Loading summary
Transcript279 lines
- [00:00]
Steven Crowder
The obesity rate for low income women in this country, okay, who are not on SNAP? 40%. You know what it is for those on SNAP? 57%. So working class Americans with kids not on snap struggling, are paying to make other people fatter. How can we have a country with that? That's what say cut it. Give out a few food stamps for a period of time, a few months, till you get back on your feet. Otherwise, get your ass to work. Look, I can get caviar. Would we take caviar off snap? Pardon my language. Isn't that ridiculous? Should some Cherokee be able to get caviar on SNAP while the other person's eating canned ham? Does that seem right? No.
- [00:38]
Carter (Cherokee student)
A Cherokee person would probably eat Spam. That's her favorite.
- [00:41]
Steven Crowder
That's fair. That's fair. If they do, do they like Spam? Are they fancy Spam?
- [00:44]
Unidentified participant
Yeah.
- [00:45]
Steven Crowder
Okay, I don't like either.
- [00:52]
Narrator/Host
Welcome back to Change My Mind, where we reason through our positions on seemingly controversial topics. During our most recent and longest government shutdown to date, there were a lot of disruptions in the United States, including air travel, national parks, military. But no sector was talked about more or one could argue than the subject of snap.
- [01:14]
Unidentified participant
For the single mothers that got kids. Now, what can we do? We can't defeat our kids, let alone if we do have jobs. Again, what can we do?
- [01:23]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Around 42 million Americans depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as snap.
- [01:29]
Unidentified participant
And who the they think celebrating these.
- [01:31]
Steven Crowder
Mother holidays with no food stamps?
- [01:32]
Unidentified participant
I don't know where the we gonna get the food from.
- [01:34]
Narrator/Host
They showed that the Republicans don't actually.
- [01:36]
Steven Crowder
Believe their own BS when it comes to populism when it comes to funding snap.
- [01:41]
Unidentified participant
I will be at mother Walmart with my steel toes on and my mother helmet and I dare a trying to stop me from walking out that mother store with my grocery trump. It ain't nothing like been knew how to steal. Like please, I go steal a whole turkey and a ham like what I.
- [01:59]
Narrator/Host
It'd be natural to assume that a subject inspiring such strong feelings would be amongst the most necessary virtuous programs allocated in the United States $7 trillion budget, right? But surprisingly, the truth is it's not. Which is exactly today's topic of discussion that took place at Oklahoma University in this installment of Change My Mind. The conversations ranged from productive to cordial to a little or a lot off the rails. But you may be surprised by which students or canines had the most to offer. So sit back but hold your chair tightly for this latest installment of Change my mind and snap.
- [02:54]
Steven Crowder
You know what?
- [02:55]
Narrator/Host
Let's get the off the rails stuff out of the way first.
- [02:58]
Unidentified participant
I can't fathom this idea that like Trump is, instead of cutting aid to say, stop funding the war in Ukraine, stop sending so much aid over to Israel, stop giving the rest of the world so much money, we're giving so much money away, like just candy to everybody. Stop getting paid by these lobbyists, stop paying yourselves salaries even while the government shut down. I think the stat I saw was we're giving Israel enough to where every citizen of Israel gets basically like a million dollars a year.
- [03:27]
Steven Crowder
We're giving like 3 to 4 billion to Israel, which we should stop, but over 100 billion a year on Snap.
- [03:31]
Unidentified participant
But the idea that we're giving Israel all of this money, it's not even our country, and then we're telling Americans, hey, get back to work. You can't have Coca Cola, you can't have candy, you can't have a nice meal for your family.
- [03:41]
Steven Crowder
You absolutely shouldn't have Coca Cola or candy if you don't work. $3 billion to Israel that we should also cut has nothing to do with it. It's less than a 50th.
- [03:48]
Unidentified participant
I just think we should solve all of those other extraneous problems before we start telling American citizens we can't have the nice luxuries. Yeah, you should work for.
- [03:56]
Steven Crowder
Sure you can if you work for it. It'd be like looking at that car and it doesn't work, going, not the engine, not the transmission, let's fix the rear, the bolt on that hubcap. That would be the money to Israel, by the way. I say cut all of it, but it's not even close to snap, let alone if you get to what illegal immigration, the social safety nets, the welfare state that we have is so much astronomically higher. It's so much higher. That was horrible grammar. I'm tired. I've been here for about five hours at this point. I just had to sit down with a friend, Furry, and act like I didn't think it was degeneracy. But we're at the point now where we have to actually deal with the problem. And this is one of the primary problems. And I think that it's a red herring to say, yeah, yeah, but Israel, great, cut it too. It's not even close. But we do have to bring up one other. So I think we agree on principle and I agree with you on all. We don't disagree on anything. Cut all of it. You want Coca Cola, Go Buy it.
- [04:40]
Unidentified participant
The deal you turned down from Ben Shapiro's corporation is worth 50 million.
- [04:46]
Steven Crowder
Sure.
- [04:46]
Unidentified participant
So the company.
- [04:47]
Steven Crowder
Yeah, it employs about 30 people.
- [04:49]
Unidentified participant
A lot of money. And we're still funding Israel. We're still funding all of these militaries across the United States. We are in a deficit of our own.
- [04:56]
Steven Crowder
We're putting the military, the United States.
- [04:58]
Unidentified participant
Well, we're in a deficit for our own, like, national protection. Like, there's not even close because of how much we're giving to them. So I do have questions, though. Where do you make your money? Like, who funds you?
- [05:09]
Steven Crowder
It's entirely funded by viewers. Yeah. About 85% is people who choose to subscribe. So no outside money from donors, from nonprofits. And we do, like, one sponsor a day that makes up about 15% of revenue.
- [05:19]
Unidentified participant
Okay. Based on the demographic of SNAP recipients, that I'm thinking of being, like, single mothers. And based on the cancellation that you went through in 2021, do you see how that, like, is kind of like.
- [05:32]
Steven Crowder
No, I don't. I don't see how it's relevant to subsidizing a government program that's a failure and rife with fraud.
- [05:37]
Unidentified participant
I just think it's interesting that you have put someone in a position of potential, potentially needing to rely on that and then turn around and dunk on the other people who also need to rely on that.
- [05:45]
Steven Crowder
I think it's potentially interesting that you believe things that you see in the media and have no idea as a situation that she is. You think she's on SNAP and ex wife, but I'm not allowed to discuss it because that's the mother of my children.
- [05:55]
Unidentified participant
She's not going to be on snap. I'm glad you respect the mother of your children.
- [05:59]
Steven Crowder
Yeah, I'm not going to be discussing that issue. And I think it's a very feminist thing to then go like. Well, since I can't actually argue this point, let me go to something personal.
- [06:06]
Unidentified participant
When they're ushering the hypocrisy, divorce thing, that's a whole other topic. I wish we would have talked about.
- [06:12]
Steven Crowder
That instead, because I think biggest failure of Ronald Reagan.
- [06:14]
Unidentified participant
Yeah, I think that would have been a lot more interesting.
- [06:16]
Steven Crowder
But, like, I. I know, but it's the sign. You have to talk about the sign. I know it's a feminist thing to want to talk about whatever you want to talk about, but the sign is about snap.
- [06:23]
Unidentified participant
I brought it back in.
- [06:24]
Steven Crowder
I brought it back. Did you bring it back in? Yeah.
- [06:26]
Unidentified participant
I just think it's interesting that, like, a lot of women end up on SNAP from situations like that.
- [06:33]
Steven Crowder
Yeah. To be honest with you, this was.
- [06:34]
Narrator/Host
Later in the day. Not all the conversations were taking place in good faith or were productive at all. And surprisingly, very few people had anything to disagree with once they knew the money on which we were spending these resources for snap. But this conversation was different from most.
- [06:51]
Steven Crowder
We'Ve had in the past.
- [06:52]
Narrator/Host
And I would say productive. And this young lady is lovely as a button. Please welcome and be kind to Carter.
- [07:01]
Steven Crowder
Nice to meet you, Carter. Please grab a seat and I. Do you mind scooching in just so we can. For the camera they can see. I don't know how familiar you are with this, these installments, this series, but I just try and set people a little more at ease. I'll tell you what, it's not. It's not gotcha. It's not scoring points. It's not dunking. It's not meant to be clipped. For reals, though, people will do that. Was created almost a decade ago to have authentic conversations in good faith and see where we agree, disagree, and are able to present our opinions on controversial topics. It will not be uploaded, cut out of context, like a. Like a Jon Stewart type thing. So that being said, controversial topic. And I. I am. I'm at my wit's end. I'm fed up with this. The more I look into snap. Yeah, My position on this is N. Snap completely outright wholesale. If we want something like food stamps for bare necessities, create a separate program. It's so beyond repair and so corrupt. I think in 2025, done with SNAP. If you disagree, you're welcome to change my mind.
- [07:53]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Okay, let me give you some context. So I come from Adair County, Oklahoma. When I was growing up, it was the number one Forest county we've moved up in the world, and now we're the third Forest County.
- [08:04]
Steven Crowder
Good for you.
- [08:05]
Carter (Cherokee student)
I know. Out of all 77. Yay.
- [08:08]
Steven Crowder
It's baby steps.
- [08:10]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Yes. I'm a Cherokee citizen. Cherokee Nation is very prevalent in my local bay town. Even with Cherokee Nation, we still provide, we still depend on.
- [08:21]
Steven Crowder
Yeah. Why?
- [08:22]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Yes, because it's a very rural, very small town. And we have a lot of small jobs that pay minimum wage, so people are not able to afford rent and eat.
- [08:36]
Steven Crowder
Okay.
- [08:38]
Carter (Cherokee student)
We heavily have to depend on horticulture agriculture. We have like, you know, a Tyson factory. We do so much of that kind of work, but that does not pay well. So, you know, we're paying to keep the lights on. Not me personally.
- [08:55]
Steven Crowder
No, I get it.
- [08:56]
Carter (Cherokee student)
But people in My community are paying to have the lights on, but they still need to eat. There's still food insecurity in rural towns. And I think one thing people are forgetting is those rural towns, they're seeing the majority, but they're also not looking at the minority.
- [09:12]
Steven Crowder
You know, what do you mean by that?
- [09:15]
Carter (Cherokee student)
I think some people in the government are looking at the numbers and not the people and the geographical areas of where they're.
- [09:24]
Steven Crowder
Forgive me, what do you mean by those in the government? Because the government position has been overwhelming support for SNAP to the point that it's ridiculous. Where the number one purchased item is sugary sodas, that's $100 to $130 billion a year, $9 billion of which just go to soda alone. You can get everything on snap. You can get caviar on snap, you can get Halloween candy on snap, which I think is immoral and I think is ridiculous. Which is why if we want to go back to a food stamp program for bare essentials, well, that should help people who are in need. But it sounds like you're talking about a nation or the Cherokee Nation, and this neighborhood, sorry, or community was most poor to third poorest. Sounds to me like you're almost advocating for perpetual use of snap, which we know has been very prevalent in the Native American community. And would you say that's made the Native American community stronger or weaker? How's it doing?
- [10:11]
Carter (Cherokee student)
It has made it stronger, but since we're not always recognized, it's not building back up.
- [10:18]
Steven Crowder
What do you mean?
- [10:20]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Like, we're in a very poor rural area, but we're not able to change it dramatically because we're not having more people invest and spend time and work more in our rural areas because they're going to bigger and better places.
- [10:35]
Steven Crowder
Why do you think that other rural areas are able to do so? There are other rural areas that aren't that poor and certainly not for decades at a time. Why do you think it's so specific to the Native American community who get far more disproportionately more government benefits and contribute less. Why do you think that is?
- [10:55]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Sometimes there's a rich person who gives a big amount, whether it be scholarship or funds. They're come in. They're coming in.
- [11:10]
Steven Crowder
No, that's okay, by the way. It's okay. I still get nervous all the time every time I do this. Let me. If this helps you, let me present to you my position.
- [11:16]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Okay.
- [11:17]
Steven Crowder
Would that help? So, okay. And just let me know too, if you want, because I don't want to dominate the conversation. But I also know you don't sit and talk as much for a living. So if it helps, I would say that it is kneecapped and irreparably damaged. The Native American community. I would say the Native American community has been handicapped. They're not a particularly industrious people because they don't have to be and because they are ultra reliant on government services. And I would say that let's, let's grant your scenario, which I wouldn't say is necessarily true in most scenarios, but a wealthy person coming in and investing in a community, sure, that can be helpful. Those people would be very, very hesitant to invest in a community that seems to be dependent in perpetuity forever on government assistance with no interest in getting off of it. That would be. I mean, I would say that, I would say that there's a reason that not only is that one of the poorest communities, but Native American reservations. Despite having advantages in a lot of ways, pretty much everyone looks like an episode of Cops. It's bad, it's bad. Let's just be honest, right? They don't look beautiful, they're not nice. And we've been doing it this way with government assistance and subsidies. Maybe do it a different way. Maybe if you cut people off and go, no, you got to start doing what everyone else does. You got to start trolling by the sweat of your brow. Maybe they would become more industrious. Because I don't think it's helped the Native American community. And I say it because it's a microcosm. There's a huge over reliance on government subsidies, welfare, social safety benefits in the Native American community. But now apply that at large. That's what happens with snap. EBT, people stay on it. 60% of people on it are able bodied. We can't reform it at all. If the government can't cut Coca Cola from snap, then we can't cut anything. Enjoy your debt. You're a lot younger than me. If we can't have work requirements 80 hours a month, which is what's opposed by the Democrat party, then we can't have any requirements. That's why I say we got to do away with it wholesale and do something else. Do you think we should change it to at the very least, hey, get rid of soda treats from snap.
- [13:15]
Carter (Cherokee student)
I would say soda, more health conscious things, but not to get away with it altogether, to kind of compromise with snaps.
- [13:24]
Narrator/Host
Well, so here's the thing.
- [13:25]
Steven Crowder
You can't compromise with SNAP because you can't cut soda, right? There was a huge outcry of people going, that's a violation. Hey, you can't determine what these people. Everyone deserves treats. First off, not everyone deserves treats. Second, for me it's pretty simple. You pay, you choose. I pay the taxpayer. I choose milk, eggs, meat, produce and fabric softener. Otherwise, get to work. Is that fair? No, that's not fair.
- [13:53]
Carter (Cherokee student)
There should be some choice in that.
- [13:56]
Steven Crowder
I don't think there should be any choice. I would be. Our soldiers get MREs and they have to pay for them. Why should someone who's able bodied choosing not to work get anything better than our soldiers? Are you aware of like. And this is, this is not. This is like, I so snap, because you mentioned the. This is true. If you go to Amazon, right? Snap ebt. Okay, right here. So I work, I pay taxes, right? And there are a lot of Americans who work and pay taxes who are support low income Americans, right? Not on Snap. You get 50% off your prime membership. You get unlimited groceries for 4.99amonth. Let me show you what's in the groceries. Lavazza Coffee, $25, Rockstar Ghost Energy. Hey, let's go down to snacks and treats. When you say choice, these are the choices right? Now. That tax pre filled pumpkin buckets of assorted Halloween candy. Does that seem like helping someone with a tough break? And how do we make the case to low income Americans that they should fund that because they are.
- [14:51]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Well, a lot of them have children.
- [14:53]
Steven Crowder
Okay, so do the people paying taxes who are working for a living, right? I mean, because people who say it's taken from the rich, given to the poor, and you look obviously very svelte and I'm sure you know that obesity is a problem in the country. It doesn't affect you. Probably affects me more than you. I have some that I could lose. But the obesity rate for low income women in this country, okay, who are not on SNAP, 40%, you know, it is for those on SNAP 57%. So working class Americans with kids not on SNAP struggling are paying to make other people fatter. How can we have a country with that? That's what say, cut it. Give out a few food stamps for a period of time, a few months till you get back on your feet. Otherwise, get your ass to work. Can you understand why? And by the way, I wasn't raised wealthy and I know those people. I work with these people. I've spent my whole life with these people who out of pride would not take SNAP or ebt. And when they find out what they're paying for. That's a really tough pill to swallow. So could we. So I just said do away with food stamps for essentials for a very limited amount of time. Work requirements. Right.
- [15:59]
Narrator/Host
Meaning.
- [15:59]
Steven Crowder
I think it should be more than 80 hours a week. I think to get anything, you should be working. Sorry, 80 hours a month. Sorry, it's 20 hours a week. Yeah, I think it should be. I think it should be a full work week. And you get a very temp. You get very temporary relief. But I don't think it can be through the SNAP program. It's. I mean, this is not. I didn't know this until yesterday. I didn't see how just you can get. Look, I can get caviar. Would we take caviar? I'll f. Ing snap. Pardon my language. Isn't that ridiculous? So should some Cherokee be able to get caviar on SNAP while the other person's eating canned ham? Does that seem right? No.
- [16:32]
Carter (Cherokee student)
A Cherokee person would probably eat Spam. That's my favorite.
- [16:35]
Narrator/Host
That's fair.
- [16:36]
Steven Crowder
That's fair. If they do, do they like Spam? Are they fancy Spam?
- [16:38]
Unidentified participant
Yeah.
- [16:39]
Steven Crowder
Okay. I, I don't like either. This is, this is sturgeon caviar. Pardon my language. What the. Like, how are we at this point as a country when we're talking about being fiscally responsible and people who aren't working, who are able bodied, are getting caviar or potentially through snap? Could we agree that maybe that's a broken system that we have to do away with it? Start from the ground up with essentials. And I say less choice.
- [17:05]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Okay. When you come from that standpoint, I actually agree with you.
- [17:09]
Steven Crowder
Okay.
- [17:10]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Slightly. Because you're cornering me in that aspect.
- [17:12]
Steven Crowder
Well, I ranted because you said it would help you. So now the floor is yours being passionate. Yes, yes.
- [17:18]
Carter (Cherokee student)
I'll give you that. Starting from the ground up is very hard. I just hope there isn't a trickle down system to it. Never mind.
- [17:29]
Steven Crowder
I think, and I think we agree on what I think, I think, I think to be fair, I think you didn't know how bad it was. Is that fair?
- [17:36]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Yes.
- [17:36]
Steven Crowder
I think you thought, man, someone who's struggling, who's getting bare essentials. I don't think you realize that people who can work, who choose not to are getting fatter on this. All done in the name of.
- [17:46]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Yes.
- [17:47]
Steven Crowder
Equity.
- [17:48]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Branch off of that. Do you think some of those people are mentally declined? Do you think they have mental illness?
- [17:57]
Steven Crowder
Do you think so? And I understand there's A difference with that people like, for example, veterans. But there are other ways to deal with those. You know, there are other ways to deal with. And we can categorize those, but we're not. So that's again why I say if you defund this to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars a year, you'd actually be able to allocate the funding more effectively to the people you're talking about who need it. I do agree that we should help handicap veterans. They've served their country. I do believe that if people are actually mentally handicapped, whatever, adjudicated mentally defective, whatever term you want to use, that they could use some help. I think we could also help by removing some of the red tape for charities. I did volunteer work with these special. They would all live in homes together. These were private charities. They do a friendship club thing every. I think it was Tuesday of the week where we bring in food. And a lot of that is hard because of the red tape. But I think that we need to separate that. That's not who's typically using snap. And those people end up being shortchanged because that person is treated the exact same as an able bodied baby mama who eats Halloween candy. Yeah, I think that's fair. I'm impassioned because I had someone here try to do a bomb threat. So I'm a little bit ornery and I got a furry who's looking to argue with me.
- [19:08]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Yeah, I thought the furry was going to cut the line and I got a little scared for a second.
- [19:11]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I've been here since noon.
- [19:13]
Steven Crowder
Oh, have you? Well, I don't know. What do you want me to say to the furry? It's okay. It's just between you and me. It's weird, right? Should I just go guns blazing and say, stop being degenerate?
- [19:24]
Carter (Cherokee student)
I think everyone has a right of free will.
- [19:27]
Steven Crowder
Sure, fine. I just don't have to act like it's normal. You put on a mascot costume. You know, the scariest thing I ever saw in my life since. I think this has been a friendly conversation. I'm trying to put you at ease. Hopefully this helps, but I'm being a little silly. One of the scariest things I ever saw, and I mean like testicle disappearingly scary. I was at a flea market in a rural area of Michigan and it wasn't just a furry, but it was a furry in a full mascot outfit who put on top of it slacks and like a T shirt to be a furry during casual Friday. I was like, that is a disturbed individual. That was one of the scariest things. And just looking through like, oh, look, look at these old books haggling. Scariest moment of my life. Also when someone tried to kill me. But, you know, it's neck and neck.
- [20:16]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Those two things almost definitely.
- [20:21]
Steven Crowder
Yeah. Well, thank you, Carter. I appreciate the perspective and what do you know, what percent you are a Cherokee or 2% up there.
- [20:28]
Carter (Cherokee student)
So, you know, I got to learn a little bit more than most people do. So I'm very, very passionate about it.
- [20:34]
Steven Crowder
Yeah, well, I'm glad that you're at school and I'm glad you're bettering your situation and you're walking proof that people can do it, that people, regardless of circumstances, can better their lives and manifest their own, you know, their own future. So I really do appreciate, I mean that I appreciate it because I know, I know it can be tough if you come from a rough spot.
- [20:51]
Carter (Cherokee student)
Oh, yes.
- [20:52]
Steven Crowder
Thank you, Carter. Thank you very much. Hopefully it helped. I did dominate the conversation, but with silly horseshit.
- [20:57]
Narrator/Host
Yes.
- [20:58]
Steven Crowder
Okay. Thank you, Carter.
- [20:59]
Narrator/Host
God bless.
- [21:00]
Steven Crowder
Be well. Yeah, as you can see, I did.
- [21:04]
Narrator/Host
A lot more talking there than is typical for Change My Mind. But you know what? It's healthy to be nervous when you're speaking publicly. It's like the number one fear in the United States. And speaking of health, I want to take this chance to tell you about foundation, the only other company that I've ever launched, launched, created or owned. It is a daily multivitamin supplement plus two clinically proven ingredients at their clinically proven doses to help with pain, inflammation, heart, brain health. It's sort of the anti supplement company supplement. And just like Change My Mind provides you with all of the references. Foundation Daily provides you with certificates of analysis as well as the research behind behind the ingredients on the label@foundationdaily.com where you can go to check out the information, the research, as well as subscribe.
- [21:56]
Steven Crowder
To order yours today.
- [21:58]
Narrator/Host
Look, like I say, I've said in the past, if you eat a great.
- [22:01]
Steven Crowder
Diet, if you have perfect cholesterol, blood pressure, you know, you probably don't need it.
- [22:06]
Narrator/Host
But if you want to close the.
- [22:07]
Steven Crowder
Nutritional gaps and be able to trust.
- [22:10]
Narrator/Host
That what you are putting in your body is what is on that label, go to foundationdaily.com and you can subscribe to save 40% for life because you could go out and buy these ingredients separately, but buying them at their verified dosages from reputable companies would cost you around $150 a month. That's why I created it. That's why? It's the only other company that I've created. Foundationdaily.com. if you're interested, please leave a like or a comment below. What you want to see in the future of change my mind. As for right now, on to this. The thing.
- [22:51]
Steven Crowder
All right. Do you mind if I ask you to scooch in for the camera? I know it's. It's going to be hard to navigate with a. The mascot head. What's your name, sir? Can you spell it for the camera? Just say you consent to. To talking.
- [23:04]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Yeah.
- [23:05]
Steven Crowder
Twistal.
- [23:05]
Twistal (Furry participant)
T, W, Y, S, T, A, L. Okay.
- [23:08]
Steven Crowder
Is this your furry name or your. Your biological name?
- [23:11]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I prefer not to.
- [23:13]
Steven Crowder
Okay, but you do consent to sitting down and discussing and you're not going to go to YouTube and say that's not really me?
- [23:18]
Twistal (Furry participant)
No.
- [23:19]
Steven Crowder
Okay. All right. So Crystal, I don't know how from. Oh, Twistal, Twistal, Twistal, Twistal. Does that have any significance like the name, or is it just a cool name?
- [23:27]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Yeah. So it comes from. For my interests, which are geology, meteorology. I really enjoy those. So it's Twister plus Crystal. You can see we're in a tornado.
- [23:38]
Steven Crowder
Oh, okay. What kind of owl is that?
- [23:39]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Huh?
- [23:40]
Steven Crowder
Do you know what kind of owl that is?
- [23:41]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I don't know. No, I just thought it was a cool shirt.
- [23:44]
Steven Crowder
I like owls. You know, the owls, the thing that's cool about them, if you ever actually seen them, if you ever actually watched them catch a rodent, they can be completely silent on approach. I've heard about that. Yeah, it's pretty. It's pretty cool. Did you see the movie Guardians of ga'? Hool?
- [23:55]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I have.
- [23:56]
Steven Crowder
It's awesome. I still say to this day the best animation. Sorry, I'm tired, so I'm a little scatter shot. Twistal. I don't know how familiar you are with this series or these installments, what we do. Let me just kind of set you at ease. It's not designed to be. Gotcha. Score points on the topic at hand. This was pre debate, bro. Pre YouTube shorts when it started. And clips like it'll be uploaded, you know, provided we both have a conversation in good faith in its entirety. So you will not be taken out of context, even if it's a controversial topic. So this topic right now, we obviously just switched. It is. I think that in 2025, considering the abysmal failure, the corruption, it is beyond repair. We absolutely need to wholesale, cut, snap, done, and if anything, put something else in its place. If you disagree, Twistol, you're welcome to change my mind.
- [24:46]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I mean, I don't know much about this topic, so I would not. I prefer not to give any comment. At least when they invited me here, they said it was mostly going to be about, like, the.
- [24:56]
Narrator/Host
Okay, so twisted.
- [24:56]
Steven Crowder
What would you like to talk about? And this is just to be clear. This is something you really do. You're not. You're not trolling, right? Right.
- [25:04]
Narrator/Host
Because.
- [25:05]
Steven Crowder
Because there are people who do that.
- [25:06]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I'll say, like, one of the biggest misconceptions about hurries in general, that we think we're animals. I do not think I'm an animal. I know I'm a human. There are a small subsection called Therians. Identify spiritually with animals.
- [25:22]
Steven Crowder
Okay.
- [25:23]
Twistal (Furry participant)
That's one of the biggest misconceptions I've seen, is that people assume that you think, okay.
- [25:27]
Steven Crowder
And by the way, just because I have to get the mic close to you, if you. If you feel this, just know that's the microphone. I'm not trying to knock you. I just have to get it close. So then what is it to you? Why do you. Why do you do the whole furry thing there?
- [25:40]
Twistal (Furry participant)
So to me, it's again, kind of like a reflection of my interests. This is a character that I designed. I didn't make this costume, but I had an artist draw out what I had in mind. Again, the name comes from Twister and Crystal because I wanted to be able to express all of my interests all at once. The color scheme comes from weather for the.
- [26:03]
Steven Crowder
Pretty much, yeah.
- [26:03]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Rain, yellow lightning, gray, black clouds. And the shape in the middle of the forehead, the yellow one, I don't know if you see that.
- [26:11]
Steven Crowder
Yeah.
- [26:11]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Supposed to be a type of crystal called a Japan Law twin.
- [26:14]
Steven Crowder
It kind of looks like an N64 era heart because it's like a polygonal heart.
- [26:18]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Yeah, it kind of does.
- [26:20]
Steven Crowder
So I just thought it was like, all love, but. Okay, let me ask you this. Twistol. And the good thing is people won't know your real identity. So hopefully you can shoot me straight. Are you one of these people you've discussed? What percentage of your community would you say also have some type of sexual proclivity or it being included in their identity as a furry?
- [26:45]
Twistal (Furry participant)
So I would say that I don't. I can't put, like, any percentage on it, but it is. It's not necessarily an insignificant number.
- [26:52]
Steven Crowder
It's a pretty high number, isn't it?
- [26:54]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I mean, I. I don't know. So I wouldn't. I can't say any numbers.
- [26:58]
Steven Crowder
Okay.
- [26:59]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I honestly don't know, but I do know people that do have that side.
- [27:04]
Steven Crowder
Yeah.
- [27:04]
Twistal (Furry participant)
For me, I choose to, I choose to stay away from it for the most part in terms of art, the costume.
- [27:10]
Steven Crowder
But wait, for the most part? So that means you probably experimented a.
- [27:12]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Little bit with, well, no sex stuff. I have, I have friends that are into that side, and I, I, I pretty much stay with them.
- [27:19]
Steven Crowder
What is you keep saying pro? Pretty much you have, like, an experience early on in college or something like that. Again, no one will know.
- [27:25]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I've, I've never had any kind of experiences with the costume. I do not want to.
- [27:29]
Steven Crowder
You don't want to.
- [27:29]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Partly because this is extremely expensive. Don't want to get it dirty.
- [27:32]
Steven Crowder
Okay. It is a messy, it is a messy endeavor.
- [27:36]
Twistal (Furry participant)
So I, I, I definitely stay away from. Not safer work side.
- [27:42]
Steven Crowder
Okay. Now, do you have a full outfit that goes along with the head or do you just wear the, I don't know. You don't wear the.
- [27:49]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I have hand claws.
- [27:50]
Steven Crowder
Yeah.
- [27:51]
Twistal (Furry participant)
And I, I.
- [27:52]
Steven Crowder
Is that a cost thing where you kind of do it in installments and build it?
- [27:54]
Twistal (Furry participant)
You can. Or you can do it all at once if you have enough money.
- [27:57]
Steven Crowder
Okay.
- [27:57]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Depending on who you want it from.
- [27:58]
Steven Crowder
Okay. Let me ask you, what type of intersect do you think there's like, lgbtq. Because a lot of people think, you know, it's now just a modern expression of gender. And I will tell you this, a lot of people view it as degeneracy when it's an expression of, of gender, sexuality, because those things should be kept in private.
- [28:17]
Twistal (Furry participant)
What exactly are you, like, asking?
- [28:20]
Steven Crowder
Well, you know, when you look online, you look at the furry community, there's usually a lot of the intersectional sort of camaraderie there with lgbtq, and they sort of tag it along to it. So whether you intend for it to be or not, that is the perception that's by design from a lot of activists in the furry community.
- [28:38]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Yeah.
- [28:38]
Steven Crowder
Yeah.
- [28:39]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I mean, I would say that LGBTQ is not at all an insignificant proportion. There are, there's a significant proportion of the fandom that is lgbtq. I mean, what they do is not my business, so can't really comment too much on that.
- [28:55]
Steven Crowder
Yeah, but what if you're kind of. The furry community is seen as sort of a quasi ambassadorship of lgbtq, because it's all about breaking down societal norms, gender norms, you know, healthy approach to human interaction. And I'm going to tell you I don't love it, but I'll have a conversation. But I also don't Love people's positions on SNAP and on illegal immigration. I think that they're. I think we wanted a costume party, but I think walking around in society where people have to adapt to it is uncomfortable, and I do think it's pretty abnormal.
- [29:26]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Well, let me say this.
- [29:27]
Steven Crowder
Do you understand that, though? Yeah.
- [29:30]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Furries generally do not just walk around this in their everyday life. Right. I only wore it here today because I was asked by the president to bring it.
- [29:38]
Steven Crowder
Okay.
- [29:39]
Twistal (Furry participant)
They reached out to me a few days ago asking if I was interested in coming down, and I was very hesitant.
- [29:44]
Steven Crowder
The president of What?
- [29:45]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Turning Point USA's.
- [29:47]
Steven Crowder
Oh, okay, so they asked you to. So are you involved with them? No, no.
- [29:51]
Narrator/Host
They just.
- [29:51]
Steven Crowder
Do they just kind of know you on campus as, like, a furry person?
- [29:54]
Twistal (Furry participant)
They say they saw me on campus because I was with a group of friends on Halloween. We were just walking around campus handing out candy. They took a picture of us and posted it saying, imagine, people thought they could be animals. How scary is this? And I left a comment saying, well, I actually don't think I'm an animal.
- [30:13]
Steven Crowder
Yeah.
- [30:13]
Twistal (Furry participant)
And then they ended up messaging me, asking if I was interested.
- [30:17]
Steven Crowder
But you have friends who think they do view themselves as quasi animals. Right. You say in the community.
- [30:21]
Twistal (Furry participant)
They exist in the community. None of my friends personally fall into that category, but some, a very small proportion, do have, like, they say they have a spiritual.
- [30:32]
Steven Crowder
Yeah. Or a sexual one. Like I said, it's not an insignificant portion. Do you speak out against it a lot? Do you feel that you're. You're tired and you're kind of lumped in with the same lot? Because that. It isn't coming to. If you're just saying, like, hey, it's a costume and it's art. You know, I like Halloween. We do sketches. But when you have a chorus of people saying, hey, this is just as legitimate as heteronormative styles. By the way, we're tagging on with lgbtq, isn't it incumbent upon you to say no? That's kind of degenerate to try and thrust a sexual preference like this into the public spotlight.
- [31:02]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I mean, I'll say what. Most cases of that happening are in a private setting. I would. Whatever they do is not my business. And so I would just leave it to them to do whatever.
- [31:14]
Steven Crowder
Sure. But if someone is wearing it out in public.
- [31:16]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Yeah.
- [31:17]
Steven Crowder
It is everyone else's business. Like, hey, why are you doing this?
- [31:20]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Wearing it out in public is one thing versus.
- [31:23]
Steven Crowder
Yeah. Versus, like, Right. But it's associated with, you know, the Destruct. You know this. Right. I don't want to talk in circles. The destruction of heteronormative sexual behavior. And people are kind of on at the point where, like, yeah, we're less accepting of it because we live in an era where everything has become acceptable and it doesn't necessarily mean it's healthy for society. Costume is one thing, but identifying that way and everyone around having to like, yeah, let's just treat this like it's. My friend Doug is. Is not really a good thing.
- [31:51]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I mean, I don't identify as this, like, outside of whenever I wear it.
- [31:55]
Steven Crowder
Okay.
- [31:55]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Whenever I wear it is only to things like social meetups, like when other people are there, or conventions.
- [32:01]
Steven Crowder
Yeah.
- [32:02]
Twistal (Furry participant)
And conventions. I'll tell you, here's a side of them that almost nobody gets to see. There are some seriously positive interactions.
- [32:09]
Steven Crowder
There's some seriously disgusting ones, too.
- [32:11]
Twistal (Furry participant)
There are.
- [32:11]
Steven Crowder
I ended up accidentally at webcon. Does that ring a bell?
- [32:14]
Narrator/Host
You know what that is?
- [32:15]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I do not.
- [32:15]
Steven Crowder
Oh, my gosh. I was going to an Easter thing at Gaylord Hotel, and it wasn't Easter, it was weebcon. And by the third S M, Spider man slash furry, I was like, I, I, I gotta get. I hit the fire exit with my kids. So if someone sees that, Right, you say they see. They don't see the positive interactions, but they see the freaky stuff. Right. Why do you think that's always on public display? Why do you think if I go on X or Instagram, there's always some weird quasi sexual energy with the furry community? And how accepting do you think that Americans should be at that?
- [32:49]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Well, you could. What I would say is, if something like that is happening out in public, it's more likely to make the news. For example, like, I'll tell you.
- [32:58]
Steven Crowder
Well, no, no, no. But if they do it in private, but then they're dressed as a furry in public, people are going, oh, well, that's one of those people. Because they've made their identity being a furry. And that also is part and parcel of their sexual identity.
- [33:07]
Narrator/Host
Yeah.
- [33:07]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I would say that that's part of. That's where that misconception of everybody does it because it's a sexual thing for this world. Like, for example, whenever I was at a convention in Dallas, I did a presentation on how to find your own crystals. I had about 80 or so people show up. About 100 crystals on display. I gave away half of them. Everybody left home with one. And it was strictly educational and it was amazing. I had a really awesome time. People learned about Rocks. I got to talk about what I was passionate about for an entire hour to a group of people that had no idea what that was beforehand.
- [33:43]
Steven Crowder
Yeah.
- [33:44]
Twistal (Furry participant)
And there is a huge side of that that just largely goes unnoticed.
- [33:50]
Steven Crowder
Okay. So. So it's kind of more of like a Rocky Horror Picture show thing for you, where it's like, you're. You're into this, and you think it's a reflection of art, and it's just something you do. It's not really who you are.
- [34:03]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Yeah, it's. It's. It's something like. I'll tell you, the number of times I've worn this this semester, like, is. I can count all 100. It's not something I do often at all. And it's only with other people.
- [34:17]
Steven Crowder
Sure. We mean with other furries. Yeah. So you don't, like, wear this into class and expect everyone to act like. Yeah, yeah. Just normal. And you would agree that, like, that would be weird and rude and people weren't accepting of, like, you can't just come in. In this. This fur helmet in the middle of class.
- [34:33]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I mean, it would be unusual. I wouldn't say anything, but it would. It's not what most furries do.
- [34:39]
Steven Crowder
It's not what most furries do. They kind of keep it separate. Let me ask, what do you get out of this that you wouldn't get out of? Like, because you say it's art like, that you don't get out of, like, say, a painting or, like, you know, making a movie or a poem, for one.
- [34:55]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I don't consider myself to be creative at all. I cannot draw. I cannot paint.
- [35:01]
Steven Crowder
I can't.
- [35:02]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I have a very hard. I mean, I've even tried, like, music composition, which I can't. Even though I play instruments, I just don't see myself as creative enough to be able to do.
- [35:14]
Steven Crowder
Okay, so it's a reflection of art without the creative element.
- [35:21]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Well, the creative aspect comes from being able to design it yourself.
- [35:27]
Steven Crowder
So, like.
- [35:27]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Yes. I conceptualized this entire thing.
- [35:30]
Steven Crowder
Okay.
- [35:31]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Through analysis.
- [35:32]
Narrator/Host
Okay.
- [35:32]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I had an artist kind of draw out what I envisioned, and then I decided, I like that. It's a reflection of my interests, my weather, my rocks, and just went from there.
- [35:45]
Steven Crowder
Let me ask you this. And actually, I will say I wouldn't quite say you're changing my mind, but you've clarified some things. I've had furries, by the way, on the show, who they were there to distance them themselves from some of the. You know, a lot of. Lot of fun enough, not funny enough, but coincidentally, Enough. Not a lot of death threats and radicalism comes from the furry community on the left. I know Charlie Kirk had to deal with that too. But it sounds like you're saying this is a separate component, like people who might have a hobby. Community. Right. It sounds like you find a sense of community. The sense of community is supposed to ultimately enable you to function more effectively and be less lonely in society at large.
- [36:22]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Large.
- [36:23]
Steven Crowder
If you had a son and he said he wanted to become a furry and he was a young guy, would you. Would you be concerned because of the less tasteful components of the community? Would you say, like, hey, it's great. It's just like getting in soccer.
- [36:37]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I mean, I would. I would offer, like, words of caution. Just, like, be cautionable with these kinds of things. But ultimately, I'd be supporting whatever choice each other. And that's kind of what my parents get.
- [36:50]
Unidentified participant
They know.
- [36:50]
Steven Crowder
Yeah.
- [36:51]
Twistal (Furry participant)
And they're. They're actually very supportive.
- [36:53]
Steven Crowder
Yeah.
- [36:53]
Narrator/Host
Okay.
- [36:54]
Steven Crowder
Twistless. Maybe too personal. You don't have to answer. Okay. I. Hopefully I've been respectful enough. Do you have a girlfriend?
- [37:01]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Or.
- [37:08]
Steven Crowder
Is it a girlfriend you've never met because she's also. She, too, is in a furry mask.
- [37:13]
Twistal (Furry participant)
No, no, no, no, no. Nothing like that.
- [37:16]
Narrator/Host
Okay.
- [37:16]
Steven Crowder
Okay. So you know what? Okay. Yeah. All right. What's the biggest misconception about the. About the first thing that you would say if you can right now, tell the world, hey, furries are not X.
- [37:28]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Or Y. I would say. I would say furries do not think that they're animals.
- [37:34]
Steven Crowder
Okay. But some do. But some do a very tiny proportion.
- [37:38]
Twistal (Furry participant)
But, like, you're about talking, taking a very tiny proportion and applying it to everything. I don't think I'm a. I know I'm a human. I know I'm a human in the way God made me.
- [37:46]
Steven Crowder
Right. Okay, let me. Final question. Because if I have a dog, the sweetest dog on the planet, but I guarantee you, if he saw you like this, he'd go ape. If a dog attacks a furry, you don't blame the dog. Do you get it? If the dog is. If the dog is unnerved, that must. It must happen all the time.
- [38:04]
Unidentified participant
Time.
- [38:05]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I've never had any kind of experience. For the most part, they're kind of scared.
- [38:10]
Steven Crowder
Yeah.
- [38:12]
Twistal (Furry participant)
I mean, my cats kind of freaked out the first time they.
- [38:14]
Steven Crowder
Okay, there you go.
- [38:15]
Narrator/Host
So take.
- [38:15]
Steven Crowder
Take a cap at 120lbs of a cap, and my dog would not like it. He didn't like some people where they were. They were working on the lawn with gators over their face. And he like, it's the one time I saw him. Not like it. This would drive him nuts. So as long as you understand that, you know, I don't want furries going around blaming the having dogs euthanized because they acted. They're like, hey, I've never done any.
- [38:34]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Kind of event like that. Oh, it's not impossible.
- [38:37]
Steven Crowder
Oh, I guarantee what happens all the time.
- [38:39]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Oh, and one more thing I'd like to clarify.
- [38:41]
Steven Crowder
Yes.
- [38:42]
Twistal (Furry participant)
So furry conventions in general are actually one of the best things for local charities. I don't know if you're familiar with this, but usually every convention will be raising money for some kind of charity. A lot of the times it's like a local animal shelter.
- [38:58]
Steven Crowder
Yeah.
- [38:59]
Twistal (Furry participant)
For example, one convention I attended in Pittsburgh, 2024, she raised about $100,000.
- [39:06]
Steven Crowder
That's great.
- [39:06]
Twistal (Furry participant)
Over that for a local. I believe it was a shelter for senior dogs.
- [39:11]
Steven Crowder
Okay.
- [39:12]
Twistal (Furry participant)
And every year they do different ones. Do different charities within the area. These things raised tens of thousands of dollars.
- [39:20]
Steven Crowder
All right, well, I think that's a great thing, so. All right, well, Twistal, thank you. We gotta. Hopefully, if you can see the hand, we got other people who want to come up. But thank you, man. I appreciate. Thanks for illuminating the subject of furrydom, I guess.
- [39:32]
Unidentified participant
Thank you.
- [39:32]
Steven Crowder
Thank you, man. Be well.
- [39:39]
Narrator/Host
I know we didn't really talk about Snap, because the truth is that there weren't that many takers. But Twistle was fun. It was. The conversation happened. I mean, what you think I'm not going to take the opportunity to talk with a furry who shows up in normal human society? Of course I am. It actually seemed like a decent person guy. Anyway, you know the thing. Please stay tuned for the next installments of Change My Mind and let me know what kinds of conversations we. What topics you would like to see. Hit a like and comment below.