Sara Emily Burke
@saraburke.bsky.social
Associate Professor at Syracuse University (psychological science of intergroup bias)
At this scale, there can be no perfect guardrails, but a commitment to being careful, working together, and citing sources can go a long way, and the world would be a better place if more people would do that in their everyday lives.
November 17, 2025 at 3:40 AM
At this scale, there can be no perfect guardrails, but a commitment to being careful, working together, and citing sources can go a long way, and the world would be a better place if more people would do that in their everyday lives.
Over the past two decades, I've seen Wikipedia grow into its promise. It is a massive, collaborative encyclopedia - built from a chaotic process but impressively reliable, almost shockingly reliable.
November 17, 2025 at 3:40 AM
Over the past two decades, I've seen Wikipedia grow into its promise. It is a massive, collaborative encyclopedia - built from a chaotic process but impressively reliable, almost shockingly reliable.
Like Green, I, too, "hate that the quiet invisible usefulness of Wikipedia is getting dragged into this fight," this ongoing assault on freedom that some people refer to as a "culture war."
November 17, 2025 at 3:40 AM
Like Green, I, too, "hate that the quiet invisible usefulness of Wikipedia is getting dragged into this fight," this ongoing assault on freedom that some people refer to as a "culture war."
"It's one of the only places on the internet where you can see how the sausage is made. You can read the real argument. You can check the sources. You can decide for yourself how you feel. And it is not designed to get clicks."
November 17, 2025 at 3:40 AM
"It's one of the only places on the internet where you can see how the sausage is made. You can read the real argument. You can check the sources. You can decide for yourself how you feel. And it is not designed to get clicks."
But, in fact, Wikipedia is "transparent, it is citation-based, it is globally accessible, it is self-correcting, and ... it is boring. And in the media landscape designed to amplify ... conflict, the fact that Wikipedia is kind of boring is one of the most beautiful things about it."
November 17, 2025 at 3:40 AM
But, in fact, Wikipedia is "transparent, it is citation-based, it is globally accessible, it is self-correcting, and ... it is boring. And in the media landscape designed to amplify ... conflict, the fact that Wikipedia is kind of boring is one of the most beautiful things about it."
There is a major political movement that seems to depend on that "blood sport" to survive -- this is, Green says, "a political movement that needs Wikipedia to be corrupt, because if Wikipedia is neutral and boring and well-sourced, then that is a threat to their ... ability to define reality."
November 17, 2025 at 3:40 AM
There is a major political movement that seems to depend on that "blood sport" to survive -- this is, Green says, "a political movement that needs Wikipedia to be corrupt, because if Wikipedia is neutral and boring and well-sourced, then that is a threat to their ... ability to define reality."
Wikipedia is "not a place to get outraged, not a place to get radicalized, not a place to make money, but just a place to learn things." This is essential when many other places on the internet are descending into "polarization, misinformation, algorithmic blood sport."
November 17, 2025 at 3:40 AM
Wikipedia is "not a place to get outraged, not a place to get radicalized, not a place to make money, but just a place to learn things." This is essential when many other places on the internet are descending into "polarization, misinformation, algorithmic blood sport."
Statement from the Syracuse chapter of the AAUP on this incident, expressing similar concerns about academic freedom: dailyorange.com/2025/09/lett...
Letter to the Editor: AAUP condemns assault on free speech, suggests caution
After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, faculty and students nationwide have been punished for exercising free speech on social media. The Executive Committee of the SU Chapter of the AAUP condemns these ...
dailyorange.com
October 4, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Statement from the Syracuse chapter of the AAUP on this incident, expressing similar concerns about academic freedom: dailyorange.com/2025/09/lett...
Don't sell your reputation for short-term financial gain.
October 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Don't sell your reputation for short-term financial gain.
If you sign an oath of allegiance to a preconceived agenda, you are moving away from being a university and toward being something like the "Creation Museum" that says dinosaur bones are less than 6000 years old. Why would any self-respecting scholar want to associate with you?
October 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM
If you sign an oath of allegiance to a preconceived agenda, you are moving away from being a university and toward being something like the "Creation Museum" that says dinosaur bones are less than 6000 years old. Why would any self-respecting scholar want to associate with you?
@vanderbilt.edu, @upenn.edu, @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social, @usc.edu, @mit.edu, University of Texas, @uarizona.bsky.social, Brown, UVA -- do you want to have a shred of credibility left after this is over?
October 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM
@vanderbilt.edu, @upenn.edu, @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social, @usc.edu, @mit.edu, University of Texas, @uarizona.bsky.social, Brown, UVA -- do you want to have a shred of credibility left after this is over?
Moreover, this compact seems like an attempt to set a precedent that the president can, by bribe or by force, coerce other institutions into ideological purity.
October 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Moreover, this compact seems like an attempt to set a precedent that the president can, by bribe or by force, coerce other institutions into ideological purity.
How can faculty at Texas Tech establish the credibility of new public research reports when their colleagues know that they might be compelled to lie? The best way to demonstrate credibility when someone has publicly attempted to coerce you into falsehood is to openly defy them.
September 30, 2025 at 12:28 AM
How can faculty at Texas Tech establish the credibility of new public research reports when their colleagues know that they might be compelled to lie? The best way to demonstrate credibility when someone has publicly attempted to coerce you into falsehood is to openly defy them.
It also raises questions about whether faculty are also being pressured to commit fraud when reporting research results featuring human participants. (It would be fraudulent to intentionally mislead readers about the gender composition of the sample.)
September 30, 2025 at 12:28 AM
It also raises questions about whether faculty are also being pressured to commit fraud when reporting research results featuring human participants. (It would be fraudulent to intentionally mislead readers about the gender composition of the sample.)
"He died in a horrifying fashion under circumstances that our society should take every step possible to prevent. But he also made a career of using words to hurt people, and the people he hurt should freely share their feelings about him, even if those feelings are hard for some to hear."
September 25, 2025 at 4:22 PM
"He died in a horrifying fashion under circumstances that our society should take every step possible to prevent. But he also made a career of using words to hurt people, and the people he hurt should freely share their feelings about him, even if those feelings are hard for some to hear."
"Kirk made a living advocating for the subjugation of marginalized people, especially transgender people and Black people. His unrestrained cruelty had wide influence, reaching even the president and other powerful politicians."
September 25, 2025 at 4:22 PM
"Kirk made a living advocating for the subjugation of marginalized people, especially transgender people and Black people. His unrestrained cruelty had wide influence, reaching even the president and other powerful politicians."
So far, Syracuse University has left it ambiguous whether faculty who wrote irreverent social media posts about Kirk have been subject to administrative actions -- but there should be no ambiguity on this matter.
September 25, 2025 at 4:22 PM
So far, Syracuse University has left it ambiguous whether faculty who wrote irreverent social media posts about Kirk have been subject to administrative actions -- but there should be no ambiguity on this matter.
When it comes to a bigot as cruel, committed, and influential as Charlie Kirk, it is unreasonable to expect the people he openly hated to walk on eggshells.
September 25, 2025 at 4:22 PM
When it comes to a bigot as cruel, committed, and influential as Charlie Kirk, it is unreasonable to expect the people he openly hated to walk on eggshells.
But I hope it can help build a more thorough picture of some of the relevant psychological processes to mitigate harm in the long run.
September 20, 2025 at 3:42 AM
But I hope it can help build a more thorough picture of some of the relevant psychological processes to mitigate harm in the long run.
Extremist authoritarian politicians in the US are currently treating transgender and nonbinary people as political scapegoats, fanning the flames of bigotry and ruthlessly entrenching discriminatory policies and practices. My theoretical review paper cannot solve this urgent ongoing crisis.
September 20, 2025 at 3:42 AM
Extremist authoritarian politicians in the US are currently treating transgender and nonbinary people as political scapegoats, fanning the flames of bigotry and ruthlessly entrenching discriminatory policies and practices. My theoretical review paper cannot solve this urgent ongoing crisis.
Answering most of these sorts of questions will require carefully distinguishing between forms of miscategorization, and carefully distinguishing miscategorization from prejudice, even when they are highly correlated.
September 20, 2025 at 3:42 AM
Answering most of these sorts of questions will require carefully distinguishing between forms of miscategorization, and carefully distinguishing miscategorization from prejudice, even when they are highly correlated.