Why is YouTube doing this to me (AGAIN)??

Something happened to me last night, and it was only this morning that I realized how bizarre and ludicrous it was.

The above gif is a small sample of a video I posted where I examined (and filmed in detail) a mushroom I found in the yard. For this, my video was removed, with a warning that I had "violated community standards" regarding "sale of regulated goods policy".

It could only mean one thing. They were accusing me of selling psychedelic mushrooms on my channel.

No, really! However else can I interpret it?

There wasn't much point in going through the same routine I've gone through umpteen times already, trying to get a human being at YouTube to pay attention, but I did it as an outlet for my anger and - yes, fear that I will be terminated. I KEEP GETTING these bizarre notices of "violation", when I have done absolutely nothing to deserve it.

The video is of an elderly lady (me!) looking at a mushroom. Just looking at it, examining it, filming it up close. No drug references. Nothing. Just a mushroom. I did say "I won't eat it", so maybe THAT was considered proof that I'm actually a drug dealer in disguise? 

Below is the totally useless and pointless letter I sent to Google through the mail (to be sure no one reads it) and to YouTube "feedback", which is equally useless. I don't know why I do these things. And WHY do they accuse me of drug dealing when all I want to do is film a mushroom?

I am once again in the unenviable position of trying to get some answers re: a YouTube issue that totally baffles me. Yesterday I posted a two-minute video in which I talked about a large wild mushroom I found in the front yard. I took closeups of it from every angle, and talked about how I found it. The thumbnail was meant to be whimsical - me holding a huge mushroom, saying, "Look what I found!" Obviously, meaning I just found it growing outside. Within hours, I received a message that it had been taken down for violating community standards. I did try to appeal, and got the message just now that my content had been "carefully reviewed" and it was deemed unacceptable:

"We have reviewed your appeal for the following:

Video: "Look what I found!" HUGE Magic Mushroom (or: a fungus among us)

We reviewed your content carefully, and have confirmed that it violates our sale of regulated goods policy. We know this is probably disappointing news, but it's our job to make sure that YouTube is a safe place for all."

An elderly woman holding a mushroom and talking about how interesting it is, is not the "sale" of anything at all, nor was there ANY  reference whatsoever to ANY illicit substance. Yet, after "careful review", the video was removed. I must conclude nobody watched it, as they could not possibly come to that conclusion if they had.

The ONLY thing that might even begin to prompt this action is my ill-advised use in the title of the word "magic", which of course was meant to be a reference to how "magical" it can be to find these phenomena of nature. THAT IS ALL. To me, a senior citizen who is unfamiliar with drug terminology, this so-called  subtext is completely absurd. The word "magic" obviously has more than one meaning. I was showing my viewers an interesting thing I found in the yard. If anyone actually did watch this two-minute video, they could not possibly have seen any content whatsoever that had anything to do with any drug, let alone the sale of these non-existent drugs!  It just wasn't there.

So did anyone  actually review it, or were their minds made up before they even checked it out?  Far from making YouTube "safer for all", it has made me feel terribly UNSAFE, a senior citizen who loves nature, to go on posting about things she loves, including a harmless mushroom I found in the yard. YouTube keeps saying my channel will be terminated if I step outside the rules. But what sort of rule is this? What sort of restriction will I face next? 

I am convinced no actual person evaluates these videos, or they would immediately see how incomprehensible this warning is. Can I not post things on flowers, dolls, music, anything at all? If it's the "wrong" music that supposedly has a mysterious subtext, something that applies to literally millions of videos which are allowed to stand, will I be punished for posting ANY music at all? Please, please, PLEASE explain this to me before I lose a channel I value as a source of creativity and social contact. I'm a 70-year-old grandma who loves nature and wants to share  my love of it. I realize it's probably too late for this, and I was unable to send a note explaining what the specific issues were.

I did take the "training" and was told the warning would be lifted in 90 days, so I hope that is true. It should be obvious I am not out to hurt, exploit, or do anything but entertain and enlighten my subscribers. The fact that I have been accused of something like this is devastating to me personally. and I would ask that YouTube PLEASE watch the video again and evaluate it appropriately. If YouTube is a constant source of anxiety over something I have not done, it will ruin the pleasure of it after 13 years of creativity and joy.

If there is an actual human being reading this, PLEASE don't just discard it, as it is potentially an opportunity to learn what actually goes on with your creators and the unfair conditions they must accept. I would greatly appreciate it if you would send me a followup email to explain why this happened, and what I can do to prevent it happening again. If there are certain words I am not allowed to use, such as "magic", please spell out for me what those words are so I can avoid any penalties in the future. Thank you.

magunning@telus.net

Channel name  ferociousgumby

Handle  @ferocious