Eleanor Courtemanche
@ecourtem.bsky.social
Midwestern prof: Victorian lit & financial crisis. Zeitgeist-seismometer. 75% normcore
Anti-doomer but ☹️☹️ wtf
Anti-doomer but ☹️☹️ wtf
Pinned
Beyond the Doom Loop of High Theory
If paradox can be toxic, what’s the antidote?
www.publicbooks.org
For @publicbooks.bsky.social, I reviewed Elizabeth Anker's fascinating & extremely ambitious "On Paradox," which critiques almost the whole theoretical connection between politics and aesthetics (and then rebuilds a little). Books should take big swings! www.publicbooks.org/beyond-the-d...
It was the snow, right?
Federal immigration agents part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” may soon leave Chicago, according to multiple sources who said the controversial mission was rapidly winding down after a contentious two months of enforcement raids that have set the city and suburbs on edge.
Federal Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino and agents said to be leaving Chicago, sources say
Cmdr. Gregory Bovino was expected to depart Chicago within days, while most Border Patrol agents under this command would soon be redeployed elsewhere, three sources told the Tribune Monday.
trib.al
November 11, 2025 at 3:45 AM
It was the snow, right?
JCO: not just a true poaster but — today — a true patriot 🫡
November 11, 2025 at 12:42 AM
JCO: not just a true poaster but — today — a true patriot 🫡
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
Gales of November tonite 👀
Gales of November tonite Queen??
Gales of November tonite 👀
Gales of November tonite Queen??
Gales of November tonite 👀
November 10, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Gales of November tonite 👀
Gales of November tonite Queen??
Gales of November tonite 👀
Gales of November tonite Queen??
Gales of November tonite 👀
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
every one of these ass-kissing sessions has the cadence of the deathbed
Pirro: "Mr President, there is in this room a group of people who love you, who believe in you, and who are so proud to be in this Oval Office and to be part of this amazing day because you have changed the course of America."
November 10, 2025 at 9:51 PM
every one of these ass-kissing sessions has the cadence of the deathbed
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
If you or anyone you know would be interested in a GREAT Victorian studies conference in the spring, here's the CFP. Proposals due Dec 6. Especially let anyone within driving distance of Cincinnati know! The lovely @nathankhensley.bsky.social will be keynote speaker. midwestvictorian.org/conference/
Conference
“The Underground: Prohibition, Abolition, Expression”2026 Call for Papers April 10-12, 2026, hosted by Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio. Baker Street Station on the Metropolitan Railway, 1863 &#…
midwestvictorian.org
November 10, 2025 at 9:31 PM
If you or anyone you know would be interested in a GREAT Victorian studies conference in the spring, here's the CFP. Proposals due Dec 6. Especially let anyone within driving distance of Cincinnati know! The lovely @nathankhensley.bsky.social will be keynote speaker. midwestvictorian.org/conference/
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
wait until JCO finds out about how he doesn't even actually play video games
November 10, 2025 at 8:08 PM
wait until JCO finds out about how he doesn't even actually play video games
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
A specific brand of Small Business Guy that has flourished in the past few years even in fully criminalized states is about to get nuked by this.
of all the things about this deal that are pissing me off this might have pissed me off the most
November 10, 2025 at 2:29 PM
A specific brand of Small Business Guy that has flourished in the past few years even in fully criminalized states is about to get nuked by this.
In better news, Marc Andreessen is getting canceled by Grimes on X for attacking the Pope 🤷♀️
November 10, 2025 at 1:55 PM
In better news, Marc Andreessen is getting canceled by Grimes on X for attacking the Pope 🤷♀️
Hey, these are people who ask me for money all the time! My donation list just got simpler
Never forget who sold us out:
Hassan
King
Cortez-Masto
Shaheen
Kaine
Fetterman
Durbin
Rosen
Hassan
King
Cortez-Masto
Shaheen
Kaine
Fetterman
Durbin
Rosen
November 10, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Hey, these are people who ask me for money all the time! My donation list just got simpler
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
I skipped this article for a while because I figured I'd read enough about the NYT's Mamdani coverage. I don't want to say the headline does the article a disservice - it is also very much about that - but goes well beyond as well
This is fucking brilliant, and you should read it: lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:13 AM
I skipped this article for a while because I figured I'd read enough about the NYT's Mamdani coverage. I don't want to say the headline does the article a disservice - it is also very much about that - but goes well beyond as well
Am I right that the WaPo called Zohran a “generalissimo” and we’re not supposed to hear that 6-syllable sneer in the accent of a British Tory hack 😂
November 8, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Am I right that the WaPo called Zohran a “generalissimo” and we’re not supposed to hear that 6-syllable sneer in the accent of a British Tory hack 😂
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
Autumn sunset in Florence
November 8, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Autumn sunset in Florence
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
Airports used to have an illustrated map of the terminal. This was an effective solution to the information problem.
I do not want to put my fingers on a touchscreen that thousands of people use everyday, directly after they exit the restroom, in order to know where the bookstore is.
I do not want to put my fingers on a touchscreen that thousands of people use everyday, directly after they exit the restroom, in order to know where the bookstore is.
November 8, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Airports used to have an illustrated map of the terminal. This was an effective solution to the information problem.
I do not want to put my fingers on a touchscreen that thousands of people use everyday, directly after they exit the restroom, in order to know where the bookstore is.
I do not want to put my fingers on a touchscreen that thousands of people use everyday, directly after they exit the restroom, in order to know where the bookstore is.
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
😬 seems normal
“Federal authorities told demonstrators Friday that there would be ‘no more prayer’ in front of or inside the Broadview ICE facility, in a move that mystified local leaders and raised legal questions.” blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/07/f...
Feds Tell Faith Leaders 'No More Prayer' Outside Broadview Facility
In a possible violation of the First Amendment, federal officials instructed demonstrators to stop holding religious gatherings outside the immigration processing facility in suburban Broadview after ...
blockclubchicago.org
November 8, 2025 at 1:39 PM
😬 seems normal
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
Extremely reassuring stuff to actually see Trump 2024 coalition fall apart
Dem gains in this week's elections erased the inroads Trump made with non-white, young, and low-income voters in 2024. In fact, the R-to-D shift from 24 to 25 is double Trump's gains from 20-24. Claims of a GOP political realignment have been highly exaggerated
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trumps-win...
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trumps-win...
Trump's winning 2024 coalition has evaporated
Claims of a conservative realignment of non-whites, the working class, and young voters have been highly exaggerated
www.gelliottmorris.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Extremely reassuring stuff to actually see Trump 2024 coalition fall apart
Somehow, the Puritans returned
With Maurice Glasman and Dominic Lawson calling for the return of the stocks, we find most Britons opposed - although Reform voters are divided
All Britons: 21% support / 72% oppose
Lib Dem: 12% / 85%
Labour: 12% / 83%
Green: 13% / 82%
Con: 28% / 64%
Reform: 43% / 48%
yougov.co.uk/society/arti...
All Britons: 21% support / 72% oppose
Lib Dem: 12% / 85%
Labour: 12% / 83%
Green: 13% / 82%
Con: 28% / 64%
Reform: 43% / 48%
yougov.co.uk/society/arti...
November 7, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Somehow, the Puritans returned
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
There's a little business near us that roasts and sells fancy coffee for coffee snobs like me. Just visited them. "The tariffs are killing us... We held out as long as possible but now we're raising them by $2/lb and we're still losing... Even the big guys are getting slaughtered."
November 7, 2025 at 5:28 PM
There's a little business near us that roasts and sells fancy coffee for coffee snobs like me. Just visited them. "The tariffs are killing us... We held out as long as possible but now we're raising them by $2/lb and we're still losing... Even the big guys are getting slaughtered."
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
This would be great--and I don't mean "Here's why that thing you like is actually terrible and bad for The Cause," which is what it too often slips into. You can offer a progressive take on culture without being the giant scold who ruins every Thanksgiving!
broken record on this but a similarly great beat for left wing media would be covering arts and culture and not just focusing primarily on politics and current events because there's a massive void there right now
it does seem like there’s a major—though potentially fleeting—opportunity to invest in left-wing media. more than a million people in the most populous city in america just enthusiastically elected a democratic socialist and the world is watching. putting $$ towards left media rn is good business.
November 7, 2025 at 4:35 AM
This would be great--and I don't mean "Here's why that thing you like is actually terrible and bad for The Cause," which is what it too often slips into. You can offer a progressive take on culture without being the giant scold who ruins every Thanksgiving!
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
New College is a good metaphor for the whole MAGA project
Chris Rufo/Ron DeSantis overhauled New College and made it "the most financially inefficient school in the university system"
Degree yield is 19%, 2nd-worst in Fla.
Operating funds per student at New College: $83,207
Same category at Univ of Florida: $45,765
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/e...
Degree yield is 19%, 2nd-worst in Fla.
Operating funds per student at New College: $83,207
Same category at Univ of Florida: $45,765
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/e...
New College of Florida shows soaring expenses as state targets 'woke waste'
A report by Florida DOGE found that Sarasota's New College is the most financially inefficient school in the university system.
www.heraldtribune.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:13 PM
New College is a good metaphor for the whole MAGA project
Reposted by Eleanor Courtemanche
Literally every "I think the govt is overspending" take is a really dishonest way to say "they should give that to me instead"
November 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Literally every "I think the govt is overspending" take is a really dishonest way to say "they should give that to me instead"
Today’s hate-read: why Austro-fascism appeals to JD Vance. 🤬Modern authoritarianism established by divine right 👑
November 7, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Today’s hate-read: why Austro-fascism appeals to JD Vance. 🤬Modern authoritarianism established by divine right 👑
Mental experiment: what happens if you cancel 10% of private flights
November 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Mental experiment: what happens if you cancel 10% of private flights