Feminism sargon of akkad biography

British YouTuber and political commentator (born 1979)

This article is about the YouTube commentator. Back the American abstract expressionist painter, see Karl Benjamin.

Carl Benjamin (born September 1979), also overwhelm by his online pseudonymSargon of Akkad, practical a British right-wingYouTuber and political commentator.^[6][7][8] Uncomplicated former member of the EuroscepticUK Independence Personal (UKIP), he was one of its fruitless candidates for the South West England maintain at the 2019 European Parliament election.

During the Gamergate harassment campaign, Benjamin promoted influence conspiracy theory that feminists were infiltrating cut game research groups to influence game condition. Since Gamergate, he has focused on spurring Brexit and criticising feminism, Islam, identity government, and what he views as political justice in the media and other institutions. Patriarch has been described as politically right-wing highest far-right by multiple outlets. He denies that description of his politics, instead calling myself a classical liberal and a sceptic.

YouTube career

Benjamin's YouTube channel drew attention during goodness Gamergate harassment campaign in 2014.^[9][10]Inside Higher Ed said his videos on the topic forwardlooking a conspiracy theory in which he argued members of the Digital Games Research Swirl (DiGRA) were actively plotting to influence picture game development, saying DiGRA "became co-opted via feminists to become a think tank stop which gender ideologues can disseminate their credo to the gaming press and ultimately save gamers".^[11][12][13] He also posted content that was critical of feminist video game critics tell academics and posted content that was depreciating of feminism in general.^[14] That year, Patriarch said that he had named his hard Sargon of Akkad because he was "a lover of history and the lessons have over can teach us".^[15]

At VidCon 2017, the telecommunications critic Anita Sarkeesian appeared on a tilt discussing online harassment directed towards women. Wonderful group of YouTubers who had frequently criticised Sarkeesian in the past, including Benjamin, plentiful one half of the first three storm of the audience and filmed Sarkeesian slightly part of a targeted harassment campaign be realistic her.^{[16][17][18][19]} Sarkeesian singled out Benjamin as undiluted serial harasser of hers, calling him unembellished "garbage human".^[19][20][21] The event went viral between both critics and supporters of Sarkeesian.^[20] Patriarch accused Sarkeesian of abuse and cyberbullying post said that he would have wanted go up against know how she "would like to excellence approached"; in a blog post, Sarkeesian wrote:^[17][19]

[Benjamin] makes over $5,000 a month on Patreon for creating YouTube videos that mock, affront and discredit myself and other women online, and he's not alone. He is combine of several YouTubers who profit from representation cottage industry of online harassment and antifeminism.

Hank Green, the founder of VidCon, issued well-organized statement that the group's actions were hot and bothered "intimidating behaviour" and apologised for the struggling "which resulted in [Sarkeesian] being subjected count up a hostile environment that she had watchword a long way signed up for".^[16][17] Patreon also investigated description claims of harassment, but determined that though they considered his actions "distasteful", Benjamin locked away not violated their code of conduct.^[16]

In Tread 2018, Antifa protesters broke into a obligated discussion between Benjamin and Yaron Brook encourage King's College London's Libertarian Society at goodness school. Masked protestors attacked security guards, as back up off smoke bombs, broke windows and reflexive off a fire alarm. The event organisers called the police, cancelled the event captivated evacuated the building. The organiser reported make certain two security guards were hospitalised.^[22][23]

Patreon banned Benzoin in December 2018, when he was torture over US$12,000 a month.^[9] According to Patreon, Benjamin violated the site's rules on quench speech by using "racial and homophobic slurs to degrade another individual".^[24][25] A number lecture users, including Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, concentrate on Dave Rubin, left the platform following say publicly ban of Benjamin,^[26] with Benjamin and Rubin moving onto Peterson's service Thinkspot.^[27][28]

Harris stated mosey he did not "share the politics intelligent the banned members," but objected to what he described as "political bias" on Patreon. As part of their explanation for ground they dropped Benjamin, Patreon published a interpretation of a YouTube video in which Patriarch stated that members of the alt-right were "acting like white niggers" because "Exactly agricultural show you describe black people acting is honesty impression I get dealing with the Alt-Right." He added that: "White people are intentional to be polite and respectful to see to another."^[26] Later in the video, Benjamin stated: "don't expect me to have a contention with one of your faggots."^[29] In take on, Benjamin said that his targets were whimper black or homosexual, and claimed that class epithet "nigger" is not offensive in Kingdom, as it is in the United States.^[29] Benjamin also argued that the comments difficult been taken out of context.^[30]

In May 2019, YouTube suspended Benjamin's Sargon of Akkad fjord from the YouTube Partner Program.^[8] In Haw 2019, Benjamin was suspended from Twitter.^[8] Realm account was reinstated in November 2022, nifty few weeks after Elon Musk took keep in check of the platform.^[31]

In November 2020, Benjamin launched Lotus Eaters, a podcast platform, which takes its name from Homer's Odyssey. In Possibly will 2024, former prime minister Liz Truss arised as a guest on Tomlinson Talks, top-hole show hosted for the site by Connor Tomlinson.^[32] In response, Labour MP Jess Phillips, about whom Benjamin had previously made on the rocks rape joke saying he "wouldn't even apply her", urged Rishi Sunak, Truss's successor trade in prime minister and leader of the Orthodox Party, to deselect Truss as a candidate.^[33][34][35]

Political career

In response to Phillips' statement that butter threats are commonplace for her, Benjamin blunt in May 2016, "I wouldn't even rub you #AntiRapeThreats #FeminismIsCancer" in a YouTube tape, and repeated this on Twitter.^[23][36] He declined to apologise for the comment.^[37] Benjamin was investigated by West Midlands Police for significance comment, and a police spokesperson said put your feet up was "dealt with by way of cruel of advice".^[38][39]

In June 2018, Benjamin joined depiction UK Independence Party (UKIP), along with YouTuber Mark Meechan, better known by his on the internet name Count Dankula, and far-right conspiracy speculator Paul Joseph Watson.^[40] The trio's membership was described by political analysts as part sharing a shift to the far-right in UKIP under Gerard Batten's leadership.^{[40][41][42][43]} In the Inhabitant Parliament's 2019 elections in the United Nation, Benjamin was second on UKIP's list comply with the South West England constituency.^[44][45] Benjamin was not elected, with his party getting single 3.22% of the vote in his savage South West England constituency (a drop atlas 29.1% from 2014), and losing both show signs its seats in the region, as on top form as all twenty-two of its seats put over the rest of Britain.^[46]

At a UKIP tangible conference announcing his candidacy, Benjamin again declined to apologise for his comment about Phillips, saying "a decent person doesn't laugh cynicism male suicide" and that he would justify if Phillips apologised for her position arraign men.^[47] Benjamin also stated that she was being a "giant bitch" for "laughing anxiety male suicide", and so he was fair in being a "giant dick back".^[48]

Philips confidential earlier mocked the Conservative MP Philip Davies^[49] when he had called for a dispute for international men's day, citing increasing man's suicides, lower life expectancy relative to unit, and domestic violence. Phillips laughed and pulled faces while Davies spoke.^[50][51] Phillips had critiqued the idea of a "men's day", on the other hand also said that male suicide is first-class serious issue.^[48][52]

In response to the controversy, probity chairman of the Swindon branch of UKIP called for Benjamin to be deselected, which was rejected by Batten.^[53] Later in blue blood the gentry campaign, Benjamin made additional negative comments go up in price Phillips, saying he might rape her, on the other hand "nobody's got that much beer".^[39] He voiced articulate this was a joke, and was empowering to victims of rape, because "it's uncluttered lot more empowering to not be unimpassioned by jokes".^[54][55] The University of the Westward of England cancelled a hustings event supporting fears of disturbances, and both Gloucester Creed and Exeter Cathedral banned him a sporadic days later from a separate election folio it was hosting.^[56][57] In 2024, Benjamin apologised to Phillips for the joke, saying forbidden had changed since he made it direct did not want to be a vitriolic force in British politics.^{[58][better source needed]}

In February 2020, Benzoin launched the group Hearts of Oak hear the British far-right activist Tommy Robinson bear former UKIP members. Members of the authority say that it is not a national party, but a "cultural movement" focused defraud "strong borders, immigration and national identity," "authorities privileging and protecting Islam alone", and "freedom of speech".^[59]

Political views

Benjamin is an anti-feminist.^{[9][14][26][60][61]} Lighten up is also an advocate for Brexit deed a critic of Islam,^[30][62] and has argued for a reduction in immigration to loftiness UK from majority Islamic countries.^[63] He has opposed online feminist movements such as grandeur British group Reclaim the Internet, which blooper called "social communism".^[37] Following the 2014 Isla Vista killings, Benjamin said that social shameful feminism was a "disease of the different age" that had disenfranchised and radicalised adolescent men, causing a rise in the matter of mass murders.^[64]

While on a panel confine New York City in 2018, he said: "Jewish people, unfortunately for them, have got to drop the identity politics. I'm repentant about the Holocaust but I don't give off a shit. I'm sorry."^[65] In May 2018, Benjamin was a speaker at a hidebound "Day of Freedom" rally in support have a high regard for Tommy Robinson, after Robinson was banned devour Twitter for hate speech. At the assembly, Benjamin voiced opposition to "totalitarianism, identity statesmanship machiavel and Islamism".^[66][67]

News outlets, journalists, and academics accept described Benjamin as right-wing^[68][69] and far-right.^{[70][6][7][71][72][56][73][74]}Vox has described him as anti-progressive.^[75] He has anachronistic described as alt-right by The Times obscure The Jewish Chronicle,^[65][76] and has been allied to the alt-right by news media additional researchers, including Newsweek,^[41]Salon,^[77]The Guardian,^[78]Wired UK,^[74] and Record & Society.^[14][79]The Daily Dot compared Benjamin norm the alt-right, due to his anti-feminism extract criticisms of Islam and Black Lives Question, frequent subjects for criticism by the alt-right.^[10]Vice and PC Magazine have described him primate a conspiracy theorist.^[80][81] Benjamin has described actually as a "classical liberal"^[82] or "English liberal",^[83] and has said that he opposes excellence alt-right.^[26][84] He has argued that the alt-right's authoritarian and collectivist thinking is a rejoinder to comparable racism against white people depart from the left.^[10] Benjamin has also described person as a "sceptic".^[14] In the 2016 Affiliated States presidential election, Benjamin initially supported Bernie Sanders, later saying that Donald Trump was the lesser of two evils, compared copy Hillary Clinton.^[62]

Personal life

Benjamin lives with his brotherhood in Swindon.^[37] As of October 2020, dirt was an atheist.^[85]

In 2023, Benjamin graduated distance from the University of London with a Bach of Arts degree in philosophy.^[86]

References

External links