Anthony Fantano, the internet's busiest white supremacist

[Microwave Jellyfish]

Anyone following him and the recent events?

http://www.thefader.com/2017/10/03/needle-drop-deleted-youtube-channel-this-is-the-plan

I have no illusions about the weight of some random dude's words on a message board as opposed to a trending Fader article, but holy shit. Slander. Absolute slander. And it makes me sad. I'm not even a huge fan of the guy, but I am/was actually familiar with his content, including thatistheplan, and holy shit, are they off or what. Jesus. It's worse than the James Rolfe/Ghostbusters thing from last year. Total shit show.

[eversonpoe]

Anyone following him and the recent events?

http://www.thefader.com/2017/10/03/needle-drop-deleted-youtube-channel-this-is-the-plan

I have no illusions about the weight of some random dude's words on a message board as opposed to a trending Fader article, but holy shit. Slander. Absolute slander. And it makes me sad. I'm not even a huge fan of the guy, but I am/was actually familiar with his content, including thatistheplan, and holy shit, are they off or what. Jesus. It's worse than the James Rolfe/Ghostbusters thing from last year. Total shit show.

i'm confused...are you disputing the claims and saying he's NOT what he appears to be?

[Microwave Jellyfish]

Yeah. Thread title was meant to be ironic.

[eversonpoe]

Yeah. Thread title was meant to be ironic.

but all of the legitimate concerns the article addresses (and sources) clearly didn't just come from nowhere. what makes you say he's not actually the asshole he appears to be? i never liked his music reviews and this makes me glad, because he's clearly not a very good person.

[Helpmeiaminhell (is now in hell)]

This will either destroy his career.....or make him more popular than ever...Always thought he was a dick for shitting on the last few Mike Patton releases

[Dryalex12]

This will either destroy his career.....or make him more popular than ever...Always thought he was a dick for shitting on the last few Mike Patton releases

Yeah, how dare he has a different opinion then yours

[Frozen Beach]

I don't like Mike Patton, guess I'm an asshole.

[botley]

Posting racist bullshit makes you an asshole, full stop. Fuck off forever if you're defending that awful garbage.

[r_z]

So what racist stuff did he do? I only know him from a few of his reviews, in some of which he appeared with his black gf.

[Microwave Jellyfish]

but all of the legitimate concerns the article addresses (and sources) clearly didn't just come from nowhere.
Right, this is strictly my personal take, and I'm not even near the wordsmith in English as the Fader author is, but: the suggestion of "genuine" racist humour, Fantano spreading hate speech or his videos being a conservative mouthpiece while he was playing the saint for his larger audience on his main channel is wrong. Thatistheplan is not him speaking his mind; at least for the year or so I was following it, it had been a comedy channel, an off-the-wall and bizarre one, yes, largely inspired by 4chan's shock culture, not something easily digestible for an audience that's unfamiliar with the style, and definitely not the wisest direction to follow post-2016 and the alt-right association that came with the site, but it was just that. A dumb shitposting channel, "done for the lulz" as they used to say it back in the day. He was putting on an act, making fun of imageboard and outrage culture, taboos, the media, his own larger than life e-celebrity and YouTube in general. I know how clichéd this sounds, but the problematic content in this case wasn't meant to be taken at face value, and definitely not in the way Fader wants to take it, seemingly.

The article is slick, operating with sentences like "He’s playing the specter of black suicide and death for laughs." and it's hard to prove otherwise with the majority of the videos gone, but things like that were not what his humour or jokes were centered around. The appearances of Pepe the Frog weren't meant to be funny for what the character stands for, the joke is that Pepe is edgy and taboo now, a symbol that causes outrage. Same for the chord-on-the-neck shtick, which is something he was performing forever, as much a part of his thatistheplan persona as his white vest and orange hat and sunglasses. The freedom ring line in the XXXT video is there to shock, not to preach against black rights. His Hopsin-bashing has started as a diss response to one of actual bona fide alt-righter Paul Joseph Watson's video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyLUIXWnrC0)s. Anthony - obviously - does not agree with him. And these are also cherry-picked examples from the ocean of content he put up on that channel. 9 out of the 10 times you'd see something that makes fun of top 10 anime list-style videos or the (inoffensive) new meme of the week, without a hint of political stuff - this "alt-right pandering for bucks" accusation seems nonsensical. To me.

As for his main channel(s), it's extremely rare for me to agree with one of his reviews, but I really enjoy his thinkpiece vlogs and podcasts. He comes off as a well-meaning professional guy with a genuine passion for music who's well-informed in today's media and culture. That's the Fantano most people came to know and love. His real political opinions or views on ace is not something he often talks about, his main interest is obviously in hip-hop and he married a black woman, which makes the accusations even more unlikely, but I don't personally know him. Just judging by his overall content over the years, thatistheplan was a cheap side project played for laughs, not an ugly glimpse into a two-faced asshole's rotten soul.

Supposedly we can expect a video from him commenting on the case very soon. I'm curious. Wishing the best to him as of now, it's going to be tough.


he's clearly not a very good person.
You have the right to think that, same with every other person who's opinion will be influenced by Fader And by God, there will be plenty of them. But it's not something I agree with or am happy about.


This will either destroy his career.....or make him more popular than ever...Always thought he was a dick for shitting on the last few Mike Patton releases
Probably the former. It's starting already (http://
We only want to promote events we can stand by proudly. With that, The Needle Drop 10/28 is canceled. Refunds available @ point of purchase
— popgun presents (@popgunpresents) October 4, 2017 ).


Posting racist bullshit makes you an asshole, full stop. Fuck off forever if you're defending that awful garbage.
Acknowledged.

[eversonpoe]

Right, this is strictly my personal take, and I'm not even near the wordsmith in English as the Fader author is, but: the suggestion of "genuine" racist humour, Fantano spreading hate speech or his videos being a conservative mouthpiece while he was playing the saint for his larger audience on his main channel is wrong. Thatistheplan is not him speaking his mind; at least for the year or so I was following it, it had been a comedy channel, an off-the-wall and bizarre one, yes, largely inspired by 4chan's shock culture, not something easily digestible for an audience that's unfamiliar with the style, and definitely not the wisest direction to follow post-2016 and the alt-right association that came with the site, but it was just that. A dumb shitposting channel, "done for the lulz" as they used to say it back in the day. He was putting on an act, making fun of imageboard and outrage culture, taboos, the media, his own larger than life e-celebrity and YouTube in general. I know how clichéd this sounds, but the problematic content in this case wasn't meant to be taken at face value, and definitely not in the way Fader wants to take it, seemingly.

The article is slick, operating with sentences like "He’s playing the specter of black suicide and death for laughs." and it's hard to prove otherwise with the majority of the videos gone, but things like that were not what his humour or jokes were centered around. The appearances of Pepe the Frog weren't meant to be funny for what the character stands for, the joke is that Pepe is edgy and taboo now, a symbol that causes outrage. Same for the chord-on-the-neck shtick, which is something he was performing forever, as much a part of his thatistheplan persona as his white vest and orange hat and sunglasses. The freedom ring line in the XXXT video is there to shock, not to preach against black rights. His Hopsin-bashing has started as a diss response to one of actual bona fide alt-righter Paul Joseph Watson's video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyLUIXWnrC0)s. Anthony - obviously - does not agree with him. And these are also cherry-picked examples from the ocean of content he put up on that channel. 9 out of the 10 times you'd see something that makes fun of top 10 anime list-style videos or the (inoffensive) new meme of the week, without a hint of political stuff - this "alt-right pandering for bucks" accusation seems nonsensical. To me.

As for his main channel(s), it's extremely rare for me to agree with one of his reviews, but I really enjoy his thinkpiece vlogs and podcasts. He comes off as a well-meaning professional guy with a genuine passion for music who's well-informed in today's media and culture. That's the Fantano most people came to know and love. His real political opinions or views on ace is not something he often talks about, his main interest is obviously in hip-hop and he married a black woman, which makes the accusations even more unlikely, but I don't personally know him. Just judging by his overall content over the years, thatistheplan was a cheap side project played for laughs, not an ugly glimpse into a two-faced asshole's rotten soul.

Supposedly we can expect a video from him commenting on the case very soon. I'm curious. Wishing the best to him as of now, it's going to be tough.


You have the right to think that, same with every other person who's opinion will be influenced by Fader And by God, there will be plenty of them. But it's not something I agree with or am happy about.


Probably the former. It's starting already (http://
We only want to promote events we can stand by proudly. With that, The Needle Drop 10/28 is canceled. Refunds available @ point of purchase<br /> &mdash; popgun presents (@popgunpresents) October 4, 2017).


Acknowledged.

what about him participating in conversations where sexist/racist rhetoric was spewed unironically and he did nothing to prevent or dissuade it? that guy talking about raping and beating the shit out of lena dunham and anthony laughing about it is extremely fucked up.

[zecho]

What about the fact that his meme channel was satirical? What about him identifying as a feminist? What about him speaking maturely and respectfully on race relations multiple times throughout his career, as well as speaking against racism? What about his black wife? What about his left leaning stances in other videos? What about his political tweets that are clearly leftist, and supporting of other nationalities and races? This Fader article is a hit piece that intentionally leaves out information to make a situation out of nothing. I hope the internet hate machine doesn't eat this shit up.

[Dryalex12]

That channel he posted that shit on was just a meme place. It was never to taken seriously, it was just stupid dank edgy stuff for shits and giggles. Apparently this time people took it serious

[botley]

He probably made more ad money from 'meme review' than most people make by actually creating music. I'm not surprised by that, but it's depressing when you think about it.

In regards to the parody videos, we are all fully aware of the "satire" defence, that it's meant for an "in" audience, yep, understood. That completely ignores the wider social context of Black performers being left out of power positions in the culture industry, but okay, let's continue to ignore that and assume in good faith that he meant no harm to Black people by repeatedly using unacceptable slurs in a public forum.

More to the point: what the fuck was he thinking, interviewing those alt-right shitstains on his podcast? How naive do you have to be to entertain and associate yourself with those assholes by unquestioningly extending your platform to them?

[zecho]

He probably made more ad money from 'meme review' than most people make by actually creating music. I'm not surprised by that, but it's depressing when you think about it.

In regards to the parody videos, we are all fully aware of the "satire" defence, that it's meant for an "in" audience, yep, understood. That completely ignores the wider social context of Black performers being left out of power positions in the culture industry, but okay, let's continue to ignore that and assume in good faith that he meant no harm to Black people by repeatedly using unacceptable slurs in a public forum.

More to the point: what the fuck was he thinking, interviewing those alt-right shitstains on his podcast? How naive do you have to be to entertain and associate yourself with those assholes by unquestioningly extending your platform to them?

Okay, first off, he's a youtube music critic, he has no ability to fix institutionalized racism in an international multi-billion dollar industry, and implying he has anything to do with the lack of black positions in culture is ridiculous, especially considering the number of black musicians he constantly promotes.

Second, I have never seen him ever use a slur of any kind, and on the contrary, he has made videos explaining why slurs are hurtful and shouldn't be used.

Third, the only way to fix the divide (in the US particularly) in the political spectrum is to speak to each other, and I have no problem with that.

[Krazy]

Was this meant to be posted in a different sub-section?

[Airbornefeline]

You can do this with pretty much any comedian. Cherry pick a few statements that sound "shocking" without context and use those to push a narrative and get some clicks. I feel like anyone who's actually seen the videos would realize it's blatant satire not to be taken the least bit seriously. Hopefully this stupid BS doesn't affect his career in any real way.

[botley]

Okay, first off, he's a youtube music critic, he has no ability to fix institutionalized racism in an international multi-billion dollar industry, and implying he has anything to do with the lack of black positions in culture is ridiculous, especially considering the number of black musicians he constantly promotes.

Second, I have never seen him ever use a slur of any kind, and on the contrary, he has made videos explaining why slurs are hurtful and shouldn't be used.

Third, the only way to fix the divide (in the US particularly) in the political spectrum is to speak to each other, and I have no problem with that.
1) Irrelevant to my point about power dynamics at play here 2) Check the screenshots in The Fader 3) Sure, let's speak to people advocating rape and murder. Hey look, they're speaking about raping and murder. Guess I better not stop them on the platform I've extended to host them?

[Airbornefeline]

1) Irrelevant to my point about power dynamics at play here 2) Check the screenshots in The Fader 3) Sure, let's speak to people advocating rape and murder. Hey look, they're speaking about raping and murder. Guess I better not stop them on the platform I've extended to host them?

What exactly IS your point about power dynamics? It's not making much sense to me and I re-read it multiple times attempting to get it. His language dictates the position of black performers in this country? "real nigga hours" memes are meant to harm black people? I don't understand your other points either. Someone joking about rape and murder means they're advocating for rape and murder? Talking to someone on your podcast is an automatic endorsement of everything they say or joke about? btw not a single person he's had on his podcast is a member of the alt-right. That term gets thrown around so much it's lost all meaning.

[zecho]

1) Irrelevant to my point about power dynamics at play here 2) Check the screenshots in The Fader 3) Sure, let's speak to people advocating rape and murder. Hey look, they're speaking about raping and murder. Guess I better not stop them on the platform I've extended to host them?

1) I guess I don't understand your point about power dynamics. Could you explain it more fully so I'll know what you mean? 2) Because I can't watch the video, I don't know what the context was. Was what he was rapping relevant to the image that he used? Hopsin raps about political and race stuff, but to a melodramatic degree. It's possible he was mocking that. I don't know, but because of other misinformation in the article, I'm not going to assume that there was something racist here, however bad taste it may have been. (3 That guy said those awful things on the podcast, not before. While I think Fantano should have done something about it, I can understand if he didn't as to not escalate the situation.

My argument here is not that he didn't talk to awful people, just that this article is picking and choosing to make Fantano look bad. If I didn't watch his reviews (not his meme bullshit, I always thought that was dumb) I would assume he was a neo-nazi or something based on this article. If he did something in bad taste, then he's not immune to criticism, but this article is a hit piece that dug through his hundreds of videos to find anything they could use against him while simultaneously not showing the multiple times he's talked about race-relations and been very pro-black. Don't you think that's suspicious journalism?

[Exocet]

More to the point: what the fuck was he thinking, interviewing those alt-right shitstains on his podcast? How naive do you have to be to entertain and associate yourself with those assholes by unquestioningly extending your platform to them?

People like Sargon of Akkad routinely mock the Alt Right, Sargon comments on and mocks puritanical left wing hysteria..and Antony takes the piss out of genuine nutty Alt Righters like Paul Joseph Watson...

[AndItKeepsRepeating]

Fantano is married to a black woman AND enjoys/promotes music put out by black artists. He's not a white supremacist and surely not a racist.

[eversonpoe]

actions speak louder than intentions.

you can be married to someone who's black and still be racist (not saying he is, i'm just saying it's possible).

if someone comes on your podcast (which you later edit) and you don't feel the need to dissuade them from "humorously" discussing the rape and beating of someone, nor do you feel the need to excise it from the final product, then you're contributing to rape culture and you're part of the problem. for all the other shit that he did that may or may not have been satirical, this to me stands out as one of the most fucked up. i noticed that none of you who are defending him have addressed it since i brought it up before. how is this an ok thing to do?

[botley]

If he did something in bad taste, then he's not immune to criticism, but this article is a hit piece that dug through his hundreds of videos to find anything they could use against him while simultaneously not showing the multiple times he's talked about race-relations and been very pro-black. Don't you think that's suspicious journalism?
It's irrelevant how many times he spoke about race relations. The Fader's writer reached out for comment from Fantano about the offensive content of his parodies and he declined to offer one. Am I going to defend their editorial practices? No, but the premise of the article is sound. In light of Fantano shutting down his memes channel, it's relevant to examine what was going on there and show where someone outwardly talking the talk about supporting Black artists has been simultaneously using them as a punchline to make money off the clicks of rubes. That was the sole intent of the parody channel, by the way: to make ad money. Fantano said on Twitter the reason he took it down is they stopped giving him money for it. He went on to say that he won't respond to the article except on YouTube (where the clicks will presumably earn him money on his "less-edgy" channel).

My point about power was that satire should be directed at those in power, not at those oppressed by it. This is an interesting case, because nobody now wants to be associated with the alt-right since it's been shown to be full of dangerous idiocy, but Fantano has been benefiting from flirting with the more popular extreme fringe right-wingers like Hyde, and basking in the sickly glow of 4chan for his entire career.

I used to be a little more like Fantano, as a young adult. I once believed his backwards-ass reasoning in that Tumblr post they linked to, about media creators bearing little responsibility for toxic portrayals of gender, that this debate was a distraction from REAL work on improving the cause of human rights. But he also seems to think the people criticizing media for its misogyny or racism "have it coming" when the onslaught of backlash from evil hate-nerds turns violent and predatory. If the byline of this article was a woman's name, it'd clearly be a fucking shitstorm of that already.

EDIT: oh wait he's Jewish, so of course there's already a Reddit thread about how this is a Jewish conspiracy to silence YouTubers. I can't even.

[zecho]

actions speak louder than intentions.

you can be married to someone who's black and still be racist (not saying he is, i'm just saying it's possible).

if someone comes on your podcast (which you later edit) and you don't feel the need to dissuade them from "humorously" discussing the rape and beating of someone, nor do you feel the need to excise it from the final product, then you're contributing to rape culture and you're part of the problem. for all the other shit that he did that may or may not have been satirical, this to me stands out as one of the most fucked up. i noticed that none of you who are defending him have addressed it since i brought it up before. how is this an ok thing to do?

No one's defending it because it is fucked up. There's no excuse for it, and I think it was a major misstep, and he should be criticized for it. That said, I don't think he's racist or alt-right, considering that he's has been openly against both, and this article is trying to paint him as that. If this article was about that one incident, I would have no issue with it. It's the rest of the article that I think is a problem.

[zecho]

It's irrelevant how many times he spoke about race relations. The Fader's writer reached out for comment from Fantano about the offensive content of his parodies and he declined to offer one. Am I going to defend their editorial practices? No, but the premise of the article is sound. In light of Fantano shutting down his memes channel, it's relevant to examine what was going on there and show where someone outwardly talking the talk about supporting Black artists has been simultaneously using them as a punchline to make money off the clicks of rubes. That was the sole intent of the parody channel, by the way: to make ad money. Fantano said on Twitter the reason he took it down is they stopped giving him money for it. He went on to say that he won't respond to the article except on YouTube (where the clicks will presumably earn him money on his "less-edgy" channel).

My point about power was that satire should be directed at those in power, not at those oppressed by it. This is an interesting case, because nobody now wants to be associated with the alt-right since it's been shown to be full of dangerous idiocy, but Fantano has been benefiting from flirting with the more popular extreme fringe right-wingers like Hyde, and basking in the sickly glow of 4chan for his entire career.

I used to be a little more like Fantano, as a young adult. I once believed his backwards-ass reasoning in that Tumblr post they linked to, about media creators bearing little responsibility for toxic portrayals of gender, that this debate was a distraction from REAL work on improving the cause of human rights. But he also seems to think the people criticizing media for its misogyny or racism "have it coming" when the onslaught of backlash from evil hate-nerds turns violent and predatory. If the byline of this article was a woman's name, it'd clearly be a fucking shitstorm of that already.

EDIT: oh wait he's Jewish, so of course there's already a Reddit thread about how this is a Jewish conspiracy to silence YouTubers. I can't even.

I agree with most of what you've said, but I still think you're viewing his meme channel as something directed at black people when it wasn't. He wasn't using "black people" as a punch line, he was using bad rappers. He made fun of rappers who were white as well.

What this comes down to for me isn't whether or not his meme channel was stupid, or whether or not he interviewed an offensive piece of shit, it's whether or not he is a racist, and I don't believe he is. I believe that this article misconstrues the nature of the videos on his meme channel to make them seem race-related when they were not. I think this article doesn't mention his wife, politics, or his beliefs about race because it would cripple their angle. I think that it points out irrelevant things, like the color of his mic cord, to reinforce a racial motive that doesn't exist.

So, in summary, I'm cool with criticizing Fantano for things that he's actually done, like the interview, but I'm not cool with making someone out to be a racist through misinformation. That's super not cool.

[Krazy]

I normally don't give a shit, but why is this thread in the "discuss bands/musicians/artists" sub-forum?

[AndItKeepsRepeating]

actions speak louder than intentions.

I agree. I think the combined actions of being married to a black woman and promoting music by black artists speak incredibly loudly.


you can be married to someone who's black and still be racist (not saying he is, i'm just saying it's possible).

I seriously doubt that, but ok. Either way its not like who he is married to is the only evidence against his being a racist.


if someone comes on your podcast (which you later edit) and you don't feel the need to dissuade them from "humorously" discussing the rape and beating of someone, nor do you feel the need to excise it from the final product, then you're contributing to rape culture and you're part of the problem. for all the other shit that he did that may or may not have been satirical, this to me stands out as one of the most fucked up. i noticed that none of you who are defending him have addressed it since i brought it up before. how is this an ok thing to do?

I've made a rape joke before. Not proud of it, wasn't funny, but I'm not a rapist, given that I've never raped anyone. You might say my actions (having not raped anyone my entire life) speak louder than my intentions (to make someone laugh via a stupid, poorly thought out joke) or words (as the saying typically goes.)

You can certainly say "actions speak louder than words/intentions", and I completely agree, but you should apply it evenly in all areas of the discussion. You're saying his inaction (not speaking up against rape humor in the podcast) being tacit support of rape culture, is more telling as to who he is than his other actions (having a black wife, supporting black artists, also not raping people) Seems like you're just applying value to the points that back up your side of the discussion and not looking at the whole picture, singling out one lone inaction and disregarding others.

And if we follow your logic, and say he should have spoke up against the rape humor (which I don't disagree with, I just don't think not saying anything makes him guilty by association) with his WORDS, would those words speak louder than his other ACTIONS? You know like how he doesn't rape people, making him by definition not a rapist? Or what if he was a rapist, but he spoke out against rape culture on his podcast, would that be ok? Of course not. My point is if you're going to place the most value on people's actions (which I 100% agree with) than you need to do it across the board. He's not a rapist, and the simple act of not speaking out against it once doesn't make him a supporter of "rape culture".

You can't say actions speak loud and then say that his lack of words on the subject is one action that speaks louder than all his other cumulative actions that indicate otherwise.

[botley]

I still think you're viewing his meme channel as something directed at black people when it wasn't. He wasn't using "black people" as a punch line, he was using bad rappers. He made fun of rappers who were white as well.
But Fantano didn't show them with slurs next to their faces on his channel — the problem is simply that he was reproducing memes mocking Black people. For the money. I don't care about anything else he's said about Black people, or who else he mocks, because it's really not an "is he racist/not racist" dichotomy being set up in the Fader piece, rather his defenders are leaping to make it about that — and ignoring his dismissal of "SJW" women/trans people, which is also troubling to me because he is choosing to align himself with an army of awfully hateful trolls, again likely for clicks/views/cash.

That's the thesis of the piece, not that he belongs to the Racist/White Supremacist club or the Alt-Right club (he doesn't) but that he pandered to that audience in search of ad revenue. His behaviour in other environments, to me, is not of material consequence to such moral failings.


I think this article doesn't mention his wife, politics, or his beliefs about race because it would cripple their angle. I think that it points out irrelevant things, like the color of his mic cord, to reinforce a racial motive that doesn't exist.

So, in summary, I'm cool with criticizing Fantano for things that he's actually done, like the interview, but I'm not cool with making someone out to be a racist through misinformation. That's super not cool.
As far as I am aware, nobody has contradicted the veracity of any Fantano-created content reported in the piece. You may take issue with how the writer framed his personality, but the content Fantano created and hosted is indeed as it's described, no? What is the fault in pointing out how scummy it is? Or else, what exactly is the "tone" of the parody videos, if it's not meant to be mocking Black people? What else is he satirizing? Surely the salient point the writer made is that Fantano wrapped a mic cord around his neck to mock a Black man for contemplating suicide, not the color of the cord?

[jmtd]

A +1 to @botley (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=469)'s articulate and nuanced response. IMHO taking racist material or views and remixing it or repurposing it, is, or at least can be racist in and of itself because even if the statement someone is trying to make is ostensibly about the people who produced the material in the first place, it completely ignores the fact that the material itself is harmful or offensive, and propagating it, even transformed, is harmful and offensive. Ignorance is no excuse in that context.

But I must say, at least so far, I'm really pleased that this thread is going the way it is... it's not an echo chamber for one faction or the other, it's heated but not boiling, and I get the feeling someone *might* learn something from it, just not sure who yet.

That said, since this has come up at least twice now


Fantano is married to a black woman

This is basically irrelevant, it can't be used as a serious defence against accusations of racism. We've no idea what his marriage is like, how he treats his wife etc. The rest of your sentence sure, I'm not challenging that here, but this particular talking point, nope.

[AndItKeepsRepeating]

This is basically irrelevant, it can't be used as a serious defence against accusations of racism. We've no idea what his marriage is like, how he treats his wife etc. The rest of your sentence sure, I'm not challenging that here, but this particular talking point, nope.



Except that we have seen interactions between Fantano and his wife, on his youtube channels and via his social media accounts, I believe some dating back to before they were even married.

Also, maybe I'm being naive, but I'm completely ok with giving his wife the benefit of the doubt in thinking she wouldn't allow herself to be married to someone who thinks she is a lesser level of human than he is.

[Pbgut]

Except that we have seen interactions between Fantano and his wife a couple of times, on his youtube channels and via his social media accounts, I believe some even dating back to before they were even married.

Also, maybe I'm being naive, but I'm completely ok with giving his wife the benefit of the doubt in thinking she wouldn't allow herself to be married to someone who thinks she is a lesser level of human than he is.

Racism isn't simply white supremacy -- that's why there's a separate term for it. Racism can also be, as botley pointed out, an exploitation of uneven power dynamics due to the lower social and economic status of minorities; appropriation of cultural material and/or obliviousness to its social meaning; and many other subtler but very real forms of discrimination. It can simply be making money off or otherwise exploiting said culture or its subjugation, which many of these memes do.

Additionally, if there is this much debate over whether or not something is racist, dehumanizing, offensive, or nihilistic in regards to a group of humans' humanity -- maybe there's something to it and it's wise just to play it safe and find something else to "make harmless jokes" about?

[jmtd]

Consider, would you say "person X couldn't be sexist, he married a woman"?

[AndItKeepsRepeating]

Consider, would you say "person X couldn't be sexist, he married a woman"?

No, but sexism and racism aren't the same thing.

[cashpiles (closed)]

So Fantano has more power than a pop star? OK...... Also, since when did it become wrong to make fun of specific people? Trump gets it every night.

A white homeless person can't make fun of Beyoncé because she is black and therefore has less power than the homeless person because the homeless person is white? OK......

Dave Chappelle can make fun of white people, but not the other way around just because of the skin color? OK.... Last time I checked we are all human.....

[aggroculture]

^^^would so facepalm^^^

[Aladdinsanity]

Dave Chappelle can make fun of white people, but not the other way around just because of the skin color?

This is absolutely correct. I am not even kidding.

[Airbornefeline]

This thread is a pretty good example of how the media can manipulate the masses to demonize a man just by writing an article. The Fader should write an article about how Trent Reznor is a sexist, murderous piece of shit because of the *horribly offensive* lyrics in the song "big man with a gun" and see how many people eat that shit up without doing their research or knowing what satire is. BTW whose dick do i have to suck to get the power to facepalm everyone i disagree with?


This is absolutely correct. I am not even kidding.
Dave Chappelle would disagree with you

[Aladdinsanity]

Dave Chappelle would disagree with you

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/98uesc/chappelle-s-show-dave-on--donahue----uncensored

[Airbornefeline]

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/98uesc/chappelle-s-show-dave-on--donahue----uncensored

Where does he say or even insinuate white people can't joke about black people in that clip? Did you watch that before linking it? Also you do realize many of the jokes about black people on that show were written by Neal Brennan, a white man?

[imail724]

Where does he say or even insinuate white people can't joke about black people in that clip? Did you watch that before linking it? Also you do realize many of the jokes about black people on that show were written by Neal Brennan, a white man?Neil Brennan confirmed racist piece of shit

[tony.parente]

Y’all got trolled. Homie isn’t racist, homie isn’t a sexist, he’s not far right. Literally making up reasons to be offended. Literally.
#problematic
#facepalms
#inventedcontroversy

[Maximilian]

I used to be subbed to theneedledrop, but it seemed like he started reviewing more horseshit throwaway rap than bands with actual musical talent. Might check him out again to see if that's changed.

[botley]

This thread is a pretty good example of how the media can manipulate the masses to demonize a man just by writing an article.
He's not a demon, he's just an asshole, which IMO is totally on par for the course in vlogger culture. Nothing exceptional about his behaviour whatsoever, he was just chasing bucks and crossed a line as many have done and continue to do without consequences. The Fader reported what he posted, some of which contains racist material. Everybody defending him points to other stuff he did, as though that cancels it out somehow, which of course it doesn't. Nobody censored him, nobody asked him to take the channel down, he did it himself because YouTube stopped funding it. Oh and also because he was probably quite rightly embarrassed by it, and I suspect he actually has some conscience about this deep down. We'll see how he responds.


The Fader should write an article about how Trent Reznor is a sexist, murderous piece of shit because of the *horribly offensive* lyrics in the song "big man with a gun" and see how many people eat that shit up without doing their research or knowing what satire is.
What part of The Fader piece is poorly researched? Once again, nobody has contradicted the facts presented in the article. "Big Man with a Gun" isn't really a satire (I'm aware Reznor reportedly said it satirizes misogyny "in a way", but he certainly doesn't play it for laughs); it's a characterization. That controversy already played itself out, and Reznor took his knocks for it. If Trent Reznor participated in a YouTube video where he "satirically" invited women to drink bleach, as Fantano did, I would say that he was a sexist piece of shit.

[Airbornefeline]

He's not a demon, he's just an asshole, which IMO is totally on par for the course in vlogger culture. Nothing exceptional about his behaviour whatsoever, he was just chasing bucks and crossed a line as many have done and continue to do without consequences. The Fader reported what he posted, some of which contains racist material. Everybody defending him points to other stuff he did, as though that cancels it out somehow, which of course it doesn't. Nobody censored him, nobody asked him to take the channel down, he did it himself because YouTube stopped funding it. Oh and also because he was probably quite rightly embarrassed by it, and I suspect he actually has some conscience about this deep down. We'll see how he responds.


What part of The Fader piece is poorly researched? Once again, nobody has contradicted the facts presented in the article. "Big Man with a Gun" isn't really a satire (I'm aware Reznor reportedly said it satirizes misogyny "in a way", but he certainly doesn't play it for laughs); it's a characterization. That controversy already played itself out, and Reznor took his knocks for it. If Trent Reznor participated in a YouTube video where he "satirically" invited women to drink bleach, as Fantano did, I would say that he was a sexist piece of shit.

So the smoking gun for him being a racist piece of shit is the picture of a black dude hanging himself with a roll of toilet paper right? The Fader either did NOT do their research or PURPOSEFULLY took that picture and edited it to look like a man actually being lynched to push their agenda. "he's playing the specter of black suicide for laughs". Absolutely fucking ridiculous.
Oh and he put up a stupid "real nigga hours" meme he probably found on facebook in the background for a couple seconds. Really demonstrates a hatred for black people there. What a racist piece of shit.

ANd really? It's totally fine in your eyes to make a serious and violent sounding song about raping and murdering someone but an obvious joke video which has a reference to drinking bleach is CLEARLY sexist and crosses the line? LMAO You definitely aren't biased.

Other things they got wrong would include him apparently endorsing every single thing Sam Hyde said on his podcast, and that Sam Hyde is some kind of known alt-right figure. Anthony started that podcast with an intro specifically saying he did not endorse any of the shit sam said just to be edgy (which included insults and threats against anthony's own dad, conveniently left out of the article to push the narrative). Now, I've actually heard conflicting things about Sam Hyde actually being alt-right but I haven't seen any actual evidence to indicate it other than him saying clearly stupid edgy shit just for shock value which is what he's always done. Oh and they also call Sargon of Akkad a "far-right youtuber" which is just blatantly false.

[YouOftenForget]

I'm surprised to hear about the other channel of his and the content. I've liked watching a few of his reviews in the past and remember hearing about him essentially due to his interest in Death Grips.

While I haven't watched any of the videos that are shown in the article, I totally get the 4chan vibe off of them. That place has always been insane to me and I remember how blurred the lines get between satire and outright hate for the same topics. I remember this thing where people harassed Hot Topic for putting up a shirt with a meme graphic print and the people from 4chan bombed it convincing HT that they were selling shirts with racist messages. I had a friend at the time that explained to me how it usually would begin with a prank that was subversive and a few people would be in on the humor while others would join in and actually harbor such ideas and go along with it anyway and it would usually be hard to sort out who was seriously racist vs. those just trying to get a rise out of people. So if he's dealing with that "other world" that comes from 4chan I would expect the lines to be blurry as to whether he is using it in an ironic way or he's sympathetic to alt-right ideas, maybe he's not executing it effectively or is doing it just like I remember where racist people and people doing it for shits and giggles are both like "haha yes!". My advice for him is to get the fuck out of there ASAP before his mind is irreversibly scrambled lol.

*Edit: hit submit early:rolleyes:*

[HWB]

This is the same guy who refused to say the entire title to "Niggas On The Moon" due to the word "nigga"

There is nothing more needed to know. Most people have mocked this guy for being too "left". Yet suddenly he is apparently a nazi or something.

Fuck, man.

[Dryalex12]

His is on the Mu forms on 4chan so there is that

[botley]

The Fader either did NOT do their research or PURPOSEFULLY took that picture and edited it to look like a man actually being lynched to push their agenda.
Neither of the two things you've proposed is plausible.


It's totally fine in your eyes to make a serious and violent sounding song about raping and murdering someone but an obvious joke video which has a reference to drinking bleach is CLEARLY sexist and crosses the line?
You're putting words in my mouth, and I'm not going to argue with you about what I believe anymore, because you demonstrate a lack of understanding when I explain it to you.

[Aladdinsanity]

Where does he say or even insinuate white people can't joke about black people in that clip? Did you watch that before linking it? Also you do realize many of the jokes about black people on that show were written by Neal Brennan, a white man?
It's Dave Chappelle making fun of white people.

Neal Brennan has spoken at length about what it's like working with black comedians and it generally involves empathy and gauging how well he knows them personally. If you think he'd be fine with a white person in stand-up punching down on minorities, you're sorely mistaken.

This idea that Chris Rock saying "cracker" is a genuine plight that white people have to struggle with is absolutely pathetic.

[Airbornefeline]

Neither of the two things you've proposed is plausible.

Ok so what is plausible to you? The Fader is 100% right about everything and Anthony actually used a picture of a black man being lynched even though he provably didn't? Do I have to post the source picture here?


You're putting words in my mouth, and I'm not going to argue with you about what I believe anymore, because you demonstrate a lack of understanding when I explain it to you.

What words did I put in your mouth? You're saying if Trent did what Anthony did, he'd be a sexist piece of shit, implying you don't view BMWAG as sexist but what Anthony did is. It'd be great if you could explain what I got wrong there but it seems like you've simply ran out of things to say.

[Airbornefeline]

It's Dave Chappelle making fun of white people.

Neal Brennan has spoken at length about what it's like working with black comedians and it generally involves empathy and gauging how well he knows them personally. If you think he'd be fine with a white person in stand-up punching down on minorities, you're sorely mistaken.

"punching down on minorities" weird how you say that as if that's what's going on here. I defy you to link me anything where either of them say white people can't joke about black people, which is what we were talking about.

PS if you do link something try to atleast watch it first :)


This idea that Chris Rock saying "cracker" is a genuine plight that white people have to struggle with is absolutely pathetic.
Resorting to random strawman arguments when you've run out of ideas is pretty pathetic too

[Airbornefeline]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UZqIIy7pAk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UZqIIy7pAk)

Here's Anthony's response. He does a really good job of breaking down exactly what The Fader fabricated while providing evidence for everything, if anyone's interested in a different perspective.

[cashpiles (closed)]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UZqIIy7pAk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UZqIIy7pAk)

Here's Anthony's response. He does a really good job of breaking down exactly what The Fader fabricated while providing evidence for everything, if anyone's interested in a different perspective.

botley and the other nuts can learn something

[AndItKeepsRepeating]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UZqIIy7pAk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UZqIIy7pAk)

Here's Anthony's response. He does a really good job of breaking down exactly what The Fader fabricated while providing evidence for everything, if anyone's interested in a different perspective.

/thread

[zecho]

He refutes every single thing, not only the intentions of his videos, but that the things that everyone in this thread were upset by were outright lies in the article. This argument is over.

[zecho]

botley and the other nuts can learn something

This has been a civil argument so far. Let's not call names, dude.

[Airbornefeline]

Yeah they're not nuts. At worst it's just kind of disgusting how quickly people can view someone as a "racist (or sexist, or whatever) piece of shit" just because an article told them to in a well written and neatly presented way, without looking into the facts themselves.

[AndItKeepsRepeating]

Yeah they're not nuts. At worst it's just kind of gross how quickly people can view someone as a "racist (or sexist, or whatever) piece of shit" just because an article told them to in a well written and neatly presented way, without looking into the facts themselves.

I agree there's no need for name calling, but you're giving them a little too much credit - that article was in no way "well-written"

[Airbornefeline]

I agree there's no need for name calling, but you're giving them a little too much credit - that article was in no way "well-written"

I mean "well written" in the sense that it's coherent from beginning to end and doesn't have any glaring grammar errors and shit like that. Maybe "written decently enough" would be the better phrase. It's obviously a terribly written article in terms of quality though because it's filled with absolute lies and misrepresentations.

[Dryalex12]

He refutes every single thing, not only the intentions of his videos, but that the things that everyone in this thread were upset by were outright lies in the article. This argument is over.

I never once bought into that argument. Its why people refer to me as The Devil's advocate". I listen to both sides first and foremost before saying anything, no matter how much i dislike them

[Dryalex12]

Anyways im feeling a strong 1 on this form. Uhh TRANS-

-ISTION hey guys, tell me what you thought about this thread, did you like it, did you hate it? Let us know in the comments below before this thread is locked, leave a like or facepalm...Echoing the Sounds, this thread....forever

[tony.parente]

This thread is a perfect example of how some people on this board are well....

Anyways. Yeah, Fantano is a good dude.

[imail724]

Wow what a fucking joke. I now actually feel bad for Anthony.

https://i.imgur.com/2Epyxys.jpg

[cashpiles (closed)]

Wow what a fucking joke. I now actually feel bad for Anthony.

https://i.imgur.com/2Epyxys.jpg

Fuck Murmrr Theatre. Eventually their way of thinking will result in their failure.

I'm an official hater now of this new wave of reactionary guardians of "equality" and "morality." They will believe anything if it means being able to share moral outrage and condemn people. All idiots.

[imail724]

cashpiles agreed 100%. People like this "journalist" and other who ate it up really give liberals a bad name. It's embarrassing.

[Aladdinsanity]

"punching down on minorities" weird how you say that as if that's what's going on here. I defy you to link me anything where either of them say white people can't joke about black people, which is what we were talking about.
The clip demonstrates exactly why it's okay for minorities to make fun of white people as it's usually done so as a grievance or a response to the systemic implications of white supremacy. While they weren't making fun of minorities, Chappelle's appearance in Donahue also demonstrated why the address of grievances I just mentioned doesn't work the other way around (a majority punching down on minorities).


Resorting to random strawman arguments when you've run out of ideas is pretty pathetic too
Ah yes, the Sargon deflection. The argument wasn't "strawman" -- it was a case made against why cashphile is moron for thinking it's unfair that whites can't make fun of minorities.

Speaking of which...


Oh and they also call Sargon of Akkad a "far-right youtuber" which is just blatantly false.
Dude, come on. The jig is up. Sargon is a politically illiterate shithead who possesses neither soul nor spine as doing so would get in the way of him acting as a megaphone for his legion of insecure teenage fanboys whose incoherent ideologies are patched together by whatever is currently en vogue at /pol/. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, quacks "MUH POSTMODERN BOLSHEVIK COMMUNISTS" anytime the left advocates for any semblance of social justice, endorses neo-fascist candidates over anyone left of center-right every time a major election comes up, gets his dick hard anytime Trump says some racist grandpa shit, and clutches his pearls when nazis get punched in public, then his name is probably Sargon and he's bent over spreading wide for Breitbart at each and every political juncture.


I'm an official hater now of this new wave of reactionary guardians of "equality" and "morality." They will believe anything if it means being able to share moral outrage and condemn people. All idiots.
Go grab a tiki torch.

[AndItKeepsRepeating]

Go grab a tiki torch.

Well that's just a ridiculous comparison

[imail724]

Go grab a tiki torch.LMAO! Now HE'S a white supremacist too?! Give me a fucking break dude.
This thread needs to be locked yesterday.

[Demogorgon]

It's really obvious that the whole intent of this thread was an elaborate troll from the beginning. Let it sink, or wait for Levi or someone else in the admin to lock it. No one is getting anywhere here.

[tony.parente]

LMAO! Now HE'S a white supremacist too?! Give me a fucking break dude.
This thread needs to be locked yesterday.
You get a tiki torch too. Everyone gets a tiki torch.

[sweeterthan]

Imma lock it now, folks.


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