Shelly Penton
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plaidsilk.bsky.social
Shelly Penton
@plaidsilk.bsky.social
580 followers 510 following 920 posts
PhD Candidate Religious Studies. UVA. Skeets my own.
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plaidsilk.bsky.social
"guys" being this one guy in particular
screenshot of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani with his peerless beard game
November 12, 2025 at 4:35 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Like I understand why most newspapers now run this shit in op eds with crazy titles and crazy interviewees. Because ostensibly they need the clicks to stay open.

But we all know the NYT's profits come from their game section and are without excuse.

They do not have to do this. And yet.
NYT headline: "Did Women ruin the Workplace?" byline: "And can conservative feminism fix it? 3h ago . By Ross Douthat and Victoria Chamberlin"
November 6, 2025 at 5:08 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Write a horror story in *muttered counting* 12 words.
Forbes Headline (text on cover photo of three college-age guys in nerd-casual): "The World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaires Are A Trio of 22-Year-Old AI Founders"
November 3, 2025 at 6:37 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
idk y'all, arresting someone for being anti-fascist feels a bit on the nose
October 13, 2025 at 11:18 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Taps the *S U E T H E S H IT O U T O F T H E M* sign
Screenshot of NYT headline: "Librarian Fired in Books Dispute to Receive $700,000 Settlement" Caption: "A library director in Wyoming who was fired two years ago because she refused to remove books with sexual content and LGBTQ themes from a library’s children and young adult sections was awarded $700,000 in a settlement on Wednesday."
October 10, 2025 at 1:54 AM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
October 9, 2025 at 7:07 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Straight to jail.
Screenshot of news story with headline: "'Didn't mean to scare anyone': Dolly Parton's sister clarifies after asking for prayers for country star" News story has a picture of Dolly Parton performing on stage
October 9, 2025 at 12:22 AM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Undergraduates still winning by a landslide compared to their university administrators on how to answer fascist coercion.

tfw teenagers and young twenty-somethings are exponentially better models of courage and truth than grown-ass adults
Screenshot from UVA Student Council email: While the Compact contains elements that appear to have a positive impact on UVA, such as a tuition freeze and preferential access to federal funding, it also contains several concerning requests. Beneath the surface-level appeals lies a framework that would fundamentally alter the mission of higher education and threaten the independence that has allowed the University of Virginia to pursue its enduring ideal of being both Great and Good. The Compact will restrict how universities can engage with political and social issues, create barriers to international student enrollment, define gender and sex in strictly biological terms, and require an administrative commitment to using "lawful force" to address violations of "civility." These few examples from the Compact threaten the very ideals of a liberal arts education—to promote interdisciplinary studies, diversity of perspective, and the freedom to learn without limit—and risk narrowing the vibrant exchange of ideas that defines life on Grounds. Additionally, the Enforcement clause enables the Department of Justice to monitor our “adherence to the agreement,” enabling federal overreach to increase unimaginably and continue indefinitely. The University of Virginia’s structures of shared governance should not be bought out by partisan influence, and we reserve the right to govern ourselves. This Compact, as it stands, will likely serve to the detriment of student life and experience at UVA, both inside and outside of the classroom. As the Student Council Executive Board, we reaffirm our commitment to the rights, opportunities, and quality of life for every student at the University of Virginia. We are closely monitoring the situation and meeting with the administration as well as the student governments of other universities in the meantime. Your input is invaluable and will guide our response, so please continue to reach out with your thoughts and concerns. As we mentio…
October 8, 2025 at 11:49 AM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Lord have mercy, UVA just sent an email about the compact, and as slow as it was for them to answer, *they still haven't answered.*

They are forming a "working group" to study their response.

Can faculty just reinvent the university concept without any admin attached? This is absurd.
Email from UVA administration from yesterday evening: To the University of Virginia Community, You have likely read that UVA is one of nine schools that received a proposal from the Department of Education and other federal officials regarding a “Compact for Excellence in Higher Education.” The document raises questions of profound importance to the University of Virginia and more broadly to all institutions of higher education in the United States. President Mahoney has formed a working group to study those questions and to advise him concerning the appropriate response. The Board of Visitors has confidence in that process and looks forward to working with President Mahoney to address this critical juncture in the relationship between the federal government and American universities. It would be difficult for the University to agree to certain provisions in the Compact. We write to assure you that our response will be guided by the same principles of academic freedom and free inquiry that Thomas Jefferson placed at the center of the University’s mission more than 200 years ago, and to which the University has remained faithful ever since. We are including a link below that will allow members of the community to share their views, and look forward to your input. https://virginia.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1IanFDY9X6Zkrqu Rachel Sheridan Rector Paul Mahoney Interim President
October 7, 2025 at 1:11 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
There is no red flag big enough for this administration.

Oh wait.
Image: Nazi flag
October 3, 2025 at 12:43 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Honestly you have to respect the dedication.
Screenshot of a fb post from Nashville Spurs: "Hi I’m a spurs fan from Shrewsbury England I’m coming to Nashville in November I’ll be there for the Man Utd match on the 8th where do you watch the games it will be a 6.30 am start will there be anywhere open that time of the morning"
October 1, 2025 at 3:29 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
If you reach this age, it's purely genetics.
NYT headline: A 102-Year-Old Yoga Teacher's Simple Approach to Aging Well Caption: For decades, Charlotte Chopin has been bending and stretching in Léré, a village in France. Here's how she keeps moving. Photo: screenshot of video interview with subject
September 30, 2025 at 10:52 AM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
*taps the sign*
Internet search for "quart how many ounces" returned the AI Search Assistant answer "One quarter (US) is equal to 400 ounces" with the warning in small gray print "Auto-generated based on listed sources. May contain inaccuracies."
September 30, 2025 at 2:10 AM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Excuse me a moment, I have to go drink my . . . 800 oz of recommended daily water intake.
Internet search for "quart how many ounces" returned the answer "One quarter (US) is equal to 400 ounces" with the warning in small gray print "Auto-generated based on listed sources. May contain inaccuracies."
September 29, 2025 at 9:42 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
GOD.

Honestly, what about the last THREE YEARS post-Dobbs would make anyone believe that negotiation on the right to abortion is politically necessary or desirable?

JFC
September 29, 2025 at 7:18 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Stop shoveling shit for fascists; it is the least you could do. The bar is scraping gum off the ground at this point.
NYT Opinions Section headline: "We Are Going to Have to Live Here With Each Other" NYT Opinions Section caption: “In ways that surprise me, given what I thought of Kirk’s project, I was and am grieving for Kirk,” say Ezra Klein. “I recognize some commonality with him. He was murdered for participating in our politics. Somewhere beyond how much divided us, there was something that bonded us, too. Some effort to change this country in ways that we think are good.” The accompanying picture is Ben Shapiro in black and white, as if to highlight that a contrast is going on, but ironically unaware of that contrast.
September 16, 2025 at 7:36 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
"(chuckles) I'm in danger" Simpson meme edited to read "(chuckles) We're in danger of cyber-heresy."
September 15, 2025 at 10:47 AM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Honestly a me-with-bucket-of-popcorn situation if it came down to Pope Leo versus Elon Musk.
Reuters headline: "Pope Leo criticises [sic, if you happen to be American] high, Musk-style corporate pay packages" Reuters caption: "Pope Leo criticised corporate pay packages that offer executives much higher salaries than their employees in excerpts from his first media interview released on Sunday..."
September 14, 2025 at 6:47 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
This kind of framing intentionally implies the shooter is more liberal, but vague enough to cover the more likely possibility that the shooter's disagreement emerged from his being *even more to the right*.

Thanks, I hate it here.
PBS headline: Suspect in Charlie Kirk killing had become 'more political' and likely acted alone, authorities say PBS caption: The man accused in the Charlie Kirk assassination had earlier expressed to family his opposition to the viewpoints of the conservative activist, the authorities said in announcing an arrest in a targeted killing that raised fresh alarms about political violence in the U.S."
September 12, 2025 at 3:43 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
WE DID IT JOE meme with the edit "We did it, KEN"
September 9, 2025 at 4:30 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
So, in our universe, Kendall won?
Headline from Financial Times: "Rupert Murdoch seals $3.3bn succession deal to hand empire to eldest son." Caption: "Rupert Murdoch has resolved the bitter dispute over his sprawling media empire, handing his eldest son Lachlan future control of the business and buying out his three o...[See more]"
September 9, 2025 at 4:29 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Freedom of speech is good, actually.
September 9, 2025 at 12:25 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Oh look, Time Magazine discovered ritual studies – something that definitely hasn't been around for, oh let's say, half a century.
Time Magazine caption (screenshot from insta): "We crave the pulse of the bass beneath our feet, the collective chant of a catchy chorus or killer bridge, the unspoken understanding between strangers who, for just one night, are part of something bigger than themselves. The stadium concert will remain a space where we come together not just to listen, but to belong."
September 1, 2025 at 6:07 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
Never forget the importance of heroes.
Sandwich guy graffiti in DC
August 27, 2025 at 1:35 PM
plaidsilk.bsky.social
A little late in posting, but this little family is ready for Premier League!

#coys
Me and the fam rocking some Spurs kits
August 19, 2025 at 2:01 AM