Videos

Evan Reynolds

1/11/18

Video #1: “Mitchell Robbins Microwaves Soup” by Gus Johnson


Gus Johnson is an up-and-coming YouTuber known for his erratic, absurdist comedy sketches. Generally between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, his videos implement abnormal experiences and ideas into commentary on everyday life. His latest video, “Mitchell Robbins Microwaves Soup”, is emblematic of this, using an ordinary man’s struggle to turn on a microwave to highlight how people tend to overreact at the smallest things.


Johnson plays Mitchell Robbins, an insecure 23-year-old afraid to microwave his can of soup. Mitchell’s slow descent into insanity is chronicled by his brother Mike, who records his meltdowns at various points throughout. Mike is likened unto the audience, trying and failing to explain why his brother is behaving so erratically.


Though Johnson’s biggest strength comes from his ability to incorporate numerous sight gags, it’s the extent to which he portrays Mitchell as maniacal that truly grabs the viewer’s attention. Towards the end of the video, he and the cameraman candidly break the fourth wall, pondering if they should even upload it; the silliness of Mitchell’s fear of the microwave encapsulates the silliness that can be seen in our everyday meltdowns.

Video #2: “VAPE NATION” by h3h3productions

Ethan and Hila Klein, better known by their YouTube persona “h3h3productions”, are a husband-wife duo that produce comedic sketch and reaction videos. H3h3 generally offers some kind of insight into Internet culture as a whole, using their off-brand sense of humor to distinguish between the normal and the abnormal.

That’s why this video is so puzzling. On the surface, it’s merely an exercise in stupidity, as Ethan parades around New York City in a ridiculous marijuana-inspired outfit while attempting to look cool vaping. Ethan at one point goes into a vape shop and purchases $300 worth, only to choke on it once he returns to the outside world.

When one dives deeper, however, it becomes clear that the Kleins are parodying the pro-weed culture that has emerged online and in society today. Neither of them are necessarily against smoking (that much is clear) but they do seem to find humor in the lengths to which some people go in order to demonstrate how “cool” they look doing it. The video is not an exercise in stupidity but rather in satire.


Video #3: “We found a dead body in the Japanese suicide forest” by Logan Paul

Don’t watch this video.

That’s something the uploader should have made clear from the outset. Especially if you are triggered by images of suicide or death. Do not expose yourself to what happens in this video. Read these paragraphs, understand the extent of how wrong the entire premise of this was, and then don’t search for it. For your own good. Please.

Logan Paul and his friends, having already wreaked havoc in Tokyo and around Japan, pay a visit to the “haunted” Japanese suicide forest (famous, as you can imagine, for the notorious rates of suicide that occur there). I don’t know what they expected to find, going off of the trails and whatnot, but the pack eventually stumbles upon a real-life human body that has killed themselves.

Instantly, all protocol is broken. Anyone with half a brain or a quarter of a conscience could have said to turn off the cameras and go home. Call the police. Let the dead remain dead, and don’t exploit them to turn a profit or gain further attention. Instead, Logan Paul’s choice to film the dead body, upload it, and occasionally crack jokes at the expense of the deceased is morally unacceptable. At every step of the way, Logan had an opportunity to turn off the camera, to choose not to upload it. But it happened.

It clearly hasn’t had a negative impact on Mr. Paul himself, however. He’s gained over 300,000 subscribers since the video was uploaded two weeks ago.

not cool, good sir (attribution: Wikimedia Commons)