Tuesday, November 25, 2008

In Memory of Dr. Mike Kemp/ Re-Defining D-E-A-F


My condolences to Dr. Mike Kemp's family.
Please Click on this Bio of Dr. Kemp: Dr. Mike Kemp's Bio



Please click on this title: "Re-Defining Deaf"

Sunday, November 23, 2008

An Opening Video Letter to YOUTUBE Team



Hello YOUTUBE Team!

I wanted to share my concern with you. I decided to do an opening Video Letter in public to discuss "RED FLAG" situation. It's important to take my consideration seriously. Before I share my concern with you, I would like to take time and to thank you for this great opportunity. This opportunity really bring the Deaf community together where we can discuss, debate, challenge in our videos, and broadcast ourselves as Deaf people. Parents with Deaf babies can find us at youtube and see we are cool as Deaf people. In some states, Deaf people are isolated due to long distance; we can have this opportunity to use YOUTUBE Videos to bring us closer. With a large Media such as talk shows, News, and newspaper really don't care about Deaf community. It's because the Deaf community is a small minority and the Media community feels that the Deaf community has nothing to contribute to the society, which it is not true. With YOUTUBE, it's really giving us a chance to voice our opinions, our thoughts, and our views by broadcasting our videos. Thank you again for this great opportunity.

Now I wanted to share my concern relating to red flag. People who constantly click on red flag icon that make you to evaluate if this video violates the guidelines or rules. With hearing people, you have no problem evaluating the videos because both of Hearing people and you speak the same language which is English. You can evaluate fairly if this video really violates the rule or not. You can make a decision independently without depending on outside of people clicking on red flag icon. You have a training experience that qualifying you enough to evaluate.

But with Deaf people who use sign language in videos, how do you evaluate if you don't know sign language? Staff members at YOUTUBE may don't know sign language, how do you judge the videos if they actually violate the guidelines? You judge by depending on people who click on red flag and make a final decision to remove this video based on outside of people who are not qualified enough. It's not fair process. I talked to other Deaf video makers and they faced with same problem as mine. They have to go milestone to mail the letter to YOUTUBE headquarter and to explain. Then YOUTUBE headquarter has to mail them and to apologize for all misunderstandings. The same pattern that the Deaf video makers have to face that YOUTUBE staff members who removed the videos, then put them back, then again remove the videos, then put them back which need to be stopped. All the trouble we has to go through is just because you may don't know sign language which it's not fair.

YOUTUBE is a well known that is very hard to be contacted. There is no e-mail contact information. Its only way that we need is to write a letter which does consume our time. I feel it's not right process. It doesn't provide us an equal as hearing people.

I wanted to make a suggestion that you contact NAD, National Association of the Deaf. That organization has an excellent law center where it will help you to get information and tips. People in the law center at NAD are specialized in ADA Law. ADA LAW is also included with technology that is also a part of YOUTUBE. There is an excellent lawyer, ROSELINA CRAWFORD, at NAD who will help you and ensure that Deaf people has same access as the hearing people. I used Rosalina Crawford from time to time. She's great. Please contact her. Here is www.NAD.org. You can find information in their website where you can contact her. All you need is to put Rosalina Crawford's name in subject box. She is usually good at replying back. I urge you to do this in order to avoid the lawsuit someday in future. We Deaf people don't want to see it happen and we want to work with you. I'm sure YOUTUBE team would want to work with the Deaf community and to provide equal access just as hearing people.

I had decided to put subtitle on my video which you removed so you can evaluate and see if it has been violated. I already look at the guidelines/rules and I haven't found any of those applied to my video. It says REJECTED CONTENT inappropriate. What is it? I go ahead and put subtitle so you can evaluate yourself and make decision independently.

Thank you for your time to watch and to work with us so you can give better service for the Deaf community. Again, thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Aidan Mack

Thursday, November 20, 2008

In a Response to HarleyGirl248, "Do you practice what you Preach" (My original Title)

"Do You Practice What You Preach?"


"YOUTUBE Removed my vlog due to People with Red Flagger Obsessive Compulsive Disorder."





"ME FEAR?"



What a trip! Youtube had decided to remove my vlog. I spoke with one of staff members at youtube and explained that staff members at youtube who don't know any sign so how would they can understand sign language in my video. They cannot trust people who click on a red flag. They might do the revenge out of their desire. The staff member at youtube asked me to write a letter to the headquarter and to explain to them. I called people who click on red flag that which they have their own personal agenda, an RFOCD which it means Red Flagger Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

The reason why I had to challenge Harleygirl248 because she was so supportive to a vlogger who bashed at one person by using the animation of the dog pooping all over on his website. She suggested to vlogger to add a man with penis to pee all over this person's website but she was angry with other video comment to do the same by using the animation of man peeing on someone else's icon on the DeafVideo's website. It was conflict based on what she was preaching. She wasn't practicing on what she was preaching. She cannot make it expectational for people not to be bashed at because she favors them but encouraged other people to bash people who she hates. Now she freaked out and copying all my vlogs to portray me as a monster. It's nothing wrong for me to challenge anyone as long as they post their vlogs in public, right? We use the quotes from the English written to back up what we say. Since we use the signing video so we can use the signing quote to back up what we sign.

Barack Obama did not run out to the world and cry like harleygirl248 and complained that there were many people challenging him. For example the attorney Philip Berg challenged Obama about his birth certification and tried to find every way to get him removed from the presidental election. Obama continue to focus on his goal for the Americans. There are many blogs debating about OBAMA and they are free to do because of freedom of speech and freedom of press. Harleygirl248 needs to grow up and learns to accept that it's ok for people to challenge each other and to debate. She needs to realize once the vlogs are in public then we have right to debate or to make a point or to respond to their vlogs. Whats more, she used the same title as mine which I used it first. What a TRIP!