The German streamer Marcel “MontanaBlack” Eris was banned from Twitch last Friday. A clip circulated online in which he chased women on the streets of Malta while making grunting noises. Now, the ban is being discussed on English-speaking reddit. It casts a negative light on the German Twitch scene.
This is MontanaBlack’s Twitch ban: MontanaBlack was banned from Twitch for 33 days on Friday. The reasons are incidents from his live streams during his holiday in Malta, which were edited into two clips and spread on Twitter:
- Once, MontanaBlack can be seen taking photos of a woman from the hotel balcony, who is apparently posing for erotic photos. He loudly comments, “Come down here – Ficki-Ficki”
- Additionally, there is a compilation of scenes where he walks down the street, checks out women, and comments on their appearance with sounds and noises.
MontanaBlack was banned for these and similar incidents for 33 days from Twitch. He visibly feels embarrassed by the ban.
He says he will take his punishment as it befits a 25-year-old man (via twitter).
This is how it is discussed on English-speaking reddit: The ban has made it to English-speaking reddit “livestreamfails.” They don’t know much about German Twitch:
- Recently, German Twitch was praised there. The live event “Angelcamp” with Sido and Knossi was very well received. The English-speaking users found the atmosphere and rap performances high quality and wondered why no one offers such a thing in the USA.
- The video of MontanaBlack is now being heavily criticized. People wonder how someone like him can be the biggest German streamer. Such behavior is also seen in the USA, but from streamers outside the mainstream like IcePoseidon, who has long been banned from Twitch.
In general, the behavior of MontanaBlack in the clips is considered embarrassing. There are comments like:
- “He is 32 years old by the way – CRINGE”
- “He sounds like Mr. Bean”
- “Every country has its own Logan Paul”
- “And kids look up to him – Yikes”
Users talk about how the two biggest German streamers, MontanaBlack and Knossi, both became so successful with casino streams.
A user, apparently from the USA, asks if MontanaBlack is a “Guido”. This is the stereotype name for an Italian-American who acts overly macho, adorns himself with gold, wears tank tops, and is into fitness, women, and cars.
Someone replies: They are called “Prolls” in Germany (via reddit).
Maybe Germany is just like that?
A third user believes MontanaBlack is not an outlier or anything strange, but a logical result of the situation in Germany:
- “MontanaBlack represents a large demographic group of German youth. Just look around. Of course, idiots can identify with a scruffy guy like him.”
They mention the reality TV shows from RTL or Sat1 as an example of this culture, which has spilled over onto Twitch thanks to MontanaBlack and Knossi. Knossi actually used to be an actor in shows like “Judge Barbara Salesch” and similar programs.
MontanaBlack as a role model for German youth
This is the discussion in Germany: On reddit they are also discussing the ban in the German section. They believe that the biggest German streamers like MontanaBlack and Knossi are so popular because they clearly appeal to youth.
The role model function of MontanaBlack for youth is a recurring topic when Germans comment on him:
- While some, especially on Twitter, emphasize how important MontanaBlack’s role model function is for children and adolescents and that he does not fulfill this role at all.
- One user clearly states on reddit: “Twitch is not for educating people. If you can’t do it yourself, you should just leave it” (via reddit)
It is then said in the German-speaking reddit: Older German viewers watch English-speaking streamers. You only have to look at the channels of Forsen, Sodapoppin or xQc: You will find many German Twitch viewers there.
But there are also some good German channels. Examples include Hand of Blood, Kaya Yanar or Gronkh.
The ban of MontanaBlack initiates an interesting discussion. Is he an outlier or is MontanaBlack really a representative of German youth and what we want to see? Some Germans seem to be downright ashamed of his behavior, while others analyze and explain it.
In July 2020, German Twitch made similarly big headlines, but they were much more positive:
310,000 watch the event with fishing and Sido on Twitch – Even the Americans are amazed
