Based Camp | Simone & Malcolm Collins

Based Camp | Simone & Malcolm Collins
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  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
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Based Camp is a podcast focused on how humans process the world around them and the future of our species. That means we go into everything from human sexuality, to weird sub-cultures, dating markets, philosophy, and politics. Malcolm and Simone are a husband wife team of a neuroscientist and marketer turned entrepreneurs and authors. With graduate degrees from Stanford and Cambridge under their belts as well as five bestselling books, one of which topped out the WSJs nonfiction list, they are widely known (if infamous) intellectuals / provocateurs. If you want to dig into their ideas further or check citations on points they bring up check out their book series. Note: They all sell for a dollar or so and the money made from them goes to charity. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FMWMFTG basedcamppodcast.substack.com

  1. OG Atheist Youtube Split: Why Did the Right Thrive While the Left Failed?

    7H AGO

    OG Atheist Youtube Split: Why Did the Right Thrive While the Left Failed?

    In this episode, Malcolm and Simone Collins dive deep into a fascinating question from a viewer comment: Why did the early 2000s-2010s online atheist/skeptic community splinter, with many becoming the seed crystal for today’s online right-wing culture—while those who shifted left (Atheism+, socialism, Democrat alignment) largely lost their audiences and relevance? We explore the two major “seed crystals” of modern internet culture: * YouTube skeptic/debater/edge-lord style (truth-seeking, anti-woke evolution, Gamergate → new right) * 4chan’s shocking authenticity and owning-it energy And on the left: Tumblr’s vibe/aesthetic-driven culture (memes, cancel culture, performance over truth). Why did right-leaning creators like Thunderf00t, Sargon of Akkad, The Amazing Atheist, and Armored Skeptic stay relevant, while figures like Laci Green and iDubbbz crashed out? What makes ShoeOnHead the notable exception who kept a right-leaning audience without fully adopting the politics? And how does ContraPoints prove the rule with her theater-kid, BreadTube style? We also touch on: * Vibrant optimism vs. nihilistic pessimism * Truth-seeking vs. aesthetic vibes * Why conservatism now feels like “the new atheism” * Trump’s unique “Christianity,” religious evolution in the community, and more If you lived through the New Atheist era, Gamergate, or the Tumblr-to-mainstream-left pipeline, this one’s for you. Episode Transcript Malcolm Collins: Hello Simone. I’m excited to be here with you today. Today we are going to explore a question that actually came up through a comment on one of my previous videos. So on one of my previous videos, somebody was pointing out, because I pointed out there was this evolution within online culture of the online atheist slash skeptic community, which then transformed into the online anti-feminist community. ‘Cause first it was dunking on Christians, then it was dunking on feminists, then it was dunking on. Woke people and then that transitioned into Gamergate. And then that became the core of what became the new right. Or at least like the online right culture. And he pointed out, he goes, well, hold on. There were also people, in fact, you could argue about half of the people involved was that original atheist community, that original you know, online skeptic community. Yeah. That went in the opposite direction. They went. Into the atheism Plus for anyone who [00:01:00] remembers that, that was like atheism plus socialism or something. And then they became Democrats and they became left-leaning. And, and this is true but one that doesn’t discount the fact that the ones who went to the right ended up forming the seed crystal that became online right-leaning culture. Mm-hmm. But two and more importantly, the key to the mystery that we’re on right now is. Every single one of them except for one. Notable exception, okay. Who went to the left from that original community ended up losing their audience, losing their relevance, and losing their cultural halt, whereas the ones went right, continue to be mainstream figures in the online. Right. Hmm. And the question is, is why? And my by the way, if you’re wondering who’s a notable exception here everybody knows who it is. It’s shoe on head. Yep. But, but, but shoe on head. It’s very [00:02:00] interesting and she sort of gives away part of the story here. Who is Shoe On Head’s? Audience shoe on Head’s. Audience is. A right leaning audience. Yeah, totally. If you watch like for example, we had Leaflet on recently and we’re talking about thing Oh, we were like, oh, something like, oh, shoe want head. Like obviously I know that she watched, she Want Head, we watch Shoe, want Head. You go to Asma Gold. Obviously Asma Gold Watches Shoe Want Head. Knox will talk about Shoe. Want Head. Oh Shoe Want Head Talk about, you know, everybody on the right watches, shoe on Heads. Yeah. So much so that you go to a Sky Brow video and it’s a bunch of conservative online commentators. And then in every single one, it’s shoe on it, right? Simone Collins: Amen. Malcolm Collins: And so what she managed to do was to maintain the audience that was transitioning into right wing political beliefs while not fully adopting them herself. Why, why would, why is she able to do that? Why do I watch you on head? I think it’s because I, I do not [00:03:00] feel that any of her beliefs are performative. Yeah. Like when I, when I watch her. She really believes what she believes about things. Well, Simone Collins: she comes across as based in the way that we understand based rather than the way that people on the left define based, which is like, oh, you’re a white nationalist. Whereas like, I, I see. Based as being unapologetically yourself, she comes across that. Plus she has that unique one, one very dominant element of being progressive these days is like. Non playful pessimism. And unless you, like, even when people are jocular, it’s in a very nihilistic non vivacious way. It’s like, oh, I’m depressed. Ha ha ha. Like that common comedic bit, you know, of like, it’s very clear that this person is clinically depressed and mentally unwell, but they’re laughing and joking. That’s not her way. And, and it, there’s a sort of, it, it only. It almost all universally shows up on the right. That when, when people are like vivacious and optimistic and [00:04:00] joking about stuff that, that’s kind of, that’s right coded, but she is that despite being not a. Republican, for example. Malcolm Collins: Yeah. Yet, we’ll see, I I, I have a feeling, ‘cause recently she came around and was like, oh, I’m a Catholic now, you know? Simone Collins: Yeah. As of the pandemic, she got God again, Malcolm Collins: I think, or was it very loud about because I didn’t know that until the recent video with Simone and I both were like, did you know that she just yeah. I, I think she might be on a pathway to I’m, I’m just saying very the slowest pipeline you’ve ever seen crash. But, but yo, she’s a mom now, right? So, you know. Yeah. That, that’s after a lot of people change, right? Simone Collins: Yeah. That, that’s also, you know, one point against being progressive, Malcolm Collins: but. The second thought I had is, okay, well maybe the answer to this is very, very easy because it’s not just that this group became the seed crystal that the online right grew out of. Simone Collins: Okay. Malcolm Collins: [00:05:00] Culturally, they, we’re, we’re very, very heavily impactful for what the online right is like today. The online, right today, when you look at the social norms, conventions, styles of videos, everything like that. Simone Collins: Mm-hmm. Malcolm Collins: It clearly comes from the early. YouTube atheist slash edge Lord videos, right? Yeah. Like this culture is represented in it. None of that culture. When these people went to the left, I. Was adopted by the mainstream left. And so I was like, well, maybe the answer is that the left controls elite institutions, right? Mm-hmm. Like universities and stuff like that. And that is where they look in news companies, PR departments. I was like, that’s where they get their cultural talking points. It’s all taught down, whereas the right is bottom up. And that is why the internet didn’t end up influencing leftist culture. Mm-hmm. And then I started thinking a bit more about it and I was like. But that’s not [00:06:00] really true, is it? Because as an online culture watcher of that period the, the Tumblr culture of that period is the modern left. In fact, I’d say that the culture of Tumblr from that period almost completely, it, it eradicated and replaced whatever was there before. It is heavily, heavily, heavily impactful to the point where, you know. We were getting in fights on Tumblr. Like I, I didn’t have a Tumblr account, but like people were right about like, could you, could you be like a gender identify as like a cloud or you know, an attack helicopter or a turtle or a universe. Yeah. Yeah. And at the time today we’re like, oh, that’s like normal, weird lefty stuff. But no, at the time that was like a totally new cultural phenomenon, right? Simone Collins: Yeah. Yeah. Malcolm Collins: Now that’s gotten huge on the left. Right? And so have a, a lot of other cultural phenomenon. The, the you know, sort of fan fiction culture of, of Tumblr of that period. Many of the [00:07:00] ways of talking and joking, like the, the memes styles even cancel culture got its start was in Tumblr. And, and I will note, but that Simone Collins: I thought it came out of gay culture, which wasn’t really heavy on Tumblr, was it? Malcolm Collins: Well, they, they said, the word cancel came from the hashtag Cancel Colbert campaign, which is Simone Collins: hilarious. No, it existed before that, I think. Malcolm Collins: No, it did not really. It did not. You have gotten into this argument with me before on the show, and we looked it up Simone Collins: afterwards so you Malcolm Collins: were wrong. Simone Collins: Yeah, Malcolm Collins: it came from hashtag Cancel Colbert. Speaker: To give Simone Du, it was used in the black community before this, but it meant to like break up with somebody. It did not mean to attempt to de platform somebody cancel. Colbert was the first use of it in that context. Malcolm Collins: That is where it was popularized. And it was popularized by somebody named, I believe Amy Wong, who wanted to cancel Stephen Colbert, who is the most woke, obnoxious person ever for his Chong character. Where he went like, Ching Chong, Bing Bong, or whatever. Oh my Simone Collins: God, I forgot. Yes, yes, [00:08:00] yes. Speaker 2: my beloved character. Ching Chong. Ding dong. I love tea. It’s so good for you. You’re so pretty American. Girl. You come here, you kiss my tea, make all sweet. I no need no sugar when you are around. Come on rickshaw.

    59 min
  2. OpenAI Releases a "Plan" for Humans Once We Are No Longer Needed

    1D AGO

    OpenAI Releases a "Plan" for Humans Once We Are No Longer Needed

    OpenAI just dropped their big “Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age” document — and it’s clear they’re battening down the hatches for AGI/superintelligence. In this Based Camp episode, Simone & Malcolm Collins break down the proposals, call out the performative elements, and discuss what it really means for jobs, society, wealth distribution, and human flourishing in a post-labor world. We cover: - OpenAI’s push for a “people-first” transition (or is it mostly optics?) - Public wealth funds, robot taxes, 4-day workweeks, and expanded safety nets - Why AI agents like our Reality Fabricator could replace entire workforces - The darker implications for demographics, family, and global power - Risk mitigation, liability, bio/cyber threats, and why meme-layer solutions might matter more than anyone admits Is this genuine preparation for superintelligence, clever self-preservation by OpenAI, or both? We give our unfiltered take. Watch until the end for Malcolm’s super-villain island/Charter City vision and what we’d actually build in a post-AI world. OpenAI’s Document: Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age Show Notes In April, OpenAI released a new document: Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age: Ideas to Keep People First, which is their crack at launching an early, public conversation about how democratic societies should handle the onset of AGI They intend to support this agenda through feedback channels, fellowships, research grants, and convenings (e.g., its Washington, DC workshop). * “OpenAI is: (1) welcoming and organizing feedback through newindustrialpolicy@openai.com; (2) establishing a pilot program of fellowships and focused research grants of up to $100,000 and up to $1 million in API credits for work that builds on these and related policy ideas; and (3) convening discussions at our new OpenAI Workshop opening in May in Washington, DC.” * There is no actual information about this workshop out there * Maybe an indication of their not being serious? They propose AI governance and industrial policy They imply their proposals will help keep people at the center despite a transition to superintelligence They put forward an initial portfolio of policy ideas in two areas: “building an open economy” and “building a resilient society,” What they say they’re optimizing for: * Broadly sharing prosperity * Mitigating risks * Democratizing access and agency Their case for new industrial policy Society has navigated major technological transitions before, but not without real disruption and dislocation along the way. While those transitions ultimately created more prosperity, they required proactive political choices to ensure that growth translated into broader opportunity and greater security. For example, following the transition to the Industrial Age, the Progressive Era and the New Deal helped modernize the social contract for a world reshaped by electricity, the combustion engine, and mass production. They did so by building new public institutions, protections, and expectations about what a fair economy should provide, including labor protections, safety standards, social safety nets, and expanded access to education. “The transition to superintelligence will require an even more ambitious form of industrial policy” they write. Open Economy Proposals They acknowledge that the AI boom can severely concentrate wealth They argue for industrial policy that will” * “Give workers a voice in the AI transition to make work better and safer, including a formal way to collaborate with management to make sure AI improves job quality, enhances safety, and respects labor rights.” * “Help workers turn domain expertise into new companies by using AI to handle the overhead that usually blocks entrepreneurship (e.g., accounting, marketing, procurement).” * “Treat access to AI as foundational for participation in the modern economy, similar to mass efforts to increase global literacy, or to make sure that electricity and the internet reach remote parts of the globe.” * “rebalance the tax base by increasing reliance on capital-based revenues—such as higher taxes on capital gains at the top, corporate income, or targeted measures on sustained AI-driven returns—and by exploring new approaches such as taxes related to automated labor” * This is because they acknowledge income-based jobs are going to vaporize * “These reforms should be paired with wage-linked incentives that encourage firms to retain, retrain, and invest in workers, similar to existing R&D-style credits.” * Create a Public Wealth Fund that provides every citizen—including those not invested in financial markets—with a stake in AI-driven economic growth. * Smart move on behalf of AI companies if the financial welbeing of ALL citizens is dependent on their success * Would be kind of a massive win; if everyone owns you, you own everyone. * “Establish new public-private partnership models to finance and accelerate the expansion of energy infrastructure required to power AI.” * No brainer * “Convert efficiency gains from AI into durable improvements in workers’ benefits when routine workload declines and operating costs fall, including incentivizing companies to increase retirement matches or contributions, cover a larger share of healthcare costs, and subsidize child and eldercare. Incentivize employers and unions to run time-bound 32-hour/four-day workweek pilots with no loss in pay that hold output and service levels constant, then convert reclaimed hours into a permanent shorter week, bankable paid time off, or both. Where helpful, firms could also offer predictable “benefits bonuses” tied to measured productivity improvements so the efficiency dividend shows up both as long-term financial security and as time back for workers.” * This makes me worried * “Make sure the existing safety net works reliably, quickly, and at scale, because if the transition to superintelligence is going to benefit everyone, the systems designed to provide economic and health security need to deliver without delay or gaps. That starts with unemployment insurance, SNAP, Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare that are not just in place but fully functional, accessible, and responsive to the realities people will face during the transition.” * THEY WON’T WORK AT SCALE AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY THINK IS GOING TO FIX THIS * This implies they expect a huge surge in unemployment, right? * They propose a metrics-driven, dynamic “package of temporary, [and] expanded safety nets (e.g., expanded or more flexible unemployment benefits, fast cash assistance, wage insurance, training vouchers)” * “Over time, build benefit systems that are not tied to a single employer by expanding access to healthcare, retirement savings, and skills training through portable accounts that follow individuals across jobs, industries, education programs, and entrepreneurial ventures.” * This makes sense * It’s stupid that employers are responsible for this (though I get how and why that happened) * “Expand opportunities in the care and connection economy—childcare, eldercare, education, healthcare, and community services—as pathways for workers displaced by AI.” * More atomization * THOUGH IN FAIRNESS TO THEM, THEY CONTINUE: “These initiatives could be complemented with a family benefit that recognizes caregiving as economically valuable work and supports evolving work patterns. This benefit could help cover childcare, education, and healthcare while remaining compatible with part-time work, retraining, or entrepreneurship” * “Build a distributed network of AI-enabled laboratories to dramatically expand the capacity to test and validate AI-generated hypotheses at scale.” * YES Resilient Society Proposals This is their diplomatic way of saying: “Risk Mitigation Proposals” “This is not a new challenge. When transformative technologies have reshaped society in the past, they have introduced new risks alongside new benefits, and new systems were built to manage them as they scaled. As electricity spread, societies built safety standards and regulatory institutions. As automobiles transformed mobility, safety systems reduced risk while preserving freedom of movement. In aviation, continuous monitoring and coordinated response systems made flying one of the safest forms of transportation. In food and medicine, testing and post-market surveillance helped ensure safety in everyday use. In each case, resilience was not automatic—it was built with the luxury of time.” They propose that governments: * “Research and develop tools that protect models, detect risks, and prevent misuse across high-consequence domains, including cyber and biological risks as well as other pathways to large-scale harm.” * “for example, rapid identification and production of medical countermeasures in the event of an outbreak and expanded strategic stockpiles to prepare for future risks” * YES PLEASE * “Research and develop systems that help people trust and verify AI systems, the content they produce, and the actions they take—especially as these systems take on more real-world responsibilities” * “This work could also include developing and testing governance frameworks that clarify responsibility within organizations, including how accountability could be assigned to specific roles and how delegation, monitoring, and escalation processes could function as systems become more capable.” * I am genuinely interested to see how liability + AI evolve * This could be uncharitably interpreted as OpenAI hoping to evade liability by making sure the people who misuse it are held liable, but I think that’s fair. * Strengthen institutions such as the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) to develop auditing standards for frontier AI risks in coordination with national security agencies.

    1h 12m
  3. VTubers Have Transformed The Right Forever (The Nerdification of The Right)

    2D AGO

    VTubers Have Transformed The Right Forever (The Nerdification of The Right)

    In this Based Camp episode, Malcolm and Simone Collins explore a viral Asmongold take: VTubing as a “hack” that lets women (and others) influence online discourse without traditional appearance-based barriers. They dive into how anime avatars and VTubers have transformed the online right—opening doors for older, intellectually mature women, introducing female perspectives, and boosting the post-GamerGate “nerd right” faction. Topics include the evolution of the online right from edgy atheists to the modern conservative scene, why traditional female influencers were often young and impressionable, the rise of conservative VTubers like Kirsche, Leaflit, Rev Says Desu, and more, plus the cultural shifts around age, attractiveness, parasocial relationships, and factional dynamics within the right (deontologists vs. consequentialists, anti-nerd sentiments, etc.). They also touch on Anna Valens drama, anime’s role in conservatism, censorship, coalition-building, and why this VTuber phenomenon strengthens the right’s adaptability and intellectual depth. A fun, wide-ranging conversation on how technology is reshaping ideology and influence. Episode Transcript Malcolm Collins: [00:00:00] Hello Simone. I’m excited to hear with you today. Today we’re gonna be talking about an interesting phenomenon that came from a viral moment that Asma Gold got himself into. Oh, what? ASG Gold was I think, reacting to a tweet. And the tweet said something like, there is no point to male v tubers and Asma Gold said this is true. And then he went further, which is to say the key benefit of VT tubing for women is he said it’s like this crazy hack that they found out where you can be a hot woman without having to be a hot woman. And then he said the thing that was controversial, but many female vt tubers have reacted to this and been like, but this isn’t controversial, it’s just true. Oh no. Which he said is, if you look at not hot female influencers. The vast majority of them are v tubers to, to the extent that almost all of them are v tubers. Right. Speaker 6: To be clear, I am not saying that V tubers are predominantly unattractive. I actually do not think that this is the case. I think that they’re [00:01:00] well more attractive than the average person. , like the real people are more attractive than the average person. But we lived in an era where, women who were. Let’s say top 25%, but not top 10% of attractiveness were frozen out of being able to start to rise as intellectual influencers. , And this doesn’t just have to do with genetics. It was also really any woman who is over the age of 25 was frozen out of being able to rise as an intellectual influencer because men think younger women are attractive, generally speaking. , And. It’s worse than all of that because even if a woman is in the top 5% of attractiveness, but she is shy or she is insecure and doesn’t want people criticizing her looks because, , that is a normal thing for conservatives to do to immediately go after a woman’s looks if they don’t like her ideas. , She would not attempt to rise and v tubers as a concept, allowing this completely transformed that. Simone Collins: How would you know, aren’t most [00:02:00] v tubers good at concealing their identity? Malcolm Collins: Hmm, there’s the leaks all the time. Simone Collins: Can you put like images on screens of like the person next to their V YouTuber persona or just gimme their names so I can do it and then give it to you? Malcolm Collins: No, no, no, no, no, no. We’re not gonna do that. And the reason I’m not gonna do that is because the leaks are typically unintentional and that’s mean. Simone Collins: Oh, okay. I just Malcolm Collins: like, like Simone Collins: by, I mean, are you saying like non Instagram filter ugly or do you mean like. Malcolm Collins: Well, this is, this is where we’re getting to the point, the point I wanted to, to talk Simone Collins: about and mean, do they look like me? Because, you know, there’s like thought hot and then Malcolm Collins: but the point I was going to make was that. This phenomenon that he is pointing out has actually completely changed the online conversation in the internet, right? It has changed the tone of it. It has changed the factions that are ideologically winning within it. And I really want to go into how this happened. Like, like how things are changing [00:03:00] because of V tubers. And it, and it comes fundamentally down Tomic golds. Observation. So to not extract too much. If you go back and we go to the preview tubing days of the online, right? So we’ve gotta first talk about a bit about the online, right? We have one history on how the online right. Evolved from edgy atheist, which is weird, but it did it, it originally started as the skeptic community, if you go back to like, when I was a kid, right? And some. Online YouTubers, like literally you see their career evolve through each of these phases of the online run. Back then it was not right-leaning at all. No, no. These people got tired of dunking on Christians because really there weren’t that much of them. And the arguments, you know, they weren’t as fun, like the gotcha were It gets old, it gets, yeah. It was much more fun to dunk on feminists. Right. And then dunking on feminist turned into Dunking on wokeness which then sorted its way into the, the gamer gate and all of that, and then the [00:04:00] mainstream online. Right, right now. Right. And, and we point out that this, this is what makes up the new Right. Ideologically this group is obviously going to crash with the legacy, right. Because this is a community that has you know, like. Most of our crusades as the movement was being radicalized into a right wing movement, were about stuff like des censoring sexy female video game characters and stuff like that, right? Like arguing against bad faith, against too much violence online and stuff like that, which really is completely the. Opposite perspective of a lot of the Legacy riot, which was like, we need to ban rap music. It’s too violent and ban GTA and and so, oh my gosh. Yeah. And this is where part of the rights inversion came from. But during this period, you did not have that mini female influencers within this movement with the probably biggest [00:05:00] female influencer in this movement being. A socialist. And here I’m speaking of course, of shoe on head where she is often lumped in as part of this larger ideological movement by her detractors when she is just solidly leftist, like, and, and, and really like tries to remind people like. Look, I know I said this Trump policy was reasonable. I’m still a socialist. I’m just trying to be sane here. People like I don’t, Simone Collins: and a Catholic socialist too. She, she made it very clear she was a practicing Catholic again recently. Malcolm Collins: Yeah. Yeah. She, yeah, she did say she’s a practicing Catholic. So Catholic and socialist. Can you get more leftist? Sorry. I know, I just hang, heard a lot. I’m joking. Joking. For people who don’t know, traditionally the Democratic party was seen as the Catholic party. Mm-hmm. Like historical, Simone Collins: I’m, come on Kennedy, our first Catholic president. Malcolm Collins: Well, Joe Biden Simone Collins: Biden Catholic. Yeah, totally. Malcolm Collins: And, and not just that, but if you look at voting lines, [00:06:00] historically, they were really tied to the percent Catholic a district was. Even today, if you look at US states and districts by percent Catholic now this isn’t to say that Catholics overwhelmingly vote Democrat anymore. I think in the last election was the first election where they voted conservative. Overwhelmingly interesting. Well not overwhelmingly by, by a small margin, but yeah. But she continue here. I, Simone Collins: yes. Malcolm Collins: Don’t, don’t wanna get on too much of a but the few influencers we did have in the Wright who were women had the number one hallmark of beauty which a lot of people are like I I, this reminds me of a time I went with Simone. She doesn’t believe me because I’m like, Simone, you’re actually extremely attractive for your age. And many of the times when you think someone is more attractive than you they are just younger. And the night where I think I really broke you on this is we were at a club and you had to have an ex on your hand if you were under drinking age. Yeah. And I was like, look around the club and find anyone you [00:07:00] think is more attractive than you. And then check if they have an ex on their hand. Yeah. And so you’d, you’d look around and every single time they had an ex on their hand, like they weren’t just a little bit younger than you they were significantly, significantly under younger than you. Simone Collins: Yeah. There was also that time we were sharing a table at a dinner, like at a restaurant, and there were three people sitting right next to us. And I thought that they were a group of friends and like just two less attractive ones, and then one attractive woman. Yeah, and it just turned out that it was parents and their teenage daughter, and I thought she was like 25. But no. Yeah, Malcolm Collins: gen Z looks old today Simone Collins: too. Yeah, she was like 16 years old and I thought she was like. God. Malcolm Collins: And you know, you as a girl saying this, imagine I as a guy said this about a girl. I saw a girl didn’t realize she was 16 and thought she was hot. No, and it’s actually, this is, guys get in trouble for like the dumbest stuff. You can’t tell somebody’s age. You really just by looking at them, Simone Collins: I guess some, some people kind of can, there’s there’s a not to, okay, we’re gonna get right [00:08:00] back on track after this. But there’s this reality TV show that I think Netflix recently produced where people date, but they’re not allowed to say how.

    1 hr
  4. Wokism’s Achilles Heel Revealed (They Will Turn On Each Other Like Dogs)

    3D AGO

    Wokism’s Achilles Heel Revealed (They Will Turn On Each Other Like Dogs)

    In this episode of Based Camp, Malcolm and Simone Collins dissect the viral chaos from the 2026 NDP Leadership Convention in Canada, where “equity cards” turned policy debates into a full-blown oppression Olympics. What started as yellow cards for “gender equity” (letting anyone not identifying as a cis man jump the speaking queue) quickly spiraled as delegates printed their own colored cards for race, indigeneity, disability, and more—leading to endless bickering over who was the most oppressed and deserved to speak first. We laugh at the absurdity (and yes, they still elected a white guy), but we go deeper: How do these systems develop? Why do progressive coalitions inevitably fracture over hidden hierarchies of oppression? And most importantly—how can this self-sabotaging dynamic be strategically triggered to expose the contradictions in identity politics? From the “progressive stack” to real-world examples like Occupy Wall Street and internal leftist schisms (Palestine vs. Black activists, anyone?), we explore how allowing even one group special privileges creates a cascade that destroys institutions from within. A masterclass in why equity isn’t equality—and why this parasitoid-like behavior accelerates the collapse of woke-infected organizations. If you’ve ever wondered how to make the left eat itself without direct confrontation, this one’s for you. Grab your popcorn (and maybe some colored cardstock). Episode Transcript Malcolm Collins: [00:00:00] I think too often we see something like this and we laugh about it, and what we don’t see is. Oh, oh. That’s a trap that we can lay out in the future. You say, well, as a cis man, I believe that trans women. Should always be able to speak first due to their oppression was in our society. Simone Collins: You just gotta kick it off. Yeah. You know, you just, you drop in. Yep. Yep. Mm-hmm. And you walk Malcolm Collins: out, and then, but as a white man. You know, you can’t understand what it feels like to be black and to see a trans woman speak before me and then I say, whoa, you are right. We need to create a table with a hierarchy of oppressed categories. Mm-hmm. And of course, I will recuse myself because. I have no role in this Simone Collins: conversation. No. Yeah, no. Would you like to know more? Malcolm Collins: Hello Simone. I’m excited to be here with you [00:01:00] today. Today we are going to be diving deep into, we have seen it on other rightwing YouTubers, commentators, podcasters. There was a sort of viral conference or a series of events at a conference where points of privilege cards were assigned at the NDP. Conference, which is the Canadian political Party, which is in the process of falling apart right now. It helps very little power at this point in fighting where one speaker, and I won’t subject you to too many clips of actually what’s happening at the conference because either you have already seen them or they are just so cringe. They’re a little painful to watch, I’m gonna be honest. Speaker 2: Hi, Akua friend, prong pronouns. She her Whippy Ontario. I would like to echo the sentiments of my friend Robert here yesterday, this card. Was used in an inappropriate matter. And while I understand in Ontario, we know this is [00:02:00] equity, even if that this was also used inappropriate in terms of gender. I want everyone to be mindful that these cards for individuals like myself who identify as a black woman have no value outside of this space. Hey, look at that. Look at that. No s**t. Many of us are living in most the most oppressive conservative governments across this country. I’m from Ontario. A lot of you are dealing with this in places like Alberta as well as Saskatchewan. To abuse. The privilege of this card means that we don’t allow individuals like myself with intersections that have been used for unpaid labor. To build this party, that means that they go unnoticed and that they are disrespected. I want people to be mindful of what this card means as we continue convention. It’s not enough to say that we believe in gender equity, and it’s not enough to say that we are intersectional and value [00:03:00] social justice if we do not model that behavior inside and outside of this space. Thank you. Malcolm Collins: But putting up these, these various colored cards that represent. Specific social grievances whether it’s, you know, being black or trans or trans and black or you know, native or et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And basically getting upset that people with other cards are getting to speak before them or their card isn’t being given enough import. Speaker 5: There is a point. Let’s hear the point on microphone one. I am sorry. Just real quick point of personal privilege. I understand there’s very little time and, uh, for, for delegates to speak, but early on the mic, I, it’s hard as a racialized and transgender delegate to sometimes use this card and, and speak up, speak to somebody in front of me in line and ask, Hey, [00:04:00] this pertains to multiple intersecting parts of my lived experience. Speaker 4: I’d like to speak. I was rejected, um, when I talked and it, it’s frustrating when. These are my rights being directly under attack right now in Alberta, and that a, a cisgender woman had spoken, uh, over me, and I understand her rights are important too. This pertains to her too, but I, I don’t know. I, I, I hope that in the future, the, the, the federal MDP will also have a broader interpretation of the, the equity cards for speakers. That’s all. Thank you. I will invite delegates to assist me in better using the card, by forming a straight. Straight line behind the microphone, um, with a prominently displayed equity card. If I see speakers ahead of you who are not holding a card prominently, it would be wrong of me to guess about their gender identity, and I will come to you. Speaker 5: This applies so far according to your rules for gender identities other than a dude, Malcolm Collins: [00:05:00] And so I saw this. And a bunch of people were making fun of it on the surface level, and I was like, well, okay. I agree that it’s funny, but. What’s actually going on here? Like, how is this system developed? How is it actually supposed to work? What was the intended hierarchy of the cards? Who decided this hierarchy? Did any of them storm out of the room yelling at people? You know, like. Simone Collins: And I would say it’s, it wasn’t just the cards and the points of privilege. There was also an issue with, they, they, they wanted to give plenty of airtime or at least a pathway for people to express grievances or request for adjustments based on their disabilities. For example, people being like, I have a sensory issue or the, the translation device doesn’t work very well for me. And so because they decided to, I guess, formalize a means of complaining that into public space, you know, and allowing for like their disabilities to be heard they, they kind of demonstrated why. Maybe it’s better to not care Malcolm Collins: because [00:06:00] to not allow these people anywhere near positions of power. Simone Collins: Yeah, Malcolm Collins: they did. Simone Collins: Because you can’t get anything done if you have to hear every single stupid complaint. If you have to accommodate everyone’s sensitivities, nothing gets done Malcolm Collins: hilariously. By the way, this was about electing somebody and they ended up electing a white guy at the end. Simone Collins: They did not. No. Are you serious? Malcolm Collins: They did. They did? Yeah. Oh. Elected a white guy over 50% of the vote too. 53%. Simone Collins: Point of privilege. Malcolm Collins: Point of privilege. Right. So, but I also then wanted to go into, so we’re gonna go over it for this event. Then what we’re gonna do is look at the recent history of this stuff like. Have other events done stuff like this? Have any of them done it worse? Have any of them done it better? Did any of them have clearer delineations between the various discriminated groups for which ones are at the top and which ones are at the bottom? Simone Collins: So dystopian, like, I’m so glad I’m a delta. I’m so glad I’m an alpha. Like I go to my little place [00:07:00] and I have my square piece of paper that indicates my status. And like, is this not some kind of sci-fi dystopia? Malcolm Collins: What, what was e even worse about it is the vast majority of the time it just seemed like people excited to show off whatever their quote unquote point of privilege was and not, and then make a complaint like, this device isn’t perfect for my sensory issues. Instead of actually say something that contributed to whatever was going on at the event, right? Like it sounds. Terrifyingly bad to be around. But okay, so what happened? I’m gonna start with the big strokes for people who just want to, ‘cause anyway, if you watch your videos and you’re like, your videos are, are too long, right? Our videos are structured so that you can get most of the takeaway of the video in the first 10 to 15 minutes. And then after that we’re just sort of exploring the topic deeper, riffing, talking about family stuff. But I, I wanna try to get the core ideas out there at the beginning to not waste your time so that you can [00:08:00] easily hop off if you want to. But what happened was, is going into this conference, it had been established that there would be a points of privilege card, but only for women. Okay. This was only supposed to be a system for women. It was yellow cards that were officially there for women. And the way it worked is it wasn’t like women or people who presented enough, like women were given a card as they walked in or something like that. There were just piles of cards that any woman could take whenever she felt like taking one. And pick up and use. To move ahead in the line for speaker positions or

    51 min
  5. Shock as (Only) One Trump Appointee Caught Up in Bimbofication Scandal

    4D AGO

    Shock as (Only) One Trump Appointee Caught Up in Bimbofication Scandal

    In this episode of Based Camp, Malcolm and Simone Collins dive into the viral controversy surrounding Kristi Noem’s husband, Bryon Noem, and his alleged involvement in the bimbofication fetish scene — including leaked messages, photos, payments to sex workers, and the couple’s apparent marital mismatch amid long-rumored infidelity on her side. They explore why this story hasn’t blown up into a bigger scandal on the right (or left), how society has normalized “degenerate” kinks like furries, transformation fetishes, and bimbofication, and whether this shift has positive or negative externalities. The conversation covers: * The psychology and arousal pathways behind bimbofication (loss of autonomy/control, body transformation, escapism) * Why people on both sides are mostly shrugging it off * Misunderstandings in the Noem marriage (she reportedly thought he was gay) * Comparisons to other fetishes (vore, ification, etc.) and how common they actually are * Dangers of stigmatizing kinks vs. engaging with communities that can warp identity * Advice for parents: de-romanticize sex, teach impulse control in a world full of “sirens,” and avoid feeding kids to ideological capture * Cultural observations on the Trump administration’s “Mar-a-Lago face”/bimbo aesthetic and broader societal vibe shifts Expect unfiltered talk about human sexuality, evolutionary misfires, AI roleplay as a safer outlet, and why old-school shame tactics no longer work in the internet age. If you enjoy deep, nerdy dives into taboo topics without performative outrage, hit like, subscribe, and drop your thoughts below — what’s your take on bimbofication and cultural normalization? Show Notes It was recently revealed that Bryon Noem, husband to Trump’s former Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem is involved in the bimbofication scene, something which he CONFIRMED Coverage of this has been extremely disappointing: Either “ew what” or “leave this poor man alone” (e.g. NY Times: “In South Dakota, Neighbors Feel Sorry for Kristi Noem’s Husband”) * Though I do appreciate that people are being pros to Bryon, who has no doubt been through it * “In interviews with locals and friends of the couple before and after The Daily Mail published its pictures, the prevailing sense that emerged was this: People can’t help but feel sorry for Bryon Noem. His marriage had been the talk of the prairie since long before Tuesday.” * On the edge of Castlewood, there is a gas station that sells AR-15s. Dozens of animal heads hang from the walls. “Kristi for Governor” stickers stick to the countertops. One man who was in there Tuesday morning looked at the report in The Daily Mail and shook his head sorrowfully. He didn’t know what to believe about Bryon Noem. Only that he liked him. “Such a nice man,” he said. “It just tears me up.” * ““Must be A.I.,” a burly cattle rancher named Kevin Ruesink said as he inspected pictures of his neighbor Bryon Noem that had been published by The Daily Mail on Tuesday morning.” * The rancher squinted at them with a mixture of suspicion and pity. “I grew up playing ball with Bryon,” he said. “I’ve never known him to be part of stuff like that. I don’t believe that at all.” I personally want, and think people deserve, better coverage of the fetish and better conjecture about the way it played out between Kristi and Bryon. Bimboficiation 101 * The word bimbo has been around since the 1920s to refer to an attractive but dumb woman * Before it referred to a foolish or inconsequential man * Comes from Italian bambino for baby/child (so many the original “bimbo” was like “manchild”) * Why is Bimbo bread called BIMBO BREAD? * Bimbo bread’s name was created by the founders in Mexico in the 1940s as a coined brand word, most commonly explained as a blend of “bingo” and Disney’s “Bambi. * SUUUUURE * According to the company’s own historical notes, “Bimbo” first appeared on a 1943 name shortlist alongside options like Pan Rex and Pan Azteca, and the leading internal explanation is that they combined “bingo” with “Bambi” to get a short, childlike, friendly-sounding name. Later, they realized that bimbo is also informal Italian for “child” (from bambino) and that similar sounds in Chinese resemble the word for bread, but these meanings were discovered after the name was already chosen. The English slang sense of “bimbo” developed separately and was not part of the original branding decision in Spanish-speaking markets. * Bimbofication is a fetish and subculture centered on the erotic or performative transformation of a person (of any gender) into an exaggerated, hyper-feminine “bimbo” archetype. This typically involves adopting traits like massive breasts (often via prosthetics, implants, or art), plump lips, heavy makeup, blonde hair, skimpy clothing, a ditzy or submissive personality, and heightened sexuality—turning the individual into a caricatured, uninhibited sex object or “Barbie doll.” * The specific bimbofication fetish (the process or fantasy of transforming into or creating a bimbo) emerged from broader online transformation fetish communities in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It grew out of related kinks like: * Breast expansion * Body modification * Erotic hypnosis * Sissification (feminization) * It often overlaps with submissive roleplay, where participants (or their partners) embrace “brainless” personas for escapism, stress relief, or gender exploration. Many involved are heterosexual men, though it’s not exclusive * The fetish emphasizes transformation as the core erotic element—whether fantasy (art, captions, hypnosis files), roleplay, or real-world modifications (fillers, implants, etc.) * Search volume-wise, it’s in a cluster of fairly obscure sexual interests * Only became a genre around 2010; leveled off in growth after 2014 * According to Zipper Magazine, this is when it became an established tag in fetish art. Figures like “Pink” (of Pink Bimbo Academy) provided frameworks around 2016. Platforms like Clips4Sale added dedicated categories. Content creators documented real-life journeys involving surgery, hypnosis, and wardrobe changes. * Pretty close to sissification from 2016-2026 (sissification was bigger before) * More obscurely, close to: * Taratophilia (attraction to monsters) * Dwarfed by * Crossdressing, but it’s trending downward in popularity * Vore (which I would have thought was much more obscure) * All are drawfed by “hentai” * How people engage with the concept * Related searches * bimbofication meme * Deviantart * Reddit * ao3 * reverse bimbofication meme * bimbofication aesthetic * de bimbofication meme Bryan Noem * Daily Mail: “When approached for comment about the photos, which showed him wearing huge fake breasts while speaking to “bimbofication” fetish models online, Bryon Noem told The New York Times: “I will at some point. Today is not the day. I appreciate your heart.”” * What he allegedly did (photos are timestamped to early 2025, which is also when the second Trump administration started) * Interact with at least three women * Who participate in the bimbofication scene * Involves extreme saline breast/lip injections * One may be Lydia Love * Who is busty, but… otherwise unremarkable? I wouldn’t think she was weird if I walked past her in a grocery store. * Get photos from them * Engage in roleplay * Which involved submissive roleplay * Whereby the women would turn him into a girl * He would compliment their bodies while wishing for “huge, huge ridiculous boobs” of his own * Wearing his makeshift breasts + a flesh-colored crop top, skin-tight pink hot pants or shorts, figure-hugging leggings/yoga pants, and a white top stretched over the breasts * BIGGEST PROBLEM IN MY VIEW: He sent at least $25,000 total (over roughly 14 months, while his wife was DHS Secretary) via Cash App and PayPal. * Payments to one woman were regular deposits of $500–$1,000 under the “Jason Jackson” name. With Lydia Love specifically, he paid $25 per minute for dirty-talk/webcam sessions (10–15 times over an 18- to 24-month period, with the last around six months before the reports). Payments sometimes delayed, leading to friction with at least one model. * He reportedly told at least one participant he did this to relieve stress from his personal life (including awareness of his wife’s rumored affair) and that he loved his wife/family but continued the behavior intermittently. Kristi Noem * Rumored to be having an affair with her top aide, Corey Lewandowski * Evidence: * Did not deny it when asked while under oath in a congressional hearing * Multiple eyewitness accounts from named and unnamed Republican/political sources describing public affectionate or intimate behavior. * People call the affair the “worst-kept secret in DC” * Incidents * August 2020, Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) meeting at The Cloister resort, Sea Island, Georgia: Former Trump operative Charles Johnson (named source) and two other attendees reported seeing Noem discreetly take Lewandowski’s hand and place it in her lap while he put his arm around her back. Sources described “obvious affection.” * December 2020, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort: Multiple sources (including at least three cited) witnessed Noem sitting on Lewandowski’s lap and “playing grab-ass.” One described it as “the usual stuff that drunk people who are having affairs do”; another thought they were a couple because they were “all over each other.” * 2021 CPAC, Hyatt Regency Orlando, Florida: At least one source (with others implied) saw them “making out” and getting “handsy” at the hotel bar in full view of 100–200 political operatives, journalists, and officials. The source called it “absurdly blatant and public.” * 2025: A reported incident in which Lewa

    1h 24m
  6. Woke Leaves Black Women to The Wolves: It’s ... BAD

    APR 3

    Woke Leaves Black Women to The Wolves: It’s ... BAD

    In this Based Camp episode, Malcolm and Simone Collins explore the sharp rise in Black women’s unemployment in 2025, the backlash against DEI initiatives, and why efforts to elevate specific groups as “minions” of dominant cultural powers often backfire—leaving the broader group to face the consequences. They discuss OkCupid dating data showing Black women receive fewer responses than even many incel-labeled groups, cultural tropes and archetypes available to Black women, historical patterns of favored minorities (Tutsi in Rwanda, Protestants under Cromwell, etc.), and the personal essay by Sesali Bowen (”Black Women Aren’t Just Unemployed, They’re Being Erased”). The conversation covers financial habits, work ethic signals, shifts from “Black Girl Magic” to post-DEI realities, AI automation, government job cuts, and why merit-based systems might ultimately benefit everyone—including those previously disadvantaged by tokenization. Provocative, data-driven, and unfiltered—watch for a deep dive into how “well-intentioned” favoritism can intensify backlash and what this means for cultural resilience and family formation. Would you like to know more? 👀 Show Notes * If I were a black woman in America, I’d be going off the grid * Right off the bat, black women have the cards stacked against them the worst in dating markets * And now, whether or not they ever bought into it, black women may have the cards stacked against them * Here are some choice stats from an article I came across covering this: * “In December 2025, “Black women were spending an average of 29.7 weeks, or more than seven months, unemployed—the highest rate among every group of women and among all men except for Black men, who had a slightly higher average,” The 19th* reports.” * “At the height of the summer volatility, Black women accounted for 54.7% of all female job losses, despite making up only 14.1% of the female workforce,” according to an analysis by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. * What’s sick is that the racket that caused the backlash which may be hurting a lot of black women was due to special treatment that was largely exploited by a small subset of already-privileged women * We’ll go through the experienced of one of those privileged women * And look at examples of other instances in which well-intentioned efforts to help specific groups have backfired One Women’s Experience of Lost Privilege The Purse published a guest essay from Sesali Bowen titled Black women aren’t just unemployed—they’re being erased. Choice quotes: THE LANDSCAPE * “Since last fall, general unemployment rates in the U.S. have ticked up to 4.4%, from 4% at the start of 2025. At the same time, the jobless rate for Black women has surged, from 5.4% in January 2025 to a high of 7.5% last September. Economist Katicia Roy estimates that “since 2020, the real unemployment rate for Black women is 10.23%.” * “There have been several factors linked to this disproportionate destabilization. The huge AI push, which is automating jobs that humans were once paid to do, is one. Last year’s mass cut of government jobs—where Black women are represented at twice the rate as in the private sector—and the abrupt elimination of DEI programs under the current Trump administration are notable others. As one of those Black women sidelined from the job market, this crisis feels personal.” * Why are black women represented in government jobs at twice the rate as in the private sector? * Data from federal EEO reports and labor researchers show that Black women are roughly twice their share of the overall labor force in federal and broader public-sector employment—about 11–12% of the federal workforce versus roughly 6–7% of the civilian labor force—while their share in the private sector roughly tracks their population share. * Public agencies can adopt affirmative action or “affirmative employment” plans, but these must be formal, justified programs aimed at correcting documented underrepresentation, not ad hoc preferences. * Under federal guidance, race can sometimes be one factor among many in recruitment and outreach, or in limited remedial contexts, but blanket quotas or automatic preference for minority applicants are not permitted under Title VII. * Title VII of the Civil Rights Act makes it illegal for any employer, including government, to make hiring decisions based on race, whether that is discrimination against or for a particular racial group. HER PERSONAL EXPERIENCE * “I’ve been self-employed since October 2019, when I was laid off as senior entertainment editor at NYLON following an acquisition and rebrand. I got lucky and sold my first book just months later—a collection of essays about Black feminism at the intersection of hip-hop, culture, and class. I spent the next year living on my advance and a few freelance commissions, and once my manuscript was done, I pivoted to copywriting.” * Her book: Bad Fat Black Girl: Notes from a Trap Feminist * 351 reviews * “Bad Fat Black Girl offers a new, inclusive feminism for the modern world. Weaving together searing personal essay and cultural commentary, Bowen interrogates sexism, fatphobia, and capitalism all within the context of race and hip-hop. In the process, she continues a Black feminist legacy of unmatched sheer determination and creative resilience.” * “The opportunity to transfer my writing skills to branding and creative strategy was afforded to me on the heels of 2020’s racial justice reckoning. Widespread reminders that Black Lives Matter forced white people to confront their own biases about people of color and actively move past them to be better allies. When it came to Black women, specifically, this was easy to do because we were in the final years of the #BlackGirlMagic era. Spanning the 2010s to early 2020s, this period amplified how important Black women are to American culture. The general sentiment during this era was to trust Black women, as we were venerated for our expertise on politics, education, beauty, entertainment, and so much more.” * What was #blackgirlmagic? * #BlackGirlMagic was a phrase and hashtag used to celebrate the beauty, strength, creativity, and achievements of Black women and girls, especially in the face of racism and sexism. * The phrase began as “Black girls are magic,” coined by CaShawn Thompson around 2013 and quickly shortened to the hashtag #BlackGirlMagic on social media. * “During this time, about 30% of my revenue came from speaking and book engagements at universities and conferences. The rest consisted of freelance copywriting and brand strategy for different agencies and clients. I was the quintessential “multi-hyphenate,” and I started bringing in six figures annually. I self-funded my podcast (about female rap, of course) for an entire season. I started working on my debut novel, and I paid off a good chunk of credit card debt.” WHEN THE TABLES TURN * “Following Trump’s 2025 inauguration and the string of executive orders that followed, I felt a shift almost immediately. Many of the institutions that are most likely to support my work fall under Trump’s DEI umbrella. With his executive order dismantling federal funding for these initiatives, the organizations and academic departments that would have hosted me are now trying to remain compliant. My bookings have slowed to a near stop.” * “These limiting policies coincided with the great AI boom. While I was used to lulls as a freelance creative strategist and copywriter, I only worked on two projects last year, when I’m normally on six to 10. And while my career began as an entertainment journalist and culture critic, the continued deterioration of traditional media has also made this path unsustainable. So without any other viable options, I decided in late 2025 to start actively applying for full-time jobs.” * “I was surprised at how little traction I gained. Over six months I submitted dozens of applications that didn’t even land me interviews, even when I had an employee referral. The rejections led to a full-on existential crisis and forced me to ask myself some tough questions. Was I not using the right language to translate my skills? Does a multi-hyphenate muddy the waters when there are hundreds of applicants for a role? Did the author part of my career with the very Google-able online presence make me a red flag for behind-the-scenes roles that I could easily do in my sleep? Or was it the contents of said work?” * She is implying she submitted “dozens” of resumes, which means fewer than 200 (otherwise she would have written “hundreds” * If you’re doing a serious job search, it’s a full-time job * You should be submitting a minimum of 10 resumes/day, and that’s assuming it’s for one of those tedious corporate applications where you have to enter tons of custom information and it takes ages or you’re preemptively developing solutions for companies and then pitching to them * So she would have submitted at least 200 resumes in her first month (assuming she took weekends off), and yet she couldn’t do that in even six months * Not a good sign of employability / work ethic * There are also AI services that automate this for you THE CULTURAL TOLL OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION OR SPECIAL STATUS * “Many people, regardless of race and gender, have been impacted by the aforementioned shifts in technology, industries, and presidents. But what has also shifted is the narrative about Black women. On Instagram, sociologist and New York Times columnist Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom called this trend “the Great Retaliation against Black women in public life.” * This made me wonder about whether there were other instances in history in which once-privileged groups (be they privileged via affirmative action, some form of protected status, etc.) were eventually hit

    1h 25m
  7. Dangerous Right Wing Extremist... Nerds? (Leaflit Deep Lore)

    APR 2

    Dangerous Right Wing Extremist... Nerds? (Leaflit Deep Lore)

    Malcolm and Simone Collins sit down with Leaflit Mitsuha (slime-girl VTuber, guild receptionist, and master worldbuilder) for a deep dive into her massive collaborative TTRPG universe in the Lyrian Chronicles / Angel’s Sword RPG. From 10+ years of running campaigns born out of depression, to building a live-service West Marches-style canon campaign with 140+ players, to magic systems, corrupted zones, divine power through belief, player-driven politics, fiend drama, and how AI is supercharging communal storytelling — this is one of the nerdiest, most optimistic conversations we’ve ever had. We explore how online communities are prototyping the future of entertainment, why “cringe but free” vitalism beats shame culture, the power of shared worlds vs. solo gaming, and why asynchronous friendships and player agency matter more than ever. If you love worldbuilding, anime-inspired lore, tabletop RPGs, VTubers, AI creativity, or just watching smart people geek out — this one’s for you. The game can be found at: https://rpg.angelssword.com/ If you’re interested in joining the Mirane Campaign you can find it on the Patreon for the game (This is how they fund development, since it’s free to play): https://www.patreon.com/c/angelsswordrpg/home Episode Transcript Simone Collins: [00:00:00] Prefer it? Malcolm Collins: No, actually this is what, so I was just saying that Leaflet is like one of my top three sources of news, and Simone was like, this is the way news should be. And like if you had told me as a young man, well when you grow up, you see it turns out the New York Times, nobody trusted anymore. You know, you, you go to, uh, wall Street Journal, nobody trusted anymore Uhhuh. But you see there’s like these anime characters online and um, a lot of people really trust them. Not, not only that. And it’s like, oh, what, what’s their credentials? Like, how does everybody know that they, you know, are they like work correspondence or something? And it’s like, no, it’s just like everybody starts lying. And so like the five people who aren’t like everybody takes super seriously. Simone Collins: Yeah. Basically. And Malcolm Collins: they’re just like, that sounds. Insane. And it is like, no, no, no, it’s weirder. You see, it turns out that like the type of music you listen to is going to regularly feature these random anime characters. [00:01:00] Leaflit: Oh, God. Oh. Like the whole, like sky, like, Malcolm Collins: oh, it’s so funny. Leaf flip. We had, uh, one of our kids, uh, who’s watching Sky, because I, I play Sky Browns all the time while I’m working or whatever. I, I like his songs. Yeah, I think they’re pretty good. Mm-hmm. Um, and, uh, you know, and so our daughter likes to identify with every female character she sees. Yeah. So she goes, oh, that’s me. And usually I’m like, okay, yeah, sure, yeah, that’s you. Um, and this, I was like, oh no, actually, uh, that’s one of my friends and one of our older kids was like, wait, one of your friends that’s like an an, that’s like a, an animated character. She goes, those aren’t real. And I’m like, well, okay. So this is a, this is gonna take a little bit of time to explain, uh, but sometimes. They’re real. Uh, Simone, what’s his, uh, sign on the screen? Is this something we can get rid of? Uh, Leaflit: the live, Simone Collins: yeah, Malcolm Collins: live view. Why? Why does it think we’re live? Leaflit: I don’t know. Simone Collins: [00:02:00] I don’t know. But we’re not there. It’s gone. I’ve made it disappear. Everything’s going to be okay now. Malcolm Collins: I invented a new dish today, which is actually pretty good. Um, oh, what’s that? So mac and cheese is extra pepper, like black pepper, Leaflit: uhhuh. Malcolm Collins: It actually works really well. Simone Collins: I think it’s done a lot at restaurants as it is. Malcolm Collins: What made me realize this is a lot of like Asian dishes that you’ve been making recently. Just use obscene amounts of black pepper. Mm-hmm. Um, you know, like pepper chicken and stuff like that. I was like, why, why, why don’t I do this with everything? Simone Collins: Why not? Malcolm Collins: It’s Simone Collins: doable. Okay. Leaflit: Good flavor when it’s freshly cracked and stuff. Malcolm Collins: But the reason I’m so excited to talk with Leaflet today, ‘cause the first time we talked with her, apparently it was like your first time talking to somebody else. Sorry for you. I should, uh, give some context. So Leaflet is, um, quickly growing in influence. I think she’ll soon be, I mean, just based on my viewing it, I think she’ll soon be one of the sort of [00:03:00] dominant right-wing streamers, um, oh geez. In terms of like interesting ideas. Um, and we brought her on ages ago. Um, and, uh, since then she’s gone on all the channels. She’s always on the, uh, the, the side scrollers. Simone Collins: Yeah, Malcolm Collins: side scrollers and stuff like that. Um, and she’s always on ev every Sky Brow video, every one of the Sky Brow videos. It’s like three F-ing leaflet appearances. If I could have as much mental space as somebody’s ring. Um, and, uh, if you guys were Leaflit: on too. Malcolm Collins: He did. He did one with us. One with us, yeah. Um, Leaflit: was it the Creamy Majaro one? Malcolm Collins: Yeah. Creamy Majaro. Leaflit: That was the best one. That was my favorite one. Malcolm Collins: Oh. I really like the Amelia one. Leaflit: I like that one too. Yeah. Malcolm Collins: Yeah. Um, but what I wanted to do is this video, so for all our friends who are coming here to learn something about the world, because I was like, how was it weird that, uh, you’re one of my major sources new? No, no, no. I don’t wanna do that in this video. I wanna focus on like nerd stuff specifically. Leaflit: Sure. Malcolm Collins: So I want to focus on, [00:04:00] because when I first heard that like you had built a world Leaflit: Yeah. Malcolm Collins: And I asked you about it last time. I think you were a little, like, you didn’t, you, you probably were like, somebody doesn’t actually want all the lore. And I’m like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Simone Collins: You were still working on it though. I don’t think it had gone live yet. Leaflit: Yeah. It’s, it’s out now and it’s grown a lot since then. Like we have over like. 140 players now. Simone Collins: Oh my gosh. Leaflit: But like, that’s not like players who are playing in, you know, with their friends and whatever. This is like one campaign. You imagine like one tabletop, Malcolm Collins: one camp. Explain campaign how this works. One, sorry. Okay, so I need to zoom back for the audience here. Okay. So, um, there, it’s like tabletop gaming, um. Mm-hmm. And, uh, tabletop gaming happens in like, d and d is the most famous example. You got pathfinders, all that. Leaflit: Mm-hmm. Malcolm Collins: Um, and sometimes people will create their own, uh, lore in worlds. Um, and that is what she has done. But it [00:05:00] appears that somehow you created like an MMO version of tabletop gaming. So explain. Leaflit: Sure. I can. So it, you know, it started off, uh, I was running this campaign for like, such a long time. Like I, I looked and I was like. I had like, what, 14,000 hours or something and like, roll 20. Yeah. I, I’m like crazy. So like, no, it’s a good kind of crazy this, I went through some really, really bad times in my life and I was like super depressed. I didn’t like do anything. And all I did was tabletop. I was like, I’m just gonna play tabletop, go sleep, wake up, play, play tabletop. So all of that stuff, and like translated into the YouTuber stuff and the company and all the stuff that we do is like, based on that. So like, that campaign has been running for that long, like over 10 years. Yeah. It’s so Simone Collins: cool. I mean, it’s not cool that you were like in a dark place. Oh no, it’s fine. It sounds like, it sounds like a, a show’s plot. Like, you know, girl gets depressed and then like literally falls into an alternate universe and it’s a little zaki and like that is, and [00:06:00] then like becomes like an internet celebrity and then it’s straight out of like a show plot. And then I didn’t Leaflit: like expect any of this. Like if, if you told me like. Years ago that I would be doing this, I’d be like, you’re crazy. Malcolm Collins: That is. Okay. So I wanna dig into how this came to be this world, but I also wanna get into like, because I watch, so for Boo who don’t know, like the content that I’m familiar with from her is from YouTube and it’s a fan of hers who clips it and she sort of shares it 50 50 with the fan, um, and, uh, puts together her YouTube. But what that means is I don’t get all of the lore and backstories to your characters mm-hmm. To your world. Like, okay. Brief question just to start. Leaflit: Sure. Malcolm Collins: What’s the difference between the Goo Girl character and the character you are Nower and are they actually the same character? Character? Is it sort of like a same Okay, so it’s a slime. Okay. Yeah, yeah. Reincarnated slime is, is one of my favorite is Kai. So, um, oh, Leaflit: me too. Me too. [00:07:00] Malcolm Collins: Okay. Okay. Okay. I’m Leaflit: a slime girl. Right. So like, the, the, the story is that. My character is half slime. So my character’s dad is a slime and my character’s mom is a fay. And there’s like an entire, like this all came up because like years ago when I was running this campaign for so long, right? Mm-hmm. One of the players was like, but what if I wanna have a kid in games? Like what happens if like, I’m a cat folk and my wife is a slime. And so like, I was like, damnit. So like now I had to like write all of this lore bin and it ended up being used for this to like make my character. So my character is techn

    1h 37m
  8. Was Slavery Good? (What About Smex Slaves?)

    APR 1

    Was Slavery Good? (What About Smex Slaves?)

    In this provocative episode of Based Camp, Malcolm and Simone Collins dive deep into a taboo topic: slavery—both historical and modern. Is slavery “good” at a civilizational level? They explore why more people are enslaved today than at any point in human history (~50 million in forced labor or marriage), critique selective outrage over past vs. present slavery, and examine cultural attitudes toward wartime rape/slavery across groups (Puritans, Quakers, Backwoods/Appalachian Scots-Irish, Cavaliers, Spanish Catholics, Vikings, Muslims, Japanese, etc.). Key discussions include: * Genetic and cultural legacies of “rape slaves” vs. conquest without integration. * Why certain Protestant subgroups showed remarkable restraint (no recorded cases of raping Native captives). * How slavery economically stifled innovation (Rome, the American South). * Maps showing slavery’s concentration in Cavalier regions and its overlap with modern socioeconomic struggles. * Why reflexive disgust toward status-signaling and a preference for strong partners may have given some groups a long-term edge. They argue that, even setting aside morality, sex slavery and post-conquest integration often backfire genetically and culturally—while loving your own people and culture drives lasting success. A data-heavy, counterintuitive take that challenges both left- and right-wing sacred cows. Not for the faint of heart. Episode Transcript Malcolm Collins: [00:00:00] Hello, Simone Collins. I’m excited to be here with you today. Today we are gonna be talking about a concept that was way more interesting than I expected it to be as I started to dive into it. Okay. Is slavery good? What, and what brought up this concept is like, obviously this is not a topic we were allowed to talk about growing up, or we’ve been allowed to talk about more broadly as a society. No. And so, then Tucker Carlson and, but the left has been hugely glazing recently places like Qatar. Oh. And I’m like, well, Qatar’s a slave state, right? Like, so if, if he can talk about how great Qatar cities are, at least the faction of the right that like, doesn’t like this weird Tucker faction. They think slave slave states are awesome now. And the left thinks slave states are awesome now because, you know, a, a, a across the, middle East. This is just something that we see. Fun fact, by the way, in Gaza the neighborhood where blacks are kept is called [00:01:00] slaves or like slave neighborhood. Speaker 11: But more specifically, ‘cause I wanted to check this just to make sure that’s right. Yeah. It’s called The Neighborhood of the Slaves is where black people live in Gaza, , because having slaves is so common there. , And there were around 11,000, Afro Palestinians are around 1% of the population of Gaza was black. Uh, and, and brought there to be slaves. Malcolm Collins: So yeah, I mean, this is common in the, in the the, there’s Simone Collins (2): a black meadow in Gaza. Malcolm Collins: Yeah. In the area. Well, they, they bring them in and use them as slaves basically. So, remember that the, when they were doing the mass genocide in Darfur, there was like, what was it? 10 exercise of the deaths in Gaza that this genocide was of Muslims against blacks, and they called them slaves. That was, no, Simone Collins (2): not, not exactly. It’s more just that they were kind of synonymous. It’s just that like. Malcolm Collins: Oh, just Simone Collins (2): the one used [00:02:00] for a black person, sort of, it was, what’s the word for when something’s like Kleenex, you know, or bandaid where like, you know, it becomes genericized of like, well they’re, they’re the same thing. And then, so then Malcolm Collins: I’m, I’m, I am sure that American Blacks would believe you, you used the n word analogy for that. You’re like, it’s just syn synonymous. Speaker 2: Category is people who annoy you. Audience, keep quiet, please. Speaker 4: Uh, well, oh, 10 seconds, Mr. Marsh. I know it, but I don’t think I should say it. Speaker 2: Oh, ooh. Oh, naggers. Of course. Naggers. Right? Uh, can we cut to, uh, can we cut to a. Simone Collins (2): It’s more just that they were kind of synonymous. Malcolm Collins: Like, yes, it was used in that context, but we use it in different contexts all the time now. Simone Collins (2): Well, if, if you live in a society where the only ever time you see someone who is, you know, we’ll say, who is [00:03:00] purple hair is a slave, you’re just gonna be like, well, you know, I need to get a purple haired person, you know, around the plantation or whatever. Malcolm Collins: Tucker went further, by the way. I just don’t buy your argument at all. They, they mean it as a slur. They mean it as this is how we see you because it, it is common in those regions. But and by the way, fun fact, more slaves on earth today than there ever have been in human history. Simone Collins (2): That’s, no, I, I knew that and it really frustrates me when people are like, oh, we practice slavery in the past. We’re so humiliated. It’s like, yeah, no, if you care, stop worrying about reparations. Maybe stop slavery today. There’s stuff you can do today. Because there are, Malcolm Collins: yeah. That’s what gets me when a woke person complains about being enslaved. It’s like you only get to complain about being enslaved if you’re going to do something about the slavery that exists today. Simone Collins (2): Yeah. ‘ Malcolm Collins: cause my ancestors did something about your ancestors, slavery. So what are you doing for the existing Oh, nothing. So, so Simone Collins (2): you’re no better than all the, the white people whose descendants are now. Implicated in [00:04:00] reparations requirements or white guilt or whatever it is Malcolm Collins: putting out in this episode is, is, is actually probably more that if we’re talking about who did more harm to who owe the, the southerners, the reparations. And we’ll get into some data on that. But to get it even spicy, no, I know from a moral perspective, but if we’re just talking about economically they were a net hindrance to the region. Simone Collins (2): Oh, no, no, no. Yeah, yeah. I I, gosh, I feel like I was reading to this just recently, so we’re talking about how oh yeah, no well, one of the people who is talks with, with the pod a lot was talking about how slavery ultimately held back technological advancement in the south. And how when you have Malcolm Collins: not just the south, you see it hold back wherever it’s practice and we’ll go into why. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s the reason why Rome didn’t have an industrial revolution because they had a massive slave population. If they didn’t have that, they probably would’ve had an industrial revolution. Yeah. Of looking at the technology that they had access to. They had access to many of the early tools of the Industrial Revolution. They just had no reason [00:05:00] to use them because they had constant slave populations. Simone Collins (2): Yeah. Yeah. The general argument being that when you have an excess of human labor, you, you tend to get lazy and not actually technologically, Malcolm Collins: but this stuff isn’t the most interesting stuff. And I wanna start with the most interesting stuff because the most interesting stuff actually comes from Tucker’s second comment. Wow. Which was when he went on about how we were demanding, I total surrender of Iran and oh, Iran knows what total surrender means. It means that they have to give up their daughters and wives to be griped. And he didn’t think that Americans wanted to go out there and do that. And. First of all, we had total surrender from Germany and Japan during World War ii. And like that was not a big problem. So like, how did, how did Tucker not know? Like that’s a, something that’s really, at least if you have a decent, like, basic level American education, you’d be aware of. But it got me thinking, okay, Tucker, you’re trying to normalize grape in war scenarios again, right? Like bringing it up. Is it a good idea? Like, are grape [00:06:00] slaves a good idea? Right? I, I, I’m talking about at a civilizational level. Uhhuh, we know that different groups practice it at different rates. Okay. It’s, it’s very explicitly allowed in the Koran. You are I, I love it when I first asked in AI this, okay, it said, no, the Koran doesn’t allow for the grape of the, the, the, the grape of ca of, of women after area surrenders. It goes, it only allows you to have sexual relations with your slaves, and you can take as many women slave as you want after you capture a region. And I’m like, that’s great. That’s grape. Okay. If you are having sex with somebody who doesn’t have the ability to turn you down, because as the Krantz says, if they are yours, if they are your property because they’re your property that is grape in every sense of the word. Okay? Simone Collins (2): Yeah. Malcolm Collins: And we know that for Jews in, in, in the, the Bible, that the, that has a, you know. [00:07:00] Rules for this. You have you, you are not allowed to do this. You have to marry them first in like a ceremony and have like a grieving thing and they need to be taken as a legal wife. But I mean, they don’t have much choice in the matter. And we do know that Jews practice practices en mass to the extent where 50% of the ancestral Jewish DNA is Canaanite. Oh my. So like there was heavy mixing of the populations. This is also where a lot of the you know, where, where, you know, in the temple they had, statues of other gods when you have the Josiah reforms. Yeah. Meaning that, like the, the other Gods practices had heavily integrated with Jewish practices because of this intermedian process. And then they started being told not to intermarry. And that’s where Judaism became more of a, like mono ethic thing. But this became bigger after the

    1h 13m
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4.4
out of 5
150 Ratings

About

Based Camp is a podcast focused on how humans process the world around them and the future of our species. That means we go into everything from human sexuality, to weird sub-cultures, dating markets, philosophy, and politics. Malcolm and Simone are a husband wife team of a neuroscientist and marketer turned entrepreneurs and authors. With graduate degrees from Stanford and Cambridge under their belts as well as five bestselling books, one of which topped out the WSJs nonfiction list, they are widely known (if infamous) intellectuals / provocateurs. If you want to dig into their ideas further or check citations on points they bring up check out their book series. Note: They all sell for a dollar or so and the money made from them goes to charity. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FMWMFTG basedcamppodcast.substack.com

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