Matthew Friedman

Teaching a class on the Abolitionist movement just before Pesach is one of the great joys of my job.

I do find it amazing that many of the same people who unquestioningly and unequivocally support the State of Israel are eager to destroy Canada.

That feeling when the department coffee machine is kaputt.

#3 is, in fact, my lived reality.

Not a lot you can do about it, tho.

There was a time when I would have been disappointed that Ovechkin beat the Great One's record. But now, I am just glad he pushed that disloyal, MAGA-loving casino shill down a rung. May Gretzky forever be an asterisk. #ovechkin #gretzky #hockey #elbowsup

I remember when the mass protests of 2017 - the Women's March, the March for Science, the demonstrations at immigration detention facilities, etc. - restrained the first Trump administration and saved America! #jaded

It is worth remembering that almost anything "made in the USA" is inferior to virtually any imported product. Thus, paying the tariff hit might actually be worth it in the end. #tradewar #buyforeign #tariffs

I was a strong NDP supporter when it was a social democratic party. When it took a right turn into dishwater third-wayism under Tom Mulcair, the party ceased to have any real value to me. Given the choice between voting for the Liberals or the ineffective wannabe Liberals, I choose the former.

I have been an NDP voter for most of my life and, before moving to the US for grad school, a long time member. But I have never seen such a pointless, weak-tea party like the one led by Jagmeet Singh, not even Audrey McLaughlin's 1993 team. I'll be voting Liberal. #canada #politics #ndp.

One of the places where I am going to feel the tariffs hit is when I buy groceries today. I was going to buy some Canadian or Welsh cheddar. But now I might have to settle for American cheddar. And American cheddar is utter crap. #tariffs #cheese

Uh huh. Apparently, it is "disrespectful" to teach history now.

High school history, perhaps

... In other news, I had a real Mr. Dixon moment as I walked across campus to get lunch. So many students greeting me brightly. Kinda makes up for a lot. #teaching #room222

A student complained that I showed "disgraceful disrespect" to Andrew Jackson because I accused him of genocide. #teaching #education #ushistory

Booking It - The Friedman Dossier "Getting the Hell out of here" is on my mind these days. I live in a deep-blue part of New Jersey, no more than a couple of miles from one of those liberal universities that give Redhats hives. But if...

'Our lives have been overwhelmed with these “what ifs,” and I find myself recalling the generation of German Jewish and left-wing writers and intellectuals who tried to read the tea leaves of 1933-1939 in order to know when it would be the “right time” to flee.' #expats #canada #MAGA #expatlife

Oy.

Paving stones. Plainsboro, NJ. Fujifilm Instax Wide. #analogphotography #instantphotography #instaxwide #fujiinstax #fujifilm @fujifilm_instax_northamerica

Oy. I mean ... Who cares if he was trash talking the administration. It is, after all a foreign government, like Iran, for example, and he has no ethical or professional obligation to play nice.

A student complained that I am "bringing politics into the classroom." This is in a course on US History since 1945, so it's hard not to. Is this my first taste of what teaching under the MAGA regime will be? How long will I have a job? #education #teaching #MAGA

Behind the Lines - The Friedman Dossier I could never have imagined that I would find myself "behind the lines." The phrase was always a feature of the kind of military adventures that I consumed as a boy; the First World War ace forced dow...

"Life 'behind the lines' in America is not as dire as attempting to cross German trenches into No Man’s Land and then, one hopes, to safety. But there is a persistent reminder that I am an alien, and the threat that the regime can destroy my life, should it choose, hangs over me."

Cone, Plainsboro, NJ. #fujifilm #instax #fujiinstax #instantphotography #filmphotography #analog

My office clock has stopped. Is this an omen? Clearly the Atomic Scientists are to blame.

Good.

I just double checked to make sure Elections Canada has my details. If you are a Canadian expat, this is where you can register to vote from abroad. The coming election might be one of the most important in recent memory.

#canada #expat #canadians #election

Ecstasies of the Viral Apocalypse - The Friedman Dossier “Just purchased 4 rolls of toilet paper, kinda feel like Indiana Jones.” My friend had just returned from shopping the bare shelves of a suburban Chicago supermarket like an action hero for the essent...

I wrote this five years ago, at the start of the COVID pandemic. Yet, so much of it rings true in our current end times. For some reason, so many people believe that the Apocalypse is, or will be, fun.

Garden implement, Plainsboro, NJ. #fujiinstax #fujifilm #instax #instaxwide #instantphotography #filmphotography

Power, Plainsboro, NJ. Polaroid. #polaroid #blackandwhite #monochrome #filmphotography #instantphotography

Backboard. Instax. #instax #fujifilm #instantphotography #tennis

Tennis. Polaroid. #polaroid #instantphotography #light #shadows #tennis