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[bigpumbaa]

The fact that this thread even exists and there's so much debate signals, in the ends, the jokes aren't fucking funny enough.

This topic is crazy hot right now. Lots of conversations about it. Why even go there? And if you do go there, as a comedian, make it absurd enough. Make it nuts.

He's still doing it in the apology. He says it so straight faced. He's a handsome white dude. How are you not aware what that sounds like out of context. He's born of the fucking video internet age, he knows he can be edited very easily.

It's just fucking dumb. It's an insult to comedy to call it that.

At best it was ignorant enough to be terrible. At worst...

 

[Opa-Pa]

I, for one, am quite shocked that the guy who got famous screaming tasteless crap while playing games turned out to be an ass.

 

[Pathfinder]

Kotaku now has a write-up about it that doesn't require a subscription to read.

http://kotaku.com/disney-drops-pewdiepie-over-anti-semitic-jokes-1792324412

 

[sa201674]

I seriously hope he stops doing any of this nazi BS in future videos.
I always thought that he was a genuinely nice person.

 

[RandomHopeInc]

isn't this that famous guy that kids watch on youtube all the time?

had no idea he was a nazi, what a piece of shit

He's not a nazi, he just makes jokes about people calling him a nazi, and he for some reason can't help but keep making the same edgy joke.

Not excusing his actions, but facts are important.

 

[-Ryn]

Is not being a white nationalist but doing jokes and memes that play up to that crowd really that much better?

Yes. Just because there are assholes who actually believe the stuff you're making a joke of doesn't negate the fact that you are, at the end of the day, joking.

 

[Alo0oy]

90% of gaming channels I used to be subscribed to are racist. What the hell?

Angry Joe and PS Access are probably the only left leaning or non-racist Youtubers at this point.

I think EZ Allies and SBF are fine too? I haven't paid much attention to them though.

 

[Psychological Intellect]

I don't believe he's racist, Just very stupid and very far up his own ass. Like a lot of popular youtubers.

 

[Sai-kun]

Yes. Just because there are assholes who actually believe the stuff you're making a joke of doesn't negate the fact that you are, at the end of the day, joking.

but what's the difference between saying "kill jews" as a joke and "kill jews" when ur a nazi

 

[Loudninja]

I seriously hope he stops doing any of this nazi BS in future videos.
I always thought that he was a genuinely nice person.

Nice people dont do stuff like this.

 

[TheGeniusArcana]

Yes. Just because there are assholes who actually believe the stuff you're making a joke of doesn't negate the fact that you are, at the end of the day, joking.

On the other hand, that doesn't negate the fact that he thought paying some Indian guys who don't speak English to dance around with a sign that says "Kill all Jews" was funny. This guy is idolized by children everywhere and it being a joke isn't an excuse. He even makes more anti-semitic jokes in the "apology."

 

[Armaros]

Yes. Just because there are assholes who actually believe the stuff you're making a joke of doesn't negate the fact that you are, at the end of the day, joking.

Because in this day and age we need to normalize crap like that, with the resurgence of actual neo-nazis.

 

[Arby 'n' the Chief]

more coming?

let me guess... it's because of this video huh? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYjp24FwsDQ

yeah he likes making trump/Hillary jokes too

doesn't make him alt right

 

[Atraveller]

.

 

[Pathfinder]

On the other hand, that doesn't negate the fact that he thought paying some Indian guys who don't speak English to dance around with a sign that says "Kill all Jews" was funny. This guy is idolized by children everywhere and it being a joke isn't an excuse. He even makes more anti-semitic jokes in the "apology."

There we go. That's the bottom line.

 

[Jzero]

Some people won't start understanding that this shit isn't ok until you start hitting them in the wallet.

Dude's rich, i don't think he cares.

 

[Kthulhu]

Ethan, PhillyD, Boogie, and GradeAUnderA all came out with videos like that, and they all left my subscription list. I can admit I found their videos [very] entertaining at times but I couldn't listen to them after they hit me with that crap.

Now back to PewD he really has an obsession with Nazi themes for his videos. Like I mentioned before I am a fan of his darker humor but he has crossed the line with this video after already testing his limits in prior videos.

I'm surprised to hear that he is banned from Twitter now.

IMO people who don't know anything about politics probably shouldn't use their platforms to talk about them.

 

[TheGeniusArcana]

The attitude that everything is okay as long as it's a joke is extremely dangerous.

 

[ShadowKingpin]

Markiplier pushed his old editors to the point of quitting by forcing them to do too much in a day and complaining about the quality of their work, then they left and started working for the Game Grumps.

Wait, what?

 

[Generalpsyduck]

IIRC Ethan sided with Jon Tron on Twitter, defending Richard Spencer.

Really? Wow.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

This is like McCarthyism, if McCarthy fined people a reasonable amount for denying the Holodomor and the rape of East Germany and saying "I'm a Russian spy jk"

 

[jacob armitage]

Really? Wow.

I feel like we need a source for that, just in case.

 

[HK-47]

Really? Wow.

Not surprising. He is really good friends with Jon.

 

[Memorabilia]

Not only was that Hitler did nothing wrong video in extreme bad taste.

It's not even a "meme" anymore, that shit is from like, 2010.

As someone else in this thread mentioned, "I'm in my 30s", so you'll have to forgive my ignorance of so-called "YouTube Stars"...I don't watch this guy or anyone else on there and it sounds like a tremendous waste of time...

...BUT ...(and I could be wrong here since I haven't seen the actual skit) ...having a guy dressed up like Jesus saying "Hitler did nothing wrong!" seems like a rather obvious satirical sharp stick in the eye of the far right movement in America (and elsewhere) who love to wrap themselves in a flag and carry a bible even as they're engaging in hateful rhetoric or actual violence against various groups.

There's been an explosion of hate crimes in the US in just the past few weeks since Trump took office, and its no secret that one of the primary demographics he hood-winked for votes are low info right wingers across the Bible Belt, many of whom are no doubt cheering on travel bans and perhaps even secretly admiring those with the "balls" to show them uppity blacks/Mexicans/gays/Arabs etc...who's boss.

In other words, it sounds to me like this PewDiPie guy was essentially *making fun* of this way of thinking. So, perhaps, the problem is his audience didn't understand and/or Disney decided it was too controversial given the current socioeconomic climate in the country? Maybe he wasn't clear about the intent behind the skit and the ambiguity is what people at Disney have a problem with. Or maybe he's just a douche. Lol

 

[Thequietone]

Wait, what?

Yeah, he apologized and said he plans to learn from his mistake. He said he treated them like employees and pushed them too hard instead of treating them like family. He seems like he has learned from his mistake.

 

[Darryl M R]

IMO people who don't know anything about politics probably shouldn't use their platforms to talk about them.

I think it's cool if they do talk about politics (and it's important if they influence others to talk about politics at young ages), but what they do is just fence sit and say "both sides are the same" and that is a lie.


You have Boogie saying both sides are the same so he is voting 3rd party because his vote doesn't matter anyway in his state. Then in following sentences he says if the ACA is repealed his whole life will change. Like what the hell... only one sides want to repeal the ACA. I think people should just e genuine with their viewers. It's okay to say that you do not like a candidate, but there has never been a situation where both candidate and ruling parties are equal in opinions on policies.

 

[FinalStageBoss]

What a piece of dog shit

 

[Zen_Arcade]

The attitude that everything is okay as long as it's a joke is extremely dangerous.

I don't think many people here are saying what he did was OK. Most people here that are defending him at all seem like they're pointing out that the guy isn't an actual nazi. Doing that doesn't mean you think what he did was right, and it doesn't even mean they consider it comedy for that matter.

 

[DrForester]

Bets on him becoming Trump's new Press Secretary?

 

[Cartman86]

Well if he wasn't actually alt-right (and was instead an just insensitive) it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't start to drift that way after this. Instead of learning from the mistakes he might just double down. No way to know either way I guess. I could see him learning from this too I suppose. Kind of like Notch who is a massive piece of shit now (and maybe always was).

 

[Last_colossi]

Really? Wow.

He wasn't defending him for being a racist asshole, but he was stating that it is still illegal to punch someone randomly in the face (no matter how much of an asshole they are or how much they deserve it).

I laughed my ass off when I saw the video of spencer getting a knuckle sandwich but that doesn't mean the guy who did it is allowed to get off scott free, he still broke the law.

And please do not accuse me of anything, I hate that racist scumbag as much as possible, but we have laws for a reason.

 

[Generalpsyduck]

Not surprising. He is really good friends with Jon.

Yeah, Jon is a scumbag.

 

[Nepenthe]

Also, can we please stop using "jokes" as a coverall for any and every cogent thought that falls out of someone's ass?

It's not like seasoned comedians just go up on stage and ramble and magically people laugh. Comedy is an art meant to highlight contrasts and absurdities about the real world, to which there are principles to adhere to in order to ensure the subject of the joke is proper and understood. You can fail telling a joke just like you can fail any other art. And if you fail, prepare to have your ass grilled.

So you can technically make a joke about anything, but this doesn't give you free reign to be a damn dickstain. If you're going to make Holocaust jokes, at least figure out an appropriate fucking punchline. The Nazis and Hitler are an easy start. Or maybe use the Holocaust as a setting for a time travel joke. Something. Anything. But just giving a sign to some non English-speaking Indians that says "Death to All Jews" does nothing but shit on Indians for having the audacity to not understand English and completely undermines the mention of the Holocaust in the first place. It's mean-spirited. It's ugly. It's a bad fucking joke. And no one is obligated to tolerate bad jokes.

 

[jacob armitage]

Yeah, Jon is a scumbag.

Jon has definitely shown himself to be a scumbag, but the most egregious i can find from Ethan defending Jon is this this

 

[Atraveller]

I feel like we need a source for that, just in case.

Really? Wow.

Ok, not Richard Spencer, just whatever bullshit JonTron was posting on Twitter, while another YouTube was going at him.

 

[Generalpsyduck]

Jon has definitely shown himself to be a scumbag, but the most egregious i can find from Ethan defending Jon is this this

Oh fuck him for coming after pbg with that bullshit. What an asshole

 

[jacob armitage]

Ok, not Richard Spencer, just whatever bullshit JonTron was posting on Twitter, while another YouTube was going at him.

I quickly tried to read through PBG/H3H3/JonTron twitters but i couldn't find anything from Ethan that would lead me to believe him a scumbag.

 

[TheGeniusArcana]

I don't think many people here are saying what he did was OK. Most people here that are defending him at all seem like they're pointing out that the guy isn't an actual nazi. Doing that doesn't mean you think what he did was right, or even call it comedy for that matter.

I never said any of that lol. He's not a Nazi, just an awful guy. This attitude is so commonplace now, and this situation is just another example.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

Also, can we please stop using "jokes" as a coverall for any and every cogent thought that falls out of someone's ass?

It's not like seasoned comedians just go up on stage and ramble and magically people laugh. Comedy is an art meant to highlight contrasts and absurdities about the real world, to which there are principles to adhere to in order to ensure the subject of the joke is proper and understood. You can fail telling a joke just like you can fail any other art. And if you fail, prepare to have your ass grilled.

So you can technically make a joke about anything, but this doesn't give you free reign to be a damn dickstain. If you're going to make Holocaust jokes, at least figure out an appropriate fucking punchline. The Nazis and Hitler are an easy start. Or maybe use the Holocaust as a setting for a time travel joke. Something. Anything. But just giving a sign to some non English-speaking Indians that says "Death to All Jews" does nothing but shit on Indians for having the audacity to not understand English and completely undermines the mention of the Holocaust in the first place. It's mean-spirited. It's ugly. It's a bad fucking joke. And no one is obligated to tolerate bad jokes.

To be fair, this is how a lot of comedians work out their material. They go up on stage with a loose outline of subjects and ramble about them until something sticks, then they develop it. That's how a lot of bits you end up seeing on specials get fine tuned.

The thing is, those dudes are smart enough to not release everything they say on the internet and a bunch of bad jokes get thrown on the cutting room floor. PewDiePie is just too dumb to know what belongs on the cutting room floor and what doesn't because his audience is mainly a bunch of kids and teens who don't know what a good joke is either.

I never said any of that lol. He's not a Nazi, just an awful guy. This attitude is so commonplace now, and this situation is just another example.

I know you didn't. My point is that the reason a lot of people are saying that "It's a joke." isn't that they think they should wipe any negative opinion against him for this stunt, it's to point out the line of distinction to people who actually think he's a nazi.

 

[Iva Demilcol]

He's banned from twitter too?

Can't they ban him from the internet?


Just to be clear, that was a joke. It wasn't funny at all but it was a joke and it's time that we all learn to laugh.

Am I doing it right?

 

[Christhor]

Jon has definitely shown himself to be a scumbag, but the most egregious i can find from Ethan defending Jon is this this

That's not defending Jon's views or anything. It's more like he's telling him that it's shitty to badmouth your "friends" (most people think they're friends) online to a big audience. He even apologised for it later.

 

[-Mutsukki-]

Felix is not bad, but he's stupid as fuck. He's been threading too much on 4chan edgy ironic humor recently, probably an influence from people like iDubbz and maybe FilthyFrank. He didn't think this through is my bet, probably thought it would slide as all his other videos did. Bad move. He'll definitely upload a video about it soon so I want to see what he says for himself

No, he just calls out bullshit. Doesn't matter if its something from the extreme left or the right.

Yes, thank you. Ethan dislikes extreme bullshit and I'm inclined to say that his videos that are going around in this thread just proves his point. Crazy people are crazy, no matter your ideology.

IIRC Ethan sided with Jon Tron on Twitter, defending Richard Spencer.

Can you make sure this is right? I tried to find it on twitter search and had no luck.

Ok, not Richard Spencer, just whatever bullshit JonTron was posting on Twitter, while another YouTube was going at him.

Ah, nope. He didn't side with Jon. Ethan is in good terms with Austin (PBGamer) and Jon's friendship with Austin was veeery well known. Everyone, including Ethan, was surprised that they now were not on speaking terms anymore.

 

[jacob armitage]

That's not defending Jon's views or anything. It's more like he's telling him that it's shitty to badmouth your "friends" (most people think they're friends) online to a big audience. He even apologised for it later.

Yes, it seems others here may be a little quick to jump on Ethan - I really don't see anything particularly wrong.

 

[hipbabboom]

So here's the thing about this sort of humor. If you do not have a history of speaking out against the sort of hate you claim to satirize then you create a vacuum where your only satire has nothing to counter misperceptions of your intent and you only have yourself to blame for whatever blowback comes with that.

EDIT:

Spoiler

I am mildly surprised given their history with the subject, Disney didn't double-down.

 

[Memorabilia]

Also, can we please stop using "jokes" as a coverall for any and every cogent thought that falls out of someone's ass?

It's not like seasoned comedians just go up on stage and ramble and magically people laugh. Comedy is an art meant to highlight contrasts and absurdities about the real world, to which there are principles to adhere to in order to ensure the subject of the joke is proper and understood. You can fail telling a joke just like you can fail any other art. And if you fail, prepare to have your ass grilled.

So you can technically make a joke about anything, but this doesn't give you free reign to be a damn dickstain. If you're going to make Holocaust jokes, at least figure out an appropriate fucking punchline. The Nazis and Hitler are an easy start. Or maybe use the Holocaust as a setting for a time travel joke. Something. Anything. But just giving a sign to some non English-speaking Indians that says "Death to All Jews" does nothing but shit on Indians for having the audacity to not understand English and completely undermines the mention of the Holocaust in the first place. It's mean-spirited. It's ugly. It's a bad fucking joke. And no one is obligated to tolerate bad jokes.

You're absolutely right. But a joke misfire in bad taste doesn't a Nazi make. If that was the case every standup comedian in existence would be a scumbag of one kind or another. At any rate, I have no idea if this dude is actually talented/funny, or if this was just him trying to stretch too far outside his wheelhouse. But it does sound like pretty obvious *satire* to me. Even if it wasn't done well, I think all the knee-jerk reactions likening him to Hitler are pretty ridiculous when it seems fairly obvious that his intent was to *make fun of the hypocrisy of such people*. Who knows, maybe the guy will come out as an unhinged alt-right maniac. Lol But I kinda doubt it.

 

[Pathfinder]

Just to be clear, that was a joke. It wasn't funny at all but it was a joke and it's time that we all learn to laugh.

Am I doing it right?

Maybe if it were some other company than Disney, this might work.

But we're talking about a mega-corporation who produces children's entertainment. They have an image to uphold, and this is not the image they want.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

I'd be willing to bet paper money that people defending this as jokes or satire wouldn't go to bat for someone taking similar actions with white dudes as the butt of the joke

 

[Baldwin_the_First]

He's banned from twitter too?

Can't they ban him from the internet?


Just to be clear, that was a joke. It wasn't funny at all but it was a joke and it's time that we all learn to laugh.

Am I doing it right?

Per pewdiepie standards, you absolutely nailed it.

 

[Generalpsyduck]

That's not defending Jon's views or anything. It's more like he's telling him that it's shitty to badmouth your "friends" (most people think they're friends) online to a big audience. He even apologised for it later.

The whole "he's your freind why are you calling him out" argument is just plain idiotic. If someone says somthing ignorant or does somthing stupid you should call them out ignoring it is childish.

 

[QuantumSquid]

It amazes me how surprised people are when they discover that not every YouTuber they like has the exact same political views as them.