Minecraft content creator Dream posted a long message urging “love, forgiveness, growth, and acceptance” towards those who make mistakes, amid controversy surrounding friend Karl Jacobs.
Having seen his popularity explode over 2020, Dream has become one of the highest-profile figures on the Internet. With his popularity has come instances of controversy, and Dream has often had to face it head-on.
On April 29, Dream’s friend and fellow content creator Karl Jacobs was criticized for his controversial association with now banned Twitch streamer Ice Poseidon. Jacobs initially responded on his Twitch stream, but felt “it wasn’t the best format to respond in” and later clarified things further via Twitlonger.
The situation has prompted wider discussion around the manner in which those in the public eye are held accountable for their actions. Dream had earlier backed up Tyler ‘Trainwrecks’ Niknam’s call to “teach and correct mistakes” rather than “cancel and alienate.”
“How you respond and grow from mistakes you’ve made is what should define you, not your mistakes,” Dream said.
there’s three types of people on the internet
1. people who have done or said dumb stuff on the internet
2. people who haven’t used the internet long enough to
and 3. liars.
How you respond and grow from mistakes you’ve made is what should define you, not your mistakes.
— dream (@dreamwastaken) May 1, 2021
Three hours later, Dream posted a long message exploring this idea of accountability further, where he stressed the value of having a “willingness to learn” from past mistakes. He emphasized that the post wasn’t directly related to Jacobs’ situation.
“Mistakes that you make now are documented forever on the internet, and things that in the past before the internet would have been learning experiences can now very quickly spiral into something much bigger,” he said.
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“I think that this is a good thing in a lot of ways as the world will hopefully slowly become a much less bigoted and ignorant place, and people whose voices never would have been heard can scream louder than ever before and can’t be ignored.”
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random 5am rambling about something that’s on my mind https://t.co/aHHPMx7Slf
— dream (@dreamwastaken) May 1, 2021
However, he also urged critics not to take apologies at face value, explaining how incoherent apologies can often be the most sincere, and vice versa.
“Words can be helpful, words can be reassuring, words can be insightful, and words can be necessary, but at the end of the day, remember that not everyone is as good with words as others,” he explained.
“Don’t be manipulated by a forked tongue, but also don’t confuse a normal one for a forked one because of a stutter.”
“Spread love and positivity, hold those accountable that need to be held accountable, educate those that are ignorant, don’t be a bystander to bigotry or hatred, and don’t let anyone tell you that your personal feelings aren’t valid because they are.
“However, love, forgiveness, growth, and acceptance are some of the most underappreciated things we have.”
While Dream stresses his words are not directly related to Jacobs’ situation, they certainly have resonance in the wake of this controversy.