Thoughts on climbing YouTubers/influencers who continue to collab with groomers or their enablers?
CW: discussion of grooming and SA allegations
I am just wondering where the community sits on this, as there is a lot of comment suppression that occurs by content creators that feature these individuals on their channels.
YouTubers these days seem to operate a revolving door of collaborations between channels to cross-pollinate views and create easy content for themselves. Beyond it feeling like a strange mirror of the extended Marvel universe, I’m worried it creates a vacuum of accountability.
This is not about cancellation in my eyes, but there is no acknowledgement from any of the above that they may have contributed to the harm of women and children in and outside the climbing industry.
For those that aren’t aware...
- Toby Segar: in 2017 Toby was presented with evidence of his friend and fellow Storror member Callum Powell’s collection of CSAM by Callum’s ex-girlfriend who was 17 at the time and Callum 27. They had been in a relationship since she was a minor, at least 15 and Callum 24. Toby dismissed this and called her a ‘vile bitch’. Callum’s activities remained suppressed until this year when he was convicted. Hannah Morris likely does not know, and continues to post content with Toby and Toby has produced content with most figures on ‘bouldering YouTube’ in the past. It appears he will be allowed to sidestep his mistakes without taking any accountability, and if one of the highest profile female-fronted climbing platforms on YouTube seems happy to turn a blind eye, I imagine most other channels will do the same.
- Alex Honnold: Has climbed routinely with Jared Leto and ignored all attempts by people to draw his attention to Leto’s abuses (and I think another climber who was accused multiple times).
- Alex Megos: The grooming evidence is well established and can be presented in undeniable terms through historic interviews from only Megos himself regarding his ‘father/brother’ like status, legal guardianship etc. This has not prevented Catalyst Climbing, Emil Abrahammson, Josh Rundle and more from doing videos with him, despite being aware of the allegations made against him.
- Emil Abrahammson, Josh Rundle, yada yada: There are multiple YouTubers who have shown themselves to turn a blind eye/not question politics where they stand to gain financially. Both have done videos with Megos and policed the comments, Emil also with Pewdiepie.
Why do YouTubers continue to platform these people? In any other industry this would not be overlooked to the same extent I don’t think? It feels in many ways they have shown a fundamental lack of regard to their duties of safeguarding.