Worth remembering Triggernometry’s origin story, seeing as they’ve made a major contribution to public discussion of this issue (while still on their own personal journeys from ‘Be Kind’ to ‘What the Fuck?’ to ‘Oh HELL No!’)
KK and FF were stand up comedians on the London circuit, I first heard KK’s name via this news story: www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-46541002
KK was asked to sign a ‘No offensive speech’ contract before a gig at London Uni SOAS.
He refused and took it to the mainstream press.
Speaking out damaged his comedy career prospects (stand up is current very wokebro dominated) and the general difficulty of working in the comedy scene peak cancel culture era led to him and FF setting up the Triggernometry YouTube channel.
No easy task as initially they were kicked out of various recording venues who worried about being tainted by association and didn’t make any money, spending their own savings to keep it afloat.
Triggernometry was unfairly characterised as ‘far right’ in an attempt to get people to ignore it (see also: Joe Rogan, Kellie Jay Keen and Mumsnet) when really they speak to people all over the political spectrum and are themselves pretty centrist with FF leaning slightly left and KK leaning slightly right (IIRC).
Both have personal experience of communism KK is originally from Russia (and I believe his wife is Ukrainian) and thus his childhood was spent under Soviet Union rule and FF’s mum is an immigrant from Venezuela and it’s clear that their motivation stems from a strongly held belief in free speech and western liberalism.
As far as I can recall the first time the Women’s Rights/Trans Rights topic came up was in that final question that they end every guest interview with, ‘what are we not talking about that we should be talking about?’ and the guest was Paul Embery, former regional secretary of the FBU (Fire Brigades Union) and prominent Lexiteer (and thus, of course, another one branded as far right despite a clear and easy to evidence history of trade unionism and Labour activism).
Paul’s comments had me pretty much punching the air because it was the firmly within the period of ‘No Debate’ and while women were having these conversations on here and in hired church halls it wasn’t something that was seen on telly, unless it was with the subtext of dismissing the women’s rights viewpoint as one held exclusively by past-it old bats (Germaine Greer 💐) and militant lesbian separatists (Julie Bindel 💐)
it was genuinely the first time I heard a left wing man lay out the issues, more or less as we would, to other men.
That it was a moment when he could’ve chosen any topic he fancied also felt significant.
(I imagine Paul himself was likely thoroughly schooled on the subject by the very impressive Lucy Masoud, barrister, former firefighter & trade unionist, lesbian, tervern sister!)
KK and FF were somewhat surprised when they first realised they had a Mumsnet following (this was way before the channel properly took off) and I can’t help but think that Kellie-Jay’s first interview was at least partially intended as a sop for us Mumsnetters. Around the same time as the 1st KJK interview they also interviewed India Willoughby (snort) and Rose of Dawn (male who has surgically transitioned but is not at all on board with modern transactivism and has spoken out against many of the same terrible men as we have eg Yaniv/jess Bradley) so they were genuinely interested in airing a variety of views.
The KJK episode gained lots of immediate attention and was promptly banned by YouTube, which caused a Streisand Effect.
When it was reinstated it quickly became their most-watched episode.
I believe it has retained that top spot for quite some time (haven’t checked!) although it may now have been surpassed by KK’s Oxford Union speech?
Nonetheless, that would still make it their most watched YouTube interview - that said, I have largely switched over to listening via Spotify* now and I’m likely not alone in that so YouTube views may no longer reflect the real extent of an episode’s reach.
KK used to pop in here occasionally using the @Triggerpod username, but I expect he’s far too famous/ busy to be paying attention to us nowadays (although with this weekend being Peak Nicola Sturgeon/Trans Rapists/IPSO guideline breaches he may well have had a little lurk 😬)
If you do see this, lads, can we please have someone on who can talk about the origin and implementation of the Orwellian IPSO rules that have led to such stupidity as ‘Her penis’?
It’s a subject that is right up your alley - compelled speech across numerous publications that made it impossible for journalists to follow first principles - ie speaking the truth.
*I was impressed at Spotify’s refusal to drop Joe Rogan despite internal employee pressure (see also: Netflix & Chapelle) and enormous external pressure from mainstream US media, especially CNN. I realise Rogan is a special case in terms of audience numbers, but the fact that Spotify didn’t seem to give a fuck about the cancellation mob was refreshing and I want to support the platforms that stand by their content creators.
Off to dig out that Paul Embery episode now. Link to follow.