Overview of H3 After Dark #79
In this episode, Ethan Klein is joined by David Pakman filling in for Harley, who is away at Shambhala. The show mixes scheduling updates, viral internet clips, a long political discussion about Hasan Piker and online leftist harassment, and a pair of bizarre New England news stories. The tone swings from playful and absurd to pointedly critical, especially during the segment on political internet toxicity and brigading.
Show Updates and Schedule
- David Pakman sits in for Harley while Harley and AB travel to Shambhala.
- Ethan says the show schedule is:
- Monday: main show only
- Tuesday: True Crime / After Dark / True Two’s
- Wednesday: main show + After Dark
- Thursday: members-only
- Friday: two shows as usual
- They tease a special Friday episode described as a very “girly” girls’ night-style show, with David participating as the “target”/guest of honor.
Jimothy the Raccoon Updates
A big early segment is devoted to Jimothy, the internet-famous Seattle raccoon with shortened spine syndrome.
Highlights
- Jimothy is now appearing in:
- Roku City
- Search results when you type “Jimothy the raccoon”
- A banjo marionette performance by Phoebe Sanders
- A Seattle Storm game graphic where “Jim a three” appears after made baskets
- Minecraft-related fan content
- Ethan also shares a touching clip of Jimothy as a baby being protected by his mother, framing her as the “untold hero” of the story.
- The segment becomes a full-on celebration of Jimothy as a wholesome internet icon.
Hasan Piker, David Pakman, and Online Left-Wing Harassment
This is the main serious topic of the episode.
What prompted it
- David Pakman posted a video criticizing Hasan Piker’s appearance at a College Democrats event, where Hasan wore a Mao-style suit and gave a speech that Pakman felt reflected troubling extremist optics.
- Ethan and David then discuss the broader problem of online leftists weaponizing harassment, especially when directed at other progressives or liberals.
Main points made
- Pakman’s argument: the Democratic Party risks being damaged by extreme online factions in a way that echoes how the Tea Party reshaped the GOP.
- Ethan and David largely agree that:
- The extreme left is not as organized or as well-funded as the Tea Party or MAGA.
- However, it can still be dangerous by poisoning political engagement, especially among younger voters.
- They distinguish between:
- legitimate progressive goals like Medicare for All, housing reform, and police reform
- and the more extreme online culture of nihilism, purity tests, “both parties are the same” messaging, and anti-vote blackpilling
Critiques of Hasan’s influence
- Ethan and David argue Hasan’s audience often behaves like a cult, attacking anyone who criticizes him.
- They say his content often:
- stirs anger and hopelessness
- gives no constructive call to action
- encourages brigading, intimidation, and harassment
- They repeatedly stress that criticizing Hasan does not make someone anti-left.
- The discussion also touches on:
- the importance of incremental political change
- the need to work within existing structures
- the danger of treating elections as meaningless and pushing people toward apathy
Escalation into harassment examples
- Ethan shows examples of Hasan’s audience calling Pakman:
- a pedophile
- a Zionist
- a liar
- other abusive slurs
- They note that Pakman’s children were dragged into the harassment as well.
- Ethan and David argue that this kind of behavior is not activism; it’s online stalking and abuse.
Broader political takeaway
- The segment argues that online extremist behavior is less about policy and more about domination, purity, and social control.
- They believe the real damage is to young, impressionable voters who are told that nothing matters and voting is pointless.
- Ethan frames Hasan as more of an attention-driven accelerationist than a genuine revolutionary.
Weird New England News
The show then pivots to two bizarre local news stories.
1) The “mime” pervert in Massachusetts
- A man identified as Hernan Villegrand Lux is arrested for harassing women at a rail trail/state park area near Natick/Framingham.
- Allegations include:
- following women
- staring at them in a disturbing way
- commenting on their appearance and lips
- stripping to his underwear
- coating himself in cooking oil
- working out near park staff
- Ethan and David joke about his strange costume/look, with Ethan initially calling him a mime/magician type.
- They later find his social media, which appears to show more of the same odd behavior and religious posting.
2) Rhode Island fugitive found after 20 years
- Richard Graydon, a former anesthesiologist accused of sexual assault, is arrested after being on the run for more than two decades.
- He allegedly fled during his trial in 2005 and had been living under aliases.
- The story is framed as shocking because he apparently reinvented himself as a biotech executive.
Harley and AB Shambhala Update
- Ethan checks in on Harley’s trip and says AB has already reported that the journey is “insane.”
- They joke about AB panicking and Harley being completely burnt out when he returns.
- Later, a Harley tweet is shown complaining that Indy Campers was two hours late for his RV pickup and allegedly gave him the middle finger.
- A short video of Harley and AB traveling is shown, with Ethan joking about AB looking prayerful and exhausted.
Viewer-Submitted Reels and Viral Clips
David presents a few saved clips/reels in a more casual segment.
Notable clips
- A minor league baseball soundboard clip where David is doing stadium audio work.
- A bizarre but catchy real estate song from “David Azimi Group.”
- A contractor review clip where a client’s “review” devolves into nonsense, with the contractor laughing it off.
- A men’s footgolf world cup clip that both Ethan and David find absurdly funny and rage-inducing.
- A dramatic last-second soccer goal clip with an announcer exploding with excitement.
- A cooking video from chef Marco Pierre White that builds to a comedic smash of a lasagna dish at the end after 12 minutes of whispery ASMR-like instruction.
Other Internet Oddities
A short run of oddball social media personalities follows:
- Stacey Kennison — posts paranoid delusions that Sandra Bullock and Barbra Streisand are targeting her.
- Jenny Nickel Hee-Hee — a bizarre self-presenting account where she proudly says she is “very experienced behind the bedroom door” and has a “warm pink taco.”
- Ethan and David treat these as examples of the internet being a strange place where the unfiltered and unstable can sometimes become mini cult figures.
Closing Takeaways
- Ethan and David argue that the most dangerous part of online political extremism is not necessarily party takeover, but discouraging people from participating in democracy at all.
- They strongly criticize online harassment, snark communities, and purity-based intimidation, especially when children and families are targeted.
- The episode ends with a reminder to keep perspective, ignore bad-faith brigading, and support people doing real-world political work instead of just rage-posting online.
Super Chat Shoutouts
The episode closes with a few viewer shoutouts and thank-yous, including:
- support for the Pakman audience
- compliments for Ethan and David’s political analysis
- a few light jokes about David’s “beautiful mind” and his soundbite-worthy reactions