Logan Paul, a very well-known Youtuber who has 15 million subscribers, has posted a very controversial video showing a dead body. Although the video was taken down and he has made two public apologies about his actions, many still think he should not be forgiven for this morally incorrect video.

Paul’s vlog was taken in the Aokigahara Forest in Japan, known for mainly it’s suicide rates, showing Logan and his friends venturing into the forest discussing the background of this forest. While walking through the forest, they see something in the distance and realize it was a body. The camera pans over to the horrific scene and pans back to Logan, who seems to be in complete shock but stills has a slight smile on his face. Logan later begins to make jokes about the situation and claims that what he is expressing is not how he truly feels.

Many Youtubers have also reacted and shared their thoughts on the matter of Logan’s video. Pewdipie, Felix Kjellberg, has reacted to the video and Logan’s actions. He has compared this to his experience with backlash for his accidental slip of a racial slur on a livestream, saying that although his action was bad he had a harsher punishment than Logan has had.

Youtube has also spoke up on the issue. They claim that they have given Logan his punishment and are still planning how to further stop this from happening in the future. Logan has been taken of Google Preferred program, which allows advertisers can pay to have their ads shown during videos a group of Youtube’s top video creators. He has also been taken out of a Youtube Red series named “Foursome”.

Many think that what Paul did in the act to spread awareness was really just exploitation for views on his video. Although Paul did say during the video that “Suicide is not a joke. Depression and mental illness are not a joke.” Even though, Paul did say this, others think that he should not have shown the body or continued recording after discovering the body. .“I believe that someone with such a huge fan base should be more responsible with their content especially with the age of his audiences,” said Eva Lee, 12.

Suicide should not be taken into the context that Logan showed it. Mental illness and anything that accompanies it should be taken seriously and respectfully. Paul has been punished for the video but many think he should be punished harsher while others think he should just be given his current punishments as a warning and left to continue creating for his audiences.

Do you think Logan Paul should be forgiven? Or banned from Youtube? If any student from Arroyo is thinking about suicide or feels helpless, please talk to your counsellor, friend, parent or call one of the hotlines listed below:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health: 800-854-7771

Teen Line: 800-852-8336

California Youth Crisis Line: 1-800-843-5200

Sources:

• http://nymag.com/selectall/2018/01/logan-paul-suicide-forest-video-youtube.html
• http://fortune.com/2018/01/10/youtube-logan-paul-punishment/