This is a sad state of affairs where one can't even have a meta discussion about a topic without having to tip toe around ill-defined lines.

In the long run, this has the potential to turn people how want to stay out of politics and draw them in out of necessity, or they may also be cowed into something they disagree with to protect their livelihood.

In either case, it's not a good thing that one may not seek science in academia. The thing that got us to where we are. Without science and inquisitiveness, even into controversial subjects (many normal things were at one time controversial) we would not be where we are today.

This is being undermined by dogmaticism and we can only hope science prevails.