Aubrey “Warrior Poet” Marcus just lately dropped a brand new video that includes his spoken phrase poetry and boy, is it a doozy. It is titled “Breasts” and is, effectively, all about breasts. Earlier than entering into his newest poetic providing, although, let’s be taught somewhat about Marcus, a wellness influencer and rising star in Austin’s anti-vax, anti-mask, New Age religious motion.
Marcus, has been described by Conspirituality Podcast as “the Joe Rogan of conspirituality.” He based the complement firm Onnit (based mostly on the philosophy of “Whole Human Optimization”), which was additionally partly owned by Joe Rogan. Marcus stepped down from working Onnit in 2020 and has been constructing an ever-expanding wellness and spirituality empire since — he hosts a podcast centered on spirituality, wellness, divine masculinity, psychedelics, and different associated subjects; he runs a religious life teaching program known as “Match for Service”; he hosts “Arkadia,” an annual music and wellness pageant; he leads “Plant Drugs” (i.e. ayahuasca) retreats; and extra. He additionally just lately expressed his full help for Presidential candidate RFK, Jr.—the anti-vaccine darling of the disinformation dozen. Whereas introducing RFK, Jr. on his podcast, Marcus mentioned that he is filled with “integrity, braveness, knowledge,” and posited that “all the things he says is backed by analysis, backed by truth.” Marcus went on to pledge his help for the candidate: “I’ll comply with [him] to the top” . . . “I am all in.”
Ben Cohen of The Banter has traced Marcus’ growing embracing of conspiracy theories, which began in earnest through the early phases of the pandemic:
Like many different wellness influencers and New Age figures, Marcus’s social media postings started to take an especially troubling flip through the Covid pandemic. Over the previous 12 months, he has promoted anti-vaxx conspiracy theorists and fringe medical doctors like Zac Bush, taken an odd curiosity within the matter of baby slavery, and shared posts from rabid anti-maskers and Alt Proper Trump supporters.
Conspirituality Podcast has created a number of episodes dedicated to Marcus, together with 87. The Aubrey Marcus Spectacle, which deconstructs a advertising and marketing video for “Match for Service,” Marcus’ religious life-coaching program. Conspirituality Pod describes what they name Marcus’s “Indigenous cosplay”:
The visuals centre round what seems like a haka ritual dance, by way of which clients launch their inside warriors, nurture their affiliate hyperlinks and jazz up their socials. On level for the influencer age, the ritual performs out in a narcissistic corridor of mirrors, choreographed for efficiency by programme contributors with a purpose to promote the programme they’re performing in. Naturally, Matthew might be utilizing the analytical frameworks of spectacle and simulation from Man Debord and Jean Baudrillard to make sense of it. He’ll additionally apply Renato Rosaldo’s idea of “imperialist nostalgia” to discover the ugly conflicts in Marcus’s indigenous cosplay.
“Breasts” is not the primary spoken phrase poetry Marcus has gifted the world. Ben Cohen describes a conspiracy-laden poem Marcus launched final 12 months, “A Revolution of Solidarity”:
It was a confused, emotionally manipulative, and embarrassingly dangerous piece of anti-vaxx/anti- masks propaganda, produced in collaboration with outstanding conspiracy theorist Mikki Willis (creator of “Plandemic”) and much proper anti masks activist and comic JP Sears. That includes deeply disturbing footage of ravenous youngsters and abused ladies, Marcus appeared hyperlink baby slavery, spousal abuse, poverty and hunger to vaccines and masks sporting through the pandemic. The poem has been considered nearly 400,000 instances and has unfold extensively in New Age circles.
Most just lately, The New York Submit just lately printed an overview of Marcus, calling him a “religious guru of types,” and offering a primer on his controversial ideologies and practices.
Now, with all of that context, let’s get again to Marcus’ new “Breasts” poem. He introduces his newest work on his Instagram (posted beneath). Within the poem, Marcus sings the religious praises of breasts and exclaims that ladies have physique sovereignty, whereas he concurrently pleads with ladies to “pause the scalpel.” Whereas the textual content is dangerous sufficient—I imply, I nearly choked on my espresso after I acquired to “teat of supply” and “fecund cleavage”—to get the total impact of the rhythmic cringe-fest, you really want to listen to him recite it.
Click on right here for a vital primer on the “Warrior Poet” motion, right here to hearken to Aubrey Marcus interview RFK, Jr., right here for Conspirituality Podcast’s Episode 107: “An Open Letter To Aubrey Marcus,” and right here to learn the New York Submit’s overview.