I remember when Dusty was berated for doing this, and also for inquiring how the most popular left-leaning YouTubers are handling their income. I always wanted to dissect that response, because I found it so interesting, and also worrying. (thread incoming) https://twitter.com/BlackMagicBimbo/status/1246977558186471424

Now, the only argument I'm not going to cover is the one accusing Dusty of jealousy. That is elementary-, childlike-level of irrelevant, so let's cross it out at the start.

The most prominent counter-argument to Dusty's inquiry has been the fact that this harms the leftist movement more than helps it, causes division, and that their usage of income doesn't compare to the wastefulness of the ruling class.

BreadTubers in particular were fond of this.

So, let's start with this;

OF COURSE people, especially members of the most marginalised and vulnerable, deserve a decent, comfortable life, as free from institutionalised oppression and discrimination as possible. And the strongest means of that is a healthy, stable income!

We live in a capitalist, materialist society, so the best remedy against its toxicity (for now), is twist those weapons against it itself. Especially when suffering poverty, it's paramount for marginalised folks to be financially stable first and foremost.

And you can't help your fellow individuals and adjacent communities when you've nothing to spare. Worse, when you diminish yourself deliberately so that others have it a little better off for the next week or two.

This topic becomes much more interesting when we're talking about individuals who are not only financially comfortable and stable, but beyond that; their income is in a greater surplus than for most folks these days. Especially for YouTubers.
And that's what Dusty was aiming for.

A LOT of critics painted Dusty as broadly targeting every content creator out there with a Patreon. But that wasn't so; he was specifically aiming the most successful (and thus, the richest) leftists out there.

For Dusty, the main task is to heavily regulate capitalism and bring MUCH MORE equity to society. For socialists like me, the goal is to dismantle capitalism and make equity the universal norm.
How do our individual incomes factor into this?

Like I said; individuals, particularly the vulnerable and the marginalised, MUST be given all the power possible so that their livelihoods are healthy and stable. NO questions asked. Literally.

When you've excess income - ranging from thousands of dollars per month more than you really need - that wealth surplus, no matter how much you dislike to think about it, clashes with your political principles. Especially if you just sit on that money.

If we truly want to either heavily mute capitalism, or to outright dismantle it, then the more power we collectively, well... collect, the quicker and more powerful the transition.

And this includes excess income.

And I don't mean just giving a bit to your fellow content creators; I mean giving significant sums of that excess income to your fellow poor queers, trans people, people of colour, etc.

Imagine what would do that on an amassed scale.

All that excess income, spent on people so that they're better off long-term, can pay their debts, stabilise their bills for a while. It would give so much agency and power to those who need it most.

And speed up our movements much more!

If you truly stand behind the leftist principles you wish to spread and teach people to, you can't exclude yourself. You have to examine yourself on a constant level, especially if you're this wealthy and powerful.

I genuinely do stand behind the praxis that, the more power and privilege you have, and are able to, the more you should give to the movement. Because, that kind of generosity output strengthens us all to also gift and help more than what we can with now.

Sitting on excess wealth as a leftist is hypocritical. It only exacerbates the current struggles, even if you yourself hate that system. Same with being financially wasteful.

Now, does this demand for greater generosity output divides the left?

No. What divides the left is the most powerful of us being ignorant or unintentionally hurtful, not confronting that afterwards, and using our fanbases to defend ourselves.

That divides the left.

The demand I'm describing isn't forceful, hostile, or undemocratic; it's a suggestion for how to make the movement, particularly its vulnerable individuals, even more better off than what how they're trying to scrape by now.

Therefore, this kind of suggestion doesn't carry with it a heavy responsibility on the wealthiest leftist; you're not an utter scumbag if you just sit on your money. The way you spend your income is your prerogative. Helping us even more, though, will make your message STRONGER.

And no; of course their income isn't comparable to the ruling class and their wastefulness.

But if you propagate a heavy systematic change or its dismantlement, and enjoy your excess income without helping others, you're giving the system's lobbyist a brand new weapon.

We're lucky most right-wing lobbyists are stupid here; imagine if they started targeting you, saying, "All these guys want capitalism shut down, yet look at their Patreons, look at their expensive sets and costumes! That's not very socialist of you, being so luxurious!"

For the record; not saying you need to look like a hobo in front of the camera to spread your message more effectively. But that's how right-wingers think. And, however annoying it is, we have to think about that potential angle.

I'm not saying accommodate to them specifically; I'm suggesting accommodating to our movement MORE so that the establishment lobbyists have even fewer weapons against us. Stripping them out of their strengths, and reinforcing ourselves in the process.

So no; Dusty's inquiries didn't divide the left, caused hostility amongst leftists, or compared their income to the ruling class. Absolutely not.

That kind of attitude and mood was carried by the fans who thought their favourite creators were scrutinised.

Their parasocial relationship and unwillingness to be even more nuanced and introspective through a leftist lens caused all that mess. And, true, some leftist creators themselves joined the bandwagon.

I still think this is a worthy and legitimate inquiry to focus on.

/end thread