Conservative firebrand and Editor in Chief of the Site Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro, is one of the fastest growing conservative voices on the planet. Millennials tune into him by the thousands.
And because of that, Google has decided that he must be punished. For the leftist corporation that is the primary controller of information in today’s world, Shapiro is too dangerous to allow him to go without some form of censorship.
That’s what happened when popular YouTube personality, Dave Rubin, interviewed Shapiro and posted it to his channel. According to Rubin, YouTube (which is owned by Google) demonetized the video after it had gone up. He brought some pictures as proof.
And of course @TeamYouTube has demonetized our sit-down with @benshapiro. They're making it basically impossible to be a creator on their platform. Join us via Patreon/PayPal/Bitcoin so we can continue to have discussions like these: https://t.co/gwBcGofxFZ pic.twitter.com/dvdNuayCJV
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) January 4, 2018
Rubin noted that while YouTube may very well reverse the decision, the damage it will have done to the channel will not be compensated. The host also bashed YouTube for not being a place of civil and open discourse, and suggested that maybe he should go the Logan Paul route, and stand next to a dead body.
Even if @TeamYouTube manually reviews and reverses the decision, most of revenue is generated in the first 24 hours anyway. Obviously YouTube isn't the place for honest, civil discussion about important issues of the day. Maybe I should make a video standing next to a dead guy… https://t.co/d4waRu4092
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) January 4, 2018
Rubin also laughed at the fact that YouTube labeled his video as unfriendly to advertisers.
The idea that my discussion with @benshapiro isn't advertiser friendly is actually insane. Please show me even a single more honest, thoughtful, relevant conversation anywhere on TV/Online yesterday. @teamyoutube https://t.co/p4YdsX4Frp
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) January 4, 2018
Google and YouTube are not hiding the fact that they are silencing certain modes of wrong-think. In a blog post released in August 2017, YouTube announced that they would be altering YouTube search, and lineup functions so that they lean more in a direction members of its “trusted flagger program” wish it to go. These flaggers primarily consist of leftist groups such as the Anti-Defamation League, the No Hate Speech Movement, and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
YouTube openly said they would be allowing tougher treatment of videos that don’t match up with the ideological direction they wish to go:
We’ll soon be applying tougher treatment to videos that aren’t illegal but have been flagged by users as potential violations of our policies on hate speech and violent extremism. If we find that these videos don’t violate our policies but contain controversial religious or supremacist content, they will be placed in a limited state. The videos will remain on YouTube behind an interstitial, won’t be recommended, won’t be monetized, and won’t have key features including comments, suggested videos, and likes.
YouTube noted that it would also have keywords entered into its search function redirect to videos that “debunk” hate messages. Interestingly enough, they did not go into any detail as to what they consider a hate message is.
But we can have clues. The demonetization of the Rubin interview with Shapiro is one. But we can likely get a more accurate view of what Google and YouTube consider wrong-think by how they treat the conservative education channel Prager U.
YouTube has demonetized many of Prager U’s videos, and even put the channel in the restricted section alongside adult-themed channels so that they may not be viewed by people at schools.
It’s interesting that YouTube will punish a channel for promoting or allowing conservative speech, but will allow a video of a white child being hung by a rapper without demonetization or flagging.
Monetizing violence seems to be okay, so long as it’s done against white people. However, speak of conservative ideals, and you won’t make a dime.
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