Hello, people! I’ve been totally neglecting this blog for almost a year. And it wasn’t until today that I realized quite a few people are signed up for email subscription for this blog. So if you’re one of them, I apologize. And thank you.
In the past couple of weeks I’ve been experimenting with video editing and I’ve grown quite fond of the video format where I can show the viewers more of my, um, personality, I guess? Like, with my voice and face, even though I am not exactly proud of my appearance and speech.
Come to think of it, ever since I started blogging I’ve always relied on text as the primary means of communication. To some extent, I think I was always hiding behind the textual barrier, avoiding more direct confrontations, while using harsh words to criticize others. And, as many of my friends would confirm, I’m not that kind of person in real life. I can’t say I’m totally being myself in the videos I’ve uploaded so far, cus I’m still a little bit uncomfortable in front of the camera. But it definitely is a better representation of my real life personality (or some parts of it, at least).
Besides, I’ve always had this belief in plain language, that it can convey quite complicated stuff without going stiff. While I see that complicated concepts can only be communicated in certain ways, I also think that usage of jargons and superfluous stylization of language is unnecessary. A plain language can totally handle that when a long, deep dialogue is possible. The dialogue doesn’t have to be a one-session, hours-long discussion. That’s too classroom. Instead, a deep dialogue can be achieved over multiple, short, and even casual conversations that may take place every now and then. Repetition is not even redundant. It’s educators’ fantasy that people absorb information in a linear progressive manner. I think the video format can allow more room for such fluid, non-linear dialogues, and I try to be as human as possible in my videos for that to happen.
The idea of video blogging came to my mind when my Contemporary Philosophy article (Japanese) came out and lots of my non-academic friends bought the issue just to read it or out of courtesy. Not a few of them said, “I probably have no idea what you’re saying in the article,” half-jokingly. My nephew took a glance on the article and said, “whoa, it’s all text!” Then I realized how much I’d relied on highly academic styles of writing all my blogging and academic life. I thought to myself, “if they don’t understand what I say in the article, what’s the point?” and “who was my audience in the first place?” It is not the elites, the typical reader of the journal, who will change the world. It’s always the people whose names won’t go in history textbooks that change the society. Then, why do I write in ways that are likely to put them off?
So here’s my attempt to try something new, a new means of expressing my ideas. This is the playlist of a series called 9ueer Day, which I will update on the 9th of every month. It’s basically a vlog, but primarily catered to ESL learners whose first language is Japanese. And in other playlists I post lesson videos with a queer and feminist twist. You might find the lesson videos and the ESL bits of 9ueer Day boring if you speak English already, but I hope you can at least enjoy the contents of the 9ueer Day series.
If you like my videos, please subscribe to my channel!
1. Subscribe!
Subscribe natively to my YouTube channel so you can know whenever I post a new video. This is the best option if you go on YouTube regularly.
Click or tap the red button below to subscribe.
*You need to have a Google account to subscribe natively.
2. Add me as a LINE friend so you can send questions and requests!
You will get my messages via LINE primarily about new videos. You can also chat with me, ask me questions, send a request for future videos. Good for regular LINE users.
Smartphones
Tap the green button below.
Desktop & laptop
Use your smartphone to scan the code below.
If neither of those works for you, please do an in-app search.
Search for “@ghv9598x” including the at sign.
The post New stuff on YouTube appeared first on MASAKI C. MATSUMOTO.