Hasan Piker: A swashbuckling Bromance (Patreon)

Avast Ye Harties! 

Yar! This week be the inaugural episode of a New Streamer/Academic Guru season. Join us as we kick things off with a bang and set out for adventure with the famous and controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker. Formerly of the Young Turks, Hasan is a popular left-wing commentator and is argued to represent a new wave of political communicators who leverage social media and live streaming to reach audiences, particularly disengaged younger viewers.

But how does he fare in these Decoding Waters?

We take a look at his recent interview with Rashed Al-Haddad, a dashing Yemeni teenager (nicknamed Tim Houthi Chalamet) who recently happened to find himself on an international transport ship hijacked by Houthi militants. But don't worry! Hasan addresses this sensitive topic and the complex geopolitical issues involved with due diligence and care. Not to mention that Rashed helpfully reports that all of the kidnapped crew are having a grand old time in Yemen! They are just vibing, chewing khat, and have fully converted to the honourable Houthi perspective.

The Houthi official slogan, "God is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam", or the reports of severe human rights abuses in their territory, might still give you some pause... but as Hasan explains -drawing on his deep political and psychological insight- the Houthis are just like the heroic Straw Hat pirates in the popular anime One Piece!

So with all that settled, we can focus on the more important questions like; what videogames Rashed likes, has he ever heard of Mr. Beast, whether he has eaten 'Western' food, what cartoons he watched when growing up, and whether there are KFCs in Yemen? Truly this is a conversation for the ages and Hasan is just the man for the job.

So join us for this week's episode where we consider whether combining influencer culture with political analysis is a good move and if there are any possible contradictions or ideological skews in Hasan's content.

Links- Hasan Interviews Viral 'Hot Yemeni TikTok Pirate' | Hasanabi Reacts- Atlantic article about the Houthis and the situation in Yemen- AP article on the crew of the hijacked 'Galaxy Leader' ship and their ability to contact their families- Amnesty article on Houthi sentencing of stoning and crucifixion for crimes of homosexuality- Human Rights Watch article on Houthi recruitment of child soldiers- Willy Mac 'drama' YouTuber collated episodes on Hasan (part 1 and part 2)