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Clickbait, Moral Panic, Eugenics, and the Profitability of Jonathan Haidt

He can’t sell himself for $100,000 per afternoon by arguing for real solutions to the problems bedeviling our children, but he can jump on the paranoia bandwagon.

Ira David Socol
Teachers on Fire Magazine

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Five elementary school students on their phones.
Image from MarketWatch.

What if Jonathan Haidt had written a book called “The Anxious Generation” that called for dramatically increased taxes on the rich in order to support better teacher pay, much smaller class sizes, rebuilt school spaces, 24-hour school availability, free post-secondary education, and eliminating all student debt?

What if Jonathan Haidt had written a book called “The Anxious Generation” that called for dramatically increased taxes on the rich in order to solve the climate crisis and clean up the air in American cities?

What if Jonathan Haidt had written a book called “The Anxious Generation” that called for dramatically increased taxes on the rich in order to fully fund single-payer health insurance, create 6-week minimum vacations, and free child care while creating a guaranteed income for families?

Bestseller? No.

New Yorker article? No.

Three New Yorker articles in four days in April 2024 (19th, 20th, 22nd)? You must be kidding.

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