By Natalie Forster, Features Assignment Editor
YouTuber Logan Paul posted a video in the beginning of January in a Japanese forest where he and his friends discovered a dead body hanging from a tree.
The forest is called Aokigahara, and it is known as Japan’s “Suicide Forest” for the amount of self-inflicted deaths that occur there each year. It has been a known subject in pop culture, with movies based on the geographic region.
Paul’s 15-minute video is excessively graphic, zooming in on the body when the police are called. He even apologized during the video, saying the vlog is supposed to be fun, yet it was still posted.
After the initial reaction from Paul, he began joking around with his friends about suicide.
“I’ve never had a more real moment than this,” he said, trying to hide his smirk.
Paul, 22, has since apologized for his video, but even after taking it down, it can still be found online easily.
“The level of sincerity in his apology is in question,” marketing professor Paul Barretta said. “If he were to be more sincere in his apology, he would have to find other outlets to do what he does. The problem is that the easy thing to say is to change his content a lot. The problem is that won’t work because the ones that follow him are the ones who are defending him.”
The media has greatly attacked Paul for making light of suicide, especially because of his large underage audience. With his popular former Vine account that jumpstarted his acting career, he focuses mainly on the younger viewers, so releasing such a private matter in a disrespectful manner can be impactful in dangerous ways.
“Young kids are so impressionable,” said Erin McCumiskey, a freshman elementary education major. “I don’t know what laws there are regarding this, but it just doesn’t seem right.”
Even with the backlash, some of his fans remained loyal, continuing to support his career through buying merchandise and commenting on news articles. Many people went from merely disliking him to hating him more than everyone else in Hollywood.
“I think he went too far, and I honestly have never found him funny to begin with,” said freshman journalism/mass communication major Madeline Edwards. “So that just put it right over the top for me. He’s just not funny and not a good person.”
YouTube has agreed to suspend business ties with Paul after his scandal, but they are not stopping him from publishing his content.
His brother, Jake, has also apologized for the video that was uploaded, but his personal trouble in the public eye does not make him a trustworthy opinion. Both brothers have had trouble with police before.
Jake has also struggled with his career recently, being fired by Disney within the last year because of his lifestyle.
Logan Paul, however, is trying to save his career before it fully ends. After taking a break from YouTube for a few weeks to think and reflect, he posted a new video focusing on suicide awareness. Titled “Suicide: Be Here Tomorrow,” the video has a more serious tone than the rest of his work, and he claims that he wants to be part of the “solution.”
Whether he truly wants to fix the mess he created is unknown. Logan Paul might never be able to come back from something like this.
Depression and suicide will always be sticky subjects to talk about, but if you or someone you know is struggling, don’t be afraid to reach out.
“I think this type of material sends a message of disregard for life,” said mental health counselor Melanie Gerber.
“Of course, there is curiosity about suicide and death. We all struggle with the question of ‘what happens next’ and ‘why would someone end his or her lives.’ I think having open, transparent discussion related to self-harming behaviors and suicidal acts is beneficial and necessary. Collaborating with local agencies is good practice and increasing awareness of the risk of self-harming behaviors and suicidal acts could save a life.”
