Bush's Lysenkoism

[Cassandra]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysenkoism

"Lysenko's political success was in part because of his striking differences from most biologists at the time, being both from a peasant family as well as an enthusiastic advocate of the Soviet Union and Leninism. He was also extremely fast in responding to problems, although not with real solutions. Whenever the Party would announce plans to plant a new crop or cultivate a new area, Lysenko would come up with immediate and practical suggestions on how to proceed. So quickly did he develop his prescriptions—from the cold treatment of grain, to the plucking of leaves from cotton plants, to the cluster planting of trees, to odd and unusual fertilizer mixes—that academic biologists could not keep up and did not have time to demonstrate that one technique was valueless or harmful before a new one was adopted. The Party-controlled newspapers inevitably applauded Lysenko's "practical" efforts and questioned the motives of his critics. Lysenko's "revolution in agriculture" had a powerful propaganda advantage over the academics who urged the patience and observation required for science. Lysenko was admitted into the Communist Party hierarchy and put in charge of agricultural affairs. Lysenko used his position to denounce biologists as "fly-lovers and people haters," and to decry the "wreckers" in biology who he claimed were trying to purposely disable the Soviet economy and cause it to fail. He furthermore denied the distinction between theoretical and applied biology."

Just had a thought this morning that Bushco's policies remind me of the ideological "solutions" of Stalin's time. Of course, Bush isn't actually from a peasant family; they just act that way (no insult to peasants intended).

[kedrys]

1. Look at it this way

All * does is campaign. All hat, no cattle, tremendous amounts of hot gases, false promises, never any solutions, flitting from one "issue" to the next...I agree with you and the author of the wiki article. It's pretty much bang-on.

[Canuckistanian]

2. Lysenko set the USSR's biological sciences back 40 years

By even refusing to look at other countries' discoveries, the USSR made virtually no advances in biological science while Lysenko was there.

Bushco, while not that bad yet, is certainly heading in that exact same direction. Already, other countries are pulling away from America in terms of research breakthroughs.

And these days being just a little bit behind means many lost opportunities.

[Cassandra]

4. I think it will be beyond painful...

some years from now when we look back and see the many times that we were prevented by the Republicans and the corporatists from doing what was right for the planet and our citizens. The transition to better long-term solutions just becomes more painful the longer we wait to get politically serious about it.

[Canuckistanian]

8. You're right

Generations from now, this particular culture that we live in will be reviled for it's stunning lack of foresight.

Global warming, the collaspe of the financial structure (almost inevitable as I see it), the energy crisis and proliferation of weapons will make this planet a hell to live in.

The ones that are left will have to start over again in a world we can't imagine.

[freefall]

3. Great minds and all that. . . .I had the same thought a couple

of days ago but couldn't remember Lysenko's name. I planned to do a search on Soviet agriculture etc. when I got around to it, and you have saved me the trouble.

Thanks, Cassandra. :hi:

Peace

freefall

[Cassandra]

6. You're welcome.

This morning was when Lysenko's name popped into my head and I looked it up. Interesting that the point seemed more about politics rather than genetics, which was how I first heard about Lysenko's significance.

[phantom power]

5. It does sound remarkably like...

This infamous exchange.

The aide said that guys like me were 'in what we call the reality-based community,' which he defined as people who 'believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. 'That's not the way the world really works anymore,' he continued. 'We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.'

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/003698.php

[Cassandra]

7. and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.'

Unfortunately for them, two terms as president is enough time for the truth about their incompetence to be obvious to all but their most cultish supporters.

[Javaman]

9. Sounds like short attention span theater or a case of ADD. n/t