- Logan, Paul just brought the hammer down on Andrew Tate.
And not in a "I'm trying to build up hype so I can fight you
and get paid" sort of way, but rather a
"I think you should go die in a dark corner" sort of way.
The shit that Andrew Tate is saying will have
a ripple effect, much more dangerous than you can imagine
because his narrative is truly hateful.
His rhetoric has extreme negative energy in it
and it will affect impressionable young people
in a way that will not show until years from now.
And it is dangerous.
- Just in case you've ignored the news cycle,
Andrew Tate of course blew up over the past few months
with viral clip after viral clip online, some of it is
like general hustle, culture, motivational bullshit
but really the thing that has gotten the biggest spotlight
are the completely violent misogynistic messages
he's put out there.
Think sexist alpha bro crap and then multiply it by 100.
With him there was this debate of what do you do
about a guy like this and his influence.
You just trust other influencers to challenge him
and that somehow is gonna make him smaller.
Or do you limit his influence at a social media level?
And with that, we actually ended
up seeing major social media companies responding
by banning him though that really
hasn't changed anything because there's still a whole army
of fan accounts on all these platforms
re-sharing his content anyway.
And while most recently we're seeing the likes
of Logan Paul speaking out against Andrew Tate,
we saw Logan's brother Jake
actually kind of supporting him.
Tweeting "I don't roll with Andrew Tate.
May KO his out in the ring one day soon.
But I roll with freedom of speech."
With him then sharing a link to a video that Andrew Tate
uploaded regarding his social media bans.
You've also separately had absolutely massive creators
like KSI seem to challenge Andrew Tate to a fight
which is in no way supporting that person's message.
But yet people saying fighting him would still
give him a ton of visibility.
And that's actually something that Logan Paul
who is also a friend and business partner with KSI spoke on.
- I don't feel like platforming this guy.
I don't feel like giving him the blessing
of being my dance partner in the ring.
Especially after the social media platforms
have made it very clear how they feel about this guy. Right?
And I would even
I would even put a little call out here
to fellow creators and even JJ.
You want to re-platform this guy?
Anyone?
You want to have him on your shows?
You want to give him another opportunity to speak
and spread his agenda?
- Logan also diving into the freedom of speech argument
and the role of social media companies.
Or essentially saying that if you think Tate and his message
deserved to be spread, but are upset that it doesn't fly on
let's say YouTube or Instagram, too bad.
- Freedom of speech go for it, brother.
You could say whatever you want.
Go in the courtyard of the mall.
- [Mike Majlak] Scream at the top of your lungs. Absolutely
- Stand on a fucking table and say whatever you want.
- But when you are now at the mercy of
an organization that has brought you the visibility
that you so desperately seek, and now you want to
not play by the rules. That's just not gonna work.
- But Logan and also asking if it's violence,
if it's racism, or sexism, at what point
do you look at someone with a massive following
spreading dangerous ideas and put it to an end?
- So where's your line in the sand?
Do we want to let, keep Andrew Tate, keep doing this
before his subscribers of little (beep) TikTok school
boys start doing negative bad (beep) to women?
So how bad do we wanna let it get?
When we know where it's gonna lead.
You know how this ends.
- With one of his cohosts, Mike Majlak,
at various points noting how severe the consequences
to this can and have been.
How people online are already eating up this misogyny
and how that stands to do a lot of damage.
- The jokes about violence towards women
about that type of activity are at a height right now.
- I will say I was actually surprised to
hear these two saying this on their podcast
because I feel like a majority
of creators out there they're, they're scared to
say things that their audiences might not like.
And I'm not saying it would be a one to one overlap
of the impulsive audience and Tate fanboys.
But if I were to just guess
I would think there was a decent chunk
of crossover between the audience.
Maybe not even majority, but a decent
meaningful chunk that you could see.
And so with them publicly saying this on the podcast
it wasn't a surprise to me that all their top comments
are people lashing out at them.
Some of it just getting ugly, nasty.
Ranging from ugly personal attacks to others
mentioning his past with the Japanese forest.
The people saying that makes Logan a hypocrite.
We also saw people defending Logan from those
comments saying that is not a one-to-one comparison.
Both in why there was massive backlash against the creators
as well as what the creators did after the backlash.
Also, regarding the argument of being free to
say what you want you people pointing to Ethan Klein
because regarding Tate, just yesterday, he said
"Dear free speech champions that defended Andrew Tate,
tell me what you think about this:
I just got a cease and desist letter from Andrew Tate!
He demands, I stopped talking about him.
Thoughts?"
Which also congratulations to Ethan.
This is like a land speed record.
I joked yesterday about how you attract legal problems
like I attract people with daddy issues
and already another one, but ultimately with all that
I'd love to know your thoughts on any aspect of the story.
I know we covered a lot, whether it be
about the cease and desist to Ethan, what are your thoughts
on the points that Logan Paul was making?
Also, do you think someone like a Logan
Paul speaking out makes a difference?
Why? Why not?
Anything and everything I'd love to hear
from you in those comments down below.
(upbeat music)
Why are you high right now James?
Does this really feel like the appropriate time?
Also, yes. I'm specifically talking about you.
I'm not actually, but if you are high
how great was that moment?
Also, if you're wondering why I said James,
it turns out it's because it's the most basic ass
bitch name in America.
It is the most common name for men in America.
Let's go through it together.
James, John, Robert Michael, William, David, Richard,
Charles, Joseph, Thomas, and just to add him, Christopher,
you got basic ass bitch names.
It's like 25% of American men right there
but I'm getting sidetracked.
Before I decided to alienate about a quarter of my audience.
I was trying to talk about pot
because it's in the news for a number of reasons
things like if you live in California, big news.
The state Senate just passed a bill that would
amend the anti-discrimination laws and the fair employment
and housing act to protect pot smokers from their employers.
Now, before you degenerate
but beautiful bastards get too excited.
You should know this doesn't mean
like you can go hot box your workplace
but it actually does mean you would be able to
smoke pot outside of work.
And if you test positive
at a hair or urine test, your boss can't punish you for it
which I think for a number of jobs makes absolute sense.
I remember when I applied to work at Target, they were like
"You need a drug test."
Motherfucker, it's target.
I should be required to be high, to work with the public.
But also with this law, there are a few caveats.
For example, you might get hit with a loophole
other tests that may determine whether you're currently
high, like saliva tests, are not covered by the bill.
So watch out for that.
And the bill does notably exclude building
and construction workers, federal contractors,
workers who receive federal funding, and federal
licensees who are required to maintain drug free workplaces.
Also, you need a note not to jump the gun on this.
This is not signed yet.
Though Newsom does have until the end of this month
to do so. And once he does sign it
it'll go into effect January of 2024.
And with this, you have supporters saying
that it could strengthen job security
and open up employment opportunities for cannabis users.
Since drug tests are commonly used to weed
out prospective applicants.
Also, yes, fuck you. Pun intended.
And notably California is not breaking new ground here.
It would make it these seventh state to
codify such protections.
And very notably and also another bit of news,
this comes just as a new Gallop pole dropped this week
finding that for the first time ever marijuana use
among Americans is outpacing cigarette use
with only 11% of respondents saying they smoke cigarettes
which is down from 45% in the mid fifties.
And to make the comparison, 16% of people say they now
smoke weed and 48% say that they've at least
tried it at some point in their lives.
(static music)
Art is dead and that is not in reference
(Bo Burnham's Art is Dead plays in background)
to the famous Bo Burnham song that I play every time I'm sad
or uninspired also is one of the only three songs.
I actually knew all the words to
but rather that's what some are saying
after this piece won an art contest at Colorado State Fair
but "Why?" you might ask because you're a crazy person
like me who talks to videos that can't speak back.
Well, the issue is that the artist, Jason Allen,
never actually painted this nor did he put a stylist
to a screen since this was technically the
digital art category.
But rather this art was made with AI software
called Midjourney.
So interesting in its own, right?
But this entire conversation and debate
about this piece quickly took off on Twitter.
After an artist posted "TLDR.
Someone entered an art competition
with an AI-generated piece and won the first prize.
Yeah, that's pretty fucking shitty."
With a lot of people agreeing with them.
But also you had people pointing out,
Allen knew what he was doing here.
He knew that he was kicking the Hornets nest.
But he was also critical of his critics
by pointing out that he had to create hundreds
of images and prompts to fine tune what the AI came
up with before coming across three pieces he was proud of.
With them going on to say, "How interesting it is to see
how all these people on Twitter who are against AI-
generated art are the first ones to throw the human
under the bus by discrediting the human element."
Does this seem hypocritical to you guys?
But to that, there was a lot of pushback
with people saying that's no different than sending prompts
to another artist until they made a piece
that you liked and then you took credit for it.
And in this case, the AI isn't a person.
So, Allen could take credit as maybe a collaborator
on the project.
But also with this, we saw no shortage of arguments.
Some saying AI is just another tool
for artists to use and another medium to express themselves.
Some saying, it's no different than poetry made manifest
as Allen had to write words.
Also, people questioning is something not art
because it was not made by a human.
Now they're saying, is it no different than photography
as the photographer just chooses the best image
from the ones they've captured.
But also one of the points that made many artists angry was
that these AIs are trained on data sets of pieces made
by other human beings so it's allegedly quasi stealing.
But then that it adds a whole different argument of
is it theft or just being inspired by?
Well, of course I'd love know your thoughts on any
aspect of this story. I want to know your thoughts
on this specific reaction which reads,
"We're watching the death of artistry unfold right
before our eyes.
If creative jobs aren't safe for machines, then even high
skilled jobs are in danger of becoming obsolete.
What will we have then?"
What is your opinion on that?
What does it make you feel?
Are you more excited or inspired?
Or are you indifferent on something like this?
Right, because if you're an artist maybe it makes you feel
better that you're not the only ones that need to worry.
In fact, apparently you can now make scripts
for YouTube videos with an AI.
Though, my writers assure me that it's just absolute
shit at writing and refused to even link me to a video
because I would be so offended by how bad it is.
But yeah.
What are your thoughts regarding this whole situation?
Whether you're in a creative field or not.
(upbeat music)
And from that I wanna take a second to thank the
fantastic sponsor of today's show, Squarespace.
I've been partnering with Squarespace for years now.
And I have to say if you're getting your business off
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(upbeat music)
Sexual assault, test scores and movie sales.
What are those three things have in common?
Well, it turns out all have gotten worse
since we reemerged from the pandemic.
So, starting with the first and worst essay
across the us military has shot through the roof.
Recently, according to new data
as military bases began relaxing code
or restrictions last year, sexual assaults jumped 13%
with close to 36,000 service members saying
in a confidential survey
that they had experienced unwanted sexual contact.
Which is an absolutely insane number
considering when a similar poll was taken in 2018
only roughly 20,000 said the same.
And if last year's numbers are accurate
that means only around one in five victims
officially reported their experience.
With these revelations coming just over a year after
the Biden administration formed an independent commission
to study the issue and devised solutions.
And coming up with 80 recommendations
including things like removing military commanders
from the adjudication process and assault cases,
better evaluating commanders for the climate that
they create, and making victims advocates independent
of the chain of command.
And all of that leading to a bill being passed
by lawmakers back in December, where among other measures
it made it so that independent prosecutors, not
commanders, decide whether a case goes to a court marshal.
And so I wanna end this section is that
if you are a survivor of assault, this is the essay hotline.
There's also specific numbers that you can call if you're
a male survivor, or if you're a member of the military.
Please stop doubting yourself and get the help
that you deserve.
There is no reason to feel ashamed and you deserve justice.
Then we should talk about the second post pandemic trend
test scores.
And this one, likely not a surprise if you've kept up
with our coverage of the state of the American
education system or your kids are in school right now,
or you are in school right now.
Our kids are doing far, far worse in school
with new data being published by the national center
for education statistic, which administer what's
commonly called the nation's report card.
You've got exams for reading a math a nine year
old students took first in early 2020.
And then again in early 2022, with the results showing
that average scores dropped five points in reading
which is the largest decline since 1990.
And it's even worse in math, seven points,
which is the first decline in that subject ever recorded.
Plus for the students who were already falling behind
before COVID the picture is even uglier with their scores
crashing as much as 12 points in math and 10 in reading.
With the secretary of education saying, yes,
this is connected to the long absence of in-person teaching
and that the us is in an education crisis.
And while we've seen test scores dropping
we've also been seeing increases. But it's increases
in things like school shootings, violence,
classroom disruptions, teacher and staff vacancies,
absenteeism, cyber bullying and students'
use of mental health services.
But all of that brings us to the third and least concerning
of this trio that we're talking about - movies.
Where currently box office figures in North America, France
and Germany are tracking at around two thirds of
pre pandemic levels for the first half of this year.
With the U.S. bringing in 3.6 billion dollars
during that time, far short of the 5.4 billion
over the same period in 2019.
Numbers that would be even worse if you
didn't have big blockbusters, like
"Spider-Man No Way Home" and "Jurassic World Dominion."
Though the industry's saving grace in the first half
of the year was actually Paramount's Top Gun Maverick
which brought in 692 million in the U.S. and Canada.
But here's the thing, a lot of studios have not
done so well, such as Warner Bros.
But inside sources are reportedly claiming that
they can only afford to release two more movies this year
despite having several ready to go.
And apparently a lot of this stalled return
to the theaters is being driven
by older demographics who have refrained
from theater since COVID meanwhile,
young audiences are back in full.
In fact, theaters in America are so desperate
this Saturday they're selling tickets for just $3, right?
They're trying to turn it into an event.
They're calling it the First Annual National Cinema Day.
They've got over 3000 locations participating equivalent
to more than 30,000 screens.
And really in a lot of places, there's no better time.
Cause it's so fucking hot outside.
I went for a hike yesterday and I looked at my phone
halfway through and it was 107 degrees.
I felt like my face was melting. I was scared I was gonna
look like fucking Ted Cruz when I got back to my car.
But Hey, I guess the way that I'll end this shitty
trio is $3 movies this Saturday.
(horn blows)
What are we going out to see and watch this weekend
while we try to forget about the state of the world
for two to three hours.
(strange music)
And then let's close out the day with the least
polarizing topic we possibly could talk about.
And that is abortion.
And that is in part because pro birthers are making
some interesting moves.
Right, so for months now, abortion rights
activists in Michigan have been collecting signatures
for a ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion rights
in the state.
And not only would this proposed referendum install
permanent abortion protections in the state constitution,
it would also extend those protections to other reproductive
health services like birth control, prenatal care,
miscarriage management, and more.
Plus it would also stop a law from taking effect that would
ban abortions without exception for rape and incest.
That law, which by the way, is from 1931 was supposed to go
into effect after Roe's reversal
but had been blocked by a county court.
So, unsurprisingly after the Supreme court decision
this ballot initiative got a ton of momentum with tens
of thousands of people volunteering to knock on doors
ultimately gathering over 750,000 signatures
from all 83 counties in the state.
Far more than the roughly 425,000 required
for an initiative to make it on the ballot.
Which makes sense. Polls have consistently shown
that Americans broadly support abortion protections.
I mean, hell, it's saying something when you go to a place
like Kansas, a reliably red state, and voters that
resoundingly rejected an amendment that would strip abortion
protections from the state constitution.
And as Politico explains, "Along with a slew
of pending court cases and state legislative battles,
these ballot initiatives have the potential to
remake the country's abortion access map as the number
of states implementing near-total bans has mounted."
And all of that is likely why we saw Republicans
doing what they did yesterday in undermining the
will of the people.
Because the reason we're talking about all this now
is despite the fact that the Michigan Bureau of Elections
recommended that the ballot initiative be certified,
the Michigan Board of State Canvassers,
thanks to you guessed it- Republicans, killed it.
With the board yesterday rejecting the inclusion of the
amendment on the ballot this November, after getting
deadlock two to two with both the Republicans on the board
voting against certifying the measure while both Democrats
voted in favor.
And as far as why these Republicans killed this initiative
before it could come into this world they
(laugh)
they said they were doing it because of a
literal formatting issue. I am not kidding, really.
Where screenshots of the petition that was circulated to
collect signatures for the initiative, appeared to have
spaces missing between multiple words.
And while parts of it can be hard to look at
and it takes a minute to parse through.
If you know how to fucking read, you can.
And beyond that the language that appears to be missing
spaces isn't the summary of the measure, which most voters
read but instead just the full legal text of the proposal.
The legal mumbo jumbo, technical, legal definitions of words
part that most people probably didn't even read
or understand where pro-birthers use this little thing to
argue that it should be invalidated and of course the
Republicans on the board went along with it.
And truly anyone who hasn't drank the Kool-aid yet
can see through this bullshit.
And it really brings up the question of how are there
so many fucking people in our government
at so many different levels that do not care
about the will of the people.
But ultimately that's where we are as far as what happens
next, the groups behind the ballot initiative can appeal the
board's decision to the state Supreme court, which they've
already said they'll do.
Also accusing the board of disenfranchising voters.
And hopefully we see a resolution
but this is fucking ridiculous.
Right, How you gonna use the argument that this is
about state's rights, but then at the state level
they try to make sure you don't use your right to
vote a certain way. Bananas.
But ultimately that is where that story and
today's show ends.
As always thank you for watching and subscribing
to my daily dives in the news.
Which if you didn't know, I actually post on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday as well now.
They're just shorter videos.
But as always my name's Philip De Franco,
you've just been filled in.
I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.