niomi

Revised to plug this video with a relevant section on Mr. Beast The Rich Have Their Own Ethics: Effective Altruism & the Crypto Crash (ft. F1nn5ter)

I don't have a problem with Mr. Beast's video on cataracts surgery.

I had never heard of this man until recently. I watch a lot of Youtube. I had a whole time on there without getting served or noticing a Mr. Beast video. I'm asked my opinion and having no idea what to say, I did some looking into Mr. Beast. I have learned it's impossible to overstate how big he is on Youtube. He's the biggest.

Also noticed lots of complaints about Mr. Beast's mastery of spamming the algorithm. But in spite of being the biggest, I doubt the algorithm serves Mr. Beast to anyone not already watching some thematically adjacent video.

If you doubt this, think again. If you're watching, it's for you.

Philanthropy is for arbitrarily chosen benefactors. Many “free market” enthusiasts see private charity as a best path to solve social issues. And they'd be wrong. Mr. Beast may agree with me somewhat. At least, for the specific scenario of Medicare for All.

He says something like: many blind people are curable, why doesn't the government do something about this?

So I don't think he's claiming to be a real solution for the general public.

Maybe the issue is not the cataracts surgery video itself, but the big picture for Mr. Beast. I can definitely see why people have problem with his other videos. If his fans go stay within some circle on the ground in a 50 degree studio for a week and a half... all because they want a prize and senpai to notice them...yeah, it's concerning. it's culty.

It's money porn and exploitative of proles who want money and glory. Even with no participants, it exploits the audience of temporarily embarrassed millionaires.

These are fundamentally the same issues found in game-show & reality TV.

In another video, he offers to give his mother a large sum of money and comes across entirely self-serving.

When she refuses he says: “If you don't take it, I don't have a viral video.” Again, classic ethic problem of charity.

I don't think I have a problem unless the reality of the situation is incredibly destructive. IE, the salvation army has an undeserved reputation for many reasons. They will take credit when they didn't show. For needy LGBTQ people they will refuse or withhold aid to manipulate and shame. They are too pushy with their religious evangelizing. Lots of well-respected private charities are incredibly corrupt, often in worse ways.

If Mr. Beast can be self-aggrandizing but non-hostile to charity recipients, I'm cautiously ok with the motive. There are worse places to go with his ego. Maybe the cataracts video is his inclination to grow up. But he won't fix the system that built him, for sure. Capitalism will never allow the proletariat enough capital to significantly free them. These arbitrary benefactors on screen give viewers the hope senpai may pick them next, but that won't happen.

Charity encourages faith in the very small chances of upward mobility. In that light, it's hard to accept any break for any prole as anything more than a perpetuation of false hopes. But at the same time, for the thousands who can now see, good for them. The situation is contradictory and hopelessly fucked.

I think some of this has to do with resentment for influencers entirely. I'm not against influencing. Sometimes it's journalism, other times entertainment, in my case I like to see both. Some are not doing anything more important than just sharing their own life. Barring deceptive and harmful recommendations, I don't have a problem with it. Disdain for some popular vlog and their audience often seems merely reactionary.

Most Youtubers are not rich. They have day jobs, student loans, or live in somebody's basement. Mostly struggle with severe promoting I find repellent, self defeating and sad. As a group, there's no reason to resent instead of pity them.

Like other performing/arts, the public harbors a false survivorship bias. They look at rich influencers only. They should spare the rage for influencers in particular and turn it toward all rich people. Probably focus on billionaires more than millionaires, but some rage for millionaires too. Just as a treat.