Carlinites Turned on Their Leader

[Martin Hash]

No. (I hope you're joking.)

[heydaralon]

I think he somehow got affiliated with one of those Soros groups, or something similar, about two years ago or so (when I can remember the podcasts first slowly turning into the progressive/globalist rhetoric). By the recent election, he was dropping "talking points" that were exactly the same thing you would hear dropped by other progressive outlets right around the same time.

Not sure how to prove it other than him admitting it, but I can't explain his change outside of that. How does it make financial sense to drastically reduce your output and simultaneously put out the opposite of what you were saying for decades?

You can't deny that his new audience are progressives and globalists either. Look at his Reddit community where the posters are aghast at the phrase America first. That phrase described Dan Carlin's entire world view until maybe two years ago.

I am not sure how else to make sense of what he became, really. Think back to when he started going to those global policy meetings. Was that when he got a publicist as well?

Lol remember when I made that thread about Dan being owned by Amazon? I think if we all chipped in a buck a show Dan could afford to buy a pair of balls.

[Alexander PhiAlipson]

No. (I hope you're joking.)

No joke--I never replied.

[C-Mag]

No. (I hope you're joking.)

He's not.
I got the offer. I politely declined. Not out of any venom, either. I simply stated that Dan had given me far more than I had returned to the DCF Community, there was no debt there. I honestly feel that way. I have big philosophical conflicts with Mainstream Carlin, but I still find value in what he says, that's what my whole Good, Bad and Ugly of CS is about. Finding good in his words and just not throwing Molotovs all the time.

[K@th]

I replied to Dan's email. We wished each other well. I didn't take any free stuff. I'll be forever grateful to him for making me understand why history is important and how it's so incredibly interesting.

[heydaralon]

He's working for PBS now. Pray to St. Jude--Dan's a lost cause.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperie ... ar/#part01

Well, that pretty much explains everything.

p.s. Back during the forum transition from DCF to MHF, Dan (or a phone number from Dan's hometown) called me a few times but I didn't answer or call back. I was overseas with a 12-hr time difference, and I'd only spoken live to Dan one time at one of his talks in Eugene and he really didn't seem too interested in having any further discussion with me, so frankly, I just didn't care. Now I wish I'd called back, maybe he would have told me about the PBS contract. It's not reason enough to murder his forum but it does provide context.

Did you get the "head's up" e-mail with the pick a free tee shirt offer, too?
:snicker:

I emailed Dan about the forum situation and asked him why he got rid of it. From an outsider's perspective, it seemed like he was worried about the un-PC nature of many of the threads and the fierce arguments that regularly took place on them. Incidentally, that is always what I liked most about DCF. His vegan IT assistant Robin emailed back saying that it did not make financial sense to keep it going as Dan no longer participated in the board discussions. I asked him why he didn't get longtime users to act as moderators and help fix the problems. Many of the people on the DCF would have been willing to do it for free.

Martin's forum is just as good as Dan's was though, so the problem has resolved itself. But if Dan really did close down his forum because he was worried about offending his new reddit buddies, that is just pathetic. Looking at the tone of his new shows, I think that is exactly what happened. I guess the free speech nut Dan was willing to change his message in exchange for PBS dirty money lol.

If Dan is all about the money now, he should really start hunting for big game. I'm thinking the Clinton Foundation might have some space in their PR department for a "martian perspective"

[C-Mag]

I think he somehow got affiliated with one of those Soros groups, or something similar, about two years ago or so (when I can remember the podcasts first slowly turning into the progressive/globalist rhetoric). By the recent election, he was dropping "talking points" that were exactly the same thing you would hear dropped by other progressive outlets right around the same time.

Not sure how to prove it other than him admitting it, but I can't explain his change outside of that. How does it make financial sense to drastically reduce your output and simultaneously put out the opposite of what you were saying for decades?

You can't deny that his new audience are progressives and globalists either. Look at his Reddit community where the posters are aghast at the phrase America first. That phrase described Dan Carlin's entire world view until maybe two years ago.

I am not sure how else to make sense of what he became, really. Think back to when he started going to those global policy meetings. Was that when he got a publicist as well?

Your timeline sounds about right. The specifics I'm not sure about. I think it went to warp speed when he got the agent, in 2015(I think).

Plus business wise, if you starting to become a voice on PBS, and that will lead to other shows, you can't have people searching your name and find this giant forum going back to 2006, that is easily searchable and tons of material. Not only things you've said in the past, but let's face it some really scathing stuff said about you by your own fan base. Just not good business. So, I don't hold it against him for kicking us out of his basement.

[Martin Hash]

It's hard to say? I was a millionaire in my early 30s so Did That, wouldn't cave to anyone at this point in my life, but Dan was starting his 50s & hadn't scored yet, so maybe? (BTW, I feel Dan scored big in another way, impact on people's lives, but he probably wasn't giving that enough value. I know I used to think the grass was always greener...)

p.s. Fuck the grass.

[katarn]

Dan's change is something I took a little longer to notice than others. He claims to have the same views as always, which I don't disbelieve. The problem is that his personal beliefs that were always on the show aren't anymore- if he does have the same values, he isn't showing them.

I think wishful thinking delayed my realization: I found Common Sense via Hardcore History, and it was what got me into politics, so seeing it change wasn't readily acceptable.

[DrYouth]

I think the era of Trump has left very few balanced views to be found anywhere...

The polarization either pro or anti is nearly universal.

Even the two political podcasts that I now listen to and that I learned of in this forum are polarized, although less so than most.

Dan couldn't stomach some of Trump's personality traits and moral positions and couldn't bring himself to endorse him. The backlash against Dan's position on this was more than he could bear. It seems to have knocked the wind out of him. I doubt the PBS money has much to do with it... That being said I agree with everyone on the fact that the Common Sense show has more or less died as a result.

Ah well... I'm still a fan of HH... let's hope that it survives the storm.... and maybe Common Sense will rise again (I doubt it.)