Gabriel Cruz, PhD
gacruzphd.bsky.social
Gabriel Cruz, PhD
@gacruzphd.bsky.social
Critical Media Studies, Pop Culture Analysis, Race, and Superheroes.
Podcast: Office Hours with Dr. C (this season: Death in popular media)
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Looking for long-form, academic pop culture analysis? Check out my podcast Office Hours with Dr. C: open.spotify.com/show/04b5huj...

Bonus Content: www.patreon.com/c/officehour...
The Action and Choreography of Death
open.spotify.com
Students in my pop culture class exasperatedly asked why everything connects back to Nazis and whether my representations in media class next semester will have a many references to the Nazis.

I told them it has 62% less references to Nazis.

I lied, but that's a problem for next semester.
November 12, 2025 at 6:36 PM
One of my students told me today that they signed up for my pop culture class because they saw me on tiktok.

It's been a good ride, y'all, but I'm done being perceived.
October 3, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Seeing a cyber truck on the highway in Appalachia is something I can only describe as unholy.
July 19, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Does anyone know of an umbrella term for sci-fi aliens that resemble humans? I'm thinking of Marvel characters like Thor, Nebula, or Phastos. It's for a project related to race and Superheroes, and I was thinking of "para-human" (intentionally centering humanity) but I'm not sure.
July 8, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Increasingly, I am convinced that the reason we're in this mess is because we undervalued public school media specialists and librarians.
June 4, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Reposted by Gabriel Cruz, PhD
Hells Librarians🔥 #LibrarySky #ReadToLive
May 16, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Since the new Pope has Peruvian citizenship, my guess is that within 6 months the President will try to deport him.
May 8, 2025 at 10:57 PM
If anyone needs to conjure me after I have died, the surest way to do that is to say loudly and confidently that Professor X and Magneto are allegories for Dr. King and Malcolm X. But, I *will* be in a bad mood.
April 22, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Take heart, Zack de la Rocha and Serj Tankian prepared you for this moment.
April 15, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Take heart, Zack de la Rocha and Serj Tankian prepared you for this moment.
April 15, 2025 at 12:01 PM
"We didn't vote for Trump to round up and deport innocent people."

Yes, you did.

It has always been this way.

This has happened every time the US has tried mass deportations.

Hell, this happens under normal circumstances.

Yes. You. Did.
April 8, 2025 at 3:38 PM
My favorite quote from a panel at the Central States Communication Association: "All my projects come from rage".
April 6, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Reposted by Gabriel Cruz, PhD
Listen to me. Money in politics is a huge problem that we need to fix but in the meantime it’s not insurmountable. Wisconsin beat Musk. We can, together, beat billionaires.
April 2, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Hello Secretary Clinton. Fire your communications director or whoever thought this was a good idea.
Hi, BlueSky. It's Hillary.

I've joined up here to help get the word out about an important election in Wisconsin tomorrow, and other ways to defend our democracy against those who think votes can be bought.
April 1, 2025 at 1:10 PM
For anyone interested in seeing what kind of language can get you deported, here is the article co-authored by Rumeysa Ozturk:
www.tuftsdaily.com/staff/rumeys...
Rumeysa Ozturk - The Tufts Daily
The Tufts Daily
www.tuftsdaily.com
March 28, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Gabriel Cruz, PhD
"dei medal" you might as well just put "n*gger medal" because that's what they mean to say
This is blood-boiling. Charles Rogers was awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam after being wounded three times leading the defense of a position.

Google his name and the entry below comes up. When you click, you'll see the page has been deleted and the URL changed to include "DEI medal."
March 16, 2025 at 4:09 AM
Just finished Daredevil: Born Again, episodes 1 and 2, and I'm so on board.
March 9, 2025 at 2:58 AM
For no particular reason, here is a scene of Wilson Fisk leveraging the villain Nuke’s warped sense of patriotism to get him to hunt Daredevil.

Daredevil #232 (1986) by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
March 3, 2025 at 6:11 PM
I don't know if the revolution will be televised, but given half a chance Disney will copyright it.
February 19, 2025 at 3:29 PM
I'm going to Ohio later this year for a conference, and God help me if I die in a plane crash going in or out of Cincinnati I'm going to haunt everyone responsible. I refuse to have my death be in any way related to the Midwest or Elon Musk.
Folks, Elon's taking over air traffic control
February 17, 2025 at 2:06 PM
"Dr. Cruz, where do you learn all these horrible things, and why do you keep telling us?" -- A student after telling my class about the 1898 Wilmington, NC Coup
February 17, 2025 at 1:34 PM
I need more members of Congress to read or watch science-fiction/fantasy so they can recognize that this is God-Emporer behavior and that it always ends in catastrophe. Warhammer 40K, Mistborn, Star Wars, something, so they can get a clue.
February 16, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Yesterday I found out that I'm the friend that folks text when they need to know if they have encountered a hate symbol. I mean, I guess everyone in the friend group needs to have a niche?
February 10, 2025 at 5:26 PM
No one ever let me make another TikTok about anything related to Marx or Leftism again because God help me the comment sections on my most recent videos are working my nerves.
February 6, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted by Gabriel Cruz, PhD
I think I’m going to make drunk dialing senators, my new favorite pastime
February 5, 2025 at 10:08 AM