Jesse Hession Grayman

@kopyor.bsky.social

1027 Followers 822 Following

Social/medical anthropologist at Waipapa Taumata Rau - U of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Originally from Schenectady NY, USA. Research in Indonesia. Gardener. Home fermentation. Music nerd. Genre fiction. #AbolishICE 📚📝🎓🎧🆘🌱🪴🌶️🌌🪐🇺🇸🇮🇩🇳🇿🇦🇺🏳️‍🌈 He/Him

an old tw**t from 2012 by @TheSofiya that I still remember and laugh about that goes like this: "which is the Beyonce song where it's like we're independent but also you should marry us but like we're super-strong but also pay our bills"
a black and white photo portrait of Walter Benjamin as a young man. I don't know the date.
On my desk at work, a bowl of coleslaw and two small piqa pears
A sunlit view overlooking Raglan Harbour (Whāingaroa) with calm water reflecting the early evening light. Lush green trees and ferns frame the foreground, opening onto the wide inlet. In the distance, rolling hills and mountains sit under a layer of low cloud, softly illuminated by the bright sky. A bridge stretches across the water near the horizon, adding a small human element to the otherwise natural landscape. The overall scene feels peaceful and expansive.
Pope Leo, surrounded by his handlers, croons into the mic about faith, anomie, and loss…
Poster image for the 2025 horror film "Weapons" depicting elementary school children running off through a suburban neighborhood and vanishing into the night with arms outstretched in the shape of an inverted-V.
Film poster for the Netflix film "Abadi Nan Jaya" ("The Elixir"), an Indonesian zombie film. Poster depicts a zombie hand reaching for a spilled bottle of the "elixir," which is a failed product from a traditional medicine family-run corporation that is trying to develop a youth regeneration medicine. Under pressure to escape buyout from a national big pharma company, the company rushes out their new "elixir" product, and it turns everyone into zombies, and they can infect through bites, etc. It's currently the number 1 film on Netflix Indonesia! It's relentless and fun.
Poster art for Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975). Tag line reads: "On St. Valentine's Day in 1900 a party of schoolgirls sets out to picnic at Hanging Rock. ... Some were never to return." Drawn art depicts the white private school girls in white dresses as they set off to explore Hanging Rock where they encounter unexplained mysteries and some disappear. Fair use: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8185613 Although it is not technically canon in the original novel and film, I chose to "interpret" an underexplored and unrealized sexual tension between the two main male characters Michael Fitzhubert (who looks like Robert Irwin to me) and Albert Crundall.
Dave Itzkoff quote-skeets from Nemik's manifesto on Andor (“Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.”) above a skeet by Aaron Rupar quoting the president who complained: "These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter."
I think this is rhubarb growing in the weeds next to my house. If you are an expert on identifying rhubarb, can you please confirm? Four pictures here of the same patch, but from different angles.
CORRESPONDENCEOnline firstAugust 29, 2025 Aid as a weapon: the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Oqab Jabalia oqab.jabali@najah.edu ∙ Saqer Jabalib ∙ Dwight Haasec As conditions in Gaza grow increasingly dire, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has stepped in to replace rights-based aid with a model of distribution that is privatised, militarised, and politicised.1 The result for Palestinians is that finding food has become a life-threatening ordeal. GHF distribution centres are frequently described as death traps, characterised by gunfire, overcrowding, stampedes, and chaos, compounding the suffering of a population already burdened by protracted siege and displacement.2 First-hand testimonies, official reports, and investigative findings reveal a deeply layered humanitarian crisis across physical, psychological, and societal dimensions that has only worsened since GHF began operations.3 This crisis includes starvation, physiological collapse, psychological trauma, gender-based violence, the breakdown of identity, and psychic fragmentation.4 Rather than being a collateral consequence of war, this situation reflects a deliberate system of control for the purposes of forced displacement and collective punishment. The nature of GHF's distribution, which aid seekers have likened to the Hunger Games,5 evokes Michel Foucault's concept of public torture: performative violence inflicted upon an individual's body as a form of retribution and a display of state power.6 Except now the punishment is inflicted on an entire population. Since May 27, 2025, 859 people have died and thousands more have been wounded while seeking food at GHF sites.7 Doctors treating people wounded at GHF sites have noted patterns in the gunshot wounds, focused on the head one day, the torso the next, then the genitals another day. According to one doctor, “It almost feels like there is a quota for the number of people that need to be killed on a given day”.8 Over 165 charities and…
“Rhubarb” (1928) by Nikolai Astrup A striking oil painting depicting a garden scene with a figure harvesting rhubarb. Astrup infuses the composition with lush Scandinavian flora and precise botanical detail.
a vintage Superman poster in which the comic book hero talks to children about the importance of respecting diversity. Image of Superman that appears to be by noted Superman comic book artist Wayne Boring showing Superman standing with group of children, text balloon reading "... And Remember, Boys And Girls, Your School — Like Our Country — Is Made Up Of Americans Of Many Different Races, Religions And National Origins. So ..." and continues underneath "... If YOU Hear Anybody Talk Against A Schoolmate Or Anyone Else Because Of His Religion, Race Or National Origin &Amdahl; Don't Wait: Tell Him THAT KIND OF TALK IS UN-AMERICAN. HELP KEEP YOUR SCHOOL ALL-AMERICAN!" According to Snopes investigation, "this is a genuine piece of comic book art that was originally released in 1949." (I found this on Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/superman-1950-poster-diversity/ )
Senator Gillibrand getting ratioed hard in the replies to her senate vote against tax cuts for billionaires after she endorsed Cuomo for the NYC mayors race, after making extraordinary Islamophobic comments about Zohran Mamdani, and after getting Al Franken to resign for sexual assault but still endorsing Cuomo who has done far worse. The replies are giving popcorn entertainment!
Screen capture of the title and abstract for the following newly published article in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities: Research Article Title: A Comparative Analysis of Disability Policies in Aotearoa New Zealand and the United Kingdom Through the Lens of the Capability Approach Authors: Sarah Albom &Jesse Hession Grayman Published online: 09 May 2025 ABSTRACT Disability policy intersects many policy domains, requiring cross-governmental responses. How policy understands and responds to disability affects capabilities for millions of people. Applying Amartya Sen’s capability approach (CA) positioned in the social model of disability, this research conducts a comparative thematic analysis to evaluate how Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) and the United Kingdom’s (UK) national disability strategies may shape opportunities for disabled people to live in ways they value. No CA research currently exists on these countries’ strategies. We find both countries’ strategies perceive disability as a social issue needing government action to expand disabled people’s capabilities at the individual, community and national levels. Our framework can evaluate agency by whether policy-makers engage with disabled people (lived experts of their experiences) to create disability policy. While both strategies state the importance of including disabled people in designing policy, only NZ’s strategy consistently demonstrates disabled people drive its focus. Both strategies are limited in how they acknowledge or target the economic deprivation of disabled people as a significant barrier to those experiencing disability, and have insufficient mechanisms around monitoring implementation to ensure accountability from government agencies. KEYWORDS: Disability public policy; capability approach; Aotearoa New Zealand; United Kingdom
The Duke of Marlborough at golden hour in Russell NZ
A kind of oversized postcard greeting that says “welcome to Russell, NZ” depicting two young women on a beach, wearing old-fashioned, full body, bathing suits, and bathing caps, and in the background on the open sea, there’s a huge waka with dozens of Māori paddlers. This image is hanging in our bathroom at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel.
Cayenne chili peppers in various stages of chopping preparation for the fermentation jar
A broken branch from one of my potted Tabasco chili plants. I put it in a vase near the window in front of my kitchen sink. It’s full of unripe chilies so it’s probably a loss. But these were late bloomers and with the cool autumn coming in, I’m not sure these would have fully ripened anyway.
A quote from Mahmoud Khalil next to an image of him, circulated by Bend the Arc Jewish Action. The quote reads: “As a Palestinian student, I believe that the liberation of the Palestinian people and the Jewish people are intertwined and go hand-by-hand and you cannot achieve one without the other.”
Photography was not allowed in the temple but the tour began in a side buildings. Here we are waiting in church pews, in a chapel hall, for our tour group to be called up. From front to back: Jesse (me), Judith, Heather, Caitlin, Seline, and Callie. Judith joked that we were “Jesse and his harem.” 🤭
Jesse (left) and Dezant (right, who took the selfie of us) sitting against a tree in Albert Park, Auckland, at the Chinese lantern festival, on our very first night when we moved to Aotearoa New Zealand. Photo caption: “Ten years ago today, Dezant and I arrived in Auckland sight unseen to start our lives here. A few hours later, we were checking out the Chinese lantern festival across the street from our hotel in Albert Park and to watch the Chinese New Year fireworks from the Sky Tower. This is our first selfie in Aotearoa: 1 March 2015.”
Aji Lemon Drop chilies have started to ripen. First time growing these. Any tips? #chilies #GalaksiHotSauces #AjiLemon #AjiLimon #LemonDrop #AjiLemonDrop
It’s a selfie of me (pākehā male of Irish descent, short brown hair, wearing sunglasses) that I took at Sandfly Bay on Otago Peninsula, just outside of Dunedin on 9 December 2024. I’m standing on the flat beach with blue-green waves and white surf behind me, along with some rocks standing in the water offshore. There is a BlueSky behind and above me, just like this app, and it was such a perfect day!
A plate of feta pasta. Penne shaped. Sauce is feta baked with two varieties of cherry tomato, plus garlic and chili and Italian spices, then after baking, a bunch of chopped fresh basil mixed in. Tomatoes, chilies, and basil all from garden!
Caprese salad using the sliced Cherokee purple tomatoes shown in the previous skeet.
Three Cherokee purple tomatoes on a cutting board, one of them cut into slices for a caprese salad.
Search window on instagram for #democrat yields a censorship “we’ve hidden these results” as they “may contain sensitive content.”
A closed storefront in a quiet section of the Kuta Raja neighborhood in Banda Aceh. The name of the shop is Malas Cerita, and the owner’s name is Pak Yus. There is cute cat sleeping on the bench in front of the closed doors of the shop, and some nice green and pink plants in the lower left of the shop’s front verandah.
A selfie, cool album cover style, of me (on the left) and young curious water buffalo (on the right) looking down at the camera in my hand, snapping the moment. I’m all wet in t-shirt as I just finished swimming in Lake Laut Tawar in Central Aceh Gayo Highlands, Indonesia.
Close-up image of a bunch of still-green medium sized tomatoes growing on a tomato vine that is tied to a bamboo stake. Cherokee Purple is an heirloom cultivar from North Carolina.
Allyson Hannigan and Sarah Michelle Gellar in their roles as Willow Rosenberg and Buffy Summers from the TV show Buffy the Vampire slayer. Willow is dressed as (I think) Joan of Arc and Buffy is dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. I think this is from one of the BTVS Halloween episodes. But the caption of this photo says “I love Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter.”
Here is the review I submitted for The Substance on IMDb: So much homage here: The Shining, Carrie, Requiem for a Dream, Mulholland Drive, and most especially every single David Cronenberg film ever! I was too busy being reminded of these and other great movies to fully appreciate this one's also greatness. The cartoonish approach-it had a Looney Toons meets Twilight Zone quality-really took me out though. I loved and hated this movie simultaneously, but the fact that it *goes* *there* makes it worth watching. Superb cast. Over the top cinematography and script choices. If you like body horror, this is must watch! For those debating the ending, I come down on the side of loving it! Summary: Too much homage in this body horror to be a classic of its own
One of the surreal opening tableaux images from the “overture”-like montage intro in the film Melancholia (2011). On the lawn of a fancy estate, three of the main characters stand spread apart, at night, with three mysterious heavenly bodies hanging in the sky behind them, casting an ominous backlight upon the three figures.
Tertiary Education Union / Te Hautū Kahurangi poster in my office elevator. "Real staff pay at University of Auckland has dropped 10% in 10 years." graph shows inflation vs pay showing 10% drop in real pay, and compares the University of Auckland's current offer against other major universities across Aoteaora New Zealand (UoA has the lowest offer!).
the book cover with bright yellow and orange shapes on it for "The Service of Faith: An Ethnography of Mennonites and Development" by Philip Fountain.
Celebrating 10M users. Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #1,405,260!
Governor Walz of Minnesota (presumably) at Paisley Park, wearing shades of purple.
Please submit your contribution using the AE submission portal (https://americanethnologist.org/journal/submit/). When submitting, select the forum name: SRR&L.
album cover of middle eastern library music composed by Charif Megarbane, titled "Marzipan" and released by Habibi Funk in 2023.
an assemblage of KPM 1000 series of library music compilation album covers. Nearly all green. This collection is served up by Apple Music streaming service.
The Ann Arbor Press republication (from year 2000 I think?) of James T Siegel's classic ethnography The Rope of God. Set on my picnic table with potted mint plants in the background.
The four book covers that make up Pramoedya Ananta Toer's "Buru Quartet." The titles of the quartet, in order, are "This Earth of Mankind" (translated from "Bumi Manusia"), "Child of All Nations" (translated from "Anak Semua Bangsa"), "Footsteps" (translated from "Jejak Langkah"), and "House of Glass" (translated from "Rumah Kaca"). The book covers are laid against a batik cloth in traditional shades of dark brown to emphasize the Indonesian origins of the novels.
iMessage chat window screen capture between three friends. At the top is an image of martini with the same person writing "to his conviction." Then I wrote "I'm eating apple pie!" and then the third friend wrote "I went with Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream." The first friend concluded the conversation with "It's such a tense time to be alive. Bring back the 90s." Each chat is supported with reaction emojis from the others.