‘Mind of Jake Paul’ rises above concerns

By Liliana Lopez | Staff Writer |

YouTuber Shane Dawson is doing a series on fellow YouTuber/Vine star Jake Paul.  He researches Jake Paul and his family, speaks with a psychologist about sociopaths and whether or not Jake could be one, and gets to know Jake. At first, some of Dawson’s fans were hesitant to support the series, mostly due to the focus  on such a controversial person, but Dawson is handling the topic extremely well, and getting all the information necessary to give a real look into Jake Paul’s life.

 

Dawson has worked with Andrew Siwicki on this and similar documentary-type series in the past, and his decision to make a series about Jake Paul received mixed reaction, some fans said they would not watch the series because they didn’t want Dawson to give Jake a platform or make him look good, but others knew that Dawson would be fair and be the best person to handle the topic.  

Dawson hasn’t simply given Jake a platform like some had believed he might end up doing; instead he’s taken a real look into Jake’s life to find reasons, rather than excuses, for Jake’s behavior. He has gotten confirmation from a former member of Jake’s “Team 10,” Nick Crompton, that the more crazy pranks were staged and other former members of the “team” were lying about being bullied by Jake in the house.  He’s also spoken to a therapist to get a professional opinion on the subject so that there is a basis of what he might look for. Dawson also looked into Jake’s family, having spoken with Jake’s brother Logan, who admitted to having some “sociopathic tendencies” but denied that either himself or Jake are sociopaths. In part 5, Dawson met Jake and spent some time in the Team 10 house and got to know Jake more.

The parts of the series that are out can be found on Dawson’s YouTube channel.  The parts range from 40 to 50 minutes long at this point. The series has been brilliantly crafted, giving viewers a look into the life of one of the most controversial personalities on YouTube.  Shane has been more than successful with the series so far, providing interesting content in each part of the series that has viewers eagerly awaiting the next part.

The series is, so far, intriguing and well put together.  Dawson and Siwicki have done an amazing job with the series and it’s more than worth time spent watching it.