162 Comments
User's avatar
Matt Orfalea's avatar

Imagine learning that Vladamir Putin bans everyone in the world from questioning the integrity of any past election. Then realize this isn't Putin's authoritarian decree, but YouTube's.

User's avatar
Comment removed
Sep 30, 2022
Comment removed
Sam Horton's avatar

They’re all corporatist. I remember those things too. On China that was both Clinton and Bush, for example.

User's avatar
Comment removed
Sep 30, 2022
Comment removed
countykerry's avatar

Gene, wasn't it Bill Clinton that negotiated China into the WTO ?

Jeanne's avatar

Yes it was Clinton

User's avatar
Comment deleted
Sep 30, 2022
Comment deleted
lucrezia's avatar

The ruling class is $$$$$$$$.

User's avatar
Comment removed
Sep 30, 2022Edited
Comment removed
Non-Compassionate Liberal's avatar

Oh, yes. So frustrating! When I get in comment wars it's much harder for me to find information that proves my point. I blame this on mainly the Dems when after the 2016 election with them screaming about about so-called Russian interference, Google then fixed it so only "authoritative" news-sites like NY Times, CNN, Fox Noise and MSDNC would come first in the rankings (you probably already know this). Also WAPO when they published a list of so-called Russian backed news sites produced by some shadowy group, "PropOrNot" that included WikiLeaks, Counterpunch, Zero Hedge, Free Thought Project, Drudge Report, Truthout, Black Agenda Report, Truthdig, Naked Capitalism, Antiwar.com, Ron Paul Institute, et al.

I've tried to find other search engines but they all seem about the same as far as rankings.

The DuckDuckgo chief Gabriel Weinberg has said that they use Google's results "more than anything else."

User's avatar
Comment removed
Oct 1, 2022
Comment removed
Non-Compassionate Liberal's avatar

I was in a comment war, so to get some proof on how many lies that were pushed on and believed by Americans I put this phrase into a Google search: "biggest lies pushed on Americans" – the first 29 results were about Trump.

This search engine – metager.org – had way fewer Trump mentions. I think it might also skew towards the right. The 9th result down had this site: "Real Jew News."

So it's certainly different than Google, et al.

User's avatar
Comment removed
Oct 4, 2022
Comment removed
User's avatar
Comment removed
Oct 4, 2022
Comment removed
Charles Newlin's avatar

IOW, it's now a lousy search engine. I don't understand why anyone uses it. Almost any other is better.

Staabloblaw's avatar

Imagine if you were a self-described conservative that posted this video... There would be zero chance YouTube would have reversed this

rob's avatar

exactly, only the combined weight of several big names changed this.

Blimbax's avatar

My sentiments, exactly.

Matt Orfalea's avatar

I don't think it's fair to say that mocking or simply reporting false claims "advances" false claims. But of course, in addition to arbitrarily deciding what's false, YT will arbitrarily decide what "advances" false claims. Super dystopian.

FNR's avatar

they are drunk with power, fleeting as it is until they are forced to admit "a mistake" with a straight face and expect fellow adults to take them seriously.

Anon38901932047's avatar

yes. and the power they have is the kind that comes from being a near monopoly. we the people should do everything possible to limit, restrain, break the monopolistic tendencies of both this particular company and the online video market itself.

Sam Horton's avatar

It is useful to remember where that YT leader came from -- she just happened to rent a coupe of guys a garage. That’s all.

lucrezia's avatar

Don't flatter yourself, Orfalea. Your little video was red-flagged by YouTube's algorithms as a threat to its bottom line. Nothing more or nothing less. Ideology---correct or incorrect----means very little to The Algorithm.

User's avatar
Comment removed
Sep 30, 2022
Comment removed
lucrezia's avatar

Friends who have worked at google.

DarkSkyBest's avatar

This is serious? "TeamYouTube" reverses its unjustified censorship expressing apology with emojis? What a world we live in.

User's avatar
Comment removed
Sep 30, 2022
Comment removed
DarkSkyBest's avatar

Or, like getting an apology text from HAL, right before it locks the pod bay door.

Jon's avatar

So, I'm a 65 YO man, and I have to share that I've been feeling lately, that there is a new page turning. We've totally played out the partisan spin, and people are showing up in private clubs (stacks) and discussing current topics in a disassembled manner, which allows both left and right components in the same conversation. Both sides are returning to the core tenants; Free speech and Freedom of the Press, and using those as the foundation, we all agree a lot more on the next steps.

I love all you guys, and Glenn, Bari, and Sasha, who's just exploding.

FNR's avatar

I hope you are right. sane liberals like Matt T, Glenn G, and Bill Maher calling out the extremist nonsense and authoritarianism of the Left is an excellent turn of events over the last couple of years.

SimulationCommander's avatar

Incidentally, that's why they're terrified that we'll start talking and constantly try to keep us at one another's throats. The Tea Party and ONS were basically two wings of the same bird, and that scared the crap out of the bankers running things.

JPER's avatar

Have you ever heard Tim Pool tell the story about OWS? Short version, he said when it started it was a diverse group of ordinary people who were just fed up. Totally unified. Then a random group of activists showed up and starting making it about racial issues and it divided everyone. People just started to leave. Pretty sad

SimulationCommander's avatar

Not to mention the agent provocateurs sent in to stir shit up to give the cops the excuse to roll in.

J Boss's avatar

Unified focus drives change. Loss of they focus leads to irrelevance.

Unset009's avatar

The Tea Party was a libertarian movement. Granting that the Ron Paul wing of the party lost control almost immediately. OWS wasn't libertarian leaning at all. While they may have generally had the same grievance, they had wildly different solutions. Given that, if they won substantial political power respectively, I'm not sure they could have come together to create solutions.

SimulationCommander's avatar

Yes but they were both against the bankers, and if we had been allowed to talk, we would have figured that out. (Of course, as you say, the hard part is convincing OWS that the answer doesn't involve more government)

lucrezia's avatar

The Tea Party was libertarian, yes, if you're able to view American libertarianism as a disingenuous mutant-hybrid of the American far-right mind. Mostly it was a private, boutique political project---an astroturfing operation bankrolled by those kooky Koch brothers.

trembo slice's avatar

After the grassroots movement that spawned the Tea Party was co-opted maybe, but Unset is conveying what actually transpired.

lucrezia's avatar

"They're terrified." Sincerely doubt it.

Ryan Murray's avatar

Fuck YouTube and fuck big tech.

RRDRRD's avatar

Don't forget Brandon

ProfessorTom's avatar

With a dildo made of razor blades.

alex glanz's avatar

Love is never having to say you're sorry....so this is not love from YT....just an acknowledgment that you attract a good share of followers. Mazel tov

The Upright Man.'s avatar

Interesting. A little daylight, and things start to smell a little better.

ProfessorTom's avatar

“the light of day is the best disinfectant” –Louis Brandeis

Kathy Barkulis's avatar

They’re such assholes over there. Pajama wearing, momma’s basement dwellers playing god.

Brad's avatar

Google and YouTube are staffed with raging progressives, activist employees who proudly bring their politics to work with them. This was no "mistake." The people wielding the levers behind the scenes were fully cognizant of what they were doing.

lucrezia's avatar

"The people wielding the levers behind the scenes were fully cognizant of what they were doing..."

Correct---which is trying to squeeze as many nickels from The Algorithm as possible.

Pacificus's avatar

They've already got plenty of nickels, they want ideological control, too. Don't doubt it.

Blissex's avatar

that is the usual .isdirection, those employees are allowed and endorsed bt Google, NYT, etc. policy to bring that specific line of politics. If they brought "deviant" politics to work they would lose their jobs quickly.

Lars Porsena's avatar

Yeah, and they’ll,try to blame it on ‘The Algorithm’. But as you put, it’s some wokie in pjs in Mom’s basement with orders from the main office.

Sea Sentry's avatar

Great visual Kathy. I couldn’t help laughing - thanks!

Non-Compassionate Liberal's avatar

Whenever I see the word Demonetization, I get confused because it looks so close to the word Demonization.

Non-Compassionate Liberal's avatar

I've heard they removed their "Do No Evil" plaque from their wall.

ProfessorTom's avatar

The plaque has no purpose if the saying is no longer headed.

User's avatar
Comment deleted
Sep 30, 2022
Comment deleted
publius_x's avatar

Don't mock those people. They have real beliefs, even if they are dark.

Mock the vegans and climate catastrophists first.

Don's avatar

One of the ads I just saw on this newly monetized video was a Democratic fundraiser to "stop Donald Trump"!

AJ Y's avatar

Backtracking until someone notices again.

To quote Alistair Moody, “Constant Vigilance!”

ProfessorTom's avatar

Vigilance is the price of freedom.

dd's avatar

I understand that a youtube of Italy's new prime minister was banned on youtube, but was returned today after complaints. Youtube stated that its banishment was a mistake.

https://reason.com/2022/09/28/giorgia-meloni-youtube-censorship-reinstated-italy/

SimulationCommander's avatar

Mistakes wouldn't all go one direction.

Jon's avatar

Seriously, those who still buy those 'mistakes' are too fucking stupid to breathe

Is someone studying the incidents of "left' versus 'right" bans and mistakes? I think that would be quite interesting.

Pacificus's avatar

"Seriously, those who still buy those 'mistakes' are too fucking stupid to breathe"

There's a name for such people: leftists.

lucrezia's avatar

Leftists. They're everywhere I'm telling you, everywhere.

Brad's avatar

It's the equivalent of a referee only calling the game for one team. Team Blue. Meanwhile, Team Red gets shafted over and over.

lucrezia's avatar

Appeal to the league office.

Adam Non's avatar

"At least they're trying…"

But it really shouldn't take Joe Rogan going to Spotify or Matt 1 and Matt 2 confronting YouTube.

Lars Porsena's avatar

They reversed on the new prime minister of Italy too.

Matt Orfalea's avatar

YouTube has just demonetized another TK News video: "Trump's Lab Leak "Conspiracy Theory""

https://twitter.com/0rf/status/1575848510184124416?s=20&t=7H8p_NmRLmrWHQ35_tBkhAz