Discussion about this post

User's avatar
The Vaping Trauma Surgeon's avatar

One of the cultural currents that I think underpins a lot of this is the re-ascendence of the "amateur". Gen X was famously obsessed with selling out, and millenials are still squeamish about the malign influence of money on culture. But big tech has pushed so many of these "outsiders" to the forefront because their content can be advertised against without all the pain of dealing with a major studio, and in turn the "relatable" vloggers and influencers have slowly normalized the idea that we should actually root for them getting a bag.

Expand full comment
Quinley Thorne's avatar

I think the issue at the root of people's dislike of MrBeast is less the performative aspect and more that they all have that "Feel Good Story That Is Actually A Policy Failure" vibe to them. It's not really about MrBeast himself, it's about how the very existence of his channel documenting his acts of charity via extravagant spending is a reminder of how many public initiatives to address these failures starve from underfunding.

Expand full comment
19 more comments...

No posts