Brewminate (Matthew A. McIntosh)
@brewminate.bsky.social
📖 Public Historian / Adjunct History Professor
🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+ Proud
💙 "Woke" and Proud
🚫 Blocking MAGA and Hate
See https://www.brewminate.com (Brewminate)
🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+ Proud
💙 "Woke" and Proud
🚫 Blocking MAGA and Hate
See https://www.brewminate.com (Brewminate)
Mythbusting History
Medieval Europe was never fully Christianized. Pagan customs lived on for centuries in local rites, healing practices, and seasonal traditions.
The past mirrors today’s struggles of Pagans and Wiccans who still face claims their beliefs are “new.” 🔥
#History #Brewminate
Medieval Europe was never fully Christianized. Pagan customs lived on for centuries in local rites, healing practices, and seasonal traditions.
The past mirrors today’s struggles of Pagans and Wiccans who still face claims their beliefs are “new.” 🔥
#History #Brewminate
November 29, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Mythbusting History
Medieval Europe was never fully Christianized. Pagan customs lived on for centuries in local rites, healing practices, and seasonal traditions.
The past mirrors today’s struggles of Pagans and Wiccans who still face claims their beliefs are “new.” 🔥
#History #Brewminate
Medieval Europe was never fully Christianized. Pagan customs lived on for centuries in local rites, healing practices, and seasonal traditions.
The past mirrors today’s struggles of Pagans and Wiccans who still face claims their beliefs are “new.” 🔥
#History #Brewminate
TODAY IN HISTORY: Nov. 28, 1660 - Royal Society Founded in London
A small meeting at Gresham College became the Royal Society, a turning point in freeing knowledge from theological control.
Its legacy still shapes today’s fights for intellectual and spiritual pluralism. ✨
#History #Brewminate
A small meeting at Gresham College became the Royal Society, a turning point in freeing knowledge from theological control.
Its legacy still shapes today’s fights for intellectual and spiritual pluralism. ✨
#History #Brewminate
November 29, 2025 at 1:39 AM
TODAY IN HISTORY: Nov. 28, 1660 - Royal Society Founded in London
A small meeting at Gresham College became the Royal Society, a turning point in freeing knowledge from theological control.
Its legacy still shapes today’s fights for intellectual and spiritual pluralism. ✨
#History #Brewminate
A small meeting at Gresham College became the Royal Society, a turning point in freeing knowledge from theological control.
Its legacy still shapes today’s fights for intellectual and spiritual pluralism. ✨
#History #Brewminate
Medieval Lithuania didn’t convert overnight — it negotiated its fate as Europe’s last pagan realm.
A powerful reminder that religious change is rarely simple. ✨⚔️
#Brewminate #History #Medieval
A powerful reminder that religious change is rarely simple. ✨⚔️
#Brewminate #History #Medieval
Lithuania: The Last Pagan State in Medieval Europe
Lithuania’s 1387 conversion reshaped its politics, culture, and place in Europe, ending pagan rule and forging the foundations of a new Christian dynasty.
brewminate.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Medieval Lithuania didn’t convert overnight — it negotiated its fate as Europe’s last pagan realm.
A powerful reminder that religious change is rarely simple. ✨⚔️
#Brewminate #History #Medieval
A powerful reminder that religious change is rarely simple. ✨⚔️
#Brewminate #History #Medieval
Pagan and Wiccan communities still face bias across American public life — a reminder that “religious freedom” isn’t applied evenly. 🔥✨
#Brewminate #History #Religion
#Brewminate #History #Religion
Discrimination Against Pagans and Wiccans in America
Legal cases and community reports show pagans and Wiccans still face exclusion, harassment, and unequal treatment across workplaces and public life.
brewminate.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Pagan and Wiccan communities still face bias across American public life — a reminder that “religious freedom” isn’t applied evenly. 🔥✨
#Brewminate #History #Religion
#Brewminate #History #Religion
Robert G. Ingersoll dared 19th-century America to think freely — and people listened. His legacy hits differently today. ✨🔥
#Brewminate #History #Freethought
#Brewminate #History #Freethought
Robert G. Ingersoll and the Rise of American Freethought
Robert G. Ingersoll became the nation’s best-known voice for reason, liberty, and secular ethics. His lectures shaped American freethought in the Gilded Age.
brewminate.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Robert G. Ingersoll dared 19th-century America to think freely — and people listened. His legacy hits differently today. ✨🔥
#Brewminate #History #Freethought
#Brewminate #History #Freethought
We talk about “religious freedom,” yet atheists still face automatic distrust in public life.
Challenging that bias is long overdue. ✨🔥
#Brewminate #History #Religion
Challenging that bias is long overdue. ✨🔥
#Brewminate #History #Religion
Discrimination against Atheists in Public Life
Studies show atheists worldwide and in the U.S. face legal, social, and political discrimination. Why nonbelievers continue to encounter unequal treatment.
brewminate.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:48 PM
We talk about “religious freedom,” yet atheists still face automatic distrust in public life.
Challenging that bias is long overdue. ✨🔥
#Brewminate #History #Religion
Challenging that bias is long overdue. ✨🔥
#Brewminate #History #Religion
Syncletica of Alexandria turned solitude into strength. 🕊️
Her life shows how the early Desert Mothers reshaped Christian spirituality from the margins.
#History #EarlyChristianity #Brewminate
Her life shows how the early Desert Mothers reshaped Christian spirituality from the margins.
#History #EarlyChristianity #Brewminate
Syncletica of Alexandria and Early Christian Asceticism
Explore the life, teachings, and legacy of Syncletica of Alexandria, a key Desert Mother whose ascetic wisdom shaped early Christian spirituality.
brewminate.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Syncletica of Alexandria turned solitude into strength. 🕊️
Her life shows how the early Desert Mothers reshaped Christian spirituality from the margins.
#History #EarlyChristianity #Brewminate
Her life shows how the early Desert Mothers reshaped Christian spirituality from the margins.
#History #EarlyChristianity #Brewminate
The right to be left alone is disappearing behind data collection and weak oversight. 👀📱
When technology never stops watching, privacy becomes a luxury.
#Privacy #DigitalRights #Brewminate
When technology never stops watching, privacy becomes a luxury.
#Privacy #DigitalRights #Brewminate
The New Privacy Crisis in the Digital Age
AI, surveillance tools, and broad data collection outpace the laws meant to protect Americans. Here's why privacy is eroding and what can be done to restore it.
brewminate.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:00 PM
The right to be left alone is disappearing behind data collection and weak oversight. 👀📱
When technology never stops watching, privacy becomes a luxury.
#Privacy #DigitalRights #Brewminate
When technology never stops watching, privacy becomes a luxury.
#Privacy #DigitalRights #Brewminate
A medieval spy in pilgrim’s clothing — Bertrandon de la Broquière shows that espionage was alive and well long before modern intelligence. 🏇📜
#History #Espionage #Brewminate
#History #Espionage #Brewminate
Bertrandon de la Broquière and Late Medieval Espionage
How Bertrandon de la Broquière blended espionage, diplomacy, and pilgrimage to map the 15th-century Eastern Mediterranean for Burgundy.
brewminate.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:56 PM
A medieval spy in pilgrim’s clothing — Bertrandon de la Broquière shows that espionage was alive and well long before modern intelligence. 🏇📜
#History #Espionage #Brewminate
#History #Espionage #Brewminate
When surveillance becomes the norm, privacy becomes resistance. 👀📡
Are we watching the watchers… or are they just watching us more?
#Privacy #Surveillance #Brewminate
Are we watching the watchers… or are they just watching us more?
#Privacy #Surveillance #Brewminate
Government Surveillance and the Erosion of Privacy
Federal surveillance is expanding through AI tools, social media monitoring, and repurposed data. It threatens privacy for citizens and immigrants alike.
brewminate.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:52 PM
When surveillance becomes the norm, privacy becomes resistance. 👀📡
Are we watching the watchers… or are they just watching us more?
#Privacy #Surveillance #Brewminate
Are we watching the watchers… or are they just watching us more?
#Privacy #Surveillance #Brewminate
Food for Thought
Extremism starts with a feeling, not a doctrine. Hurt becomes a story, and story becomes identity.
The hard part isn’t explaining why people fall in — it’s how they climb out. 💥
#Brewminate #History
Extremism starts with a feeling, not a doctrine. Hurt becomes a story, and story becomes identity.
The hard part isn’t explaining why people fall in — it’s how they climb out. 💥
#Brewminate #History
November 26, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Food for Thought
Extremism starts with a feeling, not a doctrine. Hurt becomes a story, and story becomes identity.
The hard part isn’t explaining why people fall in — it’s how they climb out. 💥
#Brewminate #History
Extremism starts with a feeling, not a doctrine. Hurt becomes a story, and story becomes identity.
The hard part isn’t explaining why people fall in — it’s how they climb out. 💥
#Brewminate #History
TODAY IN HISTORY: November 26, 1977 - Intergalactic Planetary, UK Style
A mystery voice hijacked British TV for six minutes, claiming to be “Vrillon of the Ashtar Galactic Command.” 👽✨
Hoax or cosmic cameo, it became instant folklore.
#Brewminate #History
A mystery voice hijacked British TV for six minutes, claiming to be “Vrillon of the Ashtar Galactic Command.” 👽✨
Hoax or cosmic cameo, it became instant folklore.
#Brewminate #History
November 26, 2025 at 6:33 PM
TODAY IN HISTORY: November 26, 1977 - Intergalactic Planetary, UK Style
A mystery voice hijacked British TV for six minutes, claiming to be “Vrillon of the Ashtar Galactic Command.” 👽✨
Hoax or cosmic cameo, it became instant folklore.
#Brewminate #History
A mystery voice hijacked British TV for six minutes, claiming to be “Vrillon of the Ashtar Galactic Command.” 👽✨
Hoax or cosmic cameo, it became instant folklore.
#Brewminate #History
Elites in the 18th century built secret “Hellfire Clubs” to break rules in private while preaching morals in public.
Hypocrisy is older than democracy. 🔥
#Brewminate #History
Hypocrisy is older than democracy. 🔥
#Brewminate #History
Hellfire Clubs and Elite Transgression in Britain
The real history of Britain’s Hellfire Clubs, where elite satire, ritual parody, and political anxiety shaped one of the century’s most controversial societies.
brewminate.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Elites in the 18th century built secret “Hellfire Clubs” to break rules in private while preaching morals in public.
Hypocrisy is older than democracy. 🔥
#Brewminate #History
Hypocrisy is older than democracy. 🔥
#Brewminate #History
Extremism didn’t stay on the edges — MAGA brought it into the mainstream and called it “patriotism.”
A critical look at how that happened. 🔥
#Brewminate #History
A critical look at how that happened. 🔥
#Brewminate #History
MAGA and Political Extremism in the United States
A look at how the MAGA movement helped bring extremist ideas into mainstream politics and how these shifts threaten democratic norms and institutions.
brewminate.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Extremism didn’t stay on the edges — MAGA brought it into the mainstream and called it “patriotism.”
A critical look at how that happened. 🔥
#Brewminate #History
A critical look at how that happened. 🔥
#Brewminate #History
19th-century anarchists hoped one violent act could spark revolution — instead, states expanded policing and surveillance in response.
History hits harder than fiction. 💥
#Brewminate #History
History hits harder than fiction. 💥
#Brewminate #History
Anarchist ‘Propaganda of the Deed’ in the Nineteenth Century
The history of anarchist “propaganda of the deed,” where symbolic violence, repression, and political crisis reshaped debates over revolution and state power.
brewminate.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:35 PM
19th-century anarchists hoped one violent act could spark revolution — instead, states expanded policing and surveillance in response.
History hits harder than fiction. 💥
#Brewminate #History
History hits harder than fiction. 💥
#Brewminate #History
Leaving extremism isn’t about “winning debates.”
It’s about identity, belonging, and the courage to imagine a different self. Powerful and deeply human. 💥
#Brewminate #Extremism
It’s about identity, belonging, and the courage to imagine a different self. Powerful and deeply human. 💥
#Brewminate #Extremism
Why People Leave Extremist Groups
Research and stories reveal why people leave extremist groups, the turning points that motivate change, and the support networks that make rebuilding possible.
brewminate.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Leaving extremism isn’t about “winning debates.”
It’s about identity, belonging, and the courage to imagine a different self. Powerful and deeply human. 💥
#Brewminate #Extremism
It’s about identity, belonging, and the courage to imagine a different self. Powerful and deeply human. 💥
#Brewminate #Extremism
Echoes of History: Then and Now
Then: Lincoln and Douglas debated the nation’s future. 🔥
Now:
We fight online about everything, but identity wins more than truth. Sometimes the smartest move is walking away.
#History #DebateCulture #Brewminate
Then: Lincoln and Douglas debated the nation’s future. 🔥
Now:
We fight online about everything, but identity wins more than truth. Sometimes the smartest move is walking away.
#History #DebateCulture #Brewminate
November 25, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Echoes of History: Then and Now
Then: Lincoln and Douglas debated the nation’s future. 🔥
Now:
We fight online about everything, but identity wins more than truth. Sometimes the smartest move is walking away.
#History #DebateCulture #Brewminate
Then: Lincoln and Douglas debated the nation’s future. 🔥
Now:
We fight online about everything, but identity wins more than truth. Sometimes the smartest move is walking away.
#History #DebateCulture #Brewminate
TODAY IN HISTORY: November 25 - Feast Day for Saint Catherine of Alexandria
A scholar-saint who won arguments, not battles. 📜🔥
Her legend shows how identity and intellect shape belief more than force.
#History #Medieval #Brewminate
A scholar-saint who won arguments, not battles. 📜🔥
Her legend shows how identity and intellect shape belief more than force.
#History #Medieval #Brewminate
November 25, 2025 at 6:50 PM
TODAY IN HISTORY: November 25 - Feast Day for Saint Catherine of Alexandria
A scholar-saint who won arguments, not battles. 📜🔥
Her legend shows how identity and intellect shape belief more than force.
#History #Medieval #Brewminate
A scholar-saint who won arguments, not battles. 📜🔥
Her legend shows how identity and intellect shape belief more than force.
#History #Medieval #Brewminate
Simeon of Beth Arsham was a debate heavyweight working far beyond Rome. 🎤🔥
In the Persian Empire, he proved big ideas didn’t need imperial borders.
#Debate #LateAntiquity #PersianEmpire #Brewminate
In the Persian Empire, he proved big ideas didn’t need imperial borders.
#Debate #LateAntiquity #PersianEmpire #Brewminate
Simeon of Beth Arsham and the Persian Debater
How a sixth century Miaphysite monk became a feared polemicist whose debates, letters, and diplomacy shaped Christian identity across Persia and Rome.
brewminate.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Simeon of Beth Arsham was a debate heavyweight working far beyond Rome. 🎤🔥
In the Persian Empire, he proved big ideas didn’t need imperial borders.
#Debate #LateAntiquity #PersianEmpire #Brewminate
In the Persian Empire, he proved big ideas didn’t need imperial borders.
#Debate #LateAntiquity #PersianEmpire #Brewminate
Debate rarely changes minds. 🧠⚔️
Identity and trust do.
Real persuasion is quiet, human, and slow — not loud and combative.
#Persuasion #Communication #Brewminate
Identity and trust do.
Real persuasion is quiet, human, and slow — not loud and combative.
#Persuasion #Communication #Brewminate
Why Debate Rarely Changes Minds
Research shows debate rarely shifts beliefs. Psychology and neuroscience reveal that quiet reflection and steady facts drive real persuasion.
brewminate.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Debate rarely changes minds. 🧠⚔️
Identity and trust do.
Real persuasion is quiet, human, and slow — not loud and combative.
#Persuasion #Communication #Brewminate
Identity and trust do.
Real persuasion is quiet, human, and slow — not loud and combative.
#Persuasion #Communication #Brewminate
Silence wasn’t optional in medieval monasteries — it was a rule of life. 🤫
Gesture replaced speech, and discipline shaped identity.
A whole world built on quiet.
#MedievalHistory #MonasticLife #Brewminate
Gesture replaced speech, and discipline shaped identity.
A whole world built on quiet.
#MedievalHistory #MonasticLife #Brewminate
Silence in Medieval Monastic Life
How medieval monks used regulated silence, gesture, and disciplined speech to shape communal life, spiritual focus, and the rhythms of monastic devotion.
brewminate.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Silence wasn’t optional in medieval monasteries — it was a rule of life. 🤫
Gesture replaced speech, and discipline shaped identity.
A whole world built on quiet.
#MedievalHistory #MonasticLife #Brewminate
Gesture replaced speech, and discipline shaped identity.
A whole world built on quiet.
#MedievalHistory #MonasticLife #Brewminate
You don’t owe the internet a response. 🧠
Posting isn’t a contract — it’s expression.
Protect your time. Protect your peace.
#Boundaries #DigitalLife #Brewminate
Posting isn’t a contract — it’s expression.
Protect your time. Protect your peace.
#Boundaries #DigitalLife #Brewminate
You Don’t Owe Anyone Engagement
You have the right to set boundaries and decline debates or explanations. Visibility does not create an obligation to respond.
brewminate.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:29 PM
You don’t owe the internet a response. 🧠
Posting isn’t a contract — it’s expression.
Protect your time. Protect your peace.
#Boundaries #DigitalLife #Brewminate
Posting isn’t a contract — it’s expression.
Protect your time. Protect your peace.
#Boundaries #DigitalLife #Brewminate
Did You Know?
Eugenicists once used schoolkid tests to rank whole communities as “inferior.” 🤯📊 T
oday’s purity myths echo those same fears about who belongs — not real science.
#History #Science #Brewminate
Eugenicists once used schoolkid tests to rank whole communities as “inferior.” 🤯📊 T
oday’s purity myths echo those same fears about who belongs — not real science.
#History #Science #Brewminate
November 24, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Did You Know?
Eugenicists once used schoolkid tests to rank whole communities as “inferior.” 🤯📊 T
oday’s purity myths echo those same fears about who belongs — not real science.
#History #Science #Brewminate
Eugenicists once used schoolkid tests to rank whole communities as “inferior.” 🤯📊 T
oday’s purity myths echo those same fears about who belongs — not real science.
#History #Science #Brewminate
TODAY IN HISTORY: November 24, 1859 – Darwin Publishes “On the Origin of Species”
Darwin explained evolution, not hierarchy.
People twisted his work into eugenics, rankings, and “purity.”
Those distortions still echo today. 🤯🌱
#History #Science #Brewminate
Darwin explained evolution, not hierarchy.
People twisted his work into eugenics, rankings, and “purity.”
Those distortions still echo today. 🤯🌱
#History #Science #Brewminate
November 24, 2025 at 6:02 PM
TODAY IN HISTORY: November 24, 1859 – Darwin Publishes “On the Origin of Species”
Darwin explained evolution, not hierarchy.
People twisted his work into eugenics, rankings, and “purity.”
Those distortions still echo today. 🤯🌱
#History #Science #Brewminate
Darwin explained evolution, not hierarchy.
People twisted his work into eugenics, rankings, and “purity.”
Those distortions still echo today. 🤯🌱
#History #Science #Brewminate
The concept of “pure blood” stretches back to ancient ritual medicine and medieval power structures. 🩸📚
Its legacy still shapes modern myths.
#History #Mythology #Brewminate
Its legacy still shapes modern myths.
#History #Mythology #Brewminate
The Ancient and Medieval Roots of Pure Blood
How ancient and medieval traditions shaped the idea of pure blood, from ritual and medicine to the rise of hereditary and proto-racial ideologies.
brewminate.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM
The concept of “pure blood” stretches back to ancient ritual medicine and medieval power structures. 🩸📚
Its legacy still shapes modern myths.
#History #Mythology #Brewminate
Its legacy still shapes modern myths.
#History #Mythology #Brewminate