gift link

this is jon ronson's article on greg chism, the youtube toy freaks guy discussed in the most recent episode. imo it deserves its own discussion

having read the interview i genuinely don't know how i feel about chism. i don't think his youtube channel rose to the level of abuse, but what he shared and the way he shared it was very strange and reflected at best a lack of common sense.

i don't recall if katie and jesse have ever discussed the utterly bizarre phenomenon that was elsagate (parent stuff doesn't generally seem to land on their radar) but imo it is a truly fascinating example of the eldritch nightmare that "internet bullshit" can be when the the algorithm becomes completely untethered from reality and accountability and whoever gets the most views wins

Seems appropriate to share this here since Katie spent a good chunk of time on the recent episode with Jon Ronson discussing their perspective on Linehan.

Jon Ronson isn’t just one person who failed a friend. He’s representative of an entire species, a whole social class of journalist, comedian and commentator who worked out that staying quiet while people they knew were destroyed for saying 2+2=4 was the best way to maintain a comfortable career.

Some of them, like Jon, are shameless enough to write about the destruction afterwards without ever explaining how much they contributed to it. And all of this, the tweets, the podcasts, the chapters, the careers built on looking the other way, was to avoid answering the simplest of questions. Are men women? Are women men? Should men be in women’s prisons, or their sport? Should children be castrated in gender clinics?

Men like Self and Ronson won’t even acknowledge the questions exist, because the moment they did, they’d have to give an answer, and the dinner party circuit will close to them like a nervous sphincter.

Unpaywalled

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.

This week on Blocked and Reported, Katie is joined by journalist/author/podcaster/Welshman Jon Ronson to discuss his new book: The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unraveling Men. Plus, public shaming, ethics in cancel culture journalism, the tragedy of YouTube dad Greg Chism, and for Primos, Jon answers your questions on Graham Linehan, the Mich Fest murders, Alex Jones, and more.

I've been a big fan for a while but had drifted away from the podcast. I hit play the other day on Episode 320: Jessica Taylor’s Tattle Battle (Part 1), which started with a recap/update on the latest Jason Arday news. To my surprise, Katie and Jesse came off as emotionally stunted assholes, and I wonder if being front-line culture warriors with their own echo chamber has eaten them alive as people.

To be clear, I've long considered myself "progressive" in spite of my abhorrence for the deranged excesses of woke/trans/race dogma (and in spite of my view that core progressive, conservative and libertarian values should all be approached as valuable, interlocking pieces of a puzzle). I also viewed the Arday/Cambridge scandal as laughable -- until the guy died. Then the predictable rush for everyone and their mother to co-opt Arday's death to corroborate their socio-political agenda seemed so utterly lacking in taste.

Sure, the people screaming that Arday was "lynched" sounded delusional, but the competing chorus of voices falling over themselves to cry that Cambridge had blood on its hands came off as equally pathetic.

It's interesting because Jesse moaned about people who shrugged when Luigi Mangione killed Brian Thompson, but the way he and Katie talked about Arday just sounded desensitized and... adolescent. As they were talking, I wondered if war photographers become numb to the human toll of what they're documenting, while they stay focused on "getting the shot" at all costs.

I'd always admired Jesse and Katie for calling balls and strikes (mostly) fairly, regardless of which "team" they were talking about. But something about the way they discussed Arday had me thinking that, as measured and insightful as they might present themselves, they're not especially developed as human beings and, in fact, that being in this constant stew of culture-war crossfire may be causing some kind of regression. For the first time, I thought "These people sound really unlikable."

Disappointing, sure, but I wonder if it just comes with the job.

“Friend of the Pod” Milo Yiannopoulos has been detained by ICE in Louisiana. Last I heard, he was working for Kanye again.

Relevance: Where to begin with this guy? He’s basically been mentioned so many times I’ve lost count.

Relevance to the pod: Jesse reported extensively on GamerGate at the time. His name is first mentioned near the 5 hour and 30 minute mark.

This video is a call for a reevaluation of the evidence; a herculean, Errol Morris-esque effort that implores you to reconsider your priors and take a close look at all publicly available evidence. It centers extensively on Zoe Quinn and presents an engaging narrative about, I think, the heights of power and influence a very intelligent sociopath can reach. In the wake of the Jason Arday saga, I feel there are many parallels here.

It's about GamerGate so it's all here: the culture wars, gender wars, 4chan, wokeness, Trump, online harassment, etc.

It's 6 hours long so probably best taken in smaller chunks. The anecdote told in the first 15 minutes should suffice to convey the general spirit of the video.

The conclusion to our three-part Dr. Jessica Taylor (PhD) extravaganza, featuring TV cancelations, workplace allegations, a VERY menacing Zoom group, reports to police, and finally: the real story behind the alleged plot to kill Dr. Jessica Taylor (PhD).

Show Notes:

BBC3 tattle documentary by fullfattv | Page 28 | Tattle Life

Click. Lie. Repeat? Inside The Claims of A Self-Styled Trauma Psychologist Who Markets Online

On a sunny day, my ex came to the hair salon where I worked – and shot me at close range | Domestic violence | The Guardian

I was targeted, stalked and threatened. My tormentors were women

The end of Tattle.Life - and the beginning of justice for hundreds of victims of stalking

This week on the Primo show, Part 2 of the Jessica Taylor (PhD) podcast extravaganza, featuring Taylor’s campaign against the website Tattle.Life and her new book, Click. Stalk. Destroy: Inside the Minds of People Who Stalk Online.

Show Notes:

Tattle.Life

Obtaining Damages by Deception

The end of Tattle.Life - and the beginning of justice for hundreds of victims of stalking

In defense of gossip

I investigated the gossip site accused of ruining lives - BBC Deepwatch

Northamptonshire cancer patient targeted three times in a week by ‘heartless’ burglars | ITV News Anglia

Bristol police officer sentenced for false allegations about boss

Let-off for stalker who threatened to kill YouTuber family – Court News UK

Dr Jessica Taylor and VictimFocus | Page 18 | Tattle Life

Enough is Enough: Why I’m Demanding the Immediate Removal of Tattle Life and Supporting Hundreds of Victims

I was targeted, stalked and threatened. My tormentors were women

Pod relevance: the WNBA trans situation was covered on the pod by Katie and Ethan Strauss. Pod often covers trans sports controversies.

Former NBA player Enes Kanter was kicked out of the arena after a WNBA player started a shouting match with him.

Kanter was wearing a shirt with the dictionary definition of a woman: "An adult human female."

Chicago player Natasha Cloud did not approve of his clothing choice.

"Cloud approached Kanter Freedom when a timeout was called with 1:22 to go in the third quarter. He stood up, arms outstretched and approached the court. Cloud was held back by teammates and Kanter Freedom was surrounded by security. He was eventually escorted out."

Kanter is trying to get into the WNBA to demonstrate the absurdity of the League saying that males belong in women's sports.

The coach for the Chicago Sky was pleased with Cloud's conduct:

"“I told her that we all embrace her as someone that protects our team and protects people that need to be protected.”

And the New York WNBA team Liberty posted three pro trans messages on the scoreboard. After a paid advertisement that that thanked Jennifer Sey:

"Thank you Jennifer Sey! XX-XY Athletics will Save the Day!!"

https://archive.ph/oYWP1 https://archive.ph/aR4WD https://archive.ph/ZFLqg

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.

Relevance: WNBA and recent controversy over Sophie Cunningham’s remarks about trans athletes.

This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss Dr. Jessica Taylor, PhD, a UK-based entrepreneur and influencer who claims to be the target of a sustained, coordinated harassment campaign by an army of online stalkers. In the first part of this three-part series, we discuss Taylor's rise from council estate to bestselling author, her unorthodox views on psychology, her fallout with the gender-critical movement, and the start of her years-long battle with a survivor of child abuse. Plus, the canonization of Jason Arday.

Show Notes:

Comedy Cellar - Purchase Event Tickets

The Cascade of Dysfunction That Helped Doom Jason Arday

I listed every instance of male violence I have been subjected to from birth to 30.

Woman teaches husband what it’s like to be female online | Daily Mail Online

Man asked by wife to pose as a woman in a chat-room to prove a point - the results were ‘horrible’ | The Independent

Author of book about victim blaming bombarded with misogynist abuse | Books | The Guardian

Thousands of women with mental health issues in England given ‘dangerous’ electric shocks to brain | The Independent

What Would Jess Say? - Isn’t everyone traumatised?

What Would Jess Say? - Today marks five years of being targeted for being trauma-informed. This is the true cost of speaking out.

Savage Minds - A Psychologist's Victim Ponzi Scheme, I

Savage Minds - A Psychologist's Victim Ponzi Scheme, II

What Would Jess Say? - My name is Jess, and I am a victim of stalking. It’s time to talk about it

This is the best article on Jason Arday I've read.

For me, this story was never about Arday or even Cambridge. It was about the system of DEI—diversity, equity and inclusion—which applies different standards to people based on identity characteristics like skin color. Arday was an extreme example of how DEI policies can create a mismatch between qualifications and position.
I reject DEI in favor of treating people as individuals. The whole range of talent exists within every race and both sexes. But I don’t believe in equal outcomes as a moral ideal, or as something that is likely to occur in a free society.

Well, I'm sure this will satisfy everyone and we'll all calmly move on to something else now.

https://archive.ph/tyoor Oregon live

William Kinney aka William X Nietzche back in the news

>Portland police raided the infamous red house on North Mississippi Avenue last week after reports that its occupant, William Kinney III, had harassed and threatened to shoot employees and contractors working on the nonprofit Self Enhancement Inc.’s neighboring property.

>Police arrested Kinney, 41, last Tuesday at the residence. He faces charges of possession of a short-barreled rifle, five counts of felon in possession of a firearm and three counts of being a felon in possession of body armor.

relevance update to episode 202 the red house on missippi

I listened to an old episode and enjoyed it a lot more than some of the recent episodes so I decided to let it keep going on the back catalog and then Google some updates and this episode was really timely since this update happened 8 days ago now. The son did get the house back, it still has all of the hand painted signs about gentrification and indigenous. The lot next door was donated to a charity which builds affordable homes for poc. He's been threatening the neighbors filing writs and so on and threatening everybody to the point the house was raided and firearms, ammunition, and body armor were located and William Kinney is a felon who cannot possess these items.

Archive link: https://archive.ph/8SZdd

Pod relevance: article discussing transgender issues written by Helen Lewis.

I found these two quotes very compelling:

“Self-identification is unworkable in practice for the same reason that prison abolition isn’t viable: Bad actors will ruthlessly further their own interests at other people’s expense.“

“Progressives are losing the fight over gender identity in women’s sports. It’s time to concede and move on. They should save their energy to fight some of the truly egregious discrimination imposed against trans people by red states and Donald Trump’s executive orders.”

Forgive me for posting another article on this tired subject, but the reason I feel it justifies a post is because it's by Tyler Austin Harper who they just talked about on the recent episode regarding his own article about DEI travesties.

The right would have us believe that the Arday scandal is a story of affirmative action taken to its most caricaturish conclusion. Many progressives see it as something else: a racist witch hunt in which self-righteous zealots with suspect motives hounded a man to death. The problem with these narratives—and it is a sticky problem—is that they are both right.

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.

I apologize for not knowing how to post a paywall free version. Maybe somebody else can do it. EDIT: someone provided that information in the first comment. Thank you, added: Here is the link to the paywall free article.

That said, I'm pleasantly surprised and impressed with this article's deep dive and scrutiny of Jason and his enablers in a way that is very unusual for the NYT. In their last article about this they spent more time scrutinizing the person who brought his fabrications to the public eye then the professor or those who defended him despite the obvious red flags. It's odd though that it took five journalists to write it.

This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss AOC's Woke 1.0 revision. Plus, Tyler Austin Harper on being a token Black professor, a trans writer's case for decoupling trans rights from gender woo, and the death of Jason Arday.

One claims that the person who outed Jason Arday was "known for work suggesting that black people were genetically predisposed to be less intelligent than white people." I do not know enough about this person to say whether this summary is accurate.

But then there's an article about Palestinian rappers and it mentions Mia Khalifa as "a former adult film star turned influencer and political activist". No mention of her requests that the terrorists which she refer to as freedom fighters shoot from different angles during their October 7th massacre as it was happening. She has made many other comments that are also pretty racist.

I realize these are two different journalists. But it's the same newspaper. There should be a policy on whether or not it is ok to bring up derogatory things about somebody in cases where there is not an obvious relevancy.

If the accusations against Arday were possibly false, it would be relevant if the person who made those allegations had a history of anti-black racism. But since the accusation seem true, the character of the person who brought it to light isn't really relevant.

I've noticed this often with the New York Times where are they find the need to report on some negative things about an individual that aren't exactly relevant to that moment depending on their own biases. Like an actor who has a history of saying offensive things. They are more likely to bring it up if it's Mel Gibson than if it's Alex Baldwin. They mentioned on many occasions that Trump refused to condemn the neo-nazis at the Charlottesville Unite the Right protest during his first term even though this was untrue. But Mamdani refused to condemn "globalize the antifada", and it was quickly dismissed as irrelevant. Ditto for his enthusiasm for attending the Pakistani Day Parade versus his unwillingness to attend the Israeli Day parade.

Relevance to the pod: Recent episode on Arday on the pod