The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 10.7 Guess Who Is Being PAID To Repair Saudi Arabia's Image, MCU Scorsese, & Trump Syria Chaos

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you're having a fantastic Monday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show. If you like these long shows, be sure to hit that like button. But with that said, let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're going to talk about today is kind of two different things, but they're unified in that they are about a comic book movie or comic book movies. The first is that Joker premiered over the weekend and of course before the release there was controversy, there was concern, also some backlash against Todd Phillips. You know, one of the notes that I left on our previous coverage of this was, it'll be interesting to see what happens at the box office. Right, would this effect in some way?

Starting point is 00:00:31 And so what we're seeing now is reportedly Joker made 93.5 million from US theaters, as well as over $140 million overseas, and that's without even opening in China yet. According to reports, this is the highest domestic open for an October film. So that's the money as far as the reviews. Those are a little all over the place.

Starting point is 00:00:48 On Rotten Tomatoes, the critic score is 69%. The audience score is 90%. I also went to see the movie over the weekend with my five-year-old who was horrified. I thought this was a children's movie, I'm joking. I don't know if people saw it. There were their actual news reports like, "'Joker's Not For Kids'."

Starting point is 00:01:01 What, the R-rated movie about a killer clown? That's not okay? No, but I did see the movie over the weekend. I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. What, the R-rated movie about a killer clown? That's not okay? No, but I did see the movie over the weekend. I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. Here's the thing, I can understand if certain people had issues with the pacing. I personally kind of liked that we had to stew in certain situations.

Starting point is 00:01:13 But, and I tweeted about this, one of my favorite reviews thus far, because I've been scrubbing through the negative ones, was from Esquire Magazine and essentially it was like, it made me feel sad. And so like, once again, what movie did you think you were gonna go watch? It is a murdering clown super villain origin story. But once again, everyone can have you think you were gonna go watch? It is a murdering clown, super villain origin story.

Starting point is 00:01:26 But once again, everyone can have opinions, which actually is related to the other bit of comic news. You might've seen reports from two to three days ago about Martin Scorsese. Well, you know, of course, legendary director, Oscar winner, no shortage of accolades. According to reports, in a recent interview, he was talking about why he doesn't watch

Starting point is 00:01:41 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and explaining, quote, "'I tried, you know, but that's not cinema. "'Honestly, the closest I can think of them, "'as well-made as they are, "'with actors doing the best they can "'under the circumstances is theme parks. "'It isn't the cinema of human beings "'trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences

Starting point is 00:01:57 "'to another human being.'" And so following that comment, there was a lot of backlash. You had some people really going in on Scorsese. And here's the thing, I'll insert my point of view here. I do not agree with Scorsese here, but I will not join in on people attacking Scorsese's ability or credibility. He's a fantastic artist who has allowed his point of view

Starting point is 00:02:14 based off of what he sees and what he deems as cinema. Sure, you can consider his point of view as a sort of a gatekeeper-esque, elitist in a sense, but it's based off of his life experience, the movies that he consumed and appreciated, the films that he made, what he was trying to accomplish. But yeah, I mean, I as a nobody in this industry, I disagree.

Starting point is 00:02:32 When I look at Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, watching that arc across the MCU, I personally see that as cinema. Right, that was cinema to me that affected me on an emotional level. Also to go outside of the MCU, because some people have kind of expanded this comment to all comic book movies, I think that's silly.

Starting point is 00:02:47 That's just far too broad of a brush and it doesn't respect things like Logan. It doesn't respect things like the Dark Knight or Batman Begins or even now Joker. Yeah, I guess main thing, I can see where Scorsese is coming from. I personally disagree as someone that is completely unskilled and untalented in that industry.

Starting point is 00:03:03 Just a Joe Blow consumer. That said, some of the people that seem to be connected to the criticism also responded. You had James Gunn tweet, "'Martin Scorsese is one of my five "'favorite living filmmakers. "'I was outraged when people picketed "'The Last Temptation of Christ

Starting point is 00:03:15 "'without having seen the film. "'I'm saddened that he's now judging my films "'in the same way.'" And then adding, that said, "'I will always love Scorsese, "'be grateful for his contribution to cinema, "'and can't wait to see The Irishman. You also had Karen Gillan say,

Starting point is 00:03:26 I would absolutely say that Marvel movies are cinema, adding, cinema is storytelling with visuals. There's so much heart and soul, and it's James's soul in there. He injects so much of his own personality, his sense of humor, that's a very big representation of who he is as a person, and therefore it's very cinematic.

Starting point is 00:03:39 He's an artist. And finally, you had Samuel L. Jackson respond, saying, I mean, that's like saying, you know, Bugs Bunny ain't funny. You know, films are films. Everybody doesn't like his stuff either. You know, I mean, we happen to, but everybody doesn't. You know, there are a lot of Italian Americans that don't think he should be making films about them like that. So, I mean, everybody's got an opinion. So, I mean, it's okay. I ain't gonna stop nobody from making a movie. But yeah, there was that. And the question I want to pass off to you is, where do you stand in this conversation?

Starting point is 00:04:06 What are your thoughts? What are your opinions? Let me know in those comments down below. And then let's talk about this international controversy that might actually involve influencers you know about. And this situation is kind of a slow boil. I first started getting messages about this about a week, week and a half ago. And at the center of this story,

Starting point is 00:04:19 you have Saudi Arabia and its plans to open up the country for tourists, which actually they launched a new visa program last weekend and that program allows for some notable changes. That including allowing women who are traveling alone to do so without restrictions. Also relaxing their dress code for female tourists. Meaning that women will no longer need

Starting point is 00:04:33 to wear all black dress robes called the bias. And all of this is part of a massive change because right, travel to Saudi Arabia has historically been limited to tourists for business or religious pilgrimages. And as far as why, this is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, some call him Mohammed Bonesaw, I would never.

Starting point is 00:04:46 His plan to decrease the country's dependence on oil and open it up to other types of industry and entertainment. Which actually on that note, we've actually seen big acts like Nicki Minaj, BTS, and Mariah Carey schedule concert in Saudi Arabia. Though it is important to note here, Nicki Minaj actually canceled her concert because of this backlash.

Starting point is 00:05:00 With many fans angry and quick to point out Saudi Arabia's negative track record with women in the LGBTQ community. You also have the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi with the CIA concluding his death was a hit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. With BTS, you also saw that they had faced some backlash with members of the band defending their decision

Starting point is 00:05:16 to perform in the Capitol this upcoming Friday. With rapper RM saying the decision wasn't easy, Jimin saying, if there's a place where people want to see us, we'll go there, that's really how we feel.'" But the reason we're talking about this story today is because of another group coming under fire, the influencer. And what I mean is you had the Saudi government

Starting point is 00:05:31 paying several big influencers to come in and promote the country. Among those, you had influencers like Lana Rose posting photos like this and saying, "'When I was a kid, I used to watch Aladdin. "'Never did I think I could live it too "'in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.'" You also had an influencer by the name of Tara Milk Tea

Starting point is 00:05:44 posting photos like this. Both of these posts using hashtag welcome to Arabia and linking to visit Saudi. New York influencer Alyssa Bosio seemingly going full PR, talking about being open-minded about other countries and cultures, saying Saudi Arabia is opening to tourists from across the world for the first time.

Starting point is 00:05:58 There is a lot changing within the country. Hospitality, warmth, and vibrant culture has made me appreciate this country and all of its beauty. Also, while a lot of the focus has been on Instagram influencers I had previously never heard of, there are also YouTubers involved in the campaign, right? And like notable names. You had Caspar Lee, also Devin Supertramp.

Starting point is 00:06:12 And so what we've seen online is that there's a good amount of backlash here. In the comment sections on some of these posts, you have people saying things like, "'Life is not a fairy tale.' "'The Saudi government executed 37 people "'in a single day in April. "'It systematically brutalizes its own people.

Starting point is 00:06:24 "'Needless to say, it has a horrible record regarding basic human rights. I will never visit it, shame on you for normalizing them." And for those that don't know, that is a reference to a mass execution of people the Saudi government said were suspected of terrorism. Though you had many saying it was because most of those people were from the Shiite Muslim minority.

Starting point is 00:06:37 You also had others saying, I'm not interested in experiencing the oppression that Saudi women and anyone daring to dissent are subject to. Nice view, but don't get beheaded. Saudi Arabia doesn't deserve to be publicized as a tourist destination. Their government murders people. Also, according to reports,

Starting point is 00:06:49 if you're looking for critical comments, they might be hard to find because reportedly, several influencers involved in the sponsored ad campaign scrambled to delete comments and block criticism from their pages. Although I will say that does not appear to be the case on influencers like Mr. Ben Brown. You also had one travel blogger writing,

Starting point is 00:07:03 while the biggest travel bloggers and influencers "'in the industry are taking money from the Saudi government "'to showcase the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in a good light, "'let us take a moment to remember "'how Saudi bloggers are treated.'" Then going on to talk about Raif Badawi, who was a Saudi writer sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes, we're talking about religious freedom

Starting point is 00:07:19 and women's rights. And she continues by saying, "'For a blogger to take money from a government "'that locks up and tortures its own bloggers "'and journalists, Raif is not the only one by a long way. "'It is shameful. "'Just remember people like Raif "'when you see these influencers' glamorous pictures.'"

Starting point is 00:07:32 But at the same time, you did see some seeing this as hopefully not just PR, but an actual movement towards change. We've also seen other users that express interest in visiting. And so with this story, I'd love to know your thoughts on this. You know, like I said,

Starting point is 00:07:43 there's been a lot of reactions online, some trying to compare it to the story we talked about last Thursday, right, the Demi Lovato Israel trip, but then you have people pushing back saying, no, that's different, right? She was on like a spiritual journey. Also some, like I was reading a New York Times article on this, you had a woman identified by Jessica Nabongo, they describe her as a travel influencer who said that for most of her peers, herself included, travel and politics exist on separate planes. And then reportedly going on to say That much of the criticism around visiting specific countries comes from trolls and people who weren't followers to begin with Hopefully she's not saying the two are equivalent. But yeah, what are your thoughts on this shit influencers youtubers?

Starting point is 00:08:15 Should they be going are they lending themselves as tools for propaganda? Especially considering things like insider.com They claim that all the travel bloggers who spoke with insider were told they were not permitted to explore the country outside of their official itinerary. And in all thoughts, I'd love to hear from you in the comments down below. And then let's talk about this just massive news involving the United States, Turkey, Syria, and ISIS. And we actually talked about in part the situation

Starting point is 00:08:36 a while ago after Trump suddenly announced back in December that ISIS had been defeated in Syria, saying that the United States would be removing its troops there, which withdrawing US troops from Syria was a big campaign promise of Trump's. And that decision, if you don't remember, was received with a lot of backlash from both Democrats and Republicans,

Starting point is 00:08:51 as well as military and foreign policy personnel in the Trump administration. People like then Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, who resigned over Trump's decision to leave Syria. Many of those people, as well as other experts, arguing that the abrupt removal of US troops would hurt our allies in the region, as well as embolden ISIS fighters.

Starting point is 00:09:06 And that cause for concern was legitimate because like we talked about on the show, after that announcement was made, we saw ISIS agents taking responsibility for a suicide bombing in a US-controlled city in Syria, killing 19, including four Americans. And just an hour after that attack was confirmed, we saw Vice President Pence give a speech

Starting point is 00:09:20 where he doubled down and said that ISIS had been defeated. And after that, we saw a lot of people criticizing both Trump and Pence, saying that there were huge inconsistencies of Pence give a speech where he doubled down and said that ISIS had been defeated. And after that, we saw a lot of people criticizing both Trump and Penn saying that there were huge inconsistencies between what they claimed to be happening in reality. Those critics even including those who constantly defend Trump like Senators Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham.

Starting point is 00:09:34 But then towards the end of February, we saw the Trump administration make a significant reversal and announced that it would actually leave about 400 troops in the region. Following that in early March, several members of Congress wrote Trump a letter urging him to keep troops in Syria, and Trump responded to that letter writing, "'I agree 100%.'"

Starting point is 00:09:48 And so while it's been described that America's policy here is pretty vague, it's up in the air, there's been a reported 1,000 US troops still in Northern Syria. But it appears that all of that changed yesterday when the White House released a statement saying that President Trump had had a phone call

Starting point is 00:10:00 with Turkish President Erdogan, and going on to say, "'Turkey will soon be moving forward "'with its long-pl planned operation into Northern Syria. The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the operation and United States forces, having defeated the ISIS territorial caliphate,

Starting point is 00:10:13 will no longer be in the immediate area. With the statement going on to say that the US had quote, "'Pressed France, Germany and other European nations "'from which many captured ISIS fighters came "'to take them back, but they did not want them and refuse. And so then adding, the United States will not hold them for what would be many years and great cost to the United States taxpayer.

Starting point is 00:10:30 Turkey will now be responsible for all ISIS fighters in the area captured over the past two years in the wake of the defeat of the territorial caliphate by the United States. And just today, we have US officials confirming that troops are already being removed from parts of Northern Syria. Though it is unclear from that statement

Starting point is 00:10:43 whether or not all the nearly 1,000 troops in the region will be removed. As of right now, reportedly the Turkish operation is geared to use military force to clear groups Turkey has labeled as terrorists east of the Euphrates River, an area largely controlled by US allies in the region, the Syrian Democratic Forces and YPG, both of which are Kurdish-controlled groups.

Starting point is 00:10:59 And this is also where you need a little background. Turkey has a separatist movement near their border with Syria made of Kurds called the PKK. Turkey claims that the YPG and PKK are allied and considers them both terrorists. And so when they say that they're going to target terrorists east of the Euphrates River, it's believed that it is a clear message

Starting point is 00:11:13 that they plan to remove Kurdish forces from their borders. And another possible part of the Turkish operation would be the creation of a safe zone at the border. In a press release regarding Trump's call with Erdogan, the Turkish government said that the safe zone is, quote, "'key to neutralizing the threat stemming "'from PKK-YPG terrorists and creating the conditions "'necessary for the return of Syrian refugees

Starting point is 00:11:30 "'to their native country.'" But that safe zone has been criticized by refugee advocates, as well as Syrian Kurds, who argue they would be displaced by this plan. And so this is a huge deal and a major shift in US policy in the region, because it's being seen by many as a clear sign that the US is abandoning its main ally

Starting point is 00:11:44 in the fight against ISIS, these same Kurdish forces near the Syrian border that Turkey has many as a clear sign that the US is abandoning its main ally in the fight against ISIS. These same Kurdish forces near the Syrian border that Turkey has labeled as a terrorist group. US forces on the ground in Syria have recruited and trained the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces for years. And for a while now, Erdogan has been critical of the US's alliance with the Kurdish forces. But reportedly those forces have done the majority of fighting on the ground against actual ISIS fighters. And that's also not all that they have done. Despite the claim in the White House's statement that the US is holding captured ISIS fighters

Starting point is 00:12:06 at the taxpayer's expense, it's actually Kurdish forces and not the US that have kept ISIS fighters and their family members in makeshift camps in Northern Syria. So that's why this announcement is being received as a clear indication that the US is abandoning its allies in the region. Which actually regarding that,

Starting point is 00:12:18 we've seen both Democrat and Republican lawmakers in the United States warning that allowing Turkey to go forward with a military operation will also send a bad message about US commitment to its allies. Also any bloodshed and damage Turkish military operation against the Kurds and Syria will bring isn't the only concern for the United States.

Starting point is 00:12:33 Like when Trump made that surprise announcement that the United States would be withdrawing troops from Syria. Reportedly Sunday's announcement also goes against the recommendations of top US officials in the Pentagon and the State Department. With military officials arguing that the United States needs the Kurdish forces to fight against an ISIS resurgence

Starting point is 00:12:46 as well as guard the facilities where ISIS militants and their families are being held. Which on that note, we actually saw the SDF condemn the move by the United States saying on Twitter, Erdogan's threats are aimed to change the security mechanism into a mechanism of death, displace our people, and change the stable and secure region into a zone of conflict and permanent war.

Starting point is 00:13:02 And adding that a Turkish attack would reverse the successful effort to defeat ISIS, where SDF sacrificed 11,000 martyrs of our sons and daughters over five years of war. Also saying that the move would lead to the return of leaders of ISIS and that ISIS would break out the nearly 12,000 prisoners held by the Kurdish forces. We also had an SDF spokesperson saying that this move

Starting point is 00:13:19 came as a surprise to them, adding that there were assurances from the United States of America that it would not allow any Turkish military operations against the region, and describing this decision as a stab in the back for the SDF. We also saw responses from some usual Trump allies, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying, "'A precipitous withdrawal of US forces from Syria

Starting point is 00:13:36 "'would only benefit Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime, "'and it would create the risk that ISIS "'and other terrorist groups regroup. "'American interests are best served by leadership, "'not by retreat or withdrawal." Marco Rubio calling it a grave mistake that will have implications far beyond Syria. Senator Lindsey Graham saying,

Starting point is 00:13:51 "'This impulsive decision by the president has undone all the gains we've made, thrown the region into further chaos. I hope I'm making myself clear how short-sighted and irresponsible this decision is in my view. This to me is just unnerving to its core.'" And actually, there was really no shortage of Republican dissent.

Starting point is 00:14:06 Hell, I mean, you also had House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Although you did have some supporting the president like Senator Rand Paul saying, "'I stand with Donald Trump today "'as he once again fulfills his promise "'to stop our endless wars

Starting point is 00:14:18 "'and have a true American first foreign policy.'" But still this morning we had Trump defending himself and his decision saying, "'When I arrived in Washington, "'ISIS was running rampant in the area. "'We quickly defeated 100% of the ISIS caliphate.'" Then going on to say that, "'Europe has refused to take back captured ISIS fighters

Starting point is 00:14:32 "'the US is holding.'" And writing as usual that, "'The United States is always the sucker on NATO, "'on trade, on everything.'" Then continuing, "'The Kurds fought with us, "'but were paid massive amounts of money "'and equipment to do so.

Starting point is 00:14:41 "'They have been fighting Turkey for decades. "'I held off this fight for almost three years, "'but it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous, endless wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home. We will fight where it is to our benefit and only fight to win. Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia, and the Kurds

Starting point is 00:14:55 will now have to figure the situation out and what they want to do with the captured ISIS fighters in their neighborhood. They all hate ISIS, have been enemies for years. We are 7,000 miles away and will crush ISIS again if they come anywhere near us." And then Trump later tweeted, "'As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate,

Starting point is 00:15:10 if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the economy of Turkey I've done before. They must, with Europe and others, watch over the captured ISIS fighters and families.'" But ultimately, I guess the main point of this story is Donald Trump is the smartest person to have ever existed

Starting point is 00:15:27 and we should all trust him blindly despite bipartisan efforts that include some of Trump's biggest supporters pushing back. Obviously, I'm kidding, but you know what's the truly shitty bow on this? It literally feels like a surprise birthday present to Vladimir Putin, who it turns out it's his birthday today. But hey, that's a story as it is now. It's gonna be interesting to see what further fallout we see. Will there be a course reversal? What happens next? But while we wait, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this in those comments down below.

Starting point is 00:15:53 And that's where I'm going to end today's show. And hey, if you liked this video, let us know. Hit that like button. Also, if you're new here, you want more of this delivered to you on these weekdays, hit that subscribe button and definitely tap that bell to turn on notifications. Also, if after today's show, maybe you missed the last Philip DeFranco show, or maybe you want to watch

Starting point is 00:16:07 the newest podcast we put out last Wednesday with Nikita Dragon, you can click or tap right there to watch either of those. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love your faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 10.7 Guess Who Is Being PAID To Repair Saudi Arabia's Image, MCU Scorsese, & Trump Syria Chaos

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