Beast philanthropy: Multifarious, complicated, and even contradictory

Abstract

This article responds to the representations of disability and health care in MrBeast's disability focused philanthropic efforts such as [1000 Deaf People Hear for the First Time] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTOm65IZneg), and [1000 Blind People See For the First Time] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ2ifmkGGus). These videos follow the structure of a number of MrBeast's other social initiatives such as [Planting 20,000,000 Trees, My Biggest Project Ever!] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPJKxAhLw5I) In quantifying his initiatives in this way MrBeast is able to both reference back to his first breakthrough viral video where he counted to 100,000 over the course of 40 hours and leverage his followers to pick up the challenge and contribute towards the initiative. The YouTube algorithm has responded well to these approaches and as of 2023 Mr Beast is one of the most viewed and highest paid YouTubers. To respond to these disability focused videos under the broader banner of Beast Philanthropy, I also consider the response to these videos and Rhodri Davies' article. Amongst many things, Davies draws attention to the agency or lack thereof of the people receiving Mr Beasts' gifts, asserting they are disempowered as “merely passive actors whose twofold role is to provide a means for him to perform viewer-pleasing acts of generosity, and then to offer suitably effusive and emotional displays of gratitude in response.” I agree and assert that any non-consensual sharing of images is a form of disability abuse. As such, we must consider the agency of the people involved in these videos and whether they have given informed consent, and what informed consent means in this context.