Leonidas's recent activity
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Comment on 1980s interview with Christine Jorgensen, one of the first publicly trangender women in the United States in ~lgbt
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Comment on Behind Hamas' bloody gambit to create a 'permanent' state of war in ~society
Leonidas Link ParentThe response to violations of international law is not to do even more violations of it. Is a pediatric cancer ward hiding Hamas? An ambulance convoy?The response to violations of international law is not to do even more violations of it. Is a pediatric cancer ward hiding Hamas? An ambulance convoy?
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Comment on Behind Hamas' bloody gambit to create a 'permanent' state of war in ~society
Leonidas (edited )Link ParentOf course they claim it’s necessary, why wouldn’t they? That still doesn’t make it not collective punishment. The idea that wanting civilians not to starve is “lazy” and this deprivation is...Of course they claim it’s necessary, why wouldn’t they? That still doesn’t make it not collective punishment. The idea that wanting civilians not to starve is “lazy” and this deprivation is “humane” is really beyond words. Palestinian lives aren't worth less than Israeli lives.
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Comment on Behind Hamas' bloody gambit to create a 'permanent' state of war in ~society
Leonidas (edited )Link ParentThe response to someone taking hostages to use as human shields isn’t to kill the hostages. The bombing of Jabalia Camp is just one of the many examples where totally disproportionate force has...The response to someone taking hostages to use as human shields isn’t to kill the hostages. The bombing of Jabalia Camp is just one of the many examples where totally disproportionate force has been used. It’s completely unjustified.
EDIT: Killing 400 people to get to one Hamas leader is quite a big difference from a 1 to 1 trade. Entire family bloodlines are being wiped out. I seriously doubt that this will make the survivors more inclined to end the cycle of violence, even if Israel does through some miracle decide to help them and not try to expel them.
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Comment on Behind Hamas' bloody gambit to create a 'permanent' state of war in ~society
Leonidas Link ParentGenocide isn’t always just “we’re going to round up all these people and kill then right now.” It’s something that historically has often ramped up to ethnic cleansing and collective punishment...Genocide isn’t always just “we’re going to round up all these people and kill then right now.” It’s something that historically has often ramped up to ethnic cleansing and collective punishment based on some supposed military necessity. When you look at the rhetoric surrounding this conflict, with multiple Israeli ministers and officials dehumanizing Palestinians and calling for Gaza to be flattened—to say nothing of the attacks in the West Bank which Hamas doesn’t even control—the argument for this being a genocide in the making is incredibly concerning.
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Comment on Behind Hamas' bloody gambit to create a 'permanent' state of war in ~society
Leonidas Link ParentNone of that matters when they’re also bombing the south and have even bombed evacuation routes in some cases. Furthermore, the idea that civilians who don’t evacuate are acceptable collateral...None of that matters when they’re also bombing the south and have even bombed evacuation routes in some cases. Furthermore, the idea that civilians who don’t evacuate are acceptable collateral damage is repugnant and against international law.
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Comment on Behind Hamas' bloody gambit to create a 'permanent' state of war in ~society
Leonidas Link ParentSaying “they aren’t killing Palestinians as fast as possible so therefore they aren’t killing them on purpose” isn’t a valid argument. There is no other way to describe the blockade except for as...Saying “they aren’t killing Palestinians as fast as possible so therefore they aren’t killing them on purpose” isn’t a valid argument. There is no other way to describe the blockade except for as collective punishment when Israeli government ministers have specifically said that they will not allow food and supplies for civilians unless they somehow overthrow Hamas themselves.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Leonidas (edited )LinkFinally got into Mob Psycho 100 after wanting to for ages. I only had time to watch the first two episodes, but it’s already super fun! I also watched a bit of Kaguya Sama with my friend, and...Finally got into Mob Psycho 100 after wanting to for ages. I only had time to watch the first two episodes, but it’s already super fun!
I also watched a bit of Kaguya Sama with my friend, and though it’s not my usual cup of tea, it was still pretty funny.
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Comment on Benjamin Netanyahu lobbied EU to pressure Egypt into accepting Gaza refugees in ~society
Leonidas (edited )Link ParentYou're asking a question that you've already answered in your own response. The reason China is better-regarded by many Arab countries' governments is in part because they've been offering them...You're asking a question that you've already answered in your own response. The reason China is better-regarded by many Arab countries' governments is in part because they've been offering them investment and trade, so they have little incentive to rock the boat by criticizing them. The other major reason is that they've never fought a war against China and don't see it as an enemy—even in the worst-case scenario, they'd be a more distant threat.
I've never claimed that antisemitism isn't an issue in other West Asian countries, but from my end it feels like you're implying that I'm ignorant of it or purposefully downplaying it. I'm also not trying to blame the whole situation on Israel. However, I refuse to accept the framing that this is an intractable issue that can never change even with a secular government, especially if it's because of some stereotype that Muslims are more violent and intolerant by nature. If there can be reconciliation, and there must be, then that has to come from both sides.
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Comment on Benjamin Netanyahu lobbied EU to pressure Egypt into accepting Gaza refugees in ~society
Leonidas Link ParentI’m not saying that every country in the region is an honest broker, nor am I shrugging at the issues of antisemitism and other forms of bigotry. However, without getting into a “who started it?”...I’m not saying that every country in the region is an honest broker, nor am I shrugging at the issues of antisemitism and other forms of bigotry. However, without getting into a “who started it?” debate, it makes sense that Muslims in other countries would have a negative view of Israel due to its oppression of their fellow Muslims in Palestine, the same as how any other group would react, and that it would unfortunately spill over into a generalized negativity toward Jews even though Israel isn’t representative of all Jewish people.
In terms of security guarantees, my view is that even with this toxicity, the international relations of other Muslim countries towards Israel haven’t spiraled towards war for decades. They also have their own disputes and aren’t just a monolith, regardless of Western perceptions of the region. The siege mentality Israel appears to have is unjustified and only makes things worse when they use it to justify what they’re doing now.
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Comment on Benjamin Netanyahu lobbied EU to pressure Egypt into accepting Gaza refugees in ~society
Leonidas Link ParentWithin Palestine itself, it’s obviously not a good thing if they hate all Jews, but the conflation can hardly be avoided when Israel constantly proclaims itself as The Jewish State and uses that...Within Palestine itself, it’s obviously not a good thing if they hate all Jews, but the conflation can hardly be avoided when Israel constantly proclaims itself as The Jewish State and uses that to justify its settlements and constant attacks on them. It’s not good, but it’s completely expected. I read an article by Mohammed El-Kurd, Jewish settlers stole my house. It’s not my fault they’re Jewish. In my opinion, it lays out the basic issue clearly.
The issue of antisemitism in other countries isn’t caused by the same dynamic of oppressed vs. oppressor, but if they haven’t all been constantly attacking Israel (and in fact have been getting closer in Saudi Arabia’s case) then it’s not an insurmountable issue. I’m not saying this as a way to just shrug and dismiss the myriad obstacles in public opinion and nationalist rhetoric, but I don’t think there’s a way for it to even start to be resolved until the oppression also stops.
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Comment on Benjamin Netanyahu lobbied EU to pressure Egypt into accepting Gaza refugees in ~society
Leonidas Link ParentWith regards to the slogan, I don’t think it inherently means “ethnically cleanse Israel of all Jews” and that’s definitely not the message people are going for in these protests. The idea that...With regards to the slogan, I don’t think it inherently means “ethnically cleanse Israel of all Jews” and that’s definitely not the message people are going for in these protests. The idea that Israel must be a country run only by and for Jews, with Palestinians as a grudgingly tolerated minority at best, is an inherently toxic ethnonationalist concept that their current government seems firmly wedded to. Although people may wrongly translate American concepts of race onto it, all the talk of how transforming both Israel and Palestine into a single secular state would cause demographic replacement of Israelis does feel close to white nationalist language about birth rates.
To deescalate this conflict, Israel could make even the slightest of concessions to Palestine as a whole, like rolling back the settlements of the West Bank and releasing the thousands of Palestinians held in extrajudicial detention (and the second of which is something that the families of the hostages have been pushing for). Although that wouldn’t be enough for hardline nationalists, there’s so much bad blood caused by Israel’s policies that only they have the choice to stop. If they instead keep bombing away and enforcing collective punishment, they’re only turning the survivors into the next generation of Hamas or a similarly uncompromising group. However, that would require Israel to be led by a very different group of people than Netanyahu and his fellow nationalists like Ben-Gvir.
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Comment on Benjamin Netanyahu lobbied EU to pressure Egypt into accepting Gaza refugees in ~society
Leonidas Link ParentI don’t think that this is a problem to do with The Left so much as with social media amplifying reductionist hot takes that claim to speak with more authority than they actually have. Reasoned...I don’t think that this is a problem to do with The Left so much as with social media amplifying reductionist hot takes that claim to speak with more authority than they actually have. Reasoned discussion of these issues from a left-wing perspective does exist even if it’s not going viral. And obviously, having a major war happening is going to turbo-charge a specific issue rather than just the odd infographic being shared around.
With regards to Palestine, even though there are people being reductionist about it from an American perspective, the left has been very united in calling for a ceasefire to stop what has become a war of revenge and annihilation against Palestinians. There have been vastly more bad faith claims that criticizing Israeli war crimes means supporting Hamas than there have been actual expressions of support for Hamas’ attack. No one can argue in good faith that all these protests are just calling for ethnic cleansing of Israelis instead of their actual, stated demands to stop an ethnic cleansing that’s currently happening.
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Comment on Benjamin Netanyahu lobbied EU to pressure Egypt into accepting Gaza refugees in ~society
Leonidas Link ParentIs your question that people seem to be talking about current events more than stuff that’s not in the news cycle? Seems pretty facile to imply “Western lefties” don’t know or care about other,...Is your question that people seem to be talking about current events more than stuff that’s not in the news cycle? Seems pretty facile to imply “Western lefties” don’t know or care about other, similar issues just because you’re not seeing massive protests about them at the moment.
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Comment on Crisis at Marvel: Jonathan Majors back-up plans, ‘The Marvels’ reshoots, reviving original Avengers and more issues revealed in ~movies
Leonidas LinkZeroing in on the Kang problem, I don’t get why they can’t just recast with someone like John Boyega or Damson Idris who’d be a great fit for the character. They’ve recast major characters before,...Zeroing in on the Kang problem, I don’t get why they can’t just recast with someone like John Boyega or Damson Idris who’d be a great fit for the character. They’ve recast major characters before, and audiences can roll with it as long as it’s well-written. Changing the entire story of Phase Four, not so much—is Majors really so essential that the only alternative is to reinvent the wheel?
Really, the writing itself is gonna suffer no matter what they do in Phase Four if the execs are so fixated on the next big payoff that they force people to abandon the fundamentals of good filmmaking. All this stuff about bad CGI getting fixed after their shows are released and major plot points getting rewritten due to outside constraints would be less of a problem if they commit to telling coherent stories rather than sticking to a schedule.
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Comment on Israel-Hamas War Megathread, October 27 to November 5 in ~news
Leonidas Link ParentThe blockade of Gaza is an act of war by all legal standards. Even if you don’t consider their treatment of the West Bank to be relevant to the situation in Gaza, this is clearly not something...The blockade of Gaza is an act of war by all legal standards. Even if you don’t consider their treatment of the West Bank to be relevant to the situation in Gaza, this is clearly not something that just came out of the blue.
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Comment on Damning evidence of war crimes as Israeli attacks wipe out entire families in Gaza in ~news
Leonidas Link ParentI’m not talking about Iran. I’m talking about other countries like Jordan and Egypt that do accept Israel’s existence but quite understandably view the mass displacement of Palestinians as a red...I’m not talking about Iran. I’m talking about other countries like Jordan and Egypt that do accept Israel’s existence but quite understandably view the mass displacement of Palestinians as a red line. Beyond the moral indefensibility, it’s also just incredibly dumb to risk unraveling a stable diplomatic order that took decades to achieve.
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Comment on Web Summit chief steps down over Israel remarks in ~tech
Leonidas Link ParentNot gonna lie, that to me seems like a needlessly callous response, especially coming from someone who studied the issue already. It’s not like people should be obligated to publicly state their...Not gonna lie, that to me seems like a needlessly callous response, especially coming from someone who studied the issue already. It’s not like people should be obligated to publicly state their opinion on every geopolitical issue with a stack of citations in hand, but at the same time, emotion-fueled online discourse doesn’t change the truth of the situation. You don’t have to be in a position to actively speak on an issue to have a well-researched position on it.
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Comment on Damning evidence of war crimes as Israeli attacks wipe out entire families in Gaza in ~news
Leonidas Link ParentTrue, but I wouldn’t count Amnesty International in the same group as a random OSINT twitter account repeating uncorroborated info.True, but I wouldn’t count Amnesty International in the same group as a random OSINT twitter account repeating uncorroborated info.
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Comment on Damning evidence of war crimes as Israeli attacks wipe out entire families in Gaza in ~news
Leonidas Link ParentWell, it seems like their choice to bomb the hell out of Gaza is only pissing off those countries more. If they’re unwilling to refrain from war crimes on humanitarian grounds, you’d think they...Well, it seems like their choice to bomb the hell out of Gaza is only pissing off those countries more. If they’re unwilling to refrain from war crimes on humanitarian grounds, you’d think they can at least recognize how this affects their international standing. Then again, with Big Daddy America on their side, they presumably feel empowered to act as they see fit without fear of a response.
What a fascinating interview. She was very charismatic and well-spoken, and the interviewer's questions seemed to come from ignorance rather than any kind of malice. It was striking how they reflected back on the cultural rigidity of the 50s and how far society had come since then. Although the 80s were hardly some paradise of tolerance, her family still chose to accept her when she gave them the ultimatum to see her for her true self. It's amazing that she chose not only to pursue medical transition when it was totally experimental and had no trans role models to look towards, but also to later become one for countless other people.