Dan & Phil Part 102: crisis twinks

[dontpanic]

So, like....

What do we think Phil's getting up to while Dan's gone? Surely he'll fly out to some tour stops on occasion. But do we think he's just gonna join him? After all, Dan loved touring because Phil was with him.

I don't think touring's a Phil-thing... just like... logistically. Esp given the dizzy spells, so I feel like he probs won't be around for the whole thing, but I'm not gonna make this post and pretend like they're not co-dependent.

Thoughts thoughts thoughts.

the benefits of world traveling without the downsides of having to do any shows/public appearances??? If Phil doesn't go with Dan for at least part of the tour I'm gonna be very disappointed with him If I was phil I'd be out being touristy and visiting the stupidest stuff possible while Dan's working.

edit: as for how his health problems might effect things, I'd hazard a guess he'd avoid anything involving super long distance travel... chronic health issues and 13 hour flights aren't ideal (LA to Beijing while dealing with a spinal fracture was... not fun).

[nicky1388]

gonna have to travel roundtrip 8 hours for this tour but i'm going to do it. anyone else going to Tysons VA?

[eevee]

Okay, I'm reading the thread, and it sounds like after the hour mark is when he starts talking about YTO and when people feel bad for him. Makes sense. I'm at 59 minutes so i'm right at the start of that, but jeez these 59 minutes were grueling

It was absolutely insulting to listen to Dan preach about how horrible being a youtuber is when he just bought this huge mansion. He insulted the phandom by saying we were an embarrassing internet army threatening to "out" him. Daniel, you outed yourself with your behavior and past formspring posts. Welcome to the internet. You could've left at any time.

His failure to take responsibility for the above and his constant insistence that a life of internet fame and wealth is horrible really made me lose respect for him. Absolutely insulting. Was his "youtuber is a slur" thing a joke? Because he really seemed serious.

He also said he was lonely, Phil didn't count. So, are/were they together or not?

I'm just so tired of this. I get he has depression but his therapist is validating him too much and not actually pushing him toward a solution. The fact that he thought his opinions in the first hour of this video would be socially acceptable to voice is shocking. He really seems out of touch.

I feel hopeless for daniel. I really hope he gets help that better supports him.

[anna_begins]

He insulted the phandom by saying we were an embarrassing internet army threatening to "out" him. Daniel, you outed yourself with your behavior and past formspring posts. Welcome to the internet. You could've left at any time.

What's the timestamp for where he called the phandom an "embarrassing internet army"? Was it a joke because I've watched the video 3 times and have come away from it feeling like he had a positive spin on the phandom, just that he sometimes felt the struggle to try and make content that he knew would always please us instead of branching out to other projects. Do you mean where he referenced "terrifyingly powerful internet fandoms" because he ultimately defended fandoms and said "people are just having fun! let people have fun!"

Also, where did he say that it was specifically the phandom that was threatening to out him? I was thinking he meant people like Shane Dawson and those creepy internet pop culture magazines that were always looking for phan proof. It's really not anyone's business to "out" someone who is publicly identifying as straight even if in the past they had said something different.

Was his "youtuber is a slur" thing a joke? Because he really seemed serious.

The "youtuber is a slur" joke is about how traditional media looks down on youtubers.

[eevee]

What's the timestamp for where he called the phandom an "embarrassing internet army"? Was it a joke because I've watched the video 3 times and have come away from it feeling like he had a positive spin on the phandom, just that he sometimes felt the struggle to try and make content that he knew would always please us instead of branching out to other projects. Do you mean where he referenced "terrifyingly powerful internet fandoms" because he ultimately defended fandoms and said "people are just having fun! let people have fun!"

I'm so sorry but I won't be able to find the timestamp, but he was talking about how we were a powerful internet army and that embarrassed him, he felt like everywhere he went he destroyed or something along those lines. I took the "people are just having fun" as a disclaimer at the end, not a genuine conclusion. If that's how he felt, why would he have pointed out the bad stuff in the first place? To me it all seemed very negative, like just one of the many reasons why being a youtuber is hell to him.

Also, where did he say that it was specifically the phandom that was threatening to out him? I was thinking he meant people like Shane Dawson and those creepy internet pop culture magazines that were always looking for phan proof. It's really not anyone's business to "out" someone who is publicly identifying as straight even if in the past they had said something different.

This one I do have a quote for that I typed up for my friend a little while ago:
“It was a riot but it was intense and all the support and enthusiasm i’ve always appreciated, as we know from dannys bizare adventure having a lot of people trying to speculate and expose your sexuality for lols when you’re a closeted death defyer isn’t great. I almost didn’t enjoy any of it, as I was living in absolute fear of being outed all the time. This great lie was a wall up preventing me from forming any real relationships.”

We were the "a lot of people trying to speculate and expose your sexuality for lols." These are the people he's talking about "out"ing him.

I get it's rude to out someone, but he's a public figure. It come with the territory. There's no way to stop it unless you exit the public eye. He also never claimed overtly to be straight I believe, just said "i like vagina" and said something about boobs one time. Him being bi was a very viable theory.

The "youtuber is a slur" joke is about how traditional media looks down on youtubers.

Thank god that was a joke because it really sounded like he was serious...I waited for the punchline or discalimer and neither came...

[mysterylovescompany]

Checking in here after a hot minute

I watched the video in the corner of my screen while doing other stuff and although I felt the buildup was excessively long, Dan was able to hold my attention well. Although at the end I wanted to tell him to give up on YouTube for good and go study or something. Idk.

The tour announcement was not unexpected in that I thought he HAD to be announcing something after coming back after so long, but the size and length of the tour does surprise me. I've always been a deppy joint content fan at heart, but I think I'll go. I love that he's coming to the Palais Theatre in Melbourne again! He and Phil went there for TATINOF and that was a fantastic show. I'm curious about the contents of this one, though. From the website:

Daniel Howell is back, as stressed and depressingly dressed as ever, with his epic new solo comedy stage show “We’re All Doomed!”.

With so many apocalyptic scenarios on the horizon threatening to destroy us, it might be tempting to just give into the gloom - but Dan is here to joke through the pain. With enough sarcasm, satire, and a desire to skewer everything that’s wrong with society: Dan is determined to find some hope for humanity ..or if not, at least laugh like it’s the end of the world (because it probably is).

Prepare for a night of savage self-deprecation, soul-searching, Dan over-sharing his deepest fears and desires, and join a community of doomers to feel good in the final days.

As an optimist I am the opposite of a doomer lol. I don't appreciate doom-and-gloom talk and gratuitous self-deprecating jokes and so I hope that Dan will truly end on a hopeful note that's sincere and REAL and looks to the horizon instead of being endlessly sarcastic. I don't mean that I'm unfamiliar or ignoring the problems in society that he's currently referring to, just that I don't want to spend a night feeling discouraged, with only a band-aid of sarcasm to remind me that it's all a joke, except it's not because we're all gonna die, how relatable!! That's not my idea of fun. If I wanted to listen to doomers I'd join twitter. Idk what I'm even trying to say here sorry

Knowing Dan, though, he'll pull through. TATINOF and II were both amazing while also being realistic about life's problems (as much as you can get with a giant microwave and song-and-dance numbers). But I've never liked the side of Dan that seems to be nihilistic for the sake of being edgy or relatable (even if that's not the reason, it comes off as that to me). If that makes me more of a Phil at the end of the day then I'm ok with that.

[anna_begins]

What's the timestamp for where he called the phandom an "embarrassing internet army"? Was it a joke because I've watched the video 3 times and have come away from it feeling like he had a positive spin on the phandom, just that he sometimes felt the struggle to try and make content that he knew would always please us instead of branching out to other projects. Do you mean where he referenced "terrifyingly powerful internet fandoms" because he ultimately defended fandoms and said "people are just having fun! let people have fun!"

I'm so sorry but I won't be able to find the timestamp, but he was talking about how we were a powerful internet army and that embarrassed him, he felt like everywhere he went he destroyed or something along those lines. I took the "people are just having fun" as a disclaimer at the end, not a genuine conclusion. If that's how he felt, why would he have pointed out the bad stuff in the first place? To me it all seemed very negative, like just one of the many reasons why being a youtuber is hell to him.

Ah, I see. Its at around 17:39. That part actually made me happy because it's not a new idea from him that it made him uncomfortable/embarrassed that we were *everywhere* on the internet and that we were viewed as annoying. I mean tbf we were a lot (don't cry, craft is how I found dnp because it was plastered everywhere, lol). To hear him say this is how I felt in the past, like godzilla, but now my hot take is, "who cares, they're just having fun" showed awesome growth.

Also, where did he say that it was specifically the phandom that was threatening to out him? I was thinking he meant people like Shane Dawson and those creepy internet pop culture magazines that were always looking for phan proof. It's really not anyone's business to "out" someone who is publicly identifying as straight even if in the past they had said something different.

This one I do have a quote for that I typed up for my friend a little while ago:
“It was a riot but it was intense and all the support and enthusiasm i’ve always appreciated, as we know from dannys bizare adventure having a lot of people trying to speculate and expose your sexuality for lols when you’re a closeted death defyer isn’t great. I almost didn’t enjoy any of it, as I was living in absolute fear of being outed all the time. This great lie was a wall up preventing me from forming any real relationships.”

We were the "a lot of people trying to speculate and expose your sexuality for lols." These are the people he's talking about "out"ing him.

I get it's rude to out someone, but he's a public figure. It come with the territory. There's no way to stop it unless you exit the public eye. He also never claimed overtly to be straight I believe, just said "i like vagina" and said something about boobs one time. Him being bi was a very viable theory.

It might be part of being in the public eye, but I can't blame him for saying it's a part he didn't enjoy. He did tell us he didn't want people trying to prove anything about his personal life/relationships in the infamous customer service blog. He was fine with fiction, but didn't want that line crossed into reality. I mean we knew that, right? That's why most of us stopped posting things like that in public spaces instead of just our fandom spaces and stopped directly asking them about it. But I still think things like fans who would tweet to them to "just come out already", the Try Guys video where they pretended they were Dan and Phil about to kiss (they've since apologized) Shane Dawson having the psychic twins try to out them (and after that is when the whole "dnp queeerbait" thing really took off) and the We The Unicorns of the world are what especially bothered him. I'm actually glad he's being outspoken about his experience of being closeted and how these things effected him so maybe one day it will stop being something that's "just expected to happen" if you're in the public eye.

[Grey]

Its interesting to read different peoples interpretations of the video. To me, i got the impression that he is very appreciative of his audience and platform. He mentioned negative stuff (which I think is fine) but it seemed like outlining sort of the evolution of his experience on YouTube. Overall, he seems to be in a positive headspace to me.

It’s a shame that the tour isn’t going to several large parts of the world but I get why not- especially in covid times I’m sure it’s hard to do something like that.

Anyway, Dan is coming to Kitchener. This is strange for 2 reasons.
1. It is just a mid-sized town close enough to Toronto that normally shows just go to Toronto.
2. the website says Toronto > Kitchener > Montreal but Kitchener is not on the way from Toronto to Montreal, in fact it’s out of the way. Weird route.

But I’m THRILLED because I live in Kitchener!!
Clearly, I have to go now! (Ok I was going to go anyway).

[eevee]

That's so true, being negative and bitter isnt new for him! I guess I just loved him too much before and now I'm jaded. Very good points.

[nøx]

I would pay money to watch this.
Also, definitely going to his tour. I haven't seen the others despite being a fan since 2012-3ish and I think it's also the first time he's coming to Denmark.

Also, I kinda hope he keeps making longer videos. 1.5 hours is a pretty standard video length for me at this point so I'm very down for that

I could go for less than 90 minutes each time though I will watch as I do a few others of that length (well, one, just Natalie). I very rarely watch even 30 minutes, though maybe I need to find some more interesting people, idk.

The ghost hunting idea would be hilarious for a man too afraid of the dark to go to the loo, at least jokingly in that old video, because he’s terrified of the supernatural while also not believing in it.

I mostly watch longform videos at this point (admittedly not always in one go), Phil being pretty much the exception and I'd love to see Dan try his hands at it, see what he has to say. I think he has a good sense of mixing humour into it and while not as chaotically energetic as CJ the X (whose 2.5 hour video on Inside I've willingly watched more than once despite ADHD ), I think he can hold an audience. But yeah it can definitely be shorter, but I think it might suit him & his style quite well to go for longform.

And yep, being scared of the supernatural while not believing in it is exactly why he'd be so hilarious with Ryan and Shane I really, genuinely dream of this happening now

[dontpanic]

I'm just so tired of this. I get he has depression but his therapist is validating him too much and not actually pushing him toward a solution. The fact that he thought his opinions in the first hour of this video would be socially acceptable to voice is shocking. He really seems out of touch.

I feel hopeless for daniel. I really hope he gets help that better supports him.

I mean, him posting this, moving forward with the tour, and moving forward with his career is the solution in this case? like, he's actively doing something to better his situation instead of giving up after YTO demolished his plans. that's the healthy thing to do, that's what a good therapist would encourage.

his opinions in the first hour, at least in regards to what it's like being a creator on YouTube, is not unique in the slightest. that's kind of why a lot of people found it too long, bc we all heard it before from other content creators we watch. whether you find it out of touch, okay, but it's "socially acceptable" bc it's a commonly held belief by creators and usually received positively by viewers. there are always outliers of course and everyone's entitled to their own opinion on whether it's out of touch, but his review of the YouTube creator landscape is a pretty bland, "socially acceptable" one.

as for the sexuality and privacy thing, I don't think he needs to "take responsibility" for formspring answers he made while he was a teenager before he became famous. Like, that kind of information wasn't very common knowledge, it just feels like that because we're here on IDB the sherlock capital of the world. aside from outliers, people kept that stuff within the fandom. the valentine's day video, for example, is the biggest "proof" yet it wasn't spread around, it was kept within phan circles where you basically had to be an active part of the phandom to even know about it. The stuff like his and phil's early communications, the stuff he'd be "taking responsibility for" weren't very widespread things.

most people didn't know about that stuff, and even if he never posted it there were going to be gay rumours no matter what. It was early 2010s and they were two attractive best friends living together who weren't traditionally masculine. people on BBC radio 1 were going to make gay jokes on air about them regardless of Dan's early internet history. even if he was Kendall Roy level rich, it still objectively sucks for someone who's not out

I don't see how it's wrong to talk about it. If he was talking about "oh darn, I can't afford a nice car or something" that's one thing, but just because Dan's rich doesn't mean he can't talk about stuff that hurt him? Elton John's richer than sin but that doesn't mean he shouldn't talk about his history of drug abuse or homophobia he's faced.

[nøx]

I'm just so tired of this. I get he has depression but his therapist is validating him too much and not actually pushing him toward a solution. The fact that he thought his opinions in the first hour of this video would be socially acceptable to voice is shocking. He really seems out of touch.

I feel hopeless for daniel. I really hope he gets help that better supports him.

I mean, him posting this, moving forward with the tour, and moving forward with his career is the solution in this case? like, he's actively doing something to better his situation instead of giving up after YTO demolished his plans. that's the healthy thing to do, that's what a good therapist would encourage.

I have to say that I find speculating and drawing conclusions about what goes on between Dan and his therapist in really poor taste. Just because he mentions going to therapy doesn't mean we're in any position to decide that they "validate him too much" or don't "push him enough."
I understand how coming back in such a big way after a long "break" can feel really out of touch, especially if you've moved on in the meanwhile, peace be with that. But there isn't some Perfectly Acceptable amount to be affected by depression and trauma that you ought to adhere to. Therapy isn't going to just make lifelong depresison and trauma invisible/unnoticable to other people. Based on what he's shared (and YTO mess aside), taking a break has been part of the solution.
And as dontpanic mentioned, he is quite literally moving forward with his career. Maybe this kind of comeback just isn't what you would've wanted to see and it's completely out of touch with where you're at and that's totally fair.

[tinaoe]

It was absolutely insulting to listen to Dan preach about how horrible being a youtuber is when he just bought this huge mansion. [...] and his constant insistence that a life of internet fame and wealth is horrible really made me lose respect for him.

I don't think this really is a fair take. He laid out some issues with Youtube and the way it operates, which have both been well known but also often ignored by a lot of people. I think it's also quite telling that a bunch of Youtubers with very different approaches to their content and the way they post have echoed Dan here or openly said they agree with basically all he talked about (Lucy Moon, Hank Green, Jack Howard). A job can give you a lot of money and still have some horrible aspects that basically drag you into burnout, and they should absolutely be discussed publicly when they concern a public platform and interaction based job like this.

He also said he was lonely, Phil didn't count. So, are/were they together or not?

I understood that more as "I needed more social interaction than the one person that I've been living with for a decade by now" which is perfectly understandable. One person can not be your entire social calendar.

[nøx]

He also said he was lonely, Phil didn't count. So, are/were they together or not?

I understood that more as "I needed more social interaction than the one person that I've been living with for a decade by now" which is perfectly understandable. One person can not be your entire social calendar.

Oh definitely, my partner and I have both experienced loneliness while living & being happy together because that will still happen if you don't have friends/a network beyond one person.

[oriharakaoru]

Anyway, Dan is coming to Kitchener. This is strange for 2 reasons.
1. It is just a mid-sized town close enough to Toronto that normally shows just go to Toronto.
2. the website says Toronto > Kitchener > Montreal but Kitchener is not on the way from Toronto to Montreal, in fact it’s out of the way. Weird route.

i keep wondering if they got kitchener and kingston mixed up lmao

i can make either kitchener or Montreal work, but doing both would be hard logistically unless i caught a ride on the tour bus lol. i'm assuming they are driving straight through to montreal after the kitchener show. (for those that don't know, kitchener->montreal is like a 7 hour drive (non-stop))

does anyone with experience from tatinof or ii know how this ticket situation is going to work? like will the various tiers of VIP tix be available during the pre-sale on monday? i'm also curious if the pre-show gathering thing will be available for canadian dates. like, i know it says uk/us only, but often canada is kind of lumped in with the us for these things lol.

[pearshaped34]

I haven't watched the video yet so can't say much on that but I will say, since 4th May 2018 Dan has uploaded 4 times including this video. One was a two minute trailer for their previous tour, one was his coming out video and the other his youtube pride video. 4 videos in 4 years and he hasn't really been active on any other platforms in that time either. And now he is coming back with a world tour. I know the tour could still flop (I sincerely hope it does not) but it is such a position of privilege to have an audience you can give so little to and then they will still support you in doing the things you want to do when you want to do them. I really don't think many youtubers are in his shoes.

[alittledizzy]

I haven't watched the video yet so can't say much on that but I will say, since 4th May 2018 Dan has uploaded 4 times including this video. One was a two minute trailer for their previous tour, one was his coming out video and the other his youtube pride video. 4 videos in 4 years and he hasn't really been active on any other platforms in that time either. And now he is coming back with a world tour. I know the tour could still flop (I sincerely hope it does not) but it is such a position of privilege to have an audience you can give so little to and then they will still support you in doing the things you want to do when you want to do them. I really don't think many youtubers are in his shoes.

I’m very curious to see what you think when you watch it! Since the video is 100% about the reason behind him posting only four times since what he self identifies as his last regular video, I’ve been fascinated by peoples mindset before and after watching his video and learning the full story.

[tinaoe]

I know the tour could still flop (I sincerely hope it does not) but it is such a position of privilege to have an audience you can give so little to and then they will still support you in doing the things you want to do when you want to do them. I really don't think many youtubers are in his shoes.

I've actually been wondering a bit about this. I've seen a lot of posts on twitter, tumblr and tiktok that essentially boil down to "Dan could come back when I'm in the nursing home after 20 years of silence and would be in the VIP ticket queue", and the thing is, I believe a lot of those people. He very much has that quality of binding people to him that is rarely seen, and I've been wondering what contributed to that.
I think the scarcity of his content in the past few years maybe actually helped a little bit? it feels like much more of an "event" when he's back and doing stuff. But i also think that for a lot of people they really got into Dan (+ d&p) when they were in a very formative phase of their life, and he's never done anything to disrupt that connection of "holy shit, this guy online that actually understands me/makes me laugh/etc). They still relate to him like they did back then, even if the context has changed (I've seen multiple tweets about the 'emo sarcastic teen to queer adult on antidepressants" fan pipline). And yeah, that parasocial relationship has probably changed to a more chill "you go bestie live your life" approach, but it still persists.

[anna_begins]

[...] but it is such a position of privilege to have an audience you can give so little to and then they will still support you in doing the things you want to do when you want to do them. I really don't think many youtubers are in his shoes.

But that privilege didn't just come out of thin air. I think it's because he gave us so much for so long that the audience is willing to continue to support him. And especially knowing why he was gone makes it even easier. For me, a two year gap in video uploads doesn't negate everything that happened before.

And even though he hasn't uploaded for a while, he was present last year. The book release, popping up on Phil's channel a lot, all the stereo shows, the pride special, hometown showdown...

[Grey]

One thing I really like about Dan is that he seems to really put his all into the things he releases into the world. I trust him to create something that I will enjoy because historically he has done that. I didn’t like the way that he disappeared. I expressed negative feelings about it several times. But to me that doesn’t negate that when he DOES do stuff, I typically like it and find it to be well done. Also, I found his recent video to be an excellent explanation of the disappearance and it satisfied me on the disappearing front.

He is for sure privileged in a lot of ways. But I also think my trust in what he produces isn’t just luck- it is also because he has created a reputation for himself of putting effort into stuff. (Obviously what he makes isn’t for everyone - I’m not saying everyone has to enjoy his content because it’s objectively wonderful. )

[LAshleigh]

But i also think that for a lot of people they really got into Dan (+ d&p) when they were in a very formative phase of their life, and he's never done anything to disrupt that connection of "holy shit, this guy online that actually understands me/makes me laugh/etc).

100% this, at least for me. I didn't start watching until I was in my twenties, but DnP and the surrounding community were a huge part of me coming to understand and accept my own queer identity. They would have to do something much worse than be absent online to negate that for me.

[flarequake]

He’s also just a really decent, genuine guy. He’s relatable partly cos he’s open, sometimes even if he doesn’t mean to be. People feel a connection somehow more with him than others.

[eevee]

Okay, I think there's some confusion about what exactly Daniel said that I believe is out of touch.

Of course I understand that mental illness isn't affected by things like money, status etc. Of course youtubers can struggle. That's totally fine and valid.

I think it's immensely out of touch for Daniel to act like being a Youtuber in general is terrible. He mentioned the money once, but he was so caught up in how horrible everything was - the phandom, the algorithm, censorship for ads, how mainstream media viewed him, etc etc - that he seemed to have zero grasp on how fortunate he is.

This is what I mean by I feel "his therapist is validating him too much" - sure, maybe that's in poor taste, but someone needs to tell him that he has mental illness - his issues aren't all caused by being a Youtuber. Sure, that can cause issues and exacerbate your depression and stress. But in general, being a Youtuber is extremely fortunate. Daniel has made money and had experiences most people in the world can only ever dream of. The fact that he seemingly does not recognize that at all and blames all his misfortune on outside factors is out of touch.

Most therapists will encourage their clients to see reality for what it is, after a strong relationship has been formed. I think this is missing in Daniel. Totally could not be the fault of his therapist. But he's acting like therapy has helped him when he doesn't seem to have improved his attitude at all.

I'm sorry if this offends anyone but I really find these opinions of Daniel's extreme and I'm kind of shocked that opinion isn't shared more here.

Edit: if your biggest problems are that mainstream celebrities don't think you're valid when you're standing next to them and the algorithm doesn't push your content to as many hundreds of thousands or millions of viewers, you're gonna fall over when I tell you about food insecurity.

[tinaoe]

I think it's immensely out of touch for Daniel to act like being a Youtuber in general is terrible. He mentioned the money once, but he was so caught up in how horrible everything was - the phandom, the algorithm, censorship for ads, how mainstream media viewed him, etc etc - that he seemed to have zero grasp on how fortunate he is.
[..]

But in general, being a Youtuber is extremely fortunate. Daniel has made money and had experiences most people in the world can only ever dream of. The fact that he seemingly does not recognize that at all and blames all his misfortune on outside factors is out of touch

[...]
Edit: if your biggest problems are that mainstream celebrities don't think you're valid when you're standing next to them and the algorithm doesn't push your content to as many hundreds of thousands or millions of viewers, you're gonna fall over when I tell you about food insecurity.

I'm gonna be honest, I don't agree with your interpretation here. To me, the first half of the video is him answering the basic question of why he stopped posting initially after he posted Trying To Live My Truth and then throughout the past four-ish years. I didn't understand it as him being caught up in how horrible being a Youtuber is or trying to tell us how much being a Youtuber sucks, but just listing the factors that he himself was unable to deal with (he does point out that some Youtubers he knows are perfectly fine with YT's focus on growth and stats for example. Hank framed it as contemplating quitting whenever "the weight got too heavy for the internal and external support" and that that weight took many forms. Dan just explained those different weights in the video, imho).

And most of the things he focussed on like the algorithm are really valid issues. Your job basically relies on a thing you don't understand (and that by their own admission, the site even doesn't fully understand) and have no control over. Sure, that's the case for a lot of jobs (my own needs government funding, and with any economic downturns I'm on the chopping block quickly), but it's really visceral and tangible with The AlgorithmTM. I know I couldn't deal with it because it would send both my control issues and my anxiety into overdrive, even if the job also comes with a lot of huge upsides. So him explaining that didn't feel like "look how terrible being a Youtuber is" but just a "this thing about my job really sucks, and I wasn't sure whether I could deal with it anymore".

I also honestly don't think that you need to put a disclaimer of "I know I'm super privileged, there's also good sides to this" because like, of course? Why would he still be coming back if he didn't get that or also see positive sides? The point of the video was to explain the bad sides from his perspective, so he's going to focus on that. And he did mention at one point that he's fortunate now to have financial security through his job and past work, so it's clear that he's not unaware of it.

I agree with some others here that I don't feel comfortable judging his therapist or experience in therapy, especially because this is a one-hour video summarizing parts of the last 10+ years of his life. We don't know how he feels and understands those experiences holistically and in private, we just know how he decided to frame them here for the audience in the context of the question the video initially posed with all the baggage of his "brand" and image attached.

[anna_begins]

Some sweet twitter interactions: