The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 5.7 They Fixed Game Of Thrones, Riot Games Walkout, Liza Koshy, Myanmar's "Good News"

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you have a fantastic Tuesday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show. Before we jump into it, remember, hit that like button, otherwise I'm gonna punch you in the throat. I'm not really gonna do it, but for some reason when I threaten you with physical violence, I get two to three times more likes. Also, I didn't threaten you with violence in this morning's deep dive video, and that's like half the comments. Phil, why did you not threaten me with physical violence? There is now no way I can enjoy this 20 plus minute deep dive. But, with that said, let's just jump into it. The first thing we're gonna talk about today is news that didn't matter, but people were having a stroke over it. You know that coffee cup that popped up in Game of Thrones?

Starting point is 00:00:32 You know the one that everyone was like, how did it happen? Although most of us didn't actually see it the first time we were watching the scene. Which before going further, if you caught it on the first one, Congratulations, you're better. You won the internet. You had people debating, did they do it on purpose as like an Easter egg to create a viral moment, or did everyone just really miss it? The official Game of Thrones Twitter responded

Starting point is 00:00:52 to the controversy, tweeting news from Winterfell, the latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake, Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea, jokes. And there were more jokes and there were more memes. I had a friend, who I'm not gonna name, who was like, it's so weird that they didn't use VFX to get rid of the cup. Like, would it have taken too much time or too much money?

Starting point is 00:01:07 And I was like, you think those are problems on the show with dragons? But now 24 hours later, it turns out they did have the time and they do have the money. And HBO has now digitally removed the coffee cup from that scene. And now everyone on r slash free folk can go back to complaining about the writing and the spoilers. But yeah, it's over. That said, congratulations to all the meme accounts that got tons and tons of new followers. Littlefinger was right. Chaos is a ladder and you climb that son of a bitch. Then we had the measles and anti-vax in the news again.

Starting point is 00:01:35 I know a lot of the time when we talk about the resurgence of measles, the anti-vax problem, we talk about the United States. But of course, we are in no way the only country dealing with this resurgence of the measles. And one of those countries in the news right now is Germany. And the reason for that is, well, one, Germany has said that they have double the measles cases this year than they did last year at the same time. And two, it appears that Germany might be the next place

Starting point is 00:01:56 to implement a fine and ban. Reportedly, their health minister has proposed a fine for parents of unvaccinated children that could go up to $2,790. And according to reports, he also suggests ban of unvaccinated children that could go up to $2,790. And according to reports, he also suggests banning unvaccinated children from all kindergarten and daycare facilities to protect those who are too young to vaccinate

Starting point is 00:02:12 and those with medical conditions that prevent them from being vaccinated. And of course, my reaction to this news, not a surprise if you've watched me for a while, good. Please do it, it is absolutely insane that this is an issue that we're still having to deal with. And unfortunately, I truly believe that this is a situation that is only going to get worse and the reason for that is that the true true Problem of the spread of misinformation is the genie that is not going back in the bottle

Starting point is 00:02:33 Thanks to social media common sense and responsibility needs to be preached from the highest of rooftops And we need to be consistent about it which on that note It's pretty much impossible for me to respond to emails on a one-on-one basis these days It's all the parents and kids out there who have reached out saying our coverage Inspired them to research it further or to actually get their kids vaccinated or they themselves vaccinated Please know that means the world to me It's good to know that some common sense can spread and I'm not just screaming into the void in a room by myself Yeah, that's where I'll leave that one

Starting point is 00:03:03 And then let's talk about news you knew about, you cared about, or you kinda knew was a thing that was happening because last night you went to Twitter or Instagram and you saw people posting a lot of photos with captions like slaying, oh my god, I'm dead. Last night, celebrities and fashion designers gathered to celebrate at the Met Gala,

Starting point is 00:03:18 all dressed or supposed to be dressed in this year's theme, which was Camp Notes on Fashion. And in case you don't know what the Met Gala is, it is the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute's gala to celebrate the opening night of a new exhibit and to help raise money. Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, approves each guest and tickets cost

Starting point is 00:03:34 around $35,000 per person. Also, if you are seemingly out of touch to this world as I am and you're like, well what is camp? Let me Google that. One, it turns out we're not alone. There are whole articles, even written by the BBC, going into what camp is. Two, it turns out it is not camping or tent related.

Starting point is 00:03:50 No, instead, three, the camp theme was based on an essay by Susan Sontag from 1964. There, she tried to define what it means to be camp by saying, the hallmark of camp is the spirit of extravagance. So basically, everything that Billy Porter embodied. And if you're like, I don't think I know who Billy Porter is, you've probably seen what Billy Porter looks like.

Starting point is 00:04:06 And while there were notable moments from the red carpet, like Lady Gaga's 16 minute entrance, where she had multiple outfit changes to show off four looks, and if you want to experience that in the best way possible, there's a video of Liza Koshy narrating everything that was happening, which actually on that note, Liza Koshy was there again this year.

Starting point is 00:04:21 And it turns out this year that she wasn't the only person from YouTube there. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki posting a photo from the event with James Charles, Lily Singh, and several others. And both James and Lily posted about the event. Lily keeping it simple, just saying, had to dress like a Lily because. James thanking YouTube for inviting him. And adding, being invited to such an important event like the ball is such an honor. And a step forward in the right direction for influencer representation in the media.

Starting point is 00:04:42 And I am so excited to be a catalyst. And while, of course course you did have a huge Junk of his fan base incredibly excited there there were people that weren't also a sister supportive, right? This was even before the gala started there were rumors that James Charles and Emma Chamberlain were going to be in attendance and some people Were just not having it people seemingly angry that there were not more drag queens Invited or acknowledged that's because many credit drag queens with creating camp as a style, and instead you had the likes of a James Charles. Also, once people saw the outfit James was wearing, some felt that he missed the entire point of the theme.

Starting point is 00:05:09 Also, looking through these tweets, I have to say that I think fashion Twitter is the snarkiest of Twitters. Personally, I don't know a damn thing about fashion, so I have no opinion there. But really, I do think, your opinion of like a Liza Koshy, a Lilly Singh, a James Charles, that really doesn't fully matter.

Starting point is 00:05:24 Because personally, I think that it is a good thing that we're having YouTubers thrust into this more mainstream light. While yes, the way James Charles talked about it on his Instagram, it can seem very self-important. But having people from the mainstream see people from the digital space as legitimate people, that's big.

Starting point is 00:05:38 Especially since in the digital space, we're seeing a lot of people from the mainstream come here. I mean, hell, I saw pictures and video of Will Smith vlogging Coachella for YouTube. And sure, it's gonna be the more advertiser-friendly YouTubers at the forefront of this evolution. But let's be honest, the venue as it was last night, the outfits that were there, it's probably better that Eliza Koshy was doing that than me. Or maybe you don't think so, I was off about the throat-punching thing too. But that's a story, my personal takeaway, And of course I pass the question off to you.

Starting point is 00:06:06 Do you think it is good for the industry or nah? But yeah, that was really the only thing that was interesting to me. I couldn't help, I mean some of the outfits from the night that have come across my screen, I was like, oh that is pretty. But like 80% of my reaction to the outfits that were there, I was just like, I would hate to be behind you

Starting point is 00:06:20 in a movie theater. That's it, that was my one legitimate reaction. And then let's talk about why over 100 employees at Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, participated in a movie theater. That's it, that was my one legitimate reaction. And then let's talk about why over 100 employees at Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, participated in a walkout. And specifically, the walkout was in response to the company's forced arbitration policy and to fight against general sexism and discrimination

Starting point is 00:06:35 employees say that they experience at work. Now, the accusations that Riot has this kind of sexist bro culture goes back a while. It started back when Kotaku wrote an expose on the company in August of last year. In it, they detail women being passed on for leadership roles, men making inappropriate comments on women's appearance, men using vulgar and sexual language in the workplace, and men showing employees unsolicited photos of genitalia. After this was published, an ex-employee of Riot Games, Barry Hawkins, wrote a blog post about his choice to leave the company, and he appeared to back up what Kotaku's article outlined, saying there were two predominant flavors of behavior. One was the use of sexual references and gestures by straight men toward other straight men, and the other was the sexist and inappropriate

Starting point is 00:07:11 language about women. Adding that the quote aggressive behavior was constant often daily, and that the overall environment became fertile ground for sexism toward both men and women to run unchecked. He also cited specific examples of the aggressive comments made, saying people would joke about the topics like rape, performing sex acts, and sleeping with employees' spouses. And then in November of last year, female employees filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming that they face gender-based discrimination

Starting point is 00:07:33 and harassment. And since all of that unfolded, riots seem to have taken action to address this culture that they were accused of creating. At the end of August, they made a post titled "'Our First Steps Forward'". There, they said they were, quote, "'Taking everything we've learned from rioters

Starting point is 00:07:44 "'and leading culture change experts, "'and we are starting to develop a plan with substance.'" In December they placed their COO, Scott Gelb, on a two month suspension after being accused of sexual misconduct. Specifically there were reports of Gelb farting on employees, hitting their testicles and humping them. And so some employees thought

Starting point is 00:07:59 that this was not nearly enough of a punishment. Then in March of this year they hired a chief diversity officer to address issues within the company. And on Friday, anticipating the coming walkout, they published a chief diversity officer to address issues within the company and on Friday anticipating the coming walkout they published a blog post outlining future actions the company would take. There they specifically addressed the issue of forced arbitration at the company saying that they were changing aspects of the policy writing. As soon as current litigation is resolved we will give all new rioters the choice to opt out of mandatory arbitration for individual sexual harassment and sexual assault claims. They also said that they would cover the costs of the arbitrator, that all

Starting point is 00:08:26 arbitrators must be agreed upon by both parties, and that plaintiffs have rights to lawyers in these cases. They also rolled out new plans for diversity and inclusion which involved updating their code of conduct, committing to hiring diverse candidates, and launching anti-harassment training for all new hires. And they said that all of these are set to be completed within the next 30 to 90 days. But on Monday employees still thought that it was important to take action and to participate in this walkout. Which the company, Riot, said that they supported. Saying the company, Those walkouts took place in both the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices.

Starting point is 00:08:57 We saw employees carrying signs saying things like, I reported and he got promoted. And silence one of us, you silence us all. And according to reports, Ronnie Blackburn spoke during the walkout telling the crowd What we want is a timely end to the systemic silencing of employees and the promise of a fair trial for the current plaintiff We are not dissonant for the sake of dissonance We are dissident for the sake of justice for the sake of riot living up to its value and for the sake of riot being the Great place that we all want it to be I also saw others supporting online with the hashtag riotwalkout.

Starting point is 00:09:25 Riot Games employees also received support from their peers. Gameworkers unite writing a blog post praising those who engaged in the walkout. We also saw reports today that riot employees in Dublin staged a walkout. I will say on a personal note, this has been very fascinating and inspiring to watch. It takes balls for employees to stand up and protest their employer, especially when the fear of retaliation is not unfounded. But it's probably also necessary to have those balls because otherwise you'll just continue having an environment where guys like Gelb will allegedly hit them. But that said, this is a situation

Starting point is 00:09:52 that we're gonna keep our eye on. Also, if you're one of the employees that work at this company, there is retaliation or something like that, of course, feel free to email us at tips at roguerocket.com. But with that said, of course, I pass the question off to the rest of you. What are your thoughts around this?

Starting point is 00:10:05 And the last thing that we're gonna talk about today are the two Reuters journalists who were jailed in Myanmar. Now we covered this back on the show in September of last year, but since that was a while, here's a quick TLDR. Back in December of 2017, we had these two Reuters journalists, Wah Lone and Chosou,

Starting point is 00:10:17 and they had been reporting on the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and they were arrested by police. And for some context here, the Rohingya are a Muslim minority in Myanmar, and they've been forced to flee persecution from state security forces in what has amounted to a huge refugee crisis. And in fact, many experts have labeled the persecution

Starting point is 00:10:31 of the Rohingya as genocide or ethnic cleansing, but military and civilian officials have denied this. So naturally, this is an extremely contentious issue for those journalists who are covering it. With all of that said, the police and the government said that the two journalists were not arrested because of their coverage of the crisis, but the conditions of their arrest and sentencing have been incredibly sketchy. Officials have said that the two journalists were not arrested because of their coverage of the crisis But the conditions of their arrest and sentencing have been incredibly sketchy officials have said that the two men were arrested for possessing secret documents

Starting point is 00:10:50 But it's widely believed that they were set up reportedly the police asked to meet with the two journalists in December of 2017 They handed the journalists rolled up documents as they were leaving and they then promptly arrested them for having those same documents We then fast forward to September of 2018, and the two journalists are sentenced to seven years in prison. And like the conditions of their arrest, the testimonies against them were questionable, with one police officer admitting to burning his notes, and another witness actually reading parts

Starting point is 00:11:14 of their testimony off notes on their hand. And following the journalists being imprisoned, the sentencing, it immediately sparked international outrage with many world leaders arguing that the government was censoring the journalists. We then saw Lone and So-U appeal the case to a regional high court, but they lost that appeal back in January.

Starting point is 00:11:29 They then appealed to the Myanmar Supreme Court, which denied their appeal just two weeks ago. And you know, after that Supreme Court decision, it seemed like all was lost. But that is until today. Both Loan and So-U were released after being detained for over 500 days after the president of Myanmar pardoned 6,520 prisoners.

Starting point is 00:11:45 And so today we saw these two journalists smiling and waving in videos and photos as they were walking out the gates of the prison, alone thanking the people who supported them. Also, around the world, people who are wishing to release us. So I would like to say thank you very much for everything. I'm really happy and excited to see my family and my colleagues. And I can't wait to go to my newsroom. The two were then taken to see their families where they were both reunited with their wives and daughters, which I'll say it's really hard not to get emotional.

Starting point is 00:12:10 I mean you see Lone holding his daughter who was actually born while he was in prison, and then you see So-Woo with his three-year-old daughter after being separated for most of her life. We've seen a lot of people responding and celebrating these journalists now being free. Steven Adler, the editor-in-chief of Reuters, saying in a statement, "'We are enormously pleased that Myanmar "'has released our courageous reporters. "'Since their arrest 511 days ago, "'they have become symbols of the importance "'of press freedom around the world.

Starting point is 00:12:32 "'We welcome their return.'" Vice President Mike Pence also commending their release in a tweet where he called it great news, adding, "'Freedom of religion and freedom of the press "'are essential to a strong democracy.'" Amal Clooney, who was part of the journalist legal team, saying, "'It is inspiring to see a news organization "'so committed to the protection of innocent men "'in to a strong democracy. Amal Clooney, who was part of the journalist's legal team, saying, It is inspiring to see a news organization

Starting point is 00:12:46 so committed to the protection of innocent men in the profession of journalism. I hope that their release signals a renewed commitment to press freedom in Myanmar. And while this move and announcement was applauded by human rights organizations and leaders, many also expressed concern for the future. Nicholas Bekelen, Amnesty International's

Starting point is 00:13:01 East and Southeast Asia director, said in a statement, Today marks an important victory for press freedom in Myanmar But adding while all those who campaigned for their release welcome the government's decision The reality is the country retains a range of repressive laws used to detain journalists activists and any perceived critic of the authorities until these laws Are repealed journalists and activists remain under a permanent threat of detention and arrest, you know As far as what's next right now that remains to be seen. You know, back when the journalists were sentenced, many looked to Myanmar's new civilian leader,

Starting point is 00:13:27 Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to fight for democracy in Myanmar. The international community hoped that Suu Kyi, whose role was comparable to that of a prime minister, would help usher in a new transition for more democratic practices following a long history of military rule. With Suu Kyi's government largely expected

Starting point is 00:13:41 to end the imprisonment of government critics, pardon political prisoners, and to continue work towards free media. But instead, her government has cracked down on freedom of expression and continued to use outdated laws to imprison people like the two journalists we talked about today. And in fact, according to Amnesty International, in recent weeks, Amnesty International has recorded a surge in politically motivated arrests, most for criticism of the military. And while Suki had the power to pardon the two journalists, she defended the court's decision saying, "'They were not jailed because they were journalists.' The court has decided that they had broken the official secret set."

Starting point is 00:14:09 Which of course, we talked about the ridiculously sketchiness of that whole situation. And meanwhile, and of course, a big part of this story was about press freedom. The thing that those two journalists were trying to cover, the violent persecution of the Rohingya continues with no accountability from the military or Sukey. I am hopeful, I'm not quite too optimistic

Starting point is 00:14:25 I'm definitely 100% skeptical But I really do hope this big news today can lead to a more positive future more positive Situation and a safe situation, but that's where we are for now. And of course I pass the question off to you What are your thoughts on this and that's where we're going to end today's show And remember if you like this video you want to support the channel Just take a second hit that like button, maybe share the video. Also, if you're new here and you want any and all

Starting point is 00:14:49 of the seven videos we put out every week, be sure to hit that subscribe button. Also, if you're not 100% filled in, maybe you missed the last Philip DeFranco show, the last morning show, you can click or tap right there to watch those. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco, you've just been filled in,

Starting point is 00:15:02 I love yo faces, and I'll see you tomorrow.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 5.7 They Fixed Game Of Thrones, Riot Games Walkout, Liza Koshy, Myanmar's "Good News"

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