This year, I will follow the clichéd term, “New year, new me.” That includes writing about certain controversial topics for this column.

Just kidding. Anyway, internet celebrity Logan Paul did something lurid.

On December 31, 2017, Paul posted a video of his recent trip to Japan. This included a portion where he visited Aokigahara. In the northwest of Japan, this fourteen square mile forest gained the title of Japan’s “suicide forest;” the world has unfortunately deemed it the second most popular place to commit suicide. In his video, Paul enters a restricted area of the forest that visitors cannot enter. He finds and “reacts” to finding a suicide victim. He blurs out the face of the man, but Paul left the rest of the man’s body visible. The reactions from him and his friends include moving closer to the body to film it and get a good shot for the video’s thumbnail, as well as the group joking around, saying things like, “Hey bro, you ok?”

Many have called for YouTube to take down his channel, while some of his fans defend his actions, saying that they will stand by him no matter what he does. YouTube has taken down the video, as well as cut its ties with Paul. He made an apology via Twitter and another on YouTube. His latest post from Twitter says it all in its haiku-like format: “taking time to reflect/no vlog for now/see you soon [sic].” Reflecting? Sure you are, bud.

So, to what degree does he wish to repent?

Doctor of Linguistics Kim Belvin responded to my questions about the sincerity of Paul’s apologies. She examined both, and she noted that she “found them to be very different.” His Twitter apology introduction of “Dear Internet” sends an impersonal vibe, as he never refers to anyone other than him. He does not address fans or anyone affected at any point, and the majority of the note focuses on defending himself.

The YouTube apology addresses viewers, and he focuses on how his actions have affected viewers. He admits that he should not have posted the video. His expression shows that the experience has deeply affected him.

Vice President and Medical Director of Child Guidance and Family Solutions Steve Jewell finds his apologies admirable in that he admitted his mistakes, but stated that only Paul knows the sincerity of the repentance. He also mentioned that seeing a suicide victim like that could cause flashbacks or fantasies of someone who has considered suicide and may even coerce someone in the hopes that he or she will garner fame from his or her death.

Ok, enough with the experts. My turn!

Honestly, I feel that Paul’s Twitter apology constitutes a slap in the face, mainly because it ends with a peace sign emoji and #Logang4life.  He comes off as sincere in the video apology, but the more I have watched it, the more I think that Paul does not wish to atone for his misdeeds. My gut screams that he does not truly care. I do not see Logan Paul as a good person. I have evidence supporting this in his other videos.

I am shocked by Paul’s self-stated “severe and continuous lapse in judgment.” If he “intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention,” as his Twitter apology states, but how did he not think his actions would hurt more people than it would help? He could have posted numbers for suicide hotlines (National Suicide Prevention Line is 1-800-273-8255). He could have encouraged people to seek help. This sensitive topic does not allow for any jokes. This means, dear Logan, that you do not post videos where you joke around with someone’s body. You do not call the video a moment in YouTube history, because even if it is, it represents a dark time in YouTube’s narrative.

Granted, he did post a video on January 24 entitled “Suicide: Be Here Tomorrow,” in which he addresses the severity of suicide and even mentions five steps to help someone who feels suicidal. Considering that he posted this three weeks after the initial incident, I feel that his response comes a bit too late. I do appreciate that he worked to interview experts and that he finally put some resources in his video’s description; however, he could have posted something much sooner. He could have not posted the original video at all.

His apology comes too late for me. A simple video saying that no one should feel alone or even a tweet with the National Suicide Prevention Line’s number would have benefited his apology. He cannot make up for what he did. He can try to control the damage all he wants, but he cannot fix this with a simple “I’m sorry” and a video three weeks after his wrongdoing. The world has enough to handle without worrying about a YouTuber scarring children by showing them a corpse, and it certainly does not need that YouTuber to come crawling back with a weak, late apology.

The facts of this topic are up to date as of January 24, 2018.