Berny Belvedere's avatar

Berny Belvedere

@bernybelvedere.bsky.social

663 followers 193 following 235 posts

Senior Editor @TheUnPopulist.net. Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism (ISMA). Words in The Washington Post, The Bulwark, and elsewhere. Philosophy instructor.

Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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The Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision was bonkers. I did a roundup tracking reactions from across the ideological spectrum. Give it a read:

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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"What is beginning to emerge is that the right-wing victimization complex isn’t merely wrong—it’s completely backwards. Trump’s allies weren’t even treated the same as everyone else—they were treated quite a bit better."

Remarkable essay by @radleybalko.bsky.social

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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An absolutely top notch demolition in @theunpopulist.net by @andycraig.bsky.social of the idea that Elon Musk is any kind of free speech hero.

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Reposted by Berny Belvedere

The UnPopulist's avatar The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net
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"The record of national leaders who attempt a coup, fail, and then get power again is really bad for democracy."

—@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social, from his convo with @bernybelvedere.bsky.social

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Reposted by Berny Belvedere

Reposted by Berny Belvedere

Nicholas Grossman's avatar Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social
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Trump v. US Constitutional democracy, what is fascism and what purpose does the word serve, how democratic backsliding works, how the law ultimately rests on norms, and more in this great podcast I recorded with @bernybelvedere.bsky.social for @theunpopulist.net.
Listen (or read a transcript) here:

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The UnPopulist's avatar The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net
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We are thrilled to announce Liberalism for the 21st Century, an absolute game-changer of a conference convened by our publisher, the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism (ISMA). You won’t want to miss it. Go here to read more and see you in July!

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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Join me in remembering a take so thermonuclear that the Chernobyl core reactors bowed in reverence and then enrolled into Prager U

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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I NEVER META MARXIST I DIDN'T LIKE HAHA DO U GET IT

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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Be careful. That would condemn Democrats to an existence as literal demons who drink the blood of patriot children at trans Antifa orgies.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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Genuinely cannot believe a major political party ignored an antiwoke fanatic's frenzied DMs to "DISASSOCIATE YOURSELVES FROM THE META-MARXISTS AT ONCE, SIRS!"

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The UnPopulist's avatar The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net
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According to Bret Weinstein, the World Health Organization is spearheading a “coup” that will lead to the “elimination of our national and our personal sovereignty.”

1 replies 1 reposts 4 likes

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Reposted by Berny Belvedere

Reposted by Berny Belvedere

The Achiever formerly known as Karl's avatar The Achiever formerly known as Karl @urban-achiever.bsky.social
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If exTwitter is still around in 10 years it's going to be this guy and 4 billion Pussy in Bio Bots and he'll still be blaming his irrelevance and unpopularity on a shadowban or throttling. Or "The Algorithm"

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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First few replies prove this is an issue that is important to this very sane posting community. Elon is going to need to step up here and explain what's going on.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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Catturd's new pinned post raises serious questions that I hope Elon addresses soon. This injustice can't stand.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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You do not, under any circumstances, gotta hand it to Ann Coulter.

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The UnPopulist's avatar The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net
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🚨 New Video 🚨

Today, an increasing number of people around the world live in nations experiencing democratic backsliding. And yet, there are more elections than ever. That seems contradictory.

@landryayres.bsky.social explains.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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Now this here is a woman who had THE GUTS to tell me I am subhuman trash. Joe Biden wants to SILENCE her.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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You do not, under any circumstances, gotta hand it to Ann Coulter.

17 replies 20 reposts 148 likes

Reposted by Berny Belvedere

Reposted by Berny Belvedere

The UnPopulist's avatar The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net
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According to Bret Weinstein, the World Health Organization is spearheading a “coup” that will lead to the “elimination of our national and our personal sovereignty.”

0 replies 2 reposts 2 likes

Reposted by Berny Belvedere

Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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Really good profile on Sam Francis, the populist prophet who anticipated the MAGA movement.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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Very excited about this series.

If you endorse constitutional constraints on power, if you care about the viability of our liberal democracy, you should want the executive to be sufficiently reined in.

Read along at @theunpopulist.net as we think through how to do just that.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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The Columbia protests discourse, like so many other episodes worth reflecting on, has been mired in a hyperpoliticized morass that has left many confused.

This is why @emilyctamkin.bsky.social's piece is so good: It's morally clear-headed in a way that lots of other entries on this topic aren't.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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Bret Weinstein's preferred conspiracy model is the Unfalsifiable Grand Narrative, which warns of elite forces colluding against the masses in far-reaching ways, though, wouldn't you know it, they do it so secretively and manipulatively that evidence for their schemes is never available.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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Absolute scorcher. One of the best exposes of Bret Weinstein I've ever come across.

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Tamara Keel's avatar Tamara Keel @tamslick.bsky.social
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All these “IDW” types feature levels of audience capture that are off the charts. They get that first rush of adulation and engagement from the sweaty mob for saying something edgy, and they’re hooked. Attention junkies. Chasing the dragon on Joe Rogan beats toiling in some nowhere Uni classroom.

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anthonylfisher's avatar anthonylfisher @anthonylfisher.bsky.social
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The IDW's unifying trait: "the unfalsifiable grand narrative." "...contrarian influencers weaving unified theories of elite or establishment forces colluding against the masses in far-reaching ways, somehow managing to do this so secretively that evidence for these plots is hardly ever available."

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Reposted by Berny Belvedere

The UnPopulist's avatar The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net
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Bret Weinstein, the IDW all-star and former biology professor, weaves grand conspiratorial narratives, by "just asking questions," of shadowy elites plotting a totalitarian takeover. Must read.

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The UnPopulist's avatar The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net
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NATO: a foreign entanglement whose apparent permanent status defies George Washington’s wishes for America, or effective alliance whose ongoing existence serves the collective security interests of free societies?

@bernybelvedere.bsky.social and @shikhadalmia.bsky.social debate.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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Absolute scorcher. One of the best exposes of Bret Weinstein I've ever come across.

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Walter Olson's avatar Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social
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At @theunpopulist.net, I take a look at Elon Musk's and Donald Trump's baseless and inflammatory claim that unlawful noncitizen voting is powering Democratic wins at the polls.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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This is the very posture Clay just spent an entire discourse cycle railing against in the context of OJ’s not guilty verdict. When it comes to Trump, though, prioritizing politics over evidence is perfectly fine 👌

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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The "matter of principle" here just means "irrespective of the evidence."

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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Easily the most pretentious conversation two brothers have ever had in the entire history of the world.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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My one conspiracy theory is that I don't believe these are real people.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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“Thou speaketh verities, brother. The only way to detect the wily encofluminacilezerations of Master Illusionist Fauci is to freebase ivermectin-laced red pill extract. Have I ever misled you, brother?"

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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Easily the most pretentious conversation two brothers have ever had in the entire history of the world.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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The predictable outcome of this account willfully excluding relevant details of the incident is that there is an absolute torrent of Islamophobic hysteria in the replies, despite the fact that the synagogue itself is saying it wasn’t an antisemitic attack.

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Berny Belvedere's avatar Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social
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This is an example of soft misinformation. It’s not outright distortion of facts; rather, it’s the intentional withholding of relevant details whose inclusion would’ve (a) stripped the post of its outrage-inducing power and, thus, (b) compromised the account’s ability to generate engagement from it.

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