IDSG 133 RAW AUDIO
Jack and I have decided to post the (mostly) raw, unedited audio of our most recent IDSG recording, partly to let you all see under the hood a bit, and partly to include some bits that didn't make the final cut. It should also indicate just how much Jack edits me to make me sound like a reasonably intelligent human being, lol.
Note Bene: Towards the end of this clip we speak a bit about the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and talk about the recent issues with certain BreadTubers either being utterly awful, studiously quiet, or unfortunately silent, on this issue. We also briefly mention why he and I never did a full episode back in fall 2023 when it might have mattered.
This is of course no defense for silence in the face of the worst horrors we have yet seen in the twenty-first century (although that's probably a "hold my beer" kind of sentiment), but my feeling at the time was that any serious criticism of the state of Israel and its policies towards the people of Gaza would only be picked up by the people at The Daily Shoah, etc. who were actively in the moment using any and all criticism of Israeli war crimes as direct attacks on "The Joos." This was my decision in the moment, and honestly I don't know today if that was my acting out of principle, or out of cowardice.
I think it should come as no surprise to anyone who seriously follows my work that I consider what is happening in Gaza a genocide (or "ethnic cleansing" if you prefer that language -- I honestly think quibbling over the exact wording is just refusing to acknowledge the realities for the people on the ground anyway) and in other ways I have been very vocal on this issue, but my actions were my actions. I think we are planning to do some kind of fundraiser specifically for the people of Gaza, even if it's just giving free access to our content for a specified donation or some such. Jack and I have not discussed it yet.
In any case, if you have comments on this issue or suggestions of how to raise funds, please comment below. I look forward to hearing criticism on this issue if you have any.
Thank you as always for your continued support.
Comments (2)
Thanks for these comments re the Gaza genocide. You've said similar things before when you had Eiynah on, and I think I replied then too, though I'm too lazy to check. Your reasons for not covering the topic are understandable. It hasn't made me think less of your work by any means; it would be one thing if I suspected you might be a closet Zionist or a coward like Natalie Wynn, but I implicitly assumed you and Jack were on team anti-ethnostate and anti-genocide. Plus y'all haven't been nearly as active over the last two years anyway. That said, I actually think IDSG would have a lot to contribute here, particularly re the boomerang effects of this US-sponsored colonial fascist project on the rise of fascism here at home. In fact, I would love an episode on (or adjacent to) the very thing you were worried about, namely the way a range of rightwing figures, from Elon Musk to Candace Owens to Tucker Carlson to card-carrying Nazis, have leveraged the discourse around the genocide to advance their agenda in ways that involve Islamophobia or antisemitism or often both. Every time I see a reply by that Xitter account @TaroWheel to a pro-Palestine post, for example, I think of IDSG. It's a problem I haven't really seen covered in depth, with the exception of one episode of It Could Happen Here with Shane Burley and Ben Lorber. I would definitely kick in for a fundraiser. One option I personally would find helpful is a list of verified GoFundMes. I've been donating to various NGOs like PCRF, but I see all these heartbreaking posts pleading for help and end up passing them by out of option paralysis. A few such lists already exist, e.g. gazafunds.com, so this could be a good nudge. And if you're looking for "incentives", I'm not subscribed to IDSG's or Jack's Patreon, so maybe a cross-subscription thing. Or better yet an episode on this topic!
If you guys wanted to responsibly do an episode about Israel and Palestine I recommend guys from the Bad Hasbara podcast.