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MrBeast’s videos feel like they’ve been beamed in from some dystopian RoboCop universe — contestants battling through bizarre, high-stakes challenges for money, clout, and content. It’s a spectacle that often walks a fine line between entertaining and unsettling. Personally, I tend to steer clear of it. But, dystopian aesthetics aside, Jimmy Donaldson — aka MrBeast — actually seems like a decent guy.
In 2021, he launched Beast Philanthropy, a charitable arm powered by his jaw-dropping fortune. Since then, the initiative has done genuine, tangible good around the world. We’re talking millions of free meals for low-income families in the U.S., hundreds of wells built in water-scarce African regions, prosthetic limbs for amputees in Cambodia, life-changing cataract surgeries, and even the rebuilding of schools in Cameroon.
His latest mission? Fighting child slavery.
On April 6, MrBeast dropped a new video titled “Rescuing Child Slaves in Africa”, announcing a partnership with Ghana Make a Difference (GMAD). Together, they’re building a surgical center in Ghana to provide vital healthcare to children rescued from slavery — a direct, urgent solution to a harrowing issue.
Now, here’s where things get messy.
Despite the undeniable good being done, criticism began pouring in — not necessarily about what he’s doing, but how he’s doing it. The main accusation: MrBeast is playing the “white savior.” Detractors argue that his videos turn complex humanitarian crises into YouTube content designed to rack up views, framing him as a benevolent outsider swooping in to fix problems for the sake of optics.
And sure, there’s a valid conversation to be had about representation, power dynamics, and the ethics of turning global suffering into monetized storytelling. But — and this is a pretty big “but” — at the end of the day, he is building a surgical center for children in need.
So, the debate now seems less about intention and more about optics. Even if it’s good PR, even if it’s “content” — it’s still resulting in real-world, measurable help. And as many of his defenders have pointed out: if you’re criticizing him, what have you done for Africa lately?
Arguably, the most reasonable take is this:
“In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need YouTubers to fund children’s hospitals. But this world? It’s far from ideal.”
And that’s the hard truth. If a 26-year-old internet personality is stepping up to do what governments and international organizations too often fail to — maybe we let him. The guy could’ve bought a gold-plated Lamborghini. Instead, he’s investing in cataract surgeries and clean water.
You don’t have to love his content to acknowledge that his philanthropy is real, impactful, and — in this broken world — absolutely necessary.