This Is Why You're Poor

Summary

This video script challenges the myth that poverty is a result of laziness or lack of motivation. It argues that poverty is a systemic issue, intrinsic to capitalism, which maintains a 'Reserve Army of Labor' to exploit workers. The script uses historical context and statistics to debunk the idea that hard work alone can overcome economic hardships, emphasizing that even in times of growth, inequality persists due to the nature of profit-driven employment. It calls for a reevaluation of societal structures that perpetuate poverty and inequality, rather than blaming individuals.

Takeaways

• 🌌 The video is sponsored by Nebula, a creator-owned streaming platform that supports the content creators of Second Thought and the D program.
• 🐟 The narrative that 'teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime' is critiqued, suggesting it oversimplifies the complex issue of poverty.
• 💪 The video challenges the myth that poverty is due to a lack of motivation or hard work, instead arguing that it's a systemic issue within capitalism.
• 🔄 It highlights how economic recessions can lead to increased poverty rates, affecting people regardless of their individual efforts or motivations.
• 📈 The script points out the disparity between the wealth accumulation of the richest individuals during crises, such as the pandemic, and the hardships faced by the working class.
• 🏭 The concept of the 'Reserve Army of Labor' is introduced to explain how unemployment is used as a tool for maintaining capitalist bargaining power.
• 🤝 The video argues against the idea that full employment or welfare measures are detrimental to profits, stating they could actually benefit capitalists in the short term but are opposed due to long-term power dynamics.
• 💼 It discusses the exploitation inherent in capitalism, where the value of work is not necessarily tied to the effort put in by the worker but to how exploitable the worker is.
• 🏘️ The working poor are highlighted, noting that many work multiple jobs yet still struggle financially due to low wages and rising costs of living.
• 🏛️ The script touches on the history of the concept of laziness, linking it to the Protestant work ethic and its use in justifying exploitation and inequality.
• 🌐 The video concludes that poverty is artificially created and maintained under capitalism, and that the concept of laziness is used to justify and perpetuate this system.

Q & A

What is the main argument presented in the video script against the common belief that poverty is a result of individual laziness or lack of motivation?

The main argument is that poverty is not a result of individual laziness or lack of motivation, but rather a systemic issue deeply rooted in the structure of capitalism, where consistent profit often necessitates a 'Reserve Army of Labor'—people kept unemployed to maintain capitalist bargaining power.

How does the script address the myth that the poor are poor because they deserve it?

The script refutes this myth by presenting evidence that economic circumstances beyond individual control, such as recessions and the business cycle, can lead to poverty, and by highlighting the increase in wealth among the richest individuals during economic downturns, which is not a result of increased effort but rather their class position and luck.

What is the 'Reserve Army of Labor' and why does it exist according to the script?

The 'Reserve Army of Labor' is a Marxist term referring to the pool of unemployed people kept out of work not because there is a lack of jobs, but to ensure that those who are employed remain fearful of losing their jobs, thus giving employers bargaining power.

How does the script explain the fluctuation in poverty rates during economic recessions?

The script explains that during recessions, more people become poor as businesses lack the revenue to sustain labor costs, which is unrelated to the individual's effort or motivation, demonstrating that external economic factors, not personal attributes, drive these changes.

What evidence does the script provide to counter the idea that hard work always leads to wealth?

The script cites the example of the world's 10 richest men who doubled their fortunes during the pandemic without necessarily working harder, attributing their wealth increase to their class position and luck, rather than effort.

How does the script discuss the impact of public services on the bargaining power of capitalists?

The script suggests that capitalists oppose measures leading to full employment and welfare because they diminish the threat of unemployment, which is a tool to keep workers exploitable. Public services that improve life quality make it less likely for people to accept poor working conditions.

What is the script's stance on the idea that everyone can do anything with their circumstances?

The script challenges this idea by arguing that even if everyone worked extremely hard, poverty would still exist due to the structural need for a 'Reserve Army of Labor' to maintain profit margins in a capitalist system.

How does the script relate the concept of laziness to the exploitation of workers?

The script argues that the concept of laziness is used to justify self-exploitation and resentment towards others who appear to be idle. This distracts from the real issue of exploitation by the capitalist system, which maintains poverty as a means of control.

What historical context does the script provide for the association of laziness with moral failure?

The script traces the concept back to the Reformation and the Protestant work ethic, which was used to justify chattel slavery by claiming that slaves needed to be forced to work to avoid idleness and moral corruption.

How does the script connect the idea of laziness to broader societal issues like race and class?

The script explains that the idea of laziness has been historically tied to race and class, with the poor and black populations being stereotyped as lazy to justify their economic status and to rationalize opposition to welfare.

What is the conclusion of the script regarding the end of poverty under capitalism?

The script concludes that there will be no end to poverty under capitalism because it is artificially created and maintained for the benefit of the system, regardless of how hard individuals may work.

Outlines

00:00

🌌 Introduction and the Myth of Individual Responsibility

This paragraph introduces the video, highlighting a partnership with Nebula, a streaming platform. It challenges the common belief that poverty is a result of individual laziness or lack of motivation. The speaker argues that generational poverty is often attributed to a lack of effort, but this is a myth. The paragraph emphasizes that poverty is systemic and not merely a consequence of personal choices. It also critiques the idea that hard work alone can lift someone out of poverty, pointing out that economic conditions and systemic issues play a significant role.

05:01

📈 Economic Cycles and the Reserve Army of Labor

This paragraph delves into the economic cycles and the concept of the 'Reserve Army of Labor'. It explains how poverty and unemployment are not solely due to individual failures but are systemic issues inherent in capitalism. The speaker argues that during recessions, poverty rates increase, affecting many people who are not necessarily lazy or unmotivated. The paragraph also discusses how the wealthy can become wealthier during crises due to their class position and luck, not necessarily hard work. The speaker further explains that capitalists oppose measures that could reduce unemployment or improve welfare, as these would reduce their bargaining power over workers.

10:02

💼 Exploitation and the Working Poor

This paragraph focuses on the working poor and the myth that hard work guarantees financial stability. The speaker points out that many people work multiple jobs or part-time positions, often involuntarily, and still struggle to make ends meet. The paragraph highlights the reality that wages have not kept pace with the rising costs of living, such as rent, utilities, and healthcare. The speaker argues that no amount of individual effort can overcome systemic economic issues, and that the belief in laziness as a moral failure distracts from addressing the real causes of poverty.

15:03

📚 Historical Context and the Creation of Laziness

This paragraph explores the historical roots of the idea of laziness, tracing it back to the Reformation and chattel slavery. The speaker discusses how the Protestant work ethic was used to justify exploitation, suggesting that hard work was a moral imperative. The paragraph also touches on how these ideas became intertwined with race and class, leading to the stereotype of the 'lazy black person' or 'lazy poor person'. The speaker argues that this stereotype is used to justify welfare cuts and to deflect attention from systemic issues that contribute to poverty.

20:04

🌐 Conclusion and Call to Action

The final paragraph concludes the video by reiterating that poverty is a systemic issue, not a personal failing. The speaker emphasizes that under capitalism, poverty will always exist as it is a necessary byproduct of profit. The paragraph also includes a call to action, encouraging viewers to support the content creators by signing up for Nebula. The speaker highlights the importance of viewer support in maintaining the financial stability of the operation and the potential for creating more content, such as a highly produced Nebula Original Series.

Keywords

💡Poverty

Poverty is a state of having little or no money, and it is a central theme in the video. The script discusses how poverty is often misconstrued as a result of individual laziness or lack of motivation, rather than systemic issues. The video challenges the notion that the poor are to blame for their situation and highlights that poverty is a structural problem inherent in capitalist societies.

💡Generational Poverty

Generational poverty refers to the persistent poverty experienced by members of a family across multiple generations. The script uses this term to emphasize that poverty is not merely a temporary state but a deeply entrenched issue that affects people over long periods, often due to systemic barriers rather than personal failings.

💡Motivation

Motivation in the context of the video is portrayed as a misunderstood factor in the perpetuation of poverty. The script argues against the common belief that the poor lack motivation, suggesting instead that systemic issues like economic cycles and the reserve army of labor are more significant determinants of poverty.

💡Reserve Army of Labor

The Reserve Army of Labor is a Marxist concept that refers to the pool of unemployed workers that serves to keep wages low by creating a surplus of labor. The video uses this term to explain how capitalism maintains a surplus of unemployed people to exploit those who are employed, thus keeping wages down and profits up.

💡Recessions

Recessions are periods of economic decline, typically characterized by a drop in economic activity, employment, and investment. The script points out that poverty rates increase during recessions, illustrating that economic downturns can disproportionately affect the poor and are not a result of individual choices or efforts.

💡Wealth Inequality

Wealth inequality refers to the uneven distribution of assets and income among different social classes. The video discusses how wealth inequality is exacerbated during economic crises, with the rich often becoming richer while the poor become poorer, highlighting the systemic nature of economic disparities.

💡Working Poor

The working poor are individuals who are employed but still live below the poverty line. The script mentions that despite working multiple jobs, many people remain impoverished, indicating that employment does not necessarily equate to financial stability in a capitalist system.

💡Laziness

Laziness is depicted in the video as a myth used to blame the poor for their circumstances. The script refutes the idea that laziness is a moral failure, arguing instead that it is a concept used to justify exploitation and to deflect attention from systemic issues that cause poverty.

💡Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production, with a focus on profit. The video argues that capitalism inherently creates poverty as a byproduct of its profit-driven nature, suggesting that the system itself is responsible for economic disparities rather than the individuals within it.

💡Public Services

Public services are government-funded programs and systems designed to benefit the public, such as healthcare, education, and transportation. The script criticizes the opposition to public services by capitalists, explaining that these services could alleviate poverty but are often resisted because they challenge the exploitative power of the wealthy.

💡Welfare

Welfare refers to government assistance programs intended to support those in need. The video discusses the public's suspicion of welfare recipients and the myth that poverty is a result of laziness, which contributes to opposition to welfare spending and further marginalizes the poor.

Highlights

Poverty is a necessary byproduct of consistent profit, not a result of individual laziness or lack of motivation.

Generational poverty is often used as a motivator, but it is not a personal failure but a systemic issue.

The belief that the poor are lazy is a popular myth in American culture, used to justify inequality.

Economic circumstances, not individual effort, often determine wealth, as seen in the wealth accumulation during the pandemic.

Recessions demonstrate that poverty can affect many people at once, independent of their individual work ethic.

The Reserve Army of Labor concept explains how unemployment is used as a tool for capitalist bargaining power.

Capitalists oppose measures that could reduce unemployment or improve welfare, fearing loss of control over workers.

Even in economic growth periods, poverty and inequality persist due to the structural nature of capitalism.

The idea of laziness as a moral failure is used to justify exploitation and to divide workers.

The working poor often work multiple jobs and still struggle, showing that hard work does not guarantee financial stability.

Rising costs of living, such as rent and utilities, make it impossible for many to afford basic needs, regardless of their work ethic.

The belief in laziness distracts from the real issues of exploitation and the need for collective action.

The concept of laziness has historical roots in the justification of chattel slavery and the Protestant work ethic.

Racial and class stereotypes have been used to justify the idea that poverty is a result of laziness.

The myth of laziness is used to justify cutting welfare and maintaining an exploitative economic system.

The video suggests that there will be no end to poverty under capitalism, regardless of how hard individuals are convinced to work.

The video was made possible by Nebula, a creator-owned streaming platform, highlighting the importance of supporting independent creators.

Transcripts

this episode is brought to you by nebula

if you'd like to help support second

thought and the D program and first

thought consider signing up for nebula

at the link below

teach Amanda fish and you feed him for a

lifetime or give a man a fish then what

now he has your fish and you have a

story hardly you just gave him a fish no

one cares about that get a grip

so this

is about poverty poverty poverty poverty

generational poverty it is an incredible

motivator it's fantastic and this is a

great thing because it inspires

everybody gets the motivation to look up

to the one percent and say I want to

become one of those people I'm going to

fight hard to get up to the top I'm

either asleep or at work I don't take a

second off I don't take a minute off I

don't relax I don't rest I don't stop I

don't chill none

we've all heard stuff like this a

million times before if you're poor it's

your fault it's your bad mentality

you're lazy you're not motivated enough

nobody taught you how to fish I don't

like you I won't go to the dance with

you I'm the most popular kid in school

and you play Magic the Gathering at

lunch I've seen you at the tables

outside the cafeteria I know you play

alone JT and I didn't even think that

was possible

it's one of the most popular myths in

American culture that if the poor are

where they are in the socioeconomic

ladder it's because they deserve it

anybody can do anything with their

circumstances so the myth goes so if

you're born into poverty and you don't

manage to escape it that's a moral

failure you didn't work hard enough

here in the U.S a lot of people

genuinely believe that everybody gets

what they deserve most of the time and

that it's okay if some people deserve

basically nothing

and if you've ever seen one of those

motivational Instagram Pages you can see

this in action sometimes they'll post a

cartoon like this and all the comments

underneath are like those [ __ ]

deserve it make better choices work

harder stupid or this is why we need

population control and like it

cartoon

jeez why why are there so many genocide

comments

anyway

a bunch of people seem to believe that

the best we can do to solve poverty is

not to actually solve poverty you can't

poverty is a static part of reality that

just kind of exists no matter what the

best we can do is inspire people and if

people just don't feel inspired to work

harder well then they deserve whatever

they get and don't all those lies just

suck I get the appeal don't get me wrong

you work harder so you get to feel like

a big strong deserving bald man and

whatever happens to everyone else is

just not your fault you can mostly check

out from politics and from The Voice in

your head that feels bad when you see a

homeless person because whatever

that's their own problem but it's all

lies

poverty and the crushing inequality of

the 21st century is endemic not because

people don't work hard enough not

because people are lazy but because

poverty is a necessary byproduct of

consistent profit and that means that

individual poverty isn't a measure of

motivation

in the past I've made this argument with

a lot of Statistics stats about how

people are more or less locked into

whatever class they're born in because

of things outside their control but this

video will take a bit more of a static

Evergreen approach one that will remain

true even when the stats I use here

become 5 or 10 years old because the

truth about poverty is that even if no

one on Earth ever took a day off there

would still be poor people so long as

profit is what guides our employment

decisions

[Music]

it's actually really easy to prove this

that poverty doesn't come from a lack of

individual motivation or bad individual

decisions for starters because every

couple years poverty just happens to a

bunch of people at once randomly just

look here's two graphs of the number of

people in poverty and the poverty rate

over time those highlighted parts are

recessions as you can see and probably

expected when recessions hit more people

are poor and the poverty rate goes up in

tandem we already know that despite

being guaranteed to happen eventually

it's hard to predict exactly when a

recession will take place and

specifically what sectors are going to

be hit the hardest

next recession it could be that the

place you work suddenly doesn't have the

revenue to afford your labor anymore and

it'll have nothing to do with the effort

you put in

and then on the other end of the

spectrum you have how the pandemic

affected the wealthy the 10 richest men

in the world doubled their Fortune

during the pandemic making around

fifteen thousand dollars per second in a

little over a year and I can guarantee

they didn't work twice as hard in one

year as they had for all the years

before combined economic circumstances

out of their control made people more

exploitable and desperate governments

pumped money into their monopolies so

they wouldn't go under and they came out

a lot wealthier did they work hard to

get there some of them maybe others no

what ultimately made them wealthier was

their class position and luck not any

special effort

thank you

so right off the bat unless you believe

that once a recession hits suddenly

people lose all motivation that right

there is a solid number of poor people

who are poor through no fault of their

own their casual victims of the business

cycle a feature of capitalism that

doesn't exist in most other economic

systems and conversely being in a

favorable position before a crisis not

hard work allowed the 10 already richest

people in the world to pull themselves

even farther away from the rest of us

but that sudden bump to poverty and

inequality happens in periods of

economic decline to be clear stagnation

and regular Global Market crashes are

the norm of living under capitalism but

I get that if I built my case around

these circumstances alone this video

would feel incomplete but don't worry

quote unquote normal times where the

economy grows care just as little about

hard work that's because part of regular

boring old growth capitalism is what's

called The Reserve Army of Labor

if you haven't heard of it before it's a

Marxist term that refers to the amount

of people kept unemployed not because

there aren't jobs they could or would

want to do but because their existence

is a guarantee of capitalist bargaining

power said differently a significant

number of people are kept unemployed

purely so that those who are working

worry about losing their job to them one

day this group exists because it's

really useful for employers that you

don't want to be fired and to make that

threat more tangible capitalists oppose

measures that would get us closer to

Full Employment or would make being

unemployed more bearable whether that's

a job guarantee limits to the number of

hours of work you can do each week or

generally any sort of welfare that keeps

food on the table during unemployment

these things make the threat of being

fired less powerful and in complement

public services in Health Care

Transportation housing and education

make life cheaper and within reach of

everyone capitalists staunchly oppose

Public Services work reduction measures

and Welfare and that's despite studies

often showing that they could actually

help individual capitalist net profits

in the short run for example by

relieving them of Private health care

costs or making their workers happier

and more productive if they oppose these

measures then it's not because they

can't see the short-term profit bump but

because they challenge their long-term

Authority without unemployment and with

better Public Services people would be

less willing to take demeaning unsafe or

poorly paid and exploitative jobs

working people could demand higher wages

and while this could still work in

capitalist favor by increasing the

working classes buying power and

therefore simultaneously delivering

profits to the capitalists over time it

makes people less exploitable

and maybe eventually that could push

profits down towards zero without the

fear of unemployment and with good union

organizing workers can slowly claw back

a bigger and bigger cut of the value

they generate for the company which

leaves the guy whose only job is owning

it with less and less and that means

less relative profits which they don't

like they like when number is more

ultimately then while there are regular

dips in unemployment and poverty some

amount of it has to come back regularly

and be maintained artificially by

killing things that would make life

objectively better for most people it

would be objectively better for all of

us to eliminate unemployment entirely

and we could do it with simple measures

like a more equal share of work that

limits working hours each week

eliminating pointless jobs and putting

more investment towards automating the

jobs very few people want to do all of

which is easy enough if you're okay not

maximizing profit and you should be at

the end of the day profit only goes to

the tiny sliver of people who own

businesses the capitalist Society will

always statistically have a one percent

that's always going to be the case

but back to our main point if you think

unemployment only happens to lazy people

it makes very little sense why it would

have dramatic swings from year to year

or suddenly boom after a recession and

if you can see the benefit of poverty

for capitalist bargaining power you can

also see how even in a quote-unquote

ideal scenario when absolutely every

single person is fighting for a top spot

being a busy little worker bee and

absolutely crushing the grind set with

23-hour work days some unemployment

would continue to exist if for no other

reason then to be a tool for exploiting

the other grind Setters better and

ensuring that workers can't build

Collective power and you don't have to

think in these big structural terms to

see how this would naturally fall into

place under capitalism

when they're hiring your boss doesn't

care about unemployment and poverty they

would rather hire one person who does

the work of two than hire two people and

they'd rather hire someone who does

three people's work than that guy hard

work matters only when that one guy is

in charge of how many jobs there are and

we all need to satisfy him to earn a

salary take the one guy away and we

could just split the work up more or

less evenly and do a lot less of it the

point is lazy or not poverty will always

be there to uphold profit meaning the

goal post for laziness will constantly

shift and not in the more Humane

Direction

and so far we've only covered

unemployment a bunch of the rhetoric

I've been kind of responding to has been

mostly targeted at some imaginary lazy

person someone who doesn't have a job

and definitely exists and actually

there's a million of them and it's 100

their fault you pay more in taxes so you

should be very angry at them but what

about the Working Poor because this hard

work thing is [ __ ] for them too

in the US about 23 percent of workers

work in low-paying jobs roughly on par

with countries like Lithuania and Latvia

over 400 000 Americans work two

full-time jobs and nearly 8 million

Americans have two or more job positions

counting both full-time and part-time

that's a lot of hard workers and as you

might expect it's not really by choice

over 7 million Americans are working

part-time involuntarily working jobs

that guarantee no paid sick leave

benefits or vacation days in these

circumstances job security is not only

non-existent the hours are irregular and

the pay of course is terrible for people

working in these low-wage part-time

positions full-time employment is rare

or incompatible with their other

responsibilities like parenting and even

if secured it is just not enough to make

it to the end of the month because no

one making minimum wage on a full-time

basis can afford a one-bedroom apartment

anywhere in the US it is impossible rent

has more than double doubled in the past

two decades and over the same 20 years

the cost of fuel and utilities has gone

up by 115 percent in U.S cities health

care costs have gone up and regular

bouts of inflation keep pushing food

prices higher and higher like we've seen

these past two years

the point is no amount of individual

hard work and motivation will lower your

rent or your grocery bill or raise the

minimum wage your landlord can raise

rent arbitrarily grocery stores can up

their prices with a little press about

inflation and the wealthy can Lobby

governments and fund mass media

organizations so their pundits delay and

decry any increase to minimum wages you

can't outrun rent hikes by working

harder and here are the grind set types

will often tell people to just go work

somewhere else if they aren't happy but

not only is that incredibly difficult

think about what that actually means for

a second

[Music]

still want Baristas right having a nice

well-made coffee is a wonderful thing

most people think coffee shops should

exist but if everybody leaves where are

you gonna get your latte you're not we

need Baristas and cooks and farmers and

artists and most every service or retail

or manufacturing worker currently making

more or less minimum wage who works just

as hard as you do and can't get by not

only can those people not usually leave

their jobs we shouldn't want them to we

don't

this is essential labor but these

workers aren't getting paid enough to

reflect that because these are

Industries where it's easier to take

advantage of workers not Industries

where workers do something less valuable

we don't desperately need more people in

fintech because hard work has nothing to

do with how exploitable you are and

that's what ultimately decides how much

you make you can work as hard as you

want but if your job is especially

exploitative that will never be enough

to become wealthy and all of this boils

down to the fact that laziness isn't

real

exploitation is and the great thing

about laziness is that if you can get

people to feel really guilty about it

they will willingly exploit themselves

more and find it morally wrong when

someone else isn't being exploited

enough in other words instead of

thinking hey I do a lot of work I bet

the world would be fine if we all worked

a lot less let's figure out how to do

that the belief in laziness as a moral

failure takes that original correct

observation I work a lot and gets people

to think hey why isn't he working as

hard as I am here's what I think happens

that people who work hard start to feel

resentful because there's always that

person in the office who who is lazy and

and maybe get getting just as much money

how do we make sense of this in the

workplace where you are supposed to be

working

yeah I think that's such a good example

because really who's the real enemy

there right it's probably the employer

who's either putting too much on

someone's plate or not dividing up

duties fairly or not noticing there's a

problem uh and so this book talks all

about how we turn against each other

especially if we work really hard we

come to resent other people who maybe

are struggling and instead of asking

more questions of who needs help maybe I

shouldn't be working as hard as I am if

I'm feeling resentful and I even talk in

the book about how resentment is a sign

that you need to be slowing down

this made-up idea of laziness makes us

look at people being idle and judge them

even though they're doing something

perfectly normal and human something

that we ourselves want to and could do

more of with a little Collective

organization we come to see their

idleness at our expense and in turn this

judgment is used to justify imposing

more exploitation on them and on

ourselves

it would probably help if I ran very

quickly through the history of where

this idea comes from let's do that

laziness being idle in a morally corrupt

way starts with the reformation and

chattel slavery see one of the ways

chattel slavery was justified in the U.S

was through the idea of the Protestant

work ethic slaves were obviously

exploited and this made a lot of not

enslaved people uncomfortable but to

reassure them that it was okay a myth

was created that without being forced to

work slaves would otherwise be idle

slothful or ding ding ding lazy and

because in parallel Protestants had just

made up the idea that hard work and

accumulating a lot of wealth was proof

you'd go to heaven they felt good or at

least better that enslaved people would

be working so hard because it meant they

would go to heaven instead of being lazy

and going to hell

working hard had acquired the biggest

thumbs up the one on God's big old hand

there's nothing that God hates more than

sloth and that man were to sit around

and do [ __ ] all God will frown upon you

it's why you're never lucky if you're

listening to this and you think I'm

never lucky I'll tell you why because

God dislikes you because you're [ __ ]

lazy start to work start to show God the

beauty of his own Creations you'd be

amazed how lucky you'll become

to continue with the quick history

lesson these ideas pretty predictably

became tied up with Notions of race and

class because that's just what happens

in this country the poor and the black

were depicted as lazy while the wealthy

got painted as hard-working and

therefore deserving of their idleness

you can see this in cartoons like this

one from 1866 where a newly freed black

man is depicted as being idle quote at

the expense of the white man

this soon turned into the still relevant

myth that black people and working-class

whites are lazy which became Reagan's

very famous Welfare Queen slogan and

here we are today

being poor is a sign of being lazy

because if you're poor it must mean you

could be working harder and if you

aren't working harder then you're being

idle at the expense of the rest of us

and just like that you stumbled into a

way of justifying cutting people off

welfare when this whole economic system

is designed so that someone has to be on

it

I'm not just making this up by the way

if you read this book you'll find that

Americans do broadly think this way in

understanding why Americans oppose

welfare spending the author of this book

who conducted a bunch of studies when

writing it says quote the public is

strongly suspicious of the true need of

welfare recipients and white Americans

view blacks as lacking commitment to the

work ethic later on the author doubles

down saying quote the most important

race-based source of opposition to

welfare is the perception that lacks

economic problems stem from their own

lack of effort not structural racism not

capitalist necessity people oppose

welfare because of a racist myth and a

false idea

anyway there's a lot of math in this

book as well as media analysis it's a

good read not a fun read but you know

let's close out this video

poverty isn't a mindset

it's not something that just exists it's

something that is artificially created

and maintained laziness doesn't explain

it and as a concept laziness plays into

how we cast aside those who experience

poverty today bottom line there will be

no end to Poverty under capitalism no

matter how much we can convince people

to work harder assuming that's even

something we want to do given how burnt

out everyone is and because I couldn't

find room for it in this video if you're

wondering if this applies to countries

that aren't the US I'll end by

recommending my buddy hakeem's video he

debunks pretty convincingly the idea

that capitalism has lifted millions of

people out of poverty and it's a good

companion piece to what you just watched

if you want a sort of part two

anyway hope you enjoyed this video and

I'll see you next time

I mentioned at the beginning of the

episode that this video was made

possible by nebula I'm sure you're all

aware of nebula by now it's the

creator-owned streaming platform that's

home to content from all your favorite

creators where we can make the content

we really want to make what you might

not know is that you can find not just

second thought on nebula but also first

thought and the D program if you've ever

listened to the D program you understand

why it's always demonetized that's why

I'm so glad we have nebula we can be

honest we can have fun we can produce

content for people to enjoy without

having to choose our words carefully to

avoid being punished the three of us on

the D program are toying with the idea

of making a highly produced nebula

Original Series in a similar style to

blowback doing a deep dive into an

interesting topic in socialist history

but that will only be possible if we can

prove there's enough interest if that

sounds like something you'd enjoy let us

know in the comments below and sign up

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for the series here's the heartfelt part

every person who signs up using my link

is directly contributing to the finance

stability of this operation that second

thought the D program and first thought

none of this would be possible without

the generosity of viewers like you

especially since pretty much all my

sponsors have bailed and it doesn't take

a huge investment to help keep the

lights on if you sign up with the link

below you'll get access to nebula and

will be directly supporting your three

favorite socialists the annual plan is

just 30 bucks for an entire year I

honestly think that's an amazing deal

for all the great content on nebula so

if you'd like to help support my work

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thanks for watching and I'll see you

next time