Big Joel
@bigjoel.bsky.social
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bigjoel.bsky.social
I went to the, quite strange, Osaka Expo 2025, and made a video about it! You legally have to watch it because you follow me on the internet youtu.be/D10S6G1InXg?...
The Japan World's Fair Is Kinda Bad (But That's Okay)
YouTube video by Big Joel
youtu.be
bigjoel.bsky.social
the thing about the Will Smith slap is that zooming in on it doesn't serve you well. What seems like it should be a Big Crazy event is in fact a small, kind of uncomfortable moment where a man is obviously struggling. Time and nostalgia is on the side of the will smith slap
bigjoel.bsky.social
when I go to different countries and people ask where I'm from, I sometimes pretend to be shocked and say "?? France??" gets a laugh like 80% of the time
bigjoel.bsky.social
even the idea of some standup comedian going on stage and being like, "so have you seen this, this is all over the news, Will Smith SLAPPED Chris Rock at the Oscars." is putting a smile on my face as I write this
bigjoel.bsky.social
I really like the joke people do where they pretend to have just learned about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, and are like "oh my god". If you're ever wondering if you should make that joke, just keep in mind that it would probably get a smile out of me
bigjoel.bsky.social
Just to be a BIT fair to the commenters, this journalist did indeed suggest that Donald Trump may deserve a Nobel peace prize for this one
bigjoel.bsky.social
New York Times comment section in shambles over this lol, I saved these just the other day because it seemed so preposterous
bigjoel.bsky.social
Just for reference, this is the number of Ad spots youtube would automatically try to put on a 34 minute video of mine. While I imagine it would be unlikely for this many ads to be served, the standard seems to be about an ad every three mins
bigjoel.bsky.social
yes it gives us the ability to manually place ads. I don't know if there are significant drawbacks to doing so. I'd guess that you'd see less ad revenue, but that's because YouTube automatically places a TON of ads
bigjoel.bsky.social
and while I'm not personally judging creators for trying to make a living, I don't think audiences on youtube have no reason to be annoyed by constant and poorly placed ad breaks, right
bigjoel.bsky.social
well idk, I'm not really "blaming" anyone. But you can't both think it's a shitty decision from youtube and that the decision to allow automatic ads shouldn't be stigmatized. the auto ads help creators make money, is what you're saying, and I agree
bigjoel.bsky.social
well creators opt into it by allowing automatic ad placement, right. so in that sense I'd say they must be reasonable happy with the arrangement
bigjoel.bsky.social
because creators literally ask for them too, that's the tragedy. getting your bag obsessed platform, that's what I say
bigjoel.bsky.social
char, you guys are so crazy
bigjoel.bsky.social
I'm good enough at french that nobody ever compliments me anymore, they just assume I understand what's going on and I do not. I never do
bigjoel.bsky.social
it also really clarifies to me that "vocabulary" is like not really my central problem in french. I can usually read messages fine. it's understanding when these fucks blend their sentences into what sounds like one syllable and then look at you like "quel est le probleme petit homme"
bigjoel.bsky.social
one very fun language learning thing I just did was make it so my phone automatically translates everyone's messages to me to french. I'd honestly recommend, it really feels confrontational
bigjoel.bsky.social
nobody does, but political movements express priorities that sometimes cohere, right, and cohere around certain priorities above others.
bigjoel.bsky.social
Like, "we want a modern crusade, we want the west to occupy Jerusalem" just seems so much more fitting to the actual things conservatives say than "we want a rapture soooo bad"
bigjoel.bsky.social
I think it's a belief that some people might vaguely hold, but that the far more important impulse is just simple anti arab sentiment. And that rapture talk kinda of functions as a fun curiosity distracting from more practical and important neo-conservative reasons for American Zionism
bigjoel.bsky.social
I'm genuinely curious about your thoughts on this opinion I loosely hold: The idea that a broad support for Israel among conservatives in America comes down to some desire to bring about the rapture is quite overstated.
bigjoel.bsky.social
Palestine Must Be Recognized As A State But Shouldn't We All Shut The Fuck Up About It

bsky.app/profile/moth...
mothcub.bsky.social
This is beyond unacceptable, but especially galling when it's being reported that one of the two deceased victims was killed by the police.

(Screenshot from The Guardian)
Text reading: Metropolitan Police urges organisers to delay or cancel Palestine Action protest

A pro-Palestine protest planned for Saturday in London should be cancelled following the terror attack in Manchester, the Metropolitan Police has insisted.

A statement from the Met published on social media site X on Friday morning said:

The horrific terrorist attack that took place in Manchester yesterday will have caused significant fear and concern in communities across the UK, including here in London.

Yet at a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist
bigjoel.bsky.social
UK so crazy. I don't think there's any overt contradiction here, but isn't it odd that on the international stage, they're beginning to take an at least vaguely more pro palestine stance, and at home, it seems they're just going crazier and crazier
bigjoel.bsky.social
(to be clear, a more well liked video I have not made, the video isn't swimming in hate or something. Though recently, like for the last day or two, for some reason, the comments are oddly negative. I feel like it's on some discord out there that hates it)