impossible to separate the utility of machine learning models from the fact that the people who build them want to rule over us like kings

NEW: When Propecy Fails is one of the most famous social psychology books of all time, a look at a small group of UFO believers when the “spacemen” failed to land. I wrote about a new study from an independent researcher who says the book is not what it seems. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

A trans teen in Iowa completed suicide after severe bullying by classmates and teachers. "Miles’ death came a day after a substitute teacher refused to use his preferred pronouns." It's the type of bullying @thefireorg.bsky.social and @aricohn.com support. www.thepinknews.com/2025/11/17/m...

What should my next nonfiction audiobook listen be? I was just gonna scroll my storygraph and pick something randomly but I’ll also accept suggestions.

Just finished the audiobook for @jacobsilverman.com’s Gilded Rage and it was amazing! I went into it with no expectations but it was interesting and way more leftist than I expected (no offense to Jacob, I was unaware of his game).

It's so fucked up I knew it was TCW before clicking on it...I blame @ifbookspod.bsky.social

Marketers are clocking how bots tend to amplify existing sentiments bc that’s easiest for them to do. So a flood of bot posts can make it difficult to evaluate the scale of positive reactions compared to negative ones. True for brands, as well as readers. www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2025...

Trump slaps Antifa with its first-ever foreign terror label, in move that explicitly cites NSPM-7. www.kenklippenstein.com/p/trump-slap...

No it isn’t stop complying in advance

Opened bluesky to see about how apparently the admins are being shitty apparently but instead I got distracted by the state of American fascism…many such cases etc etc

as usual, Margaret eloquently summarizes the thoughts that have been drifting around in my head this week. @margaret.bsky.social

the kimmel thing is bad but as long as they arent rounding people up indiscriminately based on race, building concentration camps and talking about eradicating those they deem sexual deviants, i think we’ll be ok

Pointing out hypocrisy does not work in terms of accountability but it can help illustrate an important point: it has never been about principles and has always been about power

We are way beyond post truth in this autocratic nightmare era. web.archive.org/web/20250911...

A big part of what makes online culture what it is, from the very start and across the ‘net, is the performance/improv/yes, and/trolling/gaminess of playing make-believe with other people. So of course that’s baked into everything from the new religious movements, to the politics, to the violence.

Oh I think they've got a good grasp of their plot

In a civilized society, a person who suggested murdering unhoused people would be forever shunned

So we all spent our weekends explaining groypers to our loved ones, right? Or was that just me?

"It's not a genocide."

Go listen to my new series Science in Transition!! It's a history of the current anti-trans backlash and the first two episodes are out!!

I spit out my drink infotel.ca/newsitem/mam...

According to the groundbreaking work of Dutch researcher Dr. Tessa Roseboom, the impacts of near starvation are also likely being experienced by generations not yet born. (From 2024)

OMG OMG OMG. ((SQUEEE!)) thank you @marthawells.com 💜 reactormag.com/read-a-new-m...

Mahmoud Khalil emerges from airport security with his wife Noor and newborn, legal team and Rep. AOC.

I'm not here to change your mind, but the Luddites were actually really cool! They weren't anti-technology; they were anti- bosses who used technology to disenfranchise or harm workers. goodreads.com/book/show/555294…

I'll say it over and over. I do not believe in gate keeping. I do not believe in pulling up the ladder. I believe in kicking the wall down like the Kool-Aid man, and making room as I go for those who come next. Just because it was hard for me, doesn't mean it has to be hard for anyone else.

I’m so goddamn tired of those who should know better - professors, journalists, public intellectuals - not just downplaying what’s happening in the US but actually repeating right-wing talking points and framing that as “sensible” or moderate. I am so angry. Shame on all of you. You are complicit.

the thing about chasing what you think is public opinion is that if and when things turn you will have made a bunch of statements and taken a bunch of stances that you’ll have to disavow. probably a better strategy just to say what you actually believe and stand by it. anyway, this guy sucks.

stop asking "why do people say the democrats aren't a serious opposition party?" when shit like this happens

It would be a real shame if everyone went to this stupid website and spammed it: enddei.ed.gov

Democratic Leaders Stand Real Still In Hopes No One Notices Them

Did Elon’s minions get their grimy fingers into the student aid website code bc it’s being exceptionally slow and bad today

Murphy: "We need to act like a real opposition party in the middle of a constitutional and democracy crisis. That means we should not be moving forward nominees or legislation in the Senate. Ds should not be giving votes to nominee or legislation in the Senate until Rs get serious about this crisis"

“I don’t think the United States Senate should vote for a single nominee until this is over!” - @chrismurphyct.bsky.social

Love this energy! @chrismurphyct.bsky.social @blumenthal.senate.gov I hope you're doing or will do something similar!

Conservatives share more false claims in polarized settings www.psypost.org/conservative... @psypost.bsky.social “Conservatives are more likely to share misinformation when they feel their group is under threat..." From study: "...polarized situations exaggerate conservative motives & behaviors."

People who are choosing /now/ to chide “the left” for criticizing or not voting or not campaigning hard enough or whatever for Kamala are not serious people and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

What we have instead of an opposition party is a copy of Robert's Rules of Order that has learned how to do GoFundMes and insider trading

UPDATE: GOP state lawmakers in 13 states have introduced at least 22 bills that would ban 'weather modification' based on claims made by fringe conspiracy theorists.

JOB ALERT: I am looking to hire two full-time pre-doctoral scholar to work with me in projects related to social stratification, human capital formation and health disparities. Data management and statistical analysis skills required. The position offers competitive salary and benefits.

Mutual aid is not just a disaster response, it’s a way of caring for one another, building stronger communities, and preparing for whatever life may throw at us next. It’s a labor of love—and a way of life. I put together a reading list (and words of advice) for LitHub: lithub.com/we-only-have...

I will never stop being mad about how the media has treated the anti-trans movement as a group of ordinary people with legitimate concerns rather than the obvious frothing bigots they are.

This multi-year, multi-country analysis shows that right-wing populist politicians spread more online misinfo than their mainstream counterparts and explains how “the rise of political misinformation is associated to the recent wave of radical-right populism.” journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

But video games gave us this

Honestly I wish I was going to be stuck on a plane without phone service for /longer/ tomorrow so I could avoid *gestures vaguely* everything

You won't be any better at fighting what's coming if you burn yourself out and spend all your time feeling bleak and hopeless, and the people telling you that it's all despair now probably don't have anyone's best interest at heart.