What YouTube's Restricted Access Has Taught Me

Not too long ago, YouTube created a Restricted Mode with aims of limiting child access to certain videos has caused an uproar.
A good friend and LGBTQIA+ YouTuber posted on their Instagram about the restriction and was definitely displeased about the news. As an advocate, ally, and member of the community, they were upset that YouTube made the decision to restrict their videos to not only those within the community, but as a means of creating dialogue with those who have varying understanding of the community, and to educate and encourage those who are struggling with their own understanding about themselves.

Lots of content creators have found their content unrightfully removed; videos that educate/ help were taken down to appease some,

while those that have innuendos were not..

(Singer sisters Tegan & Sara put it so poignantly...)

It comes with no surprise to say the least, that the huge uproar has resulted in YouTube coming forward with new statements regarding the issue:

"We recognise that some videos are incorrectly labelled by our automated system and we realise it's very important to get this right. We're working hard to make some improvements"

So it got me thinking 

about censorship, especially in Malaysia where I am now located, and have spent most of my living breathing life in..
In retrospect, listening to the radio (which consisted solely of English radio broadcasts), most of what comes to mind is a lot of mainstream music that would blare on the speakers of the car speakers. And there would be some songs that I would sing and then somewhere somehow when a specific word was originally in that song, would be just the sound of..

BLANK.

Those in Malaysia would know what I mean. You'd be listening to a song and then mid verse, a pause where a word is supposed to be. Sometimes if there are a few, you'd just hear pauses one after another.
So teenage me would go...

"I kissed a *blank* and I liked iiiiit. Taste of her cherry chapstickkkkk"

Ah, naivette times.

Anyway, back on topic.. from my memory, anything related to sex or anything "abnormal" including anything LGBT related, or profanities, would be blanked out like that. Then, as time went by, something as simple as "Hail Mary" and "Jesus" would be blanked. I've not heard the word "Buddha" get censored thus far, but I'm curious to see if that would happen.
Since my return from Korea, I've had the privilege of listening to songs that have been warped into some funky inaudible language with the aim of censoring profanities/vulgarities.

ONE:

Censoring is one way of preventing the youth from the misuse of profanities, bullying, and violent behavior. But in my opinion, it does nothing to actually ensure the prevention of disrespectful/degrading behavior. Quality education and upbringing is. This takes me back to a conversation I once had with my neighbor about using profanities. He told me that profanities when used appropriately, can help further emphasize the meaning of what is being said.

Example:

I'm so hungry.

I'm so fucking hungry. 

He told me that as a kid, his dad had explained to him that profanities are also part of one's vocabulary. They are alright when used to accurately reflect one's thoughts, that he could use it ANYTIME. Except for one: on others. If used to degrade someone else, then the meaning has been misused and misunderstood.

Going back to the issue of LGBTQ censorship, I don't think that YouTube made right by creating the censorship. What I think should be corrected is the way we educate our children, to teach acceptance, respect, and love. Not to preach discrimination, anger, violence, and hate.

Looking at the education I had growing up (in Malaysia), our education system still has a long long way to go. If Moral Studies involves children and teens WRITING DOWN the CORRECT moral "value" of a situation, while forcing students of varying faiths to eat in the bathrooms, away from those who are fasting, then we are preventing our own growth and progress through oppression and censorship.

In sum: a quality education is one where the learner is taught how to be critical on themselves, and not projecting one's negativity on others


TWO:

Censorship to a certain extent is healthy. Especially when it comes to shielding sexual activities such as pornography from young children. As children, they should do what one does in childhood. That is to play, interact, and see the world through play, experience, and exploration. Getting out and about, in the fields, mud, planes, boats, playgrounds. Through their exploration is where they will have questions, where we, those with our unique experiences as grown ups, shed light through our own experiences.

LGBTQIA+ videos for the most part are made with the hopes of providing guidance, encouragement, and support to those who have questions. Regardless if you're in or out of the community. Their aims are never to place harm on others. Granted, there ARE a small handful who do not do so, but even those do not deserve censorship. Not only because there should be freedom of speech, but also to create a hate speech dialogue to build each other up.

In sum: Let children do what they do best, have fun. Censorship can be healthy if it gives children the space to go out and learn through interaction and exploration, to prep them for life, not to control and oppress.




As an avid user of YouTube, as I am sure many of us are, I am disappointed to say the least at YouTube's decision. But I am also hopeful that we can all come out and voice our frustration that is respectful and one that encourages us to take a step back to listen and to be listened to. As for the radio waves here in my home country, I also think that we should start rethinking the meaning of censorship and the roles we play as a society and a community.

Are we teaching children to think, or have we become numb to the "education" that aims to teach us how to obey and memorize moral values instead of applying them in our daily lives?