this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2024
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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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[โ€“] KrasMazov@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

So what? A class traitor is a class traitor, and we only have to win with this. What's next, you gonna say Engels wasn't a communist because he was a part of the bourgeoisie?

You do not need some sort of vow of poverty to be a true leftist.

[โ€“] todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee 2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

This is pretty much why the left will always lose. They will purity test their movements until only the most dogmatic ideologues remain, and those dozen or so purists will get steamrolled by the right-wingers that remained united over a single issue.

When I was young, and generally much poorer, leftist groups basics tried to court me. My young mind, not yet sure how to attain wealth and establish my place in the world, was quite valuable to their movements because it was easy to convince me that my dreams were being gatekept by elites. To this day, this rings true to me. I see the lack of meritocracy and fairness every day with my own eyes.

But after I graduated college and started building a career, my political leanings didn't really change, but I noticed that my political allies' attitude toward me certainly did.

The more stable, self-sufficient, and financially solvent I became, the more I found myself ostracized by the left. Working in tech became disqualifying - I was a "tech bro" just for getting the job. Wearing decent clothes would get me side-eyed by those who insist on black bloc. Enjoying any luxury or pleasure in the world without suffering would have me cast aside as too privileged to understand the world.

So any material assistance I could ever provide the left is nullified by the fact that other leftists won't give the time of day to anyone with a positive net worth, and any desire I have to work with the left is nullified by the fact that all of my so-called allies expect me to either live in poverty and misery to be a real leftist, or self-flagellate about my privilege because I have an education and career.

The left convinced me to establish myself as a progressive, socialist participant in our democracy, and then chased me away over a matter of class membership, rather than substantive disagreement. No matter what class I fight for, the left brands anyone who attains middle-class status a class traitor by default.

If I chose to align with the right, they would accept me with open arms. They would pat me on the back for my career. They would tell me I deserve more. It's no mystery why so many men like me drift towards validation like that. The only thing stopping me is my moral core would never let me align myself with the socially regressive goals of the right, and my education keeps me from falling for the incredibly stupid policy positions of the Republican Party.

As for Hasan, he's a great example of what I am talking about. He's worth $2.6 million, and he stands up against the interests of people worth more than $300 billion, yet the left is eager to group him together with the people he opposes.

I have a net worth 1/8 of Hasan Piker's. Elon Musk has a net worth 130,000x that of Hasan Piker's. If you're drawing the line between me and Hasan, congratulations, your movement is dead in the water. Unfortunately, the line is usually drawn so low that even I don't make the cut.

[โ€“] AnneVolin@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

The more stable, self-sufficient, and financially solvent I became, the more I found myself ostracized by the left

I'm also in the tech sector and I've been part of local leftist organization. From direct mutual aid to anarchist crust punks to soup kitchens to PSL, I've literally never had a problem. Not to turn this into Blind dot com, but my net worth is ~3x the US median.

The difference between Hasan and I, is that Hasan is a poster boy for the left that is making money off of being a poster boy for the left. Nobody is "pocket watching" you as a rando online or in person. Nobody is putting you on trial for your success. That argument is literally the same argument that Elon Musk and other Billionaires make about being punished for their success.

If you're attempting to show your class traitor bona fides and defending Hasan as one at the same time, but it's sounding a lot more like solidarity with the moneyed class. Your resentment is showing.

Wearing decent clothes would get me side-eyed by those who insist on black bloc.

Also wtf does this even mean? People don't dress black bloc for every day dude.

If you want to be lauded for your material success in a capitalist system perhaps you should just be a capitalist?

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[โ€“] agent_nycto@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

What's your cut off? At what financial point is someone allowed to take part in trying to fix a broken system?

If it's only people who don't benefit from the system who are allowed to fight against it, should white people not try to fight the system? Cis? Straight? Able bodied? Able minded? Are only poor trans lesbians with two types of disabilities allowed to try to fight the system?

I don't know the guy from Adam and I'm not gonna say he's not well off, and I get that it seems sketch, but he's at least doing something with his money other than sitting on it trying to get richer.

[โ€“] Moosely@pawb.social 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Semi off-topic but genuinely curious: did going to Rutgers become something that is fancy/seen akin to Ivy league? Or was mention of the school just a mention that he went to college?

[โ€“] AnneVolin@lemmy.ml 6 points 3 weeks ago

Rutgers and Princeton have an intertwined history, but that's pretty much it. Rutgers is seen as a good state school and to many it's mostly because it sounds like a private school.

[โ€“] Textmode@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 weeks ago

I have no idea who this guy is but Fidel was the child of a plantation owner.

[โ€“] WarpedMirrage@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 weeks ago (9 children)

I'll state this: I know of this person in name only.

He's a hypocrite. It's as simple as that. His popularity is probably derived from the novelty of a member of the upper class agreeing with the lower classes and his ability to entertain them. It gives those that belong to the lower class hope of change being enacted by those with capital. The Wikipedia page states he brought a $2.7 million USD mansion. He has access to capital, and what does he do? Asks others to donate to 'worthy' causes whilst accruing more capital for his own vested, personal vanity projects?

From what I've read he is not an ally. He's an entertainer. The capitalist system is able to create products that espouse anti-capitalist ideas. This is just another such product. It's not controlled opposition. It's just an individual who's found himself the owner of a sought after product. Just another capitalist.

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[โ€“] piyuv@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

Addition: his father is a founding member of a right wing party in Turkey

[โ€“] Achyu@lemmy.sdf.org 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?

[โ€“] socsa@piefed.social 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.

[โ€“] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago

Obsessing over "privilege" smells like jealousy

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