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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 12h

Just about done rewatching Treme with @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social, & I love it even more this time around, through the lenses of all that's worst in our moment (foreshadowed by Katrina) & of the best in us that it finds in so much of New Orleans (as do I). 🗃️

www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2025/09/cons...

Considering History: 20 Years After Katrina – a Harbinger of the Best and Worst of America | The Saturday Evening Post

Much of what happened during and after Hurricane Katrina foretold patterns of events that would unfold over the next 20 years – from police brutality to National Guard occupations to the unexpected ge...

www.saturdayeveningpost.com

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 12h

It's truly worth the watch. Full cartoon plays after a brief intro.

Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 12h

For no reason, just remembered this explicitly antifascist version of Chicken Little that Disney made in 1943. It's about the danger of following leaders who tell big lies. youtu.be/p_GaYdae4j0?...

Chicken Little

YouTube video by Mousefiles

youtu.be

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 23h

LOUDER.

also

Post from me saying

Anyway, media literacy is a survival skill now. Thems the breaks

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Steven Maher @smaher24.bsky.social · 17h

Chicago has more people than Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, North and South Dakota, and Delaware combined. People in Chicago share two senators with 7 million other people in Illinois. Those smaller states have 12 senators all to themselves.

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Steven Maher @smaher24.bsky.social · 17h

Social Studies teachers talking with students about events in Chicago should make note of the fact that Cook County Illinois is home to more than 5 million people, a population greater than each of 26 states.

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Christmas Podcasts Podcast @sean-cpp.bsky.social · 20h

Chad and Seth sit down with Brian from @christmaspast.bsky.social to talk about his new book and more on @christmascousins.bsky.social

christmaspodcasts.com/the-origins-...

The Origins of Everything You Love About Christmas – w/Brian Earl...

Welcome back Christmas Cousins! In this episode, we sit down with the one and only Brian Earl, the legendary host of Christmas Past and author "Of Christmases Long, Long Ago". We unwrap Brian’s own ...

christmaspodcasts.com

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 2d

The Frollo stand among us need to take a hard, deep look in the mirror before Portland burns like Paris.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is an excellent film to share with your young ones and a perfect one to help broach difficult conversations of media analysis
blackwhiteandread.com/monster-mash...

Now, I am not a religious person personally, but I have so much admiration of true faith. Frollo is a fascist cunt. He is not a religious person; he hides behind religion and the law to commit genocide, and God (spoiler) gets his ass in the end in a beautiful display of poetic justice. The film reinforces this idea that evil doers can wrap themselves in unjust laws and bible quotes to shield themselves from criticism and twist their own minds into thinking the inhumanity they perform every hour is righteous despite all evidence to the contrary.
This past week, Da Chicago Pope got MAGA's ass when he clapped back to their bullshit by saying it's not really pro-life to oppose abortion, back the death penalty, or support the "inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States.' Get 'em, Leo. Obviously Da Pope is now facing horrid abuse from the Frollo stans among us, but it gives me real hope to think about Da Pope confronting them directly. We know they're Frollo stans, but would they see themselves that way?

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Dr Marie Allitt @marieallitt.bsky.social · 21h

Of course the bigots and fascists don’t want you to study English.

The enemy of fascism is:
Close reading
Clear communication
Questioning the meaning of what you read
Accurate spelling & grammar
Thinking for yourself
Creativity
Understanding the mechanics of argument
Imagination
Enjoyment
Joy

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Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · 21h

Six of the nine Nobel Prize winners this year work in the U.S.
Three of the six were born outside the U.S., which is the pattern most years. No country has benefited more from welcoming immigrants from around the world.
www.nobelprize.org

The official website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org

The Nobel Prize rewards science, humanism and peace efforts. This is one of the central concepts in the will of Alfred Nobel, and it also permeates the outreach activities that have been developed for...

www.nobelprize.org

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Dr Heidi Colthup @heidi-colthup.bsky.social · 22h

And what did everyone do stuck at home during lockdown?
You watched films, played video games, read books.
We relied on the Humanities.

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 23h

LOUDER.

also

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Dr Heidi Colthup @heidi-colthup.bsky.social · 23h

I've taught English Lit, English Lang & Linguistics, and Media Studies for many years now - all at university level. I have a PhD in linguistics focused upon contemporary media.
Some past students of mine have amazing jobs (writing for Doctor Who, journalists, entrepreneurs, even civil servants)

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 1d

It's so damn good. God Help the Outcasts is leagues better than any other Disney song in my opinion. I hope you enjoy my take on it!

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 1d

I'm new to driving and my brain doesn't work too good sometimes, especially with reversing, like if I don't think about it, I'm fine, but if I do, zoinks, right? (Yes, I'm 31 with a PhD, but it's not in driving, now is it?)

Anyway, a lady just watched me totally biff straightening out. Just stared.

two sesame street characters elmo and oscar are standing next to each other .

Alt: two sesame street characters elmo and zoe are standing next to each other while Elmo Kubrick Stares into the camera and zoe dances nonchalantly at his side

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 4d

This week for the first in my Spooky Season Monster Mash series, I watched a movie with the scariest monster I can think of: Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame in which the monster wraps himself in unjust laws and bible quotes to commit genocide and assault.
blackwhiteandread.com/monster-mash...

Poster for the animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). From the top of the bell tower, we see between the bells down into Paris blazing in orange. Quasimodo sits on the ledge reaching out for a dove.

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Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 1d

Can’t decide what to buy on Prime Day?

Try: absolutely nothing, and then go support indie bookstores instead 📚

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you so much for reading and sharing it!

Also, as we launch our new public scholarship site where this review is posted, please let me know if we can ever share any updates/new releases from your press on our community announcements page! blackwhiteandread.com/announcements/

Announcements – Black and White and Read All Over

This space is reserved for you! If you have a talk coming up, a book on its way, a podcast trailer to drop, or an accomplishment to celebrate, we want to help you share it! Please contact us to share ...

blackwhiteandread.com

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Matt Zoller Seitz @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social · 1d

"Hunchback is one of the most sophisticated films in the Disney filmography for how it makes such huge themes accessible to children including genocide, justice, manipulation, sin, morality vs. legality, racism, allegorical fascism, and obscene abuses of power."

Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 4d

This week for the first in my Spooky Season Monster Mash series, I watched a movie with the scariest monster I can think of: Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame in which the monster wraps himself in unjust laws and bible quotes to commit genocide and assault.
blackwhiteandread.com/monster-mash...

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Jennifer van Alstyne @jenvanalstyne.bsky.social · 2d

Substack, newsletter, blog, website?

Are you exploring options for what you want to share?

You may find this conversation with @americanstudier.bsky.social and @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social about sharing your public scholarship online helpful for you #AcademicSky

theacademicdesigner.com/2025/public-...

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Sean T. Collins @seantcollins.com · 2d

CHATGPT: I understand where you're coming from. You worked really hard to get here, and now it's time to enjoy the fruit of your labors.

ISILDUR: So I should keep it? Elrond says I shouldn't

CHATGPT: The ring is precious. Sometimes friends don't have your best interests at heart.

ISILDUR: true

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 2d

🐆🐆🐆🐆 BABY JAGUAR GOT THEIR ASS AS PROMISED 🐆🐆🐆🐆

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 3d

This week, I was prompted to review The Hunchback of Notre Dame from a genre perspective and I realized it's probably the film I would most recommend for everyone right now, young and old alike.

Frollo is a genocidal potential rapist who gleefully orders law enforcement to murder innocent civilians

And you might be like, “V, what the fuck? You just said that this is a phenomenal film for kids? Are you some kind of sick fuck like Disney filmmakers in the 1990s?” And, yea, kinda. How many moments in reading just that little synopsis did you go “well that sounds familiar”? A rapist leader threatening to round up and imprison innocent people because they’re different, because they live lives untethered to his own “norms”, because they dare to enjoy being human, because they provide for themselves and their families by creating art and music, because they promote self-expression, kindness, generosity, and justice? Sounds like something to warn against and to teach kids young that that’s the worst, most evil motherfucker Disney could think of.

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 2d

You got that god damn right.

BABY JAGUAR COMIN FOR YOUR ASS, MAHOMES

Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 2d

What all football fans of good conscience are rooting for tonight.

a cartoon leopard is laying in a pile of bananas

ALT: a cartoon leopard is laying in a pile of bananas

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Dr Kat Day (she/her) @chronicleflask.katday.com · 2d

Daughter of Robin Williams, Zelda Williams 💔

zeldawilliams
20m
From Create Mode
••
Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad. Stop believing I wanna see it or that I'll understand, I don't and I won't. If you're just trying to troll me, I've seen way worse, i'll restrict and move on. But please, if you've got any decency, just stop doing this to him and to me, to everyone even, full stop. It's dumb, it's a waste of time and energy, and believe me, it's NOT what he'd want.
To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to 'this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that's enough,
, just so
other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening. You're not making art, you're making disgusting, over-processed hotdogs out of the lives of human beings, out of the history of art and music, and then shoving them down someone else's throat hoping they'll give you a little thumbs up and like it.
Gross.

And for the love of EVERYTHING, stop calling it 'the future. Al is just badly recycling and regurgitating the past to be reconsumed. You are taking in the Human Centipede of content, and from the very very end of the line, all while the folks at the front laugh and laugh, consume and consume.

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 2d

There's never gonna be a social media platform in 2025 that ain't problematic as hell. Doesn't mean there aren't lines where we don't need to leave, of course (as I did w/Twitter, & now am doing w/Substack). But it also means we should support those creating our own alternative platforms, like ...

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