MrBeast’s “controversial” publicizing of charity creates online quarrels
MrBeast has helped cure thousands of people from blindness, deafness and other physical disabilities.
On May 6, 2023, popular philanthropic YouTube content creator Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson would post a video titled 1,000 Deaf People Hear For The First Time on his main YouTube channel, MrBeast. This would gain the famous creator some undeserved controversy, with much of the opposition highlighting the dependence that people in need have of famous rich people like MrBeast. Just a day later, he would go on to make a video of a similar sentiment, I Helped 2000 Amputees Walk Again, on one of his other channels, Beast Philanthropy. Many considered his actions to be “demonic” and “grotesque” as people criticized him because he publicized the charity and made money from it. However, in the simplest way possible, these opinions are sparked from ignorance and naivety; those voicing such stances do not understand the genius and selflessness that MrBeast is utilizing. And though he is the most subscribed YouTuber in the world (153 million subscribers as of May 2023), MrBeast does not receive all the positive support and praise he rightly deserves for his charitable acts.
For instance, in 1,000 Deaf People Hear For The First Time, MrBeast would generously help 1,000 hearing impaired strangers to gain their hearing back by paying for high tech hearing aids that were catered to each individual’s needs. In I Helped 2000 Amputees Walk Again, he would pay for 2000 amputees’ prosthetic legs to help them get their lives back on their feet. He would do lots of spending, as well as traveling, to reach such high numbers, including taking flights to Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Jamaica, Namibia, South Africa, Vietnam and even Indonesia.
“We are going to be giving away 2,200 prosthetic limbs to people who need it over the next year,” executive director of Beast Philanthropy Darren Wayne Margolias said. “When we first came here I thought that we were simply buying limbs for people that needed [them], but what we’ve experienced is that it’s so much more than a limb. We are giving back people their independence, we are giving them back the ability to work, but most important[ly], I realize that we’re giving them back their dignity and their self esteem.”
This would not be the first time he made such generosity for the impaired. Most famously, he posted a video on Jan. 28, 1,000 Blind People See For The First Time, where he did essentially the same thing for 1,000 strangers with vision problems. This was a first of its kind YouTube video, which would explain why so much arguing, controversy and even humor sparked from it, and the reason why negative public opinion resurfaced with his other two more recent videos.
As far as I see it, everything that MrBeast does, has done and will continue to do is in the interests of other people, whether the interests regard him gaining publicity or strangers receiving a panacea. MrBeast is an example of how charity should be done around the world: publicly, selflessly and anywhere and everywhere. While some may consider it irresponsible to try and gain popularity and YouTube money from miracle work provided to others, it is truly the best legal way to give away the most money possible while also gaining the most money possible. While his videos, even the charitable ones, are made for entertainment purposes, it’s the entertainment that gives him the means to continue such charity.
One popular negative response to MrBeast’s “curing the blind” video came from Twitter user @LolOverruled who said, “There is something so demonic about this and I can’t even articulate what it is.” This would spark an onslaught of comments and quote tweets in response criticizing @LolOverruled and others for finding negativity in a popular creator providing funding to those who don’t have the means. Some attacked MrBeast for gaining money and popularity from the publicized charity of strangers while others didn’t but were still upset that many relied on such miracles like MrBeast in order to get what they needed. And while less conversation sparked from MrBeast’s “curing the deaf” and “curing the amputated” videos, many of the issues from his charity were still mentioned and publicized on social media.
“I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen any people that are genuinely mad at mr beast curing the deaf like with the ‘curing the blind’ video,” YouTube animator Doobus Goobus said on Twitter. “I think the internet collectively bullied those people into shutting up this time.” Some may remember Doobus Goobus for his animated YouTube short MrBeast Curing the Blind is Bad, wherein he satirically critiqued those against MrBeast’s charity in his “curing the blind” video.
Some Niles North fans of MrBeast share these views against MrBeast’s opposition as well, with some even considering these haters to be unimportant.
“I’d say [the people against MrBeast are] in the minority,” said sophomore and avid MrBeast fan Nosson Arnold. “I mean, I haven’t stumbled across these people…and I think…the people are inconsequential. MrBeast isn’t going to see that, and frown, and delete all his videos, like, what? I don’t get what they’re trying to accomplish, personally…by saying these things about MrBeast. I mean, it seems like a lot of energy to type things out. I think they should just have some chocolate chocolate chip, you know what I’m saying? If I had the choice to have 1,000 blind people be cured or have 1,000 blind people be blind, I’d probably say be cured, you know?”
“I think [MrBeast’s donations are] beautiful,” Applications Trainer and eSports Club sponsor Damani Brown said. “To hear someone use the (YouTube) platform to do good is such a relief. Because you hear some of these stories about, ‘oh, he’s just massing all this wealth and blah blah blah,’ he’s at least giving it back. I really respect it, it’s just really cool. He’s able to [give away money] because of the things that he’s doing. In a way, some may call it exploitative…but it’s tough [to say that] because it doesn’t seem like it’s coming from a place of malice. But…I’m hearing this many people getting prosthetics, I’m hearing this many people getting hearing aids. Who else is doing that? I don’t know.”
To put it simply, MrBeast should continue publicizing his charity and using it as entertainment for young people on YouTube. The type of entertainment that gains him money is a wholesome kind that isn’t even at the expense of disabled individuals. If he was actively making fun of the people he helped in order to continue his cycle of charity, then there would be an actual issue, but none of that has been seen yet. There would be no moral reason for him not to accept the wishes of those who don’t want their faces on the internet either, so he isn’t hurting these less fortunate people in any way either. While it’s definitely upsetting that many individuals have to rely on miracle work from people like MrBeast, as long as there are still people to help and money to be made, I see no reason as to why MrBeast should stop doing what he’s doing. Charity should be open and huge, and MrBeast is the world’s greatest modern example of ideal charity work.
