Why Capitalism Loves Doomers
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the speaker discusses the feelings of despair and political dorismar that arise when faced with the overwhelming challenges of societal issues. They acknowledge the difficulty in maintaining optimism and the tendency to feel powerless. The speaker addresses the transition from initial rejection to curiosity and acceptance of socialist ideas, and the struggle to envision a better future. They encourage viewers to resist internalized defeatism and join mass movements for change, emphasizing that collective action is the key to overcoming despair and creating a new socioeconomic order.
Takeaways
- 🤔 The speaker is experiencing a move and a bout with political dorismar, questioning the effectiveness of political activism.
- 👢 They reflect on the transition from Texas and the symbolic end of certain cultural identifiers.
- 🌱 The channel's content is grassroots-funded, and the speaker encourages viewers to support and engage with the community.
- 😓 The speaker discusses personal feelings of exhaustion and the struggle to maintain optimism in the face of political challenges.
- 🗣️ There's a recognition of a common type of comment expressing despair and a lack of actionable solutions to societal problems.
- 🔄 The speaker identifies two types of dorismar: general despair and a more specific political dorismar that stems from a sense of powerlessness.
- 🧠 They describe the process of ideological change from initial rejection to curiosity and eventually acceptance of new political ideas.
- 🌐 The concept of 'capitalist realism' is introduced as a cultural barrier that makes it difficult to envision an alternative to capitalism.
- 🏰 The speaker criticizes the internalized liberalism that leads to a defeatist attitude and acceptance of the status quo.
- 👥 The importance of collective action over individualism is emphasized as the key to societal change.
- 💪 The speaker calls to action, urging viewers to resist despair and join socialist organizations to work towards a better future.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the video script?
-The main theme of the video script revolves around the concept of 'doomerism' or despair, particularly in the context of political activism, and the importance of overcoming this despair to work towards a better future.
What does the author mean by 'politically active people go through rough patches'?
-The author refers to periods of exhaustion and disillusionment that politically active individuals may experience, where they feel that their efforts are futile and nothing they do can bring about change.
What is the significance of the term 'doomer' in the script?
-In the script, 'doomer' refers to someone who lapses into despair and believes that there is no hope for a better future, often due to the overwhelming challenges they perceive in the political or social landscape.
Why does the author mention 'Dorismar' in the script?
-The author uses 'Dorismar' as a shorthand for despair or 'doomerism,' which is a term derived from the name Dorismar, a character from the video game 'The Last of Us Part II,' known for her pessimistic outlook.
What is the author's view on the role of cultural conditioning in perpetuating the status quo?
-The author argues that cultural conditioning, particularly in the United States, is a powerful force that perpetuates the status quo by making it difficult for people to envision or work towards a different future.
What does the author suggest is the typical reaction to socialist ideas among those who have been conditioned by liberal beliefs?
-The author suggests that the typical reaction is a 'metamorphosis' that begins with rejection, followed by curiosity, acceptance, and finally, the emergence of 'political doomerism' where individuals accept the necessity of socialism but cannot envision how to achieve it.
How does the author describe the process of someone transitioning from a liberal to a more socialist perspective?
-The author describes this process as a journey through rejection, curiosity, acceptance, and finally, despair or 'doomerism,' where individuals grapple with the realization that the current system is flawed but struggle to see a path to change.
What is the role of the media and politicians in maintaining the status quo according to the script?
-The script suggests that the media and politicians play a role in maintaining the status quo by perpetuating lies and passing legislation that benefits the ruling class, thereby reinforcing the cultural conditioning that prevents change.
What is the author's advice for overcoming 'doomerism' and becoming an active agent of change?
-The author encourages viewers to join a socialist organization, get organized, and become part of a mass movement to force change, rather than succumbing to despair and accepting the status quo.
How does the author differentiate between the two types of 'doomerism' mentioned in the script?
-The author differentiates between the general feeling of despair that anyone can experience and a specific type of 'doomerism' where individuals recognize problems but feel powerless to effect change, often due to a deep-seated cultural liberalism.
What historical analogy does the author use to argue that change is possible despite the power of the ruling class?
-The author uses the analogy of the 'divine right of kings' to argue that just as that once seemingly unassailable power was eventually resisted and changed, so too can the power of the ruling class under capitalism be resisted and changed by human beings.
Outlines
🤔 'Doomer' Sentiments and Political Activism
The speaker begins by acknowledging their move across the country and the low-key nature of the video. They discuss the concept of 'Doomer' sentiments, a feeling of despair that can affect politically active individuals, including themselves. The speaker admits to experiencing periods of hopelessness despite their generally optimistic outlook. They recognize the challenges faced by supporters of Palestinian Liberation and the difficulty of maintaining hope when confronted with distressing news. The speaker then distinguishes between two types of 'Doomer' sentiments: the general feeling of despair and a more specific type of comment they often receive, which acknowledges problems but questions what can be done about them. The speaker empathizes with this sentiment, understanding that it stems from a place of feeling powerless to enact change, especially for those new to left-wing ideas. They reflect on their own past reactions to such comments and express a desire to be more helpful in addressing these feelings of despair and powerlessness.
🌍 Overcoming Liberal Despair and the Illusion of Change
The speaker delves into the challenges of overcoming 'liberal despair,' a form of 'Doomer' sentiment that arises when one realizes the extent of societal issues but feels unable to change them. They note the difficulty of shifting from a belief in American exceptionalism and the goodness of capitalism to accepting socialist ideas. The speaker acknowledges the initial rejection of these ideas but encourages continued learning and curiosity. They discuss the process of accepting socialist ideas as morally and factually sound, yet also recognizing the difficulty of envisioning a different future due to cultural conditioning. The speaker addresses the concept of 'capitalist realism,' the idea that capitalism's dominance makes it hard to imagine an alternative. They argue that this internalized liberalism acts as a defense mechanism to prevent revolutionary thought, suggesting that the feeling of despair is a programmed response to maintain the status quo. The speaker calls for viewers to reject this despair and take responsibility for being part of the change, citing the potential power of collective action.
💪 Choosing Action Over Despair: The Path Forward
In the final paragraph, the speaker addresses the choice between succumbing to despair or recognizing it as a programmed response and choosing to act. They emphasize the importance of collective action over individualism, which capitalism promotes. The speaker acknowledges the fear and discomfort of stepping into the unknown but argues that mass movements have always been the drivers of change. They present a stark choice between the continuation of capitalism leading to extinction or the birth of a new socioeconomic order, urging viewers to choose the path of survival. The speaker encourages viewers to join socialist organizations to combat the despair and work towards a better future, arguing that joining together is the only way to win. They conclude by challenging the viewer's 'Doomer' mindset and urging them to prove that despair is not the only option by getting involved in activism.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Doomer
💡Status Quo
💡Capitalism
💡Cultural Conditioning
💡Liberalism
💡Socialism
💡Political Despair
💡Mass Movements
💡Cultural Realism
💡Revolutionary Sentiment
💡Hyper-Individualism
Highlights
The speaker is moving cross country and keeping the video casual to connect with the audience.
Crash Course is entirely grassroots funded, and the speaker encourages support through Patreon.
The speaker discusses feeling exhausted and politically inactive, a sentiment many politically active people can relate to.
The term 'doomer' is introduced to describe someone who lapses into despair about political and social issues.
The speaker acknowledges the difficulty of maintaining optimism in the face of overwhelming social and political challenges.
The importance of recognizing that feeling powerless is a common reaction to political and social issues is emphasized.
The speaker reflects on their own initial resistance to left-wing ideas and the process of changing one's worldview.
The process of accepting socialist ideas after initial rejection is described as a form of intellectual honesty.
The concept of 'capitalist realism' is mentioned as a cultural conditioning that makes it hard to imagine an alternative to capitalism.
The speaker discusses the idea that internalized liberalism can lead to a defense mechanism of despair and doom.
The role of corporate media and politicians in maintaining the status quo by promoting a sense of powerlessness is highlighted.
The speaker calls for action against the programmed despair and the need to resist the urge to accept the status quo.
The historical context of change always involving conflict, not always violent, is provided to motivate action.
The importance of mass movements in driving change and the fallacy of hyper-individualism is discussed.
The speaker encourages viewers to join a socialist organization and get organized as a means to effect change.
The final call to action is to prove that doomerism is a lie by working towards a better future.
Transcripts
well howdy you everybody I'm in the
middle of moving cross country so I
thought I'd keep this video uh lowfy and
just hang out with you guys for a bit
actually I guess I can't say howdy
anymore if I'm leaving Texas I'm hanging
up my boots and Spurs I'm saying one
last goodbye to bies as a little
reminder second thought is entirely
Grassroots funded so if you appreciate
the work we're doing here please do
consider becoming a patron at
patreon.com/crashcourse access to our
Discord server it's a great time anyway
I want to talk a little bit about
dorismar for a while because I wanted to
be in the right mindset for it like most
politically active people I go through
rough patches where I I just don't want
to deal with it anymore I'm exhausted
where it feels like nothing I do matters
no matter how many people I get to join
orgs or get involved in their Community
or just read a book I'm a generally
positive optimistic person but sometimes
that negativity still seeps in and I
turn into a Doomer for a few days the
last couple days have kind of been that
way intellectually I know I'm doing
something useful but
dorismar with the term
status quo is here to stay why should we
even bother trying to make things better
and I get that sentiment I I really do I
think we all go through periods where
things just seem so unbelievably Bleak
that we can't possibly imagine a
brighter future I know that for my
fellow supporters of Palestinian
Liberation it's been especially bad
lately how can we open Twitter see
children literally Torn to Pieces and
think yeah this is something we can fix
it's hard but there are a couple
different kinds of
dorismar lapses into despair that's one
kind one that I think most people face
regardless of political alignment we all
get the big sad sometimes but there's
another form of
dorismar for a while but I think I
finally got it there's a particular kind
of commenter that will leave a comment
saying something like yes this is bad
but what can we do in fact I'd say this
is the most common type of comment I get
on this channel a recognition that there
are things that need fixing but feeling
at a loss as to what recourse normal
people have to affect change and I'll
admit in the past my first reaction has
usually been irritation I'll snap at
commenters and say I literally have a
video with that exact title it's why I
made that video in the first place but
that's not helpful I understand why
people ask this question I understand
that there are plenty of people out
there who are new to to properly
left-wing ideas and are feeling a little
lost or unored they've just had the
comfortable lies about the modern world
and capitalism debunked they've had
their sense of stability and confidence
shaken it's this commenter I want to
talk to today because when a liberal and
I'm using that term broadly talking
about subjects of liberal regimes here
when a liberal has their foundational
beliefs challenged they begin to undergo
a sort of
metamorphosis when a normal person who
has gone their whole life believing the
ingrained cultural lies of capitalism is
exposed to ideas that challenge those
beliefs they experience a kind of unease
that is difficult to put into words it's
like learning that Santa Claus isn't
real or that chicken the food is the
same thing as chicken the
bird that one did a number on me as a
kid anyway what often happens at first
is rejection of these offensive ideas
what do you mean the US isn't Democratic
you can't just say the two parties serve
the same interests are Wars absolutely
are about giving people
Freedom I'm poking fun a little bit here
but honestly it is really hard to change
your opinions especially on such
culturally significant beliefs as
American exceptionalism and the goodness
of capitalism and I applaud anyone who
can adjust their perspective based on
new evidence that's something we should
all strive to do now this initial
knee-jerk rejection of socialist ideas
is normal and if the person has the
intellectual honesty to keep learning
more it almost always gives gives way to
curiosity genuine goodfaith
questions what about the Soviet Union I
heard they did X or how does socialism
handle small business stuff like that
questions that have easy answers the
person has just never heard them before
it's like anything else I don't know
anything about rebuilding boat engines I
wouldn't even know the questions to ask
until I started watching some
introductory videos this is all part of
the learning process the next step is
acceptance once your questions have been
answered to your satisfaction or at
least when you realize that answers are
out there if you just keep doing your
research you'll get to a point where
you're comfortable saying okay these
ideas are factually sound and morally
correct but and now this is where the
political Doomer is born someone born in
the United States is the most
propagandized person in the world every
country on Earth sells a polished
version of itself to its populace but
only Americans actually believe their
myth and this is not me trying to be
unkind I'm an American I had to go
through this same process but this
cultural conditioning makes it really
hard to amend our worldview even when we
do realize that holy the commies
were right we still can't quite Envision
a better future I've got a video on
capitalist realism if you want to
explore this idea more fully but the
gist of it is that when we live in a
society when we live in a society that
is so dominant culturally militarily
economically it's really hard to imagine
a future where that is not the case it's
like that Ursula Lewin quote we live in
capitalism its power seems inescapable
so did the divine right of kings that's
like my favorite quote I use it all the
time anyway when you get to this point
when you're convinced of the necessity
of socialism but you just can't quite
see how we get there your culturally
ingrained liberalism launching is one
last desperate attack dummer ism is the
last defense mechanism of your personal
internalized liberalism if you're a
liberal the default position in the US
and you learn about socialist ideas
about why Society is the way it is your
liberalism says to you yes you may be
right about that but there's nothing you
can do about it this is a brilliant
almost biological defense it's a
built-in safety valve to prevent the
Genesis of a new wave of revolutionary
sentiment the American Empire is
vulnerable from the inside all Empires
are if enough workers decide that we
need to shut down the economy to force
change that's GG for the ruling class
without workers to do the work they
don't make any money so by instilling in
every person a deep-seated belief that
nothing can change even if we believe it
should you preemptively shut off the
possibility of a new revolutionary
movement this is masterful work it's a
defense mechanism that requires very
little input from those at the levers of
power all they have to do is keep paying
the corporate media to repeat their lies
and keep
bribing sorry lobbying politicians to
pass legislation that benefits them at
the expense of the rest of us the
environment and the future this cultural
liberalism the soft squishy defeatism
that were indoctrinated into is so
burned into our Collective psyche that
the average American will even leap to
defend the very people behind the
mainten of this pathetic worldview sheep
yelling at sheep to defend the fat
grinning bloodstained wolf in our pen
now the liberal politician's goal is to
turn you from a potential active
educated revolutionary back into an
apathetic worker drone who accepts the
status quo even if you do it
begrudgingly yeah it's bad but there's
nothing we can do guess I'll get back to
work and accept my miserable lot in life
the final antibody they can deploy their
last line of defense is that feeling of
Despair and doom now I'd really like to
speak directly to the people in this
position the viewers who know exactly
the despondent feeling I'm talking about
if you feel that you are experiencing
the death throws of your liberalism and
you're now faced with a choice do I give
in to this despair do I accept this
liberal explanation of the
world or do I fully come to grips with
the fact that yes things are terrible
but things can change and it is my
responsibility to be part of the
generation that forces change there's a
second part to that leguin quote we live
in capitalism its power seems
inescapable but then so did the divine
right of kings any human power can be
resisted and changed by human
beings what we're facing today is
nothing new the tools the ruling class
has at its disposal may be more advanced
the average person may believe more
deeply that their oppressors are their
friends but not once in history not one
time has positive change happened at a
structural level without some form of
conflict not always violent but those in
power have never ever given up their
power willingly why would someone making
billions of dollars under capitalism
agree to give another system a try
especially a system that would prevent
the kind of ungodly capital accumulation
they've enjoyed tough love time when you
reach the point of political dorismar
that in voice that says yes this is bad
but there's nothing you can do about it
peasant you have two options you can
continue to mope and whine and wallow in
self-pity or you can realize that that
reaction is programmed into you and
choose to do something about it what's
the other option roll over and die
accept as inevitable that a handful of
people with more power than God have the
right to Doom our entire species to Sate
their greed no no while you're alive you
try you try to force change we are weak
only when we act alone the hyper
individualism of capitalism has
conditioned us to believe that we are
solitary creatures looking out only for
ourselves and that only through
individual actions can we decide Our
Fate that is a lie look through any
history book and you'll see that the
drivers of change have always been mass
movements masses of people deciding
enough is enough we're trying something
new
I know it's scary I know it's not what
you hoped your life would look like but
this is the hand we've been dealt
humanity is at a Crossroads down one
road we have the genocidal accumulation
of capitalism and Extinction down the
other is survival and the birth of a new
socioeconomic order we get to choose
make the right choice choose to work for
a better future ignore that Insidious
voice in your head that says this is
just how things are you think like that
and there's nothing separating you from
the feudal surf kissing the Ring of his
Lord do not go to bed tonight without
having reached out to a socialist
organization in your area if you can't
find one ask online ask here in the
comments join something I don't care
which one it is they all have their good
and bad points but getting organized is
the only way we win you want to be a
Doomer that's your choice but there is
an alternative if everyone watching this
video joined a socialist organization we
could quadruple membership easily do it
today I'm talking to you
specifically dumer ism is a lie let's
work to prove it
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