r/jacobgeller

Just thought it was worth mentioning that this is the most well-executed scandal evasion I've ever seen - he quickly admitted fault on his smallest platform and apologized, then turned off or over-moderated the comments everywhere else to scrub any record of that same apology and is now just staying quiet until things chill out

His YT audience largely has no idea anything has happened considering he only lost 40k subs out of close to 2,000,000 and his Patreon is even less affected, losing less than one percent of subscribers

He'll be able to just sit on his hands til around Christmastime making close to $20,000 off Patreon alone in those months for doing nothing and then put out a little video essay that just conveniently doesn't mention Nebula or his other canceled connections/projects, and life will go on pretty darn well for him from there - anyone who shows up to point out the controversy can just be dismissed by saying "it was years ago", "he apologized", "its been months since that came out", etc

Pretty rough

Although it may seem like it, this is NOT a criticism of the people who feel lied to and betrayed (I personally feel both of those things). It is also not an attempt to justify or defend how he went about it. I’m just asking, like what else was he supposed to do? Do you guys feel like he should’ve admitted to it himself or something? Or was he never supposed make a yt channel to begin with? I’m not saying those are good or bad options I’m just curious as to how everyone else feels about it.
Obv he should’ve never committed SA i’m saying how should he have approached making a yt channel given that he had already done it.

Every post in here has been coming from a side of the story as if we know exactly what happened. I'm absolutely in the boat that I never want to consume his content ever again, and I think he will never post anything ever again. He's gonna disappear. Something I've noticed is that every post is trying to sound so intelligent. So smart. There have certainly been some posts that do have salient points, and I've enjoyed reading them. But most posts feel so "hey chat, give me a smart write up on x topic". To be clear, I don't think people are using chat for these, but it's been so generic and sans personality that it comes across this way. I don't like it. Also, to be clear, SA is awful and I'm hurt too. But there's something extra gross about hearing generic, "I went to a good college" tone to a lot of this. Truly, shut it down. There's no reason for this sub to exist anymore

Firstly, I stand with survivors of sexual assault. When people say they have been sexually abused or assaulted, I believe them. In considering what happens to perpetrators of violence of any kind, but especially sexual, it is the survivors who should have the primary say. The legal system is set up such that they rarely have any say, and certainly not in a timely manner. In all things I want to honor the experience of survivors and more pertinently the survivors of Geller's and my assault.

With that being said much of this post will be conveying my opinion and experience. Not because I do not care but because I am not them. I do not know the extent of their experience and can only express what I know. I hope that despite this, what I have to say will be recieved with grace. I will do my best to recieve criticism and correction with grace.

Also pardon the username. My brain is fried today.

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To restate, I am cis man, and a perpetrator of sexual violence. In late high school, when I was 17 and 18, I had a romantic and sexual partner whom I sexually assaulted. I was verbally coercive to her, for a long period of time. I did what I did not in malice, but in simple self-interest. Often it's said that SA is about power rather than sex. I did not see what I was doing because it was about sexual gratification. I didn't know that power and sexual gratification can be the same, and I didn't know that sex and sexual gratification can be different. I can also state that this period of my life is the most profoundly regretful thing I have done. Especially that I am now only three years removed from that period of my life. Especially that I am still both romantically and sexually involved with this partner.

My partner is aware that what I did was sexual violence. We have discussed it at length, numerous times over the years. We are pesently both in therapy and have discussed it with our therapists. I have, to date, recieved no punishment for what I did barring the guilt I feel now. My partner is also aware that the statute of limitations has not expired yet, so my continued "getting away with it" is by her choice. I would comply with criminal proceedings if they did occur.

Not only is my partner aware but certain close friends and family are aware. When a friend confessed to me that they had experienced prolonged sexual assault from a male partner I considered it my duty to inform them that I was guilty of a similar crime. I live with AFAB people. I considered it my duty to inform them of my history before they signed a lease with me. My partner's parents know, and my parents know.

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All that is to preface my thoughts on Geller's behavior both past and present, as well as the reaction by the community at large. I am tempted to set up Geller as a role model. An example of what reformed men could look like. While I think that there is a place for that sort of public figure (which I do want to discuss), the question needs to be asked; has Geller behaved in that way?

To start, Larua Crone and Jessie Gender were not aware of his history. I'm not sure about Gender, but Crone definitely refers to him as a friend (past tense). Given her history and her art, their friendship makes me feel that she was entitled to some knowledge. Maggie Mae Fish makes a good point: by not telling women he worked with, he took away their agency in rehabilitating him and his image.

In addition, he's referred to his university days several times in his essays. I believe he's referenced and read a college essay he wrote about gun violence (am I right? it's been a while), for example. Given that he feels comfortable dredging up positive parts of his past, shouldn't he feel comfortable dredging the negative parts as well?

That feels to be the fundemental problem with Geller, I believe. We can talk about the morality of being let go from Nebula or MinMax, but the central issue is that people that did seem to have a stake in this did not know. If he wants to be a public figure, fine. If he wants to help the world, fine. Put your money where your mouth is. Write a video essay (just the one) about the culture that led you to that place. How other young men could be different.

I wonder how differently this would have gone if he had a video essay about that. This comes out, and he points to something 5 or 6 years ago and says "yeah, were you paying attention?" Laura Crone could not have been surprised, because she already kew. Maggie May Fish might've not been an unwitting accomplice because she knew and chose to believe that this man genuinely was helping.

I believe that is the most frustrating thing about it for me. It's not about what he did 10 years ago it's about what he's done much more recently. It's about the question of responsibility, of the need to stand and say, just once, "I did this and here's how you can avoid it."

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I am aware that there is some parasociality in the above section, but there it is.

There is a discussion to be had about the possibility of a public figure with that kind of history. Do they need to announce it? How often? How loudly? Why? Do they have the right to even try to be a public figure? If they do, must they only be in public to decry sexual violence, or do they have the right to do other things?

One day I may try to be a public figure. I believe that I have that right (to try, not to succeed), and my guess is that my partner would agree. If I do so I will be loud about my history so other men know what it looks like. So they can know that you don't have to be doing it in malice to be doing harm. I want to stand with survivors and say no more.

I suppose I want to know if that's enough. I guess I want to see Geller really, truly, actually, do the same.

Edit: Small things for clarity. Shouldn't affect meaning at all.

I have no idea how this post will be received on this subreddit, but I've been feeling like I'm going crazy seeing some of the reactions to this case and I wanted to make a post to talk about a few talking points that get brought up over and over again by his defenders that really rub me the wrong way.

The most popular defense I see all the time is that "this happened ten years ago and he shouldn't be judged by actions in the past." Besides the fact that trauma like this takes way longer than ten years to move on from (if they even do) this defense would only barely be valid in my opinion if he started his YouTube channel recently. But he didn't. His first video essay came out in 2018, barely two years after the assault. There's no way there was enough time for him to seriously reflect on his actions in that time frame. This was also during the height of #metoo, and he still felt confident enough to begin a YouTube career using his real name knowing that that information was out there. I personally don't think that he would have ever gone public with this if there wasn't a scandal on Twitter and he needed to do some damage control.

The second defense I see is that "his punishment wasn't as severe as some of the other people, so his actions must not have been that bad." Did the people reading the allegations even take a look at what he was charged with? The people charged in the document are either charged with Sexual Misconduct or Sexual Assault or Violence. Jacob Geller was charged with Sexual Assault or Violence. This distinction matters, and while sexual misconduct is horrendous on its own, it is still the lesser of the two. And even though we don't know the specifics, it is looking likely that Geller raped his girlfriend while she was unconscious which in my opinion is one of the worst ways you could assault someone and a complete violation of consent.

Something that's already been brought up is that the apology is only on Bluesky where he has the smallest following and less people will see it. One thing about that I haven't seen talked about is that on his page the pinned post is still the one promoting his most recent video, so even on the one platform where he's acknowledging what he did you have to scroll down to find it. I'm also sick of people saying it's a good apology. You shouldn't end your apology for committing sexual assault by stroking your ego talking about how you've been making the world a better place. Owning up to it, not making any of it about yourself, completely centering the victim and making it as visible as possible is the only way to effectively apologize.

Another thing that's been really weird to see is this weird entitlement that celebrities and their fans feel is granted to them. People are acting like since Jacob Geller is being dropped from platforms he is losing access to a basic need. Nobody deserves fame and fortune. The vast majority of people, especially people outside the western world, are working paycheck to paycheck and live modest lives. Yet Donald Trump got elected a second term, Louis CK's specials are back on Netflix, Andrew Callaghan still has a successful YouTube career, Michael Jackson's music is still played on the radio. If it wasn't for Julie K Brown Jeffrey Epstein would probably still be out there with no consequences. It's like the worst thing for a celebrity is to not be in the public eye no matter what they've done, which I honestly find insulting as someone who is content living an average life. I often joke that if any celebrity has a scandal they should be forced to work at McDonalds for the rest of their life. That's hyperbole, but I think if Geller is really sorry he should keep just enough of his money to live off of, donate everything else to either the victim or an organization that helps victims, and leave the public eye and work a regular job like the rest of us. But that won't happen. Best case scenario he'll make a half hearted apology video (or even shoehorn it at the end of one of his regular videos in between talking about Control 2 or whatever) or he'll just go back to regular uploads and hope people don't notice. I've seen it too many times, there are no real consequences for men that commit these crimes.

Last thing, before anybody comments that I'm just jumping on a cancellation bandwagon, I'm not posting this to grill the guy. I was a huge Jacob Geller fan. I watched so many of his videos, I genuinely thought he was one of the most insightful people talking about video games on YouTube. Even up until very recently, one of his most recent videos about first person perspective was very moving to me as someone who lives in Minneapolis. It felt very cathartic to hear someone talk about the connection between first person killing in games to first person video of the killing of Renee Good. But as soon as I learned the news about his past actions, he was dead to me. I can't see his smug smile in his profile picture or hear his voice without getting angry. He lied to so many people and built up a nice guy image to hide his depraved actions. He did this so quickly after his punishment, and while I believe his love for video games and his opinions in his essays were genuine, it was also very clearly an act to try to launder his reputation. I unsubscribed and will never watch another one of his videos again. If I can do that as a former fan, I challenge those that might be clouded by your parasocial relationship to look at the facts of the case more clearly.

I don't know if anyone has been slow to realize this, but the fight is over. If you choose to continue watching Jacobs videos or not that is your prerogative and nobody of sane mind is arguing against it.

We now have reached a point of pointless discourse where each 'side' are talking over each other. Every good faith actor still here is grieving, and possibly saying things they will regret. The facts are thus; Jacob has committed sexual assault 10 years back and until he or the victim comes forward that is all we know and there is nothing further that any of these discussions will achieve.

Masquerading in this subreddit have been frankly ghoulish attempts at humour, someone pretending to be the victim, racist 'memes' and people making fun of people for getting emotionally invested in a person and it has all come around because I'm assuming that right wing actors have noticed there's a schism on the left and have moved in to capitalize off it. Remember what we're all really fighting against here, and remember that we're better than this, and them. Someone who we thought was someone else let us down, and we're all on different stages of grief to cope with it. There's no red meat left in this, let's just all try and move on.

I am sorry for all of the trauma and pain that this situation has caused everyone across the internet, I hope we'll be stronger for this one day.

Ten years ago Jacob on his own agreed to be declared a sexual assault perpetrator after the victim came to an agreement with him. Now we are seeing another case of none-committal public outrage, which raises a few social and morale questions:

1. Who are we to decide for the victim how much help they need? If the victim came to terms with Jacob it means they feel satisfied with what they got in the agreement. By saying they need something else or more, you are taking away the victims agency.

2. Do you know what happened? Nothing about the case has been made public and what is know was announced by Jacob himself. Neither the university nor the victim or their representatives published anything about the incident, therefore most of the things Jacob is blamed for are speculative.

3. Where have you been the last ten years? The case happened in 2016 but all the rage and anger is being expressed only now, by that point the community should have been well aware of wide spread sexual crimes and taken preventive measures. Picking up pitchforks and torches ten years later seems very performative

4. Why do you think vengeance is justified? If the victim came to an agreement with Jacob and did not protest the punitive decision made by the university it means the victim was happy with it, in some sense. Demanding any more punishment without proof is not justice it's lynching.

5. Is there any point to the hate? What's done is done, the victim is not pursuing anything more than what they got so from what we know the accident is over and has been resolved to satisfaction of the involved parties, by stoking the hatred you are allowing politics to take over facts. Which sounds like a cult or even the beginnings of totalitarianism.

6. What's up with career and success hatred? All the talk about Jacob's undeserved success after 2016 and that he should be punished for it feels like extra-judicial action. Not sanctioned by any court decision this type of punished, if normalised, will open doors to malicious abuse of unprecedented proportions and violent consequences.

Finally I need to reiterate the most painful and obvious part of this story. Was there an actual victim? For all we know Jacob and the other person had a personal conflict that went out of control, but in fact nobody was hurt. Until victim comes out with their side of the story you are only speculating.

A survivor who worked with Jacob, ironically where he voices lines by a rapist, knowing OP is a survivor, has a lot to say to a lot of the “restorative justice” talk going on here

"On Jacob Geller, on being both a public figure and a person, and on various levels of haunting of houses" -- Laura Crone, on BlueSky

like, most of you probably don't even remember that controversy now, but it was just as big a deal as this is at the time. He was caught fetishizing some trans woman's sneakers because she had big feet or something. Chuggaconroy. He's back to making videos like nothing happened. We just gotta wait for someone else to mess up and people will move on to that. We just gotta hold the fort down.

A recent video posted by Data Male that I think does a good job at centering the conversation. As he mentions in the video, its disappointing to me that Geller fans (of which I was included) have seemingly fallen into some parasocial behavior, and have come out to defend someone who is not in need of your defense. He did not "make a mistake" and he has yet to "atone for his actions". To be as blunt as possible, he raped a girl, concealed that with the help of the college, and continued to become a pillar of this community. He would never have found his success if he didnt hide what he did, and I know he knows that. So I ask, has he really grown? If he can be fine presenting himself as a genuine, honest, and good hearted person, then how does he reconcile the fact that he commited an intentional, violent crime against someone that trusted him, and not only didn't face consequences for his actions, but activly benefited from there being no punishment- he should be on the offenders registry at MINIMUM.

Edit: Alot of you are super comfortable advocating a known, proven, and admitted abuser. The funny part is you dont know him, and he doesnt know you. Your publicly displaying your lack of empathy for a parasocial relationship that doesnt even matter. Exatly the thing this post is about so I must have hit a nerve.

To start, I’m not saying Jacob is definitely redeemed, and many of the following points may be disproven, but people acting like he definitely isn’t and couldn’t possibly be in the future makes me disappointed in the response of a leftist community, where rehabilitation over punishment is an important ideology. People can still be uncomfortable with his past actions and choose to not support him of course, but I don’t think it’s fair to say he hasn’t at least given off the appearance of rehabilitation.

If what we’ve been told is true, he discussed what he did with his victim, admitted guilt, cooperated with the investigation, and accepted punishment for it. Since then, he (by some accounts) has been honest with partners about what he’a done and expressed extreme remorse, and has not recommitted anything resembling SA. He did not tell people he worked with about it, which is arguably the worst thing he’s done since then, but it’s hard to imagine telling people the worst thing you’ve ever done when you don’t know them that well, and when it all but guarantees it results in an immediate blacklist. Still, that doesn’t make it right.

Some people say people who’ve committed SA shouldn’t be able to become a content creator, but I disagree. I don’t see it different from any other job, and I don’t see why that should specifically be prohibited for someone who’s committed a crime to do. People critique him becoming a content creator, but the thing is, he inarguably used his platform to spread a positive message. He did not use that position to spread hate or find more victims, he used it in part to speak against his past behavior. If he understands what he did was wrong, faced consequences, severely regrets it, hasn’t done anything like it in 10+ years, and has spoken out against it in public, what else can we realistically expect someone to do to redeem themselves, or are we really just of the opinion they shouldn’t be redeemed?