Peter Frase
@peterfrase.com
I first encountered George Packer back when he was letting Paul Berman shit directly into his brain and then vomiting out liberal odes to George W. Bush and the war on terror. He's wack, and he's always *been* wack, is what I'm saying
in the actual real world secret police are disappearing americans on behalf of an openly white nationalist government but george packer’s latest is a novel about a world beset by woke totalitarianism
What Happens When an Empire Falls? This Novel Has Some Ideas.
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:11 AM
I first encountered George Packer back when he was letting Paul Berman shit directly into his brain and then vomiting out liberal odes to George W. Bush and the war on terror. He's wack, and he's always *been* wack, is what I'm saying
Reposted by Peter Frase
One of the coolest things about #TeslaTakedown is that it's not just about "sending a message." It's about attaching a stigma to driving a certain make of car, which is the one source of profit for a financial bubble that props up the most powerful racist alive.
It's protest as direct action.
It's protest as direct action.
November 12, 2025 at 7:25 PM
One of the coolest things about #TeslaTakedown is that it's not just about "sending a message." It's about attaching a stigma to driving a certain make of car, which is the one source of profit for a financial bubble that props up the most powerful racist alive.
It's protest as direct action.
It's protest as direct action.
I was 17 when I reached a high enough level of math to hear my professor (a Republican btw) answer an eager grad student asking how he knew he had proved something by saying, "it's a proof if I believe it"
When I’ve talked to people who do really advanced math, they’ve basically crossed back into the humanities through high-level abstraction and do not sound like these freaks at all because it’s not simply the aesthetic of competence for them.
November 12, 2025 at 5:13 AM
I was 17 when I reached a high enough level of math to hear my professor (a Republican btw) answer an eager grad student asking how he knew he had proved something by saying, "it's a proof if I believe it"
They're all lies, especially the truths
November 3, 2025 at 12:00 AM
They're all lies, especially the truths
If I had a nickel for every time my TV asked me to confirm I was still watching during the world series, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but
November 2, 2025 at 3:55 AM
If I had a nickel for every time my TV asked me to confirm I was still watching during the world series, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but
My read on Kristol is that he's as much of a bloodthirsty imperialist as ever, but on some level he recognizes that one lesson of historical fascism is that, when you fully turn the tools of empire and colonialism inward, it pretty quickly leads to the collapse of the whole project
If I told 14 year old me this had happened hed say "time to cut back on the beer old man."
November 1, 2025 at 12:29 AM
My read on Kristol is that he's as much of a bloodthirsty imperialist as ever, but on some level he recognizes that one lesson of historical fascism is that, when you fully turn the tools of empire and colonialism inward, it pretty quickly leads to the collapse of the whole project
Post-bubble, this stuff is going to look like 2021-era crypto hype (it's the same terrible journalists doing it in many cases.) Ascribing "memory," or "planning," or "values" to an LLM is like talking about the rich emotional inner life of your toaster.
if you engage in this sort of AI Anthropomorphism in the pages of a prominent media organization (or anywhere else) you are loudly advertising that you don't know how this technology actually works
October 30, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Post-bubble, this stuff is going to look like 2021-era crypto hype (it's the same terrible journalists doing it in many cases.) Ascribing "memory," or "planning," or "values" to an LLM is like talking about the rich emotional inner life of your toaster.
I'm watching the World Series and so getting rare exposure to TV ads, and they're really spamming the AI bullshit. Feels like that Super Bowl with all the crypto ads, good thing that turned out well for everyone involved.
There's been endless talk about an AI bubble, but less about exactly how, why, and how much it's a bubble. So I turned to the framework put forward by scholars Brent Goldfarb and David A. Kirsch, authors of "Bubbles and Crashes," for assessing tech bubbles.
Spoiler: On a scale of 1 to 8, AI is an 8
Spoiler: On a scale of 1 to 8, AI is an 8
AI Is the Bubble to Burst Them All
I talked to the scholars who literally wrote the book on tech bubbles—and applied their test.
www.wired.com
October 28, 2025 at 12:52 AM
I'm watching the World Series and so getting rare exposure to TV ads, and they're really spamming the AI bullshit. Feels like that Super Bowl with all the crypto ads, good thing that turned out well for everyone involved.
This seems unquestionably true to me, although it's not that new. The last few years of LLM nonsense for sure intensified it, but the peak of the Internet as an information gathering tool was probably 15+ years ago.
I don't think we understand just how bad the decline of the Internet is to knowledge.
3 years ago, I could perform a very basic search in any engine and get an absurd number of relevant links, research articles, etc.
Today, I can perform the same search and find absolutely nothing.
3 years ago, I could perform a very basic search in any engine and get an absurd number of relevant links, research articles, etc.
Today, I can perform the same search and find absolutely nothing.
October 26, 2025 at 11:30 PM
This seems unquestionably true to me, although it's not that new. The last few years of LLM nonsense for sure intensified it, but the peak of the Internet as an information gathering tool was probably 15+ years ago.
Look, I'll try to put this in terms the dorks on here can understand: you can be a Yoda Democrat or a Karis Nemik socialist, up to you
“Do you really expect Mamdani to get everything he’s promising done?”
No. I’m sure a lot of what I want won’t happen. But I’m ready for someone who’s willing to actually fucking try rather than tell everyone why trying is pointless and must be saved for an undefined later moment
No. I’m sure a lot of what I want won’t happen. But I’m ready for someone who’s willing to actually fucking try rather than tell everyone why trying is pointless and must be saved for an undefined later moment
October 26, 2025 at 4:18 AM
Look, I'll try to put this in terms the dorks on here can understand: you can be a Yoda Democrat or a Karis Nemik socialist, up to you
"All films about crime are about capitalism. Because capitalism is about crime...at least that's what I used to think. Now I'm convinced." - Abraham Polonsky, blacklisted Hollywood director
October 25, 2025 at 11:32 PM
"All films about crime are about capitalism. Because capitalism is about crime...at least that's what I used to think. Now I'm convinced." - Abraham Polonsky, blacklisted Hollywood director
This is hilarious on its own, but if you listen to the recording you can hear in an un-transcribed aside that the interviewer is confused about both what DSA is and what American political parties are, which sets up his next, even more ignorant and bungled question.
October 16, 2025 at 9:42 PM
This is hilarious on its own, but if you listen to the recording you can hear in an un-transcribed aside that the interviewer is confused about both what DSA is and what American political parties are, which sets up his next, even more ignorant and bungled question.
If there's one thing Democrats stand for, it's that you should be able to get a good look at your local ICE stormtroopers before they shove you in an SUV and disappear you
This is good: Rep Eric Swalwell tells me House Dems are now discussing making an end to mask-wearing a precondition for ICE funding.
"When we are in the majority, the masks are coming off," he says.
This is the next frontier in anti-Trump resistance.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2018...
"When we are in the majority, the masks are coming off," he says.
This is the next frontier in anti-Trump resistance.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2018...
Trump ICE Raids Take Horrific Turn in Chicago, Handing Dems an Opening
There’s one simple pledge Democrats can make to voters about ICE that’s easy to understand and will have broad support.
newrepublic.com
October 16, 2025 at 12:34 AM
If there's one thing Democrats stand for, it's that you should be able to get a good look at your local ICE stormtroopers before they shove you in an SUV and disappear you
Ok dude but have you told the state police under your command about this?
Pritzker: "If the Constitution means anything -- and I guess we all are questioning that right now -- the Insurrection Act cannot be invoked ... they just want troops on the ground because they want to militarize especially blue cities in blue states."
October 12, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Ok dude but have you told the state police under your command about this?
JB Pritzker continues to posture as the defender of rights against Trumpist authoritarianism, while sending his state police to beat the shit out of protestors on behalf of ICE, I don't see how this remains a tenable combination for very long
state police continue to push protesters down 25th street. at one point, cops swarmed a group of people and pushed them to the ground.
multiple people arrested.
multiple people arrested.
October 12, 2025 at 2:04 AM
JB Pritzker continues to posture as the defender of rights against Trumpist authoritarianism, while sending his state police to beat the shit out of protestors on behalf of ICE, I don't see how this remains a tenable combination for very long
Right wing politics is organized around political flopping, more and more people are saying it
in the second act of the original Mighty Ducks movie, Coach Bombay drills the young hockey players on how to take dives, having them chant: "Take the fall. Act hurt. Get indignant." for about thirty years I thought that scene was unbelievable, too undignified a way to dramatize purposeful dishonesty
Trump: "If something happens that's really bad, maybe I'll have to just blame AI."
September 4, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Right wing politics is organized around political flopping, more and more people are saying it
In light of the nickname of the 19 year old Elon flunkie who is seemingly to blame for causing millions of deaths and also leaking everyone's social security number, I'm surprised I haven't seen more references to this classic youtu.be/4WwJ6OVSwkM
AC/DC - Big Balls (Official Audio)
YouTube video by acdcVEVO
youtu.be
August 28, 2025 at 11:25 PM
In light of the nickname of the 19 year old Elon flunkie who is seemingly to blame for causing millions of deaths and also leaking everyone's social security number, I'm surprised I haven't seen more references to this classic youtu.be/4WwJ6OVSwkM
The most shocking and disturbing thing I learned in this article is that Theo Von is 45 years old. He's two months older than me! How is that fucking possible?!
TikTokers are no longer bound to TikTok — they’re in our HBO shows and prime-time sitcoms, and Spotify playlists.
So what makes a creator influential today?
Here's Rolling Stone's ranked list of the most influential creators of 2025 ⤵️
So what makes a creator influential today?
Here's Rolling Stone's ranked list of the most influential creators of 2025 ⤵️
25 Most Influential Creators of 2025
From streamers and podcasters to OnlyFans models and TikTok megastars, here's the people shaping the culture of 2025.
www.rollingstone.com
August 28, 2025 at 2:22 AM
The most shocking and disturbing thing I learned in this article is that Theo Von is 45 years old. He's two months older than me! How is that fucking possible?!
This is one of the most prominent billionaire funders of Democrats, if you ever wonder why so many of them are Like That
I’m the furthest from a Trump fan. But the reality is that he would have to shake very hard to equate to the shakedowns of the unrealized cap gains tax and warren’s tax that were proposed.
And what will YOU do, Mark Cuban, when he comes to shake you down, too?
August 24, 2025 at 1:04 AM
This is one of the most prominent billionaire funders of Democrats, if you ever wonder why so many of them are Like That
Because of the structure of their respective voter and donor coalitions, Republicans need to blame social problems on powerless scapegoats (migrants, trans people), while mainstream Democrats can't blame anyone and instead need to insist that working people and billionaires have common interests.
One of the biggest blunders (when well-intentioned) and betrayals (when not) in Democratic rhetoric over the years is their impenetrable insistence that what voters respond to is somebody who begins by finding common ground with their opponent, no matter who that opponent is or what that ground is.
August 20, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Because of the structure of their respective voter and donor coalitions, Republicans need to blame social problems on powerless scapegoats (migrants, trans people), while mainstream Democrats can't blame anyone and instead need to insist that working people and billionaires have common interests.
I'm at the rise of fascism. I'm at the dismantling and looting of the USSR. I'm at the combination rise of fascism and dismantling and looting the USSR
What's your take on the moment we're living through in 50 words or less. [you able to quote post]
August 18, 2025 at 12:03 AM
I'm at the rise of fascism. I'm at the dismantling and looting of the USSR. I'm at the combination rise of fascism and dismantling and looting the USSR
I stole the term from EP Thompson, who was talking about nuclear war. I swiped it to refer to something more like the Dead Kennedys line: "Efficiency and progress is ours once more/Now that we have the neutron bomb". A mythical bomb that was said to kill people while leaving property intact.
i think @peterfrase.com pretty much called it when he coined the term “exterminism”. jacobin.com/2011/12/four...
Four Futures
One thing we can be certain of is that capitalism will end.
jacobin.com
August 6, 2025 at 4:51 AM
I stole the term from EP Thompson, who was talking about nuclear war. I swiped it to refer to something more like the Dead Kennedys line: "Efficiency and progress is ours once more/Now that we have the neutron bomb". A mythical bomb that was said to kill people while leaving property intact.
Lately when I watch star trek TNG, I'll get annoyed by characters acting ChatGPT-brained. Barclay can't sleep and is like "computer, play something soothing." Oh, you don't have taste or know yourself? You asked the chatbot to tell you what you think is soothing?
July 28, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Lately when I watch star trek TNG, I'll get annoyed by characters acting ChatGPT-brained. Barclay can't sleep and is like "computer, play something soothing." Oh, you don't have taste or know yourself? You asked the chatbot to tell you what you think is soothing?