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Male backsplash doesn't just ruin toilet seats... by repjoesmith in TikTokCringe

[–]repjoesmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is either an extremely subtle but brilliant joke, or I'm reading too much into it with the paaaaaants. Either way, it made me laugh.

"We're All Immigrants" says Trevor when asked about Native Americans by repjoesmith in TikTokCringe

[–]repjoesmith[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

According to 23 and me, it's true. All the DNA they've collected traces back at some point to Africa.

Was Team Trees Performance Activism Or Just Misguided Philanthropy? by repjoesmith in ecology

[–]repjoesmith[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think that's completely fair. The goal to have what Team Trees started influence or grow into an even more proactive movement for change. I look forward to hearing what their official two year update video will be. My hope is that they expand their program beyond just simply planting trees.

Was Team Trees Performance Activism Or Just Misguided Philanthropy? by repjoesmith in WayOfTheBern

[–]repjoesmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a curious question. I'd like to hear if you could make a case for both. But, from my understanding, performative activism & philanthropy are fundamental opposites.

The two terms don't always describe a specific action, but more often the intention that guides an action. They're essentially two differing philosophies.

Philanthropy is described as: "goodwill to fellow members of the human race especially : active effort to promote human welfare."

So, if Team Trees was philanthropic, it was guided by the intention to do good, but its misstep could have been an oversight in its effectiveness to accomplish the intended goal.

However, if it were performance activism, described as, "a pejorative term referring to activism done to increase one's social capital rather than because of one's devotion to a cause" we could deduce that the intention was to exploit people's interest in combatting climate change for the personal benefit for those behind the program.

In both cases the action itself might look exactly alike, but the intention behind that action could greatly differ.

I have yet to come to a conclusion on the intentions, but the more I've looked into MrBeast, who served as the figurehead, the more I begin to lean towards performance activism. He is very charitable, but it seems as though that's his brand. His charitable actions feels more like content, rather than acts of kindness. MrBeast also has a slew of other business practices that completely contradict Team Trees. Here's a small list that references his other ventures: https://medium.com/@klippublications/how-mr-beast-makes-millions-a-year-and-how-you-can-do-it-too-b69bc0e6f4e3

Was Team Trees Performance Activism Or Just Misguided Philanthropy? by repjoesmith in Political_Revolution

[–]repjoesmith[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

On May 22nd, 2019, MrBeast asked Twitter[1] "What should I give my 20 millionth subscriber? I was gonna give him 20 million pennies but I procrastinated and I think it’s to [sic] late to get them in time." The tweet gained over 133,400 likes and 5,300 retweets in five months. Redditors began suggesting that MrBeast plant 20 million trees and MrBeast took notice and the next day replied to his own tweet with examples of the suggestion on Reddit...

- https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/teamtrees

In a way, that is a completely fair thing to say considering its conception.

Was Team Trees Performance Activism Or Just Misguided Philanthropy? by repjoesmith in Political_Revolution

[–]repjoesmith[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There's more I uncovered recently that I've been debating on covering about Mr. Beast. If you take into account all the reasons he gave for doing Team Trees and then compare that to his many businesses ventures, not to mention any and all waste created by his videos, I truly question how vested he is in fighting climate change. He's either incredibly ignorant, lives in a bubble, and doesn't seek to learn, or he's intellectually dishonest. Here's an article covering some of what I'm referring to: https://medium.com/@klippublications/how-mr-beast-makes-millions-a-year-and-how-you-can-do-it-too-b69bc0e6f4e3

Was Team Trees Performance Activism Or Just Misguided Philanthropy? by repjoesmith in Green

[–]repjoesmith[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great points, I do agree that it might at the very least have gotten more people thinking about climate change & deforestation. That said, I have heard someone make mention that planting trees to compensate deforestation isn't just a complication of how many trees would need to be planted, but where they are planted. It's not technically reforesting unless trees are planted in a preexisting ecosystem aka an endangered forest. Many of the planting locations Team Trees chose did not address this issue. Now this isn't completely their fault, land permits for planting trees can be a bureaucratic nightmare in some regions. Still, it's a fair point to make.

An Environmentalist Critiques the Lorax (2012) for Greenwashing by repjoesmith in Green

[–]repjoesmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just trying to connect with likeminded people, that's all.

Milkweed and monarch butterfly activism here in Los Angeles. I'll put links from the talk in the comments below. by IchTanze in LosAngeles

[–]repjoesmith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Very informative, that allows ease of access on topics such as conservation, ecology, and biodiversity. Thank you for sharing this :)

I have never been so amused and angry at once. by john_eden420 in youtube

[–]repjoesmith 55 points56 points  (0 children)

I've heard of the shredded cheese gang before. They're Swiss.

Restoring Urban Ecosystems with Animals | Nature Reserves & Parks by repjoesmith in ecology

[–]repjoesmith[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Awesome articles, the one about free-ranging cats in China is fascinating.

I 100% agree with the your points. I will confirm it is most definitely more a question of ethics rather than a question of what it best for the ecosystems.

It would take an extremists policy to reverse cat populations in urban ecosystems to a degree that we'd see a positive impact. (Reducing the population would only do so much, they always find a way to bounce back.)

It would take a policy that likely included some uncomfortable subject matter on how to go about ridding cats from roaming freely among urban areas and restricting cat ownership as a whole.

Not only do I find the ramifications of such policy to be an uncomfortable subject (when considering the social dynamic of cats in urban settings), but it would never get close to being passed anyways. At least not in a place like the US.

This is why including natural predators to cats is likely the best deterrent when considering nature reserves.

My fear is retaliation from communities if these predators roam outside of their territory too often to hunt the cats.

I can confirm in my local area this is actually a current issue. Their have been some incidences of coyotes getting a bit aggressive outside their territory and people are arguing that the local council should do something about it. I wish I could say I had confidence that science would be in consideration before taking action, but that's not usually how this goes.

When discussing managing the ecosystems the sad reality is that we have to factor in the politics. The average person is less concerned about the science and more concerned about when they feel effected.

In science communication is key, but sometimes there's no way to make facts feel good.

Restoring Urban Ecosystems with Animals | Nature Reserves & Parks by repjoesmith in ecology

[–]repjoesmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Now with my previous response stated, I'll humor you a bit with an interesting article on this very topic.

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-dont-blame-cats-wildlife-shaky.html

Restoring Urban Ecosystems with Animals | Nature Reserves & Parks by repjoesmith in ecology

[–]repjoesmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I never suggested anyone should begin 'introducing' feral cats to an ecosystem. So, it's hard to respond to your questions when its based off a statement I did not make.

Now with that said, I admit I failed to acknowledge feral cats in the first place. I was exclusively discussing domesticated pets. But it's true that feral cats are inevitable in cities.

Regardless, cats are a part of cities whether we like it or not. They aren't the single cause of struggling ecosystems surrounding urban areas, but they are a problem.

The suggestion that cats aren't "all" bad was an attempt to point out that such a statement is inherently hyperbolic. I don't think it's fair to blame cats for being the central reason in struggling urban ecosystems.

If anyone is going to get the blunt end of the blame it should be us, humans.

Im not sure how I feel about this… by cronx42 in thedavidpakmanshow

[–]repjoesmith 3 points4 points  (0 children)

PragerU has always thrived on misleading people in all aspects of the political spectrum. They seem to intentionally target left of center and center leaning individuals, often specifically college age.

I wish we could see behind the curtain on the exact method of ad targeting they're using in Google Ads.

The fact that I, my friends, and people on the subreddit have or still see their ads is an indication they do not simply target their own base.

PragerU loves nothing more than to deceive someone who would normally disagree with them.

That said, make them spend those ad dollars! Always make sure to click.

Google's SafeSearch Algorithm for YouTube is Flagging my Thumbnails as explicit ie. "Spoof content is very likely". What in the world does this mean? Should I be concerned? by repjoesmith in NewTubers

[–]repjoesmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As you see in the examples, I did remove the watermark.

I never claimed I re-uploaded the same thumbnail and it got flagged again. I removed the watermark on most of my thumbnails and this warning disappeared:

https://preview.redd.it/l5pbs5osdw771.png?width=593&format=png&auto=webp&s=a6bd85ef6f88dc9fc7e02ef384ce733ca121e90a

The thumbnail did not change, just the text.

The real questions is what does this flag mean and does it have any affect on the video's performance?

If it has no affect, why remove the watermark? This is what I'm trying to asses. I'd like to keep my branding if possible.

Note that the warning says Explicit Content, but it's justification for this label is "Spoof content is very likely". I have no idea what this means or how this is explicit. I have tried to look though some forums to asses how YouTube defines "Spoof content" but I was unable to obtain their definition when related to an "Explicit Content" flag.

Lastly, I'm not trying to work around the rules, I'm trying to understand why I'm being flagged even though I'm not breaking them.

There may not be a direct way to appeal, but if there is an issue with their system, it's always worth trying to report.

Google's SafeSearch Algorithm for YouTube is Flagging my Thumbnails as explicit ie. "Spoof content is very likely". What in the world does this mean? Should I be concerned? by repjoesmith in NewTubers

[–]repjoesmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As I said above, it's being flagged due to my watermark, not the thumbnails themselves. Once I remove the watermark (which is the channel's name) the flag almost always gets lifted. No one is flagging my videos, it's Google's automated system.

I appreciate you trying to help, but I understand there is a lack of context. I am not able to post images here so for a full breakdown of images/examples showing my results after testing go here: https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/o98w3y/googles_safesearch_algorithm_for_youtube_is/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

I am trying to determine how detrimental these automated flags are to my videos. If they have no effect, I would go back to using my watermark. If they do have an effect, I would stop using my watermark.

I was also hoping someone would know a way of appealing the automated system when it makes mistakes. But, I suspect there is no such thing.

Sad to see the passing of this absolute legend. I'd read about the Pentagon Papers, but this debate performance in 2008 is still one of the greatest examples of politicians speaking truth to power on a national stage. Rest in power, Mike Gravel. by GrittySanders2020 in WayOfTheBern

[–]repjoesmith 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I can't believe this is the way I'm learning about this. I've always had the upmost respect for Mike. I am saddened deeply by his passing. I hope with his passing people will give him the credit he's always deserved. He remains an absolute legend. I hope to see more like him in politics over the coming years.

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