If you've been anywhere near the internet lately, you've probably heard about Logan Paul's latest and most controversial vlog. If you haven't, here's the rundown: Paul posted a video of himself and a few others touring Japan's "Suicide Forest," a place known for an unusually high number of suicides, and showed footage of the body of an apparent suicide they had come across.
While Paul blurred out the man's face and claimed to have shown the footage in the name of raising awareness, those on social media quickly went into a frenzy, and rightly so. Many seemed to be of the opinion that Paul's decision to show the body and even feature it in the thumbnail for the video was disrespectful and appalling, and even more so due to the fact the majority of his fanbase is comprised of adolescents. After such intense and unrelenting backlash, Paul apologized in both video form and a written statement on his twitter account, but, feeling as if his apologies were insincere and narcissistic, the internet storm carried on, resulting in "#LoganIsOver" and a call for Paul to be banned from Youtube.
I'll be honest — I completely and utterly agree that what Logan Paul did is disgusting and tasteless.
While I cannot claim to know his motives or the veracity behind his claims that he did not do it for views, it is clear to me, based on past incidents and the self-centered focus of his apology, that Paul's actions are not simply a lapse of judgment. They are a result of narcissism and a culture that encourages internet fame and the "importance" of getting views. To me, he obviously does not care who he hurts nor does he want to acknowledge the influence he has over young and impressionable minds; what he cares about is clout and attention, and that is despicable in itself. When you choose to have a platform like Paul does (yes, it is a choice), you choose to accept the responsibility that comes with it. Paul is a fantastic example of neglecting this. He may not have set out to be a role model that children look up to, but it doesn't change the fact that he is and he knows it. With that in mind, it makes his pure lack of consideration for how his content would affect others is all the more disturbing.
Even so, Logan Paul should not be removed or banned from Youtube.
Not only did Paul not technically break any of the platform's rules, banning him from Youtube has implications of voiding his right to free speech. I in no way condone what he did or has done, but it was unfortunately within his rights to do so.
We cannot claim to be a free country when every time someone does something we don't like, we shut them down.
Today, the response to any sort of controversy is to "cancel" whoever is the target of the hour by means of preventing them from having any sort of platform and muting their voice in order to pay for their crimes. Doesn't that sound scarily like an oppressive regime? Who are we to decide what is right and what is wrong, and to block out the voices of those whom we don't agree with? Is that not a violation of everything this country stands for?
I would like to repeat that I, in no way, shape, or form, agree with what Logan Paul did. I am just as outraged as the people who would like to see him "canceled." But I don't think that "canceling" him and others like him is the right answer.
The right way to handle this situation is to make sure it never happens again.
We need to take the spotlight away from Paul, and hit him where it hurts most--take the attention and the views away. Not by banning him entirely, but by actively and presently choosing to not watch his videos — not talk about him at all, really. Instead of aiming our attention at Logan Paul, let's aim it towards people and things that are positive and actually worthy of our attention. Let's teach our children that what he did is and will never be okay, nor is anything like it, and show them what is.
SEE ALSO: I Survived A Suicide Attempt And I Don't Think Logan Paul Deserves The Hate He's Getting
There will always, always be bad influences in the world — nothing we do and no one we ban can change that. The only thing we should change is our mindsets and actions. Put down the pitchfork and instead turn to more productive forms of protest: donate to charity, uplift worthy causes, support influencers who are not trashballs that post footage of suicide victims. Let's stop worrying about Logan Paul, and start worrying more about how to help people like the victim instead.
Let's form a culture that doesn't urge to "end" people, but one that promotes positive change instead.
