Honestly, it reminds me of how profs I knew at both UM and Vandy would try to brag that they never watched TV (or in one case movies either). If you don't enjoy those things, fine, but if you're performatively opting out of cultural expressions to pretend moral superiority, whom does that serve?

Not to be too dark, but this has been something that's irked me about discussions of recent extremism: claims that it's happening purely because internet culture rots the brain. We know online technologies are bad for us in a variety of ways, but -

My newest work, with @regularpete.bsky.social and @mattkriner.bsky.social www.hstoday.us/subject-matt...

It's always nice when a physical book copy hits your hands, especially when your work is alongside so many great scholars' contributions. www.routledge.com/Contemporary... (Given the date, I was tempted to wear my vampire teeth, but that, uh, seemed like a mixed message)

One of the first things taught in (good) social science research methods courses is how to frame your data accurately. This isn't just about choosing and understanding the correct method for your data and question, though that is part of it. It's also about correctly presenting data to your readers.

This and the Chicago indictments make it abundantly clear that the rule of law is dead at DOJ. The agency has been fully weaponized to smite Trump’s enemies and shield his friends.

This week’s GW guest is Eric King, an expert on anti-fascist action — and what it means to be a political prisoner Eric served 10 years in a 6x9 cell in federal prison for throwing a Molotov at an *empty* Congressional building. LIVE on WEDS, Oct. 29 Q&A drops THURSDAY youtube.com/@thisisawkword

Never in my life did I think I would see this from a mayor to police: “We would like the Aurora Police Department to play a historic role in defending the United States of America, and our city against fascism. We have a unique opportunity to do something different….”

This is my top read for this entire fall- if you want to understand the data, the trend lines and their misuse, read this. 👇👇👇

@mikeajensen.bsky.social and I were perturbed at how a recent report on left wing terrorism and political violence is predictably being weaponized. So we dug into the analysis for @justsecurity.org www.justsecurity.org/122278/corre...

Gotta block ‘em all! Here’s the one-stop shopping blocklist to disappear the Trump regime accounts that swarmed Bluesky yesterday. Flush these turds HERE - bsky.app/profile/did:...

Unless it's very specifically planned as something like a naked bike ride. Then maybe go with no clothes. (Seriously, if you're concerned about safety, your best bet is to check with local orgs because their recommendations will be most apt)

These are law enforcement personnel who have been reallocated to ICE activities. Check out that first line. It's the reason I've been telling journalists that we're not going to fully realize what we've done to ourselves until there is some awful, *preventable* tragedy.

This is your periodic reminder that government shutdowns mean many active duty military and their families do not receive their paychecks and may have difficulty accessing other services, too.

Oh hey, book launch day, in which I have two co-authored chapters

I was just at an airport Starbucks with pumpkin spice signage everywhere, and, while conveying the order down the line, an employee referred to someone's drink as a "messy white woman." And this has made my day.

"Adopting nativist discourse and policies does not win back far-right voters. It leads to losses for centrist and leftwing parties." Excellent analysis, as always, from @casmudde.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Gentle reminder that "nihilistic" is not a synonym for "we don't know their ideology" It's been A Week, so I'm not unpacking that, but a lot of folks were worried about slippage into meaninglessness after Palm Springs and it seems to be happening

Straight out of the 1950s. www.dailycal.org/news/campus/...

Excited for this piece to be out today! Supporting Matthew Kriner and @amycooter.bsky.social in their work around NVE has been eye opening, and it's an honor to contribute to a growing body of work on this subject www.hstoday.us/subject-matt...

My newest piece with Matthew Kriner and Pete Kurtz-Glovas draws on our collective experiences to talk about nihilistic violet extremism and to offer some concrete recommendations for tech for combatting it. www.hstoday.us/subject-matt...

More fan mail!

NEWS A federal judge BLOCKS the Trump admin from using the military in California for civilian law enforcement in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. Ruling storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... Background www.allrisenews.com/p/general-sc...

Honesty, I don't care about the Cracker Barrel thing. As a kid, I never saw a point eating at a place that made meals that looked like every single one at my house. But this guy is now doing circles ina TN roundabout, and what on earth have y'all done?!

I spoke with NPR's Odette Yousef about the Minneapolis shooting. Cases like this are always going to have unanswered questions, and it naturally feels particularly frustrating when we can't identify a concrete, coherent motive behind an attack. www.npr.org/2025/08/29/n...

As I rushed my kid out the door this morning and wondered (like I do every day in this country) if I should really say, no, you don't need to give a *7th* goodbye hug to your younger sibling, there were so many things churning in my head about the Minneapolis shooting and other recent violence, too.

It's because he's listening to people like Mark Cuban who say this is the only way (or close to it) to reach the young male demographic. Seriously.

ICDE's report on Westman's influences, ranging from militant acceleration is uncommon nihilistic violent extremism, and more.

Some people think it's gauche to ever celebrate someone's death. As someone who grew up in circles adjacent to and overlapping with things you can see on both seasons of Shiny Happy People, I'll just say, I am not one of those people.

I was lucky enough to read this from @noellecook.com several months ago, and highly recommend you pick it up as an excellent window into how some women are drawn into extremist action. It's much more complicated than some older pathways that tie their behavior to support for romantic partners.

In addition to covering a crucial topic, this story exemplifies why NPR and other good journalism is so essential.

NEW: Wyden questions DHS over its harvesting of DNA from tens of thousands of immigrant children (despite policies that should exempt them). I take the opportunity to explain why this not great for you, citizen. www.wired.com/story/dhs-an...

I once had a student ask me to read their treaties on the discipline of sociology after sitting in a single day of an undergrad intro to soc class. Yes, it is a type, and, no, they don't usually recover from the narcissism

Of course the artist has a spotlight on Focus on the Family's website. Of course.

Umm, so if I find that a bottle of kids' chewable acetaminophen included, from the factory, two completely different pills for gastro problems, whom, besides the manufacturer, should I attempt contact? Especially since all of our regulatory institutions are broken?

This is not a one-off attitude. For a certain segment of Evangelicals, tragedies like this are a moral good that return children to God before they become corrupted by a sinful world. It's, to them, NBD because righteous parents will be reunited with them in the afterlife

Want to read more about nostalgia's intersection with political violence? (This shameless self promotion brought to you by flight delays) share.google/cnYaxubS2mAc...

Reminder that many states are “red states” due to gerrymandering and racism. Any plan that abandons millions in “red states” is bad no matter what. Besides, millions in those states vote “blue”, and the majority of Black people (the demographic with the highest % of Dem voters) live in “red states”.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the abeka curriculum as a long time cornerstone to Evangelical education in homeschools and in small church schools

White supremacy explains a lot of apparent contradictions. The GOP was for states’ rights when the politics supported white supremacy. When they can accomplish white supremacist goals with federal power, they are against states’ rights.

It’s telling how the Christian right’s role in getting Skrmetti to SCOTUS is being erased—and by those seemingly desperate to blame trans people for asking for “too much.” So I spoke with legal historian @kredburn.bsky.social and ACLU attorney @chasestrangio.bsky.social, who argued the case:

Well said. The last thing we need right now is drama and competition (academia is too full of that already). We need greater cooperation among and between us, and more imagination for how we are going to continue to do what we do. Terrorism and extremism aren't going away, and neither are we.

I'm grateful every day to work with people who are doing the work to stop extremist harms. It's too easy with the research funding cuts to be caught up in competition and drama, and this and other upcoming cases are excellent reminders that we are stronger working together.

I was privileged to work with and mentor @bdaviess.bsky.social while at CTEC and am even more privileged to see her excellent work continue to be recognized

This book is a must have for anyone in this space!

Just days after a man murdered a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband and shot another, a 25-year-old was arrestee with a Taser, gloves, rope and duct tape in Memphis.

A helpful piece from ARC fellow Sam Olson (Also, please give the ICDE page a follow even if you already follow ARC!)

The conservative movement is just three internet scams wrapped in racist trench-coat.

This is why so many of Trump’s public interpreters are young white women. They bring this to his toolkit. Did anyone else read Jeff’s piece on this re: Noem? It is in the pocket. religiondispatches.org/dont-take-th...