Randall Monty
@rwmonty.bsky.social
Most secret organizations have at least one rhetorical analyst who is under suspicion.
Reposted by Randall Monty
The long-running ideological war on libraries, education, and government workers is not separate from AI boosterism. It is the same ideological war on human knowledge and expertise. In some cases AI is being used to directly supercharge this effort:
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
www.404media.co
November 6, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The long-running ideological war on libraries, education, and government workers is not separate from AI boosterism. It is the same ideological war on human knowledge and expertise. In some cases AI is being used to directly supercharge this effort:
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
Reposted by Randall Monty
Texas conservatives who've championed book bans & anti-LGBT policies suffered big losses tonight in school board races.
And They seem to have lost their working majorities to pass their policies in big school boards.
I tracked these results in FOUR boards tonight. So a 🧵 on each ICYMI.
And They seem to have lost their working majorities to pass their policies in big school boards.
I tracked these results in FOUR boards tonight. So a 🧵 on each ICYMI.
May 4, 2025 at 4:57 AM
Texas conservatives who've championed book bans & anti-LGBT policies suffered big losses tonight in school board races.
And They seem to have lost their working majorities to pass their policies in big school boards.
I tracked these results in FOUR boards tonight. So a 🧵 on each ICYMI.
And They seem to have lost their working majorities to pass their policies in big school boards.
I tracked these results in FOUR boards tonight. So a 🧵 on each ICYMI.
Reposted by Randall Monty
Reposted by Randall Monty
Why you should never link to that bad, counterfactual, stupid story that you hate: research shows low-quality junk outperforms high quality journalism on social media. Every. Single. Time.
studyfinds.org/quality-news...
studyfinds.org/quality-news...
Your Links To The New York Times Flop On Social Media. Here's Why Your Conspiracy Posts Don't.
Higher quality news sources like the New York Times flop on social media compared to conspiracy posts. Here's why.
studyfinds.org
November 3, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Why you should never link to that bad, counterfactual, stupid story that you hate: research shows low-quality junk outperforms high quality journalism on social media. Every. Single. Time.
studyfinds.org/quality-news...
studyfinds.org/quality-news...
Reposted by Randall Monty
The dominant trend in the high school and college years of “Gen Z” (since the 2010s) has been increasing restrictions on their free expression in schools, political censorship of teaching materials erroneously deemed “liberal,” and the forced introduction of “conservative” content in classrooms.
Wednesday: @jaketapper.bsky.social says Gen Z is "gonna be a lot more conservative."
Also Wednesday: Trump gets a 20% approve / 75% disapprove rating among Americans age 18-29. (Via Economist/YouGov poll)
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
Also Wednesday: Trump gets a 20% approve / 75% disapprove rating among Americans age 18-29. (Via Economist/YouGov poll)
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
CNN’s Jake Tapper says Gen Z will be ‘a lot more conservative’ after schools forced lefty politics ‘down their throats’
October 30, 2025 at 9:07 PM
The dominant trend in the high school and college years of “Gen Z” (since the 2010s) has been increasing restrictions on their free expression in schools, political censorship of teaching materials erroneously deemed “liberal,” and the forced introduction of “conservative” content in classrooms.
The whole essay goes straight to the bloodstream, but this part is especially potent.
October 30, 2025 at 5:13 PM
The whole essay goes straight to the bloodstream, but this part is especially potent.
Reposted by Randall Monty
Texas here: Maybe the public has been ignoring posted syllabi, but right-wing think tanks have definitely not
Ignored them.
Ignored them.
Other states also require faculty to post syllabi online, and my sense is that the public has mostly been ignoring the syllabi -- but as attacks on academic freedom ramp up, it would be a mistake to assume this will continue.
October 27, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Texas here: Maybe the public has been ignoring posted syllabi, but right-wing think tanks have definitely not
Ignored them.
Ignored them.
Reposted by Randall Monty
Stephen Jay Gould’s “creeping fox terrier clone” problem is everywhere in dinosaur descriptions. Velociraptor is almost universally described as “about the size of a turkey,” which is sort of an odd metric? Wild or domestic? In what respect or dimensions?
October 26, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Stephen Jay Gould’s “creeping fox terrier clone” problem is everywhere in dinosaur descriptions. Velociraptor is almost universally described as “about the size of a turkey,” which is sort of an odd metric? Wild or domestic? In what respect or dimensions?
Reposted by Randall Monty
teaching kids about reading and writing is too important to outsource to corporations
October 27, 2025 at 1:59 AM
teaching kids about reading and writing is too important to outsource to corporations
Reposted by Randall Monty
I have yeeted
the LMS
my uni
has paid for
and which
you were probably
thinking
helps you teach
Forgive me
it was surveillant
so mid
and so broke
the LMS
my uni
has paid for
and which
you were probably
thinking
helps you teach
Forgive me
it was surveillant
so mid
and so broke
October 20, 2025 at 4:23 PM
I have yeeted
the LMS
my uni
has paid for
and which
you were probably
thinking
helps you teach
Forgive me
it was surveillant
so mid
and so broke
the LMS
my uni
has paid for
and which
you were probably
thinking
helps you teach
Forgive me
it was surveillant
so mid
and so broke
Reposted by Randall Monty
Three high schoolers founded a book club that reads some of the country's most frequently banned books after a state law removing books with sexual content was signed in 2023. Two years later, many of the books have been reshelved and parts of the law can't be enforced.
When books were being pulled from Iowa classrooms, these teens started an after-school club to read them
Three Iowa City West high schoolers founded a book club that reads some of the country's most frequently banned books after a state law removing books with sexual content was signed in 2023. Two years later, many of the books have been reshelved and parts of the law can't be enforced.
n.pr
October 20, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Three high schoolers founded a book club that reads some of the country's most frequently banned books after a state law removing books with sexual content was signed in 2023. Two years later, many of the books have been reshelved and parts of the law can't be enforced.
#WhyIWrite for the same reason I encourage others to write: it's the best way for us to know what each other thinks, believes, and values.
It's NCTE's National Day on Writing. Every year, we reflect on why we write.
#WhyIWrite: So that the running dialogue in my head isn't the only one I'm having.
#WhyIWrite: So that the running dialogue in my head isn't the only one I'm having.
October 20, 2025 at 1:21 PM
#WhyIWrite for the same reason I encourage others to write: it's the best way for us to know what each other thinks, believes, and values.
Reposted by Randall Monty
The definition of “viewpoint diversity” that figures like this promote implies *censorship* (the “must” part): curbing some forms of expression to boost others. It’s an invention of orgs who advocate government censorship of teaching/research + restrictions on protected political speech in colleges.
October 20, 2025 at 12:13 AM
The definition of “viewpoint diversity” that figures like this promote implies *censorship* (the “must” part): curbing some forms of expression to boost others. It’s an invention of orgs who advocate government censorship of teaching/research + restrictions on protected political speech in colleges.
Reposted by Randall Monty
There are basically only two opinions about the film Aliens vs Predator.
1. It is a non-stop thrill ride honoring both franchises with a powerhouse lead performance by Sanaa Lathan
2. I don’t appreciate cinema
1. It is a non-stop thrill ride honoring both franchises with a powerhouse lead performance by Sanaa Lathan
2. I don’t appreciate cinema
October 17, 2025 at 1:22 AM
There are basically only two opinions about the film Aliens vs Predator.
1. It is a non-stop thrill ride honoring both franchises with a powerhouse lead performance by Sanaa Lathan
2. I don’t appreciate cinema
1. It is a non-stop thrill ride honoring both franchises with a powerhouse lead performance by Sanaa Lathan
2. I don’t appreciate cinema
Reposted by Randall Monty
One more PSL post because I can't resist: Apparently Tori Amos was a pumpkin spice latte innovator in 1994! And specifically contrasted it to the drinks at Starbucks.
October 16, 2025 at 3:22 AM
One more PSL post because I can't resist: Apparently Tori Amos was a pumpkin spice latte innovator in 1994! And specifically contrasted it to the drinks at Starbucks.
Reposted by Randall Monty
I fear that schools being willing to drop diversity programs without a fight shows how flimsy their commitment to inclusion was in the first place. People fight for things they truly believe in.
October 15, 2025 at 1:03 PM
I fear that schools being willing to drop diversity programs without a fight shows how flimsy their commitment to inclusion was in the first place. People fight for things they truly believe in.
Reposted by Randall Monty
part of the reason people don't want the history of this period taught or understood is to make this illegible to people. it's easy to swallow thought ending cliches about which venerated figure was a "man of their times" if you remain studiously unaware of what their times actually were
June 21, 2025 at 5:57 PM
part of the reason people don't want the history of this period taught or understood is to make this illegible to people. it's easy to swallow thought ending cliches about which venerated figure was a "man of their times" if you remain studiously unaware of what their times actually were
Reposted by Randall Monty
“Here’s the ballot in plain English: If you’re wealthy, the state promises to protect your fortune forever. If you’re poor and unlucky enough to be accused of a crime, the state promises to protect the public from you (whether or not you’ve been convicted).”
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/07/t...
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/07/t...
Texas Is Asking Voters to Protect the Rich and Punish the Poor. Will They Do It?
Among 17 potential constitutional amendments, voters will be deciding the fate of corporate welfare and inherited wealth.
thebarbedwire.com
October 7, 2025 at 2:50 PM
“Here’s the ballot in plain English: If you’re wealthy, the state promises to protect your fortune forever. If you’re poor and unlucky enough to be accused of a crime, the state promises to protect the public from you (whether or not you’ve been convicted).”
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/07/t...
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/07/t...
Reposted by Randall Monty
Keep talking to people who aren't already hallucinating with the fascists. Keep noticing that what they say isn't what is real. It's difficult to maintain independence of thought, they know that. Find people who think outside of the fascists' propaganda.
October 5, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Keep talking to people who aren't already hallucinating with the fascists. Keep noticing that what they say isn't what is real. It's difficult to maintain independence of thought, they know that. Find people who think outside of the fascists' propaganda.
Reposted by Randall Monty
Universities considering capitulating to the Trump “conditions” should use this real world example to understand they will simply be destroying their own institution. bsky.app/profile/nich...
Chris Rufo's disastrous takeover of New College in Florida shows what universities would become if they sign the Trump regime's extortionary "compact."
New College was supposed to model the anti-woke conservative higher-ed Americans crave. Instead, it showed the opposite, and serves as a warning.
New College was supposed to model the anti-woke conservative higher-ed Americans crave. Instead, it showed the opposite, and serves as a warning.
October 3, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Universities considering capitulating to the Trump “conditions” should use this real world example to understand they will simply be destroying their own institution. bsky.app/profile/nich...
Reposted by Randall Monty
If administrators can dictate what professors teach in the classroom, based on their idea of what politicians want, there is *already* no "academic freedom." The violation of that boundary ended it. There is only whatever politicians haven't yet thought to denounce, and only until they denounce it.
September 27, 2025 at 1:05 PM
If administrators can dictate what professors teach in the classroom, based on their idea of what politicians want, there is *already* no "academic freedom." The violation of that boundary ended it. There is only whatever politicians haven't yet thought to denounce, and only until they denounce it.
Reposted by Randall Monty
This is the study that the Trump administration removed from all government websites this week. It analyzed hundreds of ideologically motivated attacks over the past 35 years and found that the majority of attacks are committed by far-right extremists.
web.archive.org/web/20250911...
web.archive.org/web/20250911...
web.archive.org
September 25, 2025 at 12:02 PM
This is the study that the Trump administration removed from all government websites this week. It analyzed hundreds of ideologically motivated attacks over the past 35 years and found that the majority of attacks are committed by far-right extremists.
web.archive.org/web/20250911...
web.archive.org/web/20250911...
Reposted by Randall Monty
2) Insisting that colleges only protect free speech if a privately funded org that has no direct role in university governance says they do is a strange way to promote free expression and intellectual diversity. 2/
September 24, 2025 at 12:29 PM
2) Insisting that colleges only protect free speech if a privately funded org that has no direct role in university governance says they do is a strange way to promote free expression and intellectual diversity. 2/
Reposted by Randall Monty
"you are the ones with the most to lose. My colleagues & I may have to leave this cherished institution & that would be a great loss for us. But we have already lived lives of consequence and can find other pursuits. You, however, would lose the education you deserve." 🔥
thebatt.com/news/anonymo...
thebatt.com/news/anonymo...
Anonymous Texas A&M professor calls on students to be ‘agent of change’
Editor's note: The following is an open letter to the Texas A&M student body written by a tenured professor at A&M and provided to The Battalion. The pr
thebatt.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:04 AM
"you are the ones with the most to lose. My colleagues & I may have to leave this cherished institution & that would be a great loss for us. But we have already lived lives of consequence and can find other pursuits. You, however, would lose the education you deserve." 🔥
thebatt.com/news/anonymo...
thebatt.com/news/anonymo...
Reposted by Randall Monty
