9+ Things Milo Yiannopoulos Said That Prove He's A Terrible Human
Should we even be feeding this troll?
fox news By now, you've probably heard of Milo Yiannopoulos. Or least you've heard of the brouhaha surrounding his visits to college campuses, most notably one scheduled for UC Berkeley that was canceled after protests arose.
But who this guy is and where did he come from? (And why all the ruckus?)
Milo Yiannopoulos is a senior editor at Breitbart News, and while the 33-year-old Brit doesn't self-identify as a member the alt-right, his controversial writing and public appearances have made him the golden-boy spokesman for the movement.
He's in the business of rattling cages, making headlines, and ruffling feathers. "I hope to offend every reader," he told Business Insider.
Yiannopoulos spoke at the University of Colorado Boulder after being invited by the Boulder College Republicans and the campus chapter of conservative group Turning Point USA, and before he even arrived, he was already causing a scene. Protesters wrote letters and demonstrators were out in force.
Tensions were thick enough that outside of the auditorium where he spoke, several fistfights broke out.
So what are the worst Milo Yiannopoulos quotes that are eliciting such a strong reaction?
Photo: weheartit
Well, he told the Boulder audience that all liberals are ugly, fat people should be deported, feminism is a cancer, and being a Muslim is a "lifestyle choice." Himself a gay man, Yiannopoulos also said at one point "never trust lesbians."
What you have to understand is this: "Shock and awe" is Yiannopoulos' bread and butter. Because he trades in extreme statements, he gets a reaction from the people who love him and from the people who hate him.
Photo: weheartit
It is almost impossible to know what Yiannopoulos's actual beliefs are because he is so focused on cloaking them beneath a mantle of notoriety. His comments at Boulder aren't even the most shocking things he's said. Let's look at few other Milo Yiannopoulos quotes.
1. "If white privilege is a thing, why are people working so hard to be black? All of the award shows and cultural events favor black culture."
Yiannopoulos's Twitter account, another place where he shared his opinions and beliefs, was banned shortly after he photoshopped screenshots harassing black actress Leslie Jones.
2. "Donald Trump is obviously the most pro-gay candidate in American electoral history."
Trump drafted an executive order to roll back the rights of gay men and women that apparently was only scuttled by his daughter Ivanka.
3. "Western culture is what keeps women and gays safe."
The murder rate of members of the LGBT community in the USA is rising every year. Arkansas just passed a law that would allow rapists to sue their victims should their victims seek out abortions.
4. "An army of sociopathic feminist programmers and campaigners, abetted by achingly politically correct American tech bloggers, are terrorizing the entire video game community — lying, bullying and manipulating their way around the internet for profit and attention."
During Gamergate, Zoe Quinn, Brianna Wu, and as well as feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian received death threats, rape threats, and much more.
5. "With a little effort, we can help fat people help themselves. But first, we have to make sure that "fat acceptance," perhaps the most alarming and irresponsible idea to come out of leftist victimhood and grievance politics, is given the heart attack it deserves."
Science has proven that fat-shaming obese people has the opposite effect.
6. "Muslims are allowed to get away with almost anything."
Donald Trump issued a ban after consulting with Rudy Giuliani about a legal way of banning Muslins from the country.
7. "I know you're scared, but grow a backbone."
Yiannopoulos said this to one of his own supporters who asked how to be braver about sharing their conservative beliefs.
8. "Better luck next time, nerds!"
Yiannopoulos said this in reference to Native Americans who protested the North Dakota Pipeline.
9. "F*ck your feelings."
That's how he responded to a woman at American University who asked whether his controversial stances invalidated minority opinions.
Do not mistake me.
I disagree with him on every possible level if his public statements are in fact his personal beliefs. But it's hard to get angry at a man whose chief goal in life seems to be amassing as much press as he can, regardless of whether or not that press is positive or negative.
When I discussed covering this story with my co-workers, we talked a little bit about how in doing so we risked giving Milo exactly what he wants. You learn pretty early on writing on the internet not to feed the trolls. But I think we're going to have to change the way we engage (or not with people like Milo.)
Photo: weheartit
Because we elected a Troll into the highest office in the nation. We can't ignore President Troll because it could mean allowing the rights this country was founded on to be stripped from its citizens. If we're going to be critical of our Troll-in-Chief, we need to be critical of the people advocating for him in public, too.
The election proved that our country is fractured. I can't disagree with that. But if Republicans and conservatives all across the country want to be taken seriously, they need to really re-evaluate who they are promoting as figures of power and figureheads in the press.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a sex, humor and lifestyle writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cat, Batman. She hosts the sex, love, and dating advice show, Becca After Dark on YourTango's Facebook Page every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:15 pm Eastern. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.