Instruction
Double-click on the English captions to play the video from there.
00:00
I have made many mistakes in my
lifetime, but overlooking a huge ongoing
00:07
issue that appears in many of my videos
is the biggest mistake that I have ever
00:12
made, and that is accent discrimination.
I was naive and I didn't realise that
00:18
I was doing it, but after being called
out on it, and those people that have
00:23
called me out on it had every right to
do so, I'm angry at myself and I'm angry
00:29
at the way that I have been making
people feel. I don't feel personally
00:34
attacked by those who called me out - so
don't give them any grief for doing so.
00:39
I really believe that they were doing
it for you, and I feel like they were
00:44
doing it for the industry. The criticism
wasn't just aimed at me - it was aimed at
00:49
me and the industry, and it was deserved.
Until recently I was convinced that I
00:55
was running a positive, family-friendly,
unproblematic YouTube channel that was
01:01
helping students from all over the world.
But what I didn't take the time to think
01:06
about was that I was making people feel
not good enough because of the way they
01:12
speak. In a recent video I took 10 words
that are difficult to pronounce, words
01:18
that can be used in a university or a
workplace, and I told people that they
01:24
should avoid mispronouncing these words
if they want to sound professional and
01:29
intelligent. Words like intelligent, smart,
professional... they're all buzz words on
01:36
YouTube and they tend to get a really
good response. But what I implied was
01:41
that if people don't pronounce these
words the way an English dictionary
01:46
says you should pronounce them in
received pronunciation, then you are not
01:51
intelligent, you are not professional, and
you are not educated. I never intended to
01:57
convey or spread that toxic message, but
I did convey it, and I need to apologise
02:03
I am so sorry to everyone who felt
hurt by that video, and I'm so sorry
02:11
to everyone who has been made to
feel unprofessional, uneducated, or stupid
02:19
by any of my videos. That is not what I
wanted or intended but it's clear that
02:26
what I wanted and what I intended is not
enough. I have removed these videos and
02:33
I'm reviewing the rest of my channel to
make sure that I don't push any of these
02:38
prejudices. I love making catchy videos,
but I do need to strike a better balance
02:45
between making fun and engaging content,
and providing thoughtful and responsible
02:52
education. I'll also admit that I'm
finding it challenging to strike that
02:57
balance between teaching pronunciation
and not dismissing regional accents. This
03:03
is now my period of learning. I have
arranged conversations with some of
03:08
the experts that have criticised me. I
want to learn and I want to improve and
03:14
I want to use my platform for good. To
those who have criticised me - thank you.
03:19
You're trying to effect positive
change and I want to do that too.
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This site will introduce you to YouTube videos that are useful for learning English.
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