This past weekend, YouTuber Logan Paul posted a disturbing video entitled "We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest..." that showed actual footage of what appears to be a dead body. Paul filmed the video in Aokigahara, a forest located at the base of Mt. Fuji that is often referred to as the "Suicide forest" due to the number of suicides that occur within it.
The non-monetized video was up for several hours on Paul's YouTube channel, and garnered 6.3 million views in a 24-hour time span, according to New York Magazine.
Many people were shocked at the content and took to Twitter to express their disbelief.
Logan Paul is an amoral piece of shit who could not be less deserving of his platform. Fuck. If you need help, the… https://t.co/Ri7RcKbhIm
Some pointed out the fact that much of Paul's fanbase is made up of young teens who could find the video incredibly traumatizing.
Dear @LoganPaul, How dare you! You disgust me. I can't believe that so many young people look up to you. So sad. H… https://t.co/1RGYILiG9e
And several users called out Paul's fans who might still be supporting him.
Suicide isn’t a joke of any sort & the fact that Logan Paul made a video & publicly posted a dead person to million… https://t.co/4AXFknqA25
Other YouTubers also voiced their disappointment, not just with Logan Paul, but also with YouTube.
so i make one video about my eating disorder and my entire channel is demonetized forever but logan paul can show… https://t.co/mdg29QjCDX
It's not enough that the video was taken down — people want all of Paul's content removed from the site.
Can we start 2018 by removing all Logan Paul content from the internet?
Earlier this evening, amid the backlash, Paul took a moment to promote his next video on Twitter. Then, three hours later, Paul finally issued a statement, writing, "I've never faced criticism like this before, because I've never made a mistake like this before."
Dear Internet,
The full statement reads:
"Where do I begin...
Let's start with this -
I'm sorry.
This is a first for me. I've never faced criticism like this before, because I've never made a mistake like this before. I'm surrounded by good people and believe I make good decisions, but I'm still a human being. I can be wrong.
I didn't do it for views. I get views. I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity. That's never the intention. I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought "if this video saves just ONE life, it'll be worth it," I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video. I still am.
I do this sh*t every day. I've made a 15 minute TV show EVERY SINGLE DAY for the past 460+ days. One may understand that it's easy to get caught up in the moment without fully weighing the possible ramifications.
I'm often reminded of how big of a reach I truly have & with great power comes great responsiblity... for the first time in my life I'm regretful to say I handled that power incorrectly. It won't happen again.
I love everyone. I believe in people. I'm out here. Peace #Logang4Life"
He subsequently removed the video from his YouTube page.
For many the apology was too little, too late.
what logan paul did was not a mistake. he purposely made jokes around a mans death and posted videos of his body to… https://t.co/oqWZaPLVeH
One user even pointed out the fact that the video bleeped out curse words, but still showed a dead body.
can you believe Logan Paul thought it was okay to show a dead fucking body but HAD to bleep out the curse words in… https://t.co/gqijuQZCFy
Despite the backlash, some believe the video still won't hurt Paul's career.
Logan Paul doesn’t deserve his fame, or his following, or his money, or anything. He crossed the line this time. Bu… https://t.co/VmkbQCp1Wg
Though many were outraged, some took the opportunity to help spread resources that can help those struggling with suicidal thoughts.
It’s easy to dunk on Logan Paul for being a dudu, but this conversation is deeply painful for a lot of folks. If yr… https://t.co/leOKNcsxhP