theparadox

joined 2 years ago
[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Then it will be that much harder to deny that are in that group, you disgusting ~~brown~~ ~~black~~ ~~gay~~ ~~trans~~ ~~progressive~~ ~~educated~~ ~~compassionate person~~ ~~Democrat~~ terrorist!

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Just the other week he streamed an interview of a man who lost his son in the Nova music festival. Despite losing his child this man was calling for a ceasefire. He wasn't a settler. He wasn't IDF. He wants peace. The best we can get out of Hassan? He calls him Nazi scum.

I don't suppose you have any "receipts" for this? Perhaps any information about the interview?

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

He's not a politician, but he has one of the biggest platforms and access. What is he doing with it?

I'm honestly not sure. I've seen him have a few interesting discussions with left leaning political figures so I assume there is more of that. I know Cuomo is, as of like a week ago, demanding that Mamdani condemn Hasan because he's had a few pictures with him so again Hasan isn't just doing nothing - he's visible, though he may just be taking advantage of his status to pal around with popular people on the left. The few streams I've been linked to I recall feeling like he was honestly engaging topics on the left and making an effort to educate those watching. I'm not deep in his content so I don't really know how often that happens or how accurate his "takes" are on average. My impression is that, on average, he far exceeds you assertion a 100% self-serving slop factory.

Kirk, I see the damage he did because of how effective he is.

Honestly, I saw him as just another gross, right wing internet personality spewing the kind of garbage that disgusts me. I assume he spends most of his time regurgitating the typical talking points of the right like a good little soldier. He's maybe a bit more creative with his debate tactics. I've seen him masterfully dodging and manipulating the conversation to avoid having to actually defend his abhorrent views (like in his recent debate with those student in that British university), though he has also proudly taken disgusting stands without any shame and just basked in his own self righteousness. I am just not deep enough into the right wing internet sphere to consider him specifically effective. Just another loud, popular, well paid voice strengthening the right wing echo chamber.

Here's what I think is more important. As I said before, I've heard multiple times that Hasan is "The Joe Rogan of the Left". Again, I think it's kind of apples and oranges but along those lines how much of what you've said would apply to Joe Rogan? Is he as openly political as Hasan? Is he as consistent with his views? Does he fundraise for the right or has he pushed for certain policies? I know he's known for agreeing with whoever is in front him him and I don't know of him doing anything more political than having a political person on his his show. Would you consider Joe Rogan to have had no impact on the success of the right? Could he disappear and the right wouldn't notice?

Regardless of whether or not Hasan is actively maximizing the value of his political capital or wealth to change the world, he's popular and he is openly, consistently left. More left than Destiny, who I (admittedly) recall being more politically proactive - I heard he was canvasing for 2024. I'm also not a Destiny follower so please don't make me defend him. I'm a lefty who's online enough that I'm familiar with a number of popular personalities because they bounce around and get mentioned in the space.

So Hasan could do more, sure. Hasan makes a substantial amount of money, yes. But, as far as popular strongly left-leaning personalities he has influence and I think he's contributing a lot more than nothing. That's why I'm countering your assessments.

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

You know what, I'll gladly admit I did not bring enough specific receipts and I'm talking in broad terms (although I provided plenty of examples to support my point).

...

That's why I brought you some examples which you discounted or simply ignored.

You're "examples", paraphrased:

  • He doesn't know the significance of the Western Wall

  • He called an Israeli that wasn't a settler or IDF and called for "peace and a ceasefire" a Nazi

Am I missing any?

I don't know much about the significance or controversy of the Western Wall. It's where politicians get photos taken when they want to demonstrate their Zionism. I don't see the open air prison that is Gaza, or it's destruction, or the Settlements in the West Bank being directly related to the Western Wall.

I don't know anything about the interview or the guys comments on this allegedly reasonable, peaceful Israeli. Maybe he just decided a week before the interview that enough is enough. Maybe he is perfectly fine with the situation in the West Bank and the open air prison of Gaza, he just wants to stop worrying about the geopolitics of the conflict and his own safety. I don't know because you did nothing but make assertions.

Your points, paraphrased:

  • He just reads Twitter

  • His content is just slop

  • He doesn't care, he just wants money

He doesn't just reads Twitter. He's been on TV, He's been in debates (literally was scheduled to debate Kirk in like a week or two as per this interview). I've seen him visiting other political programs. I'm not a fan but it's obvious he does more than Twitter.

The content I've described above is more than slop. He allegedly averages 49 hours a week. A lot of that is going to be trash and low effort. It's not all he seems to do.

Does he run ads for his own products, like the other grifters? Does he shift his position to maximize viewership or is he principled? I have seen and products (though I don't really follow) and he has seemed pretty principled. Does he make money? Yes, he's the largest streamer/influencer on the left. I've heard him called the Joe Rogan of the left and that we need of him. While I think that is a ignorant simplification and a bad metaphor, it sounds like he's at least not just feeding rage bait and slop the entire time.

What has he managed to achieve politically so far? What is he doing to build the movement up? He doesn't seem to care. Why should I?

What do you expect him to achieve? What would change your mind about him caring? What could he do going forward to earn your respect?

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

True. They might lose that sweet sweet AIPAC money.

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 57 points 3 days ago (7 children)

Yeah, at this point it's honestly a better deal for whoever endorses Mamdani than it is for Mamdani.

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (7 children)

Engage with what I wrote instead of strawmans.

You made a claim. This is the problem with engaging with comments like yours. I'd have to hunt down whatever you are talking about and waste how much time watching it? Then I might have to do more researching in order to just verify that it happened the way you claim, or the way some summary video portrayed it, and that you yourself did enough research on the guy.

Fucking give me something other than assertions about his personality and motivations, or suggest I would agree if I make watching his stream a full time job.

I don't want him to do anything for the democratic party. That's not what I said. I compared effectiveness. One (Kirk) dsepite being a vile person, accomplished something. Hassan, despite being vile and narcissistic, can't seem to do much but read Twitter headlines all day.

Did you check to make sure your results were statistically significant or was it just vibes and who won the last election? Effectiveness at what? More importantly how the fuck does this support dismissing what was said in this interview? You know, the comment that I originally responded to?

Were not having a conversation because you seem incapable of engaging with my points...

Go watch his stream

Alright, I checked. He streams ~7 hours a day, ~7 days a week. No thanks. You don't get to assign me that kind bullshit work in order to justify my opinion that your opinion isn't justified. You gave me one link to an hour long summary of one dude allegedly watching Hassan for a week (which I doubt they actually did ~49 hours of watching for). This was to support your claim that he didn't know the importance of a location within Israel and felt that it was a point of such extreme ignorance that it invalidated any of Hassan's comments, ever, on the Israel - Palestine conflict, therefore he's a rage baiting narcissist who's accomplished nothing?

Were not having a conversation

We're not. You're making assertions and I'm telling you why assertions aren't evidence. Then you tell me to go find support for your assertions within an extraordinariky large body of work. I feel like you are wasting my time. I suspect you are just easily offended, a Zionist upset because this guy isn't backing ADL talking points (both of your only actual, specific references were related to Israel), or just don't want people to pay attention to what is being said.

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago

I don't know how any reasonable person could have lived thorugh the Biden and Obama presidencies and not concluded that they're fascists with different messaging.

HOLY SHIT. Now THAT is a fucking LOL.

Tom Homan

Oh, I'm well aware of where that jackass came from. I'm no fan of the Democrats' immigration policies, drone policies, or many other policies but HOLY SHIT are you off your rocker.

That is like comparing Joe Biden's uncomfortable shoulder touching to Trump's literal raping of women and children. Yeah, both are bad, icky, not cool but fucking LOL trying to equate that shit. You must be fucking with us.

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

If.

You.

Say.

So.

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago (3 children)

If you say so. I'm not a fan, but he's been a decent debater and representative of the left in the few times I've heard him speak. I find anyone dismissing him wholesale to be disingenuous. He's speaks well, makes good points, and makes right-wing idiots look like idiots. I appreciate that.

Maybe you are like the other guy and just want him to cheerlead the Democratic Party blindly and follow their talking point? Or are you just upset because he seems to be pretty hard on Israel?

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago (11 children)

The only thing Hassan seems capable of is shitting on EVERYONE. ... He spends 80% of his stream chastising democrats.

Ah, there it is. So you want someone on the left (the actual left) to pretend like the majority of the Democratic party and it's leadership isn't ineffective and feckless. You'd rather blame the left for pointing it out and call their criticism worthless rage bait.

He has such a massive platform and all he can do is read Twitter headlines and rage bait seven days a week. For what?

Here we go again. The dude streams for how many hours a day, how many dayss a week, and you expect him to deliver high quality content the entire time... to modern Internet audiences...?

Like I said, I'm not a fan. I've seen a few interviews and debates he participated in. A few referenced clips of note. I remember the clips had a lot of bullshit. Inside jokes with chat, immature shit, or references to things only constantly online people would get, at least I assume. I'm aware enough to know modern shock humor and genuinely offensive comments are separated by a fine line within internet culture.

Just the other week he streamed an interview of a man who lost his son in the Nova music festival. Despite losing his child this man was calling for a ceasefire. He wasn't a settler. He wasn't IDF. He wants peace. The best we can get out of Hassan? He calls him Nazi scum.

Ok. He watched and interview with this person? I have no context so I can't really comment beyond the polls coming out of Israel disturb and scare the shit out of me. Just because you are a victim of a tragedy, and aren't a member of groups openly commiting crimes against humanity in Israel, you aren't immediately a good person. Supporting Bibi at this point is enough to make you a pretty horrible human being.

[–] theparadox@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago (14 children)

Hassan is just outrage farm and nothing else.

I don't need justification for your glint of truth. I need justification that nothing in the linked interview of Hassan is worth reading or listening to because he's nothing more than an outrage farm.

I actually listened to the interview. He said several things that so few people in mainstream media are willing to say, and he criticized mainstream media for not saying those things.

Kirk advocated for gross positions. He literally stated that empathy was invented by the left. In response to the shooting, right wing politicians and pundits immediately called for retribution against the left just like they did when the democratic lawmaker was assassinated, and say nothing when it turns out it wasn't a leftists killer. Trump never bothered did any honor the victim of that killing, but they lower flags this weekend for Kirk and don't mention the school shooting that happened literally one hour later or the 45 prior shootings in 2025. They praised Kirk for valuing debate and free speech, but are now firing people and refusing to let in travelers if they posted negative opinions of Kirk. Rage bait, or reasonable things to talk about?

view more: next ›