Vaush
Vaush | |||||||
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Personal information | |||||||
Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | February 14, 1994||||||
Education | California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (BA) | ||||||
Occupation | YouTuber | ||||||
YouTube information | |||||||
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Years active | 2019–present | ||||||
Subscribers |
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Total views |
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Associated acts | |||||||
Website | vaush | ||||||
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Twitch information | |||||||
Channel | |||||||
Genres | |||||||
Followers | 103 thousand | ||||||
Last updated: January 17, 2024 |
Ian Kochinski (born February 14, 1994), better known as Vaush (
Early life
Ian Kochinski was born on February 14, 1994,[6] in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Beverly Hills.[7] Kochinski studied sociology at Humboldt State University,[8] graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2018.[9][10] He is of Irish and Polish descent.[11]
Career
Kochinski has livestreamed debates with far-right figures such as Stefan Molyneux and Sargon of Akkad, which have millions of views.[12][13] His first appearances online were in discussions with the political streamer Destiny, and encouraged by Destiny's audience he later began a Twitch channel of his own.[12] Kochinski felt that other members of the online left at the time were too academic to reach the demographic of insecure white men that he thought was most susceptible to online radicalization and he opted to instead create loud, angry content that he thought would be more likely to appeal to them.[12] While appealing to what he calls "masculine tendencies", Kochinski has aimed to create an inclusive community and has comparatively high proportions of female, gay and trans people in his audience.[12]
Kochinski mimicks the style of right-wing YouTubers and utilizes similar video titles so that his videos are suggested by
In 2019, he was banned from Twitch for saying that the US should invade Israel in defense of Palestinians, an incident which he later described as himself "going too far criticising Israeli imperialism".[12] As a result, he transitioned to YouTube as his main platform,[12] after having created his YouTube channel that January.[10] In June 2019, Kochinski debated conservative YouTuber Hunter Avallone. Avallone later said he "got wrecked in [that] debate" and subsequent to the debate his views took a leftward turn, resulting in a video titled "Why I Left The Right".[17][18] In December 2021, Kochinski was again banned from Twitch indefinitely for using the racial epithet "cracker" on stream. He used the term while discussing whether it could be considered a racial slur and if saying it should be a bannable offense following the ban of fellow Twitch streamer Hasan Piker for saying the word on stream.[19][20][21][22] In response to the ban, Kochinski told The Washington Post that social media platforms are "terrible at acknowledging context and power relations when it comes to harassment."[23]
In 2021, Kochinski held a fundraising stream for the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, raising $292,284.71 (USD).[24][25]
Kochinski and fellow political streamer Destiny organized their communities to knock on more than 10,000 doors and make 50,000 phone calls in support of
Reception
Online, Kochinski is seen as a controversial figure.[28] In 2021, controversy on Twitter surrounding Vaush was prompted by the reemergence of videos in which he justified his past uses of the word nigger and argued that the word is acceptable in certain contexts.[29] Responding to the controversy on his livestream, Kochinski said that earlier statements that he had made had been a failed attempt at being "overly edgy" and that he "no longer stand[s] by" his arguments justifying the use of the word.[30]
Later in 2021, his arguments that
Also in 2021, Kochinski received praise from Kotaku for a charity livestream in which he raised over $200,000 for the Palestine Children's Relief Fund[25] and from The Daily Beast for challenging Tim Pool on the meaning of critical race theory while appearing on his podcast Timcast IRL.[3] He was also positively cited by sociologist Anthony Knowles for successfully communicating sociological ideas to a large audience outside the reach of academic sociologists.[10]
Political views
Kochinski is a self-described
Kochinski has criticized the online right for creating a "
In May 2021, he opposed Twitch's use of the term "
Personal life
Kochinski identifies as pansexual.[28][41] He is on the autism spectrum and also has ADHD.[42]
See also
References
- ^ a b "About Vaush". YouTube.
- ^ a b Jennings, Rebecca (January 4, 2023). "The arrest of misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, explained". Vox. Vox Media. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Silverman, Robert (August 1, 2021). "How 'Coward and Phony' Tim Pool Became One of the Biggest Political YouTubers on the Planet". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on February 13, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ "Vaush". Freer Future Fest. September 2, 2021. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ Upadhyay, Rohan (October 21, 2021). "Vaush versus Bastiat: Highlights of the Debate at Freer Future Fest". Vanderbilt Political Review. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ Kochinski, Ian [@VaushV] (February 15, 2023). "What a fun birthday stream! I feel like, this time, we really did build socialism. Thank you!!" (Tweet). Retrieved February 15, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Kochinski, Ian (July 31, 2023). The Honest Truth About Where I Grew Up... (Video). Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via YouTube.
- The Lumberjack. Archivedfrom the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- ^ Humboldt State University (May 12, 2018). College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences – HSU Commencement 2018 (Livestream). Event occurs at 1:59:51. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ S2CID 244151644.
- ^ Kochinski, Ian (January 26, 2020). Debating SARGON OF AKKAD and EXPOSING him as a White Nationalist (Video). 71 minutes in. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Ellingham, Miles (January 17, 2021). "The road to BreadTube: The battle for the soul of the internet". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ OCLC 1255908917.
- ^ a b Mohapatra, Anupras (March 4, 2021). "Diving into the rabbit hole". The Daily Cardinal. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ Lee, Alexander Mitchell (March 8, 2021). "Meet BreadTube, the YouTube activists trying to beat the far-right at their own game". The Conversation. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ a b Gonzalez, Oscar (June 29, 2022). "Meet the Twitch, YouTube Streamers Who Deradicalize While They Debate". CNET. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ Gutelle, Sam (June 28, 2022). "Creators are sparking political debates on YouTube and Twitch. Can they change minds?". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ Gach, Ethan (December 14, 2021). "Socialist Twitch Streamer Banned For Calling White People 'Cracker'". Kotaku. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ Fox, Kevin (December 14, 2021). "Videogames and Politics Streamer Hasan Piker Banned From Twitch for Saying "Cracker"". Paste. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- The Mary Sue. Archivedfrom the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- Vice. Archivedfrom the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ a b Grayson, Nathan (December 16, 2021). "Twitch suspension of Hasan Piker sparks debate over what qualifies as racist language". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ Kochinski, Ian [@VaushV] (May 18, 2021). "After nearly 27 hours of uninterrupted livestreaming, we managed to raise an unbelievable $292,284.71 for Palestine Children's Relief Fund. I had the pleasure of speaking to the charity's founder, @Stevesosebee, and I could not be more confident in the value of his work" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Grayson, Nathan (May 18, 2021). "As Gaza Burns, Twitch Charity Streams For Palestine Remain Few And Far Between". Vox. Vox Media. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ a b Lorenz, Taylor (September 28, 2023). "Democrats plan four-hour live stream with Twitch and YouTube stars". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ Gutelle, Sam (September 29, 2023). "U.S. rep Ro Khanna streamed with creators like Vaush and Emma Vigeland outside the White House". Tubefilter. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c Brandabur, Michelle (May 26, 2021). "'Sorry, but f*ck' em': Vaush's controversial 'Kink at Pride' take gets ratioed across Queer Twitter". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ a b Thalen, Mikael (March 4, 2021). "Popular leftist streamer defends right to say N-word in resurfaced video". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ Kochinski, Ian (March 5, 2021). Addressing The Tactical Controversy (Video). Event occurs at 3:10 & 3:56. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (June 2, 2021). "Can Pride even be radical or kinky if it's sponsored by Target and JPMorgan?". Vox. Vox Media. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- The Mary Sue. Archivedfrom the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ Miller, Tim (June 3, 2021). "Not My Party: No Cops or Kink at Pride?". The Bulwark. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- ^ Kochinski, Ian (December 13, 2022). Why Does This Keep Happening To Shoe 0n Head? (Video). Event occurs at 35:25 & 36:14. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b Cooke, Bruno (August 4, 2021). "Vaush and Charlie Kirk's Timcast debate proves divisive on Twitter and 4chan". The Focus. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Fact Check-CNN did not tweet a story about 'the Kharkiv kid finder'". Reuters. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Jones, Owen (July 16, 2021). Vaush meets Owen Jones: US imperialism and the left. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021 – via YouTube.
- Support of online advocacy and BreadTube: 0:54–4:23 Archived September 5, 2021, at the Wayback Machine.
- Opposition to the US embargo of Cuba: 20:28–21:28 Archived September 5, 2021, at the Wayback Machine.
- Support of US withdrawal from Afghanistan: 31:40–33:50 Archived September 5, 2021, at the Wayback Machine.
- Opposition to US withdrawal from Rojava: 36:33–37:45 Archived September 5, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, 42:29–43:05 Archived September 5, 2021, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Kochi, Sudiksha (March 11, 2022). "Fact check: Fabricated CNN tweet about 'Kharkiv Kid Finder' spreads online". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ^ Cheung, Kylie (January 3, 2023). "Let's Check in on Andrew Tate's Aggrieved Fans". Jezebel. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ López, Oscar (May 26, 2021). "Is the move to add "X" to show gender neutrality working? Or does it miss the mark?". AL DÍA News. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ Erickson, Steve (June 18, 2021). "Dominating and Humiliating Pride Into Respectability". Gay City News. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
- ^ Vaush on His Experience Being Autistic and ADHD (Video). The Human Happy Hour. April 6, 2022. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023 – via YouTube.