The good, the bad and the greedy

It seems the Atheist YouTube community is recently gushing over Thunderf00t's latest video. I'll be honest, I've not watched it fully as I seem to be in more of a disagreement with the way he has expressed his opinions about the very same community recently.

You can't take away what TF has given to this community over the years. Many of his videos have served as ammunition and reliable sources in the Theist vs. Atheist debate and vice versa. The quality of his videos and its content has made him one of YouTube's most influential Atheists as well as one of the most loved ones, and yes, one of the most scorned ones.

His most famous videos up to date are unarguably "Why do People Laugh at Creationists" series and despite being somewhat insulting at times, it is still one of the greatest video series many of us have watched and felt educated by. You simply can't argue with the numbers.

And since we're discussing numbers here, Tunderf00t is, undoubtedly, the most subscribed YouTube Science/Atheism channel up to date.

I think very highly of TF's videos, content and knowledge wise but up until now I could not thoroughly judge him as a personality. I admit I've not religiously (pun unintended) been involved in the behind the scenes of the community and until now I've discussed what I did care about with my friends rather than with those from within the community I am friends with.

I'm not familiar with TF's life outside of the YouTube community and so I don't know how much he makes for a living or what kind of a person he's like. I have respect for him as a fellow Atheist and as an intellectual, but his recent, more personal uploads were more than saddening to watch.

One would say not to judge a person once they've walked a mile in their shoes. But as a person who has been more then judgmental towards fellow YouTubers and as a YouTube persona himself, TF should be more then aware his actions, recent and in the past, will be dissected, interpreted and judged by his subscribers and viewers. The internet is a platform for opinions to be raised (some say, for opinions to die in) and when you allow comments, you should be well-aware some of them will be more then offensive and criticizing.
Someone with as large of a subscriber base as TF should know that opinions attract supporters as well as haters, and be willing to accept it, rather than voice their opinion over a more then offensive, generalizing video themselves.

I, as a long time supported, felt appalled by watching a video where everyone as a whole were called, subliminally, unworthy of the content of TF's videos.

But with that aside, let's move on to his latest upload where he has expressed the difficulties of maintaining a YouTube channel. Maintaining a YouTube channel such as TF's undoubtedly time and money consuming, However YouTube is first and foremost an entertainment website and it is bound to cater to many people's tastes. And if people find 'entertainingly angry man rants at camera about opinions' entertaining, so be it. Its every person's right to make a living off of something they are passionate about and if make up guru's, comedians and angry people can do that, who are we to judge them?

If TF wants to quit the website to make a better living because he is unable to do so by producing videos on YouTube that's his choice only and it should not be influenced by who makes more money off of something they like doing, or has more subscribers then him. Presenting yourself as a person who is poorer compared to others on the website while bashing those who aren't is not a legit request for help. The most of us are poorer then the average and many fantastic YouTubers cannot make a living off their channels despite making higher end content with their own money then TF himself.

There is nothing wrong with asking for financial help, however asking for it while showing little to no respect to the rest of the community, YouTubers and subscribers alike - as well as trying to blackmail them with a threat "Quitting the site" - is.


- Chaotic Shelly