Twitch streamer Hasan “Hasanabi” Piker was Twitter’s main character February 4 after catching the internet’s ire for buying an expensive-arse car. What normally wouldn’t be a big deal — going into a dealership and walking out with a new vehicle — was blown outta proportion in Piker’s case because the popular political broadcaster claims to be a socialist. This self-identification has pissed folks off, as Piker didn’t buy just any car. He bought a $US200,000 ($277,640) Porsche Taycan, which many have called a dentist car.
Read More: Socialist Twitch Streamer Banned For Calling White People ‘Cracker’ [Update]
Piker livestreamed himself with fellow streamers AustinShow, JakeNBake, and Myth on February 4 as they drove to a Porsche dealership in Los Angeles to pick up the new car: the aforementioned $US200,000 ($277,640) 2022 Porsche Taycan Turbo S in a beautiful cobalt blue. It’s a nice purchase but one that some think contradicts Piker’s anti-capitalist views, hence the anger.
Hasan bought himself a $200,000 car. If you wanna just blindly worship the gay fuckboy pretending to be a socialist to live a celebrity lifestyle go ahead but stop lying about it with this fucking stupid meme https://t.co/PssFzQY8lf
— zaptie ???? (@zaptiee) February 6, 2022
Folks have essentially called Piker a hypocrite for voicing socialist rhetoric while using the money he earns to line the pockets of big businesses. Others straight-up said his spending habits mean he isn’t a socialist at all. Then, there were alt-right commentators like Lauren Southern who came out of the woodwork to mock Piker for buying a dentist car. Apparently, all dentists drive Porsches or, at the very least, you can expect to see a sports car or two in your dentist’s parking lot.
Piker later clapped back against the criticism. In one tweet, he said he owns those who are angry over the Porsche purchase because he lives rent-free in their minds. Really, you could say Amazon founder and mega-billionaire Jeff Bezos owns Piker since a large portion of his income comes from Amazon-owned Twitch. In subsequent posts, Piker also claimed he’s just a mere Twitch streamer making free content, not some socialist Jesus arming a revolution like many on the right think he is.
Kotaku reached out to Piker for comment but did not receive an immediate reply.
people just fantasize about an audience that watches me where they give me their last dollar instead of buying bread for their family because i told them i’d be arming the revolutionary vanguard of iowa with kalashnikovs. and then they get mad on behalf of these imaginary fans
— hasanabi (@hasanthehun) February 6, 2022
The chatter around Piker’s purchase isn’t new, but it is exhausting. We did this in August when he bought a nearly $US3 ($4) million house in West Hollywood, and now the discourse has spun up again. What folks may be forgetting is exactly what Piker said: He’s just a Twitch streamer. Sure, he may be a socialist, but even socialists need housing and transportation. Could he have used the money more frugally, buying a modest car and house while spending the rest on humanitarian aid? Totally. But Piker also doesn’t owe anyone anything. More than that, though, he’s free to do whatever he wants with his money. As long as that freedom doesn’t lead to the continued subjugation of minorities and people of colour.
Read More: People Are Losing Their Shit Because A Socialist Streamer Bought A House
A tweet from user tinywienerbabe succinctly encapsulated the feeling everyone should have about Piker buying a new Porsche, or anything else for that matter: “Hasan is only an entertainer and not a leftist vanguard, him buying a new car literally means nothing.” Exactly. Nothing in the real world is changing just because some internet socialist bought something. Keep it moving.
He is a grifter. Always has been.
Getting mad over him buying a Porsche is a waste of time. People act like he is some eloquent leftist on twitch when is just a plain react Andy grifter.
Cyprus will always be Greece, TURKIYE GO HOME.
Imagine this article was sent back in time to the people of 1992 as a demonstration of what the glorious future held in store for them.
I’m pretty sure they already knew unprecedented wealth inequality was coming, and didn’t care.
Oh absolutely! I’m referring more the the language used in the article, the concepts of livestreaming etc. This sentence alone just says so much about how dumbed down human civilisation become:
“Twitch streamer Hasan “Hasanabi” Piker was Twitter’s main character February 4 after catching the internet’s ire for buying an expensive-arse car.”
I’m just baffled by how much human productivity is expended on things that fundamentally serve no purpose whatsoever, other than to make a small minority wealthy.
Ever read a tabloid?
Good on him. If I had that kind of money I’d probably buy a fancy car like a Porsche, too. Maybe not a Taycan, though 😛
Facts are wrong here.
It’s not a Turbo S, it’s a 4S.
It’s a $140,000 USD car.
Plus he leased it.
Grifters gonna grift.
Kotaku US: millionaires don’t need that much money, they should be criticised at every dollar spent and give everything they don’t need to poor people and charity
Also Kotaku US: stop attacking this poor millionaire you’ll hurt his feelings uwu
The irony isn’t lost on me either. Quite funny to read this.
The irony here is that neither of you appear to have read this.
If you’re talking about the one single line that’s all hurr durr minorities and coloured people then I don’t accept it, it’s a cop out. It’s no secret that Piker is Kotaku’s favourite Twitch name, with all the free press they’ve given him since he started getting big.
Anyway, Angora, nice to see you’re still around and i hope you’re doing well. You should join the kotaku au discord, unless you’re allergic to FFXIV. It’s a very chill place.
That one line does explain why fishboy would take it hook line and sinker however.
What’s not ironic is that it’s Angora doing the hand-waiving for US Kotaku.
Yay for an edit button.
Do you have a link to the article for the first example – never seen anyone write that.
The problem is that he’s a grifter, not that he bought a car.
…and yet you write an article about it. Curious!
Lot of weirdos on here calling him a Grifter. Not sure you guys know what that word means.
Content creator makes money = Grifter
He reacts to other people’s content without compensating or crediting them.
He is a grifter.
Simp harder.