Matthew Travis Barber

— UChicago PhD candidate
— Iraq/Syria/Yazidis/Islamic thought
— Former ED Yazda Iraq
— Former editor Syria Comment
— Image: Castañeda, "La Vocacion de Ezequiel"

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

I've just published a detailed political/historical overview of the early phase of the #Yazidi Genocide, in the latest volume of the Iranica series. The volume can be purchased in print or e-book from @harrassowitz_v:
https://t.co/Nh0TF2goLV
#Sinjar

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@_CryMiaRiver @peterboghossian How does one acquire this paraphilia?

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@NicHulscher @McCulloughFund How do they have the right to do this? We have not consented!

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

The presence of a totalitarian state doesn't necessitate a complete absence of all rights, but it does imply an ongoing process of erosion of rights. The number of rights we've lost over recent decades, and especially in the COVID and post-COVID era, now clearly constitute a real manifestation of totalitarianism. I don't know why this is controversial for you, since you care about the preservation of liberal democracy.
In answer to your question, of course the denial of a member of the Proud Boys (assuming he is not a felon posing a risk of criminal activity) would be anti-democratic. Denial of freedom of travel to ideological opponents, whether far-right or far-left, is inherently contrary to democratic norms. A travel ban on Cenk is a purely political punitive measure.

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

Vestiges of rights persist, but if you're unaware of the continual assaults on them, and how embattled many of them are, then you're not really taking in the scene.
By focusing on the right of a country "to decide who enters," you're ignoring how egregiously anti-democratic it is for any country to ban a visitor for having criticized a third country.
Totalitarianism can potentially emerge equally from the right or the left; people suspend their vigilance when their faction is in power and tend to only notice too late when their own personal rights become impacted.

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@goddek @cenkuygur Totalitarianism has the potential to emerge equally from the right and left. People close their eyes and suspend their vigilance when their side is in power.

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@mjscadden Can you likewise advocate for the assignment of an Special Envoy for Ezidi Affairs (or Envoy for Resolution of Shingal's Status), per the recommendations outlined here?
https://t.co/gmw4eLsXRd

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@JoshWalkos Health insurance is immoral and must be abolished.

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@CommonSenseSoln @JoshWalkos Health insurance is inherently evil and should not exist.

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@janeisginger @IhabHassane @UNICEF It all matters.

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

Luke 14:26: "If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

Nowhere does the Scripture suggest that honoring one's parents includes affirming their complicity in genocide. She has done an honorable thing by holding him accountable for his immoral support for atrocities.

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@TukiFromKL Age verification is a Trojan horse for increased surveillance. Parents need to responsibly monitor their kids' screen usage.

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@sahouraxo But maybe it was a Hamas monastery 🤷‍♂️

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@DiedSuddenly_ Why not give credit to those who posted this first:
https://t.co/RxCfq2TkCn

[Camus @newstart_2024]

This MRI study on young kids just exposed something terrifying:

They scanned the brains of 60 children aged 3–5 — including 5-year-old Rose — and found interactive screen time is causing measurable loss of white matter in their developing brains. Even just 2 hours a day is linked to impaired neural connectivity, language, and literacy development.

Professor Mike Nagel (neuroscientist and father) said his first reaction was simply: “Wow… I was not anticipating seeing anything like that.”

We’re physically changing children’s brains before they even start school — and the damage is visible on scans.

This one actually unsettled me. I’ve always suspected too much screen time was bad, but seeing real white matter loss in toddlers hits different.

Parents of little ones — has this kind of research changed how much screen time you allow?

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

https://t.co/Sub1tj0BQi

[GoyMaxxing colonizer @Canuckabroad444]

@rogueclassicist @CityBureaucrat It translates as "Iran is 2 weeks away from making a nuke"

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@swilkinsonbc @joshua_landis @ytirawi Restaurants are Hamas.

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@sotaqlmasry @Dado_01 Out of 40+ countries, I never experienced a greater lack of respect than what I encountered in Egypt.

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@PoliTeo0 @manni477 No, we should question whether much of the production is necessary/healthful in the first place and focus on returning to a closer relationship with the earth.

[Matthew Travis Barber @Matthew__Barber]

@thehealthb0t Your post claims that Apeel is associated with a number of deadly health conditions, but you failed to link to any studies or data.