Shannon E French
@sefrench.bsky.social
Philosophy Prof, author of Code of the Warrior. Research: Military Ethics and Ethics & Emerging Technology. Views posted are just mine; not any employer’s or sponsor’s, etc. Reposts aren’t necessarily endorsements. My humor is dark and my anger righteous.
Pinned
Shannon E French
@sefrench.bsky.social
· Aug 19
Whoohoo! IT HAS ARRIVED!
I gotta admit, the thrill of opening a box of freshly published books with my name on them never gets old. Thank you, @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social for a great author experience thus far.
I hope those of you with an interest in the subject enjoy the new material! #booksky
I gotta admit, the thrill of opening a box of freshly published books with my name on them never gets old. Thank you, @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social for a great author experience thus far.
I hope those of you with an interest in the subject enjoy the new material! #booksky
Reposted by Shannon E French
"...no republic is safe that tolerates a privileged class, or denies to any of its citizens equal rights and equal means to maintain them".
Frederick Douglass, 1866
Frederick Douglass, 1866
February 8, 2026 at 12:24 PM
"...no republic is safe that tolerates a privileged class, or denies to any of its citizens equal rights and equal means to maintain them".
Frederick Douglass, 1866
Frederick Douglass, 1866
Reposted by Shannon E French
All of these rich pukes are fucking insane. They latch onto weird shit and start acting like it’s the Most Important Thing Ever and no one around them says, “What the fuck is wrong with you, you deranged asshole?”
February 8, 2026 at 1:09 PM
All of these rich pukes are fucking insane. They latch onto weird shit and start acting like it’s the Most Important Thing Ever and no one around them says, “What the fuck is wrong with you, you deranged asshole?”
Reposted by Shannon E French
"One disturbing explanation for Epstein’s support of science comes from his interest in genetic determinism. This idea, which dates to the eugenics era..Epstein had ambitions of founding a 'baby ranch' to raise children of women he impregnated"
#AcademicSky
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
#AcademicSky
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
Why did Jeffrey Epstein cultivate famous scientists?
The Epstein files revive questions of whether the disgraced financier sought to merely cultivate famous scientists, or to shape science itself
www.scientificamerican.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:00 PM
"One disturbing explanation for Epstein’s support of science comes from his interest in genetic determinism. This idea, which dates to the eugenics era..Epstein had ambitions of founding a 'baby ranch' to raise children of women he impregnated"
#AcademicSky
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
#AcademicSky
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
Reposted by Shannon E French
This discourse won't die bc the issue was not really "how can I get laid?"
That's just a way to personalize & disguise the real question: "how can women be returned to the status of chattel so that I have less labor market competition & get free domestic & sexual labor to boot?"
THAT's political.
That's just a way to personalize & disguise the real question: "how can women be returned to the status of chattel so that I have less labor market competition & get free domestic & sexual labor to boot?"
THAT's political.
I don't think "how can I get laid?" is a question for the state to answer.
I also don't think "treat women like they're people," while good advice, will resonate with men asking how they can succeed at treating women like objects.
I also don't think "treat women like they're people," while good advice, will resonate with men asking how they can succeed at treating women like objects.
August 2, 2025 at 4:13 AM
This discourse won't die bc the issue was not really "how can I get laid?"
That's just a way to personalize & disguise the real question: "how can women be returned to the status of chattel so that I have less labor market competition & get free domestic & sexual labor to boot?"
THAT's political.
That's just a way to personalize & disguise the real question: "how can women be returned to the status of chattel so that I have less labor market competition & get free domestic & sexual labor to boot?"
THAT's political.
Reposted by Shannon E French
2026 in a nutshell.
February 7, 2026 at 10:37 PM
2026 in a nutshell.
Reposted by Shannon E French
Happy Black History Month. 🥳 #BlackSky
“I could not do interviews and not talk about it, but then the story doesn’t get out there. Maybe a little girl doesn’t see me, who looks like her. That’s what’s really important," Edwards said. https://bit.ly/4qoIAMS
February 6, 2026 at 9:37 PM
Happy Black History Month. 🥳 #BlackSky
Reposted by Shannon E French
These companies are always lying about the extent of their automation because some things cannot be fully automated in principle
futurism.com/advanced-tra...
futurism.com/advanced-tra...
It Turns Out That When Waymos Are Stumped, They Get Intervention From Workers in the Philippines
During a Congressional hearing, Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was grilled over the company's reliance on overseas workers.
futurism.com
February 7, 2026 at 12:27 AM
These companies are always lying about the extent of their automation because some things cannot be fully automated in principle
futurism.com/advanced-tra...
futurism.com/advanced-tra...
While this makes me very happy (because anything that foils the Russians makes me happy), it’s also a timely reminder to all modern militaries that their tech toys can also be points of weakness. They’re all vulnerable in various ways. Better keep training in lower tech fighting and other skills too
3 minutes of pure, unfiltered russian tears about Starlink shutdown:
“In a single night we utterly descended into the Stone Age 😭”
“We don’t have internet to aim our missiles 😭”
Music to my ears 😁
“In a single night we utterly descended into the Stone Age 😭”
“We don’t have internet to aim our missiles 😭”
Music to my ears 😁
February 7, 2026 at 7:12 PM
While this makes me very happy (because anything that foils the Russians makes me happy), it’s also a timely reminder to all modern militaries that their tech toys can also be points of weakness. They’re all vulnerable in various ways. Better keep training in lower tech fighting and other skills too
Reposted by Shannon E French
Love love love the Olympics and I don’t care how corny that is!
February 7, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Love love love the Olympics and I don’t care how corny that is!
Reposted by Shannon E French
Spoke with a PI whose postdoc is trapped abroad because of social media vetting. It appears the postdoc missed disclosing one account and it's unclear if they can come back… ever.
This is the country we live in now.
This is the country we live in now.
February 7, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Spoke with a PI whose postdoc is trapped abroad because of social media vetting. It appears the postdoc missed disclosing one account and it's unclear if they can come back… ever.
This is the country we live in now.
This is the country we live in now.
Reposted by Shannon E French
reminded that hamish mcsubstack's 2023 explanation of why he takes nazi money is: "Given that, we don’t think that censorship (including through demonetising publications) makes the problem go away – in fact, it makes it worse.."
This is false. Like it's false false. Very false.
This is false. Like it's false false. Very false.
Scholarship from 2021: Deplatforming works.
"Our results show that this approach minimized the impact of influencers and their ideas as well as modulated the offensive discourse of their many supporters."
dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1...
"Our results show that this approach minimized the impact of influencers and their ideas as well as modulated the offensive discourse of their many supporters."
dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1...
February 7, 2026 at 5:30 PM
reminded that hamish mcsubstack's 2023 explanation of why he takes nazi money is: "Given that, we don’t think that censorship (including through demonetising publications) makes the problem go away – in fact, it makes it worse.."
This is false. Like it's false false. Very false.
This is false. Like it's false false. Very false.
Reposted by Shannon E French
February 7, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Shannon E French
with the Olympics coming up, I cannot recommend enough just picking random sports and getting really into them at a moment's notice
did I know anything about women's foil before the last Olympics? I did not
did I become the world's biggest Lee Kiefer fan immediately? absolutely I did
did I know anything about women's foil before the last Olympics? I did not
did I become the world's biggest Lee Kiefer fan immediately? absolutely I did
February 4, 2026 at 6:28 PM
with the Olympics coming up, I cannot recommend enough just picking random sports and getting really into them at a moment's notice
did I know anything about women's foil before the last Olympics? I did not
did I become the world's biggest Lee Kiefer fan immediately? absolutely I did
did I know anything about women's foil before the last Olympics? I did not
did I become the world's biggest Lee Kiefer fan immediately? absolutely I did
Reposted by Shannon E French
a lot of ex-mil people on here who served in the gwot have noted, correctly, that the stuff ice is doing would a) have gotten them killed and/or b) gotten them in a lot of trouble. war crimey stuff was correctly treated like war crimes etc
I spoke to @juliango.bsky.social about the imperial boomerang and how US war tactics abroad are being employed at home by ICE
"America’s cities are treated as colonial zones of conquest and imperial borderlands because that’s all ICE knows. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"
"America’s cities are treated as colonial zones of conquest and imperial borderlands because that’s all ICE knows. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"
The 'Imperial Boomerang' Explains Why We've Seen What ICE Is Doing Before
The boomerang is already in flight in the U.S., a sociologist says.
www.huffpost.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:31 AM
a lot of ex-mil people on here who served in the gwot have noted, correctly, that the stuff ice is doing would a) have gotten them killed and/or b) gotten them in a lot of trouble. war crimey stuff was correctly treated like war crimes etc
Reposted by Shannon E French
IMO this is how a real leader behaves, classy, selfless, drawing attention to heroism and virtue in others, in sharp contrast to the punk so desperate for accolades and acclaim they whine loudly and often until people give them fake and second-hand awards just to shut them up.
⚡️ Moldovan president rejects Nobel Peace Prize nomination, says Ukrainian POWs deserve it instead.
"Today, I was watching Ukrainian (prisoners of war) who returned home from Russia, and these are the people who deserve the Peace Prize," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.
"Today, I was watching Ukrainian (prisoners of war) who returned home from Russia, and these are the people who deserve the Peace Prize," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.
Moldovan president rejects Nobel Peace Prize nomination, says Ukrainian POWs deserve it instead
"Today, I was watching Ukrainian (prisoners of war) who returned home from Russia, and these are the people who deserve the Peace Prize," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.
kyivindependent.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:53 PM
IMO this is how a real leader behaves, classy, selfless, drawing attention to heroism and virtue in others, in sharp contrast to the punk so desperate for accolades and acclaim they whine loudly and often until people give them fake and second-hand awards just to shut them up.
Everyone in his orbit or his party not willing to condemn this as disgustingly racist is complicit. They should read history about how collaborators generally fare.
Trump Posts Video Portraying Obamas as Apes www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02...
Trump Posts Video Portraying Obamas as Apes www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02...
Trump Posts Video Portraying Obamas as Apes
www.nytimes.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Everyone in his orbit or his party not willing to condemn this as disgustingly racist is complicit. They should read history about how collaborators generally fare.
Trump Posts Video Portraying Obamas as Apes www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02...
Trump Posts Video Portraying Obamas as Apes www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02...
Man, February’s been rough… and it’s only the 5th.
February 6, 2026 at 4:27 AM
Man, February’s been rough… and it’s only the 5th.
Reposted by Shannon E French
TRIGGER WARNING, because here is a US Marshal from Trump‘s Gestapo Force in Memphis kicking a puppy today in the Whitehaven neighborhood and breaking its rib. They were serving a warrant and I guess BIG MAN got scared of the schnauzer.
(I didn’t take the video, the dog’s person did)
(I didn’t take the video, the dog’s person did)
February 6, 2026 at 4:20 AM
TRIGGER WARNING, because here is a US Marshal from Trump‘s Gestapo Force in Memphis kicking a puppy today in the Whitehaven neighborhood and breaking its rib. They were serving a warrant and I guess BIG MAN got scared of the schnauzer.
(I didn’t take the video, the dog’s person did)
(I didn’t take the video, the dog’s person did)
Reposted by Shannon E French
Over the past two weeks I've begun to realize that rich people only started funding chatbots once they could no longer email Jeffrey Epstein
February 5, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Over the past two weeks I've begun to realize that rich people only started funding chatbots once they could no longer email Jeffrey Epstein
Yet another thing that makes me livid. These guys could so easily contribute to society and benefit everyone, but they just refuse. They pay people to find any way they can to duck taxes and other obligations. Just appalling.
We found that Jeff Bezos paid *zero* taxes in 2007 and 2011.
In fact, he reported making so little in 2011 that he even claimed and received a $4,000 tax credit for his children.
This is how he did it (published 2021):
In fact, he reported making so little in 2011 that he even claimed and received a $4,000 tax credit for his children.
This is how he did it (published 2021):
The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax
ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, ev...
www.propublica.org
February 6, 2026 at 4:21 AM
Yet another thing that makes me livid. These guys could so easily contribute to society and benefit everyone, but they just refuse. They pay people to find any way they can to duck taxes and other obligations. Just appalling.
Reposted by Shannon E French
Bringing natural consequence to people who have abused their power with barbarous corruption and lawless brutality and cruelty and murder is not an extreme position. It shouldn’t even be a position. It should be a given. It should be a requirement of holding office.
February 6, 2026 at 1:09 AM
Bringing natural consequence to people who have abused their power with barbarous corruption and lawless brutality and cruelty and murder is not an extreme position. It shouldn’t even be a position. It should be a given. It should be a requirement of holding office.
Reposted by Shannon E French
Fills me with a rage so hot I have to force myself not to think about it for too long.
The gall of these men to front like they’re something special and not just degenerate pigs hogging the trough.
One positive though: I will never let imposter syndrome infect my psyche ever again.
The gall of these men to front like they’re something special and not just degenerate pigs hogging the trough.
One positive though: I will never let imposter syndrome infect my psyche ever again.
the Epstein files are really devastating because they remind me of how many girls and women miss out on professional opportunities, mentorship and careers because of how many powerful, rich and influential men only view girls and women — and interactions with them — through the lens of sex
February 5, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Fills me with a rage so hot I have to force myself not to think about it for too long.
The gall of these men to front like they’re something special and not just degenerate pigs hogging the trough.
One positive though: I will never let imposter syndrome infect my psyche ever again.
The gall of these men to front like they’re something special and not just degenerate pigs hogging the trough.
One positive though: I will never let imposter syndrome infect my psyche ever again.
Reposted by Shannon E French
For fuck's sake this is not "how men behave" it's how abusers behave. To whatever extent it's how too many men behave, it's because those men are abusers.
And people who cater to abusers ... are also abusers. David Gelernter should never be allowed near students again.
And people who cater to abusers ... are also abusers. David Gelernter should never be allowed near students again.
Yale prof David Gelernter defends his letter urging Epstein to hire "v small goodlooking blonde" student by saying that he was "keep[ing] the potential boss's habits in mind."
This creep shouldn't be allowed anywhere near students.
yaledailynews.com/articles/gel...
This creep shouldn't be allowed anywhere near students.
yaledailynews.com/articles/gel...
February 5, 2026 at 4:05 PM
For fuck's sake this is not "how men behave" it's how abusers behave. To whatever extent it's how too many men behave, it's because those men are abusers.
And people who cater to abusers ... are also abusers. David Gelernter should never be allowed near students again.
And people who cater to abusers ... are also abusers. David Gelernter should never be allowed near students again.
Reposted by Shannon E French
This is truly incredible.
Shakespeare speaking to RIGHT NOW—on the “mountainish” inhumanity of punishing and casting out strangers from your country.
Shakespeare speaking to RIGHT NOW—on the “mountainish” inhumanity of punishing and casting out strangers from your country.
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 4:09 PM
This is truly incredible.
Shakespeare speaking to RIGHT NOW—on the “mountainish” inhumanity of punishing and casting out strangers from your country.
Shakespeare speaking to RIGHT NOW—on the “mountainish” inhumanity of punishing and casting out strangers from your country.