Plenty to reflect about re: the Arday affair, but I'm going to repeat this one thing. The playbook the right used here is effective even though it's not especially sophisticated, as it relies on the audience to do the dirty work. I've been calling it "Trojan horse propaganda", let's go with that. 1/
Continuing to insist that unsubstantiated opinions and conspiracy theories must be considered on an equal footing with international expert-led investigations, which, unlike what Relman states, have been done, is contrary to the core tenants of the scientific method. "Humility" is, indeed, needed.
It is remarkable to see a, supposedly, serious scientist write an OpEd in @theguardian.com but completely refusing to engage with a large body of scientific evidence. All of that gets throw away, and scientists who have studied the "origin" question, told to "back off" and "display [..] humility" 🤷♂️
Zach Hensel@zachhensel.bsky.social · 20h agoAbsolutely wild example of "data not shown" here from someone chiding others for their overconfidence.
Really important thread. I'd add that the federal courts are already revoking this principle with regard to the Trump II Justice Department. It's time the NYT and other influential media outlets did the same with Christopher Rufo, Nathan Cofnas and others like them.
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò@olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 8h agoPhilosophers often bring up the "principle of charity": a willingness to assume good faith in an interlocutor and treat them accordingly. It's good to do in many circumstances. But it is worth formulating a principle of not being a fucking mark. If not during the rise of fascism, then when? 12/
don't normally do this but this guy annoyed me so: no one is saying this. i have not seen a single article or even post to that effect. the argument being made is that the resources, attention, drumbeat dedicated to this story do not come along with every story of academic malfeasance
Setting aside the dubious proposition that Hanania is *former* racist, there’s the fact that he is a *current* Epstein apologist and advocate for statutory rape.
Gilad Edelman@giladedelman.bsky.social · 4w ago“I fucking hate him; I think he’s a scumbag, and you can quote me on that,” one progressive said about Richard Hanania. And yet, “I think, bizarrely enough, that he and I probably share the same broad overall analysis of the American right.” Read my piece here: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
It's me, a Telegraph columnist, taking a break screaming bloody murder about fairness in the women's sports I wouldn't be caught dead watching to wax lyrical about academic integrity in sociology, a field I consider to be fake, at institutions I consider to be communist indoctrination centers.
A few people posting about why conservatives are underrepresented in the arts, comedy, and some fields of academia and honestly I think self-selection is an underrated part of this. The most conservative people I knew in college went into business or law.
I agree with the point Scott is making here and I also think it's absolutely revealing any time someone claims that "HR training norms" have direct impact on their persona lives.
Scott Lemieux@lemieuxlgm.bsky.social · 12h agoAs silly as the whole "the right has no cultural influence" argument is, the whole edifice is indeed a depressing look into the mind of a typical American swing voter
OTOH I think there are definitely more conservatives in academia than what the party identification numbers suggest, but there has been an anti-intellectual streak on the right for decades, and a lot of otherwise conservative people got negatively polarized.
David Roberts@volts.wtf · 14h agoI know you're not allowed to say this during the current debate, but the reason the left dominates academics, art, comedy, and music is that the right has stupid, discredited ideas, they're not funny, and dull resentment does not make for good art. No grand conspiracy required.
Look if you've read Moby Dick you know that the man probably would have approved of this
Elly, hunting gods on what’s left of Earth@ellyzoe.bsky.social · 2d agoHere he is! 📖🐋
As silly as the whole "the right has no cultural influence" argument is, the whole edifice is indeed a depressing look into the mind of a typical American swing voter
i don't love the image rehabilitation of this guy from 'total wingnut' to 'harmless oddball' but i do think it's worth pointing out that even the total wingnut keeps being way more sane and normal about zohran than various professional commentators
Molly Ploofkins@mollyploofkins.bsky.social · 2d agoReporter asks Zohran Mamdani's former political opponent, Curtis Sliwa, what he thinks about the campaign to stop Mamdani from attending the 9/11 ceremony: “Ridiculous. He’s the mayor. Stop being sore losers.”
There's actually research on this and it involves scrutiny. If you're Black people are going to look at your work looking for mistakes in a way they would never for white people.
Black Workers Really Do Need to Be Twice as Good
African American employees tend to receive more scrutiny from their bosses than their white colleagues, meaning that small mistakes are more likely to be caught, which over time leads to worse perform...
theatlantic.com
Gabriel S. Jacobs@gsjphd.bsky.social · yesterdaylet's be real: plagiarism scandals in academia happen all the time (not because academics plagiarize a lot, but just because of how many millions of faculty there are around the world) and it is never general-public news unless the culprit is a member of a minority.
Sorting through some mail today I found multiple letters from nonprofits bugging me to remember them in my will - and one reminding me to write a will if I haven't already! - and I am wondering if they're just doing this more or if they've realized I'm in my mid-50s.
still think daily about the time I was at Arby's and the person in front of me asked what the "healthy option" was, and the cashier responded "leaving"
Today the NYTimes published a story about prosecutors pursuing a criminal investigation against a judge's daughter as possible retaliation for that judge presiding over Trump's criminal trial. It had a single byline. The article on race and hiring at Cambridge, a UK university, had 5.
Wonderful 🧵 Also, good to note that “warmlines” are a thing, if you need to talk but aren’t in danger of harming yourself: www.warmline.org
warmline.org
Ana Marie Cox@anamariecox.com · 18h agoTW: Suicide If you tell people you have SI, many are likely to suggest you call 988 or text the suicide lifeline. These are good resources *if you need to be kept physically safe;* they are not as helpful if your ideations are passive. Allow me to share some things that have helped me. /1
this is the absolute best part of visiting pompeii the city is filled with graffiti like “Aufidius was here” and “I screwed the barmaid” and “Epaphra, you are bald!” people have just been people, forever
Andrew Lawrence@ndrew.bsky.social · 22h agoi love when they recover some 3000 year old clay tablet and its something totally relatable like “i hope this tablet finds you well but the group project is a disaster…”
Really neat that planting milk weed showed results in just a year
grand bargain: flock should be dismantled and burned, so we can keep normal speed cameras
NPR@npr.org · 2d agoMillions of drivers across the country are encountering speed cameras for the first time, or will soon. Some don't like it, but advocates say there's clear evidence that cameras make roads safer. n.pr/4gwT62D
“Obsessing over whether a person of color deserves a spot prevents everyone from noticing that white people get and keep positions without needing to be impressive at all.”
ProfKori@profkori.bsky.social · 21h agoThis summer, Black scholars in THE NEW YORK TIMES and THE ATLANTIC have become spectacles. Meanwhile, white mediocrity remains OUT of the spotlight. Notice that and save your sanity! www.korithamitchell.com/seeing-black...
