Noah Berlatsky
@nberlat.bsky.social
he/him, bylines Public Notice, Chicago Reader, Observer, Dame Magazine, Prism. Poetry collection: Not Akhmatova (Ben Yehuda, 2024)
Substack: www.everythingishorrible.net
Poetry: https://www.everythingishorrible.net/p/poetry-publications-noah-berlatsky
Substack: www.everythingishorrible.net
Poetry: https://www.everythingishorrible.net/p/poetry-publications-noah-berlatsky
Pinned
Noah Berlatsky
@nberlat.bsky.social
· Jul 26
Everything Is Horrible | Noah Berlatsky | Substack
Culture, politics, and misery. Click to read Everything Is Horrible, by Noah Berlatsky, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.
www.everythingishorrible.net
the best way to keep up with my work is to follow my newsletter
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alternately you can follow my patreon (same content, different platform:
www.patreon.com/c/noahberlat...
www.everythingishorrible.net
alternately you can follow my patreon (same content, different platform:
www.patreon.com/c/noahberlat...
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
Admin/Senate looking to set up all-senators briefing on Venezuela for Wednesday, with Kaine's war powers vote after (Rand said he believed it would be on Thursday)
January 5, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Admin/Senate looking to set up all-senators briefing on Venezuela for Wednesday, with Kaine's war powers vote after (Rand said he believed it would be on Thursday)
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
As a corollary, this is the reason they view anyone who's legitimately opposed to White Supremacy in any way, shape, or form, as seditious. Because, to their imagined version of this country, they are! Because they ain't racist enough!
January 5, 2026 at 10:44 PM
As a corollary, this is the reason they view anyone who's legitimately opposed to White Supremacy in any way, shape, or form, as seditious. Because, to their imagined version of this country, they are! Because they ain't racist enough!
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
January 5, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
And that's what drove away those folks like Bari Weiss and other "the left went to far!!!" grifters. At the heart of it, youth wanted the Democrats to believe in and stand for something, which it has historically not done since Carter, at best.
January 5, 2026 at 10:35 PM
And that's what drove away those folks like Bari Weiss and other "the left went to far!!!" grifters. At the heart of it, youth wanted the Democrats to believe in and stand for something, which it has historically not done since Carter, at best.
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
What changed is that when millennials and gen Z grew up, they started expecting their Rights to actually matter, because they actually believed in stuff. And therefore, to win their votes, Democrats had to pretend to believe in that stuff too.
January 5, 2026 at 10:35 PM
What changed is that when millennials and gen Z grew up, they started expecting their Rights to actually matter, because they actually believed in stuff. And therefore, to win their votes, Democrats had to pretend to believe in that stuff too.
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
The same was true of Democratic "support" for gay "marriage" (actually civil unions and limited spousal rights in taxation); they saw no actual evidence indicating that gay parents were less adequate than straight parents and no evidence that homosexuality was "fixable," so..."support."
January 5, 2026 at 10:35 PM
The same was true of Democratic "support" for gay "marriage" (actually civil unions and limited spousal rights in taxation); they saw no actual evidence indicating that gay parents were less adequate than straight parents and no evidence that homosexuality was "fixable," so..."support."
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
For example, Democratic opposition to nationwide abortion bans was rooted in the idea that banning abortion is ineffective for preventing abortion, not in the idea that bodily autonomy and reproductive freedoms are capital-R Rights.
January 5, 2026 at 10:35 PM
For example, Democratic opposition to nationwide abortion bans was rooted in the idea that banning abortion is ineffective for preventing abortion, not in the idea that bodily autonomy and reproductive freedoms are capital-R Rights.
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
This is what that means. Until Obama's second term, the Democratic party did not even seriously entertain genuinely progressive ideas, they were merely opposed to the most batshit insane claims that Republicans made on factual, not ideological, bases.
January 5, 2026 at 10:35 PM
This is what that means. Until Obama's second term, the Democratic party did not even seriously entertain genuinely progressive ideas, they were merely opposed to the most batshit insane claims that Republicans made on factual, not ideological, bases.
for sure; the parties have gotten increasingly polarized around women's issues too (pro life Ds are barely a thing anymore.)
I think white supremacy kind of is a good shorthand for all of that, inasmuch as white supremacy has a powerful gendered component...
I think white supremacy kind of is a good shorthand for all of that, inasmuch as white supremacy has a powerful gendered component...
I also must point out here that the same is true of homophobia and transphobia. It was Bill Clinton, after all, who signed DOMA into law. The same is also true of imperialism (drone strikes, anyone?), brutalizing natives, and raping women.
When folks go "I was a Democrat and then they got woke"...
When folks go "I was a Democrat and then they got woke"...
we had for a very long time bipartisan support for white supremacy. when that bipartisan support lapses, when there's a partisan party who embraces antiracism to one extent or another—that's when we have constitutional crises.
January 5, 2026 at 10:43 PM
for sure; the parties have gotten increasingly polarized around women's issues too (pro life Ds are barely a thing anymore.)
I think white supremacy kind of is a good shorthand for all of that, inasmuch as white supremacy has a powerful gendered component...
I think white supremacy kind of is a good shorthand for all of that, inasmuch as white supremacy has a powerful gendered component...
I think I'm going to write this up for tomorrow. you can sign up for the newsletter and it'll be in your inbox, whoosh. www.everythingishorrible.net/subscribe
so, I think this is important, and I don't really see many people making this argument. in fact it seems unusual enough that people seem to have trouble engaging with it.
the core difference imo is that in the past white supremacy has mostly been a bipartisan project. The democrats since Johnson,and especially since Obama, have been (vacillatingly but still) an antiracist party, and that means that fascism has gotten sorted into the GOP in an unprecedented way.
January 5, 2026 at 9:03 PM
I think I'm going to write this up for tomorrow. you can sign up for the newsletter and it'll be in your inbox, whoosh. www.everythingishorrible.net/subscribe
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
I see conversations about this all the time. But white leftists tend to push back and don’t want to hear it (at least, that’s frequently been my experience) because they’d rather focus on class and dismiss the impact of race on politics.
January 5, 2026 at 8:56 PM
I see conversations about this all the time. But white leftists tend to push back and don’t want to hear it (at least, that’s frequently been my experience) because they’d rather focus on class and dismiss the impact of race on politics.
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
And it happened to a greater degree when Obama was president. As Democrats have embraced the idea of a multicultural democracy more and more, the Republican Party has more feverishly worked to maintain white supremacy.
January 5, 2026 at 8:52 PM
And it happened to a greater degree when Obama was president. As Democrats have embraced the idea of a multicultural democracy more and more, the Republican Party has more feverishly worked to maintain white supremacy.
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
I think a lot of folks do know about party realignment. For example, how the Democratic Party fully supported white supremacy and how that changed under Johnson and with the passage of the CRA and VRA. And how white voters subsequently fled to the Republican Party. That’s regularly discussed.
January 5, 2026 at 8:52 PM
I think a lot of folks do know about party realignment. For example, how the Democratic Party fully supported white supremacy and how that changed under Johnson and with the passage of the CRA and VRA. And how white voters subsequently fled to the Republican Party. That’s regularly discussed.
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
A lot of people do talk about this stuff though. The impact of race and racism and anti-racism related to the two parties is often discussed on here. It’s just that those discussions tend to happen among Harris supporters or Black liberals in general rather than among white leftists.
January 5, 2026 at 8:45 PM
A lot of people do talk about this stuff though. The impact of race and racism and anti-racism related to the two parties is often discussed on here. It’s just that those discussions tend to happen among Harris supporters or Black liberals in general rather than among white leftists.
so, I think this is important, and I don't really see many people making this argument. in fact it seems unusual enough that people seem to have trouble engaging with it.
the core difference imo is that in the past white supremacy has mostly been a bipartisan project. The democrats since Johnson,and especially since Obama, have been (vacillatingly but still) an antiracist party, and that means that fascism has gotten sorted into the GOP in an unprecedented way.
January 5, 2026 at 8:38 PM
so, I think this is important, and I don't really see many people making this argument. in fact it seems unusual enough that people seem to have trouble engaging with it.
John Stoehr interviewed me about the Epstein files and Venezuela and whether Trump is invulnerable (he's not.) www.editorialboard.com/whether-the-...
Whether the Epstein files or the attack on Venezuela, it’s all rooted in Trump’s corruption
The liberal resistance doesn’t have to choose which is worse.
www.editorialboard.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:31 PM
John Stoehr interviewed me about the Epstein files and Venezuela and whether Trump is invulnerable (he's not.) www.editorialboard.com/whether-the-...
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
My interview with @nberlat.bsky.social.
"War with Venezuela is about as unpopular as Trump's handling of the Epstein files! I think the idea of ‘distraction’ in general isn't very helpful. Trump does lots and lots of horrible things ... and we should pay attention to and oppose them all."
"War with Venezuela is about as unpopular as Trump's handling of the Epstein files! I think the idea of ‘distraction’ in general isn't very helpful. Trump does lots and lots of horrible things ... and we should pay attention to and oppose them all."
January 5, 2026 at 8:28 PM
My interview with @nberlat.bsky.social.
"War with Venezuela is about as unpopular as Trump's handling of the Epstein files! I think the idea of ‘distraction’ in general isn't very helpful. Trump does lots and lots of horrible things ... and we should pay attention to and oppose them all."
"War with Venezuela is about as unpopular as Trump's handling of the Epstein files! I think the idea of ‘distraction’ in general isn't very helpful. Trump does lots and lots of horrible things ... and we should pay attention to and oppose them all."
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
A reminder that the US killed 80 people in Venezuela, and it would be nice if the US media cared enough to think that the life of a grandmother in Caracas whose building is destroyed by a US bomb matters as much as the life of a person in the US.
January 5, 2026 at 5:54 PM
A reminder that the US killed 80 people in Venezuela, and it would be nice if the US media cared enough to think that the life of a grandmother in Caracas whose building is destroyed by a US bomb matters as much as the life of a person in the US.
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
Harvard has removed a resident dean -- a Black lecturer in psychology -- for writing posts critical of Trump and law enforcement
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
Dunster House Resident Dean Gregory Davis Removed After Resurfaced Social Media Posts | News | The Harvard Crimson
Gregory K. Davis was removed from his post as Dunster House resident dean effective immediately, according to a message circulated to House affiliates Monday morning.
www.thecrimson.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Harvard has removed a resident dean -- a Black lecturer in psychology -- for writing posts critical of Trump and law enforcement
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
even my favored structural reforms are just finding ways to brute force a less destructive republican party, whether that is ending as much as possible the electoral bonus for representing rural areas or making multi-partyism more viable.
January 5, 2026 at 12:04 AM
even my favored structural reforms are just finding ways to brute force a less destructive republican party, whether that is ending as much as possible the electoral bonus for representing rural areas or making multi-partyism more viable.
I think this is one of those rare occasions where I kind of respectfully disagree with Jamelle. 1
yep. i can identify any number of structural issues but at the end of the day the basic problem is the republican party. this has been apparent for at least 20 years. it is also an incredibly unpopular observation to make among “serious” people.
Right.
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
January 5, 2026 at 6:16 PM
I think this is one of those rare occasions where I kind of respectfully disagree with Jamelle. 1
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
💯
The conventional wisdom in September was that forcing a vote on the Epstein files was just performative and the law would obviously fail. It's incredible what can happen when you actually try.
January 5, 2026 at 5:52 PM
💯
Reposted by Noah Berlatsky
omg it's real
*evil is defeated.gif*
*evil is defeated.gif*
January 5, 2026 at 5:51 PM
omg it's real
*evil is defeated.gif*
*evil is defeated.gif*
I guess this guy's account is gone. good riddance.
"if the democrats don't reign in the fascist we'll work to elect the fascists!"
wtf is this?
wtf is this?
Lol people need to fucking relax
January 5, 2026 at 5:49 PM
I guess this guy's account is gone. good riddance.