Bullet holes are seen in windows at the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta. On Aug. 8, a gunman opened fire near the headquarters of the CDC, killing a DeKalb County Police Department officer before being found dead by gunfire. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
The recent shooting at the CDC was shocking. It feels like it was a lifetime ago. Every day seems like a new crisis: vaccines, Tylenol, turning off environmental monitoring, curtailing food stamps and then not reporting on hunger. All of this is shocking, but not unexpected. It’s the natural outcome of all of us retreating into our echo chambers and only listening to information from people we like and agree with.
This is true on both the right and the left. Everyone everywhere feels the system is stacked against them; the government isn’t listening to them. We are in a place where information has overloaded our circuits, and we are just going with what is safe and comfortable.
Science is truth. And truth makes people uncomfortable. So instead of embracing the truth, we are figuratively and literally shooting the messengers.
Yet, science makes America – and Georgia – great.
Science and technology support over 60% of the jobs in Georgia. And over half of those jobs don’t require a college degree. These are the jobs that fuel Georgia’s economy and make us a great place to do business. Georgia has over 50 public universities and technical schools, an enviable start-up community, and a booming agricultural sector.
Ironically, science is also the reason we can all use our phones to spread misinformation and convince people to shoot at federal workers.
So how did we get here?
For too long, scientists have been hiding in their ivory towers, tossing truth bombs over the walls, and not bothering to explain themselves. They have been taking data and doing research but not ensuring the fruits of their labors benefit all. The academic system does not reward community interaction, and at times, it belittles it.
And when people started questioning science results – scientists fought back with data! And pie charts! And the most obtuse language possible! Because, we naively believe the facts speak for themselves.
So when people decided to look for someone to blame, there was a vacuum of information, and a lack of trust – and bam – here we are. On the precipice of our own Cultural Revolution – which by the way – China is just now recovering from 50 years later.
Don’t take this as me placing all the blame on scientists – throughout history those speaking “for the people” attempt to silence those with inconvenient facts as “elitists.”
The bad news is that our amazing system has already been burned to the ground. How do we avoid sinking into 50 years of poverty, disease, and starvation?
All of us must take a cue from those around us who are marching on the streets, who are giving aid to kids whose parents have been deported, who are cobbling together resilient communities. Those who, despite their fear, are standing up for what is right.
We speak up and proclaim: “We need science. We need scientists.”
The key to a vibrant democracy, and functioning scientific community, is meaningful, open, dialogue. It’s time for us – all of us – to put down our ire. Let’s get uncomfortable. Let’s talk to our neighbors.
Scientists can do more to reward those who do community outreach and learn to communicate in a trustworthy way.
Georgia policymakers could create a science and technology policy office to facilitate smooth integration of science and breakthroughs from universities to businesses, to public policy, to government offices, to the Georgians who need it.
Businesses could program loudly and proudly how they need trained workers (who don’t have the measles) and a thriving science and technology ecosystem in order for Georgia to be open for business.
Atlanta rose out of the ashes once before. And now we are the place to be in the Southeast. It’s time for all of Georgia to be the shining example of what the next-generation science and technology ecosystem can be. How things learned at the University of Georgia can help our farmers and our biotech companies. How a public health initiative from Georgia State University can increase the health of all Georgians (because, let’s face it, if people aren’t healthy, they can’t work, and if they can’t work, they cannot afford to get healthy). How a teacher trained at Valdosta State University can inspire kids to be the next innovators.
Let’s focus our efforts on making all of Georgia the place to be in the Southeast. Let’s stop shooting at our scientists and instead let’s embrace that science makes America great.
