Blocked and Reported

[Update, 12:10 a.m.: For some reason the version I initially uploaded cut off before the actual ending. Apologies, but everything is fixed now. -J] The hosts discuss the Katie Hill revenge-porn/throuple scandal, which has gotten yet more scandalous in light of a tweetstorm supposedly authored by her former staffers (who are not fans), as well as Facebook's decision to ban QAnon from that platform and Instagram.The tweetstorm: https://twitter.com/RepKatieHill/status/1313703826646466562Politico: Anonymous ‘former staff’ of Katie Hill slam film adaptation of ex-congresswoman’s book - https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/07/anonymous-former-katie-hill-staff-film-adaptation-427038The New York Times: Facebook Amps Up Its Crackdown on QAnon - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/technology/facebook-qanon-crackdown.htmlThe New York Times: QAnon Believers Say Being Banned From Facebook Is Proof of the Conspiracy - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/technology/qanon-believers-say-being-banned-from-facebook-is-proof-of-the-conspiracy.htmlReply All: County of Liars - https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/llhe5nm This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

After a  brief and sober discussion about President Trump's coronavirus diagnosis, the hosts devote most of the episode to two stories: a controversy surrounding a partially anonymous Arc Digital review of Kate Manne's new book Entitled that has led to accusations of obsession and WAR, and the blowup that ensued -- complete with a gleeful threat of mass executions in the streets! -- after the head of Coinbase took the radical stance that his company's purpose is to make money, not do progressive politics. Also: Katie sticks up for Jesse on Twitter without Jesse's awareness, New York Times staffers fail to revolt after a column that could Literally Endanger Lives is published, Jesse tries to get into the impressions game and almost commits a war crime in the process, and more.Show notes/Links:Arc Digital: Mannesplaining - https://arcdigital.media/mannesplaining-87d1cbf3f7ab Some of the relevant tweets: Jill Filipovic on the anonymity, Arc responds, Arc on the blocking, Jason Stanley on the 'war' (Arc, um, responds again), and Stanley on the 'obsession.' Arc Digital: Don’t Publish Personal Attacks Based on Misinformation - https://arcdigital.media/dont-publish-personal-attacks-based-on-misinformation-54cd66f7278c Coinbase is a mission focused company: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-is-a-mission-focused-company-af882df8804 Forbes: Some Business Leaders Should Face A Firing Squad, Former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo Suggests In Angry Tweet - https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/10/01/some-business-leader-should-face-a-firing-squad-former-twitter-ceo-dick-costolo-suggests-in-angry-tweet/#247301c97b94 Coindesk: Relief and Regret: Crypto Twitter Reacts as Coinbase Says ‘No’ to Corporate Activism - https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-twitter-coinbase-corporate-activism This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

After Katie tells the story of her 12-hour banishment from Twitter for a biting piece of political commentary, the hosts discus "TFW No GF," a controversial documentary about losers who post too much online, some of whom are so-called incels, or involuntary celibates. When should we have empathy for people who disgust us (like podcasters)? Then they turn their attention to the controversy over J.K. Rowling's newest mystery novel, which, depending on who you ask, is either horrifically transphobic or not transphobic at all. As usual, the only two moral arbiters with enough integrity to cut through the online noise are on the case, telling you exactly what to think. (Minor correction: In the episode, Jesse refers to Ray Blanchard as 'Canadian,' but he was born in New Jersey and settled in Canada later on.)TFW No GF: https://www.amazon.com/TFW-No-Alex-Lee-Moyer/dp/B087N4632QJacobin: A Portrait of the Breakdown of Hope and Meaning in America - https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/09/tfw-no-gf-incel-moyer-documentaryJill Filipovic's tweet: https://twitter.com/JillFilipovic/status/1307725535561293824Glenn Greenwald's rejoinder: https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1307761101979910145 The Telegraph: Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith, review: JK Rowling fails to Strike again - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/troubled-blood-robert-galbraith-review-jk-rowling-fails-strike/The Daily Beast: How Transphobic Is J.K. Rowling’s New Novel, ‘Troubled Blood?’ Very. - https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-transphobic-is-jk-rowlings-new-novel-troubled-blood-veryThe Spectator: JK Rowling’s latest novel isn’t ‘transphobic’ - https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/j-k-rowling-s-latest-novel-isn-t-transphobic- This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Katie and Jesse discuss the online outrage surrounding the French film 'Cuties,' which has slightly more underage twerking than most 2020 cinematic releases. How did this film come to unite such a broad swath of people in disgust? What is Ted Cruz's strategy for getting the American government to investigate a French filmmaker? Then the hosts speak with Reason's Elizabeth Nolan Brown about the broader American sex-trafficking panic that seems to partly explain the reaction to 'Cuties.' Plus: the science of pedophilia. It's a light episode, top to bottom.YouTube: Cuties | Official Trailer | Netflix - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0O7lLe4SmA&ab_channel=NetflixKXXV: Sen. Ted Cruz calls for a criminal investigation into Netflix film 'Cuties' - https://www.abcactionnews.com/entertainment/sen-ted-cruz-calls-for-a-criminal-investigation-into-netflix-film-cutiesYouTube: 'Cuties' Movie: Deconstructing The Culture w/Ben Shapiro - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asxBUrx-Wfg&ab_channel=TheDailyWireReason: The War on Sex Trafficking Is the New War on Drugs - https://reason.com/2015/09/30/the-war-on-sex-trafficking-is/Reason: Enough Stranger Danger! Children Rarely Abducted by Those They Don't Know - https://reason.com/2017/03/31/kidnapping-stats/Reason (on YouTube): Ashton Kutcher Helped Promote a Bogus Sex Trafficking Claim. Will We Ever Shake It? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKnWByMs4DQ&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=ReasonTVReason: Secret Memos Show the Government Has Been Lying About Backpage All Along - https://reason.com/2019/08/26/secret-memos-show-the-government-has-been-lying-about-backpage/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

The hosts discuss Donald Trump's sudden fixation on ostensibly "un-American" critical race theory in government diversity trainings. What does a good-faith critique of these trainings look like that doesn't slide into fearmongering or red-scare-esque grandstanding and witch-hunting? Will the politicization of everything prevent people from focusing on what matters, which is whether these trainings work or cause harm? Also: A Vice story about an allegedly satanic Airbnb is super, duper racist, or so we hear.New York Magazine: Psychology’s Favorite Tool for Measuring Racism Isn’t Up to the Job - https://www.thecut.com/2017/01/psychologys-racism-measuring-tool-isnt-up-to-the-job.htmlNPR: NYPD Study: Implicit Bias Training Changes Minds, Not Necessarily Behavior - https://www.npr.org/2020/09/10/909380525/nypd-study-implicit-bias-training-changes-minds-not-necessarily-behaviorTake the Implicit Association Test: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.htmlOur episode on Robin DiAngelo's "White Fragility": https://barpodcast.fireside.fm/17Our episode interviewing the victim of a DiAngelo training: https://barpodcast.fireside.fm/bonus2Scott O. Lilienfeld: Psychological Treatments That Cause Harm - http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download;jsessionid=FC896FFD11373F2E8A80CB54A8D316C6?doi=10.1.1.531.9405&rep=rep1&type=pdfJezebel: 'Is the UVA Rape Story a Gigantic Hoax?' Asks Idiot - https://jezebel.com/is-the-uva-rape-story-a-gigantic-hoax-asks-idiot-1665233387Vice New: We Talked to the Host Accused of Doing “Satanic Rituals” In His Airbnb - https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/m7jnmb/we-talked-to-the-host-accused-of-doing-satanic-rituals-in-his-airbnbThe very serious racism accusation against Vice News: https://twitter.com/FredTJoseph/status/1304051476466073601 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

After Jesse reveals yet another shocking secret about his mysterious life, the hosts discuss the case of Jessica Krug, a George Washington University professor who appears to have admitted to pulling a Rachel Dolezal: she pretended to be black. What a mess! But perhaps not all that shocking in our identity-obsessed age. Then the hosts respond, in depth, to an email from a reader who wants to be talked out of voting for Donald Trump, sparking an uncharacteristically earnest discussion about the upcoming election and why the right choice isn't a close call.Medium: The Truth, and the Anti-Black Violence of My Lies - https://medium.com/@jessakrug/the-truth-and-the-anti-black-violence-of-my-lies-9a9621401f85The Cut: There’s a New Rachel Dolezal - https://www.thecut.com/2020/09/historian-jessica-krug-admits-to-posing-as-a-black-woman.htmlVice: In Rachel Dolezal's Skin - https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gvz79j/rachel-dolezal-profile-interviewThe weird right-wing rally Jesse stumbled upon next to City Hall in Manhattan: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DvdsAiHR1P4bfbED8 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

In today's patrons-only episode, Jesse interviews Justin Tosi, a philosopher at Texas Tech University and the author, with Brandon Warmke, of the new book Grandstanding: The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk. After discussing the book, Jesse and Justin move on to a broader conversation about the current, precarious moment for open inquiry in academia, as well as the turn toward activism in philosophy that has Justin worried about his field.Show notes/Links:Amazon: Grandstanding: The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk - https://www.amazon.com/Grandstanding-Use-Abuse-Moral-Talk/dp/0190900156/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Twitter: A student gets a meeting with her dean after complaining about a syllabus that doesn't have the right racial breakdown - https://twitter.com/jessesingal/status/1300126499215937538YouTube: Gender Critical | Daniel Kaufman & Jesse Singal [Sophia] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ9MzhwflI4Ergo: An Open Access Journal of Philosophy: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/ergo/12405314.0005.014?view=text;rgn=mainJesse referenced the wrong NBA player in the episode -- it was Stephen Curry, not Steve Nash. See: "It tacitly communicates that at no point in time is Paige like Hillary Clinton or Catherine McGregor or any other woman (for whom she would be used); and likewise, that at no point in time is Paige like Stephen Curry or John Oliver (for whom he would be used). In short, if we use he or she for anyone, we either risk misgendering Paige with he or she, or we go back to the inegalitarian option of using a third catchall."  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

After an intro in which Jesse impresses Katie deeply with a brilliant, cutting-edge character he has clearly put a lot of time into developing, the hosts discuss a hellish few days in Kenosha, Wisconsin: first, the police shooting of Jacob Blake, and then Kyle Rittenhouse's killing of two protesters. Doesn't there have to be a better way for police to resolve altercations like the one that ensued with Blake? And will the unrest in Kenosha increase the chances Donald Trump is elected (Katie's view), or is there not yet much evidence to suggest it will (Jesse's)? Plus: You will never guess whether or not the hosts think mainstream outlets are doing a good job covering all this.Show notes/Links:The New York Times: Jacob Blake Was Shackled in Hospital Bed After Police Shot Him -  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/us/jacob-blake-shackles-assault.html (lots of details about the overall context)The New York Post: This is why Jacob Blake had a warrant out for his arrest -  https://nypost.com/2020/08/28/this-is-why-jacob-blake-had-a-warrant-out-for-his-arrest/ NYT: Tracking the Suspect in the Fatal Kenosha Shootings -  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/27/us/kyle-rittenhouse-kenosha-shooting-video.html CNN: Kenosha shooting suspect faces more homicide charges -  https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/27/us/kenosha-wisconsin-shooting-suspect/index.html Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Wisconsin's open-carry laws, self defense and more in Kenosha protest shootings -  https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2020/08/26/wisconsin-open-carry-law-kyle-rittenhouse-legally-have-gun-kenosha-protest-shooting-17-year-old/3444231001/ (though see following links as well)PolitiFact: Did Kyle Rittenhouse break the law by carrying an assault-style rifle in Kenosha? -  https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/aug/28/facebook-posts/did-kyle-rittenhouse-break-law-carrying-assault-st/ (note this from the end, indicating ambiguity: "Whether Rittenhouse violated Wisconsin law by possessing a firearm underage is the subject of ongoing litigation.") On the question of whether the misdemeanor doesn't apply here, the action seems to be in this bit from the Wisconsin state code: "This section applies only to a person under 18 years of age who possesses or is armed with a rifle or a shotgun if the person is in violation of s. 941.28 or is not in compliance with ss. 29.304 and 29.593." The argument is that those other conditions don't apply, Rittenhouse wasn't in violation, but we'll get a clear answer on this when he is or isn't convicted. Simple Justice: Prickett: Update on Kenosha -  https://blog.simplejustice.us/2020/08/28/prickett-update-on-kenosha/ (legal analysis of both the Blake and Rittenhouse cases) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

In this week's episode, Jesse addresses an ugly rumor about him posted to Blocked and Reported's Apple Podcast review page. Then the hosts discuss Conor Friedersdorf's article in The Atlantic, "Anti-racist Arguments Are Tearing People Apart," which centers around the accusation that it was racist for a white man to bounce his friend's black baby on his lap during a Zoom call (really!). In the episode's main segment, Katie unspurls the yearslong battle between Cliff Mass and seemingly every progressive in the Seattle metro area, which recently culminated in his media-gig firing after he made an..................... unfortunate comparison on his personal blog. Also: Jesse does a rim-rocking dunk, the hosts discuss a potential cargo-shorts-related spinoff podcast, racist babies are denounced, and Katie unspurls the story of how she was blacklisted from a Seattle radio station.Show notes/Links:The Atlantic: Anti-racist Arguments Are Tearing People Apart -  https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/meta-arguments-about-anti-racism/615424/ The Stranger: Cliff Mass Says Whatever He Wants (2011) -  https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/cliff-mass-says-whatever-he-wants/Content?oid=8309158 KIRO: UW Prof. Cliff Mass called racist for opposing carbon tax initiative (2011) -  https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/cliff-mass-says-whatever-he-wants/Content?oid=8309158 The Stranger: Cliff Mass's Responses to Women Scientists Make Seattle's Climate Change Discussions Toxic - https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/cliff-mass-says-whatever-he-wants/Content?oid=8309158 The Stranger: Cliff Mass Blames Liberals for the Lack of Progress on Climate Change -  https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/10/06/25457183/cliff-mass-blames-liberals-for-the-lack-of-progress-on-climate-change The Stranger: The Culture of Harassing and Demeaning Women Scientists -  https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/11/17/25572044/the-culture-of-harassing-and-demeaning-women-scientists Cliff Mass Weather Blog: The University of Washington Should Not Censor Faculty Social Media -  https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-university-of-washington-should-not.html KNKX: KNKX Public Editor report: science, politics, and Weather with Cliff Mass -  https://www.knkx.org/post/knkx-public-editor-report-science-politics-and-weather-cliff-mass Cliff Mass Weather Blog: A City in Fear Can Be Restored -  https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2020/08/seattle-city-in-fear-can-be-restored.html KNKX: KNKX to stop airing Weather with Cliff Mass, effective immediately -  https://www.knkx.org/post/knkx-stop-airing-weather-cliff-mass-effective-immediately Cliff Mass Weather Blog: My Firing at KNKX - https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2020/08/my-firing-at-knkx.html Petition trying to get Mass fired from his job as a professor -  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WIZgiqt1wkyOdx369sSJeIPFoQ8Wr-RA3wKZzJ5uxHU/edit  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

In this week's threesome of an episode, which was recorded with enthusiastic consent by everyone involved, Katie and Jesse talk to Dan Savage about the strange case of Alex Morse, the young, gay, Democratic congressional candidate and Massachusetts mayor accused of... well, it isn't quite clear. But what is quickly becoming clear is that Morse appears to have been set up by college kids loyal to his opponent, the incumbent establishment candidate, Richard Neal. What can this episode teach us about power, consent, and the schizophrenic attitude some lefty zoomers have toward sex? Also: Has the queer community lost its sense of humor? Why does everyone forget what it's like to be 20 by the time they are 30? And how hot would president-on-president porn be? (Please do not send this episode to anyone who isn't explicitly asking for it.) (Update, 8/16/2020: Changing the title from "Dan Savage Deciphers Morse Code" to "Introducing Mount Holey Oak" because the latter is funnier and better and we want to use it for the public version dropping tomorrow. Re-uploading identical file with new title. Consider the old one a collector's item!)The Intercept's coverage of this whole mess:College Democrat at Center of Attack on Alex Morse Hoped to Launch Career Through Richard Neal -  https://theintercept.com/2020/08/11/college-democrats-alex-morse-richard-neal/ Chats Reveal Plan to Engineer and Leak Alex Morse Accusation -  https://theintercept.com/2020/08/12/alex-morse-college-democrats-chats/ Party Leaders Investigating Anti-Morse Campaign Helped Orchestrate It -  https://theintercept.com/2020/08/14/alex-morse-richie-neal-state-party/ Dan Savage's stuff:Savage Love -  https://www.thestranger.com/savage-love/2020/08/11/44269654/savage-love Savage Lovecast - https://www.savagelovecast.com/  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe