Has Tru Shibes won? Just when Stefan Molyneux thought it was safe to start begging for money again, his lies re-surface in spectacular fashion. And a bonus Quickie!—FDR Liberated forum members shred Molyneux’s lies about defooing.
Actually, it’s a double Quickie! I’ve been so lazy lately that I’m way behind on fun Molyneux-related topics that I need to write about.
So I’ll just jam two of them together in one post. Don’t worry. No extra charge—it’s my free bonus to the three or four people who read this blog.
I’m starting to feel like a lost soul in today’s Molyneux-land. You see, I started writing this blog years ago to explore the dark side of of a leading “philosopher” in the libertarian community.
Today my two biggest questions are Is he still a philosopher? and Is he still a libertarian?
Or is he now just another huckster, another YouTube personality who makes misogynistic and vaguely racist click-bait videos while begging for donations from disaffected white males? Does anyone remember a time when he was telling his followers to defoo so they could join together and build a community of ethically pure philosopher kings? (And in those days, girls were invited too! Crazy, right?)
I wonder if perhaps my work is done? Today, it appears that nearly all prominent libertarians (at least the ones who had heard of Molyneux in the first place) saw him for what he was the day he fraudulently used a DMCA claim to take down Tru Shibes’ YouTube channel.
He doesn’t try to sell his “philosophy” that much any more, since actual philosophers began pointing out that Molyneux is to philosophy what Vogons are to poetry.
Today, Molyneux’s fans are like Hillary Clinton’s voters. There is absolutely no lie, no prevarication, no peccadillo, no scandal, and no unethical behavior that will deter them from the belief that he is the most important thinker on the planet.
To them, I say believe on, True Believers. The world needs dreamers.
To everyone else, you might be interested item #1 on today’s Quickie! list. I refer to this Public Statement that appeared—without announcement or commentary—on the Freedomain Radio Web site:
Public Statement
This topic is locked
Public Statement: Stefan Molyneux Posted Yesterday, 08:56 PMFreedomain Radio (FDR) is a philosophy podcast hosted by Stefan Molyneux. A number of independent contractors are hired to perform a variety of tasks related to the show. On August 17 and 18, 2014, one of these independent contractors, Michael DeMarco, served a series of DMCA takedown notices based on claims of copyright infringement against a YouTube channel hosted by J. Raven entitled “Tru Shibes” which contained dozens of videos and photos with excerpts of original FDR material.
Subsequent to its receipt of the takedown notices, YouTube disabled the “Tru Shibes” channel. Raven never submitted any DMCA counter notices to YouTube. These events resulted in a dispute between FDR and Raven, as well as online speculation that the “Tru Shibes” channel had been taken down due to doxing of FDR listeners. FDR has subsequently investigated this issue and has not found any instances of doxing on the “Tru Shibes” channel.In any event, to resolve this dispute and foster a broad range of discussion and debate regarding FDR’s content and material, FDR has no objection to the “Tru Shibes” channel being reinstated on YouTube, although FDR does not endorse the commentary and opinions of J. Raven that are expressed on the “Tru Shibes” channel.
For those of you fresh on the scene, you might wonder what just happened. Well, after the events described in the first two paragraphs of this statement, Tru Shibes initiated a defamation case against Molyneux and his representative for fraudulently using the power of the state against her.
We haven’t heard much about the case since then, except that it has gone on for several months. And then—all of a sudden—her channel is restored and this statement (which reads very much like something someone was forced to write) appears.
So…does this mean Tru Shibes won?
Why else would we be seeing this, in all of its carefully worded glory?
I don’t know but I’m voting yes, once again proving the age-old truth “live by the power of the state, get spanked by the power of the state.”
Stefan Molyneux—after having been exposed for unethical behavior—vows never to lie again.
Well, at least we know one thing for sure. We’re past all the nastiness, gang. Everything is all better now. You’d better just prepare yourself for a flood of ethical behavior from that basement office in Canada.
Ooh, wrong answer, Skippy! Sorry. It turns out that the most important ethicist in 6,000 years couldn’t even make it past a simple public statement without throwing in a few lies and misdirections. Let’s just take a little closer look at that statement, shall we?
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The “I-didn’t-even-know-the-guy” gambit. Does that first paragraph give you the feeling that Michael DeMarco is simply one of a bunch of faceless “independent contractors” who scurry around in the background, doing the little administrative tasks that make the “largest philosophical conversation in the world” possible? So when this silly near-intern took matters into his own hands to tank Tru Shibes’ channel, Molyneux never knew about it. Not associated with Michael in any way. Heck, he hardly knew Michael at all, right?That’s how it reads to me, except I could have sworn Michael runs and polices Molyneux’s forum (banning non-believers with unquestionable authority), is Molyneux’s right-hand man for all of the talk shows, deletes all challenging comments on Molyneux’s Facebook and YouTube enterprises, and is an ardent believer in and defender of whatever it is that constitutes Molyneux’s “philosophy” these days.
It’s pure speculation on my part, but I tend to think Michael tells people that Stefan is also his bestest friend. I don’t know. They seem pretty chummy.
So, I wonder if Michael volunteered to get thrown under the bus for this statement—or did it come as a surprise from his bestie?
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The plausible deniability mystery. We have no way of knowing this—so perhaps it doesn’t belong in this list of obvious misdirections and lies—but someone’s gotta say it. Tru Shibes’ channel had been in operation for some time and was becoming widely popular due to her witty videos. Are we really supposed to believe that Molyneux’s sidekick independently decided out of the blue to tank her channel? That Michael and Molyneux never once discussed her? Do we really believe that Molyneux knew nothing about her channel or Michael’s actions?
Really? Even when Molyneux seemed to know all about it when he was interviewed by Joe Rogan?If Molyneux and DeMarco acted in concert and then Molyneux threw his employee to the wolves for this public statement, then that would be craven and sad behavior. Just sayin’.
- The time compression trick. When you read the statement, did you get the impression that Molyneux’s sidekick sent a series of complaints over time that Tru Shibes simply ignored? Crafty bit of misdirection there—because what he actually did was take advantage of YouTube’s “three-strikes-and-you’re-out” policy, submitting all three complaints on the same day (or nearly so), so that Shibes would be blindsided and unable to respond before her channel was tanked.
- The “She-hit-first!” misdirect. Oh, and Molyneux seems hurt that Shibes didn’t file “counter notices” with YouTube instead of filing suit. Well, guess what? This wasn’t about YouTube policy–Molyneux’s organization accused Shibes of breaking the law. She appealed in the venue that Molyneux’s organization chose, both by its own actions and new-found love of the state.
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The “copyright-ignorance-is-bliss” ploy. When you read the statement, did it sound perfectly reasonable to you that Molyneux’s representative would complain about “dozens of videos and photos with excerpts of original FDR material”? Well, that’s just a bit of misdirection they hope you’ll glide right over. You see, all of Molyneux’s work is offered under “Creative Commons” license and he is a professed enemy of IP law.
In other words, they expect and welcome such excerpts, as long as Molyneux is attributed. They just didn’t like Tru Shibes’ approach, which revealed more about Molyneux than they liked.That means Molyneux and his employee knew from the start that their actions were fraudulent, unethical, and a complete reversal of a principle Molyneux has promoted in countless speeches. Now they want you to think his closest associate didn’t know nuthin’ ’bout that—it was all just a merry mix-up.
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The “lying-my-ass-off” defense. Finally, the statement suggests that the Tru Shibes channel got tanked for the (fraudlent) DMCA charge but as a result of that action “online speculation” occurred that Shibes was doxing Molyneux followers.
Actually, that one is a flat-out lie.Molyneux’s employee said from the very beginning (in a now—of course—deleted post) that Tru Shibes’ channel was removed for doxing: “I received messages from several listeners about their calls/images/videos from participation in our shows being used to bully them online. This was spread a cross [sic] two different channels and they asked if I could have the content removed. Going after listeners is completely unacceptable and I used the methods at my disposal to remove the material. If you attack listeners, you don’t get to use any of our material. That’s the line.”
Of course, no one has ever found a Tru Shibes video that doxes or bullies listeners.In addition, the charge of doxing was personally and verbally leveled by Stefan Molyneux on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Clearly, Molyneux was fully aware of DeMarco’s actions and repeated the doxing lie without batting an eyelash. So, no, it wasn’t speculation afterwards but the charge and stated reason for their actions right from the beginning, with the DMCA complaint used simply as an expedient device.
Molyneux managed all of the above misdirection in just three paragraphs! Tell me you’re not a little impressed.
Oh well, despite Molyneux’s failed attempt at setting things straight, this is still a watershed moment. Molyneux’s True Believers have been tirelessly defending Molyneux’s actions from the beginning, but now there is a public admission of wrongdoing.
I’m sure they will all drop the defenses so we can just move on. (Yes, kidding.)
Now for #2, the bonus Quickie!
FDR Liberated Forum member shreds Molyneux’s lies about defooing.
What, the whole public statement thing wasn’t enough? OK. There’s more.
It turns out the FDR Liberated Forum members have been incredibly busy. If you’re not checking out the forum every day, you’re missing out.
A member named poopmeat (I know, I know. Dude—that was the best name you could come up with?) has been working on an extensive, nearly finished project to timestamp every Molyneux podcast. This will make it increasingly easy to research actual Molyneux claims. I can’t wait to see where this project leads.
What good is something like that, you ask? Well, let’s just say you were innocently listening to the Joe Rogan show when Molyneux lied about defooing, claiming it wasn’t a very big topic for him and that he had perhaps done “three or four” podcasts on it.”
Well, if you’re a True Believer, you accept Molyneux’s claim and move on.
But if you’re Free Man, you get inspired by this little grenade from Tru Shibes, yet another devastating video in response to that claim–showing clip after clip of Molyneux podcasts in which defooing plays a central role…
…and then you dig into the actual evidence and come up with an astonishing list of Molyneux defoo podcasts like this one. (Check the thread out. Pretty interesting conversation, and you’re welcome to join in!)
Another Molyneux lie. Utterly shredded.
In addition to starting the above must-read thread on Molyneux’s defooing podcasts, Free Man released a video regarding his findings:
Watching all of these lies resurrect and explode again is something to see. It will be interesting to note how the True Believers react.
If they even notice at all.
Whew! All done!
Congratulate me! I managed to make it through this entire post without some silly “chickens coming home to roost” joke.
That’s because we’re on the cutting edge of pretend-journalism here at FDR Liberated and that would be beneath even me.
Addendum–Tru Shibes channel on QETV!
Now that the Tru Shibes YouTube channel is back you can find her current and future videos on her QETV! channel. We have been substituting a mirror of the Tru Shibes channel in the interim (and thanks to the YouTube user who kept her videos on-line). But they are now available again on QETV! in all their former glory!
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