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Mark Dice

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Mark Dice
Dice in 2011
Born
Mark Shouldice

(1977-12-21) December 21, 1977 (age 46)
Other namesJohn Conner[1]
Known for
Political partyRepublican

Mark Shouldice[2] (born December 21, 1977),[3] known as Mark Dice, is an American YouTuber, conservative political commentator, author, activist, and conspiracy theorist.[4][5][6]

Career

The Resistance

Dice is the founder of a San Diegan Christian activist group called "The Resistance", described as being "known for its hardline stance on morality".[7] In late 2004, Dice published the website TheResistanceManifesto.com under the pseudonym John Conner. The Village Voice wrote that his pen-name was "presumably" taken from the 1984 sci-fi film The Terminator whose fictional protagonist was future Resistance leader John Connor.[8] A year later, Dice self-published his website writings in book form as The Resistance Manifesto under the John Conner name; an updated 2008 version of the book credited Mark Dice as the author.[9]

In 2008, in response to Starbucks' reintroduction of its original logo (featuring a topless siren), Dice led his group and its 3,000 members in boycotting the coffee chain: "The Starbucks logo has a naked woman on it with her legs spread like a prostitute […] It's extremely poor taste, and the company might as well call themselves Slutbucks." Starbucks had more than 6,000 locations in 2008.[7]

As the founder of The Resistance, Dice told KFSN-TV of his group's intention to disrupt theater showings of 2009's Angels & Demons because the film "is a fraud, aimed at covering up the existence of a secret society called the Illuminati." Dice contended that the Illuminati were instrumental in the September 11 attacks and the financial crisis of 2007–2008.[10]

Conspiracy theories

Dice has been described as a right-wing, conservative conspiracy theorist[11][4] who has provided the media with his input on a broad array of topics.

In May 2005 through his website, Dice advocated for the Georgia Guidestones monument to "be smashed into a million pieces, and then the rubble used for a construction project", claiming that the Guidestones "have a deep Satanic origin and message", that "the New World Order is written all over them.", and that R. C. Christian, the person who built the guidestones, belongs to "a Luciferian secret society" related to the New World Order.[1][12]

In June 2008, Dice launched "Operation Inform the Soldiers", an effort to send DVDs, letters, and declassified government documents to U.S. service members in Iraq. Dice hoped these would prove 9/11 conspiracy theories and cause the recipients to "rethink why they’re fighting."[13] On June 10, syndicated talk show host Michael Reagan advocated on-air that Dice should be assassinated for having done so. Six days later, Reagan hosted Dice on his show and apologized for his comments.[14]

In June 2008, Fox News called Dice a "conspiracy theorist who believes that Freemasons worship Satan and that 'the United States military has built enormous underground cities for the political elite.'"[15]

Dice promoted the Jade Helm 15 conspiracy theories, claiming that the 2015 military exercises were preparation for a declaration of martial law in the United States.[16]

Illuminati

Conflating celebrities with the Illuminati and Satanism, Dice called musicians Jay-Z and Beyoncé "Illuminati puppets. I call them Satanic skanks". Dice described celebrities' connection to the Illuminati as the pursuit of power via message of materialism.[17]

Dice called Super Bowl halftime shows of the 2010s "elaborate Illuminati rituals hidden in plain sight". The Super Bowl XLVI and XLVII halftime shows allegedly featured "secret Illuminati hand signs", while musician Katy Perry—star of the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show—"promotes bisexuality and appears to be some kind of Satanic Witch".[18] Dice published a YouTube video denouncing the Super Bowl 50 halftime show as "gay Pride propaganda". Dice noted the show featured the rainbow-colored message "believe in love" and a platform with four ramps which Dice described as a "crucifix blasphemously placed in the centre."[19]

Political commentary

Dice describes himself as a media analyst and author who exposes "the liberal lunatics and their manipulation of mainstream media." A false claim he made about the funeral of John Lewis was debunked by Agence France-Presse.[20]

2016

Regarding the unrest after the September 2016 killing of Keith Lamont Scott, Dice decried the "black thugs who are rioting over this black thug."[21]

In October 2016, Dice helped uncover that YouTube prankster Joey Salads had staged a YouTube video which cast opponents of Donald Trump in a negative light.[22] Dice called the video from Salads "shameful" and posted a response video in which he showed behind-the-scenes footage from Salads that proved the video was staged.[22] Dice also expressed concern that the video would deflect attention away from actual instances of Trump supporters being attacked, citing the firebombing of a Republican office in North Carolina as an example.[22]

In November 2016, Dice attributed the rise of the alt-right to being "a direct consequence of social justice warriors trying to shut down conservatives on social media and ruin their careers by organizing cyber mobs to harass people's employers".[23] He also cited opposition towards political correctness as a reason for people gravitating toward the alt-right.[23] Also in November, after the Podesta emails were leaked, Dice noted an email from Marina Abramović to Tony Podesta and conflated the former's spiritualism with Satanism, tweeting, "I am now accepting apologies from everyone who said I was crazy for writing books about how the Establishment are Satanists".[24]

In late 2016, Dice helped organize an unsuccessful boycott of Rogue One, a Star Wars film he called "feminist propaganda" on Twitter.[25] Dice also encouraged his fans to boycott Grubhub in November 2016 after Grubhub’s CEO Matt Maloney released a letter that was interpreted as an attack against Trump supporters.[26]

2017–2019

After the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in February 2018, Dice tweeted a distortion of the events: "Someone tell Generation Z kids that in the event of a school shooting, they should call 911 instead of posting video of it on Snapchat." Student survivors, including Sarah Chadwick, pushed back against Dice's claims; Dice deleted the post and did not respond to media inquiries thereabout.[27] Also in February, Dice criticized the Green brothers for selling VidCon to Viacom, calling the acquisition an instance of the "YouTube community being sold out to big media again".[28]

In May 2018, Dice defended controversial tweets made by American actor Roseanne Barr that have been perceived as being racist, saying "Time to ban monkey bars from all school playgrounds, because they’re 'racist' too, I guess."[29]

In August 2018, after racist tweets by Sarah Jeong were published, Dice called her continued employment at The New York Times an "example […] of liberal hypocrisy".[30]

On July 11, 2019, Dice attended the White House social media summit alongside other extremist figures.[31]

In September 2019, Dice claimed in a tweet that "Liberals are now celebrating getting AIDS." in response to American hairstylist and television personality Jonathan Van Ness speaking about his HIV diagnosis in The Guardian and in The New York Times.[32][33] Dice's tweet received backlash from Twitter users, including American actress Patricia Arquette, who called Dice a "soulless skin husk" and added that "I will use this stupid and heartless tweet of yours which is devoid of any humanity and use it as a honey trap to see all the fake religious mindless people I can mute and block. Thanks for sweeping them up like trash for me into one pile."[32][33]

In 2019, Dice said that his achievements were being downplayed in his Wikipedia article.[34]

2020–2022

Dice has spread false claims of election fraud related to the 2020 U.S. presidential election, resulting in his content on YouTube and Facebook being placed behind content warnings.[35]

In mid-January 2021, Dice equated the storming of the United States Capitol to the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, saying that "By BLM standards, it would be what you call a 'mostly peaceful' protest".[35]

In February 2021, in response to Hasbro changing the Mr. Potato Head brand to be more gender-neutral, Dice made a series of tweets, including a tweet on February 25 advocating for Republican states to secede, a tweet claiming that "Mr. Potato Head has been canceled", and a tweet claiming that "Democrats believe there are dozens of genders."[36][37][38]

In early March 2021, in response to Burger King UK tweeting "Women belong in the kitchen", Dice replied "Isn't 'Burger King' inherently sexist? Why not 'Burger Royal' for more inclusiveness?"[39] On March 24, 2021, Dice responded to a tweet made by American filmmaker and author Michael Moore referencing the perpetrator of the Boulder shooting by telling him to "Turn off CNN."[40] In late March 2021, Dice alleged that American podcaster Joe Rogan had "lied" about Spotify censoring Rogan’s content.[41] Dice also misattributed a quote to Rogan that was actually made by American radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in September 2020 when the Spotify censorship controversy started.[41]

In March 2022, in response to conservative political commentator Dave Rubin announcing that he and his husband would have two children through surrogacy, Dice called it "horrifying", adding that "Any Christian or conservative congratulating them is just as bad as the Marxists."[42]

Publishing

Books

Dice has self-published a number of books. After having written The Resistance Manifesto in 2005,[43] in which the alleged Illuminati played a minor role, Dice devoted his entire next book—2009's Illuminati: Facts and Fiction—to them.[44] His book The Illuminati in Hollywood, explains Dice's belief that liberalism is promoted by films and television,[23] while his 2013 self-published book Illuminati in the Music Industry alleges Rick Ross and Christina Aguilera's membership in the group.[45] In November 2019, Dice self-published The Liberal Media Industrial Complex about social media, its political influence, and the "massive backslash from those wanting to regain the influence they once held."[46]

  • The Resistance Manifesto (2005)[44][43]
  • Illuminati: Facts and Fiction (2009)[44]
  • The Illuminati in Hollywood (2009)[23]
  • Illuminati in the Music Industry (2013)[45]
  • The Bilderberg Group: Facts and Fiction (2015)
  • The Liberal Media Industrial Complex (2019)
  • Hollywood Propaganda. How TV, Movies, and Music Shape our Culture (2020)
  • The War on Conservatives (2023)

Videos and social media

In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter described Dice as "best known for his YouTube videos" and a "rising online media star who considers himself mainstream conservative but is being called alt-right by his detractors."[23] Inspired by The Tonight Show with Jay Leno sketch "Jaywalking",[47] Dice records videos in crowded locations where he asks passers-by to answer simple questions or to sign petitions.[23] Dice formulated one such petition in 2013 to repeal the First Amendment to the United States Constitution; by invoking the suggestion of supporting President Obama, Dice found people in Southern California willing to sign.[47] Dice's on-screen persona was described by a fan in The New York Times as a "goon".[16]

In November 2019, KUSI-TV averaged Dice's daily videos as having 250,000 views and enumerated his YouTube subscribers at "more than 1.5 million".[46]

In February 2021, Dice had more than 600,000 Twitter followers.[36]

Personal life

Dice is a member of the Republican Party.[24] As of July 2019, he resided in Pacific Beach, San Diego.[48]

References

  1. ^ a b Jones, Gary (May 18, 2005). "The Georgia Guidestones: tourist attraction or cult message?". Elberton Star Online. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  2. ^ Zagami, Leo Lyon (April 26, 2019). Confessions of an Illuminati, VOLUME I (2nd edition): The Whole Truth About the Illuminati and the New World Order. CCC Publishing. ISBN 978-1-888729-58-0.
  3. ^ Dice, Mark. "Mark Dice - About". Facebook. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Bell, Chris (July 6, 2017). "Trump gif maker apologises for racist posts". BBC News. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019. The Reddit user who created the CNN wrestling gif adapted and shared by President Donald Trump has apologised for racist and anti-Semitic comments.
  5. ^ Rupar, Aaron (July 12, 2019). "Trump's social media summit was a circus. Its aftermath was even worse". Vox.
  6. ^ "Perspective | VIPs expect special treatment. At Wikipedia, don't even ask". Washington Post. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Simpson, Aislinn (May 15, 2008). "Starbucks faces boycott over 'vulgar' logo". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 49632006. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019. Starbucks is facing a boycott from a group of Christian activists in America who claim the coffee chain's new logo is vulgar.
  8. ^ Halter, Ed (August 7, 2006). "Fakes on a Plane". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on August 13, 2006. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  9. ^ Dice, Mark (2008). "Preface". The Resistance Manifesto. Resistance Manifesto. ISBN 9780967346649.
  10. ^ Sykes, Leslie (May 17, 2009). "Angels & Demons Causing Serious Controversy". KFSN-TV. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  11. ^ Lee, Newton (October 23, 2016). "The Transhumanist Platform and Interview with 2016 U.S. Presidential Candidate Zoltan Istvan". In Lee, Newton (ed.). Google It: Total Information Awareness (illustrated ed.). New York City: Springer Science+Business Media. pp. 517–526. ISBN 978-1-4939-6413-0. LCCN 2016946312.
  12. ^ Sullivan, Randall (April 20, 2009). "American Stonehenge: Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse". Wired. Vol. 17, no. 5. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  13. ^ "Group Plans to Send Letters to Troops in Iraq on How U.S. Government Planned 9/11". Fox News. June 10, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  14. ^ "Talk Show Host Calls for Murder". Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. June 24, 2008. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  15. ^ Rogers, Nicholas; Suen, Brennan (August 6, 2015). "Fox's Hillary Clinton Critic Also Blames The Illuminati For 9/11". Media Matters for America. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Tavernise, Sabrina (December 6, 2016). "As Fake News Spreads Lies, More Readers Shrug at the Truth". The New York Times. Ham Lake, Minnesota. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  17. ^ D'Addario, Daniel (January 24, 2013). "The music world's fake Illuminati". Salon. OCLC 43916723. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019. Pop stars like Lady Gaga and Rihanna have figured out how to set the Internet abuzz with Illuminati symbolism
  18. ^ Baxter, Kevin (January 26, 2015). "NFL's latest conspiracy? It's Katy Perry". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 2165-1736. OCLC 3638237. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  19. ^ Porter, Ryan (February 9, 2016). "Conspiracy theories find hidden pop culture agendas". Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. OCLC 137342540. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  20. ^ Timberlake, Ian (August 7, 2020). "Social distancing in effect at John Lewis funeral". AFP Fact Check. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  21. ^ Mirzoeff, Nicholas (September 23, 2016). "How the Jim Crow internet is pushing back against Black Lives Matter". The Conversation. ISSN 2201-5639. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  22. ^ a b c "'Black people don't like Trump' video was staged". BBC News. October 19, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  23. ^ a b c d e f Bond, Paul (November 8, 2016). "How Alt-Right Stars Are Planning for Their Post-Election Future". The Hollywood Reporter. ISSN 0018-3660. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019. 'This is a victory for every American who has been wrongly smeared as racist, sexist or homophobic by the scolds and nannies of the progressive left,' Yiannopoulos said after Donald Trump prevailed on election day.
  24. ^ a b Lee, Benjamin (November 4, 2016). "Marina Abramović mention in Podesta emails sparks accusations of satanism". The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019. An email from the artist forwarded by Clinton's campaign chief has been seized on by the right as proof that the Democratic candidate has links with the occult
  25. ^ Peyser, Eve (December 18, 2016). "#DumpStarWars Crybabies Struggle to Save Face After Blockbuster Rogue One Opening". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  26. ^ Washington, Arlene (November 10, 2016). "Grubhub Users Plan Boycott After CEO Releases Anti-Trump Letter". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  27. ^ Shamsian, Jacob (February 15, 2018). "A teen Florida school shooting survivor is raging against critics who blame the students for how they dealt with the situation". Insider. Insider Inc. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  28. ^ Spangler, Todd (February 9, 2018). "YouTubers React to Viacom's VidCon Acquisition". Variety. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  29. ^ "How the right rushed to defend Roseanne Barr's racist tweets". The Irish Times. May 30, 2018. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  30. ^ Rosenberg, Eli; Logan, Erin B. (August 3, 2018). "An Asian American woman's tweets ignite a debate: Is it okay to make fun of white people online?". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  31. ^ Kaplan, Alex (July 9, 2019). "Trump invited conspiracy theorists, extremists, and bigots to the White House social media summit". Media Matters for America. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  32. ^ a b Zatat, Narjas (September 22, 2019). "Conspiracy theorist taken down after claiming Jonathan Van Ness was 'celebrating' being HIV positive". Indy100. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  33. ^ a b Milton, Josh (September 26, 2019). "Conspiracy theorist taken down swift and fast after trying to come for Jonathan Van Ness over his HIV diagnosis". Pink News. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  34. ^ Cohen, Noam (October 28, 2021). "VIPs expect special treatment. At Wikipedia, don't even ask". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  35. ^ a b Anne Long, Katherine (February 19, 2021). "Militant preppers, 'boogaloo' members and QAnon adherents can push products on Amazon". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  36. ^ a b Jackson, Jon (February 26, 2021). "Hasbro Says That Potato Head Will Keep 'Mr.' After Outcry Over Gender-Inclusive Line". Newsweek. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  37. ^ Mathis-Lilley, Ben (February 25, 2021). "Right Wing Laments Loss of Mr. Potato Head's Imaginary Genitals as Hasbro Gives Toy Line Gender-Neutral Name". Slate. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  38. ^ Petri, Alexandra (February 26, 2021). "An oral history of the Potato Head secession". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  39. ^ Ahuja, Aditi (March 9, 2021). "Burger King Faces Flak For Women's Day Tweet, Here's How Users Reacted". NDTV Food. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  40. ^ Shuster, Andrew (March 24, 2021). "Michael Moore Receives Backlash Over Tweet About Boulder Shooting Suspect". Mediaite. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  41. ^ a b Murdock, Jason (March 30, 2021). "Joe Rogan claims Spotify didn't want some podcast episodes, denies censorship". Newsweek. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  42. ^ Fisher, Anthony L. (May 2, 2022). "Dave Rubin's New Book Is His Desperate Plea for MAGA Love". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  43. ^ a b Dice, Mark (2008). The Resistance Manifesto. San Diego: The Resistance. ISBN 978-0-9673466-4-9.
  44. ^ a b c Hinton, Carla (May 9, 2009). "Book 'Angels and Demons' aims to shed light on Illuminati". The Oklahoman. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  45. ^ a b Paulas, Rick (November 24, 2014). "This Guy Thinks Danny DeVito Is the Antichrist". Vice. ISSN 1077-6788. OCLC 30856250. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019. William Tapley, self-proclaimed 'Third Eagle of the Apocalypse' and 'Co-Prophet of the End Times,' thinks the guy who played the Penguin is going to bring about the Apocalypse.
  46. ^ a b "Media Analyst & Author Mark Dice on new book 'The Liberal Media Industrial Complex'" (Press release). San Diego: KUSI-TV. November 15, 2019. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  47. ^ a b "People Signing Away Rights to 'Support Obama'? Yep". Fox News Channel. April 17, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2019. Media critic Mark Dice told Brian Kilmeade this morning that he started the fake petitions as a social experiment.
  48. ^ McKinnon III, Mike (July 19, 2019). "Youtuber Mark Dice on the censorship of conservatives on big tech platforms". San Diego: KUSI-TV. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
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