Matisyahu's Blog

Today was productive, after getting all that I needed at Bunnings and The Warehouse I popped into the local Pak ‘n Save to pick up some shopping (chicken wings, salad and a few other bits and pieces) and I also stocked up on some Pepsi Max 2L that was on special – take advantage of the low price when I can. I’m getting psychologically ready to get back to work on Wednesday next week but I’m going to enjoy the last remaining days, it kind of sucks that holidays are never long enough but I guess the benefit of working, apart from the money of course, is how good the holidays feel once you get to it. In 2026 I’ll end up having maybe a couple of weeks off in June during WWDC and hopefully next year it won’t be wall to wall AI fetishisation because they would have learnt from from the backlash Microsoft experience with their whole ‘agentic OS’ nonsense not to mention the building resentment that even normies have adopted over the last year.

I’m gradually working through an interesting video that popped up in my subscription feed:

The one thing I keep reminding people is that Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter etc. aren’t the real world. A noise maker on one of these platforms throwing a temper tantrum amount something they don’t like does not represent the centre left or more broadly the left in general. We really do need to stop giving oxygen to this new generation of secular puritans whose online performativeness does nothing to advance social progress (or in fact makes it more difficult for marginalised groups to have their voice heard) other than for those people to gain social clout and chase that almighty dollar. Btw, on a side note, if your ‘allyship’ amounts to speaking over the very people you claim you’re trying to advocate for then maybe you should take seat because it is clear you’re not interested in helping but rather using those marginalised communities as a way to raise your profile at the expense of the very communities you claim you want to fight for.

The other part is this cancel culture regarding these ‘online Karens’ who dig up something someone posted on a social media platform from 10-15 years ago and that person has moved beyond holding that position. One thing that it is important to note – someone saying, “I went to xyz show and I found that the jokes they made were rather tired old material” isn’t someone trying to ‘cancel’ you but rather they’re simply giving their opinion on something they experienced. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but people are allowed to have opinions and if they don’t like something then they’re entitled to tell the world that they went to something or did something but didn’t enjoy it.

Getting back to ‘online Karens’, at the end of the day they only have power if we as a society give them power and as so long as big institutions convince themselves that these noise makers online represent a force in the real world then don’t be surprised that at extreme minority have an outsized voice. If the institutions such as media companies just said, “no, we’re going to have xyz do this particular awards show and if you don’t like it then tough toenails” and enough institutions held the line then eventually the ‘online Karens’ would realise that their temper tantrums and empty threats don’t carry any weight.

The thing I keep reminding people is this, such noise makers online do not represent the real world and don’t represent normal people. The vast, vast, vast overwhelming majority of people aren’t interested in the online drama, they’re raising their kids, helping out at their local soup kitchen, going to their local church/mosque/synagogue once a week, they help out at their local school etc. they aren’t involved in this online nonsense and it wold serve their institutions well to stop allowing themselves to be convinced that idiots posting online represent any more than the squeakiest wheel demanding some oil.

As for comedians, the biggest let down as far as I see it are the number of comedians who now suck up to those in power – rather than being the outsider looking in and criticising the system, what we’ve seen is an army of grifters from both on the left and right more concerned about sucking up to those in power for the sake of clout rather than being a practitioner of their craft. I remember years ago the worst thing a comedian could be called would be a ‘sell out’ – a comedian who sold out their principles so that they could align themselves to those in power or sold out to ‘the man’ such as doing any ad for a multi billion dollar corporation. The comedian was meant to be the rebel, the truth teller that was willing to speak to truth to power, to punch up rather than punch down.

On a side note, if you don’t like a comedian, just don’t watch it – the same answer that those of us on the left gave the social conservative ‘family values’ types when they whined about a television show and we told them to change the channel if they don’t like it. No one is forcing you to watch it, if you don’t like the show then don’t watch it, if you don’t like that comedian then don’t attend their show – the power is in your hands. There are plenty of things I don’t like in my life but I don’t spend time making a video in an attempt to rally like minded people on Tik Tok to pressure x business to drop y show from their schedule.