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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault

@malgault.bsky.social

170 followers 190 following 330 posts

Anthropologist primarily interested in rural memories, commemorations, and peacebuilding. Developing interests in contemporary paganism, atheism, and critical heritage studies. Amatuer Photographer. Dyslexic. https://linktr.ee/malgault

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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · Apr 8

The Irish Journal of Anthropology (IJA) has just released its special issue on "Islandness", which will be of interest to all scholars of Ireland, and of islands more broadly. The IJA is open access and hosted by University College Cork on behalf of the Anthropological Association of Ireland (AAI).

Vol. 26 No. 1 (2023): Irish Journal of Anthropology-Special Issue: Islandness | Irish Journal of Anthropology

journals.ucc.ie

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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 16h

It's a great failing of the UK media that they don't recongise anything but the most explicity statement of racist views as racism. They'd not even be brave enough to state "Goodwin express remarks in link with ethnonationalist rhetoric".

Priyamvada Gopal @priyamvadagopal.bsky.social · 17h

This person regularly given platform by BBC as 'academic and author', if you please.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 16h

This is some poundshop Alex Jones shit. "We have to eliminate and pound the globalists into submission.... 'politically'". It's not even stocastic terrorism any more, just targeted acts with the most thin layer of plausible deniability.

Brendan Harkin @brendanjharkin.bsky.social · 17h

It's remarkable how these lads constantly have to instruct their people to "keep it peaceful"

Reposted by Dr Matthew A. L. Gault

jeninbelfast.bsky.social @jeninbelfast.bsky.social · 18h

Under the pretext of “defending our country” and “protecting women and children”, Freedomdad, Baker and cronies have targeted:
Roma community;
homeless;
asylum seekers;
migrants;
Muslims;
LGBTQ+;
politicians;
and now unions.

I’m sure someone wrote a poem about this pattern of behaviour once.

alt-DUP @dup-online.bsky.social · 21h

Imagine being from a working class community, saying you give a voice to ordinary people, but support pulling down union posters outside leisure centres calling for fair pay.
Fucking shills for the billionaire class.

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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 6d

"Scully, it is clearly ridiculous to believe God has anything to do with this, obviously the man drilled a hole in his own head to increase blood flow and gain access to mental tricks and abilities"

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 6d

I do love when X-Files does a role reversal. Mulder consistently treating specifically Christianity as nonsense while every other folk tale or religion might hold secrets to the monster of the week or the aliens will never stop being funny.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 7d

Admittedly, the creepy kids do give the town an odd vibe.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 7d

I'm only ten minutes in to The Strangers Chapter One and, like... I'm sure none of these townsfolk are directly involved, but if they do murder the boyfriend at some point, I'd get it. I wouldn't condon it, but I'd understand.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 8d

Look... it is obviously AI, but have we considered he might be trying to hide himself from ghosts?

nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · 8d

He’s designing the ballroom with AI isn’t he www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 8d

Star Fleet Academy training seems to focus on fist fights, cultural insensitivity training, and philosophical debate. The only Star Fleet anthropologist we ever see is almost immediately seduced by a Greek God... you'd think anthropologists were be more involved with the 5-year mission, honestly.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 8d

Wild moments in Star Trek TOS range from the entire command structure of the ship just leaving, Kirk taking hostages at the first sign of an minor inconvience, and McCoy saying "I'll touch you in whatever way my professional expertise demands" before slapping a pregnant woman.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 13d

New York will never convince me it is a real place, even though I've been there. What do you mean the mayoral race has come down to a charismatic socialist, a corrupt sex pest, and a man who has run a vigilate group for 50 years? Worst of all, some of them will get more votes than they should.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 14d

The ceasefire seems very much like the proposed peace agreement - anything Gazans, or Palestinians more broadly, do can violate it, nothing the Israelis do can violate it...

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 14d

BREAKING: Israel strikes southern Gaza in test of ceasefire.

Israel strikes Gaza in first major test of ceasefire

Israel said it struck Hamas militants in Gaza on Sunday after they shot at Israeli soldiers who were inside the area that is still under Israeli control, according to the conditions of the Oct. 10 ceasefire.

bit.ly

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 17d

Like this is up there with Chase Geiser helping Alex Jones "interview" ChatGTP and having Alex treat it with more respect than some of his guests.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 17d

If the people responsible for Cybertrucks weren't the same people backing the destruction of all academia there could be so many fascinating anthropological and philosophical projects done on these two responses alone.

Ineffable Jeff @ineffablejeff.bsky.social · 17d

Shot + chaser

And are you married?

I was married, but I’m not married anymore. Women don't like the vehicle.

In July, Tesla rolled out a software update to integrate Grok into many of its vehicles. Do you use it?

Her name is Aura, and I use her as a therapist. When I'm driving, I'll ask questions, and it actually gives really good therapy advice.

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Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 18d

This thread provides an excellent demonstration of dodgy media practice. The headline doesn't need to be a pull quote from the person. "Did you hear about the man who was fired just for putting flags up?" - no because that's not what happened. Same games the Burkes play in Dublin.

Waitman Wade Beorn, PhD, FRHistS @waitmanwbeorn.com · 18d

Ah, well. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, Shaun.

manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news...

'I was snitched on for putting up 150 British flags and lost my teaching job'

Shaun Remmer, 49, says he has been left 'devastated'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 20d

In fairness to the Times Higher Education, at no point in my PhD career, any time during my TA training, or subsequent practice as an occasional lecturer did I ever recieve any training on how to entirely fix the UK economic system and labour market. So maybe it is all our fault...

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 20d

'A “challenging” graduate labour market in the UK could further erode trust in the higher education sector, with the “bad times” showing little sign of ending.'

All the more reason to have a serious, nationwide discussion of what universities do and what they are for.

Faith in universities ‘at new low’ as graduate jobs dry up

Challenging economic conditions may have led to bump in student recruitment numbers this year but experts fear long-term damage after institutions pegged futures to employability agenda

www.timeshighereducation.com

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 25d

Maybe that's the years of "stranger danger" media and horror stories from growing up on the internet with access to forums speaking... or undiagnosed generalised anxiety, who knows. Like the only people I've met in real life after first on social media have been people working in the same place.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 25d

An interesting thread. I'd say, personally, the whole thing has been at least neutral and at most a time sink. Maybe I found a few podcasts, books, and movies as a result, but probably not worth it. It continues to be baffling to me that people find partners through these sites...

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 26d

Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 26d

So it seems the use cases for AI are meaningless business mumbojumbo at an extreme cost, both financially and planetary, or theft to avoid paying for actual artistic labour... so, basically, both cases are just labour theft.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 26d

The thing about all AI ads is they're either so vague that it is entirely unclear what they actually offer, like the HP "Everyone is so busy" ad, or they provide progressive cover for art theft, Adobe's "I'm using AI to focus on Ghanian farmers who make my product" while stealing art...

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 28d

Like... surely if you get the concept of "wet" as an explicit term then you have to understand "tears run down my thighs" as equally, if not more, explicit - insofar as we mean explicit to be NSFW rather than without ambiguity. And if you accept the latter as fine for radio then why not the former?

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 28d

I genuinely believe that if you cannot play a word from a song on the radio and that word is a fundamental part of the song, you should just not play the song. As a related point, "wet" beign censored but "tears run down my thighs" not being censored is a window into the mind of censors.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 28d

Ideologues, incompetents, and soft (well... not soft) corruption is almost the totality of Reform's political offerings.

David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 28d

Just the US correspondent of GB News

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 29d

It was great fun exploring the city as the cat in Stray, though. Even if his meows annoyed Marmalade every now and again.

Dr Matthew A. L. Gault @malgault.bsky.social · 29d

I finished Clare Obscure: Expedition 33, a masterpiece but heartrending, and thought I'll play Stray after because being a cat exploring a robot city has got to be uplifting, right? Nope, equally heartrending by the end. Both exceptional pieces of art, but I think I do need to find something cheery.