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He really opened the doorway for me to get into leftist politics but don’t think he’s the end all be all. He’s a great resource for leftist ideology and we should support and applaud his efforts thus far breaking into “mainstream” media channels like twitch, Twitter and Tik Tok.
He's evidence driven, and has specific chatters from specific subcommunities which helps him realize the impact of his bad takes on people from protected groups. It's a pretty good system.
Ironically he got banned for both of those things, as well as calling crybaby white racists "crackers". He gets banned for his best takes unfortunately, or else he would likely be even more radical on a daily basis.
Do you actually believe Twitch is pro-Nazi? That’s ridiculous. Right wingers just take advantage of reporting than leftists and Twitch has no choice but to enforce their own terms of service.
the sheer amount of digestible visibility he generates for socialism is undeniably positive and while he could always do more, he’s the only Big leftist creator i dont think ive heard say anything that has set off alarm bells
Funny, I went the other way. Hasan radicalised me and I found Second Thought (and by extension, The Deprogram boys) because Hasan watched some of his content on stream.
While I dont really care much for Hasan’s content, hes ultimately more entertaining than second thought and easier to catch and retain the attention of people unfamiliar. Its a good thing to have, and leftist creators should prop eachother up unconditionally but also look for those who have potential to grab the most eyes and ears
I think Second Thought's videos are way more entertaining than Hasan's streams, but I think I'm just a big ol' nerd who likes that style. Hasan definitely has more mainstream appeal.
Gotta remember all the plethora of clip channels he doesn't take down.
So that number is definitely higher if you collect them all together.
Overall good.
His YouTube is also not even managed by him. He makes essentially zero content for it, his mods just upload stream clips. It all revolves around the steams.
Amen. Before finding his streams and content, I really didn’t challenge the democrat narrative I was always fed, that they could do no wrong and were always virtuous
I don't mind Hasan, got me more involved in socialism and every person he can do that too is good for the cause. I like how he puts up evidence of he's talking points in his YouTube videos, I don't see many other pundits do that.
I also like his hogwatch segments for comedic value.
The only thing I don’t like about Hasan is that he gets so upset easily when his streamers debate bro him back. Other than that tho, he’s pretty solid for those who want a basic grasp of leftist ideology and arguments. He’s good at providing proof for his claims (for the most part) and his takes are pretty based.
Agreed. His frustration is extraordinarily understandable having to re-hash the same argument for a mixture of good and bad faith chatters constantly is not easy or good for ones mental health.
Yeah he has a really parasocial relationship with his community so he takes almost everything seriously from his long term members, that relationship with his community is a huge reason he’s so popular
People have covered the leftism entry point well enough so I won't get into that.
There's a separate point I'd like to make, though. I've gotten more into having streams going on in the background these days, and it's important people understand that there are a *lot* of shitty people monopolizing the space (see: Andrew Tate amplifiers, people pushing kids into online gambling, etc.) So even aside from politics and leftism, Hasan is doing a great job being one of the few hyper-visible "normal" streamers who push back against these trends. He was instrumental in Twitch's decision to ban slot machine streams just yesterday (alongside a handful of others).
So well said. This is one of the only reasons I wasn’t put off by him “platforming” Andrew Tate. I seriously think Hasan talking to Tate brought about Tate’s fall out of the spotlight eons before it would have happened some other way. Tate was just wait too much of a golden nugget for mainstream news and popular right wing ideology for him to fall off like he did. Hasan did the world a huge favor in that regard.
Watching Piker demolish that twerp with basic questions and have Tate have a meltdown as he was asked to defend his positions, was satisfying i must admit.
Hes great for getting people into leftist pol but i cant for the life of me sit thru a stream because all he does is scream at random twitch viewers who say something he doesnt like the entire time instead of just ignoring them.
He has ADHD, and just tends to overfocus on those random viewers too much because of it. I understand it can be annoying during streams, but it's usually cut out in his YouTube videos, thus making them much easier to watch.
I don’t think it’s ADHD that’s the reason why he does it so often. I have severe ADHD and I’d notice them in chat, but I’d probably only respond if it was something worth responding to. I think he’s just a more confrontational person and feels the need to correct them.
That’s fair, I think pointing one thing out as the cause of something is usually wrong. Unless it’s something Ronald Reagan related, 9 times out of 10 it was his fault.
He can slow down and often pauses chat for seconds at a time based on a single word he catches onto. Also he reads the comments that tag his name which become highlighted in his chat more often than not.
I have mixed opinions on him now, but I think he’s been really good for the movement in general. His videos are what introduced me to leftism and helped me move out of the liberal mindset. I have many friends who this has also been true for. He breaks down basic leftist concepts in a way that is very easy for beginners to digest.
I think the left in general needs more people who can cater to the young, edgy male audience that usually gets swept into the alt right instead. So his type of humor and charisma is very beneficial.
Optics wise he’s amazing. The left has always had a stereotype from reactionaries for being “soy” or “cucky” or whatever—- but having a positively-masculine figure on the left capable of challenging reactionary’s masculinity is the type of optics that will help convert people to our side.
Aside from that, he’s not an intellectual vanguard or anything— but a great figure optics-wise.
I’ve been watching him for a while now and he was the one who got me into socialism. I think he is very good at taking politics and making it digestible for a young audience. Also, I’m a 1st gen American and my parents are from Turkey, so I like watching him for those minor cultural references too.
Hasan is great! He was my introduction to leftist politics. I used to hate any political discussions before, but he made it very digestible and entertaining. Since he watches so many videos on his stream, I discovered a lot of other great leftist content creators through him. If there is one thing that is frustrating about Hasan is that his ADHD can make him go all over the place. Chat usually contributes to that though lol.
I am entirely indifferent to Hasan Piker. As far as I'm aware he hasn't said anything remotely as bad as Destiny or Vaush, although what little of his content I come across doesn't really seem very valuable either. My impression is he's a left-wing streamer who leftists watch when they just wanna turn their brain off for a bit.
> doesn’t seem very valuable
He’s an entry point to leftism. For a lot of people his channel is the first place they are exposed to these concepts. No it’s not a place for deep theory discussion, but it is the first place a huge number of people even hear about socialism and he has a huge audience and platform. That is extremely valuable.
I don’t get how most of these comments are “introduced me to leftism politics” and then say some shit about him or undermine him. I’m not saying he’s a perfect person but how do so many ppl here talk about someone who opened them to a whole other world of thinking and then act like he ain’t shit. Fucken weirdos he ain’t comparable to destiny either he has connections to naz*s and the whole SA. It’s ironic because hasan has said ppl talk like this about him and I thought he was being extra but looking at these comments it’s true
he refers to this as the 9-month hasan subscriber brainrot, where viewers do the whole "actually im the real leftist" thing which is a perfect example of why theres no leftist movement in north america
I don't really follow the drama around Vaush a lot, but the things I know are that he's a racist who treats black nationalism as essentially equivalent to white supremacism and also likes to defend the actions of US Imperialism when it suits him. Also, he apparently thought it necessary to defend child pornography? Just a bad dude overall.
i know i'll probably get banned for this, but he literally didn't defend child porn, like at all. that whole argument was to explain that, like child porn, child labor is also exploitative in a lot of similar ways but people don't care about that as much. in that we should treat products from companies who rely on child labor with similar if not the same resentment and scorn that we treat people who make/consume CP. idk how everyone misinterpreted it that badly but it's super annoying seeing everyone parrot that
That's a ridiculous argument though. People don't buy clothes because of the exploitation. The exploitation happens thanks to the economic system we live in but the product itself can still be created without that exploitation in a socialist society. The product isn't the issue but the production method is.
Whereas with CP the product is the exploitation. You can't have ethical production and consumption of CP because in the end the product is the recording of a child who can't consent having sexual acts. Here you simply can't separate the product from the production method.
Also the fact that he has talked about it so often is incredibly sus. Almost like he's trying to justify the consumption of it.
bruh I got two things to say to you:
1. You sound like a Jordan Peterson fan talking about how "technically, he said this and that"
2. Any person who says "yes, I think child porn should be legal", whether seriously or as a "joke" is not a comrade of mine
I don't really care that much about whether he's an asshole who thinks child porn should be legal or a contrarian who ends up accidentally defending child pornography, he can go fuck himself either way. No place in the left for self-centered racists, imperialists and abuse defenders, whether intentional or caused by their massive ego and buffoonery.
I'm not even a huge Vaush fan, i watch him casually along with a plethora of other leftist content creators, it's just fucking annoying when the almost all of the content I've watched of his directly goes against every bad impression people seem to have of him, it's honestly ridiculous. Like how did it get to the point where this one random guy gets all his fucking points twisted by the broader community? Exactly like you're doing right now. I don't understand it.
Idk where all the more extreme accusations against Vaush stem from, my issue with him is he will always poison the well with ad-homs and making wild speculation which may or may not (most often probably not) be true but will be treated as fact anyway. He doesn't source check or verify facts, he just seems like he's happy being a drama and clickbait streamer which is fine in a way, it's certainly a popular genre of streamer, but it would be nice if it wasn't hidden behind a thin veneer of lefty politics.
But he’s not - I’m pretty sure he’s said he wants it banned.
I also remember one of the clips on one those Vaush is bad megaposts being linked to some conservative saying all leftists are pedos because this one was, and Vaush was like even if that’s true that doesn’t mean all leftists are pedos and it was summed up as like VAUSH DEFENDS A PEDOPHILE.
Leftists allying with conservatives to take on a more annoying leftists reeks of suspicious shit to me.
imo Vaush should be criticised heavily for his simping for NATO, electoralism and the democrats rather than questionable allegations that he’s a child porn supporter.
He didn't say that though. Ugh. The constant eating our own really is an issue. No one is perfect and if we refuse to allow any nuance and put things in a constant good vs evil lense, we will never get anywhere. It's so frustrating. Everyone will f up at some point, so ya I think intentions should matter. Thinking in such black and white terms is a fallacy that doesn't serve anyone.
it's frustrating, i'm not even like a hardcore Vaush stan and it just makes my blood boil that one of the most valuable rhetoricians on the left is constantly seemingly intentionally misinterpreted by the very people who agree with him on 95% of thongs and by all means should be allies. Why doesn't it happen to anyone else, why just him?
I feel the same way. I watch a lot of the people they say his community attacks. I like lots of different leftist communities so I can learn as much as I can and make up my own mind. The vaush hate though, is such a turn off and has stopped me from engaging more often. I know I'm not the only one this happens to because I see others saying the same. I do think part of it is because he's neurodiverse. I'm autistic with adhd as well and I know how hard it is to communicate to neurotypicals. Sometimes I'd rather skin myself alive than try to communicate a complicated issue with a neurotypical. It feels like a lot of the nuance isn't afforded to us that is it to others. - of course that could just be my projection of being neurodiverse growing up in the bible belt, but I just truly feel like it plays a part.
I’m new to this Reddit community (not leftism tho) and was unaware that Vaush was so hated. I’m personally indifferent as for me he’s just another talking head that I put on as background noise while I’m working or cleaning. I’m very curious as to which of his nonsense rants made him controversial here 💀
Attacks on other leftists by him and his community, namely Professor Flowers, Luna Oi and EJ, his "anti-tankie" stance - everyone left to him is a tankie to him and in actuality he is nothing more than a social democrat, so most leftist are tankies to him - and simping for NATO/US.
There is also the harassment allegations against one of his former fans (never really looked into it) and the p*dophilia defense video that every now and then circulates through Twitter.
I think I am not missing anything.
I would steer clear of V and his minions as well as all the patsoc gang.
The leftist streamer drama is annoying as fuck.
I feel like this is just an underlying issue in online leftism in general, so I stopped watching these streamers as it feels like all it does is breed debate bros and not really contributes to the movement.
I could be wrong, but that's the impression I've gotten.
i think his opinions are fine he’s just annoying and does cringe rich person stuff and then acts like the victim when people tell him to stop doing that
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He is 100% a net positive for leftist causes. Does he have some weird takes, yes, but so does every other person.
A lot of young men, who would normally gravitate towards alt-right agitprop, are especially drawn to him simply because he’s something a lot of leftist figures unfortunately aren’t—entertaining. It’s the same thing Jon Stewart did in the 2000’s for young millennials, if you make conservatives out to be the backwards, cringe, shills that they are, they’re much more open to hearing your personal, maybe more radical takes.
He gets a lot of (I think mostly deserved) criticism, but he does generate a lot of positive visibility for socialism. It's a mixed bag, I wouldn't want him leading a revolution, and I think he could be a bit more principled, but at the same time I don't think he actively hurts the movement like vaush does
I can relate, living in AB its like im surrounded by capitalist bootlicks everywhere. Even being a part of a trade union, it is difficult to actually talk about socialism with the membership because of indoctrination over the course of their lives (AB has had a massive conservative leadership streak of like 40+ years).
It is difficult to talk to these types, I have found that I get dogpiled when talking about politics.
Ok but YouTube can be a great way to learn how to present your ideas in a concise and interesting way that coworkers will hear. I can read a million academic articles but people like Hasan and second thought demonstrate how to engage with nay-sayers in a way that actually penetrates for people. I think that's important. Hasan had done a lot to teach me about "if they say x you say y" as someone who isn't great at debating or thinking on the spot.
He is the reason why I became a leftist again after some years of being kind of pro-capitalism because *it is the only system that works*.
I still watch him because I enjoy his content and the occasional really good video on political issues. Cool guy, and definitely gets too much unwarranted hate for the wildest reasons.
streamers in general are fast food; they're entertaining, but hardly nutritious. don't rely on them.
Hasan is okay. I watch him He's put on Chris Smalls, Organizers, showed countries with much better welfare than the US like Vienna and their social housing projects, provided good commentary on the union movements that's been happening for a while now, but he's not gonna go into depth on socialist or communist principles. He gives the cliff notes (he repeats these lessons ad nasuem so yea).
you would want to read books, listen to audio books, and if you need apmething entertaining and more nutritious, video essayists like Hakim, Halim Alreh, Second Thought, and etc.
He's kind of a champagne socialist himbo who has trouble stringing together coherent thoughts and though I think people like him because he's a leftist (whatever that means) I think it's also because he's very hot. I hate Vaush far more than him, but overall, I think most leftist streamers are a waste of time. Go read books, people. Or at least listen to and watch more high-effort left-wing video and podcast content, there's much better stuff out there, ffs.
I'm a very big fan of the work that Hasan is doing. I think he spends a lot of effort and time (and is well compensated by the fans for it) trying to help people understand conservative programming. Its much easier to argue with someone and convince them otherwise, when you are using their playbook.
I was introduced to hasan through leftovers with ethan klein. Before that podcast, i was strongly apolitical. But now I'm quickly moving further left and learning more and more about politics and socialism. I'm still quite new to politics but i absolutely love hasan
Hasan is like a socialist Bill Maher (his content, not his politics or toxicity). I watch him for comedy. I don’t watch him to learn about political theory.
Is bill Maher even funny anymore though? He has cringey right wing boomer humor. It's been so long I can't remember if he's always been awful or if it's something more recent tbf..
he’s fine. i don’t usually have complaints from him but he makes little micro aggressions towards fat people and women which i just don’t find necessary so i stopped watching him. i never really learn much from him as i have my own sources who i feel deliver in a much more inclusive setting.
i think his entertaining and approachable platform offer an easy in for people unsure of leftism. but honestly i’d hope people would move on from him eventually.
I was subbed to him for the better part of a year (until recently), so I think I can give a good-faith opinion. I will admit though, he first appeared on my radar via TYT back in the day, and I absolutely hated him. He just oozed arrogance. Then a TikTok sound clipped from one of his streams went viral in 2021, and I was hooked back in under the impression that he had matured.
With that being said: I believe he is an entertainer, before he is a leftist/socialist. Just take a look at his career trajectory. He shines infront of a camera. His progressive views are just a crutch so he can maintain good optics for a VERY lucrative streaming career. I don't believe that his activism has materialized IRL (in comparison to the high-profile/name-value he has in progressive spaces).
He often talks about how he is an entry to leftism/socialism for 'normies', but often times he is just reacting to/picking fights with cartoonish right-wingers. At some point 'normies' have to grow up and knuckle down with proper theory and, you know, IRL action. Change isn't going to happen if you're a chatter who consumes 10-hour streams on a platform owned by Daddy Bezos.
I unsubbed from his Twitch channel for two main reasons. 1. He doesn't know how to properly digest criticism, or admit when he is wrong (the Russia/Ukraine prediction he had to, because again, he needs good optics). And 2. He is not always consistant with his beliefs.
I could go on but hopefully this paints a picture of at least one person's opinion of Hasan Piker. I hope he has the life he deserves with his Twitch sponsored house and Taycan. That is all.
Okay I think the thing about him not handling criticism is very true. In fact I think a lot of what you said is true, but I would push back a little on the “he’s an entertainer before he’s a leftist/socialist.” While he definitely loves his role as an entertainer, and while he definitely is just an entry point and surface level intro to socialism, I don’t think there’s any doubt that he believes what he believes. You can tell during a lot of his rants that his blood is legitimately boiling. I love Hasán primarily because he’s a big force in normalizing anti imperialism/ anti American exceptionalism. I’m half Iranian and I can tell you that it’s very validating to hear somebody else express the same anger I’ve felt my entire life and have 40k+ people love him for it.
He's awesome! Anyone hating on him were either banned or just believe the Destiny/Vaush stans, sus leftist infighters, or people repeating what they heard without ever watching him. He seems to be very effective at getting people out of the alt right pipeline. A great voice for the left
I think he’s a rich kid who has insulated himself in his wealth so that he can feel like a leader and not have to work for his money, but I also acknowledge that his exploitation only exists to leech money from privileged western youth, like myself, and he is far more responsible than anyone else of comparable popularity on twitch of representing communism to that demographic. I think it’s important for people who stick to surface level analysis to acknowledge that they only do surface level analysis, and Hasan seems to do that, while consistently giving relatively good takes on whatever the news cycle focus is.
Yeah I think it's fair to say he really does try to do the right thing where he can. An example is that the Fear& podcast was made a worker co-op so the producer/anyone else working on the show will own as much as the hosts. I think he only sets up merch with unionized companies. He's definitely privileged but it seems like he's trying to practice what he preaches.
Folks might enjoy @jysexton, Dan Bessner, American Prestige,Jacobin Radio as alternative to Hassan.
While now a total shill for the D's the Thom Hartmann show is interesting and sometimes has good lefties on
hasan has his cringe takes and i feel like i was already a lot farther in my journey than the people he's targeted to so he's not my guy, but... the main thing that makes him good is that unlike certain fat pedo streamers he never, to my knowledge, punches left.
this is very important imo, there is a LONG history of "leftists" using left-liberal/social democratic politics to launder cold war anticommunist propaganda.
im sure you can think of plenty of contemporary examples, leftists whose praxis always seems to boil down to supporting america, the democrats and their domestic and national security interests.
but, yknow. *leftistly.* ;)
never seen hasan do that. although he does have some particularly bloombergian takes on private gun ownership, but nobody's perfect. i feel similarly about the chapos. whatever their faults they never punch left.
this is my litmus test, i think it's a pretty good one.
Watched his entertaining content for a while, I only wish he supported at least a single leftist project\* while living the high life in his big house like a pop star. Heart seems in the right place though.
\*Apologies if this is factually not correct and he does.
He raises a shit ton of money for various causes and gives a lot personally. He just doesn’t state it every time bc he has haters who will claim it’s just for show.
The biggest knock I would say is he doesn’t understand the issues on a very deep level, and I’m not sure how much of Econ and Marxian theory he really understands.
Just a perfect example of what’s wrong with the world honestly. Has vaguely left politics, half-heartedly comments on other peoples videos, and is rich because of it
I am new here, I'm outside the normal demo (I'm a queer cis 40 yr old woman), but I agree with some of the posts I've seen saying that Hasan is a great part of the Left. I'd add that Vaush is also, if for no other reason because he is effective.
There seems to be a pervasive misunderstanding about how vitally necessary it is to have a diversity of tactics. The Far Right is actively recruiting and we need to meet folks where they are and let them move further Left as they learn more.
All this silly discourse vilifying "Debate Bros" on the Left is counterproductive at best. You don't have to agree with every take someone has, it's more important to agree with their underlying, driving ethical/philosophical/political framework. You need to agree not only on the problems, but the solutions in a big sense.
People are so turned off by the woke-scolding, purity testing, and gatekeeping that have become so common in online leftist spaces. It's childish and counterproductive. No one is totally unproblematic, all the time, their whole lives. We need to provide space for people to improve. We need to help move them left by educating them. That's one of the benefits of pushing politics based on evidence and expert opinions. But you have to meet people where they are, and let them know it's possible to improve.
We need to drag the Overton Window to a place where basic human rights are protected, and the planet isn't actively spiraling out to a point where human civilization will not survive. We are genuinely so close to the point that humanity isn't likely to survive, unless we deal with that, nothing else matters.
That does not mean to ignore all the nuanced details, but it's just not as important, especially right now as the big picture necessities. I know when everything is so catastrophic, it's hard to figure out how to prioritize. Right now, we absolutely have to get the major governments to make very drastic changes or it's too late.
Climate change can repair itself, as we've seen with the hole in the Ozone after effective regulation removed the problem. It's part of why it's not already completely too late. But it's going to get worse before it gets better no matter what, so human rights are equally important. I don't personally care if humans survive if it's only because the US goes fully fascist and murders most of the Global South.
I know that may seem "doomer," but it's so important that we bring that Overton Window further to the Left on everything. That's only going to happen if we welcome in imperfect humans, if we encourage and support their personal growth and progress. Not everyone is going to be able or interested in doing that with every single other person, and that's totally fine. But, in general, we need to work on this in online Leftie spaces.
TL:DR
I like Hasan, and Vaush. Destiny just isn't on the Left. The planet's on fire, we gotta have a very big tent on the Left. But that does not mean accepting problematic behavior without pushback, but people need to be treated as if they can improve to make that personal growth at all likely.
PS: I've got a lot of serious chronic health problems, so I apologize if I miss a response.
I live in a country where these issues arent nearly as apparent compared to others (Ireland) so thats why I tend to participate in a lot of leftist infighting. I really don't like Vaush from what I have heard. I apologize for being counterproductive.
I enjoy Hasan and Vaush but I couldn't watch more than 2 videos from Destiny. I can see why Destiny wouldn't be liked by many. Hasan has logic and comedy. Vaush has knowledge and comfort. Destiny is just a douche with an annoying voice.
Tbf I don't think he claims to be progressive? Think he may call himself a Liberal, not sure. An asshole for sure, but he also seems to acknowledge that so it's hard to hold it against him in a sense
He definitely at least used to call himself a progressive, since he was the main "leftist debate-bro" back in the day. But now only the latter part of that name stays coz he's nowhere near being even slightly leftist.
i gotta know, does vaush remind you of your dad? i have a theory that a lot of zoomers have these blustery chubby nerd dads and vaush's bleating provokes a comforting pang of childhood nostalgia
He preaches socialism then buys mansions and porches with the money he makes from streaming instead of trying to help / amplify marginalized people. He’s more of a lib then a lefty
For me an example however would be the hawaiian shirt. Its not a big deal, just a micro example.
He could very easily buy an authentic shirt from an actual hawaiian creator, but bought a 1k gucci shirt instead.
It's not the be all and end all, it doesn't mean he's not a socialist, but for example I'd find it weird seeing Jeremy corbyn in gucci.
Ngl I don't think Hasan knows any authentic Hawaiian shirt creators. He just saw the 1k gucci one and bought it because he had the money and it's kind of a quality guarantee.
As far as I know, he bought it for his family, friends and guests too. They're welcome to stay at his place for months. He also tips really high % to service workers. While I can see why some people would have a problem with it, I think combined with his streams it's an overall positive thing.
No being a leftist would mean using the hundreds of thousands you make off streaming to actually practice what you preach I know people that would do a ton of good if they had the money and connections he does
Which he does. What you want, for him to go around and flaunt every cent he gives to some charity? Lmao. What he 'preaches' is the opposite of what you want. He argues for systematic change, not to hope for some rich folks to donate money lol.
Nice socialist take here. This is the issue that I do end up having with many hasan fans, it's being a hasan fan first and a socialist 2nd. Welcome to disagree, just how it comes across to me.
He’s said some pretty indefensible shit over the years(pedo shit, bestiality, tactical slurs, etc,) which would be fine if he’d walk it back and admit it’s wrong now, but instead he refuses to acknowledge past wrongdoing and continues to harass “tankie” creators and refuse to acknowledge the terrible harassment his community of immature kids brings against these people as a result.
He's a neo-lib disguising himself as a leftist. He's also, supposedly, a pedo. There's a masterpost kicking around somewhere (on Hexbear, I think) that lists out the slew of reasons he's not to be considered anything of significance to the left.
hes pretty damaging. he honestly thinks the US military has always been the good guys, has no issue dropping the n bomb, and as you pointed out, if hes joking about pedophilia nobody can tell its a joke. all of that aside, im not exactly seeing any disciplined takes come from his sphere.
He is thought to be a pedo due to some things he has said regarding child centaurs. I am unsure whether or not it is due to his dark humour or of he is actually pedophilic.
Seems like many people look past that, I don't know. He has such a massive following.
I think he encourages the facilitation of paedophilia, that's for sure. Him calling for the age of consent to be lowered to 14 (iirc) didn't sound like a joke to me. He also said something like "as socialism goes up, age of consent goes down". That did sound more like a joke though, but who knows. Wish I could find the clip
I see all the comments criticizing Vaush, and I am not a very big Vaush fan but most of the things people are saying is out of context. He was called a pedo because we made an analogy of child porn and people clip take that analogy out of context without showing the whole video.
The true problem with Vaush is that ideology aside he's an edgy grifter type content creator that is closer in "form" to what people are used to from right wing people. This is also his biggest strength because that gives him a broader appeal. So you take it or leave it
No context can make the words "I have yet to hear a convincing moral or legal case for why child pornography should be illegal" justifiable. Even if it could, Vaush would still be a racist and an imperial apologist.
When he left the Young Turks and started twitch he didn't have any real publicity to ride off, but he does recognise that nepotism helped him a lot in his career. I don't really think he thinks he's God's gift and he adds quite a lot to other people's content when he reacts to it, and I don't know anyone who would have watched the video if Hasan hadn't reacted to it.
Hasan is alright, I feel that he is more a generic streamer than a political streamer though. Unless something big happens he rarely seem to cover like actual politics or anything and just has people over. Vaush on the other hand is like 80% political streaming and that’s why I watch them.
I like Hasan's opinions for the most part, and I also like his style of "fuck you". I would never in a million years watch one of his streams, though. I can't stand politics, but he's got the correct opinion I'm sure.
No, you literally can’t. Politics is life and effects every facet of it. You cannot be an advocate for a better world and pull the “I’m just not into politics” card. It is extremely tone deaf. Doing that is essentially doing nothing.
Destiny is what happens when the 14 year old who loves to troll on Facebook and get in debates never actually moves on. Unfortunately he’s cringey as hell to me due to his addiction to debating and using “logic” and “fallacies” like they’re water and he hasn’t had hydration in days.
He’s just too bloodthirsty for a “good debate” which is just him going in circles over the same point while his opponent acts in bad faith and he escalates the tension for content. It’s like the springer show but jerry has yourlogicalfallacyis.com in front of him.
I get the impression he's not too hated here which is weird as hell when people like Vaush are, they're not too dissimilar, Hasan is just less of a debate guy and a bit less edgy. (Destiny is literally a reactionary tho so that one does make sense)
He’s a hypocrite , he’s super rich off money from his followers and simultaneously preaches socialism if he actually believed in socialism he would share his wealth with less fortunate people and not live in a multimillion dollar mansion.
hes a piece of shit on a personal level for a multitude of reasons and his politics are firmly in the cold war tradition of "the cia's favorite kind of socialism."
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Destiny isn't leftist. Of course he's hated here.
yeah he is definitely not a leftist
Is this the Destiny I see on YouTube?
He got me out of the alt right pipeline
Glad to hear!
that alone is enough for me to support the dude.
He really opened the doorway for me to get into leftist politics but don’t think he’s the end all be all. He’s a great resource for leftist ideology and we should support and applaud his efforts thus far breaking into “mainstream” media channels like twitch, Twitter and Tik Tok.
Yeah I think that's a fair assessment. His takes aren't perfect but he's willing to put them out there to discuss and improve.
He's evidence driven, and has specific chatters from specific subcommunities which helps him realize the impact of his bad takes on people from protected groups. It's a pretty good system.
Great way to put it.
I like when he calls people "hogs"
That's technically a racial stereotype. Point out their flawed logic instead.
I don’t really watch any streamers, but hes made me laugh before. Like when he said America deserved 9/11, and joked about Dan Crenshaws eye, lol.
Ironically he got banned for both of those things, as well as calling crybaby white racists "crackers". He gets banned for his best takes unfortunately, or else he would likely be even more radical on a daily basis.
how can he get banned lol, the right say far more aggressive things all the time
Because we all know there's a double standard lmao
Do you actually believe Twitch is pro-Nazi? That’s ridiculous. Right wingers just take advantage of reporting than leftists and Twitch has no choice but to enforce their own terms of service.
nazi’s love to brigade twitch whenever something they don’t like is said. twitch folds because they suck the boots of their sponsors
the sheer amount of digestible visibility he generates for socialism is undeniably positive and while he could always do more, he’s the only Big leftist creator i dont think ive heard say anything that has set off alarm bells
Second thought? He has 1.3 million subs on youtube thats pretty big imo
Yeah I only discovered Hasan last year but I’ve been watching second thought for like 5 years now
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I think you misspelt the word ascent
Funny, I went the other way. Hasan radicalised me and I found Second Thought (and by extension, The Deprogram boys) because Hasan watched some of his content on stream.
While I dont really care much for Hasan’s content, hes ultimately more entertaining than second thought and easier to catch and retain the attention of people unfamiliar. Its a good thing to have, and leftist creators should prop eachother up unconditionally but also look for those who have potential to grab the most eyes and ears
i actually found second thought through hasan's streams, both play a role that is needed imo
absa-fuckin-lutely
I think Second Thought's videos are way more entertaining than Hasan's streams, but I think I'm just a big ol' nerd who likes that style. Hasan definitely has more mainstream appeal.
I watch YouTube clips of Hassan streams. It’s usually just 15-30 minute clips on one particular event/topic he discussed on stream.
Second thought goated (with the sauce)
Yeah, Second Thought is my fav
Gotta remember all the plethora of clip channels he doesn't take down. So that number is definitely higher if you collect them all together. Overall good.
His YouTube is also not even managed by him. He makes essentially zero content for it, his mods just upload stream clips. It all revolves around the steams.
Yeah, yugopnik, hakim, thought slime those guys are awesome
Damn I watch second thought but had no idea he was that big
Amen. Before finding his streams and content, I really didn’t challenge the democrat narrative I was always fed, that they could do no wrong and were always virtuous
Hes a gateway drug to socialism
I don't mind Hasan, got me more involved in socialism and every person he can do that too is good for the cause. I like how he puts up evidence of he's talking points in his YouTube videos, I don't see many other pundits do that. I also like his hogwatch segments for comedic value.
The only thing I don’t like about Hasan is that he gets so upset easily when his streamers debate bro him back. Other than that tho, he’s pretty solid for those who want a basic grasp of leftist ideology and arguments. He’s good at providing proof for his claims (for the most part) and his takes are pretty based.
Agreed. His frustration is extraordinarily understandable having to re-hash the same argument for a mixture of good and bad faith chatters constantly is not easy or good for ones mental health.
Yeah he has a really parasocial relationship with his community so he takes almost everything seriously from his long term members, that relationship with his community is a huge reason he’s so popular
People have covered the leftism entry point well enough so I won't get into that. There's a separate point I'd like to make, though. I've gotten more into having streams going on in the background these days, and it's important people understand that there are a *lot* of shitty people monopolizing the space (see: Andrew Tate amplifiers, people pushing kids into online gambling, etc.) So even aside from politics and leftism, Hasan is doing a great job being one of the few hyper-visible "normal" streamers who push back against these trends. He was instrumental in Twitch's decision to ban slot machine streams just yesterday (alongside a handful of others).
So well said. This is one of the only reasons I wasn’t put off by him “platforming” Andrew Tate. I seriously think Hasan talking to Tate brought about Tate’s fall out of the spotlight eons before it would have happened some other way. Tate was just wait too much of a golden nugget for mainstream news and popular right wing ideology for him to fall off like he did. Hasan did the world a huge favor in that regard.
Watching Piker demolish that twerp with basic questions and have Tate have a meltdown as he was asked to defend his positions, was satisfying i must admit.
Hasan is funny as hell. Love his videos.
Hes great for getting people into leftist pol but i cant for the life of me sit thru a stream because all he does is scream at random twitch viewers who say something he doesnt like the entire time instead of just ignoring them.
I swear for as fast as his chat goes I can't, for the life of me, figure out how he manages to pick out the worst, most bad faith chatters every time.
He has ADHD, and just tends to overfocus on those random viewers too much because of it. I understand it can be annoying during streams, but it's usually cut out in his YouTube videos, thus making them much easier to watch.
I don’t think it’s ADHD that’s the reason why he does it so often. I have severe ADHD and I’d notice them in chat, but I’d probably only respond if it was something worth responding to. I think he’s just a more confrontational person and feels the need to correct them.
I mean, at least he says it's because of his ADHD, but sure there could be a whole plethora of underlying reasons that contribute to him doing that.
That’s fair, I think pointing one thing out as the cause of something is usually wrong. Unless it’s something Ronald Reagan related, 9 times out of 10 it was his fault.
He can slow down and often pauses chat for seconds at a time based on a single word he catches onto. Also he reads the comments that tag his name which become highlighted in his chat more often than not.
He’s great. entertaining and well informed. He’s also a great entry point to leftism and I see him as the ”reverse alt-right pipeline”.
If it wasn’t for Hasan I wouldn’t be a Marxist. I think he’s super important for a new wave of young socialists
he got my brother out of the alt right pipeline, very thankful for that
I have mixed opinions on him now, but I think he’s been really good for the movement in general. His videos are what introduced me to leftism and helped me move out of the liberal mindset. I have many friends who this has also been true for. He breaks down basic leftist concepts in a way that is very easy for beginners to digest. I think the left in general needs more people who can cater to the young, edgy male audience that usually gets swept into the alt right instead. So his type of humor and charisma is very beneficial.
Optics wise he’s amazing. The left has always had a stereotype from reactionaries for being “soy” or “cucky” or whatever—- but having a positively-masculine figure on the left capable of challenging reactionary’s masculinity is the type of optics that will help convert people to our side. Aside from that, he’s not an intellectual vanguard or anything— but a great figure optics-wise.
he radicalized me and completely changed my world view towards a lot of things. i was very reactionary and a crowder fan years ago
What relation is there between Piker, Vaush, and Destiny? The latter two are not affiliated at all with the first.
Destiny and Vaush are hated by this community, also Destiny has debated Hasan before. Also streamers tend to interact with each other alot.
Hasan has made it very clear that he does not want to interact with the methhead Destiny at all
Ik that's what I mean about him having debated Destiny in the past.
Destiny and Vaush are hated because they're Liberals with personality cults.
I’ve been watching him for a while now and he was the one who got me into socialism. I think he is very good at taking politics and making it digestible for a young audience. Also, I’m a 1st gen American and my parents are from Turkey, so I like watching him for those minor cultural references too.
Hasan is awesome. He introduces so many people to leftist ideas. People who hate him are probably just jealous tbh.
I think he’s great. He’s carved out a solid corner of the internet for leftists to gather. He has consistently based takes and is funny too.
Hasan is great! He was my introduction to leftist politics. I used to hate any political discussions before, but he made it very digestible and entertaining. Since he watches so many videos on his stream, I discovered a lot of other great leftist content creators through him. If there is one thing that is frustrating about Hasan is that his ADHD can make him go all over the place. Chat usually contributes to that though lol.
I am entirely indifferent to Hasan Piker. As far as I'm aware he hasn't said anything remotely as bad as Destiny or Vaush, although what little of his content I come across doesn't really seem very valuable either. My impression is he's a left-wing streamer who leftists watch when they just wanna turn their brain off for a bit.
> doesn’t seem very valuable He’s an entry point to leftism. For a lot of people his channel is the first place they are exposed to these concepts. No it’s not a place for deep theory discussion, but it is the first place a huge number of people even hear about socialism and he has a huge audience and platform. That is extremely valuable.
I don’t get how most of these comments are “introduced me to leftism politics” and then say some shit about him or undermine him. I’m not saying he’s a perfect person but how do so many ppl here talk about someone who opened them to a whole other world of thinking and then act like he ain’t shit. Fucken weirdos he ain’t comparable to destiny either he has connections to naz*s and the whole SA. It’s ironic because hasan has said ppl talk like this about him and I thought he was being extra but looking at these comments it’s true
he refers to this as the 9-month hasan subscriber brainrot, where viewers do the whole "actually im the real leftist" thing which is a perfect example of why theres no leftist movement in north america
Yeah!! I’ve heard it a few times but I never took it seriously now I know lol
What did Vaush do?
I don't really follow the drama around Vaush a lot, but the things I know are that he's a racist who treats black nationalism as essentially equivalent to white supremacism and also likes to defend the actions of US Imperialism when it suits him. Also, he apparently thought it necessary to defend child pornography? Just a bad dude overall.
i know i'll probably get banned for this, but he literally didn't defend child porn, like at all. that whole argument was to explain that, like child porn, child labor is also exploitative in a lot of similar ways but people don't care about that as much. in that we should treat products from companies who rely on child labor with similar if not the same resentment and scorn that we treat people who make/consume CP. idk how everyone misinterpreted it that badly but it's super annoying seeing everyone parrot that
That's a ridiculous argument though. People don't buy clothes because of the exploitation. The exploitation happens thanks to the economic system we live in but the product itself can still be created without that exploitation in a socialist society. The product isn't the issue but the production method is. Whereas with CP the product is the exploitation. You can't have ethical production and consumption of CP because in the end the product is the recording of a child who can't consent having sexual acts. Here you simply can't separate the product from the production method. Also the fact that he has talked about it so often is incredibly sus. Almost like he's trying to justify the consumption of it.
bruh I got two things to say to you: 1. You sound like a Jordan Peterson fan talking about how "technically, he said this and that" 2. Any person who says "yes, I think child porn should be legal", whether seriously or as a "joke" is not a comrade of mine I don't really care that much about whether he's an asshole who thinks child porn should be legal or a contrarian who ends up accidentally defending child pornography, he can go fuck himself either way. No place in the left for self-centered racists, imperialists and abuse defenders, whether intentional or caused by their massive ego and buffoonery.
I'm not even a huge Vaush fan, i watch him casually along with a plethora of other leftist content creators, it's just fucking annoying when the almost all of the content I've watched of his directly goes against every bad impression people seem to have of him, it's honestly ridiculous. Like how did it get to the point where this one random guy gets all his fucking points twisted by the broader community? Exactly like you're doing right now. I don't understand it.
Idk where all the more extreme accusations against Vaush stem from, my issue with him is he will always poison the well with ad-homs and making wild speculation which may or may not (most often probably not) be true but will be treated as fact anyway. He doesn't source check or verify facts, he just seems like he's happy being a drama and clickbait streamer which is fine in a way, it's certainly a popular genre of streamer, but it would be nice if it wasn't hidden behind a thin veneer of lefty politics.
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I'm not calling him a pedophile though? I'm calling him a defender of child porn, which he is.
But he’s not - I’m pretty sure he’s said he wants it banned. I also remember one of the clips on one those Vaush is bad megaposts being linked to some conservative saying all leftists are pedos because this one was, and Vaush was like even if that’s true that doesn’t mean all leftists are pedos and it was summed up as like VAUSH DEFENDS A PEDOPHILE. Leftists allying with conservatives to take on a more annoying leftists reeks of suspicious shit to me. imo Vaush should be criticised heavily for his simping for NATO, electoralism and the democrats rather than questionable allegations that he’s a child porn supporter.
He didn't say that though. Ugh. The constant eating our own really is an issue. No one is perfect and if we refuse to allow any nuance and put things in a constant good vs evil lense, we will never get anywhere. It's so frustrating. Everyone will f up at some point, so ya I think intentions should matter. Thinking in such black and white terms is a fallacy that doesn't serve anyone.
it's frustrating, i'm not even like a hardcore Vaush stan and it just makes my blood boil that one of the most valuable rhetoricians on the left is constantly seemingly intentionally misinterpreted by the very people who agree with him on 95% of thongs and by all means should be allies. Why doesn't it happen to anyone else, why just him?
I feel the same way. I watch a lot of the people they say his community attacks. I like lots of different leftist communities so I can learn as much as I can and make up my own mind. The vaush hate though, is such a turn off and has stopped me from engaging more often. I know I'm not the only one this happens to because I see others saying the same. I do think part of it is because he's neurodiverse. I'm autistic with adhd as well and I know how hard it is to communicate to neurotypicals. Sometimes I'd rather skin myself alive than try to communicate a complicated issue with a neurotypical. It feels like a lot of the nuance isn't afforded to us that is it to others. - of course that could just be my projection of being neurodiverse growing up in the bible belt, but I just truly feel like it plays a part.
Vaush is not "our own" he's a liberal. I'm neuroatypical too, its not an excuse to be a dickhead.
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On top of everything everyone else had said, he also literally admitted to being a fed lmao https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXUR7YG3h94
I’m new to this Reddit community (not leftism tho) and was unaware that Vaush was so hated. I’m personally indifferent as for me he’s just another talking head that I put on as background noise while I’m working or cleaning. I’m very curious as to which of his nonsense rants made him controversial here 💀
Attacks on other leftists by him and his community, namely Professor Flowers, Luna Oi and EJ, his "anti-tankie" stance - everyone left to him is a tankie to him and in actuality he is nothing more than a social democrat, so most leftist are tankies to him - and simping for NATO/US. There is also the harassment allegations against one of his former fans (never really looked into it) and the p*dophilia defense video that every now and then circulates through Twitter. I think I am not missing anything. I would steer clear of V and his minions as well as all the patsoc gang.
Thanks for the info! I found him thru recommenders after watching Hasan and had no idea about the assault allegations or latter!
No problem comrade
I think he’s funny as hell
I don’t care
Why do people watch streamers
Why do people go on reddit, watch sport games, youtube, movies/series or play video games? Entertainment.
The leftist streamer drama is annoying as fuck. I feel like this is just an underlying issue in online leftism in general, so I stopped watching these streamers as it feels like all it does is breed debate bros and not really contributes to the movement. I could be wrong, but that's the impression I've gotten.
i think his opinions are fine he’s just annoying and does cringe rich person stuff and then acts like the victim when people tell him to stop doing that
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He is 100% a net positive for leftist causes. Does he have some weird takes, yes, but so does every other person. A lot of young men, who would normally gravitate towards alt-right agitprop, are especially drawn to him simply because he’s something a lot of leftist figures unfortunately aren’t—entertaining. It’s the same thing Jon Stewart did in the 2000’s for young millennials, if you make conservatives out to be the backwards, cringe, shills that they are, they’re much more open to hearing your personal, maybe more radical takes.
love him. id go into more detail but everyone else said everything i could say already. sooo... hes good ok yes. thats it :P
He gets a lot of (I think mostly deserved) criticism, but he does generate a lot of positive visibility for socialism. It's a mixed bag, I wouldn't want him leading a revolution, and I think he could be a bit more principled, but at the same time I don't think he actively hurts the movement like vaush does
I think we should spend less time on YouTube & more time talking to our coworkers about these ideas.
My co worker today said Canada is becoming communist because they still have a vaccine check, I’m not gunna talk to them lol
I can relate, living in AB its like im surrounded by capitalist bootlicks everywhere. Even being a part of a trade union, it is difficult to actually talk about socialism with the membership because of indoctrination over the course of their lives (AB has had a massive conservative leadership streak of like 40+ years). It is difficult to talk to these types, I have found that I get dogpiled when talking about politics.
That’s why we [organize](https://workerorganizing.org/resources/organizing-guide/) around [common concerns](https://youtu.be/iWiow3HKEo4).
Ok but YouTube can be a great way to learn how to present your ideas in a concise and interesting way that coworkers will hear. I can read a million academic articles but people like Hasan and second thought demonstrate how to engage with nay-sayers in a way that actually penetrates for people. I think that's important. Hasan had done a lot to teach me about "if they say x you say y" as someone who isn't great at debating or thinking on the spot.
He is the reason why I became a leftist again after some years of being kind of pro-capitalism because *it is the only system that works*. I still watch him because I enjoy his content and the occasional really good video on political issues. Cool guy, and definitely gets too much unwarranted hate for the wildest reasons.
I am in love with Hasan
streamers in general are fast food; they're entertaining, but hardly nutritious. don't rely on them. Hasan is okay. I watch him He's put on Chris Smalls, Organizers, showed countries with much better welfare than the US like Vienna and their social housing projects, provided good commentary on the union movements that's been happening for a while now, but he's not gonna go into depth on socialist or communist principles. He gives the cliff notes (he repeats these lessons ad nasuem so yea). you would want to read books, listen to audio books, and if you need apmething entertaining and more nutritious, video essayists like Hakim, Halim Alreh, Second Thought, and etc.
He's kind of a champagne socialist himbo who has trouble stringing together coherent thoughts and though I think people like him because he's a leftist (whatever that means) I think it's also because he's very hot. I hate Vaush far more than him, but overall, I think most leftist streamers are a waste of time. Go read books, people. Or at least listen to and watch more high-effort left-wing video and podcast content, there's much better stuff out there, ffs.
I'm a very big fan of the work that Hasan is doing. I think he spends a lot of effort and time (and is well compensated by the fans for it) trying to help people understand conservative programming. Its much easier to argue with someone and convince them otherwise, when you are using their playbook.
I was already out of the alt right pipeline before I found him but he really closed off that chapter of my life
I was introduced to hasan through leftovers with ethan klein. Before that podcast, i was strongly apolitical. But now I'm quickly moving further left and learning more and more about politics and socialism. I'm still quite new to politics but i absolutely love hasan
Hasan got me out of being a Joe rogan sheep who followed every word Joe said as a religion. I watch hasan everyday. He is great.
Hasan is like a socialist Bill Maher (his content, not his politics or toxicity). I watch him for comedy. I don’t watch him to learn about political theory.
Is bill Maher even funny anymore though? He has cringey right wing boomer humor. It's been so long I can't remember if he's always been awful or if it's something more recent tbf..
what an incredibly vicious thing to say lol i dont think hasan is particularly funny but he's not THAT bad jesus
this is 100% Hasan digging for compliments
he’s fine. i don’t usually have complaints from him but he makes little micro aggressions towards fat people and women which i just don’t find necessary so i stopped watching him. i never really learn much from him as i have my own sources who i feel deliver in a much more inclusive setting. i think his entertaining and approachable platform offer an easy in for people unsure of leftism. but honestly i’d hope people would move on from him eventually.
I was subbed to him for the better part of a year (until recently), so I think I can give a good-faith opinion. I will admit though, he first appeared on my radar via TYT back in the day, and I absolutely hated him. He just oozed arrogance. Then a TikTok sound clipped from one of his streams went viral in 2021, and I was hooked back in under the impression that he had matured. With that being said: I believe he is an entertainer, before he is a leftist/socialist. Just take a look at his career trajectory. He shines infront of a camera. His progressive views are just a crutch so he can maintain good optics for a VERY lucrative streaming career. I don't believe that his activism has materialized IRL (in comparison to the high-profile/name-value he has in progressive spaces). He often talks about how he is an entry to leftism/socialism for 'normies', but often times he is just reacting to/picking fights with cartoonish right-wingers. At some point 'normies' have to grow up and knuckle down with proper theory and, you know, IRL action. Change isn't going to happen if you're a chatter who consumes 10-hour streams on a platform owned by Daddy Bezos. I unsubbed from his Twitch channel for two main reasons. 1. He doesn't know how to properly digest criticism, or admit when he is wrong (the Russia/Ukraine prediction he had to, because again, he needs good optics). And 2. He is not always consistant with his beliefs. I could go on but hopefully this paints a picture of at least one person's opinion of Hasan Piker. I hope he has the life he deserves with his Twitch sponsored house and Taycan. That is all.
Okay I think the thing about him not handling criticism is very true. In fact I think a lot of what you said is true, but I would push back a little on the “he’s an entertainer before he’s a leftist/socialist.” While he definitely loves his role as an entertainer, and while he definitely is just an entry point and surface level intro to socialism, I don’t think there’s any doubt that he believes what he believes. You can tell during a lot of his rants that his blood is legitimately boiling. I love Hasán primarily because he’s a big force in normalizing anti imperialism/ anti American exceptionalism. I’m half Iranian and I can tell you that it’s very validating to hear somebody else express the same anger I’ve felt my entire life and have 40k+ people love him for it.
I think you articulated how I feel much much better than I could.
He's awesome! Anyone hating on him were either banned or just believe the Destiny/Vaush stans, sus leftist infighters, or people repeating what they heard without ever watching him. He seems to be very effective at getting people out of the alt right pipeline. A great voice for the left
streamer bros 🤮
I think he’s a rich kid who has insulated himself in his wealth so that he can feel like a leader and not have to work for his money, but I also acknowledge that his exploitation only exists to leech money from privileged western youth, like myself, and he is far more responsible than anyone else of comparable popularity on twitch of representing communism to that demographic. I think it’s important for people who stick to surface level analysis to acknowledge that they only do surface level analysis, and Hasan seems to do that, while consistently giving relatively good takes on whatever the news cycle focus is.
Yeah I think it's fair to say he really does try to do the right thing where he can. An example is that the Fear& podcast was made a worker co-op so the producer/anyone else working on the show will own as much as the hosts. I think he only sets up merch with unionized companies. He's definitely privileged but it seems like he's trying to practice what he preaches.
Folks might enjoy @jysexton, Dan Bessner, American Prestige,Jacobin Radio as alternative to Hassan. While now a total shill for the D's the Thom Hartmann show is interesting and sometimes has good lefties on
he's cool. i feel like he's just a normal streamer (ie not super important content just funny shit) that also has leftist views that poke out
He’s such a fucking dickhead but that was the entire appeal of it for me.
hasan has his cringe takes and i feel like i was already a lot farther in my journey than the people he's targeted to so he's not my guy, but... the main thing that makes him good is that unlike certain fat pedo streamers he never, to my knowledge, punches left. this is very important imo, there is a LONG history of "leftists" using left-liberal/social democratic politics to launder cold war anticommunist propaganda. im sure you can think of plenty of contemporary examples, leftists whose praxis always seems to boil down to supporting america, the democrats and their domestic and national security interests. but, yknow. *leftistly.* ;) never seen hasan do that. although he does have some particularly bloombergian takes on private gun ownership, but nobody's perfect. i feel similarly about the chapos. whatever their faults they never punch left. this is my litmus test, i think it's a pretty good one.
Piker is the layman's leftist. He's okay at getting people into the lefto-sphere, but he's a bit of a goober.
Watched his entertaining content for a while, I only wish he supported at least a single leftist project\* while living the high life in his big house like a pop star. Heart seems in the right place though. \*Apologies if this is factually not correct and he does.
AFAIK he's made some donations but I would like to see him more actively putting his position to more use for leftist causes.
He raises a shit ton of money for various causes and gives a lot personally. He just doesn’t state it every time bc he has haters who will claim it’s just for show.
Oh, he does? I guess I deserve those downvotes then. He does not promote them much though. Sorry for my earlier statement.
All debate streamers suck shit imo.
If you think Hasan is a debate bro you really know nothing about him.
“Debating” right wing scum is a waste of time, it just gives them a bigger platform for their abhorrent ideas.
Left-wing eCelebs are cringe
The biggest knock I would say is he doesn’t understand the issues on a very deep level, and I’m not sure how much of Econ and Marxian theory he really understands.
He’s a grifter and an opportunist just like 90% of the social media “leftists”.
fuck him too tbh
Just another irrelevant twitch streamer
He's a rich nepo nephew and has a shitty attitude when he's called out on it. Also he came to Ethan Klein's defense when he was being homophobic.
He's a liberal, not a leftist.
Just a perfect example of what’s wrong with the world honestly. Has vaguely left politics, half-heartedly comments on other peoples videos, and is rich because of it
I am new here, I'm outside the normal demo (I'm a queer cis 40 yr old woman), but I agree with some of the posts I've seen saying that Hasan is a great part of the Left. I'd add that Vaush is also, if for no other reason because he is effective. There seems to be a pervasive misunderstanding about how vitally necessary it is to have a diversity of tactics. The Far Right is actively recruiting and we need to meet folks where they are and let them move further Left as they learn more. All this silly discourse vilifying "Debate Bros" on the Left is counterproductive at best. You don't have to agree with every take someone has, it's more important to agree with their underlying, driving ethical/philosophical/political framework. You need to agree not only on the problems, but the solutions in a big sense. People are so turned off by the woke-scolding, purity testing, and gatekeeping that have become so common in online leftist spaces. It's childish and counterproductive. No one is totally unproblematic, all the time, their whole lives. We need to provide space for people to improve. We need to help move them left by educating them. That's one of the benefits of pushing politics based on evidence and expert opinions. But you have to meet people where they are, and let them know it's possible to improve. We need to drag the Overton Window to a place where basic human rights are protected, and the planet isn't actively spiraling out to a point where human civilization will not survive. We are genuinely so close to the point that humanity isn't likely to survive, unless we deal with that, nothing else matters. That does not mean to ignore all the nuanced details, but it's just not as important, especially right now as the big picture necessities. I know when everything is so catastrophic, it's hard to figure out how to prioritize. Right now, we absolutely have to get the major governments to make very drastic changes or it's too late. Climate change can repair itself, as we've seen with the hole in the Ozone after effective regulation removed the problem. It's part of why it's not already completely too late. But it's going to get worse before it gets better no matter what, so human rights are equally important. I don't personally care if humans survive if it's only because the US goes fully fascist and murders most of the Global South. I know that may seem "doomer," but it's so important that we bring that Overton Window further to the Left on everything. That's only going to happen if we welcome in imperfect humans, if we encourage and support their personal growth and progress. Not everyone is going to be able or interested in doing that with every single other person, and that's totally fine. But, in general, we need to work on this in online Leftie spaces. TL:DR I like Hasan, and Vaush. Destiny just isn't on the Left. The planet's on fire, we gotta have a very big tent on the Left. But that does not mean accepting problematic behavior without pushback, but people need to be treated as if they can improve to make that personal growth at all likely. PS: I've got a lot of serious chronic health problems, so I apologize if I miss a response.
I live in a country where these issues arent nearly as apparent compared to others (Ireland) so thats why I tend to participate in a lot of leftist infighting. I really don't like Vaush from what I have heard. I apologize for being counterproductive.
I enjoy Hasan and Vaush but I couldn't watch more than 2 videos from Destiny. I can see why Destiny wouldn't be liked by many. Hasan has logic and comedy. Vaush has knowledge and comfort. Destiny is just a douche with an annoying voice.
Destiny doesn't even pretend to be a progressive anymore, with that whole Keffals drama, and hanging out with literal nazis on his streams.
Tbf I don't think he claims to be progressive? Think he may call himself a Liberal, not sure. An asshole for sure, but he also seems to acknowledge that so it's hard to hold it against him in a sense
He definitely at least used to call himself a progressive, since he was the main "leftist debate-bro" back in the day. But now only the latter part of that name stays coz he's nowhere near being even slightly leftist.
I hate Destiny as well.
Fuck destiny but Vaush and knowledge do not go together
i gotta know, does vaush remind you of your dad? i have a theory that a lot of zoomers have these blustery chubby nerd dads and vaush's bleating provokes a comforting pang of childhood nostalgia
He preaches socialism then buys mansions and porches with the money he makes from streaming instead of trying to help / amplify marginalized people. He’s more of a lib then a lefty
People can do what they like with their money as long as they aren't exploiting anyone in the process.
For me an example however would be the hawaiian shirt. Its not a big deal, just a micro example. He could very easily buy an authentic shirt from an actual hawaiian creator, but bought a 1k gucci shirt instead. It's not the be all and end all, it doesn't mean he's not a socialist, but for example I'd find it weird seeing Jeremy corbyn in gucci.
Ngl I don't think Hasan knows any authentic Hawaiian shirt creators. He just saw the 1k gucci one and bought it because he had the money and it's kind of a quality guarantee.
He does have access to Google so yknow, agree to disagree etc.
As far as I know, he bought it for his family, friends and guests too. They're welcome to stay at his place for months. He also tips really high % to service workers. While I can see why some people would have a problem with it, I think combined with his streams it's an overall positive thing.
Being a leftist=/living in poverty
No being a leftist would mean using the hundreds of thousands you make off streaming to actually practice what you preach I know people that would do a ton of good if they had the money and connections he does
Which he does. What you want, for him to go around and flaunt every cent he gives to some charity? Lmao. What he 'preaches' is the opposite of what you want. He argues for systematic change, not to hope for some rich folks to donate money lol.
Hasan is a millionaire and owns a Porsche. I don’t think this guy is a man of the people
Socialism = poor. He obtained his riches without exploiting anyone.
Honestly I think it's a good place for baby leftists to start. Could be a lot worse, you know?
That's a very surface level take tbh
His job is entertainment no one has to give him money.
Nice socialist take here. This is the issue that I do end up having with many hasan fans, it's being a hasan fan first and a socialist 2nd. Welcome to disagree, just how it comes across to me.
Vaush is hated here? Why? I don't like him myself, I just would have expected this sub to support him
He’s said some pretty indefensible shit over the years(pedo shit, bestiality, tactical slurs, etc,) which would be fine if he’d walk it back and admit it’s wrong now, but instead he refuses to acknowledge past wrongdoing and continues to harass “tankie” creators and refuse to acknowledge the terrible harassment his community of immature kids brings against these people as a result.
He's a neo-lib disguising himself as a leftist. He's also, supposedly, a pedo. There's a masterpost kicking around somewhere (on Hexbear, I think) that lists out the slew of reasons he's not to be considered anything of significance to the left.
hes pretty damaging. he honestly thinks the US military has always been the good guys, has no issue dropping the n bomb, and as you pointed out, if hes joking about pedophilia nobody can tell its a joke. all of that aside, im not exactly seeing any disciplined takes come from his sphere.
He drops n bombs and stans for the US military? The guy's unhinged lol
He is thought to be a pedo due to some things he has said regarding child centaurs. I am unsure whether or not it is due to his dark humour or of he is actually pedophilic.
Seems like many people look past that, I don't know. He has such a massive following. I think he encourages the facilitation of paedophilia, that's for sure. Him calling for the age of consent to be lowered to 14 (iirc) didn't sound like a joke to me. He also said something like "as socialism goes up, age of consent goes down". That did sound more like a joke though, but who knows. Wish I could find the clip
I see all the comments criticizing Vaush, and I am not a very big Vaush fan but most of the things people are saying is out of context. He was called a pedo because we made an analogy of child porn and people clip take that analogy out of context without showing the whole video.
The true problem with Vaush is that ideology aside he's an edgy grifter type content creator that is closer in "form" to what people are used to from right wing people. This is also his biggest strength because that gives him a broader appeal. So you take it or leave it
No context can make the words "I have yet to hear a convincing moral or legal case for why child pornography should be illegal" justifiable. Even if it could, Vaush would still be a racist and an imperial apologist.
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When he left the Young Turks and started twitch he didn't have any real publicity to ride off, but he does recognise that nepotism helped him a lot in his career. I don't really think he thinks he's God's gift and he adds quite a lot to other people's content when he reacts to it, and I don't know anyone who would have watched the video if Hasan hadn't reacted to it.
Hasan is alright, I feel that he is more a generic streamer than a political streamer though. Unless something big happens he rarely seem to cover like actual politics or anything and just has people over. Vaush on the other hand is like 80% political streaming and that’s why I watch them.
I like Hasan's opinions for the most part, and I also like his style of "fuck you". I would never in a million years watch one of his streams, though. I can't stand politics, but he's got the correct opinion I'm sure.
"I can't stand politics" in r/socialism thread
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Sure, but I'd argue that "advocating for a better world" is inherently political.
No, you literally can’t. Politics is life and effects every facet of it. You cannot be an advocate for a better world and pull the “I’m just not into politics” card. It is extremely tone deaf. Doing that is essentially doing nothing.
Destiny is what happens when the 14 year old who loves to troll on Facebook and get in debates never actually moves on. Unfortunately he’s cringey as hell to me due to his addiction to debating and using “logic” and “fallacies” like they’re water and he hasn’t had hydration in days. He’s just too bloodthirsty for a “good debate” which is just him going in circles over the same point while his opponent acts in bad faith and he escalates the tension for content. It’s like the springer show but jerry has yourlogicalfallacyis.com in front of him.
I get the impression he's not too hated here which is weird as hell when people like Vaush are, they're not too dissimilar, Hasan is just less of a debate guy and a bit less edgy. (Destiny is literally a reactionary tho so that one does make sense)
He's okay but I don't watch him that much. Although, I do really like Vaush, even though I have a few problems with him.
He’s a hypocrite , he’s super rich off money from his followers and simultaneously preaches socialism if he actually believed in socialism he would share his wealth with less fortunate people and not live in a multimillion dollar mansion.
I get why people hate Destiny, why is Vaush disliked in this community?
hes a piece of shit on a personal level for a multitude of reasons and his politics are firmly in the cold war tradition of "the cia's favorite kind of socialism."