Political Twitch streamer Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker has just been banned on Twitch and the memes have already started.
HasanAbi just finished his stream on December 13 when he received notice that he was banned from Twitch for seven days. The ban was allegedly for saying the word “cracker” in reference to white people, something Twitch considered to be hate speech.
In response, the streaming community have started saying that HasanAbi lost to a mere snack.
Twitch community reacts to HasanAbi being banned over using “cracker”
The streaming community was generally surprised by Twitch’s decision to suspend HasanAbi over the word “cracker.” The concept of “cracker” being used as a slur against white people is a subject of some controversy. It is generally considered to be more mild than some other racial epithets used against more historically oppressed minority groups.
It was noted by some that HasanAbi specifically used the word as “hate speech” because he intended it as an insult when he used it, which would mean the suspension was justified. In fact, some commenters offered that HasanAbi had been consistent in this sort of behavior and applauded Twitch for finally taking action.
But others joked that Twitch had overreacted, tweeting that “Twitch had ended racism” by suspending HasanAbi over his use of the term. For many, the entire situation seemed to be more comical than meaningful. Streamer Will Neff reacted to the news almost immediately with a joke that’s already going viral.
“As his best friend, this is very sad. But as a white person, get him out of here!” Will Neff jokingly said.
Will Neff then asked if anyone knew how long the ban was. When he heard it was for seven days he started screaming in disbelief.
Despite the jokes, the streaming community is now left debating the use of the word “cracker.” While some say it is a racist slur, others say Twitch is “insane” for suspending HasanAbi for using the term to reference white people.
No matter how people feel about the offensiveness of the term “cracker,” Twitch has made its decision to suspend HasanAbi for a week.
HasanAbi was seemingly critical of Twitch’s decision in responding to the situation on Twitter.
“Yes. It is for exactly what you think it is. Anti-white racism for using the term ‘cracker,'” HasanAbi tweeted.
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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