Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
@benspatz.bsky.social
Conflict-avoidant revolutionary. Critical planetary theorist. Creative practice researcher at University of Birmingham.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
The UK version of “Project 2025” by the Reform party includes a British ICE, a concentration camp for 24,000 people, mass surveillance and withdrawing from refugee, anti-torture and anti-trafficking conventions.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
January 26, 2026 at 1:22 PM
The UK version of “Project 2025” by the Reform party includes a British ICE, a concentration camp for 24,000 people, mass surveillance and withdrawing from refugee, anti-torture and anti-trafficking conventions.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
The most important technological revolution of our lifetime has nothing to do with AI:
Important to realize also that, once constructed, solar infrastructure just keeps working*, for decades, with very little additional cost. There's no need for a constant stream of inputs like fossil fuels.
Important to realize also that, once constructed, solar infrastructure just keeps working*, for decades, with very little additional cost. There's no need for a constant stream of inputs like fossil fuels.
Check this one fact out:
"In 2024, the total installed electricity capacity of the planet—every coal, gas, hydro, and nuclear plant and all of the renewables—was about 10 terawatts. The Chinese solar supply chain can now pump out 1 terawatt of panels every year."
"In 2024, the total installed electricity capacity of the planet—every coal, gas, hydro, and nuclear plant and all of the renewables—was about 10 terawatts. The Chinese solar supply chain can now pump out 1 terawatt of panels every year."
January 21, 2026 at 5:12 PM
The most important technological revolution of our lifetime has nothing to do with AI:
Important to realize also that, once constructed, solar infrastructure just keeps working*, for decades, with very little additional cost. There's no need for a constant stream of inputs like fossil fuels.
Important to realize also that, once constructed, solar infrastructure just keeps working*, for decades, with very little additional cost. There's no need for a constant stream of inputs like fossil fuels.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
this is not the problem, this has never been the problem, this could never be the problem, and all this does is target regular fat people -- who don't eat in this fashion any more than anyone else does, but are assumed to.
Finally, Trump's diet! Oh my god. The piece closes with RNC Chair Joe Gruters saying he was "shocked" to witness Trump eat "french fries, a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburger, a Big Mac and a Filet-O-Fish" in one sitting (5/6)
January 18, 2026 at 10:44 PM
this is not the problem, this has never been the problem, this could never be the problem, and all this does is target regular fat people -- who don't eat in this fashion any more than anyone else does, but are assumed to.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
ICE and MAGA really did bet the farm on all of Minneapolis’s white people going “oh yes, please take away our disgusting, evil non-white-foreigner neighbors, oh thank you so much.”
it’s beautiful that they’ve been proven incredibly wrong about that - may the rest of the country do the same.
it’s beautiful that they’ve been proven incredibly wrong about that - may the rest of the country do the same.
January 18, 2026 at 2:39 AM
ICE and MAGA really did bet the farm on all of Minneapolis’s white people going “oh yes, please take away our disgusting, evil non-white-foreigner neighbors, oh thank you so much.”
it’s beautiful that they’ve been proven incredibly wrong about that - may the rest of the country do the same.
it’s beautiful that they’ve been proven incredibly wrong about that - may the rest of the country do the same.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
Respectfully, I am going to whisper to some of our white comrades a truth that should be more widely known: You definitely have some ancestors to be proud of, ancestors who refused white supremacy, and poured out their lives in many of these struggles over time.
Time to claim your true history.
Time to claim your true history.
January 17, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Respectfully, I am going to whisper to some of our white comrades a truth that should be more widely known: You definitely have some ancestors to be proud of, ancestors who refused white supremacy, and poured out their lives in many of these struggles over time.
Time to claim your true history.
Time to claim your true history.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
People who were actually enslaved believed that chattel slavery would end one day.
I'm sorry but to me that suggests that you [who are not enslaved in 2026] can also imagine an end to the current horrors.
I'm sorry but to me that suggests that you [who are not enslaved in 2026] can also imagine an end to the current horrors.
January 17, 2026 at 6:02 PM
People who were actually enslaved believed that chattel slavery would end one day.
I'm sorry but to me that suggests that you [who are not enslaved in 2026] can also imagine an end to the current horrors.
I'm sorry but to me that suggests that you [who are not enslaved in 2026] can also imagine an end to the current horrors.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
I don’t think people quite understand that the occupation by ICE in the Twin Cities has more or less erased non-white people from public life. They cannot safely exist in any space accessible to the public and moving between private places leaves folks vulnerable to kidnapping by armed masked goons.
January 16, 2026 at 10:15 PM
I don’t think people quite understand that the occupation by ICE in the Twin Cities has more or less erased non-white people from public life. They cannot safely exist in any space accessible to the public and moving between private places leaves folks vulnerable to kidnapping by armed masked goons.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
“But what do you expect Democrats to doo-hooo?”
1) Refuse to fund this criminal government anymore.
2) EVERY one of them call to abolish ICE (and bonus, DHS). No more “they need training” shit. Promise prosecutions.
3) EVERY one of them call for Trump’s impeachment, relentlessly, EVERY day.
1) Refuse to fund this criminal government anymore.
2) EVERY one of them call to abolish ICE (and bonus, DHS). No more “they need training” shit. Promise prosecutions.
3) EVERY one of them call for Trump’s impeachment, relentlessly, EVERY day.
January 13, 2026 at 8:30 PM
“But what do you expect Democrats to doo-hooo?”
1) Refuse to fund this criminal government anymore.
2) EVERY one of them call to abolish ICE (and bonus, DHS). No more “they need training” shit. Promise prosecutions.
3) EVERY one of them call for Trump’s impeachment, relentlessly, EVERY day.
1) Refuse to fund this criminal government anymore.
2) EVERY one of them call to abolish ICE (and bonus, DHS). No more “they need training” shit. Promise prosecutions.
3) EVERY one of them call for Trump’s impeachment, relentlessly, EVERY day.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
Democrats should run on the fact that their opposition is literally killing Americans and destroying the country.
It’s not hyperbole. That’s the message they should be blasting out to media every day.
They are killing Americans and destroying the country. They hate our freedom. They hate democracy
It’s not hyperbole. That’s the message they should be blasting out to media every day.
They are killing Americans and destroying the country. They hate our freedom. They hate democracy
January 8, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Democrats should run on the fact that their opposition is literally killing Americans and destroying the country.
It’s not hyperbole. That’s the message they should be blasting out to media every day.
They are killing Americans and destroying the country. They hate our freedom. They hate democracy
It’s not hyperbole. That’s the message they should be blasting out to media every day.
They are killing Americans and destroying the country. They hate our freedom. They hate democracy
To me, there is no more important political issue than the radical reform or abolition of prisons. I don’t understand why this isn’t constant news, constant focus, forever, until it is done.
THREAD. Every year, I tell the story of Ezell Gilbert. It's the story of one of the most remarkable cases in U.S. history, and you’ve probably never heard of it. The story of what the U.S. government did to him is vital for understanding the current moment we are in.
January 2, 2026 at 10:33 PM
To me, there is no more important political issue than the radical reform or abolition of prisons. I don’t understand why this isn’t constant news, constant focus, forever, until it is done.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
Mamdani: I have been told that this is the occasion to reset expectations, that I should use this opportunity to encourage the people of New York to ask for little and expect even less. I will do no such thing. The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations.
January 1, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Mamdani: I have been told that this is the occasion to reset expectations, that I should use this opportunity to encourage the people of New York to ask for little and expect even less. I will do no such thing. The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations.
This is one of the greatest books of all time. Changed my life as a teenager. I rarely see it mentioned. Would be very wary of a tv version.
Imajica by Clive Barker
1991
Grade: A
This has to be the most underappreciated fantasy work ever. Great world-building. Barker writes characters that feel like real people. Make this into a two-season series on HBO. It's aged well and contains many themes that would resonate today.
1991
Grade: A
This has to be the most underappreciated fantasy work ever. Great world-building. Barker writes characters that feel like real people. Make this into a two-season series on HBO. It's aged well and contains many themes that would resonate today.
December 30, 2025 at 7:07 PM
This is one of the greatest books of all time. Changed my life as a teenager. I rarely see it mentioned. Would be very wary of a tv version.
This was so obvious during Brexit
The calls from America this weekend to "abolish the EU" are for one simple reason: the EU is the only thing that can keep European nation-states from becoming Russian or American vassals.
The US has declared rhetorical war on the EU
The calls from America this weekend to destroy the EU are revealing. They hate the union because it's the only thing that can keep European countries from being Russian or American vassals.
davekeating.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:26 AM
This was so obvious during Brexit
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
This is horrific and exactly what those of us in Black studies, gender studies, women’s studies have been warning our colleagues in the sciences about. Their seeming neutrality will not save them.
Heartbreaking. The University of Nebraska will terminate its entire Earth science department.
One of the country's most successful and respected geology & climate programs: gone.
When ideologues & politicians are threatened by the very act of studying climate change, I wonder: who of us is next?
One of the country's most successful and respected geology & climate programs: gone.
When ideologues & politicians are threatened by the very act of studying climate change, I wonder: who of us is next?
It's over.
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
December 7, 2025 at 5:13 AM
This is horrific and exactly what those of us in Black studies, gender studies, women’s studies have been warning our colleagues in the sciences about. Their seeming neutrality will not save them.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
Ta-Nehisi Coates asks Palestinian scholar & writer Tareq Baconi “what is it about this genocide particularly” that has changed us? Baconi, who has written extensively on Hamas & the history of Palestinian resistance, points to 3 factors. It’s happening in full view of the world, yet still allowed...
November 28, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Ta-Nehisi Coates asks Palestinian scholar & writer Tareq Baconi “what is it about this genocide particularly” that has changed us? Baconi, who has written extensively on Hamas & the history of Palestinian resistance, points to 3 factors. It’s happening in full view of the world, yet still allowed...
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
The Shutdown stuff is taking center stage for the upcoming primaries, as it should be (Chuck Schumer is a complete sentence), but we must remind ourselves that there are active concentration camps operating on and off US soil.
“Abolish ICE” should be the moderate position. Vote accordingly.
“Abolish ICE” should be the moderate position. Vote accordingly.
Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari of Arizona’s 3rd District describes the “horrific conditions” she witnessed inside the Eloy ICE Detention Center near Phoenix — including a leukemia patient “vomiting blood,” detained in February and forced to wait eight months before finally seeing an oncologist...
November 11, 2025 at 8:42 PM
The Shutdown stuff is taking center stage for the upcoming primaries, as it should be (Chuck Schumer is a complete sentence), but we must remind ourselves that there are active concentration camps operating on and off US soil.
“Abolish ICE” should be the moderate position. Vote accordingly.
“Abolish ICE” should be the moderate position. Vote accordingly.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
The value of reading history is you know that in 1860 there were abolitionists who were so demoralized that they thought chattel slavery would be permanent. 5 years later those still alive had lived to see its end.
November 12, 2025 at 8:05 PM
The value of reading history is you know that in 1860 there were abolitionists who were so demoralized that they thought chattel slavery would be permanent. 5 years later those still alive had lived to see its end.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
"Kerala expropriated private land and redistributed it to landless workers. This laid the foundations for Kerala’s remarkable social indicators: near-universal literacy, one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the global south, and the highest life expectancy in India”
November 10, 2025 at 7:41 AM
"Kerala expropriated private land and redistributed it to landless workers. This laid the foundations for Kerala’s remarkable social indicators: near-universal literacy, one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the global south, and the highest life expectancy in India”
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
Read every word & share with everyone you know. This is real life here in Chicago. Americans need to know this grotesque reality & stand with us.
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 10, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Read every word & share with everyone you know. This is real life here in Chicago. Americans need to know this grotesque reality & stand with us.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
This deal to reopen the government is fucking disgraceful.
Tens of millions will lose their healthcare. Trump will be emboldened.
This is exactly what’s wrong with Democratic Party leadership and why we need more people in Congress who will actually hold the line.
Tens of millions will lose their healthcare. Trump will be emboldened.
This is exactly what’s wrong with Democratic Party leadership and why we need more people in Congress who will actually hold the line.
November 10, 2025 at 12:43 PM
This deal to reopen the government is fucking disgraceful.
Tens of millions will lose their healthcare. Trump will be emboldened.
This is exactly what’s wrong with Democratic Party leadership and why we need more people in Congress who will actually hold the line.
Tens of millions will lose their healthcare. Trump will be emboldened.
This is exactly what’s wrong with Democratic Party leadership and why we need more people in Congress who will actually hold the line.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
As long as this planet continues to be run as a for-profit business rather than a community of 10 million species, most life on Earth is destined to vanish
November 9, 2025 at 11:56 AM
As long as this planet continues to be run as a for-profit business rather than a community of 10 million species, most life on Earth is destined to vanish
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
This is the facility that I and many others have been protesting. We’ve been hit, thrown, gassed, and shot with pepper bullets but none of that holds a candle to what is being done to people *in* the actual facility.
Read this thread. Don’t look away. Keep your eyes and the pressure on Broadview.
Read this thread. Don’t look away. Keep your eyes and the pressure on Broadview.
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
November 7, 2025 at 3:29 PM
This is the facility that I and many others have been protesting. We’ve been hit, thrown, gassed, and shot with pepper bullets but none of that holds a candle to what is being done to people *in* the actual facility.
Read this thread. Don’t look away. Keep your eyes and the pressure on Broadview.
Read this thread. Don’t look away. Keep your eyes and the pressure on Broadview.
Reposted by Ben ‘Oh’ Pah
That Mahmood Mamdani’s child is poised to become the mayor of New York does make one teeter towards the feeling that anything is possible.
November 4, 2025 at 9:08 PM
That Mahmood Mamdani’s child is poised to become the mayor of New York does make one teeter towards the feeling that anything is possible.