Christopher Harrison
@drharrison.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Education. Former UNC / MMSD admin / Research @ NCRPP & NCSU / Air Force. Thoughts are all me!
Really can’t underrate sheer incompetence here. I don’t see how *checks notes* Glenn Youngkin is, like, the Himmler they’re looking for.
Youngkin is like an instrumental case of pols who drape themselves in culture war but tack pretty tightly to political winds in office. He’s not a true believer!
Youngkin is like an instrumental case of pols who drape themselves in culture war but tack pretty tightly to political winds in office. He’s not a true believer!
December 8, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Really can’t underrate sheer incompetence here. I don’t see how *checks notes* Glenn Youngkin is, like, the Himmler they’re looking for.
Youngkin is like an instrumental case of pols who drape themselves in culture war but tack pretty tightly to political winds in office. He’s not a true believer!
Youngkin is like an instrumental case of pols who drape themselves in culture war but tack pretty tightly to political winds in office. He’s not a true believer!
I think it’s worth remembering that we’re at the tail end of a few decades of systematic state disinvestment and wealthy elites working really hard to drag higher ed back to a pre-WW2 institutional framework where it wholly served their interests. Most of the people who “do” academia hate this shit.
December 1, 2025 at 4:09 PM
I think it’s worth remembering that we’re at the tail end of a few decades of systematic state disinvestment and wealthy elites working really hard to drag higher ed back to a pre-WW2 institutional framework where it wholly served their interests. Most of the people who “do” academia hate this shit.
I mean the centrist Dems are already flirting with a 2010-style uprising. Hope that’s figuring into the leadership calculus, here, because this feels like one of those things where the Senate’s counter-majoritarian impulses kick off Tea-Party 2, from the left this time.
November 9, 2025 at 10:43 PM
I mean the centrist Dems are already flirting with a 2010-style uprising. Hope that’s figuring into the leadership calculus, here, because this feels like one of those things where the Senate’s counter-majoritarian impulses kick off Tea-Party 2, from the left this time.
I imagine you'd see some real Death of Stalin stuff as the various viziers tried to climb over each other to pull off a coup and solidify institutional support.
November 8, 2025 at 4:01 PM
I imagine you'd see some real Death of Stalin stuff as the various viziers tried to climb over each other to pull off a coup and solidify institutional support.
Having worked in that business, I do worry about a scenario where a rational actor has to respond to something like the incident in House of Dynamite. The other side - a preemptive strike - is so far out of normed expectation that you'd probably see some wild stuff go down if he just lost it one day
November 8, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Having worked in that business, I do worry about a scenario where a rational actor has to respond to something like the incident in House of Dynamite. The other side - a preemptive strike - is so far out of normed expectation that you'd probably see some wild stuff go down if he just lost it one day
As inconceivable as it might be I have to wonder if they’re sitting in the Oval saying to themselves “look what being a wartime president did for W’s polls in 2001!!!!”
You know, ignoring some important contextual factors both before and after that popularity bump
You know, ignoring some important contextual factors both before and after that popularity bump
October 25, 2025 at 9:34 PM
As inconceivable as it might be I have to wonder if they’re sitting in the Oval saying to themselves “look what being a wartime president did for W’s polls in 2001!!!!”
You know, ignoring some important contextual factors both before and after that popularity bump
You know, ignoring some important contextual factors both before and after that popularity bump
More Afghanistan, but I think this would be worse as the poll plane argues. We’re arguably at a poorer state of readiness than we were heading into OAF/OIF, morale is in the shitter, the admin is in shambles, and we’re in a recession that is being masked by dotcom bubble 2.0.
What could go wrong?
What could go wrong?
October 25, 2025 at 9:28 PM
More Afghanistan, but I think this would be worse as the poll plane argues. We’re arguably at a poorer state of readiness than we were heading into OAF/OIF, morale is in the shitter, the admin is in shambles, and we’re in a recession that is being masked by dotcom bubble 2.0.
What could go wrong?
What could go wrong?
Also pretty sure Russ Vaught can’t impound his way through funding an actual war
October 25, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Also pretty sure Russ Vaught can’t impound his way through funding an actual war
I know the conventional wisdom is that Trump is immune from gravity, but I feel like needlessly putting boots on the ground with no clear benefit and lots of cost is probably gunna really put the mattering field to the test.
I also have no idea what America after Vietnam 2 looks like.
I also have no idea what America after Vietnam 2 looks like.
October 25, 2025 at 9:00 PM
I know the conventional wisdom is that Trump is immune from gravity, but I feel like needlessly putting boots on the ground with no clear benefit and lots of cost is probably gunna really put the mattering field to the test.
I also have no idea what America after Vietnam 2 looks like.
I also have no idea what America after Vietnam 2 looks like.
Meal Team 6
La Mealgra
La Mealgra
October 22, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Meal Team 6
La Mealgra
La Mealgra
Pretty arguable that the primary concern of the folks in power now is to return schooling to its place in reproducing and reifying social hierarchies and class divides, which is a huge turn from David Tyack’s “one best system” and the post-CRA push for broad access.
October 15, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Pretty arguable that the primary concern of the folks in power now is to return schooling to its place in reproducing and reifying social hierarchies and class divides, which is a huge turn from David Tyack’s “one best system” and the post-CRA push for broad access.
Root problem isn’t just about good/bad functioning - we, as a polity, also disagree on what schooling is for. Social reproduction? Human capital development? Facilitating social mobility?
The post-NCLB accountability regime leaned hard on efficiently producing HC at the cost of everything else.
The post-NCLB accountability regime leaned hard on efficiently producing HC at the cost of everything else.
October 15, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Root problem isn’t just about good/bad functioning - we, as a polity, also disagree on what schooling is for. Social reproduction? Human capital development? Facilitating social mobility?
The post-NCLB accountability regime leaned hard on efficiently producing HC at the cost of everything else.
The post-NCLB accountability regime leaned hard on efficiently producing HC at the cost of everything else.
Another interesting example of how these guys are failing at consolidation. European fascists cowed the church! Meanwhile Trump’s boys apparently fall in a Venn Diagram overlap between “Minor Demon” and “Vampire”
October 11, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Another interesting example of how these guys are failing at consolidation. European fascists cowed the church! Meanwhile Trump’s boys apparently fall in a Venn Diagram overlap between “Minor Demon” and “Vampire”
There are a lot of those types in the officer corps, for sure, but it’s more divided than you might think. Still a lot of meathead pilots, for example (who are a different, more libertarian breed of frat boy conservative) and a lot of engineering and science nerds (though many went to space force)
October 1, 2025 at 3:26 PM
There are a lot of those types in the officer corps, for sure, but it’s more divided than you might think. Still a lot of meathead pilots, for example (who are a different, more libertarian breed of frat boy conservative) and a lot of engineering and science nerds (though many went to space force)
This feels like wide success in the efforts of the capital class to return higher ed to its "roots" - status maintenance for upper class families and kids. See also the wide undermining of research dollars and strong emphasis on customer culture and college "experience" at elite serving institutions
September 11, 2025 at 3:27 PM
This feels like wide success in the efforts of the capital class to return higher ed to its "roots" - status maintenance for upper class families and kids. See also the wide undermining of research dollars and strong emphasis on customer culture and college "experience" at elite serving institutions
I think it's existential for a portion of the sector (community colleges and regional comps). You have to remember that buy-in to higher ed among working and lower-middle class folks is relatively recent and based on a shift toward higher ed as a motivator of social mobility from the '50's and 60's.
September 11, 2025 at 3:26 PM
I think it's existential for a portion of the sector (community colleges and regional comps). You have to remember that buy-in to higher ed among working and lower-middle class folks is relatively recent and based on a shift toward higher ed as a motivator of social mobility from the '50's and 60's.
I think this really understates the extent to which the (relatively) new managerial class that has captured most of higher ed absolutely detests both faculty (who threaten their sinecures) and students (who they prefer as silent consumers).
August 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM
I think this really understates the extent to which the (relatively) new managerial class that has captured most of higher ed absolutely detests both faculty (who threaten their sinecures) and students (who they prefer as silent consumers).
I think maybe the root problem is that we have an unsustainable capital class that demands large populations to exploit, and that a lot of the big quandaries that face us (the labor issues raised by automation, climate, etc.) kind of work themselves out when you curtail the parasitism.
July 18, 2025 at 3:20 PM
I think maybe the root problem is that we have an unsustainable capital class that demands large populations to exploit, and that a lot of the big quandaries that face us (the labor issues raised by automation, climate, etc.) kind of work themselves out when you curtail the parasitism.
Yeah but the problem JD Vance has is that Caesar was 1) loved by some portion of the legions and 2) wasn’t a completely miserable and unlikable CHUD.
Who’s lining up for Vance to be God-Emperor who isn’t planning to immediately kill him and usurp the throne (or harvest his organs in Thiel’s case)?
Who’s lining up for Vance to be God-Emperor who isn’t planning to immediately kill him and usurp the throne (or harvest his organs in Thiel’s case)?
July 12, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Yeah but the problem JD Vance has is that Caesar was 1) loved by some portion of the legions and 2) wasn’t a completely miserable and unlikable CHUD.
Who’s lining up for Vance to be God-Emperor who isn’t planning to immediately kill him and usurp the throne (or harvest his organs in Thiel’s case)?
Who’s lining up for Vance to be God-Emperor who isn’t planning to immediately kill him and usurp the throne (or harvest his organs in Thiel’s case)?
Gotta wonder if some grim awareness is breaking through that a.) Trump will pin every negative policy outcome on Congress and b.) it doesn't take too many dead mee-maws before those jacked up F-150's are hanging effigies on your lawn, rather than the teacher's with the wrong kindergarten books.
June 28, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Gotta wonder if some grim awareness is breaking through that a.) Trump will pin every negative policy outcome on Congress and b.) it doesn't take too many dead mee-maws before those jacked up F-150's are hanging effigies on your lawn, rather than the teacher's with the wrong kindergarten books.
It’s all just assholes lashing out at the things and people that have rejected them, made them feel small, and dared to challenge their assumed superiority. Miller, et al. are just walking grievance machines with no real end-game in mind, for all their hand waiving at a supposed “golden age”
June 27, 2025 at 8:59 PM
It’s all just assholes lashing out at the things and people that have rejected them, made them feel small, and dared to challenge their assumed superiority. Miller, et al. are just walking grievance machines with no real end-game in mind, for all their hand waiving at a supposed “golden age”
I think that, like so much of what they’re doing, though, exposes the fractures in their coalition. Undermining these institutions’ role in social mobility strikes poor whites, as well - and the tech oligarchs pouring money into the right have no desire to uphold the arrangements of the “old money”.
June 27, 2025 at 8:57 PM
I think that, like so much of what they’re doing, though, exposes the fractures in their coalition. Undermining these institutions’ role in social mobility strikes poor whites, as well - and the tech oligarchs pouring money into the right have no desire to uphold the arrangements of the “old money”.