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stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Stephen Morrison
@stephen-morrison.bsky.social
2.2K followers 840 following 1.6K posts
Fortunate dad & husband. Instructor of rhetoric and writing. Runner of middle distances.
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stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Post from "People's Unity Project" If you are using undocumented immigrants' tax returns to find and kidnap them, then it was never about them paying taxes. If you are showing up at their place of employment, then it was never about them not working. If you are showing up at courthouses, then it was never about getting them to "do it the right way." If you are kidnapping women and children, then it was never about criminals. If you're refusing them due process, then it was never about the Constitution. In you're spending billions to do this, then it was never about the economy. And if you're doing all this in the name of a 34 time convicted felon, then it was never about following the law.
January 30, 2026 at 7:31 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Fascism is hegemonic masculinity performed at the level of the state.
“Fascism is male. It loves danger, dislikes chitchat, and scorns courting; because of its natural roughness, it uses its fists when necessary; Fascism is as hard as stone; a far cry from the sweet texture of candied fruit that—like the soul of a woman—hides a hard, teeth-cracking pit inside. That suffices to determine its sex. . . . In short, Fascism arouses virility against any sort of effeminateness or weakness of the spirit. It is also against the Petrarchism of poetry, the mysticism of religion, the democratization and liberalization of politics, against dandyism and leniency at school. Is there anything more masculine than that?” -Statement by Italian fascist Giuseppe Maggiore prior to World War II (Benadusi, 2012, p. 29)
January 12, 2026 at 3:11 AM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
"Laughter lines the faces of camp staff as they prepare for a sing-song."
A black and white photo of about 13 Nazi soldiers, men and women, laughing and posing for the camera.. One man holds an accordion.
January 8, 2026 at 3:21 AM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Hegemonic masculinity, with its inherent misogyny and homophobia, has been central to the rise of every fascist movement.
“Fascism is male. It loves danger, dislikes chitchat, and scorns courting; because of its natural roughness, it uses its fists when necessary; Fascism is as hard as stone; a far cry from the sweet texture of candied fruit that—like the soul of a woman—hides a hard, teeth-cracking pit inside. That suffices to determine its sex. . . . In short, Fascism arouses virility against any sort of effeminateness or weakness of the spirit. It is also against the Petrarchism of poetry, the mysticism of religion, the democratization and liberalization of politics, against dandyism and leniency at school. Is there anything more masculine than that?” -Statement by Italian fascist Giuseppe Maggiore prior to World War II (Benadusi, 2012, p. 29)
January 6, 2026 at 2:02 AM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
It's all gender.
Tweet from Matt Walsh: "I'm as reflexively non-interventionist as anyone can possibly be, but Venezuela appears to be a resounding victory and one of the most brilliant military operations in American history. As an unapologetic American Chauvinist, I want America to rule over this hemisphere and exert its power for the good of our people. If some shitty little tinpot third world dictator is harming our country or interfering with our national interest, we should do exactly what Trump did to Maduro. Why not? "International law" is fake and gay. The only international law is that big and powerful countries get to do what they want. It has been that way since the dawn of civilization. It will always be that way. And we are the most powerful country on the planet. It's about time that we start acting like it."
January 5, 2026 at 1:15 AM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Seeking insight into politics by reading up on hegemonic masculinity, starting with this foundational classic. Still fantastic.
Cover of a book. "Masculinities: Second Edition" R.W. Connell
January 4, 2026 at 6:56 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Finished this novel over the break. Really excellent! I'm nominating it for the English teacher book group to which I belong. Two things I got from it: the modern world is actually pretty amazing and we should appreciate it more. Also, communities are key.
Cover of the book. The cover reads "Station Eleven. A Novel. Emily St. John Mandel." The image is a series of tents shining from the inside on a grassy plain under a starry sky.
December 27, 2025 at 1:21 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Hegemonic masculinity, with its inherent misogyny and homophobia, has been central to the rise of every fascist movement. The fascists themselves are quite proud of this.
“Fascism is male. It loves danger, dislikes chitchat, and scorns courting; because of its natural roughness, it uses its fists when necessary; Fascism is as hard as stone; a far cry from the sweet texture of candied fruit that—like the soul of a woman—hides a hard, teeth-cracking pit inside. That suffices to determine its sex. . . . In short, Fascism arouses virility against any sort of effeminateness or weakness of the spirit. It is also against the Petrarchism of poetry, the mysticism of religion, the democratization and liberalization of politics, against dandyism and leniency at school. Is there anything more masculine than that?” -Statement by Italian fascist Giuseppe Maggiore prior to World War II (Benadusi, 2012, p. 29)
December 9, 2025 at 12:37 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Hear me out: bananacado.
A ripe banana and a ripe avocado next to each other on a speckled brown granite countertop.
November 30, 2025 at 7:51 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Settling in for some retro gaming this post TG evening.
A computer game loading screen. The background is black, and low-res text reads "Robert A. Koeneke's classic roguelike Dungeons of Moria." Other software information is below.
November 28, 2025 at 11:11 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
The banana has achieved perfect ripeness.
A banana with just a bit of brown freckling, indicating perfect ripeness.
November 28, 2025 at 1:50 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Nice job of adding details to the classic graph!
A line graph with a red line labeled "bad thing" and a green line labeled "good thing," and a vertical dotted line labeled "Ronald Reagan." At the dotted line, the red line goes from very low to very high, while the green line goes from very high to very low.
November 15, 2025 at 9:02 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Smokey is offended by this suggestion!
A very large gray cat sprawling on a recliner, half turned in to his back, revealing an... expansive stomach.
November 7, 2025 at 12:19 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Far Side cartoon with image of a man holding a paint brush. Everything around him has been labeled in large words: "The Tree," "The House," The Dog," "The Cat," "The Door," "Garbage Can," even his own clothing reads "Shirt," and "Pants." The caption to the comic reads "Now! That should clear up a few things around here!"
November 5, 2025 at 10:16 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
This is where I point to my pinned post:
The role of racism in the development of fascism is well known. Less widely known, but as important (I'd argue) is the role of sexism. Hegemonic masculinity, with its inherent misogyny and homophobia, has been central to the rise of every fascist movement.
“Fascism is male. It loves danger, dislikes chitchat, and scorns courting; because of its natural roughness, it uses its fists when necessary; Fascism is as hard as stone; a far cry from the sweet texture of candied fruit that—like the soul of a woman—hides a hard, teeth-cracking pit inside. That suffices to determine its sex. . . . In short, Fascism arouses virility against any sort of effeminateness or weakness of the spirit. It is also against the Petrarchism of poetry, the mysticism of religion, the democratization and liberalization of politics, against dandyism and leniency at school. Is there anything more masculine than that?” -Statement by Italian fascist Giuseppe Maggiore prior to World War II (Benadusi, 2012, p. 29)
October 31, 2025 at 12:27 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
There are a bunch of really messed up ballot initiatives in Texas just now, so I'm sure glad I voted.
Closeup of a man's shirt with a sticker reading "I voted"
October 23, 2025 at 5:56 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
#nokings
Smiling middle aged man carrying a protest sign reading "pro immigrants pro science. Pro America. Anti Trump"
October 18, 2025 at 5:06 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
#nokings
Protest sign reading "Pro immigrant. Pro science. Pro America. Anti Trump. No Kings"
October 17, 2025 at 11:12 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
The latest bout of fascism has been enabled by a bunch of geeky tech dudes desperate to prove they're not gay by overdosing on testosterone supplements and becoming the biggest assholes in the world.
Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg posing shirtless and looking muscular.
October 14, 2025 at 2:04 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Absolutely. Hegemonic masculinity, with its inherent misogyny and homophobia, as well as it's fundamentally hierarchical structure, has been as central to the rise of every fascist movement as has racism and religious prejudice. The fascists themselves even saw their movement as gendered!
“Fascism is male. It loves danger, dislikes chitchat, and scorns courting; because of its natural roughness, it uses its fists when necessary; Fascism is as hard as stone; a far cry from the sweet texture of candied fruit that—like the soul of a woman—hides a hard, teeth-cracking pit inside. That suffices to determine its sex. . . . In short, Fascism arouses virility against any sort of effeminateness or weakness of the spirit. It is also against the Petrarchism of poetry, the mysticism of religion, the democratization and liberalization of politics, against dandyism and leniency at school. Is there anything more masculine than that?” -Statement by Italian fascist Giuseppe Maggiore prior to World War II (Benadusi, 2012, p. 29)
September 20, 2025 at 6:54 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Here's a bit from a great article that very much agrees with you:
“Men may well be culturally violent because of a need to demonstrate their identity, which in reality may be weak. Constantly proving their masculinity, which may be doubtful, obliges them to give public demonstrations that can involve rash actions, abuses of power, humiliation and subjection of anybody he feels is a threat. In the end, such a man is better prepared for death than for marriage and the care of children, somebody whose affections have been amputated” (Fernández-Álvarez, 2014, p. 50).
September 9, 2025 at 12:35 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
“Fascism is male. It loves danger, dislikes chitchat, and scorns courting; because of its natural roughness, it uses its fists when necessary; Fascism is as hard as stone; a far cry from the sweet texture of candied fruit that—like the soul of a woman—hides a hard, teeth-cracking pit inside. That suffices to determine its sex. . . . In short, Fascism arouses virility against any sort of effeminateness or weakness of the spirit. It is also against the Petrarchism of poetry, the mysticism of religion, the democratization and liberalization of politics, against dandyism and leniency at school. Is there anything more masculine than that?” -Statement by Italian fascist Giuseppe Maggiore prior to World War II (Benadusi, 2012, p. 29)
August 29, 2025 at 12:15 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Possum in a garbage can, hissing with teeth bared. Text reads "don't touch my garbage!"
August 26, 2025 at 5:02 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Tried my first nova lox bagel. Now that's a breakfast!
A nova lox bagel with a cup of coffee, arranged on a sidewalk table.
August 25, 2025 at 1:14 PM
stephen-morrison.bsky.social
It's great to be in NYC, a city with monuments to those who fought for the United States instead of against it.
"The Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Monument is located in Riverside Park, at the intersection of 89th Street and Riverside Drive, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It commemorates Union Army soldiers and sailors who served in the American Civil War. It is an enlarged version of the Choragic Monument." (From Wikipedia)
August 25, 2025 at 1:03 PM