The internet is currently obsessed with a scandal involving leftist streaming star and internet celebrity Hasan Piker, who faces allegations of abusing his dog with a shock collar, which he denies. But amid all the outrage over his dog, much more profound revelations about Piker have gone under the radar — after a New York Times interview revealed the depths of his violent radicalism.
Of course, Piker is already well known for his violent and extreme rhetoric. Controversial clips are seared into his digital reputation, from his infamous quip that America “deserved” 9/11, to his repeated insistence that Republican Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-FL) murder would be justified, to his consistent, explicit support for designated terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah. Yet, an extended conversation with conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat revealed the warped and violent ideology that informs these shock-jock moments.
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For example, a telling moment came when the pair spoke about the role of violence in Piker’s political perspective. The two agreed that all political systems, in terms of governments, rest on the threat of state violence — that’s what it means when, at the end of the day, police enforce our laws at the point of a gun.
But Piker went on to speak positively of “revolutionary violence” and to suggest he wants to “redirect violence” toward the wealthy to seize and redistribute their wealth, even positively invoking former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro as an example.
The streamer further suggested that the existence of poverty itself is a form of “structural violence,” even though it is, in fact, the default state of human existence (one that the same system of free-market capitalism Piker decries has vastly reduced). This is where Piker’s schtick as an internet personality, which is admittedly often entertaining, turns truly dangerous and destabilizing.
After all, if you can recast the existence of material inequality itself as a form of violence, even though it’s not, then hurting someone to take the things they have that you “need” is actually just self-defense. This is how left-wing ideologues end up excusing violent rioting, looting, and other assaults on property rights that destabilize economies and lead to social disorder and even death.
This is perfectly summed up by an old clip of Piker, which he now claims wasn’t meant seriously, where he says of property owners, “kill those motherf***rs and murder those motherf***rs in the streets … let the streets soak in their red f***ing capitalist blood.”
It’s really no wonder that Piker so glowingly speaks about people such as Luigi Mangione, who faces prosecution for allegedly murdering healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. While Piker will clear his throat and say he doesn’t technically support the murder, he’ll then go on to invoke the same kind of “well, health insurance itself is violent” rhetoric that muddies the waters to create a permission structure for what Piker might call “revolutionary” or “redirected” violence.
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This way, madness and civil war lie. It’s genuinely disturbing that someone as radical and extreme as Piker has built up such a massive following and profile. But the bright side is that he is at least quite open and honest about what he stands for, so no one can say we didn’t see it coming. Yet, is anyone really paying attention?
Because while Piker’s interview with the New York Times did spark some buzz, his scandal with his dog is receiving exponentially more attention than the fact that the person influencing millions of young minds holds deeply destabilizing ideas about political violence. And as long as our attention remains so misplaced, our culture and politics will continue to go further and further off the rails.
Brad Polumbo is an independent journalist and host of the Brad vs Everyone podcast.
