Anna Daniels
For many, the PewDiePie vs. T-Series debacle symbolized more than a petty internet squabble. It represented the battle between independent content creators and big corporations, and PewDiePie became the poster boy of the independent creator. As the two channels battled to reach 100 million subscribers first, fans rallied around their favorite channel, prompting people to subscribe and spread the word.
This subscriber war dominated YouTube throughout late 2018 and into early 2019, but finally came to a close after PewDiePie surrendered in the least graceful manner possible: by dropping a racist diss track. PewDiePie’s music video, titled “Congratulations,” is full of directly racist digs at Indian people. Tasteless lyrics like, “Did you know that Indians have poo-poo in their brains?” and “How ’bout next you figure how to fix the caste system,” cross the line from just targeting T-Series to attacking the entire ethnic group.
Considering the video alleges that T-Series is engaged in a slew of illegal activities, it is no wonder the company pushed back against it. Following the song’s release, T-Series filed a lawsuit with the Delhi High Court, which resulted in the video being blocked in India. According to the court, the decision was a result of the abundant racist and offensive themes throughout the song.
Adding to the racism, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed streamer managed to slip in a reference to causing a genocide, implying fans could call him Hitler as a result. He also mentions going “kamikaze” and refers to his fans as an “army.” The music video released only two weeks after the mass shooting in Christchurch that Felix was supposedly “sickened” by.
Written by: Looper
