CAITLIN VICTORIA

Usually, I’d start this post with I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to witness such an unpleasant scene. What you came across in your video is something I wish nobody would have to come across in their lives. But because of the video you so selfishly published to the internet, I believe I speak on behalf of everyone when I ask what’s wrong with you. To see such a scene for yourself is one thing and I hate that you and your friends witnessed that, but to then film and exploit this poor man, who in life was most likely dealing with so much, is disgusting, to say the least. To further publish this video onto the internet, forcing your fifteen million subscribers to have to also see this poor man hanging is absolutely unacceptable. You of all people should understand that your demographic consists of mostly children, children of such an age that I doubt they’d know how to respond to what they’re seeing. Children that look up to you. Children that now, after seeing what you posted, are either traumatised and unsettled, or think it is okay to respond to such a situation with laughter. Trust me, Logan, I too use humour as a coping mechanism a lot of the time because it’s hard sometimes to respond, but I can assure you that myself and anyone else with the same coping mechanism would have not responded to this as you did. Laughing at and exploiting a dead body for views is completely beyond me and I cannot seem to comprehend what was going through your head. Laughing and making jokes about such a situation, even if your intention was to promote awareness of mental health issues, is not okay in any situation and if anything, completely removes your intention from the video. I believe there is no justification for what you’ve done, and your sad excuse of an apology should not be accepted. 

Now, to the people I will actually apologise to - the children watching, the parents of these children, the people who watched the video and felt uncomfortable, and those with mental illnesses or thoughts of suicide - I’m so so very sorry. I hate that I, and many others, have to apologise to you properly on Logan’s behalf, but clearly, he is incapable of compassion or understanding. I hope you understand that if the video made you uncomfortable, there are many helplines to call. You are not alone, please don’t feel that way. If you find your child has watched the video, please comfort them and make sure you monitor what they’re watching, as people like these are all over the internet and may manipulate your child, which is horrible but more common than you think. To the children watching, I’m sorry. I believe this is an extremely scarring thing for a child so young to watch, but I hope you forget the explicit image soon and never have a negative or suicidal thought in your life. 

To anyone saying people have been overreacting, you’re wrong. If anything, I am extremely grateful for people to be reacting in such a way. I am so glad people understand why this situation is wrong and harmful to so many, and why it is completely unacceptable for anyone, especially someone with so much influence to do.

And finally, Logan Paul, I hope you understand why you’re getting this criticism and why I, and many more, hope your career no longer progresses after how insensitive you were toward such a topic. I pray you make a better, more adequate apology and truly show you understand where you went wrong. Please never again react to a situation so fragile in the way you did. Don’t laugh, make jokes, jump around and act extremely bubbly and hyper whilst talking about a man who has commit suicide. To many people this is a serious subject, and you treated it like a joke. Please never again respond in such a way, and especially don’t exploit a dead body onto the internet for millions to see ever again.

Today, my 6 year old sister sat at the dinner table and burst into tears because at school she was told she was ugly. More specifically, she was told she was ugly because of her freckles. Gorgeous, sun kissed splotches of individuality spread equally across my beautiful sisters face was something she will now look at with different judgement. For the first time ever, I saw insecurity in its purest, most vulnerable form. To target a girl so young, so naive, so quick to take what she hears as facts rather than opinion and tell her the most unique part of her was the same part that made her unsightly was astonishing. It broke me to see her teary eyes look up in my direction and ask politely with her crushed voice if I found her appearance undesirable. I told her as gently as I could that she was possibly the most beautiful little girl I had ever seen. Most importantly, I told her that her freckles were the most rare and precious things I had ever laid my eyes on, and promised her that one day the people telling her that her freckles made her ugly would be the same people drawing them on out of longing for freckles of their own. She looked up at me, bright-eyed, and through the tears managed to show me a wide smile.