The thread where everyone in it hates streamers sponsored by DavidCroquet

[Ethan]

A new one  

These levels of enmity help explain the “Free Kaya!” incident in Dublin, which may not pass the bus driver test but illustrates the weirdness of Piker’s offline/online reality. It started with a Twitch stream Piker did in October during which his dog Kaya, who is often seen sleeping in the background, suddenly yelped, just as Piker was doing something with his hand off-camera. Conspiracy theorists swiftly concluded that Piker was activating a shock collar on the dog, and that he was therefore a cruel and terrible human being. In reality, Piker explained, Kaya had “clipped her foot” on something while he happened to be reaching for a can of Zyn nicotine pouches. He even held up the dog collar for inspection on camera. This didn’t stop his opponents piling on, combing through previous streams in search of “evidence” of animal cruelty, and making “collargate” a meme. Even People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals put out a statement: “Hasan Piker has denied using a shock collar on his dog, and we hope that’s true …” Hence the ambush by a random person in Dublin.

Great journalism Guardian

Predictably, this also makes Piker a favourite hate figure of the political right. To his enemies there is plenty to dislike: his outspoken political views; his Turkish, Muslim background; his allegiances with progressive politicians such as Zohran Mamdani, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar (all of whom have appeared on his show). But they also hate the fact that Piker – tall, muscular, fashionable and handsome – is far too alpha to fit lefty stereotypes. He has not been afraid to leverage his henchness in shirtless, sometimes even trouser-less, magazine photoshoots or selfies on his socials, generating articles such as “30 sexy pics of Hasan Piker that prove the only thing that is hotter than his takes is his bod”. He’s regularly called things such as “the Joe Rogan of the left” (yawn), or “the AOC of Twitch” or a “himbo gateway drug to leftist thought”, none of which quite captures him.

Great journalism Guardian!



https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/11/i-love-when-my-enemies-hate-me-how-hasan-piker-became-one-of-the-biggest-voices-on-the-us-left