Jimmy Donaldson, aka Mr Beast, may have just discovered that no good deed goes unrecognised.

The newly-minted American YouTuber, who is renowned for his outrageous giveaways and daring antics, has received criticism for his most recent video in which he gives shoes to 20,000 kids in South Africa.

The YouTuber stated in the video that for hundreds of thousands of children in South Africa, the only obstacle to receiving an education is a straightforward pair of shoes. He stated that in order for the kids to get to school, they had to travel miles in their bare feet across unforgiving terrain, shattered glass, and tainted water.

The social media celebrity and his colleagues travelled to Johannesburg to meet with Barefoot No More to lend a hand. The nonprofit company manufactures footwear using cutting-edge materials to improve comfort and durability. The influencer then took a flight to Cape Town with 20,000 pairs of sneakers and distributed them to the pupils who needed assistance the most.

This is not Donaldson’s first charitable project. In order to make use of the power of his social media platform for good, he actually established Beast Philanthropy in October 2020. To address significant and minor social challenges, it now collaborates with numerous NGOs. In the past, the YouTuber “helped 1,000 people see for the first time” by, for example, funding cataract surgery.

Yet, not everybody agrees. Several Twitter users claim that Donaldson is acting in this way primarily to get views and influence. Some counter that it’s not really charity because he makes money off the video. Others fault his “poorly performed generosity” and his inability to understand the big picture. This kind of Band-Aid approach is frequently criticized because severe structural problems (including poverty, disease, and hunger) will never be resolved by simple deeds of compassion. As such, the system needs more substantial modifications. Yet giving is still giving.

According to reports, Mr Beast has always funded his altruism through paid relationships. The YouTuber reportedly obtained his first $10,000 sponsorship agreement in June 2017 and donated the entire sum, according to Beast Philanthropy. Sharing a video of a good deed appears to have started a loop where money is raised for another good deed. With an “unlimited money bug,” according to one Twitter user, “philanthropy pays for additional philanthropy,”
There is little doubt that the millionaire is drawing attention to important concerns. As of this writing, his most recent video has 1.2 million views, and #MrBeast is a hot topic on Twitter.