FAVORITE SUPER POWER (REACT: Opinions #9)
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I’m a really big Vaush fan
I just wanted to post that explicitly to outwardly signal my support him
It’s truly insane how much undeserved hate he receives as a political commentator. There are legitimate criticisms one can have, which I feel he has addressed more than thoroughly, time and time again. There are legitimate reasons someone may not want to be a fan of his, which he has fully admitted himself.
But the default attitude of the online left to not only write him off, but automatically side against him? It’s insane, and it will give conservatives an “in” to attack us, and it will drive genuine leftists to adopt incorrect positions on various ideas.
The fact of the matter is that the existence of Vaush fills a VERY necessary niche: being both edgy and left at the same time. Without his existence, an absurd amount of the vibrance and health we’re currently enjoying in the online left at the moment simply would not exist. Yes, the online left is a judgmental and combative place by nature. Yes, it is necessary to criticize and ostracize negative elements of a community or movement in order to ensure it’s health. But those tendencies of the online left are misguided in attacking Vaush to the degree that they are.
The fact of the matter is that yes, he is edgy, and that sometimes this leads to clips that are worthy of criticism. But there are people—lukewarm liberals, centrists, conservatives, and outright alt-right-ers— that see that behavior and realize that you can be both a leftist—empathetic, informed, sociologically-minded, progressive, etc.— and bold at the same time.
One of the biggest reasons the left would lose almost by default not-too-many-years ago online is because it was so easy to point at us and simply proclaim “weak,” “deferent,” “pathetic,” “SJW,” etc.
Vaush literally, neigh-single-handedly stands against those criticisms with iron-clad conviction.
The fact of the matter is that if you’re a leftist, you’re generally RIGHT. In most situations, despite the differences among left-leaning ideologies, positions you hold are far more likely to be CORRECT. You do not need to succumb to endless apology and idpol and the constant need to research specific statistics ad infinum in order to defend yourself and your positions. There is an alternative: simply stating your criticisms in the face and saying “yes. I am saying those things. Those are my points. What are yours?”
There is also immeasurable value in directly challenging the right on their positions. To anyone who argues that nazis should never be debated: I hold, and Vaush himself has expressed time and again, that there is absolutely a necessity in debating far-right ideas [to a certain extent, with much consideration], especially in a public forum, in order to publicly, correctly, thoroughly, and unequivocally prove their falseness, instead of taking the (real or implied) alternative route of simply ignoring them or dismissing them in the name of refusing to “platform” said ideas. This is seen as cowardice or a refusal to confront “the truth” by people all across the political spectrum, and can lead people on the right to remain convinced of their “essential correctness,” and can lead others, even those that are somewhat left-leaning, to doubt their positions or be unsure how, exactly, to properly defend them.
It is true that at a certain point, if you’ve argued with one nazi, you’ve argued with all of them, and that you do run the risk of potentially platforming smaller alt-righters who would not have even garnered any attention if they had been simply left alone. Vaush understands and admits this, and has tailored his content accordingly. This is also why he directs the majority of his ire lately toward the online left (see:tankie arc). While it is true that to be left is to be generally correct, it is also true that the left can be really, REALLY good at being complacent and *comfortably and confidently* wrong and/or counterproductive, simply because they are left, and thus how could they be incorrect? To challenge the beliefs held on the left is to ensure that they are not only correct, they are ⭐️effective and present-minded; they actually have a chance of effecting legitimate changes rather than simply posturing⭐️
At the end of the day, Vaush is *explicitly* the reason why a very, very considerable number of people online now consider themselves leftists. He has moved over people from all points of the spectrum, including the alt-right, by simply being unabashed. By simply being funny. By simply being human.
I will not rescind my support of Vaush unless his core positions change, which I am truly convinced they never will. I will encourage everyone who writes him off or simply listens to other people’s opinions of his character, his positions, and his controversies to listen to even one of his videos and hear him explain it himself.
⭐️Let me be clear: I will not even consider any dissenting opinions of him if they come from people who have never even once heard his side of the situation⭐️
The least the online left can do for such an effective yet controversial creator is hear him out. If you are unwilling to do that, simply unfollow me and never again add your voices to the conversations surrounding him.
Again, if you have watched his videos or streams or at least heard his explanations out and still do not want to associate with him, that is absolutely fine. ⭐️⭐️⭐️But the unadulterated vitriol he and his fans, like myself, receive literally by default, without any actual consideration, is abominable, and must come to a stop in order to preserve and promote the current and future success of the online left, and the general tide of leftism as a whole⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks for reading this far if you did, feel free to message me about anything and everything concerning Vaush. This is officially a Vaush-stan blog.
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