By: Obbana Rajah
Amos Yee. A name that is synonymous with numerous court cases and run-ins with the government.
A video posted earlier this month on popular video streaming website, YouTube, accuses Amos Yee of doing the unthinkable of anyone in a committed relationship – cheating.
The video depicts a rather scandalous and very graphic exchange between Yee, 19 and Riley Silverberg, 24. The email conversation that took place between the two quickly turned sexual and was not refused by Yee in any way.
Amos Yee, who is infamous for his video criticising Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, has been in a relationship since late last December. Though he has not made any pictures or videos of his relationship public, Yee has shared an audio post of her speaking and has made public Facebook posts describing his significant other and their endeavours in graphic detail.
The very steamy exchange between Yee and Silverberg started off with her mentioning a shed in her yard used as a sex dungeon, followed by a request for Yee to continue the conversation. Amos Yee replied almost immediately, asking if they could continue the conversation via Facebook’s Messenger.
While Yee engaged Silverberg in conversation, replying rather regularly and within the hour, he seemed slightly hesitant and requests, “Maybe we should meet up and see each other 1st. I can’t make out with someone I don’t have a connection with”. However, the 19 year old had no qualms about providing her with his telephone number or meeting her that very day.
As to whether this constitutes the act of cheating or not, according to Yee, he thinks that his relationship is, “pretty much an open [one]”, and followed up with encouraging Riley Silverberg that she could, “send as many dirty pictures” as she wanted.
The poster of the video, i love cute asian boys, adds a disclaimer, “he says he thinks he’s in an open relationship, but then blocks me on Facebook when I post the link to this video. Knowing Amos, if he wasn’t doing something naughty, he would respond to it instead of trying censor it”.
The email exchange between the pair abruptly ends with Silverberg asking Yee, “Are you a pedo?”
Amos Yee has been previously known for his radical views on pedophilia and was even kicked out of his home in Illinois due to his views supporting it online. Most netizens who commented on the video were less interested in his scandal and more disgusted by his views on pedophilia. User Happy Hoplite raged, “He supports pedophilia. That’s enough for me to justify dragging him behind a truck with chains”.
The status of Amos Yee’s relationship seems unclear, mainly because of the lack of information of his girlfriend. His actions with Silverberg are very sexual in nature and his lack of clarity as to the status and nature of his current relationship does give the entirety of the situation an ambiguous spin. With regards to the allegations made on YouTube, when reached out to for comment, Yee refused.