AnthonyB's recent activity
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
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Comment on Israel passes death penalty [as default] law for Palestinians convincted [in military court] of lethal attacks in ~society
AnthonyB LinkAh, so I guess that excludes the West Bank settlers that participate in pogroms, or the IDF soldiers who starve and torture teenaged Palestinian detainees to death. Phew, that was almost a close one.In Israel's civilian courts, the new legislation mandates either life imprisonment or the death penalty for anyone convicted of "deliberately causing the death of a person with the intent of ending Israel's existence."
Ah, so I guess that excludes the West Bank settlers that participate in pogroms, or the IDF soldiers who starve and torture teenaged Palestinian detainees to death. Phew, that was almost a close one.
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Comment on TV series suggestions in ~tv
AnthonyB Link ParentYeah, I did. I enjoyed it, but prefer Nathan for You. The second season was incredible and the pilot episode is one of the funniest things he's ever done. "It's days like these that I curse the...Yeah, I did. I enjoyed it, but prefer Nathan for You. The second season was incredible and the pilot episode is one of the funniest things he's ever done. "It's days like these that I curse the Chinese for inventing gunpowder."
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Comment on TV series suggestions in ~tv
AnthonyB Link Parent+1 for Barry and Nathan For You. Those are two of the best, most creative comedies I've ever seen.+1 for Barry and Nathan For You. Those are two of the best, most creative comedies I've ever seen.
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Comment on Haliey Welch interview (Hawk Tuah) by Channel 5 in ~life
AnthonyB Link ParentI caught this interview a few days ago and had pretty much the exact same takeaway. I can't imagine what it must've been like to go from small town 21 year old nobody to mega viral sensation...I caught this interview a few days ago and had pretty much the exact same takeaway. I can't imagine what it must've been like to go from small town 21 year old nobody to mega viral sensation overnight, especially given the...uh...subject matter of her clip. It makes sense that she decided to ride the wave after her unsuccessful attempts to get the clips taken down. There's some poetic justice in her becoming more famous than the jabronis who posted the original clip.
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Comment on I think Tildes moderators and admins may need to make a decision regarding how to handle Harry Potter related posts in ~tildes
AnthonyB Link ParentThis seems like a bit of an exaggeration. The post that this thread is referencing had space for people to discuss Harry Potter. The entire discussion/debate about the ethics of supporting...I find it sad for the people who I know who grew up with Harry Potter that they're literally told "you can never discuss something that made a huge impact on your life because your creator sucks" ... I am glad I was able to discuss his works, and his failures as a human, without it instantly devolving to lines in the sand.
This seems like a bit of an exaggeration. The post that this thread is referencing had space for people to discuss Harry Potter. The entire discussion/debate about the ethics of supporting Rowling's most recent work took place under a top-level comment that said, "I'll leave this here as a reminder and let everyone get on talking about the wizards."
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Comment on Olympic committee announces a broad ban on transgender athletes and athletes with differences in sex development in Women’s events (gifted link) in ~lgbt
AnthonyB Link ParentThis basically sums up the past 25 years of American politics. One of the big conservative think tanks (Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, Federalist Society, American Enterprise Institute,...tl;dr is that this "debate" was generated by right wing Americans seeking a topic that could unite their electorate in hate against a convenient minority. There are countless more impactful subjects to be concerned with at present, but a successful propaganda campaign has diverted conversation away from those, while justifying harm to a marginalized community by stripping away their rights for political points.
This basically sums up the past 25 years of American politics. One of the big conservative think tanks (Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, Federalist Society, American Enterprise Institute, etc.) comes up with a hot button culture war issue to rile up the base, the others get to work on the legal/legislative aspects, and conservative media outlets pump those issues day and night. Trans women in sports, CRT, "free speech" on college campuses, "the sanctity of marriage," etc., they all came from conservative think tanks.
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Comment on What’s something you’re putting up with? in ~talk
AnthonyB Link ParentAgain?! Or is this the same one since like 2022? I had a nice, year-long run being fully functional then made the switch to Ritalin when everything ran dry back in '22. Ritalin helps, but isn't...Again?! Or is this the same one since like 2022? I had a nice, year-long run being fully functional then made the switch to Ritalin when everything ran dry back in '22. Ritalin helps, but isn't really my thing so I eventually just went back to scatterbrain mode. Damn, I was just thinking about trying to get a new prescription.
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
AnthonyB LinkI caught the first three episodes of Rooster the other night and was pleasantly surprised. It's made by Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Shrinking, Ted Lasso), so it has some familiar beats, e.g. likable...I caught the first three episodes of Rooster the other night and was pleasantly surprised. It's made by Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Shrinking, Ted Lasso), so it has some familiar beats, e.g. likable characters that are unrealistically familiar with each other, heartwarming moments, a bit of slapstick here and there. It's a very watchable show, and it's nice to see Steve Carell leading a half hour comedy again.
Another HBO show I've been watching lately is DTF St. Louis which might as well be called WTF St. Louis. I have no idea what is going on. It's like if a prestige suburban marriage drama took a little tiny hit of acid. I don't know if I like it, but between that and The Chair Company, I'm glad there are still people out there taking chances on weird shows.
Oh, I almost forgot, I finished Celebrity Traitors UK. The hilarious cast made it one of my favorite seasons of the show. I really hope they make another one and include David Mitchell. Thank you @tomf for turning me on to it!
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Comment on Project Hail Mary - Discussion thread in ~movies
AnthonyB Link ParentDo you see it as a serious contender or an F1/Top Gun: Maverick type nod to a well-made popcorn flick?Do you see it as a serious contender or an F1/Top Gun: Maverick type nod to a well-made popcorn flick?
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Comment on A top US counterterrorism official resigns, citing the Iran war (gifted link) in ~society
AnthonyB LinkNot at all surprised by the way the NYT framed this article, which is basically, "everyone thinks this guy is an anti-semite nut job." To be clear, I don't know much about Kent. In fact, I...Not at all surprised by the way the NYT framed this article, which is basically, "everyone thinks this guy is an anti-semite nut job."
To be clear, I don't know much about Kent. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he is both an anti-semite and a nut job. However, it's disappointing that the NYT did not pull quotes from high profile Republicans like Marco Rubio or Mike Johnson, or mention the fact that both of them said Israel pulled the US into the war two weeks ago! I don't know, that feels like it might be important context.
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Comment on What radicalized you? in ~talk
AnthonyB LinkNot to get hung up on the definition, but before anyone starts pissing, I want to point out that I don't necessarily consider myself "radical," it's just that my views aren't very popular with...Not to get hung up on the definition, but before anyone starts pissing, I want to point out that I don't necessarily consider myself "radical," it's just that my views aren't very popular with American politicians. Anyway, there wasn't one specific thing/moment, but there are a few major influences that weren't things I grew up with:
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Learning about the New Deal in high school. Massive infrastructure projects sounded like a pretty cool way to provide jobs, especially after learning about the military industrial complex a few weeks later. The majority of conversations about domestic policy that I heard at the time were centered around welfare and homeless people. I figured if we're so worried about "giving money away" why not just pay people to do shit?
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Learning about how the US funded Osama Bin Laden and the Mujahideen in the 1980s. We were five years into the War on Terror and I had never heard anyone mention the fact that America used to be buds with the most wanted man in the world. I think it's more common knowledge these days, but it blew my mind and the minds of my classmates when my teacher brought it up. It was my first real "are we the baddies" moment.
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Reading Manufacturing Consent and coming across information about media consolidation. After learning about Bin Laden's ties to the US, I went through a bit of a phase of reading books about the Bush Administration and the War on Terror. One of the books that stood out was No Questions Asked: News Coverage Since 9/11 by Lisa Finnegan. Finnegan highlighted how the media failed to fulfill its duty to challenge the Bush Administration in the wake of 9/11, but for the most part, it was framed as though it was a recent failure in a system that worked (or at least that's how I understood it 20 years ago). A year later, I read Manufacturing Consent, which recontextualized Finnegan's work as the latest examples of the system working as intended. That was a big one for me. Then a few months later, I procrastinated my way through a deep dive on the handful of giant companies that own the vast majority of media we consume (a figure that has only shrunk since then), which, again, blew my mind.
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Bernie 2016/The rise of Trump. The other "radicalizing" moments came when I was 17-19, but I spent most of my 20s feeling apathetic. Then Bernie came out of nowhere and shocked me back into giving a shit. On one hand, it was a much needed reminder that there are a lot of people out there who share some of my beliefs. On the other hand, it was a much needed reminder of some of the things that piss me off. IIRC, just 11% of media coverage during the primaries was focused on substantive issues while the remaining 89% was focused on the horse race aspect, and ~2/3 of the coverage was focused on the Republican race. While Trump was able to build his movement with millions of dollars worth of free media, Sanders was immediately written off by both the media and the Democratic Party establishment (damn you, superdelegates!). That got me back on the horse and into organizing.
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Comment on Survey reveals almost 50% of California teachers may quit teaching soon in ~life
AnthonyB Link ParentI see these suggestions all the time, and while I don't necessarily disagree with them, I don't think they would make that much of a difference. I used to work in early childhood education, so I...And the gold standard countries for quality of education pretty much uniformly do the same 3 things: 1) get higher trained teachers, almost all with Master's; 2) PAY THEM APPROPRIATELY; 3) reduce class sizes where possible.
I see these suggestions all the time, and while I don't necessarily disagree with them, I don't think they would make that much of a difference. I used to work in early childhood education, so I got sort of a sneak peek at the shitshow that CA K-12 educators deal with. In my opinion, any conversation about fixing the education system needs to include guaranteed maternity/paternity leave.
The hot phrase in a lot of educator circles these days is the Finnish model, but an underrated reason as to why it is so successful is because kids in Finland are able to start their first day of school with a much stronger foundation that began at home. The vast majority of my students that struggled would've benefited tremendously if one or more of their parents were able to bond with them more during their infancy/early childhood.
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Comment on US support for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement reaches 50% in ~society
AnthonyB Link ParentYeah, that's why it's shocking to me that only a handful of Democrats have embraced the slogan. Axios ran an article about what Illinois Democrats mean when they say 'Abolish ICE'. The answers are...Very similarly, “abolish ICE” is a very cogent statement of philosophy but completely absurd as a policy position. So it’s not particularly surprising that if you ask voters, they interpret it as a statement of philosophy (and agree)
Yeah, that's why it's shocking to me that only a handful of Democrats have embraced the slogan. Axios ran an article about what Illinois Democrats mean when they say 'Abolish ICE'. The answers are all over the place. If 'Abolish ICE' can mean a dozen different things to the policy maker, why not say it if the vast majority of your base agrees with the sentiment? Right now, most people think of ICE as the militarized police force that beats up their neighbors, rips families apart, and shoots liberal white ladies in the face. I get that replacing it will require a fairly complicated solution, but when someone asks if you support abolishing the bad thing, it's probably better to start your answer with "Yes, and.." or "Yeah, but.." than "Well..." or "No."
I can't help but see this as part of a pattern with other ~80-20 issues among lib/dem voters. There are similar levels of support for Medicare for all, restricting unconditional military aid to Israel, and raising taxes for rich people/corporations. There's some movement in that direction, especially post-2024, but you still don't really see any of that reflected in the politics of party leadership/mainstream Democrats. I don't have a crystal ball, but I suspect that it might be a big reason as to why their approval ratings are as bad as Trump's.
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Comment on US support for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement reaches 50% in ~society
AnthonyB Link ParentEeeeeehhhh....yeah....but I don't think that explains why only a handful of the ~250 Democratic congressional representatives support a position that is held by ~80% of the national base of...Eeeeeehhhh....yeah....but I don't think that explains why only a handful of the ~250 Democratic congressional representatives support a position that is held by ~80% of the national base of support and a majority of independents. I'm not a math guy, but I don't even think that's possible.
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Comment on US support for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement reaches 50% in ~society
AnthonyB Link ParentYeah, I was thinking abortion rights as an example, but I don't think that really applies. For years, the majority of Republicans (and the most loyal faction of their coalition) wanted to overturn...Yeah, I was thinking abortion rights as an example, but I don't think that really applies. For years, the majority of Republicans (and the most loyal faction of their coalition) wanted to overturn Roe v Wade. There has been fallout from the specifics in how abortion restrictions were applied, but at the very basic level, Republicans were operating in the interests of their base.
Off the top of my head, I think basic gun laws and higher taxes for billionaires might be examples of Republicans moving against their base, but the polling is a little muddled on that. Regardless, I don't think there is an 80-20 issue among Republican voters that's being contradicted or ignored by their party. It's a little more complicated with Republicans, since the voters and the politicians operate as some sort of fucked up binary star system from hell.
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Comment on US support for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement reaches 50% in ~society
AnthonyB LinkWow. Would you support or oppose abolishing ICE? Support: 84% liberal / 47% moderate (77% Dem / 52% Ind) Oppose: 10% liberal / 41% moderate (14% Dem / 35% Ind) Strongly Support: 71% liberal / 30%...Wow.
Would you support or oppose abolishing ICE?
Support: 84% liberal / 47% moderate (77% Dem / 52% Ind)
Oppose: 10% liberal / 41% moderate (14% Dem / 35% Ind)
Strongly Support: 71% liberal / 30% moderate (62% Dem / 38% Ind)
Somewhat Support: 13% liberal / 17% moderate (15% Dem / 14% Ind)
Not Sure: 6% liberal / 12% moderate (8% Dem / 13% Ind)I tried looking for a list of politicians who support abolishing ICE, and found this article from the week of Pretti's killing. While there are more Democratic candidates to call for abolishing ICE, the number of Democrats in office calling for the end of ICE is a paltry eight, at least according to this list (spoiler alert: it's mostly who you'd expect it to be - Mamdani, Omar, Talib, Summer Lee, etc.). The disconnect between the Democratic Party establishment and its supporters is staggering. Is there another time in history where a major political party called the wishes of the vast majority of its members 'radical'?
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ESPN and the death of journalism
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
AnthonyB Link ParentNgl, if you're getting clips like that in your feed, you might want to consider Love Island this summer. It is debauchery in its highest form. It's The Truman Show if Truman spent his summers in...Ngl, if you're getting clips like that in your feed, you might want to consider Love Island this summer. It is debauchery in its highest form. It's The Truman Show if Truman spent his summers in Sodom and Gomorrah. If The Bachelor is a cup of coffee, Love Island is crack cocaine. And to top it all off, the discourse has everything from deeply insightful commentary on love and relationships, to the mad ramblings of the most parasocial freaks on the internet. If nothing else, it's a very unique viewing experience.
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
AnthonyB Link ParentI watched a few of the UK regulars but I didn't know they have a celeb version. I'll definitely check it out. IIRC, I've also heard good things about the Australia season. Tbh, I'm not sure if...I watched a few of the UK regulars but I didn't know they have a celeb version. I'll definitely check it out. IIRC, I've also heard good things about the Australia season.
Tbh, I'm not sure if I'll be able to understand the Irish one lol. The last Irish show I watched was Love/Hate (an insane show) and I missed about 20% of it despite the fact that half the people in my friend group and my closest colleagues were Irish.
I revisited Don't Look Up last week and was surprised by how much I had forgotten and how much I appreciated it on the second watch. I don't know if it was the timing of the movie (right after the pandemic/Trump 1), the heavy-handed environmental message, or the Netflix factor that caused so many of us to move on, but I feel like it deserves a little more space in our collective cultural memory. I've seen countless references to Idiocracy as sort of the definitive satire of our time, but Don't Look Up really captures the moment. Maybe it hits a little too close to home.