YouTube star MrBeast helped 1,000 blind people see by paying for cataract removal surgeries that the afflicted could otherwise not afford. The video has reached over 60 million views as of Tuesday. Despite his good deeds, many users on social media were upset with him for milking the acts for “content.”
In the video, he documents the “10-minute surgery” needed to provide people with vision, as well as their emotional reactions.
"I don’t understand why curable blindness is a thing," MrBeast wrote on Twitter, Monday, before adding, "Why don’t governments step in and help? Even if you’re thinking purely from a financial standpoint it’s hard to see how they don’t roi on taxes from people being able to work again."
Regarding the backlash, he further added: "Twitter - Rich people should help others with their money. Me - Okay, I’ll use my money to help people and I promise to give away all my money before I die. Every single penny. Twitter - MrBeast bad."
Most of the backlash stemmed from people arguing MrBeast is only doing charitable deeds for attention. Others also simply wanted to vent about the dire condition of the healthcare system in the United States.
One user clarified that they don't "hate MrBeast," but instead the system that leads to creators like him. They explained: "What I hate is a system where good deeds are only done if they’re profitable, where people are forced to rely on the unreliable benevolence of the rich because they have no other way of having their needs met."
Check out MrBeast's video as well as some of the responses below.