Tim Pool Shows the World How to Handle Racists and Controversial Ideas

When I found out Kanye West, Nick Fuentes, and Milo Yiannopoulos were going to be on TimCast, my first thought was, "What is Tim thinking?"

“Did you watch TimCast last night?” 

This was the first question I got when I joined Austin Peterson on Tuesday morning for his Wake Up America Show to discuss the mass demonstrations in China. 

I had not seen the show, I told AP. 

Apparently, while I was watching Christmas Vacation with my family, everyone else in America was watching TimCast. I somehow missed that yesterday afternoon Tim Pool teased a photo of Kanye West, Nick Fuentes, and Milo Yiannopoulos on a plane—presumably on their way to shoot an episode for the show.

I admit my first thought was, What is Tim thinking?

Tim Pool is no dummy. (As a former TimCast guest , I can attest to this.) But inviting these stooges guests on his show was a dangerous move, especially in today’s media climate. Sure, two of them had recently met with former President Donald Trump, which had the entire world talking. But the risks were huge.

After all, in recent months Ye has been dropped by seemingly every brand he represented over anti-Semetic comments. Fuentes is an illiberal white nationalist. And Milo is, well, it’s hard to tell what the formerly self-proclaimed “most fabulous supervillain on the internet” believes these days.

Pool, being no dummy, was perfectly aware of the risks. He spoke with writer Amber Athey prior to the show, and this is Athey’s recollection of what he told her prior to the show.  

“This is probably going to be the biggest show I’ve ever done and it’s going to get us in trouble and it opens up a whole bunch of risk. But, like, the entire news cycle over the past week and a half was what is going on with Trump and these guys. And then we got an opportunity to be like, ‘Hey, we’re going to have these questions answered,'” Pool told me. “Am I going to make this a wag-of-the-finger moment at them, or are we going to try and understand what’s going on behind the scenes? And that’s the challenge,” he continued. “Do I make this my opportunity to virtue-signal about how how much I despise their views? Or do I say, ‘Look, I don’t agree with what you’ve said. I think it’s awful, in fact. But we’re here to learn about what’s going on.'”

So Pool was obviously not oblivious to the risks of inviting an anti-Semite and white nationalist on your popular show, and he also has a savvy sense of promotion. He knew having these guests on his show could make for great entertainment and big ratings, so he decided to roll the dice and do the dangerous thing: talk about ideas with some controversial figures.

‘I Don’t Like Identitarianism’ 

The first thing I did after talking with Austin was brew another cup of coffee. After filling my cup, I sat down at my desk and started watching TimCast. 

It doesn’t take long to see that nearly all the people on the set are pretty brilliant. (I say nearly all because of the presence of Fuentes; he barely speaks in the episode and has never given me any reason to believe he’s in the same class as the others on set.) Say what you will about Milo and Kanye, these are not stupid men. It doesn’t take long for Kanye to get to discuss how unfairly he believes he’s been treated, and by whom.

“They took it too far. It was like American History X. My head was on the side of the curb, and the exact people I called out kicked my head,” Kanye says at one point, noting he has been deplatformed and demonetized, and is now being hounded by the government for taxes.

When you listen to Kanye, it’s clear he’s angry. He feels he’s been wronged, by corporate America and people around him who’ve infiltrated his circle. (The part about his personal trainer being a former psychological operations agent is odd and sounds paranoid, but co-host Luke Rudkowski suggests there may be something to this.)

Throughout this discussion, other members of the show are mostly quiet. But Pool makes it clear early on where he stands. 

“I don’t like identitarianism,” Tim says.

Milo replies that “they started it.” Some agree, but before this idea can be explored the conversation is taken over by Kanye. He talks about his meds. His presidential ambitions. His persecution. 

Pool tries to bring the conversation back.

“You went right into the anti-Semite thing. I think it’s something that should be talked about, but if you start bringing this up you’re going to ask my opinion,” Pool says. “I’m going to disagree with you."

“I didn’t ask your opinion. You jumped into it,” Kanye replies. “I don’t care about your opinion…I don’t care about anybody’s opinion.” 

Kanye just keeps talking. Some of his thoughts are touching, like when he says God is breaking him down so he can be a better vessel. Some thoughts seem racist. Some thoughts are tinged with megalomania.

“I thought I was more Malcom X, but I found out I’m more MLK,” Ye says.

As the conversation goes on, it’s clear Ye just wants to talk about himself. Especially his persecution.  Like everyone today, Ye is a victim. 

Perhaps sensing his feeling of injustice and pain—both of which appear sincere—Pool indulges Kanye’s feelings of bitterness. 

“I think they’ve been extremely unfair to you,” says Pool, who is being more patient and gracious than I suspect I would be.

Kanye doesn’t miss a beat: “Who is ‘they’ though?”

When Pool makes it clear he means the corporate press, not Jews, Kanye gets up out of his seat and walks off the show. A moment later, Milo jumps out of his seat.

“I’ve got to go and make sure he’s cool,” he mutters, and then follows Ye off the set like an adorable little puppy.

A Win for Debate and Civil Discourse

The entire discussion was only about 20 minutes long. It was chaotic, but mostly civil. Nobody was harmed by the ideas that were exchanged, and in the end Kanye and his lapdogs ran off the set with their tail between their legs. 

This was a win for free expression and civil discourse. Oh, people will continue to argue over whether Ye is really an anti-Semite. (He seems to think he’s not.) The same goes for Fuentes and allegations of racism. 

I’m not going to discuss that. My point is this: Tim Pool showed us how to handle racists and anti-Semites. You take on their ideas. You expose them. You debate them instead of deplatforming them, which turns them into martyrs and creates fringe communities.

Defeating their ideas is what saps racists of power, and it is a far more effective antidote to racism. This is why the great orator Frederick Douglass saw efforts to suppress speech as a double whammy.

“To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker,” Douglass observed.

Tim Pool did everyone a service by inviting these three jokers gentlemen on his show. It took courage to do it. He showed that Kanye West—who is clearly a deeply troubled person—is incapable of defending his own ideas without storming off the set. 

That’s a win for civil discourse…and it also happens to make great TV.

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