The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 4.29 Subscribe To PewDiePie Meme Shutdown, GOT Spoiler Debate, NRA Infighting & Investigation

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you're having a fantastic Monday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show and let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're going to talk about today are updates around this thing that initially started off as a meme, it was this internet-y thing. It then poured out into the real world in some, you know, kind of light-hearted ways initially, then concerning, and then horrible ways. What I'm talking about there was that battle for the most subscribed channel on YouTube, right? T-Series versus PewDiePie, aka Felix, and the subscribe to PewDiePie meme. And the reason so many from your small time internetty blogs to the Washington Post are covering this story today is that PewDiePie

Starting point is 00:00:31 has fully addressed this in a video now. On Sunday in a video called ending the subscribe to PewDiePie meme, he talks about the serious implications that the meme has had. In the video he explained why he feels the movement needs to end. At first it started off with people doing really positive

Starting point is 00:00:43 and fun things to get attention through subscribe to PewDiePie. But something I learned, and I think hopefully it's something people can understand is when you have 90 million people riled up about something, you're bound to get a few degenerates. He goes on to say that it started with someone defacing a World War II memorial

Starting point is 00:01:00 that really disappointed him, that he and his community were connected to that. Felix saying he disavowed it and donated to the memorial, but it also didn't end there. As you might remember, the Christchurch shooter said subscribe to PewDiePie, a move that me and many others believe was just to get more traction in the news cycle.

Starting point is 00:01:14 You know, that monster said that during the live stream, where he killed 50 people, which of course Felix disavowed on Twitter. But in this video also adding, To have my name associated with something so unspeakably vile has affected me in more ways than I let shown. I just didn't want to address it right away and I didn't want to give the terrorists any more attention. I didn't want to make it about me because

Starting point is 00:01:35 I don't think it has anything to do with me. To put it plainly, I didn't want hate to win, but it's clear to me now the sub-subscribe to PewDiePie movement should have ended then." Felix also goes on to address T-Series and the Indian High Court's decision to block his two diss tracks, Congratulations and Bitch Lasagna. This was all made to be fun, but it's clearly not fun anymore. It's clearly gone too far. And out of respect for that, I'm gonna keep the videos blocked.

Starting point is 00:02:01 Felix also responds to people who say the subscribe to PewDiePie movement was about race. This negative rhetoric is something I don't agree with at all and I want that to stop and to make it perfectly clear, no, I'm not racist. I don't support any form of racist comments or hate towards anyone. And as far as my personal reaction to this situation,

Starting point is 00:02:19 this video, I don't feel like Felix had to make this video, but I think that's also what makes it important and good that he did. It's separate enough in the time from the actual shooting that you can tell that he took time to think about this, that his response doesn't seem like this reactionary move. And I think that's important because it's very likely if that had happened, you would have seen several journalists saying that the move was just to shield Felix. Then we'd most likely see just another cycle of what we often see with the mainstream and Felix. To paraphrase something that Felix says in this video,

Starting point is 00:02:46 when you have a huge number of people that watch you, there are going to be some degenerates. When we look at what happened in Christchurch, I see that as a monster that wanted to hijack this thing to get more attention, right? Not Felix, not the super majority of his fans. And while the focus of a meme calling for the end of that meme is usually ineffective,

Starting point is 00:03:02 it usually leads to just more people saying it, I think in this case, Felix's move will be effective or at least effective to a certain point. Right, it's gonna be much harder for anyone calling themselves a fan of Felix to say, we're moving forward with subscribe to PewDiePie when he's saying, you know, no. He's saying that it should have ended

Starting point is 00:03:16 and it's because he doesn't want hate to win. But yeah, that's the story, my personal takeaway from it. And of course, I pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts on this? Then, part of this is industry news slash I just want people's opinions on another thing. One, if you have not seen Avengers Endgame has just destroyed the box office. Estimates are saying that opening weekend they brought in over 350 million dollars domestically and 1.2 billion worldwide. I'll say as

Starting point is 00:03:38 someone that really didn't go through the comics but watched every single movie in the MCU, I personally loved it as a whole thing. I think a lot of people, if you look at the movie as a whole, you're gonna have issues here and there, but it's not gonna make me dislike the movie. I thought it was phenomenal. Another reason you had people talking about Endgame in the news today is Chris Pratt

Starting point is 00:03:53 was sharing some illegal photos from set, which it's cool to see because one, it's after the fact and two, it's not really spoilery. Which, by the way, regarding spoilers, according to Asia One, reportedly there was a man who left a theater in Hong Kong, then reportedly proceeded to yell spoilers about the way, regarding spoilers, according to Asia One, reportedly there was a man who left a theater in Hong Kong. He then reportedly proceeded to yell spoilers about the movie, and that man reportedly was then attacked,

Starting point is 00:04:10 and he was left with facial injuries. And I think an important thing to remember is while I, and so many others, would never call for physical violence because someone said some things about a movie, there are going to be people out there that do not have those same feelings. There's a reason that 99.9% of the trolls and assholes that spoil movies for people do it on the internet. They're in front of the most amount of people possible and

Starting point is 00:04:30 they realize that what they're doing is a big asshole move. And finally, and this is kind of more of the question slash debate I wanted to hear from you on, when it comes to spoilers I've seen a massive debate online about the difference between movie and TV. For example, Marvel and so many other people had kind of the no spoiler campaign around Endgame. Don't ruin it for people, people have been waiting so long. Whereas with last night's episode of Game of Thrones, it really didn't seem like that was the case. People were kind of playing his day, saying what was happening.

Starting point is 00:04:56 Meanwhile, Sean McCoy says a big thing that happened with Endgame and he's trending on Twitter. And so it started this debate about why were people being so adamant and tight lipped around this movie? Are you talking about this big end result of a story that has been told over so many years? And then you look at Game of Thrones and you know, it's been a long time.

Starting point is 00:05:11 People have been waiting for this. Why is it different? And you have people defending, talking about what actually happened in Game of Thrones, right? It's live TV. People saying unlike a movie where obviously you have to go to certain timed screenings which are only available in certain locations.

Starting point is 00:05:23 But the thing like a TV show on HBO where you don't have those restrictions, right? It's on cable, it's being timed screenings which are only available in certain locations. But the thing like a TV show on HBO where you don't have those restrictions, right? It's on cable, it's being live streamed. People seem to have a mindset that it is meant to be consumed and talked about and reacted to live, right? Where the entire world and social media kind of becomes this one big movie theater. But of course you still had a lot of other people saying,

Starting point is 00:05:39 no, there shouldn't be a difference. You should still provide some sort of window but we're spoiler alert before you go and spoil something, right? Because not everyone can watch something as soon as it comes out. But with all that said, I pass the question and the debate off to you. What are your thoughts on spoiling versus not spoiling, the differences between TV and movie? Do you think it ultimately boils down to the differences in the way something is released or is there something else? I'd love to know your thoughts. And then let's talk about the recent controversies

Starting point is 00:06:05 with the NRA. Now, there are a lot of people involved in this, there are a lot of moving parts, but we're gonna try and break it down. Everything started unraveling this weekend when the NRA was having its annual meeting. On Friday, we saw reports for both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times revealing turmoil

Starting point is 00:06:16 within leadership at the organization. According to these reports, the NRA's president, Oliver North, wanted the company's CEO and executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre, to resign. This then prompted LaPierre to write a letter to the NRA board accusing North of extortion and in this letter LaPierre claims that North spoke on the phone with one of his senior staff members And on that call North brought up a letter drafted by Ackerman McQueen one of the NRA's vendors and this was a bad

Starting point is 00:06:36 letter for LaPierre and LaPierre said that he was given something of an ultimatum. Unless I resigned as the executive vice president of the Association Ackerman would transmit this allegedly damaging letter to the entire NRA board. But LaPierre said that he would not be backing down from his role. As far as what the damaging information in that letter is, he did not specify. But North recently alleged that LaPierre participated in financial misconduct.

Starting point is 00:06:57 This including an incident where he charged $200,000 of wardrobe transactions to a vendor. Also of note here, just a few weeks ago, the NRA actually filed a lawsuit against Ackerman McQueen, saying that Ackerman McQueen has refused to hand over business records and financial statements, but North, who receives a salary from Ackerman for an NRA TV series, has sided with Ackerman McQueen

Starting point is 00:07:14 in the suit and not the NRA. Also speaking about possible financial misconduct, on Saturday, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that she is opening an investigation into the NRA. And according to reports, James will be looking into the NRA's finances Including its charitable foundation to assess their status as a non-profit tax-exempt organization with James already reaching out to the NRA asking for them to preserve financial documents and according to a

Starting point is 00:07:34 spokesperson subpoenas have been issued in response an outside lawyer for the NRA gave a statement saying that they were ready to work with James as She investigates saying the NRA will fully cooperate with any inquiry into its finances, and adding the NRA is prepared for this in his full confidence in its accounting practices and commitment to good governance. Also of note here, on Saturday the day that this is all happening, North announced that he would not be seeking a second term as the president of the NRA. And while he did not attend the meeting himself that day, he had a board member read the letter on his behalf, and in that letter he cited the financial and legal troubles the organization is facing, adding, "'There is a clear crisis within the NRA.'" And all of this brings us to this morning when President Trump tweeted about the ongoing situations

Starting point is 00:08:09 involving the organization. Trump tweeting, "'The NRA is under siege by Cuomo and the New York State AG "'who are illegally using the state's legal apparatus "'to take down and destroy this very important organization "'and others. "'It must get its act together quickly, "'stop the internal fighting,

Starting point is 00:08:23 "'and get back to greatness fast." And in a second tweet adding, "...people are fleeing New York State because of high taxes and yes, even oppression of sorts. The NRA should leave and fight from the outside of this very difficult to deal with unfair state." And as far as the response from the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, he reportedly dismissed Trump's claim that this was illegal, adding, "...unlike you, President Trump, New York is not afraid to stand up to the NRA. As for the NRA, we will remember them "'in our thoughts and prayers.

Starting point is 00:08:47 "'I will continue to fight for the children of this state.'" And adding, "'Gun violence is a national crisis "'plaguing our country and killing our children.'" And we also had the New York AG office responding to Trump, saying, "'We wish the President would share our respect for the law.'" Also saying,

Starting point is 00:08:59 "'They will follow the facts wherever they may lead.'" But ultimately, that is where we are right now. It is going to be very interesting to see the developments in all the different aspects of this story. You have the infighting around leadership and investigation, the President of the United States and the New York AG office. It's going to be a very interesting one to watch,

Starting point is 00:09:13 but of course, with that, I pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts on this? And the last thing that we're going to talk about today is the synagogue shooting that happened just outside of San Diego this weekend. If you didn't hear, on Saturday, reportedly a gunman entered the Chabad of Poway Synagogue in Poway, California.

Starting point is 00:09:26 Reportedly, he opened fire while yelling anti-Semitic slurs, killing one woman, injuring three others before his gun jammed and he fled the synagogue. Reportedly, he then got in his car, he drove away, but shortly after, the gunman himself called the California Highway Patrol to report his location and then surrendered to police. The attacker was then taken into custody

Starting point is 00:09:42 and charged with one count of first degree murder and three counts of attempted murder. The press release that followed said that officials believed that the shooter was acting alone and had no indication that he was part of an organization. Now with a lot of the media focusing on the shooter today, something that I wanted to do with this is just outright terrible story,

Starting point is 00:09:55 was that I wanted to try and share the stories of the hero. Right, you have people like Rabbi Yisrael Goldstein, who's the leader of the synagogue. He's been applauded for his efforts to protect and unify his congregation, both during the attack and after. Reportedly, Rabbi Goldstein was preparing a sermon for the day when he heard shots ring out from the synagogue's banquet hall. He then reportedly turned around and was confronted by the gunman who then shot the rabbi in the hand, badly injuring him. And then still after being shot, the

Starting point is 00:10:17 rabbi ran to help a group of children escape outside to safety. And members of the synagogue have applauded Goldstein's leadership, saying that despite his injuries, he didn't leave his congregation until he had finished speaking to them, reportedly calming them and speaking of resilience and unity. And as far as Goldstein's injury, he was later taken to the hospital where he lost an index finger after undergoing extensive surgery. Also, others, including the rabbi himself, have applauded Oscar Stewart, who is a veteran who chased after the gunman and tried to tackle him. San Diego County Sheriff's Department acknowledged Stewart in a press release saying, Stewart risked his life to stop the shooter and saved lives in the process. Rabbi Goldstein also applauded Jonathan Morales, an off-duty border patrol agent who chased after the gunman when he fled the synagogue. And Morales reportedly followed the attacker to his car and shot at the vehicle while the gunman drove away.

Starting point is 00:10:56 And finally, Rabbi Goldstein has also praised Laurie Gilbert Kaye, the member of the synagogue who was shot and killed by the gunman. During an emotional press conference on Sunday, Goldstein reflected on her life, which he believes she sacrificed for the congregation. In my own interpretation, Lori took the bullet for all of us. She died to protect all of us. She didn't deserve to die. This is Lori. This is her legacy, and her legacy will continue. It could have been so much worse if the sequence of events didn't happen the way it happened. It could have been a much worse massacre. Yeah, the heroes and the victims in this matter,

Starting point is 00:11:32 that's the big primary thing that I wanted to focus on today. Because of course, this is a very concerning and troubling and horrific story. It's a story that is incredibly scary on its own. And it's a story that is incredibly scary when you consider it as a trend. Or you have this religious shooting

Starting point is 00:11:44 where reportedly there was an attempt to have a heavy involvement of social media. scary on its own and it's a story that is incredibly scary when you consider it as a trend. You have this religious shooting where reportedly there was an attempt to have a heavy involvement of social media. According to reports, the attacker had a helmet camera and was trying to live stream the shooting, but fortunately his video equipment failed to work. Alright, so an attempt to live stream this horrific act to get so much more attention. There are also reports around an alleged open letter that he was trying to get out with social media. We then see that same situation of social media companies trying to combat the spread of this. Also, keep in mind there regarding that open letter law enforcement and other officials are still investigating seeing if it's actually from the shooter. Yeah, it's just kind of this evolution and trending of horrible. And so that's why for the bulk of this story I want to talk about the people that were a part of this story that stand in opposition to the horrible.

Starting point is 00:12:19 Because that is what we need more of and that's what we also need to look to, especially as things get darker and darker. And that light in these stories in our world, it's important to focus on it more so than ever when things get their darkest. That's where I'm going to end today's show and of course, whether it be this last story or anything else, we'd love to hear from you in the comments down below. And remember, if you like this video,

Starting point is 00:12:37 you wanna show that support, just hit that like button. Also, if you're new here, be sure to hit subscribe. Also, if you're not 100% filled in, you missed either of the last two videos we put out, you can click or tap right there to watch those. Or if you wanna get news and be sure to hit subscribe. Also, if you're not 100% filled in, you miss either of the last two videos we put out, you can click or tap right there to watch those. Or if you want to get news and stories we didn't get to today, you can go to roguerocker.com or click the links to those articles down below.

Starting point is 00:12:51 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.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 4.29 Subscribe To PewDiePie Meme Shutdown, GOT Spoiler Debate, NRA Infighting & Investigation

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