Fascist politics seeks to undermine public discourse by attacking and devaluing education, expertise, and language. Intelligent debate is impossible without an education with access to different perspectives, a respect for expertise when one’s own knowledge gives out, and a rich enough language to precisely describe reality. When education, expertise, and linguistic distinctions are undermined, there remains only power and tribal identity.
Which is why the current regime is in the process of dismantling the Department of Education so that there is no overarching authority over the red states like Oklahoma which plan to teach from the Bible and promote American exceptionalism. They will also cherry-pick American history and ignore women's contributions and the fact that LGBTQ individuals exist.
Republicans have been trying to dumb down the populace for decades. Because the more educated a person is, the more likely they are to vote Conservative.
