The narrator, a photographer, shares a story about visiting the Whitaker family in West Virginia. He had previously taken their portraits in 2004 for a book, and they became one of his favorite subjects. The family's history is marked by deep inbreeding, with the parents being double first cousins, and the fathers on both sides being identical twins. This led to genetic issues, and the family's living conditions are extremely poor.
During his visit, the narrator filmed a video of the family, which he initially intended to share with friends. However, it ended up getting 33 million views on his channel. Despite YouTube initially demonetizing the video, the narrator eventually received money from it and decided to share it with the family. He also set up a GoFundMe page, which allowed him to give the family a significant amount of money.
The narrator reflects on the experience, expressing his fascination with the family's unique circumstances and his desire to help them financially.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator took photos of the Whitaker family in 2004.
2. The family was poor and lived in a filthy house.
3. The narrator had to explain to a neighbor why he was taking photos of the family.
4. The neighbor was initially angry but calmed down after the narrator explained the situation.
5. The narrator took photos of Kenneth, Lorraine, Barbara, and other family members.
6. One of the family members, Ray, was uncontrollable and had trouble posing for photos.
7. The narrator gave the family prints of the photos and paid them for their time.
8. The narrator visited the family again years later and shot a video, which ended up getting 33 million views on YouTube.
9. The family's parents were double first cousins, meaning they shared both sets of grandparents.
10. The family's parents were also the product of identical twins, making the family's genetic makeup even more complex.
11. The narrator created a GoFundMe page to raise money for the family after the video went viral.
12. The narrator has given the family a lot of money from the donations.