this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2024
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A bourgeois philanthropist that uses philanthropy as his business model.
To combine a bunch of explanations I've seen in the comments here:
That said, I do occasionally burn time watching some of his videos, however some of the content (especially the more recent game show ones which feel a bit like toying with people) rub me the wrong way.
I have no idea if his philanthropy efforts are genuine or not - he's barely visible in those videos (he has another individual hosting those videos) although I do appreciate the efforts they appear to go to when assisting communities desperately in need, and careful implementation of solutions that are sustainable, and can actually be maintained and fixed with local knowledge.
I've seen way too many "gimmicky" charity contributions by other organizations that become worthless as soon as they break because nobody fixes them, as well as other solutions that seemingly make sense from a western cultural lens but aren't really understood by the local people... worst one being a "merry-go-round" water pump mechanism where senior locals are forced to "play" just to pump water for survival. It was originally intended as a kids toy, but they of course don't have any attachment to such a foreign device, thus don't use it.
Ehhh apologies for the mini rant there ๐
I feel the same way. The only videos I watch are the ones on the philanthropy channel and the ones where the core is giving away money or stuff (e.g. cars) to random people (or people in need).
Though, I also question the sustainability of (some of) the philanthropy actions. Don't get me wrong, giving water and light to people in the middle of nowhere is nice, but when they become dependent and they can't fix it when it breaks, they could be screwed big time.
The like five minutes I "researched" the "main" guy of the philanthropy channel (Derrick? Taran?) I came to the conclusion that he seems genuinely dedicated to trying helping people.
Edit: I didn't see the hit piece / exposรฉ that was made about him until now
From what I know about him, he is a genuine person, and his projects are done to help people if possible.
I know that many influencers profit off of suffering/kindness in a scummy way, but I believe that MrBeast is one of the few that actually try to do it ethically.
My understanding is that there is also a Democratic element to his business model which also works as a form of engagement from his fans who give him their money.