AnthonyB's recent activity
-
Comment on What radicalized you? in ~talk
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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'?
-
ESPN and the death of journalism
3 votes -
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.
-
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.
-
Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
AnthonyB LinkTraitors US just capped off a phenomenal run. I know a lot of people roll their eyes at competition/reality tv, but it's genuinely a good show that I would recommend to just about anyone. It's...Traitors US just capped off a phenomenal run. I know a lot of people roll their eyes at competition/reality tv, but it's genuinely a good show that I would recommend to just about anyone. It's self-aware and over the top in all the best ways, but under all the silliness there is an interesting game of strategy and social engineering. Of all the reality tv that I was "forced" to watch with my ex, this is the one show that I went back to and watched on my own. During the finale, I was actually pacing around the living room like it was the final two minutes of a tight playoff game.
Spoilers
Rob is the GOAT. He knew when to jump ship on LFR, he allowed Candice to hang herself when she was coming after him as part of some weird housewife vengeance quest, he killed all the right people at the right time, he dominated the challenges, he took the dagger from the one person who would've used it against him, and with everything on the line, he betrayed the one person he knew he could trust so he could keep all the money to himself like a cold blooded mfer. It was a perfect run. And to top it off, he's really really really ridiculously good looking. Well done. I can't believe it's the same guy who cried in the pool on Love Island USA.
-
Comment on Why we struck Iran in ~society
AnthonyB Link...We attacked Iran because the target was simply too tempting to pass up, military sources tell me.
No consideration was given to the what, the so what or the then what, I’m also told. The “high-value targets” were just too valuable: the Ayatollah, the Chief of staff of the Army, the Minister of Defense—at least 40 senior officials in total were killed. Trump 'approved' what was all but impossible not to approve. The president is captive to an intelligence machine built over decades that now produces kill packages so clean and seductive that it practically runs itself.
As the Pentagon bluntly put it, “a large-scale U.S. strike cut off the head of the snake,” summarizing its view of a crisp decapitation operation.
Trump gets away with all of this by pretending we’re not really at war—a falsehood with which Congress is happy to play along. Asked if the U.S. is at war with Iran, Sen. Lindsey Graham told Meet the Press: “I don’t know if this is technically a war.” Absurd as that sounds, Democratic leaders are adopting the same framing. Sen. Chuck Schumer says the strikes are “risking wider conflict” as if this isn’t already that; Rep. Hakeem Jeffries says the operation has “brought us to the brink of a possible war,” as if this isn’t already war.
If killing a 36-year-long head of state and his deputies isn’t war, what is?
The United States is at war with Iran, pure and simple. We have been for decades. We supported Iraq in its war against Iran. We’ve conducted special operations inside Iran. We’ve shot at Iranian coastal installations and sunk Iranian ships. We’ve undertaken constant covert operations in the shadows, from actual sabotage to planting cyber viruses. We shot down an Iranian civilian airliner, attacked targets on land, and conducted thousands of strikes against Iranian proxies in multiple countries from Yemen to Lebanon. We’ve labeled the country part of the Axis of Evil. We killed Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani in an aerial assassination and bombed Iranian nuclear-related sites. We’ve thwarted Iranian attacks on Israel and others, maintained a tripwire ground force in Kuwait, and hardened installations in the region.
From Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump, through Republican and Democratic administrations, the United States has frozen countless billions in Iranian assets; sanctioned Iranian companies; cut off Iran from the world banking system; banned Iranian oil imports and exports; and penalized non-U.S. companies investing in the country. We have designated the nation, Iranian organizations, and Iranian individuals state sponsors of terrorism and foreign terrorist organizations.
...
We build this military and intelligence machine, we pay for it, we watch it out there constantly training, deploying, exercising, attacking this and that in a half dozen countries so when something like this unfolds, we shouldn’t be surprised. That’s what it’s for.
-
Why we struck Iran
24 votes -
Comment on The US Pentagon says it’s ‘lethalitymaxxing’. Why has ‘incel’ slang crossed into the mainstream? in ~society
AnthonyB LinkI have been very fascinated with this form of slang/brainrot, especially since reading the NYT's profile of Clavicular last month. The broad strokes are covered in this article, but it's still a...I have been very fascinated with this form of slang/brainrot, especially since reading the NYT's profile of Clavicular last month. The broad strokes are covered in this article, but it's still a pretty wild read. As an old, I am constantly in awe at the evolution of slang and the bizarre figures who usher certain terms into the mainstream. It's really something else. What form of cultural appropriation is more problematic: adopting AAVE, or Incel terminology?
Last I heard, Clavicular had pivoted to full-time jestermaxxing, though I cannot confirm if the allegations are true.
-
Comment on Is fascism back? in ~society
AnthonyB LinkI listened to the first half of the video while playing a game, and one of the voices sounded strangely familiar. Turns out it was one of my old professors! I took a course taught by William I....- Exemplary
I listened to the first half of the video while playing a game, and one of the voices sounded strangely familiar. Turns out it was one of my old professors! I took a course taught by William I. Robinson many years ago, and I am not at all surprised by his take.
All in all, this video was about what you'd expect from a Johnny Harris video on fascism. It's a well produced, cautious, introductory examination of the topic, and, unsurprisingly, it's delivered without taking a firm stance on anything. Oh, Johnny. He makes me feel like Joanie Sommers sometimes.
I wish there was more time spent exploring the disagreement between the experts. I find myself more in line with Robinson and Snyder than Griffin and Finchelstein, though I'm interested in reading up on their arguments. Personally, I think it's a little silly to hone in on specific elements, especially the violence and destruction of democracy. We spent the better part of a century villainizing Hitler and Mussolini, you'd expect modern day fascists/fascistic leaders to evolve accordingly. Does it have to be a 1-1 comparison to when it started in the 1930s in order to call it fascism? Basketball looked very different when it first started, but the spirit of the game remains the same and we still call it basketball. I suppose Griffin and Finchelstein would have us call it netball.
-
Comment on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in Israeli and American joint strikes in ~society
AnthonyB Link ParentThey really should raise the warmonger penalty in the next patch.America's foreign and security policy over the past 30 years makes far more sense if viewed through the lens of a 10 year old with impulse control issues, who spawned on great tiles, and has been at war with another civ forever, for reasons the 10 year old can't articulate.
They really should raise the warmonger penalty in the next patch.
-
Comment on Legacy sequels and remakes you think were actually good and worth making? in ~movies
AnthonyB Link ParentSo in that case, the Nolan-era Batman movies wouldn't count towards what you're talking about?So in that case, the Nolan-era Batman movies wouldn't count towards what you're talking about?
-
Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 23 in ~society
AnthonyB LinkDemocrats' secret report found Gaza cost Harris votes So many reasonable people refused to believe this could be true. There was polling that suggested this back in the summer of 2024, though...Democrats' secret report found Gaza cost Harris votes
Top Democratic officials who worked on the party's still-secret autopsy of the 2024 election concluded that Kamala Harris lost significant support because of the Biden administration's approach to the war in Gaza, Axios has learned.
So many reasonable people refused to believe this could be true. There was polling that suggested this back in the summer of 2024, though between the Uncommitted movement in the primaries and the thousands of people who marched in the streets, we shouldn't have needed it in the first place. But hey, better late than never.
In totally, completely unrelated news, Democrats are polling at about the same level as Trump
Asked whether they trust Trump or Democrats in Congress to handle major issues, 33 percent cite the president, 31 percent say Democrats, 4 percent say both equally and a crucial 31 percent say neither. In April, Trump led by 37 percent-30 percent on this question.
...
For Democrats, the new poll offers a reminder of the challenges they face, not just in the 2026 elections but looking further ahead. For one, they have struggled to persuade Americans that their ideas are superior to Trump’s.
Asked whom they trust to deal with reducing the cost of living, for example, about one-third of Americans say Trump, one-third say Democrats and one-third say neither. On immigration, Trump continues to have a slight advantage, 38 percent to 34 percent for Democrats.
Similarly, when asked who is more connected to the concerns of people, Trump and the Democrats fare equally poorly. By nearly 2-1, Americans say each is out of touch. Trump has shown a slight deterioration on this measure over the past year while Democrats have shown a slight improvement. But the broad findings are a reminder of the distrust that Americans have about their elected officials no matter the party.
Now if you'll excuse me, there's a pillow waiting to be screamed into with my name all over it.
-
Comment on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested and in custody on suspicion of misconduct in public office in UK in ~news
AnthonyB Link ParentWell, for starters, I think it's a very difficult pill for people to swallow, especially those who still cling to their belief in institutions. That's probably a big reason why you had guys like...Well, for starters, I think it's a very difficult pill for people to swallow, especially those who still cling to their belief in institutions. That's probably a big reason why you had guys like Ezra Klein saying last year that he thought Epstein's sex crimes and close social network of powerful men were kept separate. Then there's some of the actual reporting from mainstream outlets like The New York Times that went out of its way to say things like,
Abundant conspiracy theories hold that Epstein worked for spy services or ran a lucrative blackmail operation, but we found a more prosaic explanation for how he built a fortune. A relentless scammer, he abused expense accounts, engineered inside deals and demonstrated a remarkable knack for separating seemingly sophisticated investors and businessmen from their money.
I should note that Drop Site offered a rebuttal to that claim in this piece about Epstein's ties to Iran-Contra
Of course, it could be an extraordinary coincidence that Epstein shared a penthouse with an Iran-Contra lawyer, worked for an Iran-Contra arms dealer, and then, as we report below, moved the Iran-Contra planes to Ohio for use by billionaire retail mogul Leslie Wexner. It may simply be a coincidence that Ehud Barak, one of Epstein’s closest friends, was the head of Israel’s military intelligence during the planning for Iran-Contra, and he supervised the CIA’s first delivery. But it might also be something The Times should look a bit closer at, if they’re so inclined.
I'm not super plugged into this saga (again, not enough amphetamines, yarn, or space in my smooth little brain to keep track of the slow drip of information coming from the files), but my understanding is that the recent document releases have shed additional light on the connection, making it appear more concrete than coincidental. I think that's why more people are starting to take it connection seriously.
-
Comment on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested and in custody on suspicion of misconduct in public office in UK in ~news
AnthonyB Link ParentI don't have enough corkboard, yarn, Adderall, or cigarettes to begin to put the pieces together, but Drop Site News has done a lot of reporting on Epstein's ties to Israeli intelligence....I don't have enough corkboard, yarn, Adderall, or cigarettes to begin to put the pieces together, but Drop Site News has done a lot of reporting on Epstein's ties to Israeli intelligence. Obviously, given the current political environment, that might come off as extremely conspiratorial, but we are talking about an elite pedophile ring, might as well throw in one of the world's elite spy organizations.
-
Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
AnthonyB LinkI finally watched The Secret Agent now that it's available to stream from home. Wow. I'm so mad at myself for not driving an hour to see it when it was in theaters. Visually, it's stunning....I finally watched The Secret Agent now that it's available to stream from home. Wow. I'm so mad at myself for not driving an hour to see it when it was in theaters. Visually, it's stunning. Between the colors, the cinematography, and the infinite Brazilian swag that radiates from almost everyone on screen, I feel like I could watch the movie without subtitles and still enjoy it.
~ teeny tiny preview-level spoilers below ~
I like to go into movies as blind as possible, and the only thing I had seen related to this one was a two second clip of Wagner Moura talking to someone about a gun. This might be embarrassing to admit, but I thought it was about a secret agent. Boy was I surprised when I realized what was actually going on somewhere between the first and second act. I'm so glad that wasn't the case, though. Not that I wouldn't enjoy a spy thriller with everything this movie brings, but I really appreciated the grounded portrayal of 70s Brazil and what happens when someone is in the crosshairs of a corrupt capitalist under an authoritarian government.
I could go on and on about this movie, but I'll keep it short by saying it really stuck with me. I think it's one of my five favorite movies I've seen this decade.
(Curious if @lou has seen it)
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:
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?
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.
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.
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.