Jess Abells
@jabells.bsky.social
Maybe I’ll try being myself here. Unfortunately that’s a lawyer. And a socialist. ✡️🍉 she/they
Reposted by Jess Abells
As usual, @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social cuts through all the bullshit to explain our political conjuncture.
hammerandhope.org/article/econ...
hammerandhope.org/article/econ...
December 22, 2024 at 12:35 PM
As usual, @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social cuts through all the bullshit to explain our political conjuncture.
hammerandhope.org/article/econ...
hammerandhope.org/article/econ...
Reposted by Jess Abells
Elon Musk and JD Vance publicly supporting the neo-Nazis of Germany's AfD, just as an AfD supporter/Elon Musk fan kills 5 and injures 100+ in a terrorist attack at a Christmas market in Germany. Vance's pro-AfD statement came *after* the attack.
It's bad. Not sure what else to say. Dark times ahead.
It's bad. Not sure what else to say. Dark times ahead.
December 21, 2024 at 4:12 PM
Elon Musk and JD Vance publicly supporting the neo-Nazis of Germany's AfD, just as an AfD supporter/Elon Musk fan kills 5 and injures 100+ in a terrorist attack at a Christmas market in Germany. Vance's pro-AfD statement came *after* the attack.
It's bad. Not sure what else to say. Dark times ahead.
It's bad. Not sure what else to say. Dark times ahead.
Reposted by Jess Abells
since Musk has now endorsed a Nazi party it feels like I should put this back in circulation
the fact that we have "serious" convos about whether billionaires are okay suggests public consciousness that is totally divorced from the 1) actual scale of private wealth accumulation 2) its political implications. helpful data visualization:
eattherichtextformat.github.io/1-pixel-weal...
eattherichtextformat.github.io/1-pixel-weal...
Wealth, shown to scale
Wealth inequality in the United States is out of control. Here we visualize the issue in a unique way.
eattherichtextformat.github.io
December 20, 2024 at 5:53 PM
since Musk has now endorsed a Nazi party it feels like I should put this back in circulation
Starbucks, Amazon, Canada Post. Solidarity!
🔥 TWAS THE STRIKE BEFORE CHRISTMAS! 🔥✊
Starbucks baristas are going on five days of escalating ULP strikes in response to the company backtracking on our promised path forward, starting tomorrow in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle... and soon, from coast-to-coast. 🧵
Starbucks baristas are going on five days of escalating ULP strikes in response to the company backtracking on our promised path forward, starting tomorrow in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle... and soon, from coast-to-coast. 🧵
December 20, 2024 at 8:57 PM
Starbucks, Amazon, Canada Post. Solidarity!
Reposted by Jess Abells
Let's be honest, if two Jewish immigrants created a comics character today about an undocumented immigrant with superpowers who falls in love and interracially marries the best reporter in the world who happens to be a *woman*, the right wing would freak out about comics going woke
December 20, 2024 at 3:28 PM
Let's be honest, if two Jewish immigrants created a comics character today about an undocumented immigrant with superpowers who falls in love and interracially marries the best reporter in the world who happens to be a *woman*, the right wing would freak out about comics going woke
Reposted by Jess Abells
“It is very difficult to accept that a nation of victims could in itself commit genocide,” said Üngör, who added that it had taken him some time to reach that conclusion. “But now that Israel is doing the killing, all of a sudden we’re not supposed to apply everything we learned about violence?”
Defining genocide: how a rift over Gaza sparked a crisis among scholars
New reports by human rights groups use the term to describe Israel’s offensive. The debate has fueled a brutal division among those who study mass violence
www.theguardian.com
December 20, 2024 at 7:59 PM
“It is very difficult to accept that a nation of victims could in itself commit genocide,” said Üngör, who added that it had taken him some time to reach that conclusion. “But now that Israel is doing the killing, all of a sudden we’re not supposed to apply everything we learned about violence?”
Reposted by Jess Abells
"The shooting comes just days after a Montreal-area synagogue was firebombed, and is the latest in a series of attacks on Canadian Jewish institutions since Oct. 7."
Toronto Jewish girls’ school targeted by gunfire for 3rd time this year - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
No one was injured in the incident, which occurred overnight.
www.jta.org
December 20, 2024 at 8:08 PM
"The shooting comes just days after a Montreal-area synagogue was firebombed, and is the latest in a series of attacks on Canadian Jewish institutions since Oct. 7."
Reposted by Jess Abells
My take on all the Trump genuflection:
Once you have convinced yourself you can stay silent on a genocide unfolding live on your phone, you can stay silent/make peace with pretty much anything.
Israel has blown a massive hole in our moral universe and now pretty anything can drive through it.
Once you have convinced yourself you can stay silent on a genocide unfolding live on your phone, you can stay silent/make peace with pretty much anything.
Israel has blown a massive hole in our moral universe and now pretty anything can drive through it.
For @theguardian.com I wrote about how Gaza has split the academic field of genocide studies.
As one scholar put it, “Where can the field stand if scholars from within and around it are unwilling to call the behaviour out?”
My latest.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024...
As one scholar put it, “Where can the field stand if scholars from within and around it are unwilling to call the behaviour out?”
My latest.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024...
Defining genocide: how a rift over Gaza sparked a crisis among scholars
New reports by human rights groups use the term to describe Israel’s offensive. The debate has fueled a brutal division among those who study mass violence
www.theguardian.com
December 20, 2024 at 5:31 PM
My take on all the Trump genuflection:
Once you have convinced yourself you can stay silent on a genocide unfolding live on your phone, you can stay silent/make peace with pretty much anything.
Israel has blown a massive hole in our moral universe and now pretty anything can drive through it.
Once you have convinced yourself you can stay silent on a genocide unfolding live on your phone, you can stay silent/make peace with pretty much anything.
Israel has blown a massive hole in our moral universe and now pretty anything can drive through it.
Reposted by Jess Abells
This.
If AfD were just a virulently racist, antisemitic extremist party, they'd still be dangerous and important to oppose. But they literally concocted a plan and took steps to overthrow the German government. Reichsburger is a funny name; sometimes silly things are terrifying.
If AfD were just a virulently racist, antisemitic extremist party, they'd still be dangerous and important to oppose. But they literally concocted a plan and took steps to overthrow the German government. Reichsburger is a funny name; sometimes silly things are terrifying.
The AfD just had three members arrested for plotting a violent overthrow of governments in East Germany to install a Nazi regime.
December 20, 2024 at 3:16 PM
This.
If AfD were just a virulently racist, antisemitic extremist party, they'd still be dangerous and important to oppose. But they literally concocted a plan and took steps to overthrow the German government. Reichsburger is a funny name; sometimes silly things are terrifying.
If AfD were just a virulently racist, antisemitic extremist party, they'd still be dangerous and important to oppose. But they literally concocted a plan and took steps to overthrow the German government. Reichsburger is a funny name; sometimes silly things are terrifying.
Reposted by Jess Abells
I really don't think anyone understands just how bad it is that the world's wealthiest man, who bankrolled the incoming president, is an open neo nazi supporter.
He's capable of inflicting so much damage with no means of holding him accountable.
He's capable of inflicting so much damage with no means of holding him accountable.
December 20, 2024 at 3:57 PM
I really don't think anyone understands just how bad it is that the world's wealthiest man, who bankrolled the incoming president, is an open neo nazi supporter.
He's capable of inflicting so much damage with no means of holding him accountable.
He's capable of inflicting so much damage with no means of holding him accountable.
I was chair of a Jewish organization for a hot minute this year - we got funding cut for sharing a community ceasefire event in our newsletter. I had to go to a meeting and hear from funder why we were alienating Jewish people and wouldn’t get our (paltry) funding back until we agreed to play ball.
NEW: Preview our Fall/Winter 2024 issue with this groundbreaking investigation by Will Alden. Behind the scenes, philanthropists are pulling their support from a wide range of social justice groups because they spoke out for Gaza: jewishcurrents.org/defunding-di...
Defunding Dissent
Philanthropists have quietly withdrawn funding from grassroots groups that spoke out for Gaza, imperiling a broad range of social justice movements.
jewishcurrents.org
December 20, 2024 at 7:13 PM
I was chair of a Jewish organization for a hot minute this year - we got funding cut for sharing a community ceasefire event in our newsletter. I had to go to a meeting and hear from funder why we were alienating Jewish people and wouldn’t get our (paltry) funding back until we agreed to play ball.
Reposted by Jess Abells
"In Zoom meetings, largely hidden from public view, funders who style themselves as champions of progressive values are conditioning their grants on support for—or, at least, silence about—Israel’s brutal campaign in Gaza, denying resources to organizations they'd previously supported and praised."
NEW: Preview our Fall/Winter 2024 issue with this groundbreaking investigation by Will Alden. Behind the scenes, philanthropists are pulling their support from a wide range of social justice groups because they spoke out for Gaza: jewishcurrents.org/defunding-di...
Defunding Dissent
Philanthropists have quietly withdrawn funding from grassroots groups that spoke out for Gaza, imperiling a broad range of social justice movements.
jewishcurrents.org
December 19, 2024 at 10:27 PM
"In Zoom meetings, largely hidden from public view, funders who style themselves as champions of progressive values are conditioning their grants on support for—or, at least, silence about—Israel’s brutal campaign in Gaza, denying resources to organizations they'd previously supported and praised."
Reposted by Jess Abells
Similar: intense concern about antisemitism by obscure student groups vs. 🦗🦗🦗 when Elon Musk (currently pushing around the president-elect, richest man in the world) endorses AfD
Crazy how quickly people who are on a hair trigger about illiberalism among small numbers of undergrads are like "fine, fine, authoritarianism has come to America but what a great chance to cut some regulations!"
December 20, 2024 at 4:08 PM
Similar: intense concern about antisemitism by obscure student groups vs. 🦗🦗🦗 when Elon Musk (currently pushing around the president-elect, richest man in the world) endorses AfD
Universal public service experience right here.
December 20, 2024 at 5:11 AM
Universal public service experience right here.
Reposted by Jess Abells
For Elon Musk, $250 million is the equivalent of $26.21 for someone who makes $50k a year in salary.
December 19, 2024 at 11:12 PM
For Elon Musk, $250 million is the equivalent of $26.21 for someone who makes $50k a year in salary.
Reposted by Jess Abells
Zionists present zionism as a path for independent self determination for Jewish people, but of course zionism has never been feasible without the military and financial support of a lot of people who aren't Jewish.
December 19, 2024 at 10:02 PM
Zionists present zionism as a path for independent self determination for Jewish people, but of course zionism has never been feasible without the military and financial support of a lot of people who aren't Jewish.
Reposted by Jess Abells
I think a lot about this quote from Anaïs Nin’s diary from 1939-1944:
“America is in even greater danger because of its cult of toughness, its hatred of sensitivity, and someday it may have to pay a price for this, because atrophy of feeling creates criminals”.
“America is in even greater danger because of its cult of toughness, its hatred of sensitivity, and someday it may have to pay a price for this, because atrophy of feeling creates criminals”.
December 19, 2024 at 2:31 AM
I think a lot about this quote from Anaïs Nin’s diary from 1939-1944:
“America is in even greater danger because of its cult of toughness, its hatred of sensitivity, and someday it may have to pay a price for this, because atrophy of feeling creates criminals”.
“America is in even greater danger because of its cult of toughness, its hatred of sensitivity, and someday it may have to pay a price for this, because atrophy of feeling creates criminals”.
Reposted by Jess Abells
Did you know that Oliver Cromwell banned work emails at Christmas, claiming they were a hangover from paganism? They were only brought back at the Restoration in 1660.
December 19, 2024 at 10:33 AM
Did you know that Oliver Cromwell banned work emails at Christmas, claiming they were a hangover from paganism? They were only brought back at the Restoration in 1660.
Looking forward to reading Emily’s book at some point! Putting it on my 2025 list. :)
I'm doing a final BOOK GIVEAWAY for my biography of Henri Bergson, Herald of a Restless World.
For a chance to win and find out why a philosopher's lectures caused the first ever traffic jam on Broadway *share this post and tag someone in the comments*!
I'll announce the winner on Monday Dec 23!
For a chance to win and find out why a philosopher's lectures caused the first ever traffic jam on Broadway *share this post and tag someone in the comments*!
I'll announce the winner on Monday Dec 23!
December 19, 2024 at 5:23 PM
Looking forward to reading Emily’s book at some point! Putting it on my 2025 list. :)
Reposted by Jess Abells
Glad to see the word oligarchy used correctly, finally, and too late.
An unelected billionaire was crowned co-President by the Republican Party. They’ve given him the influence to make a damn post that throws a spending bill into limbo cause House Republicans are scared of him.
No greater example of oligarchy. Where the ultra-wealthy run the show.
No greater example of oligarchy. Where the ultra-wealthy run the show.
December 19, 2024 at 3:07 PM
Glad to see the word oligarchy used correctly, finally, and too late.
This, but high-key.
Fun fact about me, I actually low-key dislike flags because I hate countries and nationalism, and even other flags are still playing up the aesthetics of countries and nationalism.
December 19, 2024 at 2:40 AM
This, but high-key.
Reposted by Jess Abells
whoever the global hegemon is, everyone should be able to vote for its leaders. or else just relinquish its role as global hegemon.
December 19, 2024 at 1:47 AM
whoever the global hegemon is, everyone should be able to vote for its leaders. or else just relinquish its role as global hegemon.