Sterzel received some hate mail from viewers on the internet. He feels “harassed”. This is not news. The internet is a nasty place. When you have over 100 million views, this is to be expected. What people may not have expected was his reaction to this harassment (which he claims was done by Chinese males). He used his platform as a YouTube influencer to promote a likewise hate-filled discussion deliberating the question: “Are Chinese Men Cowards?” He concludes: “I don’t think they are but they keep doing cowardly things”. He goes on to make an argument connecting this to some Chinese mindset of not being able to take criticism, being too sensitive, etc.

“Are Chinese Men Cowards? I don’t think they are but they keep doing cowardly things” Sterzel’s response to receiving hate mail from viewers (2019)

To prove how nasty the internet is, we need to look no further than the very comments under Sterzel’s own videos (some of which he has “endorsed” directly)

Sterzel’s videos and their sensationalist titles incite some nasty people. This is plainly evident in the highly upvoted comments underneath many of his videos. These comments are extremely offensive, glorify such acts as the “extermination” of Chinese people, attack groups based on national origin, etc. Some are ranked at the top of the video, and Sterzel lets them stay. The nastiness of the internet matters only when it offends HIM, but he turns a blind eye when his own content incites extreme hatred. This is just a tiny subset of some of the comments under some recent videos of his. These comments are not the exception but the norm, comments like this constitute the vast majority of those under this videos. It really sheds light on the kind of viewership his videos attract.

Wishing that the Chinese “all burn in hell”

The Chinese are “savages”

Advocating for the ban of Chinese immigrants, a la “Chinese Exclusion Act 2.0”

“The Chinese have no soul”

Chinese people are liars

Chinese culture is disgusting

The Chinese diaspora are “sickos”

The Chinese are “dirty buggers”

Chinese tourists are “disgusting”

Sterzel seems to fail to understand that there is a fundamental imbalance between his position (as a YouTube influencer who has over 100 million views), and the position of some random, anonymous trolls. The expectations and responsibilities society has for either are not the same. A random, anonymous internet commentator using his platform of 1 to promote hate is fundamentally different than Sterzel using his platform of 100 million views to promote hate. Is there a double standard? Maybe, but that’s because we hold our politicians, celebrities, and YouTubers to a higher standard.