PewDiePie is back with his own brand of casual racism
The N word is undeniably inflammatory -- particularly when used by the wrong person in the wrong situation. An example of the word being used by the wrong person in the wrong situation? PewDiePie (yep, him) casually spitting out the epithet as an insult during a gaming session.
During a live stream of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, PewDiePie -- real name Felix Kjellberg -- ejaculated "what a f***ing n***er!" when one of his teammates was killed in the game. The incident has been somewhat polarizing on social media, and it's not the first time the most popular YouTuber in the world has caused controversy with a racially charged statement.
PewDiePie was dropped by Disney earlier in the year following videos in which he made numerous Nazi references and included anti-Semitic content. It's not clear if the latest incident will have such a profound impact on the highest-paid YouTube star, but it's certainly causing a lot of debate.
The (sweary) clip has been shared all over social media:
PewDiePie, the biggest YouTuber, on his livestream: 'What a fucking n-word'. pic.twitter.com/mISevBEn4T
— THE POP HUB ? (@ThePopHub) September 10, 2017
Kjellberg laughs immediately after using the word, and another clip captures him saying: "sometimes I forget that I'm live-streaming" -- followed by more laughter. A fellow gamer suggests that he "has a strange filter," and blames his use of the N word on the fact that he is Swedish. Kjellberg is quick to agree, saying: "let's blame it on that".
Sean Vanaman from Firewatch developer Campo Santo is just one of many who is not happy -- despite the fact PewDiePie brings in money for his company:
We're filing a DMCA takedown of PewDiePie's Firewatch content and any future Campo Santo games.
— Sean Vanaman (@vanaman) September 10, 2017
It probably won't be long before there's an apologetic PewDiePie video in which he expresses regret for offense that may have been caused -- that's what the threat of losing an income stream can do.