That's a good question. You are right that if we wanted to see the extent of Anne's vapidity we could just read her book. Speaking for myself, I was never going to do that. While I'm sure most here figured her out a long time ago, seeing her talk at length like this was eye-opening to me at least. And probably the same for a lot of people whose only exposure to her is from the odd piece in the FT or whatever. Honestly, if someone wanted a primer on how and why western hegemony is failing, I think an hour of Anne Applebaum discussing her honestly held views is as good an explanation as any. In this respect, I prefer a guest like Anne Applebaum over a Mehdi Hassan if only because the former embodies the actual values of the state rather than the professed values represented by the latter. It really is something to behold the emperor without any clothes.

But, if it's telling you something you already know, it IS pointless and counter-productive. There are people who will watch it and think, "Gosh, she's right, Poland DID do well in its transition to neoliberalism and therefore the system is sound and was implemented with good intentions and Russia is just innately full of bad people who can't succeed". Is it acceptable to allow obvious falsehoods like that to be stated without any pushback? Ehhhh....

The later entries in the series from the looks of it lean heavy into the Shonen look with weeb fanservice.

Artstyle wise, maybe, especially 2. All three have a lot of Saturday Morning Cartoon nonsense going on, though. Silly schoolyard bully villains hamming it up, lots of "fights" that involve characters standing around and talking about their Special Power or whatever.

3 probably has the least of that, and of the "fanservice" of the type I think you mean, and is possibly the most like Xenogears. But still not the same thing (but maybe if Xenogears was made today it would be like Xenoblade anyway - maybe the real difference is in fidelity and amount of acting etc., I dunno! Some things that work when read don't when heard...). Honestly, I think the biggest similarity between 3 and Gears is that the makers once again tried to do something immense and profound and kind of whiffed. But still totally worth experiencing even though it's compromised. Pretty pro-communist as well. Amusingly so.

On , I saw people clutching their pearls at the chant and explaining that it is a terrorist rallying cry, and that even Wikipedia mentions the connection.

I think there is probably some Hazing rituals that IDF members go through where they are made to do horrible things to Palestinians

Actually I do remember reading something about this from someone who had served in the IDF. I can't remember the source and my memory isn't great, so keep that in mind, but they said something like, in the early days of their service, recruits were made to go into the West Bank and arrest some random Palestinian. They'd let them go eventually, but the point was to march into someone's house and parade them in front of their neighbours before driving off with them.

I can't get a read on Boric. Very confusing individual. Can any kind comrades tell me what he's all about.

Palestine Action are so consistently successful it's unreal. Everybody else needs to be taking notes.

r/worldnews?

You're welcome.

Have a horrible feeling they'll throw out the whole case on a technicality. Anxiety through the roof, I can't watch.