PewDiePie Responds to Recent Controversy

February 16, 2017

  •  So, as you may have heard, PewDiePie, real name Felix Kjlellberg, has recently come under fire for anti-semitic comments in his videos that have led to Disney and YouTube severing ties with him, leading to the cancellation of his YouTubeRed show Scare PewDiePie and his being dropped from the preferred advertising program on the video streaming site.  PewDiePie has come under fire by many, and has found defenders in fellow YouTubers, such as Casey Neistat, Phillp DeFranco and H3H3.

  •  The video follows a classic playbook by people in trouble in 2017, such as Trump, by blaming the general concept of the media rather than his actions or anything else. He makes a half hearted acknowledgement that what he did was harmful, but more references that what he did wasn’t so bad.  He says two things in the video that are telling — the first he says that this is wrong if his show normalizes hate, and then he turns to the camera and as an aside says “Spoiler alert: it’s not” which like— when people, in a time with rampant hate crimes, address your own comments, maybe don’t shrug them off by saying “Spoiler Alert”. The second is he says none of this matters unless a lot of Nazis are watching him. Which has proven to be the case! The Daily Stormer has called itself the world’s #1 PewDiePie fansite. Wether Felix’s opinions align neatly with theirs or not, he cannot claim his words do not inspire the hateful, as they clearly do.

  • Source: www.theguardian.com / Via: www.theguardian.com

  •  Additionally, he focuses less on his words and more about how persecuted he feels as a celebrity. He’s mad the media covers his money, he both asks for leniency because it’s just him working on his YouTube show and because his YouTubeRed show hires hundreds of people (how big should a production be to be okay to discuss according to PewDiePie?). It’s not good optics to listen to a millionaire complain that people are too focused on his wealth. His comments may just be shock value, but they have real cultural consequences, as the populace today can clearly see just by looking at current events.  Felix is in a difficult position, and it’s good that he spoke out quickly despite the controversy. In the end, he still he has an audience who loves him and will continue to do good independent work for them without the big media support from Disney and YouTube Red. However, in the future if he doesn’t want to stir the pot more – which may go against who he is- he might not want to end an apology with a ‘fuck you’.  We here at WT approach the creator community with positivity, openness and support, and have been doing so since the first Vidcon back in 2010.  What did you think of Felix Kjellberg’s response? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.