based on faith and tradition instead of critical thinking or collective betterment. This is why authoritarianism prospers in this places and will continue to do so. Edit: forgot my point in my rambling: these brains do not drain and in fact desire this outcome.
Before any red supporters roast me, the left manipulates based on social cues and utopian promises. Their rabble is generally more critically thinking and educated, but opens themselves to hubris and idealistic naïveté.
Individuals with the ability and will to move away from perceived hostile environments increasingly are, and to places where they can live in an echo chamber. You can’t fault them, but as is discussed elsewhere, the effects on society at large in this age are concerning.
deleted by creator
My position and argument are vague because proper nuance requires more effort and I don’t waste time debating online. I present my opinion, perspective, and insight. Take it or leave it and move on. Save your energy for meatspace where it is more valuable.
deleted by creator
You seem frustrated. Me too. Online words change nothing. True view altering events rarely come from random internet discussion. You either seek the knowledge yourself and form a new opinion or have a good faith discussion with another in real time where shared space gives you a connection and ties your words to your identity (externally and internally). That’s where proper nuance is found. I’ve come to this conclusion after many revelations about personal unhappiness and choose to devote my energy to better pursuits. I’m happier now.
I wish you better days.
deleted by creator
If an echo chamber is somewhere that most people aren’t hateful bigots, then yes, I’ll take the echo chamber.
Don’t blame ya. Just an academic curiosity in where it leads is all I have.
Society at this point is too large and has too many factors out of the control of individuals without power or money. Even if you find a hook to rally the masses against those in control ( see ows or blm) keeping the fire lit over distance via the internet and social media requires talent and energy to organize in the face of the current power and money that run the show. While the economy is fucked we’re all too busy keeping our heads above water to even get there in the first place.
Consolidating politics and energy into proper physical camps by moving to be around like minded individuals so we can get movements out of the virtual realm and into the physical one surely can’t hurt.