YouTube is full of cat videos, try-not-to-laugh challenges and re-runs of The Ellen Degeneres Show. It’s also, however, a breeding ground for fame-obsessed millennials to experiment the most bizarre stunts, from doing parkour on the top of buildings to destroying makeup in hopes of peaking their video viewership and growing a following. One who’s made a name for himself is Logan Paul, who got more than two seconds in #YouTubeRewind 2017 for his over-the-top social media beef with his also-fame-obsessed brother, Jake Paul last year.
Logan Paul is known for his off-the-cuff derp-y sense of humour. As is suggested, you either totally dig his work or cringe at the thought of watching his videos. But his latest “adventure” has even his most dedicated fans turning on him, and the proof is in the pudding, because social media wasted no time lambasting him for his latest vlog-visit to Aokigahara, Japan more commonly nicknamed “Suicide Forest.”
PSA: suicide is a very serious and sensitive subject and definitely not a topic that should be disrespectfully used for shock value to get views on a youtube video, especially when millions of very young viewers will see it. ALSO ESPECIALLY filming the body???
— Ricky Dillon (@RickyPDillon) January 2, 2018
it makes me sad when people think suicide is just a mental illness issue. It’s a hopelessness issue…people in so much pain and anguish, they’ve lost all hope anything will get better. They want the pain to stop more than they are afraid to die. Suicide is dear to my heart💔
— Kandee Johnson (@kandeejohnson) January 3, 2018
Without going into too graphic detail, Logan Paul and crew had filmed their excursion in Suicide Forest as a “funny” attempt to see if they could find any ghosts. But as the forest’s namesake would have it, the area is a hotbed for depressed individuals to end their lives. After catching on tape a man who’d clearly only hours ago ended his life, Logan Paul proceeded to barrage the man’s corpse with a slew of insensitive remarks and awkward jokes while his crew pointed and panned the camera to get a clear view of the dead man.
The YouTuber apologised immediately on his social media platforms claiming full responsibility, but many continue to call out his inappropriate actions to be remedied in more substantial ways like donating his salary to suicide prevention charities or boycotting him altogether. The original vlog has also since been removed from Logan Paul’s YouTube channel.
Call the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) hotline at 1800-221 4444 or visit SOS.org.sg to find out how you can help yourself and others from becoming potential victims of suicide.
Header image: The Next Web
