Terence Tao on the suspension of UCLA grants • Hacker News Board

Re: Terence Tao on the suspension of UCLA grants

#281

Post by avoutos » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 6:18 PM UTC

Havoc wrote: post #75

>on the grounds that UCLA was “failing to promote a research environment free of antisemitism and bias” This really has very Germany 1930s vibes even if the direction of the anti is flipped.

What is more 1930s Germany were the checkpoints and human-chains set up around UCLA to limit the movement of Jews around campus.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-09/are-you-...

All UCLA has to do is strike up a deal with the gov't that presumably entails eliminating affirmative action and preventing pro-Hamas factions from taking hold of the university.

Columbia made a deal and they have their funding back now.

Re: Terence Tao on the suspension of UCLA grants

#282

Post by qcnguy » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 6:21 PM UTC

xoa wrote: post #273

qcnguy wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The government not funding something isn't persecution. If it were the vast majority of people on this forum would be persecuted, which clearly wouldn't be a right use of the term.

> The government not funding something isn't persecution So you're not just getting down votes, worth noting that you are incorrect to state this as an absolute, as a matter of both law and common sense. It is very well established (and again, makes sense) that there are many many areas of life where it's utterly uncontroversial that the government is in no way required to offer people services. However, IF the gover…

The US government has all sorts of schemes that fund some groups whilst not funding others, so this rule you think exists doesn't really.

That's part of why Trump admin is on the warpath. They ended up funding educational schemes that discriminate openly against certain groups.

And are you claiming that academics are some sort of protected group, that the government can't exercise any agency inner which academics it gives money to? Because that's just not true, if so.

Re: Terence Tao on the suspension of UCLA grants

#283

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 6:26 PM UTC

oulipo wrote: post #159

bboygravity wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Scientists please come to the EU, we can't pay you much, you won't be able to find a place to live and we don't do air conditioning, but plz come. /s

This easily beats being persecuted because of your research. Humanity and researchers use to live on more modest means, and you don't need 100k's to do math research. So sure, come to France we would love to welcome all of you!

[deleted]

Re: Terence Tao on the suspension of UCLA grants

#284

Post by whoknowsidont » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 6:27 PM UTC

mehulashah wrote: post #46

This is a tragedy. Our pre-eminence as a scientific and industrial powerhouse that really began post WWII is now disintegrating because of the actions of a few. The funding being pulled from Terence Tao and his institute without due process is not the start, it's merely one casualty among many that began at the start of this administration. This is like cutting one's nose to spite one's face.

>because of the actions of a few.

What do you mean? Over half the country voted for this.

Re: Terence Tao on the suspension of UCLA grants

#285

Post by whoknowsidont » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 6:29 PM UTC

throw0101d wrote: post #199

watwut wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is not actions of the few. This is action of many. There is whole party apparatus behind this, public support among conservative voters, support of tech leaders etc.

> It is not actions of the few. This is action of many. The US House of Representatives has 219 GOPers that voted to pass certain legislation. The US Senate has 50 GOPers that voted to pass certain legislation and voted to confirm many appointments. A large swath of the US public voted to put those 219+50 people into Congress and voted to put a convicted felon [1] and rapist [2] in the White House. [1] https://apnews…

Not just a felon or rapist, but a pedophile as well.

Re: Terence Tao on the suspension of UCLA grants

#286

Post by pragmatic » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 6:43 PM UTC

whoknowsidont wrote: post #284

mehulashah wrote: post #46

This is a tragedy. Our pre-eminence as a scientific and industrial powerhouse that really began post WWII is now disintegrating because of the actions of a few. The funding being pulled from Terence Tao and his institute without due process is not the start, it's merely one casualty among many that began at the start of this administration. This is like cutting one's nose to spite one's face.

>because of the actions of a few. What do you mean? Over half the country voted for this.

Not half the country, not even a majority of voters.

However your punt stands.

I think a lot of those voted for the racism not the economic collapse.

Re: Terence Tao on the suspension of UCLA grants

#287

Post by UncleMeat » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 7:58 PM UTC

tempusalaria wrote: post #224

Eisenstein wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do we assume that the administration is acting in good faith when all evidence has shown otherwise?

They may not be acting in good faith but there is extremely clear evidence that UCLA has engaged in illegal racial hiring and admissions practices and has supported antisemitism on campus. UCLA chose to give them that ammunition.

I wonder why the last Trump administration didn't do anything when there was a rally where people flew nazi flags, chanted "jews will not replace us" on the grounds at UVA, and murdered a counterprotestor. Why was that antisemitism overlooked?

Re: Terence Tao on the suspension of UCLA grants

#288

Post by whoknowsidont » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 8:35 PM UTC

pragmatic wrote: post #286

whoknowsidont wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>because of the actions of a few. What do you mean? Over half the country voted for this.

Not half the country, not even a majority of voters. However your punt stands. I think a lot of those voted for the racism not the economic collapse.

>Not half the country, not even a majority of voters.

Not voting was a vote for fascism. It's not up for debate at this point.

>I think a lot of those voted for the racism not the economic collapse.

Um, having grown up in the south I can assure you a lot of these people are full of spite and love to see other people hurt.

They definitely voted for the economic collapse, they're just too stupid to see that it will affect them too.

Re: Terence Tao on the suspension of UCLA grants

#289

Post by aaomidi » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 9:41 PM UTC

qcnguy wrote: post #255

aaomidi wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where are they keeping out Jewish people? Extraordinary claims and all that

Wow that's not at all extraordinary. That's the core of the reason they're paying giant fines. The Ivy Leagues have for years been using admission policies that are designed to reduce the number of Jews, Asians and whites they admit. It's always been illegal but the Democrat administrations never enforced the law because they liked what the colleges were doing. Now there's a new administration that doesn't and wants…

Do you have proof from any source? Trump admin does not count. Literally any independent research body that says there was a systemic effort to bar Jewish people in these institutions?

Re: Terence Tao on the suspension of UCLA grants

#290

Post by aaomidi » Sat, Aug 02, 2025, 9:46 PM UTC

nosianu wrote: post #265

aaomidi wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and has supported antisemitism on campus You mean there were protests against genocide? Oops did I do an antisemitism by calling it a genocide?

Here in Germany, in Berlin, these "protests" included wrecking a lecture hall and seriously injuring a Jewish student. - https://www.rbb24.de/politik/beitrag/2025/04/berlin-humboldt... (April 2025) - https://astafu.de/node/589 (February 2024) (Both links are German language - that should not be a problem anymore these days I hope) I don't see why you refuse to even consider that there is more than 1 and 0 absolutes.…

Anti Israel protests are the best opportunity for agent provocateurs.

Something we have evidence of Israel actually doing:

1. https://mondoweiss.net/2012/05/operation-glass-houses-idf-ag...

2. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/4/10/mustaribeen-israels...

Israel is probably the “strongest” nation in figuring out propaganda and mass disinformation campaigns. It is extremely easy to say an entire protest is invalid because of the actions of a few either legitimate or illegitimate protestors.

This is why this tactic is so easily deployed across any protest that seriously threatens states. We saw the US use this tactic in BLM protests of 2020.

Anyway these protests are legitimate despite the events that you’re mentioning happening. “Fed posting” is a thing people are slowly learning to spot.