January – you’re off to a solid start. Earlier today we reported about the escalating issue of one YouTuber’s inclusion of a dead body in a recently aired (now taken down) video. The YouTuber in question is Logan Paul and he definitely came into the New Year swinging. The original video in question showed him and his crew walking through Aokigahara, commonly known as the “Suicide Forest.” The team came across a hanging body and decided to film it and keep that footage in their final part of editing. Later, the video was released and the internet went wild with their reactions. Even other YouTubers went after Paul, such as PewDiePie calling him a “sociopath.”
It seems that seeing a dead body didn’t really impact him at all, because the YouTuber uploaded a video at the beginning of this year (while the original footage was still being edited, mind you) of a fun time in Tokyo with Pokemon GO. The video in question is playful, looks like a good time filled with care-free memories. Unfortunately for Logan Paul and co, it’s just bad timing in light of recent controversy.
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Though the original video involving the forest in question has been taken down, it does bring up a few ethic questions within the YouTube community. Video editing is an extensive process, and one that provided many opportunities to omit the questionable material. Though the trip overall had a very positive, upbeat vibe to it – the choice to include such sensitive, and to some – disrespectful, material unfortunately overshadows the joy seen in the above video.
As far as the original video that started it all, Paul insists that he was only trying to raise awareness. As we mentioned in our previous coverage, “I didn’t do it for views,” the statement reads. “I get views. I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity. That’s never the intention. I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought ‘if this video saves just ONE life, it’ll be worth it,’ I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video.”
