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Mark Dice | |
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 Dice in 2011 | |
| Born | Mark Shouldice (1977-12-21)December 21, 1977 (age 47) |
| Other names | John Conner[1] |
| Known for |
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| Political party | Republican |
Mark Shouldice[2] (born December 21, 1977),[3] known asMark Dice, is an AmericanYouTuber, conservative political commentator, author, activist, and conspiracy theorist.[4][5][6]
Dice is the founder of a San DieganChristian 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 filmThe Terminator whose fictional protagonist was future Resistance leaderJohn Connor.[8] A year later, Dice self-published his website writings in book form asThe Resistance Manifesto under the John Conner name; an updated 2008 version of the book credited Mark Dice as the author.[9]
In 2007, theSan Diego Reader reported that Dice had his own one-hour radio talk show: "Resistance Radio" produced byGenesis Communications Network, broadcasting on Sunday nights. He said he was living inVista, California, and that he had started a website at www.markdice.com.[10][11]
In 2008, in response toStarbucks' reintroduction of its original logo (featuring atoplesssiren), Dice led his group and its 3,000 members inboycotting the coffee chain: "TheStarbucks 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 toldKFSN-TV of his group's intention to disrupt theater showings of 2009'sAngels & Demons because the film "is a fraud, aimed at covering up the existence of asecret society called theIlluminati." Dice contended that the Illuminati were instrumental in theSeptember 11 attacks and thefinancial crisis of 2007–2008.[12]
Dice has been described as a right-wing, conservativeconspiracy theorist[13][4] who has provided the media with his input on a broad array of topics.
In May 2005 through his website, Dice advocated for theGeorgia Guidestones monument to "be smashed into a million pieces, and then the rubble used for a construction project", claiming that the Guidestones "have a deepSatanic origin and message", that "theNew World Order is written all over them.", and that R. C. Christian, the person who built the guidestones, belongs to "aLuciferian secret society" related to the New World Order.[1][14]
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 prove9/11 conspiracy theories and cause the recipients to "rethink why they’re fighting."[15] On June 10, syndicated talk show hostMichael 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.[16]
In June 2008,Fox News called Dice a "conspiracy theorist who believes thatFreemasons worshipSatan and that 'the United States military has built enormous underground cities for the political elite.'"[17]
Dice promoted theJade Helm 15 conspiracy theories, claiming that the 2015military exercises were preparation for a declaration ofmartial law in the United States.[18]
Conflating celebrities with theIlluminati and Satanism, Dice called musiciansJay-Z andBeyoncé "Illuminati puppets. I call them Satanic skanks". Dice described celebrities' connection to the Illuminati as the pursuit of power via message ofmaterialism.[19]
Dice called Super Bowl halftime shows of the 2010s "elaborate Illuminati rituals hidden in plain sight". TheSuper Bowl XLVI andXLVII halftime shows allegedly featured "secret Illuminati hand signs", while musicianKaty Perry—star of theSuper Bowl XLIX halftime show—"promotes bisexuality and appears to be some kind of Satanic Witch".[20] Dice published a YouTube video denouncing theSuper Bowl 50 halftime show as "gay Pride propaganda". Dice noted the show featured therainbow-colored message "believe in love" and a platform with four ramps which Dice described as a "crucifix blasphemously placed in the centre."[21]
Dice describes himself as amedia analyst and author who exposes "the liberal lunatics and their manipulation of mainstream media." A false claim he made about the funeral ofJohn Lewis was debunked byAgence France-Presse.[22]
Regarding the unrest after the September 2016killing of Keith Lamont Scott, Dice decried the "black thugs who are rioting over this black thug."[23]
In October 2016, Dice helped uncover that YouTube pranksterJoey Salads had staged a YouTube video which cast opponents ofDonald Trump in a negative light.[24] 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.[24] Dice also expressed concern that the video would deflect attention away from actual instances ofTrump supporters being attacked, citing thefirebombing of aRepublican office inNorth Carolina as an example.[24]
In November 2016, Dice attributed the rise of thealt-right to being "a direct consequence ofsocial justice warriors trying to shut down conservatives on social media and ruin their careers by organizing cyber mobs to harass people's employers".[25] He also cited opposition towardspolitical correctness as a reason for people gravitating toward the alt-right.[25] Also in November, after thePodesta emails were leaked, Dice noted an email fromMarina Abramović toTony Podesta and conflated the former'sspiritualism with Satanism, tweeting, "I am now accepting apologies from everyone who said I was crazy for writing books about how the Establishment are Satanists".[26]
In late 2016, Dice helped organize an unsuccessfulboycott ofRogue One, aStar Wars film he called "feminist propaganda" on Twitter.[27] Dice also encouraged his fans to boycottGrubhub in November 2016 after Grubhub’s CEO Matt Maloney released a letter that was interpreted as an attack against Trump supporters.[28]
After theStoneman Douglas High School shooting in February 2018, Dicetweeted a distortion of the events: "Someone tellGeneration Z kids that in the event of a school shooting, they should call 911 instead of posting video of it onSnapchat." Student survivors, includingSarah Chadwick, pushed back against Dice's claims; Dice deleted the post and did not respond to media inquiries thereabout.[29] Also in February, Dice criticized theGreen brothers for sellingVidCon toViacom, calling the acquisition an instance of the "YouTube community being sold out to big media again".[30]
In May 2018, Dice defended controversial tweets made by American actorRoseanne 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."[31]
In August 2018, after racist tweets bySarah Jeong were published, Dice called her continued employment atThe New York Times an "example […] of liberal hypocrisy".[32]
On July 11, 2019, Dice attended theWhite House social media summit alongside other extremist figures.[33]
In September 2019, Dice claimed in a tweet that "Liberals are now celebrating gettingAIDS." in response to Americanhairstylist and television personalityJonathan Van Ness speaking about hisHIV diagnosis inThe Guardian and inThe New York Times.[34][35] Dice's tweet received backlash from Twitter users, including American actressPatricia 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."[34][35]
In 2019, Dice said that his achievements were being downplayed in hisWikipedia article.[36]
Dice has spreadfalse claims of election fraud related to the2020 U.S. presidential election, resulting in his content on YouTube and Facebook being placed behind content warnings.[37]
In mid-January 2021, Dice equated thestorming of the United States Capitol to theBlack Lives Matter protests in 2020, saying that "By BLM standards, it would be what you call a 'mostly peaceful' protest".[37]
In February 2021, in response toHasbro changing theMr. Potato Head brand to be moregender-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 ofgenders."[38][39][40]
In early March 2021, in response toBurger King UK tweeting "Women belong in the kitchen", Dice replied "Isn't 'Burger King' inherently sexist? Why not 'Burger Royal' for more inclusiveness?"[41] On March 24, 2021, Dice responded to a tweet made by American filmmaker and authorMichael Moore referencing the perpetrator of theBoulder shooting by telling him to "Turn offCNN."[42] In late March 2021, Dice alleged that AmericanpodcasterJoe Rogan had "lied" aboutSpotify censoring Rogan’s content.[43] Dice also misattributed a quote to Rogan that was actually made by American radio host and conspiracy theoristAlex Jones in September 2020 when the Spotify censorship controversy started.[43]
In March 2022, in response to conservative political commentatorDave 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 theMarxists."[44]
Dice has self-published a number of books. After having writtenThe Resistance Manifesto in 2005,[45] in which the allegedIlluminati played a minor role, Dice devoted his entire next book—2009'sIlluminati: Facts and Fiction—to them.[46] His bookThe Illuminati in Hollywood, explains Dice's belief that liberalism is promoted by films and television,[25] while his 2013 self-published bookIlluminati in the Music Industry allegesRick Ross andChristina Aguilera's membership in the group.[47] In November 2019, Dice self-publishedThe Liberal Media Industrial Complex about social media, its political influence, and the "massive backslash from those wanting to regain the influence they once held."[48]
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."[25] Inspired byThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno sketch "Jaywalking",[49] Dice records videos in crowded locations where he asks passers-by to answer simple questions or to sign petitions.[25] Dice formulated one suchpetition in 2013 to repeal theFirst Amendment to the United States Constitution; by invoking the suggestion of supportingPresident Obama, Dice found people inSouthern California willing to sign.[49] Dice's on-screen persona was described by a fan inThe New York Times as a "goon".[18]
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".[48]
In February 2021, Dice had more than 600,000 Twitter followers.[38]
Dice is a member of theRepublican Party.[26] He was reported living inVista in 2007, and in 2019 he was reported inPacific Beach, San Diego.[50]
The Reddit user who created the CNN wrestling gif adapted and shared by President Donald Trump has apologised for racist and anti-Semitic comments.
Starbucks is facing a boycott from a group of Christian activists in America who claim the coffee chain's new logo is vulgar.
Pop stars like Lady Gaga and Rihanna have figured out how to set the Internet abuzz with Illuminati symbolism
'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.
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
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.
Media critic Mark Dice told Brian Kilmeade this morning that he started the fake petitions as a social experiment.
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