@owen-symes.bsky.social
He/Him
Historian
Book: "He Was Our Man in Washington: A History of the Obama Years."
Podcast: The Copagandists
Youtube: Integral History
https://linktr.ee/owensymes
Working on a book about the cop shows of Michael Mann!
Historian
Book: "He Was Our Man in Washington: A History of the Obama Years."
Podcast: The Copagandists
Youtube: Integral History
https://linktr.ee/owensymes
Working on a book about the cop shows of Michael Mann!
The lesson being you do what you think you can get away with, for reasons all your own, while always telling the public it's altruistic.
January 5, 2026 at 2:11 AM
The lesson being you do what you think you can get away with, for reasons all your own, while always telling the public it's altruistic.
This is the George W Bush playbook. I just hope this time Dems prosecute, convict, shame, bully, exile those responsible. There were no political consequences for GOP after they led the way to invading Iraq, bailing out banks, destroying civil liberties, etc etc etc...
January 4, 2026 at 8:47 PM
This is the George W Bush playbook. I just hope this time Dems prosecute, convict, shame, bully, exile those responsible. There were no political consequences for GOP after they led the way to invading Iraq, bailing out banks, destroying civil liberties, etc etc etc...
My first thought upon hearing the news was, "Are they gonna use Panama as a precedent?"
January 4, 2026 at 2:09 AM
My first thought upon hearing the news was, "Are they gonna use Panama as a precedent?"
Look, I know ppl say the most dangerous wackos out there are the ones with *high caliber high rate-of-fire* weapons, but a .22 bolt action can kill you just as sure as anything else (maybe more so!). All I'm saying is that lethality isn't just about the mass of the bullet or the rounds-per-minute...
January 1, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Look, I know ppl say the most dangerous wackos out there are the ones with *high caliber high rate-of-fire* weapons, but a .22 bolt action can kill you just as sure as anything else (maybe more so!). All I'm saying is that lethality isn't just about the mass of the bullet or the rounds-per-minute...
What is this, a Terry Gilliam movie??
December 31, 2025 at 7:48 PM
What is this, a Terry Gilliam movie??
Why is this news? Is Musk an expert on firefighting or New York City infrastructure that we should take seriously?
December 29, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Why is this news? Is Musk an expert on firefighting or New York City infrastructure that we should take seriously?
They do psychiatry dirty, but otherwise it's great!
December 29, 2025 at 12:30 PM
They do psychiatry dirty, but otherwise it's great!
That's a ton of work; kudos to you both!
December 28, 2025 at 5:42 PM
That's a ton of work; kudos to you both!
Or if not punished, at least defanged!
December 26, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Or if not punished, at least defanged!
Was there a QnA after their talk, and if so, did anyone try to push back on their thesis?
December 26, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Was there a QnA after their talk, and if so, did anyone try to push back on their thesis?
I wonder if an essay version of this podcast script could find its way into a major publication?
December 25, 2025 at 5:50 PM
I wonder if an essay version of this podcast script could find its way into a major publication?
Certainly opened my eyes to how little fact checking is done at the Princeton University Press!
December 24, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Certainly opened my eyes to how little fact checking is done at the Princeton University Press!
I hope y'all eventually find time to deep dive into The Atlantic at some point! It's such a cringe-fest, but I know it's also had some legit great writing over the years. What gives?
December 23, 2025 at 8:15 PM
I hope y'all eventually find time to deep dive into The Atlantic at some point! It's such a cringe-fest, but I know it's also had some legit great writing over the years. What gives?
Exodus: Gods and Kings is underrated, but still probably my least favorite "great big historical epic" from Ridley Scott. Still leagues ahead of anything else in that genre that we've gotten in the last decade, however! (I'm looking at you, 2016's Ben-Hur!)
December 23, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Exodus: Gods and Kings is underrated, but still probably my least favorite "great big historical epic" from Ridley Scott. Still leagues ahead of anything else in that genre that we've gotten in the last decade, however! (I'm looking at you, 2016's Ben-Hur!)
Amen! Nonfiction writing is just as much an art form as any other form of human creation. The historical narrative emerges piecemeal from an iterative process of research and interpretation. The result is a figment of the human imagination as much as any poem - and (hopefully) just as truthful.
December 22, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Amen! Nonfiction writing is just as much an art form as any other form of human creation. The historical narrative emerges piecemeal from an iterative process of research and interpretation. The result is a figment of the human imagination as much as any poem - and (hopefully) just as truthful.
This piece is doubly frustrating because @polygon.com didn't even bother to hire a translator to help them quote from the article in El País, relying instead on Google Translate. Crack journalism, that!
December 21, 2025 at 4:20 AM
This piece is doubly frustrating because @polygon.com didn't even bother to hire a translator to help them quote from the article in El País, relying instead on Google Translate. Crack journalism, that!
"My ancestors came here back when slavery was legal!" Hmm, that's an *interesting* flex! 🤣
December 21, 2025 at 4:13 AM
"My ancestors came here back when slavery was legal!" Hmm, that's an *interesting* flex! 🤣
omg that hairless rat tho!
December 20, 2025 at 3:48 AM
omg that hairless rat tho!
Makes me wonder what normal is! For instance, do you mean the former DE senator who supported genocide in Gaza, the former IL senator who expanded the "war" on terror, the former TX governor who destroyed US public education, or the former AK governor who handed Big Tech legal carte blanche?
December 20, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Makes me wonder what normal is! For instance, do you mean the former DE senator who supported genocide in Gaza, the former IL senator who expanded the "war" on terror, the former TX governor who destroyed US public education, or the former AK governor who handed Big Tech legal carte blanche?
This project has illuminated one obvious path forward for your channel: a video about underappreciated Old Hollywood master Lewis Milestone! His war films, from "All Quiet" up through "Pork Chop Hill" are all good to great. Even "The Purple Heart," for all its racism, still packs a dramatic punch!
December 20, 2025 at 3:40 AM
This project has illuminated one obvious path forward for your channel: a video about underappreciated Old Hollywood master Lewis Milestone! His war films, from "All Quiet" up through "Pork Chop Hill" are all good to great. Even "The Purple Heart," for all its racism, still packs a dramatic punch!