DocWatts

Just out of curiosity, where would you place someone like Bernie if he were a political candidate within Finland? Centrist? Slightly right or left of Center?

@Opo Granted that comparing one person's policy positions to that of an entire country is really imprecise, I'll make my best attempt at it. Bernie's Drug Policy is not as Progressive as Portugal, which famously decriminalized basically all Drugs and adopted a Harm Reduction approach to dealing with Substance Abuse. While Bernie supports national legalization for marajuana, he's more measured about decriminalizing or legalizing other 'Hard' drugs. He's cautious about the potential downsides of pushing too fast on this issue. Countries such as Bolivia that have adopted actual Socialism (as opposed to Social Democracy) are to the Left of him. He's not willing to push quite as far to scale back the Military as Green Parties in several countries. Because he's embedded into the two Party apparatus (a pragmatic reality of actually getting anything done in America), he hasn't pushed hard to adopt a more parliamentarian style system that would allow for more than two political parties. The Scandanavian Democracies are probably to the Left of him. Less because he doesn't see the wisdom in thier model (he does), but more because making Social Democracy workable in America requires moderating his approach. A %70 income tax on wealthy people would pretty much be dead on arrival in the States.

@Opo I won't dispute that Bernie is to the left of some political parties / candidates in some other countries. But on a pragmatic level what he is advocating for is for the US to become more of a Social Democracy akin to the ones in Western Europe.

@Opo Sorry if I came across as snarky in my reply, I should try and be more mindful that some of the things that are obvious to people familiar with the US Political landscape, aren't so obvious to people in other parts of the world (or to Americans who don't pay close attention to politics). The Capitol Rioters were unsuccessful in overturning the results of the 2020 election (though in many ways it was more of a show of force by the far right), with the result that the US Capitol Building was looted and a handful of people lost thier lives. A small handful of rioters were planning on either kidnapping or murdering the US Vice President, plus a handful of Progressive US Congress people (men broke into the office of US Representative Alexandria Ocassio Cortez with the intent of harming her). The US Capitol Police which were supposed to ve protecting thr building while the election results were being certified, was caught completely unprepared. This is almost certainly due to institutional biases within the organization, which didn't take the high likelihood of violence breaking out as a serious possibility, despite plenty of warning signs and months of mounting violence from Trump's Cult like followers.

Is this a serious question? I would have that that the Jan. 6 Insurrection attempt by MAGA Cultists would have made that clear.... A few months before that the FBI foiled the plans of a Right Wing Militia to kidnap and execute the governor of the state I live in (Michigan). Are people already forgetting about the Caravan of vehicles with Trump flags trying to run Biden's campaign bus off the road? In addition to all that, the FBI has been warning for years of the inroads that far right extremists (up to and including literal Nazis) have been making in to Law Enforcement agencies across the country.

@Opo That is incorrect. You're conflating ending Private Health Insurance with ending all Private Medicine. They are not the same thing. What Bernie is specifically in favor of is Medicare for All, which would expand the scope of Medicare to cover everyone in the entire country. While is true that Private Insurance companies would not participate in such a system, private Practitioners would still exist under Medicare for All. It's not like your family Doctor would all of a sudden be working for the Government under such a system: Medicare would pay for Services rendered. Pharmaceutical companies would still exist under Medicare for All, but would be much more tightly regulated, and unable to charge whatever they want for medications. Conditions in the US are such that Medicare for All could not co-exist within the current system of Private Health Insurance, so significant disruptions to the private Insurance Industry are %100 a pragmatic necessity, because Private Insurance companies drive up costs to the insane levels that exist within the US.

The 'radical Left' is something that exists in the imagination of low conscious people that have been indoctrinated into Right Wing propaganda, rather than as an actual thing that exists within contemporary US Politics. Bernie and the progressive Wing of the Democratic Party are in actuality Social Democrats, and would be considered either Centrists and just slightly Left of Center in most other Industrialized Democracies. None of them are seeking to spark a revolutionary movement to bring down the United States government or have the aim of overthrowing Capitalism. If you want to contrast that with a Historical example of an actual Radical Leftist, you'd have to look back as far as someone like Vladimir Lennon; whose aim was to build a Revolutionary Vanguard with the goal of overthrowing the government and installing something radically different in its place. While someone like Martin Luther King was a socialist, his aims were to work within Civil Society to advocate for substantial reforms towards a far more just and humane socio-economic system. He wasn't trying to spark a Revolutionary movement. While inclinations towards Revolutionary action did exist within some factions of the later Black Power movement that emerged after MLK's murder, these sort of movements have always been extremely fringe within the US political environment, and none have been successful at attracting large numbers of followers; most tending to fizzle out once thier activities began being monitored and infiltrated by Law Enforcement agencies like the FBI. In fact, right Wing militias and movements (such as Trump's MAGA Cult) have been far more destabilizing and dangerous than any Left wing groups...

No more of a mystery than why there's more people who've read Harry Potter than a dense literary text like Ulysses. While I commend Leo for trying to make the topics of his videos as accessible as he can, fact of the matter is that things like metaphysics and ontology are dense, challenging subjects of discussion whose relevance to most people's day to day lives isn't immediately obvious. Considering the depth of the subject matter, I'm honestly a bit more surprised that some of his videos have gotten as many views as they have.

So it looks like we're 100 days in, and I'd be interested to hear what everyone's overall impressions are so far. For myself, my overall impression is that Biden has (so far) exceeded my expectations. In fact, I'd go so far as to say he might be the best President I've seen during my life; which might sound like a backhanded compliment since the US hasn't exactly been gifted with extraordinary leadership over the last 3 to 4 decades. But there's something to be said about someone competent successfully pushing for incremental Reforms. Seems like he's taken to heart a number of lessons that held back the Obama administration. He hasn't wasted much time trying to negotiate with Bad Faith Republicans. He's been willing to be ambitious with Policy Proposals in the midst of a National Crisis. He's been willing to use Tools like Budget Reconciliation to bypass partisan gridlock and actually get Legislation passed. Obviously this overall positive assessment is highly tentative and subject to change; but so far I gotta say the Biden administration has been knocking it out of the park so far.

Biden Proposes $1.8 Trillion Family Care Package, which includes: Child care : $225 billion Universal Pre-Kindergarten : $200 billion Paid Family Leave (up to 12 weeks) : $225 billion Free Community College : $100 billion Extension of Child Tax Credits Doubles the Capital Gains Tax from %20 to %40 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/04/24/biden-families-plan-tax/%3foutputType=amp Overall this looks to be a great bill, though of course I'm waiting to hear rebuttals by Conservatives as to why it's a bad idea to invest in the American people, or to pass Legislation that improves people's lives. I guess providing support to struggling families must not be part of those cherished 'family values' right wingers like to drone on about.

@Scholar While I don't disagree with the idea that corporations do reflect the overall development of the society, I would counter that many of our consumption habits aren't a 'choice' (in the strong sense of the word), so much as a constrained set of options for meeting our Survival needs, which are inextricably tied to one's socio-economic and material circumstances. It's also worth pointing out that organizations such as Corporations are not democracies, and while they can be influenced to some degree by public opinion, they can and do use their degree of influence to shape public perceptions. And in places like the United States, they have a proven track record of successfully corrupting public institutions and propagandizing large portions of society. Not because corporations are Evil, but because on a basic Game-Theoretical level, that's what the existing socio-economic system incentivizes. If the society is set up in a way that a person has to be something approaching a saint to live an ethical life, then that's best addressed at a societal and systemic (rather than an individual) level.

This ^^^ While people should be encouraged to adopt more healthy and sustainable diets (which include much lower levels of meat consumption), placing the burden of climate change on individuals as a matter of 'consumer choice' distracts from the systemic nature of the problem. It also shifts the burden of responsibly away from the organizations that are contributing most to the problem. The US Military being an excellent case study of this, as it's one of the largest polluters on the planet. If the US military were a country, it would be the 47th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. And that's leaving aside the enormous disinformation campaign enacted by the private fossil fuel industry that successfully misled the public and delayed action on climate change; something that will be looked back at as a crime against humanity.

@trenton I can empathize, as someone who's naturally very introverted, I tend to find socializing somewhat draining, and not at all something that I have a natural affinity for. Rather, it's something I've had to work on over the years. Whoever said that socialization is like a Muscle was %100 on point. I think Vaush gives some good advice in his follow up video on the subject.

The fact that increasing numbers of young men are having difficulty attracting romantic partners and forming meaningful social relationships. This is affecting something like 1 in 4 men under the age of 40, and has increased markedly since it began trending upward in 2008. Obviously this leads to social problems such as widespread feelings of sadness and alienation. It also provides fuel for toxic ideologies such as Incels, and other forms of destructive and unhealthy masculinity. Vaush did an excellent video on the subject a while back. Considering the large number of people that this ultimately effects, I do find it a bit surprising that it isn't discussed more often than it is.

Here are some loose recommendations, somewhat in the vein of Fear and Loathing: Ken Kesey fits somewhat alongside the works you mention: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Sometimes a Great Notion being his most notable works. William S. Burroughs might also fit that bill, with books such as Junkie or Naked Lunch. The real life Jim Jones is a fascinating character that is worth reading up on if you're interested in understanding how the counter culture ethos can become corrupted and lead to a Cult.

Don't necessarily think of populism as a pejorative, but the last five to ten years has made it abundantly clear how ugly things can get when populism runs off the rails. Perhaps it's just my pragmatism speaking, but my sense is populism on its own is neutral, and whatever value judgements we attach to it are going to ultimately depend on who's wielding it and for what purposes it's being used. Is the person using it for the purposes of pushing for Universal Healthcare and a $15 minimum wage? Or are they using it to put children into cages? You don't have to dive into conspiracy land to see that many needed reforms in America are blocked by moneyed interests who use thier influence and power to work against the public good (take your pick: the Health Care Industry, the Private Prison Industry, etc). I'll agree that both right wing and left wing populism have thier shortcomings, but at least in the US there are a limited number of avenues that can realistically be used to reform aspects of our system that are badly in need of fixing.

Guilty on all counts it seems. Color me surprised, guess I'd just gotten used to police being able to get away with gross misconduct up to and including murder. Of course the decision will almost certainly appealed, but fantastic news nonetheless. Moral of the story is that recording devices (ie body cam footage) are an indispensable tool in making sure that police are held accountable for thier actions. Let's use this momentum to continue to push for efforts to increase transparency and public accountability for these institutions.

Excellent point by point rebuttal of the incoherent reasons Crenshaw gives against the Stimulus Checks, or more broadly why government supposedly doesn't have any obligation to make the lives of its citizens any better. Yes, silly us for thinking that one of the government's basic duties is to prevent its citizens from undergoing needless suffering. Much better to have the Social Darwinist system that Conservatives like Crenshaw pine for where the strong feed on the weak, and where we pay our representatives six figure salaries to do literally nothing that would make a difference in the lives of %95 of the country. While I'm beyond being surprised that people with this philosophy keep getting elected in America, I am somewhat baffled as to why Crenshaw in particular is popular in some circles. Granted the guy isn't a 70 year old mummy and can at least speak in coherent sentences, but I'm not hearing anything that would sound out of place if it came from the mouths of dinosaurs like Mitch McConnell or Ted Cruz. Or maybe it's the fact in addition to sounding like a James Bond villain when he promotes his austerity ideology, he looks the part as well because of the eye patch?

Interesting to note that lab grown synthetic meat uses less resources to develop than some forms of plant based food. What we should be shooting for is to make maintaining an ethical diet to be as easy as possible, similar to how we would also want Voting in elections to be as easy as possible. In a Late Stage Capitalist society it's unfortunately been the opposite for much of our history, but it's encouraging to see that this trend has been changing over the past few decades.

@Leo Gura @Roy These are some thoughts on the matter from some a scientist with actual experience using these types of surveillance equipment during his time serving in the military. His Youtube chanel actual deals quite extensively with topics that pertain to the possibility of extraterrestrial life. I'd highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the subject.

@Leo Gura There are also plenty of eyewitness accounts from people that would swear on thier life that the twin towers were destroyed by controlled demolition. Human perception is highly fallable. Any idea of how many people have been wrongly sent to prison because of bad or mistaken eyewitnesses testimony? It's not hard at all to believe that hundreds of thousands of people could have mistakenly identified whatever it was they were seeing as an alien craft. There are billions of people living on this planet after all, who see and hear things all day every day. When someone else brings up some very valid points on the subject and your response is that they're just close minded, hard not to see that as hand wavey. While the importance of physics or biology may be vastly overstated in explanations of why were here and what this life is about, when considering the narrow subject of interstellar travel by other life forms, it becomes highly relevant. Kind of get the sense that you want to believe ET is up in the skies zipping about, and that your metaphysics may be biasing you (not claiming I'm immune from this second point ) *As a fun aside, for anyone who wasn't shown this in intro psych, I'd recommend giving it a quick watch.

Trying to understand the motivations and intent behind Hitler's actions (including placing those actions into a broader historical context) is quite a different thing from condoning Hitler's actions, or having sympathy for fascist ideology. For even moderately thoughtful people this should not be a difficult distinction to make.

It's also worth pointing out that how dangerous it is to be a cop in America (compared to other professions) tends to be overstated. Police officers aren't even in the top ten of workplace fatalities in America, sitting right between being a mechanic and a construction worker. And yeah I get that being a police officer is a psychologically demanding and stressful job, but so is being a teacher in a low income neighborhood. Or a Social Worker. Or an Emergency Dispatcher...

Because at their most benign they serve as a distraction, and inhibit productive discourse around important socio-political topics. Most Conspiracy Theorists tend to be willfully (and sometimes aggressively) ignorant about their own internal biases, and tend to be lacking in ego awareness. Hard to have a productive and mature conversation with someone whose view of reality is a patchwork of emotionally charged, paranoia fueled fantasies. But more often than not they serve as a smokescreen for harmful ideologies, which can lead to deadly real world consequences. The Jan. 6th storming of the Capitol, and thousands of preventable Covid deaths from people refusing to adopt basic safety measures during a pandemic, are some of the more obvious outcomes that come to mind.

To follow a line of argumentation from our wisest stateman, Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw, McDonalds is awesome because the suffering it creates is socially useful, and because poverty wages build character and force people to find innovate ways to meet their survival needs. It's also good for the American consumer because one can get a whole day's worth of calories in a single meal, which in turn drives innovation within pharmaceutical companies to come up with new and highly lucrative treatments for obesity related illnesses.