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Benjamin has opposed movements that purport to defeat online [[misogyny]], such as the British group 'Reclaim the Internet', which he called "social [[communism]]".<ref name="The Sunday Times" /> He has expressed concern for the [[working class]] and the impact of [[immigration]] and [[neo-liberal]] policies from both the [[Left–right politics|left and right]]. Benjamin was a vocal supporter of [[Brexit]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vpo9qzsfL4 |title=Britain chooses Freedom over Fear |last=Benjamin |first=Carl |publication-place=YouTube |publication-date=24 June 2016 |access-date=31 March 2017}}</ref> and described [[Donald Trump]] as the "[[Lesser of two evils principle|lesser of two evils]]" compared to [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref name='secular'>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo0wJpy3veQ |title=Blitzing Politics with Secular Talk |last=Benjamin |first=Carl |publication-place=YouTube |publication-date=20 November 2016 |access-date=31 March 2017}}</ref> Prior to the [[Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016|election]] of [[Hillary Clinton|Clinton]] as the [[United States Democratic Party]] candidate, Benjamin stated he would have preferred [[Bernie Sanders]] over [[Hillary Clinton|Clinton]] or [[Donald Trump|Trump]].<ref name='secular'/> In 2017, he expressed his support for [[Justice Democrats]], a political action committee with the goal of reforming the [[Democratic Party (United States)|United States Democratic Party]] to [[Anti-corporate activism|reject]] corporate influence.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKbQafBuCBc |title=The Challenges in Reforming the Left #JusticeDemocrats |last=Benjamin |first=Carl |publication-place=YouTube |publication-date=24 January 2017 |access-date=31 March 2017}}</ref>
Benjamin has opposed movements that purport to defeat online [[misogyny]], such as the British group 'Reclaim the Internet', which he called "social [[communism]]".<ref name="The Sunday Times" /> He has expressed concern for the [[working class]] and the impact of [[immigration]] and [[neo-liberal]] policies from both the [[Left–right politics|left and right]]. Benjamin was a vocal supporter of [[Brexit]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vpo9qzsfL4 |title=Britain chooses Freedom over Fear |last=Benjamin |first=Carl |publication-place=YouTube |publication-date=24 June 2016 |access-date=31 March 2017}}</ref> and described [[Donald Trump]] as the "[[Lesser of two evils principle|lesser of two evils]]" compared to [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref name='secular'>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo0wJpy3veQ |title=Blitzing Politics with Secular Talk |last=Benjamin |first=Carl |publication-place=YouTube |publication-date=20 November 2016 |access-date=31 March 2017}}</ref> Prior to the [[Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016|election]] of [[Hillary Clinton|Clinton]] as the [[United States Democratic Party]] candidate, Benjamin stated he would have preferred [[Bernie Sanders]] over [[Hillary Clinton|Clinton]] or [[Donald Trump|Trump]].<ref name='secular'/> In 2017, he expressed his support for [[Justice Democrats]], a political action committee with the goal of reforming the [[Democratic Party (United States)|United States Democratic Party]] to [[Anti-corporate activism|reject]] corporate influence.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKbQafBuCBc |title=The Challenges in Reforming the Left #JusticeDemocrats |last=Benjamin |first=Carl |publication-place=YouTube |publication-date=24 January 2017 |access-date=31 March 2017}}</ref>


==Controversy==
==Media Controversy==


Benjamin has been characterised as "deliberately provocative"<ref name="Deep Dive"></ref> and "unabashedly [[Political correctness|politically incorrect]]".<ref name="LAT Opinion"></ref> A January 2015 piece on ''[[Boing Boing]]'' titled "How [[crowdfunding]] helps haters profit from harassment" suggested that [[YouTube]] bloggers such as Benjamin "attack women with no [[accountability]] other than to their audience".<ref name="boing">{{cite news|last1=Allen|first1=Jay|title=How crowdfunding helps haters profit from harassment|url=http://boingboing.net/2015/01/14/how-crowdfunding-helps-haters.html|accessdate=16 April 2017|work=[[Boing Boing]]|date=14 January 2015}}</ref> A 2016 ''[[Houston Press]]'' piece described the crowdfunding of YouTube channels such as Benjamin's as an "internet hate [[cottage industry]]".<ref name="houston">{{cite news|last1=Rouner|first1=Jef|title=10 Things I Learned Being a Hated Person on the Internet|url=http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/10-things-i-learned-beinga-hated-person-on-the-internet-8435007|accessdate=16 April 2017|work=[[Houston Press]]|date=27 May 2016}}</ref>
Benjamin has been characterised as "deliberately provocative"<ref name="Deep Dive"></ref> and "unabashedly [[Political correctness|politically incorrect]]".<ref name="LAT Opinion"></ref> A January 2015 piece on ''[[Boing Boing]]'' titled "How [[crowdfunding]] helps haters profit from harassment" suggested that [[YouTube]] bloggers such as Benjamin "attack women with no [[accountability]] other than to their audience".<ref name="boing">{{cite news|last1=Allen|first1=Jay|title=How crowdfunding helps haters profit from harassment|url=http://boingboing.net/2015/01/14/how-crowdfunding-helps-haters.html|accessdate=16 April 2017|work=[[Boing Boing]]|date=14 January 2015}}</ref> A 2016 ''[[Houston Press]]'' piece described the crowdfunding of YouTube channels such as Benjamin's as an "internet hate [[cottage industry]]".<ref name="houston">{{cite news|last1=Rouner|first1=Jef|title=10 Things I Learned Being a Hated Person on the Internet|url=http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/10-things-i-learned-beinga-hated-person-on-the-internet-8435007|accessdate=16 April 2017|work=[[Houston Press]]|date=27 May 2016}}</ref>

Revision as of 13:00, 30 April 2017

This article is about the YouTube pundit. For the American abstract expressionist painter, see Karl Benjamin.
Carl Benjamin
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)YouTuber
Vlogger
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2013–present[1]
Genres
  • Conversations
  • Political commentary
  • Vlogging
Subscribers608,146[2]
(28 April 2017)
Total views147,764,337[2]
(28 April 2017)
100,000 subscribersApril 2015[3]
Last updated: 28 April 2017

Carl Benjamin (born 1979),[1] also known by his pseudonym Sargon of Akkad, is an English YouTube commentator and game developer.[4] He is married, has two children and lives in Swindon, in the UK.[5] His alias is taken from the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire, Sargon of Akkad.

YouTube career

Benjamin's early videos often concerned Gamergate and antifeminism,[6] while his more recent videos have discussed politics, philosophy, and religion.[1] He has hosted live streams with guests including internet personalities such as JonTron.[7][8]

His channel first drew attention to itself during the Gamergate controversy,[9] when he argued in one of his videos that members of the Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) were actively plotting to influence video game development to conform to their "ideological feminist agenda".[10] He stated that the research produced by DiGRA board members was "sloppy and unprofessional and absolutely overrun by people who have an ideological agenda that they simply cannot leave out of their research".[10] An Inside Higher Ed article described these allegations as a conspiracy theory.[10]

Several months later, in June 2015, YouTube took down one of Benjamin's videos when it received a copyright claim from The Guardian.[11] Benjamin contested the claim against the video, which used substantial portions of The Guardian's video, but was not successful. The Guardian said it was offering "advice on how to engage with Guardian content without breaching copyright". The video was restored later the same day.[citation needed] However, one Los Angeles Times columnist called it "alarming to see copyright law used to stifle debate in the public square".[11]

Benjamin garnered media attention again in early 2017 in regards to a controversy about PewDiePie and alleged antisemitism in his videos. Benjamin had created a YouTube video and a Thunderclap with 13,165 supporters in defense of PewDiePie.[12][13]

Game development

In March 2014, Benjamin was involved in a Kickstarter campaign created to fund the development of a video game called Necromancer.[4] It raised £8,016, just beating the goal of £8,000. Benjamin took the role of programmer and co-designer for the game.[14] However, by June 2016, the game had not been released and all supporters were refunded.[15]

Personal views

Benjamin is an atheist.[16] He identifies politically as centre-left and a classical liberal.[6][17] He has been described as "alt-right" and an "alt-right sympathizer" by media outlets The Daily Dot, Salon and Gizmodo.[9][13][18] Benjamin has rejected these labels and has criticised the alt-right for collectivist and authoritarian thinking.[9][19] In September 2016, Heat Street reported that he was "wrongly labeled as alt-right in [the] Daily Dot", and that he has replied to alt-right followers on Twitter with links to interracial pornography so that they would unfollow him.[20] The piece in the The Daily Dot stated that although Benjamin is not part of the alt-right, his videos concern "favourite alt-right targets" such as "feminism, Islam, Black Lives Matter, and the notion of straight white male privilege".[9] Benjamin has also been described as a "right-wing commentator" from websites such as Vice.[21] Mic described him as one of "YouTube's conservative firebrands" and a "right-wing pundit".[22]

Benjamin has opposed movements that purport to defeat online misogyny, such as the British group 'Reclaim the Internet', which he called "social communism".[5] He has expressed concern for the working class and the impact of immigration and neo-liberal policies from both the left and right. Benjamin was a vocal supporter of Brexit[23] and described Donald Trump as the "lesser of two evils" compared to Hillary Clinton.[24] Prior to the election of Clinton as the United States Democratic Party candidate, Benjamin stated he would have preferred Bernie Sanders over Clinton or Trump.[24] In 2017, he expressed his support for Justice Democrats, a political action committee with the goal of reforming the United States Democratic Party to reject corporate influence.[25]

Media Controversy

Benjamin has been characterised as "deliberately provocative"[9] and "unabashedly politically incorrect".[11] A January 2015 piece on Boing Boing titled "How crowdfunding helps haters profit from harassment" suggested that YouTube bloggers such as Benjamin "attack women with no accountability other than to their audience".[26] A 2016 Houston Press piece described the crowdfunding of YouTube channels such as Benjamin's as an "internet hate cottage industry".[27]

In March 2016, Franchesca Ramsey, whose videos were critiqued by Benjamin, wrote a letter about him to Patreon challenging his account there.[6] Matthew Rozsa, in a piece for The Good Men Project, defended Benjamin's right to say offensive things even if they were tasteless.[6]

In May 2016, in response to Labour Party politician Jess Phillips' statement that rape threats are commonplace for her, Benjamin said "I wouldn't even rape you” in a YouTube video and repeated this on Twitter.[5][8][21] Benjamin declined to apologise for the comments,[5] and claimed that it was offensive to ask him to apologise for refusing to rape someone.[1]

In a November 2016 piece criticizing "right-wing British blowhards", Vice said Benjamin typified the "British man who has become enamoured with America, its social politics and its machinations, and wishes to become an intellectual authority on it".[21] The article criticised his "logic-before-all attitude" since "when you're speaking on issues of a social nature that cannot be boiled down to textbook definitions of words, it's not really an approach that works particularly well".[21] The article went on to say that "intellectualism and 'logic' is the greatest currency among these types, though they often wilfully choose to ignore the nuances of many of their subjects".[21]

References

  1. ^ a b c d A Wikipedia Article About Me, a YouTube video in which Carl Benjamin reads this page and makes several comments about its accuracy.
  2. ^ a b "About SargonofAkkad100". YouTube.
  3. ^ Benjamin, Carl (25 April 2015). "100,000 Subscriber Vlog and Recommendations". YouTube. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  4. ^ a b Cross, Beren (26 March 2014). "Zombie slayers call for start-up funders". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d Daubney, Martin (5 June 2016). "I set out to troll her — why all this fuss about 600 rape tweets?". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d Rozsa, Matthew (9 April 2016). "Sargon of Akkad and the Importance of Free Speech". The Good Men Project. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  7. ^ Tamburro, Paul (13 March 2017). "JonTron: 'Wealthy Blacks Commit More Crime Than Poor Whites'". CraveOnline. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  8. ^ a b Tamburro, Paul (14 March 2017). "The JonTron Controversy and Why Parents Should Be Wary of YouTube". CraveOnline. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d e Rozsa, Matthew (7 September 2017). "A Deep Dive into the Alt-right's Greatest YouTube Hits". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  10. ^ a b c Straumstein, Carl (11 November 2014). "#Gamergate and Games Research". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  11. ^ a b c Healey, Jon (11 June 2015). "The Guardian uses copyright to shush a critic of its cultural criticism". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 May 2016. Sargon used seemingly every frame from Anyangwe's 3 minute, 49 second video. He found fault with most of the points she made, as well as the way she made them. After watching his piece, it's clear that there's no point in going to the Guardian's site to see the original because he's just shown you the whole thing.
  12. ^ Menegus, Bryan (27 February 2017). "Prominent YouTubers Find Great Anti-Semitic Hill to Die on". Gizmodo. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  13. ^ a b Rozsa, Matthew (15 February 2017). "How PewDiePie 'fudged the labels' to avoid anti-Semitism claims because of his YouTube videos". Salon. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  14. ^ Mark (20 April 2014). "Necromancer– The RPG/Strategy Game That Makes You The Bad Guy". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  15. ^ Necromancer by Other Worlds Software Kickstarter. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  16. ^ Benjamin, Carl (14 May 2017). "What is Your Religion?". YouTube. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  17. ^ "Sargon of Akkad: Classical Liberal or Libertarian? (Part 2)". Youtube. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  18. ^ Menegus, Bryan (16 February 2017). "YouTube Stars' Defence Of PewDiePie Is Garbage". Gizmodo. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  19. ^ "Sargon of Akkad on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  20. ^ "Popular YouTuber Fought Back Against the Alt Right by Sending Them Interracial Gay Porn". Heat Street. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  21. ^ a b c d e "Examining the Right Wing British Blowhards Using YouTube to 'Prove Everybody Wrong'". Vice. Retrieved 3 March 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |website= (help)
  22. ^ Smith IV, Jack (20 March 2017). "YouTube's LGBTQ restriction isn't censorship. It's laziness". Mic. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  23. ^ Benjamin, Carl (24 June 2016). "Britain chooses Freedom over Fear". YouTube. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  24. ^ a b Benjamin, Carl (20 November 2016). "Blitzing Politics with Secular Talk". YouTube. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  25. ^ Benjamin, Carl (24 January 2017). "The Challenges in Reforming the Left #JusticeDemocrats". YouTube. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  26. ^ Allen, Jay (14 January 2015). "How crowdfunding helps haters profit from harassment". Boing Boing. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  27. ^ Rouner, Jef (27 May 2016). "10 Things I Learned Being a Hated Person on the Internet". Houston Press. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
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