iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Lux in the Bronx @rlux.nyc · 24/05/2025

Another big FU from Harvard… free online courses on the US government, the US constitution, civic engagement, and more. pll.harvard.edu/subject/gove...

pll.harvard.edu

Government | Harvard University

Browse the latest Government courses from Harvard University.

18484893294

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Steve Potts @otispott.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

This % roughly correlates with @karenstenner.bsky.social 's research finding that appx 1/3 of people are predisposed toward authoritarianism. I can't stop wondering if there's anything we can do about it or if that figure is permanently baked in. hopenothate.org.uk/2020/11/01/a...

I generally find about a third of the populace is predisposed to authoritarianism, right across liberal democracy (see Table 1 for 2016 survey results from the EU).

This is according to a “child-rearing values” measure: a “bare bones” measure of authoritarian predisposition rather than authoritarian attitudes. The results here depend simply on asking respondents: “Which is more important for a child to have? Independence, or respect for elders? Obedience, or self-reliance? Consideration for others, or good behaviour? Curiosity, or good manners?”

6154

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Shelley Harris @shelleyharris.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

I’m mindful that @karenstenner.bsky.social, an expert on the authoritarian mindset, says that UBI is the single most important policy for governments who wish to fend off right wing extremism.

24826

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Scott Santens @scottsantens.com · 05/12/2024

I've been researching the idea of Unconditional Universal Basic Income since 2013. Here's a collection of findings I've compiled from various UBI experiments and studies of cash transfer programs around the world. This will be a VERY LONG and ongoing thread focused entirely on empirical evidence. 🧵

OBSERVED EFFECTS OF UBI

No significant reduction in labor supply (38 studies meta-analysis)

Increased self-employment (301%) and part-time employment (17%)

Slight decrease in alcohol and tobacco use (31 studies meta-analysis)

New mothers extend their maternity leaves

Birth weights improve due to better maternal nutrition

Graduation rates and educational outcomes improve

Hospitalization rates decline (8.5%)

Crime goes down (15%–42%) especially illegal hunting (95%)

Domestic violence decreases (30%–51%)

Trust increases (13% in politicians | 6% in other people)

Home ownership rates increase (17%–26%)

Food security increases as does consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables

Improved cognitive functioning (43%) and personality traits (31%)

Savings go up, debts go down

Source: scottsantens

25347762474

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Steve Potts @otispott.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

In a democracy it's unrealistic to think we'll ever achieve a golden era of consensus. But we can bring authoritarians back into the pro-democracy fold, incrementally, by emphasizing our commonalities, and with appeals to empathy, fairness and justice. ⤵️for more. www.bostonglobe.com/2024/10/31/o...

bostonglobe.com

Disinformation and the death of democracy - The Boston Globe

Societies seem to thrive when there’s a balanced mix of folks who monitor the boundaries and guard against the strange and unfamiliar, and others who seek out novelty and variety.

3167

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

This is a list I post from time to time. My answer to a reader who asked me: what could journalists do NOW to break with some of their more corrosive habits. You would think it would grow out-of-date, but...

The list reads:

Defense of democracy seen as basic to the job.

Symmetrical accounts of asymmetrical realities seen as malpractice.

“Politics as strategic game” frame seen as low quality, downmarket, amateurish— and overmatched.

Bad actors with a history of misinforming the public seen as unsuitable sources and unwelcome guests.

Internalizing of the “liberal bias” critique seen as self-crippling, a historic mistake in need of correction.

261124483

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 13/12/2024

If we weren't at such a weird moment in history, the collapse of Assad's regime would be widely understood as a huge success for the Biden administration, which pursued sanctions on Russia and Iran as well as Syria, armed Ukraine and thus weakened Russia, and supported Syrian democrats and activists

16593312113

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Steve Potts @otispott.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

"...with the right kinds of appeals and support, a significant portion of authoritarians can reject the strongman who constantly invokes chaos and disorder but who never delivers that promised second act of renewed unity and consensus." —political psychologist @karenstenner.bsky.social

072

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Dimitry Mak | Photographer @dimitrymakphoto.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain - James Baldwin

A black-and-white portrait of James Baldwin seated at a table with his head resting on his hand. He is in front of a bookshelf filled with books, wearing a short-sleeve shirt, a watch, and a ring, with a thoughtful expression.

412604440

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Why did Jeff Bezos appoint Rupert Murdoch's right-hand man to the top job at Washington Post? To do his bidding. And when he did journalists & readers rebelled. This week, I write about a parallel revolt inside the Guardian & Observer & why press ownership matters open.substack.com/pub/broligar...

open.substack.com

All The President's Men

Rupert Murdoch, Jeff Bezos & why press ownership matters.

6328901148

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Alex Evans @alexevansuk.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

What should we think (and do) about the fact that Christians voted for Trump over Harris by two to one? alexevansuk.substack.com/p/bad-faith

alexevansuk.substack.com

Bad faith?

On Christians and Trump

482

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 02/12/2024

A key asymmetry of this era of American politics and how it’s covered is that Trump is expected to do bad and corrupt things, so when he does it barely qualifies as news. But Dems are expected to be beyond reproach, so anything that seems even slightly suspect is a huge scandal.

659195704355

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 03/12/2024

"Trump suggested to Trudeau that Canada become the 51st state, which caused the prime minister and others to laugh nervously, sources told Fox News. But he continued, telling Trudeau that prime minister is a better title, though he could still be governor” www.foxnews.com/politics/tru...

foxnews.com

Trump suggests Canada become 51st state after Trudeau said tariff would kill economy: sources

President-elect Trump told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau his country should become the 51st state if it can't fix trade and immigration issues without ripping off the U.S.

4831458474

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

My favorite follow on Twitter will again be my lodestone here. I cannot recommend Teri's kindness & wisdom more highly! You should definitely follow her here or on her website terikanefield.com: an absolute treasure trove of resources for how to live happily with democracy & your fellow human beings

terikanefield.com

- Teri Kanefield

I’m a former appellate defender and U.C. Berkeley law graduate. I started out teaching English at the college level while writing novels, essays, and kid’s books. Then I went to law school, represente...

153

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

terikanefield.com

- Teri Kanefield

153

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Scott Santens @scottsantens.com · 30/11/2024

I highly recommend reading this article. I've read it dozens of times since I first read it in 2020. I've even written my own article like it in the hope of getting more people to read Stenner's book. She's an expert on authoritarianism and knows what's really going on and how to fix it. FOLLOW HER.

53510

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Thanks for posting that podcast Stephan! Lots of people seem to have found that one helpful. Here's a related interview on authoritarianism, racism and intolerance that I did with the wonderful @HelenLewis.bsky.social on BBC Radio 4: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.uk

The Spark - Karen Stenner and the authoritarian predisposition - BBC Sounds

Helen Lewis meets people offering radical solutions to the big problems of our times.

122

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Yes but you cant educate it away (1 of the West's enduring myths). So, that 1/3 of the popn incapable of living w. vast complexity must (in a democracy!) be supported & accommodated, in ways that *dont* infringe others' rights. It is a failure of both understanding & imagination that we dont do this

573

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

Russia's collapse would suddenly expose all the craven creatures and organizations (including media) across the liberal democratic West that depend upon dirty $$ from Transnational Organized Crime. Very revealing indeed. Cannot wait for this day.

03713

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

It’s like “Carrie,” but for rich people who have no actual superpowers

2553954

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

🎯 Simplicity is EVERYTHING. I've been saying for decades: "Liberal democracy has now exceeded many people's capacity to tolerate it". The ppl youre trying to get on side are repelled by complexity. Complexity in language. Ideas. Our politics. Our whole society. & complexity is only accelerating!

2163

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Jared Yates Sexton @jysexton.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Authoritarianism feeds off a crisis of purpose, and capitalism has left us feeling alone, powerless, and rudderless. To defeat it, we’re going to have to make something that draws us together and finds meaning beyond consumption and greed. And we will. jaredyatessexton.substack.com/p/authoritar...

jaredyatessexton.substack.com

Authoritarianism and the Crisis of Meaning: Audio From A Collapsing State

Capitalism has left us feeling alone, powerless, and without purpose. Authoritarianism feeds off this.

629073

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

Best way to find your tolerance for fellow citizens predisposed to authoritarianism is to understand while you cant change the authoritarian's fundamental need for 'oneness & sameness', you *can* change how they go about meeting that need, with *alternative* sources of identity, meaning & belonging.

1163

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Cynthia Miller-Idriss @milleridriss.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

I created a starter pack of phenomenal scholars who are also super kind people. Necessarily incomplete— Please nominate someone for me to add! go.bsky.app/Hv3iMGV

55404109

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Sean’s Thumbs @seansthumbs.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

@hcrichardson.bsky.social @emptywheel.bsky.social @terikanefield.bsky.social @timothysnyder.bsky.social @karenstenner.bsky.social My historian/journalist/legal/author/authoritarianism expert “ride or dies” from Twitter 😎 Thanks, Cynthia!

121

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

𝙴𝚞𝚋𝚒𝚎 — 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆 @eubiedrew.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

Teri is one of those quiet posters where you never want to miss a word they say. Natural born writer. No hot takes. No hype. Very few reposts. Contrary opinions explained to at least the 2nd degree. Scary knowledgeable. Responds to obscure followers like me. Every thread is a conversation. Present.

1222

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Joe Katz @joekatz45.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

People have rewritten history a lot to erase the fact that THIS is where public opinion turned on Elon. Not because he was a Republican, not because he was a transphobe, not because he was a billionaire. But because he was a know-it-all asshole bully.

619533

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Ruth Ben-Ghiat @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

Authoritarians want you to betray each other but they also encourage you to betray yourself through an inner moral collapse- you give up your agency and let the leader "fix it," and you disregard your moral compass.

9939361018

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

Repetition of info➡️perceived as truth. LOTS of evidence to support this. The game of winning is much SIMPLER than you think. Your expectations of human beings are just too high. Regular people likely invest < 10 mins/year considering politics/policy. All of our campaigns expect WAY too much of them.

2218

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

Real world alternatives to Twitter, from The Guardian's brilliant cartoonist First Dog On The Moon:

A series of cartoon frames showing funny real world examples of Twitter-like behaviours performed in the real world, such as: arguing with your neighbour about the shape of their letterbox and suggesting they need therapy, or wandering the streets showing random strangers cute pictures of your dog from your phone.

251

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 14/11/2024

The dirtiest trick Aus is playing on its targets right now is wildly and significantly recalculating its historical land-use emissions to mask almost no progress in total fossil emissions reductions My blogs on this: ketanjoshi.co/2024/06/02/a... ketanjoshi.co/2024/06/16/t...

In the past year, the Australian government has introduced several measures aimed at
stimulating investment in large-scale renewable energy, green hydrogen production and clean
manufacturing, as well as improvements to vehicle efficiency standards. However, the scale and
strength of these policies does not match the task and, as a consequence, Australian emissions
from fossil fuels industry and agriculture continue to flatline. The government has maintained
an appearance of progress through successive revisions of its projected land use change and
forestry inventory. The result is that, in 2024, Australia looks to have reduced net emissions
by 28% since 2005 (including LULUCF), but the actual drop in gross emissions was only 2%. In
parallel, the government has approved several coal mine extensions and embedded the role of
fossil gas in its domestic energy mix and exports for decades to come.

37119

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

Whose woods these are I think I know / It sometimes takes a Village though.

166102551536

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

This is what "do not comply in advance" looks like.

0164

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

Looking forward to learning how appointing an accused child-sex-trafficker as AG and a suspected Russian asset as DNI will lower the price of eggs

15795311974

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

Someone said matt gaetz thought a “recess appointment” was where to meet his next date, and oh myyy

447162582068

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

In which my long-ago friend the Catholic integralist administrative law specialist runs into the problem that the Lawful Evil perspective he has embraced blinds him to the joy his current Chaotic Evil friends will take in arbitrariness, bloodshed, and fear.

tweet from Adrian Vermeuele:
(1) Mass deportations; (2) "abolish the administrative state!"

Friends, I'm afraid you'll have to pick one and only one.

371210200

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

We have to remember that, traditionally, an incoming administration awards the various constituencies that got it elected with some sort of representation. So the tech bros get Elon, anti-vax freaks get RFK Jr, dog killers get Noem, white nationalists get Hegseth, pedophiles get Gaetz...

21264771432

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Omar Wasow @owasow.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

“The solution to both climate and air pollution threats is the same: We need to stop burning fossil fuels, preferably yesterday. But perhaps a focus on the immediate dangers posed by air pollution, rather than the more distant specter of global warming, might help…” 🎁 www.nytimes.com/2022/04/19/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Enough About Climate Change. Air Pollution Is Killing Us Now. (Published 2022)

The best reason to stop burning fossil fuels is that air pollution is a threat to our health.

1131

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

I've always thought that this baroque masterpiece would be on the cover of future American Government textbooks (if we're all still hurtling through space clinging to our tiny rock, I mean).

110

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

I expect DJT will execute a lot of horrifying, impractical, generally uncalled for actions, every time leaving just enough wiggle room that people can bribe him to soften their application to them/someone or something they care about. That ghoul Stephen Miller will always be egging him on though.

062

Reposted by Dr. Karen Stenner

Jen Mercieca @jenmercieca.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

People are tired of things being taken from them. They'll be quite surprised by Trump's agenda. Also, public schools built America. Anyone who is trying to destroy public schools is trying to destroy America.

924463

Dr. Karen Stenner @karenstenner.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

Yes. Here I am 20 yrs ago writing in The Authoritarian Dynamic about "The Future of Intolerance". This was a LONG time coming, entirely foreseeable, & will endure beyond DJT. We need to figure out how to help the 1/3 of the popn predisposed to authoritarianism to live in peace with liberal democracy

64515