I GREW UP IN THE FALKLANDS... 

Hi there - I’m a Falkland Islander who grew up there a few years older (about 4 or 5 I think) than Ezra. While I don’t discount Ezra’s experience, I did just want to offer a different perspective and also clarify some outdated info in the post. Personally, I loved growing up there (and plan to move back when I’m done travelling). What we lack in cheap fruit, cheap internet and chain restaurants (a natural result of being a remote island with soil and a climate untenable for fresh fruit growing), I believe we more than make up for in the fun, wild natural beauty of the place. As a kid I loved growing up running around outside, helping out with farm work, motorbiking, tea berry picking, hanging out with penguins, camping and country dances. It is subject to the gossip and toxicity of a small community, but it can also be incredibly wholesome and supportive. It’s definitely not for everyone and many prefer the anonymity of a big city, but life is relaxed at home and your friends and family are always very close by. Of course we don’t have a lot of amenities: we’re remote and it’s expensive to bring in a lot of goods (a situation that is exacerbated by the difficult political relationship with Argentina). I think there is often an expectation that because we’re British we’d naturally have the same culture and way of doing things, but we have our own history that is very much tied to our location in the vast, cold Atlantic Ocean at the bottom of the world and it’s unique in its own way, and no less valid because we’re a small community. In terms of healthcare, yes we do have to medivac for major services, but we do have a functional hospital that can do many procedures and provide medication. It’s completely free healthcare. The issue of teaching is certainly a problem. I was lucky (as was my year group): we had lots of stability and good teachers. But other year groups certainly suffered from the turnover Ezra mentions. I personally believe this is the fault of government which A) doesn’t have attractive enough salaries for good teachers and B) doesn’t properly inform contractors about the remote community that they’re coming to live in. This means that we do tend to get either a lot of people who don’t expect the lack of amenities and leave (as Ezra says), or we get teachers that (I believe) have encountered professional difficulties in the UK and so are “escaping” to the islands (such as the head teacher Ezra mentioned, who was a temporary contractor from the UK) - (This is very much my own conjecture). This is an ongoing issue in the islands to retain good teachers, which is why we try to encourage locals to become teachers. Also, it should be noted the government fully fund any Falkland Islander (or even others that have lived in the Islands for 3+ years) to go to college and University in the UK. I did my A Levels and a four year degree at a Russell Group university and my parents did not have to pay a penny (including for my living expenses). *TRIGGER WARNING* On a more serious note, the issues of historic sex abuse and the lack of accountability that Ezra mentions are definitely a problem and I don’t want to minimise at all those issues. However, what I would say is that Operation Cinnamon has done a lot in terms of holding those people accountable and there have been lots of convictions in recent years. The work of the current probation team and wellbeing service in educating people about CSE, investigation and rehabilitation have been amazing. I have personal experience with these services and the people involved and I can’t applaud them enough for their work. It is an ongoing issue, one which I am certain the Falklands community are committed to dealing with. In terms of joyriding (or “spinning” as we call it), I also personally disagree with the fact that it was considered normal. Again, I’m not discounting Ezra’s experience, but although common, it was considered a major problem while it was going on and has been heavily targeted by police efforts to the point where it has greatly reduced in the past few years. Again, these issues are ongoing and I don’t discount anyone’s experiences, but I believe they are being tackled wholeheartedly. ** Sorry for the long winded comment, I just wanted to offer up a different perspective. Personally, as someone who loves the Falklands and growing up there, I find it very difficult to see posts that give the impression that we’re a seedy back water that is not dealing with its issues. Or that we’re a boring place to live! Like any community, particularly a small one, we have problems. But we are a community that cares and are making headway in addressing those issues. We also have a lifestyle and culture, although incredibly different to growing up in England, that is rich and educational in its own way. I’m sorry to hear that Ezra had such a difficult time there - it’s definitely not easy for a kid to move anywhere, particularly a small localised place, and it’s a big shame that the Falklands left such an unfavourable impression. That’s my 2 cents.

White stuff on the outside of choc isn’t cause it’s out of date. It’s just been sweating in its packaging due to temp changes. Totally safe to eat.

Research has found that if you live somewhere that the locals see you as an outsider, going away for an extended period and then coming back makes them treat you like a local; the knowledge that you'd left but returned somehow becoming far more salient than the knowledge that you came from somewhere else to begin with

as an argentinian ive been soooo curious about this ever since you mentioned the islands a couple of months ago

Thanks for opening up! That is seriously messed up, and I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it before this. Im horrified that you had to grow up in that environment, and I admire your bravery speaking up about it. I’d be happy to hear more if you make a part 2

as an argentinian its so interesting to hear these stories, thanks for sharing

Shit ezra that honestly sounds kind of traumatizing, i remember only having to move city when i was 12, was one of the worst things to happen to me at that time, so moving a whole ass country away is a crazy concept to me. The part about the Falkland islands being a really small place, so most cases of SA and pedophilia getting swept under the rug really reminds me of the stories I've heard from people here where i live (a very small town in Iceland with around like 2 thousand people living here?) and it's absolutely crazy to me how people are so incredibly casual about it???? I remember talking to my grandma one time and she just said "Oh yeah and everyone knew there was this pedophile in town so every time you saw him you just had to be careful" ??? LIKE HUH??? IM SORRY? And multiple cases of women getting harassed by policemen also?? So fucking strange how literally everything just gets shrugged off as a normal thing when you live in such small places. Thanks for speaking up about it !!

proud of you for speaking up for what is right Ez!

Hey ez :)) You’ve helped me so much and now I’m able to be out to my family so thank you

Omg please continue these types of stories, this is so interesting! I love hearing these kinds of stories

First time your video got recommended to me! I’ve seen your shorts before but this is different and very interesting! I think that’s why the algorithm is pushing it

This was really interesting and brave of you. Please do keep speaking up 🫶🏻🫶🏾

Thank you for sharing Ez, would love another video on this as it’s been very informative for me 🫶

Yes I would love to hear an in-dept video:) love you so much ez🫶🫶

i didnt know any of that about the falklands but thats aweful. i hope more people speak about it so it can be common knowledge. brave of u for sharing ez! thanks for educating us all about it.

As for the bad stuff, thank you for sharing! I bet this is one of the only videos that a lot of people would be able to find telling the truth. As for the rest, very interesting to learn about what things were like there!

Great video - very informative, and thank you for speaking out about the darker aspects of the Falklands. I'd love to hear more if you're comfortable sharing 🙂

This is fascinating, thank you for the insight! ❤

i feel like it’s really selfish and cruel of parents to do this to their kids, wait until your kids are grown up before you move to a weird isolated place to give yourself a “change of scenery”

thank you a lot for sharing your experience!! i'd really love to hear more stories from you if you want and feel ready to tell them

This was an interesting video and I’d definitely watch more videos about it if you made them. I’d heard of the Falkland Islands, but I didn’t even know where they were until you mentioned it. Thank you for being informative, even if it was a brief overview.

this is so interesting thanks for sharing !!

Thanks for sharing, Ez! I didn't know anything about the Falklands before this

I would like to hear more about it. I think it is very important that it is not kept quiet

Pleeeeeese do another video about your experience there! That was so interesting! 🤗 😊

Having spent almost my entire primary schooling in a British Forces school on a military base in a foreign country, I find this really interesting and would love to hear more about your experiences in the Falklands

Proud of you for speaking out about this

loads of my family lives in the falkland islands !! hearing their stories of how different it is over there is wild lol

One of your best videos. Being trans isnt your only identity so its nice to hear about other things

Me watching and turning to my bf like “have you heard of this place before?” And him going “are you Fucking serious?”…. Lol I forgot he lived there for 6 months

really interesting, would be cool to see photos if you have any :) trying to picture the first house aha

I watched this last week and it’s been playing on my mind. Firstly, very brave to talk so openly and honestly about what was clearly a really difficult period which it seems you had very little control over and just had to cope. The feelings of isolation, total cultural differences and this undercurrent of sexual danger were very evident and heartbreaking. Secondly, I used to work in trans healthcare but I’m now on the polar opposite. Many different reasons. But i hope truly that before you embarked upon your transition that you were able to discuss this period of your life with a professional therapist. It is of course absolutely none of my business and I don’t expect a reply. You are clearly an intelligent articulate young person and I hope that you find the peace and place in your life that you deserve. I’ve been through breast cancer and take T too believe it or not though in tiny amounts. I genuinely wish you the best and will follow your journey like many others. Best wishes x

would love to hear more about this really this more serious kind of storytime content

This was interesting and educational,thank you for sharing ❤

This is really interesting! I spent a portion of my teenage years in the Middle East and these sorts of experiences really are a big part of who you are. The internet and TV things aren’t really that wild though, it wasn’t that long before here in the UK that internet and TV were limited (literally like 6 years before). Though I do remember being in Bahrain when the whole countries internet was broken for 3 weeks when a ship off the coast of Egypt accidentally pulled our only wire up with its anchor which I feel like might happen there too!

I love your accent 😍 and your positively

This was really interesting, I'd love a second video on the topic if you had the time to make it!

I’d love to hear more!!!

very interesting, please make another video about this!

dont be shy, drop the information.... where did you get that shirt?!

8:55 I’m doing this exact same subjects for my GCSEs! I’m in year 9 so I’m almost there Edit: So glad you spoke up about this ❤

My dad was born in Australia in the post war era there was a lot of British immigrants, he still has dual citizenship but never uses it

I love ez long form content

Hii :D just wanted to ask how you are doing? :3

white deposits on milky ways/chocolate isnt it being out of date, this occurs when the cocoa butter comes out of the chocolate when it melts during transport/storage. It can make the chocolate taste more crumbly sometimes (other times not) but it's not out of date

I'm argentinian and I've always been curious about what is taught in schools or by parents about the political history of the island. What's taught or talked about the war from 1982?

Super interesting. Thank you for sharing

❤️❤️❤️

Yes please a part 2 & 3. ❤❤️‍🩹

It sounds so isolating and makes the Isle of Man where I live seem like a hub of connectivity in comparison. It sounds like a really hard time in your life but interesting to listen to you talk about it. Interesting to hear what other small island are like too. I'd happily hear more of your thoughts and even what you think about the IoM from your visits here. I'm from Manchester and moved here when I was about 5.

you should be proud to be sharing these secrets about the place its been going on to long and needs to be stopped but sadly it wont do like so many other places it happens its sad that so many victims can not be heard for fear of being shunned by sick individuals just glad you escaped it

wow! so interesting!

This is really interesting and sad. Thank you for sharing your story!

RUTABAGA ON A PIZZA???? I thought the corn was a little odd but sounds fine, but if by swede you mean rutabaga, that sounds just absolutely foul. lmao!!!!

Omggg you have a brother ❤

Thanks so much for the video. I would love to hear more information for example why did your family decide to come back? What was your day-to-day life like? and how did you adjust being back in the UK?

Slay Ezra

Such an interesting video and you are so good at telling it. You have a talent narrating these events. Please more on your life there! :)

More 👏 more👏 more👏 ..please

15:00 my second native language is Spanish and that pronunciation was perfect lol

Yes I want to hear more! I‘ve never heard about this before

That sounds so horrible I’m so sorry that stuff was going on around you. And I’m sorry the kids were awful. I can relate 😅. But here we are! Alive and thriving!!!

I grew up in Louisiana in America. I was born in Spain though. I'm Spanish & white.

Well done Ez! So much respect for you! I’ve sent you a IG message. Stay safe! Hope you are well!❤️❤️

Im interested in more secrets on the falklands

my mother also was very tall in school and then She stopped growing and She is short 😀

why is everyone in the comments from argentina

why did u upload twice?

Pc Plod was a mason probs , im having visions of the wicker man

hey are you ok your voice went different at the end in the way that mine does when I'm really anxious but I'm trying to hide it so are you alright

Sounds lime the rent was better in the falkin islands then it is in the u.s and U.k today

Can I ask what "Sweed" means? I am a foreigner here. Thank you

I remember the Falklands war

Do you think Milei could make the falklands Argentinian again?

which sibling are You? youngest, middle, oldest.

This is so interesting, it's funny that out of all the places, your parents decided to live there, they must be really brave:3

Where was the trigger warning for the UK??!?!?

what do you mean you live alone? i thought issac lived with you?

This video is sooo British, lol

It sounds like a horrible place to live

First

hi Ezra LAS MALVINAAAS ARGENTINAAAAAS I'm argentinian, and I love your channel

I may not be trans but I am genderfluid and Ezra gives me gender envy

Hi ez❤❤❤❤

Swede pizza sounds revolting ngl

Sending much love from Argentina ♡♡♡

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Malvinas Argentinas papá

I'm sorry, what is sweet on pizza? 🤔

You haven’t really spoken about ur personal experience or shared any stories. You’re talking about it from a general sense.

The term “spinning” is not grooming young girls, it’s simply the act of driving around. Friends, colleagues, and spouses would often go spinning as a recreational activity. As you pointed out, TV and internet had much to be desired in 2012, and until the late 1980s the only TV was via VHS cassettes sent from the UK. So you had 3 choices prior to this, board games/cards, drinking, or spinning. A truly awful Senior Magistrate came to the Falklands who had zero clue about the local cultures and during a grooming court case took the very innocent activity of driving for fun and accused everyone who went spinning as being groomers. He was the most despised Senior Magistrate in the history of the Falklands.

Ugh, a white milky way. Sounds dreadful.

We sorted out the argies there in 1982.

this is a comment

The Falkkans sounds like the most boring place in the world 😭

I thought you would be finally speaking up about British colonialism

Just for a contest population of Falkland Islands is about 3000 people. Crime rate is extremely low