Sargon Of Akkad21 January 2019

What Is Happening With Patreon, Gillette and Brexit? - Sargon Of Akkad - #048

0Frameworks

7Insights

Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Myth Buster· 1

Myth Buster25:00

The Gillette Ad Misrepresents Masculinity

Sargon critiques Gillette's 'The Best Men Can Be' ad for conflating normal male behaviors like play-fighting with toxic masculinity and sexual predation. He argues this broad-brush condemnation alienates ordinary men and misunderstands developmental psychology.

The ad equates boys’ play-fighting with Harvey Weinstein’s predatory behavior.
Director Kim Gehrig is known for feminist narratives that portray men negatively.
Psychological research shows play-fighting is normal and helps boys learn boundaries.
Women unfamiliar with male social dynamics often misinterpret consensual roughhousing as aggression.

“They conflate boys roughhousing with Harvey Weinstein’s predatory behavior. That’s not the reason he’s a pervert.”
Sargon of Akkad · 26:00

#masculinity#feminism#gillette#toxic masculinity

Hot Take· 1

Hot Take08:00

Silicon Valley Acts Like a Fascist State

Sargon draws a comparison between modern Silicon Valley and fascist ideology, citing its centralized power, shared cultural values among CEOs, and self-appointed moral authority to censor content. He references philosopher Giovanni Gentile’s concept of the 'ethical state' to argue that tech giants now impose their values globally.

Silicon Valley companies act with a unified will, similar to an 'ethical state'.
CEOs like Tim Cook openly advocate projecting corporate values onto society.
The use of religious language—calling censorship a 'sin'—signals ideological overreach.
This concentration of power in one geographic and cultural bubble creates dangerous echo chambers.

“Silicon Valley is wide awake and has a will of its own.”
Sargon of Akkad · 09:30

“Tim Cook said it's a sin not to censor. It sounded genuinely religious.”
Sargon of Akkad · 11:30

#silicon valley#censorship#tech ethics#authoritarianism

Explainer· 2

Explainer21:00

How PayPal Targeted SubscribeStar

After Sargon and other deplatformed creators moved to SubscribeStar, payment processors like PayPal abruptly cut ties with the platform. He interprets this as a coordinated cartel move by Silicon Valley firms to protect Patreon’s dominance and suppress competition.

SubscribeStar was already operating before the Patreon purge.
Payment processors pulled support immediately after high-profile creators joined.
The executive overseeing Patreon’s deplatforming previously worked at PayPal.
This suggests collusion to maintain market control under ideological pretenses.

“PayPal and other firms decided to pull services from SubscribeStar as if it had done something wrong.”
Sargon of Akkad · 21:50

#subscribe star#paypal#tech cartel#decentralization

Explainer15:00

Social Media Created a Digital Panopticon

Sargon warns that social media enables permanent surveillance of past behavior, making redemption impossible. He cites cases like Chang Yu and Tulsi Gabbard, where old views are used to discredit people despite changed opinions, creating a culture of zero forgiveness.

Past online statements can be resurrected decades later regardless of context.
People now self-censor childhood posts out of fear of future repercussions.
This 'panopticon' effect discourages growth and punishes evolution of beliefs.
Even minor past indiscretions are treated as lifelong moral indictments.

“It's a panopticon because someone has the ability to see everything about your life if they care to look.”
Sargon of Akkad · 19:00

#cancel culture#social media#redemption#online shaming

Story· 2

Story00:30

Why Patreon Shut Down Sargon of Akkad

Sargon of Akkad recounts waking up to find his Patreon account deleted without warning after the platform monitored his behavior on an unrelated livestream where he insulted Nazis. Despite Patreon's terms of service only covering content on their own platform, they used off-platform activity as grounds for removal, which he views as politically motivated.

Patreon deleted his account after he insulted Nazis on an obscure livestream.
The decision came without warning and contradicted Patreon's stated terms of service.
He had around 3,500 patrons, making it a significant financial and audience access blow.
He believes this reflects broader censorship trends by Silicon Valley platforms.

“Patreon found me insulting a bunch of Nazis on a live stream... and they decided to delete my Patreon account without warning.”
Sargon of Akkad · 00:45

#censorship#patreon#free speech#deplatforming

Story50:00

The Absurdity of British Parliamentary Rituals

Sargon humorously describes the archaic traditions of the UK Parliament—bowing, mace bearers, formal readings—as both embarrassing and charming. While cringe-worthy to outsiders, he defends them as symbols of deep historical continuity.

Parliament proceedings include bowing, ceremonial maces, and theatrical shouting.
Foreigners may see it as outdated or comical, akin to a Harry Potter scene.
Yet these traditions represent over a thousand years of institutional history.
He argues for doubling down on national identity rather than apologizing for it.

“There's a guy with a mace here—I don't know what he's gonna do!”
Sargon of Akkad · 53:00

#uk parliament#tradition#british culture#theatre of politics

Q&A· 1

Q&A42:30

Why Theresa May Can't Just Leave the EU

Sargon explains that despite Brexit having public support, Prime Minister Theresa May lacks political strength to execute a clean exit. Her party fears losing power, so they resist both her leadership and a no-deal Brexit, creating paralysis.

Theresa May is weak because hardline Tories reject her EU deal as surrender.
The Conservative Party fears losing control but won’t remove her.
He advocates for unilateral no-deal Brexit: unilaterally offering goodwill measures to EU while leaving.
He believes British people will endure short-term pain for long-term sovereignty.

“She could just say: 'We're going with no deal.' But she doesn't, because she's weak.”
Sargon of Akkad · 48:00

#brexit#theresa may#uk politics#sovereignty