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Let's all take Blindboy seriously now...

Sky King

People do know this is a character right? And not an actual person?

Does it strike anyone else as strange that a made-up persona with a fake voice, parody accent and a fking plastic bag on his head is treated like a normal, regular person in debates and current affairs TV shows? And given the same credibility and respect as an actual real person?

Imagine Fr. Dougal Mcguire, Dustin the Turkey and Fortycoats appearing our incisive current affairs shows discussing mental health with Alan Partridge adjudicating.

Or discussing the 8th amendment and feminism with Mrs Brown, The Bottler and Podge and Rodge? It would be treated like a joke (obviously), but when the prank phone call making, glue-huffing, spastic hawk-toting Blindboy talks serious we all suddenly have to sit up take it seriously.

If I was asked to debate on the same show as a parody character I'd be more than a little pissed off.

By all means share your story on mental health or offer an opinion on our education system. But for fk sake would you give us and the other people on the show the respect of doing it yourself, in a real voice? Without a fking bag on your head?

Alternatively if you prefer holding on to the bag, you could try going back to... you know... being funny. And less preachy.

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Arghus

Sounds like one of those "joke" things to me.

He raises a fair point though.

JustAYoungLad

CatFromHue wrote: »

nobody cared about him til he put the bag on

Is he a big guy?

Woke Hogan

Arghus wrote: »

Sounds like one of those "joke" things to me.

He raises a fair point though.

What point would that be? Apart from imagining that everyone watching the film is middle-aged, homophobic, racist and a square.

conorhal

Deleted User wrote: »

This statement is the problem.
Being a gay man is not salacious.

The issue was that they glazed over his romantic relationships with men and instead focused on his one heterosexual relationship, further perpetuating the idea that it’s “wrong” or “indecent” to be a gay man, and that he should really be with a woman.

And nobody said it was, being Freddy Mercury however WAS pretty salacious.

It's days like these that cause you hope Blindboy forgets to cut any holes in his Spar bag before donning it.

Outlaw Pete

I'll spoiler this in case anyone hasn't yet seen the film, but........

There is a ton of time devoted to Freddie's sexuality and drug use in the film, from when he first tells his girlfriend that he thinks he's bisexual, to scenes which show him seeking out multiple sexual partners. We see how the media badger him about his sexuality and drug use, and how Freddie didn't handle that well, like in press conference scenes which show him fighting with reporters who push him on that aspect of his life for example.

We also see his family reading newspapers with headlines of his sexual debauchery and drug use and scenes where he was clearly high and how that al impacted the band. We also see the negative effects that this all has on him personally, from it leaving himself open to being blackmailed over compromising photos to not finding anyone who actually cared about him. Ultimately we see him finding love with a guy who was diametrically opposed to all who he had surrounded himself with previously.

Worth remembering also that the film was about Queen and not just Freddie and that they specifically wanted to make a film (according to May) which would be PG rated so as to appeal to a wide audience with regards to age range.

One thing which is quite clear is that the guy wanted people to see him for his music above all else and so in that regard I think the film stuck the right balance between showing his life as a musician but yet also not sidestepping some of the major issues he had to contend with in his life. To say the film is about a man who 'did loads of drugs and gay sex' is arguably accurate I suppose but to suggest (which I feel he is) that it doesn’t deal with the fact that Freddie was gay or used drugs is agenda saturated attention seeking hogwash.

[Deleted User]

It's an outrage..

The most important thing about the person who wrote Bohemian rhapsody is obviously who he fncked and what drugs he was taking..It's not like he was a multi faceted person or whatever..

He was a gay..In the post HBO world of 2018 a film about him should be a drug fueled gay porn obviously..

Outlaw Pete

Deleted User wrote: »

The issue was that they glazed over his romantic relationships with men and instead focused on his one heterosexual relationship, further perpetuating the idea that it’s “wrong” or “indecent” to be a gay man, and that he should really be with a woman.

Nonsense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug6auvQRi30

[Deleted User]

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Nonsense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug6auvQRi30

That was one short scene of a tender moment with a man (with whom he actually had a 7 year relationship with) compared to the film's central focus of his platonic relationship with Mary.

Outlaw Pete

There are many inaccuracies with the Mary timeline also and indeed it's condensed down into a few scenes.

Not suggesting it's a fair film with regards to how much time they focused on each relationship, but the point is that it doesn't do as Blindboy (nor you) suggest, which is that it ignored that part of his life, as it simply did not.

I agree that they glazed over many aspects of his relationships, with both men and women (and especially when it comes to the rest of the band) but what I call bull**** on is that the film perpetuated the idea that it’s “wrong” or “indecent” to be gay, and that he should really be with a woman.... the film did nothing of the sort.

They certainly made it clear that the media at the time tried to do that alright, but if anything the film gave two fingers to that attitude and showed that its was anything but.

Also, you say their relationship lasted seven years (actually it was six) but those years were all AFTER the point at which the film ends, Live Aid. So with regards to the timeline of the film, Freddie only knew Jim for four months.

Hangdogroad

Given Russell Brands increasing drift to right wing conspiracy theory territory over the last few years wonder does Blindboy still associate with him?

[Deleted User]

I see the popularity of his podcast has plummeted. People must have grown tired of that surrealist nonsense he thinks is funny - I met Salvador Dali buying blaas in Waterford and his hands turned into pints and then he was over by Sonya O’Sullivan driving a tractor.

Usually followed by some overly simplistic take on complex societal and economic issues. And then the old mental health schtick to wrap things up.

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118968605#Comment_118968605

Because they’re both twat wing.

[Deleted User]

I love how he started the podcast bemoaning the "Horse Outside crowd on Facebook" and talking about minding your mental health, and now he does podcasts about teenage discos, lynx Africa and chicken fillet rolls in order to win back the audience.

And he advertises alcopops on his show, narrating the ads himself. Yes, mind your mental health lads with a refreshing bevvy.

🤡

I feel sorry for his followers.

TheDavester

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118972269#Comment_118972269

how do you piss off a blind boy fan - say Rogan's podcast is better

His acolyte followers preach tolerance, but get outraged/on the attack when someone says they like Rogan - when theyre the two cheeks of the same arse

nozzferrahhtoo

Interesting to see his numbers have "plummeted". A lazy google couldn't find any stats on this myself. Except to see he has dropped down the iTunes charts significantly between 2017-2019. But stats on his podcast as a whole (since most views and downloads are likely from the acast platform anyway) I could not find quickly enough... and am not bothered enough to try :) What's the source that he has "plummeted"? I think at the peak (which I assume he is long past now) he was cited at something like 250,000 domestic downloads per show and 1 million international?

I saw the moan about him advertising alcoholic drinks on another thread though the person moaning there did not dig in on it and just wandered off. Mainly because they were asked how doing so was in any way contradictory to his mental health messaging, especially as he goes into detail on relationship with alcohol and how to identify problematic relationships with it. In fact personally I would put more credence in him endorsing a product that he espouses caution and care and maturity about... than I would if he was endorsing something he never speaks about or endorses wholeheartedly with no caveats at all.

Unsure what cherry picking three topics from three podcasts says about the content as a whole though? The cherry picked three podcasts, in my limited experience of his content, does not appear representative at all.

Also can not say I see much mutually exclusive between Rogan and Blindboy. I can listen to both happily on occasion, without following either religiously or frequently. Sometimes they cover topics I enjoy. Sometimes not. I would say "acolyte" fans and preachers of any public name are painful to converse with, but thankfully they are rare and.... again.... not at all representative. But by all means let's see and laugh at some citations/examples of who and what we are talking about here. Where did you see this?

TooTired123

It’s an innate human urge to need a messiah figure to turn to. “Blind boy” turns out to be just another one trick pony like most of the rest.

Russell Brand gets older and becomes a parent and naturally drifts inexorably to the right as certain things become crystal clear and fall into place for him. People should be secure enough to be able to take or leave the opinions of what amounts to ordinary mortals without blindly swearing allegiance to any fixed position.

[Deleted User]

Fanboys are a difficult bunch to reason with, so I don't bother dealing with the cultists. But to any reasonable person, it's obvious why Blindboy advertising alcohol with his voice is a problem.

Blindboy talks a lot about mental health, leaning on his degree in psychology as he discusses it. As such, many people with mental health difficulties listen to his podcast and find his show quite helpful and a good support, as he alludes to the many messages he gets from people with such problems.

It's no secret that people with mental health difficulties or who have suffered past trauma often self medicate, and can have complicated relationships with substances such as alcohol. So it's not a stretch to assume that many of his listeners might have alcohol abuse issues, and some may be alcoholics.

So given that these people listen to his podcast and trust his voice when it comes to psychology, it's a shame that he then uses that voice to advertise alcohol to them.

Given his formal education on the subject and the messages he receives from fans, he surely knows this, and yet he chose to advertise alcohol anyway. All while preaching that he often turns down advertising that he considers to be problematic or something he doesn't believe in.

This type of behavior is contemptible, in my opinion. And his fanboys really need to think about who they are as people. When I brought it up in the fanboy thread, some denied the ads even existed, and as above asked for "evidence", so I'd have to go and extract the recording somehow even though as fanboys, they heard the ad multiple times themselves...

Like I said, I feel sorry for you. 😐

TooTired123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118977712#Comment_118977712

I don’t use the word grifter easily but I think he probably fits the bill. He self promoted his unqualified mental health/living your best life shtick until he built up a big following of mostly males.

The same males were warned NOT to pay any attention to the likes of Jordan Peterson even though Peterson is a professor of psychology.

You won’t here Peterson however advertising booze any time soon.

Ash.J.Williams

don't listen to anyone , just watch or listen to whatever and let all the whingers cry about it

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118977712#Comment_118977712

That's my one issue with him..like, bad comedians are bad comedians, I'd just leave them off for the most part..but blindboy is banging on about mental health and then turning around and making jokes about selling ten spots..

[Deleted User]

He was indulged by a lot in the media for ages which padded his ego and made him believe he was some kind of guru.

Always thought he approached things in a very simplistic way but he thought he was right clever.

retalivity

He still continues to use the rubberbandits to parrot his schtick as well... the other guy seems to have washed his hands of it altogether, but you think that blindboy would be confident enough in his own 'brand' to carry himself, instead of relying on the old name that got him famous and he is supposedly embarrassed about

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118978063#Comment_118978063

peterson comes across as being a right arsehole though, having a professorship doesnt mean your exempt of being an arsehole!

those of us on the spectrum do have a major role in explaining to society the implications of mental health issues, as they are a critical component of the disorder

Ush1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118978529#Comment_118978529

But he's a qualified arsehole is the point.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118978538#Comment_118978538

...again qualifications dont necessarily mean 'all knowing' or even correct for that matter, many professionally qualified persons and fields of expertise have turned out to be catastrophically incorrect, we have placed many professional fields on a pedestal which are turning out to completely wrong and dangerous for human existence

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118978564#Comment_118978564

I would argue that the lack of qualified people in government making decisions they have no knowledge on is also catastrophic.

nozzferrahhtoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118977712#Comment_118977712

I am not sure declaring your position and opinion "obvious" helps much though. Clearly because I questioned it, and the same position was questioned on the other blindboy thread (before the person espousing it retreated, cant remember if it was you or not), it is not "obvious" otherwise why would I/we be querying it?

I genuinely do not see the issue with him advertising alcohol. So rather than just call it "obvious", please enlighten me. Because the rest of your post after calling it "obvious" was already addressed by what I said in my post above already. Which is that the fact he discusses at length the issues with alcohol, ways to recognise when your relationship with alcohol has become harmful, and what to do about this.... means he is precisely the person I would like to see advertising alcohol. Compared to say a sports star who has never mentioned alcohol before and suddenly starts saying that alcohol, or one particular alcohol product, is great.

ALL the same issues you describe would exist there too. People who look up to that "star", often with issues of their own which they may self medicate will suffer the same effects you describe above. Not to mention the drinking culture that exists with some sports like Soccer.

So who would I like to see more/less using their "voice" to endorse alcohol? A sport star people look up to who has never said anything about alcohol before? Or a podcaster who talks often and at length about alcohol harms, abuse, self care, self awareness and more?

YMMV. But I am going with the latter every time. So your issue is not as "obvious" as you seem to think. The issue is more likely to be that our own opinions are always "obvious" to ourselves, so we assume they must be to others. Often fallaciously. Especially if you find you have to back them up with throw away ad hominem lines that are just filler like "I feel sorry for you".

Further I have more respect for an alcohol product choosing to sponsor someone who speaks in this way about alcohol rather than someone who would just endorse it with a smile. There are many people a marketing rep for alcohol could choose, and for whatever reason they chose to advertise with someone who speaks openly and honestly about alcohol, its harms, and identifying toxic relationships with it. Kudos to their honestly for choosing in that way.

All that said I have to say I am entirely ignorant as to which advert you are talking about. I have not actually seen/heard him advertise alcohol ever. Perhaps on the infrequent occasions I listen to his podcast I am doing so in Germany and so I get hit with different adverts than you listeners in Ireland do? And no this is not me "denying the ads exist" either. Who exactly denied their existence in the other thread? Or was it just that they, like me, had not heard it and asked for a link/citation which you then did not provide?

[Deleted User]

I clearly stated my case in great detail, and yet you ask me why I believe it's obvious. And again, you try to get me to provide evidence of an ad (not sure how I could do that without great effort, which I won't do to convince a stranger on the internet), even though he has done it multiple times. I recall it being an alcoholic spritzer, but I don't remember the name. White Claw might be it after I googled.

I listened to it on Acast, if that helps.

I said fanboys and cultists, and your post only vindicates that position. That's why I don't want to engage with people like you. Rational discussion simply isn't possible. It's a complete waste of time.

nozzferrahhtoo

Well the issue is the case you stated in "great detail" is to me obviously poor and wrong. And I have explained, also in great detail, how and why I see it to be wrong. I did it without calling it "obvious" or fluffing it out with throw away ad hominems though. Which rather makes your comments about "rational discussion" somewhat comical. Check a mirror sometime.

I also listen on Acast, but ads on Acast are not fixed. They differ from user to user based on your location and browsing history. This is likely why.... assuming the ad exists.... you heard it but many others have not.

I am neither a "fanboy" or a "cultist" however.... just more throw away ad hominems to dismiss my position above. I listen to him infrequently depending on the topic he is discussing. That is literally it. In fact if you have heard this alcohol ad as often as you claim, it sounds like you listen to him as much if not more than I do :p :p or maybe just Acast. But I listen to a lot on acast and have not heard it. My IP Location is likely the reason.

I have not yet met or heard from any of these supposed "acolyte" fans of his. I rather hope I never do. But I asked above for citations from some of them.... such as the ones claiming you can not listen to Rogan.... but I am still waiting.

Rational discussion is only not possible if you refuse to have one and run away. If you can show some aspect of my post that was not rational, by all means do! But simply shouting "not rational" and legging it.... yeah not convincing really.

Again: They could select anyone to pay to endorse their product. They specifically chose to sponsor someone who discussed alcohol openly and honestly, who recommends caution, and who discuses at length how to identify why you have alcohol issues and when to stop using it. He has mentioned on many occasions giving up alcohol for long periods, and explained why.

So by all means tell me who is your "obvious" person to endorse an alcoholic product than that? Because that is EXACTLY the kind of voice I would prefer do so.

[Deleted User]

1. One of the core elements of his podcast is mental health, using his education and experience on the subject *to attract an audience*

2. Based on what he has said in podcasts, he receives messages from fans with mental health issues

3. People with mental health difficulties often have complicated relationships with alcohol

4. Blindboy advertises alcoholic products to his audience

Contemptible. Both Blindboy and the people who defend this behaviour.