Omar Wasow
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owasow.bsky.social
Omar Wasow
@owasow.bsky.social
37K followers 3.8K following 3.1K posts
Asst Prof, UC Berkeley, Political Science. Study protests, stats & race: 1/ Agenda Seeding http://j.mp/agenda-seeding 2/ Race as a Bundle of Sticks http://j.mp/bundle-of
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owasow.bsky.social
Omar Wasow @owasow.bsky.social · Feb 6
I’ve been studying civil rights protests for 20 years. With new mobilization against Trump’s agenda, I’m sharing a thread summarizing my research on how nonviolent & violent actions by 1960s activists and police influenced media, elites, public opinion & voters. 1/ www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Article title: Agenda Seeding: How 1960s Black Protests Moved Elites, Public Opinion and Voting Article Abstract How do stigmatized minorities advance agendas when confronted with hostile majorities? Elite theories of influence posit marginal groups exert little power. I propose the concept of agenda seeding to describe how activists use methods like disruption to capture the attention of media and overcome political asymmetries. Further, I hypothesize protest tactics influence how news organizations frame demands. Evaluating black-led protests between 1960 and 1972, I find nonviolent activism, particularly when met with state or vigilante repression, drove media coverage, framing, congressional speech, and public opinion on civil rights. Counties proximate to nonviolent protests saw presidential Democratic vote share increase 1.6–2.5%. Protester-initiated violence, by contrast, helped move news agendas, frames, elite discourse, and public concern toward “social control.” In 1968, using rainfall as an instrument, I find violent protests likely caused a 1.5–7.9% shift among whites toward Republicans and tipped the election. Elites may dominate political communication but hold no monopoly.
owasow.bsky.social
Remarkable youtu.be/KmFPWxjmnqE?...
Accessibility | I’m Not Remarkable | Apple
YouTube video by Apple
youtu.be
December 3, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Reposted by Omar Wasow
astrokatie.com
Just imagining how much better it would be if ALL news stories about vaccine-preventable illnesses were illustrated with pictures of people with the disease, not pictures of needle injections. If you must show something that people will find scary & unpleasant, make it the disease, not the cure.
kendrawrites.com Kendra "Gloom is My Beat" Pierre-Louis @kendrawrites.com · 1d
I'm so tired of measles.

I'm also tired of people using needle shots on stories like this.

Show what measles looks like.
datareport.bsky.social Data Report @datareport.bsky.social · 1d
Gallatin Co. reports 2nd measles case, warns of exposure sites nbcmontana.com/news/local/g...
December 2, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Reposted by Omar Wasow
harikunzru.bsky.social
Remembering the time I was in Türkiye and the hotel welcomed me with an effusive press release and one of the all time great pull quotes
New Article Page 5 A Literary Luminary at Swissotel Büvik Efes izmir: Welcoming Hari Kunzru At Swissotel Büyük Efes izmir, we are proud to host extraordinary individuals whose talents and achievements inspire the world. Today, we shine the spotlight on one such remarkable guest: Hari Kunzru, literary icon, journalist and champion of artistic freedom What if the reasonable reaction to the world is endless horrified screaming?
November 27, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Reposted by Omar Wasow
stephenjacobsmith.com
Still thinking about this article. It’s always been a sore spot in YIMBY circles that so many progressive foundations pour money into NIMBYism, and I’m glad it’s finally being aired in public. Keep talking about it. www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/philant...
Philanthropy Needs to Pick a Side on the Housing Construction Debate
Despite California’s severe housing shortage, foundations are still funding on the wrong side of the housing fight there, guest author Ned Resnikoff writes.
www.insidephilanthropy.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:00 AM
owasow.bsky.social
Cities are already “mired in congestion” and so congestion pricing should be broadly expanded no matter what happens with self-driving cars.

Also, “Waymos are involved in ten times fewer serious crashes than an average human driver.”
charlesincities.bsky.social Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 5d
Self driving cars will mire cities in congestion.

Congestion pricing is the most efficient and fair solution, esp if revenues go to transit.

www.economist.com/finance-and-...
Self-driving cars will transform urban economies
A robotaxi boom is coming. The impacts might be broader than you expect
www.economist.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:20 PM
owasow.bsky.social
As part of the ancient tradition of Thanksgiving tech support, I’d like to help my elderly parents get setup with some kind of password manager. I’ve liked 1Password but it’s less seamless now. Mom on old MacBook, dad on old Windows laptop. Any suggestions? Happy to pay a subscription.
November 27, 2025 at 6:46 PM
owasow.bsky.social
“To find top Kenyan runners, Stuetzel promoted the time trials widely. Still, he was shocked by the talent that arrived. In 2022, he recruited Doris Lemngole, who ended up at the University of Alabama. Within two years, she had won both track and cross-country national titles.”
To find their next great runners, U.S. colleges look to rural Kenya
A recruiting drive in Kenya is changing the face of U.S. college athletics. Time trials have become bitterly competitive as runners seek a way out of poverty.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:57 PM
owasow.bsky.social
“Survey conducted in April 2025 and published on Sunday by the Israel Democracy Institute finds more than 25% of Israelis are now considering leaving Israel behind.” forward.com/opinion/7863...
More than 25% of Israelis want to leave the country. How did we get here?
More than 1/4 of Israelis want to move elsewhere — a repudiation of war, a fragile economy, and a weakening of the founding Zionist promise.
forward.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Reposted by Omar Wasow
kevinmkruse.bsky.social
They’re good, people! Give them some support!
liberalcurrents.com Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 8d
Larger media outlets have wavered since the first Trump term, but we've remained steadfast in our categorical rejection of MAGA in all its aspects and our affirmation of liberal democracy and the principles that it rests on.

In the second Trump term, we are growing: www.gofundme.com/f/the-libera...
“Liberal Currents is raising funds to continue its work promoting a principled, humane liberalism: one that refuses to pick and choose whose freedom matters.” —Sharon Kuruvilla
November 25, 2025 at 2:08 AM
owasow.bsky.social
“Experimental data from largest online survey of Irish Americans reveal learning about African Americans with Irish ancestry reduces prejudice among white Irish Americans who identify with Irish American identity, and effects are mostly driven by Republicans…” www.jasmineenglish.net/uploads/1/4/...
Title page) Title page with centered serif text reading “Close Race: Harnessing Multiracialism to Reduce Racial Prejudice*”. Below is the author name “Jasmine English†” and below that the date “October 31, 2025”, all centered with white background. Screenshot of the paper’s abstract in serif font. The text explains that multiracial populations are the fastest growing in the U.S., and the paper examines how learning about African Americans with Irish ancestry influences racial attitudes among white Irish Americans. It reports experimental findings showing that such information reduces racial prejudice, especially among Republicans and those with higher baseline prejudice, and suggests multiracialism may reduce perceived racial distance. Figure 1: Racial Resentment) Coefficient plot titled “Treatment Effects: Racial Resentment.” The x-axis is Coefficient Estimate with a dashed vertical zero line. Four rows correspond to Treat, TreatLinked, TreatClose, and Treat*Important. The interaction terms show larger negative estimates (around −0.05 to −0.18) than in Figure 2, indicating stronger reductions in racial resentment. Model estimates are color-coded and labeled in a legend at bottom left. Table 7: Reduced Racial Essentialism “I was actually very surprised, it’s a much larger percentage than I realized. I guess I’ve been raised that white people are much more likely to be Irish.” “I was really surprised. I honestly had no idea and just thought, like me, Irish is basically white.” “I am surprised, as I think of typical Irish Americans to be very white.” “I was surprised - I had no idea. Usually when I think “Irish” I think of very fair skin, red hair, and blue eyes (like my mom)” “I was surprised! The term African American makes me think their lineage would be purely African, but I suppose no one really has ancestry tied to one place and one place only.” “I was surprised as I believed that Irish people were overwhelmingly White. It makes me more course to know about how such a high percentage of African Americans came to have Irish ancestry.” “That is surprising to me. I always picture people with more fair skin being Irish.” “I was surprised, but once I thought about it made sense. Eventually all of us will have a little bit of all ancestries in us.” Notes: Open-ended responses that illustrate a shift away from racial essentialism among treated respondents.
November 24, 2025 at 9:52 PM
owasow.bsky.social
Clever study assesses “whether same person is treated differently when their race is perceived differently.” Finds “same driver is likelier to be searched or arrested by police when they are perceived as Hispanic than when they are perceived as white.” www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Testing for racial bias using inconsistent perceptions of race
A proposed test for racial bias assesses whether the same person is treated differently when their race is perceived differently.
www.science.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:04 PM
owasow.bsky.social
“Culver City becomes first California city to allow six-story apartment buildings with just one staircase, a move to ease housing construction and affordability. Single staircases reclaim 7% of space for actual homes while creating wider units with better light—and fitting on smaller urban parcels.”
One California city’s idea to tackle the housing crisis: Take the stairs
Culver City becomes first California city to allow six-story apartment buildings with just one staircase, a bold move to ease housing construction and affordability.
www.latimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:58 PM
owasow.bsky.social
New odd couple buddy film: Crush Hour
chrisgeidner.bsky.social Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 11d
Let’s be clear.

@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social got Trump so charmed that Trump posted two photos of the two of them with Franklin Roosevelt’s portrait behind them AND one of just Mamdani and FDR’s portrait.
Trump’s Truth social post Trump, Mamdani, and FDR. Trump, Mamdani, and FDR. Mamdani and FDR.
November 22, 2025 at 7:41 PM
owasow.bsky.social
Thread
violetbrown.bsky.social VioletBrown @violetbrown.bsky.social · 11d
I worked in a natural history museum where we had to listen to a loop of new age music (think pan pipes and whatnot) with nature sounds like blue whales and hawks and whatnot interspersed and it was HELL. Three years of this shit. I can still hear the hawk song in my nightmares
November 22, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Reposted by Omar Wasow
ence.bsky.social
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.

We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.

washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
November 21, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Reposted by Omar Wasow
ryancbriggs.net
A student recently asked me for academic job market advice and I pulled up a slideshow from a few years ago. I don't think I've shared it, but it might be broadly useful. I think the advice almost entirely holds up.

First part is about my time on the job market
1/3
brief description of my experience and a joke xkcd about selection bias my hit rate on the job market in 2012 (low) my hit rate on the job market in 2013 (low, but got a TT job) my hit rate on the job market as an AP (3/7 offers)
November 21, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by Omar Wasow
adamweinstein.bsky.social
You say Mamdani is a socialist, then explain to me why he's flaunting his ownership of Donald Trump
November 21, 2025 at 8:50 PM
owasow.bsky.social
“Without 14th Amendment, various figures would not have gained U.S. citizenship…
— “Second lady *Usha Vance*, born to Indian immigrants”
— Marco Rubio, Cuban parents
— Kash Patel, Indian parents
— Mehmet Oz, Turkish parents
— Nikki Haley, Indian parents
www.newsweek.com/donald-trump...
twseal.bsky.social Thomas Seal @twseal.bsky.social · 11d
JD Vance shares some opinions on Canada:
November 21, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Reposted by Omar Wasow
dotanhaim.bsky.social
Really proud of our new article in @apsrjournal.bsky.social!! @nicoravanilla.bsky.social @matthewjnanes.bsky.social

What does citizen contact do to police attitudes in conflict settings?

For those interested in bureaucrats, embeddedness, conflict, mixed methods: doi.org/10.1017/S000...
November 20, 2025 at 2:16 PM
owasow.bsky.social
Small study assigned older adults to control, 1x/week sprint interval training (SIT), or 2x/week SIT. After 8 weeks, found “significant improvements in blood glucose control, physical function and aerobic capacity in both training groups compared to control…”
media-site.carolbike.com/documents/Im...
The Impact of Sprint Interval Training Frequency on Blood Glucose Control and Physical Function of Older Adults Simon Adamson, Mykolas Kavaliauskas , Ross Lorimer and John Babraj Abstract: Exercise is a powerful tool for improving health in older adults, but the minimum frequency required is not known. This study sought to determine the effect of training frequency of sprint interval training (SIT) on health and physical function in older adults. Thirty-four (13 males and 21 females) older adults (age 65 ± 4 years) were recruited. Participants were allocated to a control group (CON n = 12) or a once- (n = 11) or twice- (n = 11) weekly sprint interval training (SIT) groups. The control group maintained daily activities; the SIT groups performed 8 weeks of once- or twice-weekly training sessions consisting of 6 s sprints. Metabolic health (oral glucose tolerance test), aerobic capacity (walk test) and physical function (get up and go test, sit to stand test) were determined before and after training. Following training, there were significant improvements in blood glucose control, physical function and aerobic capacity in both training groups compared to control, with changes larger than the smallest worthwhile change. There was a small to moderate effect for blood glucose (d= 0.43–0.80) and physical function (d= 0.43–0.69) and a trivial effect for aerobic capacity (d= 0.01) between the two training frequencies. Once a week training SIT is sufficient to produce health benefits. Therefore, the minimum time and frequency of exercise required is much lower than currently recommended.
November 20, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Reposted by Omar Wasow
jakemgrumbach.bsky.social
The Eric Schickler essay in Larry Bartel's symposium on "What Trump Has Taught Us About Political Science" is one of the most insightful pieces I've read in 2025.

US institutions turned out to be weak, and we have to rethink conventional wisdom.

open access: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
November 19, 2025 at 8:08 PM
owasow.bsky.social
“Fast-food prices at McDonald’s have risen so high that traffic from one of the industry’s core customer bases, low-income households, has dropped by double digits.” www.latimes.com/business/sto...
November 18, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by Omar Wasow
cmwitko.bsky.social
A new article with @mjnelson.bsky.social in PRQ, using a conjoint, CPS ASES and medical residency application data, finds that abortion bans make states less desirable places to live for young women, college graduates and doctors.

This law is more extreme.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
November 18, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Reposted by Omar Wasow
swerd.bsky.social
Today's gift link. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/o...
Opinion | We Came Here Legally. ICE Locked Us Up Anyway.
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Reposted by Omar Wasow
sesmith.lol
‘Death remains my intimate shadow partner. It has been with me since birth, always hovering close by. I understand one day we will finally waltz together into the ether. I hope when that time comes, I die with the satisfaction of a life well-lived, unapologetic, joyful, & full of love.’
—Alice Wong
November 15, 2025 at 6:12 AM