One Week = Seven Days + "A Few Hours"
The Audacity + Fuckery Of YouTube
In my book, one week means seven days, zero hours, zero minutes, and zero seconds.
But according to YouTube Creator “Support”—and I use air quotes here because their so-called support consists of condescending “I got you” auto-replies and FAQ links that don’t address or resolve the problem at hand—one week means seven days plus up to twenty-four hours. Seriously.
I found this out when I went to upload a new video yesterday. It’s yet another instance of YouTube rubbing salt in the wound. But I’m the bad guy when I cuss like a sailor at the bots and bot-like humans.
Maybe—just maybe—if YouTube did a better job communicating effectively I wouldn’t need to cuss to make my fucking point.
Nowhere in the various emails and FAQs does it define one week.
A platform that has disabled my channel in seconds—repeatedly, for weeks on end—now claims it can take “hours” to reenable? Sorry, but I’m calling bullshit.
It’s moments like these that make me wonder how long YouTube, Google, and parent company Alphabet can keep getting away with treating creators as problem children instead of as business partners.
YouTube takes a generous 45% cut of AdSense revenue and a 30% share of all other earnings on the platform. You’d think they’d invest in a better support team and prioritize fixing long-standing bugs and issues—instead of focusing on new features “inspired” by Instagram and TikTok. Features few creators asked for or will likely use.
Meanwhile, Substack takes only 10% of paid subscriptions, and I’ve never had to reach out to their support team. Not once. I think it’s because Team Substack is dedicated to making the platform better for everyone.
History doesn’t look kindly on businesses that forget who they serve.
A WELL-DESERVED RANT
Apologies for the rant, but this isn’t just about one frustrating experience with one frustrating platform by one frustrated content creator.
It’s about a company that consistently disables channels for bogus alleged violations triggered by stupid-but-powerful bots that can’t tell the difference between a man in his birthday suit and a man in his swimsuit.
To these bots—and the bureaucrats behind them—both are guilty of being “sexually gratifying” and therefore in violation of “Community Guidelines.” Never mind the countless videos featuring women’s breasts and butts that somehow go unchecked.
It’s as if the AI was trained to have “the male gaze.”
Meanwhile, my work? It’s all about “gay-zing” at males.
The unnecessary censorship—and the accompanying strikes—cost creators like me (and countless others) time, money, and energy.
YouTube Creator “Support” and Team YouTube might respond—if you hashtag them enough on Xitter—but their vague platitudes rarely address any problems. Mostly they just link to subjective policies I’m already far too familiar with.
Frankly, YouTube has gone from being one of my favorite platforms to one I can’t wait to rely on less. Behind the scenes, it’s a nightmare.
ALPHABET = MO' PROBLEMS THAN LETTERS
Based on my experiences, I'm not surprised the Department of Justice called for Alphabet-owned Google to sell off Chrome for its unfair business practices.
Maybe this will be the first—of many—corrections for a corporate and tech behemoth that’s clearly lost its way. And forgot why its services became popular in the first place.
I’m far from alone in my frustration. More creators are calling out YouTube’s problems with bots, bullies, and bureaucracy—and demanding real change.
We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore.
MOVING FORWARD + MOVING ON?
Until I can make ends meet without relying on the platform to cover some of my basic living expenses, I’m moving forward with a plan that I share in my “return to YouTube” video:
After yet another forced “break” thanks to YouTube’s ever-vigilant bot police, I’m glad to be back. With you at least. The bots? Not so much.
A quick note and reminder: Due to the platform's overzealous "Community Guidelines," I’ll be keeping things more ad- and family-friendly here on YouTube.
If you’re looking for spice—and everything nice—head over to my Substack….
A big shoutout to my amazing patrons and subscribers! Your support means the world to me. I literally couldn’t keep doing this without you."
Let me emphasize that last part: THANK YOU, PATRONS AND SUBSCRIBERS!
I appreciate every single one of you for supporting me and my work—not just here on Substack, but also on CollidePress.com, on Ko-Fi, and, yes, even on YouTube.
AND THE BAND PLAYED ON…
To fellow creators who’ve also had enough: Keep speaking up.
Keep calling out the bad policies and the broken systems.
Change might happen if enough of us demand it.
To YouTube, Google, and Alphabet, listen the fuck up: Creators are the backbone of your platform. Without us, there’s no content, no ads, and no audience.
It’s time the tech giant remembers who drives its billions in annual revenue and starts treating creators as true business partners—not just participants in YouTube’s Partner Program. It can’t always be all about YouTube.
For now, I’m sticking to my plan: building my creative future here on Substack, a platform that respects the work I do, the community we're building, and the value we collectively bring to any platform lucky enough to have us.
If you’re not already a paid subscriber and are tired of YouTube’s nonsense too, please consider subscribing.
I’m here, queer, and creating and curating content for the rest of us, dear.
Thanks for reading!
Clint
NEWS + VIEWS
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ON THIS DAY = NOVEMBER 22
BIRTHDAYS
1913 = Benjamin Britten = English pianist, composer, and conductor 🌈
1921 = Rodney Dangerfield = American comedian and actor
1924 = Geraldine Page = American actor and singer
1940 = Terry Gilliam = American-English actor and filmmaker
1943 = Billie Jean King = American tennis player 🌈
1958 = Jamie Lee Curtis = American actor
1965 = Mads Mikkelsen = Danish actor
1967 = Mark Ruffalo = American actor
1980 = Shawn Fanning = American businessman and Napster founder
1984 = Scarlett Johansson = American actor
CELEBRATIONS
Movember (November 1-30)
EVENTS
1955 = RCA Records pays Sun Records $35,000 for Elvis Presley's contract.
1963 = John F. Kennedy is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. Hours later, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th POTUS.
1967 = Aretha Franklin releases “Chain Of Fools” as a single.
1980 = Mae West dies in Los Angeles at the age of 88.
1995 = Toy Story, the first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery, is released in theaters.
PHOTO + QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Composing is like driving down a foggy road toward a house. Slowly you see more details of the house-the color of the slates and bricks, the shape of the windows. The notes are the bricks and the mortar of the house.”
Benjamin Britten
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I feel your frustrations Clint, just hang on in there 🫂🫂🫂 Cheers your Cheery/cheeky DougT 🇫🇴
I so agree with you-especially about Youtube. Facebook is also nuts. So...I'll try to not write a novel...I'm a nudist and I belong to several nudist groups on Facebook. You can generally post photos but genitals of both sexes (and they consider women's breasts genitals?? whole other rant) must be covered. You can usually show all the ass you want. On Youtube you can find videos with full frontal male nudity! I've kind of made it a hobby to find them. Be creative with your search, but even by typing in "nude men" you can find videos showing the dreaded penis! They are almost always "artsy" videos, but hey, I'll take 'em! Why their bot would reject your videos is a mystery, and a stupid one. On another note, I'm a professional artist. Tying in with my love of being naked, last near I painted a 3/4 full frontal nude self-portrait. It's in your face (and 24x36 inches big-the canvas, that is). I am fed up with artists being able to make and show nude women but not men. In some of my art groups, feamale nudes seem to be ok for exhibition, but not male. I've entered it in shows in which a female nude is present but my work is rejected. Just so you know..I'm a respected, award winning artist with works in international collections, so it ain't an incompetent painting. Yes, a penis is there in my portrait, but I've seen in person the painting "L'Origine du monde" hanging in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, which shows a woman's vagina with her legs spread eagled, showing it all. It's by Gusave Courbet circa 1866. No head, or arms, just the vag with legs wide open (and no shaving or trimming back then). It is universally called a masterpiece! I'll soon be trying my portrait in anothern show. We'll see what happens. The venue may reject it for fear of children being turned gay by seeing my dick. What a shame! If you want to see it my website is www.tomsmithfineart.com under the "Studio" tab.