Youtube moguls have been a heated topic in the media of late, and none more so than Logan Paul. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’re aware of the hot water Paul got himself into back in the start of January but in case you aren’t, during a visit to Japan Paul found a suicide victim in a forest with his friends. During this encounter, Paul decided to film and mock the victim before posting the video up online. Shockingly, the public didn’t enjoy the film as much as Paul had expected, and his reactions in the video sparked a wave of outrage.
As backlash mounted against Paul, he quickly took the video down and posted up a written apology on Twitter – an apology that I personally find a little lacking in sincerity. Paul defends himself, claiming that ‘this is a first for me’ and has not made mistakes like this in his videos before. I urge you go back and watch the other videos Paul filmed in Japan (that are still on his Youtube channel) and see if you truly agree with this defence. Paul’s antics were endlessly disrespectful, obnoxious and rude throughout his trip to Japan. In a way, I’m almost glad this incident has exposed him for the spoilt brat that he is.
Perhaps if Paul’s other videos showed any sensitivity or consideration towards other people, then this incident could be more understandable. I’m sure the situation was very shocking, and sometimes people react to shock with laughter. Like Paul says, the reactions in the forest were ‘raw’ and ‘unfiltered’. What really gets me is how Paul and his friends left that forest – still laughing and somehow, he then sat down to edit the video of a dead man for his own financial gain. The notion that not once during that lengthy process did it cross Paul’s mind that “Hey, maybe I shouldn’t upload this” genuinely baffles me. In his defence, Paul’s apology claims that the video was to raise awareness about suicide. Well Logan, consider us aware. Aware that 1. Suicide and mental health issues are a catastrophic problem in modern society (something which we already knew) and 2. You’re an idiot.
Perhaps the worst part of all of this is that now, three weeks after this video went up, Logan’s latest video is part of a PR stunt to clear his name. The new video, entitled ‘Suicide: Be Here Tomorrow’ shows Paul’s road to redemption as he interviews suicide survivors and those working as part of charities to help people who need it. My main issue with the video, is that it isn’t focused around these people – it’s focused almost entirely around Paul. These people are merely props that Paul can use to say “hey, look I’ve changed” a mere three weeks after he laughed at a victim he found in a forest. With a net worth of $15 million, clearly Paul has a PR team working round the clock to bring him back into the light, but in my eyes having Paul continue to profit off suicide for his own self-gain almost immediately after this horrific incident is not the way to go about it.
It’s unlikely that the public are going to forgive Paul anytime soon, and any sincerity he may have had in his apology has been undermined by Paul’s continued profiteering from this horrific tragedy in an attempt to save his crumbling Youtube empire. Paul’s latest video claims that this is ‘just the beginning’ but from where I’m standing, this so called “apology” was Paul’s final undoing.
