Fun fact: Pundit has other youtube channels under entirely different schtick which have nothing to do with RPGs. No, I will not out those other channels because that's his business. But yeah, he's TRYING to be controversial for that persona, akin to Wally George. I am not defending his schtick - it's incredibly annoying, and wrong, and I tell that to him directly on a regular basis and refute the nonsense he posts under tha persona very often.
But the claim was made (and I think it was a very lazy level of claim) that he's the equivalent of David Duke or HP Lovecraft. That's not true. It's an extreme exaggeration in a situation which doesn't call for exaggeration. Pundits flaws stand on their own without the need to pretend they are something they're not.
And the reason I think people exaggerate like that is so they can raise the "It's OK to be intolerant of the intolerant" Popper's Paradox justification for their dehumanizing someone else. But you can only use that paradox to justify your own authoritarian behavior in the extreme cases - Popper himself said, even in the footnote where the paradox is stated, that most of the time the right and ethical thing to do is to simply carefully and persuasively refute the positions which we disagree with. Which of course takes work, and includes (if you're going to be persuasive) acknowledging the humanity of the person you're refuting.
By exaggerating Pundit to extreme levels, I think people think it's OK to behave in an authoritarian manner towards him. To extend that authoritarian attitude to even anyone who comes in contact with him.
That's, at best, lazy. At worst, it becomes a witch hunt based on new orthodoxy where anyone tainted by exposure to bad beliefs must be purged.
Wherever it lands on that spectrum, I think it shouldn't be done. Pundit's not David Duke or HP Lovecraft, so just refute the things he says which are wrong. It's not that hard - I do it all the time. I've had success with that. Others would too if they took the effort. And if you think his views are not worth the effort that's fine - but then don't say anyone who does an interview with him is somehow tainted by his views when you're not even willing to discuss and refute those views yourself without being incredibly dismissive and hand waving the entire issue as "bad man."
Pundit may be, in his secret heart-of-hearts, not all that bad of a guy. I suppose. He may be simply pandering to horrible people to boost his channels and earnings. Lots of politicians and talking-heads on the right do that too, pretend to be even farther to the right of issues than they truly believe.
So what?
In my view, those who pander to the worst elements in society are WORSE than folks who actually believe the toxicity they espouse. Pundit doesn't get any forgiveness points from me for his pandering or for having other
not-so-bad channels.
I agree with you that some folks in this thread are unnecessarily comparing Pundit, Gygax, and other toxic voices in our community to the worst of humanity (Duke, Lovecraft) . . . but we're arguing over degrees of toxicity here, I'm not overly concerned that Pundit is somewhat unfairly compared to David Duke, although I think the Lovecraft comparison is more apt.
But the idea that there is a witch hunt going on, that folks are getting all "authoritarian" towards Pundit, Gygax, et al, is pretty off base, IMO. Folks are reacting to the words and actions of these toxic men, with justified and righteous anger and disgust. For all of the
torches-and-pitchforks you're worried about . . . it amounts to folks deciding not to support RPGPundit's channels, TSR3/Wonderfilled, the Giantlands RPG, and a list of toxic creators . . . that's about it. Nobody is chasing these asshats down with threats of violence, or incarceration, or even trying to shut down their ability to exist within our hobby and community. We are just choosing to not patronize or associate with them.
Like most in this discussion . . . I'm simply not giving these toxic fools my money. And I will continue to speak out against their bigotry. That's about as "authoritarian" as this issue has become.