Surfing around, I came across this YouTube “vlogger” called Daxflame, and I am dying to know: what is wrong with this guy, or is he just a really good actor?
Apparently, he’s the #32 on YouTube’s all-time most subscribed list. He’s 16 and seems to have no social awareness whatsoever. I’m wondering if he has Asperger’s perhaps? On the blogosphere, there is some talk that he is just a really good actor… but after watching him, I just can’t believe that a 15/16 year old could be THAT good of an actor.
He’s actually a little bit scary. He pulls “pranks” on people that are actually really cruel, and he seems to have no concept of how his actions affect other people. He also seems to have a violent temper and a hard time dealing with anger. He seems like someone who might “snap” and become violent.
On the other hand, he’s actually really entertaining, which is why he’s so popular on YouTube. I spent over an hour last night watching dozens of his bizarre videos. Here is just a selection that illustrates his weirdness; some are long, but worth it…
I pranked my mom and it was really funny - A cruel prank involving pepper spray and no remorse New (Girl)Friend!! - He steals a bunch of stuff out of a girl’s purse to make her “sad” so he has an “in” to ask her out. A pretty scary scenario, actually. I got into a fight at PE - He picks a fight in PE but seems to have no concept that he was the one at fault. A NEW GIRLFRIEND - All about his new “girlfriend” Annie. Embarrassing bus Ride. Bad day. - More bizarre behavior. Idiot at The Mall - A tale of him trying to bargain with a sales clerk over a $300 pen he wants to buy for $20. I accidentley stole a Ipod - “Accidentally” meaning “on purpose” - he seems to have no concept that stealing is wrong. I’m not a bad person - A follow-up where he defends stealing the ipod, makes strange excuses for himself, talks about violent thoughts. I refuse to eat at Chic-Fil-A - This is pretty hilarious… a rant about a Chic-Fil-A advertisement using a dressed-up cow. Haircut/How hard is it to get an order right? - His angry reaction to neighbor making him a cheeseburger instead of a plain hamburger at a neighborhood barbecue, ending up with him throwing the cheeseburger at the neighbor.
I don’t think it’s an act, but more of a young kid with some sort of high-functioning mental issues–I don’t know enough about Aspergers’ to call it that, but that’s along the lines I’m thinking.
He’s just. . . too choppy in his speech but seems to get a story straight (if at least in his mind). And his wardrobe is at least proper, if somewhat too large and/or slightly mismatched.
Tripler
But yeah, I lasted about twenty seconds each in a handful of them.
It would be really interesting to hear the opinion of a professional. This kid seems to exhibit a lot of facial tics and such. Not to say it’s not a complete act.
I can’t watch for long enough to form an opinion.
I think it’s necessary to watch the entirety of at least several of the videos to make a reasonable judgment. Just 4 seconds is not enough. Please make an effort to watch the videos before replying, thanks. Like I said before, they are pretty entertaining, so it won’t be a complete waste of time.
I think he’s playing a role, but he’s not really acting in the way somebody reciting a script acts; that’s actually much harder to do than faking a few personal ticks and quirks and inventing some stories (mostly because in following a script, you have to replace each natural reaction with a learned one), and that discrepancy throws off the fake-detector, i.e. makes him seem a better actor than one would really have to be to pull this off.
Mostly, though, it’s just that I think stealing a girl’s stuff and then posting a video about that on YouTube isn’t really that great a plan.
Also, the clothes look randomly pulled out of his dad’s/older brother’s closet/salvation army bin.
I can’t give a definitive answer, but although the verbal and visual tics may in fact be part of his routine behavior, he does seem to be playing it up for the camera. As for his stories, I looked at two of the vids at random and in neither case was there the slightest evidence, other than his say-so, that he actually carried out any of the acts he claimed.
And that’s where I’ll leave it. I don’t find him entertaining in the slightest, and I really don’t care to give him even the minimal support of adding to his hit tally.
His real name is Madison Patrello (common knowledge, I’m not revealing anything here), and he’s pretty well known around certain boards. (Mostly the 4chan /b/tards and Something Awful goons, and of course YouTubers.) There was a big hubub for a while regarding his legitimacy and although it was never absolutely proven to the extent where Madison owned up, there was plenty of compelling evidence to assert his phoniness. Particularly this page, which also provides links to other “Dax is fake” exposé pages. It ends mostly with speculation, but it does reveal who he is through his sister Dylan at least – same house, and it’s reasoned that the dude must be acting and his family is probably encouraging it – or at least not paying much attention to it. (His sister must though.)
I’m guessing his parents were a bit off, given that they named one son a traditionally female name, and his sister a traditionally male one.
Mindfield, I had seen that video you linked to, but that doesn’t really prove anything except what his real name is, that he has a sister who is also a YouTuber, and that he played baseball when he was younger. How does any of that prove he is acting, and not really a genuine guy with Asperger’s syndrome?
Fred. There are very few of the “popular” youtube vloggers I find funny at all. Fred, Daxflame, LisaNova, Sxephil, and the rest of that crowd can go away any day now.
Until 15-20 years ago, Madison was not a traditional name for children of either gender, and when used was usually male; it then became popular after it was used as a joke in the movie “Splash!” So at the time it could be argued the name was not “Traditionally” female.
And of course, etymologically, it’s a male name.
As to the OP… geez, people are quick to diagnose Asperger’s for everything, huh? The kid looks to me like he’s acting, and that being the simplest and likeliest explanation, I’ll stick with it until proven otherwise.
First, I didn’t “diagnose” him… I was asking what was wrong with him, and guessed Asperger’s, but that was the whole point of the OP was to get people’s opinions. If he is for real, what is wrong with him?
Second, what makes you think he’s acting? I guess I could see how you might get that impression from watching short segments from a couple of the videos, but I watched at least 20 of them all the way through and I am having a hard time believing that this kid, who is clearly a young teen (just look at his first videos, he appears 13-14) came up with all that material himself and acted it all so well.
The naysayer’s quick reactions seem to me to be rationalized by the fact that he’s just so weird, it has to be fake, right? But not necessarily… So the question remains, if he is for real, what is his ailment? Asperger’s? Something else? Is it just me or does he seem a bit psychopathic?? And please, before you give an opinion, watch the videos all the way through (at least several of them)!
I think I’d be willing to defend bullying with regard to the first two. If I had to live in a house with either , I’d have to slap them at least once a day.