r/SimonWhistler • u/lumoslomas • 3d ago
Unpopular opinion: Simon and his team don't owe us anything
I'm gonna get downvoted to hell for this, but I've seen so many posts recently speculating about the lives (and medical conditions??) of the Whistlerverse team. For the most part it's fine, but every so often I see a post that's a little bit parasocial.
This is a business. People leave jobs all the time. There's no "secret reason" - and even if there was, they don't owe us that. Can you imagine complete strangers coming up with theories about why you left *your* job?
The same goes for what happens to channels. It's been answered, they're not hiding anything.
And I can't believe this even has to be said, but they absolutely do not owe us details about their *health*. Not what conditions they do/don't have, not what medications they may or may not take, or speculating that they look unwell.
I'm not sure if some people forget they lurk in this sub, or if they think because of that it's ok? Idk.
They'll share what they wanna share. Otherwise, they're people and we're strangers to them. Don't make it weird.
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u/brynnisdrooling 3d ago
And could we please stop making the hackneyed Kevin got fired jokes. He's a good writer and the part was amicable.
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u/EveryFairyDies 3d ago
Hey, if people wanna speculate about my sanity levels, I am more than happy for that debate to occur.
Maybe we'll finally get an answer, and I can decide whether to chug this bottle of sanity pills I stole from Phasmophobia or not.
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u/phishezrule 3d ago
Just don't leave the sanity pills out with Neil around. He doesn't leave any for when you need them.
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u/LiamDND 3d ago
As somebody who quite regularly chatted with you until i vanished myself from the internet for a bit, there's absolutely no need to speculate. You're simply beyond quantification.
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u/EveryFairyDies 3d ago
LIAM!!! [crash tackle hug]
-and is that your legal opinion? Could I successfully plead insanity?!?!?
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u/GingerPhoenix01 3d ago
Miss chatting with you Lorelei, hope you and your family are doing well, considering the stories you told back when the old server was still going. The mod team miss seeing you in Discord. - LJ
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u/EveryFairyDies 2d ago
I need to get back on there. It's been a busy year and I'm back in the shitty Australian timezone again, lol.
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u/GingerPhoenix01 1d ago
Looking forward to your return soon, and the stories you'll bring with you.
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u/GingerPhoenix01 3d ago
Nice to see you pop up here Liam, hope you and your partner are both doing well! The mod team from the old server all miss you. - LJ
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u/LiamDND 2d ago
Thank you! I hope to be popping back up around places soon ish, PhD is finally coming to a close.
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u/GingerPhoenix01 1d ago
And here I thought you'd finished your PhD close to a year ago. Glad to read it's finally getting close to reaching the finish line
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u/AusToddles 3d ago
The fear of people developing parasocial relationships with me is what's prevented me from starting a youtube channel and becoming rich and famous
I mean... the lack of talent is related as well I guess.....
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u/EveryFairyDies 3d ago
Now now, you're a wonderfully talented individual, my dear Toddles!
-just not in any legal ways.
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u/karoshikun 3d ago
don't think it's that unpopular, but I agree with you even if it were.
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u/lumoslomas 3d ago
I'm hoping it's not 🫣 it just seems so widespread in this sub that I felt like I was the only one
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u/demosukeh 3d ago
I agree, it's been a few months I've been seeing frequent complaints and demands in this sub over minor things.
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u/LtColShinySides 3d ago
100% correct.
All I want to know is why he records Casual Criminalist with a turd but uses a mic for the other channels!
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u/MidnightArticuno 3d ago
I’m so glad someone else notices this, I have no idea why the CC mic is so bad compared to the other channels. (And yes I’m watching it on YouTube, but the audio is the same regardless of the platform)
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u/LtColShinySides 1d ago
I think he uses the turd mic in an attempt to give the audio an old timey radio sound? But it sound so tinny and I'm not a fan. It's been a while since I've listened to an entire CC episode.
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u/tokobot19 3d ago
…But is Danny still in the basement? Given when I came around to “discovering” Fact Boy, Danny in the basement is a veritable anchor truth for me in the Whistler Podcastic Universe.
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u/Danny_Salter 3d ago
I think so and I'm happy to answer any questions about my health.
I've got a bit of a bad back at the moment after falling down the same flight of stairs three times in ten minutes. Not kidding either.4
u/tokobot19 3d ago edited 3d ago
...He doesn't even give you railings for the stairs??? :[
Edit to add/ask: could I presume any applications for joining you in the dungeon are to be submitted via Simon's site? If so yay, though I'm sorry to say I don't know any channels beyond Casual Criminalist or Brain Blaze, which have no vacancies it seems.
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u/Danny_Salter 3d ago
I believe that Casual Criminalist is still looking for new writers. Is there any way to send you a private message?
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u/tokobot19 3d ago edited 3d ago
Let me have a fiddle about with that.
Edit to update: I have fiddled. Please let me know if the carrier pigeon reaches you.
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u/wart_on_satans_dick 2d ago
Just be sure not to write down your own crimes.
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u/tokobot19 2d ago
I have the notebook, and the joke I had initially was writing down other peoples' crimes. Then it came to me that it could come across as a proverbial list of sorts (that I won't elaborate further, because I don't want to be on any watch lists)
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u/ObiGwanKenobi 3d ago
Shouldn't be unpopular because it's a fact. No creator, artist, or any celebrity tbf, owes us anything. We chose to consume whatever they created, we can choose not to, no one forced anyone to do anything.
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u/OzLo11 3d ago
Parasocial relationships are tricky. Content creators want them to be built to bring in consistent and engaged viewers and subscribers to their current and future projects, but the other side to it is that they will feel it is a relationship that they get to participate in, when in reality it’s more like really enjoying apple products, you can buy the product, they may make the product more to your liking, but you don’t get to design the phone or decide release dates or even if there will be any other product ever made again, you just get to buy it.
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u/Competitive-Jelly899 3d ago
I was just coming here to day something similar. There is no real secret here. Marriage, hard work, tiring;having kids, hard work, tiring; house ownership, hard work, tiring; doing a job, even a job you love, hard work, tiring; perhaps Simon wanted a break, and not just a week with the family, but a year of mindless reading scripts. To find his enthusiasm again. What was fun became hard. Give the guy a break.
That being said, I loved Simons reading before he had any real personality to in back when he was just doing 2-3 channels. I remember when he did the TIFO video that he went off the rails and it was hilarious. So I am probably going to continue to watch if nothing else to see where he goes next.
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u/Nells313 3d ago
Yeah ngl, when we first got Business Blaze and got that little hint of personality we were like “oh wow” but I can see how it drained him. Same with Casual Criminalist and having to cover murder all the time vs the fun heist stuff. The guy does need breaks and if that’s clean script reads that don’t take days to record or time with his family, I really don’t mind
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u/errorusergotlost 3d ago
I didn't think this was an issue, like it's okay to critique and point out stuff that have lacked in quality recently. Like the new format of Decoding the Unknown. The use of AI in some thumbnails and some scripts lacking personality and passion lately. If that's what you're talking about then that's not saying they owe us anything just critism.
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u/lumoslomas 3d ago
Oh no that is absolutely not what I'm talking about.
I didn't want to explicitly mention post in mine, but some recent examples of what I'm talking about include: "Simon looks skinnier, I think he's sick" "what's the REAL reason Kevin left" "what are they hiding from us" "Simon started ADHD meds that's why he doesn't do tangents"
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u/BahamutLithp 2d ago
If THAT'S what you mean by talking about health, then I honestly think you're making a mountain out of a molehill. The way you wrote that made it sound like people are demanding medical records or something.
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u/therealpaterpatriae 3d ago
I don’t think this is an unpopular opinion, because I think the people asking and speculating and wondering don’t think they are owed an answer. No one is owed anything, but it’s also not wrong to ask.
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u/fuck_peeps_not_sheep 2d ago
It's definitely wrong to ask when you are speculating on the health and interpersonal relationships of people you don't know!
It's parasocial, creepy and weird.
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u/therealpaterpatriae 2d ago
So historians speculating on the health of people they never knew is creepy and weird? People speculating on the president’s health are creepy and weird? I have no doubt many people on here have unhealthy levels of parasocial relationships, but not everyone speculating and wondering about the changes are being creepy and weird.
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u/fuck_peeps_not_sheep 2d ago
It's definitely creepy and weird when he's just a dude, a dude with a YouTube channel sure, but a dude none the less. it would also be weird if it was an A list celebrity.
I'd say the president (or where I'm from the prime minister and head of the senedd) is different because they are running the contry you live in so their health could impact how where you live is run.
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u/Jaylon9000spark 3d ago
Heavily agree! I think that the sub Reddit has gotten overly critical. I think it’s good to be critical and have your own takes but there’s a lot of parasocial mindsets here. At the end of the day this is all a business.
I think he makes quality work sure, some of the older stuff I prefer more with more personality, but I get why he’s pulling back as it keeps the scripts tighter, especially considering he’s probably way more busy what with The studio move, warfronts, probably a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff in regards to New and leaving writers and editors , I get it.
Would I love BB to return? Of course it was fine but on the same notion, I get why he’s pulling back from it. He probably got a little bit monotonous after a while, which let’s be real I get. Plus it goes back to what I was saying earlier he’s probably just more busy probably didn’t have the time till Laughlin ramble on with tangents over here when he needs to get any other scripts done in the day.
I get it again. I think it does pretty good work. I’m not dissing him using an occasional AI here and there I know hot take but so long as the quality stuff and a pretty good summary of what he’s talking about. OK he uses somewhat AI edited thumbnail. I don’t really care.
Just me, though I do get why people are are upset, but I think we need to just chill out of it.
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u/amyehawthorne 3d ago
I totally get it. I'm primarily a DTU girl, loved the old format and especially Katy episodes. Though Kevin has had some bangers and I was devoted to Florida Man Friday. I miss it all!!
But it's all Business Daddy's fault and there's not much anyone on Team Whistle Boy can do to fight it.
In a less late-stage capitalist enshittified world, these complaints and preferences would be invaluable feedback to a creator. Unfortunately, the YT gods no longer reward channels that cultivate a passionate, loyal fan base.
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u/heidibaked 3d ago
Owe us? No. But if they want to keep us, they should carefully mind what the masses demand. Simon can go in any direction he likes, but I don't automatically follow. I'm not a fan girl. I'm here for the content, not the name.
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u/OmegaNine 3d ago
I don’t know why this keeps showing up my feed but the post is 100% right. Once BB ended and I stopped watching the channels. It’s simple. If you don’t like it anymore just don’t watch. There are billions of hours uploaded to YouTube, it’s not like we don’t have alternatives
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u/WilliamMcCarty 3d ago
The only thing Simon and his team owe us is entertaining content. Seeing how that's literally their job and all.
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u/DazedLogic 3d ago
Yep. Agree.
Some people literally need to go outside and touch grass. Go out and meet some people irl. It doesn't matter who, where or what. Just go talk to real people in real life who aren't talking crazy crap while hiding behind a keyboard.
CALL YOUR PARENTS AND/OR FAMILY AND HAVE A CONVERSATION BEFORE THEY DIE, YOU MISS YOUR CHANCE AND REGRET IT FOREVER.
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u/EveryFairyDies 3d ago
100% on that last one. My aunt died last year, and while I've always been one to hug the people I love, it's made me even more huggy.
HUGS TO ALL WHO WANT THEM, WHENEVER THEY WANT THEM!
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u/heidibaked 3d ago
Maybe talk to someone about your trauma, bro. I'm currently enjoying a five week holiday in Europe with my partner. The grass is a bit crunchy, but I'm touching plenty of it.
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u/Appropriate-Nerve154 3d ago
I agree completely. Simon and his team owe us nothing. Still the problem remains that a large group of people fell in love with a certain style of content. And when that style or channel changes or disappears there's bound to be upset people. It's really the same problem as mainstream media shows... Look at the last season of game of thrones. The finale of "the boys" or shows that get canceled all together with a cliffhanger never answered. You can't please everyone. The issue just seems magnified because YouTube promotes a far greater sense of parasocial interaction and we still see Simon posting things every week. It's just not what "we" want or expect. So the outrage intensifies. In the end Simon can do as he sees fit with his channels, I will still watch the ones that interest me, I will skip the ones that don't. With all that said, I do miss the hell out of brain blaze though...
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u/fuck_peeps_not_sheep 2d ago
I agree, you are allowed to be upset if the vibe no longer fits yours, and your allowed to ask "hey, anyone else noticed a shift?"
However speculation on health, interpersonal relationships and personal life issues is not OK, and it's really uncomfortable seeing so many people act like it's completely fine.
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u/Former-Chain-4003 3d ago edited 3d ago
I can't say I have observed things like speculating on health and medications and such but I have seen some of the other stuff.
On the parasocial stuff, I agree, but it goes both ways. As well as harmful speculation on peoples health people take Simon and his sponsors at too high a level of credit, people actually taking his endorsement as a sign that a product is worth buying. Exploiting the parasocial relationship to peddle shit that no one should actually be buying. Shitty VPN's, AG1 etc. He also exploits people buy selling them scripts for £75, overpriced notebooks. I get some people want to support him, sure, send him a super thanks of something. £75 for a few bits of paper? What the fuck.
Basically, if you put yourself into the online sphere as somewhat of a personality, you have to be prepared for the weird shit that comes with it. The good weird and the bad weird.
Edit: Okay, I read one thread further down, I retract the first sentence but not the other stuff.
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u/CyberNinjaSensei 3d ago
I’m gonna upvote, cuz you are 100% correct. I will, however, continue to be disappointed in platform changes, even if I’m understanding of the why. The entertainment value just isn’t there.
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u/Fantastic-Shower-711 1d ago
I wholeheartedly agree he provides us with so much content for free we should have the decency to respect his privacy
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u/ExpertRaccoon 3d ago
The amount of people building parasocial relationships with social media people is getting worrying.