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Samuel Gerald Collins

@samuelcollins43.bsky.social

630 followers 650 following 9 posts

Anthropology, future studies, multimodal methods. Sometimes STS!

Videos

Political science 27%

Sociology 25%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Cristian Farias @cristianfarias.com · Sep 8

The New Yorker asked me “how bad” today’s Supreme Court ruling was. I boiled it down to one paragraph:

link.newyorker.com/view/5bda429...

"Just the other day, I was in the audience at Lincoln Center when Justice Amy Coney Barrett said, while promoting a new book, that she doesn't think the United States is in a constitutional crisis," Farias told us. "Today, the Supreme Court, without offering a single line of reasoning, more or less declared that the Fourth Amendment, which protects everyone from unreasonable searches and seizures, nonetheless allows the Trump Administration to arrest and detain anyone who looks Latino, citizen or not, on account of the language that they speak or the kind of jobs they do. The ruling putatively covers the Los Angeles area, but the effect could be national," he continued.
"If that's not a constitutional crisis, then what is?"

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Derek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · Aug 28

RFK Jr. is an outright danger to this country, and he should resign or be fired. Do we still have the sort of government that does such things? Or have we turned into. . . that other kind. You know the one.

RFK Jr. Must Go. And He's Not the Only One.

www.science.org

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Reposted by Henry Jones, Samuel Gerald Collins

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · Aug 27

The United States, just months before its 250th birthday as the world’s leading democracy, has tipped over the edge into authoritarianism and fascism.

Slouching into fascism

Are we already past the tipping point?

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by Janet Murray, Victor Pickard, Samuel Gerald Collins

In These Times @inthesetimes.com · Aug 27

Polling shows Zohran Mamdani leading with Jewish voters in NYC’s mayoral race. But the New York Times keeps framing him as “alienating” the community—while ignoring polls that say otherwise.

📊 Read @ahjohnson.bsky.social’s breakdown.

Why Does the New York Times Keep Ignoring Polls Showing Mamdani Leading with Jewish Voters?

Polling shows mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in a commanding lead with Jewish New Yorkers, but you won’t read about it in the paper of record.

inthesetimes.com

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Jacek Debiec, MD, PhD, DPhil 🌎 🧠 @drjacekdebiec.bsky.social · Aug 11

A 1970 poem 'Fascist States' by Wiktor Woroszylski (transl. Natalia Osiatynska)

The text of the 1970 poem "Fascist States" by Wiktor Woroszylski

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Reposted by Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, Juan Cole , and 2 more Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, Juan Cole, Henrik Skaug Sætra, Samuel Gerald Collins

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · Aug 7

NEW: Since giving NYT hacked info from a Nazi and sending a swastika push alert, Substack's extremism is in the spotlight again. An investigation finds Substack is a haven for newsletters dedicated to white supremacy—with the co-founders' blessing.

A collab between @katz.theracket.news and me:

Substack’s extremist ecosystem is flourishing

The app's recent swastika push alert was just the tip of the iceberg.

www.thehandbasket.co

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Reposted by Nina Jankowicz, Lisa W. Fazio, David Murakami Wood , and 2 more Nina Jankowicz, Lisa W. Fazio, David Murakami Wood, Victor Pickard, Samuel Gerald Collins

Nora Benavidez @attorneynora.bsky.social · Jul 29

I am honored to announce the release of groundbreaking @freepress.bsky.social research & analysis with our inaugural "Media Capitulation Index" which examines how major corporate media companies are bending the knee to Trump & those in power. Check out the rankings & @timkarr.bsky.social analysis:

Who Owns the Media

Who owns the 35 most powerful media companies in America? Learn how these giants came to dominate the U.S. media landscape through mergers, acquisition and manipulation. Free Press rates their ability...

www.freepress.net

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Reposted by Andrew Livingstone, Joanna Tai, Larry W. Hunter , and 1 more Andrew Livingstone, Joanna Tai, Larry W. Hunter, Samuel Gerald Collins

Emma Roller @emmaroller.bsky.social · Jul 29

Caption: The Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers' mural was covered up by the Smithsonian Folklife Festival after a depiction of protesters included the slogan "Free Palestine." (Photo taken by Léda Pelton)

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Rep. Ted Lieu @reptedlieu.bsky.social · Jul 22

This is a cover up of epic proportions.

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Reposted by Du Toit, Larry Smith, Juanjo Medina , and 2 more Du Toit, Larry Smith, Juanjo Medina, Aleksandra Urman, Samuel Gerald Collins

Paris Marx @parismarx.com · Jul 18

Silicon Valley’s alliance with Donald Trump was a mask off moment and showed the world we can’t depend on US tech companies.

For the past few months, I’ve been trying to get off US tech and I put together a guide so you find alternatives too. I hope you find it helpful!

Getting off US tech: a guide

I’m in the process of dropping US tech services. Here’s how I did it, and options you should consider.

www.disconnect.blog

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WIRED @wired.com · Jul 7

And if you or someone you know plans to exercise your right to protest in the coming days, WIRED has published numerous guides on how to protest safely.

Read one here: www.wired.com/story/how-to...

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Anonymous @youranoncentral.bsky.social · Jul 2

School teachers have to struggle to get supplies for their classrooms and pay out of their own pockets to provide basic items and tools, meanwhile ICE that is of no value to society is given $140 billion of your tax dollars to terrorize school children and communities.

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Angtha Thar @untamespirit.bsky.social · Jun 28

For those who didn't understand what's an injuction is and why it matters. @elienyc.bsky.social explains it in this @thenation.com article. #academicsky

For those unfamiliar with this specific kind of court order, let me define some terms. An injunction is an order issued by the court preventing the government from doing a thing. Before today, lower courts had the authority to prevent the government from doing an unconstitutional thing, not just in the jurisdiction where the court sits, but nationally.

I’m not actually a fan of nationwide injunctions. The system can be incredibly politicized. Republican judges use nationwide injunctions all the time to stymie the agenda of Democratic presidents. Democratic judges use nationwide injunctions to slow down the Trump administration. Whether a president gets to have their agenda often depends on whether the opposition party can find a friendly lower-court judge.

However, though flawed, nationwide injunctions make sense when it comes to national issues involving civil and human rights: issues like, say, the Constitution’s very clearly stated definition of national citizenship. After all, one’s fundamental rights should not wildly change if they miss their exit on the interstate.

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Reposted by Matthew Davis, Samuel Gerald Collins, Lynette H. Ong

Senator Bernie Sanders @sanders.senate.gov · Jun 22

The American people were lied to about Vietnam, with tragic consequences.

The American people were lied to about Iraq, with tragic consequences.

The American people are being lied to again today. We cannot allow history to repeat itself.

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Samuel Gerald Collins @samuelcollins43.bsky.social · Jun 18

Turing tests, ChatGPT and the alienation of labor. tomorrowculture.blogspot.com/2025/06/turi...

Turing Tests and ChatGPT’s Sleight of Hand

tomorrowculture.blogspot.com

Reposted by Samuel Gerald Collins

The Editorial Board @editorialboard.bsky.social · Jun 18

When ICE agents look like this, it is ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE for state and local law enforcement to step in and demand they identify themselves and show judicial warrants before detaining anyone from an immigration court.

Democratic mayor and governors can take action on this.

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Psycho Pete @psychopete.bsky.social · May 17

I had the chance to unmask I,C.E and I did not. If you know of anyone that has an interest in seeing those lovely faces of the people destroying so many lives and traumatizing children, please pass this link on to them and read it here:
open.substack.com/pub/psychope...

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AFL-CIO @aflcio.org · May 8

Our union brother Kilmar Abrego Garcia was illegally deported to El Salvador without due process.

America’s unions stand with Kilmar and his family, who have suffered unimaginable pain the last few months. Bring him home NOW!

Bring Our Local 100 Brother Home

Please take a few minutes to send a pre-written letter to your representative and senator: Tell them to demand SMART apprentice Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia's return to the United States! Background ...

actionnetwork.org

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Reposted by Samuel Gerald Collins

LOLGOP ❌👑❌ @thefarce.org · May 8

June 14 is 'No Kings' Day

Yes, Trump still wants to rule you forever.

June 14 is 'No Kings' Day

We need to be out there, with a friend, because Trump still wants to rule you forever.

www.thefarce.org

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · May 6

Page One:

@theguardian.com

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Peter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · May 4

I listened to President Trump call Rep. Jasmine Crockett a "low IQ individual" and I realized I had heard that before, so put the question to ChatGPT.

Donald Trump has a history of using the term "low IQ" to insult various individuals, particularly women and political opponents. Here are some notable instances:
ABC News

Jasmine Crockett
In April 2025, Trump referred to Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) as a "low IQ person" during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. This comment followed Crockett's criticism of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, whom she nicknamed "Governor Hot Wheels" . In response, Crockett appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and challenged Trump to take a public IQ test against her .
YouTube
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The Daily Beast
+6
New York Post
+6
FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth
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FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth
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Kamala Harris
Trump has repeatedly targeted Vice President Kamala Harris with similar insults. During a rally in Milwaukee in November 2024, he called her a "low-IQ person" while criticizing her competence . He reiterated this insult at a campaign event in Raleigh, North Carolina, in October 2024 .
The Guardian
YouTube

Maxine Waters
In 2018, Trump labeled Representative Maxine Waters (D-California) as "an extraordinarily low IQ person" after she called for public confrontations with Trump administration officials .
ABC News

Mika Brzezinski
Trump also targeted MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski in 2017, referring to her as "low I.Q. Crazy Mika" in a tweet. He further insulted her by claiming she was "bleeding badly from a face-lift" during a visit to Mar-a-Lago .
YouTube
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Wikipedia
+2
The Daily Beast
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These instances reflect a pattern in Trump's rhetoric, where he uses derogatory terms to belittle critics and opponents, often focusing on their intelligence or appearance.

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Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · May 2

In Reagan's 1980s, America had just 35 undocumented immigrants behind bars. Today, nearly 48,000 sit in squalid detention, many thrown there by a mask-wearing U.S. secret police that smashes homes, cars and violates human rights

It's time to abolish ICE. My column www.inquirer.com/opinion/ice-...

Human rights nightmares show ‘the crazies’ who wanted to abolish ICE were right | Will Bunch

The nightly parade of horror stories about an American secret police proves the current system is broken beyond repair.

www.inquirer.com

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Samuel Gerald Collins @samuelcollins43.bsky.social · May 2

Such a great moment in Baltimore, standing up for workers, including immigrants, students and faculty.

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The Guardian @theguardian.com · Apr 19

Why do Trump voters have no regrets? Because the people they hate are getting hurt more | Arwa Mahdawi

Even amid political chaos and rising prices, what matters most to his supporters is a macabre form of payback and vengeance, says Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi

www.theguardian.com

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ian bremmer @ianbremmer.com · Apr 14

bloomberg: ~90% of deported migrants to el salvador had no criminal record

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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · Apr 10

This is Orbanism, brought to America. It’s a fascist takeover of US universities, stripping free speech, because the Trump regime wishes to control universities, end free thought and fight truth.

We fight now, inside and outside NIH, or US science becomes Soviet science.

Exclusive | Trump Administration Wants to Install Federal Oversight of Columbia University

In an unusual move, the government is aiming to legally bind the school to changes as they negotiate over federal funding

www.wsj.com

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Reposted by Samuel Gerald Collins

John Herrman @jwherrman.bsky.social · Apr 10

AGI is a story, not a technology nymag.com/intelligence...

Lost in AGI dread and gleeful anticipation is the fact that, while the technologies driving the discussion around AGI are novel and new, the stories we're hearing about them are not. The AGI story today's elites embrace is a retelling of the AI story embraced by the elites of yesteryear and the automation story of their predecessors. It's fair to say we're in uncharted technological territory, but that is also a truism. Where else would we be? As workers or as politicians, regulators, industrialists, or members of the curious general public, we have all previously confronted technological breakthroughs and moments of political and economic uncertainty. All those moments created opportunities for narrative inver tion, too.
In its more cynical deployments, AGI, like
Al before it, is a marketing story masquerading as a descriptive term; it's a bid to rebrand - and narrow down and direct - our collective idea of the future.

AGI, like G-less Al, automation, and even mechanization, are indeed stories, but they're also sequels: This time, the technology isn't just inconceivable and inevitable; it's anthropomorphized and given a will of its own. If mechanization conjured images of factories, automation conjured images of factories without people, and AI conjured humanoid machine assistants, AGI and ASI conjure an economy, and a wider world, in which humans are either made limitlessly rich and powerful by superhuman machines or dominated and subjugated (or perhaps even killed) by them (Indu trial Revolution 3: The Robot Awakens). In imagining centralized machine
authoritarianism in the future, AGI creates a sort of authoritarian, exclusionary discourse now. A narrative emerges in which the decisions of AGI stakeholders - Al firms, their investors, and maybe a few government leaders - are all that matter. The rest of us inhabit the roles of subject and audience but not author.

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Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · Apr 9

Data providers like EBSCO, ProQuest, Sage + Cengage are “implementing “local controls” on databases, particularly related to health + race. ‘Under even the smallest of threats, the co’s have provided the tools or have secretly put on the tools… that apply the content blocking on these systems”

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Reposted by Derek Sayer, Samuel Gerald Collins

CNN @cnn.com · Apr 7

JUST IN: After criticism, the National Park Service has restored an old Underground Railroad webpage that prominently features Harriet Tubman.

After a backlash, National Park Service restores old Underground Railroad webpage that prominently features Harriet Tubman | CNN

The National Park Service seems to have returned an image of and quote from Harriet Tubman to a webpage about the Underground Railroad, following backlash after her presence on the page was dramatical...

www.cnn.com

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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · Apr 5

The message is: crowd large.

Many politicians, administrators, and business leaders, in bowing to Trump, have drawn confidence and comfort from the perceived vibe shift.

Events like this puncture that delusion.

You can stop asking where the mass opposition is. It's everywhere.

People poured out to protest not only what Trump has done—and what they fear he will do next.

www.motherjones.com

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