Why Newcomers Flock to Attack Matt Taylor and Others in This Crazy Corner of YouTube.
In the chaotic realm of YouTube’s fringe communities, certain names have become magnets for an unusual brand of digital vigilantes. Matt Taylor is one such figure — joined by others like Justin P, Kaley Einav, Jake C, and Katie B — who collectively form an ever-reliable lightning rod for online abuse and trolling. To an outsider, the question might be simple: Why would a newcomer to YouTube immediately choose to start attacking these individuals? But the answer, when examined closely, reveals a twisted form of social psychology that transforms lonely outcasts into celebrated heroes within a toxic echo chamber.
At the core of this phenomenon is instant validation. This corner of YouTube harbours a clique of entrenched trolls — AJ Lashbrook, Danny Jones, Brian Hansford, Helen Janes, Mouse, James Hind, and others — who have dedicated years to harassing the same handful of people. It’s a revolving door of attacks, allegations, and defamation, with the narrative frequently centering on branding someone as a “nonce” or “predator”. These labels stick like tar — impossible to clean off entirely, yet easy to fling at the next target.
For the newcomer — perhaps someone disillusioned, bored, or already struggling with social isolation — the allure is simple: attack Matt Taylor, and you’ll be welcomed with open arms. In an instant, you gain hero status within the group. You’ll see your comments liked, your rants amplified, your memes shared. You become “one of us”, part of an online “family” who offers relevance, camaraderie and purpose — even if that purpose is built on the destruction of others.
It is worth noting that this cult-like bond thrives under the cloak of anonymity. These instigators and cheerleaders rarely show their faces, never speak their real names aloud, and often hide behind pseudonyms and burner accounts. This secrecy fuels their power. Unlike their targets, who stand exposed to the public eye, they enjoy the thrill of inflicting reputational damage while never risking the same in return.
But perhaps the most chilling aspect is this: many of these trolls are themselves social pariahs in their own worlds. They too may carry damaging labels — outcast, predator, weirdo, animal abusers — whether deserved or not. Joining an online smear campaign offers them a chance to invert that reality. By attacking someone else, they deflect scrutiny away from themselves. They prove their “loyalty” to the group by feeding it new meat. And in a warped way, they feel seen, appreciated, and “useful” at last.
It’s the classic logic of the “useful idiot”. Someone with nothing to lose becomes the foot soldier for people with everything to hide. The elder trolls, sitting in the shadows, benefit from this constant supply of fresh attackers. It keeps their campaign alive while they remain invisible, carefully avoiding the accountability they demand from their victims.
This twisted dynamic is self-perpetuating. A newcomer tastes the dopamine rush of likes, retweets, and private group chats brimming with gossip and conspiracies. They become addicted to the drama and the validation. The moral lines blur — who cares if the nonce label is baseless? Who cares if the “evidence” is cropped, edited, or downright fabricated? The thrill of being a hero in this tiny warzone is worth more than the truth could ever be.
In the end, this attraction says more about the community than it does about the people they attack. If someone’s strongest bond in life is found by tearing down strangers on the internet, what does that reveal about their own real-world failures, loneliness, and lack of identity? And how tragic is it that in an age of unprecedented connectivity, some still choose to build their sense of belonging on hate?
Matt Taylor and others who live under this constant siege know this better than anyone: in a world that rewards gossip, defamation, and online pile-ons, the biggest trolls are not just the ones hurling the insults — they are the ones pulling the strings in the shadows, welcoming every lonely, bitter recruit who wants to feel important, if only for a fleeting moment.
Danny West Says “Matt Taylor’s newest attempt at gaslighting. The facts are this simple, there is nothing saying this post was made by AI. This claim was made to try and run me off YouTube because he is a stalker and he harasses people. He is a bully and so are his mates, and all I have ever done is respond to his abuse towards myself. Anyone that knows me on YouTube also knows I do not attack people unless they attack me first. It is called reactive abuse. Matt and his bullying mates were putting out rubbish about me well before I even knew about it. When confronted Matt did his usual narcissistic tactics to defame, blame-shift and abuse me. It is not just me, Matt leads a team of wannabe YouTube detectives screenshots and crops them to use them as a weapon. They take everything people say out of context, flip it . Another narcissistic move. They love to gaslight for reactions. Also Matt, you are that paranoid you think that screen shot with me mentioning a case is about you, with no proof. Lol, you are a pathetic mess. Man child Matt it is about time you grew up, you are a big kid.”
I first became aware of Danny West, in or about March 2024, when he started to post comments calling me a “nonce,” “predator” and denying I had passed my Phase Two military training to become a Royal Military Policeman.
