Vernacular Manslaughter

I was listening to the Joe Rogan Experience the other day. Yes, I’m that mainstream. For those uninitiated, you have to scroll down through this long list of comedians you don’t care about, past hunters you don't care about, past motivational people selling something, and—oh, there’s Gad Saad. This will be good.

I was listening, washing dishes, having a great time… until he just had to go and say something that ruined the whole show for me.

Context: his book was quite successful. He also has tenure. Put those two things together, and the portion of his income corresponding with book sales ends up in the 55-ish% tax bracket in the glorious land of Canada. He’s not happy about it, naturally. I wouldn’t be happy either. Gosh damn, I worked hard so I could finally had a chance to get ahead financially, and I only get to keep 45% of that overflow. Why? So we can afford another surprise election?

Problem 1: What he said and meant.

The best, most honest thing he could have said was: “…and that pissed me off.” Or “It made me sad.” Or “It made me resent my nation.”

Here’s what he said:

“So when you tax though my thoughts, my neuronal firings, my personal history, I can't imagine a higher form of existential rape,” — Gad Saad, JRE 1827 @ 37 minutes.

No! You ruined the whole show, man. Now I can’t take anything else you say tonight seriously. I thought you were a writer, an academic. How could an academic use language so irresponsibly? Two egregious problems here:

1. Think of any other working man’s (or woman’s) sacrifice: it ranks below being an author, apparently. He’s implying that someone risking his life and/or permanently damaging his body to earn money is not being ‘existentially raped’ to the same degree he is.

2. The words don't fit at all regardless. Existential rape? Really? So if someone cuts off my face, wears it like a mask, then gets intimate with my wife, what am I supposed to call it, hmm? The second highest form of existential rape? What if I’m murdered, is that not a significant form of existential rape, or at least somewhere below being taxed for your book's gross?

Disclaimer: He did not seem to be attempting hyperbole, and even if he was…

Problem 2: This happens all the time with society in general. A middle-upper class person starts doing something wrong, and lower class people like me ape it because we just don’t know better. Does it mean I’m going to call having to wash dishes a form of existential rape? Maybe. Will my peers do so? Absolutely.

[Ed. Note I do it too, but I just don’t notice probably.]

Trickle Case 1:

My coworker is about to criticize the way I’ve set something up. Fine. You know what’s not fine? Opening with: “I’m not trying to attack you or anything, but..”

Gah, no! You’ve ruined my whole day, compadre. What’s he supposed to say if I start hitting him with the nearest blunt object? That I’m attacking him? “Well, tell Territory to be nicer with his evaluation.” But that doesn’t mean anything anymore. Or is physically striking someone the new criticism? You could say deride, or bully, or insult, or disparage, or some other word. Just don’t say attack when the situation doesn’t call for it.

I don’t know. You know who also doesn’t know? Probably Gad Saad.


Trickle Case 2:

“I had stop sign ADD as a young man.”

No! Gosh damn it, that’s called habitually running stop signs. Or simply driving dangerously.


Trickle Case 3:

“This is a Toxic noun culture or work environment.”

So lots of heavy metals? Cytotoxic drugs? Asbestos?

No. It means hostile apparently. Just say hostile, or mean, or antagonistic.


In summary: Experiencing Gad Saad’s evaluation of taxation is the most spiritually lethal form of mind-molestation that a man could ever encounter. This radioactive, hypersonic missile, slipping hazard culture is seeping down into the minds of people like me and orally maiming us. Given his role as a respected educator, author, and NORAD defence system, he should be embarrassed by his choice of words.

Source: JRE Ep. 1816