

Blocked and Reported
Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal
Journalists Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal scour the internet for its craziest, silliest, most sociopathic content, part of an obsessive and ill-conceived attempt to extract kernels of meaning and humanity from a landscape of endless raging dumpster fires. www.blockedandreported.org
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 18, 2023 • 1h 11min
Episode 191: A Man in a Dress in a Pile-On
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss the furor over a self-described autogynephile who wore a dress to a gender conference. Also, Zoomers discover 9/11. To support the show and get extra content and much more, become a Primo. To buy our very popular merch, shop here.Nat Geo: “‘The perfect revenge'? Birds are building fortresses from anti-bird spikes”Yashar with some breaking 9/11 newsTablet: “The Franklin Prophecy”Osama bin Laden’s Letter to AmericaAlice Dreger: “Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and One Scholar's Search for Justice”Genspect: The SplitPhil sent Jesse the following as part of a longer email, which we’re going to include for completion’s sake:Good-Vibe CertificationI'm not surprised that you and others felt no weird vibes from me, as even hardened GCs who have prejudice toward autogynephilic males also agreed that my vibes were fine. In addition to your three examples, I also submit five more:From Heather Heying's piece about this:The night before the conference began, many of us were in the vicinity of the hotel bar, and I saw a man walking around in a dress. I would later learn that this was Phil. I did a double-take. I asked the woman sitting next to me—am I seeing this correctly? She looked, nodded. Yep. I was unnerved. What did I not know? Did this person believe himself to be a woman, or not? Why did the answer to that question matter to me?The next night Phil approached my table, offered me a copy of his book, which I accepted, and we talked for a bit. I came away with some answers and intuitions: No, he does not think that he is actually a woman. And no, he does not seem like a creep. None of my hackles were raised. I detected no malice, no glint in the eye, no smirk, outer or inner, that he was having one over on all of us. Of course I could be wrong about these things, as anyone’s intuition can mislead them. One of the despicable truths about gender ideology is that women are being told to stop trusting the very intuitions that we have always relied on, when walking alone, when entering a bathroom or a locker room or a parking garage, when approached by a person we do not know. It is not bigoted to cross the street if you feel a tingle at the base of your skull as you see a man approaching you. It is smart. I have traveled far and wide, often exploring places alone that women are expected not to explore alone, and I have honed my intuition, although I am well aware that I can and do make mistakes. Nothing about Phil alarmed me.Lisa Jones, who I talked with a while one of the nights, officially awarded me zero points on a 10-point scale of creepiness:Now, some people online are accusing Phil of being a creepy AGP because he wore dresses at Genspect.On the AGP creepiness scale, I award my doorstep AGP five out of ten stars for moderate creepiness. Phil, by contrast, wins zero stars. I felt no creepiness from Phil Illy.Laura Becker, the detrans woman who was next to me in the photo that kicked of the controversy, also felt safe around me:I’m the young female detransitioner in the photo. I have CPTSD from male abuse. I have vulnerabilities, but I never felt vulnerable around Phil. In fact, we had a strong connection discussing sexuality and gender.How is it that a traumatized young woman like myself can find value in the sexual theory and research of this man’s book, but Genspect gets called unsafe as an organization for allowing him to have discussions about it?That’s far too broad a brush.Leslie Elliot, a centrist YoutTuber, also said my vibes were fine:From the same video, therapist Pamela Garfield-Jaeger, also weighed in. We hung out for a few hours and also shared a ride to the airport. She said that even though she admittedly had some prejudgement about me because I was a man in a dress, she also said I wasn't being creepy at all:I'm sure there are more examples of people saying my behavior was fine, but I think the point is made: my vibes were officially acceptable. To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Nov 15, 2023 • 14min
Premium: Animal Attraction
This week on the Primo epsiode of Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie decuss a new article in the Journal of Controversial Ideas and decide once and for all if zoophiles should be imprisoned far from animals for life or given a paw print on the Pride flag. To support the show and get extra content an… To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Nov 10, 2023 • 1h 7min
Episode 190: Saint Buffy Loses Her Wings
This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss a stunning revelation about Indigenous icon Buffy Sainte-Marie. Plus, New York Times Magazine witer Jazmine Hughes is forced out after taking a political stand. Again. (Guys, this will be the last episode with audio problems on my end, I promise — it is too boring a story to bother telling but by this time tomorrow I will almost be back at my home setup, where I never have these problems. I am sorry for all the pops. -Jesse ‘Plosive’ Singal)To support the show and get extra content and much more, become a Primo. To buy our very popular merch, shop here.NYT: “New York Times Writer Resigns After Signing Letter Protesting the Israel-Gaza War”Jesse: “Why Did “On The Media” Stoke The Moral Panic Against Innocent New York Times Journalists Rather Than Investigate It?”CBC: “Who Is the Real Buffy Sainte-Marie?”Buffy Saint-Marie responds on FacebookBSM responds on TwitterSekwan Wabasca on birth certificates Jesse: “The Internet Accused Alice Goffman of Faking Details in Her Study of a Black Neighborhood. I Went to Philadelphia to Check.”www.karendian.com To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Nov 9, 2023 • 10min
Premium: A Cross-Dressing Mayor, A Deranged Professor, Hunger-Striking Students, And Jesse's Best Story Ever
This podcast discusses the controversial story of a cross-dressing mayor in Alabama who engaged in explicit online activities and wrote violent erotica. They also debate the newsworthiness of outing and the responsibilities of public figures. The tragic case explores the mayor's suicide, the shame he felt, and the trauma experienced by women. Overall, an intriguing podcast that delves into culture wars and societal issues.

Nov 6, 2023 • 58min
Episode 189: Everyone Is Greenpoint-ing Fingers About Anti-Semitism And Street Crime
Topics include a hilarious mattress sponsorship deal, lack of engagement during a university talk, controversy around free speech and the free Palestine movement, reflections on the tragic story of Moose and dog naming, assault and harassment in the Greenpoint neighborhood, and criminal justice reform and the dysfunctionality of bureaucracies.

Oct 30, 2023 • 59min
Episode 188: The House Of Saud Meets The House Of Sonic
This week on Blocked and Reported, the Saudi Royal family lures an elite group of cosplayers to Riyadh to whitewash their reputation. Plus, a non-elite podcaster attempts to memory-hole history (it’s Jesse). To support the show and get extra content and much more, become a Primo. To buy our very popular merch, shop here.Jesse’s UCLA talkReuters: “Twitter is losing its most active users, internal documents show” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Oct 26, 2023 • 15min
Premium: Cancel Culture Isn't Real, But Also Everyone Is Getting Cancelled For Not Supporting Israel Enough
This week on the Primo edition of Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss Cancel Culture: Israel/Palestine Edition. To support the show and get exta content and much more, become a Primo. To buy our very popular merch, shop here.Jesse is giving a talk at UCLA on youth gender medicine on Monday, October 30th. More details/RSVP instructions here.Tim… To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Oct 24, 2023 • 1h 7min
INTRODUCING: A Braver Way
Today we’ve got a special dispatch from our friends at Braver Angels, the largest cross-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to bridging our political divide. In this episode of their brand new show, host Mónica Guzmán sits down with some very special guests to discuss their political differences: two Trump-supporting, Mexican immigrants who also happen to be her mom and dad. Subscribe to A Braver Way here or wherever you get your podcasts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Oct 21, 2023 • 1h 20min
Episode 187: Oh Good, The Explosion Understanders Have Logged On
The podcast explores topics such as gender dynamics in true crime, COVID and mental health, the Israel-Gaza war and online misinformation, misleading journalism in the Gaza conflict, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza, a film about child rescuer Tim Ballard and its reception, controversial beliefs and actions of an anti-trafficking organization, and alcohol restrictions, a ketamine lawsuit, and excommunication in Mormonism.

Oct 16, 2023 • 59min
Episode 186: Our Most Controversial Take Yet: Hamas Is Bad
This week on Blocked and Reported, Katie and Jesse discuss Hamas’s unprecedented massacre of civilians. Well, the online b******t component of it, at least.To support the show and get exta content and much more, become a Primo. To buy our very popular merch, shop here.Nicholas Kristof: “Seeking a Moral Compass in Gaza’s War”Eric Levitz: “A Left That Refuses to Condemn Mass Murder Is Doomed”Politico: “AOC knocks ‘bigotry and callousness’ of Times Square rally for Palestinians”Politico: “‘Unacceptably devoid of empathy': DSA is facing an internal reckoning on Israel”NYT: “At Harvard, a Battle Over What Should Be Said About the Hamas Attacks”Harvard Crimson: “As Students Face Retaliation for Israel Statement, a ‘Doxxing Truck’ Displaying Students’ Faces Comes to Harvard’s Campus”NYT: “N.Y.U. Law Student Sends Anti-Israel Message and Loses a Job Offer”Image: Supporters of Israel (L) face people rallying in support of Palestinians in Times Square in New York on October 8, 2023 after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel. Israel, reeling from the deadliest attack on its territory in half a century, formally declared war on Hamas Sunday as the conflict's death toll surged close to 1,000 after the Palestinian militant group launched a massive surprise assault from Gaza. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe