Former YouTube sensation Nick Bertke aka Pogo used every excuse he could possibly think up to justify the virulently homophobic rant that surfaced yesterday in which he said he “cheered” the Pulse nightclub massacre.
“The things I said in this video I think have deserved the reception that that the video has had…I love confusing people…Then I took it too far [and created the ‘fagottron’ video].”
“There is no pinch of salt big enough to be taken with what I have said. It’s all good and well for me to open a valve and to draw people out into the open – people I don’t like, you know, hypocrites etcetera, but I feel very strongly that it’s been very naive behavior on my part. If I’m going to tuck my tail between my legs and admit anything it’s that these posts and these videos and these things I’ve made for the sake of being edgy have not contributed to any productive conversation.”
“I like some of the things people like Milo Yiannopoulos say, but I don’t like the way he says them. He’ll get up in front of a crowd of people and bash the indigenous people of Australia. He’ll speak in a very sort of derogatory, very provocative way, and I’ve often found myself thinking, ‘is that productive?’ Compared to someone like Jordan Peterson, someone like Stefan Molyneaux, Christina Hoff Sommers, Steven Crowder, Ben Shapiro, Joe Rogan…these are guys who I think have very calm and collected discussions. These are people I could only hope to become like one day.”
Added Bertke: “Apparently I hate gay people…Many of my friends and supporters are gay. There is definitely a degree of irony.”
“It has never been my intention to hurt people.”
Bertke concluded: “You’re within your rights not to believe anything here because I’ve pretty much said that all my words up till now have been bullshit, so all I can say to you is that if you ask my family members, and closest friends, they’ll all tell you the same thing, ‘Nick’s just being an asshole’…It’s a part of me that I think is slowly growing up…if you have recognized the jokes you have my deepest appreciation.”
He also wrote some text to accompany the video, saying:
“I don’t hate gays. I am in fact bicurious myself, and it has not been easy within the culture I have been raised. The 2016 video circulating was a satirical sh*tpost made in bad tastes and I never intended for it go public. I have Asperger’s and Bipolar disorder so my sense of humour and empathy for people is often very muddled. It’s a condition I’ve struggled with for many years as an artist who feels passionately about things and who faces the public eye every hour of my life. The internet has taken the video very far out of context and proportion, but I am very sorry to the people who I the video has hurt or confused.”
I WAS JOKING! I’M AN ASSHOLE! I WAS BEING IRONIC! I HAVE ASPERGER’S! I’M BIPOLAR! I CAN’T BE HOMOPHOBIC, I HAVE GAY FRIENDS AND FANS! I MIGHT BE BI-CURIOUS MYSELF! HAVE I LEFT ANYTHING OFF?
Ugh. Just go away, dude.
