Asmongold stirs more controversy, this time on healthcare

Olivia Richman Published 22/02/2021

World of Warcraft streamer Zack “Asmongold” took a break from playing in the snow to discuss the healthcare system in the United States.

As he rolled around in the snow in a live stream, a cheery Asmongold told his viewers that, despite popular belief, the United States actually does have a solid healthcare system. Its name is GoFundMe, a website where people post campaigns and asking for people to donate to their cause.

“It’s used more than any other insurance. It’s like a popularity contest. You lose, you die,” Asmongold said. “I like it.”

While this did shine a light on the nation’s lacking healthcare options for sick patients, it was actually said in response to a strange tweet GoFundMe had made earlier in the week. The company said they see fundraisers for rent, utilities, and groceries every day as Americans continue to struggle for essentials.

“But GoFundMe was never made to be a source of support for basic needs, and it can never be a replacement for robust federal relief,” the company said.

It was followed up with a tweet where they asked Congress to “quickly pass a bill” that would help struggling Americans throughout the country.

Millions of Americas are struggling to pay for life’s essentials right now.

Every day we see fundraisers for rent, utilities, and even groceries.

But GoFundMe was never made to be a source of support for basic needs, and it can never be a replacement for robust federal relief.
— GoFundMe (@gofundme) February 11, 2021

After his hot take, Asmongold went back to building an igloo, which looked more like a pile of snow on his front porch. But long after the statement was made, the streaming community was still talking about GoFundMe potentially being a source of scams and some opinions that the United States needing to improve its healthcare system.

Asmongold continues to stir controversy in Just Chatting stream

Asmongold is no stranger to starting these kinds of heated conversations. During the #MeToo movement last year, Asmongold called out former Overwatch League commentator Malik Forte for being “racist” after the black content creator shared a meme mocking white men for playing “devil’s advocate” about issues that don’t affect them.

“If summit called out a black person on a stereotype, what do you think would happen? He’d get banned. And he should get banned. Because that’s wrong to do. I cannot believe how openly brazen people are about expressing sentiment and literal obvious racism and nothing happens to them,” Asmongold said on stream at the time.

Earlier in 2020, Asmongold spoke out against Safety Advisory Council member Steph “FerociouslySteph” Loehr when they said that it was only “cis white males” who were upset about the concept of banning voice chat from some competitive games. FerociouslySteph had argued at the time that marginalized voices faced backlash when speaking in games, even bullying.

“Everyone is afraid to say what’s fucking obvious. We’d be off the platform in a fucking second if you replaced what she said with any other group of people,” Asmongold said.

This was another time the streamer had made a point about “reverse racism” towards white people and “reverse sexism” towards men. Some argue these concepts are not real as those groups are not as frequently oppressed. Whether viewers agreed with Asmongold or not, it sure got the community in a heated debate each time he brought it up.

Others pointed out that Asmongold seemed sad on the stream, pointing to the fact that his mother was sick. That might also be why Asmongold is so frustrated with the American healthcare system. Many people wished Asmongold and his family the best and were happy to see him having fun in the snow and just joking around.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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