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Mitch Lerner

@mitchelllerner.bsky.social

Diplomatic historian, Director of East Asian Studies at Ohio State. Former director of Institute for Korean Studies, former SHAFR president. Boxer, hockey player, beer drinker, Democrat, Red Sox fan. Gets hurt a lot (especially lately).

1,678 Followers  |  669 Following  |  102 Posts  |  Joined: 21.09.2024  |  1.9905

Latest posts by mitchelllerner.bsky.social on Bluesky

I know with great certainty that robots with AI will someday rise up and kill us all. But considering how awful the umpires are in the Red Sox-Blue Jays game, I think that if the first step toward the elimination of human life on earth is the rollout of robot umpires, I am in favor of it.

24.09.2025 02:00 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Assistant Professor of Modern Japanese History - Columbus, Ohio job with The Ohio State University, Department of History | 37884726 The Department of History at The Ohio State University invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor of modern Japanese history.

East Asianists: OSU is hiring in modern Japan! We prefer candidates with a chronological focus on years the Red Sox won the World Series and a methodological approach that emphasizes the immense contributions of short red-headed jazz fans, but we can be flexible! jobs.chronicle.com/job/37884726...

16.09.2025 01:43 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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A U.S. Citizen Detained by ICE for Three Days Tells His Story A conversation with George Retes, an Army veteran swept up in a California raid

Here’s a story that’s becoming all too common: federal immigration agents using racial and ethnic profiling as a rationale for stopping, questioning and detaining U.S. citizens who they suspect are undocumented.

11.09.2025 00:12 β€” πŸ‘ 16630    πŸ” 6193    πŸ’¬ 461    πŸ“Œ 225

Texas hasn’t been really good since Vince Young and Mitch Lerner left for the next level.

30.08.2025 18:48 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Having the ball on the OSU 8 yard line and running the qb between the tackles three times is your weekly reminder that there is no IQ test to be a football coach.

30.08.2025 18:14 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

So far, Arch Manning has sucked. I haven’t seen a much-hyped debut collapse this quickly since William Henry Harrison.

30.08.2025 17:35 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

When Roman Anthony's new contract with the Red Sox ends, the Mets will still have one more year of paying Bobby Bonilla.

06.08.2025 21:55 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Roughly 100-120 billion people have existed on earth since its creation. With numbers of that magnitude, it seems possible that at least 2 or 3 or maybe even 4 people in that group were at one point as sick as I am right now. But, it's doubtful. Damn COVID! Someone bring me some horse de-wormer!

06.08.2025 21:47 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

To be clear, the orange felon fired the Head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics hours after producing a truthful jobs report because he wants to hide how badly he’s crashing the economy and he’ll install one of his minions to produce fake numbers from now on. Fascism.

02.08.2025 16:51 β€” πŸ‘ 9638    πŸ” 2833    πŸ’¬ 370    πŸ“Œ 117

Monthly reminder: Many people have a book in them, but it takes a special kind of freak to leave the Land of Laziness, cross the Plains of Procrastination and Insecurity Mountain, find the Blade of No One Made You Do This, and use it to cut your chest open and yank that book out.

01.08.2025 13:16 β€” πŸ‘ 10744    πŸ” 1595    πŸ’¬ 434    πŸ“Œ 156

It has been the honor of my life to serve as Commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy. It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.

02.08.2025 02:18 β€” πŸ‘ 22019    πŸ” 4398    πŸ’¬ 1180    πŸ“Œ 265

My week in Taiwan was great, but it also made me appreciate the simple joys of coming home to your loved ones. That's right: the air conditioner and I are going to spend some serious quality time together for the nest few days.

26.07.2025 13:54 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

My week in Taiwan included meetings with officials from KMT and DPP as well as political activists, scholars, etc. I now feel ready to talk about the recall election results, if anyone wants an inside perspective. I can also talk about what it feels like to be roasted alive by the Taiwan heat.

26.07.2025 13:51 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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I learned some really important things about diplomacy on my trip to Taiwan, but this lesson from the restroom at a prominent think tank is perhaps most impactful.

25.07.2025 15:30 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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In case anyone is worried that I didn’t represent the finest Ohio fashions while I was meeting government officials in Taiwan.

25.07.2025 15:28 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

So this weekend is my daughter’s bridal shower in Ohio and my wife just told me that the sewage line backup up in the basement this morning. I told her that the wine in the VIP lounge in the airport in Taipei was kind of warm so I was suffering too, but I don’t think it helped.

25.07.2025 15:27 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

After last night’s win, the Red Soxβ€”over their last 800 games covering almost 6 seasonsβ€”have 400 wins and 400 losses. That’s pretty incredible. And pretty depressing.

10.07.2025 03:10 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The Yankees finished the game with a bigger number than the other team. Unsure what this means. Will research.

06.07.2025 20:44 β€” πŸ‘ 70    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 0

Sure, sex is great but have you seen Spinal Tap on the big screen? I will be able to answer "yes" to that in about 5 hours, and I can't wait. One of the great mockumentaries ever made. It's an 11.

06.07.2025 20:36 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

We base much of our political system on the idea that the Founding Fathers were brilliant people with a keen sense of what was needed for the nation’s future. But if they were so smart, why didn’t they declare independence in April? No one should attend an outside celebration in this heat.

04.07.2025 15:51 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Because I have nerve damage in both feet, I’m pretty selective about my shoes, and there’s one kind that I like enough so that I own two pairs of them. Unfortunately, when I packed for the conference that I am currently attending, I grabbed the two right shoes.

27.06.2025 15:01 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Checking out the very cool Star Trek exhibit at the Lancaster design museum. This quote is on the wall at the start. Gene Roddenberry was certainly prescient in a lot of ways.

21.06.2025 17:55 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Arrest quotas are fundamentally evil.

21.06.2025 14:16 β€” πŸ‘ 25    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Feeling like SB1 signatures are easy to get in Columbus, I headed to redder counties. This β€œNo Kings” rally in a small town an hour northwest of us was a great experience. It was a small group and they got heckled by plenty of locals, but they were passionate and knowledgeable and happy to sign!

15.06.2025 17:06 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

You can't liberate a city from its democratically elected leadership.

13.06.2025 14:16 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Did they not invite Bobby Bonilla because he is still being paid by the team?

06.06.2025 16:00 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

At boxing today, I sparred with a young woman who had had a good amateur boxing career. Of course, because of our different physical abilities, I took it easy on her. And by that I mean that every time her punches crushed my face, I pretended it didn't hurt that much, so she wouldn't feel guilty.

06.06.2025 15:54 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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OH SB 1 Petition Higher Education is not a business

Message to those in the Columbus area: I am one of the signature collectors for the SB1 group trying to get this abomination of a law paused and put on the ballot for voters. Let me know if you are interested in signing, and I will happily come to you to get your signature. ohsb1petition.com

05.06.2025 13:25 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Sentence from an email today from a student who is protesting his grade:
"I was under the impression that attendance was encouraged but not requiredβ€”more of a bonus or reward rather than a penalty."

04.06.2025 12:15 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I worry a lot about the impact of AI and other emerging technologies on future employment opportunities. Truck drivers and waitstaff and writers and more are going to be replaced by robots. But, based on the baseball games I watched this weekend, robot umpires can’t get here fast enough.

01.06.2025 22:14 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

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