Lola colon rough draft podcast

This transcription discusses the exploitation of mentally ill individuals on platforms like TikTok. It focuses on the stories of Daniel Larson and Joshua Block, who faced online harassment and manipulation. Daniel, born with developmental challenges, was targeted by trolls and fake managers who took advantage of him for entertainment. Joshua, who had a difficult childhood, became entangled with toxic elements online, including a man named Michael Quinn, who controlled and groomed him. Both individuals faced public embarrassment and their mental health deteriorated. The internet's insatiable appetite for shocking content played a significant role in their downfall, with trolls pushing them to their limits and mocking them. This highlights a broader issue of how the internet treats vulnerable individuals, with platforms prioritizing engagement over well-being. Raising awareness and implementing stricter regulations and support systems are crucial to address this problem. I forgot the title. What's your name by the way? It's Daniel. Daniel? Daniel, what's your name? Martha. My name is Joshua. Joshua, what's your name? It's Daniel. New York! Cancer. It was so hard growing up all these years without a mother. Hopefully I'll be on the news one day. One day you'll fucking die! Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you! Kill you! Kill you! Kill you! I'm gonna fucking kill you! I'm gonna fucking kill you! I'm gonna fucking die! Growing up all these years without a mother. I know. I know. It was so hard. I didn't even want it. It was so hard. I'm currently on the attack. Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Welcome to today's episode of Non-Pasteurized, where we explore the dark corners of the Internet. I'm your host, Lola, and today we are diving into a deeply troubling topic. How platforms like TikTok and the Internet at large exploit mentally ill individuals, turning them into figures of ridicule and entertainment, often referred to as lolcows. Our focus will be on two particularly tragic cases, Daniel Larson and Joshua Block. We'll examine their backstories, their downfalls, and their sinister forces that took advantage of them. Let's start with Daniel Larson. Daniel's journey into the online world is both heartbreaking and honestly infuriating. Born with developmental challenges, Daniel's life was marred by difficulties from the start. He originally lived in a foster care home, and was even on the news, referred to as Little Danny. He had an interview where he had dreams about chasing storms as an occupation. As he began to grow and have behavioral problems, he ended up being kicked out from foster care home to foster care home, and then eventually making his way on TikTok, where his eccentric behavior quickly garnered attention. However, this attention was far from supportive. Daniel became the target of trolls and malicious individuals who saw his vulnerability as an opportunity for entertainment. He was manipulated by fake managers who promised him fame and success to be a singer, but only sought to exploit him further. The only person that would by far be the one helping him out was a man named Bob, who tried his very best to help achieve his goals in somewhat shape or form by even giving him a record studio to record his music in. One of his top songs, Rolling Thunder, is found on YouTube. I will insert my clip here. One particularly cruel aspect of this manipulation involved people impersonating singer Grace VanderWaal, which Daniel had a relationship with, well, convinced relationship with, considering she was only 14 at the time when he was 18 when he had a crush on her. These fans convinced Daniel that he was in a relationship with her. This elaborate deceit played into his fantasies and hopes, making the eventual realization all the more devastating. Names like Grace VanderWaal's impersonators and fake managers may not be well known, but it was basically a snark community of people trying to have a profound impact on Daniel's mental health. These individuals used Daniel's platform to stage pranks or cruel jokes, often leading him to public embarrassment. For example, he would assume that the FBI was stalking him and that he was being watched from corner to corner, even making a scene at an Olive Garden and a Panera Bread where he refused to be kicked out. Insert clip here. Clearly, Daniel is not mentally well. And these individuals used Daniel's platform to, once again, stage pranks and cruel jokes, often leading him to public embarrassment. And they would instruct him to perform outrageous acts or make bizarre statements, all while he believed he was under genuine guidance. Now, let's turn to Joshua Block. These two individuals, Joshua and Daniel, end up eventually meeting up with a man named Michael Quinn, who we will talk about later. But Joshua's story is equally as tragic. Initially gaining attention on social media, especially on TikTok, for his unique and often humorous contents with food reviews about boba and simple things like cover songs, where he has a very slowed, disturbed speech because of just his eccentric personality. But Joshua's life took a dark turn as he became more entangled with toxic elements online. And one of the most disturbing aspects of Joshua's story involves his relationship with Michael Quinn. Michael Quinn, known for his failing hot dog company that is currently against Nathan's hot dogs, controlled and basically groomed Joshua. Joshua is autistic, and he doesn't really know any better, especially since he comes from a hard childhood. Joshua's mother died of cancer when he was younger, and he didn't have much of, well, anyone for that matter, because his father was also away at a rehabilitation center for drug abuse. Joshua's life is documented a lot on his thread, World of T-Shirts, on Reddit, but it is not as in a snark or exploitative way, but at the same time, it equally as is due to Joshua's spiraling, which we will talk about later. Joshua didn't have anyone except for his grandfather, and when he hit the age of 18, he got kicked out and was basically living in motel to motel, and then eventually met a man named Michael Quinn. So, Michael Quinn, you know, under the influence of Michael Quinn, Joshua's behavior became increasingly erratic, and he turned into an alcoholic as a coping mechanism, as he thought that was really the only way that he was going to gain more views. A lot of his comments underneath his post, when they weren't including him drinking, were him to drink more. Eventually, Joshua has also ventured on platforms like Cameo, and has had people pay him to say things that they have submitted on text, which could obviously set someone up for self-sabotage. Additionally, Joshua has a tour guide service in New York, which I have personally paid $40 and have wasted three hours of my life to experience the World of T-Shirts experience. And I will... Oh my God, I keep pausing. I need to cut all this out. As time went on, Joshua relied heavily on alcohol to function daily, leading to deterioration in his health. This addiction further spiraled his life out of control, resulting in numerous public incidents that only served to entertain the trolls and online bullies who followed him. Which included him saying the N-word, and has also included him yelling and animal abuse as stepping on a fish. There's a... I don't know. But when I personally went on his tour, a lot of people were in his face at all times. And considering that he's autistic, he really holds himself well. And under the influence of Michael Quinn, Michael Quinn tends to exploit him and say that he's fine. And find him more of an annoyance, as there are several recordings, which I will insert those clips here, of him obviously just not really caring for the well-being of Joshua, when Joshua, at this point, has admitted himself that he has the shakes. Insert clip here. And eventually, Joshua Block and Daniel Larson even met up, under the influence of Michael Quinn, for a brief moment as Daniel Larson has been homeless ever since he got kicked out of his foster care homes in his early 20s. These... Oh, my God. Like, I keep lagging. Joshua's downfall wasn't solely due to his struggles with alcohol or his relationship with Quinn, but the Internet. You know how your mom has always said, You know how your mom has always said, it's that damn phone? It is always that damn phone. With its insatiable appetite for shocking and humiliating content, it plays a significant role. Trolls and bullies found joy in pushing Joshua to his limits and encouraging his self-destructive behavior and then mocking him for it. They would even stream snipe Joshua and chase him around the streets of New York. The online harassment became a vicious cycle, with Joshua's every move scrutinized and ridiculed. The exploitation of Daniel Larson and Joshua Block highlights a broader issue with how the Internet treats vulnerable individuals. These platforms, while offering a space for expression and connection, also harbor communities that thrive on cruelty and exploitation. The term locale itself is a testament to the dehumanizing view that some Internet users have towards those they target. It's crucial to recognize the role that bystanders play in this dynamic. Every like or share or comment on these exploitative posts contributes to the problem. The algorithms that drive platformers like TikTok prioritize engagement, often without regard for the well-being of these individuals that are involved. It's even worse when there are creators that try to help people like this, like Joshua or Daniel Larson, but it comes more as an entertainment to the masses than anything, such as the World of T-Shirts drink tracker guy. He is simply educating people on how much Daniel Larson drinks, I meant Joshua Block, drinks a day. Which is a lot. Which is a lot. And a lot of people in their comments just make fun of him and find it funny that this is happening to him. I just feel like this creates an environment where the most outrageous and harmful content basically is amplified and is perpetuating the cycle of abuse, such as Joshua even jumping into the Pearl Harbor to swim. Oh my God. I need to stop trailing off and look at my script. So the question is, what can be done? Raising awareness is the first step. By understanding the stories of individuals like Daniel Larson and Joshua Block, we can begin to change the conversation around online behavior and mental health. Platforms need to take more responsibility for the content they promote and the communities they foster. Stricter regulations and better support systems for vulnerable users are essential. Moreover, as users, we have the responsibility too. It's easy to forget that there are real people behind screens, people who are deeply affected by the words and actions of others. Practicing empathy, reporting abusive behavior, supporting mental health initiatives can make a significant difference. Thank you for joining me on this sobering exploration of how the internet can turn vulnerable individuals into objects of ridicule. Let's strive to create a more passionate and responsible online community. I'm Lola, and this has been Nonpasteurized. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. Oh my God, I literally burned that. I will fix that. I will fix all of this in my final. So please do not worry.