Gaming YouTuber PewDiePie recently hit the enormous milestone of 100 million subscribers on the Google-owned video platform. In an emotional video chronicling his nine-year journey to the top of the mountain, in which he also unboxes the celebratory Play Button sent to him by YouTube, Felix Kjellberg announced that he’d be making a generous $50,000 donation to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
The ADL is an American organization that strives to “fight anti-semitism and hate,” which PewDiePie has previously found himself on the wrong side of. As such, the move caused several of his fans to question his decision and begin to theorize on what exactly might be the reasoning behind Kjellberg donating such a large sum of money to a group that, in his own words, has “outright spoken against [him].”
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So as to not let that speculation run rampant and unchecked, PewDiePie issued a statement via Twitter (below) in order to clarify his stance on the issue. The popular YouTuber noted that he’s consistently experienced issues with his representation in the mainstream media (“MSM”) throughout his career, though is “not okay” with the fact that he claims to have been “manipulated as a tool of destruction” following the dreadful Christchurch shooting that occurred this March in New Zealand.
PewDiePie’s feelings on this matter ultimately prompted his donation, which he said is a means to “show publicly that I can move past it and move on.” He concluded by saying “this just isn’t my fight anymore.”
— ƿ૯ωძɿ૯ƿɿ૯ (@pewdiepie) September 11, 2019
While admirable, many don’t agree with PewDiePie’s decision to donate to the ADL specifically. Some believe that the organization is out to censor instead of to teach, with free speech champions gab leading the charge. The website’s Twitter account has the top featured reply to Kjellberg’s above tweet, and several users are coming out in support of them.
YouTube To Censor “Controversial” Content with ADL Assistancehttps://t.co/sJsdHcQHLl
— Gab.com (@getongab) September 11, 2019
Many others claim this to be nonsense, but regardless of public opinions on the ADL, PewDiePie’s $50,000 donation appears to have been motivated by the right reasons.
