Youtube decided to go ahead and take down our Valis77 video, which brought to light the fact that he’s a registered sex offender and pedophile. It was clearly the result of false-flagging, and Youtube not fucking caring to take a look at a video before they disable. Since this is the second strike on our record in 6 months, the channel is frozen for two weeks, which means no new commentaries for a while (“A while” being two long fucking weeks). This time, however, I decided I wasn’t letting Youtube fuck me up the ass without telling them my side of the fucking story. I used their buggy “Contacting support” system to send out this message, which I hoped to fucking hell they’d actually read.

In the video in question, I revealed that popular Youtube user Valis77 (Promise Redmond) was listed on the sex offender registry, for solicitation of a minor for a sexual act. Really, he shouldn’t be on Youtube [or any public social networking site] in the first place, as it allows him potential access to children / future victims. So, I brought it up, and almost immediately after my posting the video, he had told all his peers and his 3,500 subscribers to flag. Or, rather, to false flag it, as there was no actual “inappropriate content” to speak of. It’s not as if I showed pictures of him having sex, or something else horrible and disturbing of that nature: All I did was speak the truth, and read the facts off of his entry on the sex offender registry. It would be in your best interest to bring my video back online, as it’s original intent was to let his subscribers know that he is, in fact, a pedophile, and that they should not be so quick to come to his aid whenever he calls upon them to false-flag someone on Youtube he doesn’t like. He has a history of using his personal army to have videos removed and accounts banned on false terms, and the fact that I brought his criminal record into question only meant that he told his fans to do it twice as quickly.

If they actually reviewed the video, and saw that the flagging was, indeed, false, and brought the video in question  back online, it would have served as a great “fuck you” to Valis and his fans, and net us false-flag immunity in the future. I thought there might actually be a good chance we would be brought back online, as Youtube now knows they are harboring a registered sex offender. Instead, I get this generic rejection letter, and they send me on my way.

Hi FilmsForFustilarians,

Thanks for your email. The video you posted was in violation of YouTube’s Community Guidelines as reported by users and verified by the YouTube Team.

YouTube staff review flagged videos 24 hours a day, seven days a week to determine whether they violate our Community Guidelines. When a video or
account is brought to our attention we investigate and take action if necessary.

We are unable to provide specific detail regarding your account suspension or your video’s removal. For more information on our what we consider
inappropriate content or conduct while using YouTube, please visit our Community Guidelines and Tips at http://www.youtube.com/t/community_guidelines and our Help Center article at http://help.youtube.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?answer=92486.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, I received this e-mail a few minutes later, about something completely fucking unrelated. So much for fucking fair use: If you go after the SIIA, they have no qualms about breaking the fucking law to take your shit down. Nevermind the fact they fucking allow free download of the song on iTunes, and so even if I reposted the original video without commentary, it would still be completely and entirely legal. Fuck these assholes and their direct line to Youtube administration, and fuck their blatant disregard for the law.

Dear Member:

This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material as a result of a third-party notification by Software & Information Industry Association claiming that this material is infringing:

AntiSoftwarePirates’ “Don’t Copy That 2 (Official Sequel to Don’t Copy That Floppy)”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th7IyUAKr-8

Please Note: Repeat incidents of copyright infringement will result in the deletion of your account and all videos uploaded to that account. In order to prevent this from happening, please delete any videos to which you do not own the rights, and refrain from uploading additional videos that infringe on the copyrights of others. For more information about YouTube’s copyright policy, please read the Copyright Tips guide.

If you elect to send us a counter notice, please go to our Help Center to access the instructions.

Please note that under Section 512(f) of the Copyright Act, any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material or activity was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification may be subject to liability.

LOL BULLSHIT

Yo yo yo bitches; I’m quitting the fuckin’ commentary scene. There just ain’t enough money in talking over shit vids, bitches. Pirating software for college freshmen is where the real money’s at! I be makin mad singles, motherfuckers! DP can suck my dick, and the SIIA can eat my ass. I’m sailin’ off towards the Pirate Bay, and takin’ my games, tunes, and apps with me! Fuck you later, suckers!

Lawyers will always be out of touch with the rest of society. Let the original video serve as an eternal testament to that fact.

Cut-away commentary, as popularized by the likes of Boomstick545, is a fucking cop-out method of commenting on videos, which also serves to reflect the inexperience of the commentator as an editor. I assume these commentaries are produced in this fashion out of necessity, rather than stylistic purpose. Cut-aways have been known to double, and even to triple the length of a video. It’s completely needless, when it only takes a minimal degree of audio editing skill to overlay a commentary over the original audio of a video, and a tad bit more skill to auto-duck the damn thing.

Some argue that these cut-aways allow the commentator to speak freely without having to worry about missing a joke or note-worthy as the original video continues to play. But honestly; if you need two whole, uninterrupted minutes to “speak your mind” on a single line, it’s dwelling damn far too long. No comment, regardless of how hilarious or ridiculous it may be, should ever warrant the stopping of an entire video to “make a point”. Commentaries aren’t about proving people wrong and debating issues: It’s about cracking jokes and pissing people off.

Oh, and the pictures that cut-awayers cut away to are fucking stupid. Why the fuck do we have to see Pikachu’s smug fucking mug every ten seconds, for thirty seconds at a time? You don’t need to show your face or some shit: Just don’t show us a goddamn cartoon animal.

earthwormjim55 and danleafboy2 give you the news!