J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
@jbartashius.bsky.social
religion & film/gender/migration. pubs on stranger things/lady bird/fight club. bylines: @japantimes@kyotojournal@civilbeat
@religiondispatches@deepkyoto
https://buymeacoffee.com/jbartashius
@religiondispatches@deepkyoto
https://buymeacoffee.com/jbartashius
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
We're close to $2,500 but far from our goal: gogetfunding.com/black-zine-f...
Black Zine Fair Returns in 2026 — Help Us Bring It to Life
The Black Zine Fair was founded by Mariame Kaba and Neta Bomani in 2023 to address a clear gap: Black publishers and artists have long shaped independent publishing, yet we were still underrepresented...
gogetfunding.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:11 AM
We're close to $2,500 but far from our goal: gogetfunding.com/black-zine-f...
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
"I'm not in denial about [AI]. I'm in open rebellion."
Amen.
Amen.
“I am so bored by AI. One of the things I love about the theatre is AI can’t do it.”
Ethan Hawke is a dude 👌🏻
Ethan Hawke is a dude 👌🏻
December 10, 2025 at 12:11 AM
"I'm not in denial about [AI]. I'm in open rebellion."
Amen.
Amen.
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
Administrators are inking deals with OpenAI and inviting Palantir onto campus, ignoring faculty expertise and rolling out unproven data-thieving surveillance snake oil tech on our studens, staff and us. Enough.
Artificial Intelligence and Academic Professions
Educational technology, or ed-tech, including artificial intelligence (AI), continues to become more integrated into teaching and research in higher education, with minimal oversight. The AAUP’s ad ho...
www.aaup.org
December 10, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Administrators are inking deals with OpenAI and inviting Palantir onto campus, ignoring faculty expertise and rolling out unproven data-thieving surveillance snake oil tech on our studens, staff and us. Enough.
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
This is one of the most important documents produced this year.
At a time when many of our professional organizations are punting, @aaup.org has been leading on EdTech, AI, academic freedom & faculty governance.
I'm humbled to be joining the team that authored this report.
At a time when many of our professional organizations are punting, @aaup.org has been leading on EdTech, AI, academic freedom & faculty governance.
I'm humbled to be joining the team that authored this report.
Artificial Intelligence and Academic Professions
Educational technology, or ed-tech, including artificial intelligence (AI), continues to become more integrated into teaching and research in higher education, with minimal oversight. The AAUP’s ad ho...
www.aaup.org
December 10, 2025 at 3:09 PM
This is one of the most important documents produced this year.
At a time when many of our professional organizations are punting, @aaup.org has been leading on EdTech, AI, academic freedom & faculty governance.
I'm humbled to be joining the team that authored this report.
At a time when many of our professional organizations are punting, @aaup.org has been leading on EdTech, AI, academic freedom & faculty governance.
I'm humbled to be joining the team that authored this report.
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
“School officials have created a Microsoft Copilot prompt to review course descriptions with an eye toward avoiding ‘advocacy-oriented or prescriptive terms.’”
Terms: “dismantling, decolonizing, interrogating, challenging, centering, combating, liberation, resistance, activism, justice oriented”
Terms: “dismantling, decolonizing, interrogating, challenging, centering, combating, liberation, resistance, activism, justice oriented”
To Root Out Wokeness in the Course Catalog, This Texas University Is Turning to AI
“The AI was upset with my use of the phrase ‘women's rights movement.’”
www.texasmonthly.com
December 6, 2025 at 2:42 PM
“School officials have created a Microsoft Copilot prompt to review course descriptions with an eye toward avoiding ‘advocacy-oriented or prescriptive terms.’”
Terms: “dismantling, decolonizing, interrogating, challenging, centering, combating, liberation, resistance, activism, justice oriented”
Terms: “dismantling, decolonizing, interrogating, challenging, centering, combating, liberation, resistance, activism, justice oriented”
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
In terms of what’s understood to be socially acceptable behavior, normalizing the filming/taking pictures of people in public who are minding their own business (and putting it online) is one of the worst developments of the past 15 years.
Woman Hailed as Hero for Smashing Man's Meta Smart Glasses on Subway
A New York subway rider has accused a woman of breaking his Meta smart glasses. She was later hailed as a hero.
futurism.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:52 PM
In terms of what’s understood to be socially acceptable behavior, normalizing the filming/taking pictures of people in public who are minding their own business (and putting it online) is one of the worst developments of the past 15 years.
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
"If companies can modify their internet-connected products however they want after consumers have purchased them, what does it mean to even own anything anymore?"
This article on “smart” garage door openers could have been about hundreds of other products.
Conclusion?“Always opt for the “dumb” devices — the refrigerators, dishwashers, exercise bikes and coffee makers that lack a Wi-Fi connection or screen.”
Gift article
Conclusion?“Always opt for the “dumb” devices — the refrigerators, dishwashers, exercise bikes and coffee makers that lack a Wi-Fi connection or screen.”
Gift article
Why One Man Is Fighting for Our Right to Control Our Garage Door Openers
www.nytimes.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:38 AM
"If companies can modify their internet-connected products however they want after consumers have purchased them, what does it mean to even own anything anymore?"
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
“The logical conclusion of a technofeudal oligarchy combining forces with an authoritarian political movement is compulsory enrollment in the security state’s platform architecture of surveillance, indoctrination, and behavioral modification.”
Against Technofeudal Education
Pillars For Protecting Our "Core Infrastructure" From OpenAI
theamericanvandal.substack.com
June 20, 2025 at 10:10 PM
“The logical conclusion of a technofeudal oligarchy combining forces with an authoritarian political movement is compulsory enrollment in the security state’s platform architecture of surveillance, indoctrination, and behavioral modification.”
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
The death of browsing is part of the reason art is the way it is now. Our opinions are largely fed to us by algorithms. Spending a spare 15 minutes wandering around a bookstore or comic shop or video rental place was how you found stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up and thereby expanded your taste
Bookselling is like the most "people go to the store and buy what looks cool to them without a particular agenda" type business left, and your purchases have a huge influence on what is ordered, what is displayed, and what is recommended.
November 29, 2025 at 6:44 PM
The death of browsing is part of the reason art is the way it is now. Our opinions are largely fed to us by algorithms. Spending a spare 15 minutes wandering around a bookstore or comic shop or video rental place was how you found stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up and thereby expanded your taste
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
I found a flowchart which helps you navigate the IT landscape
October 1, 2025 at 6:22 PM
I found a flowchart which helps you navigate the IT landscape
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
Give Local 2025: Mutual aid groups and nonprofits where you can give — or receive — help over the holidays: blockclubchi.co/4iltzJ1
November 30, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Give Local 2025: Mutual aid groups and nonprofits where you can give — or receive — help over the holidays: blockclubchi.co/4iltzJ1
Happy #StrangerThings5 drop day! Here’s a little something I wrote on how season 2 subverts The Exorcist narrative all while taking swipes at Trump 1.0. papers.iafor.org/submission59...
November 27, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Happy #StrangerThings5 drop day! Here’s a little something I wrote on how season 2 subverts The Exorcist narrative all while taking swipes at Trump 1.0. papers.iafor.org/submission59...
For any #StrangerThings fans binging the series this week for the imminent drop of season 5, here is
a piece I wrote a while back on how the series dialogues with Indiana Jones for Religion Dispatches
@religiondispatches.org
religiondispatches.org/in-stranger-...
a piece I wrote a while back on how the series dialogues with Indiana Jones for Religion Dispatches
@religiondispatches.org
religiondispatches.org/in-stranger-...
In 'Stranger Things' Season 4 Hopper Needs to Leave His Christian-Reaganite Indy Jones Hat Behind
Screen Rant reporter Cathal Gunning has a beef with Stranger Things 3—and understandably so. In a regressive misstep the series turned Hopper the “vulnerable and realistically aging sheriff” into “a t...
religiondispatches.org
November 27, 2025 at 12:55 AM
For any #StrangerThings fans binging the series this week for the imminent drop of season 5, here is
a piece I wrote a while back on how the series dialogues with Indiana Jones for Religion Dispatches
@religiondispatches.org
religiondispatches.org/in-stranger-...
a piece I wrote a while back on how the series dialogues with Indiana Jones for Religion Dispatches
@religiondispatches.org
religiondispatches.org/in-stranger-...
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
There is so much violence in their rhetoric, generally; the explicit non-consensual ‘gAI is here, you need to use it whether you want to or not,’ and then this kind of abusers’ logic ‘you have to use our tech but we aren’t responsible for anything that our tech does to you’
"Actually, you harmed us by using our chatbot in a way that made us look bad" is straight out of the abuser's handbook
ChatGPT firm blames boy’s suicide on ‘misuse’ of its technology
OpenAI responds to lawsuit claiming its chatbot encouraged California teenager to kill himself
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:51 PM
There is so much violence in their rhetoric, generally; the explicit non-consensual ‘gAI is here, you need to use it whether you want to or not,’ and then this kind of abusers’ logic ‘you have to use our tech but we aren’t responsible for anything that our tech does to you’
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
November 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
~1 yr ago we sent a Giving Tuesday email to our tiny mailing list shortly after starting our own publication.
In the time since, we have been overwhelmed by how many of you find our work worth supporting.
No email this time around. But if you'd like to support indie media today, here's how:
In the time since, we have been overwhelmed by how many of you find our work worth supporting.
No email this time around. But if you'd like to support indie media today, here's how:
Support Unraveled
unraveledpress.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:54 PM
~1 yr ago we sent a Giving Tuesday email to our tiny mailing list shortly after starting our own publication.
In the time since, we have been overwhelmed by how many of you find our work worth supporting.
No email this time around. But if you'd like to support indie media today, here's how:
In the time since, we have been overwhelmed by how many of you find our work worth supporting.
No email this time around. But if you'd like to support indie media today, here's how:
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
I think it’s pretty clear at this point that one of the main impacts of LLMs is to disrupt thinking: to make it so that far too many people never properly learn how to do it, and then to control the output so there are thoughts that people never learn how to think.
November 24, 2025 at 5:18 PM
I think it’s pretty clear at this point that one of the main impacts of LLMs is to disrupt thinking: to make it so that far too many people never properly learn how to do it, and then to control the output so there are thoughts that people never learn how to think.
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
In a country where the cost of living rises but wages don't, where illness can leave you in financial ruin, and where the young feel they have no chance at any upward mobility, 86 House Democrats joined Republicans to pass a resolution denouncing “the horrors of socialism.” trib.al/AIdcinL
86 Democrats Condemn Socialism as Zohran Mamdani Meets With Trump
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared to lead the charge.
trib.al
November 23, 2025 at 12:12 AM
In a country where the cost of living rises but wages don't, where illness can leave you in financial ruin, and where the young feel they have no chance at any upward mobility, 86 House Democrats joined Republicans to pass a resolution denouncing “the horrors of socialism.” trib.al/AIdcinL
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
Doing one of those earnest posts where we kindly remind you that we lost half our operating budget over the summer, and that we're looking for ways to keep this whole thing going, and that if you like what we do or that we exist, the best thing you could possibly do to support us is to subscribe
Subscribe - Bright Wall/Dark Room
Subscribe for $29 a year Subscribe now to receive immediate access to each new essay we publish, plus our entire 140+ issue archive. Bright Wall/Dark Room is 100% independent, runs no ads, and strongl...
www.brightwalldarkroom.com
November 15, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Doing one of those earnest posts where we kindly remind you that we lost half our operating budget over the summer, and that we're looking for ways to keep this whole thing going, and that if you like what we do or that we exist, the best thing you could possibly do to support us is to subscribe
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
Spotify is crashing HARD because of the boycott. Their stock dropped 11% in value over the last month. Let’s keep this going!
Tell everyone you know to boycott Spotify. There are plenty of alternatives that don’t run ICE advertisements and screw over artists.
We made it easy at boycottspotify.com.
Tell everyone you know to boycott Spotify. There are plenty of alternatives that don’t run ICE advertisements and screw over artists.
We made it easy at boycottspotify.com.
November 7, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Spotify is crashing HARD because of the boycott. Their stock dropped 11% in value over the last month. Let’s keep this going!
Tell everyone you know to boycott Spotify. There are plenty of alternatives that don’t run ICE advertisements and screw over artists.
We made it easy at boycottspotify.com.
Tell everyone you know to boycott Spotify. There are plenty of alternatives that don’t run ICE advertisements and screw over artists.
We made it easy at boycottspotify.com.
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
Can you imagine going to the police station seeking help bc your partner beats you only to get kidnapped by this guy???
Layers upon layers of trauma is what these monsters are inflicting on this woman and so many more every single day.
Please share bc her family needs to find her.
#OnYourSide
Layers upon layers of trauma is what these monsters are inflicting on this woman and so many more every single day.
Please share bc her family needs to find her.
#OnYourSide
November 7, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Can you imagine going to the police station seeking help bc your partner beats you only to get kidnapped by this guy???
Layers upon layers of trauma is what these monsters are inflicting on this woman and so many more every single day.
Please share bc her family needs to find her.
#OnYourSide
Layers upon layers of trauma is what these monsters are inflicting on this woman and so many more every single day.
Please share bc her family needs to find her.
#OnYourSide
Looking forward to presenting this Friday at the 6th Kyoto Conference on Arts, Media & Culture. Hope to see you there!
kyoto-amc.iafor.org/presentation...
kyoto-amc.iafor.org/presentation...
November 5, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Looking forward to presenting this Friday at the 6th Kyoto Conference on Arts, Media & Culture. Hope to see you there!
kyoto-amc.iafor.org/presentation...
kyoto-amc.iafor.org/presentation...
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
LA County declares a state of emergency as a direct result of the federal government’s raids…
Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids
Los Angeles County officials voted on Tuesday to declare a state of emergency over ongoing federal immigration raids.
abcnews.go.com
October 15, 2025 at 1:51 AM
LA County declares a state of emergency as a direct result of the federal government’s raids…
Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
If you happen to be in Nijmegen...
October 14, 2025 at 8:29 AM
If you happen to be in Nijmegen...