Episode 153 -- Live from San Francisco, it's How to Become a Silicon Valley Creep (in 10 Easy Steps), Part 1
Last month, Moira and Adrian appeared at Swedish-American Hall in San Francisco for a special IBWTR live show. In it, they took a deep and snarky dive into tech creep masculinity, and how it came to be so dominant at the present moment. This episode is the first half of that live show -- the second half will drop later this week!
If you'd like to learn more about tech creeps and what they're doing to society, governance, labor and our collective sense of possibility, check out Adrian's new book What Tech Calls Governing (available here).
Comments (28)
(serious) if SF is the center of creep masculinity, what are the ‘pervert’ and ‘preacher’ centers? as for female creeps, you cannot forget my QUEEN, my WOMAN IN STEM, elizabeth holmes
Insta/tiktok user fuckyeahlaurenparker's comment comes to mind: "Couldn't remember the name so I called Warhammer 'Gwar Barbies' and now I'm being lectured"
Moira saying repression is good is such an incredibly Catholic take, it's delightful.
thoughts so far: 1. zuck's little monologue about trying to create the perfect beef and doing cow eugenics is one of the casually antisocial things i've ever heard. especially when it comes to using macadamia nuts, because i have questions about how and where they're being farmed, and the potential associated ecological damage of that farming. but also as far as the whole creep devaluing of expertise, with the fact that this obscenely rich man couldn't be bothered to engage with experts in agriculture, animal husbandry, or cattle ranching, who very much exist, and have specifically dedicated their lives to solving the problem of how to create the most perfect beef. instead of engaging that expertise, zuck landed on this creatively sadistic little version of cattle ranching that is feeding cattle beer and macadamia nuts. as an experiment. while a guy laughs in the background instead of being appropriately horrified. 2. when it comes to this idea of being the *wrong kind of fan* and how that is somehow threatening your experience of being a fan of that media, it reminds me a lot actually of like the very specific kind of asshole that can exist in metal subcultures. it's the whole "oh yeah you like metal? name your top five bands, and their top five songs, which i will judge you for if they're not niche enough", never mind the fact that these motherfuckers can never mention a single female-fronted metal band. which i think goes back to this whole creep use of media as a way to reify masculinity. it's the same thing that happens in metal scenes. there are people who are into metal because they have some shit to scream about, this is how you get bands like ragana, or in this moment. and then you have people who are in to metal specifically because it makes them feel masculine and that's how you get pieces of shit like kublai khan or slaughter to prevail. and the 200+ lb guys that like throwing women across the pit. tl;dr metal also has This Kind of Guy and he suuuuuuuuuuucks.
i will say, my local scene (and this is influenced by the bands i see live) is absolutely not like this. seeing ragana & eudaemon live was such a transcendently lovely experience. slamming into people at the pit, and taking turns holding shit for each other at a vana show was So So Fun i cannot emphasize this enough. but this kind of guy is very visible even in just online contexts when you're trying to just talk about music that excites you, it's a plague.
Commenting again with a question: is anyone else on here related to creep or creep-adjacent people? My brother has skirted the edges at various times - we're all very autistic in my family and he presents in quite a stereotypical, low empathy, cis white male autist sort of way that makes him extra susceptible to pyramids. The trouble is, he's also anxious and trying his best, getting therapy, trying to learn and grow. So I can't just be like, ew you're weird and gross never talk to me again. I can sort of get through to him sometimes but it is so draining - like he has to view himself as smarter than his little sister but he is so emotionally immature. If anyone else is in a similar boat, maybe we can start a support group!
I appreciate the nerd representation from Adrian. Sometimes you can have very narrow, repetitive interests that have nothing to do with eugenics. #notallnerds
I have a semi-serious question: why would the original creep rob men coming out of the brothel rather than as they were going in when they would have more money? I guess later at night?
Better chance of them being drunk/high?
I think the creep’s origin story is that he was bad at sports as a kid. Also, as an accompaniment to this perfect episode: https://youtu.be/CTuSi-U-Gl8?si=Gvxszzcd-Wdy2v9w
This is really fun to listen to.
“I hate to pull this card but I was pretty in high school” is queen shit
Some of us were burned, vicariously, nine days later, way out in Kansas, by that one! Literally lol'd.
I feel like the radiohead joke didn't get as much appreciation as it deserved.
There is an incredible video of the stand up comic Patrice talking about white peiple and that song. I will find it!
Please release the Warhammer 40K cut. If possible include some kind of auditory indicator for Moira rolling her eyes.
Sidenote: I feel like after that performance Andy should get to cohost an episode of the podcast.
The Ill Conceived Podcast did an amazing episode on the Collinses. It was triggered by them getting an AI written solicitation to from the Collins for a podcast team up.
I loved the show! and I am bummed I didn't ask about if you both thought Gavin Newsom falls into one of these categories? (I think he does)
He's kinda not placeable because he has no spine. He's whatever will get him what he wants. He lacks the solid conviction that all three categories have in their worldviews.
So much fun! Any chance that us Patreon folks could see the slides once you release part 2?
Ooh, yes that would be nice!
Yay, what a treat!
Listened to the first 5 minutes, already *rapt*. My pipedream is that you will do European liveshow some time, but in the meantime, thanks for putting them in the feed for all of us!
Great occasion to relisten to the "Perverts, Priests and Creeps" episode from 2023, too.
This show was so much fun! Y’all throw a real party, best thing we’ve been to in a while, can’t wait for the next one. It’s helpful hearing it again to make sure I fully understand the Silicon Valley Creep curriculum. So excited to buy and read your book, Adrian!
The live show was such a hoot and it was so fun seeing yall in person! Can’t wait to relive that night 💗
Thank you so much!!!! 🥰🥰🥰