In our perpetually divided world, even curing a blind person can cause days of internet chaos. “Donaldson has perfected the art of going viral in a way that few others have. Three days ago he did the same thing again, but this time the reaction was completely different than what his MrBeast expected.
MrBeast’s latest creation, “First Seen by 1,000 Blind People,” is an eight-minute video laser-targeted by YouTube’s algorithms that what ancient peoples would have considered a miracle. We have seen recipients before and after undergoing cataract surgery and other procedures that help restore vision. , a manual technique “better suited to advanced, blinding cataracts common in poorer parts of the world.”
The latter surgery costs as little as $25 in other parts of the world, but is much more expensive in most private practices in the United States.The entire video is made in partnership with see international (opens in new tab)is a medical charity founded in 1974 to address the tragedy of people living with easily treatable blindness.
The reaction of these individuals to what was done for them was heartwarming, of course they were caught on camera, and MrBeast decided to give some attendees additional checks of $10,000 or $50,000. It would be interesting to know how many out of 1,000 people received such a mercy, but of course this is left to the imagination. We see the stunned reaction of a 60-year-old cashier who just put it in. After a while, this becomes a slightly unsettling watch. Probably because it’s all very single notes.
MrBeast probably thinks this shows he’s genuinely a philanthropist, and his usual tactics are just as effective as ever in helping his videos reach large audiences. It’s functional, but with stunts like this, it’s always impossible to predict exactly how the reaction will unfold. And sure enough, the stunt also generated quite a bit of criticism.
“It’s very frustrating to have to rely on a benevolent content mogul who makes feel-good videos,” he said. Thatzman (opens in new tab) On Twitter, “rather than addressing the root cause of these issues.” Others imagined the situations faced by the people featured in the video. “Imagine being blind. The only chance you have to stop being blind is for MrBeast to expose the most intimate and emotional moments of your life to millions of people.” is to cafe beef (opens in new tab).
“I see philanthropy as first aid for a bleeding tumor.”
Anand Giridharadas
Say “charity porn” Maracena corresponding to the above (opens in new tab)“At the beginning, they say something about how 50% of blindness can be cured. Seeing them just dancing, like in a charity segment, feels instinctively wrong.”
The obvious counter-argument to this criticism of MrBeast’s video is that this man has cured 1,000 blindness. How many people have you healed today? However, this response focuses purely on the good results of Mr. Beast’s recent philanthropic endeavors, and not on the exact means by which they are delivered.
There is something so diabolical about this that I can’t even articulate what it is pic.twitter.com/OSpgaUxnQKJanuary 29, 2023
Political analyst and philosopher Anand Giridharadas has also joined the chorus of criticism on Twitter, calling it “automatic appreciation and admiration for elites engaged in various forms of good deeds.” Social customs are pervasive.” The point is not that MrBeast has done demonstrable good here, but the underlying reason he did it this way. Giridharadas, who wrote on this subject Winner Takes All: Elite Charades That Will Change The World (opens in new tab)has a clear view on how the ultra-rich use philanthropy as image laundering.
“I think of charity as a band-aid for a bleeding tumor.” Giridharadas told The Guardian. (opens in new tab) “Sure, there is blood there, and Band-Aids help with that. But Band-Aids fall short of the underlying problem. In an age of extraordinary generosity from plutocrats, we risk forgetting that the same class of people daily and continually undermines the greater good. It’s been… making our world a better place for those who care about making our world less good.”
In that regard, MrBeast stands out among thousands of YouTube competitors for being a cure for the blind. give someone an island (opens in new tab)You can’t know what the motivation is and I don’t think you should, but the effect is real and you can tell just by looking at the comments below the video how well it plays with the audience. “Clean our beaches, plant 20 million trees, cure blindness,” writes commenter Sports Card Junkie. “You’re awesome Jimmy! Hats off. It’s amazing what you do to help others.” Corey Tonge wrote:
Is Mr. Beast monetizing people’s suffering? And even if he is, does it matter if he’s still doing good in the end? You might think of deciphering it, but you really should think about how complicated altruism is by being processed through a formula that appeases the YouTube video’s algorithm.
Twitter user LowKeyJude, who calls himself a YouTube best practices consultant, recently published an in-depth analysis of Beast’s channel. This highlights the professional effort and deliberate psychology of creating something that looks like a rich man in his twenties. and/or mischievous people.
This is a comprehensive summary of how MrBeast’s videos are being targeted, and we found it interesting to identify the “main” elements of each video. Videos that touch on concepts of survival, rejection, or what the author describes as “primitive man emotions”. For example, the concept of miracle cures, even if miracles are only accessibility and scale.
crazy
This isn’t the first time MrBeast has been involved in controversy, and oddly enough, this video about blindness contains elements of his most successful work to date. real squid game (opens in new tab) It costs almost half a million dollars.
The show has over 355 million views, and if you’ve seen Squid Game, it’s amazing how MrBeast seems to have watched the show without paying any attention to its message. . Squid Game is a deeply cynical tale about humanity within the capitalist system, and the game itself is a moment of savage horror. This reenactment of it taps into the charm of the show and tackles it without actually getting involved. It can be ironic.
MrBeast himself states that the video is in a new style format, but in fact it’s his standard template, aside from being a little less intense due to its heartwarming or perhaps primitive subject matter. Does MrBeast make serious subject matter that might otherwise have been ignored by its millions of young viewers more entertaining? Both are true at the same time. I think it could be. While it’s a good thing that more people are aware of this particular health issue, MrBeast makes no attempt to explore the systemic problems of economic inequality and privatized healthcare. We need his charity.
It’s its message and its superficiality that rubbed some critics the wrong way. MrBeast doesn’t say anything about global healthcare or God forbid capitalism in the video (I think it works for him). And, quite unintentionally, there’s a part in this video where MrBeast is generous yet humblely boasting about his wealth. He presents one of his patients with a Tesla and jokes about it when it’s cornered. [the driver] It crashes, so I buy another one. ”
In a comment on Twitter, MrBeast is frustratingly realizing that socialized healthcare could be the way to solve this problem for more people in the United States.
I don’t understand why blindness can be cured. Why won’t the government step in and help? Even if you think about it from a purely economic perspective, it’s hard to understand that getting people back to work doesn’t result in taxes.January 30, 2023
MrBeast has two minds. His fans see him as an incredibly benevolent figure, rivaling PT Barnum and Mother Teresa, who uses majesty and enthusiasm to accomplish great things. Then there are those who see him as an incredibly successful and stubborn businessman, a billionaire who spends brand money on charity performance activities for influence.
Here’s what MrBeast thought about the reaction.
Twitter – Rich people should help others with their money Me – Ok, I use my money to help people and that I donate all my money before I die I promise. Every penny. Twitter – Mr Beast badJanuary 30, 2023
I think it’s very likely that MrBeast is acting on principles of good faith. But in this response, he also explains the details that morally complicate this video. He doesn’t just “help people”, he works with charities and uses their resources, growing his reputation in the process.
“It raised awareness and got a lot of people talking.” Mr Beast said (opens in new tab) Respond to criticism before making a rather implausible claim. “And what are the benefits? The average MrBeast video lost $1,500,000 last year (laughs).”
As other critics on Twitter have pointed out, the money MrBeast gives out in these viral videos isn’t necessarily his own money. He uses it from time to time and this seems to be one of them, but the broader business model is based on using the budgets brands have allocated for charity.
There’s no denying that 1,000 people’s lives have improved because of this video. All credit to MrBeast. Of course, the real number is 1,001.
