YouTube (and Google) violating free speech? Part 2

By Aaron Mystery

There's the old idea that if you're not going to do something about it, don't complain; regardless of what "it" is. Okay, I'm game.

Before I get into a theoretical discussion of what someone could do to voice displeasure with some of YouTube's "business practices", a couple more bits of info about my dog in this fight.

My nasty filthy little blight of a YouTube channel can be found (for now, anyway) at:

http://youtube.com/bateemultiverse

If you're past the shock (yawn), we can now move on to... Yes, I made all of them... (Except for the Okword music video - he asked me to post that for him.) Now if we can get on to... No, I don't have a life. And before you ask, yes, people pay to see more. Two years later, I'm still pleasantly surprised, too.

So we all agree that if YouTube is trigger-happy on pulling videos of any kind, after 150 cartoons, one or two might get tagged for removal. It's almost the law of averages as YouTube currently operates. But rational? Hardly. The last two vids removed from YouTube ("Fill 'Er Up" and "Harriett Potter...Part 2") can conveniently be found at my DailyMotion channel:

http://DailyMotion.com/suckermouth

Oh, wow, the vids that got pulled were just like the other 100 or so dirty cartoons still at my YouTube channel? Yeah, I guess that means I prepare for my account to be deleted at YouTube, since a cartoon with more than 20,000 views (not one of my most popular) that had been on for months can get pulled with no explanation as to why. It seems as though nothing is safe from where my dog is standing.

What I Can Do and What I Will Do.

Whenever you're critical of a monopoly, you oddly find yourself using that monopoly. So to sort this out, let's separate the YouTube part of this argument from the Google part (if only for the moment). YouTube is why I'm blogging, because my experience and what I've read have convinced me that I need to continue to speak out on the issue of reckless censorship on the world's biggest viral video site. While I feel quite ridiculous complaining on my own behalf because my content is so ludicrous itself is part of the point. Did we dream all these years of better, faster, more accessible information so we could have cartoons removed from a web site that is replacing our interest in t.v.? I can tell you, we didn't.

The Google part is the Search Engine, Blogger, Gmail, etc. You got me by the balls, guys - or maybe not. Here's what I can do and whether I'm actually inclined to do it (I do love my Gmail, you bastards):

• Use a search engine other than Google. This is a good one, because it's how Google makes most of its money. AltaVista still functions - I used it today to find other articles and posts about how bad YouTube has gotten (if Google has already bought AltaVista, someone please let me know). [Yes, I will use a different search engine from now on.]
• Use DailyMotion.com or another viral video site to watch (and upload) videos. DailyMotion allows limited nudity, though I found out with my last video that even DailyMotion can get an itchy trigger finger. There's no longer anything special about YouTube - they have plenty of competition. [Already doing it, though YouTube admin has guaranteed my continued boycott.]
• Use a different email service than Gmail. Even if you have a Gmail account, you likely have others. Try using different email services whenever convenient. [I warned you I would have a hard time doing this, but I'll hold on to my other email accounts just in case.]
• (Gasp!) Use a different blogging web site than Blogger. Does Google even make any money off Blogger? I didn't even realize Google owned Blogger until my first post (which I've since re-edited to reflect this). [Since this is my second blog, I have no problem with signing up for a different blog site, but maybe this is providence... If I continue to criticize Google and YouTube on Blogger, and my blog disappears, it'll help prove my point.... Hmmm.... Maybe I ought to go over to BlogSpot...oh, Blogger is BlogSpot? Damn!]

It's enough to make you want to watch television.

Aaron Mystery is the sole owner and artist behind Suckermouth.com, and one half of the band Brethren and the Evil Empire. He currently has over 6,000,000 video views on YouTube.