I just read an article (through Amazon ads) that made me want to cry. I didn't know anything about Jimmy Donaldson until I read the story, but I had an idea who MrBeast was. And I though he was just a very wealthy internet influencer, like so many kids nowadays dream of becoming.
Boy, was I wrong. Jimmy is a rare individual. Or, shall I say, MrBeast is a unique influencer. I see a lot of articles in my Google feed about people bragging that they turned a hundred-dollar side-hustle into a multi-million-dollar part-time gig (and overnight, I might add). I always wondered what on earth they do with all that money. I can only imagine, based on the size of Taylor Swift's international audiences and the local economic boost they generate wherever she performs.
But, Jimmy is a different breed. The way he spends his money and the level to which he spends it left me wanting to cry. And he is villified for it. People tell him that he's doing what the government should be doing. Well, who the hell is the "government"? I hate to say it, folks, but WE are the government. POTUS, SCOTUS, COTUS aren't the ones who pay the country's bills or help the poor and downtrodden. It's TOTUS--us taxpayers--who support the folks who have no wherewithal themselves to pay for the things that give us all (at the very least) our dignity.
But, here's the thing. The more taxpayers there are, the better off we all are. Read on and see why.
Read fortune.com's article by Eleanor Pringle on July 1, 2024, "YouTube Star and Philanthropist MrBeast Says 'Ideally' Governments, Not Content Creators, Should Build Homes and Cure Blindness--But He Won't 'Stand By and Do Nothing'."
Guess what people have said about his attitude? They accuse him of using the poor and downtrodden to create content. Are content creators all so greedy? Maybe some of us (I hope this word isn't offensive to anyone) CARE. And, gee whiz, if we have the charisma and business sense to attract a following that makes us rich, why can't we do whatever the fuck we want with it?
No one is yelling at Taylor Swift fans for spending exorbitant amounts of money to fly all the way to Europe to watch her act there. So, why do we yell at Jimmy Donaldson for paying for 1000 blind people to receive sight-restoring surgery? For building 100 homes for homeless people? Maybe it's guilt? Maybe they realize that Eras tickets only net a few hours of joy whereas a new home gives a person a sense of long-lasting wellbeing??? Oh, but wait--there's more reason for that guilt!
If Jimmy can create content and make way more money by being kind and caring to the less fortunate, all the more power to him. Perhaps "Tay" is doing the same thing with all the money she earns from adoring fans. We don't hear about that, though. If she's in bed with angels like MrBeast obviously is, good for her.
But, I doubt it.
I modeled my character Will Boone on what I imagine a philanthropist to be like. Well, I just found that flesh-and-blood do-gooder. And it gave me hope that there really is someone making positive and empowering change around the world with their hundred-dollar-side-hustle-turned-multi-million-dollar-part-time-gig. Jimmy refers to it as "catalytic philanthropy", repeating the words of Bill Gates in GatesNotes, back in 2012.
Here's what Bill Gates said: "The investor doesn't need a share of the benefits--those go to poor people, or sick people or society generally, all of whom stand to gain earth-shaking returns from the kinds of innovations that business [the profit-seekers] and government [the taxpayers] likely won't pursue unless philanthropy goes first. And once you've found a solution that works, catalytic philanthropy can harness political and market forces to get those innovations to the people who need them most."
MrBeast quipped that if he cures blindness, the government stands to benefit from all those sighted people being able to work again. Taking that idea a notch further, the homes he builds gives people a foundation upon which the willingness and ability to work are built. See the pattern here?
His and the Gates' generosity can help others become productive. Hence--catalytic philanthropy. What's so wrong about that? Or, what isn't so wonderfully right about it?
I just found a marvelous reason for Will Boone to be the generous and caring guy he is.
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