Twitch streamer Hasanabi - real name Hasan Piker - has found himself in the centre of an intense political debate this week. On Twitter, thousands are joining the discussion in the hope of answering a simple question: was it okay of him to buy a nice house?
It all started just a few days ago, after a report surfaced claiming Piker has purchased a $2.74 million home in California. This kicked Twitter into a frenzy, with many claiming that Piker had abandoned the socialist principles he loudly endorses on his streams, while political opponents took the opportunity to also label him a hypocrite.
"It is morally wrong to buy a three million dollar house when that is more than the average human makes in a hundred lifetimes. It doesn't matter how you made it, it's about basic human decency.", argues @DSA_Maoist. Meanwhile, @mirandajmarks says, "Do you not see the issue with getting rich complaining about capitalism and then buying a three million-dollar house in gentrified LA while homelessness is skyrocketing there?"
On the other hand, others have jumped to Piker's defence. Fellow content creator Anthony Fantano tweeted: "Is bitching about Bernie Sanders selling books and having a second house on the agenda next? Do we have time for AOC wearing an expensive dress on a magazine cover too? Get your fuckin priorities straight."
For the most part, however, it's just been a whole lot of confusion. The prevailing opinion seems to be that no one understands what the fuss is about, while others are dunking on the situation.
If you thought this drama was impossible to escape yesterday, you were not alone. The US Senator for Massachusetts, Ed Markey, even made a tweet alluding to it.
For some reason, this Twitch drama also got the attention of Fox News and The Sun - so it isn't likely to go away just yet.
Piker appears to be brushing off the critics. In a tweet defending himself, he says: "I live in LA. The housing market here is fucked. Why is the argument that I should keep renting or that I should go gentrify somewhere else? Will this solve the problems? No. [People] are mad cus lefty with [a] house. That’s it." He's also been sharing a bunch of memes about the whole thing, so it looks like he's taking it well.