Deep Dive: Israel Influencers
Added 2024-02-18 18:34:13 +0000 UTCWe're in a race to the bottom of who can churn out the most inflammatory, click-worthy content about ongoing mass death. Today, we explore how the atrocities in Gaza are being put through the culture war machine, the influencers who capitalize on it, the content that seems to stick, and liberals who succumb to right-wing impulses when their emotions are tugged on in the right way.
Join Amnesty International's call for a ceasefire: https://www.amnesty.org/en/petition/demand-a-ceasefire-by-all-parties-to-end-civilian-suffering/
More ways to take action: https://uscpr.org/take-action/
Comments
Matt please I cringed so hard during the Israeli Men monologuing, I had to pause before he finished to find strength to finish it. how do you do so much research and not go insane!?? 😭😵💫
Madeline Belling
2025-02-15 07:37:52 +0000 UTCThank you for this insightful deep dive. I wasn’t familiar with most of the influencers, as I’m not on social media regularly. However, in our suburb of Van Nuys, about 40 minutes outside of Downtown L.A., there is major intersection that always has a Jew Belong billboard. Your explanation provided a lot more context, as over the past months, I’ve watched the slogans on these billboards get progressively more fiery and aggressive. Thank you for all the thorough research and clear thoughts! So happy I can participate in your Patreon! ❤️
Whitney Hightower
2025-01-27 00:44:23 +0000 UTCMatt you are a treasure. I joined your Patreon immediately after watching your pink washing episode, though I love all of your content. Voices like yours give us all hope.
HAS
2025-01-18 01:55:35 +0000 UTCwhat really stood out to me was SO much misogyny in the charicatures they make of the left
Iris Le-Jones
2025-01-07 11:11:35 +0000 UTCsomeone else lives in berlin so -i haven’t tried it yet- but maybe if we put a vpn to germany? we can watch it
Abbey Bowers
2024-11-20 20:17:24 +0000 UTCi am also unable to watch, and I am also in the US :(
Sophie Dzyban
2024-11-20 20:15:53 +0000 UTCTHIS. OMGGG 😭
Chewygyuu
2024-10-16 02:28:51 +0000 UTCThe first 15 minutes of this video was... a pain to watch. 😭
Chewygyuu
2024-10-16 02:28:19 +0000 UTCNot able to watch this video because its not in available in my country :( I'm in the US tho
Abbey Bowers
2024-09-30 23:58:37 +0000 UTCThanks for the video, really appreciate your takes ❤️ I live in Berlin and a lot of leftists scenes follow this backward ass ideology on Israel called Antideutsch that I won’t get into, but it can be really well summed up in an event shithead Ryan was at. It was announced by a techno club and it was a panel on antisemitism with 4 speakers, and NONE OF THEM WERE JEWISH. They took down their original advertising for it and added a Semitic speaker 😵💫
Tina
2024-09-19 11:57:58 +0000 UTCAlso just love the wild incoherence of claiming to support a two-state solution while describing a map of Palestine as simply ‘Israel’.
Tom
2024-09-01 09:21:47 +0000 UTCDaniel’s comedy style really reminds me of family guy, in that the joke just seems to be how long he can stretch an annoying bit. Alas, just as in family guy, it never becomes funny. Not even when he starts dropping in more and more right wing dog-whistles like ‘purple hair girl’ and ‘saving western civilisation’.
Tom
2024-09-01 09:07:28 +0000 UTCthose uninterrupted minutes of Daniel’s content was causing my ears to bleed
poopee doodee
2024-09-01 05:07:38 +0000 UTChi! would it be possible to get audio versions of these bonus episodes as well? thank you!
Haiz
2024-08-15 14:18:22 +0000 UTCI’m a bit late to this as a new Patreon subscriber but just wanted to say thank you for all of the content you make and the thoughtful analysis you put into everything you do. Sending you lots of love!
Dani Law
2024-08-04 22:30:58 +0000 UTCHah! I chose this as my first patreon watch, since my first video of yours I ever saw was the queers for Palestine one (been hooked ever since!) but I find it so funny how at the beginning of this vid you mention how you haven't stopped fixating on the beauty YouTube drama - that's the one I'm watching next 😂
Daisy
2024-08-02 00:27:32 +0000 UTCDaniel’s content is unwatchable. Frankly unwatchable isn’t even the word. Thank you for everything Matt <3
Cordelia Reagan
2024-06-17 22:48:20 +0000 UTCI love you too, Matt!
Cristina
2024-06-10 16:33:33 +0000 UTCsame, he is absolutely insufferable
gwenyvere
2024-05-03 16:17:01 +0000 UTCWhat’s frustrating is that so many of these or Israeli points are so easily seen through —- like the “genocide of Jews” thing about the sweatshirt —- can she not see that everything she’s saying is true about what Israelis are doing to Palestinians, proovably ?
Carly Hughes
2024-04-29 16:40:39 +0000 UTCI’m late to this video because I’ve been so overwhelmed with a lot of this type of content, (like upset at the stupid Israeli propaganda) but holy shit I’m not even though the video but the “power gay” guys content is making me so IRATE
Carly Hughes
2024-04-29 16:30:22 +0000 UTCThank you for this. I’m Jewish & fully support freeing Palestine. It’s been so isolating. I’ve stopped going to temple. This was tremendously validating. Biden said if Israel didn’t exist, Jews wouldn’t be safe anywhere in the world. He’s wrong. Jews don’t need Israel. They need allies to fight antisemitism, so they don’t fear pogroms. Biden could take the billions the US sends to Israel every year & dedicate it to taking in Jewish refugees & protecting Jewish Americans. But Christian Zionists believe all the Jews in the world must “return to Israel” before Jesus can come back & destroy the world & everything in it except for Christians. White supremacists don’t want Jews to exist period, but if they can’t openly kill them. If Israel didn’t exist, I do think hate crimes against Jews would go up exponentially because these religious zealots & white supremacist can’t send them somewhere else. BUT NONE OF THAT JUSTIFIES THE COLONIZATION, ETHNIC CLEANSING, APARTHEID, & GENOCIDE AGAINST INNOCENT PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS! And I hate, hate, HATE the argument that LGBTQ+ people shouldn’t support Palestine because Hamas is anti-LGBTQ+. Homophobia & transphobia isn’t punishable by death. You’re telling me if Hamas was in Florida, we should support Israel bombing it because Desantis is a fascist bigot? Absolutely not. It’s because they don’t view Gazans as fully human. The queer people in Gaza matter, too. You know, I grieved on 10/7. I care about the hostages. There’s innocent civilians on both sides, but both sides aren’t even remotely equal. It hasn’t been since the occupation began. The dehumanization of thousands of Palestinians has been gut wrenching.
Karayah Whiseheart
2024-03-24 03:55:17 +0000 UTCMake him STOP SAYING HUMMUS😱
Amelia
2024-03-20 00:48:32 +0000 UTCWatched this twice. This topic has been my hyper fixation and consuming so much brain space. Anyone know Dr. Sheila Nazarian? I’m so appalled by some of the content she posts on her Instagram. She posted a story today completely dehumanizing Palestinians/characterizing them as monsters. P.S. Matt I was so disappointed when Matthew Nouriel started coming for you. Had to unfollow them a couple of months ago as their content became unhinged as well.
Ava
2024-02-26 01:34:30 +0000 UTCThank you for this episode, Matt. Sending you love and positive vibes amid the hate you’ve been getting. I admire you for not only standing up for what’s right and sticking to your morals, but doubling down and creating informative content like this.
Ava
2024-02-22 04:31:13 +0000 UTCThis is my exact current fixation, and I can’t even tell you how deeply this resonates. Perfect video.
Becky Albertalli
2024-02-22 03:04:43 +0000 UTCThis is such an amazing episode! Thank you for your research🩷
Cheyenne
2024-02-21 05:03:15 +0000 UTCOmg I saw the "Hamas is your problem too" billboard a few months ago here in Baltimore and it made me so uncomfortable. Thank you as always for the fascinating deep dive!
Skye R.
2024-02-20 23:57:17 +0000 UTCThank you for this candid video, Matt. I just joined your Patreon -I admit it was specifically for this video. But I'm staying, because I love your heart. I also started out thinking 'if this video is of value why not share it to the wider public?', but watching it made me understand that you needed this space because you're as vulnerable as we all are to harassment, plus you'd be putting yourself out there 1000x more than any of us. (PS I'm glad you gave Rappaport a miss, he's just too obnoxious for words :))
Nesrin Amin
2024-02-20 22:56:55 +0000 UTCYou have the patience of a saint. Thank you for what you do (always). Different topic: Until today, I had been pronouncing your username “matt fourteen.” I thought you were the 14th Matt, or something. Whoops!
John Torn
2024-02-20 16:12:18 +0000 UTCExcellent as always. Thank you.
Dayle Moon
2024-02-20 11:09:12 +0000 UTCThis was a fantastic deep dive. I love how you stay focused on the issues and put things into perspective. Since you brought up social blade, I was wondering if you (Matt) or anyone else in this community knows anything about measuring the censorship and suppression of Palestinian content creators. I’d be interested in a conversation about those metrics and online censorship across marginalized communities is enacted. Thank you for all that you do!
Iga
2024-02-20 02:42:52 +0000 UTCThank you for this, Matt. I'm so sorry you've been subject to harassment but I'm so in awe at your ability to stay calm, thoughtful and compassionate even in the face of virulent personal attacks. Thank you for being such a thoughtful, kind and steadfast voice for the voiceless.
Sarina
2024-02-20 02:05:25 +0000 UTCThank you for everything!!! I appreciate you and your work alot! Much love💖
Snugi
2024-02-19 21:14:17 +0000 UTCi took a pic of that same jewbelong billboard in ATL around this time last year because i thought it was profound as well. sad to hear they are just right winger hiding behind a message of inclusion and love
Gabbi Studier
2024-02-19 19:47:57 +0000 UTCI second the recc of ‘Except for Palestine’, am halfway through currently!
T P
2024-02-19 19:42:00 +0000 UTCBig, big hugs to you Matt 💜 I feel your heaviness and I wish we could make you feel more supported. Well done on the badass reporting
Fran Paranzino
2024-02-19 19:32:31 +0000 UTCLove this love you💕
Sarah
2024-02-19 16:14:05 +0000 UTCGrateful for your voice, your clarity, your commitment. ❤️
Thew Elliott
2024-02-19 14:35:05 +0000 UTCI'm so glad I only find out about that kind of people through your videos, podcasts and posts. It's horrifying that all of them get to have a platoform and their lives aren't affected a bit, but people who are supporting Palestine get shadowbaned at best of getting fired from their jobs.
Effie
2024-02-19 13:05:03 +0000 UTCI needed this! Been thinking about this (especially as I used to follow Daniel Ryan-Spaulding on Instagram until he posted that first video and I was so shocked). I’ve been really fascinated by how fast polarisation took hold on social media on this issue. Really good to hear your analysis. Thank you ✨
Julien V
2024-02-19 12:38:10 +0000 UTCAs an Israeli Jew I find it (especially the first one) so cringy. I hate the discussion becoming part of a culture war. I'm involved in the Israeli peace movement since the 90s. Never very active but going to a demonstration once in a while. I support a cease-fire not just for humanitarian and moral reasons (though those things too are important to me) but as an Israeli interest too (for me those interests are not holding more territory but living in peace with secure borders, which isn't what the people currently in government think...). I've watched the discourse deteriorating over the years and I'm frustrated. I'm sorry to hear it affects you too. It shouldn't happen.
Anna the Smiling Cat
2024-02-19 12:21:36 +0000 UTCSo much love & gratitude for you 🙏🏼
Lulu
2024-02-19 10:40:41 +0000 UTCAlways great to hear your perspective! If you spoke about something positively that I disagreed with, I would definitely question myself more heavily than if anyone else did. Excited for your next episode x
Najla
2024-02-19 10:21:42 +0000 UTCThank you so much for this video and I‘m so sorry you‘re getting all this hate. I hope you know just how much we appreciate your work. ❤️ I‘ve been really upset about a lot of people I‘ve seen on Instagram who‘ve turned into raging Israel apologists and it‘s honestly driving me insane. People like Debra Messing or Amy Schumer, who have made a career by being liberal and who are now legitimising innocent people being killed. Always makes me feel really hopeless when you see them spreading propaganda on their massive platforms. So thank you for this deep dive, i really appreciate it. ❤️
Lilly
2024-02-19 09:07:09 +0000 UTCThis is phenomenal! So well-researched and put together, but candid too. I would be a Patron regardless of whether you offered bonus content so this felt so generous of you. ❤️
Anjali
2024-02-19 05:18:33 +0000 UTCThis episode was so good. I have curated my Instagram feed so that these influencers do not appear luckily for me. Horrifying to profit off of the deaths of so many Palestinians. The jewbelong billboards appeared in my city recently and your description was about what I expected
Ann Marie McNamara
2024-02-19 02:19:20 +0000 UTCHe’s incredibly off putting to me as a queer person, and as someone who just don’t see the gleeful nature of a massacre. Hard to watch his videos even in this context.
SF
2024-02-19 02:10:28 +0000 UTCI’m so proud of you, for how you’ve been able to overcome your personal conflicts with being outspoken about Palestine. I know this can be a very difficult topic for many Jewish people, because of your connections to Israel through friends and family. Your courage to push though and speak about something so important is commendable.
SF
2024-02-19 02:09:07 +0000 UTCthank you so much, maisa. this really means a ton. sending you love and definitely gonna check out that book. 💘
Matt Bernstein
2024-02-19 00:54:19 +0000 UTCI honestly had to skip through his videos that Matt showed, the glee in his whole demeanor was so ghoulish.
Maisa
2024-02-18 23:01:58 +0000 UTCMatt, I’ve thanked you a lot for the content you’ve posted in support of Palestine in the past few months, and I’m thanking you again. I actually teared up a bit when you said “I love you” at the end 🥹. It’s been awful reading hateful Zionist comments on social media as a Palestinian, and I’m not sure not much easier as an Anti-Zionist Jewish person. I wish this could be posted everywhere, but I completely understand your reasoning for keeping it on Patreon. Have you read “Except for Palestine” by Marc Lamont Hill? The whole book basically goes deeper into what you’ve discussed —seemingly liberal, progressive people using right-wing talking points and agreeing with ultra-right politicians when it comes to Palestine. It’s a quick read, but definitely a good one if you’ve the time for it. By the way, I love you too. ❤️🍉
Maisa
2024-02-18 22:59:38 +0000 UTCKeep up the great work, Matt. I’m sorry the attacks are getting personal 🙏🖤
T P
2024-02-18 22:25:03 +0000 UTCDaniel what's his face literally makes my skin crawl. There's something very depraved and soulless about making money and getting clout because you went from fetishizing a certain group of people to inserting yourself into a complex global issue.
Christian Scholer
2024-02-18 21:41:37 +0000 UTCit sounds very frustrating to have "haters" who aren't worth your time still get under your skin. on the other hand seeing people place your picture next to Dr. Gabor Maté got me weirdly excited/proud for you
Sev
2024-02-18 21:21:50 +0000 UTCThank you for the energy you invested into this video, sending love & solidarity!
carey thewind
2024-02-18 21:11:47 +0000 UTCI can say without a shadow of a doubt that this month's deep dive disturbed me to my core. To use a violent event to boost views on IG or TikTok is abhorrent, to then say that if you're against Zionism you are an antisemitic? Is fucking INSANE to me. Do I think it's important we know as much about a situation before diving into an activist movement, probably. But saying that people calling for the freedom of Palestine an attack on Jews is just outrageous in my mind. I'm sorry your feed has been poisoned with this crap, Matt. I'm sickened by it and it hasn't been repeatedly shoved in my face as often as nauseum. I definitely suggest blocking them, putting up boundaries with the people sending you these videos, or just muting people in general until they get the hint. Thank you for the deep dive, friend. We love you too!
Bekah Ward
2024-02-18 20:39:54 +0000 UTCThank you for doing this, Matt ♥️
Riccardo Rocca
2024-02-18 19:52:18 +0000 UTCOooooh Matt you went there! Thank you for this I can't wait to listen. 💚
Dayle Moon
2024-02-18 18:35:27 +0000 UTC
