Mel Herman
@inoculator-mel.bsky.social
What are the mechanisms, costs, and benefits of ostracism online?
Pinned
Mel Herman
@inoculator-mel.bsky.social
· Jul 24
I’m back in London, ON, where the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial will be decided today. The case focuses on the issue of consent during an alleged incident in a hotel room in 2018. Watch our livestream on CBC NewsNet and Gem, starting at 9 a.m. ET, or follow along on our live page.
How can someone whose evidence of sexual assault is found to have not been “credible or reliable” be simultaneously found to have credibly and reliably given “actual consent”?
Interesting contradiction.
#CdnPoli 🧵1/4
Interesting contradiction.
#CdnPoli 🧵1/4
Reposted by Mel Herman
I’d rather get bad news from an honest man than lies from a flatterer.
October 19, 2025 at 1:45 AM
I’d rather get bad news from an honest man than lies from a flatterer.
Reposted by Mel Herman
Really looking forward to participating in this event:
Theology, Churches & the Mainstreaming of the Far Right
15 October 2025
7:00-8:30 pm
Online
Register using the QR code
Theology, Churches & the Mainstreaming of the Far Right
15 October 2025
7:00-8:30 pm
Online
Register using the QR code
October 11, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Really looking forward to participating in this event:
Theology, Churches & the Mainstreaming of the Far Right
15 October 2025
7:00-8:30 pm
Online
Register using the QR code
Theology, Churches & the Mainstreaming of the Far Right
15 October 2025
7:00-8:30 pm
Online
Register using the QR code
How can someone whose evidence of sexual assault is found to have not been “credible or reliable” be simultaneously found to have credibly and reliably given “actual consent”?
Interesting contradiction.
#CdnPoli 🧵1/4
Interesting contradiction.
#CdnPoli 🧵1/4
I’m back in London, ON, where the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial will be decided today. The case focuses on the issue of consent during an alleged incident in a hotel room in 2018. Watch our livestream on CBC NewsNet and Gem, starting at 9 a.m. ET, or follow along on our live page.
July 24, 2025 at 4:05 PM
How can someone whose evidence of sexual assault is found to have not been “credible or reliable” be simultaneously found to have credibly and reliably given “actual consent”?
Interesting contradiction.
#CdnPoli 🧵1/4
Interesting contradiction.
#CdnPoli 🧵1/4
Reposted by Mel Herman
NEW: Ottawa Police deny inviting convoy figure to help them with anti-LGBTQ+ protest at elementary school
Community groups are now calling for police to face an investigation after ‘convoy church’ pastor tells city councillors he was “invited” to help police manage aggressive protests
Community groups are now calling for police to face an investigation after ‘convoy church’ pastor tells city councillors he was “invited” to help police manage aggressive protests
Ottawa Police Deny Inviting Convoy Figure to Help Them With Anti-LGBTQ+ Protest at Elementary School
Police face calls for investigation after ‘convoy church’ pastor tells city councillors he was ‘invited’ to help manage aggressive crowds at schools
pressprogress.ca
May 16, 2025 at 9:29 PM
NEW: Ottawa Police deny inviting convoy figure to help them with anti-LGBTQ+ protest at elementary school
Community groups are now calling for police to face an investigation after ‘convoy church’ pastor tells city councillors he was “invited” to help police manage aggressive protests
Community groups are now calling for police to face an investigation after ‘convoy church’ pastor tells city councillors he was “invited” to help police manage aggressive protests
“… the privileges committee recommended suspending [them] for seven days, saying the trio’s actions could have intimidated other legislators…”
Feeling intimidated from within ivory towers and upon high hogs.
Meanwhile when cops actually shoot and kill, their salaries remain intact.
Telling.
Feeling intimidated from within ivory towers and upon high hogs.
Meanwhile when cops actually shoot and kill, their salaries remain intact.
Telling.
New Zealand MPs who performed haka in parliament given unprecedented punishment
Co-leaders of Te Pāti Māori and its youngest member to be temporarily suspended from parliament after performance protesting controversial bill
www.theguardian.com
May 16, 2025 at 1:02 PM
“… the privileges committee recommended suspending [them] for seven days, saying the trio’s actions could have intimidated other legislators…”
Feeling intimidated from within ivory towers and upon high hogs.
Meanwhile when cops actually shoot and kill, their salaries remain intact.
Telling.
Feeling intimidated from within ivory towers and upon high hogs.
Meanwhile when cops actually shoot and kill, their salaries remain intact.
Telling.
I tried Silmarillion as an audiobook.
The narrator attempts to overcome the snooze factor by Speaking! Very Authoritatively! and Britishly! as if Announcing! His Majesty’s! Fanfare!!
So it’s now aggressively boring.
Anyhow #spoiler it turns out evil is just a random mistake. Whodathunk 😅
The narrator attempts to overcome the snooze factor by Speaking! Very Authoritatively! and Britishly! as if Announcing! His Majesty’s! Fanfare!!
So it’s now aggressively boring.
Anyhow #spoiler it turns out evil is just a random mistake. Whodathunk 😅
May 16, 2025 at 12:46 PM
I tried Silmarillion as an audiobook.
The narrator attempts to overcome the snooze factor by Speaking! Very Authoritatively! and Britishly! as if Announcing! His Majesty’s! Fanfare!!
So it’s now aggressively boring.
Anyhow #spoiler it turns out evil is just a random mistake. Whodathunk 😅
The narrator attempts to overcome the snooze factor by Speaking! Very Authoritatively! and Britishly! as if Announcing! His Majesty’s! Fanfare!!
So it’s now aggressively boring.
Anyhow #spoiler it turns out evil is just a random mistake. Whodathunk 😅
🚩 🚩 🚩
Comprehensive list of red flags for conspiratorial rhetoric.
Notice how none are the sole territory of the political right. Many can be seen luxuriantly exemplified across both sides of the political spectrum.
#cdnpoli - because we need to get smart about this 🇨🇦
Comprehensive list of red flags for conspiratorial rhetoric.
Notice how none are the sole territory of the political right. Many can be seen luxuriantly exemplified across both sides of the political spectrum.
#cdnpoli - because we need to get smart about this 🇨🇦
Pseudoscience - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
April 28, 2025 at 1:54 AM
🚩 🚩 🚩
Comprehensive list of red flags for conspiratorial rhetoric.
Notice how none are the sole territory of the political right. Many can be seen luxuriantly exemplified across both sides of the political spectrum.
#cdnpoli - because we need to get smart about this 🇨🇦
Comprehensive list of red flags for conspiratorial rhetoric.
Notice how none are the sole territory of the political right. Many can be seen luxuriantly exemplified across both sides of the political spectrum.
#cdnpoli - because we need to get smart about this 🇨🇦
just opened a perma.cc account 🔍🕵🏻 Looks like it will be more useful than I would ideally like for something of this nature to be 😅 ... 😬
Websites change. Perma Links don't.
Perma.cc helps scholars, journals, courts, and others create permanent records of the web sources they cite.
perma.cc
April 25, 2025 at 3:19 PM
just opened a perma.cc account 🔍🕵🏻 Looks like it will be more useful than I would ideally like for something of this nature to be 😅 ... 😬
…zoom in on those living below the poverty line… Conservative and Liberal platforms provide $33 and $50 per year on average... NDP leads by a wide margin, offering $650 per person on average to those in poverty.
voters need to ask not just “what do I get?” but “what gets cut to pay for it?” #cdnpoli
voters need to ask not just “what do I get?” but “what gets cut to pay for it?” #cdnpoli
ICYMI: CCPA Senior Economist @davidmaccdn.bsky.social show us who gains, and who gets left out, by the election tax cuts proposed by the five main parties. #FederalElection2025 www.sasktoday.ca/opinion/opin...
Opinion: Costly tax cuts will do little to help Canadians in need
A deep dive into who gains – and who gets left out – under each party’s tax plan.
www.sasktoday.ca
April 24, 2025 at 7:12 PM
…zoom in on those living below the poverty line… Conservative and Liberal platforms provide $33 and $50 per year on average... NDP leads by a wide margin, offering $650 per person on average to those in poverty.
voters need to ask not just “what do I get?” but “what gets cut to pay for it?” #cdnpoli
voters need to ask not just “what do I get?” but “what gets cut to pay for it?” #cdnpoli
Timely
#cdnpoli
#cdnpoli
Front Burner with Jayme Poisson: Yale fascism expert Jason Stanley on fleeing to Canada
Stanley centralizes the Black Critical Theory perspective on fascism, and speaks to his objectives for relocating.
Stanley centralizes the Black Critical Theory perspective on fascism, and speaks to his objectives for relocating.
Yale fascism expert on fleeing to Canada | Front Burner | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen
Last week one of the U.S.’s leading scholars and thinkers on fascism announced his intention to leave his country, which he said was “tilting toward authoritarian dictatorship.” Jason Stanley will be ...
www.cbc.ca
April 18, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Timely
#cdnpoli
#cdnpoli
Front Burner with Jayme Poisson: Yale fascism expert Jason Stanley on fleeing to Canada
Stanley centralizes the Black Critical Theory perspective on fascism, and speaks to his objectives for relocating.
Stanley centralizes the Black Critical Theory perspective on fascism, and speaks to his objectives for relocating.
Yale fascism expert on fleeing to Canada | Front Burner | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen
Last week one of the U.S.’s leading scholars and thinkers on fascism announced his intention to leave his country, which he said was “tilting toward authoritarian dictatorship.” Jason Stanley will be ...
www.cbc.ca
April 9, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Front Burner with Jayme Poisson: Yale fascism expert Jason Stanley on fleeing to Canada
Stanley centralizes the Black Critical Theory perspective on fascism, and speaks to his objectives for relocating.
Stanley centralizes the Black Critical Theory perspective on fascism, and speaks to his objectives for relocating.
Do you think it’d be weird if I snail mailed her a marriage proposal?
April 8, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Do you think it’d be weird if I snail mailed her a marriage proposal?
Reposted by Mel Herman
Vancouver! Join me and my brother Seth Klein for The New Shock Doctrine: Charting Canada’s Path in a Time of Crisis.
To beat Trump and his oligarchs, we must innovate, not imitate
In person at UBC’s Chan Centre on April 26 at 7:30pm.
To beat Trump and his oligarchs, we must innovate, not imitate
In person at UBC’s Chan Centre on April 26 at 7:30pm.
March 26, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Vancouver! Join me and my brother Seth Klein for The New Shock Doctrine: Charting Canada’s Path in a Time of Crisis.
To beat Trump and his oligarchs, we must innovate, not imitate
In person at UBC’s Chan Centre on April 26 at 7:30pm.
To beat Trump and his oligarchs, we must innovate, not imitate
In person at UBC’s Chan Centre on April 26 at 7:30pm.
🧵 1/3 ➡️ Probably not entirely fair of me to wholesale agree sans facts (case in point), but i remember this. And think about this dynamic a lot! I wish we talked about it more, but it seems the research just isn’t there yet. Hopefully the research I do later will look at historical changes in …
People don't remember this, but in the 90s *everyone* was Joe Rogan.
The internet spread access to fact-checking for those with critical thinking skills. And it's bracing just how dramatically certain social spaces cleaned up their epistemics in just a decade or two.
The internet spread access to fact-checking for those with critical thinking skills. And it's bracing just how dramatically certain social spaces cleaned up their epistemics in just a decade or two.
I don't believe so. What it's done is remove the friction keeping such gullible ppl in check. It used to be that you'd have your meatspace friends holding you back from falling prey to wacky random ideas, but now you can find communities of Very Online ppl exactly as gullible as you are.
March 28, 2025 at 1:22 PM
🧵 1/3 ➡️ Probably not entirely fair of me to wholesale agree sans facts (case in point), but i remember this. And think about this dynamic a lot! I wish we talked about it more, but it seems the research just isn’t there yet. Hopefully the research I do later will look at historical changes in …
This story — and Albert’s exacting analysis — is a profoundly stirring moment. Cumulative systemic racism, sexism, economic injustice + systematized negligence of Indigenous people peaked long ago. The Shingoose family deserved better from settler society. I hope Ashlee lives on in all our voices.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Winnipeg police confirmed the identity of Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe to be Ashlee Shingoose.
Ashlee’s father Albert Shingoose had one request for Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew: sing a song.
Ashlee’s father Albert Shingoose had one request for Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew: sing a song.
March 28, 2025 at 12:04 PM
This story — and Albert’s exacting analysis — is a profoundly stirring moment. Cumulative systemic racism, sexism, economic injustice + systematized negligence of Indigenous people peaked long ago. The Shingoose family deserved better from settler society. I hope Ashlee lives on in all our voices.
since I’ve no business in the US anyway, I’ll just go ahead and say that an absence of key understandings, a devastating shame complex, and an unrivalled discomfort with being wrong are corrosive and a volatile combination, particularly under pressure. Ever seen “How to Become a Tyrant”? 🍅
ANALYSIS | Trump may not be a 'madman,' but his foreign policy shows signs of it | CBC News
In both Gaza and Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump is failing to deliver what he said would be easy for him to accomplish: ending the wars. That’s not surprising, according to veteran diplomats, gi...
www.cbc.ca
March 23, 2025 at 9:33 PM
since I’ve no business in the US anyway, I’ll just go ahead and say that an absence of key understandings, a devastating shame complex, and an unrivalled discomfort with being wrong are corrosive and a volatile combination, particularly under pressure. Ever seen “How to Become a Tyrant”? 🍅
I know friends know I’ve been saying this, but I’m enjoying the reassurance of seeing someone who knows a lot reaffirm that openly not knowing is ok. It’s even good! Our obsession with having an early correct evaluation of everything is holding us back from actually finding things out.
It’s ok to say “I don’t know the answer to that question”. Really! Try it some time. It’s liberating. And you will probably be respected and trusted more for your answers to the questions you do know the answer to.
March 11, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I know friends know I’ve been saying this, but I’m enjoying the reassurance of seeing someone who knows a lot reaffirm that openly not knowing is ok. It’s even good! Our obsession with having an early correct evaluation of everything is holding us back from actually finding things out.
A little change of pace for your feed. Happy Monday ✌🏻😌
March 10, 2025 at 11:47 AM
A little change of pace for your feed. Happy Monday ✌🏻😌
Apathy = a contextual outcome. We’re all roiling in neoliberalism. Middle + ruling class apathy — problematic, ya; Working class apathy seems more from exhaustion + limited access than basic carelessness.
The most frustrating thing is continuing to interact with Americans whose response amounts to “oh yeah that’s bad I guess, but I don’t really think about other countries enough to care”.
My main goal isn’t to change the minds of Americans who ardently support the tariffs, nor to make those who strongly oppose them feel even more shame.
Rather, my hope is to make those who aren’t necessarily supportive—but don’t grasp the gravity of the situation—understand just how serious this is.
Rather, my hope is to make those who aren’t necessarily supportive—but don’t grasp the gravity of the situation—understand just how serious this is.
March 5, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Apathy = a contextual outcome. We’re all roiling in neoliberalism. Middle + ruling class apathy — problematic, ya; Working class apathy seems more from exhaustion + limited access than basic carelessness.
My favourite thriller.
The intro to the paperback adds some great pandemic-relevant context.
The intro to the paperback adds some great pandemic-relevant context.
🚨 READING TIP 🚨
Want to read an accessible book on the far right that goes beyond the usual media/pundit clichés? Try "Hate in the Homeland" by @milleridriss.bsky.social 📙
Want to read an accessible book on the far right that goes beyond the usual media/pundit clichés? Try "Hate in the Homeland" by @milleridriss.bsky.social 📙
Hate in the Homeland
A startling look at the unexpected places where violent hate groups recruit young people
press.princeton.edu
March 2, 2025 at 11:11 PM
My favourite thriller.
The intro to the paperback adds some great pandemic-relevant context.
The intro to the paperback adds some great pandemic-relevant context.
Excellent toilet read! If you don’t shit your pants a bit, you’ll feel like you’re gonna be sick anyway 🚽 ✨ efficient!
“in reality, nobody else was threatening Ukraine but Russia. And right now nobody else is really threatening Canada but the U.S. So this to me is a very alarming parallel”
“in reality, nobody else was threatening Ukraine but Russia. And right now nobody else is really threatening Canada but the U.S. So this to me is a very alarming parallel”
ANALYSIS | Trump's talk about Canada parrots Putin's claims on Ukraine | CBC News
Donad Trump's threats and claims about Canada may be unprecedented in the history of U.S.-Canada relations. But they have a strong precedent elsewhere in recent history: They closely resemble remarks ...
www.cbc.ca
February 20, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Excellent toilet read! If you don’t shit your pants a bit, you’ll feel like you’re gonna be sick anyway 🚽 ✨ efficient!
“in reality, nobody else was threatening Ukraine but Russia. And right now nobody else is really threatening Canada but the U.S. So this to me is a very alarming parallel”
“in reality, nobody else was threatening Ukraine but Russia. And right now nobody else is really threatening Canada but the U.S. So this to me is a very alarming parallel”
Maybe someone you know (*cough*) has told you a bit too much about a certain neuro-cognitive sleep "disorder" (*cough*) and you somehow before long started to experience that same previously-unknown-about issue. Idk, could be a thing ¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯
A researcher may have found a way to treat sleep-paralysis, the terrifying experience of waking up unable to move
A 4-step process called Meditation-Relaxation (or MR) therapy can help people avoid attacks.
www.businessinsider.com
February 20, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Maybe someone you know (*cough*) has told you a bit too much about a certain neuro-cognitive sleep "disorder" (*cough*) and you somehow before long started to experience that same previously-unknown-about issue. Idk, could be a thing ¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯
This will show up in corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns spinning neocolonialism as promoting health/ wellness, improving relations, and bringing equity to “underresourced” communities 👀 “incentivize” = bribing the desperate
[5] Coercing Indigenous nations to accept pipelines: He wants to let fossil fuel companies redirect their taxes to impoverished First Nations to "incentivize" support. This isn't reconciliation or self-determination—it’s corporate colonialism.
February 16, 2025 at 11:05 PM
This will show up in corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns spinning neocolonialism as promoting health/ wellness, improving relations, and bringing equity to “underresourced” communities 👀 “incentivize” = bribing the desperate
Reposted by Mel Herman
🧵THREAD: I read through Poilievre’s "Canada First" campaign pivot so you don't have to.
The Cons have announced major policies & speaking points to ramp up policing, environmental destruction, and expand the anti-immigrant agenda that they will drum on until the elections.
The Cons have announced major policies & speaking points to ramp up policing, environmental destruction, and expand the anti-immigrant agenda that they will drum on until the elections.
February 16, 2025 at 8:36 PM
🧵THREAD: I read through Poilievre’s "Canada First" campaign pivot so you don't have to.
The Cons have announced major policies & speaking points to ramp up policing, environmental destruction, and expand the anti-immigrant agenda that they will drum on until the elections.
The Cons have announced major policies & speaking points to ramp up policing, environmental destruction, and expand the anti-immigrant agenda that they will drum on until the elections.
And what demographics are more likely to need direct access to sidewalks than to streets? …hmmm 🤔
To all the people in eastern North America in the path of this snowstorm:
You can and should expect your city to plow sidewalks (and bike lanes) like they do for roads.
The technology exists, many cities do it (including Montreal & Ottawa). Choosing not to is a middle finger to pedestrians.
You can and should expect your city to plow sidewalks (and bike lanes) like they do for roads.
The technology exists, many cities do it (including Montreal & Ottawa). Choosing not to is a middle finger to pedestrians.
February 16, 2025 at 3:57 PM
And what demographics are more likely to need direct access to sidewalks than to streets? …hmmm 🤔