Blocked and Reported - Episode 298
Miss Finland And The Slitty-Eyed Picture
Date: March 9, 2026
Hosts: Katie Herzog & Jesse Singal
Episode Overview
In this episode, Katie and Jesse dive into a whirlwind of recent internet scandals. The main focus: an international uproar over a Finnish beauty queen’s “slitty-eyed” photo and the resulting diplomatic incident between Finland, East Asian countries, and even the microstate of Nauru. Along the way, the hosts update listeners on internet drama involving Lindy West, the legal escapades of notorious troll Charles “Chuckles” Johnson, updates on the CHOP/CHAZ lawsuits, and controversies around tech entrepreneur Brian Johnson. The tone stays irreverent, sarcastic, and self-deprecating throughout, as the hosts dissect both the absurdity and real-world impact of internet culture wars.
Noteworthy Quotes
- Jesse (02:43):
"I've never understood the logic, like, have send your best stuff out to everyone. No. That shit's valuable."
- Katie (06:23):
"On Blue Sky, what would happen is people would like, go girl her... But that's not actually what happened... what actually happened was pity everywhere."
- Jesse (13:10):
"Now I want to be solitary confined for the productivity."
- Katie (29:43):
"I've always been pretty judgmental of beauty pageants... but now I wonder if my own conceptions of feminism were actually kind of misogynistic."
- Jesse (36:00):
"She looks like she either is about to or just did say something very offensive in a certain accent."
Episode Breakdown
1. Podcast Banter & Patreon Pitch (00:12 – 02:48)
- Jesse jokes about editing and podcasting “polish.”
- Discussion of Helen Lewis ducking a “body swap” sex question.
- Light advertising for premium ('primo') episodes; asserting their paid content is “way better” than the free version.
- Tone: Self-aware, self-deprecating, in-jokes for long-time listeners.
2. Internet Drama Updates
a. Lindy West Goes Viral (02:54 – 09:37)
- Topic: Lindy West featured in NYT's "Modern Love" goes viral for her personal account of polyamory.
- Key points:
- Internet reacts with “pity everywhere,” not scorn nor “girls support girls.”
- Viral screenshot miscontextualized (as usual).
- Mockery of both mean Twitter (X) users and “feminist hero” supporters.
- Discussion of similar issues in pop culture (e.g., Lily Allen’s scorched-earth divorce album).
- Observation: The internet—even on progressive platforms like Blue Sky—reacted with “pity” more than outrage or celebration.
- Notable quote (06:26, Katie):
“I put a link here to the search on Blue Sky for Lindy West. ...Let me switch to my burner Because I'm so blocked.”
b. Charles "Chuckles" Johnson Legal Update (09:55 – 16:07)
- Who is Johnson?: “Legendary internet troll,” notorious for spreading hoaxes and conspiracy theories, now facing huge legal judgments.
- Key Points:
- Has cozied up to tech/billionaire figures (J.D. Vance, Peter Thiel).
- Recent jail stint: 77 days, mostly in solitary (“like a writer’s retreat,” jokes Katie).
- Exaggerated claims of FBI-informant status, referenced in international media (re: Epstein-Mossad rumors).
- Timestamps:
- (12:30) Jesse reads Johnson’s jail statement and rants: “Every sentence I read, I lose brain cells.”
- (15:37) Katie: “He was in fact a Confidential informant for the FBI… but not apparently a super credible one.”
c. CHOP/CHAZ Seattle Lawsuit Settlement (16:08 – 19:23)
- Recap of 2020 “cop free zone” in Seattle’s Capitol Hill (CHOP/CHAZ)—part street fair, part lawless zone, part social experiment.
- Multiple lawsuits: business owners, shooting victims’ families, protesters, and journalists. Settlements totaling tens of millions.
- Recent: $30 million awarded to the family of Antonio Mays Jr., a teen shot in the zone, after emergency workers failed to enter.
- Quote (19:21, Jesse):
“Did that whole thing just didn’t really work out?”
- Katie: “Not so much, no.”
d. Brian Johnson & the Lawsuit Saga (19:27 – 26:03)
- Brian Johnson: Biohacker, influencer with a strange personal life—and a boner-measuring contest with his teenage son.
- Revisiting earlier Blocked and Reported coverage about Johnson’s legal battle with ex-girlfriend Taryn Southern:
- Southern’s abuse allegations, coercive NDAs, firing during cancer treatment.
- Arbitration went Johnson’s way on contract grounds, not a declaration of his innocence.
- Johnson weaponized this to frame himself publicly as a victim of “the accusation economy.”
- Ongoing legal wrangling: Johnson has subpoenaed critics and journalists.
- Notable Quote (23:36, Katie):
“Brian Johnson has subpoenaed all of Raspy Aspie's communications about him.”
- Jesse Joke (25:52):
“No, I'm on Brian Johnson's side. Brian Johnson has been wronged by so Brian. Whoever has the most power to sue people is the person I will side with. That's why I'm a big Donald Trump guy.”
3. Main Event: The Miss Finland Scandal
(26:26–54:45)
a. Scene Setting (26:26 – 29:20)
- Katie and Jesse riff on Finland: liquor ferries, the “Sinclair Method” and cultural impressions.
- A primer on beauty pageant scandals (snorting cocaine, makeup-artist blame games, viral moments, general behind-the-scenes chaos).
b. The Incident: The “Slitty-Eyed” Photo (35:51 – 40:30)
- Who: Sarah Dzafce/Jaffe, half-Finnish, half-Kosovan, recently crowned Miss Finland.
- The Photo: Screenshot from a private group chat of Sarah pulling the “slitty-eyed” face, captioned “eating with the Chinese.”
- Initial Defense: Sarah blamed a migraine/eye pain and denied authoring the caption; played up her own ethnic-minority status.
- (37:24, Katie): “Do you buy it, Jesse? She does not look like someone suffering from a migraine in that photo.”
- Escalation: Sarah posted an Instagram from Finnair business class saying, “People throwing hate while I'm in Fin Air business class.” Backlash grows.
c. Institutional Response (40:30 – 41:47)
- Miss Finland Organization issues a rare English-only apology post: “We do not accept racism or discriminatory behavior…”
- Comments in English, Finnish, and Chinese flood the feed, many demanding she be stripped of the title.
d. Fallout & Political Escalation (41:47 – 45:04)
- Ms. Finland is stripped of her title, but the story doesn't end.
- Finnish right-wing/far-right populist “Finns Party” leaps in to “defend” Sarah by posting their own intentionally racist photos—amplifying the offense as a protest against “moral guardianship,” cancel culture, and “wokeness.”
- Notable Quote (42:46, Jesse):
“Mina Olen Sarah” (“I am Sarah”)—echoing “Je suis Charlie” but used to defend someone for making a racist joke.
e. International Blowback: The Asia Connection (45:04 – 47:03)
- Real outrage comes from East Asian internet users—in Japan, China, Korea—who begin to flood Finnish threads.
- Boycott threats, Change.org petitions (with tens of thousands of signatures), angry threads, calls for apology.
f. Diplomatic Incident: Enter Nauru (47:03 – 54:05)
- The Nauru Tourism Board’s official Japanese-language Twitter uncharacteristically piles on, demanding an apology from the Finnish embassy.
- A former Finnish embassy staffer steps in, accuses Nauru’s account of being run by rogue Japanese staff.
- Nauru retorts: yes, this is the official government position.
- Japanese social media users side with Nauru.
- The Finnish embassy is forced to clarify, apologize, and eventually the diplomatic “war” is resolved, but only after multiple apologies and a great deal of embarrassment.
g. Aftermath (54:05 – 54:49)
- The first runner-up takes the Miss Finland crown.
- Katie’s takeaway: “If you’re going to do a racism, make sure your friends are not filming it.”
- Jesse: “Words we have always lived by.”
Key Timestamps
- 02:54–09:37: Lindy West and the internet’s pity Olympics
- 09:55–16:07: Chuck Johnson, FBI informant, jail, and defamation
- 16:08–19:23: CHOP/CHAZ lawsuits and settlements
- 19:27–26:03: Brian Johnson, toxic NDAs, and legal wrangling
- 35:51–40:30: The Miss Finland slitty-eyed photo surfaces
- 41:47–45:04: Finnish politicians amplify and escalate the scandal
- 45:04–47:03: East Asian social media backlash and boycott threats
- 47:03–54:05: The Nauru-Japan account’s intervention and diplomatic showdown
Memorable Moments
- Jesse gleefully reading nasty Twitter threads and laughing at social media “pity” for Lindy West
— “Did that whole thing just didn’t really work out?” (19:21)
- Katie’s savage summary of the Finnish far-right defending a disgraced beauty queen with offensive parody photos.
- Discovery that international diplomacy, modern racism, and internet culture wars go hand in hand—sometimes over a beauty pageant contestant’s group chat snap.
- A running throughline of calling back to hypocrisy: how “cancel culture” and populist backlash often mirror American culture war dynamics, even in homogenous countries like Finland.
Final Takeaway
This episode offers a tour de force of recent internet absurdities—a window into how deeply online life, viral outrage, culture wars, and even ostensible “diplomatic crises” now intersect, usually tinged with both comedy and real stakes. Whether mocking the “bottom of the barrel” populist stunts of Finnish politicians or the high-minded culture of social media pity, Jesse and Katie keep things incisive, irreverent, and deeply skeptical of everyone involved.
For more: blockedandreported.org – “for the good shit.”