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Alex Helberg

@dystopamine.bsky.social
160 followers 233 following 51 posts

Lecturer at Trinity College, researcher of digital rhetoric and food justice, co-Exec Producer of re:verb podcast

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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Augh, I don't even want to know who in our field was giving daylight to this charade... and yeah, the vindication only feels good inasmuch as anyone can feel good being right about these people laying the rhetorical groundwork for federal & state-level assaults on academic freedom 🥴
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re:verb Podcast @reverb-podcast.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
🚨New re:verb episode🚨 In the first installment of a multi-part series, Alex & Calvin outline the "intellectual" genealogy that presaged the notorious "Grievance Studies" affair back in 2018, as well as detail the biographies of the 3 perpetrators, Peter Boghossian, James Lindsay, & Helen Pluckrose
reverbcast.com
E110: The Grievance Studies Affair: A Rhetorical and Political History (Part 1) — re:verb
In the first installment of this multi-part series, Alex and Calvin trace the intellectual genealogy behind one of the most consequential academic hoaxes of the past decade.  In Part 1, we outli...
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
In which @calvinpollak.bsky.social & I trace the evolution of the anti-woke Intellectual Dork Web out of the fever swamp of the New Atheist blogosphere and set the stage for a full breakdown of the annoyingly influential "Sokal Squared" hoax
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Jane Rosenzweig @janerosenzweig.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
After a brief summer hiatus, The Important Work will be back in September. If you teach writing to high school or college students, work in writing centers, take writing classes, assign writing in any context, I would love to hear from you and publish your reflections. Guidelines are here. /1
theimportantwork.substack.com
Write for The Important Work
Submission Guidelines
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
In which @calvinpollak.bsky.social & I trace the evolution of the anti-woke Intellectual Dork Web out of the fever swamp of the New Atheist blogosphere and set the stage for a full breakdown of the annoyingly influential "Sokal Squared" hoax
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The Drift @thedriftmag.com · 19/08/2026
Andrew Baker was also a “token black professor” at Bates College. But his perspective on the events Tyler Austin Harper recounts in his Atlantic cover story is very different. Read Baker’s side of the story online today. newsletter.thedriftmag.com/p/racism-and...
newsletter.thedriftmag.com
Racism and labor at Bates: the other side of the story
Andrew Baker responds to Tyler Austin Harper
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
A humble suggestion in case the Trump HHS & FDA are looking for a theme song www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Re6...
youtube.com
All The Food is Poison | Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! | Adult Swim
YouTube video by Adult Swim
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Jennifer Sano-Franchini @handle.invalid · 14/08/2026
Sharing this fundraiser for legal support after CCCC--the flagship academic professional organization for the field of rhetoric and composition--was abruptly and unceremoniously "de-chartered" by NCTE gofund.me/05363e2ce
gofund.me
Donate to Help the Undefeated CCCC Chairs and Members Unite, organized by Vay Young
The undefeated CCCC group is a coalition of CCCC chairs and members who ha… Vay Young needs your support for Help the Undefeated CCCC Chairs and Members Unite
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Bradford Vivian @bradvivian.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
It’s really pretty simple: The Atlantic is a major source of misinformation about higher ed. Full stop.
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Bradford Vivian @bradvivian.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
The thing about TAH’s latest article in The Atlantic is that throughout many of his recent articles he consistently makes arguments about “DEI” that match hyper-partisan pretexts for widespread government censorship of universities on a scale that surpasses that of 1950s McCarthyism. 1/2
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All Grim Prints @allgrim.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
donorbox.org/marxopoly-ag... Ends on Wednesday. All donations go to the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, and maybe you get Marx monopoly out of it.
donorbox.org
Marxopoly Against ICE | All Grim Prints (Powered by Donorbox)
I’m Adam Ahlgrim of www.allgrimprints.shop. I decided to raffle off this hand-made Marx Monopoly board to help raise a bit of money to support the Immigrant Defenders Law Center. Fascism is sickening ...
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
re:verb is back after a brief hiatus! Tune in to hear @calvinpollak.bsky.social & me talk about Trump and Seb Gorka's counterterrorism rhetoric, as well as the new baby that I was still awaiting back in May when this was recorded! 😅
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re:verb Podcast @reverb-podcast.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
🚨New re:verb episode out today!🚨 On today's* show, Calvin and Alex perform a deep-dive rhetorical analysis of the Trump administration's recently released Counterterrorism Strategy document 👇 Check it out below! 👇 www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
reverbcast.com
E109: The Rhetoric of Counterterrorism in the Age of Trump — re:verb
On today’s show (recorded in mid-May), Calvin and Alex explore the Trump administration's recently released national counterterrorism strategy. As a rhetorical artifact, this document offers a reveali...
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Donnie Johnson Sackey @donniejsackey.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Update on CCCC 2027 I just got off a call with Antero Garcia and Emily Kirkpatrick. 1/21
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Jane Rosenzweig @janerosenzweig.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
thecrimson.com
In Defense of the Harvard College Writing Center | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
As current and former Harvard College Writing Center tutors, we write to condemn the dissolution of the Writing Center as an independent entity and the laying off of its director, Jane Rosenzweig.
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Absolutely!
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Legendary!! That's amazing! Always nice to meet a fellow traveler, and can't imagine how incredible that must have been to work with Richard Young
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Truly!! And yet!? (Linda Flower was my diss chair, so this comment is much appreciated 😊)
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Publication-level research is still coming out from work that was done in CMU's Writing Center, even though it's been officially defunct for 6 years! That's how much good work they were doing! sites.google.com/andrew.cmu.e...
sites.google.com
Global Communication Center
Scholarship and Resources from the Former Global Communication Center
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
The value of Writing Centers for encouraging research and cultivating scholarship cannot be overstated! It's part of my college WC's tutor training to conduct an original research project (many of these students go on to present at undergrad conferences), and...
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Which was not only bad for purging experts in writing studies out of a key student-facing administrative role and consolidating power for... *ahem*, less-than-expert administrators, but also for destroying a key hub for actual innovation and even research on campus. (2/2)
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
This is such a loss for the Harvard community. Jane has been a leader and a steady voice in the conversation about university writing and AI nationwide but especially in New England. Carnegie Mellon did the exact same thing with our Writing Center while I was a grad student there... (1/2)
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Megan McIntyre @rcmeg.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
So, I’ve created a form where current and former CCCC Caucus/SIG/SG-affiliated leaders/folks can sign up if they want to be part of an ongoing conversation about how to respond (and how we might preserve and/or continue the work of our Caucus/SIG/SG after the loss of Cs).
forms.gle
CCCC Cross-Caucus/SIG/SG Conversation about the Future
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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Important petition re CCCC "If you are currently a CCCC member, we ask that you commit to cancelling your NCTE membership should these changes be made." Petition: "Join us in calling on the NCTE to halt any actions leading to the dissolution of the CCCC member group." www.change.org/p/halt-disso...
change.org
Sign the Petition
Halt Dissolution of CCCC and Call for Transparency from NCTE #SaveCCCC
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Megan McIntyre @rcmeg.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
NCTE has just summarily killed a 77-year-old organization that has shaped how writing is understood, taught, and learned, in higher education in particular. No member involvement. No transparency. No process to speak of. With friends and fellow educators like these, I guess who needs enemies.
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Kendall Gerdes 📚🐦‍⬛ @kendalljoy.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Here it is, folks. @ncte.org Executive Committee votes to "de-charter its special topics conference CCCC," i.e., to shitcan the Cs. mailchi.mp/ncte/ncte-up...
mailchi.mp
NCTE Update, Decision by NCTE Executive Committee
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Cannot wait to buy packs of these for me and all of my friends!!
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Tfw when you hit "Post" on some real hot trash
Illustration of a minnow looking knowingly at the viewer with a hook through its fin, labeled "Hook with Live Bait"
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Perusing the Poster's Tacklebox
A c. 1800s illustration labeled "TROLLING IMPLEMENTS" that includes figures of different hooks and lures for catching fish
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
R.I.P. Joanna Gruesome www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnzW...
youtube.com
Sugarcrush
YouTube video by Joanna Gruesome - Topic
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Eryk Salvaggio @eryk.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
I’ve only recently learned that these are distinct discourses — for me they’re one and the same, the displacement of reason is the element that allows for the concentration of power.
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
🖤💛
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Anyway, as one of these people who considers themselves "critical AI" in a loose sense I really appreciate your careful work and incisive perspective. I cite and recommend you often!
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
I feel this in a big way running professional development & workshops on AI and writing. Even with a critical AI stance/approach you inevitably have to face what actually existing students & faculty are doing (many using LLMs, often irresponsibly), and I think meeting them where they are is critical
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Seventy Times G7
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Today I'm really psyched to help promote the @reverb-podcast.bsky.social interview that my friend and co-producer @bkwilliams21.bsky.social put together with Iván Chaar López on examining the US-Mexico border through the lens of cybernetics. Check it out! www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
reverbcast.com
E109: The Cybernetic Border (w/ Dr. Iván Chaar López) — re:verb
Episode 109: The Cybernetic Border: Drones, Technology, and Intrusion (w/ Dr. Iván Chaar López) On today’s show, Ben sits down with Dr. Iván Chaar López, Assistant Professor with the Department of A...
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
You ripped straight through International Players Anthem without missing a word right after, which at least made me look better since I was sitting with you
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Remember that time I sang "Slide" at karaoke and the DJs / bar staff made fun of me
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
"My life has not been wasted"
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Anna Mills @annamillsoer.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Bad Ideas about AI and Writing, a new anthology from the @wacclearinghouse.bsky.social, transforms bad ideas into "'generative' ideas about GenAI and writing, ideas that spur creative new directions in the education and practice of writing." wacclearinghouse.org/books/perspe...
Book cover for Bad Ideas About AI and Writing: Generative Practices for Teaching, Learning, and Communication, edited by Christopher Basgier, Anna Mills, Mandy Olejnik, Miranda Rodak, and Shyam Sharma. Part of the Perspectives on Writing series. The cover shows a shattered clear lightbulb lying on its side against a light blue background, with broken glass shards scattered around it.
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Dawkins proving yet again that the Turing Test is less a measure of machine intelligence than of human credulity
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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
A "pause AI" letter that I actually like (and signed)! Because it's not about imagined doomsday scenarios, but rather putting the brakes on the rush to impose synthetic text extruding machines in schools in particular: actionnetwork.org/petitions/ca...
actionnetwork.org
Call For Five-Year Pause on Gen AI in Schools
As generative AI tools are rapidly expanding in schools, often based on their hypothetical “potential” to enhance learning, these products are posing risks to children’s development, mental health, pr...
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
We dealt with some pretty grim subject matter on this episode, but these analyses always help me to elucidate what premises are worth questioning as we continue to be overwhelmed with both military and AI hype propaganda
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re:verb Podcast @reverb-podcast.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
🚨 New re:verb episode out this morning! 🚨 On today's show we're taking a look at the auspicious role that so-called "AI" technologies and companies are playing in the military industrial complex. www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
reverbcast.com
E108: AI-Assisted War Crimes? — re:verb
On today's show, Alex and Calvin continue our discussion about the ongoing war in Iran, focusing on the literal use of artificial intelligence in the imperialist campaign being waged by the US and Isr...
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
My friend Kaolin is a queer nb public school teacher in Philly, who recently went through the horror of shepherding their cat Scoot through diabetic ketoacidosis, and is now dealing with the financial stress of vet hospital bills. These two mean a lot to me - please share and contribute if you can!
gofund.me
Donate to Help Scoot bounce back from DKA, organized by Thickie Comrade
I have created this gofundme to help my dear friend Kaolin. The amount of debt they ha… Thickie Comrade needs your support for Help Scoot bounce back from DKA
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
As someone who also underwent a cat emergency health scare recently (to the tune of $5k), I know how nightmarish these vet bills can be, and how challenging the decision to move forward is. I think it's critical to help support ppl who care about their animal friends enough to sacrifice like this!
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
My friend Kaolin is a queer nb public school teacher in Philly, who recently went through the horror of shepherding their cat Scoot through diabetic ketoacidosis, and is now dealing with the financial stress of vet hospital bills. These two mean a lot to me - please share and contribute if you can!
gofund.me
Donate to Help Scoot bounce back from DKA, organized by Thickie Comrade
I have created this gofundme to help my dear friend Kaolin. The amount of debt they ha… Thickie Comrade needs your support for Help Scoot bounce back from DKA
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re:verb Podcast @reverb-podcast.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
🎆re:verb is back in 2026 with our first new episode of the year!🎉 This episode hits very close to home for Calvin & Alex: E106: CMU Coup? (w/ @caevans.bsky.social & @seeshespeak.bsky.social) www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...
reverbcast.com
E106: CMU Coup? (w/ Sheila Liming & Catherine Evans) — re:verb
On today’s show, Alex and Calvin sit down with the co-authors of a viral op-ed in The Chronicle of Higher Education regarding the controversial restructuring of the English Department at Carnegie Me...
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
To anyone looking to follow along, here's a playlist with as many songs as can be found on YT: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com
This Year - 365 Songs Annotated by John Darnielle - YouTube
Songs from the book by John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Some of the lyrics in the book are unrecorded, never performed, and/or unreleased, but I added e...
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Alex Helberg @dystopamine.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Following and participating in this has been a great way to keep a little mindfulness practice and experience a bit of communal warmth at the outset of a (so far) rough year. Highly recommend following along on this playlist if you're reading the book: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com
This Year - 365 Songs Annotated by John Darnielle - YouTube
Songs from the book by John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Some of the lyrics in the book are unrecorded, never performed, and/or unreleased, but I added e...
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