https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P55t6eryY3g

I've been linked this video and others like it fairly often. And while I have given it a listen there are several issues I have with it. So I decided to take the time to listen through again and write out my thoughts.

I'll try to include timestamps of where I paused to write but this is going to be kinda low effort.

Starting off. I take issue immediately with the "white guy shit" mentioned not twenty seconds in. And at the three minute mark the video mentions that the alt right is specifically looking for "straight white men who feel emasculated" stating that these among other men are made to feel less like the "confident white man they're supposed to be"

So right off the bat we have condescension and derision. to the creator these aren't men with legitimate problems. They're just men who are upset over losing their "position of power"

Not only does this dismiss the possibility that the issues these men face are real. But it also frames them as being deserving of this derision and dismissal. I'm even pretty sure that there's a point in this video where it outright states that one of the primary recruitment tools of these groups is that they validate their feelings.

Like if you want people to stop going to this group. And said group is using your dismissal of those people's issues as leverage to bring them in closer. Maybe cut that the fuck out for a bit huh? like take a pause on the "men are oppressors" BS and consider that if you treat somebody like a monster then eventually they'll accept the position you're giving them.

And at 4:45. there's a specific quote that I wish I could talk to the creator about.

"their hope is that they find the alt-right before they find us"

I guarant-fucking-tee you more often than not they found you first. I've seen, met and spoken with literally dozens of people both online and offline that dove into far right BS because of bad experiences with folks on the far left.

And the fact that I even considered putting a disclaimer here invoking my "lefty cred" says almost too much.

I'm at 5:52 right now. (this may be a long post) And I can hear that same derisive tone talking about "alt right" figures who are "charismatic according to gabe's tastes but not ours"

Which signals an underlying issue. The creator isn't capable of actually seeing things from "gabe's" theoretical perspective. He's not actually taking the time to consider what actually makes these figures attractive. pictured at least where I have it paused are sargon of akkad. Jordan peterson, Stephen crowder and that other guy who's name eludes me.

Here's the thing. I've listened to all of them to differing degrees. I don't agree with them very often. (some more than others) But I can absolutely see why each one of them is popular. There is something there. And the inability to see things like this is one of my bigger underlying issues. It's not just a lack of understanding. It's that there's such a dissonance between what the creator of the video knows and the experiences of those he's talking about that pretty much any argument automatically becomes a strawman.

Pausing at 9:00 now. A few thoughts on "progressive critique" and the so called "deliberate" nature of infiltration.

Again these points just reek of coming from a perspective opposite of the people the video is talking about.

It's like dropping a rock on an ant hill, seeing the ants all gather around said rock and then coming to the conclusion that ants like rocks.

criticism aren't automatically good or correct just because they're "progressive" One such example was the recent controversy with the witcher series and the inclusion of minority characters. Yeah, theoretically it's a great thing. But a lot of fans felt like it was diversity being pushed to cater to a woke crowd. Because the series was set in what is essentially medieval eastern europe. Not a whole lot of minority groups around in that setting historically.

to a lot of fans it felt like when J.K rowling shoehorned in dumbledoor being gay.

Paused at 14:12.

All i've got to say is this. No. Sometimes it's not just a caricature. Sometimes you're not right. Sometimes you're the asshole

Paused again at 14:49.

"many of gabes problems could be addressed by progressive leftism"

Do you mean the same rhetoric you've consistently used to dismiss/diminish Gabe's problems while placing the blame for them solely onto his shoulders?

Remember. Gabe is the beneficiary of all these systems under your paradigm. YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PUT HIM INTO THE POSITION OF YOUR ENEMY.

Paused at 31:42.

on the topic of the saying "feminism is cancer" the video states.

"you don't treat cancer by having a respectful exchange of ideas."

This one was really mind blowing to me. Like sure. Let's have that respectful exchange of ideas.

I'll start. Men are not an oppressor class. The system is not set up to benefit men. Gender roles mostly evolved as an efficient means of survival. and both men and women have specific but unique pros and cons in this system.

Now why is it that so many of us have yet to find a single feminist community willing to have this "respectful exchange of ideas"? Is it because we believe that feminism is cancer? or is it because just like the extremists this video is focused on. They're too focused on their own insular beliefs to acknowledge outside ideas.

Stopped at 33:58. Honestly I feel like a broken record since this is just hammering the same BS points.

Say it with me now. If people are joining the "enemy team" because the "enemy team" is valuing them and your team is blatantly opposed to this. A good way to stop people from joining the enemy team is to knock that the fuck off.

That's about it. I don't have much to say past that aside from noting that the little line at the end was just so hokey it felt like I was watching a saturday morning cartoon about the dangers of drug use.