Caller: We Should Pay Him, Or We're Libertarians

In this Majority Report clip, a listener calls in with some mysterious questions and thinly veiled criticisms. Also a serious misunderstanding of markets, government, and the meaning of being right-handed.
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[@imnodog]

not gonna lie, I'm kinda hooked at these libertarians' calls.

[@cnferguson5]

Haha dude that's how I got into this show in the first place. It's addicting.

[@megpaul8076]

Glad I'm not the only one! Been watching since early Spring and I'd heard about these calls. Going through the playlist now, is DELIGHTFUL!

[@brian8718]

@@megpaul8076 okay, good. I am late to the party, but love these. Sam just destroys these callers. Whoa.

[@brianremington6049]

Watch some science guys talk to flat eartherz. You’ll grow a bushy beard before you leave the couch. And then there’s professional zit popping.

[@MsSHINeeTVXQSuju]

Same, lmao

[@rifleattheplayground]

I, in fact, did subscribe because he makes fun of libertarians.

[@ryanbeck7166]

Me too.

[@MsSHINeeTVXQSuju]

Excellent reason, lmao

[@anertia]

"You're exploiting me, so you are a libertarian". Uhm.... okay... that's actually not a bad definition of libertarianism.

[@MsSHINeeTVXQSuju]

Right?? Lmao

[@nukiradio]

If you exploit someone, you're a libertarian??? How can you stand by libertarians if that's your definition???

[@changingmyself]

He doesn't even understand that in saying that, he is saying that libertarians exploit others.

[@Seattle-2017]

The thing is, at 11:04, Sam gave the caller a way to NOT be exploited for his labor of the phone call, and the caller rejected the idea!

[@Patrick-sg7cm]

No contract = no market

[@KrisHandsome]

"The laugh track is funny too" That's not a laugh track my man, that's Sam's producers having a blast listening to you implode on their radio show.

[@camobhair]

I deserve money for watching tv too. These networks are profiting off of using my tv and my eyes.

[@Mr_Hassell]

True that. In fact the charge you them greedy bastards.

[@rozzaziobrown6515]

For real. Furthermore the tv is my property. I'm charging the major networks rent!

[@LeolaGlamour]

I actually do feel this way, why should I pay for channels with commercials?! They need me!

[@1MarkKeller]

I can't watch all these channels too, so I deserve/demand a refund!

[@rob9726]

Make it bigger E Bisrat, we deserve money for watching KZbin VIDEOS

[@James-ye7rp]

Actually, the caller is getting compensated for his time; he is getting a public platform to have his say. Is he paying Sam for this service? He could have his say to the bathroom shower head, but what value is he getting?

[@penjamin5037]

Hammer truther truths have not been truthed.

[@jacobharstad5696]

And if we're going down that silly road of an argument, his mother should have run him a tab for changing his diapers and put him on a payment plan when he could work.

[@MrJaaaaake]

This man is providing entertainment without pay as this KZbin channel gets paid. Imagine if I had a comedian perform at my comedy club but did not pay him?

[@eb2681]

@@MrJaaaaake isnt that how open night mics work?

[@hvzacademy6924]

@@MrJaaaaake ever heard of an open mic night?

[@nukiradio]

"Your show is a lot like the free market" How's that? "You're making money off me and not paying me" 🤣🤣🤣 Woops

[@scottlyon5167]

This guy literally made me feel more stupid as I listened to him. It is disturbing to say the least. His points are completely illogical. This guy is entering a voluntary situation where he called into the show. It has nothing to do with the free market.

[@TheJonnyEnglish]

welcome to my cousins brain

[@IshtarNike]

It's like when religious people say atheism is a religion.

[@brianremington6049]

Dude. I hope you changed your screen name. WelcomeToMyCousin’sBrain is outstanding.

[@RiccardoPearlman]

Fisherman casts his line into the sea with the intention of catching fish. Fish voluntarily swims up and bites into the hook. Clearly, the fish and fisherman are in a marketplace together...

[@Phlebas]

Took me a while to get the point that the caller was grasping at. For those who are currently scrolling through the comments while listening and wondering what Alex is on about, the guy is basically arguing about minimum wage. In a libertarian system, a person can choose to work for no compensation, and that's why he says that the caller/radio show relation is a libertarian one, whereas in a progressive system, if Sam benefits financially from the call, then he would have to pay minimum wage. Of course, it's a dumb argument because the whole point of minimum wage is to ensure that *employees* get a wage that they can live on from their *employers*. As Sam points out, just because Alex is calling into Sam's radio show, that doesn't make Alex an employee.

[@SteveGellerMusic]

Yep. Exactly. The caller would have been technically correct if every transaction between any two individuals was considered a contract. I have called into this show before. Sam literally has no idea who the callers are (there is no screening) and doesn't know what the topic is going to be. So how can he be "hiring" people?

[@joeisawesome540]

if you go to a store and start sweeping the floor..it does not make you an employee

[@brianremington6049]

You can put the kittens in the oven but that don’t make ‘em biscuits.

[@scottgrohs5940]

The caller has been listening to too much right wing media, which was going full blast to rationalize the Citizens United decision a few years back, and now he has completely conflated commerce and speech.

[@Seattle-2017]

But what the caller refuses to accept is that he called in with the understanding that he would not be paid for the time of the call. He called in on his own free will, knowing that he would not be paid. There is no contractual agreement, and therefore no market, between the caller and Sam Seder. But in that same time frame, the caller could have done something that DID earn him money. And, as Sam mentions at 11:04, the caller COULD have tried to make money off the call itself.

[@mrbadguysan]

If this man is real, I love how he copped to the fact that the free-market is intrinsically exploitative.

[@MrJaaaaake]

Everything in life is exploitive. The government exploits my labor. There is not a situation in life where every part can be equally happy with an outcome.

[@Darkersneasel]

@@MrJaaaaake I agree. If someone benefits from the interaction then it could technically be "exploiting the situation". Doesn't mean it's a bad thing. I could give a hot meal to a homeless person. They benefit from it because they get a meal. I benefit from it because I feel I did good in society. People don't willy nilly do things unless there's some perceived benefit.

[@52flyingbicycles]

@@Darkersneasel that’s not the kind of exploitation people normally refer to in economics though. One use of the word is simply “to utilize” sure, but exploitation more commonly refers to unfairly use someone to your advantage Marx popularized the use of exploitation to mean “unfairly take advantage of” when he described the owner-worker relationship. An owner receives more money from the worker’s labor than they pay the worker. This is profit, and since the owner didn’t actually do anything it is exploitation. When you give a homeless person a hot meal, sure you exploited (utilized) the situation to make yourself feel better, but you didn’t unfairly take advantage of the homeless person. A hot meal in the stomach is probably a lot more valuable to them than your sense of fulfilling a moral duty

[@spaceprole]

I'm here six years later, enjoying the spectacle of watching a libertarian claim not paying people for their labor is a libertarian principle.

[@levin86osu]

I wish the show was 2 hours of libertarians everyday, they're hilarious

[@j.baldwinwasagenius...7575]

Chris Smith OMG, YES!

[@jordanthomas4379]

Chris Smith the caller isn’t a libertarian, you dumbass, he is accusing Sam of being a libertarian, which isn’t a bad thing, I’m a classical libertarian and I like the free-market. You guys that follow Sam like he’s some kind of god have developed this mind set that makes out libertarians to be “Nazis”.

[@Zahnzak]

@@jordanthomas4379 Nah, Nazis are evil. Libertarians are just.... what's a nice way of saying stupid?

[@MrJaaaaake]

@@Zahnzak Yeah....I'm a super duper intelligent atheist socio-communist. I'm smart enough to recognize that my ass is public property!!!!!

[@roger9685]

@@jordanthomas4379 not nazis bro, just really really funny, comedy gold. If you can please call in 👍

[@GRiMHOLDx]

Libertarians are the beginning of the Ferengi from Star Trek

I thought the same.

[@KennyTew2]

They don't have the lobes for it.

[@jgroth3906]

Ferengi are smarter.

[@5TailFox]

No wonder the Ferengi's heads were shaped like butts.

[@brianremington6049]

Bop bop bop

[@WAAAAAAAAAAAY]

This is one of the best yet. That guy was great! "Just because you called me up, it does not make me your employer" - Sam couldn't even keep a straight face when he said that ha. :)

[@ExploreGamesAndMore]

Your videos always deserve more views than what they get.

[@AuraFPS_]

Your call is a voluntary act, sir. On that point, every minute I’m stuck on the phone with telephone customer services, I BETTER get paid!

[@MrJaaaaake]

Employment is also voluntary.

[@rsr789]

@@MrJaaaaake No. The caller doesn't need to call in order to eat. People need to work in order to make money in order to buy food, water, and shelter. This is NOT a complicated concept.

[@kyliepoe6231]

This guy volunteered his time, no-one offered him recompense.

[@perryjohnson6461]

His point is that volunteering for a for-profit company makes the agreed-upon wage 0 and therefore Sam is de-facto “employing him” for a wage of $0. Therefore, this should be allowed. He’s willing to work for this low wage. If others wish to in other circumstances, they shouldn’t be prevented from doing so.

[@Matt_Barnes]

@@perryjohnson6461 And the point demonstrated by this video is that Sam can exploit that "labor" and use the means of production that he owns to produce a video that then generates the surplus value of the conversation, resulting in profit of which the caller will receive nothing. Sam rails against such exploitation on a nearly daily basis. At no point does the caller effectively demonstrate that Sam is practicing libertarian principles; he only demonstrates capitalist practices. And the specific point that Sam's making is that volunteering your time to call in to a show is not equivalent to a labor market where employers have the power to arbitrarily set a wage that workers either accept or don't get the job, and where the market incentivizes businesses to collectively drive down wages in a given region so that workers are left with a choice yes, but a choice between a bad, non-living wage or a worse wage than that. If there are no businesses that offer a living wage, or even a wage commensurate with the labor in your region, do you really consider it a 'choice' or 'freedom' to work for a wage upon which you can't sustain yourself? The guy has a point, yes, and the point is that he considers libertarian ideals to include the abject exploitation of those who are powerless to reject an unfair labor agreement. His blunder was that he had a genuinely free choice to call in and then falsely equates his decision to offer his 'labor' to Sam without acknowledging that this in no way resembles the way a labor market operates. Hence Sam saying "Just because you called me up, it does not make me your employer"

[@discostu3409]

to that caller: Sam's membership just increased off the hard work you just put into that call. Subbed!

[@Derekrife1]

My comments in this comments section is driving up views by having users click on it and revisit the video. Thus I deserve compensation from Sam Seder.

[@MadDeuceJuice]

your check is coming in the mail my friend, I'm sure

[@travelerfinder7840]

If you haven't received your check yet leave another comment it gets closer every comment.

[@andyrihn1]

He’s not a laborer. He’s a natural resource that Sam mines, processes for comedy, and partially sells to KZbin

[@AnotherOrangeJulius]

The video automatically played before I could check the title, but when that unbearable pedant asked if Sam was right or left handed, I knew: my man is a libertarian caller.

[@santaclauseking]

When I want to feel a little better I watch these libertarian call videos and remember how intellectually empty the right is.

[@jebus571]

It's incredible how detached from reality these dudes are.

[@VanguardSupreme]

Can we be sure that Sam Seder did _not_ in fact pay this guy? Because, damn, is he making libertarians look stupid.

[@Isaac-un4cn]

"Free Market" doesn't mean "Free" >__

[@averagejoe455]

"I did something free, therefore Free Market. Checkmate." Wat

[@farminstoltzfus]

11:38 The origins of the "what you're talking about is jibber jabber" sound bite edit: and a few seconds later, "i am not your employer"

[@Patrick-sg7cm]

The caller didn't sign a contract stating he was getting compensated for his time, therefore Sam doesn't have to pay him.

[@SpanishMoonRock]

The other day I was at the grocery store and I helped another customer find the baked beans… to own the libs.

[@MartinIsRunning]

This call gave us a few clips from the Danarchy Fun Half song. I wonder if this guy sued Danarchy too 😂 Also, Rest in Power, Brooks.

[@bydesign3169]

I would say the simplest form of a market, must have "a buyer and a seller" phoning into a show there is neither a buyer nor a seller = no market.

[@reinatheomni-panda7028]

Hearing Michael (RIP) say of the shofar bit that the caller could "turn that into a bitcoin" is a real weird thing to hear now, five years later in 2021, with the advent of NFTs.

[@TheRedWabbit]

Economics as religion, so amusing and so sad. I'm a subscriber now.

[@kevindonahue2251]

Well if its a membership drive, it sure worked for me.

[@77Fortran]

He sounds like he's just called a Jimmy Dean complaint line.

[@ProletariatPrince]

So um... I commented on this video which took my time and labor so... Pay me my money!!

[@PG-wz7by]

I really like that Sam debates these callers. The patience!

[@GrahamSiggins]

holy shit this one was so good. I fucking LOVE sam's smugness after that guy admitted to bringing up a bad example and then tried to blame sam for getting them sidetracked lmao

[@pete2389]

11:38 "what you're talking about is jibber jabber" I've been wondering where that quote is from forever

[@Givemeabreak-56]

If a libertarian gets elected for president who is going to pay him. Only in america.

[@jimbob3030]

They wouldn't need money where they are going, because jetpacks.

[@Givemeabreak-56]

Do they understand why that is a joke? That's the real question.

[@jimbob3030]

Robert Looney Does any libertarian really understand anything?

[@Seattle-2017]

Libertarian politicians: people who want be paid to lead a government that they feel should not exist.

[@RhettReisman]

I thought libertarians were smart. These videos are spectacular

[@stacythompson1384]

Caller: I don't think so Sam: yeah, me neither :-D

[@penjamin5037]

Sam, I just subscribed, wondering when my check will come in the mail. Pay me or else. Lol. These libertarians are silly as hell

[@snappycatchy]

During all these pauses I had a chance to contemplate it. I think I know why there's always a stream of libertarian neck-beards drawn to the show: they're thinking the "M.R." in the logo for "men's rights."

[@phillipreynolds8459]

He just made me want to subscribe. I just want to make sure he gets credit for it.

[@jeremybalsley5765]

When he said "copyright laws" it was like a dog sitting next to the dinner table. Sam ate that shit up before it hit the floor! The worst people are those who think they're so smart but are total fucking idiots! This guy has said the words "I have a good brain"...

[@chickenchad9814]

These old calls are gold...

[@changingmyself]

There is no CONTRACT to pay him, nor have you hired him as an employee. So what money is he expecting to get? Does he get paid to talk to his neighbor??

[@changingmyself]

@Vincent S That makes no sense at all, maybe in your mind it does, but not in the mind of someone who has passed business law. lol

[@changingmyself]

@Vincent S Actually, it does make sense, but you do not understand it. If you go to your neighbors house to talk to him, there is no legal binding contract that you will get paid to talk to him...UNLESS YOU MAKE A LEGAL BINDING CONTRACT THAT YOU WILL BE PAID TO TALK TO HIM. There was no contract between Sam and the caller that he was going to be paid. In order to enforce a contract, one has to be made, either by implication or signed.

[@jarinthemood2000]

A free market is a voluntary exchange of services, goods, or ideas in return for other services, goods and ideas. The keyword there is voluntary no one forced the caller to call, click, or watch the show. Otherwise I could demand compensation for listening to him call in since he got paid for calling and I am listening. As far as the bigger philosophical picture here, I think the problem that libertarians have understanding is that you don't get to claim complete ownership of yourself once you subscribe to a society and its set of rules because other individuals live there and they have the same rights as you do to liberty and the pursue of happiness .Although not perfect ideologically by any means, utilitarianism seems to overwrite libertarianism by natural selection.

[@MrJaaaaake]

Not the case if libertarianism grows. Because to a libertarian an invader is no different from your home government In regard to oppression of freedom. But it would be easier to lead a revolt against an invader to establish a libertarian government. In the future if the libertarian population is large enough and there is global tension they could become terrorist in order to facilitate their own freedom.

[@juggalo184]

Stop saying "between you and I". It's "between you and me".

[@IshtarNike]

The Ghost of Flekk Bone Gnawer No it's a common error to think that because you say Sarah and I it should be You and I, but that is an overcorrection.

[@dirrdevil]

I love how this clip opens without context and mid-dialogue. It is hilarious. Michael and his impressions are the best.

[@triknives]

Lol "You don't have to declare that" - hahahah. Loved it.

[@robthagod4870]

“ intellectual property” he says. 😂 buddy you don’t own your words unless you copyrighted them before you spoke them, which isn’t possible.

[@glowingdawn9179]

cant believe its been 6 years since this classic

[@liberator6]

The caller seemed to be saying that it was a market because he and Sam had entered into a contract- just not a very good one from the caller’s perspective. Under the law, certain elements must exist in order for a contract to be considered a contract. You have two parties who freely enter into an agreement: 1) one party makes an offer to exchange something of value with the other party, 2) the other party responds (accept, counteroffer, reject), 3) they agree on terms and a contract is formed. Now, it’s important to note that there MUST be something of value given by BOTH sides in order for a valid contract to exist. So even though Sam is getting something of value, the Caller is not, which means they have not formed a contract. ALL the elements must be present- offer, acceptance, “consideration” (something of value given and received by both parties.) If the caller were to take Sam to court, the court would say “no contract exists, therefore it can’t be enforced.” And no court would enforce terms that the parties never agreed to in the first place.

[@Darkersneasel]

I'd argue that there is services received. Sam is giving the platform for Alex to use for free but in exchange, Sam gets to make the money off the video. Now if Sam were to charge Alex to get on the show, it'd be the same concept. Literally Sam is the one delivering a service and by calling in you're accepting the service for free but at the expense of the station owner making the money.

[@liberator6]

@@Darkersneasel The contract that Sam makes money from is between Sam and the station. Alex is what would be called a third-party beneficiary-he gets a “platform” because of the contract between Sam and the station, but he is not a party to that contract. Third party beneficiaries generally do not have standing to sue unless the contract was made to benefit them specifically and directly. An example would be the beneficiary of a life insurance contract between the insured person and the insurance company. Now, if Sam were to charge Alex, then that would be a contract between Sam and Alex, separate from the contract between Sam and the station. In Contract Law, accepting something for free is not a contract. It is the transfer of a “gift.”

[@Ozhull]

"Sure there is!"

[@TybudX]

Holy fuck.

[@danendrahartawan9268]

Compensation payments requires one thing. The agreement between both parties (preferably by contract)

[@zachmiller9175]

What this guy is essentially saying is that every time someone comes into a business and starts making a disruptive spectacle they're performing compensable labor due to the fact they might bring attention or exposure to it, insane.

[@sepnot]

I gotta find that dude. He's hilarious! We've got a comedy show we're going to put on cable tv and I'm gonna make him a star!!

[@lordprettyflackoskillz3575]

This is probably the most bizarre reach for a free market example ever

[@egorkotkin]

Arguing that Sam profits off of Alex's labor by exploiting him for free to prove that Sam is libertarian, Alex implied that libertarianism is about screwing people off. In other words, Alex's argument was "Every time you making money off people without paying them anything you're being libertarian".

[@RottenRroses]

Where's the line between Libertarianism and Anarchy? Where does Libertarianism end, in terms of the reduction of government and Anarchy begin?

[@showtimelakers1795]

Best Interview ever

[@fednanders4572]

*"sure there is"*

[@thomaslheureux3846]

I actually did look up the definition of a market. Markets establish a price to which none was set also I don't understand what the supply and demand structure would be exactly.

[@iMaDeMoN2012]

I kind of understand what he is getting at. In the sense that Sam Seder and the Caller (Hank) create content together but only Sam gets compensated. In Hank's analogy he is a no-wage employee or co-creator.

[@magnusorn7313]

even if you where "exploiting" him and was the definition of taking part in libertarianism... thats a great argument against it

[@magnusorn7313]

even if he manages what he set out to do and prove you are in some way a hypocrite it would be at the cost of his own ideology

[@lunaalexandre1326]

this guys resume must be the size of a small novel

[@WordAte]

Check.

[@lexxandera]

Sam Seder cracks me up. And Michael Brooks too.

[@alexicage7033]

Every libertarian and right wing caller to sams show reminds me of gta talk radio shows

[@neurotik7172]

Please have more libertarians on; this is comedic gold!

[@goodoladam]

If you show up to a random store and start stocking shelves, that store better compensate you for your time and labor. If you spend your time and labor shopping at a store, that store better compensate you for your time and labor.

[@drewburnettepodcasts]

If I go strictly by these calls, there's certain calling cards of a Libertarian... Libertarians never answer the 1st time you say hello, their phone signal always sounds sketchy, & they have this unearned sense of superiority.

[@TheSchnorkey]

I think libertarianism appeals to people who lack the intellectual curiosity look deeper into the arguments they hear online.

[@MrJaaaaake]

I think socialism appeals to people who lack the responsibility and courage to be self sufficient and look deep inside.

[@jeanneeber]

HE made the call-and wants to be paid? LMFAO! I’m goin’g to the BR for a few minutes. If I keep the video playing-will I still get PAID for MY viewing TIME too?

[@willdenham]

He never explained why he had to write down that Sam is right handed.

[@yarnpower]

That caller must be a terrible employer.

[@RichardAmuir-f2l]

SAM SHOULD JUST SEND THIS DOOFUS $0.31

[@4tech69]

Oh these are good.

[@jaronfeld123]

+1 Subscriber because of this video. Alex is expecting his check in the mail.

[@kcapkcans]

we all know that Alex doesn't have 46 employees, right?

[@caitieeeee]

And if he does, I feel bad for his employees.

[@ChannelRandomMy]

He means this whole libertarian challenge is just a "marketing" thing. You would think someone who believes there should be almost no rules with capitalism would have an in depth knowledge of what marketing is, but instead none of them seem to know anything besides talking points and what they can remember from that book and a half they read once or that podcast they listen to sometimes. Also, it's an amazing marketing tool, but seemingly only on accident. Sam really really loves doing this, this is about passion more than anything lol and we all love it too. It's win-win...win.

[@Krisowy]

I've heard that the homo sapiens 100000 years ago has excellent copyrights - they just accrued naturally....I could listen to libertarians all day long - its better than stand up

[@theculling497]

I got about 2 minutes into the call and realized the caller didn't know the difference between a free market, and free labor. That is his point, how can there not be a free market if he is willing to provide free labor by calling into the show? After all, he is providing his services in the labor market for free.

[@AstralFrost]

That was sad.

[@ValliW]

He's not exploiting your labor, he's exploiting your free time. YOU called HIM, of your own free will! And he is not your employer!

[@52flyingbicycles]

I bet this guy has conversations with his friends and says “did you enjoy this conversation? Well that was me working for you and you didn’t pay me, therefore you don’t support the minimum wage” And then he ran out of friends

[@zardoz73]

That was actually an interesting debate.

[@alanparedes2034]

This guy has called a few times. I think he's the guy that doesn't want to give kids a free lunch

[@gabrielmckay8690]

The Libertarian calls are always the best! Comedy gold!

[@tygrahof9268]

He's marketing his stupidity for giving away his worth of being mocked for free.

[@davidchunkyonion]

Why are all of these Libertarians such bad debaters?

[@Batgirl219]

Did he just argue copyright laws are naturally occurring?

[@mbonsignorejr]

Copyright laws dude. Yeah man, got a crop of them out back my house.

[@Lou_Skunt]

Fucking miss Michael ❤❤❤

[@lindaleelaw5277]

With this guy, minimum wage be " yess'm masser"

[@BradCozine]

11:15 I believe Sam is uncharastically incorrect here. "Free Market: an economic system in which prices are determined by unrestricted competition between privately owned businesses." If the caller DID do KZbin videos, Sam and the caller WOULD be in the same market as competitors. They would be in competition for viewers and ad dollars where KZbin has created the economic system enabling unrestricted competition.