Scott Ma
@scma.bsky.social
Doctorand in History at the University of Zurich🇨🇭. Working on the history of agricultural science in modern Japan & the legacy of Confucian thought. Polyglot and hapless cosmopolitan. Tweets are public reason and not private. Site: https://scott-ma.com
Pinned
Oregairu is truly one of the things that make me glad I learned Japanese
January 4, 2026 at 2:25 AM
Oregairu is truly one of the things that make me glad I learned Japanese
Thanks for Twitter for reminding me that it’s Yukino Yukinoshita’s birthday wtf bless
January 4, 2026 at 2:23 AM
Thanks for Twitter for reminding me that it’s Yukino Yukinoshita’s birthday wtf bless
Also as much as I appreciate the necessity of good citation sometimes my judgment is “idk I’ve read quite a bit and they gave my these vibes and I’m probably right”, it’s not fair to demand a primary source for claims that are pure extrapolation because you don’t agree with the presumptions
January 3, 2026 at 11:20 PM
Also as much as I appreciate the necessity of good citation sometimes my judgment is “idk I’ve read quite a bit and they gave my these vibes and I’m probably right”, it’s not fair to demand a primary source for claims that are pure extrapolation because you don’t agree with the presumptions
Unrelated but I feel like Twitter is either super serious or straight out memes no one writes half serious shitposts like I do but no matter what I post here no one reads it anyway so it doesn’t feel too burdensome
January 3, 2026 at 11:17 PM
Unrelated but I feel like Twitter is either super serious or straight out memes no one writes half serious shitposts like I do but no matter what I post here no one reads it anyway so it doesn’t feel too burdensome
Idk i don’t feel like it should be that contentious to claim that the structure of modern Japanese science was Confucianism redux right because nothing like this seems like western science for realsies
January 3, 2026 at 11:16 PM
Idk i don’t feel like it should be that contentious to claim that the structure of modern Japanese science was Confucianism redux right because nothing like this seems like western science for realsies
Writing parts of my dissertation like “I think I’m totally right but if I showed this to any Japan historian they’d probably be reaching for the knife around now to murder my sorry ass”
January 3, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Writing parts of my dissertation like “I think I’m totally right but if I showed this to any Japan historian they’d probably be reaching for the knife around now to murder my sorry ass”
Biggest fear is not getting famous until after I die what’s the point of being right if I cant bask in the glory of the obloquy of everyone else fml
January 3, 2026 at 11:12 PM
Biggest fear is not getting famous until after I die what’s the point of being right if I cant bask in the glory of the obloquy of everyone else fml
This dissertation is going to either cook so hard or flop worse than a dead fish
January 3, 2026 at 11:10 PM
This dissertation is going to either cook so hard or flop worse than a dead fish
Seriously Marco Rubio president of Venezuela is the timeline I want to see make it happen signed chaotic neutral
January 3, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Seriously Marco Rubio president of Venezuela is the timeline I want to see make it happen signed chaotic neutral
戦前日本語さすがに読みにくいわ。皆よく互いのことを理解できた…
January 2, 2026 at 4:42 PM
戦前日本語さすがに読みにくいわ。皆よく互いのことを理解できた…
Amusing how parliamentary democracy so easily devolves into centralized autocracy if it isn’t given the guardrails of genuine devolution of power to local civic bodies. Once people in Tokyo are given plenary power over everyone else, literally no one in power would choose to surrender it
January 2, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Amusing how parliamentary democracy so easily devolves into centralized autocracy if it isn’t given the guardrails of genuine devolution of power to local civic bodies. Once people in Tokyo are given plenary power over everyone else, literally no one in power would choose to surrender it
“It’s not cool if you are using power to abuse the rest of us, but give me the possibility of joining the oligarchy and fk it we ball”
January 2, 2026 at 4:30 PM
“It’s not cool if you are using power to abuse the rest of us, but give me the possibility of joining the oligarchy and fk it we ball”
Isn’t it so funny how Meiji liberals were all Freedom and People’s Rights until they opened the Diet and they more or less immediately got about to oppressing the peasantry alongside the oligarchy? Haha?
January 2, 2026 at 4:29 PM
Isn’t it so funny how Meiji liberals were all Freedom and People’s Rights until they opened the Diet and they more or less immediately got about to oppressing the peasantry alongside the oligarchy? Haha?
Like really not sure about the academia career idk if I want to do a PhD postdoc into quits but I seriously can’t imagine myself as a tenured professor I think I’d hate it I just want to retire in a cave with cats and birds
January 2, 2026 at 2:04 AM
Like really not sure about the academia career idk if I want to do a PhD postdoc into quits but I seriously can’t imagine myself as a tenured professor I think I’d hate it I just want to retire in a cave with cats and birds
Also I think doing the PhD has made me a lot more insufferable because I find no one to talk about the stuff I study because it’s just gotten so niche I’m awful at parties not that I’m ever invited to any
January 2, 2026 at 2:03 AM
Also I think doing the PhD has made me a lot more insufferable because I find no one to talk about the stuff I study because it’s just gotten so niche I’m awful at parties not that I’m ever invited to any
Meanwhile the blokes next door are curing alzeihmers I’m just in my room asking about the agricultural association imbroglio of 1895 that about five people in the universe have heard of no wonder they’re defunding us I’d defund me
January 2, 2026 at 2:02 AM
Meanwhile the blokes next door are curing alzeihmers I’m just in my room asking about the agricultural association imbroglio of 1895 that about five people in the universe have heard of no wonder they’re defunding us I’d defund me
What sort of crazed otaku would get a PhD in history this is like counting the nails in a toolbox fml
January 2, 2026 at 2:01 AM
What sort of crazed otaku would get a PhD in history this is like counting the nails in a toolbox fml
Seriously I don’t like history I like the idea of history but this seriously is not worth it this is like watching paint dry
January 2, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Seriously I don’t like history I like the idea of history but this seriously is not worth it this is like watching paint dry
What does everyone to cheer themselves up when they have to deal with the mind numbing work of producing something all those self help books that go like “people who are happy live longer!” make me wonder wtf the happy drugs people take
January 2, 2026 at 1:59 AM
What does everyone to cheer themselves up when they have to deal with the mind numbing work of producing something all those self help books that go like “people who are happy live longer!” make me wonder wtf the happy drugs people take
This is actually miserable no wonder I don’t want to delete anything if I suffered this much to put thoughts into paper I’m not fucking cutting shit
January 2, 2026 at 1:57 AM
This is actually miserable no wonder I don’t want to delete anything if I suffered this much to put thoughts into paper I’m not fucking cutting shit
So done with this shit I don’t even want to write a second book
January 2, 2026 at 1:56 AM
So done with this shit I don’t even want to write a second book
My brothers wtf happened between 1900 and 1910 lmao
January 2, 2026 at 1:32 AM
My brothers wtf happened between 1900 and 1910 lmao