Opinion
Recently, Logan Paul has faced immense controversy for posting a graphic video including him and his friends going to Aokigahara, a forest in Japan known for being a place for people to commit suicide and recording and posting a man hanging himself from a tree.
Many immediately attacked Logan Paul, claiming his loss of judgement is inexcusable and unacceptable while he being under the eyes of millions of young children and serving as a huge role model for them.
Although I agree that this incident is inexcusable and irresponsible of him, it’s important to remind ourselves that he is still a 22 year old guy that is still coming to terms with the responsibilities he now faces while being in the eye of so many people.
Everything he does is now being watched and critiqued by the 15 million plus followers that he has. This is more pressure than almost any 22 year old guy could imagine also because most of his fanbase is composed of children who idolize him and will copy anything he does.
He loved being in front of so many people before because it allowed him to grow his following and elevate his status but this is what may cause his downfall.
Logan Paul has grown his fanbase for years since the days of viral videos on the app called Vine which is now non existent.
His rise to success has come with lots of questioning over what about him, gives him all this fame and money. People also worry how he handles being a major role model to so many young people in our country.
Paul’s clothing brand, Maverick, has generated tons of interest and sales based off of his self promoting and designing. This is just one example of the influence that he has on his fans.
People can say what they want about how he doesn’t deserve all his success but you can’t deny that his ability to grow a brand, culture, and following like his by the age of 22 with no former experience is extremely impressive.
He has created a following which many dream of through his joking, and gentle personality mixed with his fearlessness to do things that most wouldn’t dare.
So far this has worked out for him and he has grown immensely since he started posting online. Now he can be seen in movies, commercials, tv shows, and of course all over Youtube.
Just like how we have seen recently with sexual assault accusations on celebrities, all it takes is one dumb decision to send the rest of their careers spiraling downwards out of control.
Paul’s decision to record and post a video including a man who has recently commited suicide is shameful and clearly not thought through. He should have realized the consequences that could ensue after posting content like that and now he must face them head on.
We need to realize that we are the ones who have allowed all of these children to idolize him instead of blaming him for capitalizing on the opportunity to gain all this fandom and use it to his economic advantage.
He has used the tool of social media to share his life with the world and spread his comedy with the world while also creating a brand and creating a massive fortune for himself. Clearly his recent choice is upsetting and shameful but we should consider that he is still young and therefore learning from his mistakes like most 22 year olds.
