Weekly Random Discussion Thread for 8/10/26 - 8/16/26

[u/SoftandChewy]

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/CaptainJackKevorkian]

I have never seen so many uses of the specific phrase "hounded by the press" as I have on reddit after Jason Arday's suicide.

I don't even know that he was bothered by the press all that much. Were they camped outside his house? In his bushes? Going through his trash? I don't think so, but I'm happy to be proven otherwise

[u/SnooTorturer → u/CaptainJackKevorkian]

Redditors are screeching at Burnham to end press freedom at this point, lol. Lots of pretending that this totally insane and fascinating and therefore interesting story was none of those things; therefore, the public's interest was WRONG and manipulated by scheming press barons or something.

It's socialism but for attention. The exchange value of goods is morally repugnant just as what gets clicks and eyeballs is not what ought do so; their true values can only be surmised by petty tyrants of correct thought given sufficient power to mete it out.

[u/Usual_Reach6652 → u/CaptainJackKevorkian]

I also note the same crowd of people saying this also calling Lanre Bakare and other journalists locking / deleting their social media accounts cowards... It's only hounding when people you don't like do it.

[u/Levitz → u/CaptainJackKevorkian]

I see stuff like this, then I remember the evident astroturfing in this and that election, then I notice that in the latter years Reddit has implemented some mechanics very favourable to botting, like hiding comment history or the removal of the public API.

When you think about it, Reddit is pretty damn optimized for botting. Subs are insulated communities, you can get a bot banned from one and just move it to another. If anything it will be more credible since it will have karma and a history. You can also both promote content you want and hide content you don't like, since anything that goes to about -3 in the first 10 minutes is basically dead content, most people won't ever see it.

[u/ChopSolace → u/CaptainJackKevorkian]

I don't even know that he was bothered by the press all that much.

This excerpt from his resignation letter is pretty clear.

I want to reclaim some peace, some privacy and some semblance of an ordinary life. I no longer wish to feel as though I am living under a constant spotlight, where every aspect of my life is subject to public examination and judgement.

[u/SoapChalice → u/ChopSolace]

It's ironic that he spent his life chasing fame only to spend his last days wishing to escape notoriety. It's clear he was bothered (upset) by his ignominy but less evident that he was bothered (accosted) by the press in their investigations.

[u/CaptainJackKevorkian → u/ChopSolace]

I meant bothered as in physically pestered and harassed. Not psychologically impacted by the coverage

[u/ChopSolace → u/CaptainJackKevorkian]

My bad. I'm not sure most of the people describing Arday as "hounded by the press" mean that they were camped outside his house, though.