Mo Torres
@motorres.bsky.social
sociologist: cities, political economy, race/racism
umich.edu/~motorres
umich.edu/~motorres
Reposted by Mo Torres
I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is
February 17, 2026 at 11:41 AM
I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is
Reposted by Mo Torres
Ben Goertzel, popularizer of the term AGI and creator of the Sophia robot, congratulating Jeffrey Epstein the day after Epstein was released from prison.
Goertzel is mentioned in the files nearly 800 times, including well after the Miami Herald investigation in 2018.
Goertzel is mentioned in the files nearly 800 times, including well after the Miami Herald investigation in 2018.
February 17, 2026 at 5:45 AM
Ben Goertzel, popularizer of the term AGI and creator of the Sophia robot, congratulating Jeffrey Epstein the day after Epstein was released from prison.
Goertzel is mentioned in the files nearly 800 times, including well after the Miami Herald investigation in 2018.
Goertzel is mentioned in the files nearly 800 times, including well after the Miami Herald investigation in 2018.
Reposted by Mo Torres
RIP Jesse Jackson. no mere post could suffice, so I will instead ask everyone to reread this, one of my favorite @jamellebouie.net joints: www.slate.com/articles/new...
Demoralized Democrats Have a Road Map for Success in Trump’s America. It Was Written by Jesse Jackson.
Jesse Jackson first ran for president during the national farm bust of the early 1980s. Debt for farmers had exploded from $85 billion in 1976 to $216 ...
www.slate.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:47 PM
RIP Jesse Jackson. no mere post could suffice, so I will instead ask everyone to reread this, one of my favorite @jamellebouie.net joints: www.slate.com/articles/new...
Reposted by Mo Torres
Long-term, we need to make Congress a functional and truly co equal institution but also in that world I want federal judges to keep the energy they have gotten in touch with the last few months.
Federal court orders Trump administration to restore historical panel exhibits at President’s House in Philadelphia.
Happy Presidents Day.
Happy Presidents Day.
February 17, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Long-term, we need to make Congress a functional and truly co equal institution but also in that world I want federal judges to keep the energy they have gotten in touch with the last few months.
Reposted by Mo Torres
This week and next, we’re teaming up with our comrades at @bostonreview.bsky.social to offer a heavily discounted joint subscription to two of the left’s leading magazines.
www.nplusonemag.com/n1-and-bosto...
www.nplusonemag.com/n1-and-bosto...
n+1 and Boston Review Bundle
A year of n+1 and Boston Review!
www.nplusonemag.com
February 16, 2026 at 3:36 PM
This week and next, we’re teaming up with our comrades at @bostonreview.bsky.social to offer a heavily discounted joint subscription to two of the left’s leading magazines.
www.nplusonemag.com/n1-and-bosto...
www.nplusonemag.com/n1-and-bosto...
i'm the biggest Dig fan there is and i gotta say this one really warmed my heart, just a real pleasure to listen to smart people who really care
This was such a special interview to conduct: the first in two episodes with historian Peter Linebaugh on the long histories of commons and commoning, connections between enclosures in Europe and imperial conquest abroad, and writing history from below. www.thedigradio.com/podcast/the-...
The Commons w/ Peter Linebaugh
Featuring Peter Linebaugh on the long histories of commons and commoning, connections between enclosures in Europe and imperial conquest abroad, and writing history from below.
www.thedigradio.com
February 16, 2026 at 6:23 PM
i'm the biggest Dig fan there is and i gotta say this one really warmed my heart, just a real pleasure to listen to smart people who really care
Reposted by Mo Torres
This was such a special interview to conduct: the first in two episodes with historian Peter Linebaugh on the long histories of commons and commoning, connections between enclosures in Europe and imperial conquest abroad, and writing history from below. www.thedigradio.com/podcast/the-...
The Commons w/ Peter Linebaugh
Featuring Peter Linebaugh on the long histories of commons and commoning, connections between enclosures in Europe and imperial conquest abroad, and writing history from below.
www.thedigradio.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:33 AM
This was such a special interview to conduct: the first in two episodes with historian Peter Linebaugh on the long histories of commons and commoning, connections between enclosures in Europe and imperial conquest abroad, and writing history from below. www.thedigradio.com/podcast/the-...
Reposted by Mo Torres
Reposted by Mo Torres
Melinda Cooper pulls no punches 🔥🔥🔥
"Primal fathers want an extended household, not a family. They gladly transgress the conservative taboos against adultery, incest and intergenerational sex because all members of their household have the status of servant, whatever their blood relationship"
"Primal fathers want an extended household, not a family. They gladly transgress the conservative taboos against adultery, incest and intergenerational sex because all members of their household have the status of servant, whatever their blood relationship"
February 16, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Melinda Cooper pulls no punches 🔥🔥🔥
"Primal fathers want an extended household, not a family. They gladly transgress the conservative taboos against adultery, incest and intergenerational sex because all members of their household have the status of servant, whatever their blood relationship"
"Primal fathers want an extended household, not a family. They gladly transgress the conservative taboos against adultery, incest and intergenerational sex because all members of their household have the status of servant, whatever their blood relationship"
Reposted by Mo Torres
Melinda Cooper on Epstein class & billionaire far-right desire to rule a household economy:
"Epstein’s victims experienced the rule of master and servant not just as economic but sexual violence. They were the first to name and resist our emergent political order."
www.equator.org/articles/eps...
"Epstein’s victims experienced the rule of master and servant not just as economic but sexual violence. They were the first to name and resist our emergent political order."
www.equator.org/articles/eps...
Epstein Family Values • EQUATOR
The billionaire patriarchs of the American far-right want to rule an economy of masters and servants
www.equator.org
February 14, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Melinda Cooper on Epstein class & billionaire far-right desire to rule a household economy:
"Epstein’s victims experienced the rule of master and servant not just as economic but sexual violence. They were the first to name and resist our emergent political order."
www.equator.org/articles/eps...
"Epstein’s victims experienced the rule of master and servant not just as economic but sexual violence. They were the first to name and resist our emergent political order."
www.equator.org/articles/eps...
Reposted by Mo Torres
This is the best write up I’ve seen about the whole Ring Super Bowl commercial/backlash/Flock divorce, with the added context of a thorough interview with Simonoff. I appreciate how Nilay Patel presses Simonoff on a lot of his claims about Ring.
Let’s talk about Ring, lost dogs, and the surveillance state
The security camera maker’s Search Party feature, advertised during the Super Bowl, has sparked a surveillance backlash.
www.theverge.com
February 16, 2026 at 3:21 PM
This is the best write up I’ve seen about the whole Ring Super Bowl commercial/backlash/Flock divorce, with the added context of a thorough interview with Simonoff. I appreciate how Nilay Patel presses Simonoff on a lot of his claims about Ring.
Reposted by Mo Torres
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
February 15, 2026 at 2:47 PM
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
Reposted by Mo Torres
Yeah I mean the *2024 exit polls* found 56% support path to legal status for most undocumented versus only 40% deportations. Entire commentariat has pretended not to know this for the last year or so
Here's the thing: This was true in 2024. In the very same surveys where media shouted from rooftops that majorities supported "mass deportation" MORE people supported having people stay. But the latter didn't merit airtime. Chart credit: @mikepod.bsky.social
February 14, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Yeah I mean the *2024 exit polls* found 56% support path to legal status for most undocumented versus only 40% deportations. Entire commentariat has pretended not to know this for the last year or so
Reposted by Mo Torres
ICE is still in my Minneapolis neighborhood today.
February 14, 2026 at 7:44 PM
ICE is still in my Minneapolis neighborhood today.
Reposted by Mo Torres
Kristi Noem tried to fire a Coast Guard pilot for forgetting her blankie but then needed that pilot to fly her home
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
February 14, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Kristi Noem tried to fire a Coast Guard pilot for forgetting her blankie but then needed that pilot to fly her home
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by Mo Torres
We have previously written about how normalized these kinds of horrific and entirely preventable forms of athlete killing are in US football, and also how common it is for players to be compelled to continue in the face of their teammates' suffering and potential death.
‘Play hurt, practice hurt’: How life-threatening injuries became normalized in college football
At many elite programs training is seen as impossible if sessions are stopped to care for injured players
www.theguardian.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:50 PM
We have previously written about how normalized these kinds of horrific and entirely preventable forms of athlete killing are in US football, and also how common it is for players to be compelled to continue in the face of their teammates' suffering and potential death.
Reposted by Mo Torres
“…this is something to keep in mind if you’re using a Google camera. Even if you aren’t paying for storage, every event recorded by the camera is going to Google’s servers, and it’s probably recoverable long past the deletion timeline stipulated in the company’s policy.”
Google recovers "deleted" Nest video in high-profile abduction case
Users only get three hours of free Nest video storage, but Google can retrieve videos much later.
arstechnica.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:53 PM
“…this is something to keep in mind if you’re using a Google camera. Even if you aren’t paying for storage, every event recorded by the camera is going to Google’s servers, and it’s probably recoverable long past the deletion timeline stipulated in the company’s policy.”
Reposted by Mo Torres
This is a huge deal. After years of leading in fundraising, Dem small donors are (rightly) pissed off at the spam texts and emails, as well as at congressional leadership. Meanwhile, GOP billionaire money is hitting record levels. Perfect storm.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
February 11, 2026 at 5:54 PM
This is a huge deal. After years of leading in fundraising, Dem small donors are (rightly) pissed off at the spam texts and emails, as well as at congressional leadership. Meanwhile, GOP billionaire money is hitting record levels. Perfect storm.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
Reposted by Mo Torres
In a new article for 𝘙𝘢𝘤𝘦 & 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴, Marcel Paret & I turn to apartheid South Africa to think strategically about how to confront racial authoritarianism in the US today. This isn’t analogy for its own sake, but what Stuart Hall calls “delicately disinterring” lessons and transplanting them with care.
Confronting racial authoritarianism: lessons from apartheid South Africa - Zachary Levenson, Marcel Paret, 2026
In the face of burgeoning authoritarianism in the United States, this article turns to South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement for lessons in contesting this reg...
journals.sagepub.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:04 PM
In a new article for 𝘙𝘢𝘤𝘦 & 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴, Marcel Paret & I turn to apartheid South Africa to think strategically about how to confront racial authoritarianism in the US today. This isn’t analogy for its own sake, but what Stuart Hall calls “delicately disinterring” lessons and transplanting them with care.
Reposted by Mo Torres
I want people to understand that "can AI replace (teachers, doctors, etc)?" isn't a question of technological capacity, it is a political and social question. Can the technology do X? If you adapt X a bit, yes Do we want it to? Does the good of doing that outweigh the cost? Real questions.
February 11, 2026 at 5:24 PM
I want people to understand that "can AI replace (teachers, doctors, etc)?" isn't a question of technological capacity, it is a political and social question. Can the technology do X? If you adapt X a bit, yes Do we want it to? Does the good of doing that outweigh the cost? Real questions.
Not to psychoanalyze but my colleague down south does not appear to have a very well regulated central nervous system. That's not ideal in this line of work.
Tomorrow on The Rooster: A visit to Ohio State’s Right-Wing Free Speech Centers ends with a vicious assault from an … assistant professor?!?!
February 11, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Not to psychoanalyze but my colleague down south does not appear to have a very well regulated central nervous system. That's not ideal in this line of work.
Impossible to keep up with just how stupid everything is: “Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday he had a ’positive’ conversation with Trump, reminding him Canada paid for the bridge.”
Trump threatens to block opening of US-Canada bridge
The White House has reiterated its demands even after a 'positive' call between Trump and Mark Carney.
www.bbc.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:47 PM
Impossible to keep up with just how stupid everything is: “Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday he had a ’positive’ conversation with Trump, reminding him Canada paid for the bridge.”
Reposted by Mo Torres
“Four of my children just evaporated,” Badran said, holding back tears. “I looked for them a million times. Not a piece was left. Where did they go?”
There are no words to adequately describe the evil here.
There are no words to adequately describe the evil here.
Israel used weapons in Gaza that made thousands of Palestinians evaporate
US-made thermal weapons burning at 3,500C caused 2,842 people to "evaporate" in Gaza, Al Jazeera investigation finds.
www.aljazeera.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:29 PM
“Four of my children just evaporated,” Badran said, holding back tears. “I looked for them a million times. Not a piece was left. Where did they go?”
There are no words to adequately describe the evil here.
There are no words to adequately describe the evil here.
Reposted by Mo Torres
we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad
February 10, 2026 at 8:18 PM
we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad