J.M. Berger
@jmberger.com
I wrote the book on extremism. It's called "Extremism." PhD in criminology.
https://www.jmberger.com/
► EXTREMISM @mitpress http://amzn.to/2BKXLgU
► OPTIMAL: A dystopian novel http://amzn.to/3aKYZ99
Commission on AMZ links
https://www.jmberger.com/
► EXTREMISM @mitpress http://amzn.to/2BKXLgU
► OPTIMAL: A dystopian novel http://amzn.to/3aKYZ99
Commission on AMZ links
Pinned
J.M. Berger
@jmberger.com
· Oct 11
J.M. BERGER, AUTHOR - Books
EXTREMISM
www.jmberger.com
I write about extremism, with a side order of bad things happening online. I write books and do other stuff, but I would mainly like to write books. You can support this goal by reading them and telling people about them and adapting them into shows for Netflix.
My books:
www.jmberger.com/books
My books:
www.jmberger.com/books
What if, and hear me out, all of our current problems are because a bunch of mostly white dudes *know* they're stupid and think they can drown that thought out by demanding everyone else bow to them?
We have to turn impostor syndrome into a pill and give it to every prominent person in this country. They should constantly be worrying that they're stupid
November 25, 2025 at 6:40 AM
What if, and hear me out, all of our current problems are because a bunch of mostly white dudes *know* they're stupid and think they can drown that thought out by demanding everyone else bow to them?
Reposted by J.M. Berger
This is the role RFK has been preparing for his whole life
November 25, 2025 at 5:25 AM
This is the role RFK has been preparing for his whole life
Reposted by J.M. Berger
Genuinely it rocks that a bunch of dudes whose sole media diet is action thrillers and who have never read an academic nonfiction book have convinced the investor class to bet the entire U.S. economy on a gamble that relies on an untested technology raising productivity more than electricity did
November 24, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Genuinely it rocks that a bunch of dudes whose sole media diet is action thrillers and who have never read an academic nonfiction book have convinced the investor class to bet the entire U.S. economy on a gamble that relies on an untested technology raising productivity more than electricity did
Reposted by J.M. Berger
Propaganda works
November 25, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Propaganda works
Reposted by J.M. Berger
In “every Trump accusation is a confession,” it says a lot about the current Pentagon that simply starting the longstanding, unambiguous, and nonpartisan rule “don’t obey illegal orders” sets Hegseth off on a spiral of “hey, don’t talk about our illegal orders!”
Mark Kelly: "I said something that was pretty simple and non-controversial, and that was that members of the military should follow the law. In response to that, Trump said I should be executed, I should be hanged ... it says a lot more about him than it says about me. I'm not going to be silenced."
November 25, 2025 at 2:46 AM
In “every Trump accusation is a confession,” it says a lot about the current Pentagon that simply starting the longstanding, unambiguous, and nonpartisan rule “don’t obey illegal orders” sets Hegseth off on a spiral of “hey, don’t talk about our illegal orders!”
Reposted by J.M. Berger
Holy fucking shit the YouTube channel that barfed out the AI Charlie Kirk anthem is now making deepfakes of Usha Vance converting to Christianity
November 25, 2025 at 2:42 AM
Holy fucking shit the YouTube channel that barfed out the AI Charlie Kirk anthem is now making deepfakes of Usha Vance converting to Christianity
Reposted by J.M. Berger
This is gonna be a shitshow
"the president has directed the Department of Energy to launch an AI project called the genesis mission" sounds like something out of a technothriller
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Launching the Genesis Mission
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.
www.whitehouse.gov
November 25, 2025 at 2:31 AM
This is gonna be a shitshow
Reposted by J.M. Berger
when emailing
it is important
to always assume
some moron
some blundering dipshit
is going to forward the email
you meant for them
to people you didn’t want to have it
it is important
to always assume
some moron
some blundering dipshit
is going to forward the email
you meant for them
to people you didn’t want to have it
November 25, 2025 at 2:25 AM
when emailing
it is important
to always assume
some moron
some blundering dipshit
is going to forward the email
you meant for them
to people you didn’t want to have it
it is important
to always assume
some moron
some blundering dipshit
is going to forward the email
you meant for them
to people you didn’t want to have it
A history of dystopia (call me)
I figure Ken Burns has one, maybe two big documentary series in him before he fully retires. What do you think they should be? My votes include Football, Hip-Hop, World War 1, Reconstruction (though Skip Gates did this one well), Iraq/Afghanistan, 19th Century Expansionism.
November 25, 2025 at 12:32 AM
A history of dystopia (call me)
Reposted by J.M. Berger
"We are throwing half of our money in a well that legend has it will reward our tributes by making our wishes come true. We simply do not have any choice but to now throw the other half of our money in there too."
One explanation for economic populism in the US is the recurring cycle of bubbles and bailouts that happens without any democratic input
November 25, 2025 at 12:17 AM
"We are throwing half of our money in a well that legend has it will reward our tributes by making our wishes come true. We simply do not have any choice but to now throw the other half of our money in there too."
Reposted by J.M. Berger
Great analysis/investigation into recent court orders.
A federal judge in Chicago issued a massive opinion on *Thursday that required the Trump admin to stop brutalizing people at the Broadview ICE facility
Yet a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals blocked that order on *Wednesday 🤔
ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
Yet a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals blocked that order on *Wednesday 🤔
ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
How Conservative Judges Turned a Throwaway Line Into a Free Pass For ICE Violence
For these judges, the White House not getting its way is a legal crisis that requires immediate intervention.
ballsandstrikes.org
November 24, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Great analysis/investigation into recent court orders.
Reposted by J.M. Berger
We have gotten so used to Great Replacement becoming normalized that most people hardly noticed that a racist, antisemitic, xenophobic conspiracy theory popularized by mass shooters and 4chan trolls is now government policy.
The U.S. State Department is repeating a white nationalist conspiracy theory.
On Friday, it claimed that “mass migration poses an existential threat to Western civilization.”
That line comes straight from the Great Replacement myth: the lie that immigration is a plot to erase white populations.
On Friday, it claimed that “mass migration poses an existential threat to Western civilization.”
That line comes straight from the Great Replacement myth: the lie that immigration is a plot to erase white populations.
November 24, 2025 at 9:00 PM
We have gotten so used to Great Replacement becoming normalized that most people hardly noticed that a racist, antisemitic, xenophobic conspiracy theory popularized by mass shooters and 4chan trolls is now government policy.
Reposted by J.M. Berger
When you think about it, plants are the kulaks of the natural world. Their "photosynthesis" is nothing more than bourgeois parasitism on the honest proletarian labour of the noble Stakhanovite sun
Anti-solar NIMBYs aren't beating the accusations of being pretty dim bulbs. "Extracting from the sky" is a good one
November 24, 2025 at 9:35 AM
When you think about it, plants are the kulaks of the natural world. Their "photosynthesis" is nothing more than bourgeois parasitism on the honest proletarian labour of the noble Stakhanovite sun
Reposted by J.M. Berger
"To believe Meta’s books, one must accept that Meta lacks the power to call the shots that matter most, that there’s reasonable doubt it will stay beyond 4 years, and that it probably won’t have to honor its guarantee.
"Artificial intelligence, meet artificial accounting."
bsky.app/profile/bgru...
"Artificial intelligence, meet artificial accounting."
bsky.app/profile/bgru...
This feels like one of those stories you're going to look at a year from now and say to yourself, "Why didn't I move more of my portfolio into cash?" **
** (This post is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or any other advice.)
🎁
www.wsj.com/tech/meta-ai...
** (This post is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or any other advice.)
🎁
www.wsj.com/tech/meta-ai...
AI Meets Aggressive Accounting at Meta’s Gigantic New Data Center
Favorable treatment off the balance sheet hinges on some convenient assumptions.
www.wsj.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
"To believe Meta’s books, one must accept that Meta lacks the power to call the shots that matter most, that there’s reasonable doubt it will stay beyond 4 years, and that it probably won’t have to honor its guarantee.
"Artificial intelligence, meet artificial accounting."
bsky.app/profile/bgru...
"Artificial intelligence, meet artificial accounting."
bsky.app/profile/bgru...
Reposted by J.M. Berger
This feels like one of those stories you're going to look at a year from now and say to yourself, "Why didn't I move more of my portfolio into cash?" **
** (This post is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or any other advice.)
🎁
www.wsj.com/tech/meta-ai...
** (This post is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or any other advice.)
🎁
www.wsj.com/tech/meta-ai...
AI Meets Aggressive Accounting at Meta’s Gigantic New Data Center
Favorable treatment off the balance sheet hinges on some convenient assumptions.
www.wsj.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:01 PM
This feels like one of those stories you're going to look at a year from now and say to yourself, "Why didn't I move more of my portfolio into cash?" **
** (This post is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or any other advice.)
🎁
www.wsj.com/tech/meta-ai...
** (This post is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or any other advice.)
🎁
www.wsj.com/tech/meta-ai...
Something I really liked in the last episode of Pluribus is that Carol approached her problems like a fantasy writer would -- setting out the worldbuilding rules and then testing them to see what interesting things might result.
November 24, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Something I really liked in the last episode of Pluribus is that Carol approached her problems like a fantasy writer would -- setting out the worldbuilding rules and then testing them to see what interesting things might result.
Reposted by J.M. Berger
Yeah, this is fucked up. But really the big difference is they aren't bothering to fabricate an inciting incident (Gulf of Tonkin, Remember the Maine!, etc).
Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels. War is the last refuge of unpopular presidents. Bullies attack those who're weaker than them.
Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels. War is the last refuge of unpopular presidents. Bullies attack those who're weaker than them.
Really looks like the United States is about to launch a regime change war against Venezuela with:
-No casus belli
-No authorization from Congress
-No allies or international support
-No plan for a post-Maduro Venezuela
-No preparation for any sort of stabilization or containment of the fallout
-No casus belli
-No authorization from Congress
-No allies or international support
-No plan for a post-Maduro Venezuela
-No preparation for any sort of stabilization or containment of the fallout
November 24, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Yeah, this is fucked up. But really the big difference is they aren't bothering to fabricate an inciting incident (Gulf of Tonkin, Remember the Maine!, etc).
Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels. War is the last refuge of unpopular presidents. Bullies attack those who're weaker than them.
Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels. War is the last refuge of unpopular presidents. Bullies attack those who're weaker than them.
Reposted by J.M. Berger
Comey: "I'm grateful the court ended the case against me, which was a prosecution based on malevolence & incompetence... I was inspired by the career people who refused to be part of this travesty. It cost some of them their jobs, but it preserved their integrity, which is beyond price"
November 24, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Comey: "I'm grateful the court ended the case against me, which was a prosecution based on malevolence & incompetence... I was inspired by the career people who refused to be part of this travesty. It cost some of them their jobs, but it preserved their integrity, which is beyond price"
Reposted by J.M. Berger
Sen. Mark Kelly has released a statement.
"If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won't work. I've given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies..."
"If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won't work. I've given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies..."
November 24, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Sen. Mark Kelly has released a statement.
"If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won't work. I've given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies..."
"If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won't work. I've given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies..."
Reposted by J.M. Berger
haven’t seen ROS or Solo but this seems like a pretty ball-knowing list from Pritzker, particularly if he volunteered the name “Star Wars” rather than “A New Hope”
November 24, 2025 at 4:51 PM
haven’t seen ROS or Solo but this seems like a pretty ball-knowing list from Pritzker, particularly if he volunteered the name “Star Wars” rather than “A New Hope”
Reposted by J.M. Berger
(This comment is not about the article, which is fine.)
I am perpetually confused why any legal scholar thinks that "state's rights" was anything more than a political stance. The people claiming "federal overreach" always had a very specific political agenda.
www.propublica.org/article/greg...
I am perpetually confused why any legal scholar thinks that "state's rights" was anything more than a political stance. The people claiming "federal overreach" always had a very specific political agenda.
www.propublica.org/article/greg...
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Long a Defender of States’ Rights, Embraces Trump’s Push to Expand Presidential Power
Defending Texas sovereignty has been central to Abbott’s political identity. Yet he has helped Trump erode states’ authority over elections, policing and deploying the National Guard.
www.propublica.org
November 24, 2025 at 7:58 PM
(This comment is not about the article, which is fine.)
I am perpetually confused why any legal scholar thinks that "state's rights" was anything more than a political stance. The people claiming "federal overreach" always had a very specific political agenda.
www.propublica.org/article/greg...
I am perpetually confused why any legal scholar thinks that "state's rights" was anything more than a political stance. The people claiming "federal overreach" always had a very specific political agenda.
www.propublica.org/article/greg...
Reposted by J.M. Berger
A new paper shows how social media accelerates extremism by flooding users with emotionally charged, divisive content that algorithms naturally amplify, making extremist narratives far more visible, engaging, and persuasive than they would be otherwise.
November 24, 2025 at 8:00 PM
A new paper shows how social media accelerates extremism by flooding users with emotionally charged, divisive content that algorithms naturally amplify, making extremist narratives far more visible, engaging, and persuasive than they would be otherwise.
Reposted by J.M. Berger
The question "soldiers should obey illegal orders" ultimately boils down to "should soldiers shoot and kill opponents of the regime when the pretend dictator commands them to do so?"
Whether they realize it or not, these people are arguing the regime should be allowed to kill political opponents.
Whether they realize it or not, these people are arguing the regime should be allowed to kill political opponents.
BLITZER: I want to be precise. Should members of the US military obey clearly illegal orders?
McCLAIN: You're asking an enlisted person for their opinion on what they think is legal. That's a pretty slippery slope. Follow your commander in chief. That's the oath that you took
(Not a no!)
McCLAIN: You're asking an enlisted person for their opinion on what they think is legal. That's a pretty slippery slope. Follow your commander in chief. That's the oath that you took
(Not a no!)
November 24, 2025 at 6:29 PM
The question "soldiers should obey illegal orders" ultimately boils down to "should soldiers shoot and kill opponents of the regime when the pretend dictator commands them to do so?"
Whether they realize it or not, these people are arguing the regime should be allowed to kill political opponents.
Whether they realize it or not, these people are arguing the regime should be allowed to kill political opponents.
Reposted by J.M. Berger
One of my ongoing frustrations with software engineering as a professional practice is that LLMs were in no way the thing that caused this (though they do exacerbate it). Every company I’ve seen in my career fetishized producing solution-shaped objects for problems they didn’t (care to) understand.
"writing code to solve a problem" used to have "understanding the problem" as a prerequisite. but vibecoding allows solution-shaped objects to be produced without any of the hard-won understanding. beware of solution-shaped objects.
November 24, 2025 at 3:28 PM
One of my ongoing frustrations with software engineering as a professional practice is that LLMs were in no way the thing that caused this (though they do exacerbate it). Every company I’ve seen in my career fetishized producing solution-shaped objects for problems they didn’t (care to) understand.