AnthonyB's recent activity
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Comment on Recommendations needed: Favorite “comfort” movies in ~movies
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of January 12 in ~society
AnthonyB Link ParentKen Klippenstein has done a lot of reporting on the Trump Administration's move to investigate groups and individuals who oppose ICE. It's frustrating that the NYT doesn't offer more information...Ken Klippenstein has done a lot of reporting on the Trump Administration's move to investigate groups and individuals who oppose ICE. It's frustrating that the NYT doesn't offer more information related to NSPM-7 and its role in the investigation. This isn't a one-off thing. From Klippenstein's initial reporting on Renee Good's killing:
It’s likely we’re about to hear a lot more about the incident in the coming days. But what you won’t hear about is the role of Trump’s national security directive NSPM-7 in all of this.
Signed last September following the murder of Charlie Kirk, NSPM-7 directs the federal government to focus on rooting out domestic terrorism. The directive singles out violence against ICE in particular as a leading domestic terror threat.
Four days later, Attorney General Pam Bondi signed her own directive building upon NSPM-7 and titled “Ending Political Violence Against ICE.”
Bondi’s order directs federal law enforcement to crack down on threats to ICE officers, which it defines broadly to include things like “doxing” as well as impeding their enforcement actions. Homeland security, to which ICE reports, says that there have been a “1,000 percent increase in attacks on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers since" Trump’s inauguration.
The directive goes on to direct prosecutors to target those interfering with or impeding ICE actions. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for each district shall prosecute any individual who assaults or forcibly impedes or intimidates these officers, who interferes with the performance of these officers’ official duties, or who attempts to do so, consistent with 18 U.S.C.§ 111 and other applicable federal laws,” the document says.
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Comment on Concerning YouTube short I came across in ~society
AnthonyB LinkThis has been going on for a while now. During the shutdown, there were a handful of racist AI-made videos of Black women complaining about not getting their welfare checks. Some of them were...This has been going on for a while now. During the shutdown, there were a handful of racist AI-made videos of Black women complaining about not getting their welfare checks. Some of them were shared and reported on by Fox News. It's as infuriating as it is horrifying. Unfortunately, man-made content can be just as damaging, seeing as how Nick Shirley's "Project Veritas for dipshits" video - which was boosted by Musk - has sparked a wave of outrage and harassment in Minnesota, and was likely the reason why someone made this. We are very much cooked.
With how good AI is getting, we'll very probably have actual riots and political conflict breaking out over AI hoaxes and AI-fueled sentiment campaigns
This is the plot Mountainhead, only we don't seem to have a Ramy Youssef. Nothing means anything, and everything is funny.
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Comment on 2025 NFL Post Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Playoffs, Week 1 in ~sports.american_football
AnthonyB Link ParentLooks like he's out. The second half of his tenure was plagued by the problem of being stuck in the middle. Too good to get a good pick, not good enough to go the distance. They really only tried...Looks like he's out.
The second half of his tenure was plagued by the problem of being stuck in the middle. Too good to get a good pick, not good enough to go the distance. They really only tried to develop 2 quarterbacks in house during his entire tenure, and neither were that great of prospects. I wonder if we'll ever have a stretch where franchise QBs move around more. Seems like the only options are to get an aging star (Favre, Manning, Wilson, Rogers) or a washout looking for a second chance (Darnold, Trubisky, Fields, Geno).
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Comment on 2025 NFL Post Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Playoffs, Week 1 in ~sports.american_football
AnthonyB LinkWhat a phenomenal weekend of football. Panthers v Rams? Great game. Bears v. Packers? Great game. Jags v Bills? Great game. Eagles v Niners? Great game. Pats v Chargers/Steelers v. Texans? Two...What a phenomenal weekend of football.
Panthers v Rams? Great game. Bears v. Packers? Great game. Jags v Bills? Great game. Eagles v Niners? Great game. Pats v Chargers/Steelers v. Texans? Two very solid halves of defensive football. We had four games that could've been THE game of the week any other year. Incredible.
I was neutral for half the games and went 2/3 on teams I was rooting for. The only one that let me down was the Chargers, whose bedshitting forced my favorite team to play my #1 bandwagon. That's what I get for rooting for a rival, I guess.
Actually, the Chargers loss made me reflect on the times I rooted for an AFC West team that wasn't Denver because I couldn't remember a single time they won. I did a little trip down pro football reference's memory lane and the results are insane.
2000: Young Anthony didn't understand FTR and wanted revenge against the Ravens. Ravens win 16-3.
2002: Still don't understand FTR and had some mysterious grudge against the Bucs. Bucs win 48-21.
2003: Couldn't stand Manning because he always tore up the Broncos. Plus I appreciated Dante Hall and Priest Holmes. Colts beat the Chiefs 38-31.
2006: Pats were evil. LT was amazing. Pats win 24-21.
2007: See 2006. Pats win 21-12.
2015: Would've felt a lot better playing the Chiefs instead of the Patriots and I obviously hate the Pats. Patriots win 27-20 (it worked out in the end).
2018: Another year, another wish to see Brady lose. Patriots beat Chiefs 37-31.
2020: Ugh. Brady wins again 31-9.
2025: Chargers lose to Maye and the Patriots 16-3. You've got to be kidding me.
25 years and not a single playoff win from an AFC West rival. That's not cherry picking, either. They're literally 0-8 in playoff games I want them to win. At least the Patriots had the decency to win the one time I rooted for them back in 01. There are probably a few regular season wins sprinkled in over the years, like the time we thought the Patriots were done ~4 years too early, but when it really counts the rest of the AFC West chooses to fuck me. Yes, it's me. I'm the reason.
*Honorable mention: Mahomes & co lost to the Chargers earlier this year when it would've helped Denver lock up the division. Win or lose, Mahomes has never not let me down. I should root for him more often.
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Comment on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shoots and kills a woman during the Minneapolis immigration crackdown in ~society
AnthonyB LinkAfter 24 hours of seeing the partisan reactions to this incident, I'm starting to think we might have crossed a line that we can't go back from. At least not without something catastrophic...- Exemplary
After 24 hours of seeing the partisan reactions to this incident, I'm starting to think we might have crossed a line that we can't go back from. At least not without something catastrophic happening.
The video evidence and the witness testimony are about as clear as you can get. Renee Good did not pose any threat, and the ICE agents clearly escalated the situation and shot her without just cause. After these unidentified masked men shot her, they denied her potential life-saving treatment from a nearby doctor, and their vehicles prevented first responders from arriving on the scene as quickly as possible.
This should be met with universal condemnation; however, Republicans and right-wing commentators are justifying it. They're calling her a terrorist and saying she was trying to kill the man who shot her, as if there isn't clear fucking video of the incident that shows otherwise. They say that the agents intervened after she was blocking traffic, but video shows other unmarked vehicles pass by and witnesses say she was waving them past her. The contradictions alone are completely insane, yet, somehow, people are buying it. They're literally seeing things that aren't there. My bar was already incredibly low, but this is truly unbelievable.
The most obvious comparison I can think of is George Floyd's murder. When George Floyd was murdered on video back in 2020, there was immediate bipartisan condemnation of the officers involved. There was no getting around it. Republicans and Democrats alike expressed horror at what they saw on video. Trump tweeted out condolences and said the FBI would bring the officers to justice. Even police organizations were critical of the officers. Police organizations! It was only after the initial protests when we started to see right-wing efforts to minimize the brutality or justify the actions of the police, but even that was more on the fringe. Conservatives would work tirelessly to tarnish George Floyd's reputation in the ensuing months/years, but the vast majority of the partisan divide that summer was centered around the protests.
What we are seeing right now is on a whole nother level. It's as though there isn't a video. The conservative response to this echos the responses we saw in the wake of Michael Brown or Trayvon Martin. In addition to the absence of video, those responses can be largely credited to the lack of empathy that stemmed from this country's deep seeded racism and society's constant implicit criminalizing of the existence and actions of young black men. That problem has plauged this country for 250 years, and obviously there have been some non-linear, incremental improvements, but at great cost. However, now it seems that lack of empathy has extended beyond race and socioeconomic conditions and into political differences. Apparently, no amount of video evidence can overcome it, either.
Where do we go from here if we can't agree on what's right in front of us?
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Comment on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shoots and kills a woman during the Minneapolis immigration crackdown in ~society
AnthonyB Link ParentThere are a lot of ways to alleviate the stress of watching your country descend into madness - go for a walk, hug a kitten, binge watch tv and eat copious amounts of junk food, etc. etc. However,...There are a lot of ways to alleviate the stress of watching your country descend into madness - go for a walk, hug a kitten, binge watch tv and eat copious amounts of junk food, etc. etc. However, in my experience, the best antidote for those feelings of dread and anger is to be around people who feel the same way and want to do something about it. A lot of organizations still have remote meetings and there are plenty of ways you can contribute without even having to leave your house!
I know I'm repeating something that has annoyed a lot of people, but one of the most important things right now is to have a bold and functional opposition party. The primaries are just around the corner...
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
AnthonyB Link ParentSome of my favorite community members got banned, but honestly, they kinda had it coming.Some of my favorite community members got banned, but honestly, they kinda had it coming.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
AnthonyB Link ParentOh wow that thread brings back memories! I don't think the two threads are entirely unrelated, but I think there is an important difference between one's idealogical position and one's perspective...Oh wow that thread brings back memories!
I don't think the two threads are entirely unrelated, but I think there is an important difference between one's idealogical position and one's perspective based on their identity/lived experience. The first thread (the one you posted) is more 'these are my ideas, and I don't like it when people attack them and talk over me.' The second one is more 'this is my life, and I don't like when people debate it like it's an idea.' Either way, I think Diemos summed it up well in this comment from the first thread:
There aren't many people that want their interaction with a community to feel like a constant debate where they have to defend themselves all the time.
I think Tildes has done a really good job addressing the issues that were presented in the first thread while maintaining a zero-tolerance policy for bigotry and "just curious" bullshit. The second thread presented issues that are a lot harder to navigate. I think it's safe to assume that everyone here wants to cultivate a space that allows for discussion and feels welcoming to all, but that's easier said than done. I don't know the exact reasons why so many formerly prominent voices from the second thread left or cut back significantly, but I do think their absence has resulted in a noticable vibe shift, especially in threads like this.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
AnthonyB Link ParentThere's a thousand ways for us to explore that issue, but none of them would come close to the ultimate post on this subject. From my perspective as a casual observer over the years, it seems like...If these sorts of threads keep popping up, and Tildes continues to shed people from marginalized or underrepresented backgrounds and/or with other perspectives, then it does say something about the "homogeneity" here.
There's a thousand ways for us to explore that issue, but none of them would come close to the ultimate post on this subject.
From my perspective as a casual observer over the years, it seems like Tildes has consistently drawn new users from the same well. Meanwhile, those with different perspectives/experiences tend to fade over time. There have been many users like you and @DefinitelyNotAFae who have passionately discussed complicated issues related to politics and identity. Unfortunately, it seems like they eventually get banned after losing their patience, or they tune out and show up now and again in more lighthearted discussions.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
AnthonyB Link ParentHistorically, threads like this often resulted in the departure of various users from marginalized backgrounds. It's a bummer because we've lost a lot of insightful users with underrepresented...Historically, threads like this often resulted in the departure of various users from marginalized backgrounds. It's a bummer because we've lost a lot of insightful users with underrepresented perspectives. It's always been an issue and there used to be a lot more navel-gazing on these matters, but ever since the massive influx of users in 2023, the general perspective seems to be more homogenous.
I don't think there's anything wrong with exploring issues like this, even if the topic is presented in a clumsy manner, but there's a reason why the vibe is the way it is.
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Comment on 2025 NFL Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 18 in ~sports.american_football
AnthonyB (edited )LinkThat Steelers-Ravens game was an all-timer. Ravens fans would have a strong case against the 49ers as the team with the most soul-crushing defeats in the 21st century if not for the fact that they...That Steelers-Ravens game was an all-timer. Ravens fans would have a strong case against the 49ers as the team with the most soul-crushing defeats in the 21st century if not for the fact that they have delivered their fair share of soul-crushing defeats in route to a couple of Super Bowl wins (I'll never forgive you, Rahim).
My Broncos somehow secured the #1 seed, thanks in large part to the 32nd place
OaklandLas Vegas Raiders, who somehow managed to beat New England in week one. I'm still in shock. I try my best to be a faithful Boliever, but I don't think they are good enough to win, nor are they good enough to actually be the 1-seed. That honor belongs to the Pats, who kicked the shit out of bad teams and played well against the handful of good teams they faced. However, when you look back at Denver's season, there was really only one legit loss. They had a bad 7 minutes against the Chargers in a game where they had the lead, and they were a missed ~40 yard FG/a rare leverage call away from beating the Colts. Anything can happen, I guess.Off the top of my head, the only other 1-seed I can remember being this shaky is the 2008 Titans, who somehow managed to go 13-3 and had their own surprising 10 game win streak. 2008 is a decent comparison to this season in that the final standings were quite different from preseason expectations, plus the absence of the league's boogyman. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a lot of lower seeds advance like they did in 2008. On that note, I am not thrilled about the seeding in the AFC. The two teams I most want to see in the Super Bowl are the Broncos (obviously) and the Bills. I was hoping they would manage to face each other in the AFCCG, but that would require a Chargers win in NE and the Bills beating the red-hot Jags. It's certainly plausible, but even if that does happen, the Chargers are probably the last team I want Denver to face in round 2, and the Bills would have a hell of a time going up against the Texans. Should NE and Jacksonville win, the team I'd want to see in round 2 is the Steelers. Then again, I could see them pulling off a 2012 Ravens/2008 Cardinals magical run for the aging superstar. I'm glad I have some money set aside for emotional hedge bets.
I have no idea what to expect or what I want from the NFC. As an LA guy, I wouldn't hate to see the Rams make another run, nor would I have any issues with a 49ers run given their Denver connections (Lynch, Shanahan, McCaffrey). Come to think of it, I don't have any qualms with the Packers, Bears, or Panthers, either. Looks like we're getting Eagles v Seahawks in the NFCCG.
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Comment on 2025 NFL Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 18 in ~sports.american_football
AnthonyB Link ParentThe jets not forcing an interception all season is going to be a legendary record for years to come. Who knows, it could last another 4-5 games. It's especially humiliating when you consider the...The jets not forcing an interception all season is going to be a legendary record for years to come. Who knows, it could last another 4-5 games. It's especially humiliating when you consider the fact that they have a defensive head coach who was a great DB in his playing days.
On the plus side, he can spin it to make his playing career more impressive. In 13 of his 15 playing seasons, Aaron Glenn had more interceptions than the combined total of the 2025 NY Jets.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
AnthonyB Link ParentRelevant portion of a PBS documentary on American policing from a few years ago. Shoot first, ask questions later.I also don't think they are poorly trained (in that they don't get it), I think they are just trained poorly (in that we pay out the nose for horrible training practices). My cousin became a cop in 2017. He was eager to tell me about how he was trained. What do you do when there are 2 on 1? You shoot them. What do you do when a perp grabs your tazer? You shoot them. What do you do if you're being approached from behind? You shoot them. What the fuck. He had shot and killed 2 people within like 4 years. We train our cops, just to react violently.
Relevant portion of a PBS documentary on American policing from a few years ago. Shoot first, ask questions later.
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Comment on What was it like for you and your partner when one of you was losing a parent "slowly"? in ~life
AnthonyB LinkMy (now ex) partner and I both experienced the slow loss of a parent at the same time. Don't worry, we broke up for other reasons. Like JXM said, there were a lot of variables which made our...My (now ex) partner and I both experienced the slow loss of a parent at the same time. Don't worry, we broke up for other reasons. Like JXM said, there were a lot of variables which made our experiences quite different, so giving specific advice is difficult because it depends on the people involved.
For example, my family is fairly close and the circumstances required more of my attention and support. I would leave for extended periods to help out, and when I got back, the last thing I wanted to do was talk through it. My ex, on the other hand, is not very close with her family, and she stayed away (per their suggestion), but needed to talk about it more often to process the loss.
Sounds like you got yourself a bit of a double whammy, which can be especially tough when you aren't actively experiencing something remarkably similar. My only suggestion is to think of yourself as scaffolding. You aren't there to bear the weight of the grief, or process things for your partner. Instead, you're just there to provide modest support when needed. The rest of the time, you should do your thing and continue being the person that your partner chose to have in their life. The important thing is that you're there and they know that you're there when they need you.
Also, maybe this is just a weird thing we had in common, but my partner and I both agreed that comments in the spirit of, 'Damn, that sucks,' are a lot better than, 'Omg, I'm so so sorry.' I don't know, something about "I'm sorry" triggered the reflexive "It's ok/thank you," whereas 'that sucks' evoked the superior 'I know, right?!' response.
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Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
AnthonyB LinkTrying to mentally prepare myself for the tidal wave of justifications and critiques about the process instead of the act itself. In times like these, I like to imagine what the response would be...Trying to mentally prepare myself for the tidal wave of justifications and critiques about the process instead of the act itself.
In times like these, I like to imagine what the response would be if you took the exact same scenario and replaced the US with China. Turns out that a lot of liberals had a tankie buried deep in their heart this whole time.
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Comment on Grok AI generates images of ‘minors in minimal clothing’ in ~tech
AnthonyB Link ParentMerriam-Webster's word of the year 2026: Ephebophilia.Merriam-Webster's word of the year 2026: Ephebophilia.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
AnthonyB (edited )LinkMy family was took turns choosing holiday movies last week and I had the pleasure of introducing them to The Holdovers. It's a lowkey Christmas classic, which I'll probably throw on every other...My family was took turns choosing holiday movies last week and I had the pleasure of introducing them to The Holdovers. It's a lowkey Christmas classic, which I'll probably throw on every other year.
On top of that, I saw Marty Supreme yesterday. Not at all what I expected despite seeing the preview several times this year. That alone made it worth the cost of admission.
Spoilers for Marty Supreme
I thought it was going to be more of a sports movie/relationship drama, like Rocky for ping pong. I was quite surprised when it turned out to be a longer, fuller Good Time. I'm one of the few who enjoyed Good Time more than Uncut Gems, but Marty might have the edge. My only issue is that it felt like there were 2-3 too many hijinks. Also, I love a heart-racing thriller with a killer soundtrack as much as the next guy, but I hope Josh Safdie mixes it up a little bit going forward. Oh, and it kills me that Mr. Wonderful was good in this, even if he was playing himself. -
Comment on Not-so-humble brag: What are you proud of that you don't normally get to talk about? in ~talk
AnthonyB Link ParentCongrats! Are you still working with kids, or did you have a major career change?Congrats! Are you still working with kids, or did you have a major career change?
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Comment on Mohammed Ibrahim's stolen year: the newly freed sixteen-year-old Palestinian American shares his first account of 9½ months in Israeli military detention in ~society
AnthonyB Link... ... ...Sixteen-year-old Mohammed Ibrahim told me he was hungry every minute of every day during his nine and a half months in Israeli military detention. The pain in his head and stomach was so constant he couldn’t sleep, though that would have been difficult anyway under fluorescent lights left on twenty-four-seven. He shared a six-person cell with ten other boys, ages fifteen to seventeen, and some of them moaned and cried all night.
Still, one day boredom overtook hunger. The boys saved scraps of bread from their meals, mixed them with water, and shaped them into chess pieces. They scratched a board into the concrete floor, set the pieces out to dry, and within a few days had a complete set. Mohammed told me he played three matches and won all three. The fun lasted about a day before they were caught.
Guards stormed the cell, filled it with pepper spray, beat the boys with sticks and shields, and confiscated the chess set. They were left choking and crying on the floor, as they often were, with nothing to flush the chemicals from their eyes. It burned everywhere, especially on their scabies, which for many had turned into infected, open sores. The guards also took their mattresses, so they’d be sleeping on bare metal bedframes again. Similar punishments followed when they made playing cards from the cardboard of toilet paper rolls. Or when they did pushups. Or sang. Or laughed. The boys in Israeli military detention are forbidden from being boys.
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Mohammed told me that on February 16, the night he was abducted from his home in Al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya, soldiers blindfolded and zip-tied him, threw him face down onto the metal floor of a military jeep, then kicked him with heavy boots and beat him with their rifles as they drove. It was around 3 a.m., and he didn’t know where they were taking him. They arrived at a military compound—later identified as Ofer army camp—where he said he was pulled from the vehicle and forced to sit on the ground, still blindfolded and zip-tied, while soldiers continued to beat him on his head and all over his body. He had no shoes or socks. From there, he was frogmarched across sharp rocks to the police station a few hundred meters away.
They pulled his blindfold down and put him in a chair. He asked to speak to his parents and they refused. He was never offered a lawyer. It was freezing in the room, he said, and he had no coat. Across a table, two masked men with machine guns accused him of throwing stones at an Israeli car. He denied it. He told me the interrogator threatened that if he didn’t confess, he would instruct the soldiers to beat him again. Eventually, Mohammed said, he broke. “I couldn’t handle it anymore,” he told me. He admitted to throwing a stone, which he maintains he didn’t do, but not to hitting anything. When it was over, he said he couldn’t walk and was dragged into a holding cell, where he would remain for the next several weeks.
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On March 10, Mohammed was transferred to Megiddo, a military detention center that B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, has described as part of a “network of torture camps.” (“When we got off the bus,” one detainee told B’Tselem, “a soldier said to us, ‘Welcome to hell.’”) The severe overcrowding was the result of policies overseen by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has boasted about making conditions significantly worse for Palestinian prisoners. At the moment, Ben Gvir is leading a push to legalize the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terrorism offenses, a category defined broadly under Israeli law, and has signaled his support by wearing a gold noose pin—closely resembling the yellow hostage ribbon—on his lapel.
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One of his cellmates—17-year-old Walid Ahmad, whom he quickly grew close to—was visibly sicker and weaker than the others when Mohammed arrived. Skin and bones, Mohammed told me. He had severe diarrhea, couldn’t keep food down, and shivered constantly. His skin was covered in scabies, which was ripping through the prison, leaving all the boys infested and scratching themselves raw. The boys worried about Walid, begged the guards to let him see a doctor. They refused.
On March 22, twelve days after Mohammed arrived at the prison, Walid collapsed during their daily trip outside the cell, falling face-first and splitting open the bridge of his nose. A pool of blood formed around him. The boys rushed to help and were pepper-sprayed. Mohammed said Walid remained conscious for about two minutes, looking around, scared, before losing consciousness again. A guard then arrived and dragged Walid’s motionless body across the floor by his hair.
Four days later, the boys learned that Walid, who was never charged with a crime, was dead. Back home, Mohammed’s family heard that a teenage boy had died in Megiddo and spent an entire, unbearable day trying to determine whether it was him; instead, they learned it was a boy from a neighboring town. An Israeli surgeon who observed Walid’s autopsy reported that the 17-year-old showed signs of prolonged starvation—extreme weight loss and muscle wasting—along with untreated colitis and scabies. A prison medical report also revealed that he had complained to the prison about inadequate food since at least December. His body has still not been returned to his family.
The first movie that came to my mind when I saw this post was Broadcast News. It's a little bit heavier on subject matter but something about the aesthetic and pacing of 80s movies feels comforting.