M'sia influencers eat KFC chicken, offer bones to homeless man as a 'kind deed'

Three Malaysian influencers are being investigated by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for a degrading video of them offering food scraps to a homeless person.

The act, done under the pretext of "doing a good deed", gained significant attention on the internet and generated widespread backlash over its dehumanising nature.

The minute-long video went viral on the internet after it was first uploaded to Douyin on Aug. 3 by one of the three youths, who goes by the handle @aluk_777.

It has since been removed from his social media accounts, but recordings of it were re-uploaded on the internet by other users.

"A kind deed"

"Today, we are going to do a kind deed," the video began with the account's owner saying in Mandarin.

The trio proceeded to eat a few pieces of fried chicken from a box of KFC, where the video was supposedly filmed, before declaring that it is "a waste to throw the bones away".

They then packed the bones along with a serving of rice into a wrapper, stating that they were going to "donate it to someone who needs it".

In the next clip, the trio can be seen approaching a homeless man lying on the ground and offering him the pack of scraps.

The man looked visibly confused as he opened the pack to find the bones, and could be seen putting it away instead of consuming it.

The cameraman, presumably the account user, then gave the man a thumbs up while the trio walked away as the video ended.

'Staged' act

Netizens did not take kindly to the video when it was uploaded.

"Before becoming an influencer, learn how to be human," one commented on Douyin, The Straits Times quoted.

Following widespread criticism, the account's user posted a separate video on his Instagram page on Aug. 4, clarifying that the act was staged.

"It's a collusion," he said, adding that the man had agreed to appear in their video beforehand.

"We didn't give chicken bones to the homeless," he also clarified, showing a clip of the trio giving the man a complete meal of rice and chicken.

"Please give us a better chance to give back to society...I'm really sorry," he ended the video saying.

Another apology video was uploaded to his account later in the same day, this time including the other two boys.

However, the trio's attempts to explain themselves were not well-received by commenters, many who questioned why they thought the video was a good idea in the first place.

"The point is not whether u gave him whole chicken or not. It’s that you thought of the content idea to give chicken bones to homeless people," one said. 

Another wrote, "You don't even realise where the real problem is."

Under probe

The controversy eventually caught the attention of the MCMC, who on Aug. 5 announced that they had initiated an investigation "based on public complaints".

"The MCMC views seriously the act of producing and spreading content that exploits marginalized groups solely for cheap entertainment, generating viewing, and causing public anxiety," the government organisation said in a statement. 

Calling the video "unethical" and "inhumane", they added that the trio may be committing an offence under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (AKM) 1998, for the improper use of network facilities or network service to create offensive content.

If found guilty, they could be fined up to RM500,000 (S$151,622), imprisoned for a maximum of two years, or both.

Top images via Reddit