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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault

@malgault.bsky.social

170 followers 180 following 310 posts

Anthropologist primarily interested in rural memories, commemorations, and peacebuilding. Developing interests in contemporary paganism, atheism, and critical heritage studies. Amatuer Photographer. Dyslexic. https://linktr.ee/malgault

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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · Apr 8

The Irish Journal of Anthropology (IJA) has just released its special issue on "Islandness", which will be of interest to all scholars of Ireland, and of islands more broadly. The IJA is open access and hosted by University College Cork on behalf of the Anthropological Association of Ireland (AAI).

Vol. 26 No. 1 (2023): Irish Journal of Anthropology-Special Issue: Islandness | Irish Journal of Anthropology

journals.ucc.ie

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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 16h

So it seems the use cases for AI are meaningless business mumbojumbo at an extreme cost, both financially and planetary, or theft to avoid paying for actual artistic labour... so, basically, both cases are just labour theft.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 16h

The thing about all AI ads is they're either so vague that it is entirely unclear what they actually offer, like the HP "Everyone is so busy" ad, or they provide progressive cover for art theft, Adobe's "I'm using AI to focus on Ghanian farmers who make my product" while stealing art...

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 3d

Like... surely if you get the concept of "wet" as an explicit term then you have to understand "tears run down my thighs" as equally, if not more, explicit - insofar as we mean explicit to be NSFW rather than without ambiguity. And if you accept the latter as fine for radio then why not the former?

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 3d

I genuinely believe that if you cannot play a word from a song on the radio and that word is a fundamental part of the song, you should just not play the song. As a related point, "wet" beign censored but "tears run down my thighs" not being censored is a window into the mind of censors.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 3d

Ideologues, incompetents, and soft (well... not soft) corruption is almost the totality of Reform's political offerings.

David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 3d

Just the US correspondent of GB News

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 4d

It was great fun exploring the city as the cat in Stray, though. Even if his meows annoyed Marmalade every now and again.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 4d

I finished Clare Obscure: Expedition 33, a masterpiece but heartrending, and thought I'll play Stray after because being a cat exploring a robot city has got to be uplifting, right? Nope, equally heartrending by the end. Both exceptional pieces of art, but I think I do need to find something cheery.

Reposted by Dr Matthew A. L. Gault

Dan Snow @thehistoryguy.bsky.social · 7d

The idea that someone can become British but never English is so agonisingly stupid that it makes me fear for the future of the species.

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Reposted by Dr Matthew A. L. Gault

Dr Alex Cruikshanks @alexsaysstuff.bsky.social · 7d

Such an obviously contrived and fake answer to argue that English news is somehow defined by an *American* census question (that doesn't even directly say what he claims) rather than the British one, because of course the British one explicitly contradicts it.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 7d

Matthew Goodwin continues to harden and radicalise his own views, year on year.

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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 7d

That's not to say English society isn't, both historically and in the present, a highly racialised place - but it is not in the same way as America or at least the existence of racial categories in the US does not tell us anything about the construction and use of those categories in the UK.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 7d

Using the American census - a thing created in a highly racialised society with its own specific constructions of race and ethnicity - to prove a point about a society and culture which is not, in fact, America is a wild thing to do. A social scientist should be aware of a thing called context...

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 7d

Matthew Goodwin continues to harden and radicalise his own views, year on year.

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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 7d

Absolutely fascinating that you can get an entire page in the paper to complain about a celebrity you disagree with and random young women on the street and then call other people entitled.

And let's not get into MP Expenses from 2009...

Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 7d

"Emma Watson’s so typical of the entitled generation who think they’re right about everything – like the young woman who rolled her eyes at me the other day" Sarah Vine, Mail

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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 9d

I always wonder if people saying that are sincere and naive, thinking that any significant amount of that money gets near the authors (especially in academia), or if they just want to shut down any discussion while feeling smugly superior...

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 12d

Belfast folks should definitely start pushing for more public transport options so they can sample all our great offers! Lakes, great food and drink, some nice caves, and a castle - what more do you need?

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 16d

Seems like the whole separation of Church and State thing is going really well in America...

LEFT COAST RIGHT WATCH @lcrw.bsky.social · 17d

Pete Hegseth posted this with the caption “for Charlie, our warriors, and our nation”

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 16d

The wider issue is that anti-trans journalism, basically all of British mainstream journalism, is very lazy with terms to play into existing prejudices. If they critically engaged and explained things, it would be much more difficult to maintain the panic.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 16d

There are a lot of problems within this, but I can honestly say in my 32 very cis years that societal norms and gender identities on mass have never been stable, they're always shifting. Can anyone honestly say 2000s "manliness" is 2020s "manliness"?

The Economist @economist.com · 18d

A recent study found that children who transitioned young retained stable gender identities over time. But the fact that nearly a fifth of those in the group did not ought to give advocates of irreversible medical interventions pause

How stable are the gender identities of younger children?

A study finds that one in five who switch gender change their mind

econ.st

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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 17d

I do dream of being in line with the bastion of progress and fair and equal laws that is... the UAE?

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 17d

Times the Reform platform has been a direct or indirect attempt to violate the Good Friday Agreement...

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 17d

They can never avoid falling back on the "science flies you to the moon, religion flies you into buildings" 'I'm 14 and this is very deep' memes, either.

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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 17d

I know it is because they're all basically the same form of unionist stock, but it is wild how often "oh, and we'll just violate the Good Friday Agreement" keeps being an incidental part of Reform policy.

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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 17d

I know Bob's Burgers isn't like the favourite programme of the right, but I do feel like we're not far from "the left are getting a taste of their own cancel culture because they didn't stand up for Jimmy Pesto when he got fired just for participating in, and being convicted of, insurrection".

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 20d

Aside from anything else... it was a very particular kind of white people who were mad about the Treaty of Versailles as well...

Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 21d

A frequent co-host of Charlie Kirk’s show.

Jack Poso
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The Civil Rights Act was the Treaty of Versailles for white people
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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 20d

They don't want civil debate, free exchange of ideas, empathy, or compassion. Anything short of pure idolitry will be treated the same as celebration for the assassination. Meanwhile, "friends" like Trump, Vance, and Alex Jones will use this for political and financial gain.

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 20d

Here’s what a Ball State University employee said that led to their termination:

Suzanne Swierc

Let me be clear: if you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we can't be friends.
His death is a tragedy, and I can and do feel for his wife and children.
I believe in the Resurrection, and while it's difficult, I can and do pray for his soul.
Charlie Kirk's death is a reflection of the violence, fear, and hatred he sowed. It does not excuse his death, AND it's a sad truth.
The shooting is a tragedy, and I can and do feel for a college campus experiencing an active shooter situation.
The deaths of Melissa and Mark Hortman, the children shot and killed in Minneapolis last month, and the children shot in Colorado today are all tragedies that also deserve your attention.
Charlie Kirk excused the deaths of children in the name of the second amendment.

Reposted by Dr Matthew A. L. Gault

Dave Andress @davidandress.bsky.social · 20d

The problem is that this isn't true.

It's what people with money & power & a real lust for antidemocratic censorship want you to believe about a few annoying youngsters and some slightly over-sensitive HR policies.

Nobody on the right was ever actually "cancelled" in the way they claim.

George Packer @georgethevet.bsky.social · 20d

The problem is this ignores the point that the traction the right got on this point was in some way a reaction to left wing free speech overreach (thought management). That still needs addressing. It's not ok just because the other side are worse

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