14 Responses for "Google/YouTube censored me and it is not a first amendment issue"

1. will January 9th, 2009 at 10:06 pm 1

   OK, I was nodding right up until you said:

   “But that does not change the fact that this video is being “censored” on YouTube with the age restriction. What Google/Youtube has done, un-deliberately by way of their rules, is wrong and hopefully they figure out a way to stop politically motivated partisans from influencing their results in the future.”

   Your paragraph after this is interesting, and would perhaps be worth a calm email to YouTube support (or corporate) for consideration. But I don’t understand what they have done that is wrong? It’s not self-evident from your description here — it looks like you’re saying what they’ve done wrong is allowed your video to be censored.

2. admin January 9th, 2009 at 11:16 pm 2

   Will - I assume you are not aware, but literally hundreds of people have emailed Google/YouTube asking for them to un-censor the video.

   What they’ve done wrong is allow political partisans to censor things they don’t like. This isn’t a confusing or long-winded story.

3. Ron Amundson January 10th, 2009 at 3:21 pm 3

   While I disagree with the content, being I worked to get Obama elected, the censorship aspect is way uncool. I would not rule out the age censorship being politically driven, but I think Marshall, an earlier commenter makes a good point about the drug use aspect.. folks can be pretty fickle when it comes to age censorship issues, then add in politics, and I think the combo makes it more likely for folks to fuss, perhaps more so than each aspect alone.

   Also, the fact page views drop off so much… yikes, but then again, when one sees age censored stuff initially, the first thing comes to mind is porn.

   I’d be glad to write youtube if you want. Like I said, I disagree with the content, but thats no reason to have it age restricted. Do you have a link to a form or something to do so?

4. Cakesecret January 11th, 2009 at 9:32 am 4

   Ron,

   There are lots of uncensored videos on YouTube of people actually doing cocaine, videos with many more views than mine. For instance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSH6LKHPLyk

5. Simon Sigurdhsson January 11th, 2009 at 2:37 pm 5

   I don’t really care for the video, since I’m kind of an Obama supporter (not that it really matters since I’m not american, but still) - but you actually have a point. When flagging videos is abused like this things are getting out of hand. That’s one of the downsides of a visitor-driven community like YouTube.

6. dalaixerces January 13th, 2009 at 3:49 pm 6

   For better or worse, all politics and comparisons with other videos aside….fact is, that this is NOT a first amendment issue.

   The 1st amendment protects individuals against censorship by the government. It also prevents speech from being entirely supressed. What it does NOT do, is give you the right to override someone else’s free speech.

   YouTube’s right to control the content on its own web site trumps all third party rights to speech. Similar issues plague site owners & forum admins on a regular basis — people cry “freedom of speech” every time a flamewar thread or abusive post is deleted.

   These people don’t understand how the 1st Amendment really works and this only further undermines their point of view.

   I’m all for your right to post your video *somewhere* online. Run your own site/server — you clearly have one. You don’t need YouTube, and if you dislike them, why even bother giving them the traffic?!

7. Claude Betancourt's Political Blog January 13th, 2009 at 5:48 pm 7

   Building a Religion…

   Open-minded YouTube users have managed to censor Cakesecret’s video “Obama - Building a Religion” after the company had agreed to un-censor the video once before. Users are prompted to confirm they are of age before the video can be v…

8. Cakesecret January 13th, 2009 at 6:32 pm 8

   dalaixerces,

   Thank you for your comment, but in your haste to show the world how you are right while every other dolt is wrong, it seems you didn’t even read the post you’ve commented on. This point of this post is to make it clear that this is NOT a first amendment issue. It is a Google/YouTube issue. Relax and don’t choke on your food, buddy.

9. Sandy January 14th, 2009 at 11:31 am 9

   I understand how you feel because I had materials restricted by Google. I trust you understand, now, the media war is painfully real and every site has chosen sides.
   The sites you tried to use are a part of that war. It may be wisdom to realize all sites have a side in this war. Picking a site takes wisdom and research or possibly Divine direction.
   As the commenter above said, these sites have a right to control what goes on them, leaving all third parties defenseless.

10. Zane Safrit January 23rd, 2009 at 12:11 pm 10

    Funny. I liked the video. “He is calling me…DUDE!”

    Fear seems to a common thread on either side of the partisan divide. I voted for and celebrated Obama’s election. It’s a step in the right direction. And so’s this video. Extremism, wingnuts, unbidled zealots too often undermine the message of those they claim to support. The irony of those Obama supporters who seek to censor, hide, message like these is that it’s ultimately counter-productive. They’ll end up creating a community of bubble-boys where only ‘good news’ is shared. Seeing how many voices of differeing views and backgrounds that have been invited, even encouraged to participate in this administration…I doubt President Barack Hussein Obama would find it admirable his supporters sought to hide this message.

    We are building a religion. He is handing the money..giving out food. He is calling me…DUDE.

    I’m going to sing this the whole day. Thanks, I guess, for that. And thanks for this video. More opinions, more conversation, better decisions.

11. Alison January 25th, 2009 at 4:52 pm 11

    I enjoyed the video and agree that it should not be flagged. I’ve seen worse anti-Obama clips on youtube that were not age restricted, so I am not sure whether I agree with the cause or not. Either way I have to admit that I think it is the first youtube video that I have ever seen that message on and I’ve come across all sorts of things — including a kangaroo menage a trois the other day — thankfully my son is to young to know what we clicked on! lol. Anyway, I think my biggest doubt as to why it is being censored is that I don’t really think any “serious” liberals, such as myself, would seriously see the video as a threat. Obama is not a religion, he is a President. If you want to believe in a “cult” of Democracy, Freedom and Hope, fine, but the rest of us will go on living our lives. And many of us will also take more time to get involved in our communities, while also paying more attention to what the gov’t does. If Obama inspires people to wake up and smell the coffee — the USA will be all the better for it… In other words, your video is cleverly put together, artistically orchestrated, but totally pointless when it comes down to reality and I just don’t see that as being something somebody would censor.

12. Michelle January 25th, 2009 at 9:59 pm 12

    I disagree with your video, but not nearly as much as I disagree with censorship. Tell me who to complain to or even who to expose. Your free speech stolens means mine is next. I don’t think so. You’ve got another ally on this one. BTW: thanks for the follow on twitter.

13. AJ January 28th, 2009 at 4:04 am 13

    I’m not a fan of censorship, but I am a fan of CAKE. And I hate to see their music used without authorization and with political intent.

14. Jimmy Z March 3rd, 2009 at 7:59 am 14

    There is a Conservative version of youtube now, run by conservatives, with free speech in mind.

    http://www.nmatv.com

    They are changing servers tonight and will be up stronger than ever tomorrow.