Apothetes (he / him)
@apothetes.bsky.social
Erik reads a lot, and puzzles about how culture works & sometimes doesn’t, but he is no scholar let alone scientist and seldom tests hypotheses.
🏳️🌈 Non-Indigenous, living on unceded Widjabul Wia-Bal | Bundjalung Country
🏳️🌈 Non-Indigenous, living on unceded Widjabul Wia-Bal | Bundjalung Country
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Important read.
Much of what our society finds so distressing and unacceptable in police interactions with their neighbors — disrespect, anger, frustration and violence — is not a result of “flawed” training; it’s a result of training for war.
Much of what our society finds so distressing and unacceptable in police interactions with their neighbors — disrespect, anger, frustration and violence — is not a result of “flawed” training; it’s a result of training for war.
I’m not to blame but I am responsible. I wrote this during the protests & riots after the murder of George Floyd. What I knew then is what I know now: that we all matter or none of us do.
Please read this.
And act accordingly.
Courage. Use it.
www.sunjournal.com/2020/06/07/i...
Please read this.
And act accordingly.
Courage. Use it.
www.sunjournal.com/2020/06/07/i...
I’m a cop. I won’t fight a ‘war’ on crime the way I fought the war on terror.
The failed strategy I participated in for years as a CIA officer is not how to police people I consider my neighbors. It's not how to police at all.
www.sunjournal.com
January 19, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Important read.
Much of what our society finds so distressing and unacceptable in police interactions with their neighbors — disrespect, anger, frustration and violence — is not a result of “flawed” training; it’s a result of training for war.
Much of what our society finds so distressing and unacceptable in police interactions with their neighbors — disrespect, anger, frustration and violence — is not a result of “flawed” training; it’s a result of training for war.
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
This is literally what every right-winger has spent my whole life telling me they want.
A community member armed with a firearm stands guard in his neighborhood after ICE was spotted nearby during an abduction operation in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 18, 2026.
January 20, 2026 at 3:05 AM
This is literally what every right-winger has spent my whole life telling me they want.
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Genocide is easy when the world lets you do it.
Dr Assal Rad—
“𝘔𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘠𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘦
“That’s their way of saying occupies more land, violates ceasefire, and arbitrarily uses to kill more Palestinians.”
“𝘔𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘠𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘦
“That’s their way of saying occupies more land, violates ceasefire, and arbitrarily uses to kill more Palestinians.”
January 20, 2026 at 4:57 AM
Genocide is easy when the world lets you do it.
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Hey @albomp.bsky.social we have sanctions against this guy but some Synagogues and lobbying orgs are still fundraising for settlements. Surely we should be looking into that?
#auspol
#auspol
#WATCH | Israel’s Minister of Finance Smotrich:
“European countries, we are winning!
We are inaugurating the new settlement “Yatziv” in Gush Etzion, near Jerusalem, and continuing to kill the idea of a Palestinian state.”
“European countries, we are winning!
We are inaugurating the new settlement “Yatziv” in Gush Etzion, near Jerusalem, and continuing to kill the idea of a Palestinian state.”
January 20, 2026 at 4:02 AM
Hey @albomp.bsky.social we have sanctions against this guy but some Synagogues and lobbying orgs are still fundraising for settlements. Surely we should be looking into that?
#auspol
#auspol
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
The hate groups provisions in the hate speech bill are deeply flawed. They still exclude advocating genocide from the definition of hate crimes, and they will be open to misuse to target peaceful activist groups because of political influence. They shouldn't be passed into law in their current form.
January 20, 2026 at 2:24 AM
The hate groups provisions in the hate speech bill are deeply flawed. They still exclude advocating genocide from the definition of hate crimes, and they will be open to misuse to target peaceful activist groups because of political influence. They shouldn't be passed into law in their current form.
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
As Greg points out, the great weakness of Australian constitutional government is how much is left to ministerial discretion on the assumption that whoever holds the post is serious and accountable. As the US, and maybe soon the UK suggests, this assumption can be deadly.
January 20, 2026 at 3:34 AM
As Greg points out, the great weakness of Australian constitutional government is how much is left to ministerial discretion on the assumption that whoever holds the post is serious and accountable. As the US, and maybe soon the UK suggests, this assumption can be deadly.
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
the other 100 pieces of legislation using crises to expand state control since September 2001 - laws used by authorities to specifically target Arabs and Muslims - did not prevent a mass shooting by two extremists.
www.crikey.com.au/2026/01/20/a...
www.crikey.com.au/2026/01/20/a...
Giving ASIO and Home Affairs ever more power and money hasn't stopped terrorism. Why do we think it will now?
Australia is on the verge of again rewarding failure by expanding further the powers of ASIO and the failed Home Affairs department. It hasn't worked before.
www.crikey.com.au
January 20, 2026 at 3:24 AM
the other 100 pieces of legislation using crises to expand state control since September 2001 - laws used by authorities to specifically target Arabs and Muslims - did not prevent a mass shooting by two extremists.
www.crikey.com.au/2026/01/20/a...
www.crikey.com.au/2026/01/20/a...
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
And we hate those who lie and distort. Even more so when they do it in support and denial of #genocide.
#StoptheGenocide
#auspol
#StoptheGenocide
#auspol
We don't hate Jews or Judaism, Greg.
We hate genocide. We hate apartheid. We hate ethnic cleansing. We hate racism. We hate war. We hate terrorism. We hate settler-colonialism. We hate all these things that Israel was and is guilty of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
We want Israel to stop.
We hate genocide. We hate apartheid. We hate ethnic cleansing. We hate racism. We hate war. We hate terrorism. We hate settler-colonialism. We hate all these things that Israel was and is guilty of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
We want Israel to stop.
January 20, 2026 at 4:11 AM
And we hate those who lie and distort. Even more so when they do it in support and denial of #genocide.
#StoptheGenocide
#auspol
#StoptheGenocide
#auspol
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Most of these think pieces about Adelaide completely miss the point. There is a genocide in progress. If you’re curating a festival of ideas, do you want people who talk about supporting the genocide or speakers who talk about opposing it? Everything else is secondary.
January 19, 2026 at 1:40 AM
Most of these think pieces about Adelaide completely miss the point. There is a genocide in progress. If you’re curating a festival of ideas, do you want people who talk about supporting the genocide or speakers who talk about opposing it? Everything else is secondary.
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Please show this to anyone whose immediate reaction to Generative AI and the Big Tech firms torching our carbon budget for R+D tax write offs isn't: boycott their products and jail their Epstein class CEOs
www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/n...
www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/n...
AI becoming ‘child sexual abuse machine’, warns IWF
‘Frightening’ 260-fold rise in AI child sexual abuse videos contribute to making 2025 worst year for online abuse in IWF’s 30-year history.
www.iwf.org.uk
January 19, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Please show this to anyone whose immediate reaction to Generative AI and the Big Tech firms torching our carbon budget for R+D tax write offs isn't: boycott their products and jail their Epstein class CEOs
www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/n...
www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/n...
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Remember Ukraine
I associate this winter with three things: cold, darkness, and gratitude. I am not mentioning Russian missiles and drones because they strike civil infrastructure all year round. That is why we in Kyiv are sitting at minus -17 degrees without heating, electricity, water, or communication. 1/1
January 19, 2026 at 10:21 AM
Remember Ukraine
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
A brilliant analysis of how sanctions have transformed the Iranian government into a Chicago School regime of austerity that benefits those attached to the regime, creates precarious labour, and rolls back all the redistributive and social measures of the past:
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
January 19, 2026 at 11:21 AM
A brilliant analysis of how sanctions have transformed the Iranian government into a Chicago School regime of austerity that benefits those attached to the regime, creates precarious labour, and rolls back all the redistributive and social measures of the past:
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
#Africa 🌍 @globalvoices.org analysis shows how journalist Kgomotso Modise’s daily sexualized online abuse reflects a broader trend across the continent ,where digital threats stifle voices and fuel violence.
Sixteen days of activism amid the rise of digital harm across Africa
Across Africa, Reporters Without Borders has documented sustained online harassment and surveillance targeting women journalists in West Africa, noting that digital abuse has become an emerging…
buff.ly
January 18, 2026 at 4:01 PM
#Africa 🌍 @globalvoices.org analysis shows how journalist Kgomotso Modise’s daily sexualized online abuse reflects a broader trend across the continent ,where digital threats stifle voices and fuel violence.
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Nearly all of the flimsy tents in displacement camps have been rendered unusable due to the harsh winter conditions.
New storm to hit Gaza, piling on suffering for thousands of displaced
Nearly all of the flimsy tents in displacement camps have been rendered unusable due to the harsh winter conditions.
www.aljazeera.com
January 19, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Nearly all of the flimsy tents in displacement camps have been rendered unusable due to the harsh winter conditions.
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Norwegian PM Støre says Trump repeatedly raises—complains about, pleads for, and demands—the Nobel Peace Prize every time they meet. Støre gives same answer each time: decision is made independently by Norwegian Nobel Committee, with no role for Norwegian gov—a concept Trump appears unable to grasp.
January 18, 2026 at 9:35 PM
Norwegian PM Støre says Trump repeatedly raises—complains about, pleads for, and demands—the Nobel Peace Prize every time they meet. Støre gives same answer each time: decision is made independently by Norwegian Nobel Committee, with no role for Norwegian gov—a concept Trump appears unable to grasp.
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Sad about Phillip Adams getting sacked by the Australian after all these decades. Kinda glad tho that the increasingly ugly propaganda sheet has lost another of its fig leaves. It is not a respectable enterprise, and a small handful of good people can’t make it so.
January 19, 2026 at 1:19 AM
Sad about Phillip Adams getting sacked by the Australian after all these decades. Kinda glad tho that the increasingly ugly propaganda sheet has lost another of its fig leaves. It is not a respectable enterprise, and a small handful of good people can’t make it so.
"A protest is not just an expression of opinion (unlike an op-ed): it is a political tactic aimed at achieving a political objective (a change to government policy). Protests are a mechanism of change in a democratic society, and they are resented by the already politically powerful."
Excellent post by @jack-thrower.bsky.social on what the media gets wrong about protests and why the lines about "where are the protests against Iran" are pretty stupid. #ThePointLive
live.thepoint.com.au#037390705a
live.thepoint.com.au#037390705a
The Point Live: Parliament returns early for Bondi condolence motions
Anthony Albanese has recalled parliament early for condolence motions to remember the 15 people killed at Bondi Beach terror attack, on 14 December. Tibor Weitzen, Matilda, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Marik...
live.thepoint.com.au
January 19, 2026 at 6:46 AM
"A protest is not just an expression of opinion (unlike an op-ed): it is a political tactic aimed at achieving a political objective (a change to government policy). Protests are a mechanism of change in a democratic society, and they are resented by the already politically powerful."
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
It is weird how every plea to pivot away from climate to energy affordability actually ends up just agreeing entirely with the goals of climate.
First it was the way renewables ended up helping reduce power bills, now it's clear opposing massive unchecked gas export build-out does the same
First it was the way renewables ended up helping reduce power bills, now it's clear opposing massive unchecked gas export build-out does the same
A Boom in Gas Exports is Pushing up U.S. Energy Bills
e360.yale.edu
January 18, 2026 at 9:12 PM
It is weird how every plea to pivot away from climate to energy affordability actually ends up just agreeing entirely with the goals of climate.
First it was the way renewables ended up helping reduce power bills, now it's clear opposing massive unchecked gas export build-out does the same
First it was the way renewables ended up helping reduce power bills, now it's clear opposing massive unchecked gas export build-out does the same
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Europe's problem is Rutte
January 16, 2026 at 9:35 PM
Europe's problem is Rutte
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
January 18, 2026 at 10:18 AM
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
This divide isn’t the hard working vs the lazy: this is about the lottery of life and LUCK. Success in modern Australia shouldn’t be about who your parents are and where you come from. Inequality is in part created and remedied via the tax system. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Australian billionaires increased their wealth by almost $600,000 a day on average over last year, report shows
Data collected by Oxfam shows 48 billionaires hold more wealth than bottom 40% of the population – 11 million people – combined
www.theguardian.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:14 AM
This divide isn’t the hard working vs the lazy: this is about the lottery of life and LUCK. Success in modern Australia shouldn’t be about who your parents are and where you come from. Inequality is in part created and remedied via the tax system. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Watching the 1960 movie, 'It Started in Naples"; when Sophia Loren introduces Clark Gable to her neighbor as a visiting American, the neighbor immediately shouts out to Gable: "Why don't you get out of the Middle East. All you want is oil, oil, oil."
January 19, 2026 at 4:28 AM
Watching the 1960 movie, 'It Started in Naples"; when Sophia Loren introduces Clark Gable to her neighbor as a visiting American, the neighbor immediately shouts out to Gable: "Why don't you get out of the Middle East. All you want is oil, oil, oil."
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Strong word by the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention : "The Lemkin Institute condemns the persistent efforts by several German civil society organizations to deny the ongoing genocide in Gaza"
www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-n...
www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-n...
Statement on the Role of Civil Society Organizations in Sustaining German Genocide Denial
January 13, 2026
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention condemns the persistent efforts by several high-profile German civil society organizations to deny the ongoing genocide in Gaza and to di...
www.lemkininstitute.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:43 PM
Strong word by the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention : "The Lemkin Institute condemns the persistent efforts by several German civil society organizations to deny the ongoing genocide in Gaza"
www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-n...
www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-n...
Reposted by Apothetes (he / him)
Please donate to Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah's legal campaign!
Among Palestinian Australians, she has been targeted the most frequently + most brutally. Chip in whatever you can, please! We need to show folks like Malinauskus that there are consequences for his behaviour.
chuffed.org/project/rand...
Among Palestinian Australians, she has been targeted the most frequently + most brutally. Chip in whatever you can, please! We need to show folks like Malinauskus that there are consequences for his behaviour.
chuffed.org/project/rand...
January 19, 2026 at 2:31 AM
Please donate to Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah's legal campaign!
Among Palestinian Australians, she has been targeted the most frequently + most brutally. Chip in whatever you can, please! We need to show folks like Malinauskus that there are consequences for his behaviour.
chuffed.org/project/rand...
Among Palestinian Australians, she has been targeted the most frequently + most brutally. Chip in whatever you can, please! We need to show folks like Malinauskus that there are consequences for his behaviour.
chuffed.org/project/rand...