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Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm)

@medievaliste.bsky.social

4K followers 1K following 5.3K posts

lapsed professor research: music, political culture, and identity in medieval England and beyond academic editing and historical consulting ⤵️ glgower.com

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Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · Jul 2

Music and politics expert here. There is no music that is free from politics, because music is a human construct and whether or not we like to admit it, humans are all affected intimately by politics. Even music without words can express political ideas. You’re just noticing it for the first time.

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Reposted by Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm)

Robbie @londonmikmaq.bsky.social · 9h

Getting into the Halloween spirit with medieval books at the Morgan Library.

Image of skeletons attacking men in a medieval book

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Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 8h

Marc Rowan graduated from Penn in 1985. Mr Rowan has never taught a college course or worked on a college campus, nor does he have research expertise in higher education. He does own his very own private jet, though, so I guess he's qualified.

Dan Sinykin @dan-sinnamon.bsky.social · 23h

And who is the author of this op-ed? The billionaire CEO of an asset management firm who helped author the compact.

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Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 8h

maybe one of them had a secret radioactive spider in it and you'll find out later

Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 8h

Yes, good point. In our sector, 2020 saw a significant rise in awareness of social issues, followed by a period of active labor organization. Of course admin were already looking for ways to replace faculty and TAs before this, but AI hype gives them an out on negotiating with unions

Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 8h

I'm sure someone else has made this point already but I think you can draw a direct line from the temporary expansion of worker protections and government benefits during the first few months of COVID to the rise of AI boosterism.

You don't have to give the robots hazard pay during a pandemic.

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Reposted by Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm)

NightMar on Hicks Street, Part 4: The Rabbit’s Revenge @histoftech.bsky.social · 12h

The Virginia Senate just told UVA it’s not getting state funding if it accepts the compact since UVA exists to serve Virginia, its residents, & their interests—not be a tool of the federal govt. Scoop from our student newspaper, who’ve been doing vital reporting www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...

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Reposted by Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm)

Sonja Drimmer @sonjadrimmer.bsky.social · 11h

People think the first thing Gutenberg printed was the Bible. This is false. The first things he printed were a political prophecy, propaganda about the Turks’ threat to Christendom, & a popular school text. If you want a parallel to AI, that’s it: making $ from conspiracies, racism, & school slop.

Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · 20h

really nice piece on this btw from @sonjadrimmer.bsky.social sonjadrimmer.com/blog-1/2025/...

"The Printing Press Democratized Knowledge": When Slogans Masquerade as History — Sonja Drimmer

The phrase is said so frequently it seems, like the mechanism it celebrates, to mechanically replicate itself.  It's become a favorite catchphrase among tech boosters of any sort (see my post on...

sonjadrimmer.com

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Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 17h

Agreed. Why take responsibility for your failures when you could just create a false narrative?

Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 18h

Incredible, she’s a treasure 💖

Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 18h

free to voluntarily surrender your academic freedom and worker protections

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Reposted by Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm)

Jessica Kant @jessdkant.bsky.social · 1d

It should strike people that the stock market isn’t crashing despite the shutdown. Like sub-prime mortgages, it has yet again totally detached itself from economic reality while they speculate on how many workers they can fire to replace with AI. It is helping a failing economic strategy save face.

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Reposted by Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm)

Jack Tripper @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 21h

“We should replace Bad Bunny with Lee Greenwood” is an also a perfect summation of the “deal” they’ve offered universities.

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Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 18h

I love Miss Piggy very much, but please be advised that this is a Portland frog joke

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Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 18h

Please, her name is Kermeena

Kermit the Frog in drag as Kermeena. Kermina is wearing a red leotard, pearls, and a blonde curly wig

Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 18h

I heard that’s why they moved to Portland

Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 1d

the girlfriend of one of the founders of antifa

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Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 1d

I never eat Doritos but tonight I ate some just for you

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Reposted by Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm)

Matthew Cheney @melikhovo.bsky.social · 1d

At an academic conference and the most common conversations I've had is stuff like, "How many faculty is your school trying to fire? Do you still have professional development funds? Do you still have an English department?" Fun times!

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Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 1d

Obviously you weren’t running enough charities at the time!

Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 1d

Sorry to the author but these are words only someone who has no meaningful lived experience of marginalization could write with a straight face.

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Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 1d

Jon Hegglund @jonhegglund.bsky.social · 1d

precarity is good, actually

Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 1d

“I was teaching as a nontenured professor all this time, usually at two or more universities simultaneously, and making a surprisingly good living at it.”

WHAT

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Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 1d

“But there was a part of me that wondered whether moving to the margins of academia might also benefit me”

…what

Waitman Wade Beorn, PhD, FRHistS @waitmanwbeorn.com · 1d

This is a..weird article. I mean, good for this guy that he found a fulfilling career, etc. Not taking anything away from that.

But, it also seems odd for the AHA to be sort of glamming up a contingent career without tenure in this particular moment.

www.historians.org/perspectives...

How Giving Up Tenure Made Me a Less Distinguished and More Influential Professor

Giving up tenure gave this professor more time to focus on supporting his students.

www.historians.org

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Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 1d

your dad would absolutely hate my dad lol

Goblin Gower, PhD (the Ph is for Phantasm) @medievaliste.bsky.social · 1d

That’s brave of you