Famous Pakistani Youtuber, Irfan Junejo shared a video in which he explained why talking about Palestine issue on his YouTube channel won’t add anything of value to the situation.
The social media sensation admitted, "I was scared to make this video, because when you have been making videos on YouTube for a long time, you figure out which videos will cause people to berate you, but also that some people will understand what you're trying to say. And then there are some videos that you know are going to lead you to be berated by everybody.”
He went on, "When I started this platform, I did it so that my voice can reach people across the world. But sometime after, this platform turned into me just saying things that I know people want to hear. I didn't have any opinions of my own, especially knowing they are going to upset people. That led to a lot of mental trauma, confusion, anxiety, imposter syndrome."
He added, "Every time something like this happens, whether it's in Kashmir or Palestine, my DMs and comments become flooded with people saying 'talk about this', 'raise your voice', 'why aren't you talking? You have such a big platform, talk about this on it'.”
He stated, “Other than emotional speeches and anger, what substance do I add to this conversation. I never get an answer to that. Either I have on-ground access or access to the people there, then I make a video with substance."
He further added, "What do I add to that whole conversation? Nothing, just emotions. Not backed by facts, just Wikipedia research. I think YouTube is not the right place to raise awareness about this issue with emotional rants. Unless you are an expert on that topic, until you know how to talk about it.”
Junejo also said, “What practically benefits is amplifying the voices of those people who are already on-ground and have access. Who are present and are well-researched about this topic; I am not saying it's a complicated issue, all I'm saying is if I am making a video on any issue happening globally on the research of three days, what am I adding to that conversation? Compared to me sharing a bunch of articles and videos. Which would benefit the viewer more?"
Junejo also stressed on significance of practical actions like charities. He stated, “I am a creator. I enjoy photography. My friend Ramish is an illustrator, he started a fundraiser where you can buy one of his illustrations for PKR 750, 100% of the proceeds go towards the charities that are helping victims in Gaza on-ground.”
