#232, MrBeast
EDIT: Each year around April 1, it is an annual tradition to fool my students with a fake news article disguised as a typical Journal post. Once a year, I peruse the articles from The Onion (America’s Finest News Source) and find one bizarre, yet believable story to pass off as real.
APRIL FOOLS 😝
Clues it was fake:
The link to the article redirects you to The New York Times home page, not the article. Real link → https://www.theonion.com/mrbeast-re-blinds-1-000-people-1850207364
Searching for the article on Google will bring up its real source, The Onion, a well-known parody website.
The article was dated April 2023 which was from the future (the Journal post was posted on March 23)
The source link was dated 2023/04/01.
Several troubling and and unbelievable quotes such as:
“We’re going to find hundreds of formerly blind people, stab them in the eyes, and destroy the vision that we just restored”
“Surprise each patient by jumping out, immediately driving a stake into their optic nerve, and then joyfully hugging them as they wept in disbelief”
“So many of these people could not afford even the most basic knives, scissors, or bows and arrows that I used to remove their eyesight.”
MrBeast is one of the most popular YouTubers on the planet with over 138 million subscribers (4th most). He is known for creating entertaining and often outrageous videos, such as burying himself alive for 50 hours or giving away half a million dollars in a Squid Game-like competition. In addition to his content creation, MrBeast has also donated millions of dollars to various charities and causes, making him a well-respected figure in the online community. His generosity and creativity have inspired many people around the world.
In his most recent video, he helped 1,000 blind people see for the first time. It was an incredible feat that has accumulated over 100 million views on YouTube. On Friday though, he made a controversial follow-up video.
MrBeast Re-Blinds 1,000 People
By NICK CUMMINGS-BRUCE | April 2023
JACKSONVILLE, FL—Promising the incredibly cheap and easy procedure would ultimately change patients’ lives forever, YouTube star MrBeast released a video Friday in which he re-blinded 1,000 people. “Today is awesome, because starting right now, we’re going to find hundreds of formerly blind people, stab them in the eyes, and destroy the vision that we just restored,” said MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, before proceeding to put on scrubs, hide in a waiting room, and surprise each patient by jumping out, immediately driving a stake into their optic nerve, and then joyfully hugging them as they wept in disbelief. “It’s just so sad. A simple re-blinding procedure should be available to anyone, but the truth is, so many of these people could not afford even the most basic knives, scissors, or bows and arrows that I used to remove their eyesight. The government had the money to help these people and could have easily erased their vision forever. Why didn’t they step up?” At press time, MrBeast also surprised the patients by personally taking back several suitcases filled with $10,000 that he had gifted them.
SOURCE: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/01/technology/mr-beast-reblinds-1000-people.html
MrBeast continues his ascension as one of the most influential people on the planet, but this most recent stunt is his most controversial yet.
To complete this Journal response, address the following:
What is your reaction to MrBeast’s most decision to re-blind his participants?
Comment on a peer’s response.
-Brenden Lee Teacher