Ben Stephens
@stephensben.bsky.social
Brit living in Chicago – professional copywriter, occasional improviser, happily weaning off Tw*tter.
Reposted by Ben Stephens
“I moved on her like a bitch.”
January 9, 2026 at 11:26 PM
“I moved on her like a bitch.”
A number of beauty pageant contestants of yesteryear are very familiar with this exact approach.
January 9, 2026 at 11:19 PM
A number of beauty pageant contestants of yesteryear are very familiar with this exact approach.
I admire Walz as a person and sympathize with his plight, but it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that by stepping down he is showing bullies that bullying works.
So…expect more of this.
So…expect more of this.
Walz: "We've got conspiracy theorists, right-wing YouTubers, breaking into our daycares, demanding access to our children. We've got the president demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongfully confiscating funds that Minnesotans rely on. It's disgusting and it's dangerous."
January 5, 2026 at 6:38 PM
I admire Walz as a person and sympathize with his plight, but it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that by stepping down he is showing bullies that bullying works.
So…expect more of this.
So…expect more of this.
Reposted by Ben Stephens
This shit is made up, actually
December 26, 2025 at 3:54 PM
This shit is made up, actually
Reposted by Ben Stephens
This is genuinely horrifying. Fact-free far-right agitprop given accolades by credible media across the political spectrum.
Congratulations to Stephen Macedo & Frances Lee, whose book In Covid's Wake has been recognized as:
⭐ A @newyorker.com Best Book of the Year
⭐ An @economist.com Book of the Year
⭐ A @wsj.com Best Book of the Year
Learn more about this eye-opening book: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
⭐ A @newyorker.com Best Book of the Year
⭐ An @economist.com Book of the Year
⭐ A @wsj.com Best Book of the Year
Learn more about this eye-opening book: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
December 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM
This is genuinely horrifying. Fact-free far-right agitprop given accolades by credible media across the political spectrum.
Hearing it afresh in this episode, can we all just pause and reflect on how FUCKING DERANGED it is that the richest man in the world routinely and casually describes opposition to fascism and bigotry as a “MIND VIRUS” that has to be eradicated?
Like, that is some scary shit.
Like, that is some scary shit.
Episode 47: Elon Musk
Walter Isaacson’s definitive biography poses the question: is it ok to be a pathetic, cruel, lying reactionary if it kind of helps you build cars?
Walter Isaacson’s definitive biography poses the question: is it ok to be a pathetic, cruel, lying reactionary if it kind of helps you build cars?
Elon Musk
Podcast Episode · If Books Could Kill · 12/09/2025 · 1h 28m
podcasts.apple.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Hearing it afresh in this episode, can we all just pause and reflect on how FUCKING DERANGED it is that the richest man in the world routinely and casually describes opposition to fascism and bigotry as a “MIND VIRUS” that has to be eradicated?
Like, that is some scary shit.
Like, that is some scary shit.
Reposted by Ben Stephens
Had the three Dems who voted for this held the line and voted no, they could have blocked it.
December 18, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Had the three Dems who voted for this held the line and voted no, they could have blocked it.
Reposted by Ben Stephens
It was never about "free speech", it was always about controlling who got to speak and about what. They didn't like that the academy (for all it's failings) was teaching critical thinking or holding up a mirror to evaluate history through a critical lens.
“At Texas A&M, internal emails show staff are using AI software to search syllabi and course descriptions for words that could raise concerns under new system policies restricting how faculty teach about race and gender.”
www.texastribune.org/2025/12/15/t...
www.texastribune.org/2025/12/15/t...
Texas universities deploy AI for course audits
Records obtained by The Texas Tribune show how universities are using the technology to reshape curriculum under political pressure, raising concerns about academic freedom.
www.texastribune.org
December 15, 2025 at 2:40 PM
It was never about "free speech", it was always about controlling who got to speak and about what. They didn't like that the academy (for all it's failings) was teaching critical thinking or holding up a mirror to evaluate history through a critical lens.
I needed someone to see this and the first person i thought of was @michaelhobbes.bsky.social
(Liz Truss has pivoted to video. And it’s going great.)
(Liz Truss has pivoted to video. And it’s going great.)
December 9, 2025 at 10:04 PM
I needed someone to see this and the first person i thought of was @michaelhobbes.bsky.social
(Liz Truss has pivoted to video. And it’s going great.)
(Liz Truss has pivoted to video. And it’s going great.)
New name for Fully Loaded Nachos just dropped
December 9, 2025 at 9:10 PM
New name for Fully Loaded Nachos just dropped
As Donald Trump’s father Fred’s dementia worsened, his family still let him pretend he was in charge of his real estate empire — coming into the office every day, shuffling around empty papers, his phone disconnected from the outside world.
I think about that a lot lately.
I think about that a lot lately.
December 7, 2025 at 7:12 PM
As Donald Trump’s father Fred’s dementia worsened, his family still let him pretend he was in charge of his real estate empire — coming into the office every day, shuffling around empty papers, his phone disconnected from the outside world.
I think about that a lot lately.
I think about that a lot lately.
Reposted by Ben Stephens
Focusing on a single incident makes it resonate with the public more. It doesn't somehow justify the other killings, it illustrates the larger problem.
The right is good at this, sometimes in bad faith. For example, Laken Riley.
Basically "one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic."
The right is good at this, sometimes in bad faith. For example, Laken Riley.
Basically "one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic."
Once the debate centers on whether the 2nd strike was legal, the first 21 strikes have been accepted as baseline. But the murder of the two survivors doesn’t make the other 21 any more legal. Selective outrage, not silence, is how authoritarianism becomes normalized @tadstoermer.bsky.social
The Second Strike on the Caribbean Boat: A Resistance History Lesson in Normalizing Authoritarianism
youtu.be/rY-NnBst9Ik
youtu.be/rY-NnBst9Ik
December 6, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Focusing on a single incident makes it resonate with the public more. It doesn't somehow justify the other killings, it illustrates the larger problem.
The right is good at this, sometimes in bad faith. For example, Laken Riley.
Basically "one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic."
The right is good at this, sometimes in bad faith. For example, Laken Riley.
Basically "one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic."
I want him dragged screaming out of that Oval Office like William H. Macy out of the motel room at the end of Fargo.
November 29, 2025 at 4:48 PM
I want him dragged screaming out of that Oval Office like William H. Macy out of the motel room at the end of Fargo.
I think whenever and however he is finally booted from office, we should leave the ruins exactly as they are. I picture a partially wrecked White House standing for all time, its remains stamped with his gaudy Vegas aesthetic, as a reminder of what we allowed to happen. Of what we did to ourselves.
Demolishing the East Wing of the White House before finalizing plans for what will be built above its ruins is a near-perfect metaphor for Trump's approach to economic policy. The only difference is the wrecking crew doesn’t claim the rubble is evidence of unprecedented growth.
November 29, 2025 at 4:06 PM
I think whenever and however he is finally booted from office, we should leave the ruins exactly as they are. I picture a partially wrecked White House standing for all time, its remains stamped with his gaudy Vegas aesthetic, as a reminder of what we allowed to happen. Of what we did to ourselves.
I wish there were a single cell in my body that believed there would be any meaningful consequences for this.
Hey so as someone who has a degree in global politics and spent a significant amount of time studying international law — this is a textbook example of a war crime.
November 29, 2025 at 12:42 AM
I wish there were a single cell in my body that believed there would be any meaningful consequences for this.
@mrjamesob.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk talking about the UK
“The people in charge of the discourse are no longer the same people who are in charge of the government, which is why the media is at last attacking the government – something they never did when the truly horrible things were happening.”
“The people in charge of the discourse are no longer the same people who are in charge of the government, which is why the media is at last attacking the government – something they never did when the truly horrible things were happening.”
November 28, 2025 at 3:47 PM
@mrjamesob.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk talking about the UK
“The people in charge of the discourse are no longer the same people who are in charge of the government, which is why the media is at last attacking the government – something they never did when the truly horrible things were happening.”
“The people in charge of the discourse are no longer the same people who are in charge of the government, which is why the media is at last attacking the government – something they never did when the truly horrible things were happening.”
Reposted by Ben Stephens
The Myth of a Rightward Realignment
Let’s discard some stubborn misconceptions about Trump’s support and what happened in the 2024 election. They are only obscuring our understanding of a profound de-alignment.
As the piece is partially behind a paywall, I’ll share some key thoughts:
🧵
Let’s discard some stubborn misconceptions about Trump’s support and what happened in the 2024 election. They are only obscuring our understanding of a profound de-alignment.
As the piece is partially behind a paywall, I’ll share some key thoughts:
🧵
The Myth of a Rightward Realignment
Let’s discard some stubborn misconceptions about Trump’s support and what happened in the 2024 election that are obscuring our understanding of a profound de-alignment
steady.page
November 27, 2025 at 2:06 PM
The Myth of a Rightward Realignment
Let’s discard some stubborn misconceptions about Trump’s support and what happened in the 2024 election. They are only obscuring our understanding of a profound de-alignment.
As the piece is partially behind a paywall, I’ll share some key thoughts:
🧵
Let’s discard some stubborn misconceptions about Trump’s support and what happened in the 2024 election. They are only obscuring our understanding of a profound de-alignment.
As the piece is partially behind a paywall, I’ll share some key thoughts:
🧵
Reposted by Ben Stephens
Why POC collectively hold our breath when there’s a mass shooting or high profile crime before the suspect is even identified:
• Afghan man shoots a National Guard member:
With zero knowledge of the background or motive, the right screams that Muslims are terrorists and must be deported.
🧵
• Afghan man shoots a National Guard member:
With zero knowledge of the background or motive, the right screams that Muslims are terrorists and must be deported.
🧵
November 27, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Why POC collectively hold our breath when there’s a mass shooting or high profile crime before the suspect is even identified:
• Afghan man shoots a National Guard member:
With zero knowledge of the background or motive, the right screams that Muslims are terrorists and must be deported.
🧵
• Afghan man shoots a National Guard member:
With zero knowledge of the background or motive, the right screams that Muslims are terrorists and must be deported.
🧵
Oh hell no.
ICE DETAINED MARILYN. Fuck these people. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
‘Northern Exposure’ actor gave ICE agents in Redmond her tribal ID. They called it ‘fake,’ she says
Indigenous actor Elaine Miles of "Northern Exposure" was detained by ICE at a Redmond bus stop. When she showed them her Tribal ID, they told her it was fake.
www.seattletimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Oh hell no.
You don’t have to pick a side. Sometimes a situation has two assholes in it.
So Olivia Nuzzi is clearly a piece of shit who can never work in journalism again after this.
And, also, Ryan Lizza is clearly a piece of shit who should never work in journalism again after this either.
We're all agree on that, right?
And, also, Ryan Lizza is clearly a piece of shit who should never work in journalism again after this either.
We're all agree on that, right?
November 27, 2025 at 3:20 PM
You don’t have to pick a side. Sometimes a situation has two assholes in it.