Have you ever experienced a YouTube rabbit hole?–An inescapable pit of video documents that you simply cannot peel your eyes from? Bald and Bankrupt is the all-encompassing, action-packed channel that represents the face of today’s guerrilla journalism, and the latest subject of my YouTube obsession.
Originally from England, Mr. Bald, AKA Benjamin Rich is the babushka bachelor and lead of the show. He and his handheld camera travel the third world, in search of what life is really like outside of our cozy homes. From getting arrested after breaking and entering a soviet spacecraft launch site to attending mass with cocaine farmers in Colombia, Mr. Bald has seen it all and takes us with him. Although only fluent in English and Russian, he is able to connect with the folk of countless seemingly undesirable places, gathering their thoughts on current issues, and simply enjoying their presence. Ben is no stranger to controversy, however. Last year, he was arrested in Russia, and charged with multiple offenses after slandering leader Vladimir Putin. After being permanently banned from the country where all of his adventures started, Benjamin continued to produce expertly crafted content, giving us views of parts of the world most of us have never seen.
His latest series takes us along the journey that many migrants have taken from Venezuela to America’s Southern border. The 4-episode vlogged tale shows everything in its true colors– from the 5-day trek through the jungle to the long ride atop a freight train. By seeing the true hardship that nearly every migrant has endured during their journey, viewers can understand and feel for these people. With the world in such a crazy state, take a second to check out the soft underbelly with Ben which is encapsulated in this flawless work of art and forever archived on the internet. Now is the best time to enter the rabbit hole of the Bald and Bankrupt channel.