Hmm Iâm not quite sure for the reasons I wanted to put this out on the blockchain, other than possibly a self-hack to throttle my own anxiety. â Iâm just finishing my morning coffee and admin work, listening to a vlog by Julien Solomita, who many know as the boyfriend of mega-YouTuber Jenna Marbles, but I think his work is great in its own right. ANYWAY.
This past weekend, one of Julienâs short films was either nominated for an award or being featured in Torontoâs Buffer festival so this blog depicted the standard YouTuber with stereotypical chill-hop music filming outside plane windows and cloud time lapses. (I canât hate much because Iâm pretty sure Iâll be doing it too).
My point is this. Thereâs a portion when heâs talking about getting hassled in customs. It really struck me, he explained that when he said he was visiting for a film festival called Buffer, the customs agent said âHow is that different from the Toronto Film Festival?" Admittedly, they're a bunch of white males with money, they don't really have any reason to be anything but minorly inconvenienced. A bit of that LA attitude comes across in the video the way they're joking which you can see here at 3:55.
Sure he didnât get HASSLED, or maybe he did and just chose not to include any more details, but this feeling of having to prove legitimacy to the âsystemâ even for someone with that level of finances and social clout, just because itâs something you havenât heard of? Feels wrong, and scary.
The truth is, as folks spend more and more of their work and social lives online, there are going to be THOUSANDS of events, meet-ups, festivals, award shows and convention that only that sect of folks has heard of. Does that make them any less a legitimate reason for travel?
Yes anyone can put on a film festival in their backyard, but this particular one is sponsored by Samsung, General Mills, Air Canada, and YouTube.
So if a YouTube creator with his own production company and 1.3 Million subscribers, is getting stopped and questioned about attending a red carpet film festival sponsored by Samsung and Youtube. What hope do the rest of us have?
A few suggestions, Letâs meet in the Middle.
Now I know the stress and anxiety being stopped at customs can cause, I had a pretty rough time on the way in to the UK my first time at the end of 2015. I was so shaken up that I completely lost my passport. Lol more on that at a later date. Itâs hard, but I also know that immigration and customs workers are just doing their jobs, and following protocol in the name of national security. I get it. Their jobs are necessary, and appreciated. Really.
But, with the growth of online and nontraditional forms of media and ways of working, I feel like thereâs a growing segment of the population that security resources are wasted on, just because thereâs a lack of understanding about what they do. I get it, the world is moving at an impossible pace, and to say Iâm a âContent Creatorâ at the border, no matter how lucrative doesnât really translate.
So I bring with me as many forms of ID, proof of address, and proof of income as I can. That way I can easily articulate that Iâm in fact a legitimate human being, who isnât looking to run away or leech of another countryâs system.
I understand that it's a lot to ask that to have every security personnel be briefed on every subsection and social niche on the internet. But a little bit of understanding and awareness of large local events and understanding for non-traditional income sources could go a LONG way. I know in the very near future, (especially with AI coming on the scene) the days of âIâm a hairdresser and Iâm a Mechanic will be lonnnnng behind us.
Workers will have to adapt, and so will security measures. Different doesnât necessarily mean threat anymore when there is no longer a norm for the way the bills get paid. Folks are spreading out, traveling, taking work with them, and serving clients all over the world and with that security measures are going to have to adapt. Iâm positive time and money resources at border control can be better spent than questioning a line of 150 freelancers per incoming flight.
Thanks for listening everyone, As you can tell I do have a bit of underlying anxiety about travel because of things like this. The though of having to prove legitimacy, makes me have to over prepare in order to feel âjustifiedâ. The truth is, Iâve never been arrested, I have a near perfect credit score, I make money legally and honestly, and Iâm not even in any personal or school debt!
Sure I donât make millions, but Iâve always been responsible and reliable when it comes to finances, time and resources. â Iâm a good kid I promise!!!
Writing this has certainly helped. I feel like I can move forward and just DO THE THING. Got it all off my chest. Systems will adapt, or they wonât and folks will find other ways to travel, like Elonâs BFR.
(Personally I'm holding out for transporter technology.. beam me up Scotty!!!)
Much Loves & Safe Travels!
Dayleeo
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