Dave Mazella
@davemazella.bsky.social
eighteenth-century scholar in Heatstroke, TX. let's see how this goes.
Book: Making of Modern Cynicism, now in paperback from UVA press: https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/2793/
Book: Making of Modern Cynicism, now in paperback from UVA press: https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/2793/
Pinned
Dave Mazella
@davemazella.bsky.social
· Oct 25
The Making of Modern Cynicism
<div><p>Once describing a life of exile, self-denial, physical rigor, and mastery of one’s desires, cynicism now describes a life of political quietis
www.upress.virginia.edu
My book on ancient and modern cynicism, The Making of Modern Cynicism (2007, UVA press), is now available again in paperback!
Because cynicism never goes out of fashion.
www.upress.virginia.edu/title/2793/
Because cynicism never goes out of fashion.
www.upress.virginia.edu/title/2793/
Reposted by Dave Mazella
Reposted by Dave Mazella
It is not just what is happening at New College: discussion of the broader Florida environment of limiting freedom to teach and learn...is just not discussed. No mention of the Stop WOKE Act or other educational gag orders. No mention that the online right now veto which faculty leaders are selected
December 28, 2025 at 8:05 PM
It is not just what is happening at New College: discussion of the broader Florida environment of limiting freedom to teach and learn...is just not discussed. No mention of the Stop WOKE Act or other educational gag orders. No mention that the online right now veto which faculty leaders are selected
Reposted by Dave Mazella
I think leaving aside whether it's a good strategic idea the reason Dem leaders don't want to talk impeachment isn't because it's not popular in the country, it's because they're worried it's not popular *in a bunch of competitive congressional seats that voted for Trump in 2024*
December 28, 2025 at 5:15 PM
I think leaving aside whether it's a good strategic idea the reason Dem leaders don't want to talk impeachment isn't because it's not popular in the country, it's because they're worried it's not popular *in a bunch of competitive congressional seats that voted for Trump in 2024*
Reposted by Dave Mazella
New, from me: The NYT reporter who specializes in profiles of beleaguered right-wingers on campus went to New College...and found out that things were going ok!
So let me explain some pretty massive errors of omission: 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nyt-re...
So let me explain some pretty massive errors of omission: 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nyt-re...
The NYT Recruiting Brochure for New College
A failing Ron DeSantis higher ed experiment gets a boost
donmoynihan.substack.com
December 28, 2025 at 7:50 PM
New, from me: The NYT reporter who specializes in profiles of beleaguered right-wingers on campus went to New College...and found out that things were going ok!
So let me explain some pretty massive errors of omission: 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nyt-re...
So let me explain some pretty massive errors of omission: 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nyt-re...
Reposted by Dave Mazella
Problem solving, novel approaches, & creativity drive successfully navigating every career, every job I'm aware of. This is not to say some utility cannot be found in AI tools. But it is to say you can't replace humans with it. That is a losing proposition no matter the logical fallacies made vs AI.
December 28, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Problem solving, novel approaches, & creativity drive successfully navigating every career, every job I'm aware of. This is not to say some utility cannot be found in AI tools. But it is to say you can't replace humans with it. That is a losing proposition no matter the logical fallacies made vs AI.
December 28, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by Dave Mazella
Wang Shishen 汪士慎 (1686-1759), October 1728:
每餐先备买鱼钱，曾记携归小似拳，
一自爪牙动黠鼠，傍人安稳卧青氊。
I set money aside for fish before each meal.
She used to be no bigger than my hand --
Now with claw and tooth she routs the crafty rat,
And drowses by her humans on her mat.
每餐先备买鱼钱，曾记携归小似拳，
一自爪牙动黠鼠，傍人安稳卧青氊。
I set money aside for fish before each meal.
She used to be no bigger than my hand --
Now with claw and tooth she routs the crafty rat,
And drowses by her humans on her mat.
December 28, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Wang Shishen 汪士慎 (1686-1759), October 1728:
每餐先备买鱼钱，曾记携归小似拳，
一自爪牙动黠鼠，傍人安稳卧青氊。
I set money aside for fish before each meal.
She used to be no bigger than my hand --
Now with claw and tooth she routs the crafty rat,
And drowses by her humans on her mat.
每餐先备买鱼钱，曾记携归小似拳，
一自爪牙动黠鼠，傍人安稳卧青氊。
I set money aside for fish before each meal.
She used to be no bigger than my hand --
Now with claw and tooth she routs the crafty rat,
And drowses by her humans on her mat.
Reposted by Dave Mazella
Reposted by Dave Mazella
I found an old blog post in drafts that I decided to modify somewhat and put out - my own little plea for humanism, why I self-describe and generally consider myself a humanist. Not sure if anyone else will care, but fwiw here it is.
sootyempiric.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-...
sootyempiric.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-...
December 28, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I found an old blog post in drafts that I decided to modify somewhat and put out - my own little plea for humanism, why I self-describe and generally consider myself a humanist. Not sure if anyone else will care, but fwiw here it is.
sootyempiric.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-...
sootyempiric.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-...
amazing how indifferent universities are to the environments they create
Structural approaches to behavior change > individual willpower. The piece highlights how successful people design environments that make good choices easier - a fundamentally sociological insight about how context shapes action. #sociology #AcademicSky
nytimes.com/2025/12/28/opinion/willpo...
nytimes.com/2025/12/28/opinion/willpo...
December 28, 2025 at 6:36 PM
amazing how indifferent universities are to the environments they create
Reposted by Dave Mazella
When there’s no third team (or effective insurgency from within) you can be the Washington Generals forever
Controlled opposition, never-ending fundraising
Controlled opposition, never-ending fundraising
Once you decide there's nothing bad enough the president can do to warrant impeachment you're kind of done. You're relegated to holding a bunch of hearings which is a PR battle for the subsequent election, but in the meantime you're stuck with a criminal president
I’ve seen no serious engagement from senior Dems about what, exactly, they plan to do in terms of reasserting congressional power, as in identifying the available tools and thinking seriously about ways to use them to dig us out of the current state of total constitutional collapse.
December 28, 2025 at 6:24 PM
When there’s no third team (or effective insurgency from within) you can be the Washington Generals forever
Controlled opposition, never-ending fundraising
Controlled opposition, never-ending fundraising
Reposted by Dave Mazella
How do humans keep inventing tools and technologies that no single person could create alone?
Our new preprint, led by
@anilyaman.bsky.social & @ts-brain.bsky.social
shows that semantic knowledge guides innovation and drives cultural evolution. 🧠📘 arxiv.org/abs/2510.12837
Our new preprint, led by
@anilyaman.bsky.social & @ts-brain.bsky.social
shows that semantic knowledge guides innovation and drives cultural evolution. 🧠📘 arxiv.org/abs/2510.12837
October 16, 2025 at 1:49 PM
How do humans keep inventing tools and technologies that no single person could create alone?
Our new preprint, led by
@anilyaman.bsky.social & @ts-brain.bsky.social
shows that semantic knowledge guides innovation and drives cultural evolution. 🧠📘 arxiv.org/abs/2510.12837
Our new preprint, led by
@anilyaman.bsky.social & @ts-brain.bsky.social
shows that semantic knowledge guides innovation and drives cultural evolution. 🧠📘 arxiv.org/abs/2510.12837
Reposted by Dave Mazella
I was kindly invited to talk about my research at @cudanlab.bsky.social, and here's a video of that talk. And no, it's not about Steve Jobs 😄, but about evolution of the arts – 🎸📚🎨
Oleg Sobchuk @sobchuk.bsky.social
@cudanlab.bsky.social
"Evolution of Literature and the Arts."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLnZ...
@cudanlab.bsky.social
"Evolution of Literature and the Arts."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLnZ...
Oleg Sobchuk: Evolution of Literature and the Arts.
YouTube video by CUDANLab
www.youtube.com
December 8, 2025 at 11:31 PM
I was kindly invited to talk about my research at @cudanlab.bsky.social, and here's a video of that talk. And no, it's not about Steve Jobs 😄, but about evolution of the arts – 🎸📚🎨
There have always been 2 sets of laws, but the #s of people exposed to our usual racist routines has increased radically
A leaked DoJ memo calls for prosecutors to charge people who film ICE with “domestic terrorism”
They don’t want their atrocities documented.
They don’t want a historical record.
They don’t want the world to know.
That’s why we have to keep filming. Keep speaking out.
They don’t want their atrocities documented.
They don’t want a historical record.
They don’t want the world to know.
That’s why we have to keep filming. Keep speaking out.
Justice Department says filming immigration raids is 'domestic terrorism'
A leaked Justice Department memo directs federal prosecutors to press “domestic terrorism” charges against individuals who record immigration operations.
reason.com
December 28, 2025 at 6:19 PM
There have always been 2 sets of laws, but the #s of people exposed to our usual racist routines has increased radically
Such a polite little guy
December 28, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Such a polite little guy
Queen shit from Ms Weaver
December 28, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Queen shit from Ms Weaver
Reposted by Dave Mazella
What's the proportion of articles written about insane left winger undergrads at Oberlin (enrollment 3,000) vs the right wing Christian administration at say, Grand Canyon University (enrollment 60,000) bsky.app/profile/plaw...
You’d have no idea reading the national media that there’s a massive network of right-wing colleges and universities, just like you’d have no idea that the vast majority of TV news is run by right wing corporations
December 28, 2025 at 5:06 PM
What's the proportion of articles written about insane left winger undergrads at Oberlin (enrollment 3,000) vs the right wing Christian administration at say, Grand Canyon University (enrollment 60,000) bsky.app/profile/plaw...
Elites fear impeachment proceedings not voters, because they expose corruption & complicity
This isn't a popular idea. This is an *elite* belief. There's no mass of voters who recoil from impeachment like this. Majorities wanted him convicted the last two times, and the same would easily poll >50% today. The handwringing about the sacred presidency is DC-driven, it's not voter-driven.
The popular idea is that removing a president to replace him with a non-criminal president from his party, and usually elected on his ticket, is a coup.
Do governors/mayors get replaced by number 2s all the time? Yes. There's poli sci work on this, the power of the presidency blinds people.
Do governors/mayors get replaced by number 2s all the time? Yes. There's poli sci work on this, the power of the presidency blinds people.
December 28, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Elites fear impeachment proceedings not voters, because they expose corruption & complicity
Reposted by Dave Mazella
RIP Claudia Cardinale. Much like Robert Redford, she was a rare case of a beautiful performer with a filmography full of bangers who did NOT become right-wing later in life. Here she is punching fascist Brigitte Bardot in the face in Les Pétroleuses (1971).
September 24, 2025 at 2:51 PM
RIP Claudia Cardinale. Much like Robert Redford, she was a rare case of a beautiful performer with a filmography full of bangers who did NOT become right-wing later in life. Here she is punching fascist Brigitte Bardot in the face in Les Pétroleuses (1971).
Jeez this must be completely separate from the state‘s democratic backsliding
It's not the first time Beaumont ISD has been under the state's control.
Texas seizes another school district in stunning power move
It's not the first time Beaumont ISD has been under the state's control.
bit.ly
December 28, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Jeez this must be completely separate from the state‘s democratic backsliding
Whatever they cannot control or grift they will destroy
DeSantis sends Christopher Rufo to undertake a makeover of Florida's New College. Here the NYT report looks like Rufo wrote it. What's missing? A bath of reality.
New College of Florida Was Progressive. Then Gov. DeSantis Overhauled It.
www.nytimes.com
December 28, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Whatever they cannot control or grift they will destroy
Reposted by Dave Mazella
To read
"Frontier names a duality where the place is important but the people are unimportant"
Two brilliant scholars @triofrancos.bsky.social@lalehkhalili.bsky.social in conversation, highly recommended!
proteanmag.com/2025/12/22/e...
Two brilliant scholars @triofrancos.bsky.social@lalehkhalili.bsky.social in conversation, highly recommended!
proteanmag.com/2025/12/22/e...
Extractive Frontiers: An Interview With Thea Riofrancos • Protean Magazine
In this extensive, wide ranging interview, Laleh Khalili speaks with Thea Riofrancos about her new book Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, the political economy of lithium mining, the poss...
proteanmag.com
December 28, 2025 at 1:45 PM
To read
so this is my work process
December 28, 2025 at 3:57 PM
so this is my work process
Reposted by Dave Mazella
All of this genre of articles from the NYT make it really clear that ownership & leadership at the paper have a pretty significant grudge against higher ed institutions bc of "wokeness" & are as such pretty on board w Trump/Rs efforts to destroy as many of them as possible in response
"It was `a little Club Med' for people who were `all ideologically the same,' said Richard Corcoran, the school’s new president." What are Corcoran's credentials to make such a judgement?
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/us/new-college-ron-desantis-florida-conservative.html?smid=bs-share
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/us/new-college-ron-desantis-florida-conservative.html?smid=bs-share
New College of Florida Was Progressive. Then Gov. DeSantis Overhauled It.
www.nytimes.com
December 28, 2025 at 12:36 PM
All of this genre of articles from the NYT make it really clear that ownership & leadership at the paper have a pretty significant grudge against higher ed institutions bc of "wokeness" & are as such pretty on board w Trump/Rs efforts to destroy as many of them as possible in response
Reposted by Dave Mazella
Its budget soared 75%, its graduation rate plummeted to the bottom among FL colleges, it now has the lowest placement rate for degree holders, the lowest starting salary, and falling SAT scores and GPAs for incoming students. Some make-over. But it's a great boondoggle for Team DeSantis H/t Pam Herd
New College of Florida shows soaring expenses as state targets 'woke waste'
A report by Florida DOGE found that New College is the most financially inefficient school in the university system.
www.heraldtribune.com
December 28, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Its budget soared 75%, its graduation rate plummeted to the bottom among FL colleges, it now has the lowest placement rate for degree holders, the lowest starting salary, and falling SAT scores and GPAs for incoming students. Some make-over. But it's a great boondoggle for Team DeSantis H/t Pam Herd