The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 12.16 PewDiePie MSM Credibility CRISIS, Hallmark's Ad Controversy, Butt Slapper ARRESTED, & More

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup, you beautiful bastards. Hope you've had a fantastic Monday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show. Buckle up, hit that like button, and actually, a quick note before we get started. You may be wondering why the heck I have a phone number on my T-shirt. Well, it's for exciting reasons and also fear and paranoia.

Starting point is 00:00:15 Regarding fear and paranoia, a lot of things are changing. Hell, last week, one of the last big stories we talked about, YouTube making massive changes that have a lot of people concerned. You've got some notable and surprising videos being removed, more that will be removed in the future, strikes that will come down soon. And I'm genuinely concerned about what the implementation is going to look like. Also because, you know, in the past it seemed like certain news topics have been penalized. It's also never a great feeling when the people that thought they were set to get

Starting point is 00:00:39 notifications don't get them. They're complaining. It's out of your hands. And also, not to just hammer YouTube, right? This is not YouTube exclusive. You look off platform to places like Facebook, where they've made it harder and harder to reach the people who followed you, who have signed up saying, "'Yes, I want more from this person.'" Now Facebook's created this environment where it feels like you have to pay them

Starting point is 00:00:55 to be able to connect to all the people. So that's the part where I say this is a little bit out of concern and paranoia, worried about what the big players are going to do next, wanting the fewest things and people in the way of us actually being able to communicate. And then there's also the exciting stuff because in addition to of course,

Starting point is 00:01:08 me being able to text the entire group, it gives me a place where it's easiest and fastest to talk with y'all one-on-one ever. I soft launched the number over the weekend on Twitter and Instagram. It has been so fun connecting with y'all. Now obviously there are a lot of people, but I've been dedicating an hour each day

Starting point is 00:01:22 to hit people back one-on-one, wish people birthdays, doing just weird stuff. A lot of people for but I've been dedicating an hour each day to hit people back one-on-one, wish people birthdays, doing just weird stuff. A lot of people, for some reason, want me to flip them off and threaten them. It feels weird that that's a thing that's associated with me but this is the world we live in and it is my fault. Also very awesome is in addition to being able to text

Starting point is 00:01:38 the whole group or just one-on-one is the in-between. Something that's a goal of mine in 2020 is to do some meetups, do some live shows. Let's say I'm in Atlanta, Georgia. If when you signed up, you said you live there or somewhere close by, I can specifically text you and say, hey, this event's happening, come through, free tickets, giveaway, whatever's happening.

Starting point is 00:01:53 There's also a lot of other potential that I haven't even touched on here, but I'm so incredibly excited. But finally, three last things I wanna note. One, no, this is not a sponsorship. I'm not being paid to do this. In fact, I'm paying to use this service to make it easier to communicate with y'all without being stifled by the big players out

Starting point is 00:02:07 there. Two, other than the first two or three text messages that you get when you're like signing up, adding my number to your contacts, none of it is a bot or any AI. It is me sending it. And same way the other side, the texts come directly to me. And finally, three, as of right now, this number currently only works in the United States and Canada. Also, if you're in the United States or Canada and you text and it does not work for you, that should be fixed by Friday. And the reason for that is we're currently waiting for approval from T-Mobile,

Starting point is 00:02:31 so that's likely not going to happen until this Friday. So text me, 813-213-4423. But with all of that said, let's just jump into it. And the first things we're gonna talk about today are two bits of internet business slash personality news. The first being, if you haven't already seen it on another news site, PewDiePie has quit YouTube. Mirror breaking news tweeting, breaking PewDiePie quits YouTube saying he's too tired to go on. Birmingham live,

Starting point is 00:02:55 PewDiePie reveals real reason he has quit YouTube. Mail online, of course, your destination for real news. Writing, YouTube megastar PewDiePie quits video site after earning approximately 25 million pounds because he's quote too tired and doesn't want to think about vlogging anymore. And of course, this is huge news. The biggest individual name on the platform leaving, quitting. Why? What does this mean for the space? All questions we should be asking if this was a real story. All of this clickbait stemmed from a small part of a video where Felix says, I have special announcement to make. I am taking break from YouTube next year. I wanted to say it in advance because I made up my mind. I'm tired. So he's not quitting. He's taking a break. It's something that I recommend creators,

Starting point is 00:03:39 especially creators with a crazy schedule do. I mean, hell, while it's scary, this is the last week of Philip DeFranco shows for 2019. I'm also probably not going to come back until January 21st or 27th. For me, that's a scary amount of time to be away, but I need to handle a lot of personal stuff. I need to recharge. I also need to do some stuff with the business.

Starting point is 00:03:55 And I think breaks are helpful, which is why really the real headline to this PewDiePie article should be, top YouTube creator promotes self-care in order to prevent burnout, even though during the time he'll make less money. Now, obviously that headline likely gets less clicks, but it's also based in reality.

Starting point is 00:04:10 Additionally, if I can give some brief unsolicited advice to those in the mainstream media, for example, CNN, they did not go the route that others did, completely misrepresenting the situation. They tweeted out their article saying that PewDiePie will be away for a little while, but they also use it as an opportunity to bring up past allegations of racism and antisemitism

Starting point is 00:04:27 and just kind of stir that whole pot again. I don't know if you realize this, you have a crisis of credibility problem. When you do stuff like this, you provide an update to the story and you use it seemingly for no reason to once again try to muddy up someone's name, people see you as being incredibly biased and predatory.

Starting point is 00:04:43 And you have millions of people, a lot of them younger, seeing this mainstream outlet go after someone they see as a buddy, seemingly without cause because it seems so incredibly disconnected to those things in the past. So just really understand you are trading short-term clicks for long-term distrust. And I just realized what was wrong with my hair. We're running behind today. I'm not fixing it. Then in other creator news, we should talk about Tana Mongeau

Starting point is 00:05:03 and the controversy and backlash there. She, if you didn't see, going into the weekend, won creator of the year at the Streamy Awards. She was up there and nominated with the likes of Collins Key, David Dobrik, Emma Chamberlain, Mr. Beast, Ninja, Safiya Nygaard, Simply Nailogical. One, the way that it was announced was a little odd. It was announced by a friend of the show, Casey Neistat.

Starting point is 00:05:21 He started out by announcing that David Dobrik had not won. Dobrik even seemingly responded, give it to Tana, and she actually won. While on stage, Tana acted very shocked. I don't feel like creator of the year. I've never felt like creator of the year. I feel like the misfit, the outcast, the, all of those things.

Starting point is 00:05:38 And on the internet, the reaction, aside from her fans who were very excited, the reaction was, yeah, how did you win? You had creators like David Dobrik and MrBeast who have just hit different levels of success this year. Right, for MrBeast specifically, people saying, you know, his videos just hit crazy numbers, subscriber gain is wild, he has amazing initiatives

Starting point is 00:05:54 like planting 20 million trees. Right, people asking how could he lose? And the answer is simple, it was a fan vote. Creator of the Year and Show of the Year are the only two streamy categories that are audience vote. And Tana, unlike a lot of the people that were nominated, heavily campaigned for herself. And if you look at the engagement on the posts online,

Starting point is 00:06:10 there's far more engagement on Tana. So there's that, but a question I'll pass off to you is, who do you think is the YouTuber of the Year? Let me know in those comments down below. And then, briefly, we should mention the big update to one of last week's most viral stories, and that being the incident where Tommy Calloway, who was identified as a youth pastor and boy scout leader,

Starting point is 00:06:26 appeared to have been caught on camera smacking the butt of Alex Bozargian. Right, and last week, the focus was on the incident at hand, what happened, people found him, Alex spoke out, he spoke out. He called what he did a misjudgment in character and decision making. In general, looking at the comments,

Starting point is 00:06:41 it appeared that most people thought his excuse was BS. And the update to this story is that actually on Friday, Calloway was arrested and charged. According to reports, he turned himself in on charges of sexual battery, which is punishable by up to 12 months in county jail. And Calloway was released on a $1,300 bond. His court date is pending, but ultimately, yeah,

Starting point is 00:06:59 that's the update to this. And I'll say for me personally, it's hard for me to see Calloway giving any statement and feeling like, yeah, that guy means it. Or because he calls what he did a misjudgment in character and decision-making, saying he really hears Alex's words that he's going to do better. And so it seems like maybe he's owning it,

Starting point is 00:07:13 but then he says, you know, yes, I touched her back. I did not know exactly where I touched her. But then you look at the clip and you're like, wait, so is the goal to hit her in her lower back? So for me, it really doesn't add up. It's gonna be interesting to see what happens with this charge, but to connect it, right? Speaking of touching backs, just to mention this quickly,

Starting point is 00:07:29 Harvey Weinstein gave one of his first interviews in over a year. And in that he said that he deserves a pat on the back when it comes to women, which isn't the thing that you'd expect to come out of the man who has been accused by 80 women of sexual assault or harassment. Also reportedly saying that he feels like a forgotten man. Although regarding that notion, among the

Starting point is 00:07:50 reactions, and there were a plenty, 23 women who have accused him of misconduct released a statement on Sunday night, right, this including Ashley Judd and others, said Harvey Weinstein is trying to gaslight society again. He says in a new interview he doesn't want to be forgotten. Well, he won't be. He will be remembered as a sexual predator and an unrepentant abuser who took everything and deserves nothing. We refuse to let this predator rewrite his legacy of abuse. So there was that.

Starting point is 00:08:14 Also, it's not the last you're gonna hear of Weinstein over the next month or so. That's because his rape trial is scheduled to start on January 6th. So we're gonna keep an eye out on this situation, but also see what happens there. And then let's talk about this controversy around the Hallmark Channel.

Starting point is 00:08:26 And to two things right off at the top, one, I wasn't aware that the Hallmark Channel was a real channel before this story came out. And two, this controversy isn't around a Hallmark movie, a TV show, but rather a commercial, you know, everyone's favorite part of cable television. And specifically what we're talking about today is six different ads that Hallmark ran

Starting point is 00:08:44 for a wedding planning company called Zola. And the reason we're talking about today is six different ads that Hallmark ran for a wedding planning company called Zola. And the reason we're talking about this today is because several of those ads featured a same-sex couple getting married. And for some context, here's a look at one of those ads. You see two women getting married, they're commenting about guests and features of the website, and it ends with the two women

Starting point is 00:08:58 I mean kissing, sorry. I wanted my grandma to think that I was on her side for a second. But on Thursday, Hallmark sent an email to representatives at Zola saying the channel was pulling four of its a second. But on Thursday, Hallmark sent an email to representatives at Zola saying the channel was pulling four of its six ads. With that email reading,

Starting point is 00:09:07 "'We are not allowed to accept creatives "'that are deemed controversial.'" And going on to say, "'The decision not to air overt public displays "'of affection in our sponsored advertisement, "'regardless of the participants, "'is in line with our current policy, "'which includes not featuring political advertisements,

Starting point is 00:09:20 "'offensive language, R-rated movie content, "'and many other categories.'" But on that regardless of participants note, of the two ads that Hallmark kept, Zola noted that one still showed a bride and groom kissing passionately. And so then in a statement to several news outlets on Friday, a Hallmark spokesperson further tried to clarify the decision saying, Crown Media Family Networks, the network that runs the Hallmark channel,

Starting point is 00:09:33 made the decision to pull the commercials. The debate surrounding these commercials on all sides was distracting from the purpose of our network, which is to provide entertainment value. But of course, as we all know, because we have eyes and ears, we can't just say that we're not interested in it. So, in the end, the decision was made to pull the commercials. The debate surrounding these commercials on all sides was distracting from the purpose of our network, which is to provide entertainment value.

Starting point is 00:09:47 But of course, as we all know, because we have eyes and ears and have seen it happen before, a decision to pull something that sparked a big reaction or a debate does not just get rid of it, it just stokes the fire the other way. You can't unring a bell. Now as far as part of the reason

Starting point is 00:09:59 of why they removed these ads, it could be in part thanks to conservative group One Million Moms. They protested these ads from the moment they came out, saying that they went against the channel's quote, "'Family-friendly' roots." They also started a petition that got over 30,000 signatures and so it was no surprise that they saw Hallmark's decision

Starting point is 00:10:14 to remove those ads as a victory. And actually, in speaking with the CEO of Crown Media Family Networks, Bill Abbott, they said that he told them that the ad had reportedly erred in error, right? It was a mistake, an oopsie. However, on the other side of this, you of course had LGBTQ advocate groups condemning the move, calling it a step backward for representation on Hallmark. And you know, the thing here is that

Starting point is 00:10:32 this isn't just about one set of commercials. Hallmark is reportedly looking at pitches for LGBTQ movies, right? So you have a lot of advocates here worried that this could affect the chances of LGBTQ people eventually being represented on the network. And on that note, Saturday evening, we even saw Netflix's Twitter account throwing some shade at the decision. Titles featuring lesbians joyfully existing and also it's Christmas, can we just let people love who they love?

Starting point is 00:10:52 Let it snow, merry, happy, whatever. The Schitt's Creek Twitter account replying with a similar tweet about two characters on its show. We also saw Ellen DeGeneres tweeting, "'Isn't it almost 2020?' At Hallmark Channel, at Bill Abbott. What are you thinking? Please explain, we're all ears."

Starting point is 00:11:04 And following all of that, we ended up seeing Hallmark decide to at Bill Abbott. What are you thinking? Please explain, we're all ears. And following all of that, we ended up seeing Hallmark decide to ring the bell again, with Hallmark backtracking from its original backtrack by saying that it will start re-airing those same-sex ads. And in a statement titled, "'Hallmark' affirms its commitment to diversity and inclusion," Mike Perry, the president of Hallmark Cards Inc. said,

Starting point is 00:11:19 "'The Crown Media team has been agonizing over this decision as we've seen the hurt it has unintentionally caused. Said simply, they believe this was the wrong decision. Our mission is rooted in helping all people connect, celebrate traditions, and be inspired to capture meaningful moments in their lives. Anything that detracts from this purpose is not who we are.

Starting point is 00:11:37 We are truly sorry for the hurt and disappointment this has caused." And the statement goes on to say that Hallmark is and has always been committed to diversity and inclusion, and saying that it never intended to be controversial and that it has a track record proving it's an inclusive company. And in general, everyone who is angry was now happy

Starting point is 00:11:52 and who was happy was now angry. And you had the president and CEO of GLAAD saying, the Hallmark Channel's decision to correct its mistakes sends an important message to LGBTQ people and represents a major loss for fringe organizations like One Million Moms, whose sole purpose is to hurt families like mine. And on the other side, you have the likes of Franklin Graham,

Starting point is 00:12:08 son of televangelist Billy Graham, tweeting, we can change the channel. That's what I'll do if I'm watching Hallmark Channel and an ad with gay people kissing comes on. My family and many, many others have appreciated their wholesome content, but the LGBTQ agenda bullies everybody, including them. And I know I'm gonna get shit for this

Starting point is 00:12:22 because he's a religious figure, but shut the fuck up. Oh no, two women or two men kissing. How will I explain this? With words, fuck face, two consenting adults like each other. They love each other. I'm sorry you get so attacked by other people being included or represented. But hey, that's the story.

Starting point is 00:12:37 Of course, my opinion tacked onto the end of it. And of course, if you have thoughts on it, comment down below. And then let's talk about India where huge protests have broken out all over the country over a controversial citizenship bill. And we talked about the bill last week when India's lower house of parliament passed legislation,

Starting point is 00:12:51 but for some quick background, the bill in question would provide a path to citizenship to religious minorities who illegally immigrated to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. And this particular piece of legislation named six religions that would be eligible for citizenship, but did not include Muslims. Prime Minister Modi and the bill's other supporters

Starting point is 00:13:06 have said that this will protect persecuted religious minorities who migrate to India from predominantly Muslim countries. But opponents of the bill have said that this is just a very targeted plan by Modi and his Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, with the goal being to make Muslims second-class citizens in India. Arguing that this will make it easier for the government

Starting point is 00:13:20 to jail and deport Muslim residents in India, including those whose families have lived in the country for years or even generations, but might not have proof of citizenship, which in turn could leave millions of Muslims in India stateless. Other critics of the legislation, including legal scholars, have said that it would violate India's constitution.

Starting point is 00:13:36 This because India is a secular country and its constitution says that all religions must be treated equally, as well as arguing that the bill would allow for discrimination against the nearly 200 million Muslims in India who make up about 15% of the country's population. Right, so that's the background.

Starting point is 00:13:48 The last time we talked about it, we saw a number of protests being held throughout the country. But since then, these protests have become massive, especially after the upper house of parliament passed the bill on Wednesday, which of course was followed up by approval by India's president on Thursday, officially making the bill law. So of course, as a result, these protests exploded

Starting point is 00:14:04 with large demonstrations taking place in several northeastern cities where the law could potentially have the biggest impact on immigration, the Indian government responded by shutting down the internet and deploying troops in several areas in the region. And since then, we've seen these protests not only continue, but also grow and spread

Starting point is 00:14:18 to major cities and other areas all over India. And at the same time, we've also seen police significantly ratcheting up the use of violence against the protesters. And in fact, according to reports, police said that on Sunday, at least six people were killed and more than a hundred were injured in protests in the northeastern state of Assam.

Starting point is 00:14:31 And among the reports and the protests on Sunday, we saw hundreds injured when a protest at a primarily Muslim university in New Delhi turned violent. Reportedly, students organized a large demonstration with many witnesses saying that it started out peacefully. But reportedly, police stormed the campus after nearby buses

Starting point is 00:14:45 and vehicles were set on fire though. University authorities said that the students did not burn the vehicle. You saw videos circulating on social media showing officers beating students with wooden sticks and firing tear gas at them. Police can also be seen chasing students into the library and bathroom where they reportedly continued to beat the

Starting point is 00:15:00 students. Also reportedly firing tear gas into the library and other enclosed areas like classrooms and attacking a mosque where some students were allegedly praying. One widely circulated video showed a man who tried to escape police by running into a women's hostel being dragged out and beat by the police force. In the video, a group of female students

Starting point is 00:15:14 can be seen trying to fight off the police who then just continue to hit the man and poke at the women with wooden poles even after the man had been beaten to the ground. And officials at nearby hospitals said that more than 100 people were brought in after the violence and according to the reports, nearly officials at nearby hospitals said that more than 100 people were brought in after the violence. And according to the reports, nearly 100 students were also detained.

Starting point is 00:15:27 Following this, university officials condemned police, saying that they had entered the campus by force and without permission, with the university's vice chancellor also telling reporters that they would be filing a court case against the police. But on the other side of this, Delhi police have defended their actions,

Starting point is 00:15:39 saying that they were responding to violence started by the students. Though, it should also be noted that this was not an isolated incident. According to reports, on Sunday, police used similar tactics at another primarily Muslim university. Dozens of officers are said to have forcefully

Starting point is 00:15:50 entered the campus and attacked students with batons and tear gas. But that said, despite the violence, yesterday protests have continued in India today with large demonstrations being held in a number of major cities. And in fact, many are reportedly demonstrating in solidarity with the university students

Starting point is 00:16:03 who were attacked by police yesterday. And while some of the protests have been peaceful, according to reports, students at one university threw rocks at police who responded by throwing rocks at the students. This after the police allegedly locked the gates of the university to prevent students from taking to the streets.

Starting point is 00:16:15 And as these protests continue, we saw Modi take to Twitter, writing, violent protests on the Citizenship Amendment Act are unfortunate and deeply distressing. Debate, discussion, and dissent are essential parts of democracy, but never has damage to public property and disturbance of normal life been a part of our ethos. Also saying the law illustrates

Starting point is 00:16:30 India's centuries-old culture of acceptance, harmony, compassion, and brotherhood, and describing the protesters as vested interest groups who he said were trying to divide us and create disturbance. Now while Modi was saying that, we also got a different response and tone from Amnesty International India, who urged the Indian government to respect the right

Starting point is 00:16:46 to dissent by the students and also investigate the allegations of police brutality, writing students have the right to protest. Violence against peacefully protesting students cannot under any circumstance be justified. And adding allegations that the police brutally beat up and sexually harassed students at the university must be investigated.

Starting point is 00:17:01 But ultimately, that's where we are with this story now. It is gonna be interesting to see how these protests continue, what happens. But of course, like with everything we talk about, I'd love to know your thoughts on this in those comments down below. And that is where I'm going to end today's show. And hey, if you liked this video, hit that like button.

Starting point is 00:17:16 If you're new here, hit that subscribe button. Also, if you haven't already, make sure you hit me up with a text, 813-213-4423. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

Your Ad Here

The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 12.16 PewDiePie MSM Credibility CRISIS, Hallmark's Ad Controversy, Butt Slapper ARRESTED, & More

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.