Patrick Nielsen Hayden
@pnh.nielsenhayden.com
VP and editor-at-large at the Tor Publishing Group. Series editor, Tor Essentials. Winner of three Hugos and a World Fantasy Award for editorial work. Opinions mine, not Tor’s. Happily working out of Tucson, AZ.
He, his. Anti-trans dingbats, get lost.
He, his. Anti-trans dingbats, get lost.
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Musk wants to be a Renaissance man, but he's not even a paleolithic man.
Paleolithic people made art, cared for the sick, & got together to share resources & ideas.
Musk would have died alone, crying that no one saw the genius of his plan to monetize hitting yourself in the head with a big rock.
Paleolithic people made art, cared for the sick, & got together to share resources & ideas.
Musk would have died alone, crying that no one saw the genius of his plan to monetize hitting yourself in the head with a big rock.
November 11, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Musk wants to be a Renaissance man, but he's not even a paleolithic man.
Paleolithic people made art, cared for the sick, & got together to share resources & ideas.
Musk would have died alone, crying that no one saw the genius of his plan to monetize hitting yourself in the head with a big rock.
Paleolithic people made art, cared for the sick, & got together to share resources & ideas.
Musk would have died alone, crying that no one saw the genius of his plan to monetize hitting yourself in the head with a big rock.
What the everlasting fuck
In a rare case of Substack notes usefulness, I just learned that Sarah Kendzior (author of They Knew and a brilliant writer) got bounced from Bluesky. What the hell? new @sarahkendzior.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 4:30 AM
What the everlasting fuck
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Siegfried Sassoon
November 9, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Siegfried Sassoon
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
I don't think bsky has any idea how many of us 'normies' that are ready to bolt the second there's an option that excludes their moderation and censorship completely. I have zero faith in their judgment. It only takes ONE vindictive blocking to invalidate years of trust building.
November 8, 2025 at 7:17 PM
I don't think bsky has any idea how many of us 'normies' that are ready to bolt the second there's an option that excludes their moderation and censorship completely. I have zero faith in their judgment. It only takes ONE vindictive blocking to invalidate years of trust building.
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
There is something really wrong with people who need workers to be not just competent, but slavishly fake-happy. "Slavishly" used on purpose, bc that's where this grotesquerie comes from.
"Store employees are now required to smile if they are within 10 feet of a shopper.
They also must make eye contact with and wave to or greet the customer.
If they’re within four feet, the employee should ask how the customer’s day is going or if they need help."
🙄 Won't stop the boycott, y'all.
They also must make eye contact with and wave to or greet the customer.
If they’re within four feet, the employee should ask how the customer’s day is going or if they need help."
🙄 Won't stop the boycott, y'all.
Target is now requiring its employees to smile more
As the holiday season fast approaches, Target is urging its employees to add a little more “jolly” to their work routine.
www.wilx.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:12 PM
There is something really wrong with people who need workers to be not just competent, but slavishly fake-happy. "Slavishly" used on purpose, bc that's where this grotesquerie comes from.
(1) This is creepy as fuck and guarantees I will _never_ again set foot in a Target
(2) As @tnh.nielsenhayden.com points out, this sets up Target employees to be gamed up the wazoo by all kinds of bad actors
(2) As @tnh.nielsenhayden.com points out, this sets up Target employees to be gamed up the wazoo by all kinds of bad actors
"Store employees are now required to smile if they are within 10 feet of a shopper.
They also must make eye contact with and wave to or greet the customer.
If they’re within four feet, the employee should ask how the customer’s day is going or if they need help."
🙄 Won't stop the boycott, y'all.
They also must make eye contact with and wave to or greet the customer.
If they’re within four feet, the employee should ask how the customer’s day is going or if they need help."
🙄 Won't stop the boycott, y'all.
Target is now requiring its employees to smile more
As the holiday season fast approaches, Target is urging its employees to add a little more “jolly” to their work routine.
www.wilx.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:43 PM
(1) This is creepy as fuck and guarantees I will _never_ again set foot in a Target
(2) As @tnh.nielsenhayden.com points out, this sets up Target employees to be gamed up the wazoo by all kinds of bad actors
(2) As @tnh.nielsenhayden.com points out, this sets up Target employees to be gamed up the wazoo by all kinds of bad actors
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
There are 7.5 million non-Muslims in New York. For the city to become "completely Muslim" in four years, about 5,000 of us will have to flee or convert every day for 1461 days straight. Let's get started!
November 8, 2025 at 4:35 PM
There are 7.5 million non-Muslims in New York. For the city to become "completely Muslim" in four years, about 5,000 of us will have to flee or convert every day for 1461 days straight. Let's get started!
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
New York City "will be completely Muslim in 3-4 years." About a million New Yorkers are now Muslim, with 7.5 million non-Muslims. I wonder if the non-Muslims will all flee or whether we'll be forced to convert in ceremonies on the free buses.
November 8, 2025 at 4:31 PM
New York City "will be completely Muslim in 3-4 years." About a million New Yorkers are now Muslim, with 7.5 million non-Muslims. I wonder if the non-Muslims will all flee or whether we'll be forced to convert in ceremonies on the free buses.
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
"We lost NY." The US right is always desperately afraid of losing things. Remember when the US "lost China" in 1949 to the people who lived in China.
November 8, 2025 at 4:30 PM
"We lost NY." The US right is always desperately afraid of losing things. Remember when the US "lost China" in 1949 to the people who lived in China.
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
People who say "we need to have a conversation " just mean "shut up and listen to me" every fucking time
November 7, 2025 at 3:32 PM
People who say "we need to have a conversation " just mean "shut up and listen to me" every fucking time
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
“Álvaro López, the electoral coordinator for the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, believes “we need to get away from a ‘holding them accountable’ framework toward a ‘building power’ framework.” hammerandhope.org/article/mamd...
Zohran Got New Yorkers to Hope. What’s the Plan to Deliver?
Organizers who brought him to the verge of victory are looking ahead to the challenges of democratic governance.
hammerandhope.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:51 PM
“Álvaro López, the electoral coordinator for the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, believes “we need to get away from a ‘holding them accountable’ framework toward a ‘building power’ framework.” hammerandhope.org/article/mamd...
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
This is just about setting the defaults so that ‘high value’ / high profile users and corporations don’t see people yelling at them for being shit.
The reason Bluesky is doing the "rude" post labeling based on keywords or downvotes is that for them it's an easy-to-do performative thing.
"Hey, we're doing something!"
Meanwhile actual harmful accounts (e.g. transphobes) can post their tripe freely because Jay thinks those are valuable ideas.
"Hey, we're doing something!"
Meanwhile actual harmful accounts (e.g. transphobes) can post their tripe freely because Jay thinks those are valuable ideas.
November 7, 2025 at 1:28 PM
This is just about setting the defaults so that ‘high value’ / high profile users and corporations don’t see people yelling at them for being shit.
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
I have been assured that capitalism is the most rational system of resource allocation humanity can possibly devise.
Musk gets his $1 trillion compensation package approved by Tesla shareholders.
Shareholders in the room chant "Elon, Elon, Elon!"
Shareholders in the room chant "Elon, Elon, Elon!"
November 6, 2025 at 10:05 PM
I have been assured that capitalism is the most rational system of resource allocation humanity can possibly devise.
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
A reminder that the “rude” label is being used to shush people. The screenshot is a post from Stonekettle with the content hidden because it’s marked as “rude.”
Didn't take long for BS to end up exactly like every other platform.
November 6, 2025 at 8:44 PM
A reminder that the “rude” label is being used to shush people. The screenshot is a post from Stonekettle with the content hidden because it’s marked as “rude.”
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
great day for the legal theory of "not guilty if it's funny enough"
November 6, 2025 at 7:55 PM
great day for the legal theory of "not guilty if it's funny enough"
Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When you bring wine and bread to a picnic?
— The Wreck of the Edward FitzGerald
When you bring wine and bread to a picnic?
— The Wreck of the Edward FitzGerald
November 6, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When you bring wine and bread to a picnic?
— The Wreck of the Edward FitzGerald
When you bring wine and bread to a picnic?
— The Wreck of the Edward FitzGerald
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
supreme court poised to side with "No We Shouldn't" in landmark case "We Should Shoot The Economy In The Head For No Reason v. No We Shouldn't"
Gorsuch finally speaks, and oh yeah, he's against Trump. Alito also sounded skeptical, which is surprising to me. Regardless, there will plainly be a lopsided majority to strike down the tariffs.
The government better start working on its Plan B...
The government better start working on its Plan B...
November 5, 2025 at 5:22 PM
supreme court poised to side with "No We Shouldn't" in landmark case "We Should Shoot The Economy In The Head For No Reason v. No We Shouldn't"
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
the brutal ableism of Trumpism is an underrated part of its ideology by most pundits. Trump mocking a disabled journalist *invigorated* his voters rather than repelling them, because it made them feel that they were safely on the side of the bully, rather than the victim.
Again: what cruelty animates this action; even if it were legal, why would you do something this inhumane?
NEW: A federal judge said the decision by Trump WH to end sign language interpretation at briefings by Trump and Leavitt likely violated the Rehabilitation Act and harmed deaf people who communicate in ASL.
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
November 5, 2025 at 4:48 PM
the brutal ableism of Trumpism is an underrated part of its ideology by most pundits. Trump mocking a disabled journalist *invigorated* his voters rather than repelling them, because it made them feel that they were safely on the side of the bully, rather than the victim.
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
here is my story about how Zohran's focus on community amid the loneliness epidemic helped young people connect their politics to an organizing infrastructure, that interviewed ZM, and does not use the NYT's framing of "they don't know how to make friends" :-) and also ran 4 days before NYT's lol
Zohran Mamdani's Establishment-Fighting Campaign Built Community for Young People
“What Mamdani has done is not only inspire and mobilize young people, but he has exposed the establishment and some of their calcified views of participation and inclusion.”
www.teenvogue.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:14 PM
here is my story about how Zohran's focus on community amid the loneliness epidemic helped young people connect their politics to an organizing infrastructure, that interviewed ZM, and does not use the NYT's framing of "they don't know how to make friends" :-) and also ran 4 days before NYT's lol
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
I'm not a political consultant in a fancy suit, but I think "free" is easier to remember than "refundable tax credit."
If I never hear the words "refundable tax credit" again I won't miss them.
If I never hear the words "refundable tax credit" again I won't miss them.
November 5, 2025 at 1:05 PM
I'm not a political consultant in a fancy suit, but I think "free" is easier to remember than "refundable tax credit."
If I never hear the words "refundable tax credit" again I won't miss them.
If I never hear the words "refundable tax credit" again I won't miss them.
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
the entire twitter and group chat poisoned elite of American society who decided Trump winning an election by 1.5% heralded a thousand year reich may have miscalculated a bit
November 5, 2025 at 3:50 AM
the entire twitter and group chat poisoned elite of American society who decided Trump winning an election by 1.5% heralded a thousand year reich may have miscalculated a bit
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
I do think yesterday’s results reinforced the dynamic that while much of the American leadership class is chickenshit, most of the electorate is not
November 5, 2025 at 1:36 PM
I do think yesterday’s results reinforced the dynamic that while much of the American leadership class is chickenshit, most of the electorate is not
This is 100% and we need to get into the habit of relentlessly calling it out. Every. Single. Time.
American mainstream political media operates under the belief that whichever candidate or party wins the majority of white voters holds the mandate, regardless of whether that candidate or party wins the election.
Trump won in 2024 by 1.5%pts and the press acted like he got a mandate to be god-emperor, can’t wait for them to be dismissive of victories in places the Democratic Party hasn’t won in 20 years
November 5, 2025 at 1:22 PM
This is 100% and we need to get into the habit of relentlessly calling it out. Every. Single. Time.
Reposted by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
ah, perhaps instead of pumping millions into endless factional infighting Dem donors could invest in making local Dem organizations genuine civic spaces that can reach people during and between elections
November 5, 2025 at 12:49 PM
ah, perhaps instead of pumping millions into endless factional infighting Dem donors could invest in making local Dem organizations genuine civic spaces that can reach people during and between elections