Tim Verstynen
@tdverstynen.bsky.social
Professor
Department Gadfly
Data Alchemist
Synthetic Psychologist
Zombie Apologist
“The enemy” - JD Vance
Opinions are my own. Not gonna let my employer take credit for them.
Department Gadfly
Data Alchemist
Synthetic Psychologist
Zombie Apologist
“The enemy” - JD Vance
Opinions are my own. Not gonna let my employer take credit for them.
Pinned
Tim Verstynen
@tdverstynen.bsky.social
· Jan 28
I grew up a white kid in a bilingual, majority Hispanic state, in a pueblo region continuously occupied by indigenous peoples for over a thousand years, and in a city whose name is derived from an old Arabic phrase.
This is what America looks like.
This is what America looks like.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Right-wing Heritage Foundation’s own data shows fewer than 100 noncitizens voted since 1982 (!!!)
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
February 16, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Right-wing Heritage Foundation’s own data shows fewer than 100 noncitizens voted since 1982 (!!!)
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
This is not a real problem. “The SAVE ACT is a Trojan horse to nationalize elections”: open.substack.com/pub/thiswill...
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Now posted ahead of print:
"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.
(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.
(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
February 16, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Now posted ahead of print:
"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.
(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.
(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
The Project 2025 architect who promised to put federal employees “in trauma” is spending $15 million of former USAID funding—money that would have gone toward fighting HIV, polio, malaria, and other diseases—to bankroll his security detail. trib.al/TSV3cmb
February 16, 2026 at 12:10 AM
The Project 2025 architect who promised to put federal employees “in trauma” is spending $15 million of former USAID funding—money that would have gone toward fighting HIV, polio, malaria, and other diseases—to bankroll his security detail. trib.al/TSV3cmb
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
mom they’re roasting the US economy on mastodon again
February 16, 2026 at 7:37 AM
mom they’re roasting the US economy on mastodon again
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
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 9:53 PM
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.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Yes, that’s why my family left Germany because they really wanted to go to Great Britain and sort of missed it by thaaat much
February 15, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Yes, that’s why my family left Germany because they really wanted to go to Great Britain and sort of missed it by thaaat much
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
This reminds me of when Charles Murray wrote a book about human accomplishment and left out jazz.
February 15, 2026 at 11:49 PM
This reminds me of when Charles Murray wrote a book about human accomplishment and left out jazz.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
A child dying of cancer spent her final days fighting to free her wrongfully detained father from ICE custody.
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
Ofelia Torres, teen who fought to have her father released from ICE custody, dies from rare cancer
Ofelia Torres, 16, died on Friday from Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, her father's lawyer confirmed.
www.cbsnews.com
February 15, 2026 at 9:20 PM
A child dying of cancer spent her final days fighting to free her wrongfully detained father from ICE custody.
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
don't forget any middle aged person's biggest fantasy: incredible speed of recovery from bodily injuries without any leftover dysfunction or pain
The John Wick series is so effective because it fully embodies the three major tenets of dumb guy fantasy: 1. being able to kick anyone’s ass, 2. living by a code of honor, and 3. paying for things with gold coins
February 15, 2026 at 7:26 PM
don't forget any middle aged person's biggest fantasy: incredible speed of recovery from bodily injuries without any leftover dysfunction or pain
I do not advocate arson or property damage… but if when your grandchildren ask what you did to resist the rise of fascism in America you reply “I tried to burn down a potential concentration camp”, you’ll almost certainly have achieved legend status in your family lore.
By the power invested in me, I hearby proclaim this woman, "White Woman of Next Month!"
(sorry, you cant have February.)
Not all heroes wear blue jeans
(sorry, you cant have February.)
Not all heroes wear blue jeans
February 15, 2026 at 7:11 PM
I do not advocate arson or property damage… but if when your grandchildren ask what you did to resist the rise of fascism in America you reply “I tried to burn down a potential concentration camp”, you’ll almost certainly have achieved legend status in your family lore.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick:
"With immigration, it really is notable: the extent to which they just are no longer just winking at white nationalist tropes, but openly deploying them—and then calling anybody who says anything the real bigots."
youtube.com/shorts/KgDn9...
"With immigration, it really is notable: the extent to which they just are no longer just winking at white nationalist tropes, but openly deploying them—and then calling anybody who says anything the real bigots."
youtube.com/shorts/KgDn9...
Aaron Reichlin Melnick on government agencies weaponizing bigotry
YouTube video by Conversations with Bill Kristol
youtube.com
February 15, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick:
"With immigration, it really is notable: the extent to which they just are no longer just winking at white nationalist tropes, but openly deploying them—and then calling anybody who says anything the real bigots."
youtube.com/shorts/KgDn9...
"With immigration, it really is notable: the extent to which they just are no longer just winking at white nationalist tropes, but openly deploying them—and then calling anybody who says anything the real bigots."
youtube.com/shorts/KgDn9...
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
wealth concentration is already 200% as bad at is was in 2020. think about that
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
February 15, 2026 at 3:20 PM
wealth concentration is already 200% as bad at is was in 2020. think about that
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
The reason these people have been attacking scholars and universities is that they stand in the way of the ahistorical bullshit they need to spew in order to construct white Christian nationalism
The Rubio speech really is appalling, and if you haven’t read it yet, you should.
www.state.gov/releases/off...
www.state.gov/releases/off...
February 15, 2026 at 4:17 PM
The reason these people have been attacking scholars and universities is that they stand in the way of the ahistorical bullshit they need to spew in order to construct white Christian nationalism
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
RFK Jr. has talked up the promise of infusing his department with AI for months—but the full extent of his AI push is just now becoming clear, Matteo Wong and Nicholas Florko write:
Drink Whole Milk, Eat Red Meat, and Use ChatGPT
What Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “AI revolution” really looks like
bit.ly
February 15, 2026 at 2:15 AM
RFK Jr. has talked up the promise of infusing his department with AI for months—but the full extent of his AI push is just now becoming clear, Matteo Wong and Nicholas Florko write:
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
At 9:18, 3rd period of the Finland-Switzerland women's ice hockey QF game, the ice crew came to clean the ice during a pause
What follows is the funniest use of the slo-mo alternate angle tech I've seen them use during these Olympics of one of the crew members falling
What follows is the funniest use of the slo-mo alternate angle tech I've seen them use during these Olympics of one of the crew members falling
February 15, 2026 at 12:14 AM
At 9:18, 3rd period of the Finland-Switzerland women's ice hockey QF game, the ice crew came to clean the ice during a pause
What follows is the funniest use of the slo-mo alternate angle tech I've seen them use during these Olympics of one of the crew members falling
What follows is the funniest use of the slo-mo alternate angle tech I've seen them use during these Olympics of one of the crew members falling
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Measles is a bellwether. Because it’s the most contagious vaccine-preventable disease, when vaccination rates drop, it’s the first to start spreading.
Now we’ve got mumps rolling up.
Expect more.
This is just the beginning of RFK Jr.’s successful infectious disease reintroduction plan.
Now we’ve got mumps rolling up.
Expect more.
This is just the beginning of RFK Jr.’s successful infectious disease reintroduction plan.
Maryland health officials warn providers about an upsurge in mumps cases
Maryland health officials are warning about an uptick in cases of mumps.
www.thebanner.com
February 14, 2026 at 11:34 PM
Measles is a bellwether. Because it’s the most contagious vaccine-preventable disease, when vaccination rates drop, it’s the first to start spreading.
Now we’ve got mumps rolling up.
Expect more.
This is just the beginning of RFK Jr.’s successful infectious disease reintroduction plan.
Now we’ve got mumps rolling up.
Expect more.
This is just the beginning of RFK Jr.’s successful infectious disease reintroduction plan.
As someone who works at one of these verboten schools I can tell you that this only hurts the military and those veterans wishing to receive a world class education.
It’s a complete self-own simply to assuage a weak man’s delicate ego.
It’s a complete self-own simply to assuage a weak man’s delicate ego.
UPDATE: Hegseth has included VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY on a list of schools off limits for tuition assistance for military officers as part of his campaign against schools he describes as “biased” against the US military.🤔 www.cnn.com/2026/02/13/p...
February 14, 2026 at 10:01 PM
As someone who works at one of these verboten schools I can tell you that this only hurts the military and those veterans wishing to receive a world class education.
It’s a complete self-own simply to assuage a weak man’s delicate ego.
It’s a complete self-own simply to assuage a weak man’s delicate ego.
It’s a little on the nose that this is written by someone named Matthew White Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley.
February 14, 2026 at 7:14 PM
It’s a little on the nose that this is written by someone named Matthew White Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
I’m pretty sure you all needed to see this video of a baby manatee with its mom.
February 14, 2026 at 3:10 AM
I’m pretty sure you all needed to see this video of a baby manatee with its mom.
They’re literally shaming people for eating real food.
“The peasants must eat only Twinkies and drink only soda!”
“The peasants must eat only Twinkies and drink only soda!”
Gen Zers and millennials are swimming in student debt and may never own homes, but they’re splurging on gut-healthy juices and rotisserie chickens.
The Booming Business of Luxury Grocery Stores
A new crop of gourmet grocers has hit the city, drawing lines of trendy TikTokers, MAHA-curious health fiends and Instacart devotees who want to pop in for a treat.
on.wsj.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:27 AM
They’re literally shaming people for eating real food.
“The peasants must eat only Twinkies and drink only soda!”
“The peasants must eat only Twinkies and drink only soda!”
I’ll just be here waiting for the Trump administration to go as vigorously against Fox News for its blatant antisemitism as it did against US universities.
Current state of things: One Fox News host casually declares that Epstein’s money comes from “Jewish billionaires” and a “Jewish banking family,” another responds that he was a “sex rabbi.” www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/jes...
February 13, 2026 at 6:58 PM
I’ll just be here waiting for the Trump administration to go as vigorously against Fox News for its blatant antisemitism as it did against US universities.
This is why I say that those who advertise their Christianity the loudest tend to be the least Christ like.
there's fierce competition, but this is one of the most stomach-turning things I've read in some time
Exclusive: White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show
The White House budget office is using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's budget chief and an archit...
www.reuters.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:11 PM
This is why I say that those who advertise their Christianity the loudest tend to be the least Christ like.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
USAID money that saved people’s lives now reallocated to create a paid entourage for the guy who promised to put federal employees in trauma
there's fierce competition, but this is one of the most stomach-turning things I've read in some time
Exclusive: White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show
The White House budget office is using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's budget chief and an archit...
www.reuters.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:45 PM
USAID money that saved people’s lives now reallocated to create a paid entourage for the guy who promised to put federal employees in trauma
I kept thinking of the busy bee freak out from Best in Show when I read about the blanket incident.
February 13, 2026 at 11:56 AM
I kept thinking of the busy bee freak out from Best in Show when I read about the blanket incident.