“A suit, it’s a sign of conformity and tradition, that’s order. And stealing, that’s…rebellion of the id, the shadow. So when you steal a suit, what’s that? It’s chaos meeting order. It’s the merging of the two. The unknown and the known are now one. They are now inextricably linked. And once you realise that…well you’ve got a hell of a lot to think about don’t you?”
You made an episode about Death recently that was somehow less depressing and more hopeful than this. Depressing? Perhaps that isn't the right word. Sobering. Sobering, and maybe even empowering.
Truly it’s amazing how products like this and AI slop can be so transparently worse, users may even actively and widely detest them, and platforms just … implement them. Part of why social media doesn’t “work” how we think it does is because we have no tangible power as consumers the way we used to, other than to leave what remains of some communities behind. This is a prohibitively difficult thing for some, living in places that have so eroded public spaces and general society offline, so … what do you do? Can the onus be put on someone who needs help and understanding from community to build community from scratch?
Thank you so much for mentioning learned helplessness. As someone who grew up in Russia, I cannot emphasize enough just how effective it is on shutting down people's politicization. It's bad enough in a scope of one person, but when it affects entire societies, that's an entirely different story. Politics just permanently leaves the conversation, so much so that people ridicule you for trying to discuss it. At some point, it starts to feel inescapable. I'm still not entirely sure what could get the society out of this state, because so far nothing could. Not the war, not the tragedies, not the poverty, not the deaths.
thank you for saying that bit about like, what if a car accident had derailed your education, because that legitimately isnt far from what happened to me and i did have to learn to walk again, that just... really resonated, thank you
Seriously. To declare "an end to history" just seems exceptionally short sighted and naive. It is like a couple on their honeymoon loudly declaring that their relationship is perfect and will always remain perfect and that they will "never have problems again".
I mean, have you seen Robert "I owe the banks a billion USD but they can't collect on me because they'll never see any money if they do" Kiyosaki? There's worse but I figure he's the most famous.
@@jonathanbowers8964Fukuyama never argued this and literally criticizes the shortfalls of liberal democracy and warned how the political shift of the time, neo-liberalism, would exacerbate those antagonisms.
That car insurance example is not a hypothetical btw, as someone who spent a year with a black box to get marginally cheaper insurance when I was 18, it was a nightmare. And it's not just speed, it's how heavy you are on the breaks (an emergency stop to not hit someone running into the road acts as a black mark on your record), how tightly you take corners (a nightmare when you live down a narrow cul-de-sac), and distance you travel, among others I'm forgetting. It wasn't even that much cheaper to have the monitoring.
Same here, I think I had it with Intact Insurance here in Canada. Unsurprisingly it didn't help. If anything it gave them one excuse after another to hike my rates.
I had our insurance salesman try to encourage us to "save money" this way and I flat out told him I don't need anyone else monitoring me or selling my information and that I would gladly pay the extra $5 - $10 monthly for personal privacy... I watched his brain short circuit in real time.
Whenever i watch documentary hor historic dramas about a civil rights movement from back in the day, i think: it's sad that we seem to be less able to rally and organize despite having the internet and social media. It never occurred to me that we might be less able to do so BECAUSE of these things!
I have been more accepting of the fact that more communication acts as a sort of dopamine driver, making us ever less revolted with the illusion that, by seeing more people on our side, we feel like we are winning. In many regards, we are (climate change has been more positive every year, with the "cataclysmic end" being pushed away a decade at a time). But don't let such illusions make you feel less motivated. If anything, use it as a drive to keep pushing, but withour really feeling like there is no hope and no end to this. At least that is what I have been working with.
Oh god. I don’t have TikTok, but I’m on all the like adjacent apps and I just deleted instagram yesterday because it was making me so ill. I turned 18 this year and it’s the first presidential election I can vote in, but it’s really hard to feel enthusiastic about participating when it feels like no option is really a good option. I feel just like. So burnt out and cynical. I keep seeing people I trust falling for the absolute dregs of misinformation or being super reactionary, and it really sucks. This video literally could not come at a better time holy shit 😔
Kamala harris must win or world will burn down. Trump will set off great EU nato war and middle east war by leting gaza be burn down and leting russia take Ukraine. Also the end of all lgbtq rights and maybe woman rights this will be sign into law by the gop. i know it hard with all this info but the pick is clearly kamala harris.
My first election was 2016 - I remember asking my dad over and over "is it always like this?" and he always said "No... No this is new..." And it's only gotten worse ever since 😂😂😢
Do not let the depression of the moment get to you. That's what evil wants. For you to walk away. Stay involved, keep learning. Together we win and finally build a world for everyone.
I just have IG to keep up with friends, the rest of it is like Reels content slurry where it's "oddly satisfying" videos of somebody working in a factory or somebody doing some nonsense, it's like the equivalent of jangling shiny keys in front of a baby at this point
the best way in this case is to vote against the worst option. e.g. almost anyone would be a better option to replace Putin because replacement is already an improvement
I'm getting sick of it being pushed by so many "left" influencers. Like it's so fucking centrist. I know what Republicans say and lie about. I don't need to try to seek out "unbiased" or "middle" sources nor do I need to see "blind spots" which always amount to entirely fabricated conspiracy theories the right believes in alone. Omg why aren't any Democrat leaning sources talking about how Kamala poisoned that well and killed 1000000jillion babies and shipped them to be slaves to China and replaced them with Mexican pedophiles with her Jewish space lazer ... Omg why don't you seek out a balanced news diet you echo chambery babies
I fear for my life I'm in TX been hard enough fighting my state for my right to exist but then going against the feds is practically impossible. I'll be alright have been for 65 years think another 20 or 30 more years should be able to handle
Talking about how democracy isnt intended to and doesnt always result in the “best” results and leaders reminds me of the quote attributed to churchill “democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others”
@27:21 "Instead of a Dark Lord, you would have a queen, not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Tempestuous as the sea, and stronger than the foundations of the earth! All shall love me and despair!"
I think this is probably my third favourite episode of all time (after the one on Butler, and the one on the NHS). This was a great writing and acting accomplishment. Love where this channel is going!
Abigail touched on the learned helplessness of information bombardment, to cause individuals to discourage the desire to participate. It's obviously down to the low barrier to entry for all actors, good and bad, but I can't help but think that it also leads to a drowning out of quality which leads to lowered expectations and reduction of the number of models. I don't know if that's a distinction from learned helplessness without a difference, but not only does propaganda discourages individuals, it also puts up real barriers to those less discouraged by the dross. It's so painful when one wants information about a purchase decision, we get bombarded with ads. As Abigail mentioned, if surveillance capitalists can do it, so can politicians and government. The political right are already masters of it, but I don't think that the centre and centre-left are as far behind and as innocent as we would want to believe.
The episode Men:Abuse: Trauma was not only simply pure brilliance...it meant and resonated so much and was so helpful. I have watched it well over 20 times at least❤.
(This is Laura writing; I share Robert’s account) You are genuinely the best at pulling together the frustration of information and the way people talk about information, then how they slide into the “the smart people know best” mindset, and we’re suddenly talking eugenics, but technoeugenics, where the most technologically privileged people are somehow the smartest, b/c the person arguing with me just bought the latest whatever. It drives me crackers, b/c it’s so clearly predisposed to advantage that person, they might as well be a guy saying “well, men are hunters, and women are gatherers, so men are superior” on a first date. …Though I’m devastated the Death video didn’t get as much engagement; it was AMAZING. 💜💜💜
21:00 Car insurance companies are doing it. You offer it up and attach the device to your OBD2 port and monitors your driving habits and bestows discounts, etc
That's what I was thinking also... One thing is being a moreof a libertarian socialist (which I might understand), and the other is outright reusing CIA propaganda and being totally libbed up (which... yeah, no - beware, I'm not even defending China, but a lot of what is talked about China is CONFIRMED to be false to paint them in a bad image).
I spent way too long thinking the "twist" would be that it wasn't actually a one take and trying to spot continuity issues (did the flag pins change etc) 🤣
I remember the Occupy movement. The most frustrating part of that time was that movement's leaders' absolute refusal to get involved in the tedious, boring, unglamorous behind-the-scenes work needed to build a lasting coalition and create solutions to the problems they pretested. Getting on TV with drum circles and human megaphones were one thing, but when it became time to propose answers and advocate for something, they had nowhere to go. It made their protest theatre easy to mock and ultimately ignore.
24:12 I highly disagree with this particular detail. Of *course* that a mindset and system that has *always* disregarded people's rights in favor of capital and the rich develops technologies and laws that disregard people's rights in favor of capital and the rich.
As a current Nebula subscriber (and code person), I honestly loved hearing all the details of how they collect and use data! Its cool to hear that they/y'all take privacy and AI etc seriously and build as much as possible in house
A lowercase runza is a region-specific version of the German bierock, a bun stuffed with meat and cabbage. An uppercase Runza is a chain of restaurants that serves them.
The "I could run this country with my eyes closed" rant sent shivers down my spine. Not just because of the amazing acting, but because you're so right - it's easy to fall into the dark place of ego and the romanticism of dictatorships.
In order to function well, democracy requires the participation of the populace in government. In order for the populace to effectively participate in government, they need to be assured a certain quality and availability of time. Democracy requires that the population has leisure time in order to consume up to date information about what is going on in society, and to participate in actions and discussions on what to do. If you do not assure that your population has the time to do this, then you do not have government by the people... you have government by those privileged enough to have time.
For a long time I was doing the Learned Helpless option. Saying "both sides are bad and it will never get better" was an easy way to dismiss any need to involve myself. After I realized I'm trans I mostly stuck to hiding and curling up in my bubble - Shinigami Eyes and a lot of blocking. Easier to not subject myself to constant stress of a world that has suddenly gotten hell-bent on my eradication. Doesn't help the outcome though; have to stick my neck out beyond the bare minimum if things are ever gonna get better.
I really hoped you'd make a meta "this is the Brett Cooper home studio setup with 3 cameras, what do you mean there's 12 guys here? Don't look behind the curtain!" reveal to uncover the fake "I'm just a girl in her bedroom" trend.
Idk, a date that turned into a watch session of abby actually sounds like a green flag to me! A much better version of "Netflix and chill"... 🤔 "philosophy and busting... myths"?
Great work on the one-shot-filming! It felt cool to watch, fluid movement thru the set made it very entertaining (you are SO SO SO amazing and captivating on-screen ahhhh) An important subject matter too, thank you for enlightening us!
For some reason, I've been consistently thinking about an interview Novara did during the last UK GE with an older guy. He said he wasn't gonna vote, pointed out all the potholes on local roads, said that he's a lifelong socialist who feels betrayed by Labour, and that he gelt sorry for younger people facing the future. I dunno why it stuck with me, but I think it's because, in that moment, that one old guy encapsulated the landscape of hopelessness that party politics promotes. Question is... what do we do about it?
I feel like there are many other alternatives, which ARE NOT NECESSARY LESS DEMOCRATIC, but maybe even MORE democratic (so don't take the word "alternative" the wrong way), but you just really have to look for them, cuz they are really niche and not known (like, I found them after hours of scrolling through Wikipedia - an honesty that I'm not so proud of heh). Like for example, I am 100% not forcing you what to believe, but one alternative to modern problems posed by representative democracy could be solved by council democracy, for example (which is a more direct democratic system, not based on representatives with motives of re-election, but rather with motivation of just being a proper delegate of their community). I could go on and on with alternatives, but at the end of the day, until we have the current system that is based on people's profit before needs (both in politics and economics), there is no alternative, and this system cannot be simply reformed - however "doomer-y" or even "larp-y" it may sound, the only option here would be revolution, because no reactionary force nor those who benefit from their status quo would simply give in...
@TomiThemself I pretty much believe in everything you said tbh. The problem is that no one seems to be willing to light the spark because they run the risk of being condemned as terrorists, getting imprisoned or killed and generally just having their regular lives uprooted. It's something I think even really fervent activists and advocates feel, including folk like Abigail. How did MCR put it? Everybody wants to change the world, but no one wants to die.
Hell yes. THIS is the type of work that inspires my own art, re-opens my eyes to the blurred, perhaps nonexistent boundary between "I can" and "I can't." Being honest and genuine in the digital landscape becomes a detriment to one's financial/social success, it seems; and creativity feels solely like a tool to be gamified or exploited for capital; yet despite this wave of targeted, high-tech, shined-shit content, pieces of media like this video - that embraces weirdness - give me hope for art in the future. Thanks for another banger, Abi. I have much to think about.
I will confess, the monologue around "I could do a better job with my eyes closed" re running the UK did make me laugh out loud (because you almost certainly could, and I do experience that sensation frequently). But yeah, hooooly hell this one is pretty impactful. Some of it I hadn't even considered before and have probably fallen for at least once.
I’m still a little lost on where to go from here. We need sources of information to understand the world, but once we have the information the world still doesn’t change. We could organize and demand action, but if you’re just going to be ignored, what good does it do? It feels like the only way to create change is to take matters into your own hands. But how do you do that and still respect the democratic process? If corporations and governments can control our beliefs through the content we consume, are we even in a democracy?
If you still have questions, you have Data and/or Information, but not Knowledge. Knowing that is the path to Wisdom. Stay curious, as asking why is the key.
Thank you this was fantastic, grounded, and honest. I have been reeling from these issues for a while now. It is very easy to fall into the trap of feeling you are alone, or are the only person seeing this. The self doubt and anxiety are relentless.
One other issue with point number 2 (which ties into some of what you go into later) is that we have heard similar things before. I was part of the wave of nerdy internet optimists that came online in the 90's and early 2000's. There was a real sense that not only would the internet bring people together but that its most prominent users, us nerds, would be both more effective and benevolent leaders. We were smarter (and more humble), familiar with what the feeling of being picked on and seen as lesser, and able to connect with each other all over the world, surely we would usher in a utopia. But not only was that way too optimistic, but it was some of those same nerds who started GamerGate about 10 years later which directly lead to the alt-right, and they started many of the hedge funds and tech companies that are doing so much damage to our society.
You said it yourself in the subtitles: Who be doing it like Toob be doin it? Nobody. This type of content is incredibly remarkable, constantly and consistently thorough and stylish, and the research done is extensive and just brilliant. The section on Middleware, the growing information overwhelm and the thought process of people in tech companies (the "if I could make them listen" moment), they are eye-opening. Thank you, to you and the crew, for this video.
Core memory from the early-ish targeted ads: For about 3-5 months I was bombarded with ads from a sperm bank. Oh, I'm AFAB nonbinary, by the way, though at the time I still thought I was a woman. This is relevant, I swear! The sperm bank was looking for donors.
My car insurance DID put a device in my car to monitor my driving- I didn't want that, but my dad pays my insurance while I'm in school so I didn't really have a choice- his money so he gets to pick the insurance and all. But yeah, exactly what you described is what's currently happening to me.
15:48 "middleware" is actually the exact thing that Bluesky is focusing on, and it's been interesting to see how it plays out. There can be good uses but it's also a huge privacy nightmare & spews data everywhere to who knows where, which sounds like a repeat of Cambridge Analytica. There are models that would allow more visibility/control, but that's not what bluesky implements, they don't even give you a way to see which "middleware" has seen your data nor an ability to prevent your data from going to certain places. (In bluesky, middleware is relays, feeds, and moderation services)
