PVermeulen
@pverm23.bsky.social
Literature scholar @KU Leuven
www.pvermeulen.com
www.pvermeulen.com
Reposted by PVermeulen
One day the US will have to face the shame and horror of what has happened here: that a cabal of wealthy people have elevated a monster into the most powerful person in the world www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
Epstein Alleged in Emails That Trump Knew of His Conduct
www.nytimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:05 PM
One day the US will have to face the shame and horror of what has happened here: that a cabal of wealthy people have elevated a monster into the most powerful person in the world www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
Reposted by PVermeulen
Enormous news for US literature. A new, Mellon-led, $50 million fund for nonprofit literary orgs and publishers. Closest thing we've ever had to it was Mellon and Wallace in 1991, which, in today's dollars, was still less than half this. Open call begins Nov 10. literaryartsfund.org/about/
About | Literary Arts Fund
The Literary Arts Fund advances support for the nonprofit literary arts field toward ensuring creative writers’ contributions to American literature for generations to come.
literaryartsfund.org
October 28, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Enormous news for US literature. A new, Mellon-led, $50 million fund for nonprofit literary orgs and publishers. Closest thing we've ever had to it was Mellon and Wallace in 1991, which, in today's dollars, was still less than half this. Open call begins Nov 10. literaryartsfund.org/about/
Reposted by PVermeulen
One of my niche ethical stances is that I think that people should use Wikipedia and donate to the Wikimedia Foundation and that ChatGPT and its siblings are trash and so are the people who use them.
October 28, 2025 at 2:17 AM
One of my niche ethical stances is that I think that people should use Wikipedia and donate to the Wikimedia Foundation and that ChatGPT and its siblings are trash and so are the people who use them.
Reposted by PVermeulen
The entire "free speech on campus" moral panic was manufactured to blackmail us into making space in intellectual life for bigots and charlatans who couldn't get there on their own merits. Its a DEI scheme for fascism. Congratulations to everyone who took it at face value.
“Following his lecture, Yarvin will debate the legendary British historian David Starkey on history and the future of conservatism.” Everything about this is so cursed. Masks off at the University of Oxford.
October 20, 2025 at 2:13 PM
The entire "free speech on campus" moral panic was manufactured to blackmail us into making space in intellectual life for bigots and charlatans who couldn't get there on their own merits. Its a DEI scheme for fascism. Congratulations to everyone who took it at face value.
Reposted by PVermeulen
Trump's literal AI slop shitpost is, if nothing else, an attempt to push the wonderful and encouraging images of millions of protesters out of the feeds and timelines. Flooding the zone with shit also means burying everything beautiful and hopeful under the flood. We should not support him in this
October 19, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Trump's literal AI slop shitpost is, if nothing else, an attempt to push the wonderful and encouraging images of millions of protesters out of the feeds and timelines. Flooding the zone with shit also means burying everything beautiful and hopeful under the flood. We should not support him in this
Reposted by PVermeulen
I know Donald Trump is a pathological liar, malignant narcissistic sociopath, racist, antisemite, misogynist, xenophobe, homophobe, transphobe, hater of our troops and believer in euthanizing folks with disabilities, but we too often forget that he's *also* an adjudicated rapist and convicted felon.
October 18, 2025 at 8:10 PM
I know Donald Trump is a pathological liar, malignant narcissistic sociopath, racist, antisemite, misogynist, xenophobe, homophobe, transphobe, hater of our troops and believer in euthanizing folks with disabilities, but we too often forget that he's *also* an adjudicated rapist and convicted felon.
Reposted by PVermeulen
Mircea Cărtărescu’s Interview for De Standaard: On Theodoros, Giorgio de Chirico, Surrealism, writing methods, literary fame, ambition, tyranny, and his work in progress
theuntranslated.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/m...
theuntranslated.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/m...
Mircea Cărtărescu’s Interview for De Standaard: On Theodoros, Giorgio de Chirico, Surrealism, writing methods, literary fame, ambition, tyranny, and his work in progress
Photo: C.Stadler/Bwag I am honoured again to publish on The Untranslated an interview with Mircea Cărtărescu. Like the previous time, the interview was conducted by my Belgian friends Emiel Roothoo…
theuntranslated.wordpress.com
October 9, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Mircea Cărtărescu’s Interview for De Standaard: On Theodoros, Giorgio de Chirico, Surrealism, writing methods, literary fame, ambition, tyranny, and his work in progress
theuntranslated.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/m...
theuntranslated.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/m...
Reposted by PVermeulen
My take, which I’ve banged on about before, concerning the state of young people reading these days is that reading is a rhythm. It’s like a mix of slow breathing and being pleasurably bored. We need to bring back spaces and times where our young people can breath and think and get lost in a world.
October 4, 2025 at 2:07 AM
My take, which I’ve banged on about before, concerning the state of young people reading these days is that reading is a rhythm. It’s like a mix of slow breathing and being pleasurably bored. We need to bring back spaces and times where our young people can breath and think and get lost in a world.
Reposted by PVermeulen
Man, I'm sorry, but reading all these AI generated essays from students, it just sucks all the joy out of everything. It's exhausting, makes you into a weird paranoid cop, grinds you down, wastes your time, makes you feel like shit about everything.
Fuck this shit technology and all its enablers.
Fuck this shit technology and all its enablers.
October 1, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Man, I'm sorry, but reading all these AI generated essays from students, it just sucks all the joy out of everything. It's exhausting, makes you into a weird paranoid cop, grinds you down, wastes your time, makes you feel like shit about everything.
Fuck this shit technology and all its enablers.
Fuck this shit technology and all its enablers.
Reposted by PVermeulen
Door te begrijpen hoe #pijn in het zenuwstelsel ontstaat, kunnen we betere strategieën ontwikkelen om #chronischepijn te verlichten.
Prof. Iris Coppieters (VUB, KU Leuven, Universiteit Maastricht) legt uit waarom #pijneducatie cruciaal is.
🔗 www.tijdschriftkarakter.be/chronische-p...
Prof. Iris Coppieters (VUB, KU Leuven, Universiteit Maastricht) legt uit waarom #pijneducatie cruciaal is.
🔗 www.tijdschriftkarakter.be/chronische-p...
Karakter
Tijdschrift van wetenschap biedt een etalage op recente vernieuwingen in de internationale wetenschap
www.tijdschriftkarakter.be
September 30, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Door te begrijpen hoe #pijn in het zenuwstelsel ontstaat, kunnen we betere strategieën ontwikkelen om #chronischepijn te verlichten.
Prof. Iris Coppieters (VUB, KU Leuven, Universiteit Maastricht) legt uit waarom #pijneducatie cruciaal is.
🔗 www.tijdschriftkarakter.be/chronische-p...
Prof. Iris Coppieters (VUB, KU Leuven, Universiteit Maastricht) legt uit waarom #pijneducatie cruciaal is.
🔗 www.tijdschriftkarakter.be/chronische-p...
Reposted by PVermeulen
Amateur view. AI bubble shows that there is too much money chasing too few opportunities for genuine innovation. The solution is to take a medium/long view and put much more funding into basic science in universities rather than cutting as is happening now. (But I would say that wouldn’t I?)
September 30, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Amateur view. AI bubble shows that there is too much money chasing too few opportunities for genuine innovation. The solution is to take a medium/long view and put much more funding into basic science in universities rather than cutting as is happening now. (But I would say that wouldn’t I?)
Reposted by PVermeulen
James Baldwin Review (JBR) is proud to announce the publication of its eleventh volume with thanks to the extraordinary collaborative vision of three European guest editors: Remo Verdickt, Pieter Vermeulen, and Gianna Zocco.
#JamesBaldwin
www.manchesterhive.com/view/journal...
#JamesBaldwin
www.manchesterhive.com/view/journal...
September 26, 2025 at 12:13 PM
James Baldwin Review (JBR) is proud to announce the publication of its eleventh volume with thanks to the extraordinary collaborative vision of three European guest editors: Remo Verdickt, Pieter Vermeulen, and Gianna Zocco.
#JamesBaldwin
www.manchesterhive.com/view/journal...
#JamesBaldwin
www.manchesterhive.com/view/journal...
Reposted by PVermeulen
The thing regular people don’t often grasp about ‘academic freedom’ is that if you don’t allow experts to research & teach in their fields of expertise, guided by their professional judgment & decades of training, you have effectively given up on the concept of knowledge & shut down your university
Universities are moving rapidly to comply with laws that don't exist.
“I’m emotionally shellshocked right now,” said one professor in the Texas Tech system. “What does it say about academic freedom? It says we don’t have it.” The professor spoke by phone from the inside of a car to avoid being overheard by colleagues.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/u...
September 27, 2025 at 11:41 AM
The thing regular people don’t often grasp about ‘academic freedom’ is that if you don’t allow experts to research & teach in their fields of expertise, guided by their professional judgment & decades of training, you have effectively given up on the concept of knowledge & shut down your university
Reposted by PVermeulen
Ik kan je verzekeren dat 'lekker discussiëren' met collega's aan de universiteit vele malen 'onveiliger' is dan zoals Waling elke week een EW-stukje tikken voor gelijkgestemden. De conservatieve-commentator-pijplijn is gevuld met gefaalde academici die échte intellectuele kritiek te gemeen vinden.
September 16, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Ik kan je verzekeren dat 'lekker discussiëren' met collega's aan de universiteit vele malen 'onveiliger' is dan zoals Waling elke week een EW-stukje tikken voor gelijkgestemden. De conservatieve-commentator-pijplijn is gevuld met gefaalde academici die échte intellectuele kritiek te gemeen vinden.
Reposted by PVermeulen
If a college or university pledged to eliminate not only AI but screens from campus, outside dedicated labs, I would want very badly to teach there.
What are the most effective things—even if they sound extreme—that we can do to limit, and ideally abolish, the unauthorized use of AI on campus? www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...
The Question All Colleges Should Ask Themselves About AI
How far are they willing to go to limit its harms?
www.theatlantic.com
September 14, 2025 at 11:13 PM
If a college or university pledged to eliminate not only AI but screens from campus, outside dedicated labs, I would want very badly to teach there.
Reposted by PVermeulen
Filip Brusselmans in Terzake, Fabrizio bij Peter van de Veire, nu dit: ik weet niet waar de openbare omroep met Vlaanderen heen wil, maar ik ben er precies liever niet bij als ze daar aankomt
Deze Belgen hebben bewondering voor Donald Trump: "Trump is een ondernemer, he gets the job done" vrtnws.be/p.DYm75RBbN?t=175... @vrtnws.be
Deze Belgen hebben bewondering voor Donald Trump: "Trump is een ondernemer, he gets the job done"
vrtnws.be
September 14, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Filip Brusselmans in Terzake, Fabrizio bij Peter van de Veire, nu dit: ik weet niet waar de openbare omroep met Vlaanderen heen wil, maar ik ben er precies liever niet bij als ze daar aankomt
Reposted by PVermeulen
I’m sorry but let me unbury this lede: *the genAI industry is literally the financial engine that is powering the fascist regime in the United States*
I hadn’t even made this connection and now I’m even more horrified by this tech than I have ever been.
Boosterism == fascism, literally
I hadn’t even made this connection and now I’m even more horrified by this tech than I have ever been.
Boosterism == fascism, literally
September 10, 2025 at 1:47 AM
I’m sorry but let me unbury this lede: *the genAI industry is literally the financial engine that is powering the fascist regime in the United States*
I hadn’t even made this connection and now I’m even more horrified by this tech than I have ever been.
Boosterism == fascism, literally
I hadn’t even made this connection and now I’m even more horrified by this tech than I have ever been.
Boosterism == fascism, literally
Reposted by PVermeulen
I think more than anything else AI feels like a miracle to people with questionable literacy because it can read and write for you, and a lot of us who are highly literate underestimate how many of our society's leaders, esp in business, struggle with literacy.
It's pretty much mandatory at work that I appear to be using it, so I've doe a few functional things with it, and it's a moderate time-saver if used right. But nowhere near worth it's stock value, energy cost.
Then I realize there's a lot of people who simply can't write coherent paragraphs.
Then I realize there's a lot of people who simply can't write coherent paragraphs.
September 4, 2025 at 2:54 PM
I think more than anything else AI feels like a miracle to people with questionable literacy because it can read and write for you, and a lot of us who are highly literate underestimate how many of our society's leaders, esp in business, struggle with literacy.
Reposted by PVermeulen
I considered writing a long carefully constructed argument laying out the harms and limitations of AI, but instead I wrote about being a hater. Only humans can be haters.
I Am An AI Hater
I am an AI hater. This is considered rude, but I do not care, because I am a hater.
anthonymoser.github.io
August 27, 2025 at 5:04 PM
I considered writing a long carefully constructed argument laying out the harms and limitations of AI, but instead I wrote about being a hater. Only humans can be haters.
Reposted by PVermeulen
Public Events on Memory & Responsibility
🌍 Roundtable: Practising Memory in Times of Crisis — Amani El Haddad, Manoeuvre vzw, Pieter Lagrou, Ann Rigney & Michael Rothberg
🎓 Keynotes: Carlos Fonseca · Sara Dybris McQuaid · Hanna Meretoja
Info and registration: event.ugent.be/registration...
🌍 Roundtable: Practising Memory in Times of Crisis — Amani El Haddad, Manoeuvre vzw, Pieter Lagrou, Ann Rigney & Michael Rothberg
🎓 Keynotes: Carlos Fonseca · Sara Dybris McQuaid · Hanna Meretoja
Info and registration: event.ugent.be/registration...
August 20, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Public Events on Memory & Responsibility
🌍 Roundtable: Practising Memory in Times of Crisis — Amani El Haddad, Manoeuvre vzw, Pieter Lagrou, Ann Rigney & Michael Rothberg
🎓 Keynotes: Carlos Fonseca · Sara Dybris McQuaid · Hanna Meretoja
Info and registration: event.ugent.be/registration...
🌍 Roundtable: Practising Memory in Times of Crisis — Amani El Haddad, Manoeuvre vzw, Pieter Lagrou, Ann Rigney & Michael Rothberg
🎓 Keynotes: Carlos Fonseca · Sara Dybris McQuaid · Hanna Meretoja
Info and registration: event.ugent.be/registration...
Reposted by PVermeulen
as hard as it is to imagine political solutions to the current moment, it’s even harder to imagine how we could be expected to comfortably share a society with these fucking babykillers
I recently looked up the Arabic translation of some of the names of the emaciated children used in coverage of the alleged famine in Gaza.
It turns out that many of them were sick before the war and have long, complicated medical histories. Our reporting shows they do not represent the average.
It turns out that many of them were sick before the war and have long, complicated medical histories. Our reporting shows they do not represent the average.
August 18, 2025 at 10:53 AM
as hard as it is to imagine political solutions to the current moment, it’s even harder to imagine how we could be expected to comfortably share a society with these fucking babykillers
Reposted by PVermeulen
Accessible and expanding archive of resources tailored for teachers who are trying to explain and engender AI skepticism, create AI-free classrooms and curricula, & think with other scholars and educators who are doing the same.
teachers!
excited to share a new website at this late date of Aug 15 to try to help us collectively prepare for back to school in the interpretative humanities classroom assaulted by the AI grift, so we don't have to go it alone.
take a look, share, + most importantly: CONTRIBUTE
against-a-i.com
excited to share a new website at this late date of Aug 15 to try to help us collectively prepare for back to school in the interpretative humanities classroom assaulted by the AI grift, so we don't have to go it alone.
take a look, share, + most importantly: CONTRIBUTE
against-a-i.com
AGAINST AI
against-a-i.com
August 15, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Accessible and expanding archive of resources tailored for teachers who are trying to explain and engender AI skepticism, create AI-free classrooms and curricula, & think with other scholars and educators who are doing the same.
Reposted by PVermeulen
Europeans have come to detest immigrants and can no longer explain why in any rational fashion. Islamist terrorism has declined to nearly nothing. Crime is low. Immigrants have jobs and so do locals. Only remaining one is blaming them for the housing shortage which is gibberish
The employment rate of non-EU born migrants exceeded that of the UK-born for the first time on record.
Confirms other evidence that recent migrants (even if they did not arrive on work visas) are very likely to be working/have high employment rates.
Confirms other evidence that recent migrants (even if they did not arrive on work visas) are very likely to be working/have high employment rates.
August 12, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Europeans have come to detest immigrants and can no longer explain why in any rational fashion. Islamist terrorism has declined to nearly nothing. Crime is low. Immigrants have jobs and so do locals. Only remaining one is blaming them for the housing shortage which is gibberish
Europeans have come to detest immigrants and can no longer explain why in any rational fashion. Islamist terrorism has declined to nearly nothing. Crime is low. Immigrants have jobs and so do locals. Only remaining one is blaming them for the housing shortage which is gibberish
The employment rate of non-EU born migrants exceeded that of the UK-born for the first time on record.
Confirms other evidence that recent migrants (even if they did not arrive on work visas) are very likely to be working/have high employment rates.
Confirms other evidence that recent migrants (even if they did not arrive on work visas) are very likely to be working/have high employment rates.
August 12, 2025 at 7:55 AM