Sumita Pahwa
@sumitapahwa.bsky.social
Social scientist, Bombayite, Californian, ex-Cairene. Mango maven. Cat lady. Teaches at Scripps College. Book: https://press.syr.edu/supressbooks/5829/politics-as-worship/
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
it is so clear that the mental model of politics these guys has is of playing a video game
February 18, 2026 at 2:58 AM
it is so clear that the mental model of politics these guys has is of playing a video game
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
the logic of his position is that you would them abandon those issues and so on and so on until you’ve fully sacrificed a group of vulnerable americans to reactionary bullies for the sake of a percentage point (if that)
Like this. "You must strategically abandon the specific issues that the right has rendered toxic & focus on others."
But then ... why wouldn't the right just be able to do the same thing on those other issues?
But then ... why wouldn't the right just be able to do the same thing on those other issues?
February 18, 2026 at 2:51 AM
the logic of his position is that you would them abandon those issues and so on and so on until you’ve fully sacrificed a group of vulnerable americans to reactionary bullies for the sake of a percentage point (if that)
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
The college at which I'm employed, which has signed a contract with the AI firm that stole books from 131 colleagues & me, paid a student to write an op-ed for the student paper promoting AI, guided the writing of it, and did not disclose this to the paper. www.thedartmouth.com/article/2026...
College approached and paid student to write op-ed in The Dartmouth
The Dartmouth ran the article on Nov. 17 without knowledge that the College had been involved.
www.thedartmouth.com
January 29, 2026 at 10:40 PM
The college at which I'm employed, which has signed a contract with the AI firm that stole books from 131 colleagues & me, paid a student to write an op-ed for the student paper promoting AI, guided the writing of it, and did not disclose this to the paper. www.thedartmouth.com/article/2026...
Golly gee, why didn't I think of it? I should just choose to move to West Hollywood* and work nearby, and suddenly I will be walking everwhere and never need a car.
*does not include the $3 million I'd need to buy a house there.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/movi...
*does not include the $3 million I'd need to buy a house there.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/movi...
Want to walk more without trying? Move here
Researchers found that walkable city design—not personal motivation—was the key factor behind people taking 1,100 more steps per day
www.scientificamerican.com
February 17, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Golly gee, why didn't I think of it? I should just choose to move to West Hollywood* and work nearby, and suddenly I will be walking everwhere and never need a car.
*does not include the $3 million I'd need to buy a house there.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/movi...
*does not include the $3 million I'd need to buy a house there.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/movi...
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Can we please make sure we keep this in mind when everyone decides to make fun of people concerned about their safety in regard to civil disobedience.
"Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman shot by federal agents last fall, was already on the government's radar before an agent opened fire, identified as a threat after a social media post."
Immigration authorities had surveilled Chicago woman shot 5 times during 'Midway Blitz': CBP Report
Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman shot by federal agents last fall, was already on the government's radar and was identified as a threat after a social media post, according to a CBP report obtained...
abc7chicago.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Can we please make sure we keep this in mind when everyone decides to make fun of people concerned about their safety in regard to civil disobedience.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
"Reform takes negotiation, and sometimes that means playing hardball. In this case, that means giving the Machine a budget greater than the GDP of Chile."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/we-...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/we-...
We Can Reform the Atrocity Machine
My dear constituents, Like you, I am deeply troubled by the Atrocity Machine’s recent activity. It is a stain on our nation, and we must take actio...
www.mcsweeneys.net
February 17, 2026 at 7:28 PM
"Reform takes negotiation, and sometimes that means playing hardball. In this case, that means giving the Machine a budget greater than the GDP of Chile."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/we-...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/we-...
Agree. We study everything else - institutions, economics, sociology, hierarchies - but display a remarkable lack of concern with our own workplaces.
Career Advice | What Grad Students Need: A Crash Course in Institutional Literacy
We’re preparing Ph.Ds. who lack basic knowledge about how universities work. https://bit.ly/4qM8Hxp
#EDUSky #HigherEd #AcademicSky
We’re preparing Ph.Ds. who lack basic knowledge about how universities work. https://bit.ly/4qM8Hxp
#EDUSky #HigherEd #AcademicSky
February 17, 2026 at 3:11 PM
Agree. We study everything else - institutions, economics, sociology, hierarchies - but display a remarkable lack of concern with our own workplaces.
RIP Rev Jackson, who came to stand with protesting/striking Hopkins janitors and nurses' aides when I was a grad student there in the early oughts.
I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is
February 17, 2026 at 3:09 PM
RIP Rev Jackson, who came to stand with protesting/striking Hopkins janitors and nurses' aides when I was a grad student there in the early oughts.
Kind of like when women speak for more than 30% of the time in meetings, they are seen as speaking 'far too much.'
Would be a nice factoid for pundits/journalists to mention when politicians and activists claim Obama was racially divisive
February 16, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Kind of like when women speak for more than 30% of the time in meetings, they are seen as speaking 'far too much.'
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Political scientist Dan Gillion analyzed presidential speech and found that Obama talked about race and racial issues less than any other modern president
February 16, 2026 at 9:37 PM
Political scientist Dan Gillion analyzed presidential speech and found that Obama talked about race and racial issues less than any other modern president
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Have you ever once seen the New York Times quote Trump like this?
February 16, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Have you ever once seen the New York Times quote Trump like this?
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
anyone who speaks or listens. for a living knows the difference between rhetorically clearing your throat and incoherence, and that in a conversational setting, the first is not just unremarkable but normal, but I guess we’re in for another round of “look at this vapid girl”
Have you ever once seen the New York Times quote Trump like this?
February 16, 2026 at 8:24 PM
anyone who speaks or listens. for a living knows the difference between rhetorically clearing your throat and incoherence, and that in a conversational setting, the first is not just unremarkable but normal, but I guess we’re in for another round of “look at this vapid girl”
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Throughout 2026, @timep.bsky.social will be programming around the 15 year anniversary of the Arab Uprisings.
Our kick-off event on February 23 features an incredible line-up: Lina Attalah, Hamid Khalafallah, Razan Rashidi, and Samia Errazzouki, moderated by @michatobia.bsky.social.
Our kick-off event on February 23 features an incredible line-up: Lina Attalah, Hamid Khalafallah, Razan Rashidi, and Samia Errazzouki, moderated by @michatobia.bsky.social.
🔔 Join us on Feb 23 for an online event 15 years since the Arab Uprisings. Together, Lina Attalah, @hamidmkk.bsky.social, Samia Errazzouki, and Razan Rashidi, moderated by Micha Tobia, will revisit these movements, reflect on their legacies, and imagine what's next: timep.org/2026/02/16/t...
February 16, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Throughout 2026, @timep.bsky.social will be programming around the 15 year anniversary of the Arab Uprisings.
Our kick-off event on February 23 features an incredible line-up: Lina Attalah, Hamid Khalafallah, Razan Rashidi, and Samia Errazzouki, moderated by @michatobia.bsky.social.
Our kick-off event on February 23 features an incredible line-up: Lina Attalah, Hamid Khalafallah, Razan Rashidi, and Samia Errazzouki, moderated by @michatobia.bsky.social.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
The amazing thing about colonoscopies is that they don't just detect cancer, they prevent it by snipping off any polyps they find before they turn cancerous.
I encourage everyone to say yes to a colonoscopy when the time comes. The diet prep is annoying for a few days but the procedure itself is a breeze.
Colorectal cancer is rising in younger adults. Here's who is most at risk and symptoms to watch for
The death of “Dawson’s Creek” actor James Van Der Beek highlights a rising trend in colorectal cancer among young adults.
apnews.com
February 16, 2026 at 3:31 PM
The amazing thing about colonoscopies is that they don't just detect cancer, they prevent it by snipping off any polyps they find before they turn cancerous.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
The @apsamena.bsky.social RDG was the most productive conference experience I've had in a while. As a discussant, I learned a ton and felt my academic batteries recharge.
Highly recommend this for early career scholars of MENA (including Turkey!)
Deadline March 1. web.apsanet.org/mena/wp-cont...
Highly recommend this for early career scholars of MENA (including Turkey!)
Deadline March 1. web.apsanet.org/mena/wp-cont...
February 16, 2026 at 4:04 PM
The @apsamena.bsky.social RDG was the most productive conference experience I've had in a while. As a discussant, I learned a ton and felt my academic batteries recharge.
Highly recommend this for early career scholars of MENA (including Turkey!)
Deadline March 1. web.apsanet.org/mena/wp-cont...
Highly recommend this for early career scholars of MENA (including Turkey!)
Deadline March 1. web.apsanet.org/mena/wp-cont...
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
This!
**It is important to understand that cultivating a class of intellectually powerful scientists who are given lots of cash and little social accountability is a structural feature that Epstein was taking advantage of, not inventing.**
🧪🔭⚛️
🧪🔭⚛️
February 16, 2026 at 2:48 PM
This!
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
“‘My country, right or wrong,’ is a thing that no patriot would think of saying. It is like saying, ‘My mother, drunk or sober.’” — GK Chesterton
If you think there’s NOTHING in our heritage (or in any nation’s) to be unapologetic about, you’re a fool. A dangerous fool.
February 15, 2026 at 11:39 PM
“‘My country, right or wrong,’ is a thing that no patriot would think of saying. It is like saying, ‘My mother, drunk or sober.’” — GK Chesterton
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
While Eric Adams paying taxpayer money to Palantir to chase the most vulnerable patients for their medical bills—and hoover up their data—-this is what North Carolina did for their residents who have medical debt….
bsky.app/profile/dear...
www.ncdhhs.gov/news/press-r...
bsky.app/profile/dear...
www.ncdhhs.gov/news/press-r...
February 15, 2026 at 10:00 PM
While Eric Adams paying taxpayer money to Palantir to chase the most vulnerable patients for their medical bills—and hoover up their data—-this is what North Carolina did for their residents who have medical debt….
bsky.app/profile/dear...
www.ncdhhs.gov/news/press-r...
bsky.app/profile/dear...
www.ncdhhs.gov/news/press-r...
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Palantir Gets Millions From NYC’s Public Hospitals flip.it/GkPr5a
“Since 2023, NYC Health & Hospitals Corp paid Palantir nearly $4 million to improve its ability to track down payment for the services provided at its hospitals.”
😱Instead of debt jubilee, NYC paid PALANTIR to collect medical debt?!
“Since 2023, NYC Health & Hospitals Corp paid Palantir nearly $4 million to improve its ability to track down payment for the services provided at its hospitals.”
😱Instead of debt jubilee, NYC paid PALANTIR to collect medical debt?!
Palantir Gets Millions of Dollars From New York City’s Public Hospitals
Activist are urging New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation to cut ties with the ICE contractor.
flip.it
February 15, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Palantir Gets Millions From NYC’s Public Hospitals flip.it/GkPr5a
“Since 2023, NYC Health & Hospitals Corp paid Palantir nearly $4 million to improve its ability to track down payment for the services provided at its hospitals.”
😱Instead of debt jubilee, NYC paid PALANTIR to collect medical debt?!
“Since 2023, NYC Health & Hospitals Corp paid Palantir nearly $4 million to improve its ability to track down payment for the services provided at its hospitals.”
😱Instead of debt jubilee, NYC paid PALANTIR to collect medical debt?!
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
(10/11) Dubal’s research showed that dynamic rates are coming for wages too, with Uber drivers with identical workloads and performance getting different pay based on the lowest amount the algorithm calculated they’d accept. www.columbialawreview.org/content/on-a...
ON ALGORITHMIC WAGE DISCRIMINATION - Columbia Law Review
INTRODUCTION Over the past two decades, technological developments have ushered in extreme levels of workplace monitoring and surveillance across many sectors. These automated systems record and quant...
www.columbialawreview.org
February 11, 2026 at 8:41 PM
(10/11) Dubal’s research showed that dynamic rates are coming for wages too, with Uber drivers with identical workloads and performance getting different pay based on the lowest amount the algorithm calculated they’d accept. www.columbialawreview.org/content/on-a...
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
(9/11) This trend has its defenders—Wharton’s Z. John Zhang calls it "efficiency," and says it will lower prices. But legal scholar Veena Dubal has called it “discrimination.”
February 11, 2026 at 8:41 PM
(9/11) This trend has its defenders—Wharton’s Z. John Zhang calls it "efficiency," and says it will lower prices. But legal scholar Veena Dubal has called it “discrimination.”
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
(8/11) Now, we’re going back to the Bazaar. But this time you’re not up against a shopkeeper. You’re up against a massive digital infrastructure calculating your personal price tolerance.
February 11, 2026 at 8:41 PM
(8/11) Now, we’re going back to the Bazaar. But this time you’re not up against a shopkeeper. You’re up against a massive digital infrastructure calculating your personal price tolerance.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
(7/11)This individualized targeting marks a departure from a 150-year old retail standard. Since John Wanamaker popularized the price tag in 1861, fixed prices have functioned as a de facto social contract. It ensured a market standard: the same cost for every customer, regardless of background
February 11, 2026 at 8:41 PM
(7/11)This individualized targeting marks a departure from a 150-year old retail standard. Since John Wanamaker popularized the price tag in 1861, fixed prices have functioned as a de facto social contract. It ensured a market standard: the same cost for every customer, regardless of background