Felix Harcourt
@felixh.bsky.social
Associate Professor of History. English transplant to Texas.
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
i believe there are about a hundred and fifty million people like me who would pay $17 to watch benicio del toro as sergio st. carlos plan and execute a tight sunday costco run before he has to man the barbecue after his niece's afternoon soccer game (run time: 2 hours 20 minutes)
October 5, 2025 at 12:24 PM
i believe there are about a hundred and fifty million people like me who would pay $17 to watch benicio del toro as sergio st. carlos plan and execute a tight sunday costco run before he has to man the barbecue after his niece's afternoon soccer game (run time: 2 hours 20 minutes)
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
"Globalist" has long been used by the white power movement to signify a Jewish conspiracy to eliminate the white race. It sometimes means something less alarming, like opposing the UN, worrying about cosmopolitanism, etc, but that's not who this meme is for. This meme is bread & butter racism.
Last night, the ADL took down its "Glossary of antisemitism" which included an entry for the term "globalist," describing it as a far-right codeword for Jews.
Hours later, the official DHS account authors a post with a common far-right meme, saying that "globalists" will be denied entry to the US.
Hours later, the official DHS account authors a post with a common far-right meme, saying that "globalists" will be denied entry to the US.
October 1, 2025 at 10:31 PM
"Globalist" has long been used by the white power movement to signify a Jewish conspiracy to eliminate the white race. It sometimes means something less alarming, like opposing the UN, worrying about cosmopolitanism, etc, but that's not who this meme is for. This meme is bread & butter racism.
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
One easy way to see that those were labor issues was the fact that many of your colleagues with a different employment status didn't have those rights and protections. Instead of seeing that as a problem to be fixed for the good of all, too many saw it as a sad fate they'd avoid because of ✨merit✨
I think one of the biggest mistakes we’ve made in academia over the last few years was treating tenure and academic freedom as a guaranteed right and not a labor relation. Had more understood it as the latter perhaps we would have been better prepared to protect it
“I’m emotionally shellshocked right now,” said one professor in the Texas Tech system. “What does it say about academic freedom? It says we don’t have it.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/u...
September 27, 2025 at 2:37 PM
One easy way to see that those were labor issues was the fact that many of your colleagues with a different employment status didn't have those rights and protections. Instead of seeing that as a problem to be fixed for the good of all, too many saw it as a sad fate they'd avoid because of ✨merit✨
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
the evidence in favor of the traditional understand of the birthright citizenship clause is so overwhelming that a bunch of conservative legal hacks had to conjure a fake literature int existence to create the appearance of dispute. i expect the court to side with trump, of course.
Trump asks Supreme Court to decide whether he can end birthright citizenship www.cnn.com/2025/09/26/p...
Trump asks Supreme Court to decide whether he can end birthright citizenship | CNN Politics
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to review the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship, pushing the issue back bef...
www.cnn.com
September 26, 2025 at 10:39 PM
the evidence in favor of the traditional understand of the birthright citizenship clause is so overwhelming that a bunch of conservative legal hacks had to conjure a fake literature int existence to create the appearance of dispute. i expect the court to side with trump, of course.
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
CHOTINER: And you thought it would be funny to do a fake interview by me?
ME: A lot of people have, so
CHOTINER: You were looking for engagement?
ME: Well, to make someone laugh I guess
CHOTINER: How many likes and reposts did it get?
ME: That's, uh, not really the metric...look can we start over
ME: A lot of people have, so
CHOTINER: You were looking for engagement?
ME: Well, to make someone laugh I guess
CHOTINER: How many likes and reposts did it get?
ME: That's, uh, not really the metric...look can we start over
September 24, 2025 at 10:49 PM
CHOTINER: And you thought it would be funny to do a fake interview by me?
ME: A lot of people have, so
CHOTINER: You were looking for engagement?
ME: Well, to make someone laugh I guess
CHOTINER: How many likes and reposts did it get?
ME: That's, uh, not really the metric...look can we start over
ME: A lot of people have, so
CHOTINER: You were looking for engagement?
ME: Well, to make someone laugh I guess
CHOTINER: How many likes and reposts did it get?
ME: That's, uh, not really the metric...look can we start over
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
Op Ed by President of the AAUP chapter at UT Austin. Let teachers teach, let students learn. #AcademicFreedom #DefendHigherEd
September 21, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Op Ed by President of the AAUP chapter at UT Austin. Let teachers teach, let students learn. #AcademicFreedom #DefendHigherEd
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
This is the lead story in the New York Times. If you're in the business of communicating, whether through journalism, commentary, or art, this is the five-alarm fire. People are going to remember who spoke up and who stayed conveniently silent or postured about "neutrality."
September 18, 2025 at 8:53 PM
This is the lead story in the New York Times. If you're in the business of communicating, whether through journalism, commentary, or art, this is the five-alarm fire. People are going to remember who spoke up and who stayed conveniently silent or postured about "neutrality."
Come join me in the Austin College History department! Hiring a tenure-track Latin Americanist, so apply/spread the word!
networks.h-net.org/jobs/68903/a...
networks.h-net.org/jobs/68903/a...
Austin College - Assistant Professor of History - Latin America and the World | H-Net
networks.h-net.org
August 26, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Come join me in the Austin College History department! Hiring a tenure-track Latin Americanist, so apply/spread the word!
networks.h-net.org/jobs/68903/a...
networks.h-net.org/jobs/68903/a...
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
"General sense of doom."
First Faculty Meeting of the Year Bingo
First Faculty Meeting of the Year Bingo
buff.ly
August 21, 2025 at 5:19 PM
"General sense of doom."
The Founders of This New Development Say You Must Be White to Live There
www.nytimes.com
August 20, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Absolutely outstanding drawing of a historian at work from @charliejane.bsky.social in my much awaited copy of Lessons in Magic and Disaster!
August 19, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Absolutely outstanding drawing of a historian at work from @charliejane.bsky.social in my much awaited copy of Lessons in Magic and Disaster!
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
The guy who wrote this has written for Quillette and The American Spectator and, if you google his name, you won't be surprised by any of it.
In which a Yale prof calls for jettisoning humanities to make way for science-only universities.
“scientists… are being punished for the sins of [humanities scholars] because we all live under one roof. I cannot see a compelling reason for our continued cohabitation.”
“scientists… are being punished for the sins of [humanities scholars] because we all live under one roof. I cannot see a compelling reason for our continued cohabitation.”
Unyoke the Sciences From the Humanities
Arts and sciences typically cohabitate. Should they?
thedispatch.com
August 13, 2025 at 10:12 PM
The guy who wrote this has written for Quillette and The American Spectator and, if you google his name, you won't be surprised by any of it.
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
I think this is all true, but I also think about the number of people who have assumed my PhD (in history) took a long time because it takes that long to memorize all those facts. They eschew skill building, of course, but also confuse knowledge accumulation/regurgitation with knowledge production.
Something that I have been thinking about with attribution of "PhD level intelligence" or "PhD level expertise" to a machine is that it reflects an increasing trend among these AI bros and their sycophants to want the products of highly skilled training without actually doing any of the work.
August 9, 2025 at 8:16 PM
I think this is all true, but I also think about the number of people who have assumed my PhD (in history) took a long time because it takes that long to memorize all those facts. They eschew skill building, of course, but also confuse knowledge accumulation/regurgitation with knowledge production.
Anyone have any recommendations for longform pieces on Alex Jones and/or Sandy Hook truthers?
July 29, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Anyone have any recommendations for longform pieces on Alex Jones and/or Sandy Hook truthers?
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
Since there seems to be some confusion, Tom Lehrer discussed his invention of the Jello shot in a January 1, 1984 interview with the Boston Globe:
July 28, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Since there seems to be some confusion, Tom Lehrer discussed his invention of the Jello shot in a January 1, 1984 interview with the Boston Globe:
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
Adjunct professors face low pay and few benefits even though they play an invaluable role at colleges and universities.
Today, I led my colleagues in reintroducing legislation that would make it easier for adjunct faculty to qualify for PSLF and the debt relief they deserve.
Today, I led my colleagues in reintroducing legislation that would make it easier for adjunct faculty to qualify for PSLF and the debt relief they deserve.
July 28, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Adjunct professors face low pay and few benefits even though they play an invaluable role at colleges and universities.
Today, I led my colleagues in reintroducing legislation that would make it easier for adjunct faculty to qualify for PSLF and the debt relief they deserve.
Today, I led my colleagues in reintroducing legislation that would make it easier for adjunct faculty to qualify for PSLF and the debt relief they deserve.
Good news - Austin College is hiring! Tenure-track Assistant Professor of History - Latin America and the World. Apply, spread the word, and reach out if you have any questions!
networks.h-net.org/jobs/68903/a...
networks.h-net.org/jobs/68903/a...
a cartoon character says good news in front of a futurama sign
Alt: Gif of the professor from Futurama saying “good news”
media.tenor.com
July 28, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Good news - Austin College is hiring! Tenure-track Assistant Professor of History - Latin America and the World. Apply, spread the word, and reach out if you have any questions!
networks.h-net.org/jobs/68903/a...
networks.h-net.org/jobs/68903/a...
Also contains an absolutely dead-on Alex Jones crying impression
Finally got a chance to watch the @joshjohnsoncomedy.bsky.social routine about Trump and Epstein that came out a few days ago.
I am blown away that he managed to put together a full hour of stand-up about breaking news and it's somehow polished and funny as hell.
Give it a watch and share it.
I am blown away that he managed to put together a full hour of stand-up about breaking news and it's somehow polished and funny as hell.
Give it a watch and share it.
Trump VS MAGA? The Epstein Crashout Explained
YouTube video by Josh Johnson
www.youtube.com
July 20, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Also contains an absolutely dead-on Alex Jones crying impression
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
thinking for no apparent reason about @felixh.bsky.social's brilliantly titled chapter "Invisible Umpires" in his book Ku Klux Kulture
July 16, 2025 at 3:39 PM
thinking for no apparent reason about @felixh.bsky.social's brilliantly titled chapter "Invisible Umpires" in his book Ku Klux Kulture
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
Game-changer for you @jeopardyofficial.bsky.social fans under 70! variety.com/2025/tv/news...
‘Wheel of Fortune,’ ‘Jeopardy’ to Stream Next Day for the First Time Starting This September, on Peacock and Hulu
'Wheel of Fortune,' 'Jeopardy' to Stream Next Day for the First Time Starting This September, on Peacock and Hulu
variety.com
June 3, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Game-changer for you @jeopardyofficial.bsky.social fans under 70! variety.com/2025/tv/news...
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
the three words every girl wants to hear
September 21, 2024 at 12:49 AM
the three words every girl wants to hear
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
Say it after me: Chat GPT is not a search engine. It does not scan the web for information, it just generates statistically likely sentences. You cannot use it a search engine, or as a substitute for searching.
Now. Please never use an LLM for information searches ever again.
Now. Please never use an LLM for information searches ever again.
April 30, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Say it after me: Chat GPT is not a search engine. It does not scan the web for information, it just generates statistically likely sentences. You cannot use it a search engine, or as a substitute for searching.
Now. Please never use an LLM for information searches ever again.
Now. Please never use an LLM for information searches ever again.
Reposted by Felix Harcourt
Mom just suggested that I march right up to the Vatican, introduce myself to the guy in charge, hand him a printed copy of my resume and tell him confidently and forcefully that I’m the right person for the job.
April 22, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Mom just suggested that I march right up to the Vatican, introduce myself to the guy in charge, hand him a printed copy of my resume and tell him confidently and forcefully that I’m the right person for the job.
Can confirm my sabbatical research is truly engaging with the big questions of 1924
April 15, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Can confirm my sabbatical research is truly engaging with the big questions of 1924
Cory Booker is currently 55 - the same age Strom Thurmond was when he set the (now previous) record
April 1, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Cory Booker is currently 55 - the same age Strom Thurmond was when he set the (now previous) record