A few weeks ago, I thought I would try to boost my new video All Purpose Survival Cracker on Facebook. I'm proud of the song and the video and was hoping to get a few more views on it.
Before Facebook posts a boosted ad of a video or any other content, it reviews it to make sure it adheres to Facebook's community standards. Near as I can tell, my video was first reviewed by an algorithm, a bot, a who knows what exactly. It's judgement was quick:
“Your ad may have been rejected because it mentions politicians or is about sensitive social issues that could influence public opinion, how people vote and may impact the outcome of an election or pending legislation."
OK. But I don't think my video does any of that. It has nothing to do with politics or elections or legislation. Facebook told me I could request a human review, and that seemed the best way to straighten out the situation.
A few days later, I received the verdict of Facebook's human review of All Purpose Survival Cracker. Rejected again. But for a different reason.
Check out All Purpose Survival Cracker here. Do you see targeted groups with protected characteristics? No. Because there aren't any.
The only specific groups portrayed in the video appear in the third verse, where I feature photos of fascists desecrating the American flag and insurrectionists attempting a coup while I sing:
"Blackshirts in Amerika, falling into line"
Facebook thinks that fascists and insurrectionists are "specific groups based on protected characteristics" and that by mentioning them as part of a litany of contemporary challenges, I have "negatively target[ed]" them with "slurs".
Hey Facebook! Stop protecting these assholes that only deserve rejection. Fascists deserve any slur you can hurl at 'em. But I didn't even slur them in the video, I just showed them for what they are.
Oh, and Facebook. Could you please stop running this ad on my page. It doesn't meet my community standards.
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