When Leo Laporte and co-host Florence Ion are being asked to do a rehearsal for the upcoming The New Screen Savers episode, the “Cheif TWiT” doesn’t seem to give a fuck and instead decides it would be funnier to ask Ion what her middle name’s initial is. ‘Cause that’s absolutely part of the rehearsal, right? Right.
But, of course, it just goes downhill from here. Next, Laporte got the idea that Ion’s first book should be called “My Life as a Romani”, because he got told not to call her a gypsy back in March, remember?
Florence Ion’s reaction when asked if her father “thinks of himself as a gypsy”
Then, he promptly asks if her father “thinks of himself as a gypsy”, which she denies with a “Noooo”. Not only can you hear, but also see that his behaviour and this stupid, insulting comment makes her very uncomfortable.
It seems our favourite, wonderfully disgusting, racist Cheif TWaT Leo Laperve will never learn, no matter how often he’s being told not to use that word.
As a bonus, here’s a video of another instance where, during that very same TNSS episode, he decided it would be funny to make fun of a black guy during a Call For Help segment. Of course he used the term “gypsy” again.
This was actually removed in the final podcast/YouTube version of the show, but luckily I caught it on our DVR.
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I am one of many African American TWiT viewers. Many people have brought up that TWiT has a problem, there are no black employees and may never have been any. And TWiT is not a small operation.
This lack of diversity is a common issue in many fields including some of the largest tech companies. Without diving into the socioeconomic causes and solutions or handing out blame, I do want to bring up something I find offensive. All minorities have issues regardless of which minority had it worse. But look at how Padre handles it:
These are a few bad examples but every time this issue comes up he refuses to admit the problem and instead talks about himself. (Being shot at for his race?) Why not address the problem instead of turning the problem on its head to protect TWiT?
Hilton A. Goring could not be reached for comment.
TotalDrama used to do a joke about a black camera guy who was in the TWiT directory. That is of note because it shows that instead of caring about the issue, like Padre, they care about the perception of TWiT.
Can you imagine if Google answered this criticism by saying, “well, we have a lot of Indians and Jews.” Preposterous.
Jeff John Roberts apparently thinks that saying “colored people” is acceptable.
In a stunning break from political correctness and the much-vaunted “family-friendly” nature of the TWiT network, a white man was allowed to spew racist language on the flagship “This Week in Tech” program hosted by Mike Elgan on Sunday. Elgan and his three other white male co-hosts said nothing as “Fortune” tech writer Jeff John Roberts said “colored people” in response to a question about trolls on Reddit.
Is Jeff John Roberts a backwards racist? Who uses language like this in 2015? Do the white men who appeared at TWiT not think this is unacceptable? The editorial board at TotalDrama eagerly awaits the answers to these questions.
Will Al Sharpton be marching on Petaluma? This is an outrage!
For starters, an apology from Jeff John Roberts for his racist language would be appropriate. And secondly, it would be nice to have an African-American woman on the panel next week as a show of good faith that TWiT does not harbor racists.
Since the dawn of time people have been attracted to power like moths to a flame, Laporte to a Twinkie or men to Sarah’s eyes. Once power is achieved there are always those who seek to knock those in power down. Sometimes valid, sometimes not.
Trolls?
A great method to discredit the lowly trouble makers, and to keep the revolutionaries down, has been to use labels. Put a label on them and they are less than you. It is so easy and simple that even Jarvis can do it. So when criticism arose against TWiT, the label “troll” was not far behind.
Call a man a name, he is no longer a man
Call a man a name long enough, and he is no longer a man, he is a beast. Crimes can be committed against beasts. Rights don’t apply to beasts. Those with intellect see the ruse. Those without (like the chat mods) eat up the labels because it frees them to do what is in their black hearts.
The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round. Once again, our favorite Father has attempted to stir up drama and get the few remaining fans in an uproar by teasing his precarious future at TWiT. The outpouring of concern did not come, as no one either noticed or cared.
Premium Content
How will losing the inexpensive host affect TWiT? The preacher hosts four shows and is #soup’s vacation replacement. Hiring a full time employee with benefits will certainly be more expensive than the $5,000 – $10,000 annual donation made by TWiT LLC, to procure the full time services of the amateur impersonator of a 1920’s radio announcer. A solution was quickly devised by the finance committee at TWiT:
TWiET Make co-hosts the hosts: Cost $0 Coding 101: Replace with full-time engineer Patrick: Cost: $0 Know How: Host with full-timers OMGchad & Brian: Cost $0 Padre’s Corner: Cancel, no ratings or sponsors: Cost $0 #Soup replacement: Mike Elgum: Cost $0
Total net cost of replacing padre-$0
Chance of paying money to hire someone- 0%
This report is a collaboration by Richard Yes and HelloWorld. (The really hateful stuff was HelloWorld.)
Angry, unhappy mods
Most everyone is familiar with the concept of term limits in the world of politics. We don’t usually think much of this as it seems like a pretty good way to give everyone a chance to govern. But in actuality, the idea of term limits has deeper and more reasoned roots. Oddly enough, the concept remains relevant in the case of more amateur congresses such as the local school council.
Two main problems exist with not having term limits. The first of which is that in elections the incumbent has an unfair advantage. Let’s say he or she has been the church president or library chairman or United States senator for 12 years and along comes some young upstart who thinks they can do a better job. This is a huge mountain to climb in the minds of the constituents. The second reason is that their power becomes too great and corruption sets in. Let’s discuss…
Laporte in action
After a certain amount of time, relationships are built, a hierarchy is established and fear takes hold. This is what happened to the TWiT Internet Relay Chat: Originally intended as a place for TWiT fans to gather, to discuss among themselves and to build a community of their own, #twitlive eventually was destroyed by the overprotective and power-hungry moderators. And it is another sad, symbiotic dysfunctional relationship that our Gregarious Glutton and his laziness has allowed to grow. Exempli gratia: The Soupguzzler has often shielded himself from the biting blows of criticism by saying it’s not his IRC, it is in fact Dan_Macbook’s domain. In turn, Dan_Macbook says he is not to blame because it is the TWiT chatroom. In truth, we all know Dan_Macbook is merely a puppet—albeit a loyal puppet that seeks his master’s approval like a mongrel dog seeking a gentle [ewww] belly rub. But let us first examine the crime before laying blame:
Fan yelled at for saying “LOL” in caps
Many have argued that it is Dan_Macbook and his band of fools who have caused the demise of TWiT. This may well be, but these overzealous chatroom moderators are surely responsible for the neutered behavior of the few remaining fans left in #twitlive. The “troll problem” that Soup brings up on nearly every recent show is a direct result of Dan and his ban-happy cohorts. They have become wicked people who think that because they are nice to each other and play kiss-ass with the hosts, that they are good people. It probably says in the Bible somewhere: It is not how you treat your equals, but rather how you treat those whose stature is beneath you that points to your value as a “good person.” The great hero who runs the monumental Twitter account @leolaportesucks for the past three years, has documented these despicable insults. The mods hurl these mini-rants at everyone who dares to violate their capricious rules: Don’t know where twit.tv/cal is?—Gird yourself against an immediate insult. Use adult language?—Prepare to be spat upon like garbage. Have the gall to disagree with a host?—Forfeit your dignity with a kick and a rude comment. Compliment the lovely Sarah Lane on her beautiful hair?—Get an earful from a chastising chat mod.
The sign says prohibited douchebags
We all know that a chatroom is not a democracy. And no one is saying put Dan_Macbook in jail. But it’s time to own up to the fact that he has ruined TWiT for the most active little fan soldiers among the formerly feared “TWiT Army.” And we can tell you that this is one army that has suffered mass desertions since Mike Elgum sat his orange ass down in the TNT anchor chair. How can Lisa ‘n’ Leo not notice that so many have gone AWOL? The ranks are thinning and it’s showing up in decreased advertising. Those who remain are like dogs on short leashes and offer nothing in the way of commentary, humor or insight. (Like Elgum himself.) On a personal note, I have been told to stop using #hashtags so much by a mod. #really #wtf #seriously #douchebag. Have my rights been taken away? No. Are the mods stupid? Yes. Kick away, when people really need to be kicked. But why the disgusting insults? Does anyone say anything to these moderators, or are these rabid beasts allowed to run free? They have even given out users real names for fun, a practice known as doxing. Leo or Padre certainly will not stop these sociopaths. So who will?
Where do these dejected people go? Well, there are forums and websites all over the internet filled with the rejects from that chatroom. These heroes are uploading YouTube videos and posting in forums and hurting the reputation of SHiT, I mean TWiT. (Editors will fix that in post.) You can’t say that the “haters” and “trolls” will pop up against everyone who has a major audience—of course that happens. But you have to admit that the level of hate is beginning to exceed the level of love. I would guess that Gawker.com got their story of Leo “smelling and tasting” his mistress CEO from one such ex-fan. One mod has even been known to stalk people who leave TWiT to incite the hatred. Why do they do this? They are chatroom moderators for God’s sake, and their activities should remain confined to the chatroom. Dan_Macbook supplied the chat transcripts to the heavy-heaving hypocrite Leo Laporte—of his own volition—to get Erik Lanigan fired. Why on Earth would he do that to the poor kid? Dan_Macbook is totally in need of a spanking, a cranking and a yanking.
If Dan Went Away
So here’s where we stand: The mods are out of control—and it’s time to get rid of them. Even Soup has made fun of these keyboard cretins on the air many times. Oh, they whine and wail at first, but then they always come crawling back. The normal ones have completely ignored their modding duties or have simply quit. It breaks my heart to see human beings so used and abused; serving for 10 years out of love, a man who barely knows their names.
Just a little note to let everyone know that TNT has NEVER had an African-American woman on as a guest or co-host. What’s with this bias in tech reporting? A white man hosting a show that won’t have a black woman on in 2014 is just plain lazy or racist. But either way, it’s not good. #ComeOnPeople
