Dual Pixels
  • News
  • PlayStation
  • Xbox
  • Nintendo
  • PC
  • TV
  • Originals
  • Review
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • PlayStation
  • Xbox
  • Nintendo
  • PC
  • TV
  • Originals
  • Review
No Result
View All Result
Dual Pixels
No Result
View All Result
Home News

PewDiePie vs The WSJ?…yeah.

Joey Lampe by Joey Lampe
February 20, 2017
in News
0 0
0
PewDiePie vs The WSJ?…yeah.
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Surely if you’ve been on the internet for the past couple days, you would have seen the Wall Street Journal piece of YouTube Megastar PewDiePie titled “Disney Severs Ties With YouTube star PewDiePie After Anti-Semitic Posts.”

The main “post” or more accurately YouTube video, in question dealt with PewDiePie giving people from Fiverr $5 to hold up a sign that says “Death To All Jews.” That is if you were to believe the (lack of) context The WSJ provided to frame the article. The actual setup dealt with PewDiePie attempting to show the power of money to get people to say/do anything. The joke also ended with PewDiePie saying, “Subscribe to Keemstar.” The quick result of the WSJ piece was being dropped by Disney and Maker Studio (collection of YouTuber channels bought by Disney). Our thoughts will be at the end of this post but first we will look at both sides of the situation.

WSJ
The Wall Street Journal has been around for a long time, far longer than the internet, let alone YouTube and the rise of PewDiePie, so it is safe to assume it isn’t their first foray into journalism. Add the fact that there is growing political tension reverberating across the world, especially centered around the US with Trump’s election win and between Brexit involving Europe and the UK. It really just felt like some low-hanging fruit to craft such a piece that would assuredly get massive amounts of hits. Clicks do pay the bills, after all.

PewDiePie
Felix Kjellberg has amassed a gigantic following on YouTube to the the tune of over 52 million followers. That, according to metric site Social Blade, makes him the most subbed YouTuber in YouTube history. His “Let’s play” videos featuring overly dramatic voice and mannerisms and insanely hard work for over the past six years has vaulted him into the limelight. He has rapidly amassed his YouTube army through his let’s plays and, more recently, his comedic skits. Having said that, there’s no doubt that PewDiePie knew this joke would provide some serious social commentary, and it definitely delivered in doing so. I just don’t believe that he thought that it would explode to this magnitude.

Our Thoughts
It’s safe to say that all social commentary evolves alongside the current political climate. I feel that had the video come out long before the election, it would have produced a fraction of the uproar in which it has caused. The growing fear of our rights being taken away from us 100{3a19833c997fa52158a43c449fe089ff048ac0506a335cac10721cfa396ff282} played into the overall impact in which the article had, as well as being the main reason The WSJ wrote the article in the first place.

https://youtu.be/lwk1DogcPmU

Was the joke offensive? Yeah, most would believe so. But it’s easy to see that most jokes are offensive, and that’s where they gain their staying power. Having said that, the joke was a bit tone deaf in the current political climate, and he should have noted this while editing the video. There surely could have been something else that he could have had people on Fiverr write that would have achieved a similar outcome of showing the power of money on the internet, versus using a hateful expression that could easily be taken out of context as it has. A point of contention is that people feel that it shouldn’t be joked about (true depending on how you feel), and that it would radicalize that base that truly does believe such a thing. That seems a bit farfetched; although, I do believe that the alt-right could use PewDiePie as their “icon” of sorts, even though PewDiePie himself doesn’t follow that same ideology.

Out of this whole ordeal, The WSJ certainly doesn’t come out looking good, and their shoddily edited video of their “proof” was lackluster at best. It’s also safe to say that they should be held to a higher standard, considering they are an actual news outlet. Whereas PewDiePie must realize the impact he has on his 52 million subs and the fact that they appear to skew a bit lower in age, and thus are more impressionable than older viewers.

I can’t tell you where we should or shouldn’t draw a line between what is and isn’t comedy, That would in fact destroy the foundation of satire and the real ideals that comedy was built upon. This whole ordeal reeks of a “conventional” news outlet grasping at their faltering subscribers versus a YouTuber who can reach multiple times more people and at a much more inexpensive price.

Something that has always bothered me has been the fact that we are so quick to tear each other down instead of build one another up. What PewDiePie has built is nothing short of extraordinary, but sadly more emphasis is always placed on how much money he makes or on his each and every fault. As mentioned in his “Response” video, he does indeed donate to various non-profits/charities, but that is hardly touched upon when an outlet sees a quick and easy way to gain clicks at the downfall of another.

PewDiePie probably should have been a bit more cognizant about the attention that he can command with each and every word he speaks, but I highly doubt he ever thought The WSJ would dedicate time and money to make him lose sponsorships and ad revenue. If anything, this will only work to rally his fan base and paint conventional news outlets with an even broader brush than has already been done.

Tags: broadcasterLets Playpewdiepieyoutuber
Previous Post

Green Beans | Scorpion “Keep It in Check, Mate” Review

Next Post

Shift Happens: First Impressions from a non-gamer

Joey Lampe

Joey Lampe

I am passionate about games and the gaming industry as a whole and am excited to be able to share it with all of you.

Next Post
Shift Happens: First Impressions from a non-gamer

Shift Happens: First Impressions from a non-gamer

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Back 4 Blood Gameplay Showcase

Back 4 Blood Gameplay Showcase

December 17, 2020
The King of Fighters XV Meitenkun Trailer

The King of Fighters XV Meitenkun Trailer

January 20, 2021
CD Projekt Red’s Troubling Representation of Trans People In Cyberpunk 2077 Marketing

CD Projekt Red’s Troubling Representation of Trans People In Cyberpunk 2077 Marketing

December 11, 2020
Sheila of Bright Memory

BRIGHT MEMORY IMPRESSIONS (XBOX SERIES X)

November 17, 2020
Update: Nintendo NX Controller Leaked Photo

Update: Nintendo NX Controller Leaked Photo

98
Rumor: Information On Next Gen Pokemon Games, Dubbed “Pokemon Plus” & “Pokemon Minus”

Rumor: Information On Next Gen Pokemon Games, Dubbed “Pokemon Plus” & “Pokemon Minus”

72
Rumor: Next COD Dubbed “Bloodline”, Activision Entangled in Nintendo NX

Rumor: Next COD Dubbed “Bloodline”, Activision Entangled in Nintendo NX

67
Possible Leaked Super Smash Bros. Character Screen Reveals Full Roster

Possible Leaked Super Smash Bros. Character Screen Reveals Full Roster

64
Xbox Live Gold Is Up, Goodwill is Down (update)

Xbox Live Gold Is Up, Goodwill is Down (update)

January 22, 2021
Resident Evil Village Releasing May 7th  + More Details

Resident Evil Village Releasing May 7th + More Details

January 21, 2021
Resident Evil Re:Verse Revealed

Resident Evil Re:Verse Revealed

January 21, 2021
Meet Your Allstars In Sony’s Free February PS Plus Game Destruction AllStars

Meet Your Allstars In Sony’s Free February PS Plus Game Destruction AllStars

January 21, 2021

Recommended

Xbox Live Gold Is Up, Goodwill is Down (update)

Xbox Live Gold Is Up, Goodwill is Down (update)

January 22, 2021
Resident Evil Village Releasing May 7th  + More Details

Resident Evil Village Releasing May 7th + More Details

January 21, 2021
Resident Evil Re:Verse Revealed

Resident Evil Re:Verse Revealed

January 21, 2021
Meet Your Allstars In Sony’s Free February PS Plus Game Destruction AllStars

Meet Your Allstars In Sony’s Free February PS Plus Game Destruction AllStars

January 21, 2021

WHAT IS DUAL PIXELS?

Dual Pixels is more than just an organization, it's a culture. The interactive arts are our passion, this includes gaming and innovations brought forward with technology. The beauty of being an independent organization is the fact that we have the opportunity to bring back the enthusiasm in a gaming industry which is becoming increasingly corporate and stale. The Dual Pixels brand is full of perspective hence the reason why we also go by the appellation "The Digital Crossover".

  • Staff
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

Copyright ©2021 Dual Pixels a Entertainment LLC, All Rights Reserved. | Powered By LIT NYC

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • PlayStation
  • Xbox
  • Nintendo
  • PC
  • TV
  • Originals
  • Review

Copyright ©2021 Dual Pixels a Entertainment LLC, All Rights Reserved. | Powered By LIT NYC

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.