Amos Yee

Amos Yee Pang Sang (Chinese: 余澎杉; born: ), also known online as Kino or Polocle, is a Singaporean former YouTuber, actor, comedian, and commentator known for uploading comedic sketches with himself and talking about various subjects. He has also become controversial for defaming religion and defending pedophilia, which ultimately led him being jailed for six years due to possession of child pornography.
==History==
Yee has said his main inspirations were comedic YouTubers, such as The Angry Video Game Nerd, Smosh, Nigahiga, and Shane Dawson.https://web.archive.org/web/20210304222003/https://www.polocle.com/jan In March of 2011, Yee submitted the video, "Jan" to the First Film Festival where he won Best Acting and Best Short Film.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlm0UXLfGbo He would be praised for his comedy and impressive video skills despite his age.
Soon after, Yee would be cast by Singaporean director Jack Neo in the 2012 film, We Not Naughty. While Yee was in a small number of scenes and his character was criticized, Jack Neo praised Yee's acting. In 2014, Yee would drop out of school at the age of 16 due to his negative feelings of the system.https://m.facebook.com/sgshare/posts/amos-yees-exciting-adventure-in-zhonghua-secondary-schoolintroductionalas-its-ne/864200840318451/
In December of 2017, Yee had left his home in Singapore to Chicago, Illinois which was encouraged by activist, Melissa Chen, after spending six weeks in prison for speaking negatively about Islam. When he arrived at the O'Hare International Airport, he was arrested by police and put into an immigration detention center due to not joining the required military service in Singapore. After spending nine months in the detention center, the judge ruled in favor of Yee due to the restrictive laws in Singapore, granting him asylum in the United States.https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/27/553976738/u-s-grants-asylum-to-amos-yee-young-blogger-from-singapore 
==Controversies==
===Chinese New Year===
In 2012, Yee would upload a video titled "Chinese New Year", in which he criticized the holiday as pointless, accusing China of copying western holidays. One example he brings up is how he thinks the Chinese Zodiac signs were ripped off from the astrological signs.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sou5BdtIN6Q Some have criticized the video as they see it as offensive, though Yee later clarified that it was comedic and not to be taken seriously.https://web.archive.org/web/20150331014047/http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120120-322935.html
===Lee Kwan Yew===
On March 27, 2015, Yee uploaded the video "Lee Kuan Yew is Finally Dead!" in which he mocked the former Singaporean prime minister for being a dictator and his manipulation, also calling his supporters delusional and being manipulated. He had also compared him to Jesus Christ, criticizing both of them for their power-hungry status. Yee also criticized the government for the high poverty, high tax rates, and lack of funding in healthcare.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JqLm1kXqvo&t 
He soon received severe backlash from fans and the Singaporean population, where they sent him death threats and reports to the police. Two days after the video was uploaded, Yee was arrested for "wounding religious feelings".https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/31/world/asia/singapore-arrests-teenager-over-video-critical-of-lee-kuan-yew.html While the Singaporean public praised the arrest, some human rights activists have criticized the arrest as it goes against Yee's freedom of speech. When his trial took place, Yee plead not guilty, but the court found him guilty on the charge, ultimately sentencing him to three years of prison and a $10,000 bail. However, his sentence would soon be reduced to three weeks.https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/amos-yee-found-guilty-of-both-charges-sentencing-on-june-2-pending-probation
===Islamophobia===
On November 27, 2015, a controversial businessman named Calvin Cheng made a post saying that children of terrorists should be killed. Yee would respond to this comment by shaming Islam and saying Allah didn't exist. He also made a video criticizing Muhammad and Allah by using the Quran, accusing them of being sexist, racist, encouraging child rape and polygamy.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRJ79_vIydE&t The police soon arrested him again on May 13, 2016 for hate speech. He was proven guilty and had to serve six weeks in prison, along with a $2,000 bail. Like the Lee Kwan Yew trial, some criticized the government for arresting the teen for expressing his opinions.
===Pedophilia and child pornography===
Beginning in 2017, Yee began uploading YouTube videos and posts on social media defending pedophilia and child pornography. He argues that a child should be able to be in a relationship with an adult and should have sex with adults, just as long as the child consents. Yee's also heavily against the stigma against pedophiles, saying that they aren't comparable to child rapists.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyrABhxwMZ4 
Yee would soon receive severe backlash and hate from fans and YouTubers, either debunking his claims or would send death threats to him. Many organizations would cut ties with Yee after these statements, such as Mythicist and Harvard.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbjG_O4nfCk Many social media platforms would delete his accounts, including YouTube, who terminated his account on May 5, 2018 for violating community guidelines. Some have debated whether Yee was being serious with his opinions or if he was making comedic videos. However, Yee would confirm that he was serious and loves the attention he's getting. In December of 2017, Yee was kicked out of a friend's house by Child Protective Services due to safety concerns over foster kids living in the home.https://mothership.sg/2017/12/amos-yee-evicted-kicked-out-rented-place/ He soon became homeless and began begging to stay in houses, in exchange to pay them money, but would eventually rent a room in an apartment building.
On June 22, 2019, a Twitter user named "lolamaphunter" alleged that Amos Yee had solicited nude photos of her and groomed her, being 14 years old while he was 21. In private chat messages on WhatsApp, Yee admitted he was attracted to her and sent photos of his penis.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxvnT-QhNk0 Although Yee responded by saying that the allegations weren't true.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBYJWkp7RkA&t In October of 2020, Yee was arrested by authorities for possession and solicitation of child pornography. He originally pleaded not guilty to the court, but later signed a plea agreement in 2021. The judge deemed him guilty of child pornography and was sentenced to six years of prison, along with a $1 million bail.https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/sporean-blogger-amos-yee-sentenced-to-six-years-in-jail-in-the-us-for-child
==Trivia==
*Amos Yee is diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxvnT-QhNk0&t=1633s
*His alternate online name, Polocle comes from the two words, Oracle and Polymath.
*Yee was originally catholic, attending mass every Sunday. However, he was kicked out of the church after swearing during a meeting. He has since then become an atheist.https://web.archive.org/web/20150519051142/http://www.themalaymailonline.com/world/article/amos-yee-raised-a-catholic-was-asked-to-leave-church-in-2013
*Yee originally had 49,000 subscribers and 12 million views before his termination.
*He is a vegan and a "far-left Anarchist".https://web.archive.org/web/20201018224148/https://www.polocle.com/about
*His favorite media include Persona 5, Cloud Atlas, and Marching Comes In Like a Lion.
==References==
Category:Commentary YouTubers
Category:Comedy YouTubers
Category:Film YouTubers
Category:Singaporean YouTubers
Category:Users who joined in 2008
Category:Terminated YouTubers