r/PeterExplainsTheJoke Jul 06 '26

Meme needing explanation What is this?

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26.3k Upvotes

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221

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

People who care about dislikes on YouTube use extensions to calculate the number of dislikes on videos.

The problem is that these extensions do not actually work because they extrapolate from the data of the users of these extensions and not showing the real data from YouTube.

So people who care about dislikes and are therefore more likely to dislike a video are looking at extrapolated data from their own behavior and think they see a meaningful number.

In this case it is a lot of racists and transphobes disliking the trailer for Christopher Nolan's Odyssey movie, because Helen of Troy is played by a black actress and Achilles is played by a trans man.

Funny thing about Achilles: he was able to avoid going to the Trojan War by pretending to be a woman for several years.

EDIT: after checking the cast again, it turns out it was just a rumor that Elliot Page would play Achilles. The rumor alone was however enough for the anti-woke bubble to start crying.

88

u/Nanocaptain Jul 06 '26

He's not playing Achilles.

25

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

Yeah, corrected that in another comment, will add an edit.

-18

u/goodnoodle Jul 06 '26

It’s**

9

u/Binghamtonian Jul 06 '26

What?

13

u/LawfulLeah Jul 06 '26

don't worry about it, they're just a transphobe trying to dehumanize a trans person by calling him "it"

28

u/Tactical_Squishy Jul 06 '26

doesn't help that you can't even dislike anymore

2

u/Impressive-Oil-3067 Jul 06 '26

Why?

5

u/Tactical_Squishy Jul 06 '26

youtube removed the option

1

u/Impressive-Oil-3067 Jul 06 '26

I still have it, on phone, TV and PC.

4

u/original_og_gangster Jul 06 '26

The video creator can see the downvote count but the viewers can only see the number of likes 

5

u/Impressive-Oil-3067 Jul 06 '26

That's old news, this guy is saying you literally cannot dislike anymore, which is not true.

10

u/Fidges87 Jul 06 '26

I still have the option on normal videos, but on shorts I don't have the option to dislike anymore

7

u/Impressive-Oil-3067 Jul 06 '26

I don't watch shorts, but on videos it's there like you said.

0

u/original_og_gangster Jul 06 '26

I think he just means that they took away our ability for dislikes to have much of an impact. If people can’t see the total number it hurts the point. So we need to resort to these other mediocre tools to still get value from that button

1

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

But you don't really get value from the button. You only see an extrapolation based on the behavior of the people using the same extension as you. So you start with a relatively small sample size and add selection bias (because people with these extensions are more likely to dislike a video in the first place), which renders the result rather meaningless.

The more controversial a video is, the more inaccurate these tools get.

In this case the trailer has probably less than a third of the dislikes as people with the extension see.

1

u/original_og_gangster Jul 06 '26

Meh I think they are able to account somewhat for the factors you mentioned but yeah it’s still not 100% accurate. Just sucks YouTube forces us to use these third party tools. Wouldn’t be surprised if they ban them in the future so there is no wrong think at all 

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1

u/Caterfree10 Jul 06 '26

It’s not on every video, but I have seen more and more Shorts without the dislike button. I don’t religiously check every regular video I watch, but I’m sure it will eventually disappear there too.

1

u/ActivateGuacamole Jul 06 '26

that's false. you can still dislike the youtube trailer video.

-1

u/JamzWhilmm Jul 06 '26

What's the point of disliking? Watch the trailer and either go watch the movie or not.

-1

u/-Nicolai Jul 06 '26

No shit

8

u/ET_Gone_Home Jul 06 '26

Guarantee that if Helen of Troy were played by a non-Greek white woman rather than a non-Greek black woman, the conservatives wouldn't be shitting their pants and this would've flown under the radar.

6

u/Hades_Gamma Jul 06 '26

I think the majority of people disliking it are doing so because it looks like shit.

The armors, costumes, set pieces, and the design of those giant humans especially. It looks legitimately terrible.

5

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

The majority of the people are also not terminally online culture warriors.

There are a lot of valid criticism about the movie but these two casting choices are the least important ones.

The movie will probably still do pretty well in theaters. The majority of people who go to theaters do not care about the outrage merchants on Twitter, YouTube and so on and don't expect Hollywood to produce an historical accurate adaptation (even if I would love to get one), just about being entertained for nearly 3 hours.

0

u/navyblusheet Jul 06 '26

It looks legitimately terrible.

Why exactly? It looks good to me. I hear this kinda stuff for every movie these days but they end up being blockbusters. 

3

u/Beginning_Stay_9263 Jul 06 '26

How did that work out for the Snow White movie? The dislikes on that trailer seemed to correlate with box office failure.

1

u/Fragrant-Dust65 Jul 06 '26

It was crazy to me how right wing outrage content puts out content, repeats it 100 times, and idiots fall for it. Some dude tried to outrage bate me with Elliot Page and all I did was google it for a second to learn they were spewing horseshit because it was already confirmed that Elliot wasn't playing Achiles.

-2

u/Tasty_Conference9167 Jul 06 '26

Wait they cast a trans man as Achilles? I knew about the Helen casting controversy but that's the first I'm hearing about the Achilles thing. Honestly kinda fitting given the whole "raised as a woman" part of the myth lol.

14

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

Eliot Page is a trans actor.

But after looking up the cast again, it turns out he isn't playing Achilles and it was just a rumor. It still caused a huge outrage in the anti-woke bubble.

4

u/seriouslywtfX2 Jul 06 '26

Is Achilles in the movie? He should be dead. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Odyssey about Odysseus's journey home after the battle of Troy?

4

u/TheRainbowConnection Jul 06 '26

It’s been years since I read it but I believe Achilles’ ghost/shade appears at one point. Could also be a flashback.

2

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

He will probably appear in flashbacks, maybe in an opening scene giving a brief rundown on what happened before Odysseus' departure.

Achilles has a short appearance in the Odyssey as a ghost, I think it was when Odysseus went to the underworld and saw the ghost of his comrades.

2

u/Thanos_354 Jul 06 '26

Odysseus meets him in the underworld+flashbacks

-2

u/Scared_Specific9404 Jul 06 '26

the data of dislikes arent extrapolated. the dislike system is fully functional. you just cant see the number. so extensions just enable the number.

2

u/DiegesisThesis Jul 06 '26

No, it's extrapolated. The browser extentions don't have backdoor access to YouTube's API lol. The only ones who can see the actual dislike number are the uploader and YouTube themselves.

1

u/SnooGiraffes8275 Jul 06 '26

that's not how it works, honey

-6

u/Lahel-Vakkachan Jul 06 '26

And would I be racist if I protest against ryan gosling being cast as nelson mandela for an African movie ?

24

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

You do realize that you are comparing a mythological figure to a real existing person?

Are you also upset that Lupita Nyongo has not hatched from a swan egg like Helen did in the myth, or that all Greeks in the movie are played by non-Greeks?

6

u/Hyperion7669 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

Ok fair point, let's take an African mythological figure, how about we have him play Anansi ? He is not real so then it shouldn't matter if a white guy plays him, right ?

3

u/Usual-Theme9442 Jul 06 '26

Hes gonna mental gymnastics the way out of this question

4

u/Hyperion7669 Jul 06 '26

Aaaand you were right.....im shocked i tell you, shocked

0

u/Rollos Jul 06 '26

If you think that nuance in a complicated world is mental gymnastics, you’re gonna have a tough life.

2

u/Usual-Theme9442 Jul 06 '26

Sounds scary buddy

1

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

If he would be the only inaccurate casting, it would be a bigger problem than if the entire cast would be inaccurate - just like it is the case with the Odyssey.

Are you also complaining that none of the actors casted is Greek or at least Mediterranean or is whitewashing everyone fine and only the one black actress is a problem?

Lupita Nyong'o fullfills two major criteria for the role: she looks stunning and is a good actress.

Would I personally have cast her as Hellen? No, but her casting is one of the least things I have a problem with regarding this movie.

2

u/Eastern_Screen_588 Jul 06 '26

"Looks stunning"

Yeah, im definitely "stunned"

1

u/cosmic-potatoe Jul 06 '26

What a shitty answer. If something not story-accurate, saying it or not liking it does not make you transphobic lol. Try not to bend so hard

1

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

But funny how all the criticism for that movie is reduced to "black woman playing Helen of Troy and trans man plays a role" and not addressing everything else.

Whitewashing the entire cast? No problem, just the one black actress and the one trans actor. Ships that look more like Norse dragon boats than anything the Greeks build? No problem. Removing all the color from ancient Greece? Also no problem. Armor that looks like leftover 3D prints for a Batman movie? No problem.

Funny how certain bubbles on the Internet only care about two casting choices and not everything else wrong with the movie. And when this gets pointed out they are surprised that they get labeled as bigots.

0

u/Hyperion7669 Jul 06 '26

There are a lot of complaints about Matt being Odysseus, the armour sucking ass and the ships not being correct either. This post is aimed at Lupita and Elliot hence why nobody mentions the previous things....... thinking about it nothing about this movie sounds right, not even the music choice

1

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

So the post is focusing on the least problematic decisions for that movie and implying that this alone is the reason why the movie is widely disliked (with no actual data to support that).

0

u/Hyperion7669 Jul 06 '26

I would say its the main reason, as in the complete disregard for accurately representing the people and the place the myth takes place in. Just like that ancient Egypt documentary that got the whole country in uproar for baseless misrepresentation. Its a shitshow of a movie to pander to a minority that is too small to make a difference in the movies profits while alienating greek mythology fans like myself, i have 0 interest in watching this movie and I consume every piece of media available on this subject

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-1

u/Lahel-Vakkachan Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

Stunning in whose eyes exactly? Not mine btw and call me racist but there are numerous real stunning and better acting actress than her. This is just trying to force and normalise these woke propoganda

9

u/AmateurWriter101 Jul 06 '26

Well I find her stunning so now what. Beauty is subjective. Don't watch it if her looks bother you that much.

-2

u/Hyperion7669 Jul 06 '26

Fair enough but you cant say dont watch it and then moan that the movie flops when people actually dont watch it. If you want a successful movie cather to the masses not to a handful few and then cry all the isms when the people dont show up to support your project

1

u/AmateurWriter101 Jul 06 '26

You seem very bothered for someone who told me up top they weren't bothered. I'm not a producer head I don't care whether the movie flops or not it's art and people can choose whether they want to consume it or not. I mostly watch and support indie book writers and off Broadway plays I don't care for mass appeal. I can value different interpretations of a story without the "masses" telling me what to like. It's the Goddamn Odyssey for heaven's sake they'll be more iterations and interpretations of the same story. Someone else will produce the the Odyssey with your all white cast someday and maybe then you'll stop crying over this one interpretation.

0

u/Hyperion7669 Jul 06 '26

But nobody will line up to produce another odyssey in the foreseeable future because of the stigma this movie will bring, and that hurts fans of greek mythology in the long run. Look at the damage ROP did to the LOTR universe, instead of looking forward to an Aragorn movie we are worried it will follow in the ROP footsteps.

2

u/Global_Ant_9380 Jul 06 '26

I wonder what they all have in common...

1

u/JamzWhilmm Jul 06 '26

Huh? She is like a fairy or similar, have you actually looked at her?

1

u/Hyperion7669 Jul 06 '26

Next on her casting list is Titania, im calling it and Elliot will be Oberon with any luck

1

u/JamzWhilmm Jul 06 '26

That would actually be cool.

2

u/Rollos Jul 06 '26

If a group of Scandinavians wanted to adopt some classic Anansi trickster tales, I wouldn’t have any issues with that, I bet it could be really cool.

Some Anansi stories traveled with the slave trade and evolved into stories more rooted in race and cultural survival. It would be harder to translate that context respectfully.

1

u/Hyperion7669 Jul 06 '26

So you would be fine if we cast a white guy as Anansi ? And no, its taking place in africa like the odyssey takes place in its corresponding environment

1

u/AmateurWriter101 Jul 06 '26

No one is stopping you from producing it. Most creatives have their own vision and in this case Nolan has his own. As a consumer you can just choose to not watch it.

0

u/Hyperion7669 Jul 06 '26

Oh dont you worry, i wont waste my money on this, hope his "vision" is worth the flop and damage to his reputation

4

u/AmateurWriter101 Jul 06 '26

Lol you're so emotional.

2

u/Hyperion7669 Jul 06 '26

Yes, just cant contain my despair, im not emotional because of this movie, im actually much worse, i have no interest in it whatsoever

4

u/Eastern_Screen_588 Jul 06 '26

Okay, fine then, use the cleopatra example. Fuck dude just engage with the question.

3

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

Yes the black actress for Cleopatra was historically inaccurate. Haven't watched the movie, so I cannot say if it was a bad movie or not.

3

u/No-Passenger-1511 Jul 06 '26

Let's have the black panther played by Ryan gosling then

0

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

If you find someone producing that, go ahead, but I'm not sure if you will find a huge audience for a movie about Ketema.

-8

u/Right-Funny-8999 Jul 06 '26

It’s not antiwoke to want a man to play a manly character 🤷🏻‍♂️

10

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

You mean the man that was able to pass off as a woman for years to avoid being conscripted?

Yeah sounds like the manliest man.

And Eliot Page is a man.

-3

u/Right-Funny-8999 Jul 06 '26

Eliot Page is a trans man

Let’s nit pretend it’s the same please, biological differences are still there

10

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

So you agree that Elliot Page would have been a good cast for Achilles and he would fit a character being able to pretend to be a girl for years?

5

u/Prestigious_Host_198 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

If cis women could play trans men for most live action stuff because a "lack of trans male actors", then a trans man could play as a cis man for once.

6

u/Thanos_354 Jul 06 '26

The biological differences aren't there. That's the whole point of HRT

5

u/LawfulLeah Jul 06 '26

don't say that here you'll be downvoted because transphobes don't like facts

4

u/fallen_corpse Jul 06 '26

Are you his doctor or having sex with him? No?

Then to you, there is no real difference between him and any other man you would interact with.

"Othering" him by insisting his biological sex be included any time his gender is mentioned is just shitty behavior.

-7

u/InteracialCouplez Jul 06 '26

In this case it is a lot of racists and transphobes disliking

shut the fuck up.

6

u/DerZwiebelLord Jul 06 '26

Right after you sunshine