YouTube may have suspended ties with the YouTuber for now, but people in Japan are still reeling from his visit.
American YouTuber Logan Paul drew intense criticism from around the world earlier this month, after he uploaded a video entitled “We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest…” In the video, Paul showed the hanging body of a man who had apparently committed suicide in Aokigahara forest, while he and his friends made jokes and laughed after making the discovery.
Following the international backlash from the video, Paul removed it from his channel on January 1 and issued two apologies the next day. Though the response from Japan was largely muted at the time, other insensitive videos filmed by Paul during his Japanese visit began to surface, prompting Japanese YouTubers like That Japanese Man Yuta to share their opinions about Paul’s irresponsible behaviour.
YouTube channel Asian Boss followed shortly after, with a video that revealed the word on the street in Japan, showing interviews with passersby that gave us an insight into their thoughts on Paul’s actions. The clip touches on topics like the suicide forest video, Paul’s bad behaviour on the streets of Tokyo, and whether or not the YouTuber’s stunts have changed people’s impressions of Americans in Japan.
Take a look at the video below:
It’s clear that all the people interviewed in the video were appalled by Paul’s stunts in Japan. Regarding the suicide forest video, many were sensitive to the victim and his family, saying it would’ve been something they wouldn’t want publicised, while others pointed out that Paul’s behaviour was unacceptable and it made them question his character as a human being.
▼ This young woman said she was surprised that Paul’s YouTube account
wasn’t deleted after he uploaded the suicide video.
When shown his other videos, where Paul obstructed moving vehicles on the road, harassed business owners, interfered with drivers at Tsukiji Market, and was kicked out of a Japanese shrine, the people being interviewed were appalled by his disrespectful behaviour. One person brought up the fact that his friends never stopped him, when they should have, while also asking “Can’t you get arrested for this?”
It’s true that Paul’s actions could be viewed as traffic violations by the police, while his stunts at Tsukiji Market and inside a Japanese restaurant could very well be obstructing business operations, both of which are punishable by law. If Paul hadn’t travelled with a Japanese guide, who could be seen apologising to police and security on his behalf in the videos, the YouTuber may have found himself in an arguably worse position than he is in now, entangled in Japan’s complex legal system.
When it comes to recourse, many of the people interviewed said something needed to be done to ensure that other YouTubers aren’t encouraged to do the same thing in Japan in future. One man said that suspending Paul’s account wouldn’t solve the issue, while others pointed out that YouTubers need to self-assess and take responsibility for the content they publish online.
When asked whether or not Paul’s actions have altered the way they view Americans, the people in the video said it hadn’t changed their impressions, acknowledging that these were the actions of one individual.
Since the Asian Boss video was published, YouTube announced that they were suspending their original projects with Paul as a result of his suicide forest video, and removing his channels from YouTube’s Google Preferred programme, where creators get top revenue from ads. While YouTube has suspended ties with Paul for the time being, this doesn’t mean that they won’t work with him again in the future.
Many have been critical of YouTube’s slow response to the incident, with the company taking almost two weeks to make a statement about the matter. Paul is one of the highest paid vloggers on the video-sharing platform, earning an estimated US$12.5 million in 2017.
If you or someone you know is in Japan and having suicidal thoughts, there are people here to help. Click here for more info.
Source, images: YouTube/Asian Boss