Film Theory: Black Panther's Economic CRISIS! 

Hey! Venezuelan here. This made me cry for multiple reasons: 1.- The fact that someone is actually factually reporting on what happens to us and in some ways, this has been more through-rough than a lot of journalist. 2.- Because it reminded me of exactly how bad this is, with no end on sight. :( Just to fact-check/expand on context: Venezuela did have a real, albeit imperfect democratic system from 58-98... The year we elected that asshole Hugo Chávez. And to be fair, plenty of people-both local and immigrants- profited: there was more social mobility and the opportunity to study, get good jobs, make a living, take care of your family, etc. Venezuela was much like the US, a migration magnet. And food scarcity started in 2007: milk was one of the first things to go. The thing is that because of the high oil prices is like they could keep cooking in spite of a gas leak, but eventually you rub out of gas. The thing about controlling of the 1 resource=control of the population is true. Is like how abusive partners will try to prevent their victims from having their own money or take away any income they generate so as to keep them subdued. The Venezuelan government is responsible for people not finding food, but they will SELL you boxes of government selected food for you. So, also Maslow’s pyramid: you keep people from being able to protest because they’re relying on that food box you sell them. And government officials are the ones who import that food and make money off of it.

Worst super villain name?? Never heard tazerface?

Ultron’s body: exists Tony: WHY IS THERE A BILLION DOLLAR CHARGE ON MY CREDIT CARD ULTRON

I watched this video 5 years ago and it was my first real exposure to economics. Today I just accepted a master's candidacy for development economics. Film Theory literally changed my life ❤

Matpat: Tony stark is trying to replicate the vibranium. MCU: not if I have anything to say about it

Killmonger is the worst villain name in the MCU? Tazerface: am i a joke to you?

I convinced my 4 year old marvel obsessed cousin that I have a beach house in wakanda

“No shortage of sand” Global sand shortage: allow me to introduce myself

I learn more from one video from you than I do a week in school😂 plus I feel what you talk about in these video tend to be more factually correct than teachers and you address real problems in places that can tend to get overlooked in episodes like this

''We see Tony Stark in his lab trying to replicate vibranium!'' *1 Avengers Endgame later* Welp there goes that fantasy.

This was recommended to me at the worst time😭 Rest in power, king

5:20 But with great power comes great responsibility. Wait, that phrase doesn’t exist in the MCU.

If vibranium is nearly indistructible... how do you mine it

R.I.P. the king, Chadwick Boseman. WAKANDA FOREVER.

I will never get tired of MatPat's animation style for these vids. It's too adorable and too stupid! I love it!

Killmonger wasn't actually a "legit" king like you said though. They say it in the movie, T'chaka didn't die, and he never yielded. T'chaka was the king from the coronation ceremony in the beginning of the movie to the end. Edit: Yes, I am an idiot. I meant to say T'Challa, not T'Chaka

R.I.P. Chadwick Boseman Your memory will not be forgotten.

You’re forgetting one thing though. Wakanda has been majorly isolationist for centuries. By that logic they would have the economic foundation to survive even when international trade stops

In wakanda, anyone can become king as long as they beat the previous king in combat, which is more than se can say about Russia

MatPat already teased food theory at 16:58 (edit: what could the blue mean? Mabye music theory)

"Killmonger is the worst name-" DC: Calender Man!

Rest in Power.

2:29 why the blur?

Rip to Chadwick boseman

Ehem* worst villain name is still Tazerface

Wait, wasn't it a secret that wakanda had all of this vibranium and that means that they weren't selling it? This would mean that the economy isn't based upon vibranium. Correct?

now that Chadwick Boseman is gone (RIP) people are really going to hate MatPat and the team for this

The problem here is: you think there is alternative. There is one: uru metal. And this one is not Earth-rare. It's entire world-rare. You can't replicate vibranium or uru metal. They are like nanocarbon and graphene but your Earth doesn't have any form of coal. The second thing: They are closed community. They don't sell vibranium at all. They didn't even showed up to the world until they needed to in the first place. They don't rely on money like we do. Therefore there will be no economy crash, because econony we know sorta doesn't exist there.

Mentioning Venezuela made me happy. I dont really see people mentioning Venezuela anywhere so it's good that some people do realise whats happening.

>>See this video >>Realize that marvel just got rights back to X-men >>Realize that means Adamantium can now be introduced to the MCU Oh shit

I learned more from this than my whole economics class.

I thought Wadanda ecomony doesn't depend on Vibranium as they do not sell it.

Hello everyone, a Venezuelan here, one that can not say anything also than thank you for Matt Patt for creating awareness about the current situation of my country and telling everyone how is that we actually live here (with the exception of the government and what we call “enchufados” that are corrupt citizens that gain money and power by supporting the government) I’m 17 years old high school student about to get graduated, and I can tell you that I’m going through one of the toughest moments of my life. I’m actually lucky to be part of the 10% that is able to eat properly and have a good education, but those little things have costed me a lot. A lot my family moved to other countries to try in finding new opportunities and a better life, and I’m not going to be the exception of that case. My mother actually moved to Panama to get a better job and a better life being broken hearted by the fact of living her son behind so I could finish my high school years here with some of the friends that have stayed. It has been really difficult for her, but because of all the effort she is putting to her job she is able to send us money every now and then so grandparents and me can eat properly every day. Not having my mom around have changed my life a lot, but that’s not the only thing... All public services in this country are absolute garbage. I can barely have WIFI and even getting water in your house is difficult now a day, to the point where there are some days where I can’t even take a shower or wash my hands. All this has also affected education in general. Both schools and universities have a shortage of teachers. There are no teachers now a days, I’m in my school currently missing two teachers in two different subjects, let it be because the salary was not enough or because they simply moved to another country. And you can seriously noticed the downgrade on the educational system all around the country. There is also the insecurity. Venezuela currently have some of the most dangerous cities on the entire world. You can even see that most of the cities of the top ten are form Venezuela, being Caracas (the capital and the city where I live) the most dangerous city in the world. Getting killed, or rob or kidnaped is the most common thing in this city, it’s something that simply japonés all the time. You have now idea how strange it feels to go to another country and being able to actually take out my phone without being worried about someone coming to me with a pistol and saying “give me your phone” You may be asking yourself “if you have family outside the country, why you don’t go live with them”. Well, it’s actually not that simple, but getting out of this country is definitely my plan. As soon as I finish high school I will try to get an scholarship and leave this country as I can. And you can see that this is what most professionals are doing, because.... There is no future here, there is no improving , there is no normality, there is no opportunities..... We Venezuelans don’t live, we survive.

"Every second of breath you take is enough mercy from me klaue" That was such a badass line.

“Killmonger is the worst mane” :Reverse Flash has entered the chat.

rip chadwick boseman

Thank you matpat for bringing the issues in my country to light truly thanks for the spotlight about what's happening in Venezuela

Killmonger is not the worst name in marvel movie history, that award goes to taserface

Why is this recommended to me after he died?

If the paradox of plenty is so destructive then why is Norway One of the best countries to live in? Norway exports A lot of oil not even the second largest industry in Norway reaches 10% but still Norway clings to democracy and is completely stable and has been like that since the time Norway discovered oil in the Norwegian economic area.

That moment when you are happy that matpat is talking about your home country (Venezuela) but also sad because he is using it as an example of a dystopian nightmare (and it is).

Shuri is wakandas most valuable resource everything she does could be a multi billion dollar company.

Matpat seems to know everything from quantum physics to politics wow!!!

13:30 well... that didn't age well

How is killmonger the worst when we have Taserface

Ummmm.... MatPat? I’m a huuuge fan, but I need to point out something here. Vibranium is NOT the reason why Wakanda is wealthy. While the characters may claim it is, it can’t be true. It was mentioned multiple times that Wakanda never exported Vibranium outside of the country (except possibly the material for Cap’s shield), which means that all of the Wakanda’s wealth must have been gained from separate exports. While the sudden exports of Vibranium caused by T’Challa opening up trade at the movie will probably ruin the economy, I’m not sure that it will happen exactly as you predicted. Again, I’m an absolute fan of Game/Film Theory, but I felt this had to be mentioned. In the meantime, remember that’s just a theory, A FILM THEORY(critique)!!!!!!!!

Rest In Power, Chadwick Boseman

Rip chadwik boseman :(

You forget one thing though. Vibranium isn’t Wakanda’s only major recourse. They just happen to be the only country with it. They also have coal, diamonds and uranium.

"Killmonger is the worst villain name" MatPat has never seen Jessica Jones

is no one gonna talk about the short song/theme that plays at the end? lowkey rly good

The thing is, Wakanda doesn’t just rely on its vibranium. It was self-sufficient for centuries without the help of other countries, so it isn’t necessary to sell vibranium. The country is completely fine, T’Challa made the choice to open the borders so they could share their wealth, so I doubt they have many financial issues

Moral of the Story: Diversify your economy. Keep an edge in the global market and keep an eye on research.

I just really need the pants.

that should become official outro music

R.I.P Chadwick Boseman Wakanda forever!

Mat, you said it yourself, they don't trade vibranium. they have no place in the world economy, the country of wakanda is self sustained

This is a great video, but it has a huge foundational flaw. Wakanda doesn't actually export vibranium lol. Also because of Wakanda's historical extreme isolationism their economy also isn't really based on trade at all. Remember they were considered an impoverished "third world" country by the rest of the world. Very few people even know that Wakanda is the source of vibranium. The black market on the stuff is certainly booming, but besides simply wanting to recover it just to keep it out of other's hands that isn't really a problem for Wakanda or the Black Panther.

Matpat: "What's your nationality?" A random russian guy: "Russian" Matpat: "Oh like mario?"

2:53 I was born Venezuela until I was 9 or 10 years old and also when it started to... yeah that country is now dead land at this point

Great film theory but after seeing the movie I saw a couple things that make me feel like playing devils advocate. 1. Vibranium is their key resource but I dont think its the only thing they can bring to the market. Their technology is so advanced that their soldiers have access to Stark level weapons so they have plenty to sell without vibranium. 2. I dont know if the comic clarifies but from the movie it seems that Wakanda is less of a country and more like a city-state so they probably dont have the same issues that a bigger country would have.

1 thing that seems wrong, they dont seem to rely on external economy. They farm their own stuff and mine it and have their own science division. They rely on an internal economy not the money of other countries.

Human nature: It gets the world to turn on its axis

Government: what do you need? People: ima need about tree fiddy

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely” *HISTORY FLASHBACKS!*

“ The country will remain viable for years to come.” Me after infinity war: uhhhh that went well

The actor died. Rest in peace. Wakanda forever 😔

Matpat "there's no shortage of sand" The sand mafia "I beg to differ"

killmonger is the worst villan name? have you forgotten Taserface from guardians of the galaxy 2?

Actually, it was never said that Wakanda is Rich, just technologically advanced. They also say in the movie that it can be used as a power source, that's why they have the technology. And they kind of elected him, they could challenge him. Also, we don't ever see what the other resources are, we don't know how much they have.

Rest in peace Chadwick Boseman

😋A confirmed theory! That's awesome. But the events in other countries is still really tragic and I hope we can prevent things like that from happening.😔

I was really surprised at how educational and fun this was actually to watch. Thank you!

Is Killmonger really worse than Taserface tho?

rip chadwick boseman u will be missed 😢

They could fix their economy by suppling their technological weapons and other devices

But... the Wakandans never traded vibranium, the only way other people got it was threw finding it accidentally or smuggling it out. The world didn’t even know Wakanda existed until a few years ago. And everyone that it was poor. They’ve kept to themselves and all economic structure is in that country, not reaching out to any country. They also have more then one resource: technology and intelligence

Why can’t you be my economics teacher?!

I convinced one of my cousins that I’m an Avenger except I go to a different dimension to fight since this one doesn’t need me, but I stay there because my family isn’t dead in this dimension.

- heart shaped herbs - smart ppl there - bit of a headstart in technology compared to the rest of the world i think they'll do ok.

6:21 ..... Did that censored object just do a cart wheel?

Have you ever accidentally said game theory for a film theory video?

Is nobody else bothered that matpat never addresses the chairs? He specifically calls it out, and then... nothing.

Has no-one pointed out that "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" isn't Machiavelli, but Lord Acton? Machiavelli is better known for "Men should either be treated generously or destroyed, for they can take revenge for small injuries, but for large ones they cannot."

ummmm excuse me worst villain name? taser face????

Wakandas economy: I don’t feel so good

How was Killmonger's rise to power legitimate? They've established that only royalty can challenge the current leader through battle on a specific day, Challenge Day. Killmonger didn't challenge T'challa on challenge day so even though he has a right to fight him he misses his opportunity. In all reality T'challa could've just ignored his challenge and simply went about his day🤷🏿‍♂️. Technically even him beating T'challa shouldn't have even matter cause it's not challenge day!

Matpat : Killmonger is the worst name for a marvel villain. Me : TASERFACE!!!!!

Though this is a great video, I just have to bring up the fact that Wakanda never exported Vibranium. Their trades was not solely based on Vibranium because they never traded it. Also another thing I noticed is that although T'Challa is the sole leader he has a council that helps him run the nation, insight on what his people need and what else he "should" do to better Wakanda. Third, when the one member of the council mentions the world is catching up, he doesn't mean the world is close to an alternative to Vibranium, since it is not a metal that is in high demand in the Marvel Universe, meaning that there would be no need for an alternative. Vibranium also seems like the element that everyone cares the least about otherwise Tony Stark probably would have a suit made up of it. Great video though!

My mom called his intro music "gay techno" lmfao🤣🤣🤣🤣

Gilm theory: killmonger is stupid name.. doctor bong and unicorn: *are we a joke to u >:(*

This is a bad time to get reccomended to me

Someone hasn't been paying attention AND hasn't tried to think outside the box on this one. It's been established that Wakanda doesn't sell any vibranium, and can create technology that is literally centuries ahead of the rest of the world. Using this technology, it is easy to assume that they have such efficient monitoring that virtually no vibranium escapes to the black market, which is why Klaue was so proud of being the only person to have seen Wakanda and stolen a tiny bit of its treasure. And it has been established that the capabilities of vibranium are far beyond that of any other material; it has no substitute. Wakanda has prospered and its people are very well-educated and modern, and Shuri is considered the most intelligent person in the world, so it is also not crazy to assume that the head-start provided by such technological advancement would result in her creating a substitute for vibranium first, if its even possible. Adamantium is probably on the way, so it's likely to be the closest substitute for vibranium used in the same manner as Captain America's shield, but vibranium has been repeatedly shown to be far more versatile in application than just as a strong metal. Adamantium has not. As for how the country prospers...there are countless ways. Wakanda has futuristic, magnet bullet trains with sonic dampers that can actually cancel out the properties of a metal somehow. They have technology that can heal almost any wound. They can fly jets remotely using VR, and even communicate with and control wildlife. They can even harness and manipulate kinetic energy into pretty much anything they like. Perhaps they have unlimited sources of renewable energy because of this. Perhaps vibranium-based machines can process metals and other materials to sell to other countries. Perhaps they make and sell oil or gold using middle men. Perhaps Wakandans can literally create food, and pretend they are just conventionally farming or producing. And while their technology does all the heavy lifting that other countries must deal with, Wakandans can study, train, and travel. Given that they have several undercover expats, perhaps they are profiting this way. The best surgeons, lecturers, soldiers, political advisers, and industrialists of the world could easily be Wakandan, and accumulating wealth that eventually returns to their homeland. After all, Killmonger was easily able to hide his heritage and be accepted as an American, and he made a name for himself at MIT and with American special forces. Long story short, there are a million ways that Wakandans could theoretically use their magical metal and profit from it without selling it to anyone, or compromising their generally isolationist stance. Unlike other countries, a monopoly on vibranium could lead to vast amounts of virtually any other resource, which means that Wakandan rulers have had it pretty easy when it comes to dealing with the needs of their people. All they have really had to do is maintain secrecy over their methods well. I like your theories Matpat but this one was poorly thought-out.

I thought Tazerface was the worse villain name

3:02 You just made a lot people mad in that one frame alone.

To be fair, a lot of the problems with a single-resource economy comes from selling that resource abroad, so if you pull a Wakanda and just keep all the vibranium to yourself, its price becomes low enough to not cause problems, rather than being kept high by all the demand outside the country.

As a venezuelan, the fact that you talked about the topic made me happy

Here's a problem with this video: Unlike how Venezuela has to earn money from oil exports, Wakanda does not sell their vibranium on the global market to earn revenue to reinvest into their economy and help their citizens. No one even knew they HAD vibranium, much less sold it for money. (So they don't really have to court trading partners like you mentioned) Instead, they KEEP the vibranium for their own country and use it to improve their healthcare system, transport, information and communication technology, infrastructure - all of which the citizens would benefit from, and it doesn't take a "miracle" for the leaders to know the citizens would want/ need these things. No revenue comes from SELLING the vibranium outside, but these benefits are possible because they are USING the vibranium inside the country. The problem with the comparison between oil and vibranium is this - you have to sell oil and get money to reinvest into infrastructure, tech, etc. But vibranium is far more versatile than oil - you don't have to sell it, you can just USE it. And clearly the Wakandans have done just that. Several of their industries, such as healthcare, construction, and technology, have been revolutionised not by extra monetary investment, but by using this extremely versatile vibranium, which there is no shortage of in the country. Their economy isn't based on vibranium exports like Venezuela's and Saudi Arabia's are built on oil exports. Their economy is clearly diversified, with booming technology, manufacturing and agriculture sectors for example, which are not dependent on revenue from vibranium sales, but supported by using the vibranium metal itself. Bottom line: It's unlikely that Wakanda will face economic collapse if the vibranium price falls, because A) they never got revenue from exporting it anyway B) its usefulness will still hold, and they have a lot of it to use

Little caveat here, but sand, at least the one used to make fiber optics and construction is beach sand, not desert sand, because of the rounded shape of the latter it causes problems with the aglomeration of concrete. My point being that sand is not as abundant as it seems (from a practical standpoint). Although if fiber optics involves melting then the problem is half solved

Rip legend