A simple explanation for why the right hates academia is that it embraces inclusivity which the far right abhors; it prioritizes data and logic over emotion in argumentation; and it seen as out of touch and overly prescriptive, telling those outside the ivory tower how to think. But an element that may be missing from this list is a feeling of resentment that academia is offering a solution to peoples' problems that is out of reach for many.
For decades academics (and politicians) have warned of the effects of globalization and the disappearance of manual jobs. Their solution was the "knowledge economy" where we would all become "knowledge workers"; and the passport to that nirvana was a college education. Unlike the lottery, or starting your own business, many were excluded from that opportunity early on in life with poor high school grades. You can still dream of becoming rich and famous in middle age; but getting a college degree is probably not on many people's radar; it may be too heavy a lift, intellectually and financially. And since that was the only solution the political establishment was offering, it led to disillusion with that institution as well.
Globalization and the developed world's botched response over thirty years has created an ear of great tumult. How we choose extricate ourself from it will define our trajectory for at least a generation.
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