samson

[samson @HeyTingles]

@Villgecrazylady “Starting to think Trump might actually be a sociopath” lmao

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

Every year, this has to be the one report I look forward to the most: the Democracy Perception Index, compiled by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation (in partnership with Nita Data).

In fact, my yearly thread on the report is apparently such a tradition that, this year, its lead researcher personally sent me the report with this message: "every year, I look forward to your thread about it!". That's how you start wondering whether you tweet too much 😅

Why do I like this report so much? A few reasons:

1) The Alliance of Democracies Foundation, the organization behind the report, cannot even remotely be suspected of being some sort of anti-West outlet: it was started by an ex-NATO Secretary General (Anders Fogh Rasmussen) and its stated purpose is "to unite world democracies"

2) It's surprisingly honest and the methodology is actually democratic. Unlike other reports on democracy the scoring isn't done by the report's authors (like the report by Freedom House or The Economist's "Democracy Index"). It simply asks people what they think and, when it comes to democracy, that's kind of the point 🤷‍♂️

3) I love the expression "perception is reality" because, like it or not, what people believe about their system is what determines its legitimacy. A democracy that nobody actually experiences as one can't credibly claim to be one. And conversely, a so-called "autocracy" that its people overwhelmingly believe is actually a democracy might... actually be a democracy.

Anyhow, this year's edition did not disappoint. The data is absolutely fascinating and frankly, a little terrifying. So here you go: my thread on the 2026 Democracy Perception Index 🧵

[Sean Padraig McCarthy @SeanMcCarthyCom]

Extremely funny country where people get paid to shill against Medicare for All then end up paying it all back in medical bills anyway

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

May the Lord help you to become a society in which everyone, each according to their respective responsibilities, works ever more fully to serve the common good rather than private interests, bridging the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged. May there be greater room for freedom, and may the dignity of the human person always be safeguarded.

[حيدر | Haydar @chronicalihere]

When they speak of Iran holding the world economy hostage by choosing who can access it's waterway, just recall that 1 in 4 humans on this planet live under US sanctions. These are a form of economic terrorism and collective punishment enforced to secure its political interests.

[samson @HeyTingles]

@FarmThe119 @Rooke_bay @ElseFetherhead @jimstewartson excuse me??

[samson @HeyTingles]

@FarmThe119 @Rooke_bay @ElseFetherhead @jimstewartson There is a broad scientific consensus on the origin of homo sapiens. I’m sorry you had to find out this way

[samson @HeyTingles]

@eaconner @MandelaFace This whole exchange makes me imagine what it was like in the 30s. Do you think the PWA canceled building a dam because of a single digit marginal cost

[samson @HeyTingles]

@rallynate @WhiteHouse lol congrats on getting duped at least four times. come back when the next candidate you vote for inevitably bombs another country

[samson @HeyTingles]

@FarmThe119 @ElseFetherhead @jimstewartson odd considering your predilection for quack theories

[samson @HeyTingles]

@FarmThe119 @ElseFetherhead @jimstewartson You should contact the Scientists, they’d be ecstatic at your discovery

[samson @HeyTingles]

@MandelaFace

[samson @HeyTingles]

@Rutibex @MandelaFace @ChiefTeef8 lol you’ve convinced me. vietnam and both iraqs don’t count

[samson @HeyTingles]

the borg vs israel??

[BlackRedGuard ☭ 🇵🇸🔻⛓️‍💥 @OGBlackRedGuard]

You should be as angry about this as you were about Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

[Lindsay Loves Cities @LindsayJS]

Los Angeles once had the biggest trolley system in the world -- connecting LA's 400 'Historic Main Streets and Historic Villages' -- and each had a 'main street' of small retail where people could do their errands.

Residents could also catch a Trolley to the rest of the city.

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

Rep. Delia Ramirez to DHS officials: "I have as much respect for you as I do for the last white men who put on masks to terrorize communities of color. I have no respect for the inheritors of the Klanhood and the slave patrol. Those activities were criminal and so are yours."

[Raphæl de la Ghetto @ilovesmick]

All these white people mad about Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance… I hope next year they get Bad Bunny performing the whole set in Spanish.

[samson @HeyTingles]

@anonnotbot @MandelaFace @PerfectGameLex @JoePostingg look man, you believe whatever you want. I got home in a cheaper ride while some of these people were probably still impatiently looking at their phones waiting for their driver.