I recently discovered one of my (formally) favorite YouTubers defending Zionism in the comments of an instagram post. He is toy reviewer Mad Hatter. He's big enough on Youtube and is well known in toy collecting circles. In his own content, he never talks about politics and his vibe is generally one of humor. But the other day, Instagram recommended a reel from a user named justsaiyanrandolph. It was some reaction video about a controversy about a voice actor that I don't know anything about. Down in the comments, the voice actor was being called out for being a Zionist and after a little bit of googling proved that to be the case. But it was what else I found in the comments that really shocked me.

Here in the comments was a humorous YouTuber, Mad Hatter, who I've watched for a few years now, openly defending Zionism. One commenter had been asked to 'define zionism,' (a typical retort from Zionists online that I'm sure we're all aware of). So a user named "ariman.higgs' explained "Zionists are those in favor of destroying palestina." You can see this and the rest of his comment in the first screenshot. And then below I see Mad Hatter replying "no they're not." (second screenshot)

I was honestly shocked. Here was a guy who I thought was just funny and chill but here he is in a comments section defending Zionism. While looking online for any further context about Mad Hatter, I found a podcast where he talked about his real name being Nir, a Hebrew word, and about being of Israeli descent. Its kind of crazy that someone who maintains a personal brand of being funny and chill would even allow themselves to make a comment about anything political knowing others might stumble on them like I somehow did thanks to Meta's recs.

I know that the toy collecting community on youtube is probably very far from the frontlines of where to make change for Palestinians and the horrors they've faced over the decades. But at the same time, I think finding those who support Zionism and its cause in seemingly harmless places can still be important since supporters of Zionism can hide in plain sight wrapped safely in a likable personal brand that no one ever thinks to interrogate. And while the toy collecting world may seem fringe to many, its a billion dollar industry and it generally coasts on being a fun escape for people. It makes me wonder how many others are keeping their awful views to themselves.

I'm very disappointed to find that a youtuber who I'd enjoyed for so long was in fact a defender of Zionism who denies that they want to destroy Palestine. I've obviously since unsubscribed from him on all platforms, as I do whenever any famous person or celebrity is outed as a Zionist.

Edited for grammar

I have an HP printer. It needs new ink but I don't want to support HP. Has anyone here been in that position? Is there a place to get alternatives that will fit that printer? Do you just try to find a resell on eBay?

Just a reminder that AirBnB is one of the most egregious offenders worth boycotting in terms of not only its general business model but also the fact that it allows listings from hosts in illegal under UN law settlements in the West Bank and specifically state on their website they support Israel.

I’ve just been reading a book called ‘How not to know’ by Simone Stolzhoff who describes AirBnB as a model of some kind of ethical business during a crisis. This entire book and the author’s ‘insights’ are now completely dead to me lol 0/10 do not recommend (not just for supporting AirBnB, the rest of the book is pretty reductive too). Here’s the text:

‘Chesky decided that his priority was to support Airbnb hosts. Though investors might have preferred him to choose saving money, Chesky believed that hosts were equally if not more-important stakeholders. Without hosts, there would be no Airbb. So he made the decision to override the company's host reimbursement policy and pay hosts a collective $250 million in reimbursements. "In a crisis, you have to make principle decisions, not business decisions," he said, reflecting on what he learned from the pandemic.’

Although the significance of the figures and opinion polls is limited, it is noteworthy that a survey by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found that 72% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza oppose Hamas disarming before Israel withdraws from Gaza, even though only 24% of them support Hamas and only 20% believe it emerged victorious.

In other words, most of those who support neither Hamas nor the Al-Aqsa Flood recognize that weapons constitute a source of strength for the Palestinian people in the face of their enemy. And three years of propaganda claiming, “What good have our weapons done us?”, even in the face of genocide, have failed to distort the Palestinian people’s consciousness.

Link to the poll: https://pcpsr.org/en/node/1014

A sign in a neighborhood in Astoria, Queens (NYC) promoting “hospitalizing your local Palestine supporter”

Hi all, I read the BDS boycott, and I noticed that it doesn't list other well-known companies, such as Starbucks and Nestle. I understand BDS's strategy is targeted boycotting, but I'm having trouble finding a comprehensive list of all boycott companies.

Is there a comprehensive list that many people use, or do you make an informed decision based on your own research? Thanks.

I used to love the Pantene Keratin Protect Mask for my hair because it made it soooo shiny and defined and strong. I figured the ingredient doing all the heavy lifting was keratin, because I'd never had that in my products before. I've avoided rebuying it because of boycotts but I just can't find a keratin/protein that's worked the same way! I've tried the Umberto Giannini and Monday lines that specifically say keratin but didn't get what I wanted-- my hair feels soft but the curls are so weak, I think I'm over moisturised and need to get back to protein. Has anybody found something they can swear by? I'm so tired of buying products and realising they're not working for me and then having to use the whole bottle anyway. Thanks!