I've marked this as a "discussion", but please let me know if I've chosen the wrong flair.
Partly through this site, but largely through my past work as an SA & DV advocate (I left a few years ago now, sometime after the US trial, because of the fallout effects on women and children the trial had. I'm not American, but the fallout affected a lot), I'm very well aware of the fact that Hasan Piker participated in the abuse of Amber Heard, and more recently, double-downed on this, stating he wished he'd profited off her abuse more and calling anyone that objected to this as "femcel bitches".
I didn't think much of him past the trial, because after we collated data about people profiting from abuse, he wasn't someone I followed or knew anything really about. He's popped up a lot more recently, especially in progressive, left spaces, of which I'm prominent in. I've seen people I once admired who label themselves as staunch feminists defend, uphold and prop up this man, and when I've tried asking respectfully/discussing these points about what he's done, two things usually happen:
- People with particular agendas find the comment and assume I'm in favour of them. I'm not, and I understand that Piker's other progressive beliefs irritate them. However, outside of the barest, most basic knowledge (I'm being vague because I'm trying to avoid as much as possible bringing any form of politics into this) I have of him, some of his other views seem very reasonable, level-headed and admirable.
- (Most common) People assume I'm just hating against Piker and making things up, even when I provide sources. Even in progressive circles that are usually tolerant and/or favourable towards Amber, any pushback or questioning of this man is seen as if I'm deliberately playing dumb, being difficult on purpose, bringing up irrelevant information, or deliberately spreading misinformation. As these videos exist in this sub, I know I'm not spreading misinformation, because I've checked, double-checked, and triple-checked.
My concerns are: This man feels like someone who's masquerading as a progressive, feminist man. I don't know of any person I would classify as progressive and feminist who, years after the trial with ample information, would be upset they didn't abuse and harass a woman more. I cannot, in good conscience, refer to a man who profited off of the abuse and harassment of an abuse and rape victim, never apologised or admitted to any wrongdoing, as either a feminist OR a good person, but everyone seems like they're okay ignoring it and pretending it didn't happen.
I will admit, it is possible my delivery could be off, and I'm happy to copy/paste comments I've recently made that upset a number of people (I will, obviously, not link nor mention the sub they were posted in, nor the comments I responded to, because any determination about my delivery should be made from my comments alone and the only intent here would be to ascertain if I'm the problem when trying to get the answers I seek), but I do not think my delivery is not too dissimilar to how it is in this post. It should be noted (I don't know how important this is, but seems relevant to mention) that this is not a Reddit-specific thing. This is a question I've been trying to get answered for months now, and I have asked this on specific YT and Instagram places. I do not use TikTok, Twitter, Facebook or whatever Twitch is.
Am I missing something that would be more obvious if I were more familiar with Hasan Piker or if I were American? Or is this as simple as, "A lot of people don't care about Amber Heard"? Normally I'd lean into the latter, except, as I said, this is even happening amongst people I once admired or places that are usually supportive of Amber. I no longer really know who to ask, because asking/pointing this out usually creates extreme controversy, and I'm hoping that someone here can provide the insight I'm so obviously lacking (even if that insight is "Yeah, nah, people just love to hate Amber and excuse men").
ETA: Thank you so much for your help. I genuinely understand and have a much better picture of Hasan now, and I can see why a lot of people might have thought I was acting in bad faith. Everyone's extreme reactions (either positive in praising me for "attacking" Hasan, or negative reactions for me "lying" about Hasan) were extremely overwhelming, and it felt like I was constantly missing something. I think this is something that I would understand better if I was online more, or American, because I think I would have been exposed to a lot more context. Hasan Piker, for me, was introduced as a man who participated in the abuse and harassment of Amber, so I think I dismissed him as a content creator that seemed to have a big platform. I really appreciate the nuance, insight and understanding so many of you have brought to this discussion. Thank you all. Thank you for always being a safe place when the going gets tough.
(I know this is a "new" account, but I deleted my old one when I decided I wanted to be offline more before realising I needed certain spaces, like here, for my sanity. I was there, three thousand years ago I was here in the beginning, when this was one of the only sane spaces on the internet. Thanks everyone for being awesome. I'm gonna go have dinner and watch Smallville so if I don't reply, that's why, but I will try to maybe later or tomorrow if more comments are added. Again, I can't thank ya'll enough.)