Bessie the Normie
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bessiefromsgv.bsky.social
Bessie the Normie
@bessiefromsgv.bsky.social
Taiwan beyond night markets and semiconductors: www.taiwanese-expat.com

a normie
new yorker
techno-realist
a woman ruining the workplace
Not me getting my Taiwan accessories ready as I’m packing for my Japan trip.
November 25, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Every time I see some cliche like "the Chinese think in centuries" from a Westerner, I faceplant so hard.

Over the centuries, China fell apart multiple times, was ruled by Mongols and Manchus, and convulsed with conflicts.
November 25, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Wrote a bit about how Silicon Valley's recent China envy and trying to get workers to 996 is not it

bessiefromsgv.substack.com/p/silicon-va...
Silicon Valley Is Taking All The Wrong Lessons From China’s Successes
What Americans should learn from China and other Asian countries is industrial policy, not 996 or authoritarian control
bessiefromsgv.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:18 AM
"When fundamental freedoms are at stake, however, it becomes our duty, as an independent, not-for-profit news organization, with no owner and no shareholders, to stand up. On behalf of all of us.

Because, after all, AP’s freedom of speech is yours, too."

apnews.com/article/asso...
Why AP is standing for your right to speak freely
The executive editor of The Associated Press says the news organization is fighting for the right of the press and public to speak freely without being targeted by the government.
apnews.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:56 PM
People in Taiwan have been bewildered how much I scoff at so many parts of the American elite or big names.

In a past life, I used to be at Nobu weekly on an expense account and know these kinds of people are incompetent scumbags not to be admired.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o...
Opinion | How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Something that immediately red flags here is that White Americans have a certain look and demeanor.

Maybe after working internationally I've become hyper-cognizant, but if I passed by these people on the street I would not think they were American.

bsky.app/profile/bend...
X rolled out a new feature overnight showing where accounts are based. This network of “Trump-supporting independent women” that claimed to be “real Americans” are based in Thailand.

The photos were stolen from European models & posts pushed pro-Trump lines while targeting Islam and LGBTQ people.
November 24, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Reposted by Bessie the Normie
People staying on X after all what we have learned about the platform is like Truman Burbank deciding not to exit after realizing he has lived his entire life on a colossal soundstage.
November 24, 2025 at 1:25 AM
The way Trump acted around Mamdani is quite typical of a lot of these ego-driven business-based-on-personality vs business-based-on-integrity types.

Trump plays on being a charming chameleon that will submit to the most powerful and charming alpha in the room.
November 22, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Reposted by Bessie the Normie
Trump’s collusion with Russia and ultimatum to Ukraine are a dangerous break from America’s values and strategic commitments. His approach abandons our allies, sows chaos around the world, and enriches a small circle of elites at the expense of American security.
open.substack.com/pub/alexande...
🚨🚨🚨America Must Reject Trump’s Corrupt Foreign Policy🚨🚨🚨
A call to action as Trump pressures Ukraine to capitulate to Russia
open.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Cancelled Spotify recently due to them running ICE ads. ICE's cruelty and acting as a secret police cannot stand.

Plus getting Apple Music with Chase Sapphire is saving me $$ too with better sound quality and easy playlist transfer from Spotify was painless.

Thanks @indivisible.org
November 21, 2025 at 11:56 AM
"China is discovering how much it can do with Twitter and Facebook, for so little money, in its escalating conflict with the U.S."

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid
It’s not just a phase.
www.theatlantic.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Highly recommend @brianhioe.bsky.social's Taipei at Daybreak as a view into the social movements of the 2010s: "including not just Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement, but also Occupy Wall Street in the US and post-Fukushima disaster anti-nuclear protests in Japan."

newbooksnetwork.com/taipei-at-da...
Brian Hioe, "Taipei at Daybreak" (Repeater, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:15 AM
"Those of us who believe in liberty and dignity, goodness and generosity, must never give in to the forces arrayed against the things we hold dearest. The battle can be exhausting, but it is a battle to which we are called by conscience and by love of country."

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
America Is Great When America Is Good
Those who believe in liberty and dignity must never give in to the forces arrayed against the things we hold dearest.
www.theatlantic.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:26 AM
“He promised things that Europeans take for granted, but Americans are told are impossible,” said the Dutch environmentalist and former government adviser Alexander Verbeek in the wake of Tuesday’s election.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Europeans recognize Zohran Mamdani’s supposedly radical policies as ‘normal’
Critics of New York City’s mayor-elect have said his pledges of free bus service and universal childcare are unrealistic, but in Europe it’s a given
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:11 AM
I love this for them

bsky.app/profile/kfil...
November 6, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Stunning sunset tonight in Taipei
November 6, 2025 at 12:55 PM
The amount of times I had to blink reading these sentences and then reading the news story

bsky.app/profile/nyti...
Hundreds of protesters in Paris gathered as Shein, the Chinese fast-fashion retailer, opened its first physical store. The French government also suspended online access to the retailer after the discovery this week of child pornography sex dolls posted for sale. nyti.ms/3WCYXJd
November 6, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Seeing 黃皮 MAGA 川粉 Taiwan conservatives crash out over Zohran Mamdani and Michelle Wu, while failing to understand the best parts of quality of life in Taiwan like 全民健保, our national healthcare system that ranks among the best in the world, is a cornerstone of social democracy.
November 6, 2025 at 10:28 AM
"As Reed sees it, it’s all connected. Washington’s failings on social media led to an uptick in everything from online bullying to an increase in digital sex trafficking. Washington failing on AI would mean undercutting the very foundations of American life."

www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Biden’s Elusive AI Whisperer Finally Goes On the Record. Here's His Warning.
Bruce Reed had seen the pitfalls of letting Big Tech run roughshod over government. He is determined not to make the same mistakes on AI.
www.politico.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Overjoyed for when I move back to NYC next year

bsky.app/profile/zohr...
November 5, 2025 at 4:07 PM
I was talking about Mamdani to a German friend after the primary and explaining people freaking out. The response: "What Americans think is a communism is just a nice community in Europe."

bsky.app/profile/jeff...
Der Spiegel is impressed: The Socialist is the Democrats' new superstar and a model for Berlin's next election.
November 5, 2025 at 1:04 PM
It's time for the millennial era in governance. We have to be a caretaker generation

bsky.app/profile/fact...
Democrat Michelle Wu has been re-elected Mayor of Boston.
November 5, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Reposted by Bessie the Normie
A sneak peek at the cover of next week’s issue, which celebrates Zohran Mamdani’s historic win. #NewYorkerCovers
https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/451hFM
November 5, 2025 at 3:15 AM
I Love New York
November 5, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Reposted by Bessie the Normie
Wow it turns out the entire country is not permanently reactionary because Trump won an election by 1.5%
November 5, 2025 at 2:15 AM