Zeb Larson
@zeblarson.bsky.social
Freelance writer with a PhD in history. Ex-academic; studied the anti-apartheid movement. Emeritus adjunct. Became a software engineer in 2020. Words in Teen Vogue, Smithsonian, Jacobin, BBC.
He/Him
zeb-larson.com
He/Him
zeb-larson.com
Pinned
The Big Business of War for Oil - Dame Magazine
On Saturday, January 3, 2026, President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela was seized by U.S. troops in a raid on his safe house in Caracas. The exact number of deaths is unknown, but estimated to be between...
www.damemagazine.com
My latest for Dame on Venezuela. We're reverting back to a kind of gangster capitalism and bullying in Latin America that would have been familiar to people like Smedley Butler. Our dipshit in chief thinks that this will be a light lift from us; history tells us otherwise.
Social media has an incredible capacity to rot people's brains, and today I'm seeing it in people who think George Conway should be in Congress.
January 10, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Social media has an incredible capacity to rot people's brains, and today I'm seeing it in people who think George Conway should be in Congress.
Reposted by Zeb Larson
hi all; i am finally starting to go towards data collection but need to complete a quick pilot study of about 20 people to make sure my survey items are reliable
looking for people who have had a miscarriage in last 2 years (since 1/1/24) and were employed full-time.
looking for people who have had a miscarriage in last 2 years (since 1/1/24) and were employed full-time.
Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.
uic.ca1.qualtrics.com
January 8, 2026 at 9:05 PM
hi all; i am finally starting to go towards data collection but need to complete a quick pilot study of about 20 people to make sure my survey items are reliable
looking for people who have had a miscarriage in last 2 years (since 1/1/24) and were employed full-time.
looking for people who have had a miscarriage in last 2 years (since 1/1/24) and were employed full-time.
Gotta hand it to Americans, our would-be warlords are singularly fucking dorky.
![Charles Haywood is an American businessman and far-right blogger and commentator." He founded Mansfield-King,
an Indianapolis haircare manufacturer, which he sold in 2020. He subsequently founded a far-right men's organization, the Society for American Civic Renewal. He has predicted the collapse of the United States and described his desire to become a "warlord" of an "armed
patronage network". He has also expressed support for the January 6 United States Capitol attack."]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:xmmef3rsks2uu36ec6zkgoqv/bafkreib6ig3xa45qyixsbue3po6tknqvslyu27ngg5chmla6zo3hg6srhi@jpeg)
January 9, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Gotta hand it to Americans, our would-be warlords are singularly fucking dorky.
Reposted by Zeb Larson
In general, I think an animating subconscious principle of modern conservatism is the desire to be a big fish in a small pond. They'd rather be rich in a poor country than rich in a rich country.
It is above all deeply pathetic that so many conservatives have adopted Russia as this symbol of incredible might when by most decent metrics it is a failing, flagging power. It looks strong because it throws what weight it has around, but it does so out of a fundamental sense of weakness.
January 9, 2026 at 2:43 PM
In general, I think an animating subconscious principle of modern conservatism is the desire to be a big fish in a small pond. They'd rather be rich in a poor country than rich in a rich country.
It is above all deeply pathetic that so many conservatives have adopted Russia as this symbol of incredible might when by most decent metrics it is a failing, flagging power. It looks strong because it throws what weight it has around, but it does so out of a fundamental sense of weakness.
January 9, 2026 at 1:22 PM
It is above all deeply pathetic that so many conservatives have adopted Russia as this symbol of incredible might when by most decent metrics it is a failing, flagging power. It looks strong because it throws what weight it has around, but it does so out of a fundamental sense of weakness.
Reposted by Zeb Larson
My latest for Dame on Venezuela. We're reverting back to a kind of gangster capitalism and bullying in Latin America that would have been familiar to people like Smedley Butler. Our dipshit in chief thinks that this will be a light lift from us; history tells us otherwise.
The Big Business of War for Oil - Dame Magazine
On Saturday, January 3, 2026, President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela was seized by U.S. troops in a raid on his safe house in Caracas. The exact number of deaths is unknown, but estimated to be between...
www.damemagazine.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:13 PM
My latest for Dame on Venezuela. We're reverting back to a kind of gangster capitalism and bullying in Latin America that would have been familiar to people like Smedley Butler. Our dipshit in chief thinks that this will be a light lift from us; history tells us otherwise.
Love to live in a system where the president can simply veto a resolution limiting what the president can do.
January 8, 2026 at 8:34 PM
Love to live in a system where the president can simply veto a resolution limiting what the president can do.
Checking to see when the new episode of The Pitt drops...9 PM ET. That's a bridge too far for tonight.
January 8, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Checking to see when the new episode of The Pitt drops...9 PM ET. That's a bridge too far for tonight.
Reposted by Zeb Larson
I was surprised to see so few references to Heather Heyer as I doomscrolled yesterday; she was the first person I thought of once I saw the footage of the car and the protestors and the armed goons, and will be back in my nightmares like usual tonight.
Today @kimkelly.bsky.social writes about the parallels between the killings of Renee Nicole Gold and Heather Heyer in Charlottesville in 2017.
www.welcometohellworld.com/justificatio...
www.welcometohellworld.com/justificatio...
Justification for our own murder
Are you not as sick as I am of being lied to?
www.welcometohellworld.com
January 8, 2026 at 5:11 PM
I was surprised to see so few references to Heather Heyer as I doomscrolled yesterday; she was the first person I thought of once I saw the footage of the car and the protestors and the armed goons, and will be back in my nightmares like usual tonight.
Reposted by Zeb Larson
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.
If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.
If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
My latest for Dame on Venezuela. We're reverting back to a kind of gangster capitalism and bullying in Latin America that would have been familiar to people like Smedley Butler. Our dipshit in chief thinks that this will be a light lift from us; history tells us otherwise.
The Big Business of War for Oil - Dame Magazine
On Saturday, January 3, 2026, President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela was seized by U.S. troops in a raid on his safe house in Caracas. The exact number of deaths is unknown, but estimated to be between...
www.damemagazine.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:13 PM
My latest for Dame on Venezuela. We're reverting back to a kind of gangster capitalism and bullying in Latin America that would have been familiar to people like Smedley Butler. Our dipshit in chief thinks that this will be a light lift from us; history tells us otherwise.
Reposted by Zeb Larson
If you fundraise $10,000 and pay a living wage defined as $28/hr that's about 3 weeks of fulltime employment for three reporters.
(This is a subtweet.)
(This is a subtweet.)
January 8, 2026 at 1:39 PM
If you fundraise $10,000 and pay a living wage defined as $28/hr that's about 3 weeks of fulltime employment for three reporters.
(This is a subtweet.)
(This is a subtweet.)
Fela Kuti - Coffin For Head of State
YouTube video by Fela Kuti
youtu.be
January 8, 2026 at 11:04 AM
Reposted by Zeb Larson
This seems significant: not a FORMER DHS official, but a SENIOR (current) one saying the officer who fired acted counter to training.
This is not an admin that admits mistakes. And they are hanging this guy out to dry on Day One.
I think they know this is bad. Really bad.
This is not an admin that admits mistakes. And they are hanging this guy out to dry on Day One.
I think they know this is bad. Really bad.
January 7, 2026 at 9:33 PM
This seems significant: not a FORMER DHS official, but a SENIOR (current) one saying the officer who fired acted counter to training.
This is not an admin that admits mistakes. And they are hanging this guy out to dry on Day One.
I think they know this is bad. Really bad.
This is not an admin that admits mistakes. And they are hanging this guy out to dry on Day One.
I think they know this is bad. Really bad.
Reposted by Zeb Larson
It was me!
As we digest more and more incredibly shitty news, I wrote this for @oregonhumanities.org as an offering for each of us to take in and learn all that we can from the resiliency of the ocean.
As we digest more and more incredibly shitty news, I wrote this for @oregonhumanities.org as an offering for each of us to take in and learn all that we can from the resiliency of the ocean.
A beautiful piece from a friend writing back in Oregon about life by the ocean, the energy that it generates, and the need for community in order to meet possible emergencies. Brilliant, @katelovesmath.bsky.social.
Wave Lessons
Kate Ertmann on what the ocean can teach us about rural emergency preparedness.
oregonhumanities.org
January 7, 2026 at 8:16 PM
It was me!
As we digest more and more incredibly shitty news, I wrote this for @oregonhumanities.org as an offering for each of us to take in and learn all that we can from the resiliency of the ocean.
As we digest more and more incredibly shitty news, I wrote this for @oregonhumanities.org as an offering for each of us to take in and learn all that we can from the resiliency of the ocean.
Reposted by Zeb Larson
endorse watching one of the many videos of Minnesota volunteers bringing the spirit of Gettysburg to this, not the cold blooded murder
surrounding them after they just killed somebody and shouting “you can’t kill us all, nazis” is legitimate “ready to run through a wall” inspirational
January 7, 2026 at 6:44 PM
endorse watching one of the many videos of Minnesota volunteers bringing the spirit of Gettysburg to this, not the cold blooded murder
Reposted by Zeb Larson
Absolutely horrific details about an ICE shooting in Minneapolis.
A witness says a woman was trying to drive away from an ICE operation and the ICE agent "reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times."
Bovino was there.
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
A witness says a woman was trying to drive away from an ICE operation and the ICE agent "reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times."
Bovino was there.
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
January 7, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Absolutely horrific details about an ICE shooting in Minneapolis.
A witness says a woman was trying to drive away from an ICE operation and the ICE agent "reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times."
Bovino was there.
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
A witness says a woman was trying to drive away from an ICE operation and the ICE agent "reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times."
Bovino was there.
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Reposted by Zeb Larson
The best offense is diligent, attentive and organized community action. Super informative article by @zeblarson.bsky.social for @truthdig.com
"Sixty-four billion dollars of data center construction was halted or slowed between May 2024 and March 2025"
"Sixty-four billion dollars of data center construction was halted or slowed between May 2024 and March 2025"
The Fight to Stop Data Center Creep - Truthdig
Generative AI isn’t inevitable, and people are already fighting hard to keep power-hungry data centers out of their communities.
www.truthdig.com
January 7, 2026 at 5:18 PM
The best offense is diligent, attentive and organized community action. Super informative article by @zeblarson.bsky.social for @truthdig.com
"Sixty-four billion dollars of data center construction was halted or slowed between May 2024 and March 2025"
"Sixty-four billion dollars of data center construction was halted or slowed between May 2024 and March 2025"
I can never pick just one.
Twin Peaks: The Return
Deadwood
Eureka (sweet and low key)
Gravity Falls (cheers for a planned ending that got to stick the landing)
The Terror S1 (I know there was a second season but they were entirely different plots and largely different productions)
Twin Peaks: The Return
Deadwood
Eureka (sweet and low key)
Gravity Falls (cheers for a planned ending that got to stick the landing)
The Terror S1 (I know there was a second season but they were entirely different plots and largely different productions)
Given that apparently the Stranger Things finale was meh (idk, didn't watch it, just the scuttlebutt) and we're not that far removed from the disastrous GOT finale that retroactively made everyone have never cared about the show:
What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
January 7, 2026 at 5:07 PM
I can never pick just one.
Twin Peaks: The Return
Deadwood
Eureka (sweet and low key)
Gravity Falls (cheers for a planned ending that got to stick the landing)
The Terror S1 (I know there was a second season but they were entirely different plots and largely different productions)
Twin Peaks: The Return
Deadwood
Eureka (sweet and low key)
Gravity Falls (cheers for a planned ending that got to stick the landing)
The Terror S1 (I know there was a second season but they were entirely different plots and largely different productions)
Reposted by Zeb Larson
I was interviewed at CJR about the closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Along with the excellent @rodneybenson.bsky.social.
What the dissolution of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting means.
The parent organization of NPR and PBS, already defunded, is shutting down—and claims that’s for the best. But there are dangers ahead.
www.cjr.org
January 7, 2026 at 1:41 PM
I was interviewed at CJR about the closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Along with the excellent @rodneybenson.bsky.social.
Reposted by Zeb Larson
Just a reminder that George Conway is not fundraising right now to run against a MAGA republican.
He is fundraising to run against progressive Democrats.
He is fundraising to run against progressive Democrats.
January 7, 2026 at 5:28 AM
Just a reminder that George Conway is not fundraising right now to run against a MAGA republican.
He is fundraising to run against progressive Democrats.
He is fundraising to run against progressive Democrats.
Reposted by Zeb Larson
could not be more excited that @colsonwhitehead.com's third part of the Harlem Trilogy skips ahead to the 1980s
up with social realism, recent history, fictions of urban space
reason for hanging on till july!
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/742026...
up with social realism, recent history, fictions of urban space
reason for hanging on till july!
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/742026...
Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead: 9780385550505 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
From #1 New York Times bestselling author and two-time Pulitzer winner Colson Whitehead, an exuberantly entertaining novel that brings to life 1980s New York in the magnificent final volume of his Har...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:28 PM
could not be more excited that @colsonwhitehead.com's third part of the Harlem Trilogy skips ahead to the 1980s
up with social realism, recent history, fictions of urban space
reason for hanging on till july!
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/742026...
up with social realism, recent history, fictions of urban space
reason for hanging on till july!
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/742026...
Reposted by Zeb Larson
Latest at @damemagazine.bsky.social: my thoughts on how feminist complaints about hormonal birth control morphed into the MAHA movement that promotes FAM as the "natural" option
How MAHA Seized Hold of the Birth Control Conversation - Dame Magazine
In 2010, the birth control pill turned 50 years old. Amid a swell of celebratory headlines and historical retrospectives, Salon chose to mark the occasion in a different manner, publishing Glamour edi...
www.damemagazine.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Latest at @damemagazine.bsky.social: my thoughts on how feminist complaints about hormonal birth control morphed into the MAHA movement that promotes FAM as the "natural" option
Just an absolutely mystifying description of the postwar period. Whatever’s gone wrong in his head is pathology I don’t care to understand.
Stephen Miller: This whole period that happened after World War II where the West began apologizing and groveling and begging—
Host: I don't even know what you're talking about right now. I asked you if there would be an election in Venezuela.
Host: I don't even know what you're talking about right now. I asked you if there would be an election in Venezuela.
January 6, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Just an absolutely mystifying description of the postwar period. Whatever’s gone wrong in his head is pathology I don’t care to understand.