Third Thoughts
@thirdthoughts.bsky.social
Ex-academic political scientist/theorist.🏳️⚧️ rights are human rights. Nuance > Hot Takes. Youtube vids on political history and philosophy. Em dash user from the Before Times.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThirdThoughtsYT
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThirdThoughtsYT
InfantryDort has entered his Zakalwe impersonation phase
infantrydort is crashing out about the epstien files in the most melodramatic way possible
February 12, 2026 at 12:28 AM
InfantryDort has entered his Zakalwe impersonation phase
Reposted by Third Thoughts
NEW: ICE is crashing the US court system in Minnesota. Thanks to Trump's push to detain an unprecedented number of people, and its attempt to kill bond hearings, petitions to secure people's release from custody have skyrocketed. @regret.bsky.social w/ the scoop: www.wired.com/story/ice-cr...
February 11, 2026 at 9:26 PM
NEW: ICE is crashing the US court system in Minnesota. Thanks to Trump's push to detain an unprecedented number of people, and its attempt to kill bond hearings, petitions to secure people's release from custody have skyrocketed. @regret.bsky.social w/ the scoop: www.wired.com/story/ice-cr...
Hot take: I think Zakalwe might be the least interesting problematic character in The Culture. What makes the books so interesting, to me, is the way people *raised in* luxury gay space communism nevertheless find ways to be miserable misanthropes. Zakalwe, raised outside, was too obvious.
February 10, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Hot take: I think Zakalwe might be the least interesting problematic character in The Culture. What makes the books so interesting, to me, is the way people *raised in* luxury gay space communism nevertheless find ways to be miserable misanthropes. Zakalwe, raised outside, was too obvious.
Takes like this are so dumb. Y'all need to watch Game of Thrones and actually understand it. Varys was always right.
"Power resides where people *believe* it resides. It's a trick, a shadow on the wall."
"Power resides where people *believe* it resides. It's a trick, a shadow on the wall."
Legitimacy flows from the barrel of a gun. If the military accepts that they're taking orders from that Congress, then they're as legitimate as they need to be.
If we've gotten to that point, legitimacy no longer matters.
If we've gotten to that point, legitimacy no longer matters.
February 10, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Takes like this are so dumb. Y'all need to watch Game of Thrones and actually understand it. Varys was always right.
"Power resides where people *believe* it resides. It's a trick, a shadow on the wall."
"Power resides where people *believe* it resides. It's a trick, a shadow on the wall."
I blame the stupid virgin gangbang meme. Never would've known before bluesky and I was happier not knowing tbqh.
If you know who the person with the sign is, you are literally in the top 1% of online human beings. Trying to explain her background to other people, and how she has played a not significant part in modern culture, makes you sound genuinely insane
L M A O
February 10, 2026 at 4:08 PM
I blame the stupid virgin gangbang meme. Never would've known before bluesky and I was happier not knowing tbqh.
Emphasis on the "like clockwork" part. Online mutual aid is OK for occasional supplemental projects and emergencies. But it is not a viable modern supplement to state social insurance, family and friend connections, etc. And it is trivially easy to be a grifter in the space.
another one of my more reactionary opinions is people posting monthly rent go fund mes like clockwork should be bullied off the internet and told to spend all that new free time to get a real job
February 10, 2026 at 12:35 AM
Emphasis on the "like clockwork" part. Online mutual aid is OK for occasional supplemental projects and emergencies. But it is not a viable modern supplement to state social insurance, family and friend connections, etc. And it is trivially easy to be a grifter in the space.
Reposted by Third Thoughts
honestly, i'm not surprised by this? and, in fact, having an algo go "oh hey an edge case? Im gonna ask for human intervention" is good, actually futurism.com/advanced-tra...
It Turns Out That When Waymos Are Stumped, They Get Intervention From Workers in the Philippines
During a Congressional hearing, Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was grilled over the company's reliance on overseas workers.
futurism.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:16 PM
honestly, i'm not surprised by this? and, in fact, having an algo go "oh hey an edge case? Im gonna ask for human intervention" is good, actually futurism.com/advanced-tra...
Very useful thread if you want to actually understand US-Soviet history. The discussion with John is especially illuminating.
i have complicated feelings about the red scare because a) the second red scare mostly targeted random innocent people and also b) the reason there was no one guilty left to target is that the first red scare mostly swept up all the soviet agents trying to infiltrate america
the vassal states of the famously non-colonialist soviet union might beg to differ.
February 8, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Very useful thread if you want to actually understand US-Soviet history. The discussion with John is especially illuminating.
Reposted by Third Thoughts
There were 3 things going on simultaneously, that both communist hunters and communists want to conflate.
1) quest for actual Communist spies working for the Soviets
2) quest to purge certain sectors of society (like Hollywood) of Communists and fellow travelers supposedly corrupting society...
1) quest for actual Communist spies working for the Soviets
2) quest to purge certain sectors of society (like Hollywood) of Communists and fellow travelers supposedly corrupting society...
February 7, 2026 at 11:12 PM
There were 3 things going on simultaneously, that both communist hunters and communists want to conflate.
1) quest for actual Communist spies working for the Soviets
2) quest to purge certain sectors of society (like Hollywood) of Communists and fellow travelers supposedly corrupting society...
1) quest for actual Communist spies working for the Soviets
2) quest to purge certain sectors of society (like Hollywood) of Communists and fellow travelers supposedly corrupting society...
Reposted by Third Thoughts
What? Are you saying that there was no one guilty to target in the 1940s because they'd all been rounded up in 1919? Because that is...not true. If you mean that McCarthyism targeted random innocent people and that earlier communist hunting in the 40s had gotten rid of real Communists, that's true
February 7, 2026 at 11:09 PM
Reposted by Third Thoughts
anyway ICE cars are sighted nonstop, abductions continue at a high rate, and school absenteeism remains about 50% as tens of thousands of families remain in hiding. the city is being economically flattened. aftermath I guess
February 8, 2026 at 7:41 PM
anyway ICE cars are sighted nonstop, abductions continue at a high rate, and school absenteeism remains about 50% as tens of thousands of families remain in hiding. the city is being economically flattened. aftermath I guess
Reposted by Third Thoughts
Saw someone say about Democrats that “I just don't accept "we don't have the votes" anymore. Get creative. Just do things. “
… I am not doing free PR for Dems but literally do people know what a minority is
… I am not doing free PR for Dems but literally do people know what a minority is
February 7, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Saw someone say about Democrats that “I just don't accept "we don't have the votes" anymore. Get creative. Just do things. “
… I am not doing free PR for Dems but literally do people know what a minority is
… I am not doing free PR for Dems but literally do people know what a minority is
Reposted by Third Thoughts
The Indiana state senators who killed redistricting probably saved a couple GOP seats
February 7, 2026 at 1:43 PM
The Indiana state senators who killed redistricting probably saved a couple GOP seats
Reposted by Third Thoughts
Why aren’t the Dems—
February 7, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Why aren’t the Dems—
Reposted by Third Thoughts
one of the most important pieces of advice i give to people is you have to be friends with someone before you enter into a romantic relationship with them. otherwise you're just trying to build a house on a nonexistent foundation
Another way of putting this is “date someone who likes you, not who is looking for someone to fill a role they’ve already carved out”
February 6, 2026 at 3:51 AM
one of the most important pieces of advice i give to people is you have to be friends with someone before you enter into a romantic relationship with them. otherwise you're just trying to build a house on a nonexistent foundation
Reposted by Third Thoughts
By the way, for those of you not in MN: Homan’s strategy was to withdraw some agents, so it felt like we were in the denouement of the crisis, and then escalate hard against observers. They’re being incredibly aggressive with observers now. National media may not want to check out just yet
February 7, 2026 at 3:38 AM
By the way, for those of you not in MN: Homan’s strategy was to withdraw some agents, so it felt like we were in the denouement of the crisis, and then escalate hard against observers. They’re being incredibly aggressive with observers now. National media may not want to check out just yet
The real takeaway is the Facebook stat. Evelyn normielib is pissed.
Trump job approval rating by news platform
🟢 Twitter/X: +9
🔴 Facebook: -7
🔴 Cable TV: -10
🔴 Podcasts/YouTube: -14
🔴 Local TV: -17
🔴 Instagram: -21
🔴 Broadcast TV: -28
🔴 TikTok: -28
🔴 Newspapers/news sites: -33
🔴 Reddit: -40
www.theargumentmag.com/p/twitter-is...
🟢 Twitter/X: +9
🔴 Facebook: -7
🔴 Cable TV: -10
🔴 Podcasts/YouTube: -14
🔴 Local TV: -17
🔴 Instagram: -21
🔴 Broadcast TV: -28
🔴 TikTok: -28
🔴 Newspapers/news sites: -33
🔴 Reddit: -40
www.theargumentmag.com/p/twitter-is...
February 6, 2026 at 8:27 PM
The real takeaway is the Facebook stat. Evelyn normielib is pissed.
Reposted by Third Thoughts
Imagine being hawkish 2009-2015. Even if Warsh wasn't simply being a disingenuous hack (he is) that much would show him to be an utterly incompetent economist unworthy of the position.
This chart seems to suggest a striking pattern: Kevin Warsh's speeches are consistently hawkish, except when Trump is President and about to appoint a new Fed Chair.
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
February 6, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Imagine being hawkish 2009-2015. Even if Warsh wasn't simply being a disingenuous hack (he is) that much would show him to be an utterly incompetent economist unworthy of the position.
Reposted by Third Thoughts
This chart seems to suggest a striking pattern: Kevin Warsh's speeches are consistently hawkish, except when Trump is President and about to appoint a new Fed Chair.
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
February 5, 2026 at 9:22 PM
This chart seems to suggest a striking pattern: Kevin Warsh's speeches are consistently hawkish, except when Trump is President and about to appoint a new Fed Chair.
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
Reposted by Third Thoughts
im so glad i was a yuri on ice fangirl when i was 16 bc all my normie friends are getting oneshotted by heated rivalry but i was thankfully inoculated against ice yaoi
February 6, 2026 at 2:15 PM
im so glad i was a yuri on ice fangirl when i was 16 bc all my normie friends are getting oneshotted by heated rivalry but i was thankfully inoculated against ice yaoi
The number of antisemitic rants I have heard about "Conneticut Jews" laying everyone off when they moved corporate headquarters. Upstate NY was and is fertile ground for exactly this.
People can express their anxiety on the economy, their position within it, & their material conditions in a racist & xenophobic manner. They can identify villains to stand in for structural forces the don't understand. They can imagine a conspiracy between a sneering overclass & the rabble below.
February 6, 2026 at 3:14 PM
The number of antisemitic rants I have heard about "Conneticut Jews" laying everyone off when they moved corporate headquarters. Upstate NY was and is fertile ground for exactly this.
At a sheepdog competition, two ewes scream as loudly as they can to distract the dogs. Fans start a sidepool aboit who successfully spooks the most dogs.
Bleated rivalry.
Bleated rivalry.
On Bluesky, two posters on opposing ends of St*ncil Madness soon mute everyone but each other after a series of passionate dunks.
Skeeted Rivalry
Skeeted Rivalry
at a caber-tossing competition, two kilted competitors close the distance between each other
Yeeted Rivalry.
Yeeted Rivalry.
February 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM
At a sheepdog competition, two ewes scream as loudly as they can to distract the dogs. Fans start a sidepool aboit who successfully spooks the most dogs.
Bleated rivalry.
Bleated rivalry.
Reposted by Third Thoughts
I have friends who work at Netflix and they’ve told me that the recent trend of aggressively literal, even dumb show scripts is a response to a huge volume of data illustrating that viewers don’t watch TV straight on anymore. They look at their phones the whole time and require simple narratives.
June 11, 2025 at 1:44 PM
I have friends who work at Netflix and they’ve told me that the recent trend of aggressively literal, even dumb show scripts is a response to a huge volume of data illustrating that viewers don’t watch TV straight on anymore. They look at their phones the whole time and require simple narratives.
The National Prayer Breakfast under wannabe Fascism, gentlefolk.
Trump: "Mike Johnson is a very religious person. He does not hide it. He'll say to me sometimes at lunch, 'Sir, may we pray.' I'll say, 'Excuse me? We're having lunch.'"
February 5, 2026 at 11:41 PM
The National Prayer Breakfast under wannabe Fascism, gentlefolk.
A modification of the thesis: people with lazy, self-serving politics have shitty food opinions. People who are committed to politics - terrible, wonderful, or otherwise - are often also committed to their food and have acceptable food opinions.
look, I’m not saying quality of food opinions are well correlated with quality of politics, but if you were to tell me with extreme confidence that lizard people had taken over France I would be quite a bit less interested in trying your casserole
In to days discruse. BBQ dosent take time or labour.
February 5, 2026 at 11:25 PM
A modification of the thesis: people with lazy, self-serving politics have shitty food opinions. People who are committed to politics - terrible, wonderful, or otherwise - are often also committed to their food and have acceptable food opinions.