Ben Stanley
@benstanley.eu
Associate Professor, SWPS University. Welsh by birth. English by upbringing. Irish by design. Polish by choice. I am a lineman for the county.
Depressing that he gets to choose the manner of his departure, however good it might be to see him exit public life
February 3, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Depressing that he gets to choose the manner of his departure, however good it might be to see him exit public life
One of the reasons why I am insistent that all Europe-based conferences in my discipline should take place in Prague until a degree of convergence has been reached.
There are others. Like the existence of Pult. But still.
There are others. Like the existence of Pult. But still.
One plus for staff/student stays in Białowieża, NE Poland is: costs are relatively low compared to W. Europe. But, this isn’t two-way: when we e.g., attend conferences in W. Europe, we pay same fees—fees that can amount to half our monthly salary.
These imbalances need acknowledging and addressing.
These imbalances need acknowledging and addressing.
February 3, 2026 at 3:07 PM
One of the reasons why I am insistent that all Europe-based conferences in my discipline should take place in Prague until a degree of convergence has been reached.
There are others. Like the existence of Pult. But still.
There are others. Like the existence of Pult. But still.
Le Conte and Ford (2027) “The Normie Voter: a Vibes-Based Theory of Preference Formation”
February 3, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Le Conte and Ford (2027) “The Normie Voter: a Vibes-Based Theory of Preference Formation”
Yep, and it feels like something of a hazard of the profession in that the more time you spend deliberating over the logic of survey questions and their ordering, the more you are invested in the belief that respondents will answer these questions in the way you intended them.
100% agree with this and the British Election Study bot provides plenty of evidence for it - regularly spitting out actual voters with combinations of beliefs which the terminally online would regard as impossible
oh I've written about this before! one of the big problems with people developing those assumptions is also that they become entirely unable to then engage with normies who represent like.....98% of the population, and whose beliefs are formed on a much more case-by-case basis
February 3, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Yep, and it feels like something of a hazard of the profession in that the more time you spend deliberating over the logic of survey questions and their ordering, the more you are invested in the belief that respondents will answer these questions in the way you intended them.
The Daily Telegraph opinion pages are no place for technical explanations of phenomena.
February 3, 2026 at 12:32 PM
The Daily Telegraph opinion pages are no place for technical explanations of phenomena.
Well yes, you have *facts*, but then what are they next to my vibes?
February 3, 2026 at 11:55 AM
Well yes, you have *facts*, but then what are they next to my vibes?
Maybe they wanted to recreate for the user the experience of being Ghislaine Maxwell
February 3, 2026 at 11:54 AM
Maybe they wanted to recreate for the user the experience of being Ghislaine Maxwell
One of my favourite winter cities
February 3, 2026 at 11:03 AM
One of my favourite winter cities
cc. @robfordmancs.bsky.social - one for the collection
February 3, 2026 at 10:59 AM
cc. @robfordmancs.bsky.social - one for the collection
It seems a powerful enough distortion field to have drawn into it not only his own judgement but that of a vast number of people he’s come into contact with.
February 3, 2026 at 10:14 AM
It seems a powerful enough distortion field to have drawn into it not only his own judgement but that of a vast number of people he’s come into contact with.
Any news from People Polling?
February 3, 2026 at 10:09 AM
Any news from People Polling?
I mean, I revere Steely Dan, but I can understand why some people might be put off by the incessant modulations and the lyrical archness. I don’t agree that it “sounds like Comment is Free contributors trapped in an hotel elevator”, as a friend of mine put it, but I can sort of see how he got there.
February 3, 2026 at 10:06 AM
I mean, I revere Steely Dan, but I can understand why some people might be put off by the incessant modulations and the lyrical archness. I don’t agree that it “sounds like Comment is Free contributors trapped in an hotel elevator”, as a friend of mine put it, but I can sort of see how he got there.
fan of the latter who seems completely resistant to the idea that I might find Anderson’s films twee and irritatingly mannered to the extent of unwatchability. This is my no means an original set of observations on them, but it is guaranteed to bring out either a pulsing vein or condescending sigh.
February 3, 2026 at 10:06 AM
fan of the latter who seems completely resistant to the idea that I might find Anderson’s films twee and irritatingly mannered to the extent of unwatchability. This is my no means an original set of observations on them, but it is guaranteed to bring out either a pulsing vein or condescending sigh.
Is there a particular common denominator for the kind of art that has its adherents repeatedly insisting that you really haven’t understood it and that you’d like it if you did? David Foster Wallace, Haruki Murakami, Steely Dan, Wes Anderson and the like? I ask after yet another encounter with a
February 3, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Is there a particular common denominator for the kind of art that has its adherents repeatedly insisting that you really haven’t understood it and that you’d like it if you did? David Foster Wallace, Haruki Murakami, Steely Dan, Wes Anderson and the like? I ask after yet another encounter with a
A phenomenon contemporary politics really needs to eradicate is the outsize veneration for the all-powerful advisor; the kind of person who is confident enough to be across all policy briefs but also confident enough to be hoodwinked by the repeatedly-discredited mate of a paedophile party planner.
Good piece this morning by @stephenkb.bsky.social, on why the Mandelson scandal raises pressure on McSweeney - but also Starmer.
www.ft.com/content/08b4...
www.ft.com/content/08b4...
Mandelson row hits Starmer already at rock bottom
Morgan McSweeney could be forced out over misjudgment, raising stakes for PM’s survival
www.ft.com
February 3, 2026 at 9:54 AM
A phenomenon contemporary politics really needs to eradicate is the outsize veneration for the all-powerful advisor; the kind of person who is confident enough to be across all policy briefs but also confident enough to be hoodwinked by the repeatedly-discredited mate of a paedophile party planner.
Editors of journals with an interpretivist bent
February 3, 2026 at 9:51 AM
Editors of journals with an interpretivist bent
One of the things I like most about Bluesky is the phenomenon of the incongruent thread, where somehow the contributors went from discussing the attempts of an ethnonationalist influencer to refashion his backstory to talking about bringing Leicas to a Tranmere Rovers match.
February 3, 2026 at 9:50 AM
One of the things I like most about Bluesky is the phenomenon of the incongruent thread, where somehow the contributors went from discussing the attempts of an ethnonationalist influencer to refashion his backstory to talking about bringing Leicas to a Tranmere Rovers match.
“Cited his own monologue” is just about the perfect measure of this wretchedly smug man’s contribution to public debate
Ricky Gervais calls out Grammy winners for making political acceptance speeches: "You're in no position to lecture the public about anything"
Ricky Gervais calls out Grammy winners for making political acceptance speeches: "You're in no position to lecture the public about anything"
Gervais cited his own 2020 Golden Globes monologue, in which he urged winners not to use their acceptance speeches "as a platform to make a political speech."
decider.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:22 AM
“Cited his own monologue” is just about the perfect measure of this wretchedly smug man’s contribution to public debate
“Cited his own monologue” is about the size of it
February 3, 2026 at 8:13 AM
“Cited his own monologue” is about the size of it
Is there a special filter Reuters uses on the news? Something like the Netflix yellow filter except that instead of making everything look like it’s in Mexico it drains all the ideological intent out of fascism?
Trump's Kennedy Center overhaul adds to building spree reshaping Washington reut.rs/4qW3bcs
Trump's Kennedy Center overhaul adds to building spree reshaping Washington
President Donald Trump’s planned overhaul of the Kennedy Center adds the venue to a growing list of construction projects by the former property developer that, if carried out, would amount to the most extensive remaking of Washington's landscape in decades.
reut.rs
February 2, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Is there a special filter Reuters uses on the news? Something like the Netflix yellow filter except that instead of making everything look like it’s in Mexico it drains all the ideological intent out of fascism?
Reposted by Ben Stanley
if there is a man i would trust to pursue a colleague who crossed him to the ends of the earth it is Gordon Brown, so this feels kind of fitting www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Gordon Brown asks top civil servant to investigate Mandelson ‘leak to Epstein’
Ex-PM asks cabinet secretary to investigate whether Mandelson shared market-sensitive information
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 6:47 PM
if there is a man i would trust to pursue a colleague who crossed him to the ends of the earth it is Gordon Brown, so this feels kind of fitting www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Take me down to the paranoid city where your ass is screened by occult committee
Take me down to the Parallax city where the far moves slow and the near moves quickly
February 2, 2026 at 11:20 PM
Take me down to the paranoid city where your ass is screened by occult committee
Reposted by Ben Stanley
Take me down to the Parallax city where the far moves slow and the near moves quickly
February 1, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Take me down to the Parallax city where the far moves slow and the near moves quickly
...Sleve McDichael, Todd Bonzales, Rey McSriff, Bobson Dugnutt
Turning Point USA has announced the performers for their alternative Super Bowl halftime show:
Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett
Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett
February 2, 2026 at 9:11 PM
...Sleve McDichael, Todd Bonzales, Rey McSriff, Bobson Dugnutt