This past Sunday, the owner of YouTube’s most subscribed channel, PewDiePie, dropped a racial slur while streaming a video game on his channel.
To be more specific, he used the 'N' word.
Since the video aired on Sunday, fans and critics have debated whether he should be excused.
Under no circumstances should he or any other non-black person be excused for this.
My natural response to hearing someone say that word, especially with the hard 'R' the way PewDiePie did, is to cringe and then ask why someone felt the need to do so. The usual response is that it is "just a word."
Fans of PewDiePie are claiming that he said it in a “rage” and he should not be judged for this. Fans are also using #PewDiePieDidNothingWrong to defend the YouTuber and argue that he is not racist.
PewDiePie released a video with an apology and an attempted explanation for his actions. He claimed that he hates when other people use the same racist language in their own videos and even said he “said the worst word [he] could possibly think of.”
While the apology and his acknowledgement that he should know better by now is appreciated, especially with his large number of young online followers, it is still not time to let him or any other person who uses racial slurs off the hook.
The main reason he should not be let off the hook is that one cannot simply say that word as an accident. That is not possible. No one accidentally starts using words they have never used in the heat of the moment. One simply cannot say this word, especially with the hard 'R,' by accident.
Business Insider released an article on the importance of this topic. Citing another user on Twitter, the article said that one cannot say the word unless he or she has comfortably done so in other circumstances.
Unfortunately, though, this is not going to hurt his popularity.
His actions earlier this year and the reception have proven once again that non-black people can spout obscenities and get away with it.
In a failed attempt to make a joke, PewDiePie paid people on the internet to make and hold signs that said “Death to all Jews.” This incident led Disney to withdraw their endorsement of PewDiePie and break their contract with him.
Again, PewDiePie released an apology, but he later said that the media, specifically the Wall Street Journal, was blowing it out of proportion and making it a bigger deal than it needed to be.
Despite losing the deal with Disney, PewDiePie gained around 1.01 million subscribers after his anti-Semitic actions.
The 'N' word incident will likely not affect him, just like what happened with his anti-Semitic joke.
Even though PewDiePie is a very popular online personality, he should not be excused for uttering this slur. In fact, his popularity should make it even more salient for him to refrain from this or any other type of hate speech.
mmgarbac@indiana.edu
