It’s almost sad when someone is so ill-prepared for adulthood because they’ve been catered to their whole lives. I say almost because, as we have learned, the ONLY people in America that are forced to be held accountable for their actions are drug addicts and criminals.
A good example would be when you are standing at a checkout line and the person in front of you is being completely disrespectful to the store employee when it isn’t needed. Is the customer being a waste of space? Most likely. But after their rude diatribe what happens to them? They get an apology which is not deserved in most cases and that customer is allowed to continue their day, totally oblivious as to how they may have wrecked the day for a complete stranger. Without this accountability, the customer and their attitude have been reinforced due to the non-action of anyone; and they know they can keep doing it.
Written By: Anton Sawyer
In an attempt to maintain complete transparency, all research and statistical fact-checking for this article, and all articles, can be found at our site's bibliography linked here.
To support the webzine, buy me a coffee!
Follow on Twitter
This is the same mentality and issues that have plagued the lives of both Bam Margera and Jake Paul. They have not only been allowed to do whatever they want but have also been congratulated for their efforts with millions of fans and multi-million dollar avenues of income. Yet, because they are not politicians, eventually, the piper will be paid.
So keeping this in mind, I’m going to describe someone. I want you to pay attention and figure out who it is. This person is a male. They got fame at an earlier age due to the number of tricks/stunts they would perform on video. The videos they were featured in gained success to the point of pop-culture references. This person has parents, but these parents not only condone the actions of their child but also are an active part of their child’s career. This person was also involved in a wedding that garnered national attention. Their fame and fortune are all built off the backs of doing things that would get anyone who is part of a civilized society tossed into the hoosegow. If you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s both Margera and Paul.
In the late 90s/early 2000s, Margera was everywhere. From “Jackass,” to “Viva La Bam,” and “Bam’s Unholy Union,” it was near impossible to escape his reach. If you went to Hot Topic or Spencer’s, there was a ton of Bam Margera merch. He was making millions of dollars and was on top of the world. Much like Paul, Margera’s schtick was destruction. Margera destroyed his own house on TV and then re-built it as a castle. His lawn, house, everything within a certain radius around the young man was sure to be “fixed” in his special way. Though he started getting a lot of local police complaints about the destruction, and massive parties that would go deep into the late night. Of course, the cops would show up, but since a lot of them were fans, Margera would get a stern talking to, but that was about it. He was not required to hold on to any accountability for his actions. Of course, what comes up must come down. When it happened to Margera, he was not even remotely ready for it. From losing his TV shows to the death of his best friend Ryan Dunn happening fairly close to each other, he went off the deep end. Drugs, alcohol, women, whatever he could use to disconnect and numb himself. Over the last decade or so, we have seen what happens to those with all the resources, but no responsibility. Multiple drug arrests, multiple rehab stays, and of course, the famous Dr. Phil episode where he begged and begged for help, but then let go of the hand trying to pull him out of the wake.
Since the beginning of filming for “Jackass 4,” his downward trajectory has been swift and deep. Because of his substance abuse issues, he was required to undergo random (almost daily) drug tests. Of course, he stopped after a brief time and was subsequently let go from production. The months after he was let go, he made the situation that much worse by releasing TikTok videos for his fans, allowing everyone to see him crash and burn in real-time. If you haven’t seen them, you should. It’s depressing. In one TikTok, he’s begging his fans to Venmo him a dollar, JUST a dollar and if everyone did that, then Margera would make a movie of his own that would be “way better” than what they are doing. Of course, a lot of this begging is accompanied by someone clearly drunk, and you even get to see him throw up once or twice. To be honest, as sad as it is to say, I could see him dying within five or six years.
Though I have espoused the similarities between the two men, there is one huge difference that makes the future of Paul just that much more terrifying. Margera’s vice was drugs, Paul’s is sex. And if any of the recent allegations against Paul are found true, then his future life is going to be one of misery (for ANYONE that comes into contact).
If you haven’t heard, Jake Paul was recently accused of sexual assault against TikToker Justine Paradise. Paradise shared her story in a YouTube video posted on April 9 2021, accusing Paul of forcing her to perform oral sex on July 20, 2019. She says she was not a fan of his but met Paul through a mutual friend who was hanging out at the Team 10 house. She adds that “as soon as you go in,” your photo is taken and you must sign an NDA, which is why she believed she wasn’t allowed to talk about the alleged assault. She continues, “I was in the studio—some people were recording down there—and Jake pulled me into this little corner area in the studio and started kissing me,” she says. “I was fine with that. I did think he was cute.” Paradise alleges that Paul led her to “his bed,” where she says the assault took place. “Yes, it’s that he didn’t ask,” she continues. “I am upset about that, but even more so, I know he knows that I didn’t want to do anything sexual with him because he said, out loud ‘If nothing’s going to happen, what’s the point?’” It was after this exchange that she claims he forced himself into her mouth and perform oral sex on him. As much as I believe in the concept of “innocent until proven guilty,” there have been enough instances of events like this one that doesn’t look good for Paul. One of the videos that got huge traction was when Paul and his father Greg tricked a young girl into kissing the elder Paul without her consent. Yes, she did give consent initially in the video but retracted it once it was found that Greg did the kissing. Sure, some people will say “come on, it’s just a kiss.” To some it would be, but not to the victim. The part about all of this that’s concerns me the most is the fact that both Paul’s would be complicit in this. If your father is doing things of a romantic nature that is birthed out of deceit, and neither one of you get into any serious trouble, that sends a message of complicity.
So far Paul has denied any of the allegations. It’s still early on in the investigation but seeing how this plays out is going to give us a good idea of what the future holds for Jake—but I don’t think it’s going to change anything. Looking at Margera and his serious addictions, he still has not been forced to stop, and he’s quite literally losing what is left of his career before our very eyes. The Paul assault is one that is at the precipice. Paul is still young enough to where maybe this event will open his eyes and direct him to get help. Sadly though, if history has anything to say about it, I don’t see him changing until he’s in prison. When you are given whatever you want, for however long you want it, and no one is willing to tell you "no," it warps what it means to be an empathetic human. If Paul is found guilty and just receives a slap on the wrist, then I guarantee he will have other victims in the future. I did want to leave off on kind of a high note. Maybe Paul won’t have his career destroyed by this event. Maybe he will continue to live a life with no accountability. If you think about it, the last person who was this coddled and had no repercussions for his actions ended up becoming the 45th President Of The United States.
To support the webzine, buy me a coffee!
Follow on Twitter
Comments