Earlier today, we – among many other sites – shared a story about the YouTube community’s reaction to a recent PewDiePie video that seemingly endorsed a known hate group’s channel. Following the mounting backlash following a similar controversy earlier this year, Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg is fighting back with a new video.
Videos by ComicBook.com
We mentioned in our previous coverage that we didn’t think he did thorough research into the channel before giving them a “shout out” and that’s exactly what he mentioned in his most recent YouTube contribution. “Obviously, if I noticed that, I wouldn’t have referenced him in the shoutout,” the YouTuber pointed out. “Not because I have a problem with Nazi references being offensive in themselves, but because I said that I was going to distance myself Nazi jokes.”
When the first video went live, many were quick to reference previous mistakes the YouTube sensation has made in the past concerning similar topics. Many are calling him a Nazi and are calling for YouTube to take action. This sudden backlash he calls ironic for his own ignorance, “The irony here is that I’m supposed to be the Nazi, but I don’t know any of these goddamn references.”
As we mentioned previously, looking at the video itself it didn’t look like the YouTuber was too familiar with the channel and what they are known for, instead going off small tidbits he’s enjoyed in the past. Given his own acknowledgement earlier this year about his previous apology video regarding racial remarks he himself has made, including attacking his own reaction to the backlash while calling out how disingenuous his initial statement was, it’s hard to imagine why he would outright recommend E;R with full knowledge of their portfolio.
A lot of the outrage spawned from his seeming shout out, but it skyrocketed once the channel in question began to soar in both subscribers and views. PewDiePie isn’t unfamiliar with these sort of controversies, his brand has even incurred substantial damage because of this. With his number of subscribers currently on YouTube, the public outreach is immediate, and though streamers are not expected to be “cookie cutter,” it is important to keep the fanbase in mind. This is even more vital in terms of language that has the intent of harm behind it, such as this most recent instance.
Thoughts on his response? Sound off in the comments below.
