Chaplain John
@chaplainjohn.medsky.social
Grateful for community, especially after so much plague! Palliative Care Chaplain focusing on caring and listening. He/him.
Lover of music, movies, MCU, Zelda, and all things silly.
Lover of music, movies, MCU, Zelda, and all things silly.
Pinned
Chaplain John
@chaplainjohn.medsky.social
· May 31
Hi, I’m a historian. My greatest hits include “Yes, people lived to 70+ in pre-modern ages; ‘average’ life span of 40 just accounts for all the kids dead before 5 with no #vaccines,” “Yes, birth control was around before Ancient Egyptians,” and “Yes, ffs, #transgender /LGBTQIA have ALWAYS been” 🗃️🧪🩺🏳️⚧️
Hi, I'm a social media Trust & Safety and policy expert. My greatest hits include "No, anonymity is not the problem", "that law is also unconstitutional", "that's not what that clause in that ToS means", "multiply your estimate of spam volume by, like, 10000x", and "people in groups are depressing".
Hi, I'm a chaplain. My greatest hits include: "That sucks," "Fuck cancer AND covid," "Actually, a lot of people in the Bible were angry at God," and "no one knows what they're doing, everybody needs to be weak sometimes."
Plus, don't miss my classic: "What if you still have a future?" ⚓️🛟🩺🧪
Plus, don't miss my classic: "What if you still have a future?" ⚓️🛟🩺🧪
Reposted by Chaplain John
Nobody thinks a guy doing the YMCA in a frog costume on a city sidewalk is a credible threat to public safety AND Oregon lawyers were able to leverage that perception to discredit the argument that Portland needed immediate federal intervention. Both tactics work in tandem to reinforce the other.
So, the frog stopped the National Guard from coming to Portland, along with astute lawsuits by Oregon. Only part of what's happening, but hard to understate how fundamentally the Portland Frog changed perceptions and helped morale. Humor, imagination, courage, savvy.
December 31, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Nobody thinks a guy doing the YMCA in a frog costume on a city sidewalk is a credible threat to public safety AND Oregon lawyers were able to leverage that perception to discredit the argument that Portland needed immediate federal intervention. Both tactics work in tandem to reinforce the other.
January 1, 2026 at 4:37 AM
Reposted by Chaplain John
Trump just announced that he's pulling the National Guard out of Chicago, LA and Portland while pretending he won some kind of big victory. Here's the reality: Their authoritarian designs have faced massive civil and popular resistance:
Trump and Stephen Miller are actually failing in crucial ways. Deportations are lagging behind their goals, courts are mostly functioning, and their fascist, ethnonationalist cruelties have unleashed a countermobilization of unexpected scope and power.
New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2046...
New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2046...
December 31, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Trump just announced that he's pulling the National Guard out of Chicago, LA and Portland while pretending he won some kind of big victory. Here's the reality: Their authoritarian designs have faced massive civil and popular resistance:
At the end, and the beginning, I am hoping that we see more light ahead.
Here's to a new year full of hope and joy, and maybe recognition of what was lost and what could be.
youtu.be/m6J4WpkZxKU
Here's to a new year full of hope and joy, and maybe recognition of what was lost and what could be.
youtu.be/m6J4WpkZxKU
Mannheim Steamroller "Auld Lange Syne"
YouTube video by mannheimsteamroller
youtu.be
December 31, 2025 at 11:36 PM
At the end, and the beginning, I am hoping that we see more light ahead.
Here's to a new year full of hope and joy, and maybe recognition of what was lost and what could be.
youtu.be/m6J4WpkZxKU
Here's to a new year full of hope and joy, and maybe recognition of what was lost and what could be.
youtu.be/m6J4WpkZxKU
Reposted by Chaplain John
The entire reason they’re locked is to prevent weird freaks like this who have no right to be there from marching in and endangering the kids.
CNN: “Surely you don’t think a daycare should be unlocked.”
SHIRLEY: “There should be a reception area.”
CNN: “No, every day care is locked.”
SHIRLEY: “Fair point.” 🤔
He shows up to a day care with masked men and wonders why they don’t let him in.
SHIRLEY: “There should be a reception area.”
CNN: “No, every day care is locked.”
SHIRLEY: “Fair point.” 🤔
He shows up to a day care with masked men and wonders why they don’t let him in.
December 31, 2025 at 7:23 PM
The entire reason they’re locked is to prevent weird freaks like this who have no right to be there from marching in and endangering the kids.
Reposted by Chaplain John
This is exactly how my cousin justified her use of it and accepting a death of a thousand cuts even when those cuts are slow and spread out drives me crazy
“Well its just for this little thing” soon blossoms into “well its just for—“ for everything
“Well its just for this little thing” soon blossoms into “well its just for—“ for everything
Slowly realizing even my political friends who say they hate AI are using it to speed up tasks like email writing, formatting grant applications etc
December 31, 2025 at 4:07 PM
This is exactly how my cousin justified her use of it and accepting a death of a thousand cuts even when those cuts are slow and spread out drives me crazy
“Well its just for this little thing” soon blossoms into “well its just for—“ for everything
“Well its just for this little thing” soon blossoms into “well its just for—“ for everything
Reposted by Chaplain John
First of all, homophobes can fuck off.
Secondly, Will being gay was made text in season 3, and his struggle with being in the closet was a major storyline in season 4. This isn't some new thing they're cramming into the ending.
And finally and most importantly, homophobes can FUCK. OFF.
Secondly, Will being gay was made text in season 3, and his struggle with being in the closet was a major storyline in season 4. This isn't some new thing they're cramming into the ending.
And finally and most importantly, homophobes can FUCK. OFF.
The show has been flooded with negative reviews as people have responded furiously to a character coming out as gay.
Stranger Things Fallout Explained as Elon Musk Weighs In
www.newsweek.com
December 30, 2025 at 7:54 PM
First of all, homophobes can fuck off.
Secondly, Will being gay was made text in season 3, and his struggle with being in the closet was a major storyline in season 4. This isn't some new thing they're cramming into the ending.
And finally and most importantly, homophobes can FUCK. OFF.
Secondly, Will being gay was made text in season 3, and his struggle with being in the closet was a major storyline in season 4. This isn't some new thing they're cramming into the ending.
And finally and most importantly, homophobes can FUCK. OFF.
Reposted by Chaplain John
Nice debunking of the Trump admin's low birth panic, by demographer Karen Benjamin Guzzo.
"If we were really worried abt...too few Americans, we wldn’t want to get rid of birthright citizenship...we wldn’t be trying to get rid of immigrants. It’s a...specific type of fam. that we’re worried abt."🛟
"If we were really worried abt...too few Americans, we wldn’t want to get rid of birthright citizenship...we wldn’t be trying to get rid of immigrants. It’s a...specific type of fam. that we’re worried abt."🛟
Trump Wants Women To Have More Babies. Just 1 Problem.
The Trump administration is using declining fertility rates to embrace unabashedly pronatalist rhetoric.
www.huffpost.com
December 31, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Nice debunking of the Trump admin's low birth panic, by demographer Karen Benjamin Guzzo.
"If we were really worried abt...too few Americans, we wldn’t want to get rid of birthright citizenship...we wldn’t be trying to get rid of immigrants. It’s a...specific type of fam. that we’re worried abt."🛟
"If we were really worried abt...too few Americans, we wldn’t want to get rid of birthright citizenship...we wldn’t be trying to get rid of immigrants. It’s a...specific type of fam. that we’re worried abt."🛟
Reposted by Chaplain John
there is a genre of person who hates AI in *their* field but sees how it could be useful in *other,* less prestigious, fields; ignore them. they are not trying to save the ship. they are just racing you to the lifeboats
Translators, illustrators, researchers and editors all do creative, human work that is important and cannot be reproduced in part or in whole by AI any more than writers. Their interests are our interests. To legitimize the use of AI to replace them is a failure of principle as much as strategy.
December 24, 2025 at 2:06 PM
there is a genre of person who hates AI in *their* field but sees how it could be useful in *other,* less prestigious, fields; ignore them. they are not trying to save the ship. they are just racing you to the lifeboats
There are few voices that I seek out nowadays, Katelyn is one of them.
She is exceptionally thoughtful, thorough, and wise in her writing, and well worth your time.
I don't have the time to read as much as I want, and she always makes my time worth it.
She is exceptionally thoughtful, thorough, and wise in her writing, and well worth your time.
I don't have the time to read as much as I want, and she always makes my time worth it.
If you're a fan of my work, quote post this with why you appreciate it.
It's almost the end of the year and it looks like I won't hit my subscriber goal for the year, but from now until the ball drop, you can get 40% off your first month/year off a monthly or annual membership to my Patreon by using code WB2026 at checkout.
patreon.com/katelynburns
patreon.com/katelynburns
December 30, 2025 at 11:57 PM
There are few voices that I seek out nowadays, Katelyn is one of them.
She is exceptionally thoughtful, thorough, and wise in her writing, and well worth your time.
I don't have the time to read as much as I want, and she always makes my time worth it.
She is exceptionally thoughtful, thorough, and wise in her writing, and well worth your time.
I don't have the time to read as much as I want, and she always makes my time worth it.
Reposted by Chaplain John
Trump take social security
Record backlogs and staffing losses are reportedly driving delays for millions seeking basic help.
Secret Data Exposes True Scale of Social Security Chaos Under Trump
Record backlogs and staffing losses are reportedly driving delays for millions seeking basic help.
trib.al
December 30, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Trump take social security
Reposted by Chaplain John
This is why I don’t trust the "Never Trump" Bulwark guys. They’re perfectly comfortable with real people being harmed, so long as the harm comes via a process they can label “liberal democracy.”
December 30, 2025 at 3:05 PM
This is why I don’t trust the "Never Trump" Bulwark guys. They’re perfectly comfortable with real people being harmed, so long as the harm comes via a process they can label “liberal democracy.”
Reposted by Chaplain John
“This year’s flu vaccine has proved an imperfect match to the currently circulating strains. New shots, based on mRNA technology, would have one day enabled us to avoid this kind of misfire. But the nation’s leaders have imperiled that future with the decisions they made this year.”
Opinion | This Is the Damage Kennedy Has Done in Less Than a Year
www.nytimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 3:19 PM
“This year’s flu vaccine has proved an imperfect match to the currently circulating strains. New shots, based on mRNA technology, would have one day enabled us to avoid this kind of misfire. But the nation’s leaders have imperiled that future with the decisions they made this year.”
Reposted by Chaplain John
If the Republican Party, and Trump at its head, had seen themselves as malign stewards of the Leviathan that is the modern American government, and had tried to bend it more gradually to their will, they may have been more successful. But they couldn’t do that because they can’t do that.
The past year has been terrifying. Really, the past two—I lost a lot of sleep in 2024 over the promises of the Trump campaign, promises they immediately sought to make good on. But at the end of the first year of his would-be dictatorship, I am calling it: we are going to win.
We Are Going to Win
Trump's revolution will fail, but we still have a long and painful road ahead of us.
www.liberalcurrents.com
December 30, 2025 at 2:19 PM
If the Republican Party, and Trump at its head, had seen themselves as malign stewards of the Leviathan that is the modern American government, and had tried to bend it more gradually to their will, they may have been more successful. But they couldn’t do that because they can’t do that.
Reposted by Chaplain John
Still true
“Orange man bad” and “Russia, Russia, Russia” are the two most correct American political opinions in the 21st century
December 30, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Still true
Heads up y'all. I know people like to be glib and say that Marvel is played out.
This movie is about to shake things up and be about GRIEF, as the best MCU things are.
youtu.be/1clWprLC5Ak
This movie is about to shake things up and be about GRIEF, as the best MCU things are.
youtu.be/1clWprLC5Ak
Avengers: Doomsday | Only in Theaters December 18, 2026
YouTube video by Marvel Entertainment
youtu.be
December 30, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Heads up y'all. I know people like to be glib and say that Marvel is played out.
This movie is about to shake things up and be about GRIEF, as the best MCU things are.
youtu.be/1clWprLC5Ak
This movie is about to shake things up and be about GRIEF, as the best MCU things are.
youtu.be/1clWprLC5Ak
Reposted by Chaplain John
::Republicans pass a bill to re-institute chattel slavery::
you: well, they should be praised because they did it the liberal way!
you: well, they should be praised because they did it the liberal way!
She helped pass a bill—which is 100% part of liberalism. Maybe you don’t like the bill. Maybe the bill will hurt some people and have bad outcomes. But that’s part of liberal democracy.
December 30, 2025 at 12:50 PM
::Republicans pass a bill to re-institute chattel slavery::
you: well, they should be praised because they did it the liberal way!
you: well, they should be praised because they did it the liberal way!
Reposted by Chaplain John
She has the microphone.
She has immunity.
If her concern were really about the victims, names in The Epstein Files would be said out loud — on the House floor.
Silence isn’t caution.
It’s a choice.
She has immunity.
If her concern were really about the victims, names in The Epstein Files would be said out loud — on the House floor.
Silence isn’t caution.
It’s a choice.
December 29, 2025 at 10:30 PM
She has the microphone.
She has immunity.
If her concern were really about the victims, names in The Epstein Files would be said out loud — on the House floor.
Silence isn’t caution.
It’s a choice.
She has immunity.
If her concern were really about the victims, names in The Epstein Files would be said out loud — on the House floor.
Silence isn’t caution.
It’s a choice.
Reposted by Chaplain John
I hate how Gen X likes to post on social media about how we weren't allowed in the house and had to drink from the hose, but people really were very mean and racist and cruel back then in ways you just can't show on TV. Not all of them, and not all the time, but enough to leave wounds.
I told my tech coordinator and her partner my issue with Stranger Things was the adults and kids weren't mean enough and they *laughed at me.*
December 30, 2025 at 3:41 AM
I hate how Gen X likes to post on social media about how we weren't allowed in the house and had to drink from the hose, but people really were very mean and racist and cruel back then in ways you just can't show on TV. Not all of them, and not all the time, but enough to leave wounds.
Reposted by Chaplain John
Costconomics vs Walmartnomics in a nutshell. Here’s why having a Costco in a community boosts the entire community, including nearby businesses, while Walmart destroys whole towns and leaves people leaning on social safety nets.
And yes, it’s about as simple as you think. …
And yes, it’s about as simple as you think. …
December 30, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Costconomics vs Walmartnomics in a nutshell. Here’s why having a Costco in a community boosts the entire community, including nearby businesses, while Walmart destroys whole towns and leaves people leaning on social safety nets.
And yes, it’s about as simple as you think. …
And yes, it’s about as simple as you think. …
Reposted by Chaplain John
i had been wondering about this. afaik the usg has offered ZERO evidence that it has followed up its attacks with any form of evidence collection - boats, bodies, contraband - to verify its assertions. why? b/c it's all built on lies, politics and aggression. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/w...
Grim Evidence of Trump’s Airstrikes Washes Ashore on a Colombian Peninsula
www.nytimes.com
December 29, 2025 at 6:47 PM
i had been wondering about this. afaik the usg has offered ZERO evidence that it has followed up its attacks with any form of evidence collection - boats, bodies, contraband - to verify its assertions. why? b/c it's all built on lies, politics and aggression. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/w...
Reposted by Chaplain John
If this sort of article resonates with you, I would advise you to listen to your neurodivergent friends, who knew all along they were full of shit
Opinion | Why We Fall for Narcissistic Leaders, Starting in Grade School
www.nytimes.com
December 29, 2025 at 4:15 PM
If this sort of article resonates with you, I would advise you to listen to your neurodivergent friends, who knew all along they were full of shit
Reposted by Chaplain John
Wrote about how disappointing it is that Jon Stewart punched down on people masking at @motherjones.com, when people should mind their own business and leave mask wearers be. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Hey Jon Stewart, jokes about wearing masks aren't funny
Critics of the Daily Show host say he's a hypocrite.
www.motherjones.com
December 29, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Wrote about how disappointing it is that Jon Stewart punched down on people masking at @motherjones.com, when people should mind their own business and leave mask wearers be. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Look, sometimes you have to check facts, because it is so easy to fake stuff with the slop machines. So I felt uneasy and sat down to listen to this and find out where this quote came from.
I was ready for the long haul...
...and it was 2 minutes in. 2:17 I believe.
It took NO TIME. AT ALL.
I was ready for the long haul...
...and it was 2 minutes in. 2:17 I believe.
It took NO TIME. AT ALL.
Masking is a good idea. Wearing a KN95 or N95 respirator right now can help your HCWs and hospitals not be overwhelmed as we start to get the post-Christmas wave of infections. 🩺
It's a shame that Jon Stewart continues to show who he really is: the Feckless Liberal he blames others for being. ⚓️
It's a shame that Jon Stewart continues to show who he really is: the Feckless Liberal he blames others for being. ⚓️
Disappointed to see Jon Stewart & co joke about masking in public. I do it for my medically fragile daughter (Batten Disease). People not masking properly led to her getting pneumonia, which led to her being on life support, which led to me getting price quotes on her cremation just in case.
December 29, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Look, sometimes you have to check facts, because it is so easy to fake stuff with the slop machines. So I felt uneasy and sat down to listen to this and find out where this quote came from.
I was ready for the long haul...
...and it was 2 minutes in. 2:17 I believe.
It took NO TIME. AT ALL.
I was ready for the long haul...
...and it was 2 minutes in. 2:17 I believe.
It took NO TIME. AT ALL.
Reposted by Chaplain John
Apparently I'm doing this -- my open letter to that open latter about AI in writing and publishing. I emerged from Hibernation Week to write it, so god only knows how much sense it makes. But at least a human wrote it, so that's nice.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
My Open Letter To That Open Letter About AI In Writing And Publishing
The tl;dr before you get into this post is this: the SFWA came out, said that some AI usage was okay enough in books for the authors of those books to not to be disqualified from winning a Nebula a…
terribleminds.com
December 28, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Apparently I'm doing this -- my open letter to that open latter about AI in writing and publishing. I emerged from Hibernation Week to write it, so god only knows how much sense it makes. But at least a human wrote it, so that's nice.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.