Tag: politics

• Yeah, stay home, actually (October 8, 2026)

  A shift in my personal political thinking, of late: Rather than try to directly change the minds of culturally entrenched right-wing voters, it may be a wiser expenditure of energy and attention to weary their spirit so that they don’t bother voting at all. Sadly I don’t know how that’s done other that letting them put their guy up there and then having him wreck their lives (along with everyone else’s).

• Australia has no time for this (September 25, 2026)

  Australia discovered than an OpenAI agent gained unauthorized access to a government-run health-statistics website earlier this year. Instead of responding with fear and awe directed at the agent itself, as we’ve seen so much of lately, the government has instead launched an investigation aimed at the agent’s corporate owner. I appreciate this.

• Welcome to America (actually) (September 18, 2025)

  At least a couple people in my friend-sphere are today becoming or have recently become U.S. citizens.

• Liberals, liberals, liberals! (September 18, 2025)

  I try not to make a habit of peeking at the trending-posts tab of my Mastodon server, but when I do it anyway, I often find myself thinking of the preceding 2005 installment of “Anthropomorphic Republican Talking Duck”, a “Mallard Fillmore” parody by Adam Jameson.

• MLK 2021 (January 18, 2021)

  The rise in Black American voices, year by year, shifts and widens the message-legacy of MLK. I think it helps me understand the historical Jesus a little better.

• Responding to bad-faith questions (November 12, 2020)

  Sometimes there really is just one suitable reply.

• How I’ll empathize with Trump supporters (November 7, 2020)

  It depends on which kind you mean.

• What, Janelle Monáe wasn’t available? (July 31, 2020)

  The universally disappointed reaction of my Twitter timeline upon the announcement of each new Doctor Who lead actor has me well-prepared for the inevitable response to Biden’s VP pick.