Aurelien Mondon
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aurelmondon.bsky.social
Aurelien Mondon
@aurelmondon.bsky.social
13K followers 620 following 3.1K posts

Researching the mainstreaming of reactionary/far-right politics

Co-convenor of @reacpolrn.bsky.social

Reactionary Democracy w. @aaronwinter.bsky.social and co-editor of The Ethics of Researching the Far Right

Full profile:

https://shorturl.at/CiYKm .. more

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Political science 65%
Sociology 14%
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aurelmondon.bsky.social
Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.bsky.social · Sep 24
Core to reactionary politics is a cowardly project that aims to protect and restore privilege and hierarchies of oppression

Some thoughts on terminology and the term reactionary @reacpolrn.bsky.social

reacpol.net/on-reactiona...
Article: On reactionary politics (Aurelien Mondon) - Reactionary Politics Research Network
This article by Aurelien Mondon explores the meaning of reactionary politics and its use in our current context
reacpol.net

aurelmondon.bsky.social
Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.bsky.social · 39m
We cannot understand the emboldening of racists/fascists on the ground without centring the role of the discourse of mainstream elite

This Labour government, anything right of it and any media that does not cover them as enablers are responsible for this

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
NHS staff who visit patients at home say St George’s flags can mean ‘no-go zones’
Black and Asian staff left feeling ‘deliberately intimidated’, according to chief executive of one NHS trust
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Aurélien Mondon

theguardian.com
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 8h
NHS staff who visit patients at home say St George’s flags can mean ‘no-go zones’
NHS staff who visit patients at home say St George’s flags can mean ‘no-go zones’
Black and Asian staff left feeling ‘deliberately intimidated’, according to chief executive of one NHS trust NHS staff who care for patients in their own homes fear some areas have become “no-go zones” for them because of the presence of St George’s flags, health leaders have said. Black and Asian staff have been left feeling “deliberately intimidated” as a result of the flags that were put up in many parts of England during the summer, according to the chief executive of one NHS trust in England, who asked to remain anonymous. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com

aurelmondon.bsky.social
Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.bsky.social · 13h
It's incredible considering how grim the news are all around that so much of the mainstream media keeps presenting any progressive alternative, no matter how moderate, as a threat equal to that posed by emboldened billionaire reactionaries and their stooges

What a failure of their basic duty

Reposted by Aurélien Mondon

jessothomson.co.uk
Jess O'Thomson @jessothomson.co.uk · 16h
"As someone working in law, it’s heresy to say this, and it might even kill my chances of a career... But as a trans person, and someone fighting for the rights of my community, I refuse to remain silent. To me it just seems obvious: a heavily prejudiced society produces prejudiced institutions."
It’s no surprise that only 31% of trans people trust a legal system built to enforce prejudice, says Jess O’Thomson.
It’s no surprise that only 31% of trans people trust a legal system built to enforce prejudice, says Jess O’Thomson.
goodlawproject.org

Reposted by Damian Trilling, Aurélien Mondon

indubioproreto.bsky.social
Reto Mitteregger @indubioproreto.bsky.social · 20h
www.researchgate.net/profile/Juan...

What a great and necessary paper: "This article contends that this ‘polarisation narrative’ simplifies complex issues through a bad analogy: the construction of a spectrum where good should be found in the middle of diametrically opposed political positions."
www.researchgate.net

Reposted by Aurélien Mondon

bylinetimes.bsky.social
Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 1d
🚨 The BBC’s Road to Appeasement

As the BBC comes under growing criticism for its coverage of Reform, we republish @adambienkov.bsky.social and @baghdaddi.bsky.social’s 2024 investigation into how the corporation's leadership became cowed by the right

www.bylinesupplement.com/p/the-bbcs-r...
The BBC’s Road to Appeasement
As the BBC comes under growing criticism for its coverage of Reform, we republish Adam Bienkov and Patrick Howse's 2024 investigation into how the corporation's leadership became cowed by the right
www.bylinesupplement.com

Reposted by Aurélien Mondon

slackbastard.bsky.social
Andy Fleming @slackbastard.bsky.social · 1d
After several decades of monitoring their activities, it's still odd, even if explicable, to witness public figures express shock & surprise at the existence of nazis in AUS, & almost invariably only when it's thrust in their/our faces. So too, immediate calls for more laws & more police.

Anyway.

Reposted by Rebecca Solnit, Will Jennings, Steve Peers , and 9 more

downwithdan.bsky.social
Dan of the Year @downwithdan.bsky.social · 1d
lol she got his ass and he knows it
Joyce Carol Oates @Joyce... 17h O So curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates— scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend's or relative's accomplishment; condolences for someone who has died; pleasure in sports, acclaim for a favorite team; references to history. In fact he seems totally uneducated, uncultured. The poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the "most wealthy person in the world." Elon Musk ' @elonmusk X.com Oates is a liar and delights in being mean. Not a good human.

aurelmondon.bsky.social
Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.bsky.social · 1d
Excellent read 🔥

“Climate change is increasingly lethal, though critics say… it is not.” Or, “Israel is murdering journalists in Gaza at historically unprecedented rates, though critics say… it is not.” Or, “Trans people claim to be real, though critics say…”

lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com

aurelmondon.bsky.social
Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.bsky.social · 3d
Incredible timing...

bsky.app/profile/coms...

Reposted by Catherine Baker

aurelmondon.bsky.social
Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.bsky.social · 3d
Who could have predicted that mainstream media and politicians mainstreaming far-right talking points and symbols would embolden fascists (except all the research available on the matter)?

www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
Flags and Christian nationalist slogans feature in soaring attacks on UK mosques
Between July and October, 25 buildings were targeted in 27 attacks, according to British Muslim Trust
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Aurélien Mondon

comsocsci.bsky.social
Communication and Social Sciences @comsocsci.bsky.social · 3d
The far right, the mainstream and mainstreaming: towards a heuristic framework doi.org/10.1080/1356...
@k8ebrown.bsky.social · @aurelmondon.bsky.social · @aaronwinter.bsky.social
The far right, the mainstream and mainstreaming: towards a heuristic framework
The study of far-right parties and politics is one of the most high-profile research areas in political science and related disciplines. Far-right parties have been the subject of vast amounts of v...
doi.org

Reposted by Brady T. West, Brendan Nyhan, Jacob Montgomery , and 6 more

pettertornberg.com
Petter Törnberg @pettertornberg.com · 3d
LLMs are now widely used in social science as stand-ins for humans—assuming they can produce realistic, human-like text

But... can they? We don’t actually know.

In our new study, we develop a Computational Turing Test.

And our findings are striking:
LLMs may be far less human-like than we think.🧵
Computational Turing Test Reveals Systematic Differences Between Human and AI Language
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used in the social sciences to simulate human behavior, based on the assumption that they can generate realistic, human-like text. Yet this assumption rem...
arxiv.org

aurelmondon.bsky.social
Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.bsky.social · 4d
I'm so sorry to hear, that sounds horrible. Sending love and solidarity.

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Stephen M. Walt, Michael E. Mann , and 68 more

newyorker.com
The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 4d
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Rosemary A. Joyce, Erwin Dekker , and 5 more

astridoverthere.bsky.social
I said abolish and I fucking meant it @astridoverthere.bsky.social · 4d
Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.

Here's how to turn it off.

First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
Screenshot of the top of a Bsky feed, with a red circle around the hamburger menu in the top left.

aurelmondon.bsky.social
Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.bsky.social · 5d
That reminds me that he hadn't been on my radar for ages! I guess it's become a particularly crowded field for such takes

aurelmondon.bsky.social
Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.bsky.social · 5d
It's nice that some things never change 😌

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Scott L. Greer, Rebecca Tushnet , and 3 more

michaelhobbes.bsky.social
Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 5d
The way all of these people convinced themselves that Mamdani is antisemitic is a subject far more worthy of media examination than any of the ‘groupthink on campuses!’ thinkpieces we’ve been subjected to

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Rosemary A. Joyce, Aurélien Mondon , and 1 more

gregsargent.bsky.social
Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 5d
Remarkable: In Virginia and New Jersey, Spanberger and Sherrill erased the GOP edge among working class. Per exit polls, each got 50% of noncollege voters, big gains over previous contests.

Shocker: Anti-Trump politics appeals to working class, too!

New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2027...
Trump Humiliation Worsens as Fresh Info Reveals Scale of GOP Losses
The results showed that Democrats don’t have to choose between attacking Trump and highlighting the economy. In fact, they are often inseparable.
newrepublic.com

aurelmondon.bsky.social
Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.bsky.social · 6d
Don't get me wrong, it's just one win, it's NYC etc but symbolically this can help fuel the fight back and show that the alternative to the far right does not have to be found in its mainstream enablers and in the "serious" status quo that's fuelling the polycrisis

aurelmondon.bsky.social
Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.bsky.social · 6d
Such a symbolic win in the fight against reactionary politics considering Trump threw his weight behind Cuomo and the mainstream Democrats were very coy in their support of Mamdani

Opposition to Trump & co must be based on radical opposition to all forms of oppression

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Aurélien Mondon

crisortunity.bsky.social
Leo Murray @crisortunity.bsky.social · 6d
To be clear, what is being proposed here is to axe the main mechanism for getting Britain’s homes insulated - which is by FAR the best way to reduce household energy bills in the long term 🤦‍♂️

…and also, just incidentally, an absolute non-negotiable requirement for meeting UK climate targets 😬🥵☠️
Reeves considers cut to green levies in effort to reduce cost of energy bills
Exclusive: Chancellor hopes to save up to £170 from average bill but industry insiders say move would be ‘disastrous’
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Michelle Everson, Aurélien Mondon, Lisa Diedrich , and 1 more

zackpolanski.bsky.social
Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 6d
Zohran's campaign was his determination to make New York a city everyone can afford to live in. Huge congratulations!

His success will resonate throughout the world. A story where no one is left behind.

It's time to write that story across England & Wales too.
Zohran smiling on the street

Reposted by Brian Keegan, Aurélien Mondon

meredithshiner.com
Meredith Shiner @meredithshiner.com · 6d
I love that Zohran did not praise Cuomo in his speech. You absolutely do not have to say nice things about bad people. We should normalize that in “polite” politics: Praising bad people is not actually “civility.”

Reposted by Serge Guimond, Robin Celikates, Aurélien Mondon , and 2 more

acyn.bsky.social
Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 6d
Mamdani: Whether you are an immigrant, a member of the trans community, one of the many black women that Donald Trump has fired from a federal job, a single mom still waiting for the cost of groceries to go down, or anyone else with their back against the wall—your struggle is ours too

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Aurélien Mondon

katerqburns.bsky.social
Kate Burns @katerqburns.bsky.social · 6d
The Post having a normal one
New York Post @nypost • 55m Tomorrow's cover: Zohran Mamdani wins 2025 NYC mayoral election trib.al/akdfChF NEWYORK POST WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2025 / Partly sunny, 64°/ Weather: P. 36 * SPORTS EXTRA nypost.com On your Marx, get set, Zo! Socialist Mamdani wins race for mayor THE Page S $2.00 APPLE

Reposted by Robert B. Reich, Aurélien Mondon

luckytran.com
Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 6d
They’ll insist this is a
one-off victory — something that can only happen in New York & nowhere else.

They’re wrong.

New York is the world financial capital — home of Wall Street & billionaires from across the globe.

If everyday people can defeat oligarchs here, we can defeat oligarchy anywhere.

Reposted by Aurélien Mondon

bylinetimes.bsky.social
Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 6d
🔴Challenger to Lead Britain’s Biggest Union Vows to Review Labour Ties and Slash Own Salary in Bid to Unseat Starmer Ally

Bolton social worker Andrea Egan is fighting to overhaul Unison’s leadership and promising a shift towards taking more strike action

bylinetimes.com/2025/11/04/c...
Challenger to Lead Britain's Biggest Union Vows to Review Labour Ties and Slash Own Salary in Bid to Unseat Starmer Ally
Bolton social worker Andrea Egan is fighting to overhaul Unison's leadership and promising a shift towards taking more strike action
bylinetimes.com

Reposted by Aurélien Mondon, Steven H. Seggie

bylinetimes.bsky.social
Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 6d
🔴The UK Must Urgently Distance Itself From Elon Musk and Space X, Warns Parliamentary Report

The UK’s infrastructure has become far too reliant on the far-right billionaire, who could ‘politicise’ our reliance upon his companies, the report warns

bylinetimes.com/2025/11/04/t...
The UK Must Urgently Distance Itself From Elon Musk and Space X, Warns Parliamentary Report
The UK's infrastructure has become far too reliant on the far-right billionaire, who could 'politicise' our reliance upon his companies, the report warns
bylinetimes.com