The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 11.21 Disturbing Twin Flames Universe "Cult" Scandal, Matt Rife Andrew Tate Controversies, & Today's News

Episode Date: November 21, 2023

Use code PHIL for $20 off your first SeatGeek order & returning buyers use code DEFRANCO $10 off! https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/PHIL Head to https://tryfum.com/defranco and use code DEFRANCO to save an additional 20% off your order today. Https://BEAUTIFULBASTARD.COM BLACK FRIDAY SALE JUST DROPPED! UP TO 75% OFF!! shhh this is a secret link: https://youtu.be/pbrCd3euZO8?si=QoSu4CYoszEkfWS6  –✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - Ex-Members Speak Against Twin Flames Universe Cult 09:17 - Sponsored by Seatgeek 10:31 - Matt Rife Faces Backlash Over Response to Criticism of Netflix Special 13:36 - Piers Morgan Defends Interview With Andrew Tate 15:53 - Portland, ME Rejects Proposal to Allow Homeless Encampments on Public Property 17:39 - Sponsored by Fum 18:40 - Congress Spending Battle Threatens Food Aid for Low-Income Moms and Babies 20:55 - Experts Debate If Attacking Artworks is a Productive Form of Activism  26:03 - Your Thoughts on Me Recording from Jail ——————————   Produced by: Cory Ray Edited by: James Girardier, Maxx Enright, Julie Goldberg, Christian Meeks Art Department: William Crespo Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Brian Espinoza, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Star Pralle, Chris Tolve  ———————————— #DeFranco #MattRife #AndrewTate ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're talking about the Matt Rife domestic violence controversy, Piers Morgan vs. Andrew Tate, Republicans threatening to cut off support for poor moms and their kids, the Orvine cult masquerading as a program to help you find your soulmate. We're talking about all that and so much more in today's extra-large Philip DeFranco show. You daily dive into the news, but quick reminder, right now over at BeautifulBastard.com we got a brand new drop that dropped, and our Black Friday Cyber Monday sale is live now, which means

not only is a new drop coming in at 20% off, the stuff that was already on the site, some of it is going for up to 75% off right now. We've got certain items and sizes selling out, so jump on this while you can. Links down below. With that said, we've got a lot of news to talk about today, so let's just jump into it. Starting with, I've got one question for you. Are you struggling to find the love of your life? Do you swipe and swipe on Tinder, then Bumble, then Hinge, and then because you've hit rock bottom, ugly schmucks, only to spend hours messaging people you don't vibe with? Well, I've got fantastic news for you.

All you gotta do is pay thousands of dollars to the second coming of Christ, and he'll help you find your twin flame. Yeah, this definitely is not a bizarre new age cult with its own three-part docu-series on Netflix. I mean, don't be silly. In fact, I'll just let Jesus himself explain. Your twin flame is your best friend in the entire universe.

This person was designed for you by God, and you were designed for this person by God to be your eternal companion. Right, so that is Jeff and his twin flame, Shalia, two YouTubers in Michigan who run the organization Twin Flames Universe. And essentially what they do is help people find their own twin flame, basically a super soulmate, and create a harmonious union,

just like Jeff and Shalia did. In 2014, Jeff, a lifestyle blogger and guru in Hawaii who sold divine guidance through his website and videos, then flew to Arizona to meet Shalia, a spiritual photographer whom he'd met on Facebook, and he had a long-distance relationship with her after she introduced him to the twin flame idea. And together, they started making YouTube videos

about twin flames, relationships, spirituality, and life in general, which then attracted tens of thousands of viewers, and they funneled those people into the rest of their business, charging hundreds or even thousands of dollars for extra content, courses, and even personal coaching sessions,

all designed to help other people find their twin flames as well. And for almost $9,000, you can get the everything package, including all their products. And for a fee, you can also attend classes on Google Hangouts four times a week, in which Twin Flames students share their relationship problems, and Jeff and Shalia offer their divine wisdom. The couple has also recruited some of their students as coaches as well,

and built out a whole business with sales, HR, and all the rest. Now with this, to be clear, the idea of Twin Flames long predates the organization of of twin flames universe. But when looking into this, it actually goes back at least as far as 1886 when a best-selling British romance novel reignited the country's interest in reincarnation. And even today, plenty of people believe in it who are totally unconnected to twin flames universe. Like Megan Fox, for example, who said her twin flame connection with the machine gun Kelly makes them, quote, two halves of the same soul. They met while filming Midnight and the Switchgrass in 2020, but she firmly believes that she literally manifested him into existence. With her explaining, quote,

he's literally my exact physical type that I've been manifesting since I was four. I'm also four years older than him, so I think I made him. As well as whatever this is. It's just a few drops, but yes, we do consume each other's blood on occasion for ritual purposes. But Twin Flames Universe is different, not just in the way that it monetized the concept, but also in its tightly controlled organization. With ex-members saying that students who demonstrate obedience are promoted to positions of power. Whereas students who ask questions or try to establish boundaries are demoted, humiliated, or excommunicated.

Which is why pretty much everyone outside the group has accused it of being a cult. And as experts have pointed out, it has a lot of culty qualities. For example, Jeff firmly believes that he is the second coming of Christ, with him outright proclaiming, behold, we are the prophesied second coming, and then explaining that he is the father Christ, and Shalia is the mother Christ, and their daughter, whom they hadn't even conceived when he said all this, would be the princess of all creation. So together, the trio was referred to as the master Christ, eternal ruler of all creations by God's loving hand. And with this, when a Vanity Fair reporter asked him about all that, obviously a bit skeptical, he replied, Jesus got the same response when he was like,

yo, I'm the son of God. I'm the Messiah. Look, my purpose is to enlighten the world, not to be gentle with it. Now to you, to me, that may sound ridiculous. But for the people who are wrapped up in all this, it means that if they disobey Jeff, they're effectively disobeying God, which of course puts them in a bind because sometimes Jeff tells them to do things that are uncomfortable to say the least. For example, he and Shalia, with authority, tell their students who their twin flame is. If you're a straight woman discovering that your divinely selected soulmate for all eternity is another woman, that can be a bit of a shock, but not as much of a shock as finding out that your spirit is divine masculine, or in other words, you are transgender and you didn't know it. And that's exactly what happened to a Twin Flames Universe member now named Gabe, who identified as a cis

woman all of his life. One day, two other members said they'd been speaking with Jeff and Shalia and had an important question. In your sex life, do you like to give or receive? And then through a lot of coaxing, coaching, and meditation, Gabe came to the conclusion that he was in fact a divine masculine. With him saying, I was guided perfectly through pointed logical questions and meditation to the truth. And adding, as soon as I chose to surrender and claim that energy, there was an immediate shift. I felt more peace and calm than I ever had in my entire life. But then, one of Gabe's coaches revealed that they had channeled his twin flame, a fellow member and friend named Brianna, who was straight. And when Gabe called her to deliver the news, she fought it at first, but after only a day, she realized those reservations were mere blocks to the divine.

So Breonna flew to California to meet him, and Gabe changed his name, switched pronouns, cut his hair, and came out to his mother as trans. And now, at least three people, including Gabe, are taking hormones, and at least five women who resisted their conversion left the group, with one saying, I've been blocked by the group and everyone I knew in the group since I told them I did not accept being a divine masculine.. So also with this, critics fear that conservatives are going to take this group as proof that increased cultural acceptance and normalization of gender fluidity will turn otherwise cis people trans. But then you also have others countering, saying the only thing all this proves

is that a literal cult is exerting intense social, financial, and psychological pressure and manipulation that can make some people believe their true self is a different gender. And that is way different than the self-initiated process of exploration with freedom and, if necessary, medical supervision that most trans people want. But then also, even for the twin flame couples who don't have to change their gender or sexuality, the entire structure of a divinely sanctioned relationship ordained by destiny creates other problems. For example, one woman told Vice her twin flame was physically abusive,

yet she had to post smiling videos on YouTube describing their romantic adventures for Twin Flames Universe. But they're also adding that other women are stuck in risky situations living with partners they didn't choose. And she's not alone in that split between the awful reality of her private life and the rosy public image that Jeff and Shalia made her keep. For example, you had another woman trying to make money as a coach, but that quickly drained her bank account. That's because on top of the monthly coach license fee, she had to buy all the newest courses and products to keep in good standing with the group. And then after saying that all her funds were on hold in a Facebook Live in 2019, she was banned from telling other Twin Universe members about her financial problems. With Jeff and Shalia telling her that she was, quote, choosing poverty consciousness and that they wouldn't let her contaminate group meetings and forums with her struggles.

So after that, she boasted to everyone about her great job and tons of money. Meanwhile, she was in fact going bankrupt. With her only leaving after Jeff suggested she was divine masculine and she didn't want to switch genders. And while some members' lives are ruined by this organization, others enter the group already traumatized, and ex-members say that it preys on that vulnerability. And doing that in blatant ways, like claiming that its healing modality dramatically reduces symptoms of PTSD and resolves childhood trauma, as well as sometimes claiming to cure cancer and other physical ailments. Or at times doing it in more subtle ways, like promoting a pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps

philosophy that's vulgar even for self-help. With one of the ways this plays out being the mirror exercise, one of the Twin Flames universe's central practices. With that entailing identifying something your Twin Flame did that upset you, writing it down, and then flipping the names and pronouns to redirect the blame towards yourself. So for example, my twin is ignoring me becomes I am ignoring myself. And if your twin flame is just some random dude at the gym who has no idea what twin flames are, then interpreting his rejections as you rejecting yourself can lead to some awkward situations. Like with this one ex-member who told Vice that she was coached to ignore rejection and escalate contact with her twin flame even after he filed a restraining order against her.

That person adding that the group actually encouraged her to violate the court order resulting in an arrest and ongoing legal issues. And then in a slightly different case, Ryan Gosling actually had to file a restraining order against a woman who adamantly insisted that she was his twin flame. But another story illustrates how that mirror exercise comes back in to reinforce the stalkery behavior. With one of the group's members complaining in its Facebook group about her twin flame's restraining order to which another member responded, you put a restraining order on yourself. You made false statements. Why did you do that? With stories like these, it's not like the members never have doubts, but they're so isolated from anyone outside of the group that they never hear anything but encouragement.

And that is deliberate, right? There are many reports of Twin Flames Universe pressuring its members to cut off contact with their families unless their family members support the group or send money, which again is a common cult tactic because it keeps the person dependent on the group and closes off external sources of feedback that they might get from family or friends. So in effect, their reality becomes molded and warped by the group. And that's really only gotten easier to do since the pandemic when people were isolated, scared, traumatized, everything was in flux and getting disrupted. Meanwhile, during lockdown, people were almost exclusively interfacing with the outside world through social media, which is how many new members found Twin Flames Universe, either through reading about the generic

Twin Flames idea and then discovering the group that way, or by getting sucked down the rabbit hole of spirituality influencers, self-help content, and the health and wellness space more generally. Now, all of this said, with the negative media coverage that was kicked off by the recent Netflix series, Twin Flames Universe has issued a response. But very notably, it doesn't really address any of the substantive claims against it. Instead, they just deny any wrongdoing and say their members are free to engage with our resources as they see fit. So for the time being, it seems like Jeff and Shalia are just going to keep on keeping on. And then we've got football, basketball, hockey, concerts, theaters, and more tons of events happening for every mood, distraction, or taste in entertainment. And

thanks to the sponsor of today's show, SeatGeek, you'll get $20 off using my code Phil for tickets. So get out there and treat yourself. You deserve it. And fantastically, for those who have actually used this offer in the past, I've also got you covered. Yeah, I've got a special offer for you as well. You use code DeFranco for $10 off any purchase. So whether you've bought once before or a hundred times,

DeFranco gets you $10 off your next SeatGeek purchase. And with over 28 million downloads, SeatGeek is the number one rated ticketing app. And with Drake announcing new show dates, you need SeatGeek. He's added new stops in South Florida, Ohio, and tons more. Like I always say, they're not just a sponsor. I've always used SeatGeek. Whether it be a last minute date night, some comedies, some sports, hell, I've used it for the Super Bowl. There's just so many things to see and to do, and I automatically just tap into my SeatGeek app, which is also why I love that SeatGeek wants to make sure that you're getting a good deal. So when you're on the app, look for the green dots. Green means good deal, red means bad. And every ticket is backed by their buyer guarantee, and SeatGeek is the only

site that lets you return your tickets ahead of the event with swaps. So remember, that is $20 off your first purchase with promo code Phil, and for returning SeatGeek buyers, that's $10 off using code DeFranco. Just make sure you click the link in the description to download the app and then so comedian matt rife is facing a ton of backlash right now and this over his new netflix stand-up special titled natural selection also if you're unfamiliar with matt rife he's a comedian who went super viral over on tiktok getting a huge following from his crowd work videos but his netflix special has a lot of eyes on it now not because of the crowd work but because the joke he opened up with sparked a lot of controversy because it centers around domestic violence.

Right, in it, he's making fun of the city of Baltimore and how the rest of the state of Maryland is really nice, but once you get to the city of Baltimore, people are making sure they lock their car doors. With him then saying the only time he's been to the city, he went to a restaurant and he was greeted by a hostess with a black eye it wasn't like what happened it was pretty obvious what happened this is who you have greeting people and my boy who i was with was like yeah i feel bad for her man i feel like they should put her in the kitchen or something where nobody has to see her face and i was like yeah but i feel like if she could cook she wouldn't have that black eye he also later joked that he was testing to see how loose the crowd was but starting with a joke about domestic violence you know with that you had a lot of people outraged saying things like domestic violence is never a joke certainly not to be used as a comedy show audience litmus test and i hope the woman matt rife made the dv joke about is okay he started

off his special at her expense a ton of people getting mad here because i said you know he started off his career with a big female fan base women were a massive part of his tiktok success finding his videos funny some finding him attractive so you have people saying things like the way women catapulted matt rife into popularity and the second he gets a comedy special on Netflix, he immediately betrays them with a joke about domestic violence. With this, people also noted that he's seemingly been trying to distance himself from this female association with a reasonably telling variety. But despite what you think about me online, I don't pander my career to women. I would argue this special is way more for guys. So some have also argued, I think Matt Rife's special is so bad because he's trying so hard to

prove himself to other men through misogyny. He's desperate and sad. Also with this, you had people on TikTok saying, you know, there are ways that a male comedian can joke about a subject like domestic violence and it would actually be funny and well done. But they said with Matt. The joke just wasn't good in itself and it was kind of old and played out and not unique. It was like a joke that someone's misogynist uncle would tell. It just felt like a bro standing on stage shitting on women and telling his other, like trying to fit in with the other bros. And so with this, I will say,

I haven't seen the special yet, so I can't give my opinion. Before this domestic violence stuff, really the only controversy or critiques I saw were people going like, oh wow, he's really way better at crowd work rather than actually telling a structured joke. But all that said, regarding the domestic violence backlash, Matt is seemingly not interested, with yesterday him addressing it on Instagram and saying,

If you've ever been offended by a joke I've told, here is a link to my official apology. The link saying tap to solve your issue, and when you clicked it, it took you to a website selling special needs helmets. So the backlash just entered a whole new phase, with people saying things like, Fuck you Matt Rife, people with disabilities aren't your punchline after making a misogynistic dv joke be funny without being a gross human or you're just not funny as well as ableist and misogynistic boy really out here showing his whole ass so of course with this you have people on his side as well saying people are too easily offended that he thought his response to the backlash was hilarious you know with all that said i gotta pass the question off to you because like i said i haven't seen this special

so one if you were one of his fans from tiktok and you watch this special like what are your thoughts on like that kind of jump and the quality and also two what are your thoughts regarding the the backlash and the controversy and then oh man how many times have we said this sentence people are pissed off at pierce morgan right now because yeah that's kind of a constant state of being for pierce morgan though this time it appears to be connected to last night him airing an interview with andrew tate on talk tv there being a mixture of people being pissed off that he gave Tate a platform, as well as how he handled the interview. And that said, for what it's worth, Pierce did challenge him about some of his views. Right, one clip you have Pierce reading out one of Tate's comments about how a woman shouldn't work because she should always be aiming on pleasing her husband or boyfriend.

As he had Pierce saying, I don't think you understand quite how that comes over. Because I think that is the purest definition of misogyny I've probably ever read. Which honestly, when you have Mr. Lives to mock Meghan Markle calling you misogynistic, you know, maybe you listen. You know, that point aside, some people think that journalists with as big an audience as Piers Morgan shouldn't be giving Andrew Tate airtime. Writing things like, shame on you Piers Morgan for interviewing Andrew Tate and giving him yet another platform. It's a slap in the face for survivors. As well as just not interested in anything Andrew Tate has to say.

Stop giving him the oxygen of publicity. The only people interested in him are brainless twits, Piers. You can be slash do better than this. Some also not too pleased with the way that he handled Tate, thinking that he didn't push back enough against his shtick. Accusing him of letting Tate lie in writing. It's almost like you're complicit in his attempt to whitewash his image. All advertising revenue you made from this episode is dirty money with real victims behind it. Absolutely shameless, Pierce.

The least you can do is donate all proceeds from this episode to his victims. But with this, Pierce has responded to some of the critiques, arguing that Tate has a big platform of his own and that makes him newsworthy, right saying, Part one of my interview with Andrew Tate has already been viewed over 3 million times on our youtube channel in just 15 hours whatever you think of him interest in him is huge and also discussing the backlash on top tv saying you know it's an empty question should you platform him i mean i think with these kind of characters the more light you shine on the better actually the more you actually hold their feet to the fire a bit and for what it's worth with all this some people have also praised the interview right thinking that he actually did a good job handling it all. You know, with

this story and the situation, I'd love to know, where do you stand on it? Because, you know, it is this situation that we see come up time and time again with a number of people, whether it be Andrew Tate or there was that, you know, white supremacist that was making all the podcast rounds. We, of course, months and months back also covered all the backlash CNN got for hosting Donald Trump. Though, of course, that got additional pushback because they essentially gave him home field advantage with an audience that loved him. But yeah, I guess in general, what are your thoughts here?

And then we need to talk about the homelessness crisis in America. Because as the situations escalate, so do the debates. This is something we actually saw firsthand in Portland, Maine, where the city council voted six to three to strike down a proposal that would have allowed homeless people to camp on public lands after a long and heated battle.

Specifically, the proposal would have ended the practice of sweeping encampments through the cold winter months until April and allow those sites to stay on all public property. Moral visions for certain locations like schools, playgrounds, and major public spaces such as City Hall. Right in that order was supported by lawmakers and advocates who oppose the efforts to clear out homeless camps that Portland has been engaging in for the last year, arguing that it's inhumane, traumatizing, and makes it harder to provide services to homeless folks. But on the other side, you had opponents arguing that encampments in public areas create safety concerns for community members, and that the government should be focused on housing people.

Though notably, many experts have also pushed back against that last part, saying that encampments actually make it easier for providers to access folks in need of housing because they're all in one place. You know, with all this, the opinions on both sides have been very, very passionate, both supporters and opponents holding protests ahead of the council meeting on the order yesterday. And after that, tons of people lined up to speak during public comment, which was incredibly heated and chaotic. Continuing for hours, with the council members actually not voting until after midnight. And the chaos continued even after the vote, with one person even climbing onto the desk, where some council members sat, laying down and refusing to move until she was forcibly escorted away by police.

You know, all in all, Portland is a very interesting flashpoint to look at in this whole crisis. Because while Maine actually still has one of the nation's lowest rates of homelessness, it has also seen one of the biggest increases in unhoused people over the last decade plus, with homelessness jumping 67% from 2007 to 2022, according to federal data. So while we often see homelessness talked about

on the national scale in big states and their cities, like LA, New York, and San Francisco, it is really important to also look at how it's impacting smaller places. And so with this, while we wait to see how all of it plays out, I'd love to know your thoughts, especially if you live in Maine or another small state where you're seeing homelessness, maybe not necessarily being on the national radar. And then, you know, on this show, we talk a lot about the bad going on in the world. And though our sponsor Fume won't solve the world's problems, it can help get the bad out of your bad habits.

You know, we all have bad habits, some good, some bad, and fumes designed specifically to help you kick the bad out of your bad habits and start a good one. Fumes, a flavored air device with cores made from natural delicious flavors like peppermint, lemon, cinnamon, orange vanilla, and more. You know, Linz enjoys the orange vanilla flavor, the fidgeter in me likes the movable parts and magnets. It's balanced just right enough to keep your fingers busy, which helps with anxieties that come with taking the bad out of habits. You're just breathing in naturally flavored air, no nasty chemicals or batteries involved. It feels premium all around, and you can even upgrade your barrel to genuine rosewood or olive wood for a deluxe finish if you prefer. Or you can try the

new Solano Fume that comes with a softer onyx black coated mouthpiece. So join Fume in accelerating humanity's breakup from destructive habits by picking up the Journey Pack. Just head to tryfum.com slash DeFranco and use code DeFranco to save 20% off when you get that Journey Pack today until December 1st. That's tryfum.com slash DeFranco and use code DeFranco to save an additional 20% off of your order today. And then Republicans are now threatening a program that supplies essential food aid to millions of low-income moms and children. Because under the stopgap spending bill that was passed and signed last week, lawmakers failed to include extra funding

for the Special Supplemental Nutritional Program for Women, Infants, and Children, aka WIC. And unless Congress can agree to fund the program by January 19th, when funding expires, the 6.7 million low-income moms and young children who rely on the program for food, breastfeeding support, and other services will be in serious trouble. This would also notably mark a huge break

from decades of precedent. Because since the program was first enacted in the 1970s, it has become an essential part of the social safety net, and one that is generally secured by partisan support. I mean, even more so than other programs like food stamps. You know, that makes sense because it's a pretty fucking bad look if one of the richest countries in the world can't provide basic food service for its most vulnerable women and children.

Now, a key thing here is that Congress did agree to continue funding food stamps for 41 million Americans as well as key food and agricultural programs under the Stop Gap Spending Bill. This is because food stamps are part of the half a trillion dollar farm bill, which is passed every five years and which the stopgap extended until September. But WIC is usually now funded under farm bills, a move that actually, ironically enough, was meant to prevent essential aid for children getting tied up in other partisan battles surrounding farm bills, which are among the biggest and most challenging assignments that Congress is tasked with.

And normally, Congress would just ensure that the government would keep feeding low-income moms and kids as they debated other spending matters. But this current batch of Republicans seem dead set on showing us over and over again that they do not care about precedent, or in cases like this, helping needing Americans. Because not only did the GOP refuse to extend funding for WIC beyond January 19th, many members of the GOP are literally pushing for more cuts to the program. And this is even the White House explicitly requested that Congress allocate an additional $1 billion in funding to cover rising WIC program costs. And so all of this is setting up yet another flashpoint in the spending showdown at a time when WIC is actually in desperate need of more funding.

Because, you know, WIC program costs have been rising in recent years as a result of increased enrollment since the pandemic and higher food prices driven by inflation. In fact, the program has become so strained that administrators in some states that have seen especially high enrollment have warned that until funding becomes available, some moms and children may be denied benefits or just put on wait lists. And existing benefits for people already enrolled in the program may shrink. With experts also saying that we could still see that happen even if Congress does extend WIC funding on January 19th, but they cut it or they keep it at previous levels. And so for now, we'll have to wait to see if Republicans are callous enough to actually let America's low-income women and children go hungry. And then, should activists be targeting famous art to draw attention to their causes? That is being debated following a recent attack on the Roqueby Venus at London's National Gallery, right? Two young activists from the group

Just Stop Oil strolled up to the several hundred-year year old masterpiece and began smashing the protective glass with small emergency rescue hammers with them then turning to the crowd gathered in the gallery and saying, there are very few things that you can be certain of in life, but you can always be sure the sun will rise each morning. You can bet your bottom dollar that you'll always need air to breathe and water to drink. And of course you can rest rest assured that with Public Mobile's 5G subscription phone plans, you'll pay the same thing every month. With all of the mysteries that life has to offer, a few certainties can really go a long way. Subscribe today for the peace of mind you've been searching for. Public Mobile, different is calling.

Meet Tim's new Oreo Mocha Ice ice caps with Oreo in every sip. Perfect for listening to the A-side or B-side or bull-side. Order yours on the Tim's app today at participating restaurants in Canada for a limited time. Politics is failing us. Politics filled with it in 1914. If millions will die due to new oil and gas licensing, millions. If we love history, if we love art, and if we love our families, we must just stop oil. What they're referring to there is a previous act of activism-driven vandalism against this

painting specifically. Back in 1914, the Rokeby Venus was the target of Mary Richardson, a suffragette furious about the arrest of a fellow activist, Emmeline Pankhurst. She marched into the gallery with a meat cleaver and hacked at the painting, leaving seven deep slashes on the back of Venus and saying, I have tried to destroy the picture of the most beautiful woman in mythological history as a protest against the government for destroying Mrs. Pankhurst, who was the most beautiful character in mythological history as a protest against the government for destroying Mrs. Pankhurst, who was the most beautiful character in modern history. And Mary actually

did such significant damage to the painting that the museum closed for two weeks to repair it, and she was given a six-month prison sentence. However, when she got to prison, she staged a hunger strike and was released after a few weeks. And these, of course, are just two examples, one very recent and one very old, of times when activists have targeted a famous artwork as a way of drawing attention to their cause. And there have been countless groups fighting for countless different causes that have chosen masterworks as their targets to spread the message. But most recently, the group using this method most prominently is Just Stop Oil, which is a climate activist group calling upon the UK government to stop licensing any new oil, gas, or coal projects. With some of their most well-known stunts including throwing tomato soup at Vincent Van Gogh's sunflowers in the London National Gallery,

and gluing themselves to the wall while speaking about the value of art versus life. Also another time, an activist glued his head to Johannes Vermeer's girl with a pearl earring in the hay, with another pouring soup on him. And another group from Just Stop Oil glued themselves to a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, believed to have been painted by two of his pupils housed at the Royal Academy of Art in London. And that after spray painting no new oil on the wall beneath the piece. And so these protests have raised the question, is this an effective way to raise awareness or rally support for a cause? Really, there hasn't been a clear-cut answer, with even places like ABC discussing the matter with several experts,

which included Elise van Sesteren, a general and forensic psychiatrist who has researched how climate change has affected the mental health of young people. She said that these activists are not trying to change the minds of climate change deniers, but to spur those already sympathetic to the cause to realize the severity of the problem and take action. She says that determining the efficacy of the protest is a simple math problem. What is the cost and benefit of the action? And with that going on to say that because Just Stop Oil is targeting works protected by glass, the cost isn't very high, but the benefit of continued media attention is noteworthy. There's actually been experiments conducted by researchers regarding the methods that activists use

and whether they garner support or actually hinder the cause. In one set, researchers showed people descriptions of protests and measured their support for the protesters and separately the cause, while some write about moderate protests like marches, other participants write about more extreme or violent ones, and participants reported a lower level of emotional connection to the protesters who took part in more extreme actions. But the effect on the support for the cause was mixed.

Then another experiment took advantage of the negative framing the one publication used when discussing the Van Gogh incident. And they found that the public support for a cause or the demands of protesters isn't actually linked to their support of the protesters themselves. Meaning there is some truth to the saying, I agree with your cause, but I don't like your methods. So ultimately, the answer to the question of, is this an effective protest? It comes down to the person actually viewing the protest. And there has been extensive discussion on both sides of the argument, especially following the tomato soup on Sunflower's incident.

In fact, the topic of art and protest was even discussed by a panel at the Art for Tomorrow conference in Florence, Italy, following the demonstration. One of the speakers there was Claire Farrell, co-founder of the UK-based international protest group, Extinction Rebellion. And she defended the protest,

saying that it drew the necessary public attention to a serious issue and added, some soup on some glass on the front of a painting is the very least that people could be doing to draw attention to bring alarm. However, some have also argued the actions of Just Stop Oil members aren't aimed at the people who actually deserve it. And leading that argument is naturally museums, with the Association of Art Museum Directors saying in a statement, art crosses boundaries of time and place to underscore the creativity that people everywhere have expressed, and they represent our shared humanity. Attacking art for any purpose undermines those common bonds. Such protests are misdirected, and the ends do not justify the means. But, according to Phoebe Plummer, one of the activists involved in the tomato soup display,

the organization has also taken direct action against oil companies, not just painting. With Phoebe saying in an interview with NPR, We climbed up on tankers to stop them moving. We formed blocks in front of oil depots so none of the tankers could come and leave. We had incredibly brave people dig tunnels under oil terminals so the roads had to be closed off and staying in these tunnels for weeks sometimes. We went to petrol stations and smashed up petrol pumps and destroyed the machines that are destroying us. And the group made the decision to target the famous painting in order to grab attention, with Phoebe saying,

So our action in particular was a media-grabbing action to get people talking, not just about what we did, but why we did it. And actually, to that end, they have been successful. There have been countless headlines and op-eds and discussions online about the group and their form of protest. So with this being such a divisive issue, I've got to now pass the question off to you. Where do you stand on this? And then...

Let's talk about yesterday today. We'll take a look back at yesterday's show. We dive into those comments and see what y'all had to say. Starting with the fact that y'all just, uh, you're just praising me. Saying things like... The devotion Phil has is still recording an episode. Whilst trapped in a kidnapper's closet, stay strong, King. And Phil keeping the show going, even with his prison sentence, is incredible.

You inspire us all. I love y'all sometimes But you know this is how this is how road shows go shoot where we can but then as far as actual stories you guys were Commenting on there was definitely a lot on Coleen Ballinger people saying things like Coleen is using minimizing language to try and hide from how Truly disgusting her actions were others saying the reason the comments under the video are very positive because she set the videos comment section to Hold all comments for review and claiming there's absolutely nothing in the 4,000 plus comments that's negative which is ludicrous when we all know that even a video of a puppy and a kitten playing together will get someone posting something rude or mean under it. Then on Sam Altman and OpenAI, people saying congratulations to Microsoft for effectively

acquiring OpenAI without actually acquiring OpenAI, as well as given the fact that almost every employee at OpenAI, as well as the the president seems to be on the side of their CEO Sam Altman instead of the board. I can't see how their reason for firing him could be anything else than nefarious I know we have limited information right now, but I've never seen employees be so loyal to a CEO before Also, there was some conversation around are charitable hospitals actually charitable? And there we had people saying things like another issue I see with nonprofit healthcare places I work at one is how disgustingly understaffed we are. Also something I think is bananas is that they ask us workers to donate things. And I'm sure this is going into the company's donation status when in actuality we are utilizing our own money to give to local charities.

As well as regarding the non-profit hospitals, as someone who works for and goes to one of the biggest in the country, this is a huge problem. We hear about people being denied care if they have any outstanding bills, even if they are incorrect. And we often have to go into the billing office for billing issues. The CEO has got a 27% raise last year, and yet our bus lines make traveling without a car impossible. We have almost no homeless shelters, and our schools citywide get scores three to five out of ten. They don't seem to put back into the community at all. But that is where today's daily dive into the news is going to end. Friendly reminder, for more news you need to know, and for that secret video I got you covered right here,

you can click or tap to watch, or I got links in the description. And of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love your faces, and I'll see you right back here tomorrow.