Somerton Apology 2: Electric Boogaloo - there could have been a future for James

[@CouncilofGeeks]

So much has happened since this: First he went ahead and released a “new” video essay under a rebrand of his channel (since closed down again). Then he put on a tweet alluding to the idea that he was about to ~unalive~ himself and appeared to vanish. People who've been collecting data on his nonsense knew almost immediately he was fine (something later confirmed by his former co-writer Nick) because he started tweeting on the multiple alt accounts he didn't think anybody knew about (admittedly some of them weren't known initially but are now), including defending himself with claims like "the stuff he stole was like 10 years old anyway." So we know he was actively using Twitter and would have been able to see people like Hbomberguy and others be harassed and called "murderer” because of his fake stunt, and he did nothing to confirm he was ok. After a month he was publicly outed for his alt accounts, all of which promptly deactivated or were set to private. In conclusion: fuck this guy. I wish no physical harm of any kind on him, but no there is no future for this guy in any field even vaguely related to what he’s been doing.

[@Romanticoutlaw]

I knew he would but that was faster than I expected holy shit. He must have had it finished and sat on it until he dropped the second nonpology

[@LoraCoggins]

As of now, it currently has 8.4k views.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

He also never reached out HBomberGuy or his team to arrange donating ad revenue, it's been confirmed.

[@argleblargle8083]

@@Romanticoutlaw actually all he did was paraphrase The Christopher & Eric Podcast. He is literally doing the same ole thing he just got done apologizing for.

[@Rupert3434]

Looks like he deleted his channel, either that or James Somerton's own channel just isn't showing up in KZbin searches anymore.

[@ringer1324]

As Little Joel once said “NO JAMES DON’T SWEAR ON YOUR MOTHERS GRAVE JAMES”

[@mookinbabysealfurmittens]

NO JAMES NOOO! 😅 Seriously, though, he needs to stop it. Lol opening sounds express my feelings exactly!

[@Crlarl]

His mother is very proud.

[@2nd3rd1st]

That's honestly less bad than what the guy did on a grave in Saltburn

[@katyungodly]

It's funny seeing someone referencing Big Joel by his side channel name. Did his side channel outgrow his main channel? Haha

[@Homodemon]

NO JAMES DONT BLAME YOUR DEAD MOTHER FOR DROPPING YOU AS A KID AND GIVING YOU ADHD DONT BLAME YOUR DEAD, SIX FEET UNDERGROUND BURIED MOTHER OF GIVING YOU MEMORY PROBLEMS AND A CONCUSSION THAT MADE YOU PLAGIARIZE ALL YOUR CAREER NO JAMES JAAAAAAAAMEEEEES

[@Coyoteari]

“Misinformation found its way into the videos” how did it get there James? Did straight women put it there?

[@michellegodwin6567]

Who put it there, James?!? Fucking Aquaman?!?

[@sadakotetsuwan9229]

And are the cishet white women saying Yuri On Ice isn't gay in the room with us right now, James?

[@mothdotslot]

white women, yet again sneaking into gay spaces (james somerton scripts) and spreading misinformation

[@chibiktsn3]

Okay, this made me ugly laugh!

[@chibiktsn3]

​@michellegodwin6567 this is the comment thread that keeps on giving!

[@dimerization]

"I tried to be a voice for the entire queer community, except the boring gays who were the only ones to survive the AIDS crisis. And the women, especially the bisexual ones. And"

[@jace_d]

"And non-binary and transmasc people, that I think are just women"

[@eldyodel]

I know the 'and' is saying there's other stuff, but I really need to emphasis: there is a full 2 hour long video about a couple explaining their personal experiences with James' aphobia. That's... not a good thing for your "LGBTQIA+ history" channel lol.

[@thelonersanimation5734]

⁠@@eldyodelto point out who that was (in case anyone wants to listen to them), they’re called “The Ace Couple”, and the episode is called “We were personally victimized by James Somerton”. They have very good energy, their podcast is great, would recommend!

[@ames-inthe-grass]

@@eldyodelwhat vid are talking about?

[@rebelmage6929]

@@ames-inthe-grass It's by The Ace Couple.

[@Loxalair]

When Tommy Tallarico says "we", he just means Joey. When James Somerton says "we", he just means himself

[@morgantrias3103]

yes I joked the same thing to my partner, that Tallarico uses "we" to take credit for she he wasn't involved in Sommerton uses "we" to collectivize responsibility in a way he has no right to do. Nick's involvement is for Nick to discuss not to be dragged into someone else's appology

[@VelCake]

Wait, hold on. What's this about Tommy? I am lost

[@dharusiokay9426]

​@@VelCake HBomberguys video before the plagiatrsm one(the one with the roblox oof-sound) is an Essay about a guy named Tommy Tallarico, who did a Somerton and essentially cliams other people's work as his own. That video is a trip.

[@SpookiePossum]

​@@dharusiokay9426 and his mother is very proud of him.

[@dharusiokay9426]

@@SpookiePossum Yeah, well, that's what Tommy says. Of *course* we believe him.

[@GeekFilter]

James just...no. And a general note to anyone, apologizing online, stop bringing your dead family members into it! They don't want to be part of it either!

[@DigiRangerScott]

And also DON’T CLAIM YOU’VE BEEN FORGIVEN BY ANYONE. I’ve seen so many scandals where SO early “God’s forgiven me” when there’s been NO TIME to actually work on themselves. It’s infuriating

[@WhatWouldLubitschDo]

@@DigiRangerScottdefinitely some “look at these people who have been good victims and been victimized by me in the right way because they’re good people who know how to make me feel good about being the perpetrator” vibes to bringing up people allegedly having forgiven him. I don’t think they meant it that way, James! They might want to take their apology acceptance back now that he’s posted this bs

[@Rebecca-oh5yh]

His mom is hearing his apology from the other side and thinking, "Leave me out of this!"

[@searchingfororion]

@@WhatWouldLubitschDo I don't think he fully grasped what a one sentence reply of "Do better James." *really* meant.

[@fuzzymurdermittens]

I suppose at least this one didn't upload his mum's autopsy report... It's a low bar with these internet apologies.

[@bogunicorn]

The wildest part about James using "A Measured Response" is that it's a perfect microcosm of his issues with plagiarism and his original apology: he copies because he doesn't actually UNDERSTAND the original texts and can only regurgitate them, rather than actually being inspired by them. Hbomb's "measured response" titles are JOKES, lampshading the fact that said videos are long, ranty, passionate, and not at all "measured". James doesn't understand the joke, and so doesn't understand why it doesn't apply to his out-of-focus fauxpology Patreon advertisement video and thinks he's done something clever.

[@hydralily1646]

A story that writes itself

[@orestes0883]

TBF, they didn't start long. I think the first measured response video about the Sarkeesian Effect was only like 12 minutes long 😀

[@PointsofData]

​​​​@@orestes0883 Yeah I don't think it's a joke title. "Measured response" means to consider something carefully before speaking on it. It has nothing to do with the length of the response or the emotion, it just means you've given the subject a lot of thought...and honestly the more thought you put into something, the more you tend to have to say. The Measured Response videos have gotten longer because he's chosen topics that inherently need a lot of time to talk about if you want to be thorough. If you spend 30 minutes going over your issues with the entire BBC Sherlock show, that's less then ten minutes a season intros and outros factored in. So...I guess James did use it correctly after all, saying he's given the matter a lot of thought. But it still comes off strange, esp with the plagiarism. Read the room a little...

[@xavierweiss3390]

P😂kll 30:27 😂die 😂

[@doctorwholover1012]

Forreal all he needed to do to make his attempt even look like he put any effort into it was to go with something like "an apologetic response" or "a remorseful response", hell, even a "regretful response". Literally just change one word and it would look less like he was trying to RIP OFF the guy unveiling all his lies!!! Like it's so simple 💀🤣

[@batfiend]

Gotta love the way he detaches himself from the lies he said: "misinformation MADE ITS WAY into OUR past videos" ???? who put them there james

[@alim.9801]

And the shitty part of him doing that is that so many people aren't going to catch it. Ugh

[@verenabecker2724]

I believe the correct answer has been established to be "the content fairy".

[@Sugarman96]

From Todd's video we can fairly reasonably deduce that it was _also_ Nick's fault.

[@louise102nd]

Oh he said it probably came from college so totally not his fault

[@lucyinchat]

Probably both Nick and James, considering Nick was literally making shit up without any sources.

[@donnacasey8890]

I remember thinking, “gosh, he didn’t even watch hbomb’s video,” after his first apology, but the fact he is still trying to say he had Sean Griffin’s permission prior to releasing Evil Queens shows he STILL hasn’t watched hbomb’s video. It’s the first instance of plagiarism detailed and the proof is undeniable!

[@timothymclean]

I don't think that's a fair assumption. He might be hoping that you haven't watched it, or at least haven't watched it recently enough to remember those details.

[@Anna-hd5wm]

@@timothymclean I think he is just a pathological liar who looses track of his lies. He has said a lot that contradicts previous lies.

[@SoulDevoured]

​@@Anna-hd5wm that's how I'm reading it. I think he's gotten away with being this way for so long he doesn't even think that hard about it. It's pathological, he can't help himself. Until he fixes the underlying problems that make him this way, anyway.

[@Homodemon]

​@@Anna-hd5wm for real, he must really think people are too dumb to remember anything as to try to lie his way again and again but changing little datails each time

[@orestes0883]

He puts the proof in this apology! You can see the date of the email he got from Sean Griffin and it's like 4 months *after* the video was published 🤣😂🤣😂

[@erraticonteuse]

When he blamed his ADHD for plagiarizing, my first thought was "Or you could have done what Vera does and pick a format that best accommodates your abilities!"

[@celisewillis]

This is also the first we're hearing about this incredibly disabling brain injury he apparently has. Wonder why it never came up before 🤔🤔

[@mckenzie.latham91]

He blames epilepsy, then he blames ADHD, then he blames an undiagnosed and never revealed lifeline memory failure condition All of which just fell out of thin air conveniently Then he does what Big Joel said he would do and throws his mom's cancer and death under the bus to excuse this theft and laziness He minimizes and excuses every single action

[@kimyoonmisurnamefirst7061]

Cait Corrain also pulled this. Urrgghhh. Also pulls out dissociation, etc. And it's like... why?

[@alim.9801]

​@@mckenzie.latham91 as someone that has epilepsy AND ADHD- do they mess with your brain?? Oh for sure! Do they make you PLAGIARIZD AND SCAM?? NO!! Like...the sheer audacity, come on. Does he think the people with those conditions are gonna somehow corroborate that bs?? 😂

[@snorpenbass4196]

@@alim.9801 My own severe ADHD is both insulted and angry with him trying to claim ADHD makes you plagiarize. I _hate_ plagiarism. It's right up there with saying "I'm not a (insert horrible -ism here) but..."

[@Remerdre]

James trying to be clever with the title of his apology video about plagiarism is like Colleen Ballinger trying to be clever with that ukulele. Just the wrong tone for an apology video.

[@elrac7333]

Like many others have said, he would come across better if he had sung us a song while playing a ukulele.

[@fightvale57]

so cringey

[@Idkpleasejustletmechangeit]

@@elrac7333 "the venomous gossip locomotive"

[@annamelvina216]

​@@Idkpleasejustletmechangeit😂😂 I love that!

[@IsaacMayerCreativeWorks]

Little Joel suggested that the best apology video from James Somerton would be literally a note for note remake of Colleen Ballinger’s ukulele video without any crediting

[@modelmajorpita]

Considering James stole from gay men talking about their experience as gay men and the way gay men are viewed in society, I absolutely call bullshit on his "I just stole from other queer people because I wanted to talk about experiences other than mine" claim.

[@CosmicJubatus]

not to defend James, as i didn't know of him prior to this whole situation, but your argument holds little to no water just because one may be part of a demographic doesn't mean that one's experiences won't vary widely from those of the rest of its members

[@modelmajorpita]

@@CosmicJubatusHe literally pretended the opinions and experiences of the gay men he was stealing from were his own, so fuck off. At least admit you're defending him.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

In other words, he has very little real experiences as a gay man so he figured I'll talk about other gay mens experiences like they were my own. He may be the Professor Lockhart of the LGBTQ+ community

[@jaketionary2543]

​@@gRinchY-op5vr In fairness to Lockhart, he had a talent for the oblivio charm, and was very good at covering up his tracks. James isn't good at plagiarizing, and did a terrible job at covering up his tracks

[@orestes0883]

Even the shit he stole from non cis people doesn't make any sense the way James presents it, unless he earnestly expects me to believe his brain is so broken he forgot he is a cis white dude. "Weird, how did all this stuff about being an Asian trans man get into my Evil Queens script? It couldn't possibly be one of the things I Googled and copy pasted into the script!". Like, even if you don't remember where you got it from, Google does James! They sold it to 72 marketing companies this week alone, but they'll even let you see it for free!!!

[@JohnBainbridge0]

It wouldn't be a Somerton apology without an ad for Telos 🙄

[@nenasadie]

He never mentions how nasty he was to cis bisexual women.

[@amethystimagination3332]

It doesn’t surprise me, he probably thinks going from outright disdain to erasure counts as improvement

[@Nightman221k]

I was more annoyed about him saying the only gays that lived through the AIDS crisis were the boring ones. Like what the actual shit?! I think he was ignorant there.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

Or how he lied about critics and said people calling him out for plagiarism were sending death threats And had his audience harass them Or how he showed such disdain for asexuals The channel the Asexual couple talk about how when they pressed him for why their donations to Telos went months between updates and had no announcements That James treated them with disgust and indifference and set his audience against them for annoying him. So this mia culpa (but actually everyone and everything else was the real cause of all this) Doesn't fly with me.

[@nenasadie]

@@Nightman221k Seems like there's a lot of things he should have said here and didn't. I don't think he was even born in those days, but that's all the more reason to have respect. I sound old af because I am.

[@theEumenides]

@Nightman221k What does that even mean!?

[@TheAbigailDee]

I commented this previously but James' defense is that he's the shrimp from Shark Tale. "OKAY yes I stole and was evil and terrible but the other thing is my sister had a baby. and I took it over because she passed away. and then the baby lost its legs and its arms. and now it's nothing but a stump."

[@bib4eto656]

"true story!"

[@cristagalli96]

You're my favorite person for this comment.

[@bekenotsalony2905]

"you don't have to go home but you can't stay here" sorta sums up how a lot seem to feel about him coming back.

[@emilyrln]

_I know who I want to take a hike_ _I know who I want to take a hike_ _I know who I want to take a hike_ _Take a hiiiiiiike_ 🎵🎶

[@adeadphish7931]

Saw Jesse's video this morning and I will say what i said there: He has earned no benefit of the doubt and his apology feels beyond hollow

[@merphul]

She says that she has had no contact from Somerton. It's very weird that he says that he made all these efforts to contact the people affected by his actions... but he didn't bother to attempt contact with person he devotes 10 minutes of his apology to.

[@celisewillis]

​@@merphul I think it's just because he envies Jessie. She has a solid following of compassionate fans, is on Nebula, and is making a film, all the things he could have been doing if he didn't decide to lie about queer history and plagiarize a hundred people.

[@lynnzerben]

I feel like he brought up Jesse so he could mention the death threat and play into his “I’m the victim” mindset

[@fluffywolfo3663]

You need trust for an apology to work, and everything James has ever done was a betrayal of trust. Even if he _could_ be sincere (I doubt it) his mere existence is like... green kryptonite to trust.

[@louise102nd]

It felt like he was trying to imply that Jessie is vouching for him as I watched his video before watching Jessie's and the placement of it really implies that Jessie was one of the people he privately apologised for and accepted it so graciously that he felt it deserved a public apology too. Which is gross as that is not what happened. His apology to Jessie was this video and he did it in a way to get both sides it looks like how it came across to me and gave the air of hey this big queer creator is fine with me so please stick around for the rest of the video but technically he never actually said he did this implied private apology so can't really call him out on that. Feels like shady advertising technically not false advertising but it really should count as it

[@literaltruth]

If you wanted me to take your apology seriously, James, you shouldn't have turned on the "sad stock photo" blue filter on your apology video. 🥶

[@brook_angel]

He's just in his twilight cosplay, don't judge

[@kiwisvideos0]

To be fair, that's the filter almost all his videos have. Couldn't even try being less aesthetic for the oh so sincere apology.

[@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv]

The more filters, the more trustworthy. As we all know, the best apology videos look like something from 2012 aesthetic Tumblr.

[@timothymclean]

@@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv I don't think that's fair to Tumblr. They had more variety!

[@jesi89]

I mean, I always just assumed he didn't know how to colour grade on his fancy camera.

[@SaberNezumi]

The fact that his apology specifically names and mentions situations in which creators with a relatively important presence were affected, but does not even dedicate a section to the small creators and just users/viewers, people he plagiarized, attacked and used, or even the backers that supported him monetarily (he doesn't even mention refunds, just that he intends to use their money), it seems totally dishonest to me. Especially when the video ends with a promotion for his channel and new Patreon. And some small creators already commented that he hasn't talked to them.

[@morri254]

this! his fans attacked ppl who tried to defend themselves. he did not pay the money back..ridiculous

[@MadameTamma]

What's that old saying? "I don't want for you to starve to death, but you can't have a seat at my table."

[@sadlystuckinreality]

I'm glad you acknowledged him ignoring Todd's video AGAIN. It really bothers me that he refuses to address it when it's definitely a part of the reason all of this shit is happening to him right now.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

My theory (others have aswell) is that he hasn't watched either HBomberGuy's or Todd's videos on him, he was just messaged about things brouggt up in the former - I think someone mentioned he made a patreon post asking people to ignore it and that its all lies? When ot became obvious nobody was ignoring it, he began making apology videos and taking down old content - Todd's video I'm sure he's aware that exists given he's been removing comments made by Todd but he won't give it a watch to even attempt to address whats in it because its easier for Somerton to pretend it doesn't exist...

[@Loalrikowki]

40:37 "misinformation made it into our past videos" is an incredible use of the passive voice.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

Funnily enough, those are the videos I notice he re uploaded for monetization? He can't seem to grasp BOTH the plagerism and the misinformation are very very bad? This isn't a game of pick only 1 thing to be mad at him about, there's alot of things he's done we can't forgive...the plagerism is just why we don't believe him anymore either

[@muhammadrifqi7308]

He read the scripts, he recorded himself reciting said scripts, and edited all of his videos and misinformation still made it to his videos. Now he wanted to try again? After showing how incompetent he was at fact checking? The gall on that dude.

[@Stephen-Fox]

Although, given the Ace Couple's video about their experiences dealing with James in his Telos guise... I'm not sure I would trust him with fiction. Or at least not trust him with crediting the people he's meant to be crediting in his works.

[@celisewillis]

I wouldn't trust him to watch my pet rock

[@mckenzie.latham91]

Yeah interesting that he acts so sad and apologetic over "failing" his audience But according to multiple people like the Ace couple He was maliciously vindictive, dismissive and almost disgusted by people like them...

[@morri254]

to quote a comment on another video, he has yet to give them their money back or apologise directly. hbombers team has not been reached out to, and the 'contacting' victims directly. he is sending an email offering exposure as compensation.

[@michaeladkins6]

Did anyone get any of their Telos money back?

[@mckenzie.latham91]

@michaeladkins6 No, he never gave any of the money back And continually asked for more while dropping every project and promising a new one He literally has never given back the money or putnforward a single product for it.

[@wildwesley9328]

My biggest problems with his apology are that he clearly saw some criticisms that people had of the first, without internalizing them, so it comes across like he’s trying to say all the right things in order for us to forgive him and let him come back. Like he heard people say that he was trying to excuse his behavior and just scam people again and so he put in “there’s no excuse” after giving 30 minutes of excuses; and he claimed that he made a new Patreon so people on the old one wouldn’t get charged, and how Telos isn’t a scam and he will produce a movie. But the reason I still don’t believe that he fully means his apologies or understands the harm he’s done because he’s still using a lot of passive voice around different things he’s been accused of. Yes he finally admitted to plagiarism and said the word, but he skirts around the fact that he actively lied and tried to cover it up and harassed people who called him out off the internet. He still said things like “misinformation got put into the video,” instead of I put misinformation in the video and he excused it by saying that he was just repeating what others told him or Nick did it, or we did do research, but somehow harmful misinformation happened to end up in the video. His apology to the asexual community was still essentially I’m sorry you felt like I hurt your feelings and I’m sorry you felt excluded because we only talked about Nick’s experience, when the actual harm he did to the ace community was repeatedly erasing the experiences of ace people, by saying asexuals don’t experience discrimination like gay people or that we don’t experience conversation therapy, then doubling down when criticized and corrected. He was more snarky and upset when he was defending his abandoned movie claiming it wasn’t plagiarized, not realizing that even if it wasn’t, his utter lack of trust with people sets him up to not be believed that any work he puts out is his.

[@celisewillis]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@mckenzie.latham91]

He also downplays or never acknowledges his vindictiveness and malice against critics and people like the Ace couple... Instead he pretends that while he failed, he always had best intentions When there is no excuse that explains why he lies, whyche plagiarized that carries water And while we have numerous people who openly have stated how much and directly he was vindictive and dismissive towards them.

[@Laezar1]

it's like someone trying all the dialogue option with an NPC until they get the answer they want. Except you can't quicksave and reload in real life to erease your mistakes.

[@phangkuanhoong7967]

No. He should pick a different line of work and never, ever come back.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

But he can't do that because of his epilepsy and ADHD and memory problems, apparently...

[@Ihateironman]

Exactly. Even if he makes great films, it will be done on the back of his notoriety. He will raise money, drum up support and clicks using the fact that he was a notable personality for a brief period online. He doesn't DESERVE our attention. The community isn't lacking talent. Whatever talent James may have as a filmmaker, I'll happily sacrifice it if it means I never have to hear his name again.

[@flicnerdy4385]

even then,@@gRinchY-op5vr , theres jobs he can do that wouldn't screw that up. Maybe go into free lancing in a different industry or find a workplace with allowance for that, like some restuaunts have things for neurodivergent waitstaff. If he does freelance theres tools for self organisation with neurodivergence.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

@Ihateironman this. He doesn't get that, he doesn't understand how people can not want to see these future projects he has planned whether they are legit or not because his name on KZbin was built on theft and lies.

[@Romanticoutlaw]

he would rather eat glass and rusty nails, I guarantee it. If this falls through, I see him becoming a professional lolcow rather than get an offline job

[@arcturus_starwatcher]

The thing that always stuck out to me whenever he talked about any upcoming videos was how much he’d emphasize how Fun and Exciting it’s going to be with theatrical filming elaborate costumes. And the common throughline I’m seeing from that and his “apologies” is a desire to have a creative final product without putting in any of the actual creative WORK. I think Dan Olson’s diagnosis of the problem being Gear Acquisition Syndrome (i.e. collecting expensive filmmaking equipment while expecting movies to just make themselves) was a really key insight. When Somerton says he “wants to make videos” or “wants to make films,” he just means he wants to parade around in front of a camera in pretty costumes and get applauded for it, the same way that ai dudebros want people to believe that they’re “artists” just because they ended up with a collection of pixels that happen to look pretty at a glance.

[@sabrinabeeart]

Reminds me of something by Diana Wynne Jones I once read. Can't quote it directly but it was something like: People tell me they want to write a book but what most of them mean is they want to have written a book. Not a lot of people actually want to write the book.

[@orestes0883]

Also, he's never bothered to learn how to use any of those increasingly expensive cameras. He's got all the talent of Doug Walker or Tommy Wiseau, but somehow even less drive. At least those guys made movies. Sure, their movies were all terrible, but James can't even get that far.

[@daniexists6]

James being so bad at not plagarising that he stole hbomberguy's video tagline.

[@searchingfororion]

One thing he's always been very good at is manipulating the algorithm.

[@Rebecca-oh5yh]

LMAO!

[@auberginebear]

Felt more intentional to have his newest apology to show up when people are searching for the Hbomberguy video about him.

[@localhearthian2387]

Someone somewhere is dying of lethal irony poisoning.

[@BelBelle468]

When I saw that I was actually kinda offended. Again. Way to validate the accusations and mock the guy that exposed you for what you are. Dude wants to try and be HBG. Laughable

[@catdragon2584]

“How to dig your own grave and keep digging” a la Somerton

[@SpoopySquid]

"If I keep digging deep enough, eventually I'll break through to the other side!"

[@CouncilofGeeks]

"No no, dig UP, stupid!" ~ Chief Wiggum

[@zigzagperson]

​@@CouncilofGeekshow to give quick citations 😂

[@lemonynose]

My first thought about him giving money to Hbomberguy was “he can’t even be bothered to do THAT himself?” Like what’s stopping him from distributing the money himself? Why is he making it Hbomberguy’s responsibility?

[@CouncilofGeeks]

I go back and forth on this. Because yeah, it is diverting responsibility, but IF* it's true he has ADHD and/or memory problems then an argument could be made that things will go smoother and be more reliable if he makes verified donations to an existing apparatus set up to distribute the funds rather than try to manage that himself. *massive pulsing asterisk.

[@fightvale57]

This is how I felt as well. Like hbomber is the arbiter of his acceptance. You plagerized and someone caught you,it's not like he cam exonerate you

[@lemonynose]

@@CouncilofGeeks that’s totally fair. I just hope that he will provide receipts and really make an effort to put things right

[@orestes0883]

It's largely because James is lazy, and doesn't want to do the work himself. It's not like he kept a list of all the people he stole from, and since Harry and Co have already done the work of making a list...

[@michaeladkins6]

@@orestes0883 He used to livestream several hours at a time, a few times a week. I would put it on in the background while I was doing something else. I was concerned that he was staying up all night. How else could he be releasing a video the next day?

[@ghosty8193]

James’ Killing Stalking video did irreparable damage to my psyche when he first released it. I gravitated towards it as a victim of abuse (and a friendship eerily similar to Sangwoo’s and Yoonbum’s- without the murder). And I found it interesting and cathartic. I didn’t engage in it as a ‘yaoi’. But because I was a ‘straight’ (at the time) women, I was enemy number 1. I made a comment explaining my side in the comments and got tons of hate.

[@celisewillis]

Oh my gosh, I'm sorry that happened to you! It makes sense why the damage feels irreparable, that kind of thing can feel really scarring. I do wanna say it is definitely possible to process any trauma, it does take time and work (usually guided by a trusted therapist).

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

Yes, straight or bisexual women's opinions aren't valid in Somerton's space...yet he claims he was vetting his comment sections making sure they were safe spaces for all. Clearly by 'all' he meant unless you're a woman, maybe if you're a gay woman you'll get a pass but only if you agree with him 😑

[@ghosty8193]

@@celisewillis thank you! And yeh I’m doing so much better now! It was just a huge step back for me. But I’m good now :)

[@ActuallyAnanya]

Sorry that happened to you OP. Even if you were straight and viewing this as "yaoi" (which I acknowledge you were doing neither of, which makes this even worse) that shouldn't warrant harassment. I truly don't understand how people will throw away decency towards an actual living person over fictional characters and pixels on a page.

[@Homodemon]

​@@ActuallyAnanya happened to me too, and got a lot of gay guys accusing me and a lot of other people speaking up about how weird James disdain was, of stuff that "my kind" would do and blaming me for their bad relationship with women when.... My dude, you're gay, why do you care so much about how women perceive you, work on your issues, don't blame me about your blatant insecurities! Sommerton gave a safe space for a lot of misogynist to air their paranoid delusions about "teenage girls" giggling at them in the hallways and looking at them as if they were uwu small animals at a pet zoo, when like... That's on you my guy. If you're over 20 and you still feel disdain for anyone underaged that happens to engage with media you don't like, then I'm sorry, but that's ON YOU.

[@Calcprof]

I don't think he's ever address the issue that quotations (and they don't have to be very long) -- not done in a context where it is obvious that they are quotations, are plagiarism, whether or not the works is referenced. And even so, an "essay" that is 90% quotes probably deserves an F.

[@rylsahawneh3662]

Not just probably. If I turned in a 1-3 page paper that was 90% quotes (even credited) to a college professor, I’d definitely get an F. And I’d deserve it.

[@emilyglass6625]

Yeah, he didn’t represent himself as propagating a variety of poorly labeled perspectives, like, hey everybody here’s Some Ideas! He represented himself as doing original analysis. That’s not something that would accidentally happen because you were careless while trying to get a broader hearing for others’ work.

[@blakelay]

James also "forgot" to address the misogyny allegations. 😒 He's not sorry in a meaningful way; he's sorry that people don't like him or don't trust him. If he wanted to make amends he'd put in the work and he'd go through his old stuff and find every single instance of copying ever and show it with proper credit. But he wants to move on and not expose more of his plagiarism than has already been exposed. He dosen't want to properly credit the people he stole from. He wants to make new things and be forgiven.

[@sh00t1ngst4rzz]

And he also will not address his - misgendering trans and non binary people - How very nasty he was towards cis bisexual women - Hated asexual people (including myself who is a cis asexual lady) - Lied to people who criticized and the said people calling his ass out for the plagiarism are sending death threats and harassing him - S3x74lly harassed a women even though he's gay?? God he pretty much didn't talk about that which names me feel so pissed at him Yeah I think I forgot some orher stuffs he did (if theyre trye or not bit i feel like they're true) but he has done alot of terrible things that he'll may never address

[@carpevinum8645]

Straight up throwing Nick under the bus. In so many ways.

[@HotTakeAndy]

So many times too

[@banrions]

maybe i missed it back when all of this went down, but WHY do people think that Nick wasn't involved/didn't know if they were co-writers/partners?

[@carpevinum8645]

@banrions 1. It is irrelevant to Nick's culpability to blame it all on them and use them as a scape goat as it is James refusing to take responsibility. Something HBomber pointed out that James had set himself up to do and has constantly done since. 2. A lot of the feeling was based on past interactions in the community. Nick was always very deferential to James. Nick also posted and interacted with a lot of things in a different kind of way. At a minimum he is guilty of wilful ignorance. And I believe there is some culpability, however on his end more failure to fact check and misinformation than plagiarism in terms of the things he was writing - he used to share draft excepts and things. It is still unclear how culpable he was. But that is irrelevant to James is throwing him under the bus while refusing to take genuine accountability. This is his apology video. He needs to be accountable for his actions.

[@upsetstudios1819]

did Nick ever respond to this situation?

[@banrions]

@@carpevinum8645i fully agree that james needs to take the responsibility himself. thank you for the info, i followed this when it went down, but never saw a lot of info on Nick and it always has seemed a little fishy to me that he would have no idea at all with how much/often it seems to have happened.

[@DigiRangerScott]

From the land of Ophafuxekagan, James Somerton is INCAPABLE of apologizing with any sort of reason

[@marocat4749]

I even feel pity now that he reveals to be some weird narsicist that might be unable to refleczt on why people are mad. I dont feel bad, but its very weird. Else i would be insulted he brings up it finding fine to use his dead favourite author, and use him, without mentioning he does or crediting his book, even if out of print. Bu tgiven how weird he is, he might believed that? Still bad but i lean more to pity insead anger i guess. If he does ever manage to work through that, good, but it sounds he is weirdly , pityable?! Still untrustworthy and did bad.

[@alim.9801]

I had to sound this comment out like 5 times to understand 😭😭

[@DigiRangerScott]

@@alim.9801 Yeah the “uxe” part is the most helpful in creating subtlety

[@trinifernandez8870]

@@alim.9801 I don't get it! help

[@corruptdropbear]

having your title be "A Measured Response" when that's the title of not one but two hbomberguy videos is one hell of a choice, not gonna lie

[@kurathchibicrystalkitty5146]

He's plagiarizing the guy calling him out for plagiarizing. That's a new low.

[@annaphallactic]

He thinks he's being cheeky or ironic, but it just shows how not seriously he's taking the consequences of his actions.

[@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv]

You know, everyone in the comments of the HBomb video saying that James has the opportunity to do the funniest possible video about plagiarism was kind of right.

[@RaihotDoW2]

Far more than just 2, it's at least a dozen. It's kinda Harris' thing and it's just laughable that Somerton is so blind to irony that he can't see how ridiculous and honestly... stupid... to use it as the title for his "apology" with the largest possible air quotes.

[@andrewwebb917]

Not 2, but 23! It's a series :)

[@augusttyellis]

If some of the plagiarism was done because of "memory issues," or not remembering which sections were copy/pasted, how does he know the videos he put back up don't have any plagiarism in them..?

[@CouncilofGeeks]

That is an excellent question. At a guess it's based on the idea that Nick did the writing on them.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

@CouncilofGeeks which then begs the question how can he keep throwing Nick under the bus if the few videos he did the majority of the work on contain no plagerism? They are however filled to the brim with lies and misinformation 🤔

[@orestes0883]

Because that is a lie. He does not have the kind of memory issues he claimed in this apology. I'm not saying that he doesn't have TBI or any memory issues (although at this point I would not be surprised), but the kind of Momento memory issues he's claiming, absolutely not. Dan Olsen goes into this in his Patreon only video on this apology, but memory issues that bad would be life defining. You would absolutely have to adopt the kind of coping mechanisms that James explicitly didn't use in his writing in literally every facet of your life. To quote Dan himself "Every time you opened the fridge you would be surprised at its contents". Also, the material facts of his plagiarism prove this is a lie. Even if he were truly unable to remember what he stole, and unable to distinguish his writing from others, he frequently uses other people's works to describe life experiences that he himself did not have! There is no way he looked at all the stuff he stole from Jes Tom in the Evil Queens script and didn't know it wasn't stolen. Unless James earnestly expects me to believe he forgot he is a cis white man.

[@FluffyTacos]

Watched Jessie’s video earlier in the day and now yours. While Jessie was very kind, I’m really glad you gave a little more tough love. James has a LOT to answer for, and you’re right, he needs to pursue other avenues because he should not be welcomed back.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

Gay Fesh also didn't video, he's a smaller gay KZbinr so check out his vid He's less generous but also tries to be charitable to James as well

[@carpevinum8645]

Something I picked up: In a much older video essay he said his mum's insurance was denied due to an undisclosed prior diagnosis of depression. In this video he says the it was due to an undisclosed family history of diabetes. Now I know there was a Telos Indiegogo update (31 May 2022) where he says it was undisclosed prior depression diagnosis AND undisclosed family history of diabetes AND undisclosed family history of heart disease. His reporting of this has been inconsistent. This is his "measured response", that he has taken time to do right and he seems to be missing information, so in some way misrepresenting the insurance company (who by the sounds of it were just doing their jobs - these policies come with contracts where you agree 50 times that you have disclosed everything, and family history is one thing but at least disclosing your own medical history is a big part of the process - I'm not on the insurance company's side per se, but they were just doing their jobs based on what JAMES has said, don't hate the player hate the game it's a systemic problem not a RBC problem). And if he got it correct this time then he previously used a fake diagnosis of his other to get sympathy and create empathy in an audience. I remember the mention of depression because I related tto what he was saying in that part of that video.

[@celisewillis]

The actual question is, why did he need to tell Internet strangers any of that? That's personal family business, and I don't doubt there are family members who resented him for airing out all the details of his mom's death.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

Also, he has said in previous videos that his parents divorced when he was a child/preteen...why was his dad on the insurance policy still? Don't get me wrong, could be they were still amicable and his dad will still be affected emotionally by the mother of his sons death...but I've never known someone to still have their ex husband or wife on their life insurance policy? I dunno, he just says it like his parents were still together but I a do remember him talking about growing up poor which was then mare worse by his parents divorce in previous videos.

[@the-reading-lemon]

There are also inconsistencies between his accounts of who supposedly saved him. In the first apology vid he credited his dad, now it's a close friend. It feels like that is something you would remember, right?

[@garryd7748]

@@gRinchY-op5vr I’m one of those people…. My ex is still the great person I originally fell in love with - the fact that we grew apart doesn’t change that. When I meet someone new I’ll change things across to them, but until then there’s no reason for me to do it.

[@The_Reaper_666]

​@@gRinchY-op5vrsometimes arrangements like that can be part of a divorce agreement or alimony

[@carpevinum8645]

He put a trigger warning at the very start of the video with a time code. But then gave no indication or warning when he got to that part of the video, and he goes fairly straight into it. If people are engaged with your video then they aren't tracking the seconds on the time bar. He really should have done something to remind people who need/want to to skip this bit.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

He was sensationalizing the video to get more views and clicks That's why he put it at the end after his glorified Patreon plant So people have to watch the video and his "support my new Patreon" appeal first.

[@dandelion_16]

Well, between this and Jessie's video, I guess I know what I'm going to do the next 2 hours. Also I love how the intro is just "Damnit I have thoughts about this >:("

[@CouncilofGeeks]

That exact thought is the spark that starts so much of what I do.

[@dandelion_16]

@CouncilofGeeks It was funny to see it being played out though. Also the 'shoving Hbomb out of the way' bit made me chuckle. I guess I'm enjoying the little bits of humor sprinkled in.

[@emh.1178]

I have pretty severe memory issues, im literally known at work to take detailed notes about everything. If anyone wants verification they come to me. Thats a horrible excuse.

[@northstarjakobs]

As someone with a dissocative disorder that causes memory problems, because of it I work hard to be extra diligent when it comes to my sources in academic writing and to double and triple check my facts. It's work, of course, but if you want your work to be taken seriously and taken as authoritative on a subject, you do the work.

[@llynxfyre]

If memory issues are genuinely what caused his serial plagiarism for years he needs to see an OT or sone other therapist like... yesterday. But its so obviously bull.

[@Cloudsurfer69]

Love this comment! I have a similar experience with people haha. It's almost the worst excuse for forgetting stuff. Because if you know your memory isn't all that, why you gonna rely solely on your memory lol. Great comment 👏

[@Stephen-Fox]

Yeah - If you've got issues that cause you to forget if you've reworked part of a project or not, you... Mark up the project to let you know what parts you need to come back to and what you don't. I use chevrons. Mostly so I know which part of first drafts I've finished and which I've just got outlined. But, also, the issues with James' plagiarism wouldn't be fixed by a redraft. That would change quotes (that James isn't citing) to James' own words for the same information (which would still need the citations that James isn't providing) - All that would have done is make it harder for James' plagiarism to be caught. It would have made the plagiarism subtler, not remove it. A direct quote that's not being cited is plagiarism. But so is rephrasing a source into your own words and passing the idea off as your own. Plagiarism Today did a great Plagiarism 101 video following HBomberguy's video. And if the claimed memory issue is forgetting to put citations into the video that had been in the script? Well, these are direct quotes so you're likely going to want to cut to a visual aid for the quote, so you're not going to be on camera, so... Do a visual indicator with your body to tell your future self to cite during the edit, and put that visual indicator into the script so you don't forget. Literally script yourself doing finger commas when you're quoting so you remember to switch to a graphic showing the quote if you need to. (but since a lot of the videos were almost pure quotation based on HBomberguy's analysis, err... Yeah... Probably going to be a bad look if you do that.

[@airplanes_aren.t_real]

It's kind of ironic that your condition makes you *less likely* to make accidental plagiarism

[@vvitch-mist20]

What I wanna know is why he thought he could get away with plagiarizing non-fictional work, but that he gets teary eyed and annoyed when people accuse him plagiarizing fictional work? Like I'm a creative writer, I love fiction and prefer it over non-fiction. I panicked for a whole day because I wrote an single identical sentence in my paper. I just used academic language, and like that was the only way I could state what I needed to state lol.

[@dragondahl3828]

The fact that he gets annoyed about it also drives me nuts. Like, he says the plot of Final Girl aloud, as if he came up with it, then tells people to read the book if they think it's similar? Like I did, that's how I know you just nabbed the plot and added a "bisexual cheater" twist to it. Like sure, stories can be inspired by each other or have similar premises and not be plagiarism, but then highlight how your work is meaningfully different.

[@vvitch-mist20]

@@dragondahl3828 The man needs to be seriously evaluated.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

​@dragondahl3828 in other words the only original part of his script/screenplay is biphobia, typical of him then

[@oeurydice]

Didn't Somerton claim he had contacted HBomberguy to contribute to the recovery fund for the plagiarism victims in his first apology? A claim that was proven to be false? 🤨

[@CouncilofGeeks]

I honestly can’t remember if in the original video he said it was something that he had done or was going to do (if the latter obviously he bailed when he removed the original apology). He’s now claiming that he’s “going to.”

[@FallenGemini]

​​@@CouncilofGeeksIt was definitely going to, but I can't fathom HBomberguy's team agreeing to do such a thing since it is a logistical nightmare. It also sounds something that needs to be done long-term. I don't think HBomberguy has time to clean up Sommerton's mess.

[@nenasadie]

@@FallenGemini I said it in another comment somewhere after the first failed apology, but he's basically proposing to employ HBomberGuy and his team as free accountants. That's unacceptable. The fact that he can't be trusted to do it himself is his own fault. There is no come back.

[@timothymclean]

@@nenasadie Speaking as an accountant...it's hard to estimate how long it would take to allocate Somerton's donation between his victims, because I don't have the data I'd need to do that. But if I had to guess, the accounting would be _way_ less work than actually compiling that data, deciding how to use it, and figuring out how to get the money to the various victims. I guess sorting the source documents to compile the data is kind of accountancy? Not sure where data entry ends and accounting begins. They're obviously joined at the hip.

[@honestiago4738]

​@@timothymclean HBomberguy and Kat Lo's team did a pretty good job of analysing just how much of different people's work Somerton stole so they've got a good start but they admit they didn't get it all. The only person who knows is Somerton and for all his whining, he's not doing the one thing that could genuinely help by providing that list.

[@AceOfSevens]

I don't wish James ill, but there's just no reason to watch his future videos. He's shown no real talent at making them & plenty of queer creator doing much better similar work where I don't have to second-guess everything they say.

[@orestes0883]

Also, he's a charisma vacuum with about as much filmmaking talent as Doug Walker. His videos look boring at best, and his presentation isn't any better. If you don't (wrongly) believe that he is doing original work that you can't find elsewhere, why would you ever watch a James Somerton video?

[@dragondahl3828]

I (sincerely, not in a concern trolling way) hope he gets therapy. His inability not to lie and his obsession with being known as this queer intellectual media analysist character (which he does not have the skills to be, nor the desire to work to become) just... has to be, at least in part, because some self-worth issues. Like, I don't think he likes who he is, and that's why he wants to play this character. I also just wish he'd stop making videos already, jesus.

[@krose6451]

Its been a really rough week. I need you to know that to understand what a big deal it is that the opening made me have a burst of laughter. I needed that bit of humor and all the good things that come from laughing. Thank you for putting that extra effort in.

[@cherry_tonic]

how you and Jessie and the others watched that entire video, i will never have the strength to do that because jesus christ

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Funny thing, I couldn’t watch his original apology. I bailed quickly and skimmed the close caption transcript instead. This was oddly easier to digest.

[@CorwinFound]

​@@CouncilofGeeks He "learned" from critiques that he needed a better apology. So he used the correct mouth sounds and it felt better. But in essence it was the same manipulative crap we've seen before. We know this is _not_ real contrition because he includes with how he wants to keep making money, a shout out on his Patreon, and zero indication that he ever plans on returning the Telos donations even though he has _still_ not produced even an inch of footage. Words are words and about as useful as "thoughts and prayers." Until and unless he presents actual action his apology is worthless.

[@cherry_tonic]

@@CouncilofGeeks that makes a lot of sense… from the summaries i’ve seen, it feels like an apology wrapped around a teaser into his “new era”

[@nicole-ls4jb]

I watched both of his apology videos on Matriarchetype, which also includes her commentary. I could never have done it otherwise.

[@cherry_tonic]

@@nicole-ls4jb good decision, very smart. i wish i did that

[@resentfulshrimp8044]

You know its so weird James publicly apologizes to Jessie but completely glosses over the ace couples experiences with him. Jessie definitely deserved an apology but so did they. Especially since the ace couple lost a significant amount of money due to his actions.

[@1000huzzahs]

"Misinformation made its way into" Buddy. Step one is to use the active voice. "I put misinformation in my videos" or even, "I take responsibility for misinformation making its way into the video," even though that's still passive. This guy isn't ready.

[@roostroyer]

His apology has the same rhetoric as my mom's excuses for her abusive behavior: bad shit happened to me so I wasn't thinking clearly when I hurt you, other unnamed people agree with me so it's ok now, it's my fault but I'll tell you how much you being mad at me fur hurting you hurts me to the point I harmed myself, so you should stop being mad at me because I could harm myself again. It's just so manipulative.

[@B-MC]

I'm sorry But let me explain why it made sense to me... I'm sorry But let me explain I'm sorry But let me explain I'm sorry But you're (insert minimization) There. Happy now? (Is what I got)

[@celisewillis]

Gosh, I'm so sorry she treated you that way. Hope you're doing better now

[@B-MC]

@@celisewillis thankyou! Sorry to @roostroyer as well, its not at all easy to go through. The worst part is they don't even see it and weaponise it against you.

[@Blissvisions]

I would call this an Anti-Drama video... it's easy to luxuriate in the pathos of douchebags, but taking time to dissect the methods and machinations of con-artists is noble work.

[@sarahnkanu]

I agree! the main reason I keep watching these videos about him (not his videos though!) is cause it gives us a lot of tools to understand how those committed to lying and manipulating,,, lie and manipulate. & to ensure he doesn’t keep stealing both peoples money and intellect and get away with it.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

Yep, I like watching someone like Vera dissect the apology and show why it just doesn't work. Most of it I already felt was off after watching other people just stream the apology with their own comments on it, but Vera pointed out a couple things I hadn't caught...now I'm like 'oh yeah, THAT too'.

[@waynerobit5778]

Thank you so much for doing this video and making this digestible. After being a fan of his content for many years I did not have the stomach to watch this.

[@marzgamingmaster]

As Super Eyepatch Wolf said: "No. No, you're fuckin' done. You aren't welcome in this space ever again." But I imagine that won't stop him.

[@mannyoftheeast3318]

Did he say that 😂

[@MrPiccoloku]

Link the video where he said that so I can watch and like it pls

[@marzgamingmaster]

@@MrPiccoloku kzbin.info/www/bejne/poaof3t3fNR3bcUsi=cb30BVeEaIU3StKh The part in question is at 6:53.

[@marg5404]

"You don't have the right to be pissy." Best line ever! Thanks for the commentary.

[@donnacasey8890]

49:11 so, like, a lot of Somerton’s videos that hbomb discussed opened with “Written and Directed by James Somerton,” but he just said that a lot of the videos were “mainly written by Nick,” so like, I don’t particularly trust him to actually credit people in his fiction endeavors. I disagree with Vera here, I don’t think fiction is his future. I don’t wish harm to befall him, nor do I wish poverty upon him, but his actions bring all future creative endeavors into question.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

Honestly he's already proven his alleged attempts to work in fiction can't be trusted, the few film plots he described sound suspiciously familiar...aka he was going to plagerise from books and call them either original ideas that are just such common tropes by now everything in that genre sounds the same or call them adaptations of said book.

[@emperorwai]

I'm currently at work listening and the section where James mentioned his atrocious first attempt at saying 'sowwy', I had to do a double take. Like...December is when this shit went down originally. It's fucking February. Jesus Christ, this year feel real long. Also, I feel like 3 months of cooling off isn't enough for James. He could have waited a bit longer, maybe got in touch WITH EVERYONE he stole from, made the attempt at amends, did a quiet apology tour BEFORE having the brass balls to try and ask people to believe and trust him again. Just...big oof. Guess he's run out of cash.... If anyone within the queer community is interested in pissing away a sizable amount of money by subscribing to James again, feel free to not do that and give me your money, as your Ace Auntie needs a new bed and mattressess are fucking expensive. :D

[@northstarjakobs]

Suggestion in your mattress hunt: my friend has a pretty mid-range mattress, but has a memory foam topper on it that makes the bed so much nicer. I'm all in favor of spending big on a quality mattress or other bed supplies; people forget how much time we spend sleeping.

[@GMSquared]

You are very kind, not certain he deserves the "olive branch," but it says a lot about you to give it.

[@nekovalley]

Love how he’s seemingly never going to address his sexism

[@Jolene007]

Seemingly it looks like he’s never going to address anything ever again

[@lilyofthatvelley]

​@@Jolene007eh, he'll probably keep trying every now and then, the only difference will be less people listening each time

[@possum1093]

he didn't even mention his misogyny

[@lnk2158]

Or his anti-transmasculinity or acephobia...

[@possum1093]

@@lnk2158 yeah and we could keep going

[@meloneatingwolf1882]

He had to mention plagiarism because there is no way he couldn’t mention that if he wanted to look sincere. If he brought up the misogyny however, I see absolutely no chance he would be given a second chance, especially in left wing communities.

[@Stephen-Fox]

@@lnk2158Oh I don't think I've seen anything talking about anti-transmasculinity coming from him. Got a recommendation of someone talking about this?

[@jace_d]

@Stephen-Fox I couldn't find a video with a quick search, so imma summarize: in one of his videos he called both NDStevenson (transman) and Rebecca Sugar (enby woman) "straight women" (as he did a bi woman who wrote a gay book, I forgot her name sorry). I think you can find the situation on HBomb's video somewhere on the Somerton part.

[@bgood8299]

I have no idea who James Somerton is, but I'm hitting the like button for the Electric Boogaloo reference. Cheers.

[@stroodleloodle2909]

You lucky soul...

[@theshire9173]

Well we’ve got a 4 hour video for you

[@deceiver444]

In a few words : James Somerton is a narcissistic plagiarist

[@morgantrias3103]

You just like every time someone references that? But it's one of the most referenced things. I don't even know what it's originally from. You must be very happy.

[@bgood8299]

It's from a sequel movie: Breakin' 2 :Electric Boogaloo released back in 1984 that was so horrible that it became a meme to refer to bad sequels. Random fact: A Boogaloo is also a sandwich where I grew up. I like laughably bad movies and good sandwiches. So, yes, I actually am pretty happy. 😀@@morgantrias3103

[@danielbroome5690]

Since I also have ADHD, his comments really came off to me as disingenuous and ironically reliant on ADHD tropes to justify his plagiarism. Obviously everyone's different in their exact symptoms, but I feel no compulsion to give him the benefit of the doubt that he even HAS seen a doctor for this condition, much less was actually diagnosed with it. I think he cynically just used it the same way people who enjoy aligning their pencils say "I'm so OCD" and he's just abelistically utilizing a misunderstood condition to justify his shit behaviour. I have ADHD and I write, again not everyone experiences it the same way, but there's not a chance in hell that while writing (a hyperfixation of mine) I would EVER confuse something I wrote with something I stole or "placeholded" in my work. (I wouldn't even place-hold with other text anyway, just shorthand notes at BEST, but that's another discussion) I would remember literally everything I was doing at the time I wrote a piece of text into writing work. I can look at many projects and remember exactly what show I was watching in the background when I wrote it. He's treating plagiarism like it's putting down your keys and walking away and then oopsie I forgot where I put them. That's not an excuse for plagiarism. You don't forget that type of thing. And if you did, you'd know you forgot something and suspect it was putting in text that wasn't yours and the thing you do THEN is you look through your work carefully and check and take out anything you ripped off. You don't just let it float out of your mind and never think about it again unless you're just lying.

[@Frogface91]

I don't have many hyper focus moments and I'm inattentive type with a poor memory, this results in me making COPIOUS notes (because I assume I'll forget things) and also being overly paranoid about having forgotten things so I double/triple/quadruple check everything!

[@Stubagful]

Relevant point no one seems to be making: why is his channel still eligible for monetization? This has annoyed me recently with some high profile cases like James Charles where they've only been temporarily demonetized and then got it back after what seems like an arbitrary amount of time, as if that's an actual corrective measure when clearly it isn't. Its not as if this is a small case, the Hbomberguy video is huge, everyone knows about this. KZbin seriously need a better system of manual review in place for reviewing monetization when a channel's crossed a line, cause it seems to be a case where if the channel is big enough we can wave it past.

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Short answer: because plagiarism isn't against the terms of service, only copyright infringement is. Long answer: from KZbin's perspective this is all just inter-channel drama, which is one of the most lucrative parts of this entire platform. The threat of demonetization is only applied when something has happened that could scare off the advertisers if they leave it unchecked. I kind of went into this when I talked about Sssniperwolf a few months back.

[@timothymclean]

41:23: I agree that failing to check your assumptions is unjustifiable for someone like James Somerton. I double-check my assumptions in petty fandom debates on Tumblr; it's not that hard! It's usually harder to fact-check real-life facts, but the stakes are a _lot_ higher, _especially_ if you're writing something that will be seen by potentially millions of people and not a couple dozen people.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

Way I see it, if something could not be correctly/accurately fact checked for a video they should not have included it in the final products. Thats how so much misinformation gets spread, if you can't verify it don't put it out there hoping nobody will notice.

[@abigailmcdowell4248]

I don't understand the new wave of comment bots, they're obviously bots yet they don't obviously link to external sites?

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Yeah I don't get it either.

[@SIDEKICKDUSTY]

Either they're mainly used to increase perceived engagement on videos the users want promoted, and the excess random scattershot comments are to help disguise them as actual accounts, or they have a link in their bio and the creator is hoping if the bot comments enough, a small percentage might click through, but I doubt the latter strategy would work so I'm leaning towards the former.

[@CouncilofGeeks]

@@SIDEKICKDUSTY the problem with the first theory is these things are being put unprompted on people’s videos. And I know that because I keep having to delete them.

[@SIDEKICKDUSTY]

@@CouncilofGeeks yeah, but I mean these unprompted ones are just to make it look less like a focused campaign, but that's assuming there's other videos somewhere that they're actually supposed to be helping, which is a big, unsupported guess on my part, mind you. The idea being that if youtube accuses the people actually deploying the bot accounts of doing so, they can say, hey, these accounts are leaving comments on all sorts pf videos. The more I try to reason this out, though, the less actual sense it makes to me, to be honest, so I'm pretty sure the idea is plain wrong at this point.

[@orestes0883]

Never underestimate the ability of hacks who use bots to just make them badly so they don't work 😂

[@8114梦见]

The part that really shows how insincere he is (of many actually, but this gets me the most), is when James practically says “If Hbomberguy and his team won’t accept the revenue from this video to contribute to the people I stole from, I’ll just have to donate it to Wikipedia and other charities.” You know another option, if he was actually sorry? … doing the work to track down everyone you stole from, give them proper credit, and send the money yourself… Hbomberguy already spent hours upon hours doing this kind of sleuth work… proving that somebody who wants to do it can. James’ “I’m gonna work my ass off” and “I’m really sorry” just doesn’t cut it when he isn’t willing to put in the smallest amount of work to right the wrongs he has done… only wants to “prove himself”… it’s clear where his true feelings are at.

[@dr.archaeopteryx5512]

"I'm sorry yall are mad at me for some reason" ~every James Somerton apology

[@girlwithtiger5233]

I saw this coming when he was once more active on Instagram and posted a Killing Stalking image on Valentine's Day. Felt as if he was ridiculing everyone who'd ever followed him and trying to see if he could get them to follow him all over again.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

This is after in said video on that Manga, he made it clear Killing Stalking WASN'T a romance story? Wow, just wow.

[@girlwithtiger5233]

@@gRinchY-op5vr Exactly. And while I don't recall the specific wording at all, in a livestream, he mentioned how odd it was that so many readers--particularly female readers--thought it a love story. Regardless of whether one agrees with that interpretation of Killing Stalking, after having been accused of misogyny, posting it on Feb 14 felt a lot like that April 1 video last year where he was almost in tears and asked for more subscribers.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

@girlwithtiger5233 I mean, I LIKE Killing Stalking but I'm fully aware it is not romantic at all. And I don't enjoy it because its male on male as some fantasy I can feel safe watching (Somerton said something along those lines to explain why women like 'gay romance' or 'gay abuse' stories...I like it because it's a good Manga. This makes me wonder if there is indeed plagerism in thay video because its been pointed out before he plagerised so many different sources in 1 video at times he would forget they contradicted each other? This is where I totally buy he has memory issues, they just don't explain the plagerism...they explain how he has so many contradicting 'opinions' in videos

[@kati4858]

I work in academia, I have hashimoto which leads to brain fog and memory issues if not managed perfectly, and since bodies are not perfect I struggle with those things. Not once have I forgotten to credit a source.

[@kati4858]

@margaretgibbs6673 yes i struggle on Bad days enough as it is, i really don't want to imagine what would happen, if my academic advisor starts to believe that people with memory issues are prone to plagiarize because content creator said so

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

​@margaretgibbs6673yes, as Vera said if you do indeed have these issues you work around them as best as possible if it's going to affect the line of work you're doing. Somerton is either lying about having them (sorry but thats the option I think is most likely) or has been able to use them as an excuse for every mess up or bad thing he's done and thinks it'll work again now...because where were these issues when he was telling his fans to attack previous creators who called out his plagerism? He shouldn't have had to disclose everything about himself of course, but if his ADHD and memory issues were truly the problem why didn't he mention them years ago/apologise/put plans in place to make sure it didn't happen again if its true? 🤔

[@gabrielblanchard3921]

A month or two ago, I was thinking about the golden rule (because I am the life of the party). We're used to hearing it all the time, so much so that it sounds trite: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." But when you stop and think about the amount of consideration and generosity and patience we'd _like_ to have from others, the golden rule rapidly becomes _terrifying,_ or exhausting to think about at the very least. I bring this up, because this is one of the few times -- on KZbin or anywhere else -- where I feel like I've seen someone actually try and do unto another what (I imagine) she would have done unto her; and that's amazing. The magnanimity you showed, the insistence on hope even though you saw the likely outcome a mile away, the careful distinction between "that's a bad look" and "that's a _bad thing_ to do," I just ... well, "I'm impressed" sounds _weirdly_ condescending! But, whatever the right way to put it is -- probably _I admire you for making this._

[@BENY0HAMA]

Telos is just a scam. I don’t want him to try with that, it’ll be a case of him collecting a crowdfunding cheque and then never working on any sort of film. You know, like he did before.

[@orestes0883]

I both agree and disagree here. I don't think Telos is a pure scam, in that I don't believe James has no intention of making films as Telos Pictures. But James absolutely does not have the talent, drive, or network to ever actually deliver on his promises. He sincerely wants to be a filmmaker, but he doesn't want to do the hard work of making films. So he's waiting for everything to just fall into place around him, instead of going out and securing sets and props, finding people to do the behind the scenes work, editing the script so it's actually not terrible, etc, etc, etc.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

​@@orestes0883I think he planned to make films, wanting to be a film maker and all that...but didn't realise how much hard work it is and what goes into it. Hence all the delays and excuses

[@munaapfelbaum6576]

Playing ukulele couldn't make this apology any worse. The “measured response” in the thumbnail alone made me so angry. Did he counted on his mother to die so he could use the insurance money for his movie? Did I get that right?

[@dharusiokay9426]

All aboard The plagiarism train!

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

Yep, its pretty much everyone elses fault that this happened according to him - his audience 'wanting' regularly videos (no, we simply wanted genuine videos), his mum dying and her insurance not paying out, his co writer wanting to move back home, his dad being illiterate...the list goes on it seems

[@WolfHreda]

My favorite part of this latest James debacle is that the phrase 'A Measured Response' is basically the subtitle, or like a categorization tool, for several of Hbomberguy's videos. Most famously his climate change one where the quote, "Sell them to who, Ben? Fucking Aquaman?!" comes from. Maybe my second favorite part is the possible(?) Freudian slip where he says "Telos was-- _and still is_ -- my dream." We're watching you, James. 🧐

[@ofthewilderwoods]

I think the Telos part was on purpose, to make sure people know “it’s really not a scam guys, it will happen, I promise!”

[@Blue_Lunacy]

I saw comments on other videos that pointed out that Somerton still haven't taking responsibility for how he attack people who called out his plagiarism before HBomberguy video released.

[@littlerelief]

I love how Dan Olson has become the unofficial reaction source for this whole debacle. Always brings a smile to my face.

[@zekewalker1350]

I saw the title "a measured response" and literally thought "uh oh, he's doubling down" cuz that absolutely came off as him trying to shade H bomber guy

[@LettaLeeJoy]

I have no problem calling James a liar. I'll bet he is lying about his supposed memory issues. The claim is he copy/pasted a bunch of stuff and then just forgot it was taken from other places. If that's the case, why were these things also heavily altered and strung together like a middle schooler cheating on their book report if this was just supposed to be a "springboard"? No, it's vague, it's nonsensical, and it's a lie.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

I'm willing to say anything he says about anything is either a lie or at best an exaggeration - including his family history and health.

[@DuonDRaven]

"There is always a path forward." *-lays some arrows on the ground leading into a storm drain-* "There you go buddy."

[@mckenzie.latham91]

I find it interesting that the only time he shows a receipt Is to try and make excuses for how he had permission to plagiarise some poeple And the dm in quesrion just literally shows he never asked permission at all and the person was just okay with it after the fact Which he thinks means he had permission all along Meanwhile he shows no other recipt for any message, claim or thing he pushes.

[@CorwinFound]

James's Patreon is up, rebranded as "James of Telos" with a total of 9 paying members. Hopefully it stays there and he disappears into the ether of obscure, shamed KZbinrs.

[@munaapfelbaum6576]

9 is still to much. Who is still trusting him at this point?

[@snorpenbass4196]

@@munaapfelbaum6576 I'm having a mental image of James having gotten 9 fake accounts, sponsoring himself much like old-school beggars used to put out their begging bowl with a few low value coins already in it to make people think they weren't the first to give.

[@TwoCatsInLondon]

@@munaapfelbaum6576it’s possible, though macabre, that those accounts are dead people. If it’s his patreon account that existed before, it could be dead people who were never able to unsubscribe because they died.

[@munaapfelbaum6576]

@@snorpenbass4196 Yes, that's the first thing that came to my mind, too!

[@Tb40556]

We’ve got 12 now…. 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@micol7490]

as a bisexual woman i've always been charitable with his misogyny thinking that, maybe, he had very bad experiences with womans. Like been treated like "that one gay friend" that is funny and cool until you have to support him to face homophobia. And, of course, I wasn't justifying his words, nor giving him a pass. Just trying to be kind because I cannot know someone else's traumas. Plus, I was grateful to him because beeing from a small town in italy his video essays, like those of all the other queer folks that I follow, give me a breath of frash air. I thought that he was giving me the chance to discover things that otherwise I will have lots of difficulties discovering on my own. Since of course english it's not even my first language, but here gender studys are not as developed as in other countrys. That's why the plagerism thing hit me so hard. Because someone I was trusting to give me ways to know more about my comunity was activly silencing voices I would like to hear without his filter. Or, at least, with his interference beeing enough clear, so that I and other people would be able to check on their own. I mean, right now I'm not even sure if his words about Helluvaboss were from him. How can I trust his apology? Even if there is still a part of me that wont to trust his words, because his work... but it's not even truly his work, so... has been a safe space for me in some difficult moments. I really don't know, it's fucked up really!

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

At this point we have to assume any original content he put out was the biphobia, misogyny and ignorance of queer history/the AIDS epidemic - everything else is stolen from other people, big or small

[@micol7490]

@gRinchY-op5vr yep, i know...

[@MeeraReads]

This is my first time watching a video of yours, and I love the way you’ve structured it, and your deft handling of some nuanced topics. Will definitely be coming back!

[@r.a.r.1981]

James doesn't understand that if he were 100% serious about becoming a better person and doing better work, he couldn't prove it to us in an apology video. He would need to go dark for a while and actually work on himself, unpacking his issues in therapy. As of right now, he is showing us that the only thing he cares about is getting back on KZbin. Not interested, James, you burned the bridge and now its ashes. WORK ON YOURSELF.

[@pronounsinmybio]

He called it A Measured Response. I don't know why but that part bothers me more than anything. Like, the cunty-ness of just that is enough that I thought the video would be much, much worse. How does he have the spine to do that?!

[@erin4204]

Also on the Final Girl story, the pitch he described sounded like the beginning of Scream 4.

[@chappytts5977]

Let’s be real, it’s just not a unique or particularly exciting idea in general. Sounds like it would’ve made an incredibly predictable movie, and honestly even potentially a little fetishistic if the main twist was supposed to be “the final girl was a LESBIAN all along!!1!” I enjoy trope-y horror, but horror writers who rely SOLELY on tropes ~but it’s okay because I’m self-aware about it~ are a very special kind of lazy and smug.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

It would be interesting if you drop the "new killers keep coming" pattern And deal with the PTSD and survivors guilt that would plague the person... And how we can come back and try to be healthy mentally and etc after such trauma and events. A drama based on that would be interesting But James and Nick are hacks and untalented plagiarists, scammers and liars So it was never gonna be down well.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

​@mckenzie.latham91 yeah like maybe have us wondering if any of it is actually happening, not new killers showing up or that the final girl is suspected of being the killer - focus on the psychological stuff surrounding being a survivor and the constant living in that survival mode later...but that would be too nuanced for Somerton I fear

[@OneEyedmm]

First time viewer. Wanted to say that I appreciate you allowing for redemption and grace. Obviously many will never forgive, and that’s not just understandable, it’s expected. He hurt people, and nobody is required to forgive that. But I often worry that a complete lack of possibilities for people to redeem themselves makes it easier for bad actors to justify causing as much damage as possible before getting caught, cause once you’re caught, it’s over forever. And it also creates incentive for even minor transgressions to be hidden, lied about, or defended, cause without the possibility of redemption, there is no incentive to seek it. Good on ya.

[@DracoGalboy]

No, james. We can't believe you.

[@TheAimers27]

So glad you mentioned Stephen Glass! My brain went right there too! I appreciate how much empathy and compassion that you and Jesse are demonstrating towards James. As always I learn so much from you!

[@turntapeover5749]

His response is so PR coded I cant even take any of it seriously. There's nothing genuine about that guy. He's a liar, manipulator and lazy. He wants to come back because youtube was probably the easiest money he's ever made and he can't handle he lost that easy money and desperately tries to claw his way back anyway he can.

[@sky1846]

You have more strength than I do to not only watch that full video, but to make a long video about it where you offer this guy a way forward. Kudos to you for all of that!

[@hannahgriffith8530]

The way James tries to justify his plagiarism by citing his financial issues also makes it sound like he's entitled to a career on KZbin. I personally don't think anyone is entitled to a career in any specific industry. I believe that everyone is entitled to a liveable income but those aren't the same things. It's like a painter justifying breaking into an art gallery to steal and then sell a bunch of other people's paintings because they couldn't make enough money off of their own work. Just because it would be unfortunate that the painter couldn't make a living off of doing what they loved, that wouldn't make it okay to steal

[@adamtomkins4147]

I know I’m like a year late to this but I think it’s funny that the main thing HBomberguy called him out for was being to lazy to do his own work and then he basically said “I’m gonna make him do the work to find all the people I stole from and redristibute the funds because I’m too lazy to do it myself”

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

Yes the most emotion Somerton even shows in his apology videos is anger at either being accused of being lazy or the accusation that his script is just stolen from a book, shows what he truly cares about and it isn't making up to people he's stolen from

[@BaronesaReturns]

Insert GTA San Andreas "Here we go again" meme

[@Brunoxsa]

Thank you for the video, Vera! As a former fan of James Somerton, I really want him to apologize and try to compensate his victims of plagiarism. Did you know what I do not want him to do? To go back to do essay videos on KZbin! Somerton reinstating old videos not caught on plagiarism, starting a new patreon account and preparing to do new videos really makes his latest apology to sound hollow. I do wish for no harm over Somerton, and I really hope for him to be happy and successful outside of KZbin. However, I will never watch his professional videos ever again! I am legitimately done with James Somerton and his controversies!

[@AlearaJL]

That was a GREAT cold open, Vera! I'm sorry you have to do this again... You and Jessie... =/ Edit to add: Great advice. I hope James can find a place to be successful.

[@CaitlintehCat]

so this is the first video of yours I've watched...and I absolutely adore your sign off, I was not expecting that and boy did I need it today. thank you for that. and your thoughtful commentary on the apology in question

[@otakubullfrog1665]

A second apology rarely fixes the first one. Also, it's easy to notice that online content creators who sat they're stepping away to take a break and work on themselves always seem to show up again way too soon, which never helps. I'm sure that even a week away from something that somebody is used to doing every day feels like an eternity, but it would probably be useful for anybody who's wondering if they've been away long enough to demonstrate contrition to ask for an outside opinion on that.

[@celisewillis]

Exactly. I'm left wondering if James even has IRL friends, like wouldn't you show this to someone to get feedback? The video really feels like "first draft, best draft" was his mantra throughout this

[@nyxicide]

will we ever know peace, will he ever go away

[@charleshockenbury353]

He just can't stop lying And to me it's evident he still wants the narrative to be he did an oopsie and not "I stole and lied"

[@airplanes_aren.t_real]

Oopsie poopsie we made a fucky wucky

[@ME0_]

i love trainwrecks and thats the only reason why this guy is able to provide me with good content

[@TigressInferna333]

His story regarding his mom's life changed. I first donated to him in response to that news and then he said that she hadn't reported a previous bout of depression that was in remission so now I'm doubting that too. What he needs to do is exactly what Harry asked him to do: Help identify his victims so they can be added to the list

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Yeah I’ve seen the pointed out. I didn’t know enough about what he or hadn’t said about the situation in the past to catch that.

[@GMSquared]

HAHA, just started watching I love the cold open! I'll try to remember to come back to the keyboard after I'm done listening.