Honestly is Haz an op to make MLs look like fucking unhinged idiots? I watched a couple of his videos taking about dialectics (which seemed decently accurate) and he would get so fucking mad anytime someone in the chat asked a clarifying question. I've tried to watch his "debates" from time to time but he usually just screams at the other person, which can be kind of satisfying when he's yelling at someone like Vaush, but it mostly just makes him look like an angry weirdo. He is also clearly trying to grift. Like, if you look at breadtube and think that it's all filled with terminally online liberals with no connection to IRL politics, why would you think that creating an "ML" version of the same thing would be different? Why not just encourage people to engage in IRL politics rather than to develop a slightly different "ML flavored" parasocial relationship with some other weirdo streamer? Honestly. Nothing that happens with Haz, Vaush, bread tube, CTH, etc. ever leaves the bubble of online. If you're going to be an ML, if you want to make a difference as a Marxist, why would you start in this bubble? Why would you become a streamer?
Yeah either that or he's a cynical opportunist who just wants to make it big on Twitch. Nothing from the internet media sphere will ever result in serious irl action that will threaten capitol.
Why would you become a streamer?
For the same reason that communists sold news papers. With the collective audience and money that Breadtube and adjacent personalities have,you could do a shit ton of IRL action. The Infrared collective saw that nothing was happening/shit was heading in the wrong direction so they set out to take down Breadtube and do it themselves.
For the same reason that communists sold news papers
Communist parties sold newspapers. They were party-driven initiatives, not a bunch of larping crank individuals
the same reason
Individuals can still leverage media to educate people and get them to join/support parties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Youth
Individuals who have no collective oversight can poison the well as well, as seen from every individualist new leftist personality that form personality cults that pigeonhole them into producing only certain kinds of content in order to generate views.
Yeah, media is just a tool ultimately. Just because it hasn't been used productively yet, doesn't mean it should be shunned entirely. Infrared isn't just Haz btw. There are a bunch of other members that are part of Infrared which you can see in their older youtube videos.
So you're saying Haz is the dominant personality on the channel then? Sounds like he's already going the same way the rest of breadtube has.
Yeah he's the face of the Infrared collective. I think it makes sense to have him be the entertainer on streams that attracts people to the channel. For the more serious educational content that they put out though, the other members can still take leading roles in producing stuff (e.g. https://youtu.be/1rSWhSBmfMA).
This is similar to how for example Midwestern Marx (https://www.midwesternmarx.com/) has Eddie - who has 300k+ followers on TikTok - as their most prominent influencer
Firstly, this video isn’t about :azan:
Secondly, I will never stop posting about my himbo.
Ok I’m kinda impressed by your dedication. If I want to check out Haz/Infrared, which videos do you recommend?
I guess that depends on what kind of stuff you like. I think what makes them the most unique and what I find refreshing about them is how well-read they are and their ruthless criticism of the Western left (including other self-described MLs). So my recommendations along those lines would be:
China's Cultural Revolution and drawing a parallel with what's happening today to critique Western leftists: https://youtu.be/7gG6zzHy48w
Interview with Fan Wennan on his art piece (which you can now find pinned on Haz's twitter) that had been dunked on by leftists on twitter at the time - apparently this served as a large source of inspiration for them: https://youtu.be/LhooFz-Tfz8
Critique on Luna Oi and the Western leftists online: https://showinfrared.substack.com/p/exposing-the-fraud-that-is-luna-oi *
*Note: Haz was big mad when he wrote this so it reads like bloodsports and I think he misunderstands certain things here like Luna's tweet on China which was taken out of context and the entire last section on Landback which was based on his interaction with a small segment of online leftists.
They just published the complete BadEmpanada rebuttal video which I imagine you might be interested in: https://youtu.be/FPt1OPbowrI
I thought Haz was so niche and blatantly insane that no one took him seriously
Did Lenin resurrect specifically for this video? Or is it a pair of debate nerd dipshits trying to get clout by howling and flinging shit at each other?
Definitely the latter lol. InfraRed said he’s an ML who follows Lenin’s definition of imperialism and that Rome was not imperialist.
BadEmpanada then had a text to speech quote Lenin directly on how Rome was imperialist.
I don't hide my suffering, I bear it all out it the open for the world to gaze upon and bask in
I don't hide my suffering, I bear it all out it the open for the world to gaze upon and bask in
I've watched a few of this person's videos in the past (Infrared, that is) and have never really been impressed by them.
I remember when infrared made an account here and tried to shill for his debate with Vaush.
I know infared has said some fucked up stuff recently, but he is just correct here.
The next word in the book after the quote BadEmpanada used is literally "But". Lenin is saying that the imperialism of rome is essentially different from that of modern finance capital. Super dishonest from BadEmpanada.
Full quote:
Colonial policy and imperialism existed before the latest stage of capitalism, and even before capitalism. Rome, founded on slavery, pursued a colonial policy and practised imperialism. But “general” disquisitions on imperialism, which ignore, or put into the background, the fundamental difference between socio-economic formations, inevitably turn into the most vapid banality or bragging, like the comparison: “Greater Rome and Greater Britain.” [5] Even the capitalist colonial policy of previous stages of capitalism is essentially different from the colonial policy of finance capital.
Haz is currently explaining this on stream in case anyone was interested in actually understanding his words here: https://www.twitch.tv/infraredshow. The meaning of words can change over time and depending on context. It's really not that hard to interpret the guy in good faith, but I suppose most Western online leftists would rather just dunk on people to feel good.
I believe the basic idea here is that the "imperialism" of Rome is fundamentally different from modern "imperialism".
- The “imperialism of ancient Rome,” which carried on a policy of seizure and conquest, by force of arms subduing to its hegemony a great many countries in Europe, Asia and Africa, must not be confused with modern imperialism, just as, for instance, usury capital which existed before capitalism must not be confused with usury bank capital in the epoch of imperialism. The difference between the imperialism of ancient Rome and modem imperialism consists in the difference of production bases. Then it was small peasant and artisan production and commercial capital; now it is enormous machine production and monopoly capital. This example, among others, shows how incorrect it is to understand by the term “modem imperialism” only a “policy,” and not a whole system of capitalist economy. The former point of view makes it impossible to understand the distinction between the imperialism of ancient Rome and modem imperialism.
- Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism, p. 125
Haz is currently explaining this on stream in case anyone was interested in actually understanding his words here: https://www.twitch.tv/infraredshow
Dude you do realize that this is free advertising for the narcissistic owner of a small media business. Why do you feel the need to spread his views?
- I think Infrared has potential to make ML mainstream
- The original post is free advertising for another narcissistic owner of a small media business and is basically low effort slander which I want to push back against seeing as nobody else here was doing it.
I think Infrared has potential to make ML mainstream
Why? Define the "mainstream".
The original post is free advertising for another narcissistic owner of a small media business...
By your logic sharing youtube videos on here for the purpose of generating lulz is the same as explicitly advertising for small business owners by telling people to watch their trashy twitch streams. Noted.
...and is basically low effort slander which I want to push back against seeing as nobody else here was doing it.
Criticism and slander are two different things. Assuming it is slander, why do you even care? Why is the honor of Hazzy Weinstein so important to you?
Why? Define the “mainstream”.
I think Haz is entertaining and can appeal to more conservative and/or right-wing leaning people who otherwise would never touch anything to do with communism. I guess by mainstream, I mean big enough to cause a significant impact IRL (e.g. influencing a large number of people to join parties/orgs)
Assuming it is slander, why do you even care?
Like I said, I think their project has potential. Also, I wanted to encourage folks here to consume media critically and promote a mentality of interpreting what other leftists say in good faith.
I think Haz is entertaining and can appeal to more conservative and/or right-wing leaning people who otherwise would never touch anything to do with communism.
I think their project has potential.
Yes indeed this is the Infrashite collective's PR spiel. Much like how Microsoft helps make the world more sustainable and aid in human progress by delivering cutting edge technological solutions.
In reality, hazzy weinstein is a sad, self-hating fuck who leeches off the douchebag scene on Twitch for the success of the Infrared brand and to gain fame/notoriety. He always gets owned when debating people to the right of him who aren't neocons because they share the same political beliefs on a fundamental level. So, they just have to point out how Haz is an unemployed, depressed, failson with no career and family at 25 years of age and its a W for them because he can't say anything back since both sides use the same moral/political system.
He appeals to right-leaning people because this is the largest demographic on Twitch and because he has a personal hatred his market competitors (Breadtube, Vaush, etc.) His entertainment value comes from his unhinged rants and unfounded self confidence. I personally enjoy watching clips of him use manipulative debate bro tactics to yell at liberals. But at the end of the day, everyone is laughing at him, not with him.
Furthermore, he has admitted to being a conservative multiple times, and shits out right wing talking points such as "muh antifa bad" and "muh progressivism bad". Appealing to conservatives is also a shitty idea because social conservatism is a dying ideology that only terminally online rich teenagers and boomers give any credibility to. The majority of young people are either "apolitical" or "progressive". There is no way that Twitch personalities will ever be able to spur any form of IRL impact (other than making :le-pol-face: unhinged enough to shoot up another school) because serious IRL stuff would necessitate people touching grass for good and stop watching them, thus stopping the flow of revenue. You have to remember that hazzy weinstein is running an entertainment business, not a real movement.
Also, I wanted to encourage folks here to consume media critically and promote a mentality of interpreting what other leftists say in good faith.
hazzy weinstein is not a leftist, and does not act in good faith (upon his own admission, multiple times), so why should we give him the time of day beyond this post or even respect him as a human being? Everyone here for the most part actually does consume media critically, and part of that is recognizing the fact that youtubers and twitch streamers are, at the end of the day, small business owners, and should not be taken seriously beyond a certain point.
Ew no, not even cpusa - supposidly, based on his word - would take him
I hope it isn't because it means he's a grifting clown that can't stand the thought of subordinating his dogshit media career to party discipline
Well I wouldn't get your hopes up based on what we've seen so far 😐
