A Conversation With YouTube’s Favorite 10-Year-Old Communist Vlogger
Dylan is a budding YouTuber who believes communism could save the United States.
It’s 2017 and the communist revolution is being spearheaded online by a 10-year-old vegetarian with a preference for red shirts and a lot to say. If you frequent Reddit, Dylan, or “Sceneable” as he’s known on YouTube, might have come into your sphere last week after his video, “We Need Communism,” climbed to the top of the socialism subreddit declaring him “the smollest comrade.”
If you haven’t yet been introduced to Dylan, well then, you are in for a treat. Select All caught up with the fourth grader via phone (with his dad also on the line) to discuss his political opinions, newfound viral fame, and his thoughts on President Trump.
Let’s start by talking a bit about your channel, Dylan. How long have you been on YouTube?
Well, I first uploaded my first video in March of 2015, but my original channel actually started out because there was a comment I wanted to leave. My channel was actually made in 2013.
What was the comment you wanted to leave that got you to join YouTube?
- I forget.
Then two years later you decided to start posting your own videos. What was the first video you uploaded?
- Um, well it was about a topic I can’t … I don’t even have the energy or the will to talk about … okay, so I used to like Pokémon. I’m not interested in it anymore, and it was a video about that.
So you’re totally over Pokémon now? I guess you probably didn’t play Pokémon Go last summer then.
- No, that came out in 2016, and my video was in 2015.
You were way over Pokémon at that point.
- Oh, definitely. Definitely.
I’ve watched lots of your videos, and I saw one where you talk about changing the name of your channel to “Sceneable.” Can you tell me about why you decided to change the name?
- I don’t know. I just liked it better.
In the video, you talked a little bit about how you used to be “emo,” but now you’re more “scene.” Can you explain what that means?
- I don’t want to talk about that. I just don’t want to.
Okay, no worries. How do you pick your video topics?
- A lot of times it just comes from inspiration in me. Fear, rage, dísgust … a lot of it is triggered by emotions.
So one of your big topics — and obviously how a lot of people, myself included, have found your videos via Reddit — is communism. What sparked your interest in communism?
- One day, I heard about it and so I found out more about it. I found out about it’s history of being, um … it started when I first heard about communism and the idea of nations sharing the wealth. Oftentimes, schools just spread this propaganda about it being a bad thing, and say you shouldn’t question it and you shouldn’t think about the fact that it brings money to people who need it; you should just go along with the fact that it’s inherently evil, even though it would stop the problem of having so many poor people.
So that’s what you like most about communism? The idea that wealth would be shared with poorer people?
- Yeah. Exactly. You got it in just one sentence.
But is there anything about communism that concerns you?
- Well, in the first video about communism I ever made, I said that I really don’t like people like Joseph Stalin and or Mikhail Gorbachev … however you say his name. People like that are people I could not support ever, which is why socialism is probably better than communism — I’m realizing.
- That’s tricky. Somebody always has to lead and be at the top. Right. Leaders can definitely corrupt an idea. I mean, come one, let’s think about Trump.
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What do you think of President Trump?
- Um, how do I put this nicely … [shouts into the phone] HE’S A BIG, FAT JOKE.
That’s putting it nicely, I guess. What concerns you the most about Trump?
- Starvation, stereotypes, war, but they’re just little problems.
You talk a lot about different forms of government, you’ve got some strong opinions of Trump, is politics something you could see yourself getting involved in as an adult?
- Yeah.
If you were president, what would be the first thing you’d do?
- Okay, um, how about — first of all, I’d change capitalism to communism in a nanosecond. Actually, socialism. Not communism. Then I’d move the troops out of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.
Sounds like you’ve given this some thought.
- Definitely.
You’ve got almost 20,000 followers on YouTube, and you’ve been posting videos for years, so I’m guessing you’ve faced a fair number of trolls.
- I have found so many people who don’t like me. Who just cannot believe me. A lot of them are people who completely hate communism with either very little facts or no facts. They call it “stealing.” If stealing and sharing were the same thing, they’d probably be the same word. I think people need to remember definitions are important.
Do you get a lot of positive feedback too?
- Definitely. I think this was on my video criticizing how people say God can be omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient at the same time, which is one of my most popular videos. I forget the user’s name who left this comment, but he said, and I quote, “This kid needs to be the president of every country.”
BUSSIKUSKI LÖYSI PIENEN SINISEN OLENNON METSÄN LAIDASTA, PIENESTÄ METALLISESTA KAPSELISTA. OLENTO TOIMITETTIIN BUSSIVARIKOLLE, JONNE SE KOTIUTUI VÄLITTÖMÄSTI. PIAN HAHMO OSOITTI ENNENNÄKEMÄTÖNTÄ MIELIKUVITUSTA KEKSIESSÄÄN RATKAISUJA ERILAISIIN LIIKENNÖINNIN PULMIIN.
If you were president, what would be the first thing you’d do?
- Okay, um, how about — first of all, I’d change capitalism to communism in a nanosecond. Actually, socialism. Not communism. Then I’d move the troops out of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.
If you were president, what would be the first thing you’d do?
- Okay, um, how about — first of all, I’d change capitalism to communism in a nanosecond. Actually, socialism. Not communism. Then I’d move the troops out of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.
kuuluhan toi jälkimmäinen ainakin pressan toimivaltaan. mutta toppuutellaan nyt vielä vähän, kun poika tosiaankin vasta 10v
