Owen Benjamin - "alt-right" comic

The internet is a trash pile.

I watched this guy's 2018 (I think?  Maybe 2017) special called "Big Pianist" (He's 6-7, or some shit) last night and I thought it was pretty good and I was like "why haven't I heard of this guy until now?" so I looked him up and all this shit about him being antisemite and racist comes up and how he's had a bunch of shows canceled because of his rantings on social media (which are pretty bad, btw) and it kind of blew my mind because I didn't really get an alt-right vibe off him.  So then I thought "is this a huge con, like is he trolling everyone to make some weird societal point?"

But one thing that struck me is something that a black comic from Pittsburgh named Day Bracy that he was fighting with when another of his shows got cancelled said.  It was something to the effect of if it ended when his routine was over that would be one thing, but it doesn't, he carries his "alt-right" stuff out into the real world and expresses (for literally hours on end) in rambling ranting livestreams his opinions about how jews are forcing him down and PC culture is forcing him down and feminists are forcing him down etc. etc.

It's weird because when a comic pushes the limits on stage, I think most people are willing to go along for the ride because you know it's turning a twisted mirror back toward the world, but when they start taking that stuff out INTO the real world, it starts looking eeeeehhhhhhh.....

I think of Ricky Gervais who I think walks that line pretty well.  He says some outlandish shit that some people get offended by, but it's pretty clear he's playing a part and taking things to stupid extremes.  He doesn't say that shit when he's not performing (which sometimes includes tweeting).  Like in interviews he's totally fine (if a little sick of having to explain that it's an act).  

This guy doesn't come off that way at all.  It's pretty clear it's actually him.  And this "red pill" stuff where mostly white guys act like some veil has been pulled from their eyes and they don't "have to feel guilty anymore" for being white and straight and male and Christian and they lash out at women and jewish people and "the left" as somehow cutting off their manhood and oppressing them would frankly be laughable if it wasn't so fucking pervasive on the dung pile that is the internet.  

Anyway, here's an article and a video that has some clips of Benjamin (actually named Smith) being... yeah. It's just weird that I watched his special and nothing overly weird jumped out at me and then he's that guy.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/instagram-is-the-alt-rights-new-favorite-haven