We’ve all heard about MAGA’s “Great Replacement” theory–the conviction among conspiratorial bigots that “the Jews” are plotting to flood the U.S. with (gasp!) dark-skinned immigrants who will replace “real” (White) Americans. (Why we Jews would want to do that–what possible benefit would accrue to those who masterminded this bizarre plot–remains a mystery. But then, most of the Right’s fever dreams are–how shall I put it–wacko.)
There is, however, a different and far more worrisome effort at “replacement” being pursued by the Trump administration; it’s the replacement of facts, accurate reporting and scholarship with propaganda. The multiple assaults on education, on news media, on reliable statistics. on museums and cultural institutions are all part of that effort to replace reality with an alternative narrative preferred by MAGA autocrats.
The defunding of NPR and PBS are central to that effort.
As educators know, public media has been an important educational tool. It isn’t just Sesame Street. Content for children reaches some 15 million kids a month, and educators and students across the country get free access to PBS LearningMedia, a K-12 digital learning service. Affiliate stations produce educational resources for PBS LearningMedia, and engage in other outreach to educators, providing professional development services and updated trainings on best practices. As the American Prospect recently noted, especially in rural and low-income communities, these services are often a lifeline for teachers.
So how does MAGA propose to replace those services?
If you guessed that Rightwing ideologues have a candidate, you’d be right: PragerU. A Prospect newsletter recently described PragerU:
FOUNDED IN 2009 BY ALLEN ESTRIN and right-wing radio talk show host Dennis Prager, PragerU has been a major player in the movement to do away with “divisive” and “inclusive” educational curricula. Although its name sounds like an academic institution, PragerU is a registered nonprofit advocacy group that rakes in millions each year from donations. In 2024, PragerU reported receiving $66,693,281 in contributions from donors, accounting for 95 percent of its total revenue ($69,710,136). Its largest benefactors? Conservative and right-wing foundations. In its early stages, PragerU was supported by funding provided by hydraulic fracking billionaires Dan and Farris Wilks, who have donated millions to far-right political initiatives and provided early funding to The Daily Wire.
PragerU’s financial support is certainly reflected in the media it produces. Right-wing luminaries such as Charlie Kirk, Candace Owens, and Ben Shapiro have made appearances in its videos. Its most controversial project is PragerU Kids, an educational programming initiative that produces content for kids as young as three. Although it is marketed as “the leading network offering educational, entertaining, and pro-America content for students of all ages,” PragerU Kids has a very specific point of view.
“PragerU Kids is right-wing propaganda; it presents right-wing propaganda as ideologically neutral education and it serves as a gateway into extremism through its attempts to define issues for children at a very young age,” said John Knefel, a senior writer at the research group Media Matters for America, who has conducted significant research into PragerU Kids’ educational content. He explained that PragerU has displayed a commitment to cherry-picking and watering down the tragedies of the past, particularly in videos highlighting U.S. history. “The goal of these videos taken as a whole is to defend an unequal status quo, and to defend existing hierarchies from progressive activists, academics, and teachers who are seeking a more just society,” Knefel said.
PragerU is just one element of the real “Replacement” being pursued–MAGA’s effort to replace truth with fiction.
The fact replacement theory reminds me of the book and movie1984 where Winston Smith, like the Republican Executive branch, Congress, and the Supreme Court, are busily rewriting history so the present doesn’t seem like total bullshit.
PragerU videos are despicable. They are slick, well produced, and complete propaganda. They start out reasonable and seem factual until they take some dark twist to present some right wing point of view. As a rational adult they are stunning to watch because how slickly they twist facts. They were “influential” with older scouts in my scout troop back in 2021. so I can only imagine it has gotten worse.
PragerU is evil.
the republicans have removed support for the general public for decades. education, civil services,highways,continuing advances of society and the public. we have today what we see,and now feel.take the DC takeover of law enforcement. how many times and how much was needed to hire new law enforcment,and create community programs for the good of,gasp,the public? obviously the BS of republican tax and spend is just that,BS. comes now a insurgent government by the troll in charge. hey affordable housing? since the troll in charge and his demon seeds have vast resourses of real estate and power,to change the housing crisis. nope,gertrification and locking up swaths of housing for investment to the privileged. (whos pockets are also being drained)the denial and lack of support has now given the republicans a loud voice to demand change,the one that was there,before the trollville admin. lack of funding caused this. taxing those who have benefitted the most,isnt part of this game. its thier game now. losing are the majority. you know, the ones who do the work that can not deal in wage growth,are getting locked into their jobs,equality and living. we the working class has become the shadow, trumps wants out of the way..its become a war now. seeing troops deployed for the satisfaction of intimidation and instigating a facist regime. it is all intimidation and the next election cycle probably wont be like the rest. trumps rehetoric is one person only,and all must follow.congress has obviously been deliberatly ignoring this take over,and supporting it and should be held accountable of the dereliction of thier duty. they alone have been the majority instigator of this take over by the rich,and facists. we see the history repeat itself. nazis,orban,stalin, king george 2. this prager U is another like hillsboro, a nationalist doctrin of fanaticism. private schools maybe a another stepping stone.why didnt the republicans support public ed? probably the christian rights orgs who made inroads on have donated alot of money to the cause. wall street ,yea i pick on them after all,they control this economy. and they are slowly dranimg our pockets. they want control of every lose dollar. and they tell you how to spend for profit of course,or lose,its your choice.either way this has become the educated against the ignorant. its not about change to them, its about a takeover of this country. education failed, because it was designed to by a society of right wing facists,a troll and a congress bent on controling every apect of your every day life.
best wishes
Why do people still label these dreadful organizations as “conservative”. Why do they say that the “founders” and producers and audiences are “conservative”. They are anything BUT conservative.
In view of their obvious goals, the label I think is better suited to this mob is “radical, right-wing reactionaries”. Gotta love the alliteration.
Right-wing zealots see only that their beliefs should supersede those expressed in our Constitution. The only qualification to be a right-wing zealot is to believe with all your heart that capitalism alone solves problems, and the Constitution and liberal democracy are meaningless because nowhere in the entire vision for government is capitalism mentioned explicitly.
There is no instance in history of humans of capitalism existing except as a part of socialism. Government, by definition, includes the means of production that are owned by all the people of the country instead of by special-interest people and institutions.
For instance, all countries have means of protection from internal and external threats against the sovereignty of their citizens; a military to mitigate external threats, and a police force against internal threats. Large countries may designate several levels of policing, ranging from local to federal. The means of production necessary, including arms, uniforms, vehicles, stations, training and technology, are owned by each level of control. When everyone owns the means of production, that is by definition socialism.
Everything else falls under the control of special interests. The demand for goods and services that are paid for one item at a time is satisfied by these special interest persons and institutions regulated by the government to protect the interests expressed by all the people.
Project 2025 outlines law and policy changes supporting a demonic vision that prioritizes special interests (some persons) over the will of all the people. That vision, in the vernacular of earlier times, was called the aristocracy. Our founders recognized the aristocracy as the enemy of the people, believing that no one should be considered more important than another.
The US is now in a vise, with one jaw being our Constitution, and the other being Project 2025, which is the recreation of an aristocracy here instead of a democracy.
I would bet that those who support the conservative vision of Project 2025 do not see these implications. Not seeing the impact of specific actions is what gets people and countries into bad trouble.
Agree with All! Friday- my first best friend of my 74 years- will be protecting outside of a major business of his – Peter Thiel- net worth 25.8 Billion- co-founder PayPal + much more Scary Right-wing Stuff- at married man- don’t know about his husband- my friend tells me he is More Da
Dangerous than “brother Elon”
Just saying… RESIST!
I’ll be with T!
“Yes, “conservative” my ass! They are right-wing intellectual terrorists.
I am gobsmacked to read how much Prager (fake) U. collects, it is obscene.
Our experiment in Democracy has so many home grown enemies, many of whom have become grossly wealthy because of the culture they are trying to destroy.
In my ‘apparently sheltered’ life I have not heard of the Jewish great replacement conspiracy. However, I am aware of evil PragerU. The amount of donated funds they receive and the massive amount of money and power that extremely wealthy people have amassed via propaganda since Reagan’s 1980 election is mind-boggling.
I’ve recently come to think that selfish, hateful and ignorant human behavior has existed in some people since the beginning of our species. Unfortunately, we seem to be living at a time when those ugly behaviors have become very extreme and widespread.
Mitch D – please consider not using the word ‘intellectual’ when referring to the radical right.
And now (according to WAPO), Oklahoma is going to require teachers trained in California and New York to pass a test developed by PraegerU in order to be sure they aren’t “woke” before they are granted a state teaching license.
These people are SO scary, and unfortunately they have the resources to do great damage.