Talk:Simon Webb

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Extremely punchable "smarmy git" face[edit]

A new user Lavalizard101 is repeatedly adding to the article Webb has an "extremely punchable "smarmy git" face" [1]. This is a threat of physical violence and is harassment. The article is well written, this horrible comment is discrediting the article. 2609 (talk) 01:52, 6 March 2024 (UTC)

I removed the strike-out "humor". While I don't think it technically amounted to a threat, it definitely sucked too much to keep. The remaining part, "smarmy git", is the kind of "snark" I personally don't really care for, though I leave it for others to decide how it should end up. --ApooftGnegiol (talk) 02:26, 6 March 2024 (UTC)
It was originally added by Luigifan18[2][3], who has recently been sanctioned on the moderation noticeboard for adding too much tasteless "snark" and other filler to articles. I'm going to just remove all of it. --ApooftGnegiol (talk) 02:50, 6 March 2024 (UTC)
I am not a new user, been here for years. I only reverted it's original removals because IPs removing snark tend to be white washers or vandals. Lavalizard101 (talk) 10:51, 6 March 2024 (UTC)
Although I do find it ironic that it was a "new user" who complained about this who has obviously edited before as they are aware of how to find page history etc. Lavalizard101 (talk) 10:53, 6 March 2024 (UTC)
I thought "extremely punchable" would be funny as a strikeout gag (with the strikeout making it clear that I was using it in the memetic sense of "very unlikable person" rather than literally advocating violence against him). I intended to end up at "smarmy git" from the get-go. (I wasn't expecting him to get mad enough to make legal threats, but in hindsight, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.) --Luigifan18 (talk) 17:19, 6 March 2024 (UTC)

Simon Webb supporting and endorsing a candidate from a far-right crank group[edit]

"Vote for Colin Birch of the English Constitution Party"

English Constitution Party are a far-right crank group.

I don't consider all immigration restrictionist parties to be far-right but the ECP clearly are and have been involved in anti-refugee rallies alongside Patriotic Alternative (a neo-Nazi group). Their website states they want a complete ban on immigration. An activist for the ECP has also been documented to hold far-right beliefs such as retweeting posts "raging against “boatloads of rapists” and condemning people seeking asylum as “sex pests”."

The ECP also appears to promote anti-vaxx conspiracy theories. 209.38.166.149 (talk) 12:59, 6 March 2024 (UTC)

False claim about Webb's view on interracial relationships[edit]

This part of the article:

Criticism of interracial relationships
Webb dislikes interracial relationships between black men and white women, claiming there is an "agenda" by the British media to push these relationships which he considers "odd" and not reflective of typical relationships found in British society.[7][83]

is false. If you watch the linked videos, you'll see that Webb's objection / befuddlement is to how common the depiction of interracial relationships are in the media, not to their existence. In fact, in the first video ([7]), at 0:18, he refers to those who still object to interracial relationships as "a handful of fanatical racists and aging reactionaries".

A more honest phrasing would be:

Criticism of media representation of interracial relationships
Webb claims that there is an "agenda" by the British media to overrepresent interracial relationships, in particular those with a black man and a white female, an agenda he considers "odd" given that they're only 0.2% of relationships found in British society.[7][83]

The original phrasing contains the text "these relationships which he considers 'odd'", but it's the overrepresentation he considers "odd". Anyone who thinks that "X is odd" and "the overrepresentation of X by the media is odd" are the same thing is probably coming from an ideological perspective and shouldn't be claiming the mantel of rationality.

You are spreading cherry-picked half-truths, falsehoods and misinformation. The RationalWiki article is accurate about his views on interracial relationships. You cite his video "The BBC are obsessed with the idea of black men and white women, preferably blondes..." [4] to make the claim that he says those who still object to interracial relationships as "a handful of fanatical racists and aging reactionaries". This is false, whilst the wording is correct he says this in regard to "old taboos", not interracial relationships specifically. Nowhere in the video does he support interracial relationships, he seems upset and offended by them. I suggest you scan the comment section of the video as well, it is filled with white supremacist Webb supporters claiming the photograph Webb used of a black man with a white women makes them "sick" and "vomit". It's bizarre you are trying to pass Webb off as a supporter of interracialism when he is the exact opposite.167.99.206.10 (talk) 18:14, 6 March 2024 (UTC)
I am not spreading falsehoods and misinformation, and it's simply out of line for you to say that I am. Aren't there any standards for discussion here? I *am* zeroing in on a truth, one that contradicts the claim in this section of the article, but you want to pretend that we have no way of knowing what Webb means by "old taboos". You have to do this in order to maintain that Webb is a racist, but what could "old taboos" possibly refer to apart from the interracial relationships? That's the only issue he's discussing in this video.108.20.112.117 (talk) 21:31, 20 March 2024 (UTC)
You can't win with Webb supporters. I watched the video he said there is an agenda to push interracial relationships [5] at the end of the video at 3:21 he says "there is clearly a deliberate thing going on here" "but what the motive is must remain a matter of debate". Simon is clearly offended by seeing a black man with a white women and spends his time complaining about it on YouTube. M27 (talk) 18:19, 6 March 2024 (UTC)
I'm not anyone's "supporter", M27, and the only thing Webb is "clearly offended by" is being propagandized to. There is a difference, you know, between (a) objecting to being propagandized to and (b) objecting to what you're being propagandized to *about*. From the aggressive way you've both responded to me, I have a feeling you know your criticism of Webb is unfounded, but you think it's morally justified because you disagree with him on other issues. These sorts of unprincipled, hardball tactics are typical of the authoritarian-left and are creating a backlash that will only hurt minorities, of which I'm one.108.20.112.117 (talk) 21:02, 20 March 2024 (UTC)
Do you have any explanation to why 99% of Simon Webb's videos are 1. Criticizing black history. 2. Criticizing Islam or 3. Criticizing immigration? He is obviously a far-right extremist who can't make a single normal video on a sensible topic, he always has to be attacking non-white people. Oh I forgot he has several other videos criticizing trans people as well. If he is really interested in history why doesn't he make a neutral video about the history of castles in the UK or about Victorian and Edwardian pubs? Literally make a video about history but he doesn't do it anymore. He can't do it because all he has on his mind is black and Muslim men who he dislikes. He can't go 5 minutes without complaining about them. In the last 48 hours, his videos include claiming hate crimes don't really exist [6], [7] most far-right groups are imaginary, complaining about Muslim scriptures [8], complaining about mosques [9]. Can you show me a single video where he has something nice to say about ethnic minorities? Please don't pretend to be a minority. Nobody is fooling for your nonsense. 134.209.176.169 (talk) 22:36, 20 March 2024 (UTC)
I previously mentioned that Webb referred to people opposed to interracial relationships as "a handful of fanatical racists and aging reactionaries". This is a clear condemnation of racism, but it's being ignored by everyone in this discussion except me, because it contradicts the narrative that Webb is a racist. You ask about what I think of "99% of his videos". I'll answer, but first let me point out that it's irrelevant to this section of the article. This section of the article is making a claim about a specific video, and what Webb says in this video should interpreted at face value, not according to a theory you and others have about how Webb is evil based on your interpretations of his other videos. If Webb is a racist, find videos that establish that. If he condemns racism, explain that, don't just ignore it. If you think he objects to interracial marriages, find a video where he says something negative about it, not where he says something negative about the media's patronizing over-representation of it. As I said above, there's a difference between objecting to something and objecting to being propagandized to about it. I'm not a child, and I refuse to sit silently while I'm propagandized to.
As for the subject of Webb's videos, I see the vast majority of them as being about the risks of "excess" illegal immigration. I believe it's reasonable to have concerns in this area. Excess immigration from low-wage countries depresses working class wages, and excess immigration from Islamic countries endangers gay rights. These are classic liberal positions widely accepted by almost all mainstream politicians as little as a decade ago. As a gay person who also has friends who are working class, I share both these concerns. I'd like to believe that even if I were straight and didn't know anyone in the working class, I'd still care. Do you? Because the impression I get from most "progressives" online is that they only care about signaling their moral superiority and insulting anyone who disagrees with them in even the mildest way. All I posted above was language from Webb's video that contradicts the interpretation in this article. I took him at face value, and I get attacked like I'm some sort of monster. This is ideology, and it doesn't belong on a wiki devoted to rationality.108.20.112.117 (talk) 23:25, 20 March 2024 (UTC)
In the last couple of hours, Simon Webb has removed his videos criticizing interracial relationships. He is clearly trying to damage control his reputation. 167.99.87.183 (talk) 02:05, 21 March 2024 (UTC)
Can you check if he has deleted any others? 161.35.46.252 (talk) 02:18, 21 March 2024 (UTC)

Simon Webb is now deleting some of his offensive videos[edit]

In the last few hours, Simon Webb has deleted several of his videos. I advise archiving his content, because it's obvious he is going on a deletion spree in an attempt to defend his reputation. The videos that he has deleted [10], [11] 161.35.46.252 (talk) 02:18, 21 March 2024 (UTC)

Socking to whitewash himself too. Not gonna work. Justarandomliberal (talk) 02:58, 21 March 2024 (UTC)

Edit request[edit]

Please could someone add "transphobes" to the list of groups mentioned in the lead that comment on Simon's videos. — Unsigned, by: 2A02:C7C:756A:1200:10D9:152D:30A0:5E65 / talk / contribs

Edit: And conspiracy theorists. 2A02:C7C:756A:1200:692B:841C:BD9D:C6D5 (talk) 19:24, 10 April 2024 (UTC)