Imane “Pokimane” Anys (26) is one of the biggest streamers on Twitch. She is so successful that she can now afford to make a special gift to her parents: to finance their retirement. However, this has drawn a lot of critics, against whom the streamer has now stood up.
Who is Pokimane? Pokimane is one of the few women at the top of Twitch. Since she started streaming in 2013, she has gathered over 9 million followers on the platform. More than 20,000 people watched her on average last year (via sullygnome).
Since a break in July 2022, things have been a bit quieter for the 26-year-old. Upon her return in September, Pokimane announced that she would stream less in the future and focus more on other projects.
When Pokimane is currently on air, she enjoys showcasing Blizzard’s new shooter Overwatch 2.
Gift for the parents sparks criticism
What was the gift all about? On October 30, Pokimane announced via Twitter on her official account that she had paid for her parents’ retirement. It seems particularly important to the streamer to be able to do something for her parents.
As an immigrant, she always felt indebted to her parents, the 26-year-old stated. Now, nothing makes her happier than being able to give something back to them.
Why was there criticism? In the more than 3,000 comments the tweet received (as of October 31), much admiration for Pokimane was expressed (via Twitter). However, the post also drew numerous critics.
- Some viewers apparently felt they were contributing through their donations and subscriptions for the streamer’s parents, which they seemed to be uncomfortable with (via Twitter).
- Others saw the public post as a sign that Pokimane was more interested in attention and recognition than actually doing something for her parents.
I hope they wanted to work for the X amount of years you were already a multi millionaire lol. Maybe the thought only just came around to make you feel good about yourself 🤷
— Naf 🐛 (@nafz_tv) October 31, 2022
How did Pokimane respond to the criticism? The streamer took the time to respond to both some positive and negative comments. She explained that her fans absolutely contributed to making the gift possible.
However, it wasn’t funded through donations, which account for less than 5% of her total income so far (via Twitter).
Is the matter settled? No, because there was still more criticism. Pokimane grew up in the French part of Canada and now lives in California. Some were apparently displeased with her use of the term “immigrant.”
Then there were those who apparently did not understand why the gift was such a big deal for the streamer. They seemed to simply not care (via Twitter). Pokimane dedicated a separate post to these two groups of critics.
Pokimane addresses “ignorant” critics
What was that post about? In a tweet on her personal account, Pokimane explained that she had received so many “ignorant comments” that she now wanted to do something for their education.
She explained that she was not born in Canada, but in the African country of Morocco. However, Pokimane’s parents emigrated to Canada when she was 4. For that, they had to leave friends and relatives behind.
I grew up with the painful awareness of how much they miss their parents, siblings, friends in Morocco.
Pokimane
However, Pokimane emphasizes that her parents were always happy to provide her and her brother with a better life through these sacrifices.
The 26-year-old seems to be very grateful for this. Because if she hadn’t grown up in Canada, she would not have had the access to the internet and equipment that allowed her to become a content creator, according to Pokimane.
It must be even nicer for the streamer to now finance a comfortable retirement for her parents with the career they enabled her to have.
Why is this so important to Pokimane? The streamer explained that she did not write the second tweet because she felt she had to justify herself. Rather, she wanted to educate others, as she doesn’t talk about the topic very often.
Even if it might not be very present for some viewers, her immigrant background has always been an important part of Pokimane. In an interview with the tech magazine Wired, the streamer explained that as a child of immigrants, she always felt responsible for achieving success in her parents’ eyes (via Wired).
She has likely now more than achieved that goal.
Despite all the criticism, Pokimane also received numerous positive comments. Other content creators could understand the desire to give something back to their parents.
What about you? Would you like to do something similar for your parents or are you already doing it? Can you understand the criticism?
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