Donation sensation

A man in a hat is standing in a wood. "Every year," he says, "over 200,000 children are born without the ability to smile."

This is the opening of a video introducing Operation Smile. In it, the founders of the charity explain how they have spent 40 years treating children with cleft palatesA gap in the upper lip and or the roof of the mouth that is present from birth. Cleft palates occur when parts of a baby's face do not join together properly in the womb. .

Next we see two men travelling to Mexico and organising free operations for 100 such children. At the end, viewers are asked to donate to the charity.

The man in the hat is Jimmy Donaldson - better known as Mr Beast. The video is the latest on his Beast Philanthropy channel. It has had over 22 million views. 

Donaldson is the world's most successful YouTuber, known for his amazing stunt videos. His fortune is estimated at nearly £400m.¹

In 2020 he founded the Beast Philanthropy channel. Its projects have included providing 2,000 free prostheticAn artificial body part, such as a limb. limbs and 20,000 children's shoes.

But some have met with fierce criticism. One was the rebuilding of an orphanage in South Africa, which was rundown and facing closure. 

Though many people were delighted, a charity called Hope and Homes for Children was not. It believes the world should put an end to orphanages because they can be places of "'violence, abuse and neglect".

It says 80% of the 5.4 million children in orphanages actually have families who could care for them.²

The charity told Donaldson his project was a bad idea, but says it got no answer. It accused him of using the rebuilding as "a ploy for more views".

According to its spokeswoman, "Mr Beast is denying the so-called 'orphans' from Baphumele their right to grow up in a family."

Another project, to build 100 wells in Africa, was described as "stuntSomething unusual or daring done to attract attention. philanthropyGiving away (lots of) money to help people. ". One expert warned that such schemes might attract huge attention to begin with, but then be forgotten.

Is all philanthropy selfish?

Yes: People only do it so that they can feel better about themselves and enhance their reputations. Otherwise they would remain anonymous rather than fronting videos or having hospitals named after them.

No: In his essay The Gift, sociologistSomeone who studies human social behaviour. Modern sociology was developed by European thinkers in the 19th century, but it is also based on the writings of African American thinkers like W. E. B. DuBois. Marcel Maus argues that giving is the basis of all human society. Donaldson did not need Beast Philanthropy to win more followers - he already had a huge number.

Or... Whatever you think of philanthropists, the world would obviously be worse off without their donations. Criticising people for their generosity is as perverseBeing deliberately unreasonable, awkward or illogical. and mean-minded as you can get.