this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2024
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Asklemmy

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This guy's dad is the former VP of a multibillion dollar Turkish conglomerate, as well as the secretary of a government department. Mom and Dad were able to fly to their other home in NJ to give birth so he'd get US citizenship. His uncle is the founder and owner of TYT Media and gave him his media career. He went to Rutgers. He lives in a multimillion dollar mansion in the Hollywood Hills. This is by definition not the kind of person who can be a voice of the People. Saying "I recognize my privilege" over and over, while living his lifestyle, doesn't negate his privilege and complete lack of real-life experience outside of the curated garden of the wealthy. He gets paid obscene amounts of cash to sit in his bedroom and word-vomit for 9 hours a day. Why are his unending opinions taken so seriously? He gives me strong controlled opposition vibes.

Edit: Thank you all for this discussion. I learned a lot.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Because he's cool to a certain type of person and those people are vaguely leftist (just like Hasan is vaguely leftist).

That cool factor and the parasocial relationships protect him a lot in places like this where some of the more knowledgeable users will actually dunk on his sources like Ettingermentum when they do/say stupid shit. It's incredibly funny to see.

Honestly that's pretty much it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Haven't seen/heard much of his videos.
And some gamers going RW is an issue, right? Maybe he'll be good there?

So what is to be done?
Are there other people you'd recommend?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago

My partner watches him a lot and while personally dislike Hasans loud yelly bro style I've never heard an opinion from him that I disagreed with.

[–] [email protected] 58 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)
[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago

this is hard as fuck holy

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

You will struggle to get serious answers here. But many leftists crave validation more than they crave good ideas. Not all of them, mind you, but on places like ML anyone outside the orthodoxy inevitably just gets shouted down.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I don’t know Piker from a hole in the ground. This sure sounds like a red flag, and I think The Young Turks are hacks. Nonetheless, bourgeois class traitors are a thing, Engels & Mao being a prime examples.

Not knowing Piker’s particulars, I can only speak at the 30,000 foot view: Western “leftist” spaces have largely been captured by US imperialism since the end of WWII.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

Thank you for an intelligent response! I will read up on the links you shared.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

In case you're actually, seriously asking and not just trolling, having privilege and success under capitalism does not disqualify a person from being a leftist. You can't really criticize a person for participating in a system where if you don't participate, you starve.

He's using his influence to organize the working class and advocate for collective action, which is the one tool workers have in the fight against their own exploitation. Even if you don't like him personally or don't think he's part of the working class, he is a very strong ally and has undeniably strengthened the movement.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

He’s using his influence to organize the working class and advocate for collective action, which is the one tool workers have in the fight against their own exploitation.

Posting and streaming (which is just video posting) is not "organizing the working class and advocating for collective action". The closest he gets to this is fundraisers, but the buck pretty much stops there.

Money is important sure, but that's not what organizing is. If fundraising is organizing than the Democratic Party should be Bolsheviks.

Going on stream to tell the people who decompress from their shitty McDonalds shifts that they should organize as they say hell yeah man and go back to the work the next day without doing anything isn't organizing, it's not advocacy, it's entertainment.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Shame that seriously asking is so hard to distinguish from trolling at this point. For the record, I am a leftist, working a shitty physical job, who has to listen to this guy all day because of my coworkers. I am literally the archetype of the struggling worker class. I don't need him or any other millionaire to tell me about the working class.

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I understand where you're coming from, honestly. But I think this is a sort of trauma response on our end (myself included) at this point. I'm not trying to pin mental illnesses on you, I'm nowhere near a licensed head doctor of any kind, I'm saying that we've been kicked and abused so much by the rich, that it's only natural for those of us who broke free of the brainwashing to be on high alert, at least for a while. The continued unfolding of things surely can't help this situation, either.

That being said, as long as he acts in good faith and is sincere and logical in his approach, which so far seems to be true, I'd say we should embrace his participation! As I see it, we need all the voices we can get. We're already arguing semantics amongst ourselves all day long, I think it'd be a shame to let mistrust shatter "our side" without concrete proof of malicious intent.

At the end of the day, the greatest weapon the Right has is the fact that they yell united at everyone else. Let our chorus rival theirs!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Thank you for being one of the only commenters to understand my question.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Believe me, I'm keeping an eye on every piece of Leftist media I find, and not just for the purpose of learning. I know Capitalism is very good at repackaging our complaints and critiques and selling them back as dopamine hits, but... there's not much of a choice otherwise. Even the "underground networks' " infrastructure* is owned by someone at this point...

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 weeks ago

Embrace petty bourgeouis class traitors and don't fetishize the working class.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Is this a "no true Scotsman" thing where only poor people with a blue collar work history are worthy of being listened to?

[–] [email protected] 72 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I can give you my two cents. Currently, there aren't many left leaning pundits, and I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. His privilege means nothing if he's actually being a good progressive advocate. Also, he's actually talking about the things the left populace actually care about. Controlled opposition wouldn't look like him to me. They'd be more like the Democrat party, trying to copitulate with the right. He's been fairly consistent with his messaging of workers rights, lgbtq rights, womens rights, and the atrocities happening in Gaza. His income from streaming is incidental, and isn't a problem in and of itself. In fact, it lets him be independent and not beholden to corporate media. It's hard enough to afford bills working a regular job. The vast majority of regular jobs take all your time, leaving none for anything else, much less being a left leaning advocate online. I'm assuming you'd rather a full-time employee take his place, but how would someone like that be able to be effective in their advocacy?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Hes good at breaking down media. Gets involved on community organizing. Does good propaganda.

People are free to like who they like and make up their own minds. Why you hating? Who made you thought police?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

He cute though

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