Polish schools get a taste of the Retroactively Amended Purchase Experience; subscription capitalism

Summary

In this episode, host Lewis Rossman addresses health-related absences from his channel and delves into the issue of subscription capitalism, exemplified by a school district in Poland. He criticizes the shift from ownership to subscription models, particularly in educational software like edu Vulcan, which now charges parents a subscription fee despite being previously covered by school licenses funded by taxes. Rossman connects this to larger issues in the education industry, such as the exploitative practices of textbook companies like Pearson, and encourages viewers to push back against these changes to prevent further exploitation.

Takeaways

• 😷 The host, Lewis Rossman, has been taking time off due to health issues and will be appearing less frequently on the channel.
• 🐟 Lewis enjoys being a fish owner and uses it as a metaphor for not wanting to become 'fish food', implying the need to take care of his health.
• 📚 The episode discusses a school district in Poland that has started charging parents a subscription fee for an electronic journal application called Edu Vulcan, which was previously free.
• 💸 Lewis criticizes the shift towards 'subscription capitalism', where services that were once purchased outright now require ongoing payments.
• 📈 He argues that this model is exploitative, especially when the terms of sale are changed after the initial purchase, as it seems to be happening in Poland with the Edu Vulcan app.
• 🏫 The app in question is used for communication between parents and teachers regarding a child's school attendance and performance.
• 📝 Lewis reminisces about the old days of faking sick notes and compares it to the modern convenience of apps, which he sees as a loss of a certain childhood experience.
• 🤬 He expresses frustration with companies like Pearson View, which he views as taking advantage of their integral role in education to force students to buy new, expensive textbooks.
• 🇵🇱 Lewis suggests that Polish people should be aware of the business practices of companies like Pearson View and push back against exploitative 'subscription capitalism'.
• 👋 Lewis ends the episode by expressing his love for his fish and hints at an uncertain return date for his next video, due to his health and the need to focus on himself.

Q & A

Why did Lewis Rossman take a break from his channel?

Lewis Rossman took a break from his channel due to some health issues.

What is the main topic of discussion in this episode of 'How Are You Getting Effed'?

The main topic of discussion is subscription capitalism, particularly focusing on a school district in Poland that appears to be affected by it.

What is the issue with the electronic journal application 'edu Vulcan' in Poland?

The issue is that the application, which was previously free to parents as part of the school's licensing fee, now requires parents to pay a subscription fee per child per year for its use.

What does Lewis Rossman think about capitalism in general?

Lewis Rossman likes capitalism and believes it is a great thing, but he is critical of subscription capitalism, which he sees as exploitative.

Why does Lewis Rossman criticize subscription capitalism?

Lewis Rossman criticizes subscription capitalism because it involves changing the terms of sale after a product has been purchased, effectively asking for more money for something that was already paid for.

What is Lewis Rossman's opinion on the company Pearson View?

Lewis Rossman has a negative opinion of Pearson View, calling it one of the most garbage companies in the world due to its practices in the textbook industry.

What is the problem with the way Pearson View handles textbook revisions, according to Lewis Rossman?

Lewis Rossman argues that Pearson View releases new textbook revisions with different questions and answers, making it necessary for students to buy the new, expensive textbooks to do their homework, which he sees as a money-making scheme.

What advice does Lewis Rossman give to people in Poland regarding the situation with edu Vulcan?

Lewis Rossman suggests that people in Poland should start understanding the concept of subscription capitalism and push back against it to prevent companies from changing the terms of sale and extracting more money.

What does Lewis Rossman suggest as a metaphorical response to companies changing terms of sale?

Lewis Rossman suggests using a piece of Italian sign language as a metaphorical response to companies that change terms of sale, implying a strong, negative reaction.

What is Lewis Rossman's personal situation with his health?

Lewis Rossman mentions that he has been dealing with health issues, which is why he has been taking time off and might be seen less on his channel.

What is the humorous anecdote Lewis Rossman shares about his childhood?

Lewis Rossman shares a story about faking a sick note as a child to skip school, where he had to mimic his parents' handwriting by turning it upside down and drawing it.

Outlines

00:00

🐟 Health and Subscription Capitalism in Poland

Host Lewis Rossman opens the episode discussing his health issues and his reduced presence on the channel. He transitions into a critique of subscription capitalism, using a school district in Poland as an example. The district has introduced a fee for an electronic journal application called Edu Vulcan, which was previously free to parents as part of their taxes funding the school system. Lewis argues against the changing terms of sale in subscription capitalism, where companies alter contracts to extract more money from consumers after they've already paid for a service. He also touches on his personal dislike for companies like Pearson, which he views as exploitative in the education sector.

05:00

📚 The Exploitative Practices of Textbook Companies

In the second paragraph, Lewis continues his discussion on capitalism, focusing on the exploitative practices of textbook companies like Pearson. He describes how these companies release new textbook editions that require students to purchase the latest version to complete homework assignments, even if the content is not significantly different. This forces students to buy expensive new textbooks rather than using cheaper, older editions. Lewis criticizes this business model as predatory and suggests that people in Poland should be aware of such practices and push back against them. He humorously suggests learning Italian sign language as a metaphor for resistance and ends the video on a light note, expressing his love for his fish.

Keywords

💡Subscription Capitalism

Subscription capitalism refers to a business model where consumers pay a recurring fee to access a product or service, rather than buying it outright. In the context of the video, the host criticizes this model for being exploitative, particularly when applied to essential goods or services. The video discusses a school district in Poland that began charging parents a subscription fee for an electronic journal application, 'edu Vulcan,' which was previously included in school fees. This shift to subscription-based payments is seen as a way for companies to extract more money from consumers, even after they have already paid for access through other means, such as taxes.

💡Edu Vulcan

Edu Vulcan is an electronic journal application mentioned in the script. It is used by schools to manage student attendance and performance records. The host of the video uses this application as an example of how subscription capitalism is infiltrating education, as parents are now being charged a subscription fee per child to use the app, despite it previously being covered by school fees paid through taxes. This change reflects a broader trend of services that were once considered part of the educational infrastructure becoming monetized through subscription models.

💡Handwriting Forgery

Handwriting forgery is the act of imitating someone else's handwriting to deceive. In the video, the host humorously recounts his childhood experience of forging his parents' handwriting on a sick note to avoid school. This practice is used to illustrate the contrast between the traditional methods of managing student attendance and the modern, digital approach facilitated by applications like Edu Vulcan. The anecdote serves to highlight the evolution of technology in education and the changing dynamics between students, parents, and schools.

💡Need for Speed

Need for Speed is a popular video game series that the host references to emphasize the generational gap in understanding technology and its impact on daily life. The host reminisces about playing older versions of the game as a child and contrasts it with the modern, subscription-based models of software and games. This reference is used to highlight the changing landscape of consumerism, where ownership is being replaced by access through subscriptions, which is a central theme of the video.

💡Pearson View

Pearson View is a company that the host criticizes for its business practices in the education sector. The host describes Pearson as a 'cancer' due to its aggressive marketing of textbook revisions, which forces students to buy new, expensive editions to keep up with coursework. This example is used to illustrate the exploitative nature of subscription capitalism, where companies change the terms of sale to extract more money from consumers, even when they've already made an initial investment.

💡South Park Cable Company CEO

The South Park Cable Company CEO is a reference to an episode of the animated TV show 'South Park,' where the character represents the greed and disregard for customers often associated with large corporations. The host suggests that people in Poland should understand this cultural reference to recognize the business tactics being used against them, such as the shift to subscription-based models that benefit the company at the expense of the consumer.

💡Italian Sign Language

Italian Sign Language is mentioned in the video as a metaphor for resistance against exploitative business practices. The host humorously suggests that Polish people should learn Italian sign language as a way to symbolically 'give the finger' to companies that engage in subscription capitalism. This phrase is used to encourage viewers to push back against unfair business practices and to maintain their rights as consumers.

💡Scam

The term 'scam' is used by the host to describe what he perceives as unethical business practices, particularly in the context of modern education. He uses the word to express his frustration with the way companies like Pearson View and the changes in the school district's payment model exploit consumers for profit. The host's use of 'scam' emphasizes his view that subscription capitalism is a deceptive and unfair way to do business.

💡Textbook Revisions

Textbook revisions are updates or new editions of educational books that are released periodically. The host discusses how companies like Pearson View release new textbook editions, which can be significantly more expensive, and how this practice forces students to purchase the latest version to complete their coursework. This is tied to the theme of subscription capitalism, as it illustrates how companies can manipulate the market to require continuous financial commitments from consumers.

💡Telemarketer

A telemarketer is a person who sells goods or services over the phone. In the video, the host recalls a time when he pretended that a call on his mother's answering machine was from a telemarketer to avoid her finding out about his poor test scores. This anecdote is used to contrast the old methods of communication and the potential for misunderstandings with the instant and transparent communication facilitated by modern technology, such as the Edu Vulcan app.

💡Simple Green Cleaner

Simple Green Cleaner is a brand of cleaning product mentioned by the host to illustrate his point about the absurdity of subscription capitalism. He uses it as an example to express his frustration with the idea of having to pay a recurring fee for a product that he could previously buy outright. This example is used to highlight the host's preference for traditional capitalism, where consumers own what they purchase, rather than being locked into ongoing subscription fees.

Highlights

Host Lewis Rossman discusses his recent health issues and his decision to take a break from the channel.

Lewis shares his enjoyment of being a fish owner and his humorous take on not wanting to become fish food.

The host announces a reduction in his channel's content due to focusing on personal health.

Lewis introduces the topic of a school district in Poland facing issues with an electronic journal application called Edu Vulcan.

He criticizes the shift towards subscription capitalism and its negative impact on consumers.

Lewis explains the concept of subscription capitalism and why he dislikes it, especially when it involves changing terms after purchase.

The host describes how the Edu Vulcan app is used for tracking student attendance and performance.

Lewis discusses the app's transition from a free service to a subscription-based model, requiring parents to pay for their children's use.

He points out that parents in Poland had already paid for the app through school taxes, yet are now being asked to pay again.

Lewis recounts his childhood experiences with forging sick notes and the evolution of technology in education.

The host humorously reflects on the challenges of erasing answering machine messages to hide poor test scores.

Lewis expresses his frustration with companies like Pearson View, which he believes exploit the education system for profit.

He describes the practice of textbook companies releasing new editions to force students to buy updated, expensive books.

Lewis suggests that Polish people should learn from American culture, particularly referencing the South Park Cable Company CEO episode.

The host recommends that Polish people learn Italian sign language as a metaphor for pushing back against exploitative practices.

Lewis concludes the episode by encouraging viewers to learn from the discussed issues and to stand against subscription capitalism.

He ends with a light-hearted comment about his love for his fish, showcasing his personal touch and humor.

Transcripts

hey everybody how's it going hope you're

having a lovely day welcome to today's

episode of how are you getting effed I'm

your host Lewis Rossman I've been taking

some time off recently due to some

health issues I enjoy being a fish owner

but I do not want to be fish food and if

I want to continue to have a lovely day

there are certain things that I have to

take care of so you're probably going to

be seeing less of me on the channel as

time goes on I'm going to be taking a

break in order to focus on myself which

is something I should have done 15 years

ago best time to do it is 15 years ago

second best time to do it is today today

we're going to be discussing a school a

district in Poland that appears to be

getting effed and we're going to be

discussing say how the concept of

subscription capitalism is kind of just

gaining traction throughout the world in

a way that I don't really like I like

capitalism I think capitalism is a great

thing I like ownership capitalism I like

the type of capitalism where when I buy

my car I own its suspension I don't want

to subscribe to my suspension after I

bought the car capitalism subscription

capitalism it's really starting to go in

the toilet here particularly changing

the terms of the sale capitalism that's

my least favorite form of capitalism

where you could just kind of take a

contract and just willy-nilly just rip

up and say loljk you're going to pay me

more now for the same that you had

before that you already paid for which

appears to be what's happening in Poland

so are my apologies to anybody in Poland

if I'm mispronouncing some of this stuff

I do think it's worth getting some

Awareness on but I'm not going to learn

polish anytime soon this is an

electronic journal application it's

called edu Vulcan for those of you who

don't know what this is the tldr is that

back in the day we actually used to rely

on things like handwriting to make sure

that a kid was not cutting class so if I

wanted to play Need for Speed Hot

Pursuit version 3 because I thought it

was so much cooler than version two cuz

you could actually have the cops chasing

you and all this kind of stuff I would

do is I would say that I was sick and

then what we would have to do is we

would have to forge a sick note from our

parents so that it would seem like to

the teachers that we were actually sick

so that we would not get in trouble for

cutting class this is something that's

very difficult to do by the way no I

don't think kids are ever going to

understand how the that you had to

do to make it look like in second grade

you had the handwriting of your parents

what I would do is rather than write the

note the way that I would usually write

it I would look my parents handwriting I

would turn it upside down and then I

would draw it so this would allow my

handwriting as an 8-year-old to match

the handwriting of my parents kids these

days are never going to know what it's

like to have to fake an absence note in

that way that's how you know that you're

old anyway this is an application that

allows you to tell the teacher hey my

kid is actually sick today he has

chickenpox he's not playing I don't know

Need for Speed subscription version

change the terms of this whatever the

I don't even want to look into what

they do for Need for Speed now I

probably cry but anyway

hey my kid was in play a Need for Speed

today he actually was sick he didn't go

to school for the teacher to be able to

tell the parent hey you your kid cut

class today your kid got a a 40 on his

exam I used to have to figure out the

exact time that the teacher was going to

do that so that I could go home so that

I could erase my mom's answering machine

and pretend it was somebody else calling

like a telemarketer so she didn't figure

out that I got a 40 on my test now they

have an app for push notifications for

that that's what this application is for

and one of the things that they decided

to do is they decided to start charging

the parents for utilization of this

application per child per year so you're

going to be paying a subscription fee

for your kids to be able to utilize this

application that used to be free now

when I say free I mean free to you this

application wasn't free you as a parent

were paying for it because they were

charging the school for it they were

charging the school a licensing fee

based on the size of that school based

on what they were using it for and that

license fee that the school paid then

covered your ability to utilize this

application and you paid for that

because your taxes in Poland fund the

school system after taxes fund the

school system the school then pays the

license for this app so you already paid

for it in spite of the fact that you

already paid for it what they're doing

is they're deciding that they want more

money so they are going to change the

terms of the sale reach their hand

inside your pocket and try to extract

more money from you because let's be

real they can one of the things that

caused me to decide that I was just sick

and tired of the scam that is modern-day

College not the topics you learn and

everything like that the way it is put

together bureaucratically where the

textbooks we have a company in America

called Pearson view it is one of the

most garbage companies in the world and

I I apologize on behalf of all Americans

if the cancer of Pearson view has spread

to your country Pearson view does

garbage like this where they do this

type of where apparently you can't

do calculus if you use Linux you have to

use windows with chrome or

Firefox because they never apparently

they they didn't start doing calculus

until Windows 3.1 was released anytime

I've had an issue with this where I

actually do use Windows and I do use

stock chrome or Firefox or anything else

and it still doesn't work and I'm

telling you i' I have spent

I have spent 7 to 15 hours on the phone

with members of New York state and city

government because I had a Le in plac on

my business against any knowledge logic

reason whatever and I was able to be

calmer with them than I was 20 minutes

in a live chat with people from Pearson

view I am am infinitely empathetic and

sympathetic to customer service

Representatives even if you're

completely incompetent what I will not

deal with is when you pretend to be

incompetent to try and get me off the

phone I lose all patience with

that I may publish a transcript at

some point I've genuinely aggravated

that I allowed my emotional state to

be compromised by by by people that work

at Pearson view but it is it has

happened we have this type of cancer

here where in 2006 you will have a

textbook on calculus or history or earth

science and then in 2008 they will

release a new revision that is $400 and

if you want to be able to do your

homework you cannot buy the used

textbook for $28 to the bookstore from

2006 CU apparently earth science has

changed radically two years you need to

purchase the 2008 textbook of $400

because the homework questions are going

to be different and the answers to those

questions are going to be different

maybe they ask you about a different

arotic table element code or some

in one of them and they do this because

you will fail if you don't buy the new

textbook most community colleges don't

have budgets for teachers to ask

homework questions that have fill in

answers which means that they are going

to use scantrons multiple choice which

means that if you don't do your work

according to the multiple choice then

you are going to fail and they know this

and they exploit this to make as much

money as humanly possible it's

disgusting many textbook companies do

this I get it if you have a

community college you know they're

getting paid 50 $75,000 a year they

probably have to juggle three or six

classes at a time to make this work

with what the students are paying they

don't have the budget to be able to have

a teacher do fillings it sucks there's

no subject on planet Earth no matter how

interesting useful incredibly engaging

it is that is not ground into dust when

you try to cram that subject into

multiple choice for the purposes uh of

cheap water down education but it is

what it is you have many companies

nowadays like Pearson view or whether

this company that are so ingrained into

the fabric of the school that they would

have to start doing everything from

scratch to rip it out and once these

companies understand that their software

and materials are so far ingrained into

the fabric of that school that the

professors would have to be re-educated

entirely on how to use a different

system they know they have you by the

balls and that's when they start nickel

and diming you that's when they start

changing the terms of the sale which is

what they're doing here and one of the

things that I think that people in

Poland need to do there's two things the

first is you got to start understanding

a little bit of American culture you got

to start understanding stuff like the

South Park Cable Company CEO you got to

understand the South Park BP oil spill

apology episode so that you understand

what is being done to you you have to

understand what they're doing to you I'm

sorry doesn't the second thing you guys

need to do and to be clear I this is

hypocritical of me because I'm not

learning a lot of Polish but I'm

suggesting that you guys learn a little

bit of Italian you got to learn a little

bit of Italian sign language and I

guarantee it's going to be a lot easier

for you to speak Italian sign language

than it is for me to be able to read

this article over here are you ready

this is the one thing you guys need to

start telling them you you

it's the best piece of Italian sign

language you ever going to learn and if

you don't start pushing back against

this now again that term I don't

like that term subscription capitalism

but that's what we're going to be

dealing with I love capitalism I think

capitalism is great I want to buy my

Simple Green Cleaner I don't want to

subscribe for the ability to be able to

push this like I get I get three sprays

for $5 a month I get 20 sprays for $10 a

month kind of I don't want to

subscribe for the I already paid

for I bought my simple green I paid for

it already want to be used the liquid in

the damn bottle I don't want to deal

with subscription capitalism this is

what you're going to be dealing with if

you don't push back give them a little

bit of Italian sign language it won't

hurt that's it for today and as always I

hope you learned something I'll see you

all on the next video don't know when

that's going to

be bye

now fishies aren't they cute I love my

fishies