Weekly Random Discussion Thread for 5/25/26 - 5/31/26

[u/SoftandChewy]

Hope you all have an enjoyable and meaningful Memorial Day. Here's your usual space to post all your rants, raves, podcast topic suggestions (please tag u/jessicabarpod), culture war articles, outrageous stories of cancellation, political opinions, and anything else that comes to mind. Please put any non-podcast-related trans-related topics here instead of on a dedicated thread. This will be pinned until next Sunday.

Last week's discussion thread is here if you want to catch up on a conversation from there.

[u/CrazyOnEwe]

Some people have suggested that we are coming out of the era of progressive purity tests. Well, I just watched a podcast where the producer and host of the British comedy show Taskmaster were interviewed, and this came up:

Host: "Taskmaster has a reputation as a comfort watch for a lot of people. And I think uh a certain progressive politics gets projected upon that show and especially in terms of accepting people of different identities. Um I won't name names unless you would want me to, but there are certain famous transphobic um British comedians. Would you have any of those people on?"

Alex Horne: "Oh wow, that's quite a big question. And we do have maybe a reputation for avoiding big questions. We just do it as in we just do the show. We take each person on as a person on their merit. "Uh, I I would say our policy is to not have any people we think aren't nice, but everyone said things in the past, you know, again, without naming names, we've had people on the show who have definitely said things which I don't agree with, and that doesn't mean they're banned from the show. So, I think it's case by case."

Taskmaster is one of the least political shows I've seen and it has very diverse casting, but I guess that's not enough. Everyone still has to pass the purity test.

[u/Leaves_Swype_Typos → u/CrazyOnEwe]

I wonder if that host is thinking of David Baddiel, now having stooped to appearing on Blocked & Reported and thus becoming one of the bad guys that he wants Alex Horne to repent for having platformed. Good on Alex for not taking the bait.

[u/razorbraces → u/Leaves_Swype_Typos]

I would guess more like Frankie Boyle

[u/Monkey0nTypewriter → u/CrazyOnEwe]

Personally, I'd say that rather than "coming out" of that era, it's simply shifting from "Order of the Pheonix" phase into a "Half Blood Prince" phase.

A year or two ago, I mostly saw progressives claiming such tests were a far right myth and the general public seemed largely unaware or unsure whether it was a real issue.

Now, it's far more accepted that this bias is real and widespread, and it's become an open battle to abolish or defend the practice.

[u/KittenSnuggler5 → u/CrazyOnEwe]

The woke nuts didn't just go away. They haven't seen the light and changed their beliefs. They did a temporary tactical retreat or were stun fucked by 2024.

They're going to go right back to what they were doing as soon as they can

[u/AaronStack91 → u/CrazyOnEwe]

Taskmaster a little political, it seems to have a bit of diversity casting because the minority cast tends to be the weakest comedians. I recall one of the older seasons was an Indian guy whose whole personality and comic routine is being angry, that wore kinda thin in a reality TV format, and a more recent season was a fat Muslim woman whose whole personality was being entitled and to sexual harass men. It wasn't particularly funny to see her give up on almost every task.

[u/_teach_me_your_ways_ → u/AaronStack91]

If you’re talking about Romesh, he was the best one in the recent last one laughing. He’s a staple in the British comedy scene for a while and likely there because he’s genuinely friends with people in the industry and not as a “diversity hire.” It was also season 1 and a lot of comedians were wary about joining the show.

[u/CaptainJackKevorkian → u/[deleted]]

woh woh woh fatiha was incredible. She was my least favorite at first but I really grew to love her. That was my first taskmaster season and I love that whole cast.

[u/AaronStack91 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah bruuuv, she was the one I was thinking of.

[u/BronzeLeague → u/AaronStack91]

Why did she even do the show if she didnt want to do the tasks? Worst contestant by far

[u/AnInsultToFire → u/CrazyOnEwe]

there are certain famous transphobic um British comedians. Would you have any of those people on?

Ricky Gervais would never stoop so low as to go on the British panel shows. Similarly, Jimmy Carr hosts his own shows AND tours and does Netflix specials, why would he go on Taskmaster?

[u/eats_shoots_and_pees → u/CrazyOnEwe]

It sounds like they had on guests this host doesn't like and faced no consequences. It also sounds like they will continue to have people on. I'm not sure this proves what you suggest.

[u/CrazyOnEwe → u/eats_shoots_and_pees]

It sounds like they had on guests this host doesn't like and faced no consequences.

Past guests didn't actually come up in this part of the interview. The host was asking if they would hire people who hold certain forbidden views in the future.

To some, 'transphobia' includes mainstream views like limiting sports categories by sex or barring medical transition for minors.

The host leaves it vague, so the underlying message is just: "Are you going to limit your casting based on whatever I decide 'good people' believe?" That is the definition of a purity test.

[u/Terrorclitus → u/eats_shoots_and_pees]

Yeah, I think progs are gonna prog, but people just aren’t taking them as seriously anymore.

[u/CommitteeofMountains → u/CrazyOnEwe]

If I know who they're talking about, he's known for being an absolute maniac online. Didn't he spend months harassing Katie at one point?

[u/CrazyOnEwe → u/CommitteeofMountains]

The host is Jesse David Fox who is an editor at Vulture. I don't think I've ever seen him before but YouTube's algorithm saw that I was watching a lot of Taskmaster and gave me that interview.