I've watched the WSJ video and the H3H3's video. Maybe I am missing some nuance here, but yeah, it seems like a dumb shock jock schtick. It looks to me like he invokes antisemetic imagery "for the lulz". And yeah, I think that's a bad thing to do.
In the case of Lois CK, shock value is a very small part of his routines. He may start by saying that sounds bigoted, but he then goes on to highlight the absurdity and tragedy of bigotry. He does not make bigoted statements and then simply gawk at having made them.
Example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuNIBfkTPsM&feature=youtu.be&t=3m25s
He spends the first three minutes doing a mocking impression of a spoiled girlfriend, which is itself an obnoxious stereotype. I was cringing at that point. Then he pivots to explicitly acknowledge the sexism of that impression and dig into the origins of it. The joke is not sexism; the joke is the tragedy that sexism is deeply embedded in the human experience.
In any case, I don't think PDP is an intrinsically, irredeemably hateful person who must be banished from society. I do acknowledge that some people probably
are saying that, or heavily implying it, and that this is an overreaction that should be contested. I
do think PDP has thoughtlessly indulged in casual bigotry in a way that many, if not all, human beings do at some point in their lives, and that right now it is very important to push back against that sort of behavior. I realize my original post probably sounded a bit shriller than that.
I hope that clarifies my perspective. And for what it's worth, I also think that GAF OT has become disturbingly hivemindey and unable to engage with dissenting viewpoints in a productive way.
I value that opinion and and thanks for responding. I do agree on pushing back to a point. However, to me this almost amounts to witch hunting for the sake of a powerful example. I'd encourage you to watch (I know painful) some of PDP's videos that get referenced if you can find them.
Here's one where I keep seeing the imagery used from.
Here's the list of past offences.
August 7, 2016: PewDiePie, wearing a Make America Great Again hat, begins his video with a swastika and other Nazi imagery, and uses a photo of Hitler as a segue between clips
September 24, 2016: In a video criticising YouTube policy, he shows a clip of Hitler giving a speech
October 15, 2016: PewDiePie posts swastikas drawn by his fans
December 8, 2016: PewDiePie wears a brown military uniform while watching a Hitler clip at the end of his video
January 11, 2017: He hires two Sri Lankan actors on Fiverr to do a dance and hold up a sign that says ‘Death to all Jews'
January 14, 2017: PewDiePie plays the Nazi Party anthem before bowing to a swastika in a mock resurrection ritual
Here's a few videos to reference:
https://youtu.be/QGX2mJ6IbS0?t=586
He dons a uniform and plays the theme from C&C: Red Alert, plays images of Hitler and nods. Joking "confirming" the ridiculous rumors about him that are constantly perpetuated.
https://youtu.be/KtxXKezbQ9w?t=662
Here's the video that caused the fulmination of the claims.
It sounds like you approached it more rationally then I initially thought. I just worry about how freely we, and the media throw labels and rhetoric that is very powerful and can be completely damning for some individuals. From the reaction I've seen, people want him, to be torn down Mel Gibson style. When his infractions don't even come remotely close. We get so angry about certain things we abstract ourselves a layer from the outcomes of the kind of opinions we throw out, but cumulatively it has an impact. It's easy to get so behind a message or movement that you find yourself dismissing the means by which you achieve your goal.
I think the question is, do people want Pewdie Pie labeled as an anti-Semite for these infractions, do they warrant it? Do they believe his punishment should be an absolute fall from fame? Is he beyond redemption for this? I have a hard time placing a label or punishment that some people absolutely deserve, on someone who made some stupid jokes.
btw not disputing Disney's decision or anything, just the level of animosity against him currently.
Edit: Why the hell am I putting my neck out for Pewdie Pie... I don't even know.