What is YouTube afraid of? They’ve taken down Max Blumenthal‘s stunning video, Feeling the Hate in Jerusalem because it’s offended the sensibilities of some frightened Jews who believe it stirs anti-Semitism. Imagine that, showing the world that there are Jews who actually hold hateful, racist views of Arabs and their own African-American president might provoke anti-Semitism. And the best way to confront this hate is not to denounce it or combat it or even address it. The best approach is to kill the messenger and suppress the video. Of all the stupid things I’ve heard Jews do this is one of the stupider, and alas, more predictable ones.
Here’s how Max describes what’s happened to the video:
it is clear there is an active campaign by right-wing Jewish elements to suppress the video by filing a flood of complaints with Youtube. At the same time these elements have attempted to paint me as a self-hating Jew determined to foment anti-Semitism.
In a way, these timorous souls have given Max a gift. Instead of the hundreds of thousands who’ve seen it on Youtube before it was banned, now millions will see it thanks to the publicity they’ve inadvertently generated.
Jewish Voice for Peace, whose members discovered the video had been taken down by YouTube, has just begun a mass petition campaign to protest YouTube’s censorship. Tell YouTube that you’re not frightened of a little dose of truth; that you can handle hate by acknowledging it and fighting back against it. Tell YouTube that no matter how many timid Jews there are out there who are offended by this video, that it serves an important educational purpose. We want the video back!
If you’re able to do more call David Drummond, chief legal officer of Google at 650-253-0000 to complain about YouTube’s overreaction. E-mail YouTube’s press office to demand an explanation. Ask them to talk to Max about the video before banning it.
UPDATE: Other YouTube members have uploaded Max’s video via their own accounts and they are available for viewing. But Max’s original video is still banned. Our goal is for YouTube to unban Max’s account and his video. I presume that the other videos may be removed at any time.
Michael Levin made me aware of another YouTube controversy during the Gaza war in which the service banned a series of IDF videos of air strikes against Gaza targets. After the Israeli government and the hasbara crowd organized a campaign on behalf of the videos they were reinstated.
It would seem to me that if YouTube can reinstate videos portraying possible Israeli war crimes (targeting civilian targets) that the least they can do is reinstate a video which contains nothing more offensive than a few drunken American Jews spouting racist taunts.
Disappointing news considering (from what I can remember of the video on YouTube) the only real offense the video could cause is to the black community.
One would assume that YouTube took the video down due to the use of the ‘Nigger’ word. However, a quick search on YouTube of the derogatory term returns about 25,400 results. A search of the term using its slightly deviated spelling ‘Nigga’ returns an astounding 140,000 results.
Does the video foment anti-semitism? I doubt it. Most people that viewed the video are probably mature enough to realise that the interviewees were a bunch of ignorant morons who’s views were amplified by the alcohol they had been consuming – hardly motive to attack the Jewish community. Where this video does damage the Jewish (or more likely Israeli) community is amongst the policy makers in Washington. So, in my view it had to be taken down for that reason alone. How can you court the president of the US to your favour (especially during a probable rocky period in the US/Israel pact) when your kids are out in Jerusalem calling him a nigger and threatening his safety? That’s the most damaging aspect of the video. The anti-semitism play is, therefore, obviously a cloak.
The cat is out of the bag! I wish every jew had to watch this video like poor old Alex in clockwork orange… I made my mother watch it 2x all she kept on saying is what kinda parents do these kids have,and i thought is it all the parents? is it birthright israel,or trips to learn the art of lying ie hasbara http://bit.ly/GZtNQ. Those jews who said the N word is not shocking, nothing they did,or said was shocking, especially after i saw How israeli jews treated that Doctor blaming him for the 3 deaths of his daughters,and the reaction of the jewish twitters cyberthuging all the muslims on twitter.the day This video came out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh_F0p8Jcrc this video made it ,so clear to me that as a jew I have nothing in common with the 90% of israeli who supported this war! Israel still thinks its the good ole days of bush,and his neo-con cabal who got us into iraq,and now want us to go fight in iran for israel.. Anti semitism is brought on by our actions,not our faith. http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/obama_hoenlein_israel/2009/06/14/225064.html?s=al&promo_code=8181-1
cause and effect ,cause and effect
I have just checked YOUTUBEat 9.00am central time and the video is still on…… may be it was uploaded again!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za-whux4PNo
YouTube took down the video Max uploaded under his account, of course others have uploaded copies.
I’m getting a 404 on Blumenthal’s post…
Weird. Me too. Don’t know what’s wrong. I’ve e mailed Max to tell him about the problem. If you go directly to the main pg. it’s the top post so you can read it that way.
@ Gert:
It is possible that they CHANGED THE URL. I do not have the original URL for the video but IT IS DEFINITELY “ON” on youtube NOW under
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMXr8VS-FZA
If you search “Blumenthal hate in jerusalem” on youtube, it will take you to this video. Why not just try the above URL, copy and paste, if the link is not active after I post my comment?
He’s talking about my link directly to Max’s own personal site, not to the YouTube video. Something is hinky about the blog post Max wrote about this for his own blog. The URL for it doesn’t work.
RE: YOUTUBE BANS BLUMENTHAL’S ‘FEELING THE HATE’ VIDEO
TWO OTHER VIDEOS REGARDING ISRAEL TAKEN DOWN BY YouTube –
1) a blindfolded Palestinian being forced to repeat phrases in Hebrew as the soldiers manning the checkpoint laugh in the background. One of the lines is: “Golani will bring you a log to stick up your ass.” –
ARTICLE / VIDEO – http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1037217.html
2) Israeli Border Police humiliating a Palestinian man –
VIDEO – http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/06/youtube-censoring-videos-critical-of-israel.html
“HAARETZ” ARTICLE – http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1094242.html
[comment deleted for violating comment rules]
[comment deleted for violating comment rules]
RE: “YOUTUBE BANS BLUMENTHAL’S ‘FEELING THE HATE’ VIDEO”
SEE: “ADL, YouTube launch partnership to fight video abuse”, Dec. 14, 2008, By MAX SOCOL, “THE JERUSALEM POST”
(EXCERPT) The Anti-Defamation League announced Sunday its recent expansion into the world of YouTube, the on-line video-sharing site.
The US-based advocacy group has officially partnered with the digital media powerhouse in an effort to combat hate speech and other forms of abuse…
ENTIRE ARTICLE – http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1228728196431
How ironic.
I hate to be cynical, but irony is probably a ‘best case scenario’. Foxman seems to presume that anything critical of Israel is anti-Semitic.
And now the video has once again been deleted!
Dear Richard,
I also note that the Vimeo site has deleted Max’s video, effective June 23.
Shaun
Unbelievable. Their parents must be so proud. Apparently, these kids have learned none of the lessons of the holocaust. Spoiled brats without a shred of humanity.
Thank you Tikan Olam for posting this video. I had to do quite a bit of searching to find it. Seems it’s banned everywhere — even on Max’s site the video can’t be viewed. So much for freedom of speech in the good ol’ USA.
I don’t think this video would stir any antisemitism except among those extreme leftist democrats who already have antisemitic views and idolize Obama. It would be ridiculous for any of that demographic to point to this silly video as an excuse for their own hatred as thinking people know better than to respect their words anyway.
Those who would not use the language these intoxicated kids used in this video but still agree that Obama is bad for Israel wouldn’t think much about it except to agree with their sentiment but maybe, be appalled at their behavior. That’s not going to be very many, as most people who are older have a time in their youth when they can say “yes, I acted like fool” and a part of them secretly wishes they could get away with it again.
To be frank, the whole video made me laugh.
You’re a horror show, aren’t you? “Extreme leftist democrats [sic]??” Really?
Yes, those who taunt others with defamation based on perceived crimes of thought (i.e. hate speech) are typically the extreme leftists. Not all dems are on the fringe left just as not all reps are truly conservative or on the fringe right. I believe most Americans fall somewhere in the center. So I was careful to define them as a sub-group and not a characterization of the entire party (or group).
As for your inclination to react with defamatory movie metaphor; I am a more of a modern anthropological docu-drama than a horror show.
As for you “[sic]”, I always refer to political parties in lower case (personal style choice).
Hugs.
You’re off yr nut. How did such a wingnut find this blog? Aren’t there other sites where you’d find yrself more at home politically & otherwise (among fellow wingnuts)?
Political parties are spelled with a capital ltr. That is accepted usage. Making up yr own rules only confirms yr obliviousness to rules of spelling, language and political discourse.