Steph Brown
@stephjayb.bsky.social
Author | Watching Women: Militant Suffragists Write the British Surveillance State | U Toronto Press, 2024
Assoc Prof of English in Tucson | Surveillance | C20/21 Caribbean and British Lit | GWS
rock scrambler | hawk enthusiast | she/her
Assoc Prof of English in Tucson | Surveillance | C20/21 Caribbean and British Lit | GWS
rock scrambler | hawk enthusiast | she/her
Seeing this graph a lot, and this framing seems off. As someone who moved out of the US in my late 20s, these results read like a referendum on how bad things are in the US (extremely bad!) and less like people seriously considering & choosing the realities of being a non-citizen in a new country.
"In 2025, 40% of women aged 15 to 44 say they would move abroad permanently if they had the opportunity. The current figure is four times higher than the 10% who shared this desire in 2014, when it was generally in line with other age and gender groups"
Something tells me it's more than wanderlust
Something tells me it's more than wanderlust
November 13, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Seeing this graph a lot, and this framing seems off. As someone who moved out of the US in my late 20s, these results read like a referendum on how bad things are in the US (extremely bad!) and less like people seriously considering & choosing the realities of being a non-citizen in a new country.
Reposted by Steph Brown
Every location has a picket line in front of it. Don’t cross the line.
As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history.
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
November 13, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Every location has a picket line in front of it. Don’t cross the line.
Me, but hoping universities still exist when I get to be Mrs. Dalloway's age:
Lady Victorianist here, measuring out my career in teaching Great Expectations when younger than Miss H; and then still teaching it when I am older
November 12, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Me, but hoping universities still exist when I get to be Mrs. Dalloway's age:
Reposted by Steph Brown
Wow and I always thought the most damning citation of Larry Summers was the epigraph from *Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor* (2011)
November 12, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Wow and I always thought the most damning citation of Larry Summers was the epigraph from *Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor* (2011)
Reposted by Steph Brown
My kingdom for an elected official who will campaign on denying these guys billion dollar government contracts.
November 11, 2025 at 5:01 PM
My kingdom for an elected official who will campaign on denying these guys billion dollar government contracts.
Reposting to add: World Central Kitchen is now also doing meal support for Hurricane Melissa relief in Jamaica:
donate.wck.org/give/738350#...
donate.wck.org/give/738350#...
November 11, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Reposting to add: World Central Kitchen is now also doing meal support for Hurricane Melissa relief in Jamaica:
donate.wck.org/give/738350#...
donate.wck.org/give/738350#...
Confirm the "flavor unlike any I've ever had before" assessment of @ranchogordo.bsky.social's Gay Caballero: definitely ate a little too much of this the first time I had it because I had several additional "ok, but what IS that?" extra bites. (Tamarind-y, but I don't think it's tamarind?)
I've been neglecting to post about things I love and that bring me pleasure.
Such topics are a necessary counter-balance to ... you know.
This hot sauce is the best I've tasted in years! It's a bit hotter than my usual, but it has a unique, fruity, piquant flavor unlike any I've ever had before.
Such topics are a necessary counter-balance to ... you know.
This hot sauce is the best I've tasted in years! It's a bit hotter than my usual, but it has a unique, fruity, piquant flavor unlike any I've ever had before.
November 8, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Confirm the "flavor unlike any I've ever had before" assessment of @ranchogordo.bsky.social's Gay Caballero: definitely ate a little too much of this the first time I had it because I had several additional "ok, but what IS that?" extra bites. (Tamarind-y, but I don't think it's tamarind?)
The nice thing about never reading the New York Times is I don’t have to read the New York Times.
November 6, 2025 at 3:32 PM
The nice thing about never reading the New York Times is I don’t have to read the New York Times.
Reposted by Steph Brown
Instead of watching Ross Douthat make this face 🤔 while smelling his own farts, you should read @sophiegilbert.bsky.social on the "Great Feminization." www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
No, Women Aren’t the Problem
America is rapidly becoming the manosphere, but sure, let’s go after the “feminization” of culture.
www.theatlantic.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Instead of watching Ross Douthat make this face 🤔 while smelling his own farts, you should read @sophiegilbert.bsky.social on the "Great Feminization." www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
@mattseybold.bsky.social's proposal to (among other things) reestablish faculty and students' control over their data & work here is...brilliant, actually?
(Tho it would strip upper admin of their power to decide WHO gets to buy that data...😢)
theamericanvandal.substack.com/p/mamdani-wi...
(Tho it would strip upper admin of their power to decide WHO gets to buy that data...😢)
theamericanvandal.substack.com/p/mamdani-wi...
November 5, 2025 at 9:11 PM
@mattseybold.bsky.social's proposal to (among other things) reestablish faculty and students' control over their data & work here is...brilliant, actually?
(Tho it would strip upper admin of their power to decide WHO gets to buy that data...😢)
theamericanvandal.substack.com/p/mamdani-wi...
(Tho it would strip upper admin of their power to decide WHO gets to buy that data...😢)
theamericanvandal.substack.com/p/mamdani-wi...
Reposted by Steph Brown
Here's what people don't get about the social model vs medical model of disability (i.e. it's not your condition disabling you, it's society's refusal to allow for different kinds of people). Ableism hurts *everyone* and accommodations help people without that disability. 🧵 (1/5)
Somehow I got people in my mentions asking me why I don’t want to prevent autism. To them, I say:
Hi, welcome to bsky, please go get some neurodiversity education before you injure yourself. #Autistic
Hi, welcome to bsky, please go get some neurodiversity education before you injure yourself. #Autistic
November 5, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Here's what people don't get about the social model vs medical model of disability (i.e. it's not your condition disabling you, it's society's refusal to allow for different kinds of people). Ableism hurts *everyone* and accommodations help people without that disability. 🧵 (1/5)
Reposted by Steph Brown
Mamdani got a humanities degree.
His win helps to illustrate that one of the central forces driving higher ed’s dissolution of the humanities is the fear that teaching people how power works can also lead to their interest in seizing it on behalf of the less powerful.
His win helps to illustrate that one of the central forces driving higher ed’s dissolution of the humanities is the fear that teaching people how power works can also lead to their interest in seizing it on behalf of the less powerful.
November 5, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Mamdani got a humanities degree.
His win helps to illustrate that one of the central forces driving higher ed’s dissolution of the humanities is the fear that teaching people how power works can also lead to their interest in seizing it on behalf of the less powerful.
His win helps to illustrate that one of the central forces driving higher ed’s dissolution of the humanities is the fear that teaching people how power works can also lead to their interest in seizing it on behalf of the less powerful.
Reposted by Steph Brown
It's actually disqualifying that Schumer is such an ignorant, reprehensible bigot that he cannot support his party's nominee for mayor of the city in which he resides. Ditto for Gillibrand (tho she doesn't pretend to live here). We're never beating the fascists with these assholes.
Q: It's election day in NYC. Did you vote for Mamdani or Cuomo?
Schumer: "Look, I voted, and I look forward to working with the next mayor to help NYC."
Schumer: "Look, I voted, and I look forward to working with the next mayor to help NYC."
November 4, 2025 at 9:44 PM
It's actually disqualifying that Schumer is such an ignorant, reprehensible bigot that he cannot support his party's nominee for mayor of the city in which he resides. Ditto for Gillibrand (tho she doesn't pretend to live here). We're never beating the fascists with these assholes.
Reposted by Steph Brown
seems like one of the main use cases for genAI is to eliminate the joy that other people take in thinking and actually doing things www.thecut.com/article/woul...
November 4, 2025 at 6:02 PM
seems like one of the main use cases for genAI is to eliminate the joy that other people take in thinking and actually doing things www.thecut.com/article/woul...
Reposted by Steph Brown
thank you for all the support; the statement from our union is now live here with some more reporting.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
November 3, 2025 at 11:25 PM
thank you for all the support; the statement from our union is now live here with some more reporting.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
Reposted by Steph Brown
a helpful starter pack to find stuff you may be interested in and/or is local to you
go.bsky.app/2Fq4P6e
go.bsky.app/2Fq4P6e
November 3, 2025 at 9:17 PM
a helpful starter pack to find stuff you may be interested in and/or is local to you
go.bsky.app/2Fq4P6e
go.bsky.app/2Fq4P6e
People are once again trying the "blocklists are BAD, actually" argument, which reminds me that I keep meaning to make a "people who post Mary Oliver poems" blocklist.
no, I think it’s incredibly good actually that Bluesky gives people opt-in tools that allow them to use social media *without* constantly getting into stupid fights with strangers.
Blocking hatemongers is one thing but this trend of using mass block lists to avoid hearing from people who might or might not hold points of view you expect to disagree with is unhealthy imo and hurts the platform.
Bluesky was better off with folks like Margaret Mitchell and Giada Pistilli on it.
Bluesky was better off with folks like Margaret Mitchell and Giada Pistilli on it.
November 3, 2025 at 8:20 PM
People are once again trying the "blocklists are BAD, actually" argument, which reminds me that I keep meaning to make a "people who post Mary Oliver poems" blocklist.
Teen Vogue had been doing real political reporting, for a demographic that is often dismissed or mocked. This is so disheartening.
I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
November 3, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Teen Vogue had been doing real political reporting, for a demographic that is often dismissed or mocked. This is so disheartening.
Reposted by Steph Brown
Want to help folks in #Haiti devastated by Hurricane Melissa? @fokalayiti.bsky.social is an on-the-ground, Haitian-led organization. Their program Ayiti Demen is organizing this fundraiser, along with local farmer organizations, to give help directly to families secure.givelively.org/donate/ayiti...
secure.givelively.org
November 3, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Want to help folks in #Haiti devastated by Hurricane Melissa? @fokalayiti.bsky.social is an on-the-ground, Haitian-led organization. Their program Ayiti Demen is organizing this fundraiser, along with local farmer organizations, to give help directly to families secure.givelively.org/donate/ayiti...
Reposted by Steph Brown
i’ve said this before but lemme say it again. it makes absolutely 0 sense to talk about “misuse” of llms because there is no clear use or purpose for llms to begin with. genAI is a purposeless tech floating around looking for uptake
1/
1/
November 2, 2025 at 2:17 PM
i’ve said this before but lemme say it again. it makes absolutely 0 sense to talk about “misuse” of llms because there is no clear use or purpose for llms to begin with. genAI is a purposeless tech floating around looking for uptake
1/
1/
Reposted by Steph Brown
Treating facial recognition as a definitive ID is at odds with virtually every law enforcement agency in America that has policies & procedures for using the tech.
Don't treat a match as a defintive ID is perhaps the most basic rule of the tech, including by DHS. These actions violate agency rules:
Don't treat a match as a defintive ID is perhaps the most basic rule of the tech, including by DHS. These actions violate agency rules:
October 29, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Treating facial recognition as a definitive ID is at odds with virtually every law enforcement agency in America that has policies & procedures for using the tech.
Don't treat a match as a defintive ID is perhaps the most basic rule of the tech, including by DHS. These actions violate agency rules:
Don't treat a match as a defintive ID is perhaps the most basic rule of the tech, including by DHS. These actions violate agency rules:
Reposted by Steph Brown
Please share!!! The American Friends of Jamaica has just announced $1M matching fund- a 💵 for 💵 match for donations going through their channels theafj.org
The Jamaican Diaspora at work. #HurricaneMelissa
The Jamaican Diaspora at work. #HurricaneMelissa
October 29, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Please share!!! The American Friends of Jamaica has just announced $1M matching fund- a 💵 for 💵 match for donations going through their channels theafj.org
The Jamaican Diaspora at work. #HurricaneMelissa
The Jamaican Diaspora at work. #HurricaneMelissa
Not hard to see why a thin-skinned authoritarian's handlers would not want the guy who wrote "You Must Set Forth at Dawn" hanging around.
The first African author to win the Nobel in literature, Soyinka has been an outspoken critic of governments worldwide.
Trump administration strips Nigerian Nobel winner Wole Soyinka of US visa
The first African author to win the Nobel in literature, Soyinka has been an outspoken critic of governments worldwide.
bit.ly
October 29, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Not hard to see why a thin-skinned authoritarian's handlers would not want the guy who wrote "You Must Set Forth at Dawn" hanging around.
Reposted by Steph Brown
Lots of lovely folks want to cook for neighbors, fill community fridges during SNAP shutdown but are intimidated. A mutual aid group in Flatbush, Brooklyn has been feeding 80+ people every single week for a year and a half or so now. Nobody is born knowing how to cook for 80, so here's our guide!
October 28, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Lots of lovely folks want to cook for neighbors, fill community fridges during SNAP shutdown but are intimidated. A mutual aid group in Flatbush, Brooklyn has been feeding 80+ people every single week for a year and a half or so now. Nobody is born knowing how to cook for 80, so here's our guide!
Reposted by Steph Brown
The poor work more than the rich. This is so obvious it shouldn't need to be said, but American ideologies of meritocracy and bootstrapping obfuscate the realities of poverty. No one works harder than the poor.
It's also expensive to be poor, but that's another post for another day.
It's also expensive to be poor, but that's another post for another day.
If you make 130% of the federal poverty level, you qualify for SNAP.
A family of four, making $40,560, qualifies for SNAP benefits meaning thousands of Missouri teachers qualify.
I’m tired of the bullshit. Most of the people who receive snap benefits work.
A family of four, making $40,560, qualifies for SNAP benefits meaning thousands of Missouri teachers qualify.
I’m tired of the bullshit. Most of the people who receive snap benefits work.
October 28, 2025 at 5:39 PM
The poor work more than the rich. This is so obvious it shouldn't need to be said, but American ideologies of meritocracy and bootstrapping obfuscate the realities of poverty. No one works harder than the poor.
It's also expensive to be poor, but that's another post for another day.
It's also expensive to be poor, but that's another post for another day.