A look at the darker side of MrBeast’s philanthropy and the wider philanthrocapitalist model it's a part of. Looking specifically at #teamseas and a partnership with Jennie-O, I attempt to untangle how corporations and conglomerates like Coca-Cola, chemical and oil companies, and big meat monopolies all have a vested interest in financing certain ‘philanthropic’ projects while side-lining others. This is a story that takes some surprising twists and turns, from whitewashing, greenwashing & ‘funwashing’ sponsorships, to illegal price-fixing, an endemic of farmer suicides, and leaked corporate emails to influence charities. Examining the roots and consequences of ‘philanthrocapitalism’ tells us a lot about how lobbying works under modern capitalism. This is a long video, but it’ll be worth it to tell this story properly.
Chapters:
00:00 - MrBeast
03:26 - Preface – American Mythology
07:52 - Chapter 1 – Jimmy the Capitalist
15:12 - Chapter 2 – The Birth of Philanthrocapitalism
27:58 - Chapter 3a – MrBeast’s Philanthropy – Big Meat Conglomerates
39:58 - Chapter 3b – MrBeast’s Philanthropy – #TeamSeas, Coca-cola, etc
52:48 - Chapter 3c – The Clinton Foundation
57:02 - Chapter 4 – Manufacturing Capitalist Mythology
01:09:25 - Chapter 5 – Capitalist Ideology
#mrbeast #teamseas #billgates #billclinton #cocacola
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Sources:
Andrew Carnegie, David Nasaw
Roland Barthes, Mythologies
Linsey McGoey, No Such Thing As A Free Gift
Michael Sandel, What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of the Market.
Heale, M. J. “The Role of the Frontier in Jacksonian Politics: David Crockett and the Myth of the Self-Made Man.” The Western Historical Quarterly
SHARON KETTERING, GIFT-GIVING AND PATRONAGE IN EARLY MODERN FRANCE
Stasja Koot & Robert Fletcher (2019): Popular Philanthrocapitalism? The Potential and Pitfalls of Online Empowerment in “Free” Nature 2.0 Initiatives, Environmental Communication
Anand Giridharadas, Winners Take All
David B. Sachsman and David W. Bulla, ed., Sensationalism: Murder, Mayhem, Mudslinging, Scandals, and Disasters in 19th-Century Reporting
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/may/24/the-trouble-with-charitable-billionaires-philanthrocapitalism
https://metro.co.uk/2022/02/10/dominos-spent-50m-on-ads-about-giving-100000-to-local-businesses-16087579/
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/business/walmart-accused-of-using-charity-to-sway-expansion-targets.html
https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-technology-lifestyle-business-greenville-6a9751477b7376afd3962371ff11213e
https://www.witn.com/2021/11/07/beast-philanthropy-holds-free-turkey-giveaway/
https://tcbmag.com/restaurants-sue-hormel-others-for-alleged-pork-price-fixing-scheme/
https://www.foodmanufacturing.com/supply-chain/news/21319375/sysco-sues-tyson-jbs-hormel-in-latest-pricefixing-development
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/01/incredibly-dangerous-job-concerns-safety-is-slipping-at-us-meat-plants
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2021/jul/14/food-monopoly-meals-profits-data-investigation
https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/coca-cola-criticized-plastic-pollution-pledges-25-reusable-packaging-2022-02-10/
https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/22949475/ocean-plastic-pollution-cleanup
Marianne Bertrand, Matilde Bombardini, Raymond Fisman, Brad Hackinen, Francesco Trebbi, Hall of Mirrors: Corporate Philanthropy and Strategic Advocacy, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 136
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/12/shipping-industry-climate-crisis-reckoning
Bishop, Matthew. “Philanthrocapitalism: Solving Public Problems through Private Means.” Social Research,
http://digitalexhibits.libraries.wsu.edu/exhibits/show/2016sphist417/anton-grose-supreme-court-juri/andrew-carnegie
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danpontefract/2016/09/24/faking-corporate-social-responsibility-does-not-fool-employees/?sh=77ec65ce7994
https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3075
Credits:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Pierre_Bourdieu_%281%29.jpg, Bernard Lambert, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Papua_New_Guinean.JPG, Jon Radoff
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Huli_wigman.jpg
Nomadtales
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/ABBE_PIERRE-1999Without.jpg
ABBE_PIERRE-24x30-1999.jpg: Studio Harcourtderivative work: Manu