Milo Yiannopoulos Could Charm His Way Off A Piranha’s Dinner Plate
My favourite thing that I’ve ever seen written about Milo Yiannopoulos is the following tweet: “Milo Yiannopoulos is the only person whose evisceration by piranhas I would enjoy watching”. I don’t know if it’s the novel idea of piranhas that tickles my fancy, or the fact that he makes my skin crawl, but I enjoy the idea all the same.
Few names conjure more controversy than that of Milo Yiannopoulos, a writer, political commentator and speaker who is regarded as one of the leading voices in the contemporary rise of right-wing politics. While Milo ignites fiery rage in many of us, he is loved and adored by many more.
Over time, Milo’s public persona has become increasingly flamboyant, and a pop-star-like figure to many of his fans. He is known to have made many outrageous statements such as feminism is cancer, transgender people are mentally ill, and more recently, after the shooting in a mosque in Christchurch, “Islam is a barbaric alien religion”.
This shameful comment about Islam may sound comparable to the comments made by Queensland Senator Fraser Anning after the same attack. However, the reactions to what I would consider very similar comments and viewpoints seem to split the public. How can someone still support Milo Yiannopoulos and defend him, yet be flabbergasted and appalled by Fraser Anning?
Sheila Coronel believes that there is a “tendency for personality to be elevated over the professional, image over discourse, style over substance and simplicity over complexity”, especially in our political landscape. Fraser Anning has the personality of your old racist uncle, except for the majority of people subjected to his opinions, the bonds of “he’s family” don’t apply, and we are not obliged to like the person making comments we don’t agree with. This is where Jonathan Woodier’s idea of “karaoke culture” comes into play. Elections often resemble “beauty contests” and personality regularly comes out on top, leaving us unlikely to accept the opinion of someone we find less appealing. For example while Fraser Anning’s opinion of Islam is similar to, if not but a more formal statement of Milo Yiannopoulos’ opinion, Milo’s ability to engage an audience and express a likeable personality projects him in a relatable and authentic light. For Anning however, this is not the case.
Looking at the social media profiles of Fraser Anning and comparing them to those of Milo Yiannopoulos, it becomes pretty clear that personality is not Anning’s strong suit. Anning’s Instagram shows images of him shaking hands with old white farmers. He is neither youthful nor attractive, and his outdated, outback conservative personality shines out of him like the sun bouncing off his balding head. His Instagram is, to put it nicely, pretty vanilla, and while it pains me physically to say it, when comparing their social media, Milo is more alluring.
It is not just his social media that displays a relevant and engaged personality. Milo is also well known in mainstream media. It is important for the media to project information, and to be effective this information must be as engaging as possible. This is where personality shines its strongest, as a beacon for entertainment that often overshadows policy and political correctness. Milo Yiannopoulos is known for saying controversial things, and is constantly in the spotlight, questioned for his actions. While the headlines about him are often negative, the media never seem to miss a spout of Milo controversy, making him a personality in every household.
It seems only fitting to assume that the dissimilarity between reactions to Milo Yiannopoulos’ comments and those of the Queensland Senator come down to the personality that Yiannopoulos carries, and the appeal and relatability his followers find in him.
There is no doubt that Milo Yiannopoulos is full of personality. The 34-year-old dresses to impress, with elaborate coats, sunglasses (even after dark), and fingers laden with large silver rings. His sense of style is, regrettably, admirable. Milo is unapologetically provocative and loud, he knows how to work a crowd, engaging with both friend and foe. When he speaks about his line of work in an interview with Joe Rogan, he admits that while he expresses his thoughts in an outrageous and provocative way, his opinions are authentic.
A 2016 study found that young people aged 16–21 in Australia, the UK and the USA, desire more authentic and accessible politicians. I know that when I think about politicians, I picture boring, grey, balding men in suits who make decisions for me and would say anything to gain my vote. The idea of a political landscape with authentic, relatable people with personality definitely appeals to me a lot more. It’s safe to say that Milo does add personality, and for many people, authenticity to politics. That being said, this left-leaning woman couldn’t think of many things worse than a world full of Milo Yiannopoulos’.
While the evisceration of Milo by piranhas is still very attractive, there is no denying that his trademark personality is the driving force behind his popularity and the reason that, in the eyes of many, he can do no wrong. After all, if personality is so powerful, who’s to say Milo couldn’t use his “appealing” personality to charm a piranha into taking up a vegetarian diet?
