Mastodawn

A big up to @Mer__edith for coolly dismantling the glitzy edifice underlying the vaporware known as "Agentic AI". #PunchingUp #PunchingUp2026

A quick summary:
"The wild, almost theocratic claims made by AI companies and influential AI leaders about AI and Agentic AI being sentient, superhuman, and super duper intelligent is a hype-riddled narrative umbrella of smoke and mirrors that is causing many technical dangers".

💣 💥

https://youtu.be/0ANECpNdt-4?si=bmNFaFVeSF6IQJpl

39C3 - AI Agent, AI Spy

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Agyei Gyasi Jan 3

A giant GFY to Nick "Dipshit Derrick" Shirley for creating fake news about hard-working Americans and once again confirming that U.S. right wingers are the easiest marks in the world. #PunchingUp #PunchingUp2026

https://youtu.be/3r83GXdhg5c?si=nF604M9lbVS-OxAk

"NO EVIDENCE OF FRAUD": How MAGA YouTuber Nick Shirley's Viral Video Fell Apart

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skua Oct 15, 2025

@BobLefridge
I see the bravery in Time punching up.

And they're failing too by punching down.

#PunchingUp #PunchingDown

WIST Quotations Has Moved!Sep 1, 2025

A quotation from Victor Hugo

We might have understood and admired in him protest in the name of legality and liberty, proud opposition, legitimate but perilous resistance to the all-powerful Napoleon. But what pleases us in the treatment of those on their way up is less pleasing in the treatment of those on their way down. We approve of fighting only so long as there is danger, and in any case only those who fought in the first instance have the right to be exterminators at the last. He who has not been a persistent opponent in times of prosperity should remain silent when the downfall comes. Challenging success gives the only legitimacy to prosecuting failure.

[Nous eussions compris et admiré la protestation au nom du droit et de la liberté, l’opposition fière, la résistance périlleuse et juste à Napoléon tout-puissant. Mais ce qui nous plaît vis-à-vis de ceux qui montent nous plaît moins vis-à-vis de ceux qui tombent. Nous n’aimons le combat que tant qu’il y a du danger ; et, dans tous les cas, les combattants de la première heure ont seuls le droit d’être les exterminateurs de la dernière. Qui n’a pas été accusateur opiniâtre pendant la prospérité doit se taire devant l’écroulement. Le dénonciateur du succès est le seul légitime justicier de la chute.]

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
Les Misérables, Part 1 “Fantine,” Book 1 “An Upright Man,” ch. 11 (1.1.11) (1862) [tr. Donougher (2013)]

More info about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/hugo-victor/78713/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #victorhugo #lesmiserables #lesmiz #bandwagon #challenge #danger #opposition #power #protest #punchingdown #punchingup #risk #risktaking #truthtopower #stakes

WIST Quotations Has Moved!Mar 21, 2025

A quotation from Orwell

A thing is funny when — in some way that is not actually offensive or frightening — it upsets the established order. Every joke is a tiny revolution. If you had to define humour in a single phrase, you might define it as dignity sitting on a tin-tack. Whatever destroys dignity, and brings down the mighty from their seats, preferably with a bump, is funny. And the bigger the fall, the bigger the joke. It would be better fun to throw a custard pie at a bishop than at a curate.

George Orwell (1903-1950) English writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1945-07-28), “Funny, But Not Vulgar,” Leader Magazine

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/orwell-george/11849/

#quote #quotes #quotation #deflation #dignity #funny #humor #indignity #joke #order #punchingup #revolution #upset #socialorder #disorder #statusquo

Essay (1945-07-28), "Funny, But Not Vulgar," Leader Magazine - Orwell, George | WIST Quotations

A thing is funny when -- in some way that is not actually offensive or frightening -- it upsets the established order. Every joke is a tiny revolution. If you had to define humour in a single phrase, you might define it as dignity sitting on a tin-tack. Whatever destroys…

WIST Quotations

Rita Sep 12, 2024

Ah memes. No, Vance did not fuck a couch, nor are immigrants eating pets. One phrase caused people to laugh at a possible college age scenario for a person aiming for power, the other is firing up people to hate ‘the other’, vulnerable people en mass. #punchingup is funny, punching down is #bullying

WIST Quotations moves again!Jul 24, 2024

A quotation from Orwell, George:

«
A thing is funny when — in some way that is not actually offensive or frightening — it upsets the established order. Every joke is a tiny revolution. If you had to define humour in a single phrase, you might define it as dignity sitting on a tin-tack. Whatever destroys dignity, and brings down the mighty from their seats, pr…
»

Full quote, sourcing, notes:
https://wist.info/orwell-george/11849/

#quote #quotes #quotation #deflation #dignity #humor #joke #punchingup #funny

Essay (1945-07-28), "Funny, But Not Vulgar," Leader Magazine - Orwell, George | WIST Quotations

WIST Quotations

Larry Russwurm Apr 20, 2024

I keep shaking my head when I hear comedians lamenting the idea of political correctness. They are worried about being cancelled for coming up with a joke that is not politically correct. Note also that political correctness comes from a spot of authority and that these comedians are punching up whenever they lambaste political correctness. So they can punch up if they want to.

Punching down has been done for millennia and is rarely novel or even nice. Punching down is something someone who fancies himself as a wit would do. Not only that but this method of comedy has basically been mined out. Jokes like this are just minor variations on the same old themes. I don’t know why some comedians see this as a now forbidden gold mine for jokes.

So how do these comedians punch up? Political cartoons have been anti authority for many years. Some of it is indeed punching down. But the majority is anti politician, or those who have real power, and is punching up.

Chris Rock does a wonderful job of punching up when he takes on the old “There’s just a few bad apples in policing” line. He basically says we don’t tolerate a few bad apples in piloting airplanes. You can view the original video here. That’s an excellent example of punching up and being funny while doing it. Punching up may have just as much comedy gold as punching down ever did.

Plus you can also try to punch sideways and maybe get some of your peers. Warning, they may try to get you back. That’s the thing about your peers.

And what about comedy where no one is punched. Uranus may be tired of being the butt of all jokes about the solar system, but really, Uranus could care less and will continue to function just the same as always.

https://larryrusswurm.com/2024/04/20/punch-up/

#aFewBadApplesInPolicing #antiAuthority #antiPolitician #ChrisRock #comedy #noOnePunched #politicalCartoons #politicalCorrectness #punchingDown #punchingDownIsAGoldmine_ #punchingSideways #punchingUp #Uranus

Chris Rock - Tamborine: Cops and Bad Apples

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Inaya Shujaat عنايه شجاعت 🇳🇿🇵🇸Jul 2, 2023

This guy is nothing but a #white #TechBro, who delights in dumping on #black people. His latest target: #ChristopherBouzy and #Spoutible.

I don’t know how many times I’ve blocked this guy, only for him to pop up again and again. He’s #toxic.

This is #PunchingUp, btw, and NOT #dogpiling. Dude has a HUGE following, and needs to be outed for the #bigot that he is.

Dr Julia Molinari PhD SFHEA Jun 14, 2023

Noticing v. anecdotally - in #academia - how quickly 'n often monoligual speakers of English in my #UK context go on the defensive (in their tone of voice - a mix of sarcasm/affront) when presented with non-English sources and references: eg. 'would be nice to have an English plug-in for that!' or 'not all of us are multilingual' and 'I don't feel this is a very inclusive space'.

#MonoLingualism #MultiLingualism
#TransLingualism
#LinguisticImperialism #PunchingUp
#PunchingDown
#HigherEducation