Hasan Doğan Piker (born July 25, 1991) is an American political commentator, streamer, and YouTuber. He is best known for his political commentary on the progressive news network The Young Turks and for his Twitch streaming channel, where he discusses pop politics, news headlines, and popular culture. Piker has gained a large following for his outspoken views on progressive politics and social issues.
Hasan Piker was born on July 25, 1991, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He spent his early years in Turkey before moving back to the United States for college. Piker attended Rutgers University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and communication.
Career
The Young Turks
Piker began his career as an intern at The Young Turks in 2014. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a producer and on-air contributor. Piker gained prominence for his "Bro Tips" show, a dating advice show.
Twitch streaming
In 2018, Piker started streaming on Twitch, where he discusses pop politics, news headlines, and popular culture. His Twitch channel, "hasanabi," has amassed a large following, making him one of the most popular political streamers on the platform. Piker's streams often feature discussions with journalists and content creators.
The Most Oppressed Group - Pre-debate Debate with Hasan Piker
On October 9th, 2018 Destiny engaged in a "pre-debate debate" with Hasan. This discussion was held in preparation for a future politicon appearance Hasan would have with Charlie Kirk. [1] Hasan begins the conversation cordially, praising Destiny for being "awesome," citing his "excellent" content, and expressing that he "really likes what he's about."From there, the two engage in a lighthearted conversation discussing topics such as Neoliberalism, Destiny's political background,the current political climate, and Hasan's upcoming debate with Charlie Kirk. Topics discussed include, Destiny and Hasan's political perspectives, prior debate experiences with conservatives, and a disagreement Hasan had with Destiny regarding the succesfullness of Donald Trump as a president.
Discussion Highlights
Destiny's Political Perspective 5:03 Hasan inquires about what Destiny's political perspective is, Destiny responds that he aligns pretty closely with anyone on the left with regards to social issues. However with regards to economic policy, Destiny states he's a big fan of market forces and capitalism, and likely more closely aligns with conservatives. He tempers this by saying he's okay with a healthy amount of government intervention, to which he proclaims himself a social-democrat/neoliberal. Hasan takes issue with this, and warns Destiny against calling himself a neoliberal, citing the ideology as being a "full subscription to deny that capitalism has like any sort of faults." Destiny disagrees with this framing, and the two discuss what the true definition of Neoliberalism is. Eventually Hasan concludes that Neoliberalism is simply "anybody who looks at socialism with disdain", or wants to create hurdles for issues such as medicare for all.
Hasan's Political Perspective 13:55 Hasan asserts that he is "more to the left than the majority of TYT", and that the organization is a good "gateway" to leftist politics. Hasan recommends Destiny's audience check out Chapo Trap House to look for an adequate critique of Neoliberalism. Destiny admits he is hesitant to recommend the podcast, due to their tendency to "relentlessly shit on liberals". Hasan then explains that the criticism these liberals receive is due in part to their tendency to "hold up oligarchs" and create a false narrative that "everything is fine", and that comprise can be reached with Republicans.
Hasan's Facebook group 20:26 Hasan discusses a Facebook group he runs, wherein several people of varying political beliefs are members and are unified by their shared enjoyment of his streams. He goes on to discuss how the Stalinists and Neoliberals of the group tend to fight with one another, and confesses how he more closely aligns with the Stalinists who claim that "everything the United States does is bad".
Prior debate experiences with conservatives 48:13 Destiny and Hasan discuss their prior debates/experiences with conservatives. The two mention how the perceived victim complex many modern day conservatives maintain, makes them very frustrating interlocutors. At one point during this discussion, Hasan briefly mentions that he's "not on board" with an authoritarian state assertion of power despite the fact that he calls himself a socialist.
Destiny and Hasan discuss Sam Harris, Hasan shares his appreciation for Destiny 1:11:37 Destiny and Hasan discuss Sam Harris, and American imperialism. Destiny expresses his uncomfortability with some of Sam's views, as he tends to "come out swinging very hard for Judeo-Christian values". Hasan echoes this sentiment, and adds that Sam tends to "otherize" Islam as being an inherently violent religion but never acknowledges the consequences of American Imperialism. Destiny agrees, and pokes fun at the double-standards which seem to be prevalent in America society, comparing the reaction to an Islamic nation going to war for Allah with the response if someone like Donald Trump declared the Bible as the most important book ever written, or Bush saying he "prays before making any decision".
1:23:52 Hasan remarks that Destiny is "doing a really important job" by debating people on the right.
Was Trump a successful president? 1:27:51 Hasan discusses a debate Destiny had, in which he doesn't fully agree with a position Destiny posited regarding the success of Donald Trump as a president. Hasan claims Trump has been incredibly successful as a Republican president because his underlying positions are just "regular fucking conservative principles". Hasan elaborates that his positions are all the "modern GOP positions" but his rhetoric is just different, and is just more appealing to his base voters. He goes on to point to things such as the Republican Tax plan, the "destruction" of the EPA", and the "destruction" of the financial protection bureau. He concludes that this is all "regular republican shit" that Trump was able to accomplish in an authoritarian fashion. Destiny responds that Trump has caused a very deep division within the Republican party, citing instances such as Trumples mocking Mccain for being a war hero making it very difficult for them to see eye-to-eye with other Republicans. Destiny then discuss how Trump fans and supporters "fucking hate" establishment Republicans, citing the tendency of these groups to trash moderate Republicans just as hard as certain left leaning groups(i.e. calling them Rhinos). Destiny concludes that he's unsure what kind of damage will happen to the party once Trump is gone, pointing to how a candidate like Rubio could have difficulty pandering to this new-extreme base.
Hasan's critique of Charlie Kirk 2:17:40 At one point while the pair are watching a PragerU video together, Charlie Kirk asserts "capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other system, and that socialism always leads to poverty." Hasan pauses the video and exclaims "why would anyone make that argument, that argument is bananas." He then expresses confusion as to how Kirk can label these colleges as liberal. Hasan concludes that Kirk just wants college campuses to be more racist.
11:08 Destiny provides some nuance on his perspective with regards to the ACA failing, in that the US did not get a significant reduction in the cost of healthcare.
13:31 Destiny states he's a consequentialist, looking to increase the standards of living for most people through policy.
15:48 Hasan recommends Destiny's audience check out Chapo Trap House to look for an adequate critique of Neoliberalism.
22:04 Hasan asserts that America's existence has been devastating for the world in very meaningful ways.
25:29 Destiny and Hasan discuss their experiences with highschool and college math. The two then discuss masculinity in US media, and metal gear solid.
30:28 Destiny laments the tendency of conservatives to not engage with issues such as Education and Healthcare in the United States.
33:51 Hasan asks Destiny what the best way to have a productive conversation is. Destiny confesses very few of the conversations on his channel are productive.
35:47 Destiny discusses an edgy position he holds: "You should be able to say whatever word you want, at any point in time, and it shouldn't have to have racist or derogatory connotations to it. But if I use certain words there's going to be some people that watch me, who will feel like i'm reinforcing some negative/racist belief they have... All satire has been totally fucking destroyed".
38:03 Destiny remarks how he'd always speak out in solidarity for content creators(even those he disagrees with) that were banned off certain platforms, and how some of these same content creators celebrated his own ban off certain platforms. The two then discuss their grievances with "classical liberals".
45:03 Destiny discusses how if conservatives weren't racist, they'd be able to lock in much more voters due to the regressive values many traditional immigrants hold.
48:13 Destiny and Hasan discuss Anthony Brian Logan, and other debates with conservatives Destiny has had.
54:36 Hasan derides the "capitalist vultures over at ABC" for firing Roseanne Barr. Hasan goes on to discuss how she toted the line between acceptable and unacceptable racism. The two then discuss the perceived "oppression" of conservatives.
1:06:52 Hasan and Destiny discuss the racism of certain immigrant demographics.
1:21:47 Hasan asks Destiny: "What is something that has changed in your political perspective throughout time". Destiny responds that his goal has always been to find the "most correct position" which contorts with his base values as much as possible. Destiny explains that as a result of this, he tends to lean more left.
1:23:52 Hasan remarks that Destiny is "doing a really important job" by debating people on the right.
1:25:58 Destiny discusses how he plans to vote and engage in more electoral politics, despite having voter apathy and "hating democracy". Hasan applauds Destiny for this.
1:28:23 Hasan discusses a disagreement he has with Destiny regarding the successfulness of Donald Trump as a president.
1:36:55 Destiny discusses his frustrations with debating centrists. Hasan then questions why Destiny is so hesitant to name himself as "someone on the left", to which Destiny responds he's not "a leftie, communist, tankie, or socialist... I just feel most of my positions are incredibly reasonable, and I could bring most people without much effort... I just have these positions that make me look like i'm so extremely on the left... when debating these people"
1:41:42 Hasan questions Destiny about his libertarian past.
1:49:36 Hasan struggles to find a Dave Rubin quote to share with Destiny.
1:55:49 Hasan and Destiny take a pee break, then discuss Hasan's upcoming politicon debate.
2:03:14 Hasan discusses Charlie Kirk's professor watch list, then begin watching a PragerU video.
2:17:40 In the video, Charlie Kirk asserts "capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other system, and that socialism always leads to poverty."Hasan exclaims "why would anyone make that argument, that argument is bananas." He then expresses confusion as to how Kirk can label these colleges as liberal.
On October 20, 2018 Destiny reacted to a Politicon panel featuring featuring Hasan and Charlie Kirk.[2] The primary focus of the panel was: "Whether young people should be progressives, conservatives, or perhaps something else". Destiny was mildly impressed by certain aspects of Hasan's debate performance. He appreciated Hasan's ability to challenge and critique various points, particularly in the context of discussing systemic issues and the limitations of free-market solutions. He also recognized the difficulty Hasan faced in addressing complex topics such as healthcare, education, and wealth distribution, in the face of a practiced "Gish-Galloper" such as Charlie Kirk. He did however offer a few critiques:
Destiny suggested that Hasan could benefit from incorporating more 'scummy tactics' used in live debates, implying a need for more strategic interjections and rebuttals tailored to the format, especially facing an individual such as Charlie Kirk.
Destiny indicated that Hasan could improve in how he handles the framing set by his opponents, particularly in redirecting or countering their narratives more effectively.
Discussion Highlights
Highlights from Destiny's reaction include:
6:18 Highlighting a critical talking point missed by Hasan, Destiny counters an argument put forth by Charlie Kirk that "it's a good thing more individuals are off food-stamps". Destiny maintains that such an indicator is a poor barometer for the success of a nation, and that other indicators such as level of education, access to food stamps, access to healthcare, housing, and luxury goods are far better indicators of success.
7:43 Hasan agrees with Charlie Kirk that "we should reject socialism". Destiny pauses the video, and argues that Hasan agreeing with Kirk in this instance makes him look very weak.
27:37 When discussing the socialization of medical systems, Kirk mentions Lasik eye surgery and argues that the existence of insurance makes healthcare far more expensive. Realizing Kirk is regurgitating talking points from a video Destiny himself had once fallen victim to during his more right-leaning years, Destiny pulls up the video and proceeds to mock Kirk for not understanding the "elasticity" of certain services.
45:38 Charlie Kirk remarks that the most poor and destitute cities are owned by Democrats. Destiny pauses the video, laughs mockingly, and states that Kirk has every "fucking meme talking point". Shortly after resuming the video, Destiny pauses it once more to point out that the gish-gallop is destroying Hasan, and he cannot allow Kirk to ramble on.
1:05:01 After Kirk interrupts Hasan and asks for a moment to speak, Destiny remarks that he feels like Kirk has spoken quite a bit more than Hasan during this panel.
1:14:08 After being pushed by Kirk, Hasan shares that he only makes $60,000 a year. Hasan's uncle, Cenk Uygur, proceeds to shout at Kirk from the crowd.
Politicon 2018 - Post-debate Debate with Hasan Piker.
On October 21, 2018 Destiny and Hasan had a three and a half hour long discussion regarding Hasan's recent debate experience at Politicon. [3] The conversation begins with Destiny explaining to Hasan that he did not necessarily dislike the points he attempted to convey to Kirk, but was critical of his attempts to get those points across. Hasan agreed with this sentiment, and pointed to Kirk's tactics of outright lying, Gish Galloping, moving the goalposts, and crafting messages for "applause breaks" as being very frustrating to deal with. Destiny sympathised with this, agreeing that the debate tactics employed by Kirk are very hard to deal with in real time, particularly in a live format. From there, the two discussed tactics Hasan could have employed better in the debate, their grievances with modern day conservatives, and the best methods in reaching out to a "broader" audience.
Destiny's Advice
Dealing with Gish Galloping 10:19 : Destiny tells Hasan the best way to counter a debate opponent Gish Galloping, particularly in a live format, is to pose them questions at the end which every member of the audience would be able to identify with. Destiny goes on to provide the example of Bernie Sanders hammering home the same three talking points (1% getting richer, jobs suck, lack of affordability of healthcare). Destiny then pointedly suggests that Hasan could have posed questions like this on the back end of every one of Kirk's monologues, and that Kirk would come out looking worse for it.
Holding Opponents Accountable 16:56: Destiny encourages Hasan to firmly challenge Kirk's controversial statements, like those suggesting Democratic policies lead to violence in Chicago.
Refraining from Communist-like rhetoric 47:44: Hasan references a communist individual in his community, who advised him to point his arguments more towards a criticism of capitalism. Destiny tells Hasan to never listen to individuals like this. Destiny goes on to advise Hasan to take on more "nazi-rhetoric" in that he should present his ideas as "positive-things" for the benefit of the country. He compares this against communist rhetoric that tends to include phrases such as "eat the rich".
Handling leading questions in a debate 1:42:1: Destiny informs Hasan that "whenever someone asks you a question, the reason why they're doing that is because they know what answer you're going to give, so they've already got the response prepared. Anytime you're in a debate with somebody, if they ask you a question that seems very obvious...you have to know that if you answer... they're ready to go into it."
Neoliberalism 2:19:27: Hasan and Destiny discuss Neoliberalism. Hasan states Neoliberalism has a more "hawkish" perspective, and fails to acknowledge the failures of free market. Destiny cautions Hasan against this perspective, and jokingly suggests he already has seven Neoliberals already typing him up emails suggesting the contrary. Destiny states he has no strong stance one way or the other, but points out there are Neoliberals that seem okay and some that seem quite extreme. Hasan then jokingly suggests that "Neoliberals love getting owned", and cautions Destiny against calling himself one.
Using Free-Market arguments against Conservatives 2:47:07: Destiny provides Hasan a "silver-fucking-bullet" to conservative hypocrisy. He points to how Conservatives tend to state the free-market will solve everything, then how these same individuals will complain when they're banned from social media platforms.
The stock market as an indicator for prosperity 2:06:13: At one point, Hasan attempts to provide Destiny with a talking point regarding the stock market being a poor indicator for prosperity. Destiny, acknowledges this, and finishes Hasan's point stating: "oh yeah, because the average American doesn't hold a lot of securities." Destiny goes on to point to a debate with Jacob Wohl, where he made this exact argument.
Having counterexamples on hand 3:07:53: Destiny recommends Hasan have a list of "capitalist countries that are fucking up" to counter Kirk's examples of socialist countries performing poorly. Hasan then expresses his disdain for this type of strategy citing it as being intellectually dishonest.
As the conversation concludes, Hasan thanks Destiny and admits that although his audience initially viewed Destiny with skepticism, believing him to be a social democrat, they have now fallen in love with him. Hasan then raids Destiny's channel, and offers to help "tag-team" someone in a debate should Destiny ever wish.
Discussion Timestamps
2:58 Hasan informs Destiny that he watches his debates all the time and welcomes any criticism from him , regardless how harsh it may be.
10:19 Destiny advises Hasan on how to counter a Gish Gallop.
16:56 Destiny suggests to Hasan that he should have held Kirk's "feet to the fire" in certain instances where he said some "real dumb shit". Destiny cited instances such as Kirk suggesting Democrat policies were causing black people to be killed in Chicago.
20:14 Lamenting how Conservatives mock Socialists for suggesting true socialism has never existed, Hasan suggests that these individuals do the same with regards to capitalism. Destiny takes issue with this, and suggests that he would actually "push back here really hard, because I am a liberal". Destiny goes on to argue that when he has to argue in favor of liberalism/capitalism, it's very hard to argue as he must defend his very real/flaw system against an ideal. Destiny then provides Hasan various strategies he could utilize to better advocate his proposed socialist system.
31:51 In response to an argument from Kirk that Hasan should give up 95% of his salary if he's a socialist, Hasan admits he has no clue how to respond. Destiny provides Hasan some argumentative suggestions, one of which highlights the great personal harm one would incur should they give up the majority of their income to the IRS, with little benefit to society.
37:08 Hasan criticizes the tendency of the left to be quick to label individuals as Nazis. The conversation continues and Destiny later remarks that Hasan is "an intelligent guy" and suggests that he should engage in more debates with individuals he encounters online to sharpen his debate skills.
43:01 Hasan asks Destiny what specific points he should be working on in order to improve his debate skills. Destiny advises Hasan that the issue was not so much his points, but his rhetoric.
47:44 Hasan references a communist individual in his community, who advised him to point his arguments more towards a criticism of capitalism. Destiny tells Hasan to never listen to individuals like this, and Hasan jokingly agrees. Destiny goes on to advise Hasan to take on more "nazi-rhetoric" in that he should present his ideas as "positive-things" for the benefit of the country. He compares this against communist rhetoric that tends to include phrases such as "eat the rich".
1:03:19 Hasan claims: "in the 66 minute debate, Charlie interrupted me 76 times".
1:14:52 Destiny suggests Hasan counters Kirk's comparisons of the United States to Cuba with "why are we comparing ourselves to nations like Cuba".
1:42:1 Destiny informs Hasan that "whenever someone asks you a question, the reason why they're doing that is because they know what answer you're going to give, so they've already got the response prepared. Anytime you're in a debate with somebody, if they ask you a question that seems very obvious...you have to know that if you answer... they're ready to go into it."
1:56:25 Destiny points to Hasan how Kirk tends to end his points on very strong statements.
1:57:20 Hasan claims socialism is not his position, and that his counters to Kirk's points are rooted in Social Democracy.
2:11:34 Hasan exclaims that he'd like to kill Charlie Kirk.
2:18:24 Destiny informs Hasan how schools receive funding.
2:21:33 Hasan and Destiny mock the conservative argument of "just move".
2:41:18 Destiny advises Hasan how to best approach arguments against lobbying.
2:44:24 Destiny restates an argument regarding federal non-discretionary funding Hasan attempted to make to Kirk. Hasan acknowledges that he made the same point but Destiny stated it more eloquently.
2:47:07 Destiny provides Hasan a free-market argument to use against conservatives.
2:49:28 Hasan informs Destiny "this argument is also for you... I never hear you mention this" with regards to the stock market not being a good indicator for success. Destiny, does in fact acknowledge this, and once again succinctly finishes Hasan's point by stating "oh yeah, because the average American doesn't hold a lot of securities."
3:01:34 Hasan claims capitalism does not have an answer to artificial intelligence and automation.
3:07:53 Destiny provides a recommendation to Hasan relating to counterexamples.
3:11:51 After exclaiming that Kirk is a "fucking pussy', Hasan apologizes to any female viewers and makes a note on his stream of "no ableism in chat".
3:18:39 Destiny provides Hasan the talking point "freedom means nothing without access".
Hasan’s Richard Lewis Debate - Post-debate Debate with Hasan Piker.
On November 2, 2018 Hasan engaged in a debate with esports journalist Richard Lewis regarding hot-button topics at the time. Topics included the Mainstream Media, Donald Trump, Shifting Demographics, and Obama Era Deportations. [4] The call concluded with Lewis describing Hasan as a "diet Destiny".
On November 6, 2018 Hasan and Destiny reacted to a vod of the debate together. [5] At the onset of the stream, the two experience several delays due to technical difficulties primarily attributed to synchronizing the audio of both the vods they are watching, low-volume, and Destiny hearing an echo from Hasan's stream(Hasan did not have headphones at the time). Destiny eventually decides that Hasan should simply watch his stream while he reacts to the vod, Hasan points out that Destiny's stream has a five-second delay, to which Destiny responds Hasan can just "scream" if he wants the video paused. Destiny immediately retracts this idea, and settles on just screensharing the video through discord(only after Destiny berates the chatter who suggested this alternative). From this point, Destiny's stream is left with the muffled audio of Hasan's debate with Richard Lewis, which the two react to for the remainder of the call.
Throughout the video, Destiny levies several critiques of Lewis at both a personal and argumentative level. Destiny calls "spineless" for his behavior following the JonTron Debate, citing Lewis' claim that he had made Jontron appear racist through debate-tactics. Destiny also ridicules Lewis for being under the control of esports broadcaster, Thorin, describing him as being on a “little leash” held by the broadcaster whenever he forms an opinion. On an argumentative level, Destiny critiques Lewis's tendency to gish gallop Hasan at several points during the debate, disputes Lewis's views on American Exceptionalism in journalism, and criticizes the way figures like Lewis struggle when faced with facts which stand in direct opposition to their claims. While watching the video, Hasan observes that Lewis often claims their conversation is "not a debate" and uses this assertion to dodge pressure or clarification on issues. Hasan suggests that Lewis's likely only joined his stream for the sake of gaining clout from his stream, a point with which Destiny agrees. Destiny and Hasan went on to critique many of Lewis' defenses for Donald Trump, primarily relating to the hypocrisy of Conservatives when defending Republican figures and attacking Democratic ones, and the tendency of centrists like Lewis to use liberalism as a "convenient suit" to push any argument they may be in favor of.
Discussion Highlights
Technical Delays 0:00: Destiny and Hasan try to synchronize the vod on their streams, leading to several minutes of technical delays. Eventually, Destiny's stream captures only a faint recording of Hasan's debate with Richard Lewis, to which they react for the remainder of the call.
16:30: As the audio was being played through Hasan's speakers, whenever Hasan speaks, the audio from the video is muted. A frustrated Destiny decides to pause the video and fruitlessly work on a solution with Hasan to settle this issue. No solution is found, and the two continue with the video.
Destiny's personal grievances with Richard Lewis 6:22: Destiny pauses the video and derides Lewis' tendency to justify some positions with the claim that he has "a lot of multicultural friends". Hasan then questions Destiny's past relationship with Lewis, stating he thought they were "best-friends" at one point. Destiny informs Hasan that they were friends, but not particularly close. He then discusses Lewis' perceived "spinelessness", and points to his silence during the JonTron Debate and accusation that Destiny was making Jontron appear racist through debate tactics. Destiny concludes that Lewis is on a "little-leash" held by an esports broadcaster named Thorin.
1:08:39: Destiny discusses how Lewis' feud with the r/Leagueoflegends mods after a subreddit ban, and his threats of doxing the team, resulted in a reddit-wide ban on his account.
Hasan describes the events leading up to his debate with Richard Lewis 14:55: Hasan claims that Lewis only came onto his stream because he saw an attractive guy on the main page of twitch "shitting on his video". Hasan goes on to accuse Lewis of thinking he could score an easy dunk on an "attractive looking dumb-guy". Hasan then points out that Lewis referred to him as "diet Destiny", to which Hasan responded "bitch I debated Ann Coulter on television last week."
Richard Lewis handwaves Donald Trump's attack on the free press 28:57: Lewis states "Trump makes journalists rhetoric a little bit laughable, there are definitely... governments that do have journalists killed... like Saudi Arabia... being an American journalist is a very privileged position." Destiny pauses the video at this point, remarks that Lewis is "handwaving" the president attacking the free press, and notes that the world press freedom index ranks the United States at 45. Destiny then notes that he is unsure where Lewis is getting the idea that the United States has the "freest fucking press", and is surprised to hear such American exceptionalism ideas coming from a "britbonger".
The inability of conservatives to contend with facts 39:43: Destiny claims conservatives aren't interested in the fact of a matter and more interested in telling a story. He goes on to assert once a conservative is held to task on a particular issue(i.e. through the presentation of relevant facts), they get "insanely ass pained". Destiny then points to Lewis' behavior throughout the debate as evidence of this, citing his evident cognitive dissonance when presented with facts, and resorting to accusations of "debate-tactics".
Richard Lewis debates the power of President Trump's rhetoric. 48:50: Destiny pauses the video after Lewis contends that the individual making a particular statement has no bearing on the authority it holds(with regards to a statement made by President Trump). Destiny pauses the video and exclaims that Lewis is "so fucking stupid", and that there's a difference between the "president of the United States saying something, versus some fucking random dipshit on Twitter". Destiny then concludes that these statements should be par for the course for someone that used to write for Breitbart.
Hasan's critiques of the British 52:13: Hasan claims he was trying to be as nice as possible to Lewis because he's British, and British people have a way of dismantling arguments.
54:31: After mockingly presenting an argument presented by Lewis while mimicking his accent, Hasan proclaims "that's literally every fucking British dipshit, every British central dipshit", to which Destiny warns Hasan against disparaging all British people, and to focus on this particular commentator.
Lewis' framing of the debate 58:25: Hasan expresses frustration with Lewis' tendency throughout the call to claim their conversation is "not a debate" and claims that Lewis utilized this assertion to dodge pressure or clarification on issues. He later asks Destiny what he should do in a scenario like this, questioning whether he should kick Lewis out of the call at this point. Destiny responds that Hasan could "bat him around" a couple more topics, but empathises with Hasan's frustrations citing the many similar conversations he has had with right leaning pundits.
Lewis' claims that certain attacks on the president did not receive appropriate media attention 1:05:56: After fact checking a claim presented by Lewis that Donald Trump Jr received Ricin in the mail, Destiny eventually concludes that the package was in fact sent to the Pentagon and never reached the White House.
1:11:14: Lewis claims Bush received more media attention for receiving Ricin in the mail than Donald Trump. Destiny and Hasan contend that Bush actually received Anthrax, and that this occurred after 9/11 when a large Anthrax scare was occuring. The two proceed to laugh at Lewis for attempting to compare this incident to two Pentagon officials receiving Ricin.
1:13:14 Destiny and Hasan deliberate about the president's son receiving cornstarch after a claim presented by Lewis(which he appeared to be conflating with a separate event).
The hypocrisy of Conservatives, Lewis defends Trump's attacks on Judge Curiel 1:31:51: Destiny compares the hypocrisy of conservatives who criticize Democratic political figures like Obama, but defend Donald Trump. Hasan echoes this sentiment and describes the level of apologia by conservatives for Donald Trump as "mind-boggling". He goes on to say that centrists tend to play a "fuckload of mental gymnastics" to justify actions taken by Donald Trump, and then as soon as somebody on the "liberal" side "sneezes wrong" they are quick to point out their actions.
1:33:4 Destiny is incredulous after Lewis defends Trump attacks on a judge due to his Mexican heritage, lewis stating "he didn't do it because he was Mexican, he did it because he was from a Mexican immigrant family".[6] Destiny then exclaims "What the fuck is the difference between these two fucking statements? He didn't do it because he was black he did it because his mom and dad were black, what the fuck kind of dumb fucking statement is this? That's so fucking stupid. Oh my god." Destiny later points out that the case Judge Curiel was sitting on had nothing to do with the wall and was related to an issue regarding Trump University.
Richard Lewis and liberalism 2:00:15 Destiny states many individuals who are centrist and claim to be liberals, are in fact lying. He goes on to point out that these individuals use liberalism as a "tool for an end, and don't actually give a fuck about liberal values". He concludes that Lewis does not "give a fuck" about any of the values he presents, and just wears them as "convenient suits" to win an argument he's in favor of.
Discussion timestamps
2:52: After some technical issues Destiny decides that Hasan should just react to the debate-vod through his stream, despite the five-second delay. This idea is eventually thrown out, and the two settle on watching the debate-vod through discord screen share.
5:38: Destiny and Hasan discuss the "broadening" of hate speech laws in Scotland.
6:22: Destiny mocks Lewis' argumentative approach and character. The two then discuss Destiny's prior relationship with Lewis, and the fallout of a debate Destiny had with Jontron.
10:21: Destiny fact checks a claim from Lewis regarding the nazi uniforms in Inglourious Basterds. He then informs Hasan that he was gish galloped by Lewis at this point in the debate.
13:46: Destiny discusses what a free-speech absolutists' perspective on fascist/nazi-iconography being banned is.
14:55: Hasan discusses the events leading up to his debate with Lewis.
23:19: Destiny pauses the video and provides Hasan some advice: "A lot of times people complaints will be evidence of the positions they have in life, or the privileges that they have in life." Destiny then provides the example of someone only caring for freedom of speech because they were banned from twitter.
28:17: Destiny mocks Lewis for defending Donald Trump's attack on the press.
33:17: Destiny points to another instance of Lewis handwaving Trump's faults and subsequently placing blame on Democrats. Lewis later discusses an alleged package of Ricin sent to one of Donald Trump's children.
39:43: Destiny discusses the inability of conservatives to debate when presented with facts.
1:11:14: Destiny and Hasan contend with Lewis' claim that Bush received Ricin in the mail.
1:15:06: After Lewis cites an incident involving Maxine Waters wherein he suggests Waters incited violence. Destiny fact checks the quote presented and finds that Waters did not in fact do so.
1:31:51: Destiny compares the hypocrisy of conservatives who criticize Democratic political figures like Obama, but defend Donald Trump. Hasan echoes this sentiment.
1:34:28 Destiny is incredulous after Lewis defends Trump attacks on a judge due to his Mexican heritage.
1:43:18 Hasan claims Donald Trump's orders to shoot anyone throwing a rock at border patrol guardsmen or placing barbed wire on the fence could be considered war crimes.
1:44:07 Destiny pauses the video and derides Lewis after after he warns Hasan about the dangers of "overly-liberal/politically correct" individuals taking over college campuses. Destiny remarks that this is an unlikely possibility, and Hasan agrees.
1:47:38 Hasan introduces Izzie, a trans military veteran who joined the call with Lewis.
1:56:12 Lewis remarks "if diversity is our strength why do we surrender our freedom of speech to tech monopolies." Destiny and Hasan are unsure what to make of that.
2:00:15 Destiny discusses liberalism and Richard Lewis.
2:09:21 Destiny and Hasan fast forward to the part of the video where Lewis claims Hasan is a "diet Destiny."
Hasan and Destiny meet in-person
On November 1, 2018 Destiny and Hasan spent an evening together and had dinner in-person. [7]
On December 17, 2018, Destiny and Hasan discuss PewDiePie's political ignorance, and how the same ignorance prevalent throughout much of online discourse. [8] The video begins with Hasan discussing how PewDiePie, near the end of a recent video, had inadvertently promoted a "Nazi youtube channel" by the name of E;R. Despite PewDiePie editing out the promotion of E;R from the prior video and issuing an apology, Hasan goes on to claim that PewDiePie's apology was "fake" as he included the same promotion twice in the apology video coupled with promoting pieces of E;R's content in earlier videos. Hasan would go on to state that these actions make it seem like PewDiePie may be a crypto-fascist. Destiny responds that he is hesitant to label PewDiePie as such, given that he may truly just be ignorant when it comes to interpreting harmful political messaging, claiming the same ignorance is rife throughout "gamer-bro" communities .
Eventually, the conversation veers off into a discussion on Venezuela and Socialism, and Hasan exits the call after discussing the issue for an hour. At this point, Destiny is alone and decides to watch PewDiePie's biggest OOPSIE, a video wherein PewDiePie recounts the promotion of E;R. During the video, PewDiePie plays a sound-bite from a prior video wherein he promotes E;R's death note review, and mocks anyone for suggesting this is nazi propaganda. Destiny watches thirty minutes of the review, questions how E;R manages to do such poor critiques of media for a living, and refuses to watch any more of "this low-iq shit". Destiny then requests that his chat direct him to some of E;R's "nazi shit", and is eventually told to skip to the 37-minute mark of the video wherein a Heather Heyer reference is made. From this point Destiny reacts to several nazi references made in E;R's videos including a Hitler speech played over dramatic music, and a montage of wealthy/influential Jewish individuals played over Orpheus in the Underworld concluding with a message of "securing an existence and future for human children". From these videos, Destiny eventually concludes that E;R is "maybe a little bit of a Nazi". Destiny eventually resumes PewDiePie's video and Hasan joins the call to get Destiny's position on the situation. Destiny informs Hasan that E;R is almost certainly attempting to red pill viewers on Nazi propaganda, and that he still has to finish PewDiePie's response video to draw a conclusion on him. After finishing PewDiePie's response video, Destiny concludes that PewDiePie is not a nazi but is likely just dumb politically.
Discussion Highlights
Hasan summarizes the PewDiePie debacle 0:10 Hasan discusses how PewDiePie, near the end of a recent video, had inadvertently promoted a "Nazi youtube channel" by the name of E;R. Hasan goes on to inform Destiny that he stumbled upon this finding, after one of E;R's "fashy fans" had tried to red pill Hasan's audience with the JQ. Hasan reports that after combing through some of E;R's videos, he found many racist/antisemitic jokes sprinkled throughout seemingly innocuous media reviews(i.e. full Hitler speeches and images of Obama with the Star of David). Hasan elaborates that the most damning piece of information is a Gab account run by E;R, wherein he brags about Red Pilling people on alt-right ideology and crypto-fascism. Despite PewDiePie editing out the promotion of E;R from the prior video and issuing an apology, Hasan goes on to claim that PewDiePie's apology was "fake" as he included the same promotion twice in the apology video.
Destiny's perspective 9:39 When questioned by Hasan what his perspective is, Destiny informs him that he is unsure what to make of the situation. Destiny goes on to elaborate that he would like to have a stronger opinion, however the ignorance of "gamer-bro people" makes it plausible that they may truly be "just that dumb" when it comes to interpreting harmful political messaging.
Destiny reacts to "PewDiePie's biggest OOPSIE", concludes E;R is likely a Nazi 11:40 Destiny begins reacting to "PewDiePie's biggest OOPSIE", a video wherein PewDiePie lays out a defense for himself against the accusation that he shepherded an audience of fourteen year olds to Nazi propaganda. PewDiePie plays a soundbite from a prior video wherein he promotes E;R's death note review, and mocks anyone for suggesting this is nazi propaganda. Destiny watches thirty minutes of the review, and heavily critiques it. Destiny then asks his chat for the "nazi-shit", to which a chatter directs Destiny to the 37 minute mark of the video wherein a Heather Heyer reference is made. From this point Destiny reacts to several nazi references made in E;R's videos. Destiny eventually finishes PewDiePie's response video, and concludes that PewDiePie is not a nazi but is likely just dumb politically.
Discussion timestamps
0:10 Hasan enters the call, greets Destiny, and gives a summary of drama revolving around PewDiePie's promotion of an alleged Nazi youtuber.
3:20 Hasan discusses the discovery of E;R's Gab account.
4:36 Hasan speaks with Destiny regarding PewDiePie's retraction of the E;R promotion, and his "fake apology".
8:44 Destiny informs Hasan that he's unsure if PewDiePie should be labled as a Nazi or not, and he may just be genuinely ignorant when it comes to "this stuff".
9:32 Hasan claims that PewDiePie has been aware of E;R for several months.
10:59 Hasan claims there are many PewDiePie supports in Destiny's subreddit.
11:40 The conversation gets sidetracked on venezuela. Destiny is alone at this point in the video and watches PewDiePie's biggest OOPSIE, a video wherein PewDiePie recounts the the promotion of E;R.
13:54 Destiny asks his chat for E;R'S "nazi shit". A chatter then directs Destiny to skip to 37 minutes in E;R'S death note review.
Notable Clips, Videos, and Tweets and Controversies
Controversies
Throughout his career, Piker has been involved in several controversies, often stemming from his outspoken political views. In 2019, he faced backlash for comments made during a Twitch stream about the September 11 attacks and brave Mujahideen fighters fucking the eye hole of U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw. Piker later apologized for the remarks, stating that they were "inappropriate and offensive."
During the run of Hasan's show "Bro Tips", hosted on The Young Turks, he made a number of controversial comments in which he accused Lady Gaga of having a penis, and gave viewers instructions on how to isolate women from their friends, then coerce them into sexual intercourse. Template:Citation needed
"Remember, old enough to count, old enough to mount." - Hasan 'The Brofessor' Piker Template:Citation needed
"It's time to get out of here and it's time to separate her from her herd, meaning her crowd of girlfriends who are going to do their best to cockblock you because they're fat and ulgy." - Hasan 'The Brofessor' Piker Template:Citation needed
"Brotip: If you stand in front of the door, she can't leave." - Hasan 'The Brofessor' Piker Template:Citation needed
In the beginning when Hasan Piker created the internet politics scene, Twitch.tv was a formless void and gaming content covered the face of the deep, while a wind from Hasan Piker swept over the face of the waters.
Then Hasan Piker said, WHAT A FUCKING LIAR DUDE; and there was light.
And Hasan Piker saw that weaseling was good; and Hasan Piker separated the libs from the real leftists.
Hasan Piker called the leftists Based, and the libs he called Fascists. And there were tankies and there were neolibs, the first day.
Mark 10:23-25
Hasan looked around and said to his disciples, How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! The disciples were amazed at his words. But Hasan said again, Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. That being said, its time for the top of the hour adbreak. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his own brow?
Hasan Piker is commonly attributed as the creator of Twitch Politics
he made destiny
↑ The Most Oppressed Group - Pre-debate Debate with Hasan Piker. (October 9, 2018). www.youtube.com. Retrieved January 29, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9iPLU3fAFA
↑ Hasan’s Richard Lewis Debate - Post-debate Debate with Hasan Piker. (November 9, 2018). www.youtube.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7wtmabgQU8
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