This interview is part of a series. To read more, check out this week’s Sci+Tech article, .organization!
The McGill Daily (MD): First, I’d like to ask what “LeftTube” means to you.
Thought Slime (TS): Anti-capitalist and pro social justice YouTube. In my mind it shouldn’t be a specific group of people, but all people who match those criteria.
MD: So, a genre rather than a specific group?
TS: I guess you could say that, yeah. I don’t think I, or anyone really, should say who does and does not belong in the ingroup. That wouldn’t really be in accordance with the values we’re preaching.
MD: What do you see as your goal in creating content, and do you think LeftTube has any generalized goals? There seem to be relatively consistent values.
TS: Once again I don’t want to speak for the community writ large, but my goal is to make anarchists and other far left nerds like me seem a little more personable. We’re not just guys in balaclavas burning cop cars, those are just the coolest of us, some of us are soft bois. Leftist outreach tends to be preachy and didactic, I want it to be fun and engaging.
MD: Has your experience promoting leftist ideals on YouTube been generally positive, more mixed, negative?
TS: Very positive. I get tons of messages from people telling me the nicest stuff, saying that I helped them with some crisis they were having or taught them something, or helped them feel better about themselves. That’s a lot of credit to give a guy who makes YouTube videos! There’s harassment too, for sure, but they’re the minority. I’m white and look like a dude, so I don’t get it as bad as some of my friends.
MD: Is there anything you’d like people unfamiliar with leftist YouTube to know?
TS: That now’s a good time to get involved!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.