Guys, I don't rant often, but I have been triggered by the huge uprising on YouTube regarding the current actions and childish attitude of now former Disney channel star, Jake Paul.
WHO THE HECK IS THIS GUY?
My introduction to Jake Paul was not a pretty one. It happened last week when I watched a news report about him and his friends upsetting his neighbors due to downright disturbing the peace. If it wasn't enough that there was true concern about his behavior, at one point he actually climbs the news van, much to the excitement of his squad (Team 10). When advised not to do so, his response was a big resounding, "why"?
One does not need to hear or watch more of Jake Paul to understand the type of human being he is. Besides the obvious, egocentricity, disrespect and thirst for attention, he has no concept of the reality around him. The news report becomes more painful to watch, as he continues to monkey around and act confused about his neighbors being upset. After watching the video, I had to dive into the world of YouTube to see what other people had to say. Of course, there was already enough content from both sides to watch for hours. Here is what I learned about Jake Paul and his crew, Team 10.
Jake Paul rose to fame alongside his brother Logan Paul, making Vines and posting them on YouTube starting around 2013. The content of the videos is nothing different than we are getting from endless YouTubers who think they are funny and end up drawing a huge fan base because of their good looks. It is the only explanation I have for the rise of unfunny YouTube stars who just happen to be attractive, but I digress. The Paul brothers, through pranks and other antics, rose to internet fame.
It didn't take long for Logan Paul to be featured in short segments on film and television, and not much longer for the Disney Channel to recognize Jake Paul and his "talent". They signed him on the show Bizaardvaark in 2016, which is coincidentally all about some kids rising to internet fame uploading comedy videos. His thirst for fame did not stop there.
Not too long ago, Jake Paul created a squad called Team 10, who enjoy continuing the legacy of pranks, childish antics, and showing themselves off. These "Jake Paulers" apparently also think they are hip-hop stars all of a sudden, releasing song such as "Everyday Bro" and "Ohio Fried Chicken". It is one thing to make bad music, but the content of these tracks is sometimes offensive and does not promote anything of real value. Yet this does not stop his millions of fans, usually preteens, from indulging and buying tons of merchandise in the process.
Jake Paul and his crew, with all their money and fancy cars, decided to move into a house on Los Angeles, called the "Team 10 House". This is where the negative attention snowballed.
WHAT IS GOING ON?
The news report I mentioned earlier happened as result of Team 10's antics, but also because of the stupid decision to publicly share their exact location. This has caused a massive influx of fans, usually children, to show up in front of the house to get in on the action. The unwanted attention has been anything but pleasant for the neighborhood. In response to the report, Mr. Paul decided to "apologize" to his neighbors, yet once again compromised their privacy and sparked an even bigger backlash from angry residents.
If this was not enough, the most recent scandal involves Hip-Hop artist, Post Malone. After trashing on Team 10's "It's Everyday Bro" via Ethan Kleins H3H3 Podcast, Post Malone decided to buy some merchandise as a joke, intending to use it in the next collaboration with Ethan. It is Jake's reaction that has sparked an even bigger outrage.
Confused about why Post Malone would buy merchandise & simultaneously trash on "It's Everyday Bro", Jake Paul and his team illegally tracked down his house in order to personally deliver the merchandise and inquire about the trash talk. The worst part is that they recorded the interaction, effectively invading Post Malone's privacy in a horrible way. Ethan Klein, one of Post Malones best friends, immediately found out and recorded a reaction in the following video.
It didn't take long for Disney to take notice of the events unfolding, and Jake Paul has been removed from Disney Channel's "Bizaardvaark". Of course, Jake is covering his tracks by claiming he chose to leave Disney himself.
WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
Let's be real, Jake Paul is not the only influence out there, but it appears to be extremely relevant as of this moment. As adults, we look at this story with fresh eyes and wonder how the heck Jake Paul became so famous and why it even matters. The answer is KIDS.
MOST OF HIS FANS ARE CHILDREN
It is no mystery that being on the Disney Channel would expose Jake to a larger and much younger audience. I don't even have to go into much detail to explain how this is problematic.
Children watching Jake Paul's content are exposed to these behaviors or attitudes:
*Egoism
*Disrespect
*Recklessness
*Just downright immaturity
Guess what? The kids love it. In just a matter of months Jake Paul's fan base has blown up and there is enough to prove that most of his fans are very young. Even in the midst of current happening, support from children has never been stronger. And as you know, some adults are already extremely upset about it. Personally, I wouldn't want my children to watch and emulate Jake Paul in any way. To me, he represents much of what is wrong the current state of the media and its total accessibility to literally any age group.
THERE IS A LOT MORE WHERE THIS COMES FROM
Enough about Jake Paul. Whatever happens to him will happen. But there is a lot more to worry about out than a 20 year old who makes mistakes and terrible videos. Similar content is extremely abundant on the internet, often times much worse.
The YouTube culture has branched into some very interesting and sometimes highly questionable material. Here are some examples of YouTubers or channels that are generally considered to be horrible:
Logan Paul Same as Jake. In fact, Logan confuses me even more.
Bradbury Brothers Moe & Ethan Bradbury have been known to perform very stupid pranks at the expense of public safety. They are extremely into themselves as well.
Spiderman & Elsa Attracts kids due to the costumes but are overly sexualized and often violent, in a weird freakin' way.
Prank Invasion Goes around "pranking random girls" into making out with him. I mean, wtf.
These are just a few of the things that are popping up everywhere on YouTube. Interestingly enough, an increasing amount of kids are starting to make their very own content simply because it is so accessible to do so now.
IS IT THAT BAD?
I know not everyone shares the same opinion about what is correct for today's generation. Many would argue that children would be influenced by SOMETHING negative at some point, so there is no use in complaining about a YouTube star. But I would argue that it is an issue best measured in the AMOUNT of exposure to them on a daily basis. Yes, the same thing can be said about television, but in a much more restricted way. YouTube makes it possible to have even more bad content in a extremely fast and accessible manner.
Even more frightening is the amount of children posting videos about how awesome people like Jake Paul are, sometimes emulating him to an uncomfortable level. I mean, why would a 9 year old kid need to say stuff like "dab on the haters"?
With this video, I leave you with something to think about. I myself do not know the answer, I just feel very strongly about the subject.
Feel free to express your opinions below!