A famous YouTuber set out to do all good things but in the end, is accused of exploiting people?
Why can’t people see the goodness that other people do? How come there is always an ulterior motive that seems to lurk behind every good deed? Why does Jimmy Donaldson, popularly known as “MrBeast” of YouTube, accused of exploiting people in his latest (and very successful) episode which cured 1,000 people of their blindness?
Known for his lavish and benevolent undertakings, the 24-year-old content creator has restored homes for Kentucky tornado survivors and has given $20,000 to randomly selected people in need.
Jimmy Donaldson Doing Good
In his latest YouTube episode, he paid for a simple, 10-minute eye surgery for 1,000 patients who could not afford it, giving some their vision back and helping others see clearly for the first time in years. In addition, Donaldson gave various gifts to contributors of the video, including a $50,000 college fund check and a brand new Tesla.
“Unfortunately nearly half the population with curable blindness doesn’t have access to this surgery, so I wanted to provide this to as many people as possible,” Donaldson says in the video.
The video obtained more than 70 million views and has unquestionably elevated the profile of the medical procedure he paid for. More than that, it has brought people’s attention to the existence of that specific simple surgery, along with the challenges in access to health care for those in need.
Praises and skepticism
But instead of just being happy about the results, the response from viewers and netizens has been mixed. While many have commended this act of compassion, a lot of people were in doubt as to what his real intentions were. Many posited the question of whether what he did was really an act of altruism or he was just trying to raise his YouTube ratings and gain more clout.
The video likewise triggered a discussion on the ethics behind good deeds.
One Twitter user said, “He does exploit people for personal financial gain.” “The end result is good because some people are getting what they need, but he is not a good person because of it.”
Another one tweeted saying, “While it was an amazing piece of altruism on your behalf: why make a video about it?….. Why not just do good with no reward other than self-satisfaction, knowing you’re making the world a better place? Maybe some people see it as attention seeking.”
On the other hand, other observers say that the commercialization of these projects is what allows MrBeast to continue his inspiring acts of kindness.
The Mister behind the “Beast”
Jimmy Donaldson is an American personality who runs five YouTube channels — MrBeast (main channel), Beast Philanthropy, MrBeast 2, MrBeast Gaming, and Beast Reacts.
Born on May 7, 1998 in eastern North Carolina in the city of Greenville, United States, Donaldson is a graduate of a private school, the Greenville Christian Academy. He went on to attend East Carolina University, but only for a brief period of time as he dropped out.
So, what kind of videos did MrBeast produce? Since 2017, his videos revolved around unusual activities, costly and dangerous stunts, survival challenges, and expensive retreats.
In one video, Jimmy Donaldson had himself challenging others to sit in a bathtub full of snakes, in another he created real-life sets of Squid Game, and in another, he himself going around offering people $100,000 to quit their jobs.
MrBeast, with his humor and extraordinary risk-taking abilities, has become an internet sensation, a genuine success story.
According to Forbes, he was one of the most viewed creators on YouTube in 2019 with about 27 million subscribers. He also earned $54 million in 2021 while garnering 10 billion views on his videos.
Presumably, some people can’t handle the success and popularity of Jimmy Donaldson.
Other innovative and successful initiatives
In 2018, MrBeast contributed $1 million towards charitable causes, which earned him the title of YouTube’s biggest philanthropist. He also runs a virtual eatery named MrBeast Burger. The online application allows his fans to order MrBeast-themed meals from around 1,600 restaurants from across the country. He manages the marketing of the app and later splits the profit with the restaurant. As of January 2022, the app had sold around 5 million sandwiches.
Jimmy Donaldson also runs a philanthropy channel, Beast Philanthropy, which aims to mitigate hunger and end food insecurity by giving aid to underserved communities in eastern North Carolina and other parts of the US. It is based on the concept of a transportable food distribution network, that runs a food pantry, and carries food to people who are in dire need of it.
MrBeast likewise launched a fundraising challenge dubbed #TeamTrees, together with former NASA engineer Mark Rober in October 2019. The objective was to raise $20 million for Arbor Day Foundation, an American non-profit organization committed to planting trees around the country. The campaign received $18 million from tech honchos like Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey, and other YouTube stars like PewDiePie.
Compassion or simply for the ratings?
In today’s quest for likes, views, and shares, “do-good” acts as social media content are always questioned and not seen at face value. For most, there is always an ulterior motive behind the act. Good examples are those videos that rated so high because the influencers involved have donated oodles of cash to homeless people. At first glance, it looks like a noble gesture that will surely melt anyone’s heart, but then it will be discovered that the only purpose is to go viral.
Psychologist Andrea Bonior, host of a podcast entitled Baggage Check: Mental Health Talk and Advice has this to say — “One potential problem with content like this is that it can be dehumanizing to those who are being helped.
“When being filmed by an influential figure, there may be a power imbalance in which participants’ emotional experiences are “commercialized,” Bonior says.
“We run the risk of turning real people into symbols.”
However, what separates compassion from exploitation is motive. When these videos advocate kindness, education and inclusion – as shown in MrBeast’s video – the outcomes include making a change and rousing others to do the same.
The psychologist expounds that while there are all types of proof that people do acts of kindness but for reasons that aren’t purely unselfish, still, the act doesn’t automatically make it a bad thing.
“There are multiple layers of people’s motivations, but we also have to ask about the effects,” Bonior says. “How are people talking about the video? Will it inspire people to do good things? Will it spur awareness about blindness?”
With Donaldson’s “curing blindness” video, people are now aware that they don’t need to have lots of money or don’t need to stay in hospitals for a very long time to be able to see again. That video also informed people about simple surgical procedures. More than that, it created a new cognizance of blindness as a human problem.
It goes to show that whatever is MrBeast’s real intention, he has done a world of good for other people.
For skeptics out there – isn’t this enough?