Twitch streamer Hasan “Hasanabi” Piker was Twitter’s main character February 4 after catching the internet’s ire for buying an expensive-ass car. What normally wouldn’t be a big deal—going into a dealership and walking out with a new vehicle—was blown outta proportion in Piker’s case because the popular political broadcaster claims to be a socialist. This self-identification has pissed folks off, as Piker didn’t buy just any car. He bought a $200,000 Porsche Taycan, which many have called a dentist car.
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Piker livestreamed himself with fellow streamers AustinShow, JakeNBake, and Myth on February 4 as they drove to a Porsche dealership in Los Angeles to pick up the new car: the aforementioned $200,000 2022 Porsche Taycan Turbo S in a beautiful cobalt blue. It’s a nice purchase but one that some think contradicts Piker’s anti-capitalist views, hence the anger.
Folks have essentially called Piker a hypocrite for voicing socialist rhetoric while using the money he earns to line the pockets of big businesses. Others straight-up said his spending habits mean he isn’t a socialist at all. Then, there were alt-right commentators like Lauren Southern who came out of the woodwork to mock Piker for buying a dentist car. Apparently, all dentists drive Porsches or, at the very least, you can expect to see a sports car or two in your dentist’s parking lot.
Piker later clapped back against the criticism. In one tweet, he said he owns those who are angry over the Porsche purchase because he lives rent-free in their minds. Really, you could say Amazon founder and mega-billionaire Jeff Bezos owns Piker since a large portion of his income comes from Amazon-owned Twitch. In subsequent posts, Piker also claimed he’s just a mere Twitch streamer making free content, not some socialist Jesus arming a revolution like many on the right think he is.
Kotaku reached out to Piker for comment but did not receive an immediate reply.
The chatter around Piker’s purchase isn’t new, but it is exhausting. We did this in August when he bought a nearly $3 million house in West Hollywood, and now the discourse has spun up again. What folks may be forgetting is exactly what Piker said: He’s just a Twitch streamer. Sure, he may be a socialist, but even socialists need housing and transportation. Could he have used the money more frugally, buying a modest car and house while spending the rest on humanitarian aid? Totally. But Piker also doesn’t owe anyone anything. More than that, though, he’s free to do whatever he wants with his money. As long as that freedom doesn’t lead to the continued subjugation of minorities and people of color.
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A tweet from user tinywienerbabe succinctly encapsulated the feeling everyone should have about Piker buying a new Porsche, or anything else for that matter: “Hasan is only an entertainer and not a leftist vanguard, him buying a new car literally means nothing.” Exactly. Nothing in the real world is changing just because some internet socialist bought something. Keep it moving.