• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, January 2, 2018

You’ve probably seen the coverage by now of the video that YouTube “star” (and I use the term very loosely) Logan Paul posted over the New Year’s weekend. He was in Japan with a gaggle of friends and went to a forest at the base of Mount Fuji known to be the site of frequent suicides.

As the BBC reported today, the authorities have posted signs in the forest urging people contemplating suicide to seek medical help.

And Paul was in luck. He and his crew stumbled upon an apparent suicide victim—some tormented soul who decided that taking a plunge with a rope around his neck was better than carrying on.

What would you do in that situation? I’ve never discovered a suicide victim, but I think my first reaction would be utter panic. My next reaction would be to call 911 (or whatever the Japanese equivalent is).

I’m into video as much as anyone else, but one reaction I definitely would not have is “Lights, camera, action!”

That was Paul’s reaction. Shoot, post and ask questions later. While joking about it, according to some reports. How can a person have so little empathy? Some do. They’re called sociopaths.

You can’t help but wonder what Paul’s reaction would be to discovering a close family member who committed suicide. Would he be cracking wise then? Do sociopaths feel close to anyone?

After much social media outrage, huge publicity and millions of hits to the video, Paul was suddenly remorseful. Oh, what was I thinking, he apologized on the Internet, or words to that effect. It was the shock and awe or some such BS that drove him to post the video.

Sorry, I’m in the camp that finds your action way beyond despicable, Mr. Paul. Someone called him a “garbage person.” I think that fits.

But then, there’s the broader issue. Anyone with a smartphone can post material like this to the internet or YouTube and other widely viewed social networks. And nowadays, a 4-year-old knows how to access it.

Interestingly, at least according to the reports I saw, it was Paul who finally pulled the suicide video. Not YouTube.

Which raises the question, for advertisers and others, where does YouTube draw the line?  I’m a big believer in free speech. But there’s got to be a line, right?