Debating Carry Minati

YouTube star Carry Minati's original roast video of TikTok stars may have been bad enough, but his second apology video is being considered tone deaf as well

Two weeks ago, Ajey Nagar, better known by his YouTube personality CarryMinati, made a video titled YouTube vs TikTok: The End. Very soon, like all his videos, it became viral. He has almost 20 million followers, after all. And yet, this video ended up being a bit more of a standout.

It all started when TikTok user Amir Siddiqui, who has around four million followers, posted a video calling out YouTubers, saying that TikTok videos were better in quality, and that most YouTubers were only plagiarising. He also targeted makers of "roast" videos, asking them to respond to him. Siddiqui's account has been banned since then for violating community guidelines. Carry, known for his roasts, responded with a video that ended up being a toxic rant.

Sejal Kumar

He dissected Siddiqui's video line-by-line, and attacked him with homophobic slurs such as "fairy" and "meetha". After a lot of dissent, which included tweets that Google CEO Sundar Pichai was tagged in, YouTube took down the video. Pichai had last year reportedly sent a mail to their LGBTQIA+ employees saying that YouTube was taking a "hard look" at its policies to make the platform safer and more inclusive. Carry came back with an "apology" video, but said he didn't even understand why his video was taken down. He meant no harm, he said, not mentioning the objection by the LGBTQIA+ community. When we tried to reach out to him, we were told he was not up for an interview right now. In 2018, during an interview with this writer, Carry had said that young people connected with him as, "They look up to me because I create content they can relate to, and then when they ask me questions, I can give an answer, because I myself am going through it. But, when someone says, they are thinking of suicide, I recommend they get professional help, because I can't help with that."

Having started on YouTube in 2010, Carry has become the roast king, taking on popular social media stars like Mr Faisu, Bhuvam Bam and Ashish Chanchlani.

Yet, when his video was taken down, it was these people who stood up in support of him, along with fans who started the hashtag #justiceforcarry. Bam even said "We love you".

Be YouNick

Most YouTube stars believed that roasting should be seen as a joke. Social media star, Be YouNick, who has around 3.8 million subscribers feels the original video just spiralled out of control after a lot of chatter. "Ajey has been doing his version of comedy since the inception of his channel. He is quite easily one of the most popular roast comedians in India and not just on YouTube, and that's exactly what he did. A roast is often about grilling people in a mighty offensive manner. Like all things comedy, it's hilarious when it happens to someone else, but not as much as when it happens to you. You'd find Charlie Chaplin falling from a cliff funny, but you wouldn't be laughing if it happens to you or your loved ones. A roast is just like that. When you watch a roast, you need to remember that it's done not to harm, but to have a laugh at someone else's expense. But, everyone should recognise their limits and boundaries." Like him, YouTuber Madan Gowri, who has 3.46 million followers, felt that the audience's sensibilities dictate if a roast needs to be stopped or not. "If you like it, support it, or else don't."

And Carry's videos have been getting enough support. In 2019, he made it to Time magazine report, that was headlined, "How a Viral YouTube Star Is Embracing His Indian Roots". Yet, do social media stars, even those who roast, need to be politically correct and socially responsible?

Gaurav Taneja, aka Flying Beast

Fitness influencer Gaurav Taneja, aka Flying Beast, made an astute observation when he said that the "roast" per say is not apt for Indian culture. The definition of a roast could be seen as a "form of humour in which a specific individual, a guest of honour, is subjected to jokes at their expense." As he says, "People in India get offended easily. We have to change that mentality, or that kind of content won't run. Also, a roast is a roast if the person you are roasting deserves a roast." It's Sejal Kumar, with 1.2 million subscribers, who adds to this by saying that even though roasts are entertaining, a line has to be drawn. "We are all creators and we need to respect each other. For me, I can't make such videos, as I don't believe in bringing anyone down for the sake of views."

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