Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 22h

They took the sign away. #AEWDynamite

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 22h

Sign at #AEWDynamite @hangmanpage.bsky.social

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Reposted by Cory Massimino

William Gillis 🏴 @rechelon.bsky.social · 2d

On the other hand there's something *like* a plan, that the neoreactionaries have banded about since 2017. Which is to prioritize slaughtering the radical left activist class so there's no one to provide knowledge and networks to radicalized liberals, while illegalizing NGOs and terrorizing judges.

Sharon @sharonk.bsky.social · 2d

this is sort of the thing Moldbug is mad about. there isn't any actual cohesive plan for actually taking on american progressivism/liberalism so he's (rightfully) worried about what comes next given thermostatic backlash

James @gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social · 3d

In one sense, this is the Admin recklessly undermining basic norms of liberal democracy.

In another sense, this is the sweatiest flailing around since Giuliani was giving conferences outside a landscaping shop. It's just blindly groping around for any lever of power, regardless of how dumb it is.

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Reposted by Cory Massimino

Nathan Goodman @nathanpgoodman.bsky.social · 5d

My colleague Mikayla Novak has a new edited volume out called "Liberal Emancipation."

She has brought together a great group of scholars, including @erwindekker.bsky.social, @ottolehto.bsky.social, and even me, to analyze the emancipatory aspects of liberalism!

Read on to learn what I argue... 🧵

The cover of the book "Liberal Emancipation: Explorations in Political and Social Economy." It features a lot of pink as well as a photo with a stairway and a sunny blue sky with some white clouds.

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 5d

the idea of objectivist william gillis remains undefeated

William Gillis 🏴 @rechelon.bsky.social · 6d

Classic example of the socialist impulse to cut the heads off the tallest daisies. This Mamdani policy is so utterly ignorant and repugnant.

Aaron Ross Powell ☸️ @aaronrosspowell.com · 6d

My wife is an elementary gifted ed specialist. The idea that gifted kids either don't exist or don't benefit from gifted education services is both wrong and harmful to those kids. Phasing out gifted programs is stupid. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/n...

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Reposted by Cory Massimino

Aaron Ross Powell ☸️ @aaronrosspowell.com · 6d

The fine folks at @projectliberal.org had me on their show for a deep conversation about the past, present, and future of American libertarianism. (And I'm still getting used to this whole video podcast thing. I miss my mic and mute button.) www.youtube.com/watch?v=3orl...

The End of Libertarian Fusionism | Aaron Ross Powell

YouTube video by Project Liberal

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Cory Massimino

Aaron Ross Powell ☸️ @aaronrosspowell.com · 8d

Fascism, as an ideological project, depends upon destroying empathy. From my conversation with @corymassimino.bsky.social. Listen to our full discussion here: pod.link/1614436300/e...

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 7d

Another day, another declaration of war on Americans by the President.

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 8d

Post you from a different era

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 10d

It's important to occasionally step back and reflect on your most fundamental values, how you've developed those values over time, and what makes those values different. I did just that with my good friend @aaronrosspowell.com on his wonderful show @reimaginingliberty.com.

pod.link/1614436300/e...

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

Sad, but true.

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

I think these are just orthogonal topics. Plenty of romantic movies don't have a whiff of sex. Many sex scenes don't have a whiff of romance.

Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

One of your top 4 features incest.

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

It's one of the funniest scenes. And it uses fourth wall breaks and fade transitions for really great comedic effect.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sed...

Office Space (1999) - Lumbergh Nightmare Scene

YouTube video by Greatest Movie Scenes of All Time

www.youtube.com

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

Sex scenes are not the domain of any specific "kind of movie." My list of movies, for instance, had all sorts of wildly different entries: drama, romance, horror, comedy, action, science-fiction, etc, etc.

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

I agree. Streaming has allowed a fracturing of TV and an ensuing greater freedom of artistic expression, while movies have gone the opposite direction and consolidated so much that profitability increasingly demands flattening movies to be more widely palatable and less artistically expressive.

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

Sex and action can both be more or less "reality." It entirely depends on the scene and work in question. Either way, the degree to which art captures reality varies and I like having works existing along every different node on that spectrum.

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

I've seen barely any Game of Thrones, but I've seen a handful of the sex scenes (some in context of an episode, some not), but they all struck me as incredibly pornographic, devoid of artistic expression or perspective, and often exploiting rape and female suffering for titillation.

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

Sex and the City is one of the very best example of this, in my opinion. It uses sex scenes in almost every single episode to express character and explore themes. And the slapstick is very much the point. It's a comedy show about sex. After all, sex is one the funniest things about people.

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

That might be my favorite sex scene of all time. From my letterboxd review:

letterboxd.com/corym/film/b...

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

The prevalence of unhealthy attitudes toward sex is maybe the best reason there is to have (and engage with) art that explores sex unflinchingly.

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

5. Stuff with good/aesthetically rich sex scenes that come to mind:

-Brokeback Mountain
-Mulholland Drive
-Lost Highway
-Her
-The Matrix Reloaded
-Sense8
-Portrait of a Lady on Fire
-Office Space
-Mad Men
-Sex and the City
-Shame
-Tampopo
-Videodrome
-Moonlight
-American Psycho
-Don't Look Now

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

4. Game of Thrones may be one of the aesthetically worst instances of sex in art. But there's bad versions of everything in art. Sex scenes are fundamentally just action scenes, using the mostly-wordless physical drama of human bodies to create an aesthetic experience (pro-wrestling does this too).

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

3. The distinction between TV and movies was always porous and is increasingly useless, so I don't see any reason to modify my view for TV.

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Cory Massimino @corymassimino.bsky.social · 13d

2. It's about neither ageism nor denying the art of leaving things to the viewers' imagination. It's about the importance of having (and engaging with) art that cares not for our comfortability but instead for creating its own aesthetic experience and speaking to different facets of human existence.

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