Katrin Schultheiss
@kschul.bsky.social
690 followers 300 following 60 posts
Historian at George Washington University
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kschul.bsky.social
My theory is that “sick burns” and “cringy bullshit” are equally useless ways of making people feel, wrongly, like they have some power.
kschul.bsky.social
Can every university considering signing on please look up “Gleichschaltung, 1933”
kschul.bsky.social
Look up the assassination of Ernst vom Rath to see how an act of political violence can become the pretext for a murderous conflagration by a regime intent on persecution
kschul.bsky.social
Maybe both but also money— it would be enormously expensive to fight the government in the courts knowing the case will be appealed ad nauseam up to the Supreme Court where the university might well lose. What are other options? What does “fight back” entail?
kschul.bsky.social
Has anyone proposed asking the Nobel Prize Committee to give Trump a Peace Prize in exchange for his resignation? Probably the best thing they could do to further the cause of peace right now
kschul.bsky.social
Yale has a longstanding tradition of male cheerleaders — though always with a tongue -in-cheek approach like their highly imprecise “Precision Marching Band.”
kschul.bsky.social
I love this and agree that there is significant and underreported student interest in intense intellectual engagement but, of course, political and financial pressures all push in the opposite direction.
Reposted by Katrin Schultheiss
thetnholler.bsky.social
Actor Mandy Patinkin’s plea for Jews to consider how what Netanyahu’s Israeli government is doing to Gaza is not just harming Palestinians and killing kids — but also endangering Jews across the globe.
kschul.bsky.social
Will there be different designs for different ethnic groups, religions, races, sexual orientations, you know, so they can be easily recognized? I feel like maybe there’s a historical precedent for that
kschul.bsky.social
Here’s a faint silver lining: the levels of ignorance, stupidity, and incompetence on display right now make a strong case for higher education— not just sciences but history, int’l relations, polisci etc etc. Someday we will have to rebuild
kschul.bsky.social
And ratings! So much attention!
kschul.bsky.social
Yes, I saw that. Disturbing that a law dean of all people would either not know or would willfully distort the meaning of the term
kschul.bsky.social
I thought “institutional neutrality “ referred to universities not taking official stances on issues that do not directly affect their mission. It does not mean that academic units abandon scholarly and ethical standards (just as academic freedom does not protect every utterance by academics.)
kschul.bsky.social
There’s a big difference between people using ChatGPT for certain tasks after they’ve already developed critical skills and knowledge and students using ChatGPT before they’ve developed any of that. The danger lies in using it to circumvent learning. I’m sure you saw the recent MIT study
kschul.bsky.social
Relatedly, the creative and expressive qualities emerge from writing as process not product
kschul.bsky.social
I agree with the criticism of outsourcing research and thinking to AI (why would I do that?) though I can see how it could be useful for historians who work with large data sets (not me)
kschul.bsky.social
I like the torch from the Statue of Liberty. Symbolism resonates and it’s easy to draw
kschul.bsky.social
We’ve seen “Zone of Interest.” We know this plot
kschul.bsky.social
Watch “Mountainhead” for confirmation of the delusional dystopia of the tech elites
kschul.bsky.social
What stands out here is the notable losses among men in every category. And yet few pundits or Democratic leaders focus on the role of misogyny in presidential elections even among Dems. And those who do bring it up are reflexively dismissed
kschul.bsky.social
Notorious is the best
kschul.bsky.social
In Nazi Germany, the process of aligning all civic organizations with the government’s agenda was called “Gleichschaltung,” the final step in implementing totalitarianism; after that, effective resistance was nearly impossible.
kschul.bsky.social
Pronatalism is a hallmark of totalitarianism regimes. Ceausescu’s Romania — with its gilded state palaces, impoverishment of the population, and imprisonment of women who seek abortions —is a good guide to the path we’re heading down.
kschul.bsky.social
If these cuts are implemented, I hope that all airline pilots will go on strike. Then people will understand the importance of the work that the NOAA does
kschul.bsky.social
Can we maybe stop with the “wine moms” belittling of middle-aged women’s activism as if doing the work of political organizing is something we dreamed up with our gal pals as part of our self-care routines?