“We won’t have time for this”, 3mos out, reflects frankly breathtaking contempt — if not an outright statement (especially in the case of Thailand) that their priority is the English-speaking expat class that rides roughshod over the local population with ever-worsening effect.

While these performances Western comics are doing in SE Asia aren’t openly sponsored by regimes, they serve to normalize those regimes and 100% play into their soft-power aspirations. I don’t begrudge comics performing here, but I absolutely think they owe people engagement with that messiness.

Not a week passes that someone in Thailand isn’t charged/sentenced for speech. One of my friends just got out after 2yrs in prison, in part, on incitement charges for a rap performance at a protest. I know 2ppl living in exile over charges, more on ankle monitors appealing sentences, and 1 murdered.

The good news is he killed himself.

I hope we understand that anyone with fingerprints on this plow belongs against the wall at first light.

They made Bangladeshi slaves eat the beans, then shit them out (presumably).

Wait. Am I, even unbeknownst to myself, secretly a real fan? I find the franchise unwatchable (not for lack of trying, I swear), but I nonetheless know this to be true. 🤔

I’m here to help.

How I feel about any Xmas movie, tbh.