As most of you probably know, given that you clicked on a PewDiePie thumbnail, Felix Kjellberg, the man generally known as PewDiePie, did something a couple of weeks ago that would be found inexcusable for normal people. In fact, it’s such a big deal that there’s even a South Park episode where exactly that happens. Yes, the YouTube superstar said “nigger” while streaming an fps. Not only that, but he used it as an insult. As you may have guessed, it wasn’t only mainstream media that was out to get him this time, but several people in general, mostly US-American. Many other YouTubers covered the story and everyone had something to say about it. While browsing through the comments on this unfortunate event, I found a couple tweets by YouTuber “Fouseytube” that got the gears in my head spinning. The tweets said:

”Like imagine what the internet would do if @jakepaul just did what @pewdiepie did. But the internet favors their friends and heros (sic)”

”If a YouTuber like ME said the “n” word like @pewdiepie did I would get CRUCIFIED. The community and fans always give him a free pass”

Ignoring the fact that these are clearly the words of a child angry that grownups have more privileges than them, one thing remains true: PewDiePie does get a “free pass” from the community every time he screws up. I’m not going to go into details regarding my opinion on the actual event, rather, I want to talk about why PewDiePie can get away with things the average person can’t. The reason is simple:

PewDiePie is a hero

And a very well dressed one at that. Source: Gizmodo UK

There are two kinds of heroes: The factual and the ideal. The factual is the one that actually does heroic deeds. It’s that guy who got a kitty out of a burning cat café or picked you up from the ground while you were choking due to excessive tear gas while you’re both getting shot by state poli- wait, sorry, that’s just me. In any case, it’s the one who becomes a hero through their good actions, saving lives and the like. The ideal hero, on the other hand, needs not accomplish anything of the sort, because his existence is heroic enough. Some of them have achieved the success you desire, proved to everyone that it’s possible to do what you want to do and be somebody in life. Others just have every characteristic that you consider an “ideal”, they’re energetic, they look happy all the time, they never give up, etc. The ideal hero is the embodiment of possibility, the proof that dreams can come true, the inspiration not to let life pass you by. PewDiePie belongs to this group, which is also the focus of this article.

He has clearly not done that many heroic deeds, but he’s definitely a symbol and a hero, not only to his audience, but for a brand new breed of entrepreneurs looking to exploit the new ways things can be achieved thanks to the intenet. YouTubers, bloggers, even Steemers, we all look up to PewDiePie as that guy who went from selling hot dogs to being a multimillionaire thanks to entertaining people on the internet… Thanks to connecting with people through the internet. He’s a regular guy who proved it was possible to make a living on the internet. Not only that, but he reminded us that you can make a living doing something YOU LIKE, without compromising your happiness and who you are, but rather profiting from it. He’s both an ideal and proof dreams can come true and, because of this, he does get a free pass.

Why heroes are screw-up proof

The human mind constantly builds structures and creates systems to process information and deal with new situations. What’s good, what’s bad, what you should do if you crash your car or what to think when your best friend tells you he’s moving away: Your mind creates structures from past experiences to deal with the new ones faster and with less effort. Your ideals, your moral compass and your personality in general are also dependent on these structures and, naturally, the brain strives to preserve them.

This ni- I mean, this guy is a total liar. Source: Science Daily

Without you realizing, your mind can alter memories and your perception of the world around you to fit the structures it’s already built instead of having to alter them. As a group, we often behave practically the same. We can’t easily accept that someone like PewDiePie, who embodies our ideals, did something terrible because we idolize him. At that point, it’s no longer your friendly YouTuber superstar that’s being attacked, but your concept of what a great person is, your ideal. This is why when PewDiePie does something outrageous we may even find inadmissible under normal circumstances, we’re eager to defend him, to justify his actions and to attack whoever calls him out. We protect our ideals, so we protect the one who represents them.

The good

Now, what I’ve just told you is not necessarily something bad. If the hero is authentic, if he really is at least a decent person, it’s perfectly fine. Just like the individual needs his dreams, so too does society need its heroes. PewDiePie may have said “nigger” on stream and offended a bunch of people, but he’s still all he was before that, he’s still a role model and a symbol. Thanks to his free pass, he’s able to go on influencing people and inspiring them to follow their dreams. However…

The bad

Heroes are not always decent people. Sometimes, heroes are born from fire and blood, or from being in the right place at the right time. They can even be heroes to our basic instincts. They can be heroes because they got to a position we desire to reach even though the means were evil and savage. The problem? Well, these heroes also get a free pass.

Take Donald Trump for example. I sincerely doubt his racism and sexism go beyond him simply being ancient, but some of his actions are inexcusably reflective of these qualities, and yet his followers defend him. Those who feel attacked by Trump and his following may take it to mean half of America is a nation of racists and sexists, but realistically we know that is not so. It’s just a nation of regular people defending their hero, the guy who vowed to Make America Great Again.

If only he could make it as great as his hair... Source: Vanity Fair

That said, it doesn’t mean that they must be left to their own devices just because they’re not actual Nazis.

And the ugly

Hugo Chavez, the guy who ruled Venezuela however he pleased for more than a decade, was a hero to a lot of people. He came from the bottom, from a poor town in some forgotten province, and yet he climbed to the top. He said he fought for the oppressed and the humiliated. He reached people’s hearts. That’s why when he started accumulating power and dismantling democracy, his following supported him still. They simply couldn’t accept their ideal, who was a factual hero as well, was doing something wrong. And so he went on to consume whatever good was left in this country and turned it into little more than a giant wallet for his thugs to enjoy.

To this day, he remains a hero and, to some, even a kind of deity. I’ve seen shrines to Chavez and people placing offerings on them. Oh, dear, we’re partying like its 1999 B.C.

"Healing with the spirits of the savanna." No comments. Source: TOKIDOKI (nomad)

In any case, let’s wrap this up. As I said before, the point is not to value PewDiePie or judge his actions. Rather, I wanted to provide my insight on the phenomenon. He’s a hero, like it or not, and that means one must take that into account when examining him, his following and his effect on society. He’s only one example, heroes are everywhere. Cristiano Ronaldo, Dwayne Johnson, Hideo Kojima – they’re all heroes to someone. The Avengers may not be real and Napoleon is long dead, but heroes still remain, their actions just as interesting and polemic.

Afterword

Greetings, steemers!

Here’s the second installment of Living Philosophy. As I was writing I realized I don’t really include much classical philosophy in my writing. I was honestly a little worried someone would call me out on it. However, I remembered philosophy is supposed to be about how to better live life, and how to better understand the phenomena of human interaction that surrounds us every day.

My conclusion? I don’t care. It’s philosophy if I say it is.

On the matter of the incident: He’s not a native English speaker and much less American. His only referent for the use of “nigger” comes from gaming and most likely 4chan, where it’s used almost as a general term for referring to anyone in almost any situation, though it’s also used as an insult. He apologized and that’s it, done, end of story. Not everyone is a Nazi and not everyone must pay for your historical grudges.

Please, feel free to leave a comment whether you agree with me or not. Let’s get that discussion going!

Chitty out.