Good, an influencer in the millions of followers is bringing visibility to FOSS and independent technology.
Bad, he said the n word once and joked about jews when he was in his early 20’s.
Devil’s Advocate: If pewdiepie was really a nazi, his channel wouldn’t be about gaming and tech, it would be two spaces away from Joe Rogan in your podcast app. The dude is harmless.
You guys don’t really get it. Back then, people blurted out edgelord shit whether they meant it or even understood it just for a meme or repetition or even quell nervousness on a livestream. God forbid any of you hear recordings from Xbox Live circa 2010.
All this “is he still a fascist talk” speaks volumes. He never was.
I said edgy shit and the n-word online when I was a teen, am I a fascist? Nope, voted blue since Obama and my cousins are hispanic and well loved. Kids gonna kid, adults grow up, realize wtf they were doing was idiotic and move on.
If you’re witchhunting fascists and you land on pewdiepie, start back at the top of your list. Your fascometer’s sensitivity is too high.
You don’t have to be a committed fascist to be criticized for normalizing fascist dogwhistles and symbolism. “Other people do it too” is not a good excuse either.
That being said, it was a long time ago, and I do think he understands it was stupid and wouldn’t do it again.
Joking about jews or saying the n word never made anyone a fascist. Fascism didn’t even include antisemitism, it was just added later on because of Germany’s policies. Calling pewdiepie a fascist is wrong intellectually, historically, politically and ideologically.
The only people normalizing fascism are the ones calling everything fascist and making the word lose power and giving new blood to the idea of fascism.
Fascism is a very specific thing, born in a very specific country and with a very specific ideology. Not every authoritarian country is fascist. Not every racist idea is fascist.
People were idiots before fascism. And they can be idiots without being fascists now too.
It’s the same as calling communist everyone that ask for minimum wage or free/cheap healthcare. It’s dumb.
Funny how the comments in this thread went from “haha he’s degoogling on YouTube?” to “do you believe in rehabilitation?” - “HE’S A NAZI!!!”.
It truly feels like back in the good old Reddit days. You either get popcorn or your pitchfork. There’s nothing in-between.
he brought it on himself by accidentally naziing several times, even while he ostensibly apologized after he got called out for it.
he has had a hand in normalizing this shit we’re in today and people are right to be angry at him. especially since his alleged rehabilitation has been as quiet as his nazi winks and nods were loud.
i do believe in rehabilitation, but i think for someone his size you can’t just do it quietly. you have to be against it and try to right your wrongs. that’s what hunter avallone did for example, and he’s significantly smaller than pewdiepie.
pewdiepie’s damage was much more consequential and he has a responsibility to do more than not casually naziing anymore.
What did this “quiet rehabilitation” even entail? Did he actually take responsibility for the dogwhistles?
don’t even know honestly; just responding to people’s claims that he’s changed.
I think the algorithms and media advertising are setup to monetize outrage and he got big precisely because he was willing to say and do anything for attention.
If not for the algorithms we’d probably not ever have known who pewdie pie is and tbh we’d all be better off forgetting about him.
I’m tired of people talking about the “responsibility of celebrities” - most of them are only there because they’re shitty. The system filters for it.
then people shouldn’t bitch about it when they get backlash
The bitching is encouraged by algorithms. Idk if you’ve seen the youtube drama bullshit scene but its all bitching all the time. The only way to stop it is to leave platforms utilizing conflict algorithms and work on fostering communities that don’t celebrity worship.
sorry I meant bitching in the comments that he’s still being perceived as a nazi.
Oh yeah the amount of grace people extend to celebrities is insane and the fact he got big on youtube should all be evidence anyone needs that he’s a piece of shit.
I like to eat my popcorn with a pitchfork, thank you very much.
To keep your hands clean? I can respect that.
some people in here are apparently perfect and don’t believe others can grow and learn from their mistakes. what a childish self-centered perspective.
Here’s the problem with public figures in particular: they have an extrinsic motivation to make others believe they’ve changed. You can’t actually know if they’re doing it for the money or because they actually believe it.
The same issue goes for doing good too. Do people donate to charity because they want to or because they want people to see them? Is it still good if it’s the latter? Is there a difference functionally?
100% agree, but this logic applies to everyone, not just public figures.
they [public figures] have an extrinsic motivation to make others believe they’ve changed.
Replace public figures with people and its just as accurate. Nobody wants to be the bad guy, even demon-spawn incarnate, Stephen Miller tries to put everything in a positive light “detaining violent illegals” vs “breaking innocent families apart and sending them to concentration camps”.
Judge people based on their actions, not their words.
I agree, though it’s to a much lesser extent. Regular people can find a small group that support whatever views that have without any push back. Public figures make money (or get elected, or whatever else) off of public perseption, though this sometimes creates a situation where being bad is positive for them too.
I’m willing to believe he might have learned from his mistakes, but he was 27 when he did the most egregious things. More than old enough to know better. The older you are when you do stupid shit, the harder it will be for people to forgive you.
only if you insist on treating being a Nazi as something white men grow out of with age
Are there other incurable states of mind that would require people to be shunned forever?
yeah, arguing in bad faith
Nope, just fascism.
Is it something they inherently do? No. Is it something they can do?, Of course. Just like anyone evolve over time. Especially when you’re into something just to be edgy.
so it’s OK to be one as long as you’re just trying to be edgy? why are white men always left off the hook?
That’s not even close to remotely what they said. They said it’s easy to become one if you’re trying to be edgy. They never said it was OK. They said you can change and get out of it. If you were just doing it to be edgy, and not because you believed white people are superior, then it’s easier to change.
Argue in good faith if you’re going to argue. Don’t change people’s words to fight a strawman. It only makes you look stupid.
Yeah no… It’s very easy to not behave like a fucking Nazi.
You’re exposing your privilege and lack of understanding other perspectives.
Not everyone grew up knowing the impact words or phrases have on marginalized communities. I reflect on the day I learned women think twice about going for a runs at night. Growing up a white-passing guy in a relatively safe neighborhood, the possibility of getting raped was a foreign concept, but a sad reality for many women. In that same vein, you lack the humility to consider people like me, who grow up in an environment where slurs were common and “just a joke”.
I’ve educated myself, learned from my past, reflected on how my actions may have impacted others at the time and walked away from ignorance. I am not who I used to be, and we must allow people to grow, or would you prefer to see no change?
If you grew up perfect, you should feel blessed that you’ve had the opportunity. Not everyone gets that.
Why do you say that?
Look at all the so-called “subtle bigotry” that predominates western media and then ask yourself why you expect anything else.
Bruh, he literally paid some people to wave a sign that said, “Death to all Jews.” Link to Vox
“Subtle bigotry,” my ass.
I love his new path in content. Seems like he grew up to be a positive influence in the ethical tech regard.
I still remember his arch linux vid he did
Impossible! Nobody can remember something that happened a few weeks ago!
U right. But I got good memory
all anyone has to do to have their dick glazed by the Linux/gaming communities is to throw a few sieg heils and n-words around.
you’re part of the problem why being a racist is profitable on social media.
Second message I’ve received in the same night filled with anger, judgement, and name calling.
Odd.
I encourage you to go into conversations without assumptions. Ask questions and be curious. Keep anger at bay.
Pretty interesting usage of his Steam Deck. I feel like it was overkill lol. But as he said, sometimes it’s cool to just use what you have.
I am not a follower of his, but I am certainly an advocate for de-<insert mega tech company name here>ing having just finally rid myself of Micros**t, which was preceded by getting rid of almost all of the family streaming subs.
The Steamdeck is actually a great device for this simply because it is a very functional pc in desktop mode. Throw in a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, with even a generic dock and it can rival most laptops, especially with the added video capabilities it already has.
I find myself using it as a pc almost as much as a gaming device, just because it works so well for both.
I have been thinking about not replacing my laptop and just getting a steam deck (or a Lenovo?) kb, mouse and a bigger external screen if I need it.
Will that work ?
Its a solid stand-in for a mid-tier laptop! Most everyday laptop stuffs like web browsing and code editing it drives like a charm!
Don’t expect too much, though! From my experience video editing is a bit too heavy for the lil guy - and some softwares can be kinda tough to run due to the sandboxed nature of steamOS (eg visual studio code, librewolf).
I think switching to another OS like Cashy or (if it doesn’t get axed?) Bazzite would probly be the way to go if you intend to use it for more than simple apps & web browsing!
If he’s “going all in on deGoogling”, perhaps he should be using a Youtube alternative?
I know it seems kinda ironic. But the way to reach lots of people is to post on YouTube. If you want to reach people and stop them from using google you’re not going to reach them on some obscure platform that no one uses.
And the people using those obscure platforms have already degoogled so your basically preaching to the choir if you use them.
This thread is killing me. I’m really tired of how open-source people and gamers are so quick to forgive and move on, all under the veil of we don’t care about politics. Well, how fucking lucky for you then! What, do you think the people who care are having autistic hyper-fixations on politics? Is that it? Like, I don’t have less depressing hyper-fixations to have, maybe? Well, I’m glad to see that it’s all working out great for you! Now, if you could stop looking at yourself for a minute, that would be great!
Fuck. Bigots.
We should not allow them in our spaces like that. We should not welcome them with open arms because they have lots of subscribers and it gives us exposure! We have enough far-right dipshit in our communities as is.
Oooh, but what about redemption?! What about rehabilitation?!
Listen people, I grew up in a far-right home. I was a far-right dipshit for a long time because of that. But the difference is, I haven’t been called out for paying some guys to write some heinous antisemitism on a sign, after I’ve been called out for dog whistling to Nazis in an apology, after I’ve been called out for shouting out a Nazi in a video about channels, my name wasn’t dropped live by a Nazi shooter, and I certainly didn’t invite fucking Ben Shapiro on my program to review memes to my millions and millions of followers!
Come on! We’re not talking about a guy who said something cringe on Twitter 12 years ago here. It’s not about believing that we’re perfect and being self-centered, as I have read in this thread. It’s about having some fucking standards. I am forgiving. I know that people can change. But there are fucking limits as to what I’m willing to accept.
This is so tiring.
fucking finally some common sense. they’re basically trying to paint anyone who brings up his pattern of white supremacy as a cancel culture extremist.
all this incel reactionary bs is because the tech bros refuse to admit they were wrong during gamergate and are still on the wrong side of history because you refuse to listen to feminists or anyone who’s not white.
i don’t really know if the linux community should be claiming the guy who casually drops the n word like he breathes air as our guy.
edit: JESUS FUCK y’all have too much time on your hands
🍿oh this comment section the good stuff.
The problem with extremists is that they cannot see purity in anybody else but themselves.
and
But you fuck one sheep…
Serious question.
Do you believe in rehabilitation? I think its admirable for someone to overcome their shortcomings. Especially considering that we are all products of our environments.
To my understanding he apologized for the horrific things he said in the past and is attempting to better himself as a person. I don’t see him continuing to be a problematic person.
Who here hasn’t said or done regrettable things?
Do you have any evidence that he’s made an effort to make up for his behavior that goes beyond words? This is an honest question, I never followed him because of random happenstance, so I don’t know.
Was it a repeated occurrence?
Yup. We see this with StopKillingGames too where it is “Well. So what if asmongold literally advocated for genocide and ethnic cleansing? He is on our side and that is what is most important!”.
pewdiepie I think mostly fell off the past few years so no idea if he has shown any sign of growth. But it is still a GREAT message to say “Racism is less important than my OS of choice”
Pretty much. The whole “Internet is forever” doesn’t mean shit if you can be a dick and then throw money to PR fix your reputation.
Just to be clear: if someone has actively shown growth then I am all for them moving past shit (obviously the amount of growth required depends on the level of shitty before but). James Gunn being kind of the poster child for that where he was an edgelord dipshit when he was younger. But every time that comes up, almost everyone around him makes it clear that he has grown significantly and he owns up to it every time.
Like… look at idubbz. I, and many others, aren’t sure if we can ever actually “forgive” him considering how much abuse we received because of people directly quoting his hate. But he also (at least briefly. Not sure what he has done since) made it a big point of actually APOLOGIZING. And… getting a lot of shit and hatred from other youtubers who refuse to apologize for their shittiness for whatever reason (shoutout to moistcritical for breaking his apolitical stance to aggressively insist Ian didn’t need to apologize for slurs and bigotry…).
Contrast that with “he said the N word a lot a few years back but hasn’t done it recently” with no indication beyond that.
FFS, it was years ago, no one is claiming him as “our guy”, and he’s an extremely influential person so just take the win.
Yeah. Guy does a few Nazi things and anti-Semitic things a few years ago and he has to live with that reputation forever? . And come on, why are you living in the past? Just because Kanye straight off said some Nazi shit every few months? Dude, separate the art from the artist!
Oh, and Kevin Spacey did a bit of rape back then. But it was so long ago!
And while we’re here, Bill Cosby drugged those girls in the 70s. Like my dude, who wasn’t a little edgy back then?
You’re going to equate a word with being a Nazi and rape? Using a racial slur is literally a small subset of being a Nazi.
If you think calling people Jews was the big issue with the Nazis, well…
So I decided to look up the article, and see what the defense was.
Here’s the article: https://www.mediaite.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-19-at-16.04.33.jpg
And indeed, it does seem to be a Vetements piece he’s wearing. I could not however find the exact outfit, but those are the Georgian designer’s signature, in Georgian letters, which can be compared here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demna_(designer)
In looking through some videos from that era, he is wearing multiple articles of clothing from Vetements which tracks. So it’s not a one off piece of clothing he was wearing from that company.
As for the cross, it is a design used in Georgia, including on their traditional flags:
And it is known as a Bolnisi Cross
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolnisi_cross
And can even be found in ancient Georgian architecture, specifically with a circle around it:
It is similar to the German iron cross, except the iron cross always has white or iron bolding, which the Bolnisi Cross does not
(You can compare them in these search results: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=fpas&q=german+iron+cross&ia=images&iax=images)
PewDiePie’s PR machine got you so good you’re defending a multimillionaire for his BS.
Nah, I just actually look up claims rather than taking them at face value, and live in Europe.
Nah I’m saying you say racist shit, you don’t get off the hook.
On the Steam Deck there is Google too, there is the sponsored Chrome install and cloud saves uses Google servers
Worse. Steam is basically built on top of CEF, which is not much better than Electron.
It’s amazing how deep Chromium (and web tech in general) got into everything. Microsoft - which I regarded for how light and well optimized Windows 8.1 was - went from using Chromium for Edge to using it basically everywhere. Latest observation is how you open Copilot app, chat a little and see how it eats 4 GB of RAM and lags like hell, on a higher end business laptop.
Steam Deck owner here. The default browser is (or was?) FireFox on my Deck, no Chrome.
On SteamOS maybe, but he is using Arch Linux on his Steam Deck, as mentioned in the Article.
Where did you get this information?
I installed AdGuard Home (pihole alike) and blocked all Google then my deck wasn’t able to sync my game saves, I had to allowlist steam.googlecloudsomethingsomething in order for cloud saves to work
He is still a fuck head
“Degoogle!”
~ Someone on YouTube, a platform owned by Google
He takes part in society yet he critiques it.
This isnt a gotcha, if he did this in private he couldnt champion it.
It should be more eye opening that his path to critique relies on thos he critques, making the case that they are too engrained.
YouTuber…Degoogling
Nobody tell him.
Yes let him remove his source of income in order to be the most rightous!!! It’s respectable that he’s doing it as much as he can
Also youtube is so widespread it’s the best way to spread positive messages, even against YouTube and Google themselves
I think he’s already set for life and he’s doing YouTube just for fun. I’ve heard that other YouTubers said that PewDiePie is incredibly wealthy because he invested a large percentage of his income on his heyday as a YouTuber. Looking back he only have two editors at most working at his videos and didn’t do “flexing” content.
But the point is that he won’t be able to reach people if he didn’t post on YouTube. He already kicked up a storm on the move to Linux video and this kind of exposure really helps with the general population.
I don’t see the problem here. Just because you upload stuff on Youtube doesn’t mean you need to be tied to every other service. This isn’t something like being a vegan where if you wear leather boots, you’re not a “true vegan”.
Black and White thinking is the death of any movement you’re 100% spot on, everything has nuance
dichotomous thinking is the pretentiously fun term
I like saying binary. A middle ground pretentiousness-wise.
Even to your point about boots, there are some people who are vegan (by their definition) and wear leather boots. Arguments can be made that leather will (in specific circumstances) result in less animal harm in the long run, and while I don’t personally justify leather this way, I can understand how some have these perspectives.
The real issue is labels. As soon as you apply one, you are subject to everyone else’s understanding of that thing. In my experience, if you don’t meet their understanding of said thing you’re dismissed as not being a “true x”, or it’s “if you truly are X then why do you do y?”
This is why I never refer to myself as vegan/vegetarian and just “I don’t eat meat” (or a more specific statement as needed).
I never say I’m a leftist/socialist I just gestures vaguely at American politics believe that’s kinda fucked and shouldn’t be done that way.
I even dislike saying I’m an urbanist because, even though I despise car-centric design, I’ve been called out for the sin of hiring a car when I visited my hometown last (generally I cycle everywhere or use PT, but I had an ankle injury so woe is me I guess)
At some level we’re all hypocrites, ones intentions are far more important, and shouldn’t be dismissed as easily as they are. What’s more important is to align your actions with your beliefs, be open about what you believe in, be open-minded when someone’s beliefs don’t align with your own, be ready to adjust your beliefs based on new information and experiences but most of all:
Be kind.
I mean he already addressed that in his video to be fair lol
You’re assuming OP watched the video at all 😁
