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genocide is one thing, but ai slop?!
Can we circle back real quick?
I wasn’t somehow duped by AI? Perhaps I dropped off and had an obscure dream that sunny Tuesday lunchtime?
Nope. I just triple checked, and Trump did proclaim that ‘an entire civilisation will die tonight’ on his Truth Social. Iran had blocked off the Strait of Hormuz to have some sort of leverage in ‘diplomatic’ negotiations with the US and Israel. This was the retaliation.
Having pre-emptively attacked Iran in the first place – don’t forget that – the US leader essentially threw his toys out of the pram at the first sight of retaliation. When a tyrannical government leader does that, it just so happens to look like readying the full-scale annihilation of an entire nation. ‘Never to be brought back again’ is how I believe he worded it.
Ironically, ceasefire talks were planned for that evening, and yet we went into the late hours of Wednesday morning wondering whether genocide could actually be on the cards, or whether we’d seen another extreme case of Trump with the ump.
Thankfully, after what was no doubt a sleepless night, Iran’s civilian population awoke to news that a two week ceasefire was on the cards (though it has yet to properly materialise).
In hindsight, it’s no real surprise that the President was bluffing given the bureaucratic barriers in his way would be frankly endless, but the real surprise is that his deranged threats have been palmed off as just another example of his belligerent negotiating style.
If this was Putin, you can bet national leaders would proclaim his words as proof of extremism, and the phrase war crime would be the most prominent word on news outlets that day. Yet with Trump, 24 hours of tepid moral outrage and BBC banners quickly vanished into nothing.
The man quite literally threatened to kill civilians… children… over economic squabbles and the only notable repercussion a week on has been Candace Owens renouncing her support for him. Meanwhile, the usual cohort of human rights groups shout the word maniac into the void.
Despite making arguably the most unhinged declaration since Nixon said his hand was ‘on the nuclear button’ in 68, there’s no sign of impeachment. The UN won’t touch it and the International Criminal Court has no grounds to get involved in anything with the US. Great!
Get this, though. When it comes to public outrage, the real backlash a mere 7 days later has nothing to do with Trump’s apparent bloodlust, but his decision to post an AI slop image depicting himself as the Messiah – again, on Truth Social.
If there’s one upside to this story, all this online fuckery has dropped Trump’s official approval rating to 50%. For once, some of the damage has been self-inflicted.
⚔️ war games
Tech Bros, Edgelords, and E-girls Threw a ‘Will Trump Nuke Iran?’ Party in NYC – vice
People just want an excuse to meet up and get pissed, let’s be honest. Vice recently rocked up to a party called ‘TACO Tuesday.’ The cursed theme was built around the possibility of Trump nuking Iran after that ridiculous Truth Social post. Hosted by Praxis founder Dryden Brown, the ironic event attracted a ragtag blend of startup types, edgelords, and e-girls all loosely networking while farming content. As well as being in diabolical taste, it all looks and sounds about as cringe as you’d expect. It’s apparently part of Brown’s ‘Network State’ ambition, where an online community can mobilise to any cause they choose in real life, gaining political respect and legitimacy along the way. In reality, it’s more likely just a quirky, bait backdrop for drinks and attention. If you’re an Airbnb owner, keep an eye out for this chief.
Its just an enamel pin in there I swear to god https://t.co/tzll5wmtvm
— pyroxiiumn (@pyroxiumn) April 10, 2026
Iran slams YouTube ban on pro-Iranian group’s Lego-style AI videos – Aljazeera
Al Jazeera reports that Iran’s leadership is fuming after YouTube pulled the account of Explosive Media, a pro-Iran group known for making Lego-style AI videos about the war. The channel was apparently suspended for ‘violent content’, but it appears more likely the message that ‘Iran won’ is what caused the real problem. Given the amount of modded GTA V videos I see my nephews consuming, it’s safe to say Lego animations wouldn’t ordinarily be classified as dangerous extremism. It’s all very 2026, eh? A public platform is sweating over who gets to control the narrative, and safety is the placation being wheeled out. Grim as the context is, there’s something faintly ridiculous about a serious geopolitical conflict playing out through literal AI slop. I’ll die on this block hill.
Iran drops another one. pic.twitter.com/YHJFpavRR0
— mrredpillz jokaqarmy (@JOKAQARMY1) April 9, 2026
🎤 stage presence
Justin Bieber divides fans with stripped-back Coachella set using a laptop on stage – the independent
The Independent reckons Bieber’s Coachella performance has split fans. That’s not the impression I’ve gotten through a social media deep dive, though. Biebs casually pulled YouTube up on his laptop and asked the audience what they wanted to hear. He duetted with his younger self, signing fan favourites like Baby, Never say Never, and that early cover of Chris Brown’s With You that Usher famously picked up. There were also big, theatrical performances with the Kid Laroi, Tems, Wizkid, and Dijon, but his lengthy stint in the pink hoody, slumped over his computer is what grabbed the headlines. The other night’s headliner, Sabrina Carpenter, slighted that she’d be crucified for doing the same thing, but the consensus online is that Bieber’s candid nostalgia-fest was seriously refreshing and faithful to his supporters. Festivals are built on polish and pyro – especially Coachella – but Bieber opted for the same personal feel created by his dishevelled Instagram lives. It felt honest, and you could see he enjoyed it immensely. It definitely landed. Don’t go with the tabloids on this one.
Are Gen Z angry at Kanye West? – thred
My G Charlie has weighed in on the Kanye West Wireless situation, giving some insight into how Gen Z feel about the controversial artist. Having had his three day headliner status upended by a straight refusal to enter the UK, Ye is still selling out shows in the US and topping charts like none of it happened. Plenty of young people are disgusted by his stunts, but plenty more treat his music as untouchable and the man as being secondary. He’s a rare case where public backlash seems to function more like background noise than any real threat to his career. Nobody wants to defend the behaviour, and yet you’d be hard pressed to find a young person that wouldn’t snap your hand off for tickets to a Ye show. Moral clarity gets fuzzy when the catalogue is that hard – prior to The Life of Pablo, anyway. There’s plenty more nuance in the actual article, so go have a butcher’s. The video below also captures the inner dilemma pretty accurately.
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