Belligerent Optimist
@sharestuff.bsky.social
Doing democracy, policy, transparency, participation and space things. Occasionally at the same time.
Also writing scifi.
https://thebelligerentoptimist.ghost.io/
IDIC🖖
Also writing scifi.
https://thebelligerentoptimist.ghost.io/
IDIC🖖
Pinned
Hi folks. I used to do refugee support. Then I mapped social geometry and trust networks in revolutions for 5 years, was a diplomat for a bit, built a research transparency tool. Now I lead projects in democratic sustainability, disinfo response for local gov & citizen space policy. #Introduction
All the coolest people were in Cairo
November 5, 2025 at 6:57 AM
All the coolest people were in Cairo
I fully support a Kirk Remembrance Day.
Wait I’m just being told… I’m sorry what’s that?
Who?
Wait I’m just being told… I’m sorry what’s that?
Who?
September 20, 2025 at 6:24 PM
I fully support a Kirk Remembrance Day.
Wait I’m just being told… I’m sorry what’s that?
Who?
Wait I’m just being told… I’m sorry what’s that?
Who?
I'm not over the moon that I turned out right about all this 8 months before the orange dickhead won his first election. But I stand by the analogy.
September 19, 2025 at 1:55 PM
I'm not over the moon that I turned out right about all this 8 months before the orange dickhead won his first election. But I stand by the analogy.
Hope is punk now.
And being the eternal belligerent optimist I am, I guess that makes me cool.
It took a while, but you were right all along Mum.
And being the eternal belligerent optimist I am, I guess that makes me cool.
It took a while, but you were right all along Mum.
September 10, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Hope is punk now.
And being the eternal belligerent optimist I am, I guess that makes me cool.
It took a while, but you were right all along Mum.
And being the eternal belligerent optimist I am, I guess that makes me cool.
It took a while, but you were right all along Mum.
Age turns music from a parade of dreams to a procession of memories.
September 9, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Age turns music from a parade of dreams to a procession of memories.
This (what the emperor said), but unironically.
I’m sick of folks buying into the images authoritarians have painted on the inside of our eyelids. Democracy is the engine of human freedom and one of the best damn ideas we’ve ever come up with. It just needs fixing.
I’m sick of folks buying into the images authoritarians have painted on the inside of our eyelids. Democracy is the engine of human freedom and one of the best damn ideas we’ve ever come up with. It just needs fixing.
The 'Do Nothing' Democracy (and what to do about it)
Democracy has stalled. It lacks vision. It's consumed by feckless conflict. And it's starting to believe the bullshit authoritarians say about it. But we can fix it. We have the technology.
thebelligerentoptimist.ghost.io
September 9, 2025 at 11:38 AM
This (what the emperor said), but unironically.
I’m sick of folks buying into the images authoritarians have painted on the inside of our eyelids. Democracy is the engine of human freedom and one of the best damn ideas we’ve ever come up with. It just needs fixing.
I’m sick of folks buying into the images authoritarians have painted on the inside of our eyelids. Democracy is the engine of human freedom and one of the best damn ideas we’ve ever come up with. It just needs fixing.
So here’s my pitch. A late night show, with all the trimmings, but they just pull randoms off the street and introduce/treat them like they’re ‘important’ celebrities.
We got a great show for you tonight. Josh is here! He waited tables for 3 years and now he’s starting an animal shelter!
We got a great show for you tonight. Josh is here! He waited tables for 3 years and now he’s starting an animal shelter!
July 18, 2025 at 6:08 AM
So here’s my pitch. A late night show, with all the trimmings, but they just pull randoms off the street and introduce/treat them like they’re ‘important’ celebrities.
We got a great show for you tonight. Josh is here! He waited tables for 3 years and now he’s starting an animal shelter!
We got a great show for you tonight. Josh is here! He waited tables for 3 years and now he’s starting an animal shelter!
I’m convinced that history will judge Millennials even more harshly than their boomer parents. We grew up so consumed with expectation and self righteousness and believing we deserved what our parents had, that we gave up the last chance to properly change things before it all turned to shit.
July 4, 2025 at 11:36 AM
I’m convinced that history will judge Millennials even more harshly than their boomer parents. We grew up so consumed with expectation and self righteousness and believing we deserved what our parents had, that we gave up the last chance to properly change things before it all turned to shit.
The Great War for Peace continues.
June 23, 2025 at 10:56 AM
The Great War for Peace continues.
Just read that @nature.com is adopting transparent peer review across the board.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
You folks should really look at using Stone - the free tool built explicitly for that purpose. Produces embedable records of review.
www.writeinstone.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
You folks should really look at using Stone - the free tool built explicitly for that purpose. Produces embedable records of review.
www.writeinstone.com
Write In Stone
Research is valuable. Make it visible.
www.writeinstone.com
June 19, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Just read that @nature.com is adopting transparent peer review across the board.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
You folks should really look at using Stone - the free tool built explicitly for that purpose. Produces embedable records of review.
www.writeinstone.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
You folks should really look at using Stone - the free tool built explicitly for that purpose. Produces embedable records of review.
www.writeinstone.com
Happy Captain Picard Day!
June 16, 2025 at 5:36 AM
Happy Captain Picard Day!
Mass protests > Military parades
June 14, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Mass protests > Military parades
Ok cool. Now take a page from the Arab Spring and do the same thing every week.
Every. Week.
Every. Week.
June 14, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Ok cool. Now take a page from the Arab Spring and do the same thing every week.
Every. Week.
Every. Week.
“…from a kingdom of gold, to one of rust and iron…”
- Cassius Dio
- Cassius Dio
June 14, 2025 at 3:39 PM
“…from a kingdom of gold, to one of rust and iron…”
- Cassius Dio
- Cassius Dio
League of Nations ❌
United Nations ❌
________________ ❔
United Federation of Planets ✅
United Nations ❌
________________ ❔
United Federation of Planets ✅
June 13, 2025 at 10:38 AM
League of Nations ❌
United Nations ❌
________________ ❔
United Federation of Planets ✅
United Nations ❌
________________ ❔
United Federation of Planets ✅
After gen Alpha and Beta get the ball rolling, gen Stable Release will bring it home and save us all.
June 12, 2025 at 6:30 PM
After gen Alpha and Beta get the ball rolling, gen Stable Release will bring it home and save us all.
Good news everyone!
Depressed about the erosion of civil rights, the collapse of democratic institutions, the rise of authoritarianism and the fecklessness of liberal society in the face of unspeakable human suffering?
Apparently the cure is cardio.
Convenient.
Depressed about the erosion of civil rights, the collapse of democratic institutions, the rise of authoritarianism and the fecklessness of liberal society in the face of unspeakable human suffering?
Apparently the cure is cardio.
Convenient.
Functional brain network correlates of cardiorespiratory fitness and moderation by depression symptoms
Cardiorespiratory fitness may protect against or alleviate depression through neuroplastic mechanisms within disrupted brain networks underlying cognitive and affective symptoms. There is a scarcity o...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
June 12, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Good news everyone!
Depressed about the erosion of civil rights, the collapse of democratic institutions, the rise of authoritarianism and the fecklessness of liberal society in the face of unspeakable human suffering?
Apparently the cure is cardio.
Convenient.
Depressed about the erosion of civil rights, the collapse of democratic institutions, the rise of authoritarianism and the fecklessness of liberal society in the face of unspeakable human suffering?
Apparently the cure is cardio.
Convenient.
I’ve been saying from the beginning that the one silver lining to this shit show was going to be watching the Elon and Trump relationship implode. It was always inevitable and it’s going to be glorious watching them try and leverage their largely overlapping cults against each other.
June 4, 2025 at 10:11 AM
I’ve been saying from the beginning that the one silver lining to this shit show was going to be watching the Elon and Trump relationship implode. It was always inevitable and it’s going to be glorious watching them try and leverage their largely overlapping cults against each other.
Brb. Running a highly uncoordinated psyop on myself to do better.
May 26, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Brb. Running a highly uncoordinated psyop on myself to do better.
Reposted by Belligerent Optimist
83% of NZers want to live in a functioning country it turns out ❤️
New Zealanders across the political spectrum want increased spending on public services, poll finds. This government is deeply out of touch on valuing our public services. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
May 21, 2025 at 2:28 AM
83% of NZers want to live in a functioning country it turns out ❤️
I know this might come across a little snide. That's not my intention. I just want to say that there are literally billions of people who deserve your sympathy. Most likely more than an ex president. Perhaps consider directing some of your outpourings their way.
May 20, 2025 at 12:50 PM
I know this might come across a little snide. That's not my intention. I just want to say that there are literally billions of people who deserve your sympathy. Most likely more than an ex president. Perhaps consider directing some of your outpourings their way.
Reposted by Belligerent Optimist
When the 20th and 21st century get a proper retrospective one day, Gaza will be remembered as the quintessence of our cobweb of failure. A terminally incomplete liberal project that cultivates fecklessness, political aneurysm and systemic injustice. Not just allowing evil but formalising it.
May 19, 2025 at 4:03 PM
When the 20th and 21st century get a proper retrospective one day, Gaza will be remembered as the quintessence of our cobweb of failure. A terminally incomplete liberal project that cultivates fecklessness, political aneurysm and systemic injustice. Not just allowing evil but formalising it.