Adrian Daub

@adriandaub.bsky.social

22K followers 2.9K following 3.5K posts

"Zeitgeistprofessor". Cultural history, gender research at Stanford. Books: WHAT TECH CALLS THINKING (2020); THE CANCEL CULTURE PANIC (2024). WHAT TECH CALLS GOVERNING and PROJECT 1933 (2026). Pod: In Bed With the Right. Newsletter: adriandaub.substack.com .. more

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Adrian Daub is a German literary scholar and Professor of German and Comparative Literature at Stanford University, who has served as the Director of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and serves as the Barbara D. Finberg Director of the Clayman Institute at Stanford. .. more

Art 52%

Political science 15%

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Adrian Daub @adriandaub.bsky.social · Sep 24

It's here! It's here! It's here! THE CANCEL CULTURE PANIC is now out with Stanford University Press! You can buy it wherever you buy books. Or I guess you can talk about it in front of Alexa and she'll order it alongside a bunch of Pamplemousse LaCroix. www.amazon.com/Cancel-Cultu...

Adrian Daub @adriandaub.bsky.social · 6h

Naja, "im falschen" ist wirklich schwierig zu übersetzen weil das Subjekt auf das sich die Adjektive "richtig" und "falsch" beziehen ja im Satz selber die Bedeutung verändert. Ein typischer Adornosatz, insofern als man ihn nur sehr schwer seinem Kontext entreißen und abstrakt verabsolutieren kann...

Adrian Daub @adriandaub.bsky.social · 7h

It's bizarre to watch the language of "unity" and "bringing down the temperature" while finishing up a chapter on Germany in February 1933.

Demanding comity and unity from those on whom their government declares war is not a hallmark of a democratic society, quite the opposite.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 9h

WELKER: Do you bear any responsibility to bring down the temperature?

FREY: Of course. But I dropped an F bomb and they killed somebody. I think the killing somebody is the inflammatory element here and not the F bomb.

Reposted by Adrian Daub

Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 8h

I’m old enough to remember the anti-genocide encampments y’all defamed.

I'm struck by the contrast between the passion for democracy shown by Iranians willing to die for it and the complacency with which many Americans have accepted an authoritarian slide. Americans should cheer for Iran's democrats--and also learn from their determination.

Adrian Daub @adriandaub.bsky.social · 8h

That being said, I entirely share the pragmatic considerations in Brynn's post. Reckoning honestly with the utter depravity of the society around you seems wise, and figuring out how to ensure your individual safety is essential. But I think Adorno's quote suggests there's more to do beyond that.

Adrian Daub @adriandaub.bsky.social · 8h

Meaning, for your example, that a world in which trans people are constantly under threat, is one which *no one* can live their lives rightly. We are all living, cis or trans, under that moral cloud. Your life will be damaged by the immorality and brutality visited on others.

Adrian Daub @adriandaub.bsky.social · 8h

Importantly that isn't what Adorno meant. He didn't say that there are lives that are individually wrong and right. What he means is: There is no way to carve out a "right" life in the wrong state of affairs. The only way to live the right life is to change the (wrong) state of affairs.

Brynn Tannehill @brynntannehill.bsky.social · 1d

Theodor Adorno wrote that "A wrong life cannot be lived rightly."

Trans people need to understand that we are "wrong lives". Our actions will never improve our standing with most Americans. But for the fact that I am trans, I would be regarded as having lived an exemplary life. Instead, I'm exiled.

Reposted by Nina Jankowicz, Richard S.J. Tol, Joseph Schafer , and 6 more Nina Jankowicz, Richard S.J. Tol, Joseph Schafer, David R. Miller, W. Andy Knight, Adrian Daub, James Goodwin, Terri E. Givens, Henry Jones

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 9h

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Reece Jones, Nina Jankowicz , and 37 more Anne Applebaum, Reece Jones, Nina Jankowicz, Rebecca Solnit, Richard S.J. Tol, Simon L. Lewis, Mark A. Lemley, Stephan Lewandowsky, Brendan Nyhan, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Tom Clark, Steve Peers, Simon Chapman, Michael A. Clemens, David Rothschild, Melissa Johnson, Efrén O. Pérez, Fabián Muniesa, Paul Goldstein, Michelle Everson, Smith, Charles W. Smith, Michael Zimmer, Adrian Daub, Michael D. McDonald, James Goodwin, Jason Lyall, Mark Priestley, David Murakami Wood, Nancy K. Baym, Alfie Kohn, David Bartram, Jeremy S. Pal, Andrew Rudalevige, Klaus Oschema, Julien Théry, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Magda Teter, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 9h

Homan: "We gotta stop the hateful rhetoric. Saying this officer is a murderer is dangerous. It's just ridiculous. It's gonna infuriate people more which means there's gonna be more incidents like this."

Reposted by Adrian Daub

Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 11h

Elon Musk is so committed to free speech that you can create sexual abuse material featuring children but can't say the word 'cis'

Adrian Daub @adriandaub.bsky.social · 23h

Yes, Naomi. People can't handle the ICE agents' hot smoking bods, that's gotta be it.

Adrian Daub @adriandaub.bsky.social · 23h

I mean, credit where it's due, you really need to work to offer an interpretation that is *this* off on every single detail.

Dr. Naomi Wolf. 8 NYT Bestsellers. DPhil, Poetry.
@naomirwolf
Okay, I’ll just say it. I’ve seen enough videos of the faces of liberal white women in conflict with @ICE, to know what is up. Liberal men at this point (sorry) are disproportionately estrogenized, physically passive, submissive due to woke gender hectoring, or porn-addicted. White liberal women are disproportionately sexually frustrated. Policing others as in the pandemic was an outlet for them, but it was not nearly enough. The smiles you see on their faces now say it all: white women long for all out combat with ICE - who tend to be strong, physically confident, masculine men - because the conflict is a form of physical release for them. They long for actual kinetic battle and it will get even uglier.
5:54 PM · Jan 9, 2026

Reposted by Adrian Daub, Anders Sundnes Løvlie, Marie-Laure Basilien-Gainche , and 1 more Adrian Daub, Anders Sundnes Løvlie, Marie-Laure Basilien-Gainche, David Darmofal

Austin Kocher, PhD @austinkocher.com · 1d

ICE just reported its fourth in-custody death of 2026. It’s only January 10.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Adrian Daub, Sarah Roberts , and 2 more Anna O. Law, Adrian Daub, Sarah Roberts, Kate Starbird, Alfie Kohn

Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 1d

Social media monitoring systems, cellphone location tracking, facial recognition, remote hacking tools — now being turned on Americans by ICE to target protesters. bit.ly/3Kq348R

ICE Wants to Go After Dissenters as well as Immigrants

The Trump administration is being open about its plans to violate Americans’ First and Fourth Amendment rights.

www.brennancenter.org

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Adrian Daub

Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 1d

Starting to feel like it's an explicit job requirement for political pundits not to admit the most consequential trend in American politics of the last 40 years.

Jody Rosen @jodyrosen.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you TCW for this instant classic of Harper’s Letter sophistry, explaining that the categories "right" & "left" are unhelpful in understanding a campaign of kidnappings & assassinations undertaken by an ultra-right wing secret police force at the behest of an ultra-right wing political regime