Philip Nel
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philnel.bsky.social
Philip Nel
@philnel.bsky.social
760 followers 580 following 690 posts

👨🏼‍🏫 Prof. he/him.
📚 Books on children's books & comics: https://philnel.com/writing/books/
📷 IG: thephilnel
🐘 Mastodon: @philnel@mastodon.green
🎵 Spotify: thephilnel
🐦 Twitter (deleted acct in 2022): @philnel

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Philip W. Nel is an American scholar of children's literature and University Distinguished Professor of English at Kansas State University. He is best known for his work on Dr. Seuss and Harry Potter, which has led to him being a guest on such media programs as CBS Sunday Morning, NPR's Morning Edition, Talk of the Nation, and CNN's Don Lemon Tonight. .. more

Art 33%
Communication & Media Studies 22%
Posts Replies Media Videos
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philnel.bsky.social
Philip Nel @philnel.bsky.social · Jul 26
1/2 ⬇️ This is an excellent idea & I am co-signing & invite my fellow academics to join me. Academia depends on a lot of unpaid labor. Withhold your labor from Columbia. ⬇️
jtlg.bsky.social James Grimmelmann @jtlg.bsky.social · Jul 25
In light of Columbia's capitulation to the Trump regime's illegal and extortionate demands, I have resolved not to write for Columbia publications, speak at Columbia events, or perform other free labor for a university that has repudated its values.

3d.laboratorium.net/2025-07-25-c...
Columbia’s Capitulation
Universities exist to promote the discovery, preservation, and transmission of knowledge. While they can help make to make a society virtuous, prosperous, and free, they do so by pursing their mission...
3d.laboratorium.net

Reposted by Iain Davidson, Philip Nel, Olivier Mannoni

thetnholler.bsky.social
The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 11h
“$170 BILLION for ICE. $40 BILLION for Argentina. $1 BILLION for Trump’s Qatari jet. $230 MILLION for Trump’s DOJ “compensation”. $200 MILLION for Noem’s jets… But nothing for health care?

This isn’t a question about what 🇺🇸 can or can’t afford — it’s about priorities.”

Reposted by Philip Nel

cnn.com
CNN @cnn.com · 11h
Texas A&M University System regents adopted a new policy on Thursday requiring professors to receive approval from the school’s president to discuss some race and gender topics. https://cnn.it/3LCapT8

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Philip Nel, Michael Zimmer , and 1 more

stevanzetti.bsky.social
steven monacelli @stevanzetti.bsky.social · 11h
Anyhoo, here's a paper about "the centrality of housing concerns in facilitating the Holocaust and the complicity of individuals in the exclusion of Jews for economic, ideological, and geographic reasons."

journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Robert W. Wallace, Erica Chenoweth , and 7 more

josephpolitano.bsky.social
Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · 12h
Good statement from the US conference of Catholic Bishops

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Rebecca Solnit, Nicholas A. Christakis , and 12 more

zacheverson.com
Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 12h
“Housing shortage – Jews to blame," letter sticker, German Reich, 1938

zwangsraeume.berlin/en/context
A stamped letter saying "Die Wohungsnot Schuld Der Juden"

Reposted by Philip Nel, Anne Norton

mrsbettybowers.bsky.social
Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 13h
America's most notorious child rapist, Jeffrey Epstein, said this man was the worst person he'd ever met. Let that sink in.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Roger Keil, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 10 more

jamellebouie.net
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 16h
you could fact check this — there aren’t 30 million illegal immigrants and there is no evidence that the presence of an immigrant in say houston has any impact on housing in madison, wisconsin — or you could note straightforwardly that this is just nazi rhetoric
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 16h
JD Vance: "A lot of young people are saying housing is way too expensive. Why is that? Because we flooded the country with 30 million illegal immigrants who were taking houses that ought by right go to American citizens."

philnel.bsky.social
Philip Nel @philnel.bsky.social · 22h
“Today we’re seeing right before our eyes, in real time, how easily democracy can slip away when a leader trains his followers to believe every investigation is treason and every fact is a lie.”
open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...
The Epstein Affair Has Move From Sleaze to a Crisis for American Democracy Itself
This Epstein Affair has shown a pattern where men of wealth and power created a zone of impunity that protected them for decades while destroying vulnerable people like Virginia Guiffrey…
open.substack.com

philnel.bsky.social
Philip Nel @philnel.bsky.social · 23h
Succinct warning against outsourcing your thinking to an enthusiastic robot. #AI #LLMAI
Top panel: at left, hand holding mushroom. At right, smiley Pillsbury doughboy character labelled AI Speech bubble: “Is this mushroom edible?” Another speech bubble: “Yes!” Bottom panel: at left, gravestone with “RIP.” At right, AI doughboy character says, “You’re right—that mushroom was poisonous. I’m sorry for the confusion! Would you like to learn more about poisonous mushrooms?”

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Philip Nel, Ann Bartow , and 1 more

maddow.msnbc.com
Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · 1d
Here’s a gift link (no paywall) to the article, “Catholic bishops condemn ‘indiscriminate mass deportation’ in rare statement”:

wapo.st/448fDw6

Reposted by Philip Nel

shaenon.bsky.social
Shaenon K. Garrity @shaenon.bsky.social · 1d
This is, as far as I know, unprecedented.
Meeting at their annual conference in Baltimore, the bishops voted 216-5 (with three abstentions) to approve a “Special Message” on immigration — the first such action in 12 years. After the overwhelming vote, the assembly of bishops stood and applauded, underscoring the moment’s importance. Longtime church observers called it perhaps the strongest collective denunciation of a U.S. president by the Catholic hierarchy in American history.

Reposted by Philip Nel, Rebecca Tushnet, Ann Bartow

allinwithchris.bsky.social
All In with Chris Hayes @allinwithchris.bsky.social · 1d
WATCH: @raskin.house.gov explains the deal that would allow eight GOP senators lucrative lawsuits over phone record subpoenas:

"It's certainly the most corrupt provision authorizing financial self-dealing and plunder of the public passed by Congress in this century."

Reposted by Philip Nel, Alan Richardson, Anne Norton , and 2 more

ashtonpittman.bsky.social
Ashton Pittman @ashtonpittman.bsky.social · 1d
"This could take down Democrats, too."

I know. And I frankly wouldn't give even an itty bitty damn if it implicated every Democratic man in Congress, every Democratic hopeful for 2028 and every Democrat who has even thought about running for office.

Down with the sex predators, wherever they are.

Reposted by Christian Odendahl, Rebecca Solnit, Jesse H. Kroll , and 16 more

chrislhayes.bsky.social
Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 1d
Something absolutely perfect about Larry Summers riffing about the scourge of woke cancel culture being unfair to predatory men in a friendly email to his pal JEFFREY EPSTEIN.

Reposted by American Library Association, Philip Nel

gochujung.bsky.social
sandwich guy @gochujung.bsky.social · 1d
so basically what happened was:

ICE / CBP abducted ~1800 people from across the chicago area during june to oct, & did most of it without warrants. of those ~1800 people, only ~750 are still in the us & ~135 aren't eligible for release.

the injustice of everything these people will never get back.

Reposted by Philip Nel

nsousanis.bsky.social
Nick Sousanis @nsousanis.bsky.social · 1d
I'd like to think this will finally be the thing to make his supporters turn on him. But I don't know - who he is has been obvious from the start. Yes - he's a monstrous person, but the problem is everyone who sees that, and says I'm ok with that actually...
spinweaveandcut.com/draw-the-line/
A comics page in black and white. Arranged in 5 tiers of panels, each with successively smaller panels and more per row - with the exception of the first. Opens with no panel border - silhouette of a hand in a gun position - with smoke coming from index finger. speech balloon “i could stand in the middle of fifth avenue and shoot somebody and i wouldn’t lose any voters, ok?” Caption “this is perhaps the most truthful thing trump has ever said…” Same row - more than half page width panel with three drawings of trump making jerky body distortions mocking cerebral palsy. Caption “one might’ve assumed when he mocked reporter serge kovaleski that it would cross a line and be the end of him in public life.” Speech balloon “now the poor guy, you ought to see this guy!” Caption “that was naive.” Next row, first panel, slightly more than page width - closeup on trump’s open mouth, shouting “when you’re a star, they let you do it. you can do anything. Grab ‘em by the pussy. you can do anything.” Caption “surely, there’d be no coming back from this?” Second panel - silhouettes of tiki torch carrying rioters with their shirt collars showing. Caption “or this?” Dialogue “you also had some very fine people on both sides.” Caption “and yet…” Third row - three panels, first slightly more than a third, rest smaller still. Silhouette of trump throwing a paper towel roll like shooting a basketball. Dialogue “a great day…” Caption “c’mon…”. Second panel closeup on his lips, dialogue “why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Caption “really?” Third panel closeup on a coiled-style phone cord, dialogue “i would like you to do us a favor, though.” In background words from the first articles of impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors. full alt text on my site - character count too small!! Bottom another small box with the title “draw the line” and my name march 2025. @nsousanis.bsky.social spinweaveandcut.com

philnel.bsky.social
Philip Nel @philnel.bsky.social · 1d
“technology brings a kind of alexithymic fog — …having difficulty identifying or being able to express one’s emotions… Tech encourages the instrumentalization of emotional life, by which I mean that our feelings seem real only if they translate into actions that help us achieve specific goals.”
nytimes.com The New York Times @nytimes.com · 1d
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com

“Our uptake of technology has been so rapid that we are losing the ability to notice how it feels to live this way,” Steven Barrie-Anthony writes. “Occasionally, in therapeutic conversations, a patient can get in touch with these feelings. It often looks like grief.”
Opinion | You Want to Throw Your Phone Into the Sea. Here’s a Better Way.
We’ve lost the capacity to feel the grief technology brings.
nyti.ms

Reposted by Philip Nel

nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 1d
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com

“Our uptake of technology has been so rapid that we are losing the ability to notice how it feels to live this way,” Steven Barrie-Anthony writes. “Occasionally, in therapeutic conversations, a patient can get in touch with these feelings. It often looks like grief.”
Opinion | You Want to Throw Your Phone Into the Sea. Here’s a Better Way.
We’ve lost the capacity to feel the grief technology brings.
nyti.ms

Reposted by Philip Nel, Alan Richardson

bgrueskin.bsky.social
Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 2d
Nothing says you’re a Very Serious FBI Director quite like taking the bureau’s plane, during a government shutdown, to a hunting lodge called … The Boondoggle Ranch.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Kash Patel’s ‘Effin Wild’ Ride as FBI Director
In just one week in October, he ticked off his bosses with premature comments about a terror investigation squeezed in a trip to the ‘Boondoggle Ranch’ on the bureau jet.
www.wsj.com

philnel.bsky.social
Philip Nel @philnel.bsky.social · 2d
Attn: @support.bsky.team Reinstate
@sarahkendzior.bsky.social immediately. You have suspended her account without cause. She is a scholar of autocracy & her voice is a vital part of the conversation. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_K...

Reposted by Philip Nel

paulawirth.bsky.social
Paula Wirth @paulawirth.bsky.social · 3d
Please @support.bsky.team can you reinstate @sarahkendzior.bsky.social - she’s an important voice right now
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_K...
Sarah Kendzior - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org

Reposted by Philip Nel

nathankhensley.bsky.social
Nathan K. Hensley @nathankhensley.bsky.social · 3d
Hoping it might just be a mistake ?

Reposted by Philip Nel, Laura Huenneke

prisonculture.bsky.social
Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 3d
Hello @support.bsky.team why has
@sarahkendzior.bsky.social been suspended without explanation?????

philnel.bsky.social
Philip Nel @philnel.bsky.social · 3d
LLM AI “is everything that higher education should not be: exploitative, non-consensual, inaccurate, corrosive of cognitive growth and human relationships, destructive of people and the environment, and effectively unregulated.”
kconrad.bsky.social Katie (Kathryn) Conrad @kconrad.bsky.social · 3d
Hit the breaking point this morning with Michigan after hearing about their planned data center in Ypsi. Put all my in-progress posts on the back burner to write this (which I have also sent to UMGiving).
substack.com/@kconrad/not...
A letter to my alma mater
on their embrace of AI
substack.com

Reposted by Philip Nel

kconrad.bsky.social
Katie (Kathryn) Conrad @kconrad.bsky.social · 3d
Hit the breaking point this morning with Michigan after hearing about their planned data center in Ypsi. Put all my in-progress posts on the back burner to write this (which I have also sent to UMGiving).
substack.com/@kconrad/not...
A letter to my alma mater
on their embrace of AI
substack.com

Reposted by Philip Nel, Nathan P. Kalmoe

chelseacristene.bsky.social
Chelsea Cristene Bock @chelseacristene.bsky.social · 3d
I can't stress this enough as a super volunteer for the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates. This should prompt you to get MORE involved, not less. Show up and use the existing infrastructure to make it work for all of us. In my neck of the woods, we've seen a ton of local victories this way.
kevinmkruse.bsky.social Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 3d
Right, the answer isn't to abandon the party to these weasels.

The answer is to flood the party with people who will take it over and transform it.
courtneymilan.com Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 3d
Hey, a lot of people are talking about changing affiliation from Democratic to Independent.

Let me tell you why you shouldn’t do that in Colorado.

One of the main ways to get a primary challenge candidate on a ballot is to caucus for your party. You need to be registered as a Dem to caucus.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Philip Nel

nicholasgrossman.bsky.social
Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 3d
I wrote about the "Appeasement Eight" Senate Democrats getting the party to fold to Trump in the government shutdown, and why it shows that pro-democracy Americans badly need a real opposition party, full of leaders who recognize the United States isn't a normal rule of law democracy anymore.
Democrats Have to Get Out of a Normal Democracy Mindset
By folding in the government shutdown in exchange for virtually nothing, eight Democratic senators aid Trump's authoritarian takeover rather than oppose it
www.arcdigital.media

Reposted by Philip Nel

blueheronfarm.bsky.social
Blue Heron Farm @blueheronfarm.bsky.social · 3d
Fuck everything today, but especially this man.
Greg Abbott announces reelection campaign for record fourth term as Texas governor
Gov. Greg Abbott formally announced his fourth gubernatorial run in Houston on Sunday. The incumbent Republican, who currently has around $87 million in his campaign war chest, will face two opponents...
www.kut.org

Reposted by Philip Nel

mcsweeneys.net
McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 3d
"My brethren, soldiers may leap out of that statue tonight and kill me, but what’s leaping out at me right now is our total disregard for norms. What you see as an enemy threat, I see as a one-of-a-kind statue of a mare."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sen...
Senator Schumer Votes to Let the Big Wooden Horse into Troy
“In the wake of votes by a handful of key Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, to pass a GOP-led continuing resolution funding f...
www.mcsweeneys.net

Reposted by Philip Nel

indivisiblemhk.bsky.social
Indivisible MHK @indivisiblemhk.bsky.social · 3d
📢 Indivisible MHK General Meeting at new seasonally adjusted time!
📆 4:30 pm, Sunday, Nov. 16th!
📚 Manhattan Public Library Auditorium.
🎤 Guest Speaker: Deb Nuss of Common Table.
🧺 We are accepting donations (for Common Table) of—
🥫 Non-perishable food in its original packaging
👦 Children’s books!