Ben Litherland

Ah man, I just read the initial report that it's based on, and one of the central hinges is that to call something a moral panic is a failure to understand that the thing might be happening. I don't even love moral panic theory really, but maybe read moral panic theory first?

ChatGPT driving rise in reports of ‘satanic’ organised ritual abuse, UK experts say Exclusive: ‘Witchcraft, spirit possession and spiritual abuse’ offending typified by sexual abuse, violence and neglect

I can't believe I'm going to get to live through my very own AI flavoured satanic panic!!

Ha I didn't know this and will now be using it forever, thank you.

Knowing there's a small but very, very, very powerful faction of American politics who see it as their job to facilitate an apocalypse makes the world make more sense.

Every time I see a comedian from the 90s is doing transphobic stuff on X, having not heard about them for 15 years, the next thing I see from them is proper unhinged stuff. It's like the trans views is a jenga block that causes the whole tower to come down.

Donald Trump is a war criminal, I don't really care what hat he wears.

Joe Royle wants to sign him up.

90s City nostalgia that.

Then again I can barely get my students to say a negative word about Spotify wrapped, maybe I really am just a killjoy leftie academic.

‘Mainly, you fast fooded’: Monzo under fire over ‘shaming’ year-end reviews Bank criticised for tone of spending summaries, with one user complaining to ombudsman over ‘humiliating’ use of data

The woman involved is getting incredible pushback on Reddit, but it's wild to me how normalized data performance has become that people will take the bank's side when it uses your intensely personal information to do edgy banter.

That said, I do think most of the Mexican cartel he was up against *did* seem cool!

Yeah, I'd have to rewatch it. Certainly powerful, smart, brave etc, but he always seemed like a dweeb performing those things.

I was going to say. There are plenty of shitty characters that are painted as cool, but I don't think WW ever has a single scene where he comes across as cool and I'm not sure I've ever seen any fan or audience segment make him out to be??

I don't think I can cope with the US paying lip service to the Geneva convention being reframed as "woke". My brain can't take it. You're not politically incorrect, you're committing war crimes.

Like genuinely I don't know what stage of postmodernity/my own personal derangement it is but after the draw midweek I put on a brave face in case they cut to me and that prick Gary Neville said something.

I live in fear of being one of the sad lads Sky Sports cuts to after a harrowing defeat to become meme fodder for the next week from rival fans.

Is the Brits-in-Dubai thing a good time to remind rich people that they don't pay taxes for public services, they pay taxes to secure the conditions for their own health, security and prosperity...

Sometimes I be listening to orchestral performances on YouTube, and I love when they pan to the percussion section and I see they've brought a bigass gong out like aw yeah it's about to go down

I don't feel as strongly as some about gAI, it's gonna get used, whatever, and I accept it can churn out stuff that users can probably craft into something publishable. But the field will die a death if you hand over lit reviews to it.

Which is to say, the most important advances in the social sciences for a century have been people saying "you're talking about us in a way that doesn't align with my experiences". Or "I noticed something that doesn't speak to the literature".

The social part of social science is just as important, probably more important, than the science bit.

"we are living through unprecedented times". bro these times have so much precedent. these are some of the most precedented times of all time.

It's not good for the billionaires themselves. Taxing them so they're just very rich rather monstrously rich is worth doing just to save them from themselves.

American Jews have been TRYING to tell folks that yes, AIPAC is evil, & fuck them, but Christian Zionists in the US outnumber Jews IN THE WORLD & have risen to power in all areas of our government, & they want to bring the End Times (& kill all the Jews btw), AND THIS IS WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT.

I'm more excited about it than I should be.

I think I watched this actually! But yes very useful! Thank you!

I saw a similar lecture recently! The very fused relationship between the Factory crew, the "creative city", and neoliberal labour council is fascinating! I'm hoping to do two weeks on it!

One of the assessments is an interactive map, and, I'm afraid to say, I am calling the assessment Manny on the Map.

I'm doing the initial planning for a module on Manchester, it's creative and cultural past and present, and the broader idea of cities, screens, and other related things. Very literally, I have been training my whole life for this, I'm very excited.

People who have regional accents and say they used to vote Labour, but when pressed really mean their Dad was a trade unionist who probably voted Labour but can't really remember, they've always voted Tory since Thatcher.