An authoritarian cult is antithetical not only to democracy but also to meritocracy (in the sense of making decisions based on the merits of the claim).

Academic pressures have led to young children being deprived of time to play. What's less commonly recognized is that some school activities *described* as play don't really deserve that description. More on the latest episode of Kohn's Zone: "The Whole Point Is That There's No Point." is.gd/JiaK2w

Someone has sure already made this observation but the fact they can convert all those empty warehouses into prison camps means they could have converted them into housing, community centers, job training centers or, hell, libraries or schools all along. It’s always a matter of will not resources.

The reason these people have been attacking scholars and universities is that they stand in the way of the ahistorical bullshit they need to spew in order to construct white Christian nationalism

New episode of Kohn's Zone: "The Whole Point Is That There's No Point." Yes, kids should have more time for play, but please don't make that case based on skills or dispositions it supposedly helps children to acquire. True play has no goal other than itself. Listen here: www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/

Authoritarianism defined in eight words: "make sure we have the right people voting"

2025: CEO of OpenAI says, "I hate ads," adding that he finds the idea of mixing ads with AI "uniquely unsettling." 2026: OpenAI begins running ads in ChatGPT. Some time in the future: (watch "Common People," the 1st episode of Black Mirror's 7th season; a clip from which is here: is.gd/1cygjx)

Fungible bigotry

"As AI models corrupt more and more of the open web, realistic images and authoritative-sounding bullshit are only going to multiply. First interrupting the truth, then competing with the truth, and then, finally, through sheer volume, dominating and fully eradicating the truth": is.gd/wb6Ga5

R.V. is a Christian nationalist

cc: anyone who's still supporting this evil by remaining on Facebook, Whatsapp, or Insta (the feature in question here is widespread use of facial recognition, BTW)

In the wake of the unfathomable decision to repeal the government's power to address climate change, have a look at this article's deeper look at how the Trump regime is "actively working to worsen global warming and...make the darkest futures more likely": is.gd/BBJP83

We see this over and over

Good thread on how the psychology of authoritarianism supersedes racism for MAGA

Worth a read. And it's easy to imagine a similar human reaction (incredulous, nauseated) to the moral and psychological bankruptcy of just about any representative of the Trump regime - Vance, Hegseth, Noem, Miller, Vought, Rubio...: johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/dear-pam-b...

it really can't be said enough that this is a person who has dined with the president of the united states

David Sedaris takes a break from grieving over his father's death to skewer clichés on the subject ("He did his best" as a parent? Well, no, Sedaris says; in fact he probably didn't) as well as grating euphemisms ("My father did not 'pass'....He died.") is.gd/OigEaD

Amazing to hear people recite platitudes like "Follow your dream." As if a dream to become famous were equivalent to a dream to end child malnutrition. The amorality of the concept enables the immorality of some individuals who exemplify it. Most tyrants, after all, have a dream. And plenty of grit.

"Our national morality assumes that men, like nations, are the better for staggering through life fully armed." -E.M. Forster, Howards End

"Existential threat" appears only once in this account of how states are passing laws to make polluters contribute to climate crisis mitigation. Specifically, the phrase is used by the American Petroleum Inst. to describe how these corps. regard the impact of such legislation on them. is.gd/V8UvS1

Brian Broome: "I have heard the complaints of conservatives who believe that American colleges are indoctrinating their children. I don’t understand this. From where I sit, this complaint is only rooted in the fear that their children might acquire some empathy and understanding."

I'm sure investigative reporters at the Wash. Post will be exposing these dangers of the Amazon-owned Ring device any day now.

"Class participation" is a good example of why we must look beyond mere behavior. Motive matters more than frequency or even quality. Is it genuine engagement (wondering aloud) or just an attempt to impress the teacher? (Hint: If it's being graded, it very likely has been turned it into the latter)

In case you worried that Bezos's decision to decimate the reporting staff at the Washington Post might adversely affect the paper's ability to cover critical news stories...

We are under siege by an authoritarian state whose alliance with Big Tech to destroy democr---. OMG, puppies! They're so adorable! Aww, who's a good despot? Yes you are! Yes you are!

Introduction to excellent reportage from Minneapolis: "Trump's most profound break with American democracy...is his view that the state's relationship with its citizens is defined not by ideals or rules but rather by expressions of power, at the personal direction of the president": is.gd/VNBrCm

This is MAGA in a nutshell, isn't it? Not just contempt for, but rage at, sentiments like "The only thing more power than hate is love" or "Together we are America." And the expression of that rage is gendered: Kari Lake speaks for tens of millions when she declares, in effect, "Real men are racist"

I earnestly hope that the large men who work for a sports corporation that happens to be based in my area defeat their counterparts who live in a different city! Only if they do so will I be able to bask in their reflected glory!

1/3 Even judging by AP scores (an outcome measure I don't put much stock in), a 2021 study focused on students of color shows that student-centered, project-based teaching is more successful than traditional instruction in two different subjects: is.gd/FtZftg

It's only ironic if the principle is something like fairness. But if the principle is "We on the right are entitled to maximize our power, whereas all liberals and leftists are illegitimate," then there's no inconsistency or irony.

The cruelty is sickening. The lawlessness is terrifying.

"Now that those emails have revealed just how friendly I was with Epstein (long after he was exposed as a child sex offender) and how much I enjoyed attending his parties - after previously claiming I barely knew him - I want to say with all sincerity that I truly, deeply regret having been caught."

1. "John Miller" (www.washingtonpost.com/politics/don...)

Mainstream media outlets have been pushing this conservative "Kids have it too easy & need to fail more!" line for years, congratulating themselves on their bold, contrarian stance although it's long been the conventional wisdom: is.gd/2i68Lx. My take: is.gd/21lMP0 (read) or is.gd/3ojPA6 (listen).

1/8 Watching the antiprogressive E.D. Hirschian "bunch o' facts" proponents criticize the equally antiprogressive phonics phanatics is like watching Christian nationalists go after free-market Chamber of Commerce types. No to you, sir, and also no to *you*. Let me explain...

The chair of the first law firm that bent the knee to Trump’s extortion and agreed to do pro bono work for him is featured in the Epstein Files, you say? Huh.

Bannon famously described the fascist's movement goal to "flood the zone with shit" so no one knows what's true any more. Thanks to AI, we're just about there - nearing "authenticity collapse" where the regime's deepfakes are believed, and, just as dangerous, actual videos are doubted: is.gd/ECquPE

...or "visionaries"

Next you'll tell me that this was also true of Google's "Don't be evil"

Betteridge's Law holds that any headline ending in a question mark can be answered with "no."

cc: Melania

Who comes off looking pathetic here? (Hint: He isn't red.)

"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." -E.B. White

This will change as soon as Big Pillow starts writing checks.

Trump openly admitting FBI raid in Fulton County was a prelude to interfering with the midterms and attempting to seize control of state and local voting process

Latest dispatches from Epstein University

You don't have to believe that the fascists are competent enough to suppress voting everywhere in 2026 or 2028. You just have to believe that they can depress minority turnout in 5-10 cities to affect entire Senate races & the Electoral College. 2024 was decided by 120K votes in 3 states, after all.

I'm no fan of incentives and gamification in general, but they're even more noxious when applied to reading...

All too often ed tech just adds bells & whistles to traditional teacher-centered instruction. But Gary Stager has spent his career showing how computers can revolutionize learning. Listen to my conversation with him on the latest episode of Kohn's Zone: www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/