Yet you brought him up, probably because you thought it’d help your argument.
Jesus Christ you’re slow. No, I brought him up as an example of a grifter who’s been consistent with his views. How successful or relevant he is today means NOTHING because it has nothing to do with my point. The fact that you don’t get something as simple and straightforward as this shows that you’re either engaging in bad faith or you’re too slow for this conversation.
Keep coping elsewhere, keyboard warrior libtard.
You idiots really are like left wing version of MAGA.
BEN SHAPIRO ISN’T A GRIFTER. Grifters update their views to follow what popular because that nets them the most income. Well, what’s popular now in right wing media is anti-Semitic fascism that even extends to Israel, which fundamentally goes against what Shapiro believes. This is why Shapiro has been distancing himself from the mainstream Right.
Shapiro USED to be a grifter which got him fame in the right wing world. But now he’s sticking to his beliefs so hard that it’s actually harming his fame because the right keeps moving farther to the right, beyond what Ben finds acceptable. He barely gets any motion on social media anymore, instead pivoting to centrist media.
Your original point was that it’s possible to be both a grifter and have consistent views. You brought up Ben Shapiro as evidence to substantiate your claim. What you don’t realize is that Ben Shapiro is ass these days, and not a good example. Because you gave a bad example which didn’t support your beliefs whatsoever, I’m inclined to believe the OPPOSITE of your claim which is to say that grifters CANNOT stay consistent with their views. Hasan has been consistent for his entire political career, so he doesn’t grift.
The fundamental issue here is that you literally don’t know what the word grifter means. We’re operating on two different planes here because I’m using the actual definition, and you’re not. So just as a refresher, this is what a grifter is:
grifter
noun [ C ] ~mainly US informal~
us /ˈɡrɪf.tɚ/ uk /ˈɡrɪf.tər/
someone who gets money dishonestly by tricking people:
She fell for a charming, fast-talking grifter.
This is the definition from the Cambridge dictionary.
If we use this definition as the basis of our discussion, then we can make rule out some things such as:
Grifting has nothing to do with political leanings.
Grifters don’t necessarily need to change their views
Grifting and consistency are not opposites.
Therefore, your argument in this comment is invalid based on these points that we just inferred.
Furthermore, since consistency and grifting are not opposites, a political commentator, such as Hasan or Ben, can absolutely hold consistent views and still be a grifter. Grifting, as per the definition, is about motivation and incentives, not whether someone’s positions change over time. A commentator may repeat the same arguments for years, but if those arguments are primarily shaped by what attracts money, attention, or loyalty from an audience rather than a genuine effort to inform or engage honestly, that is grifting. In fact, consistency can make grifting easier by creating a reliable brand that builds trust and is easier to monetize. What separates good faith commentary from grifting is not stability of views, but a willingness to acknowledge uncertainty, admit mistakes, update positions when evidence changes, and criticize one’s own side even at the cost of popularity.
Based on this basic analysis, I think my conclusion to call both Ben Shapiro and Hasan Piker grifters is valid. The conversation now shifts from what makes a grifter that to why I think Hasan is a grifter. Just an FYI, I won’t focus on Ben from here on out since he was only referenced to demonstrate a point and nothing more. So why do I think Hasan is a grifter? It’s simple, he’s a hypocrite who lives a lifestyle that completely contradictory to what he preaches. He’s swindling his audience for money by selling them ideas that he himself doesn’t believe in and live by. Do I have proof for this? I think it’s only fair that the burden of proof falls on me to prove the deception, and the answer to that is, yes, I do. I already written a comment here showcasing exactly how Hasan is a grifter right here:
(informal, originally Canada, US) A con artist; someone who pulls confidence games; a swindler, scammer, huckster, hustler, and/or charlatan.
(colloquial, especially Internet) A manipulator or otherwise generally corrupt person who “games” a system, group of people, or other entity for selfish gains; especially of a political “sell-out” perceived as lacking integrity.
Hasan doesn’t lack integrity. Hasan has been pushing the same beliefs and world view for his entire career. And the moments where he was wrong in his analysis, like when he predicted that Russia wouldn’t invade Ukraine, he owned up to it and said he was wrong. He tends to avoid making predictions about what world powers will do these days because his predictions have been wrong before.
Hasan is not selfish, as I’ve already demonstrated in one of the comments I responded to you with.
Hasan does not manipulate because his funding source, coming from his fans, allows him to be impartial when it comes to covering the news. The same cannot be said for Ben Shapiro, Candice Owens, Megan Kelly, Fox News, etc. because these people have to tow the line of the party and follow the direction of the US State Department or else face getting de-platformed. If Hasan is de-platformed on Twitch, he can pick up and move to YouTube or somewhere else and his fans will follow. Hasan is an independent commentator. And if you think he’s manipulating his fans, it’s only because he’s acting in opposition to the US State Department who’s doing the same. It is an information war out there.
Hasan is not a con artist. I can’t believe I have to state this given that the biggest con artist in the US political system is the man currently at the top, which happens to be Hasan’s largest opponent. Hasan makes it his mission to debunk what Trump says and cut through the lies he spews. If you think Hasan is a grifter but ignore the reality of Trump, then I have no other conclusion to make than to think you’re a conservative in sheep’s clothing, disguised as a progressive that actually wants to undermine the movement, or an enlightened centrist that tries to do “both sides” apologizing. Not going to cut it on Lemmy of all places.
Jesus Christ you’re slow. No, I brought him up as an example of a grifter who’s been consistent with his views. How successful or relevant he is today means NOTHING because it has nothing to do with my point. The fact that you don’t get something as simple and straightforward as this shows that you’re either engaging in bad faith or you’re too slow for this conversation.
You idiots really are like left wing version of MAGA.
BEN SHAPIRO ISN’T A GRIFTER. Grifters update their views to follow what popular because that nets them the most income. Well, what’s popular now in right wing media is anti-Semitic fascism that even extends to Israel, which fundamentally goes against what Shapiro believes. This is why Shapiro has been distancing himself from the mainstream Right.
Shapiro USED to be a grifter which got him fame in the right wing world. But now he’s sticking to his beliefs so hard that it’s actually harming his fame because the right keeps moving farther to the right, beyond what Ben finds acceptable. He barely gets any motion on social media anymore, instead pivoting to centrist media.
Your original point was that it’s possible to be both a grifter and have consistent views. You brought up Ben Shapiro as evidence to substantiate your claim. What you don’t realize is that Ben Shapiro is ass these days, and not a good example. Because you gave a bad example which didn’t support your beliefs whatsoever, I’m inclined to believe the OPPOSITE of your claim which is to say that grifters CANNOT stay consistent with their views. Hasan has been consistent for his entire political career, so he doesn’t grift.
Got it? Got it.
The fundamental issue here is that you literally don’t know what the word grifter means. We’re operating on two different planes here because I’m using the actual definition, and you’re not. So just as a refresher, this is what a grifter is:
This is the definition from the Cambridge dictionary.
Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/grifter
If we use this definition as the basis of our discussion, then we can make rule out some things such as:
Therefore, your argument in this comment is invalid based on these points that we just inferred.
Furthermore, since consistency and grifting are not opposites, a political commentator, such as Hasan or Ben, can absolutely hold consistent views and still be a grifter. Grifting, as per the definition, is about motivation and incentives, not whether someone’s positions change over time. A commentator may repeat the same arguments for years, but if those arguments are primarily shaped by what attracts money, attention, or loyalty from an audience rather than a genuine effort to inform or engage honestly, that is grifting. In fact, consistency can make grifting easier by creating a reliable brand that builds trust and is easier to monetize. What separates good faith commentary from grifting is not stability of views, but a willingness to acknowledge uncertainty, admit mistakes, update positions when evidence changes, and criticize one’s own side even at the cost of popularity.
Based on this basic analysis, I think my conclusion to call both Ben Shapiro and Hasan Piker grifters is valid. The conversation now shifts from what makes a grifter that to why I think Hasan is a grifter. Just an FYI, I won’t focus on Ben from here on out since he was only referenced to demonstrate a point and nothing more. So why do I think Hasan is a grifter? It’s simple, he’s a hypocrite who lives a lifestyle that completely contradictory to what he preaches. He’s swindling his audience for money by selling them ideas that he himself doesn’t believe in and live by. Do I have proof for this? I think it’s only fair that the burden of proof falls on me to prove the deception, and the answer to that is, yes, I do. I already written a comment here showcasing exactly how Hasan is a grifter right here:
https://lemmy.world/comment/21924262
Thus, we can conclude that Hasan Piker is a grifter as per the definition of the word.
According to Wiktionary:
(informal, originally Canada, US) A con artist; someone who pulls confidence games; a swindler, scammer, huckster, hustler, and/or charlatan.
(colloquial, especially Internet) A manipulator or otherwise generally corrupt person who “games” a system, group of people, or other entity for selfish gains; especially of a political “sell-out” perceived as lacking integrity.
Hasan doesn’t lack integrity. Hasan has been pushing the same beliefs and world view for his entire career. And the moments where he was wrong in his analysis, like when he predicted that Russia wouldn’t invade Ukraine, he owned up to it and said he was wrong. He tends to avoid making predictions about what world powers will do these days because his predictions have been wrong before.
Hasan is not selfish, as I’ve already demonstrated in one of the comments I responded to you with.
Hasan does not manipulate because his funding source, coming from his fans, allows him to be impartial when it comes to covering the news. The same cannot be said for Ben Shapiro, Candice Owens, Megan Kelly, Fox News, etc. because these people have to tow the line of the party and follow the direction of the US State Department or else face getting de-platformed. If Hasan is de-platformed on Twitch, he can pick up and move to YouTube or somewhere else and his fans will follow. Hasan is an independent commentator. And if you think he’s manipulating his fans, it’s only because he’s acting in opposition to the US State Department who’s doing the same. It is an information war out there.
Hasan is not a con artist. I can’t believe I have to state this given that the biggest con artist in the US political system is the man currently at the top, which happens to be Hasan’s largest opponent. Hasan makes it his mission to debunk what Trump says and cut through the lies he spews. If you think Hasan is a grifter but ignore the reality of Trump, then I have no other conclusion to make than to think you’re a conservative in sheep’s clothing, disguised as a progressive that actually wants to undermine the movement, or an enlightened centrist that tries to do “both sides” apologizing. Not going to cut it on Lemmy of all places.
Kindly, fuck off.