The Real Tragedy of Logan Paul's Japan Videos
Logan Paul's Japan trip was saturated with white privilege, cultural appropriation, and lack of cultural intelligence. I won't even get started about his suicide forest video in this post, but among other things it was tasteless.
Back from the tangent. On the one hand, I am infuriated with how he disrespected Japanese culture and shamed citizens by treating the country as a "giant playground" and including them in his antics. He made people and culture a commodity for his brand.
On the other hand, I am sad because--despite the harsh negative criticism he has received--I don't think he'll change. He has actually gained followers within the last several days. People continue to watch his videos, thus generating income for himself and YouTube despite his social media silence. His brand has been built upon the exact antics he did in his Japan videos. The only way he'll actually receive the message if people stop watching his videos...which likely won't happen either.
Thus, here is the real tragedy of Logan Paul's Japan videos: People are willing to see other cultures and people shamed as long as they are not being shamed. People are willing to contribute to the industrial complex of social media as long as it doesn't affect them personally.
At the same time, I can't point out the failure of Logan Paul and humanity without looking at myself. Before my involvement in InterVarsity and going to seminary, I wasn't much different from Logan Paul. Although I never overtly displayed my privilege and cultural unawareness, my internal attitudes definitely reflected how Logan Paul acted in his videos. My understanding of other cultures was largely based on how the media and pop culture conveyed them. My understanding of other people was rooted in bias and stereotypes. The transformation came when I learned about grace and the love which God has for all people of all cultures. The transformation came when I understood how indigenous cultures are beautiful and can express the image and character of God. Am I perfect example of a culturally intelligent and competent human? By far, no. I still catch myself occasionally clouded by the biases and stereotypes that were instilled in me long ago. That is not who I want to be though. That is not what I want my students to either. For the sake of my students and the other people around me, I do the best I can to honor all people and honor all cultures.
Just as I am continually growing and learning, the same opportunity is there for Logan Paul. Logan Paul, it is not too late for you to see how you can do things differently. My prayer is that through this experience you will learn from your mistakes, seek to increase your cultural intelligence, and seek to honor those who have been hurt.
Back from the tangent. On the one hand, I am infuriated with how he disrespected Japanese culture and shamed citizens by treating the country as a "giant playground" and including them in his antics. He made people and culture a commodity for his brand.
On the other hand, I am sad because--despite the harsh negative criticism he has received--I don't think he'll change. He has actually gained followers within the last several days. People continue to watch his videos, thus generating income for himself and YouTube despite his social media silence. His brand has been built upon the exact antics he did in his Japan videos. The only way he'll actually receive the message if people stop watching his videos...which likely won't happen either.
Thus, here is the real tragedy of Logan Paul's Japan videos: People are willing to see other cultures and people shamed as long as they are not being shamed. People are willing to contribute to the industrial complex of social media as long as it doesn't affect them personally.
At the same time, I can't point out the failure of Logan Paul and humanity without looking at myself. Before my involvement in InterVarsity and going to seminary, I wasn't much different from Logan Paul. Although I never overtly displayed my privilege and cultural unawareness, my internal attitudes definitely reflected how Logan Paul acted in his videos. My understanding of other cultures was largely based on how the media and pop culture conveyed them. My understanding of other people was rooted in bias and stereotypes. The transformation came when I learned about grace and the love which God has for all people of all cultures. The transformation came when I understood how indigenous cultures are beautiful and can express the image and character of God. Am I perfect example of a culturally intelligent and competent human? By far, no. I still catch myself occasionally clouded by the biases and stereotypes that were instilled in me long ago. That is not who I want to be though. That is not what I want my students to either. For the sake of my students and the other people around me, I do the best I can to honor all people and honor all cultures.
Just as I am continually growing and learning, the same opportunity is there for Logan Paul. Logan Paul, it is not too late for you to see how you can do things differently. My prayer is that through this experience you will learn from your mistakes, seek to increase your cultural intelligence, and seek to honor those who have been hurt.
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