tried watching the new Lindsay Ellis video, and i gotta say, this specific form of leftist YouTubing has really run its course like, why is there a 30-minute section of this stupidly long video giving a full history of antisemitism?? this is not how you make arguments, it's how you lord knowledge
what gets me is that you don't need a two hour video explaining what Ms. Rachel is doing. that's the power of what she's doing. it's simple and direct. (although it's great that Ellis is using her to work to bring more money to the cause.)
yes, that part of it is fantastic for sure. it's really just one of those things where you're like... this didn't need to be this long, and it's telling that you don't get much more out of it at the end than you did 10 minutes in, unless you literally haven't read or encountered these issues before
Also, I'm getting a little sick and tired of the fanatical Christian Zionism thing. It's certainly part of US support for Israel, but I think it lacks the explanatory power that a lot of people try to give it.
completely agreed
It's so strange to me that every video essay is either 3 hours long or a 90 second tiktok. There is no middle ground anymore. If they wrote a book instead at least it would have an editor.
pretty much only people who agree with what Ellis is saying are gonna watch it anyway, so then what service is being provided, other than giving viewers more knowledge to drop on people they argue with about Israel but knowledge isn't the issue, facts aren't the issue
the Elephant Graveyard videos about Joe Rogan drop knowledge, sure, but that's not their thrust his dismantling of Rogan is about creating a new theoretical framework for understanding contemporary socio-political dynamics, which changes *how* you argue, not just the fact sheet you use for support
I do find this really interesting because I couldn't make it through the Elephant Graveyard video because I hated his voice and hated the rambling lack of focus. Ellis has the same lack of focus, scattershot arguments and structure but I like her voice and think she's cute.
yeah, Elephant Graveyard is doing a style where the surfaces really will put people off. but i could also compare to Adam Curtis, a guy who doesn't attend to facts in any strict way at all, because it's about the connections he's making and overall viewpoint he's building.
Right. It is intuitive reasoning. "This is how I see the world and the connections. No, I don't need to explain. This is how it is." Marshall McLuhan and Camille Paglia write this way. I'm sure I would love the transcript/essay version of the Elephant Graveyard video.
no joke, i went to a movie last night—that i'd already seen!—and this time through, i couldn't stop thinking about guys with dad-sized holes in their hearts trying to get the hell out of here and become new guys. that's changing perception.
This is fascinating because some of us just think the facts should be enough. In online discourse this strategy doesn't work. I'm sort of agreeing with/processing your arguments.
yeah, obviously facts are important, but to some degree, if facts are what you're after, books and articles are far better than a YouTube video, though i suppose a YouTube video is good for people who don't read still, if facts made the difference, we wouldn't be in the situations we're in
100% agree re: facts. I liked the Ellis video because I've been watching her for years and haven't heard from her in awhile. So it was a little like connecting with and old (parasocial) friend. I wouldn't share the video with a friend, though, but I WOULD share the Elephant Graveyard one.
right, this is what i mean by the videos having run their course, because i do think the informational value served a stronger purpose a few years ago when people were kinda genuinely getting woke to a lot of things. the video's still good in its way, but is losing functional value.
Yeah. This approach has proven not to move hearts and minds. We need a new strategy.
Please go deeper on this.