- YouTube star MrBeast posted a video about helping 1,000 deaf people hear again.
- Dividing users, this is the second time since January that he's been accused of 'inspiration porn.'
Elon Musk Tweeted in defense of YouTuber MrBeast, who is being criticized for "inspiration porn" with his latest video "1,000 Deaf People Hear For The First Time."
In the video, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, shows the YouTuber gifting people new hearing aids of "cutting-edge hearing technology" said to be worth $3 million.
Uploaded on May 7 on his channel with over 151 million subscribers, the video has garnered over 36 million views and three million likes within two days. Viewers are divided on Donaldson's video.
And it isn't the first of its kind. Donaldson's other video about "curing 1,000 people's blindness" posted on January 28 was also heavily criticized.
This time, people have once again come to Donaldson's defense, notably Twitter's CEO Elon Musk.
—Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 7, 2023
"People definitely shouldn't be attacked for doing good. Is it really just a question of money to restore hearing?" Tweets Musk.
The SpaceX founder wrote that it's "very hard to donate money" if donors cared about it "doing actual good," and not "merely the appearance of it."
But people who are deaf or hard of hearing are pointing out that MrBeast's video caters to the latter point — it's "inspiration porn" that misleads people and doesn't address issues.
Inspiration porn is a term coined by disability activist Stella Young in a 2014 Ted Talk defined by the "objectifying [of] disabled people for the benefit of non-disabled people."
—Cryssie (@eissyrc) May 7, 2023
"I've been called a hater, witch, a dumb prick and other nasty names today over trying to educate hearing people about hearing aids and how they actually work," wrote Twitter user Cryssie Jones, @eissyrc, a Canada-based artist who is deaf.
Jones also points out that hearing aids are "not a cure" and "do not automatically restore hearing," unlike how it's being portrayed in Donaldson's viral video.
"There is nothing in MrBeast's video which acknowledges the fluctuating relationship we deaf people have with hearing and listening," Liam O'Dell, a journalist who is deaf, wrote in an opinion piece for The Independent.
"When watching MrBeast's video, will the average viewer be more alert to the needs of deaf people (in a way which isn't some patronizing pity for a life many deaf people actually enjoy living), or be drawn to the 'heroic' Donaldson going out of his way to splash the cash on 1,000 people out of the goodness of his heart?" wrote O'Dell.
Insider has reached out to representatives of both Jimmy Donaldson and Elon Musk for comment.