Capitalism Hits Home: Individualism is a Capitalist Deception

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[S5 E19] Individualism is a Capitalist Deception
In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad argues against capitalist values like individualism and freedom. Too often those in charge, the "great male heroes,” receive all the credit for achievements built on the backs of so many. Fraad suggests that freedom through connection, gratitude for those who do the work to build our lives, celebration of our common goals and interests and our power to realize them are the real motivators and values of our society.
Capitalism Hits Home with Dr. Harriet Fraad (CHH) is a @democracyatwrk production. The show addresses the intersection of capitalism, class, and personal lives, and explores what is happening in the economic realm and its impact on our individual and social psychology. Learn more about CHH: www.democracyatwork.info/capi...
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[@ronwagoner8358]

My heart was broken the other day. While in a meeting at work, it seemed everyone was looking down upon the workers at a fast food place or coffee placewho were on strike either for higher wages or organizing. One story went that someone was bent out of shape because he couldn't buy his hamburger. It was completely lost on most there just how important those on strike workers were. Not one manager nor one CEO was there to cook and prepare the order!

[@antimattv]

Excellent excellent excellent points. Rugged individualism is a measure of how easily and effectively a person can credit the labour (reproductive/productive) of others as their own. It is the monetization of sociopathy. Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman would be very proud. I am so grateful to Doctor Fraad, Prof Wolff and their wonderful team for donating to us these great ideas.

[@ratatouille941]

I can only add after your bravery and fine perception ,for you and many others the words of Pablo Neruda: "Era hermoso vivir , cuando tu vivias..."

[@Marxist2]

lovely, thank you for adding the words of this great poet.

[@marknonnenmacher1918]

Labor has value. Our society needs to learn the art of cooperation. This individualism stuff is failing badly, everything is falling apart and there seems to be so many that just don’t want to see it.

[@jgalt308]

If you worked your ass off from birth, your total energy input to society would equal that of 5 barrels of oil.

[@boi9842]

freedom is a word used by the bourgeoisie to justify exploitation, they meant i'm rich and you're poor, respect my property and work for me for starvation wages, it's you problem that you're poor not the capitalist system or me. It's no wonder the most bourgeois country ever, the US, worships freedom. When the US says they're going after "dictators" they meant they're going after lefitist leaders that are trying to help the poor: Fidel, Ortega, Maduro Gaddafi..

[@qjtvaddict]

Individualism is why China will win

[@jgalt308]

@@qjtvaddict Unless it is possible to program them to become mindless insects enslaved to the "queen", I strongly doubt it...and then the question arises, in what sense would that be "winning"????

[@jakeroper1096]

“Failing badly” is relative, things could be 10x better and people will still say we’re failing badly. It appears that most people who practice individualism make much better cooperative partners. It’s actually a fundamental point of why capitalism works: Our greed is led by incentive to provide (a variety in quality of) goods and services to society. It’s a straw-man to say individualism is inherently anti-cooperation. You need a balance of both to thrive but the point is you can be a better member of societ by being a better individual.

[@oswinhaas]

The concept of the ''robot'' reveals how human beings are considered in ''our'' - capitalist - society: as slaves. And that's what ''we'' are indeed. And because we are slaves we can be replaced by robots. A human being in its full relational, emotional and cultural depth cannot be replace by a machine. Or can you imagine to have your child as your child, your mom as your mom, your dad as your dad, etc. being replaces by a machine even if it looks like them?

[@lisayoder5686]

I am floored. The way in which you presented this is the only time that I have not had to twist my own common sensical way of thinking to understand the ‘American (ie-SICK) way of life’! Thank you for this 😊, it feels good to know that I am not crazy thinking in this way, because everyone I know (and love) loves capitalism thru and thru…I AM the black sheep of my family in every way except actual color.

[@zacoolm]

It is all about unequal distribution ( capitalism) and unequal exchange (imperialism). A sick system

[@robertheap2911]

The thing about Capitalism, is it is designed to brainwash ordinary working people. You only realise this when you wake up. The “ American Dream “ had two parallel lines of thought . No 1 : The Emancipation of the individual and the collective strength of the community with an end to slavery of all kinds ( including poverty pay and conditions ). The rights of man ( as in mankind) to live and work with basic human rights , regarding enterprise, pay , healthcare, pensions and social justice. Put forward by Thomas Paine and supported by Benjamin Franklin. Two of the founding fathers, though Paine has almost been written out of history for his “ Head of his time views” .No 2 : Unfettered freedom of the individual, without social responsibility. This won the day. And is why Slavery continued till Abraham Lincoln became president. 89 years later , than intended by Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin. As you can guess No 2 has been followed ever since.

[@treefrog3349]

At the age of 73 I am constantly reminded of the America I believed in as a young lad and of the America I have now come to know and lament. I envy those blissfully naive, hopeful and exuberant people that were born before the advent of the automobile and the atomic bomb. A comparison of that worldview and our nearly universal contemporary outlook should be an abject lesson of how badly we have gone astray. That comparison has led me to wonder if we humans are not merely a suicidal pernicious invasive species? As shocking and disturbing as that may sound, the evidence seems to elicit profound questions about who we, homo sapiens, actually are.

[@bellakrinkle9381]

I believe that it's more appropriate to wonder not about Homo Sapiens, but those in powerful positions that created our school systems, the quality and ideas taught in schools, the quality of US Leaders, etc. Who has controlled skilled and unskilled labors. Why are only individuals with wealth and power the ones who set the rules for " their" workers. Indeed, mankind could likely be from outer space, with aliens watching as we move towards mass destruction of humanity. Then they will learn what not to do, once a new epoch is formed after destruction of all forms of life has vanished on Planet Earth.

[@jillfryer6699]

It does to me too. But other life forms, birds eg, can be as vicious, selfish, egotistical - as far as a species like crows or gulls have a general Ego! I only wonder if we got rid of nukes and cars (each in his own full metal jacket) it'd be better?

[@ver4135]

Capitalism can't solve environmental,public health or homelessness

[@andyliu7922]

capitalists promotes this notion of individualism to divide the working class, and a divided working class is one most prone to exploitation

[@drb9276]

I agree with what you're saying on individualism and social problems. Just adding an aside... The Egyptian pyramids of Giza were built by guilds of craftsmen. Slaves were probably used during the 3 months of the year that construction was ongoing. Yet, only when they were available and only as supplementary labor. The vast majority of quarrying, stone transport and placement, and finishing craftwork on the pyramids were done by paid skilled unionized [guilds] Egyptian workers.

[@jacpratt8608]

Where did you find that out? About the unions and guilds of pyramid builders. Why would sane, free workers want to build an enormous mausoleum to facilitate eternal life for a dead pharoah? Or, is there something else going on I don't know about?

[@tymanung6382]

@@jacpratt8608 Perhaps they were Egyptians nationalists & were honoring their leaders.

[@jamesmurphy9426]

@@jacpratt8608 It's in recent research they found a degree of evidence

[@mohamedwarsamaboss5014]

In any event, those humongous stones were heaved onto one another by thousands and thousands of labourers. Craftsmen might have designed it but wouldn't do the physical job.

[@youmonxintl]

You are so wise and articulate! You are so right about connection I live in the USA, by the way. ! I am surrounded by people who I find hard to connect on a level that satisfy my social connection needs. Yet, I can't even have unfettered communication with my family in China. I am constantly harassed by a group of people who use extremely toxic gas and some unknown substances or pathogens to target at risk people. It feels like some organized crime group! I have been harmed by emotional abuse as well as unknown toxic substances and or pathogens, rendering me so dysfunctional that I have not been able to make any decisions to live a normal life. I know I want to get out of this situation, but these people just wouldn't leave me alone. I can't even see my own mother and brothers because of these evil brutes! I can't get into direct conversation with anyone to find a way out of this very inhuman situation! My life feels like that of a trafficked person even though there is no physical chains, which means that my situation is even worse than a trafficked person in some aspects.

[@missk1697]

Get a gun and fight back

[@antimattv]

I hope you can find peace in your life.

[@youmonxintl]

@@antimattv Back at you!

[@Marxist2]

Thank you, I agree 100% with your words, this analysis of humanity, especially people in the U.S.is wise & needed. I learned so much from her.

[@jacpratt8608]

I am sympathetic to your situation but your statements are too vague. If you make assertions like this you must be precise about what you are talking about, otherwise most people will be suspicious of your motives. What are these toxic gases and substances or pathogens? Who are the groups using them? Who are the at risk people these toxins are being directed to?

[@youtubewatcher3467]

Selfishness of human is the basis of capitalism

[@Kentrosauruses]

There are people, including in this comment section, act like there’s nothing between the extreme individualism of “freedom is not having any connections to anyone else” and extreme conformity of “don’t express yourself as a unique person at all” It’s so obvious to me that a cooperative economy that this channel promotes is one that recognize both that we are unique and diverse people and that we need to cooperate with each other. Both because we have common goals and because we have unique talents. The individual and the community don’t have to be at odds, despite what our capitalist propaganda tells us

[@VernonNickersonSCHOOLCOACH]

Well said! Now, what exactly is a kentrosaurus ?

[@leftykeys6944]

Every time my partner's SSI check was raised by a few bucks, the landlord would raise our rent by that same amount. On another occasion my partner had a dental crisis. Bye-bye went our food money for the month. We had to sell our blood plasma to eat. By the end of the month I looked like a junkie, I had so many puncture marks on my arm. It's not something you forget. That was over a half century ago and I remember it like it was yesterday.

[@kooisengchng5283]

This is socialism. We need more of it.

[@ratatouille941]

it gives an extrange inner pace....to listening your reflexions ,even harsh critics made whith such elegance against Amazone fenomena and its Cyclopede CEO

[@ac7205]

👍👏👏👏❤️👏👏👏👍 Amazing contribution to the conversation 👍

[@emilypotato9495]

Thank you! This is so well expressed and so true!

[@Marxist2]

I agree 100% with you.

[@KARW37]

Very true. Unfortunately, it will be tough to convince the patriarchal gun nuts of that….. 😢

[@qjtvaddict]

COVID will eliminate them

[@YuenHsiaoTieng]

Why is it "always a man" who rides into the sunset, but it's "somebody" who built the roads and the plumbing? The pyramids were built by UNIONS. There was no slavery in 3rd and 4th dynasty Egypt.

[@dentonfender6492]

I agree--- good speech! Everything is a rich man's trick!

[@edgi55]

Thanks so much Dr. Harriet Fraad for this very enlightening program. Hope to see a lot more like this from you. Thanks again

[@cheri238]

I respect you so much Dr. FRAAD, LISTENING TO YOU I FEEL LIKE YOU ARE A FRIEND. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT OUR WORLD. I listen to Chris Hedges, RALPH NADER, AMY GOODMAN and team Democracy Now, Howard Zinn's His books when he was alive. PROFESSOR HORNE, Cornell West, Amy Martin, philosophy, history on all sides. SO ME OTHERS. I am a reader of many books 📚. Many people who have a moral conscience. SORRY I MISSED THIS EARLIER, FOR I HAVE BEEN ILL. OH ,UNDERSTAND WORLD HISTORIES, STARTING 2500 HUNDRED BEFORE CHRIST, THE GILGARMESH EPIC MOVING FORWARD. PROFESSOR RICHARD WOLFE. I HAVE LISTEN TO MANY GREAT PHILOSOPHY PROFESSORS, MY FAVORITE SUGRUE, A FEW OTHERS, . I HEAR YOU ALL YOU ARE SAYING IS TRUE. I respect you and thank you very much. AFFECTIONATELY ❤️ I WISH I COULD SAY MORE, BUT I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL.

[@tymanung6382]

Next step is to find & join grassroots rank & file democracy organizations, including 3rd, etc. parties. Good luck!!!

[@latestgadgets6616]

We learn from each other!...🥰Thanks for your precise explanation.

[@nunyabizness8246]

Agree 10000%. But any time I open my mouth at my job, it effects my career advancement and I get a target on my back. U either fall in line, or they will find somebody else to do it cheaper, or at the very least, your career advancement will come to a hault.

[@nunyabizness8246]

And as a blue collar guy who works in manufacturing making 100k+ a year, the bosses only see that. Not that I have to work 60+ hours a week, every week, all year to make those numbers. Short staffed going above and beyond doing multiple people's job. And i work for a transnational corporation that if I said the name, you would know it. You use these products every day. Base pay is garbage, you have to do ot and a ton of it to earn a living.

[@bellakrinkle9381]

Unionization is the first step away from being treated as Robots.

[@nunyabizness8246]

@@bellakrinkle9381 push to hard and they go 3rd party or close down the plant and move to Mexico. There is no hope for working class people. That's the reality. Research the % of private employees even at its peak...it's minimal. The reality is...there are very few options/positions for working class people. And it's less and less every year. Soon this country will be Brazil. The global elites will plant there empire flag elsewhere.

[@jacpratt8608]

@@nunyabizness8246 So where would your career have advanced to if you had kept your mouth shut? Would you be getting 200K+/yr? Or would you measure the improvement in some other way? Like running the coompany or being on the board? And by the way what do you call 'garbage" rate of earnings? 30, 50 70 90K ?

[@aliceinwonder8978]

People take on risk by speaking up, yes. If you want to fall in line then go right ahead. But it was those who spoke up who allowed us any rights and who gave an example of resistance

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

200 Starbucks unionized! awesome start.

[@contextmatters8243]

This whole "individualism" the is a feature not a big . As capitalism is ALWAYS about worker exploitation, the only antidote is for workers standing together for the common good . The good ol' "divide and conquer"...

[@jgalt308]

Damn, China is really screwed then!!!

[@jamesrenfroe4477]

I think it's rugged individualism for the poor and well connectedness for the wealthy. The working poor doesn't have time to connect they are too busy surviving. William shatner went with bezos to space, and all shatner could see was a planet that is dying.

[@katieandnick4113]

I think you misunderstand what genuine connection is. It’s not simply knowing someone or even being married to someone. I’d say wealthy people are the least truly connected people in society. I don’t think you understand the type of paranoia and psychosis that go along with being a resource hoarder. They may be able to form very superficial connections, but those aren’t real connections. Wealthy people are constantly, unconsciously worried that someone will kill them, because humans evolved to mistrust and even hate resource hoarders. That’s why rich people had to make all those laws about killing and stealing. And when you constantly fear you will be killed, you cannot connect with anyone. You can know people, and have business relationships, but that’s it. Not only does nobody know who Bill Gates really is, but Bill Gates doesn’t even know who Bill Gates really is. When you live in such an anti human way, nobody in your life can truly see you for who you are. When you’re truly connected to someone, you call them out on their BS. Nobody in the lives of rich people do that.

[@tymanung6382]

There are 2 sorts of individualism. 1) Capitalist version--- supports quantity (mainly money), (isolated parallel actions + identical) thoughts, emotions, actions, organizations. etc. 2) Broader left version--- supports varieties of quality of joint democratic grassroots, rank & file, thoughts, emotions, actions, organizations, social relations, etc.

[@robertchen8297]

Madame, you said everything so well. Of course, I have no proof but speculate that not only did Columbus did not discover the American Continent, his life and the lives of his team were saved by the generosity and help of the natives who were already the inhabitants of the land. I heard the story along this line that western settlers were shown how to survive in their land only to be later eliminated by the settlers. The settlers then celebrated their survival in the new Continent by designating Thanksgiving Day.... I think it should be re-worded to Natives Thanking Day.

[@emhu2594]

Nothing was ever achieved by an individual. Even eating an apple requires hundreds of people to grow the trees and then get that apple to you.

[@TheDarkIllumination]

Just ask Jim Jones.

[@bluewater454]

Says the BORG _YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE_

[@venusianblivet9518]

Nobody is denying that multiple people exist and can work together, what individualists oppose is the idea that groups of people can have goals or interests that differ from the individual members. If I’m part of a country, then the collectivist may say that I should follow the goals of the majority or the interests of the structure of the country, but an individualist would reject that because a country, class, company etc has no moral value outside of the individuals that comprise it.

[@hypergraphic]

I get what you are saying, but you can also eat the fruit from the toils of your own labor. Many people can plant an apple tree and eat from it for years.

[@jgalt308]

Damn, how did all those trees, fruits, nuts, berries and such ever make it without humans? Just how stupid are YOU???

[@davidevans6618]

Name something good and give it an ism, ya got trouble. Squirrels don't pay rent individually or collectively, no isms.

[@leovalenzuela8368]

I love Dr. Fraad's lectures!

[@leftykeys6944]

The labor market in this country is so toxic, I realized at an early age that there was no place in it for me. My early job experiences were horrible; I never lasted more than a week before getting fired. No matter how hard I tried, it was never good enough. I was even told to change my personality. I had to become an "entrepreneur" to survive. I have my mother and an inheritance to thank for my retirement; otherwise I'd be working 'til death... or homeless. I've nothing but empathy and compassion for all who must labor in this environment. The system bloody sucks.

[@peterbeer8657]

Capitalism encourages greed, it's all about money, while a society needs to share the wealth and capitalism is particularly bad at that. Wealth should include health and healthy food over cheap food, reasonable working conditions, humane social interactions, human rights. I see freedom as just a portion, a subcategory, of human rights.

[@xelakram]

Great video. Lots and lots of truth. 👍

[@shmo1626]

You mentioned Edison, but Edison was an employer just like Musk or Bezos. Tesla was his golden employee. The relationship between Edison and Tesla is somewhat similar to the ones between Bezos or Musk and their most talented workers.

[@blogintonblakley2708]

No one is an "I"; everyone is a "We".

[@chuckleaf8027]

Just like in Ayn Rand's novella "Anthem"....it amazes me that there's actually people like you who believe that stuff..

[@blogintonblakley2708]

@@chuckleaf8027 Only because you don't really understand what you actually are.

[@blogintonblakley2708]

@@chuckleaf8027 On your side note, have you ever studied Ayn Rand's life? She was a very unpleasant person who used those around her in a rather sadistic manner. It's not at all surprising to me that her books reflect her sociopathy. She was forced to live in a country her parents taught her early to despise. And she spent her life taking out her despite on anyone who would allow her too, and in fact managed to do a considerable amount of harm to the political structure of the USA via her cult of personality that included several individuals who came to wield considerable weight in US politics. {shrugs} We've watched all that not turn out well.

[@chuckleaf8027]

@@blogintonblakley2708 Ive studied her extensively. In a word, hypocrisy... however that doesn't eliminate the theme of her novels, or her ideas. It puts it in perspective, sure, but I hear her point. Anyhow, I like MisesU and the Austrians..Ron Paul Rothabrd etc etc.. but that doesn;t mean I deify them.. I mean shit, I hate Keynesianism, buit Keynes himself was a great stock picker and very honest about the terrible effects of inflation, and if you want to learn econ, his general theory is a must... Should I discard Hemmingway's books because I found out later he was a complete asshole????

[@blogintonblakley2708]

@@chuckleaf8027 Can't recall telling you to discard anything. I'm saying we had a bunch of her acolytes in government and finance and they appear to have rather royally screwed the pooch. So the greedy "I" doesn't work in communities. I tend to believe that you have a lot of good books under your belt. Have you read Plato and Aristotle on the topic of markets and greed? The foundation of their arguments was the understanding that greed destroyed the community. Where they differed was how to deal with it. So, what I'm saying isn't a new idea. The "I" is very hazy concept when you get right down to it. Hard to determine exactly what is personal preference and what is derived from culture. Do you have personal choices? We aren't really even sure of that... but that isn't really the point of what I'm saying when I say No one is and I everyone is a we. Where we might differ is that I believe that the individual is subordinate in importance to the group. That an individual that is truly alone is a weak and mostly helpless, while a member of a group is significantly less vulnerable and more capable effective action.

[@dkblack1289]

Just a little correction, the closest pdrson who can be said to have discovered electicity is Michael Farady (British) or James Clarks Maxwell for equations. Edison did the bulb but I guess Americans are misinformed. Its just a little point and even electricity was a jouney of many people as she says, then an event of one man.

[@ratatouille941]

We learn from each other!...thanks for your precise intervention

[@raelsackey104]

@@ratatouille941 Even the discovery of the light bulb, was a shared effort. There was a man by the name of Lewis Lattimer, who played a decisive role!

[@drno87]

Benjamin Franklin was working with electricity before Faraday or Maxwell were even born.

[@tusharsingh4543]

Good point about the abstractions which give credit to the capitalist & the powerful for development and not the labour underlying it. Definitely a fetish of some sort

[@Marxist2]

Wonderful, truthful & intelligent analysis on this topic.

[@kruth1015]

Dr. Fraad dropping truth bombs like a boss as usual 👏👏👏

[@muscovy5000]

Don't forget Elon Musk was born into wealth too, in South Africa.

[@marvinparadroid]

Beautifully put together.

[@VernonNickersonSCHOOLCOACH]

Invent tools and TEACH each other how to use those tools. YES! 🎉

[@jacpratt8608]

Now you're talking. Or someone is.

[@fndngnvrlnd]

The American Dream is a NIGHTMARE.

[@ayycast]

Thx you Dr. Fraad. 💜

[@robertseaborne5758]

Thank you and well said. Democracy has left America where 'government of the people, by the people for the people' as defined by and fought for by A. Lincoln (1863), has been long gone? Capitalism is the culprit; it is an economic dynamic that has to be subordinated and utilized to meet overarching socialist political objectives that meet the needs of the people.

[@jgalt308]

No, FDR is the culprit...he gave you fiat..and socialism gave you the rest.

[@gregorylumpkin2128]

This presentation is spot on the money. Thank you Dr. Fraad for pointing out these facts in such a clear and straightforward manner. We have all been dumbed down, programmed, and deceived since birth.

[@ratatouille941]

Same I made in silence with myself....

[@ngandosambalundula8183]

Am always impressed by the rich contents in all your best-researched quotidian updates! Thnx for informing, entertaining and educating us your loyal viewers!

[@silviacampos5988]

Would you please clarify. When I google Child Tax Credit, the information that I get is a if the Child Tax Credit still exists. It gives all of the requirements to qualify as if was not cancelled as you said.

[@hamidassian6350]

It'd be awesome if radios like Pacifica would pickup Capitalism Hits Home and The Anti-Capitalist Chronicles! Amazing content.

[@kathieloueldridge2974]

Thank you for this. Years ago on my travels through Spain how destructive our culture of Rugged Individualism has been to the American soul. I live in Wyoming which totally promotes this mentality with "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps", cowboy up and we have the highest suicide rate in the country. Sadly, we have deified billionaires and celebrities, Also we need more of us to stand up for ourselves. We have a major housing crisis in the country in which shelter, a basic human need is becoming almost impossible and no politician is addressing this. We have two political parties who fall on deaf ears to resolving our problems and act like two cheering squads for opposing football teams.

[@jayboegs6268]

Rail workers haven’t voted yet and what they “got” was next to nothing

[@lanakuhns9173]

Thank you Dr. Fraad for your videos and your work. I'd love to see you do a video on what studies say about the effect on children of having armed resource officers in school. My daughter was held up when she was working as a bank teller, and many in my family work in the schools. I worry about how it affects the kids to see people with guns in the school.

[@lunarmodule6419]

True! Thx

[@otnielradu6324]

❤️

[@titussamuel2440]

I believe there is a negative individualism and positive individualism. A scientist is a positive Individualist, he does not think of himself as such, he just by some rare individual faculty goes on to make an exceptional discovery. This is how human society differs from animal herds, a scientists discovery is not against his own kind, he is a normal guy of a community when he is not being that exceptional scientist. Do we hate this gifted man because he has rare/rarest talent? Some feel a few men/woman are trying to be different just to spite others, not every different person is aiming for a higher hierarchy. Electricity was discovered in Europe, but it is being used in India too, not that India would suffer a lot without electricity, it has its own devices, yet we as humans have an open mind, we do not punish merit, more so the rarest of talent. Negative individualism is a deliberate attack on fellow men, here there is an attempt to cause anarchy and suffering so that a higher status can be established for the most hatable person. Such maniacal individualism misuses the natural human trust we have for each other, such people want a non human world, he defines himself as human/man, as one of us, but he is not happy being human at all. His negativity is bad for the human race itself.

[@oliverastankovic7009]

Great points, Dr. Fraad! One little remark. You should have mentioned Nikola Tesla, too.

[@luciarixon1857]

Oh these troublesome workers we will have to automate this ...we've made so much we can afford to do it now ... they won't legislate against robots and automation because we've sucked them in and they enjoy the use of all the mod cons. How do you cure greed which creates exploitation. I wonder what utopia would look like??

[@jean-claudeyoboziagbo84]

Absolutely the definition of the term " capitalism " has always been for me, think l, something or a word that should be known as " INDIVIDUALISM ", like they preferred to term the word " SOLIDARITY " as " COMMUNISM" with the aim to obscuring or dirtying it.

[@rabbitcreative]

Keep in mind that capitalism is another name for competition. And competition is inherently destructive. See Alfie Kohn's No Contest.

[@Jimi_Lee]

All government, politics, etc is about the dynamic between the individual and the collective.

[@dimvidpro]

Just beautiful . Thank you!

[@edmumdtan2278]

One sure way to make easy human existence is to put a cap on the amount of money a human can own. Then no a richest because only many rich....... and everyone is happy and contented, provided we can tame our negative instincts.

[@fonzie340]

Terveiset Suomesta!!!

[@drprakashrao8899]

Excellent,we need to unite

[@davidluckens3479]

Thanks so much for your solid deconstruction of bourg "common sense" comic book individualism.

[@missk1697]

Freedom is slavery.

[@jgalt308]

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH...it's just not the strength of the ignorant.

[@alanhehe4508]

This was an excellent analysis. However, I don't know that the woke will ever unite with the true, economic Left. There is a concerted corporate effort to keep us divided, and woke/identity politics is one of the most divisive distractions I can think of. When some woke, neoliberal millennial tries to tell me that I am racist and entitled because of my identity as a straight white male, it angers me because I am neither of those things and that classification, based on my identity, is just another form of racism/prejudice. Moreover, one of the highest values of the true Left is free speech, and the woke even want to censor comedians because the woke can't even take a joke!! And neoliberals use identity politics as a shield against legitimate criticism. Most of the wokeflakes are affluent neoliberals without an economic concern, which is why they have time and energy to worry about stupid shit like pronouns. Everything else I agree with..it amazes me that so few people are able to see the evil of capitalism (actually corporatism is the more accurate term) so clearly, even though it is SO evident. The greed of these sociopathic individuals and corporations is insatiable and the standard of living will continue to decline for everyone else. I have little hope for our society, but what little I do have, I put in the burgeoning labor movement. If you have a conscious, don't buy anything from Amazon until that evil corporation treats its workers better!! Don't put your convenience over the lives of your fellow citizens, please. Boycott. And the same for the apartheid state of Israel!! BDS!! Thank you.

[@jgalt308]

You have divided yourselves...that's what happens when you imagine you are EQUAL!!!!!!

[@lidstrom-yd5pb]

I agree, Alan, with what you said about woke/identity politics. It is a terrible distraction from the real hell that our corporate system is creating for everyone. I don't care how people identify when it comes to sex and gender. Live and let live I say. But, the woke Left gets so hung up about all of it. And, you are right, they can be so humorless. The Left needs to focus on recovering ecological harmony and economic justice, so it needs to ease up on all the identity politics nonsense. The Left needs to focus on destroying this sick, perverse corporate economic system that is ruining our biosphere and driving everyone crazy, and creating new economic ways of life that foster ecological harmony and economic justice ( worker-directed enterprise ). We can create a new, post-modern world that is liberating and creative for everyone...

[@nunyabizness8246]

Fn a bro. Spot on.

[@Ahng_Noying9574]

Concepts like critical race theory, gender studies, and intersectionality can be useful tools in outlining inequality and social ills. The more rational conclusions with these concepts is that a move towards socialist policies will ease many identified burdens. However, these (neo)liberals use these tools for all the wrong reasons. Instead, we see virtue signalling, shaming, and meaningless, faux-humanistic, self-congratulatory schmaltz. Whether consciously or not, these people don't acknowledge that the underlying causes to much of these faults can be traced back to capitalism itself. EDIT: I liken the "woke" liberal crowd with alternative medicine. That is, they're trying to pass off the equivalent of healing crystals and positive vibes as a cure to a diagnosed problem. This obviously is not a viable solution, and those who try to sell you in on this are at best very naive, and at worst morally corrupt.

[@jxthursday]

Congratulations, you have fallen for the "woke" narrative of the far right. Why do you think conservatives are tackling these issues on repeat? Because they understand it's potential to divide the left. And you are an example of how successful the strategy is.

[@kathryntate6809]

The concept of the "individual" comes from slavery and "the group" taking full value--not the singular peson at all. "The group is important, but I am also important". Democracy was the system on which we anchored the view that the individual matters. HOWEVER as way leads on to way Democracy was perverted to protect just the upper tier.

[@heathercole6750]

Excellent reporting and topics. Thank you.

[@drumlessons833]

I'd like to go a step further and say that Elon Musk didn't create those car at all. He _purchased_ the legal right to say that he invented Tesla.

[@wealthy_classare_criminals1521]

All millionaires and billionaires are destroying humanity!

[@drumlessons833]

@@wealthy_classare_criminals1521 Billionaires? Well said! Millionaires? I'm not so sure. Yeah, back in 1940, a millionaire might have been part of that class. These days though, a millionaire is really just someone who most likely (not even surely) is able to retire comfortably.

[@loveheals3173]

But he brought it all together and led his team. We are also not in the 17th and or 18th century. This is a full blown capitalist system where everyone has to contribute and pay up. You will not stay at home for decades studying things just for the sake of it. Unless you are a professor and even so. If you get a grant (from the institute you work for) to study a subject you better come up with a reliable paper with evidence and with your peers in the scientific world backing you. These universities need reliable publishings that will have them in the top 10 universities (globally) with most published authors. So they can attract more students that pay the tuition fees worth half the lifetime earned salary of a middle class person. If they don't publish the professor and their careers are done for. Nobody is just chilling at home researching stuff for the sake of it. Unless you are rich rich. And most rich people are more concerned with power and money then anything else nowadays. Few are out here creating new things like musk is.

[@silviacampos5988]

Thanks!

[@jewellstarsinger]

It bugs me to see these cashiers always standing for their entire shifts. When I was a girl, cashiers had stools and chairs to sit on. It is so hard to stand hour after hour and yet the corporate ethic tells the peole that sitting doesn't look "professional". And the young believe that propaganda because they don't know any better!

[@SolMuun]

There is nothing worse for your civilization than being discovered...

[@pamwatson4912]

Thank you so much for your work ❤

[@holeshothunter5544]

Keeping up the lie, eh? 👺

[@RA-eo6rv]

Great teaching

[@josephyoung6749]

beautiful

[@candro5510]

You started mentioning "comunism" but I think that you were referring to socialism. Coming from Eastern Europe (former comunist bloc) I must say that there is socialism that you referred to, not comunism. Communism is the extreme form of the socialism that you idealise. In comunism some people were more "equal" than others. Socialism, yes but we must acknowledge that people aren't equally equipped by the nature (brain, physical strength, etc.). Yes we all have the same basic needs (shelter, food, etc.) but that's it. Some people are contributing to the communities while others are only consuming resources so, balancing between these two categories is the key to survival abs progress. No The risk is that those who are "only consuming" will multiply consuming more and more resources (which are depleting by the day). The "only consumers" are at all levels of society.

[@tymanung6382]

Original idea of Karl Marx + Friedrich Engels supported paltry centralized but mostly grassroots rank & file workers democracy, as in Commune of Paris in 1871, + in various writings. They wanted maximum coalitions of indepen dent left---- any parties. unions, etc. organizations, whole, factions, or individuals. This modern era tradition of European workers was also carried out in W + E Europe in 1918,.Spain, partly 1936 to 39, France + then Czechoslovakia in 1968, Portugal in 1974, etc.Also,,in other parts of Europe + outside of Europe. Some other thinkers include Henrietta Roland---Holst, Antonio Pannekoek, Herman Gorter, Karl Korsch, etc. among socialists. Of course, anarchists include Mikhail Bakunin, Pyort Kropotkin, Murray Bookchin, etc.

[@loveheals3173]

If you look at current world events your theory would be faulty. Those that are not multiplying as much as others consume more then whole continents together. For instance the US and western Europe which is around 20% (I believe even less) of the global population consumes and pollutes more then Africa, South-America and Asia together. If we count in the fact that China and many other asian nations basically produce for export to europe and the US. To put it simply two people can consume as much as 10 people if allowed. The members of a society alone does not dictate their consumptive behavior. It's about principles, values and what one believes they are allowed to consume, this ofcourse within the "borders" they think they are allowed to. I think this line of thinking is what I would say make westerners a bit dangerous sometimes. Because westerners feel and think they can dictate towards others what they can and can not do and what they should and should not do. But westerners do not put op those same standards and limits for themselves. You are worried about consumers and non contributors. But you are the biggest consumer of earths natural resources and your contribution to a save and peaceful world is non to zero.

[@candro5510]

@@loveheals3173 my theory is not faulty because has at the core the "making technology "tons of babies"". Yes the, let's say "advanced countries" are consuming and polluting more but the bulk of technological progress that could feed the rest is also there. Three bottom line is the optics are changing "in the wider West" towards a sustainable future. In the meantime "the wider East" is multiplying exponentially. The irony is that the "multiplication" was made possible by the technology invented elsewhere.

[@candro5510]

@@loveheals3173 bottom line is that neither capitalism or socialism, as they're practiced, are not the answer!

[@irelandishsac13]

Dr. Fraad, can I come work with you? We think alike and I NEED a better job.

[@mikem4432]

more social than comunist, socialism is based on shared goals, reponsibilties, and actions.. comunism is a political system.

[@michaelpike1704]

Go on , you can say it . In the beginning God .

[@homolgus1]

There are none so enslaved as those who think they are free- Goethe

[@harryjackson4759]

That can apply to capitalism as well as communism.

[@jdearing46]

Do not confuse idol worship with your twisted version of things.

[@enzorocha2977]

This video is too heartbreaking, enraging (Bezos really makes my blood boil), and depressing to carry on watching. This is another facet to the maxim, "truth hurts." I weep for the coming generations.

[@quay007]

Empowerment. Great. But the DR never touch on the downfall of too much empowerment.

[@manuellanthaler2001]

Hello 🙂. I only watched Richards Videos so far is this his wife maybe? I heard Richard say his wife is a psychologist and she Introduced herself as a Doctor so I figured maybe?

[@barrykowal6409]

Harriet,agree yet disagree.I am a 69 year old retired US citizen (born in New York City) living in Thailand.Isolation does not make you crazy.All my life when I was a teenager and even now I have always been a loner.I prefer solitude to large crowds and gatherings.On the other hand in my solitude I have my cable TV,I have my huge record collection and 24/7 access to the internet where I can watch "Democracy At Work".So,I am alone but not alone and I am not crazy.

[@lidstrom-yd5pb]

You are right, Barry. As much as we need connection with others, we also have a deep need for solitude. Solitude is necessary for our spiritual and psychological health. Solitude can refresh us for connection with others. It does not necessarily lead to insanity...

[@LuisAldamiz]

Very disappointing speech since 1:00. How was that "they did not have that much", when the had collective, ecologically balanced lands ("hunting grounds" or whatever) that we lack altogether? We are the ones who don't have that much. But that slight is nothing compared with the absurd 4 legs of alleged mental health? How can you cope with sustaining so many relations when you're introvert (and thus find socialiing rather taxing and not so much rewarding -- and about 50% of people is that way) or when none of those relations are apparently based on materialist foundations such as sharing an economy as our hunter-gatherer and even early farmer ancestors did? Once you begin losing track of your old friends, precisely because you share no material anythingness with them anymore... sure, they may still be your nominal friends... but it doesn't really matter almost at all. Even the couple leg without material foundations sinks (never mind that monogamy is pretty much unnatural judging on actual anthropology, sequential monogamy may be but stable couples are rare in nature and you can't be throwing around curses of "mentally unhealthy" to people just because they go around temporarily or undefinitely without a couple. Your "theory" seems derived from a Hollywood cliche, sorry.

[@comradeweismann6947]

Comments for the Algorithm

[@studyonline4763]

We hear about the "men", not the "women"

[@JohnDoe-fc3nh]

The so-called will to power, associated with liberalist individualism, is nothing more that pure narcissism at the psychological level, particularly narcissism leaded by extraverted people mostly, which is much more aggressive. In the arena of politics and economics, the right wing used to be traditionally represented by the patriarcal masculine archetype (coming from Judaism), at the psychological level, and the left wing by the feminine matriarchal archetype (coming through Christianity and Islam, although leaded by the masculine gender. Mother Russia knows about this), both archetypes driven by the ego which, therefore, has a bipolar nature by default, as it makes people become polarized and have polarizing ideologies. However, both archetypes, nowadays are totally corrupted by narcissism, which increased exponentially with the rise of egoic civilizations over the centuries, based on duality. Let me give you an example of how critical and difficult it is to deal with the issue of duality, let alone explain it to someone else. Why the masses of people do not realize that the Vatican is one of the outposts of the Anti-Christ agenda, and also think that Pope Francis is a humanitarian person, who is trying to unite religions and people around the world? If we look at his apparent narrative we will agree, on the one hand, that man and woman nowadays really have to be empowered in the new age to come, and it is not sectarianism and religious fanaticism of the nations, that will allow the world to become united. That is why this humanitarian and horizontal discourse of Francis seems so appealing and seductive to many. But on the other hand, the devil always uses half-truths. And what remains hidden in the meantime, is that the anti-dogmatic reaction against religious fanaticism, which began with industrialization and the rise of the bourgeoisie, which led to the French Revolution and the "scientific enlightenment", only led all humanity to atheism, which is extreme materialism and apparently its opposite side. I say "apparent" since the atheist, in his fanaticism and dogmatism, is also a religious person, only on the opposite side of the ego axis. Hence, all this humanism narrative touted by the Vatican is just another tricky move in the globalist agenda in the part of undifferentiated and diabolical minds, which place man above God. Faced with such opposing states of mind, who then can see through the illusions and see who's right and who's wrong, and what's more, given the fact that the Devil uses the same words as God, but in an occult and inverse sense? Well, the problem is the ego. If you put yourself in the ego's perspective, nothing works, no ideology, no religion, no form of government, all these formulas have already been tried by humanity and all have led to a dead end, and now we are close to destruction. Of course, from the ego's point of view, this kind of religious humanism, itself a contradiction, is totally wrong, for God always comes first, no matter what. However, if you place yourself in the perspective of the Higher Self, which will have to inhabit the new human being and will replace the ego, then in fact, humanity will have to be empowered, as well as the communion between all religions and all people. But this must happen under the universalism of God's law, which respects the individualities of people and the sovereignty of nations, which this Vatican-backed totalitarian globalism does not. So, narcissism, which also equates to an extreme materialistic view of the world, has made ideologies acquire many common traits and features, making them become increasingly indistinct, despite the official and usual narratives designed to keep facades, but that no longer appliy. It is a proven fact that all civilizations decay and die as economic conditions improve substantially and people fall into corruption and hedonism, living only for material pleasure and leaving God behind and everything which is sacred. Furthermore, these degenerate ideologies have produced children with a consciousness that is no longer even bipolar, but undifferentiated and demonic. This new state of affairs is taking people back to the initial civilizational indifferentiation, added with special barbarism and perversity, which, by the way, is perfectly visible in movements such as globalism, the LGBT+ movement, Wokism, euthanasia, abortion, pedophilia, zoophilia, cannibalism. And then you have the "New World Order", based on totalitarian censorship and control, through the fossilization of the human consciousness, with the help of the fourth revolution of Artificial Intelligence, applied to the integration between the machine and man. The inverted, demonic and egoic version of consciousness ascension. All this is already the result of people with undifferentiated awarenesses, who have lost their soul, despite their apparent and manipulative technological and discursive sophistication. Who, after all, is spreading left-wing ideologies in the world, in a very belligerent, imperialist and tyrannical way? Is it not nowadays the US, its allies and its European lackeys, supposedly all anti-communists, anti-China and anti-Russia, as they used to be and as they falsely keep saying that they are? And it is not, at least Russia, as a worldly military power, which, incidentally, no longer has anything to do with Bolshevik communism of Jewish origins - that actually spread it around the world and where China was kept stagnant - the great nation that is confronting this apparent left-wing globalism, but now actually much more to the undifferentiated side? It seems that there has been a reversal of the traditional roles of ideologies in the nations that traditionally defended them. But in reality this is not what happened. The fact is that, in the meantime, narcissism, since always contained in any ego, took over the global show and is leading the bulk of humanity back to undifferentiated barbarism, but now much more perverse, making aggressiveness explode in narcissistic wolves in sheep's clothing (extroverts), and also fear explode in narcissistic lambs who are potentially wolves inside (introverts). The Evil axis became polarized in present days between the US and China, and their satellite allied nations. Thank God Russia is now following another path and has turn her back against the Western madness, finally pursuing its most traditional national values. In that sense, Russia is no longer socialist in the traditional outlook, as it is returning to its most organic values as a nation. And thank God that Russia also has nothing to do with China anymore, who is totally lost from its most valuable philosophical traditions, in spite of the shared past ideologic background. Multipolar Eurasianism seems to be a good place for a re-start. But as predicted and wished for in the messages of the blessed Virgin Mary to Russia, given through the three little shepherds in Portugal (city of Fatima), Russia must totally embrace the sacred heart of Mary, which means open up and turn itself to its most profound philosophical and spiritual values. This is the mathematics of the human nature: m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0wkyEnfspXuV6ydjjwu5fkkrtMvtAPYQEgVhj73z4esmRV8oZKWZzgbJ6GP8mGFEpl&id=100315516175678&eav=AfZrxN9cInfjIHAbcmzjS-Z9HEDOLWKwjq880FIvDIgt2YgI4gBfNXurExbA5yv9UBM&_ft_=encrypted_tracking_data.0AY8HgHqdfSCcs0Aaoz75bdKYdjlmNog4uoxoNLdAYaFk5S5iG2_lZ_a32PemMwBvGcVTsSu1TRRN5zB_b6SbqV_UMUdJcpF_nOAQ2j_TdxIzGXhPdC6PJYsOdUmiQgt54bippNEBWFR20PZm2zXPY5cS2zYDJ4MQV9pZTQRHQsOBpxRXNQmOFy3tY-kanmD_c9RHiPJOikfv61PnEZUCM-_68SfrKNl5hCXPCIKYHpYCR3wF6FoV-weJGxEYrwvufL1K7DbfhNWFdR9f4unskF1d4jGD6MZ64ZAMQZ5v5YnNokbKKCh59DOEmt7feB1tX5JYdfJBLqhPRCnC2-HbnR0sgZT5msiVMI4ZSoY6I_0TgfgvUvQUqj6CQVdaKBWVbufbsJIEFnbzszrX6tP0-iGzKkqxSa_mgoDkMHUWH4LJ4Czcjn79K83YCwfm8_s6MXISXQ7aI3yiiO41exYh_uaGKhGgUWjekuuhH-7jDi-xsw&__tn__=%2C%3B&paipv=0

[@josedelapinio]

I agree with most of what you say but a historical mistake : pyramids werent built by slaves. This has been clearly proven. (They were laborours, granted not paid a lot, but not slaves)

[@loveheals3173]

Is this an attempt to erase black Africans out of ancient egypt by european antropologists that are very much obsessed with these pyramids from the first day they layed eyes on them?

[@loveheals3173]

You think they would not use slaves for free at all to build those pyramids? Not at all? It was unions? Ok whatever.

[@arxsyn]

This is the reason l absolutely hate Ayn Rand's novels! I read them as a teen. Can't stand them. Such lies. One man can't do everything and achieve everything in a vacuum. Supposedly Libertarians Love them.

[@JoeBauers8]

No doy

[@jakeshota4050]

Yes, we are not robots. I am the master of my home appliances. My washer and dryer cleans my clothes, my fridge and microwave and oven prepare my food, etc.. We should replace all jobs with robots. Especially the monotonous jobs. Enslave the robots and provide free time for humans. This isn't any new idea, we have been doing it since the beginning of inventions and technology. Let's have the goal of having a WALL-E ship utopia, but on earth. On a side note, payments for food, shelter, and insurance, etc is not theft. Theft is when you take something that isn't yours non-consensually. If we received food, shelter, and insurance without paying for it, that would either be a gift from the provider of those goods and services or that would be theft committed by us because nothing is free. Like she said, everything is created by someone or something because someone or something put in the work to create it. When you go to work to provide a service or make a product, you are compensated with pay so that you can use that pay and buy whatever you can afford. This is because if you made toasters, you aren't going to pay your local deli for a sandwich in toasters, the deli wants cash so that they can buy bread and pay their workers. They cant receive a bunch of toasters as pay. Same thing if you were a heart surgeon. Would a heart surgeon pay their plumber by giving the plumber a heart surgery? No, they get cash so that they can pay their plumber... Cash is just a tool, it's a physical representation of storage of value creation that can easily be traded for other things of value. Paying for things is not theft. Paying for things is trade. The reason why we hear about Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk or even Joe Biden or Donald Trump is because they are the leaders of the operation at large. They have the biggest say, they are the puppet and the face of the organization. We aren't dumb. We don't think that they did all the work. We know they had a lot of help from those that took their orders. Even Dr. Fraad isn't a one women show. We don't know who helped her with this video. We don't know who did all the video editing and helped her write the script. But we know it happened. The point is that we don't focus our attention on the background people because we talk about the person in the spotlight we said or did something. That is usually where the meaningful conversation is.

[@jamesmurphy9426]

Unfortunately under capitalism unless you make it big (good paying career)you will most loss all your childhood friends

[@spirithawk2418]

Ancient Kemet rulers paid workers in beer and bread. No record of slaves building any pyramids in what is today Egypt and Sudan. The old testament is no original source material for that incorrect statement she made. It is not backed up by any records written by the ancient Egyptians. Feel free to research original source material .