Chris Sardo
@mcsardo.bsky.social
Recovering political theorist, current history/government teacher, long-suffering Sabres fan.
Politics, pedagogy, music, Sabres, and other sad things. He/his.
Politics, pedagogy, music, Sabres, and other sad things. He/his.
Pinned
Chris Sardo
@mcsardo.bsky.social
· Nov 17
Hi there, I used to be a political theorist who worked on questions of political responsibility in both the history of political thought (esp Kant, Nietzsche, and Arendt) and contemporary questions (especially climate change and global justice). Now I teach high school history and government.
Reposted by Chris Sardo
"As long as any topic makes an immediate appeal, it is not necessary to ask what it is good for...Some goods are not good for anything; they are just goods. Any other notion leads to an absurdity." Dewey, Democracy and Education
January 19, 2026 at 2:33 AM
"As long as any topic makes an immediate appeal, it is not necessary to ask what it is good for...Some goods are not good for anything; they are just goods. Any other notion leads to an absurdity." Dewey, Democracy and Education
Things like this represent the fundamental flaw with something like @allsidesnow.bsky.social . I get the noble motivation of wanting to show people multiple perspectives, but this isn't actually helpful, as it just shows partisans being partisans (tho Himes actually at least refers to int'l law).
January 17, 2026 at 10:47 PM
Things like this represent the fundamental flaw with something like @allsidesnow.bsky.social . I get the noble motivation of wanting to show people multiple perspectives, but this isn't actually helpful, as it just shows partisans being partisans (tho Himes actually at least refers to int'l law).
I keep coming back to this idea - the current regime is in a way proving all the critics of the American project right: that there is nothing noble or ideal about the American project, that it is just another brute expression of power, that all of its trappings are lies in the face of its cruelty.
The philosophy of the regime is a repudiation of both the "American exceptionalism" and "western civilization" they claim to be so concerned about. They are explicitly saying that we do not stand for anything higher than the contingency of birth and our force of arms. There is no higher aspiration.
January 16, 2026 at 9:04 PM
I keep coming back to this idea - the current regime is in a way proving all the critics of the American project right: that there is nothing noble or ideal about the American project, that it is just another brute expression of power, that all of its trappings are lies in the face of its cruelty.
This young person was protesting in Orange County California. He will likely be permanently blind in one eye.
The full interview is here: ktla.com/news/local-n...
The full interview is here: ktla.com/news/local-n...
January 15, 2026 at 8:41 PM
This young person was protesting in Orange County California. He will likely be permanently blind in one eye.
The full interview is here: ktla.com/news/local-n...
The full interview is here: ktla.com/news/local-n...
This piece is all really good from @ositanwanevu.com - the grand unifying thesis of the Trump administration - from ICE brutality, to defunding USAID, to attacks on DEI, to its outright imperialism - is the belief that the world is ruled by force alone and that we have no moral ties to anyone else.
January 15, 2026 at 5:05 AM
This piece is all really good from @ositanwanevu.com - the grand unifying thesis of the Trump administration - from ICE brutality, to defunding USAID, to attacks on DEI, to its outright imperialism - is the belief that the world is ruled by force alone and that we have no moral ties to anyone else.
This seems right to me. Unfortunately.
More than an attempted coup, where a mob tried to seize Congress on live television did? There's not going to be an implosion about anything. It's either a slow slide towards oblivion where everything gets incrementally worse as people try to live normally, or a slow grind in the opposite direction.
i feel like if the president actually went through with invading greenland, it would implode America
January 14, 2026 at 11:43 PM
This seems right to me. Unfortunately.
Thank you @daveminca.bsky.social for cosponsoring
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Here is the list of impeachment co sponsors from @robinkelly.house.gov
Here is the list of impeachment co sponsors from @robinkelly.house.gov
kristi-noem-impeachment-cosponsor-list
www.documentcloud.org
January 14, 2026 at 3:52 AM
Thank you @daveminca.bsky.social for cosponsoring
Congressman @daveminca.bsky.social you should cosponsor and strongly support this effort
I refuse to stay silent while Secretary Noem breaks the rule of law and terrorizes our communities. I am introducing Articles of Impeachment against her for violating the public trust, obstructing Congress, and self-dealing. Read my full statement: robinkelly.house.gov/media-center...
Rep. Kelly announces plans to impeach Secretary Kristi Noem
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) announced plans to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following the fatal shooting by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
robinkelly.house.gov
January 8, 2026 at 4:13 AM
Congressman @daveminca.bsky.social you should cosponsor and strongly support this effort
I think part of the challenge here is that we've more or less received Popper's Plato and have been so scandalized by some of the arguments in Book V, that we're missing the main argument:
This is basically the view of the world that Plato sets out to refute in the Republic. One of the core questions asked therein is: why do powerful people think the mere fact of them exercising dominion makes it good for them to do so? Sure, you *can* get away with stuff if you're powerful - so what?
Here is the Trump Doctrine, as articulated by Stephen Miller in his truly frightening interview with Jake Tapper this afternoon. It is very much like the doctrine of the dictators we fought and defeated in World War II and of Putin today. It is un-American at its very core.
January 7, 2026 at 6:06 AM
I think part of the challenge here is that we've more or less received Popper's Plato and have been so scandalized by some of the arguments in Book V, that we're missing the main argument:
@lioneltrolling.bsky.social 's assessment of Trump as mob boss bearing more true every minute
Trump: “I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America. This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President”
January 7, 2026 at 12:28 AM
@lioneltrolling.bsky.social 's assessment of Trump as mob boss bearing more true every minute
good news everyone: my students have informed me that "67" has been left in 2025.
a cartoon character says " good news everyone " in front of a telephone
Alt: a cartoon character says " good news everyone " in front of a telephone
media.tenor.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:55 PM
good news everyone: my students have informed me that "67" has been left in 2025.
Posting this in my classroom and on every writing assignment I give this year.
A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way towards truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight. By using words well they strengthen their souls.
January 5, 2026 at 6:15 AM
Posting this in my classroom and on every writing assignment I give this year.
Reading lengthy and complex texts cultivates the ability to sustain one's attention in a way that I just can't see replicated in other media (especially 3 hours of Rogan while at work). This is a democratic imperative in today's world.
January 5, 2026 at 4:52 AM
Reading lengthy and complex texts cultivates the ability to sustain one's attention in a way that I just can't see replicated in other media (especially 3 hours of Rogan while at work). This is a democratic imperative in today's world.
Reposted by Chris Sardo
Congress could, and should, impeach, remove, and convict by the end of the day.
January 3, 2026 at 1:52 PM
Congress could, and should, impeach, remove, and convict by the end of the day.
Reposted by Chris Sardo
Some thoughts on what Trump has done in Venezuela and what it might mean for US national security. Caveat: not a Latin America scholar so this is focused on US policy. Clearly huge consequences for Venezuela that others can address.
First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.
1/
First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.
1/
January 3, 2026 at 2:37 PM
Some thoughts on what Trump has done in Venezuela and what it might mean for US national security. Caveat: not a Latin America scholar so this is focused on US policy. Clearly huge consequences for Venezuela that others can address.
First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.
1/
First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.
1/
Apparently you only have immunity from indictments in the United States if you live in a palace in Palm Beach.
January 3, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Apparently you only have immunity from indictments in the United States if you live in a palace in Palm Beach.
Well said!
As faculty, I think we get things backwards if we see LLMs as our enemy. They are our students' enemy. We just happen to care about our students. Insofar as we see the goal of liberal education as cultivating habits of thought that support a free life, we are our students' allies against these tools
January 2, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Well said!
Buried in this piece about rolling out AI in schools is the admission: we literally have no data or findings on the effect of AI use on student learning or well being to guide this implementation. We're literally using our kids as a giant experimental subject.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/t...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/t...
January 2, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Buried in this piece about rolling out AI in schools is the admission: we literally have no data or findings on the effect of AI use on student learning or well being to guide this implementation. We're literally using our kids as a giant experimental subject.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/t...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/t...
Reposted by Chris Sardo
Think that when it comes to education stuff it’s worth keeping in mind that buzzword-y stuff sounds like bullshit because it is
December 30, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Think that when it comes to education stuff it’s worth keeping in mind that buzzword-y stuff sounds like bullshit because it is
This year I read or listened to 50 books. Some were good (have an asterisk), some were okay. I learned and thought a lot. My conclusion is everyone should Read More Books.
January 2, 2026 at 1:52 AM
This year I read or listened to 50 books. Some were good (have an asterisk), some were okay. I learned and thought a lot. My conclusion is everyone should Read More Books.
On the 7th day of Christmas my @sabres.com gave to me...
A 10 game winning streak with a 4-1 win over the Stars!!
A 10 game winning streak with a 4-1 win over the Stars!!
January 1, 2026 at 3:38 AM
On the 7th day of Christmas my @sabres.com gave to me...
A 10 game winning streak with a 4-1 win over the Stars!!
A 10 game winning streak with a 4-1 win over the Stars!!
More important than ever to actively resist the inevitability argument. LLMs are a choice, we can choose a better future.
December 28, 2025 at 5:53 PM
More important than ever to actively resist the inevitability argument. LLMs are a choice, we can choose a better future.
Reposted by Chris Sardo
i don’t see how any of the benefits of chatgpt and other consumer-facing LLMs can possibly outweigh their incredible ability to induce suicides
Adam Raine’s life hurtled toward tragedy soon after he began talking with ChatGPT about homework. Analysis of his ChatGPT account shows how the chatbot became a confidant as he planned to end his life.
74 suicide warnings and 243 mentions of hanging: What ChatGPT said to a suicidal teen
Analysis of high-schooler Adam Raine’s ChatGPT account by attorneys for his parents shows how the chatbot became a confidant as he planned to end his life.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 28, 2025 at 2:06 AM
i don’t see how any of the benefits of chatgpt and other consumer-facing LLMs can possibly outweigh their incredible ability to induce suicides