Destiny (streamer) explained

Steven Kenneth Bonnell II (born December 12, 1988), known online as Destiny, is an American live streamer and political commentator. He was among the first people to stream video games online full-time.^[3] Since 2016, he has streamed political debates with other online personalities, in which he advocates for liberal and social democratic politics.^[4]

The New York Times has described Bonnell as a liberal,^[5] while in 2020 Bonnell described himself as "a very big social democrat".

Early life

Steven Kenneth Bonnell II was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to a Cuban-American mother and a White American father. He was raised in a conservative Catholic home, and he attended Creighton Preparatory School, a private Jesuit high school for boys.^[6] When he was a pre-teen, his mother's home day care business collapsed, and his family's home was foreclosed. A few years later his parents moved to take care of an aging relative, after which he lived with his grandmother until he was 18. During his childhood, Bonnell played Japanese role-playing games, which he says made him an adept reader.

In 2007, Bonnell enrolled at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where he studied music while working as a restaurant manager at a casino, mostly at night. Struggling to juggle both his education and full-time work, Bonnell dropped out of college in 2010. Within a year, he was fired from his job, which he attributes to his difficulty navigating workplace politics and understanding others' emotional experiences.

Bonnell later found work as a carpet cleaner, working 12-hour days for commission. His average pay was $34 an hour (equivalent to $ an hour in).

Career

In 2011, Bonnell quit his job as a carpet cleaner to stream video games full-time. Streaming his Starcraft II matches on livestream.com and ustream.tv,^[7] then Justin.tv (now Twitch), he was immediately financially successful.^[8] In October of that year, Bonnell joined professional team Quantic Gaming and placed 4th in the 2011 MLG Global North American invitational.^[9] During his years as a Starcraft II streamer, Bonnell was known for his abrasive and confrontational style, including use of "acerbic and often offensive" comments against other players for shock humor.

Starting in 2016, Bonnell live-streamed political debates with other internet personalities. Bonnell debated YouTuber Jon Jafari, better known as JonTron, on immigration and assimilation in March 2017, after Jafari tweeted in support of anti-immigration statements by Republican congressman Steve King. In his debate with Bonnell, Jafari's statements concerning race, crime, and immigration were seen as controversial by viewers, and the subsequent backlash garnered media attention.^{[10] [11] [12] [13]}

In summer 2018, Bonnell was suspended for 30 days from Twitch for using the word faggot.^[14] In November 2018, Bonnell and fellow streamer Trihex (Mychal Ramon Jefferson) premiered a political commentary collaboration, The DT Podcast. The podcast streamed its final episode in October 2019, during which Jefferson confronted Bonnell regarding statements the latter had made defending his use of offensive humor—including racial slurs—in private.^[15]

In March 2022, Bonnell was indefinitely banned from Twitch due to "hateful conduct".^{[16] [17]} Dot Esports speculates that this may have been due to Bonnell streaming with white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who had previously been banned from the platform, while Bonnell speculated it was due to him expressing the view that "trans women shouldn't compete with cis women in women's athletics".^{[18] [19]} In October 2024, Bonnell alleged that the reason behind his ban on the platform was for his characterization of online transgender activists as being "inbred".^[20]

In September 2023, Bonnell, alongside other political streamers such as Vaush, Emma Vigeland (co-host of The Majority Report with Sam Seder), and Keffals, interviewed U.S. Representative Ro Khanna about various topics, including the importance of youth political participation and ways to push progressive political sentiment, as well as asking questions about Khanna.^{[21] [22] [23]} In March 2024, he appeared on the Lex Fridman Podcast in a debate with activist Norman Finkelstein, historian Benny Morris, and political analyst Mouin Rabbani regarding the history of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the ongoing Israel–Hamas war.^[24]

Political positions

Bonnell identified as a libertarian, anti-SJW "with right-of-center social beliefs" until 2012, when his political outlook began shifting toward social liberalism after an incident in which he heard another streamer call a gay person a "fucking faggot". Bonnell has argued against certain aspects of both far-right politics and far-left politics. Furthermore, he has promoted the idea that college campuses should have students who have diverse opinions in order to reduce polarization.^[25]

In 2019, Bonnell began publicly debating in favor of capitalism against socialists and communists. Bonnell has stated that his intention is not to persuade their opponents but to persuade the audience; although he has expressed that airing his opinions often feels "like screaming into the void", he estimates he has received hundreds of emails from former members of the alt-right crediting him for their conversion to left-wing politics. Subsequent journalistic and academic coverage of right-wing YouTube commentary has credited Bonnell as an early and effective opposition to it, particularly owing to his provocative, combative debate style which appeals to right-wing gaming audiences.

Political violence

Bonnell was notified in September 2020 that his Twitch partnership agreement would be terminated the following month for "encouragement of violence". The termination came as a result of comments made on-stream after the Kenosha unrest shooting, in which Bonnell expressed opposition to riots at the George Floyd protests.^[26] Bonnell said:^{[27] [28]}

Bonnell later said that Kyle Rittenhouse was clearly misguided but that his frustration was with rioters who Bonnell believed would scare people into voting for Donald Trump again.^[29]

After the first 2024 assassination attempt of Donald Trump, which killed one Trump rally attendee and injured two others,^[30] Bonnell stated that Trump and his supporters "reap what they sow, and I'm here to watch the harvest". The Economist cited Bonnell as an example of an "angry progressive" who "lamented" that the attempt had failed.^[31]

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Bonnell expressed sympathy for Israel, stating, "The Palestinians are oppressed by all the Arab countries, and no country from them, which is supposed to be on 'their' side, has bothered to offer them a real solution—and yet, their anger is directed fully at Israel, and unjustifiably in my opinion."^[32] In a debate with Nathan J. Robinson, Bonnell argued against the Palestinian right of return, believing it would make peace and a two-state solution impossible. Robinson responded by arguing that Arab leaders (Yasser Arafat and the Arab Peace Initiative) had shown a willingness to compromise on the right of return.^[33]

In March 2024, he appeared on the Lex Fridman Podcast in a debate with Norman Finkelstein, historian Benny Morris, and political analyst Mouin Rabbani regarding the Israeli–Hamas conflict.

Economics

In a conversation about immigration with the YouTuber Carl Benjamin, popularly known by the pseudonym Sargon of Akkad, Bonnell expressed his general view that, because immigration lowers the cost of labor for companies hiring low-wage earners, it is good to have high levels of immigration. Furthermore, in order to fix the wealth disparity caused by both the lowered wages of low-wage earners and the heightened wages of high-wage earners, Bonnell proposed raising taxes on the wealthy and distributing their earnings to the poor.^[34]

In 2021, Bonnell debated Marxian economist Richard D. Wolff, with Bonnell defending capitalism. In that debate, Bonnell described the label of "socialism" as poorly defined, and noted a history of famine and abuses in countries like the Soviet Union and China, while Wolff responded by attempting to correct perceived misrepresentations from Bonnell of his views on socialism throughout the debate.^[35] Bonnell has cited his poverty during his teenage and college-aged years as an influence on his views, and says that he prefers to argue based on empirical data rather than moral suasion.

Canvassing

In 2020, Bonnell supported the general election campaign of Joe Biden.^[36] Following Biden's victory, Bonnell led a canvassing campaign in support of Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in the 2020–21 Georgia Senate runoffs.^[37] With the help of approximately 140 volunteers mobilized from Bonnell's online audience, the campaign knocked on an estimated 17,500–20,000 doors in Columbus, Georgia, making it one of the larger campaigns of the election.^[38] Bonnell led another canvassing operation in support of Mark Gudgel for the 2021 Omaha mayoral election.^[39] On March 3, 2021, Gudgel officially cut ties with Bonnell over the latter's statements regarding riots at the George Floyd protests.^{[28] [40]}

In February 2024, Bonnell spearheaded canvassing efforts by political activist group Progressive Victory in Cincinnati, Ohio, to support Sherrod Brown in the Ohio US senate race.^{[41] [42]}

Personal life

Bonnell lived in Nebraska before relocating to the Los Angeles area in December 2018. In late 2021, he moved to Miami, Florida.^[43]

Bonnell has been married twice and has a son.^[44] He is openly bisexual,^[45] and his second marriage was an open marriage with Swedish streamer Melina Göransson.^{[46] [47]} Bonnell and Göransson married in December 2021.^[48] They separated and filed for divorce in December 2023.

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Omni Liberal. 2023-12-08.
2. Web site: Yemen History Kick or Keep tonight @ 6 EST . Steven . Bonnell . Jan 22, 2024. . 2024-07-25. 1:44:50.
3. Web site: McCormick. Rich. August 26, 2014. This is why people want to watch other people play video games. live. https://archive.today/20200628200252/https://www.theverge.com/2014/8/26/6068993/this-is-why-people-want-to-watch-other-people-play-video-games. June 28, 2020. 13 March 2019. The Verge.
4. News: Quirk. Trevor. January 15, 2020. Can This Notorious Troll Turn People Away From Extremism?. en. Wired. live. 2020-04-16. https://archive.today/20200628200339/https://www.wired.com/story/twitch-politics-online-debate/. June 28, 2020. 1059-1028.
5. News: Roose . Kevin . 2019-06-08 . The Making of a YouTube Radical . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210522212633/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/08/technology/youtube-radical.html . May 22, 2021 . 2020-12-26 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
6. News: Breland. Ali. 2020-04-01. Steve Bonnell Made Big Bucks Following a Simple Plan: Play Video Games. Troll Your Fans. Fight the Online Right.. Mother Jones. 2020-06-30. June 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200630104540/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/04/destiny-twitch/. live.
7. . 2 September 2022 . The Destiny Interview: Relationships, Trans Rights, Trump, Keffals & More . Video . 4 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220904050711/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU2fo-sxd1M . September 4, 2022 . 13:40 . live .
8. July 1, 2013. Inside the new world of 24/7 on-demand videogame TV. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20130707111129/http://www.edge-online.com/features/inside-the-new-world-of-247-on-demand-videogame-tv/. July 7, 2013. June 24, 2019. Edge.
9. Web site: Steven "Destiny" Bonnell joins Quantic Gaming. live. https://archive.today/20200628200833/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/157679/Steven_ldquoDestinyrdquo_Bonnell_joins_Quantic%0AGaming.php. June 28, 2020. 2020-04-16. www.gamasutra.com. en.
10. Web site: Popular YouTuber JonTron Has Some Batshit Crazy Thoughts on Immigration He'd Like to Share [Update]]. 2020-12-26. Gizmodo. March 13, 2017. en-us. March 13, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170313222238/https://gizmodo.com/popular-youtuber-jontron-has-some-batshit-crazy-thought-1793231221. live.
11. Gajanan. Mahita. March 14, 2017. YouTube Star JonTron Under Fire for Comments on Race and Immigration. live. https://archive.today/20190903131306/https://time.com/4701304/jontron-jon-jafari-steve-bonnell-immigration-race-youtube/. September 3, 2019. 2020-04-19. Time. en.
12. News: Jackson . Gita . Longtime Fans Of YouTuber JonTron Say They Can't Watch Him Anymore . September 11, 2022 . Kotaku . March 17, 2017 . en-us . October 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221003072353/https://kotaku.com/longtime-fans-of-youtuber-jontron-say-they-cant-watch-h-1793382911 . live .
13. Web site: 2017-03-21. A Brief Breakdown of the JonTron Racism Controversy. 2020-12-26. Game Rant. en-US. August 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170829113149/https://gamerant.com/jontron-racism-controversy-breakdown/. live.
14. Web site: Musil . Steven . Twitch suspends popular streamers after use of homophobic language . . 19 October 2024 . July 3, 2018.
15. Web site: Viana. Bhernardo. 2019-10-24. Trihex and Destiny end their podcast over use of the n-word. 2021-01-07. Dot Esports. en-US. April 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417211818/https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/trihex-and-destiny-end-their-podcast-over-use-of-the-n-word. live.
16. Web site: Polhamus . Blaine . 2022-03-23 . Political streamer Destiny banned from Twitch . 2022-03-27 . Dot Esports . en-US . March 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220324193810/https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/political-streamer-destiny-banned-from-twitch . live .
17. News: Litchfield . Ted . 2022-03-27 . Politics streamer Destiny receives indefinite ban from Twitch . en . PC Gamer . 2022-03-28 . March 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220328014545/https://www.pcgamer.com/politics-streamer-destiny-receives-indefinite-ban-from-twitch/ . live .
18. News: Litchfield . Ted . published . Andy Chalk . 2022-03-27 . Politics streamer Destiny receives indefinite ban from Twitch . 2024-09-09 . PC Gamer . en.
19. News: Gach . Ethan . Trans Streamer Keffals Says Twitch Banned Her For 'Openly Talking' About Abuse She Receives . September 11, 2022 . Kotaku . July 21, 2022 . en-us . July 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220721180449/https://kotaku.com/twitch-ban-keffals-destiny-trans-hate-speech-slur-1849315462 . live .
20. Web site: 2024-10-28 . Streamer Destiny reveals clip that caused his permanent Twitch ban . 2024-11-13 . Dexerto . en.
21. Web site: Gutelle . Sam . September 29, 2023 . U.S. rep Ro Khanna streamed with creators like Vaush and Emma Vigeland outside the White House . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231003183728/https://khanna.house.gov/media/in-the-news/us-rep-ro-khanna-streamed-creators-vaush-and-emma-vigeland-outside-white-house . 3 October 2023 . 3 October 2023 . Congressman Ro Khanna . English.
22. News: Lorenz . Taylor . September 28, 2023 . Democrats plan four-hour live stream with Twitch and YouTube stars . English . The Washington Post . 3 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230929155206/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/09/28/live-stream-twitch-politics-khanna/ . September 29, 2023.
23. Web site: Interviewing Congressman Ro Khanna w/ Emma Vigeland . 3 October 2023 . Youtube. October 2, 2023 .
24. Israel-Palestine Debate: Finkelstein, Destiny, M. Rabbani & Benny Morris . . 14 March 2024 . 17 March 2024 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240315132522/https://lexfridman.com/israel-palestine-debate-transcript . 15 March 2024 . en.
25. Web site: Ben Shapiro vs Destiny Debate: Politics, Jan 6, Israel, Ukraine & Wokeism Lex Fridman Podcast #410 . YouTube . January 23, 2024 . August 1, 2024 .
26. Web site: 2020-09-12. Twitch Legal Department Unpartners Destiny After 'Encouragement of Violence'. 2020-12-26. Game Rant. en-US. September 13, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200913125503/https://gamerant.com/twitch-destiny-streamer-partner/. live.
27. Web site: Richman . Olivia . September 12, 2020 . Destiny loses Twitch partnership for 'encouraging violence' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200920135801/https://win.gg/news/5496/destiny-loses-twitch-partnership-for-encouraging-violence . September 20, 2020 . 2020-12-26 . WIN.gg . en.
28. Web site: Bowling . Chris . 2021-03-05 . After Cutting Ties with Controversial Streamer, Gudgel Staying in Mayoral Race . 2024-07-25 . The Reader . en-US.
29. Web site: Bonell . Steven . Kyle Rittenhouse ("mowing down protestors") . My Position . September 15, 2021 . March 8, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210308093713/https://positions.destiny.gg/docs/current_events#kyle-rittenhouse-mowing-down-protestors . live .
30. Web site: Anderson . Meg . The man killed in the assassination attempt on Trump died shielding his family . NPR . 2024-07-14 . 2024-10-31.
31. News: 15 July 2024 . The attack on Donald Trump unleashes a flood of misinformation . The Economist . Some angry progressives are lamenting that the bullet grazed Mr Trump's ear, missing his skull by millimetres. Destiny, a leftist social-media commentator, told his 250,000 X followers that Mr Trump and his supporters will "reap what they sow, and I'm here to watch the harvest"..
32. Lieberman-Fleshaks . Noa . November 22, 2023 . he:'רוב האנשים לא טורחים לקרוא או לחשוב לעומק': ישראל מגלה תומכים מפתיעים ברשת . 'Most people don't bother to read or think deeply': Israel discovers surprising supporters online . . he . https://web.archive.org/web/20240202170027/https://www.themarker.com/captain-internet/2023-11-22/ty-article/0000018b-f816-d330-a9bb-ffd62d4a0000 . 2024-02-02 . November 23, 2023.
33. Web site: Burgis . Ben . Ben Burgis . 31 March 2024 . Palestinians' Right of Return Is a Basic Question of Justice . 2024-08-22 . . en-US.
34. YouTube . Sargon of Akkad Live . Talking Immigration and Economics with Destiny . July 31, 2024 .
35. News: Gault . Matthew . April 23, 2021 . Twitch Streamer Destiny and an Economist Debate Capitalism, Achieve Nothing . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220814020350/https://www.vice.com/en/article/jg8x77/twitch-streamer-destiny-and-an-economist-debate-capitalism-achieve-nothing . August 14, 2022 . September 13, 2022 . Vice . en.
36. Web site: Voting For / Against Biden – Debate w/ Kim Iversen . YouTube . August 9, 2020 . 18 January 2021 . August 10, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200810112550/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6fjOr9Kooc . live .
37. Web site: Gray . Sakura . MATH MVMT hosts canvassing event ahead of Georgia Senate runoffs . WRBL . 10 February 2021 . 21 December 2020 . December 21, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201221160939/https://www.wrbl.com/news/georgia-news/math-mvmt-hosts-canvassing-event-ahead-of-senate-run-offs/ . live .
38. Web site: Citarella. Joshua. 2021-04-24. Are we ready for social media influencers shaping politics?. 2022-02-20. The Guardian. en. April 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210424111922/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/24/social-media-influencers-shaping-politics. live.
39. Web site: Johnson . Anton . How one creator is using streaming service Twitch to shape an Omaha mayoral candidate's 'Destiny' . The Gateway . 18 February 2021 . 17 February 2021 . February 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210217230621/https://unothegateway.com/the-gateway-unpacks-how-one-creator-is-using-streaming-service-twitch-to-shape-an-omaha-mayoral-candidates-destiny/ . live .
40. Web site: Ristau . Reece . Omaha mayoral candidate cuts ties with internet personality over protest comments . . 14 March 2021 . 13 March 2021 . March 16, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210316031811/https://omaha.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/omaha-mayoral-candidate-cuts-ties-with-internet-personality-over-protest-comments/article_d089b9a2-7c44-11eb-b83a-23e235d679a3.html . live .
41. Web site: Testa . Jessica . Bensinger . Ken . Tan . Eli . 1 Oct 2024 . Not Just Fun and Games: Politics Edges Deeper Into Livestreams . limited . live . https://archive.today/20241001184729/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/01/business/media/politics-debate-streamers.html . 2024-10-01 . 2024-10-02 . The New York Times.
42. News: Burd . Aaron . 9 February 2024 . Why a high-profile YouTuber and stream team is coming to Ohio . 12 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240210023152/https://www.nbc4i.com/news/your-local-election-hq/why-a-high-profile-youtuber-and-stream-team-is-coming-to-ohio/ . 10 February 2024.
43. Web site: BLM Organizer Confronts Destiny On Jacob Blake And Defund The Police... – YouTube. December 20, 2021 . 2022-01-19. YouTube. December 20, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211220221547/https://youtube.com/watch?v=lt9dN5sNG8E&t=59. live.
44. DC INTERVIEW W/ EMMA VIGELAND, RYAN GRIM & DESTINY . September 29, 2023 . Video . Vaush . Roughly 55 . September 29, 2023 . Kochinski, Ian. September 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230929162639/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lesq1Z84ukI&list=TLPQMjkwOTIwMjMcCTJ9N573rA&index=16 . live .
45. Crip Mac & Destiny on Destiny Being Bi, Andrew Tate, The Color Blue & More . 2023-06-27 . No Jumper . 2024-11-19 . YouTube.
46. Web site: Open Relationships, Intense Officer Confrontation & Dealing w/ the Police – LNOD . www.youtube.com . July 29, 2019 . 25 January 2021 . January 2, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200102203028/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jDrXd78vUs . live .
47. Web site: Personal . destiny.gg . 2021-05-31 . Melina and I are currently in an open/poly relationship. We treat each other as primary partners, though we may pursue other sexual/romantic relationships as well. . March 2, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210302224802/https://positions.destiny.gg/docs/personal . live .
48. Web site: Göransson. Melina. I am married!. live. 2022-01-01. Twitter. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20211227214741/https://twitter.com/melinagoranson/status/1475584122777128963 . December 27, 2021 .