Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)

Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)

@splainer.bsky.social

https://splained.substack.com/archive So prescient, I never had a Twitter account.

479 followers463 following4.2K posts

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James Hell Brooks
@kleinman.bsky.social

We've had enough Aaron Sorkin movies about Mark Zuckerberg. Now we need some Todd Solondz movies about Elon Musk.

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Mike Elk
@mikeelk.bsky.social

Replying to @mikeelk.bsky.social

Brazilian man cries as he describes how Flavio Bolsonaro's acceptance of bribery led to a delay in rolling out vaccines in Brazil. His grandmother and great-aunt he says, died as a result of Bolsonaro paydayreport.com/a-brazilian-...

Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)
@splainer.bsky.social

"[Vučić] blamed Serbia’s independent media as well as alleged interference by unnamed European countries and an ”American deep state” for the loss" — hold the phone, allegations of foreign interference can be wielded in the service of reactionary nationalism?! 😲

The Associated Press@apnews.com

The long-serving strongman leader of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, has conceded defeat in an election that pitted him and his right-wing party against a diverse student-led opposition movement that spent two years protesting his government.

bit.lySerbia’s strongman leader Vucic concedes defeat to student-led movement in seismic political shiftThe long-serving strongman leader of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, has conceded defeat in an election that pitted him and his right-wing party against a diverse student-led opposition movement that spent two years protesting his government.
Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)
@splainer.bsky.social

Compare: Flock's CEO writing off criticism of his company as "paid" "people" and "anonymous bots" apparently from a Russian data center, with "organic activity" against Flock cultivated by "inorganic activity".

Jason Koebler@jasonkoebler.bsky.social

New leaked audio: Flock’s CEO tells a private conference of police chiefs he believes the opposition to his company isn’t real, full of paid protesters/bots. Says company is at “the bottom” but is waiting out criticism www.404media.co/in-leaked-au...

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Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)
@splainer.bsky.social

Replying to @whstancil.bsky.social

No, plenty of businesses, some in tech, don't spend money on Claude. What happened in Q2 was: the peak of the "tokenmaxxing" craze; Anthropic's penetration finally matching OpenAI's; and Anthropic benefiting from the 5%–7% of revenue it got from distillation "attacks" it's now allegedly stamped out.

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Creature from the Jack Lagoon
@jacklikesfilm.bsky.social

Won't edit out Labour MPs doing ads for Shell though.

Leicester Gazette@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *
Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)
@splainer.bsky.social

If liberalism's defined by having accomplished its political goals, does that mean we can read off the ideological content of liberalism from a look at how America (or wherever) operates today?

sillyhatsonly.bsky.social@sillyhatsonly.bsky.social

The purpose of leftism isnt to accomplish political goals: the version of leftism that does that is liberalism. The purpose of leftism is to signal your moral purity and superiority over shitlibs to other leftists. They are playing a completely different game than we are.

Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)
@splainer.bsky.social

X, formerly Twitter, recording a decline in use here, to about where it was in 2014. Now tied with Nextdoor(!). Echoes falling use in the EU.

John Gramlich@johngramlich.bsky.social

NEW: The latest @pewresearch.org study about social media use in the US YouTube: 84% of adults use it Facebook: 70% Instagram: 51% TikTok: 37% WhatsApp: 33% LinkedIn: 31% Snapchat: 26% Reddit: 25% Nextdoor: 18% X (Twitter): 18% Truth Social: 4% www.pewresearch.org/internet/fac...

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Phil McDuff
@mcduff.bsky.social

I think it's clarifying when they say it out loud. When we say these people prefer fascism to even minor socialism, even as a necessary corrective to fascist overreach, we're told that's just conspiracism. So, here we are, with them saying it out loud. Pin it.

Keith Edwards@keithedwards.bsky.social

"I would rather have the Republicans keep the house." - James Carville

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Marisa Kabas
@marisakabas.bsky.social

SCOOP: 'Tommy' from the now-viral exchange with Abdul El-Sayed is Thomas Teepell, a former staffer for Republican Senator Josh Hawley with close ties to Christian Nationalist Sean Feucht. He's the son of a former Bobby Jindal staffer whose consultant work was instrumental in getting Hawley elected.

thehandbasket.co'Tommy' from viral El-Sayed video is former Sen. Hawley staffer with Christian nationalist tiesThomas Teepell is the son of a former long-time Bobby Jindal staffer who's close to Sean Feucht.

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shaunt
@shaunvids.bsky.social

this is the reason these questions are asked. it doesn't matter how well el-sayed answers, the media get to write a headline with his name and the muslim brotherhood in it. heated, islamist, implications, criticize, disavow, dual loyalty, scary man bad

CNN@cnn.com

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political movement, during a heated exchange at a town hall. https://cnn.it/4s7r1TL

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Cat Hicks
@grimalkina.bsky.social

Replying to @grimalkina.bsky.social

I'm only getting more radical in my beliefs that we need to demand open access conditions on publicly funded research go so much further and are so much stronger.

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Sinead O'Shea
@sineadoshea.bsky.social

58 students from Gaza have won scholarships to Irish universities but are unable to secure visas from the Irish Government. The refusal rate has risen from 13% last year to 83% this year. The Government needs to grant these visas. See gazascholarsireland.org for more info. #LetThemStudy

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flyingrodent
@flyingrodent.bsky.social

I mean yes, they all view the left in general as garbage people, human rubbish that needs to be swept away. I don’t think they could have been more emphatic on that point.

David Timoney@fromarsetoelbow.bsky.social

And if you were in any doubt ...

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Jake Grumbach
@jakemgrumbach.bsky.social

New working paper: the Norwegian wealth tax was a huge success. The "exodus" of wealthy people never happened (less than 100 individuals left). Tax revenue increased by 71.5%. No changes in business activity or investment. www.nber.org/papers/w35854

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Andrew Couts
@couts.bsky.social

The man shot by ICE in NYC yesterday has disappeared after he was admitted to the hospital, and his lawyer reportedly doesn’t know where he is. www.courthousenews.com/ice-shot-a-m...

courthousenews.comICE shot a man in New York City; his lawyers can’t find himThe agency claims Oscar Belgal "weaponized his vehicle” against agents in the Bronx, prompting them to fire seven shots at his car.
Andrew Couts@couts.bsky.social

NEW: ICE agent in a high-viz vest holding a rifle at the scene of shooting near the Bronx has a history of allegedly lying, using excessive force, and courts have found his arrests unlawful. @dmehro.bsky.social @awinston.bsky.social, @regret.bsky.social w/ the scoop: www.wired.com/story/ice-ag...

wired.comICE Agent at NYC Shooting Has History of Alleged Violence and Illegal ArrestsBrenden Cuni, an ICE supervisor, has been accused of excessive force and tackling a pregnant woman to the ground. Several of his arrests were later found to be unlawful in federal court.

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Bugs 🔜 MC Atlanta
@bugsmaytrix.bsky.social

i'm expecting the mods here to absolutely crack down more heavily on anyone who is dismissive of ai than even begin to address the rampant levels of transphobia they allow on their watch

Kat Tenbarge@kattenbarge.bsky.social

Anthropic banning “abusive or cruel behavior” toward Claude in its new usage policies is proof to me that tech companies are going to moderate violence against AI before they ever moderate violence against women and minorities

Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)
@splainer.bsky.social

Bleakly funny to see this surface in a trending topic mostly about Republicans sneaking in Medicaid cuts after the midterms.

Aleksandra Vaca@transiticsnews.com

Arizona and Virginia, both of which are governed by Democrats, are ending Medicaid coverage of care for trans youth, Transitics has learned. The bans, which go into effect on October 13th, mark the most significant Democratic capitulation to Trump's anti-trans demands yet. Cowards.

transiticsnews.comDemocrat-led Arizona, Virginia Quietly End Medicaid Coverage of Care for Trans Youth, Acquiescing to Trump DemandsThe policy changes, which go into effect on October 13th, see Arizona and Virginia join Kansas as states where Democrats have needlessly opted to restrict Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care.
Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)
@splainer.bsky.social

Other blueskeets around this one analogizing AES's invocation of "utility rates" to "Glonzo", but a "Glonzo" is definitionally not real, whereas Trump's de facto Senate-allowed war of aggression on Iran is surely pumping up utility prices and is all too real!

Robert Black@hurricanexyz.bsky.social

This mode of politics makes me very uncomfortable!

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James Ryan
@jdryan08.bsky.social

One of the more profound takeaways from Mahmoud’s book talk last week was when he said that his green card, which the Trump administration has been trying so desperately to revoke, was the first ID he had ever received in his life that had the word “permanent” on it.

Democracy Now!@democracynow.org

“I was born and raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, and then I had to flee the country at the age of 18 to Lebanon. And then I had also to leave Lebanon to come here to this country,” says Mahmoud Khalil in a conversation about his new memoir, “No Land to Stand On.”

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Gwen C. Katz
@gwenckatz.bsky.social

Great chance to post my all-time favorite headline

Nick Pettigrew@nick-pettigrew.bsky.social

I'm convinced AI is our generation's radium - a discovery with genuinely useful applications in specific, controlled circumstances that we stupidly put in everything from kid's toys to toothpaste until we realised the harm far too late where future generations will ask if we were out of our minds.

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Cate Denial
@cjdenial.bsky.social

This is so meek. It gets at none of the issues of power on the campus, and elides the comparisons the student journalists at Cornell pointed out between the consequences for sexual assault and those for protesting Gaze or plagiarizing an essay. Feeble.

Chris Sprigman@cjsprigman.bsky.social

Cornell’s new era of transparency should begin with this guy admitting he hit Gaza protestors with his car on purpose and then lied about it. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/n...

nytimes.comCornell President Calls Rape Inquiry ‘Defining Moment’ for CampusMichael I. Kotlikoff said in a video the university would be more transparent, hold Greek groups accountable and improve sexual assault prevention.
Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)
@splainer.bsky.social

Interesting associations in this research, including: younger men were more likely to endorse white nationalism, but women showed a U-shaped relationship between WN endorsement and age; "Not sure" and "Did not vote" correlated with white nationalism about as much as conservatism/GOP/Trump support.

This post is unavailable.
Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)
@splainer.bsky.social

This post got me to try recalling when Netanyahu (first) did his pointing-at-a-stylized-Iranian-bomb-diagram thing at the UN. My guess was 7 years too late.

Hemry, Local Bartender@bartenderhemry.bsky.social

I was going to say I wonder what grok said about the iran war but then I remembered it was just netanyahu making the exact same "we need to bomb iran RIGHT NOW" presentation he gives every us president & trump was the only one dumb enough to be like "WOW SO TRUE"

Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)
@splainer.bsky.social

I didn't wake up today expecting to think of the political slogan "We are the 1%", and approve of it, but here I am.

Dollyanna@my2centsay.bsky.social

MICRO VERSUS MACRO? Trans folks are 1% of the population. Trans need to understand that Texas has bigger problems to tackle than those of these 1%. GET IN THE FUCKING LINE. Get your priorities square. Got a job? Got food? Got gas? Got shelter? Got healthcare? See how insignificant this 1% is.

Splainer (Material Conditions Acknowledger)
@splainer.bsky.social

Political Scientist Who Thinks _Veep_ Isn't A Comedy is a good bit. (I suppose the _NYT_ holding up _Veep_ as the best post-1999 TV comedy is also very _NYT_.)

E.J. Fagan@ejfagan.com

Just a bizarre top end of the list. Parks and Rec at #50, 30 Rock as the best comedy of the 21st century at #8? Fleabag at #5? Game of Thrones at #6? Girls at #13? White Lotus at #21? Black Mirror at #26? And I loved Succession, but #4?