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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 38m

I would not trust that to work outside test conditions.

Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 8h

OH MY GOD, NO, THEY HAVE NOT. They would if they could, but they are nowhere close. Not in our lifetime. Not two generations from now.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 8h

I think ordinary people are infinitely more persuadable than politicians who've made their money maintaining the status quo that got us here.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 8h

They have agency. They can choose not to move.

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Reposted by Michael Scott Balch, PhD

Tim Unkenholz @timunken.bsky.social · 14h

disney gotta bring back the shit they used to do in movies where theyd have a whole psychedelic musical sequence designed for both toddlers and also subjects of the mk ultra program

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Reposted by Michael Scott Balch, PhD

Jake Flores @feraljokes.bsky.social · 13h

BONUS EP on some new reporting on the Biden admins handling of October 7th 2023 where they just sort of went 🤷🏻‍♂️

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 15h

In our corrupt little PMC hearts, we all crave a nice orderly compromise. But historical circumstances are such that we may have to settle for messy disorderly victory.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 15h

"If we did XYZ, then they would compromise!" No. Not necessarily. That's conflating power with competence, a thing you should resist doing in the year 2026.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 15h

The Democratic Party being a brick wall is the ruling class's way of telling you that, no, they are not even slightly open to class compromise. That's all it is: communication, from one group of historical actors to another. Nothing about that is decisive or a failure on your part.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 15h

There is a way forward; it's called a semicolon.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 16h

HOT TAKE It's not reactionary to think that professional norms matter. Our ability to make sense of the world through vigorous empirical inquiry remains a progressive force in history.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 17h

All that's left of Trump is the viciousness, and his followers worship it. It's deep and pagan and horrifying if you think about it for even two seconds. Do something with that.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 17h

These guys peaked at horse cake, which is not at all a bad place to peak.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 17h

Rare miss for the Onion. The underlying reality is much weirder and more unsettling than "hurr durr, horny for Trump."

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 18h

One million percent a movie about the relationship between sociality and mortality and also just really fucking scary.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 19h

Hokum (2026) wins the 2026 award for scary movie that actually scared me.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 20h

Like, yeah, it's not better when perform the myth. But they generally don't bother.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 20h

I think there's rhetorical value to reminding people that state violence is 99% lawless. For all practical purposes, the law is a myth.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 20h

I suspect the answer, but I don't *know* the answer.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 21h

Do extrajudicial police killings outpace execution in the US?

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 23h

I don't want to dissuade anyone from getting the Democrats to "do better." If that's what is truly in your heart, go for it, man. Even failed efforts build capacity. But I do want to persuade you that, if you find you can't tell the Democrats anything no matter what you do, that's not your fault.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

A negotiation is only a negotiation if your counter-party has the wherewithal to negotiate.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

The ruling class can choose to make reform every bit as difficult as revolution. That is a choice they can make. It's not a smart choice, but it becomes more obvious, day by day, that these are not smart people.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Surely, this will open the Strait of Hormuz.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Is there a therapist who specializes in PhDs? Oh, all therapists? Literally every single one of them? Cool, thanks.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

I really excel at doing the obviously right thing and then obsessively questioning whether it was the right thing, in defiance of all common sense.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

We've got butcher bird. We've got Section 31. And we've got a dipshit from Chicago. I'm starting to think there's some Star Trek alum on the production staff for this Vision show.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

A few years ago, I reviewed a paper that set out to make an incremental advance that we'd all been talking about for years. Someone just finally did it. The execution was flawless. Writing that review felt like bliss.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Accepting papers is a lot more fun than rejecting them. Let me tell you what.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

I'm more worried about the total unaffordability of housing or the vapid claims that AI can replace every professional everywhere. But this *is* galling. Aaron Swartz died.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

The true cause, as always, is neoliberal austerity.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

If you're a later-in-life student, I trust you to have better judgment on your own, as an adult. But a 23-year-old who's just starting to learn a specialty? Fuck off. Go have a drink. Jesus Christ.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

This isn't just about putting unrealistic expectations on students who are still learning the ropes. Although, also, that. It's a public nuisance. Nobody is getting paid enough for any of this.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

I don't blame grad students. I blame their advisors.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

"Everyone should publish a journal paper before finishing their PhD." Um, no. Fuck, you. No. Here's my counter: DON'T YOU DARE SEND ANYTHING TO A JOURNAL UNTIL AT LEAST YOUR THIRD YEAR OF GRAD SCHOOL!

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Note: Understanding people does not imply liking people or getting them to like you. I've spent a lifetime figuring that one out.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

The hardest part of explaining stuff is knowing what other people don't know. You can be the most technical guy in the world; you're still going to have to deal with other people's interiority. In fact, past a certain point, that's a requisite for being the most technical guy in the world.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

This movie is propaganda against kids who don't want to go to church, which is basically all of them.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Ah, you voted. But did you vote HARD? See, it's really your fault when Dems do nothing with power, because you didn't vote HARD enough.

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Michael Scott Balch, PhD @uqprofessional.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

[Voters, tears streaming down their face, snot slopping out their nose, screaming hoarsely]: TAKE POWER WHEN IT'S HANDED TO YOU!!!! [Dem Office Holders, smiling wryly]: No.

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