It might be a generational thing, but I’ve always found his videos slightly off-putting. I think it’s the way he presents his entourage as friends when the relationship is clearly a financial one.
At its core, Mr. Beast dangling a few grand in front of his “friends” to see which can sit in an ice bath the longest isn’t that different from mainstream reality TV(ex: Fear Factor), but it feels very different.
It isn’t just the competitions, either. I’ve seen random videos where out of the blue he’ll turn to someone and say “I’ll give you X dollars if you (random spectacle) right now.”
I also have no context for who this is and the more I read the happier I am about it. If it helps, read a bit more of this and realize that this is the kind of thing that’s slipping away. Personally I take great joy in the fact that I’m “missing out” on this.
Me neither - at that point it’s marketing that coincidentally might help some other people. Whether you’re telling all your friends or office mates about doing it, or blasting it all over YouTube the point is to make you look good or seem appealing.
See also people who convert all of their “charitable” donations into tax write-offs - if you’re doing that it’s not really you making the donation, it’s the government.
It’s not quite as simple as the government doing the donation. If you donate 1000 dollars that is tax deductible and your marginal tax rate is 36% that means the government is out $360 dollars. It’s not a tax credit it just adjusts you taxable income.
Now back in the day when we had a top Marginal rate of 90% or more you can see why folks would be more inclined to do these huge charity/vanity projects.
Lot more useful than sending your car to orbit Mars but probably the same goal.
If people feel so desperate for the money that they’re willing to risk their wellbeing for quick cash, I feel like that’s more of an indictment of our economic system that puts so much pressure on people, than of the participants themselves. That gives me more sympathy for those who chose to play the game… though as always, YMMV.
I’m absolutely not fond of the reality TV genre as a whole for many reasons, but I really don’t like these kinds of endurance-game gimmicks. In this case, I’m probably biased by having seen some of the videos from Beast’s former employees/participants. If the staff is urged to “don’t take no for an answer” from businesses, I don’t doubt they manipulated and pressured prospective participants too. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Beast’s team failed to give full disclosure, or changed the rules mid-shoot.
I guess we hang out in different internet circles. From where I’m standing, charity-for-clicks and exploiting others’ pain for his own profit isn’t very “positive”… but as I’m more familiar with the detractors than Mr. Beast and his work, I’ll admit, I could be wrong. I know some good things have resulted from his business, but what he does just isn’t my cup of tea.
I once made the mistake of opening YouTube without being logged in and it seemed every thumbnail featured this guy’s dead eyed gape. Just unsettling to see - and then I learned about his enormous influence over kids and began to get worried.
Now he’s teamed up with somehow even more awful person Logan Paul to sell crap food to kids.
If the staff is urged to “don’t take no for an answer” from businesses, I don’t doubt they manipulated and pressured prospective participants too. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Beast’s team failed to give full disclosure, or changed the rules mid-shoot.
