I used to watch this channel before the George Floyd Protest summer. At it’s height, Ian decided to feature “crowd control” weapons.
I took this as a signal that Ian is a typical 2nd-brained right-wing bootlicker. Or maybe he’s stupid. Either way I got no time for gun Jesus.
I think the issue with Ian is he thinks he can stay apolitical, while talking about history and weapons, which are inherently political. I’m sure he’s vaguely libertarian “free market of ideas” kind of guy. I watch his stuff because it’s interesting, but I’m not giving him money beyond my view. I also find it annoying how seemingly focused he is on making that dough, but hate the game yada yada.
The most I know of his views is linked to inRange. One of the big sponsors in the space started being openly anti-trans. Karl wanted to stop doing business with them, Ian argued it was irrelevant.
That was one factor in Ian going from co-host of inRange to reoccurring guest.
He also had the whole fiasco where he wrote a book with an Azov battalion Neo-Nazi in 2020. He really dug in his heels for awhile before realizing that he would never be able to shake affiliation if he went forward with publishing straight up Neo-Naxi and white supremecist propaganda.
Fuck yeah love me some InRange, Karl’s a real one.
Ian is also pretty weirdly into colonial shit, French and the typical Rhodesia, “lol their wearing shorts” fash adjacent gun tube bs.
There was an episode of Forgotten Weapons awhile ago about a lever action rifle that was issued to some US GOVT battalion of loggers, which existed as basically Federal scabs to counter the unions. And he just thought it was the neatest thing!
I definitely don’t trust the dude, but he’s got crazy access to some interesting shit. The consumer catch-22.
I think the issue with Ian is he thinks he can stay apolitical, while talking about history and weapons, which are inherently political.
At some point, everything is political. Trying to stay apolitical is not contrary to that fact; it is a conscious acknowledgement of it.
I wouldn’t pick the same range McCollum has on topics I’d avoid in his place, but I’m also not going to condemn a guy for wanting to talk about his special interest as inoffensively as possible, especially in a field where the usual influencers are rewarded for being right-wing bootlickers.
I scrolled back through the old videos and there is one video on the X12 Taser-
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6jli5MwO9Qk&ra=m
I suppose that counts as “featuring” but it isn’t like he made a big hype train, running series, or slid in political ramblings.
There happens to be one video in 2020 with a taser presented in the same way he presents everything else. People were out in the streets for like a year, so was that entire time just off limits to an informational video on a crowd control weapon? Or should Ian have personally checked in with you to know if the time was right?
I think you’re reading chicken bones. Even if the then-current events were a factor it could as easily be “hey I bet people are curious about crowd control weapons since they are on the news.” It is possible to explain the function and history of a weapon without ascribing to the politics around it.
I could never really nail Gun Jesus down
🥁
Have you tried a nail gun?
Fun fact: Nail guns were first used in combat during the alien invasion depicted in the 1996 video game Quake
While Ian has definitely signaled that he’s, uh, pro ‘gun rights’, he definitely has leaned into a historical milieu that most right-wingers would avoid a few times to mention indigenous issues and the colonialism committed by European settlers.
I don’t think he’s ever even hinted at economic leanings.
All hail Ian, our Savior
Hmm… I have that feeling I’ve forgotten something…
