Aruna D’Souza 🇨🇦
@arunadsouza.bsky.social
Writer and critic, mostly contemporary art, sometimes food, always politics. New York Times and 4Columns, among other places. I’m surprisingly sweet. 🇨🇦
Appalling racism, obviously, but to accuse Afghanistan of being a failed state when it’s been colonized, assaulted by the USSR, and under siege by the U.S. for the last almost hundred years is pretty rich.
Stephen Miller is now arguing that assimilation is fundamentally impossible and that certain cultures are not compatible with Western civilization
November 28, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Appalling racism, obviously, but to accuse Afghanistan of being a failed state when it’s been colonized, assaulted by the USSR, and under siege by the U.S. for the last almost hundred years is pretty rich.
An undocumented friend said she saw a man w/ a black face mask and camo pants, and the letters C and E on his sweatshirt, and she immediately called her teenage daughter in a panic. The man turned around and his sweatshirt said ACE not ICE. She was laughing as she told me but omg this is ridiculous.
November 27, 2025 at 6:01 PM
An undocumented friend said she saw a man w/ a black face mask and camo pants, and the letters C and E on his sweatshirt, and she immediately called her teenage daughter in a panic. The man turned around and his sweatshirt said ACE not ICE. She was laughing as she told me but omg this is ridiculous.
Remember when the oil companies were saying if they didn’t get their pipelines or w/e they were going to move their operations elsewhere (as if the oil wasn’t, you know, in a fixed location)? Well guess what it doesn’t make a diff where they are because they are just transferring money to the U.S.
“Rather than reinvesting those profits in the Canadian economy, the four companies paid out $79.7 billion in dividends and share buybacks, nearly ¾ of which went to foreign shareholders, including 62% to American shareholders.”
www.theenergymix.com/u-s-owned-oi...
www.theenergymix.com/u-s-owned-oi...
U.S.-Owned Oil Sands Giants Send Profits Out of Canada Despite Public Support for Resource Sovereignty
Canada’s biggest oil sands producers are sending a large share of their profits out of the country to their shareholders in the United States, the CEO of the Trottier Family Foundation warns in an opi...
www.theenergymix.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Remember when the oil companies were saying if they didn’t get their pipelines or w/e they were going to move their operations elsewhere (as if the oil wasn’t, you know, in a fixed location)? Well guess what it doesn’t make a diff where they are because they are just transferring money to the U.S.
❤️❤️❤️
My memoir-essay on growing up with Norman Rockwell Thanksgivings is up in Vogue this morning. Here’s a small extract: www.vogue.com/article/norm...
November 27, 2025 at 12:32 PM
❤️❤️❤️
Great read.
"Modern dentistry is great. But your dentist doesn’t insist you worship him.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/27/t...
The Writer Who Dared Criticize Silicon Valley
www.nytimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Great read.
If you need any tips on how to not use it LMK. I’m an expert.
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
November 26, 2025 at 7:34 AM
If you need any tips on how to not use it LMK. I’m an expert.
I want these companies to be held to account for the harms they’ve unleashed on the world, but I guarantee you these same school districts entered into terrible agreements with Google and OpenAI.
Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat know how addictive their platforms can be to teens.
Those are allegations a group of school districts is making against the social media giants, according to a newly unsealed legal filing that quotes the companies’ own internal documents. https://cnn.it/3Xjq5x5
Those are allegations a group of school districts is making against the social media giants, according to a newly unsealed legal filing that quotes the companies’ own internal documents. https://cnn.it/3Xjq5x5
November 26, 2025 at 7:33 AM
I want these companies to be held to account for the harms they’ve unleashed on the world, but I guarantee you these same school districts entered into terrible agreements with Google and OpenAI.
A friend in NEW YORK CITY told me two days ago that her daughter caught whooping cough at school and the whole family is receiving preventative treatment so they don’t also get it.
The CDC has not addressed this and is largely pretending it isn’t happening. Meanwhile they’re taking steps to actively reduce vaccination rates.
Pertussis cases in Texas are 10x higher than all of 2023, and 2x as high as last year — 4x for the same period. The official count is higher by a 1k than it has been in more than a decade. Last time it was over 2k was 2014 with 2,576. It’s past 3,500 for 2025.
www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/...
www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/...
November 26, 2025 at 7:27 AM
A friend in NEW YORK CITY told me two days ago that her daughter caught whooping cough at school and the whole family is receiving preventative treatment so they don’t also get it.
“Device hoarding”
JFC
JFC
stupid young people, stop buying a new phone every year if you don't want to be broke. wait no, not like that.
November 25, 2025 at 7:38 PM
“Device hoarding”
JFC
JFC
Reposted by Aruna D’Souza 🇨🇦
There are 50,000 food insecure children in Maine and 2 trans athletes. Every single candidate running for office who can drum up concern about the latter but has nothing to say about the former is telling on themselves. They don’t care about children. Only power. And they’ll hurt kids for it.
25 Nov 2025 @rikiwilchins.bsky.social -- In unusual move, Sen Susan Collins (R-ME) signs petition for referendum on the 2026 ballot that would bar trans students from sports teams, locker-rooms and bathrooms. She's in a hotly contested election & this is pbly one way to increase Rep turnout.
Sen. Collins signs Maine petition for initiative to restrict transgender rights
The proposed referendum aims to enforce President Donald Trump’s <a href="https://themainemonitor.org/maine-title-ix-battle-national-consequences/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stance on ...
www.pressherald.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:24 AM
There are 50,000 food insecure children in Maine and 2 trans athletes. Every single candidate running for office who can drum up concern about the latter but has nothing to say about the former is telling on themselves. They don’t care about children. Only power. And they’ll hurt kids for it.
Reposted by Aruna D’Souza 🇨🇦
dear men: plz find a route to self-actualization that doesn’t run through someone else’s uterus
November 24, 2025 at 3:13 PM
dear men: plz find a route to self-actualization that doesn’t run through someone else’s uterus
Reposted by Aruna D’Souza 🇨🇦
Oh, Tish James case dismissed too. Now Miss Hannigan has to start her orphanage.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/24/p...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/24/p...
Federal judge dismissed indictments against Letitia James and James Comey | CNN Politics
A federal judge dismissed the indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday.
www.cnn.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Oh, Tish James case dismissed too. Now Miss Hannigan has to start her orphanage.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/24/p...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/24/p...
Mamdani is walking a fine line—not wanting to antagonize the admin (and risk Trump doing to NYC what it’s done to Chicago, LA, etc) and also not walking back his (correct) assessment of how awful Trump is. And the media are going to try their damndest to turn this either into a feud or a bromance.
WELKER: Just to be clear, do you think President Trump is a fascist?
MAMDANI: After President Trump said that, I said yes
WELKER: So you do
MAMDANI: That's something I've said in the past. I say it today. What I appreciated about the conversation is were not shy about the places of disagreement
MAMDANI: After President Trump said that, I said yes
WELKER: So you do
MAMDANI: That's something I've said in the past. I say it today. What I appreciated about the conversation is were not shy about the places of disagreement
November 23, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Mamdani is walking a fine line—not wanting to antagonize the admin (and risk Trump doing to NYC what it’s done to Chicago, LA, etc) and also not walking back his (correct) assessment of how awful Trump is. And the media are going to try their damndest to turn this either into a feud or a bromance.
The director, Jonathan Binstock, says the collection is like a family and it’s necessary to sell some works to expand the family and suddenly I feel very worried for his human relatives.
As a financial matter, the Phillips Collection’s decision to sell three works of art at auction on Thursday would have to rate as a success. But the decision to sell established works from the collection to finance the acquisition of more contemporary art has caused turmoil within the institution.
This Washington Museum Sold Some of Its Art. But at What Cost?
The Phillips Collection sold three works and raised $13 million to buy contemporary art, but the decision has led to rancor within the 104-year-old institution.
nyti.ms
November 22, 2025 at 8:09 PM
The director, Jonathan Binstock, says the collection is like a family and it’s necessary to sell some works to expand the family and suddenly I feel very worried for his human relatives.
Media characterizing this interaction as a “friendship,” implying that it was reciprocal, is like Larry Summers thinking that young woman he was harassing appreciated his comments on her outfit. It’s absolutely delusional but in a particularly gross way.
Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani forged an unlikely friendship at the White House on Friday, with the US president saying at one point, 'I would feel very, very comfortable being in New York' under Mamdani. on.ft.com/43MAcy5
November 22, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Media characterizing this interaction as a “friendship,” implying that it was reciprocal, is like Larry Summers thinking that young woman he was harassing appreciated his comments on her outfit. It’s absolutely delusional but in a particularly gross way.
Corporate Dems worried their gravy train will stall if they’re forced to move towards Mamdani’s Dem Soc positions. Trump knows he’ll just keep stealing money from the Treasury anyway, no matter what his base or donors do, so he can like Mamdani as much as he wants.
Laughing at Donald Trump saying he'd definitely feel comfortable living in Zohran Mamdani's New York on the same day that half the consultant brain-poisoned Democratic party voted to condemn socialism
November 21, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Corporate Dems worried their gravy train will stall if they’re forced to move towards Mamdani’s Dem Soc positions. Trump knows he’ll just keep stealing money from the Treasury anyway, no matter what his base or donors do, so he can like Mamdani as much as he wants.
Trump is trying to jump on Mamdani’s affordability message. He had good things to say about Sanders in the past, too. As long as they’re not directly running against him, he knows how the message resonates. Of course the diff is Trump only wants the message, not the follow through.
Trump has said a number of times that you'd be surprised how much he and Mamdani agree on. (Talks again about building housing, lowering rents.)
Trump: "I expect to be helping him, not hurting him."
Trump: "I expect to be helping him, not hurting him."
November 21, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Trump is trying to jump on Mamdani’s affordability message. He had good things to say about Sanders in the past, too. As long as they’re not directly running against him, he knows how the message resonates. Of course the diff is Trump only wants the message, not the follow through.
For everyone confused about Trump’s change in attitude towards Mamdani at the meeting today: what Trump admires above anything in the world is handsome men. Period. End of story. Mamdani stunned Trump with his attractiveness. (This sounds flippant but I’m totally serious.)
November 21, 2025 at 8:59 PM
For everyone confused about Trump’s change in attitude towards Mamdani at the meeting today: what Trump admires above anything in the world is handsome men. Period. End of story. Mamdani stunned Trump with his attractiveness. (This sounds flippant but I’m totally serious.)
I agree with all of the below in general about women like Usha Vance, except I also believe she’s highly attuned to public perception. If she’s not wearing her ring it’s because she wants people to see that. She won’t be divorcing Vance because of ideology, but infidelity? Maybe.
This. Except I think Vance is more likely to dump her first lol. For many upper caste Hindus like her, the religion is nothing but a content free ideology of hierarchy, which legitimizes all actions in the pursuit of status. Throw in US racialization, and you get her need for proximity to whiteness.
As someone who isboth Indian and familiar with many people like Usha Vance, the idea that she's going to to dump the meal ticket because Vance says mean things about Hinduism is a fundamental misunderstanding of everything India
November 21, 2025 at 8:11 PM
I agree with all of the below in general about women like Usha Vance, except I also believe she’s highly attuned to public perception. If she’s not wearing her ring it’s because she wants people to see that. She won’t be divorcing Vance because of ideology, but infidelity? Maybe.
Reposted by Aruna D’Souza 🇨🇦
Canada has a higher standard of living than the US by every metric.
The US has a higher average income than Canada because their billionaires skew the sample.
The US has a higher average income than Canada because their billionaires skew the sample.
November 21, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Canada has a higher standard of living than the US by every metric.
The US has a higher average income than Canada because their billionaires skew the sample.
The US has a higher average income than Canada because their billionaires skew the sample.
Not a coincidence that most of these professions are dominated by women, and WOC in particular. But also sort of bizarre that Master’s degrees in business (so MBAs) and engineering are also no longer “professional” programs.
The DoE has reclassified numerous health professional and other degrees, limiting access to federal student loan programs eligible for the higher OBBBA loan caps from thousands to a few hundred.
As ALWAYS, this is about $$.
We're about to become REALLY "great"...
shorturl.fm/xs7gY
As ALWAYS, this is about $$.
We're about to become REALLY "great"...
shorturl.fm/xs7gY
November 21, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Not a coincidence that most of these professions are dominated by women, and WOC in particular. But also sort of bizarre that Master’s degrees in business (so MBAs) and engineering are also no longer “professional” programs.
Free Palestine is hate speech, but swastikas are A-ok apparently.
Exclusive: The U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify the swastika, nooses and the Confederate flag as hate symbols.
The military service drafted a new policy that classifies them as “potentially divisive.”
The military service drafted a new policy that classifies them as “potentially divisive.”
U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”
www.washingtonpost.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Free Palestine is hate speech, but swastikas are A-ok apparently.
I’m going to suggest we as a society are building too many museums if we can give out a “Museum Opening of the Year” award.
We are delighted to announce that the Frick Collection is the winner of the Apollo Museum Opening of the Year award, which is supported by Bloomberg Connects
apollo-magazine.com/apollo-award...
apollo-magazine.com/apollo-award...
November 20, 2025 at 9:04 PM
I’m going to suggest we as a society are building too many museums if we can give out a “Museum Opening of the Year” award.
Still thinking about the fact that Obama appointed Summers to the National Economic Council AFTER the latter had to step down as Harvard president for being an outspoken misogynist. Like, that wasn’t disqualifying.
November 20, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Still thinking about the fact that Obama appointed Summers to the National Economic Council AFTER the latter had to step down as Harvard president for being an outspoken misogynist. Like, that wasn’t disqualifying.
Larry Summers is 71 years old. Just resign already. He should have done it far before this, but between the revelations and the fact that he’s a few years from retirement anyway, just save everyone the trouble of an investigation already.
November 20, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Larry Summers is 71 years old. Just resign already. He should have done it far before this, but between the revelations and the fact that he’s a few years from retirement anyway, just save everyone the trouble of an investigation already.