The fine line between "strength" and cruelty

Say what you will about Xwitter, but Community Notes remains undefeated:

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If you have children under 20, you’re probably familiar with Jimmy “Mr. Beast” Donaldson, the exceptionally charismatic YouTuber who alternates videos about blowing shit up and making people aged one to 100 compete for cash prizes with videos in which he spends lavishly to pay for things like people’s vision-restoring surgeries and building infrastructure in Third World countries.

This formula combining philanthropy, game show and Mythbusters has made him one of the few competitors in the popularity race whom Taylor Swift hasn’t lapped.

Also, your kids have almost certainly begged you to buy his chocolate bars (which are actually quite good, though probably not worth three bucks a pop).

Surprisingly, it’s the philanthropic videos which have made Mr. Beast a target for critics, who denounce him as a “white savior” and stuff. (My challenge to his haters, that they provide their tax returns showing us how much they donate to worthy causes, remains unanswered.)

I suppose there is an argument to made that it’s a bit tacky for someone to provide life-changing and even life-saving assistance as a way to promote his brand, but even his harshest critics would have to agree that such virtue signaling is at least better than vice signaling in which one hurts vulnerable people for the LOLs.

Which brings us to this asshole, who will likely play a key role in a certain 2024 Presidential candidate’s next Administration. And, no, I’m not talking about Cornel West.¹

Donald Trump's former aide Johnny McEntee has sparked fury with a video claiming he gives homeless people fake money so they get arrested.

McEntee, 33, who now runs a right-wing dating app, said his outrageous and illegal prank was 'just a joke, everyone calm down' after he went viral. 

'So I always keep this fake Hollywood money in my car, so when a homeless person asks for money, and I give them like a $5 bill, I feel good about myself, they feel good,' he said in the original TikTok video.

'And then when they go to use it, they get arrested, so I'm actually helping to clean up the community and get them off the street.' 

The video was pilloried as not just mean-spirited but was criticized for his brags about illegal behavior as distributing fake currency, which is also a crime.

'This can’t be legal. He is intentionally injecting counterfeit bills into circulation. Doesn’t matter if he trades it for something or gives it as a gift. What’s the charge for tricking someone into committing a crime so they’ll be arrested?' one viewer wrote.

Another added: 'He's so feeling his glee over being pure evil.'

'After watching this, my blood pressure shot up and I don’t have high blood pressure. This is extremely evil,' a third wrote.

'Johnny Cruelty. Wow that makes him feel good?'

In additional to his dating app advocacy, McEntee is a senior adviser to far-right group Project 2025, which aims to radically reshape government if Trump wins.

McEntee is now using the “it’s just a prank, bro” defence.

And you know what? He’s probably right. But that’s not the get-out-of-online-jail card he thinks it is.

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