This week on Andrew Says, I chat with Sydney Watson, an Aussie-American YouTuber with a huge audience, and she has a lot to say on issues like fat shaming, canceled culture, and of course, hitting back at some of her haters. We even talk about conservative e-girls, and your guy, Andrew, had a lot of thoughts on that subject.
00:00:00.220This week on Andrew Says, I had a chat with Sydney Watson. She's an Aussie-American YouTuber with a huge following, and she had a lot to say on issues like fat-shaming, canceled culture, discourse, and of course, hitting back at some of her haters.
00:00:14.660You know how I like to do that stuff. We even talked about conservative e-girls, and your guy, Andrew, had a lot to say on that subject.
00:00:21.360In a Rebel News Plus exclusive, I asked her what kind of DMs she gets. Are they weird? Are they news articles? They're likely a mix of everything.
00:00:28.560Last but not least, though, what is Sydney's favorite hit piece written about her? That was a really fun segment.
00:00:35.240I think you'll enjoy it. We are pretty similar, strangely enough. I know a guy and a girl, one's Australian, one's Canadian.
00:00:41.920Weirdly enough, we're pretty close to the same person, so if you want the full video version of Andrew Says with Sydney Watson, including the exclusive content,
00:00:49.320go to rebelnewsplus.com for just $8 a month. It's even less money if you subscribe for a full year.
00:00:55.280What are you waiting for? Do you really want to let David Menzies down by not subscribing?
00:00:59.360Because that's what you're doing. That's what you're doing if you don't subscribe.
00:03:49.360Sydney, you come highly recommended by your peers.
00:03:52.660Your YouTube channel is only about three years old, though.
00:03:55.400And your first video was called The Me Too Movement Has Ruined Workplaces.
00:04:00.000So tell us what led up to you making videos and what inspired you to make that video in particular.
00:04:06.780So basically, I was actually at university at the time I was doing my Master of Journalism.
00:04:11.920And I was disturbed a little bit by how left-wing it was.
00:04:17.400And I'd known that, you know, obviously, most universities are fairly left-wing, having done my bachelor at the same university.
00:04:24.540And I wanted to basically discuss and talk about right-wing values and right-wing ideas, basically to combat the left-wing-ishness that I was dealing with at school.
00:04:34.700So the first video I made was actually about gun control.
00:05:53.540No, I definitely don't call myself an MRA.
00:05:56.300I don't really subscribe to that sort of terminology or anything like that.
00:05:59.720I think people give me that, you know, label because I think it carries a lot of negative weight, negative connotation.
00:06:05.900It sort of gives an indication that you're the sort of person who hates women, that you're a misogynist, that you don't care about actual genuine equality.
00:06:13.840And, I mean, I think it's more of a derogatory thing that people on the left use to label people like me who are just critical of, you know, this sort of more radical sides of feminism.
00:06:25.500And so, yeah, no, I definitely don't identify with that at all.
00:06:30.080Definitely in the article that I was reading, it was pretty clear that they weren't trying to compliment you by calling you that.
00:06:36.080Now, recently, I sort of went on a spree watching your videos, and I find myself, I found myself, I really found myself, I found myself agreeing with a lot of what you were saying.
00:06:45.900I felt like we had very similar mindsets.
00:06:48.200I mean, we obviously look and sound a lot alike.
00:07:39.700I don't necessarily think that the tribalism that goes along with politics these days is particularly healthy.
00:07:44.280I think it is okay to have ideas that sit outside of those groupings.
00:07:48.620So, yeah, you know, in essence, I have always leaned to the right.
00:07:52.740I think I've come a lot more to the right in the last couple years.
00:07:57.620Sometimes I look at what the left is doing and I just think, these are the people radicalizing conservatives and people on the right, not other right-wingers.
00:08:06.420One of the videos that struck me from the get-go when I was going through your channel and one I wanted to show particularly was about thin privilege.
00:08:15.840And, Justin, we could play a clip about that and I want to get your reaction, Sydney.
00:08:19.180You're thin, you have a certain privilege.
00:08:23.280So, everyday tasks that a thinner person can take for granted.
00:08:26.760I can leave a plus-sized person like myself, feel full of anxiety, burden and upset and feelings that they don't belong and don't deserve a place in here.
00:08:34.100So, firstly, I would not describe this girl as plus-size.
00:08:38.000I think that that has become this term that people like to employ when it actually doesn't apply to them.
00:08:43.680She, at least in my opinion, is overweight.
00:08:46.100With all the pictures and the interview, do you, as the editor of Cosmo, even infer that this may not be a good weight to be?
00:08:54.680That this actually might be morbid obesity?
00:08:58.580In Britain right now, we have the worst incidence of obesity in Europe by miles.
00:09:03.840We are a fat and ever-fattening country.
00:09:06.760And here are you, as an editor of a very popular magazine, telling women it's fine to be 300 pounds.
00:09:13.340I genuinely hate how people employ the terms curvy and thick and plus-size to girls who are genuinely overweight.
00:09:21.660So, Sydney, what caused you to make that video?
00:09:25.180And why do you think this sort of stuff, thin privilege, fat acceptance, over-the-top body positivity, where do you think that comes from?
00:09:33.800And what made you want to make that video?
00:09:35.520I watched the clip in question, the one that I used in that video, and I watched it as someone who's been, thankfully, reasonably thin my whole life.
00:09:46.500And I just was like, what planet do these people live on?
00:09:50.260I think that there are a lot of people out there who try to excuse their own lack of, you know, personal responsibility or self-accountability and put that blame onto others, saying that, you know, they have a privilege or they have this or they have that.
00:10:07.160When in reality, it takes some, you know, looking inward to realize it's actually your own actions that have put you where you are.
00:10:14.320And passing the blame, passing the buck to someone else to basically say, oh, boo-hoo, woe is me.
00:10:19.460I live in a world where skinny people get to do all these things that I don't get to do.
00:10:23.220Honey, no one's, like, force-feeding you donuts.
00:10:28.800And with the exception of people who, you know, are overweight due to health complications or, you know, medications that they're taking, I have a lot of sympathy for those people because they often get lumped in with the obesity epidemic.
00:10:47.840We're very, you know, we have these sedentary lifestyles.
00:10:50.500And it just annoys me that someone would throw shade at people who, you know, basically and I think theoretically work out and take care of themselves.
00:11:06.600You probably are because you probably, like, live and breathe this sort of stuff like I do.
00:11:10.300But it's driving me crazy these days how people are saying that diets are fat phobic because, you know, weight at any size should apply to everyone.
00:11:19.380Because if you're, you know, overeating or you're not taking care of yourself and then you end up with health complications down the line, particularly in Australia and Canada, I don't want to have to pay for your decisions.
00:11:28.600Like, no, I don't want to have to pay for you for the, you know, the heart bypass you're going to have to have in a couple of years because you couldn't control yourself.
00:11:43.020Now, along the similar lines, these are topics that I try to point out to and talk about, especially on social media a lot.
00:11:52.060Things that people would call e-girls and the website OnlyFans, which you also did a video on, and how it sort of relates to a sort of type of political theater.
00:12:02.060Can you kind of expand on that, what you mean about that?
00:12:04.220I noticed you were talking about people sort of, people use the term grifting a lot in terms of, especially right-wing politics with e-girls and stuff like that.
00:12:31.060I mean, maybe you could have a really, you know, successful Instagram account.
00:12:34.220And it's funny that I'm saying I don't want to pass judgment, even though I'm over here passing judgment on people who overeat.
00:12:39.200You know, I'm not, you know, I'm not infallible and I'm not, you know, always ideologically consistent.
00:12:43.060But, you know, like when it comes to these women, I don't want to be one of these people that's out here going, oh, you know, you're a slut for doing this because I don't know anything about you.
00:12:50.760What I do find frustrating, though, is that I think it delegitimizes like the conservative movement.
00:12:55.600And by the same token, I'm also not a conservative or, you know, conservative libertarian who says to people, oh, what are you conserving just because you take photos like this?
00:13:03.320But the e-thought thing, I think, is really interesting because and the video that I made about it was pointing out that there is a correlation, I think, between loneliness in men and women, but predominantly men and subscribing to OnlyFans or taking part in, I guess, maybe even obsessing over these women who, again, are taking their clothes off online for money.
00:13:24.600And particularly, particularly I was talking about the for money element.
00:13:28.120And I think that that really just goes to show that there's a really sort of uncomfortable thing happening where we've gotten so far from each other.
00:13:35.160And social media has played such a big role in making it difficult for people to connect and communicate effectively, which is kind of ironic when you think about it.
00:13:44.420And it's leaving a lot of people just very unfulfilled.
00:13:46.680So the lonelier men get, I really think it's fair to say that the more popular OnlyFans gets.
00:13:52.780And interestingly, too, I got a lot of flack for that video about OnlyFans.
00:13:57.000But I also got a lot of messages and comments and sort of correspondence from people who say, I'm an OnlyFans subscriber and you're nail on the head.
00:14:28.320But aside from that, when I see adult women doing this thing where they snap and their outfits change or they're doing like provocative dances and they're like in their late 30s and 40s, I don't think that's a good thing to aspire to as an adult either.
00:14:45.180Do you think that comes from loneliness and having nothing to do also?
00:14:51.200Is it just to become a social media influencer?
00:14:53.220I think it's a multi-pronged, I think there's a myriad of reasons why people do these things.
00:14:59.000I certainly believe that, especially for young women, I think that the validation that people get from posting provocative things on the internet, whether that be pictures, videos, whatever, I think that there is an element of attention that they get, the likes and the comments, and it is addictive, that sort of pushes them forward with continuing to do those things.
00:15:20.160And again, it's this validation that women in particular get from the opposite sex that pushes this thing down the line, which is why you have websites like OnlyFans that are so popular for lewd and nude content.
00:15:32.720It's not just for porn stars, it's for everyday people who think, hmm, I get it's a jewel-probed thing.
00:15:37.760I get money out of it, but I also get all these comments and people telling me how beautiful I am.
00:15:42.060So I think that's a really huge part of it.
00:15:43.900I mean, I can testify to this as a woman, you know, when I was in my teens.
00:15:47.760I mean, and thankfully, I'm so glad I didn't have an iPhone or an Android or anything like that until I was, I think, about 19 was when I got my first one.
00:15:56.060But, you know, I sort of, I can relate.
00:15:59.640You know, I had an Instagram account and, you know, you get all these comments and likes and things and you just think, oh, this is great.
00:16:05.700But ultimately, I think it's more damaging because the internet's forever.
00:16:45.960It's largely due to the fact that I'm so, I get such bad secondhand embarrassment from him that when he makes a mistake or he stutters or he says something that I just go, oh, my God, this is nonsense.
00:17:20.560No, most of the people I talked to tried to watch it and had to turn it off.
00:17:24.320Personally, I was about 30 seconds into Jennifer Lopez singing God Bless America with the waving flag with the 50% opacity in front of her.
00:17:35.280And all I could think about is after four to five years of saying America sucks, this flag is representative of colonization and white supremacy, now all of a sudden, oh, now we love each other.
00:17:46.880And even though there's 25,000 troops out here and nobody's allowed to be here, all of a sudden, let's come together and we love America, you guys.
00:18:10.460That was so weird, too, like how star-studded it is.
00:18:13.200And I just think it really goes to show, though, how in cahoots all these people are.
00:18:17.860I know that that's such a, you know, a lot of people think that sounds conspiratorial, but these politicians and these celebrities have all sort of, like, gotten in this creepy little click together.
00:18:30.240Well, as far as I saw, everybody's touting their YouTube numbers of being horribly low, a couple hundred thousand, and even alleging that they've been removing likes from it because it was so bad, and YouTube's a pretty right-wing place.
00:18:44.220I don't want to make you cringe too much.
00:18:46.640You've joined us, thankfully, so we don't want to scare you away.
00:18:49.660During my research, if you can call watching videos research, I came across a video from a guy named Jimmy Snow, and forget about how much of a terrible name that is.
00:19:01.460You're probably familiar with it, and I want to play a portion of that video to you that I found particularly, I don't know if you want to call it interesting or disturbing.
00:19:09.860You want to throw that one up, Justin?
00:19:11.240So you figure this video is a month old, and she's talking about she's angrier than she maybe has been ever by the political noise.
00:19:41.600You should be the angriest, because clearly you're the person most negatively affected by what's going on and why those movements are even necessary.
00:20:12.420What's your reaction when you wake up and see a 30-minute diatribe about some guy that's completely about you?
00:20:20.000It's always humorous to me when people make videos about either me as a person and just use a series of-
00:20:27.420When they strawman my arguments, because I really pride myself on putting a lot of thought into what I create, really researching it.
00:20:34.080And if I can't find information or there's a hole or, you know, something doesn't necessarily add up, I point it out.
00:20:39.840Because again, you know, like I said when we first started chatting here, I mean, even though I am right-wing, I do try really hard to actually provide both sides of the coin.
00:20:47.800I do want to be unbiased in as many cases as I can, even though I obviously have a slant.
00:20:52.140I want to, you know, promote these things.
00:20:54.220So it was humorous because actually the day that that video was posted, I was sitting outside with, you know, a coffee at actually Elijah's house.
00:21:03.020You had him on recently, Elijah Schaefer.
00:21:05.360And I'm sitting at his house having a coffee and he walks out, sits down next to me and he's scrolling through YouTube and he goes, hey, Sid, look at this and shows me.
00:21:13.640And what's funny is that I love how they put my name in the title because, you know, you either get people that are hate watching it because they like and support what I do and people who are, you know, hate watching it because they hate me.
00:21:25.920So I always find it so humorous because it's not just that someone's going, okay, well, here's some arguments.
00:21:30.240Let me like deconstruct them, but it's rather let me deconstruct this person.
00:21:34.240So I always find it really, really, really humorous.
00:22:16.200The thing that I found, and I hate to harp on it, but he also, he, the way he talked is, is indicative of a lot of the journalists I watch, a lot of the reporters I watch, or he claims he's a former conservative and he's changed.
00:22:30.200And he, I used to know nothing, but now he speaks as he has the deepest understanding of all these topics.
00:22:36.020But what he says is the most shallow and lack of, lack of substance in these surface arguments.
00:22:46.320There's absolutely no nuance in anything he says.
00:22:48.880And the statements themselves don't lack any courage or, and just require a lot of mental gymnastics, logical gymnastics to get through.
00:22:56.140Because when you're just saying you're killing grandma or you're not oppressed, so how can you understand?
00:23:01.760It's sort of like saying, you're watching this basketball game.
00:23:05.860You shouldn't have an opinion unless you're an NBA player.
00:23:08.500Now, how do you come to an agreement with a person like that?
00:23:11.500Because, like you said, he apologized.
00:23:13.900But how overall do people come to an agreement with somebody who isn't really willing to give their argument any veracity at all?
00:23:22.260Well, I guess that's the thing, isn't it?
00:23:23.880When someone is strawmanning you, and when they are trying to pick apart your opinions with no logical context, or they're not actually trying to understand where you're coming from, I think it's difficult to get mad at them.
00:23:37.440I think if someone's actually doing, I mean, to me, that's like, you're doing something in bad faith, basically.
00:23:53.880And I think that when people are hurt, and I know this is going to sound like reasonably, you know, sort of esoteric and feely, but I think when people have been hurt by something, I think that their logical reaction is then to just want to hurt other things back to a large extent.
00:24:09.720And I sort of just see that in these kind of videos.
00:24:14.140Look, they don't have any nuance, these arguments that they make in response to people like you and me and whoever.
00:24:20.780They don't really actually break apart what we've said and really interrogate it and question it or, you know, provide new data or provide new arguments.
00:24:28.340They just sort of add homin in you until you until I don't even know what happens after that.
00:24:34.560But it's difficult for me to say because I think at the time when I made that particular video in question, I was so angry because it feels like conservatism.
00:24:43.280And again, like I'm not, you know, the typical conservative.
00:24:56.220It feels like there's just no comfortable, easy place to exist as a conservative, besides maybe Florida, without getting your butt kicked, you know.
00:25:03.740And then to have someone just completely not understand that whatsoever is kind of irritating.
00:25:09.900In answer to your question, I don't know.
00:25:11.200I just don't want to get mad at random people that don't impact my life.
00:25:14.080That's my general sort of sentiment here.
00:25:16.100Now, the YouTube community, and by the YouTube community, I mean the people that they want to promote, which is obviously very left-leaning.
00:25:29.880PewDiePie is definitely not left-leaning.
00:25:33.520So, do you come across these confrontations a lot?
00:25:36.320I mean, is the YouTube community picking on you a lot?
00:25:39.420Because the people who are regular YouTubers, let's call them, and not political, would probably completely disagree with you like this guy.
00:25:51.080I don't ever Google myself because I get really depressed.
00:25:54.080I just don't like reading things that are just patently untrue.
00:25:56.800So, if I haven't said something and it hasn't come from my face or on Twitter or somewhere where I have said it, it's probably not accurate.
00:27:37.120Actually, a friend of mine was like, the way that people find apartments is they jump on these Facebook groups and they basically connect with people who are either subleasing, which is basically for those who've never had to go through it.
00:27:47.400Basically, where someone goes, hey, my room's going to be available for a month if anyone just wants to stay here for a month and then leave.
00:27:52.520It's almost like an Airbnb type scenario, except that it's a little more under the table.
00:28:15.220Or I can't remember what he said, but it's something along those lines.
00:28:17.020And I was like, this is why everyone hates you.
00:28:19.700So I get to D.C. and I have this sublet set up.
00:28:23.560I go, my friend and I move my things in.
00:28:26.200I'm chatting with one of the two housemates that were there.
00:28:29.280And my friend at the time, who actually became my housemate later down the line, she drops to one of these girls that I am conservative and that she should Google me and yada, yada, yada.
00:28:39.560And I was like, I'll, you know, I was like, I'll kill you.
00:28:42.580And then I'll dig you up and kill you again.
00:29:17.560Long and short of it is that they sat me down and were like, you kind of have to leave.
00:29:20.420And I was like, oh, they're like, yeah, like our landlord doesn't like want you here because of the subleasing situation, even though they'd actually sublet that same room the summer before.
00:29:30.000So I was just like, OK, so they gave me, I think it was about a week or 10 days to find a new place, which was super stressful.
00:29:38.100I ended up doing that, obviously, because here I am now living in Texas, having lived in the U.S. for 18 months.
00:29:52.640And what I like to caveat, this was like, although no one said explicitly to me, we're kicking you out because of your views, it was fairly clear by the end of it.
00:30:01.420And I think we see a lot of that stuff posted online.
00:30:30.840Apparently, because actually, I've got a couple of Australian friends here in Texas.
00:30:34.840Elijah Shaker, his wife, is Australian.
00:30:36.740She and I are really, really good friends.
00:30:38.580And so people have said to the both of us that we get together.
00:30:42.280Obviously, then we can finally use the slang that we use, because that's obviously our natural inclination is to say things that you've grown up with.
00:30:49.460And so, you know, we use all this slang and all this terminology between the two of us and people just sit there and go, what is happening?
00:31:01.780I am making a concerted effort now to force myself to continue using words that I would ordinarily switch out to be better understood by Americans.
00:31:10.000So, for example, you know, I'm wearing a jumper, but to an American, I'm wearing a sweater, things like that.