“I don't believe in the politics of identity….I'm talking from a universalistic, if you like cosmopolitan point of view…I realise the damage that identities have done.” - Edward Said
Will Shetterly
@willshetterly.bsky.social
I like cats, socialism, civility, and art that’s for both the people and the privileged. If you are losing an argument with me and are too proud to admit defeat, feel free to insult me instead.
“Both American liberals and conservatives have meltdowns when we analyze class formation, because we really do not think class conflict should exist.” —Catherine Liu
X undoubtedly describes this as a “debate” to flatter the boss. It is as much a “debate” as the disagreement of flat-earthers and the rest of us: all the facts are on one side.
Well, it amuses me: Aldi’s “original” sparkling flavored water is unflavored. They should just call it water-flavored water.
I’m suffering from doomscrolling, so I’m cutting my social media-ing to a M-W-F schedule with occasional Sundays. Have a swell weekend!
“Any man's death diminishes me Because I am involved in mankind.” —John Donne
Liz Truss’s “Islamo-communism” is Judeo-communism 2.0—an attempt to link communism with the fears of bigots. And like the older term (and like “national socialism”), it’s a contradiction in terms. Communism and socialism are universalist.
Writers, AI competition is worse than you knew. ”AI programs thus can generate creative work that is viewed as being at least as good as human-generated work” www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Bot or not: Can people tell the difference between stories written by a human or by an AI system? | Judgment and Decision Making | Cambridge Core
Bot or not: Can people tell the difference between stories written by a human or by an AI system? - Volume 21
cambridge.org
Scamming writers is bigger business than I knew. www.thedial.world/articles/new...
The Lucrative World of Literary Scams — The Dial
Why writers are the perfect target.
thedial.world
As Trump’s war has global fuel consequences, this look at WW2 is especially interesting. www.historyskills.com/classroom/ye...
How the critical need for fuel drove Germany and Japan into more desperate situations in WWII
Petroleum largely defined the limits of Axis military power during the Second World War. From the oilfields of Ploiești to the refineries of Palembang, Germany and Japan identified specific fuel targe...
historyskills.com
“If we could mobilize the resources of this country to defeat Nazi tyranny, there is no reason we cannot do the same to make sure that each and every person has what they need to live a dignified life.” —Tommy Douglas, who began universal healthcare in Canada
Every time I learn about a newly competitive House race, it’s just this:
Not a Zionist win: Bennett Greenspan of Family Tree DNA says, “No less than 75 percent of Ashkenazi, Sephardic or Mizrahi Jews have ancestors from what we call the general Middle East.” Meaning 25% have none, and ducks the fact Palestinians have more. www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/75-p...
75 percent of today's Jews have Middle Eastern origins, says DNA pioneer - World Jewish Congress
Three quarter of Jews world-wide can trace their ancestry to the Middle East, according to a report by the Israeli newspaper 'Haaretz'.
worldjewishcongress.org
Singin’ In The Rain was a tiny class war plot: when the studio owner goes along with the profitable plan to shaft Debbie Reynolds, her fellow workers find a way to save her. (Yes, under the studio system, actors were working class.)
In 1949, the UN gave Israel the right to exist in the Green Line. In 1967, Israel rejected that right by attacking its neighbors and seizing their land. To regain a right to exist, Israel must return to the Green Line or give full rights to everyone in the land it occupies.
“the fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy” —Elon Musk
Current take: VisionQuest is not as good as WandaVision, but it’s better than Agatha All Along. And I’m curious about where they take Paladin.
Since Republican states get the most FEMA aid, this will hit Trump voters hardest. www.politico.com/news/2026/10...
FEMA tells states to handle disasters on their own
The Trump administration plans to cut disaster aid in as few as six months and shift responsibility to states, FEMA's administrator said in remarks obtained by POLITICO.
politico.com
If you think It’s A Wonderful Life is a shallow fantasy, remember that Mr. Potter keeps the missing money and is never punished for the damage he causes. The movie may be Hollywood’s most realistic story about capitalism.
"I really don't want to sound like Marx. It's just, I'm looking at the data." —Jim Cramer, CNBC Marx began sounding like Marx after looking at the data too.
It is amazing how conservatives can insist the French riots are about Islam or leftist politics when the people themselves keep saying they’re about the cost of living. But conservatives will do anything to avoid talking about capitalism flowing wealth to those who least need it.
When Zionists pretend Palestinians didn’t exist for most of history: 1. The terms al-Filastini and al-Filastiniyyin were used for Palestinians as early as the 10th century. 2. In 1911, the Arab newspaper Falastin (Palastine) called the locals Filastiniyyin (Palestinians).
To believe antizionism is antisemitism, you have to believe that Jews are not defined by their religion or their culture, but by their politics.
If you think words should have meanings, calling Palestine Action a terrorist group is an insult to everyone killed by a terrorist group. But to capitalists, property is sacred, so from their pov, damaging property is terror.