this post was submitted on 20 Jan 2024
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Mr. Beast is never off. I've never seen a candid picture of him. He's probably clean, but something's very fake about him.
The first project I heard of his was "#TeamSeas". Which collects donations to dredge trash out of the ocean. Except realistically, that trash is constantly getting replenished. The efforts should have been to reduce plastic waste, either by promoting less consumption or switching all drink bottles to recyclable aluminum. Neither of those look as good on camera as a specialized ship pulling trash out of the ocean and promoting anti consumption probably wouldn't sit well either his audience or sponsors.
His viewers mainly consist of people who want to feel charitable vicariously or people fantasizing about about being on the reviving end of his charity. It's not much different from the people who watch Life Styles of the Rich and Famous.
I don't think that's the right perspective to have on this, a good action isn't bad just because It wasn't the best action possible.
And the solution you brought upon, would still leave the first problem afloat, "great, we reduced plastic consumption, but who's going to remove the plastic that is already in there?", It's a paradox you see? If he chooses option A, people will burn him at the stake because he didn't choose option B.
I was skeptical at first when I first got aware of him, then I did some research and there's a ton of philanthropy there, lots of people got some help they needed.
EVEN if it's done with ulterior motives, the non changing fact is that people indeed were helped.
Whichever motives he has behind his persona, he has helped more people than most could or would've helped in their entire lifetimes.
I would follow on from you by saying removing plastic is the better of the options anyway. Good old free will means you can't force people to choose to use less plastic and alternatives, but you can force yourself to go and do something about it - we can't even make them use a bloody rubbish bin.
I mean, how would you even go about it? Lobby governments against organizations with much bigger pockets, advertising campaigns to tell us what we already know, start a political party?? Cleaning beaches already showed what we as people are doing and what we can do.
Dredging the ocean can come after we stop putting trash in it. There's a finite amount of resources for these activities and they should be first directed to the most effective solutions first. He apparently thinks he has enough influence on his audience to direct them to clean up his chocolate bar displays.
It must be both simultaneously. You don't ignore a patient with a gunshot wound by telling everyone, "Ignore the dying man until we ban guns!"
I'm sick of metaphors.
By TeamSeas account, they've removed 9,286 metric tons of garbage from the ocean since 2021. We collectively put 11,000,000 metric tons into the ocean every year. The Teamseas method of removing one pound of trash for every dollar would require 250 million USD every year. That's not sustainable for a charity to run on indefinitely.
We should be switching to biodegradable paper or recyclable aluminum. I'll have to look closer the next time I'm in a convenience store, but it looks like MrBeast's chocolate bars are packaged in plastic. We already know how to package chocolate in paper.
I don't watch Mr Beast but he's trying to help unlike everyone else. Yes we should stop dumping plastic in the ocean. But removing what is already there is useful just like cleaning trash on the beach is useful. You don't walk past litter and say, "No point in picking it up, someone else will just throw more."
There are many non profit ocean cleanup organizations.
Except, at least where I am, there's social stigma against littering, so the first problem has been solved. Picking up a bit of litter every now and then is sustainable.