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Ben Gaskins

@bengaskins.bsky.social
230 followers 491 following 147 posts

Associate Professor of Political Science at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Fan of soccer, public opinion, religion and politics, and bad puns.

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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Just realized that Ghostbusters 2 is a Christmas movie.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 26/09/2026
Alberta’s self-image as world’s only rat-free region shattered by discovery of rat
theguardian.com
Alberta’s self-image as world’s only rat-free region shattered by discovery of rat
Province’s rat patrol called in to investigate as town of Bowden announces discovery of dead vermin
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Joke my kid told at dinner: If two vegans are fighting, can they have beef?
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
After class, another student came up and complemented "my fit," so that helped me recover from whatever hit my ego took from the other student.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I was working through extensive form game theory and backward induction to my Comparative Politics intro class and asked if, in conjunction with the book, what I was saying made sense. A student in the front row just said: "The book explained it better." You know, honestly, fair enough.
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Grant Brisbee @grantbrisbee.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
hearing some chatter that this might be "the song of the summer of the fall"
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This was posted on a friend's Facebook page, BTW.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I just don't understand the Peanuts AI slop. How many Snoopies are there? How many judges are there? Why any of this?
Weird AI image of the Peanuts kids in a courtroom to make some political point.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Haven't seen it mentioned yet, but my first (and favorite) encounter with Tim Curry was him as Cardinal Richelieu in Three Musketeers. No one did tongue in cheek evil better.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Yay! Congrats! This is so well-deserved.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Tim Curry too? This is just bullshit.
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John Cluverius @johncluverius.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Rest in Power to the most favorably viewed individual to ever appear in a UMass Lowell poll, Dolly Rebecca Parton.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Absolute legend
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Nathan Goldwag @goldwagnathan.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
When BOB'S BURGERS began airing in 2011 it was considered totally realistic for a struggling single-family household to be able to rebuild their restaurant multiple times a year after it gets destroyed by wacky hi-jinks and rambunctious misadventures. That's what neoliberalism took from you.
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lauren @lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com · 09/08/2026
if they're drinking nounwine it's fantasy. if they're snorting a verb it's sci fi
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I've gotten a few cold calls recently (emails actually) from folks purportedly in poli sci-adjacent fields asking about online adjunct teaching work (something we don't do). If they're legit, I'd respond but it seems kinda spammy. Anyone have any experiences or insights into this sort of thing?
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
There's a vegan soul food restaurant near us that is named "Dirty Lettuce." Just wondering how that name's worked out for them in this glorious cyclospora era.
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Congrats to Spain. A generational ham country. Ham as a fingerfood, ham as a meal. They earned that trophy in my book. The ham book, in this instance.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Bring Madonna and the Muppets back out
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Holy crap this game is awesome.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Wow England. This is wild.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
OK, the Timbers are feeling it. Weird watching MLS soccer after a month of World Cup, but this is really nice.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Merde.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
I've been in a fantasy mode for a while, so: Connie Willis Jo Walton Jasper Fforde Naomi Novik H.G. Parry
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Oh yeah, here we go
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Overturn that!
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Oooh that was a rough call. Go Egypt!
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Donald Trump cursed the team by getting involved. It's the only explanation.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Haaland. Holy cow.
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lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
This is it lads. I can feel it. *This* is the little piece of ostentatious cruelty that finally kills off Reform. They're done for now, practically no point in them even running. More good work by the political geniuses of Blue Labour!
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BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL AKA PRESIDENT FOOTBALL @edsbs.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Shakira and Messi and Willie Nelson are all proof greatness is not possible without tax evasion
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Me: Why did the Pharoah buy a motorcycle? My kid, warily: OK why Me: Because he was having a pyraMID life crisis! Kid: I don't get that, but I'm sure it was really funny *walks away* Happy Father's Day to me!
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
I watched the USA beat Australia while eating chicken karathi tacos from a Mexican-Pakistani fusion cart (called Mexi-khan) while drinking a Japanese lager. Felt pretty dang patriotic.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Everyone at this bar just booed RFK JR. Almost as loud as the goal we scored.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Turned off the France-Senegal game in the 90th minute to do something, and wow was that a mistake.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Oof, sometimes you get hit without any warning.
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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
This is a pretty remarkably pro-democratic statement coming from a state Republican leader in 2026. Perhaps it's cheap talk, but at least it publicly praises what is perhaps the most important bulwark of democracy: vibrant party competition.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said at the time that the effort would be short-sighted. 

“I believe that our state is stronger with vibrant parties. I think we, as a whole, are stronger when we have a clash of ideas. I think that’s true at the national level. I think it’s true at the state level. We are stronger when we have a clash of ideas and we can discuss those policy goals,” Massey said at the time. “Republicans are stronger when the Democrat Party is vibrant and viable.”
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Only one, because the band's name was Diarrhea Planet, and the headliner then started their show by making fun of their name.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
I'm torn on whether I'd rather take A World of Meatballs or Meatballs Around the World.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
This is why community colleges are awesome: two different class offerings centered on meatballs this summer. It's a beautiful thing.
Meatball based class offerings at the local community college.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Mainline all day!
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Ouch!
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
True facts. Collards > kale every day.
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David_j_roth @davidjroth.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Classic win-now move. You have to give Pittsburgh credit for going for it while their championship window is open.
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ℳatt @matttomic.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
🚨
a Trade Alert graphic in the style of a sports social media account announcing the trade of two gorillas between the Pittsburgh and Boston zoos
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
As I'm finishing up this semester, it struck me that next year we'll be bringing in the class of 2030 and it shook me.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
It'll blow their minds. I wanna show these folks what my offer was in my first (4-4) job.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
The guy is a crank, but one of Oregon's Republican governor candidates is partially running on this, saying that college could be free except professors are, I quote: "paid $150,000 and only teach 3-4 classes a semester." There is literally no one making that much money with that teaching load.
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Ben Gaskins @bengaskins.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
This guy's got some ideas too
Another Oregon governor candidate's platform
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