Carl Petersen
@thedifrntdrmr.bsky.social
Public education advocate and former LAUSD School Board candidate. Passionate about Special Education. I am a recent transplant to Washington State, where I am embracing the role of “Poppy”. More: change.hopp.to/TheDifrntDrmr
Pinned
LAUSD’s 2026 school board filing period is over—but the ballot isn’t set yet.
Candidates now need signatures to qualify.
Who filed & what happens next:
vocal.media/theSwamp/lau...
#LAUSD #SchoolBoardElections #EducationPolicy #PublicEducation #LosAngeles #LocalPolitics #CivicEngagement
Candidates now need signatures to qualify.
Who filed & what happens next:
vocal.media/theSwamp/lau...
#LAUSD #SchoolBoardElections #EducationPolicy #PublicEducation #LosAngeles #LocalPolitics #CivicEngagement
We tend to debate Title IX in abstract legal and political terms.
A women’s hockey game I attended a few weeks ago made its impact feel tangible — and made the backlash easier to understand.
I wrote about that tension here:
vocal.media/theSwamp/a-w...
#TitleIX #GenderEquity
A women’s hockey game I attended a few weeks ago made its impact feel tangible — and made the backlash easier to understand.
I wrote about that tension here:
vocal.media/theSwamp/a-w...
#TitleIX #GenderEquity
February 18, 2026 at 8:45 PM
We tend to debate Title IX in abstract legal and political terms.
A women’s hockey game I attended a few weeks ago made its impact feel tangible — and made the backlash easier to understand.
I wrote about that tension here:
vocal.media/theSwamp/a-w...
#TitleIX #GenderEquity
A women’s hockey game I attended a few weeks ago made its impact feel tangible — and made the backlash easier to understand.
I wrote about that tension here:
vocal.media/theSwamp/a-w...
#TitleIX #GenderEquity
Moral ambiguity matters in politics—until ambiguity genuinely disappears.
My latest essay looks at when “both sides” framing becomes a refusal to confront reality, using recent Border Patrol killings as a case study:
vocal.media/theSwamp/whe...
My latest essay looks at when “both sides” framing becomes a refusal to confront reality, using recent Border Patrol killings as a case study:
vocal.media/theSwamp/whe...
When There Is No Gray: A Border Patrol Killing With No Plausible Ambiguity
Sometimes the problem isn’t uncertainty—it’s the refusal to admit when there is no gray.
vocal.media
February 16, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Moral ambiguity matters in politics—until ambiguity genuinely disappears.
My latest essay looks at when “both sides” framing becomes a refusal to confront reality, using recent Border Patrol killings as a case study:
vocal.media/theSwamp/whe...
My latest essay looks at when “both sides” framing becomes a refusal to confront reality, using recent Border Patrol killings as a case study:
vocal.media/theSwamp/whe...
The power of Midnight Oil wasn’t just the lyrics.
It was the tension underneath them.
Rob Hirst’s drumming made the politics feel urgent — not theoretical.
I wrote about what made his rhythm different, and why it mattered.
vocal.media/beat/the-wor...
#MidnightOil #ClassicRock
It was the tension underneath them.
Rob Hirst’s drumming made the politics feel urgent — not theoretical.
I wrote about what made his rhythm different, and why it mattered.
vocal.media/beat/the-wor...
#MidnightOil #ClassicRock
The World Loses a Different Drummer: Remembering Rob Hirst
Midnight Oil’s drummer, songwriter, and backing vocalist Rob Hirst has died at 70 after a long battle with cancer.
vocal.media
February 14, 2026 at 7:19 PM
The power of Midnight Oil wasn’t just the lyrics.
It was the tension underneath them.
Rob Hirst’s drumming made the politics feel urgent — not theoretical.
I wrote about what made his rhythm different, and why it mattered.
vocal.media/beat/the-wor...
#MidnightOil #ClassicRock
It was the tension underneath them.
Rob Hirst’s drumming made the politics feel urgent — not theoretical.
I wrote about what made his rhythm different, and why it mattered.
vocal.media/beat/the-wor...
#MidnightOil #ClassicRock
We’re entering a “Gray” era—where language blurs responsibility and accountability quietly disappears.
My essay Creating Gray: The Newspeak Era was accepted by Dialog & Discourse:
medium.com/discourse/cr...
#MediaCriticism #PoliticalLanguage #Journalism #MediaLiteracy #DialogAndDiscourse
My essay Creating Gray: The Newspeak Era was accepted by Dialog & Discourse:
medium.com/discourse/cr...
#MediaCriticism #PoliticalLanguage #Journalism #MediaLiteracy #DialogAndDiscourse
February 12, 2026 at 8:04 PM
We’re entering a “Gray” era—where language blurs responsibility and accountability quietly disappears.
My essay Creating Gray: The Newspeak Era was accepted by Dialog & Discourse:
medium.com/discourse/cr...
#MediaCriticism #PoliticalLanguage #Journalism #MediaLiteracy #DialogAndDiscourse
My essay Creating Gray: The Newspeak Era was accepted by Dialog & Discourse:
medium.com/discourse/cr...
#MediaCriticism #PoliticalLanguage #Journalism #MediaLiteracy #DialogAndDiscourse
Funniest bit of data to come out of the ratings report for the Super Bowl: the ratings spiked at the end of the 2nd quarter - people who skipped the game but tuned in for Bad Bunny.
Ranking of the halftime events by viewership:
Bad Bunny 128.2 million
Puppy Bowl 12 million
Kid Rock 5 million
Ranking of the halftime events by viewership:
Bad Bunny 128.2 million
Puppy Bowl 12 million
Kid Rock 5 million
February 11, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Funniest bit of data to come out of the ratings report for the Super Bowl: the ratings spiked at the end of the 2nd quarter - people who skipped the game but tuned in for Bad Bunny.
Ranking of the halftime events by viewership:
Bad Bunny 128.2 million
Puppy Bowl 12 million
Kid Rock 5 million
Ranking of the halftime events by viewership:
Bad Bunny 128.2 million
Puppy Bowl 12 million
Kid Rock 5 million
LAUSD’s 2026 school board filing period is over—but the ballot isn’t set yet.
Candidates now need signatures to qualify.
Who filed & what happens next:
vocal.media/theSwamp/lau...
#LAUSD #SchoolBoardElections #EducationPolicy #PublicEducation #LosAngeles #LocalPolitics #CivicEngagement
Candidates now need signatures to qualify.
Who filed & what happens next:
vocal.media/theSwamp/lau...
#LAUSD #SchoolBoardElections #EducationPolicy #PublicEducation #LosAngeles #LocalPolitics #CivicEngagement
February 9, 2026 at 9:39 PM
LAUSD’s 2026 school board filing period is over—but the ballot isn’t set yet.
Candidates now need signatures to qualify.
Who filed & what happens next:
vocal.media/theSwamp/lau...
#LAUSD #SchoolBoardElections #EducationPolicy #PublicEducation #LosAngeles #LocalPolitics #CivicEngagement
Candidates now need signatures to qualify.
Who filed & what happens next:
vocal.media/theSwamp/lau...
#LAUSD #SchoolBoardElections #EducationPolicy #PublicEducation #LosAngeles #LocalPolitics #CivicEngagement
A women’s hockey game turned into a proxy fight over social progress and backlash politics.
I wrote an essay on what this moment says about culture wars and public institutions.
vocal.media/theSwamp/a-w...
#WomensHockey #GenderPolitics #SportsAndPolitics #CultureWars #Longform
I wrote an essay on what this moment says about culture wars and public institutions.
vocal.media/theSwamp/a-w...
#WomensHockey #GenderPolitics #SportsAndPolitics #CultureWars #Longform
A Women’s Hockey Game and the Fight Over Social Progress
A night at the hockey arena becomes a meditation on progress, backlash, and hope.
vocal.media
February 7, 2026 at 5:11 PM
A women’s hockey game turned into a proxy fight over social progress and backlash politics.
I wrote an essay on what this moment says about culture wars and public institutions.
vocal.media/theSwamp/a-w...
#WomensHockey #GenderPolitics #SportsAndPolitics #CultureWars #Longform
I wrote an essay on what this moment says about culture wars and public institutions.
vocal.media/theSwamp/a-w...
#WomensHockey #GenderPolitics #SportsAndPolitics #CultureWars #Longform
I planted Christmas trees for my kids. Years later, the new owners cut them down. Moving north forced me to rethink what it means to grow roots.
medium.com/discourse/th...
medium.com/discourse/th...
The Trees We Leave Behind, and the Ones We Grow
How moving across states made me rethink memory, loss, and what it means to put down roots.
medium.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:40 PM
I planted Christmas trees for my kids. Years later, the new owners cut them down. Moving north forced me to rethink what it means to grow roots.
medium.com/discourse/th...
medium.com/discourse/th...
The unsettling part wasn’t that the AI made a mistake.
It was that it treated its version as reality.
I turned that experience into an essay on what happens when automated systems are confidently wrong but still treated as authoritative.
vocal.media/futurism/if-...
#AI #Technology #Futurism
It was that it treated its version as reality.
I turned that experience into an essay on what happens when automated systems are confidently wrong but still treated as authoritative.
vocal.media/futurism/if-...
#AI #Technology #Futurism
February 4, 2026 at 6:08 PM
The unsettling part wasn’t that the AI made a mistake.
It was that it treated its version as reality.
I turned that experience into an essay on what happens when automated systems are confidently wrong but still treated as authoritative.
vocal.media/futurism/if-...
#AI #Technology #Futurism
It was that it treated its version as reality.
I turned that experience into an essay on what happens when automated systems are confidently wrong but still treated as authoritative.
vocal.media/futurism/if-...
#AI #Technology #Futurism
Everything online gets flattened into red vs blue—even tragedy.
I wrote this about what we lose when nuance disappears and grief becomes a talking point.
vocal.media/theSwamp/the...
I wrote this about what we lose when nuance disappears and grief becomes a talking point.
vocal.media/theSwamp/the...
February 2, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Everything online gets flattened into red vs blue—even tragedy.
I wrote this about what we lose when nuance disappears and grief becomes a talking point.
vocal.media/theSwamp/the...
I wrote this about what we lose when nuance disappears and grief becomes a talking point.
vocal.media/theSwamp/the...
Almost no one is running for LA school board in 2026—during labor unrest, falling enrollment, and possible school closures.
That should worry parents and taxpayers.
I break down the candidates, money, and stakes here:
👉 vocal.media/theSwamp/the...
#Education #LAUSD #LosAngeles #Politics
That should worry parents and taxpayers.
I break down the candidates, money, and stakes here:
👉 vocal.media/theSwamp/the...
#Education #LAUSD #LosAngeles #Politics
The 2026 LAUSD Election Is Shockingly Uncontested — and That Should Worry Parents
LAUSD faces labor unrest, enrollment collapse, and board races with few challengers — raising stakes for families and taxpayers.
vocal.media
January 31, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Almost no one is running for LA school board in 2026—during labor unrest, falling enrollment, and possible school closures.
That should worry parents and taxpayers.
I break down the candidates, money, and stakes here:
👉 vocal.media/theSwamp/the...
#Education #LAUSD #LosAngeles #Politics
That should worry parents and taxpayers.
I break down the candidates, money, and stakes here:
👉 vocal.media/theSwamp/the...
#Education #LAUSD #LosAngeles #Politics
Medium’s Dialog & Discourse published my latest essay on when moral ambiguity actually disappears—and how “both sides” thinking can become a form of denial.
When There Is No Gray: A Border Patrol Killing With No Plausible Ambiguity
medium.com/discourse/wh...
When There Is No Gray: A Border Patrol Killing With No Plausible Ambiguity
medium.com/discourse/wh...
When There Is No Gray: A Border Patrol Killing With No Plausible Ambiguity
Sometimes the problem isn’t uncertainty — it’s the refusal to admit when there is no gray.
medium.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Medium’s Dialog & Discourse published my latest essay on when moral ambiguity actually disappears—and how “both sides” thinking can become a form of denial.
When There Is No Gray: A Border Patrol Killing With No Plausible Ambiguity
medium.com/discourse/wh...
When There Is No Gray: A Border Patrol Killing With No Plausible Ambiguity
medium.com/discourse/wh...
After the Charlie Kirk killing, wasn't the right-wing line that they were always the peaceful ones, and studies showing an explosion in right-wing terrorism were fake news?
SUV with Trump flag plows into girl participating in anti-ICE school protest
www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...
SUV with Trump flag plows into girl participating in anti-ICE school protest
www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...
MSN
www.msn.com
January 30, 2026 at 2:33 AM
After the Charlie Kirk killing, wasn't the right-wing line that they were always the peaceful ones, and studies showing an explosion in right-wing terrorism were fake news?
SUV with Trump flag plows into girl participating in anti-ICE school protest
www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...
SUV with Trump flag plows into girl participating in anti-ICE school protest
www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...
We still can’t agree on what to call what the U.S. just did in Venezuela.
Was it an act of war — or a law-enforcement action carried out abroad?
If we skip the questions about legality, risk, and what comes next, what are we actually doing there?
vocal.media/theSwamp/mor...
Was it an act of war — or a law-enforcement action carried out abroad?
If we skip the questions about legality, risk, and what comes next, what are we actually doing there?
vocal.media/theSwamp/mor...
More Shades of Gray: What Are We Really Doing in Venezuela?
As the U.S. detains Nicolás Maduro, partisan reflexes are replacing serious debate about risks, legality, and what comes next.
vocal.media
January 29, 2026 at 5:49 PM
We still can’t agree on what to call what the U.S. just did in Venezuela.
Was it an act of war — or a law-enforcement action carried out abroad?
If we skip the questions about legality, risk, and what comes next, what are we actually doing there?
vocal.media/theSwamp/mor...
Was it an act of war — or a law-enforcement action carried out abroad?
If we skip the questions about legality, risk, and what comes next, what are we actually doing there?
vocal.media/theSwamp/mor...
Rob Hirst was never just a drummer. He was part of the conscience of Midnight Oil. I wrote about what it meant to hear that voice one last time.
medium.com/discourse/th...
medium.com/discourse/th...
The World Loses a Different Drummer: Remembering Rob Hirst
Midnight Oil’s drummer, songwriter, and backing vocalist Rob Hirst has died at 70 after a long battle with cancer.
medium.com
January 27, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Rob Hirst was never just a drummer. He was part of the conscience of Midnight Oil. I wrote about what it meant to hear that voice one last time.
medium.com/discourse/th...
medium.com/discourse/th...
For my fellow progressives who are just a little older than me, how would you compare the two killings of protesters by ICE to Kent state?
January 27, 2026 at 4:47 AM
For my fellow progressives who are just a little older than me, how would you compare the two killings of protesters by ICE to Kent state?
. @governorwalz.mn.gov: This is assault. When are you going to have the National Guard start arresting these thugs? share.newsbreak.com/gyoaqxpi
Protestor pinned to ground in Minnesota sprayed with chemical - NewsBreak
The best local & breaking news source in the US, featuring local weather, alerts, deals, events and more.
share.newsbreak.com
January 25, 2026 at 9:18 PM
. @governorwalz.mn.gov: This is assault. When are you going to have the National Guard start arresting these thugs? share.newsbreak.com/gyoaqxpi
After a tragedy, public conversation collapses fast.
Certainty replaces curiosity. Sides replace understanding.
I wrote about why sitting with the gray matters—and what we lose when we don’t.
vocal.media/theSwamp/the...
#MediaLiteracy
#PoliticalDiscourse
Certainty replaces curiosity. Sides replace understanding.
I wrote about why sitting with the gray matters—and what we lose when we don’t.
vocal.media/theSwamp/the...
#MediaLiteracy
#PoliticalDiscourse
The Beauty of Gray: When Tragedy Becomes a Talking Point
How political narratives erase nuance—and the danger of choosing sides before facing the facts.
vocal.media
January 24, 2026 at 5:34 PM
After a tragedy, public conversation collapses fast.
Certainty replaces curiosity. Sides replace understanding.
I wrote about why sitting with the gray matters—and what we lose when we don’t.
vocal.media/theSwamp/the...
#MediaLiteracy
#PoliticalDiscourse
Certainty replaces curiosity. Sides replace understanding.
I wrote about why sitting with the gray matters—and what we lose when we don’t.
vocal.media/theSwamp/the...
#MediaLiteracy
#PoliticalDiscourse
It doesn’t take much to trigger the MAGAverse. #Snowflakes apple.news/AWXGoUO2mQgm...
Joke about He-Man's pronouns in 'Masters of the Universe' trailer sparks conservative outrage — Entertainment Weekly
The first trailer for Masters of the Universe features a moment that shows He-Man in the real world with a nameplate that says
apple.news
January 24, 2026 at 1:54 AM
It doesn’t take much to trigger the MAGAverse. #Snowflakes apple.news/AWXGoUO2mQgm...
LAUSD promised accountability.
A year later, families and educators are still waiting.
This is a close look at what was promised, what never happened, and why optimism without oversight fails.
vocal.media/education/mi...
#Education #LAUSD
A year later, families and educators are still waiting.
This is a close look at what was promised, what never happened, and why optimism without oversight fails.
vocal.media/education/mi...
#Education #LAUSD
Misplaced Optimism: A Year of Accountability Promised — and Withheld at LAUSD
Following hard-fought campaigns, closed-door decisions, and charter school politics reveal how the LAUSD continues to fail at accountability.
vocal.media
January 21, 2026 at 6:02 PM
LAUSD promised accountability.
A year later, families and educators are still waiting.
This is a close look at what was promised, what never happened, and why optimism without oversight fails.
vocal.media/education/mi...
#Education #LAUSD
A year later, families and educators are still waiting.
This is a close look at what was promised, what never happened, and why optimism without oversight fails.
vocal.media/education/mi...
#Education #LAUSD
A few months ago, an empty flag holder outside my home forced a question I never expected to struggle with:
Am I a patriot?
I wrote about what I fly until the American flag belongs to all of us again.
vocal.media/theSwamp/am-...
Am I a patriot?
I wrote about what I fly until the American flag belongs to all of us again.
vocal.media/theSwamp/am-...
January 19, 2026 at 7:08 PM
A few months ago, an empty flag holder outside my home forced a question I never expected to struggle with:
Am I a patriot?
I wrote about what I fly until the American flag belongs to all of us again.
vocal.media/theSwamp/am-...
Am I a patriot?
I wrote about what I fly until the American flag belongs to all of us again.
vocal.media/theSwamp/am-...
electoral-vote.com: Saturday Q&A
open.substack.com/pub/difrntdr...
open.substack.com/pub/difrntdr...
electoral-vote.com: Saturday Q&A
January 17, 2026
open.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 2:40 PM
electoral-vote.com: Saturday Q&A
open.substack.com/pub/difrntdr...
open.substack.com/pub/difrntdr...
Was 2025 a turning point—or just the year everything finally surfaced?
I tried to connect the politics, the music, and the cultural reckoning that shaped it.
Thoughtful disagreement welcome.
🔗 vocal.media/journal/and-...
I tried to connect the politics, the music, and the cultural reckoning that shaped it.
Thoughtful disagreement welcome.
🔗 vocal.media/journal/and-...
And As for 2025: A Year of Politics, Music, and Reckoning
A personal reflection on politics, culture, and music during a year that reshaped the country. And my own life.
vocal.media
January 17, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Was 2025 a turning point—or just the year everything finally surfaced?
I tried to connect the politics, the music, and the cultural reckoning that shaped it.
Thoughtful disagreement welcome.
🔗 vocal.media/journal/and-...
I tried to connect the politics, the music, and the cultural reckoning that shaped it.
Thoughtful disagreement welcome.
🔗 vocal.media/journal/and-...
We still can’t agree on whether removing Nicolás Maduro was an act of war or a law-enforcement action — and that uncertainty matters.
If we skip the hard questions about risk, legality, and what comes next, what are we actually doing in Venezuela?
medium.com/discourse/mo...
If we skip the hard questions about risk, legality, and what comes next, what are we actually doing in Venezuela?
medium.com/discourse/mo...
More Shades of Gray: What Are We Really Doing in Venezuela?
As the U.S. detains Nicolás Maduro, partisan reflexes are replacing serious debate about risks, legality, and what comes next.
medium.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:40 PM
We still can’t agree on whether removing Nicolás Maduro was an act of war or a law-enforcement action — and that uncertainty matters.
If we skip the hard questions about risk, legality, and what comes next, what are we actually doing in Venezuela?
medium.com/discourse/mo...
If we skip the hard questions about risk, legality, and what comes next, what are we actually doing in Venezuela?
medium.com/discourse/mo...