Twitch suspends Aussie prankster for 'self-harm' after he pretends to stick forks in toasters with silly FX and a Rickroll
The story of Boggles first came to my attention several weeks ago, after a tweet containing some clips of his material went semi-viral and Twitch slapped the young Australian with a 30-day ban. The videos are fake incidents of him pretending to stick forks in toasters then being electrocuted, the joke being he kept doing it to more and more toasters over time.
«We've reviewed your content (video) and we're concerned about you,» says Twitch's email to the streamer. «If you're currently struggling or feeling unsafe, please reach out for help, talk to someone you trust, contact your doctor or go to a local hospital.»
It goes on to say that Boggles' content has been removed because «suicidal or self-harm content is not allowed on Twitch.» The email directs the recipient to a mental health support page, says they've been banned for 30 days, and then says «know that you are valued as a part of the Twitch community. Please take care.»
Putting the question of Boggles to one side for a moment, wouldn't that strike you as a woefully inadequate response to someone who was truly trying to electrocute themselves over and over again for an audience? This is obviously not an easy question to navigate, but I wonder if just banning people who stream stuff suggesting suicide or self-harm and telling them they're valued is really the best response. The National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) has guidelines for healthcare professionals dealing with self-harm, for example, and the emphasis there is very much on getting family and medical professionals involved and engaging with the individual concerned.
As for Boggles' prank videos, I guess what bothers me here is that he got such an ill-fitting form email about «suicide and self-harm», rather than just a notice saying «we don't allow jokes about suicide.» The anti-Boggles argument is self evident: even if the videos are clearly fake, you don't want a video of some clown sticking a fork in a toaster out there, in case a
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