PhD Timeline
Impact on PhD Students and Academic Research
- Multiple commenters say international PhD students and early-career researchers now seriously reconsider US travel, conferences, and careers due to fear of detention, visa issues, or deportation.
- Anecdotes from labs/CTFs: funding still exists, but hiring is frozen, students fear deportation over minor infractions, and some have had visas cancelled and are stuck in limbo.
- Several predict long-term damage to US research competitiveness and its ability to attract top talent.
Border Controls, Device Searches, and Specific Incidents
- People discuss phone/laptop searches at borders; some say it’s long-standing (pre‑9/11) and common in multiple countries, leading some to travel without digital gear.
- A widely reported case of a French scientist allegedly denied entry for criticizing US policy is challenged: one source claims it was actually about carrying confidential Los Alamos data in violation of an NDA.
- There’s disagreement over which version to trust: some accept the official clarification, others distrust statements from the current administration and note the media largely dropped the story after correction.
Immigration, Free Speech, and “Terror Supporters”
- Strong concern that legal immigrants can be removed for speech, setting a precedent that anything disfavored by the ruling party can lead to extra‑judicial punishment.
- Some argue that true free speech means not punishing people (citizens or non‑citizens) for nonviolent political views, however offensive.
- Others counter that certain right‑wing narratives and misinformation should be restricted similar to incitement (e.g., “yelling fire in a crowded theater”).
- Sharp disagreement over labeling protesters or controversial speech as “terror support” versus focusing on genuine violent threats; parallels drawn to historical overreactions to student protests.
Perception of the US Abroad
- Non‑US commenters describe growing fear and distrust: choosing not to attend US conferences, canceling or rerouting vacations, or seeing the US as increasingly authoritarian.
- Comparisons made to earlier periods (e.g., Iraq War) with the view that the current situation feels worse due to overt hostility to allies and extreme polarization.
Nationalism, Fascism, and Civil Liberties
- Debate over whether rising nationalism is inherently incompatible with freedom; some distinguish healthy identity from nationalism that subordinates individual rights to the state.
- Several argue current trends (immigration crackdowns, punishment for dissent) meet criteria for fascism and should be named as such early, despite accusations of alarmism.
- Others warn that constant “crying wolf” dulls responses, with one commenter invoking the Cassandra metaphor.
Meta: HN Moderation and xkcd
- Multiple comments note that this xkcd post was flagged and temporarily buried, interpreted by some as coordinated suppression of anti‑administration topics.
- Others defend HN’s ranking algorithm as designed to downrank contentious threads with poor interaction quality, not specific viewpoints.
- Discussion extends to xkcd’s political comics: some see them as insightful; others argue past strips have been misused to justify social‑media censorship or defeatism about cryptography.