I'm glad to have found a thread on Simon where I can air my issues and see that others feel similarly! I didn't think there'd be one actually.
So I'm conflicted because I like Simon overall and I feel like with some things, he genuinely means well and just wants to make friends with everybody when he travels, and I think that's so cool. But sometimes, his extroverted nature makes him do and say things that I feel like he doesn't think through at all, then it comes across really tone deaf and insulting to other cultures. And I feel the worst part is he never seems to reflect on it to notice it's a problem and address it.
I remember when he went to Rio and was speaking Spanish. Some people in the YT comments think he did it to be an ass, but I honestly don't think he would go out of his way to speak the wrong language. I don't know how he'd miss it but honestly it looked like he didn't know it was Portugues.
However, my main problem comes in with the stealing food and basically smooth-talking, lying and swindling to get free food. I would be embarrassed as hell to hang around a public spot or bathhouse for a few days like he does, but the lying about who he is and making up stories makes me cringe so hard and I feel guilty as if I'm the liar myself. I remember a video, not sure what city, where he "treated" a homeless man to a meal by sneaking him in and lying on both their behalf. And the poor man was confused. I feel like not only could Simon have gotten busted but caught that other man up in it and it was just freaking horrible. This situation to me has no excuse and is clearly in the category of morals vs no morals and I personally don't see how he can continue doing that in good conscience.
I know a lot of his other videos where he funds the trips and all are better and he goes to places off the beaten track which I enjoy seeing. They're not fake-like or rehearsed or over edited.
But the deceitfulness puts me way off.
I see his channel just continues to grow and I'm curious as to what will change about his persona as it does.