Modern WisdomWhat Is Happening With Patreon, Gillette and Brexit? | Sargon Of Akkad
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 1:12
Patreon ban: what happened and why it shocked creators
Carl Benjamin explains being removed from Patreon after clips from an off-platform livestream were used against him. He argues Patreon acted outside its own stated rules and warns creators that their behavior across the wider internet can now be used for enforcement.
- •Patreon deletes Carl’s account without warning after an off-platform stream
- •Claim that Patreon’s terms didn’t previously indicate off-site policing
- •Patreon’s original promise: funding independent of advertisers
- •Concern that platforms now punish speech they simply dislike
- 1:12 – 5:20
Monetization fragility: YouTube’s cut, alternatives, and fear of losing everything
The conversation moves to how creators monetize and how precarious that income can be. Carl compares Patreon, YouTube memberships, and SubscribeStar, and describes the anxiety of potentially losing his channel and livelihood overnight.
- •YouTube ‘join’ feature takes a much larger percentage than Patreon/SubscribeStar
- •Patreon was a major monetization pillar for his work
- •Emotional impact of sudden income removal
- •Daily worry about being deplatformed from YouTube entirely
- •Mention of alternative platforms like BitChute and decentralization
- 5:20 – 7:51
The deplatforming ‘slippery slope’: from Nazis to Alex Jones to mainstream conservatives
Carl frames a progression in enforcement: beginning with extremists and expanding toward more mainstream figures. He cites high-profile removals as evidence of a tightening censorship boundary and argues the center keeps moving inward.
- •Argument that initial bans targeted Nazis, then expanded to Alex Jones and others
- •Examples: Milo Yiannopoulos, James Allsup, Carl Benjamin
- •Claim that political viewpoints closer to the center are increasingly targeted
- •Discussion of how public attention rose after high-profile crackdowns
- 7:51 – 14:50
Silicon Valley as an ‘ethical state’: concentrated power and shared censorship norms
Carl and Chris discuss power concentration in Silicon Valley and the idea that tech leaders share a moral-political agenda. Carl invokes fascism scholarship (Giovanni Gentile) to argue that an ‘ethical state’ mindset is emerging in corporate governance and content moderation.
- •Comparison of tech’s cultural power to a monopoly/echo chamber
- •Gentile’s ‘ethical state’ concept vs liberal state’s role protecting rights
- •Claims that CEOs coordinate and share moderation philosophies
- •Tim Cook example: framing censorship as moral necessity
- •Fear of an authoritarian ‘Demolition Man’ style future
- 14:50 – 20:30
The internet panopticon: permanent records, retroactive punishment, and no redemption
They explore how social media makes old statements permanently searchable and weaponizable. Examples like Cenk Uygur and Tulsi Gabbard illustrate how people can be punished long after changing their views, creating a culture of fear and absolutism.
- •‘Orwellian’ panopticon: everything said can be resurfaced years later
- •Cenk Uygur’s old blog posts used against him decades afterward
- •Tulsi Gabbard criticized for views shaped by upbringing despite later changes
- •Debate over accountability vs allowing personal growth
- •General fear of old posts harming future opportunities
- 20:30 – 21:12
Creator backlash and the Patreon exodus: Harris, Rubin, Peterson—and building new platforms
The discussion turns to prominent creators leaving Patreon in protest and exploring alternatives. Carl suggests these departures signal broader distrust of Patreon’s governance and a push toward independent infrastructure.
- •Sam Harris closes Patreon; mentions Dave Rubin and Jordan Peterson as well
- •Speculation about the scale of patrons moving away
- •Plans for a new creator-owned platform
- •Carl adopts SubscribeStar while watching the ecosystem shift
- 21:12 – 23:33
Payments censorship and ‘cartel’ behavior: PayPal vs SubscribeStar
Carl alleges coordinated action when creators moved to SubscribeStar and payment processors withdrew services. He interprets this as anti-competitive and politically motivated pressure, reinforcing his concern about centralized control.
- •PayPal and other processors pull support after creator migration
- •Observation that a Patreon trust-and-safety lead previously worked at PayPal
- •Argument that this functions like cartel protectionism
- •SubscribeStar’s workaround using alternative processing
- •How financial rails become leverage for deplatforming
- 23:33 – 26:01
Gillette ad controversy: ‘toxic masculinity’ narrative and moral messaging
Chris introduces the Gillette advertisement and Carl criticizes it as simplistic feminist propaganda. They discuss how the ad frames male behavior, why it triggered backlash, and the tension between marketing, morality, and audience reaction.
- •Gillette ad centers Me Too and ‘toxic masculinity’ themes
- •Director Kim Gehrig identified as a feminist filmmaker
- •Claim that the ad treats masculinity as a societal defect needing correction
- •Discussion of British vs US versions and tonal differences
- •Audience outrage and reputational risk for brands
- 26:01 – 29:25
Play fighting vs predation: why the ad’s logic ‘doesn’t map’ to real behavior
They focus on a specific scene implying boys’ roughhousing leads to adult predation. Carl argues play fighting is normal social development and that conflating it with harassment is a category error rooted in misunderstanding male behavior.
- •Critique: ad conflates childhood roughhousing with Weinstein-style predation
- •Argument that play fighting is common and consensual among boys
- •Research claims: people familiar with brothers better distinguish play vs real fights
- •Analogy to animals (puppies) to frame rough-and-tumble as natural
- •View that modern feminism reflects fear/misread of male socialization
- 29:25 – 32:57
Backlash mechanics: dislikes, deleted comments, and accusations around the director
Chris and Carl dissect the online reaction—heavy dislikes, allegations of removed votes, and comment moderation. They also touch on unverified accusations about the director, using it to highlight escalation and polarization in culture-war dynamics.
- •Reported like/dislike ratios shifting over time
- •Claims that dislikes and comments were removed or moderated
- •Mention of allegations against the director (treated as unconfirmed)
- •How polarized narratives invite extreme counter-narratives
- •Social media controversy as a self-reinforcing cycle
- 32:57 – 42:12
How to guide young men without authoritarianism: bottom-up norms and ‘know the limit’
They propose that better male behavior is encouraged through cultural norms and peer enforcement rather than top-down moral rules. Carl emphasizes channeling male instincts within boundaries, not pathologizing masculinity itself.
- •Bottom-up cultural enforcement vs top-down rule-making
- •Jordan Peterson’s play-fighting framework (learning limits, fairness, embodiment)
- •Male competition as structured, rule-bound, and often mutually understood
- •Anecdote about ‘Mr. Gormsby’ and discipline as ‘That’s enough’
- •Core principle: allow natural behavior, set acceptable parameters
- 42:12 – 45:11
Brexit snapshot: May’s weak position, no-deal logic, and EU incentives to punish
The conversation pivots to UK politics. Carl argues Theresa May’s deal is unacceptable to Eurosceptics and that no-deal WTO terms may be preferable for sovereignty, even with short-term disruption.
- •Theresa May survives confidence votes but lacks strong support
- •Hardline Tory Eurosceptics reject May’s proposed deal
- •Argument that sovereignty outweighs GDP concerns
- •EU seen as intransigent to deter future exits
- •Claim that May’s deal leaves UK powerless compared to remaining
- 45:11 – 50:16
Ripple effects: EU budget gaps, Nexit ‘fester,’ and Ireland’s trade exposure
Carl forecasts consequences for both the UK and EU: budget shortfalls, political fallout in member states, and trade disruption centered on Ireland. He suggests EU pressure could backfire by fueling exit movements and economic strain.
- •EU budget impact if UK doesn’t pay the proposed settlement sum
- •Potential political backlash in France/Germany/Italy over higher taxes
- •Nexit discussed as a longer-term possibility rather than imminent
- •Ireland’s reliance on UK trade (food exports) and vulnerability to tariff changes
- •Trade substitution (e.g., South American imports) could hurt Ireland
- 50:16 – 55:27
British political theatre: archaic Parliament rituals, heritage, and ‘double down’ pride
They end with a lighter reflection on the UK’s distinctive parliamentary traditions and how they look internationally. Both acknowledge the embarrassment and charm, concluding that Britain should embrace its historical oddities rather than sanitize them.
- •Chris describes Parliament’s archaic procedures and global optics
- •Carl finds Bercow’s style and ‘Order!’ culture entertaining
- •Shared view: traditions feel embarrassing yet culturally distinctive
- •Jokes about Britain’s age, heritage, and symbolic rituals (maces, robes)
- •Closing remarks and callback to the UK Gillette version
