AnthonyB's recent activity

  1. Comment on How Bill Gates is reframing the climate change debate in ~enviro

    AnthonyB
    Link Parent
    Not to be pedantic, but vord through a "practically" in there before saying "impossible" which was probably intended to account for the handful of countries that have been able to claw their way...

    Not to be pedantic, but vord through a "practically" in there before saying "impossible" which was probably intended to account for the handful of countries that have been able to claw their way out of the bottom rung.

  2. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 27 in ~society

    AnthonyB
    Link Parent
    I highly encourage everyone to listen to the full remarks, which were linked to in the article. It hit home for me, personally. My grandfather was a Muslim immigrant from Iran, and most people...
    • Exemplary

    I highly encourage everyone to listen to the full remarks, which were linked to in the article. It hit home for me, personally.

    My grandfather was a Muslim immigrant from Iran, and most people only knew him by the western name he adopted when he left his home country. Some of his friends and acquaintances only learned of his real name at his funeral. When my parents told him that they were naming me after his real name, he was furious. "What are you doing? He'll never get a job!"

    Throughout my childhood, I was proud of my heritage. In elementary school, I did my little world projects about Iran, I told people about where my grandpa grew up and where my cousins live, and I told people about my middle name and what my last name meant in Farsi. Then on September 11, I got a phone call from my dad, who repeatedly said, "If anyone asks, tell them you're Italian." I thought he was being overly cautious, as was often the case, but that's what he did in 1980 when people were vandalizing his family's home and calling in death threats. Thankfully, none of that ever happened to us in the wake of 9/11, but I can't fault him for being afraid.

    Like Mamdani, my last name is spelled phonetically. Anyone with a third grade reading level should be able to pronounce it. However, like Mamdani, people somehow find a way to panic or butcher it. "Oh, I'm not even gonna try to pronounce this one. Is 'Anthony' here?" That's why my nickname in middle school was 'Beans' - not because I was flatulent, or obsessed with legumes, or, as many often thought in my racist ass town, of Mexican descent. No, people called me Beans because my friend's dad couldn't pronounce my last name and would play with it when he would greet me. To be clear, I didn't mind that at all, and honestly it was kind of endearing. What bothered me were the nicknames I got after 9/11 - towel head, camel jockey, sand n-word.

    I should make it clear that I am white. The only people who ever clock my background as anything other than your run-of-the-mill Europea melange are either the most experienced racists or, for some reason, Turks and Armenians. Culturally, I am white. Aside from a few terms of endearment and some comfort foods, my grandfather went full-blown assimilation. For those reasons, I have never experienced the hatred, the harassment, or the fear that so many American Muslims experience to this day.

    It has, however, made people feel quite comfortable expressing their thoughts about Muslims, Arabs, and Middle Eastern people to me. And in this country, those three are practically the same thing. My friends who jokingly called me racial epithets also said things like, "We should turn that whole place [the Middle East] into a parking lot." My teachers who couldn't pronounce my last name said things like, "They need to deport all the Muslims before we have another 9/11." I even heard one of my own family members (from the other side) say, "Every problem on Earth can be traced back to a Muslim."

    Islamophobia is still a permissable bigotry in the United States, and the NY mayoral race is chock full of examples. Andrew Cuomo has repeatedly attempted to tie Mamdani to 9/11, yet Mamdani has to do most of the answering for it. Curtis Sliwa accuses Mamdani of supporting global jihad and no one bats an eye. Imagine the reaction if Kirsten Gillibrand spoke of a Jewish or Black candidate the way she spoke about Mamdani. Was she censured like Ilhan Omar? Not even close. Even here on Tildes people feel comfortable writing things about Muslim and Middle Eastern nations as though the people there are somehow inherently violent or inferior. Though maybe that was a misread on my part. They might've been speaking about the culture. Gee, where have I heard that before?

    14 votes

  3. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 27 in ~society

    AnthonyB
    Link Parent
    Lowkey might be the best dollar I ever spent. Hopefully they do it again next year.

    Damn, Jacobin coming through again

    Lowkey might be the best dollar I ever spent. Hopefully they do it again next year.

    3 votes

  4. Comment on OpenAI says hundreds of thousands of ChatGPT users may show signs of manic or psychotic crisis every week in ~health.mental

    AnthonyB
    Link Parent
    That's a very understandable position. Personally, I feel like it's a Stockholm syndrome type thing where it sounds completely ridiculous on its face, but could be a specific, recognized...

    That's a very understandable position. Personally, I feel like it's a Stockholm syndrome type thing where it sounds completely ridiculous on its face, but could be a specific, recognized phenomenon. There are plenty of things that could send an otherwise healthy person down the path to mental illness.

    Obliviously, I'm not in a position to reasonably speculate, but my pure vibes-based analysis after a handful of articles/videos on the topic is that the loneliness and isolation that opened the door to extreme use and the sycophantic nature of the chatbot is a dangerous combination that is more impactful than any predisposition to mental illness.

    6 votes

  5. Comment on OpenAI says hundreds of thousands of ChatGPT users may show signs of manic or psychotic crisis every week in ~health.mental

    AnthonyB
    Link
    Classic. Do whatever it takes as long as it doesn't slow down how much people use your product. What's the term for that? Preverse incentive? Maybe this is a hot take, but talking to a chatbot for...

    There are also a number of factors that reported cases of AI psychosis appear to share. Many people who say ChatGPT reinforced their delusional thoughts describe spending hours at a time talking to the chatbot, often late at night. That posed a challenge for OpenAI because large language models generally have been shown to degrade in performance as conversations get longer. But the company says it has now made significant progress addressing the issue.

    Classic. Do whatever it takes as long as it doesn't slow down how much people use your product. What's the term for that? Preverse incentive? Maybe this is a hot take, but talking to a chatbot for hours might be a bad thing, even if it doesn't lead to psychosis.

    I don't know where it ranks, but one of the most depressing aspects of this story is that we are so far removed from a functioning regulatory system that the thought of some government enforced protection from this seems like pure fantasy.

    FYI, there have been some other submissions on this topic.

    An investigation of AI induced mental illness

    Over twenty-one days of talking with ChatGPT, an otherwise perfectly sane man became convinced he was a superhero

    10 votes

  6. Comment on How do you volunteer your time? in ~talk

    AnthonyB
    Link Parent
    I didn't either, but this little fella had to get a portion of his deformed tail amputated and has been rockin the cosmos cone during his recovery. The galaxy cone wasn't his favorite, but wasn't...

    I didn't either, but this little fella had to get a portion of his deformed tail amputated and has been rockin the cosmos cone during his recovery. The galaxy cone wasn't his favorite, but wasn't hated either. He got it dirty a few times so I ended up getting him a backup that he seems to favor.

    1 vote

  7. Comment on How do you volunteer your time? in ~talk

    AnthonyB
    Link Parent
    I do. I have two cats that I eventually adopted after fostering, and they still let me foster despite my failures. Years ago, I fostered puppies while having grown dogs, but I wasn't in a city and...

    I do. I have two cats that I eventually adopted after fostering, and they still let me foster despite my failures. Years ago, I fostered puppies while having grown dogs, but I wasn't in a city and had more space available. Every agency is different, but it's usually about the space available. If you have a space that can be specifically allocated for your fosters, you should be good.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on 2025 NFL Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 8 in ~sports.american_football

    AnthonyB
    Link
    This week was a bit of a dud, except for two or three games. My Broncos continue their reign of terror over the Cowboys. I've been watching for 28 years and I've never seen them lose to the...

    This week was a bit of a dud, except for two or three games. My Broncos continue their reign of terror over the Cowboys. I've been watching for 28 years and I've never seen them lose to the Cowboys. Thanks, Hank Scorpio!

    Last week, I forgot to post some of the latest in the Bill Belichick legacy watch. What a clip. I sided with Belichick in the divorce so it's been pretty tough to watch.

    2 votes

  9. Comment on The hatred of podcasting in ~life

    AnthonyB
    Link

    The editors at The Baffler want me to talk about my job. They want me to humiliate myself in the pages of this magazine. Very well: I am a podcaster.

    What is a podcaster? It’s someone who makes money from talking, often by means of selling dick pills. I don’t do that part, but I still obscure what I do whenever possible. Maybe it’s the newness of the profession; in terms of recency, I slot it in with UX designer and the guys in the Philippines who respond to OnlyFans messages. When asked about my job by strangers at parties, I tell them I “work in media.” I make sure to say that in the kind of way that forbids questioning, like I’m the guy who bathes Bari Weiss or a janitor at the New York Post.

    But I would never lie to you. Not only is my job a podcast, but the podcast is successful. I’m a white man with brown hair and glasses in his mid-thirties having fun and making money. My podcast is called TrueAnon. At the time of this writing, it’s the 172nd-biggest news podcast in America and one of the most subscribed-to podcasts on Patreon. Originally a ramshackle effort to track news about the famous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the show now covers any number of things broadly contained in the “news and opinion” category: Alan Dershowitz’s feud with a pierogi stand, rumors regarding Elon Musk’s robotic penis, Jerome Powell’s problems with Trump, etc. I get stopped on the street almost every day. They say to me: “You do that podcast!” And I say: “Yes, I do! Thank you so much for listening!” Then they say: “I thought you were five foot three!” And I have to explain to them that I lie about my height on the podcast so listeners resent me less for making a lot of money just for talking into a microphone twice a week.

    9 votes

  11. Comment on How do you volunteer your time? in ~talk

    AnthonyB
    Link Parent
    +1 for animal shelters. I've been fostering dogs, puppies, and kittens for the past few years and it's a wonderful experience. Kittens are especially dopamine-inducing and typically low...

    +1 for animal shelters. I've been fostering dogs, puppies, and kittens for the past few years and it's a wonderful experience. Kittens are especially dopamine-inducing and typically low maintenance. Behold the cuteness of my current little buddy. If you work from home and/or have a partner to split duties with, it will hardly make a dent in your schedule (aside from pickup/dropoff and the occasional vaccine run).

    The season is probably over in a colder climate like NYC, but come spring there will be a lot of tiny little dweebs looking for a place to crash for a few weeks before they find a home.

    1 vote

  12. Comment on Sami Hamdi, British Muslim journalist, reportedly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at San Francisco airport in ~society

    AnthonyB
    Link
    ... In other ICE news, ICE boosts weapons spending 600%

    Sami Hamdi, a British Muslim journalist and political commentator, was detained by immigration authorities at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday morning, according to a statement by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which called for Hamdi’s “immediate release.”

    Hamdi was on a speaking tour in the U.S., having spoken at the annual gala of CAIR Sacramento on Saturday, and scheduled to speak at the gala of CAIR Florida on Sunday. CAIR is the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.

    “Abducting a prominent British Muslim journalist and political commentator on a speaking tour in the United States because he dared to criticize the Israeli government’s genocide is a blatant affront to free speech,” CAIR said in a statement.

    In a social media post, Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and self-described “proud Islamophobe,” took credit for Hamdi’s detainment, writing that she “demanded that federal authorities inside the Trump administration treat Hamdi as the major National security threat that he is.”

    ...

    U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin indicated in a social media post that Hamdi’s “visa was revoked and he is in ICE custody pending removal.”

    In other ICE news, ICE boosts weapons spending 600%

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has sharply increased its spending on weapons in 2025, according to an analysis of federal government contracting data by Popular Information. Records from the Federal Procurement Data System reveal that ICE has increased spending on “small arms, ordnance, and ordnance accessories manufacturing” by more than 600% compared to 2024 levels.

    New spending in the small arms category from January 20, 2025, the day Trump was inaugurated, through October 18, totaled $71,515,762. Most of the spending was on guns and armor, but there have also been significant purchases of chemical weapons and one purchase that was categorized as “guided missile warheads and explosive components.”

    After the initial publication of this article, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement clarifying that ICE had not purchased guided missle components. The database says the purchase was for “distraction devices.”

    5 votes

  14. Comment on NBA's Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier among dozens arrested in illegal gambling probe in ~sports.basketball

    AnthonyB
    Link Parent
    I am not surprised in the slightest at the Terry Rozier revelation, there have been suspicious clips of him going around for years. The NBA is in a really bad spot. 82 games and load management...

    I am not surprised in the slightest at the Terry Rozier revelation, there have been suspicious clips of him going around for years. The NBA is in a really bad spot. 82 games and load management makes it way too easy for players to bet the under on themselves, which has a major impact on the outcome of the game and makes the product significantly worse (as seen in some of Scary Terry's sketchy performances). Not to mention all the potential with the officiating. It's gotta be the worst of the big four, right? A baseball player could strikeout a few extra times in mid July and no one would really bat an eye. Football players don't really have that much control over the game, and between the NFL's short season and non-guaranteed contracts, it seems way too big of a risk for someone to bet against themselves, at least much more than it is for NBA players.

    I can't remember the name of it, but I came across an account that covers the eyebrow-raising moments in the NBA, like players doing abnormal things in the closing minutes of a blowout that is nearing the over/under line. This is probably just the tip of the iceberg. It needs to be a one strike lifetime ban policy.

    5 votes

  15. Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk

    AnthonyB
    Link Parent
    This is ludicrous but is presented well enough that it seems appealing. I love it. Bravo. "I don't know why this guy is going 8 in a 9, but it's driving me crazy."

    This is ludicrous but is presented well enough that it seems appealing. I love it. Bravo.

    "I don't know why this guy is going 8 in a 9, but it's driving me crazy."

    10 votes

  16. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 20 in ~society

    AnthonyB
    Link Parent
    This story is blowing my mind. For starters, I was pretty excited about the guy, so reading the news that he has a fucking Nazi tattoo was disappointing to say the least. When I first heard his...

    This story is blowing my mind. For starters, I was pretty excited about the guy, so reading the news that he has a fucking Nazi tattoo was disappointing to say the least. When I first heard his explanation, I thought there was no way, but after reading dozens and dozens of comments and talking directly to friends and family, I realized that a lot of people aren't aware of the totenkopf. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but damn. Between that, his story, and the absence of any Nazi-adjacent comments in his reddit posts, there's just enough plausible deniability acquit. But I still have a lot of baggage after being duped by Fetterman, so I don't know. "Fool me once" and all that.

    The thing that's really blowing my mind is some of the defenses I've seen. The Pod Save America guys are riding for him. I've been listening them on and off since the Keeping it 1600 days and for years they acted as though Bernie Sanders didn't exist. The thought of them defending a populist guy like Platner (nazi tattoo aside) is out of this world. If nothing else, that is a good sign.

    4 votes

  17. Comment on 2025 NFL Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 7 in ~sports.american_football

    AnthonyB
    Link
    Taking a page from the old Bill Simmons book, I'd like to share my "running diary" for the Broncos game. These are all real texts with friends and family. 4:28 pm est (me, to my dad): This is the...

    Taking a page from the old Bill Simmons book, I'd like to share my "running diary" for the Broncos game. These are all real texts with friends and family.

    4:28 pm est (me, to my dad): This is the most undisciplined team in football.

    5:14 pm. (Friend): How's it going over there?

    5:15 pm (me): Starting to hate watch this team. They are no fun.

    5:16 pm (friend): They need to shake it up.

    5:16 pm (me): I'm officially out on Nix. He doesn't have it.

    5:20 pm (friend): the goal line stand was a travesty. GIVE THE BALL TO DOBBINS!

    5:20 pm (me to friend): why run the ball when you can throw the 15th screen of the game?

    5:21 pm (me to dad): If I have to watch another fucking screen...

    5:21 pm (dad, clueless): I'm just watching Denver. I don't know why they're sucking today.

    5:23 pm (me to dad): I think they just suck. The defense is great, but undisciplined. They offense is atrocious. No creativity. Nix has happy feet and has no accuracy over 15 yards. Run game is inconsistent. I don't like watching this team.

    5:30 (dad): Nix has regressed imo

    5:54 pm (friend): Ooooohh boy.

    6:04 pm (friend): This has been disgusting. Who do you blame here?

    6:07 pm (me to friend) 60-40 Payton/Nix. Awful play calling and discipline, but Nix never capitalizes on the opportunities he gets. I think part of it is because he can't get in a rhythm due to the constant number of screens, but the screens are because they can't trust Nix. It's a good old fashioned negative feedback loop.

    6:07 (friend): Like this is really sad.

    [No messages, no jinx]

    7:13 (dad, trying to jinx): R u watching?

    7:25 (me to both): omfg

    7:25 (friend): holy shit.

    [Jinx ensues]

    7:32 (me to friend): what a load of horseshit

    7:32 (friend): that roughing call was insanity

    7:32 (me): not as bad as the PI

    7:33 (me to dad): I want to be mad at the refs, but this team dropped two interceptions and has no fucking discipline. [Editor's note: I think you made your point, dude]

    7:33 (dad): 🖕Vance Joseph.

    7:33 (dad): and Sean Payton

    7:38 (friend): Aint no way he makes this kick

    7:38 (dad) fuck me too

    7:38 (me to dad): yeah, so like I was saying, we got this. Never a doubt

    7:38 (friend): easy win. Do you Bolieve?

    7:38 (me to friend): I BOLIEVE

    7:39 (me to friend) I need to delete some messages.

    3 votes

  18. Comment on Violent texts from Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general leaked in ~society

    AnthonyB
    Link Parent
    The inability - or unwillingness - to differentiate between a crude remark said in jest and clear signs of a deeper problem is extremely frustrating. First of all, I can't believe I had to go to...

    The inability - or unwillingness - to differentiate between a crude remark said in jest and clear signs of a deeper problem is extremely frustrating. First of all, I can't believe I had to go to the National Review to get proper context for the quotes. The Mercury makes it seem like he was threatening to shoot Gilbert, but, as you pointed out, it's the punchline to a very common joke. It was said in frustration, but it's a far cry from being serious.

    Jay Jones fantasizing about shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert

    In the texts, Jones described a scenario in which Gilbert “gets two bullets to the head,”

    I mean come on. And the condemnation from other Democrats isn't helping anything. If you're not going to use it as an opportunity to reaffirm the position that the guy wont take gun violence seriously when it's someone else's kids, at least throw a 'clearly he wasn't serious' in your quote. Meanwhile, a slew of racist remarks from people who advocate for racist policies is met with, 'It's just jokes.' ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

    24 votes

  19. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 20 in ~society

    AnthonyB
    Link
    More tales from leaked Republican messages: Trump nominee says MLK Jr. holiday 'belongs in hell' and that he has 'Nazi streak,' according to texts

    More tales from leaked Republican messages: Trump nominee says MLK Jr. holiday 'belongs in hell' and that he has 'Nazi streak,' according to texts

    Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trump’s embattled nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, told a group of fellow Republicans in a text chain the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell” and said he has “a Nazi streak,” according to a text chat viewed by POLITICO.

    Ingrassia, who has a Senate confirmation hearing scheduled Thursday, made the remarks in a chain with a half-dozen Republican operatives and influencers, according to the chat.

    “MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his ‘holiday’ should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs,” Ingrassia wrote in January 2024, according to the chat.

    “Jesus Christ,” one participant responded.

    Using an Italian slur for Black people, Ingrassia wrote a month earlier in the group chat seen by POLITICO: “No moulignon holidays … From kwanza [sic] to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth,” then added: “Every single one needs to be eviscerated.”

    12 votes

  20. Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk

    AnthonyB
    Link Parent
    Day at a time, lou. One day at a time...

    Day at a time, lou. One day at a time...

    6 votes