The Lie That's Destroying the Economy

[@TheAdamConover]

Before you ask: My finger looks like that because I smashed it in a door.

[@raulgarcia8627]

Nice touch of intrigue. You're really committed to your craft 😮

[@CAPSLOCKPUNDIT]

Right. Caught in a door. Are you okay? Blink twice if you need help.

[@Vastlee]

I think you mean it looks like that from... SMASHING that LIKE Button!

[@begonia-zekegarcia1068]

That just happened to Trixie Mattel too. Small KZbinr world lol.

[@bambizan8938]

You shouldn't do that, it hurts.

[@gabrielfair724]

Nobody is trying to fix the root problems we have in this country. Everyone is trying to make enough money so that the problems don't apply to them anymore.

[@theleaningbuzzardofbuzz7319]

Underrated comment.

[@julesbrunton1728]

And that is the problem. It's a snake eating it's own tail.

[@allthingstoallmen8912]

I was going to comment something similar, the biggest issue is people believing that they too will one day be billionaires and disrupt industries so they don't want the rules to change. unbeknownst to them that the chances of that actually happening are close to 0.

[@BunnyRot439]

@@allthingstoallmen8912 And the very rules they don't wanna change make sure that's the case. Very sad.

[@ScarryGargoyle]

I fucking loved this comment. As I’m guilty. And I never thought of it this way.

[@whysocurious7366]

Some people need to learn the life lessons of monopoly: when you own all the properties of a certain type, you unlock the ability to “build hotels” which is actually an allegory for you unlock the ability to raise prices & take everyone’s money & then you “win” the hatred of all the other players.

[@dawn_oh420]

it's worth emphasizing how you win. you can ONLY win, when you are the only one left. when all wealth on the board has been consolidated to a single person's pocket. it only ends when there is no one left, and the monopolist is the only man standing. i hate how much of Monopoly's political commentary is lost today. fuck, even the game Monopoly is owned by a monopolist company now.

[@Alacritous]

@@dawn_oh420 That was literally the purpose behind the creation of the game. To make people hate capitalism. Because it can only have the one outcome.

[@stratius]

It's better if you don't build hotels (they were added in a later version of the game). You can just max out your houses, and if the supply of 32 houses runs out nobody can build anymore. It's in the rules and called a 'housing shortage'. So that's 8 full properties, if you have 1-2 monopolies that's how you really win.

[@dracodraco1982]

>.> I thought you won by destroying the housing market, and only ever leasing rooms at inflated prices, thus assuring steady income, an appreciating portfolio of investments, and force the poor into ever shrinking in area, always growing in population, which cues up room for the expansion! Naturally, I've yet to see this expansion to monopoly due to being reclusive and poor, but no doubt there's private prisons, broken window policing, and a systemic inability to notice white collar crime is sold to the public at great societal expense. The hatred is just a cool bonus on the side. ..until the next expansion, anyway, where we plan on funneling all of political thought into one of two major brands, so people can donate for change, still get tossed into ghettos, pay exorbitant prices for basic necessities, and are subjected to increasing amounts of warrantless scrutiny and imprisonment. Or, you can donate to the other party, and get pretty much the same thing! We'll have two addition parties for the kiddos, where they donate all they want, their votes don't count, /and/ they get blamed if the wrong person wins an election. 'cause as Hasbro has said, there's just not enough microtransactions in table top gaming, and Parker Bros is loving that idea. (So, obviously, they're going to steal it. We're talking about Monopoly, after all! It's a nod to a colorful history, not theft, you know. ^.^)

[@dracodraco1982]

@@stratius Frick, why couldn't I see this comment before going all tongue in cheek? I could have had more lore. Also. >.> I just figured we lost sufficient houses, so we always just had stand-ins. M&Ms, buttons, kibbles, whatever was handy.

[@BordrKing]

I was so confused by my friends who would get excited everytime Disney bought another studio. I was like "guys, Disney is getting closer and closer to owning EVERYTHING WE CONSUME FOR ENTERTAINMENT. Why are you not freaked out by that??"

[@sticklera]

Ew, fuck Disney lol.

[@clay5649]

Ikr that old warp zone video was looked at as comedy but it terrified me

[@error00001]

I just want a good fantastic four movie.

[@frailvoid5844]

And Disney has a lot of control/impact on theatres and review websites too, Disney adults are kinda scary

[@benjaminmeusburger4254]

there are dozends of great indi games that you can play for hundreds of hours each most cost about ~20 bucks Why would I bother with the AAA garbage when I can have 2-3 nice games for the same price? same goes with movies - you try to ignore that there are already tens of thousands of movies out there - go and watch the top 1,000 of imdb and come back and complain later when you are done with that

[@tenshio]

After learning about TR's trustbusting movement in high school, I often wondered why, in my adult life, are giant company mergers allowed to happen all of a sudden? They did it right under our noses, even with our education of the past.

[@amberbydreamsart5467]

I had the same thought in my classes. I looked at that era of history and immediately went wait.... aren't there like 3 oil companies now? What happened to the trust busting? The gilded age is playing out again

[@politicallyambiguous8424]

Citizens United v. FEC and prior SCOTUS cases basically gave corporations a way to legally bribe politicians. Sadly, they often buy both parties, which is why they're both extremely pro-corporate and support mergers like that. Sure, the GOP is worse, but that's beside the point. The corruption is so extreme we have wealth inequality we haven't seen since the gilded age, all while the wealthiest get everything.

[@deansmits006]

The judges are gifted luxury vacations, and that should be illegal

[@aarzu10]

2 things: a) the idea that corporations only exist for the benefit of shareholders; b) the idea that government shouldn't regulate how corporations go about a). Basically, it's all Ronald Reagan's fault.

[@aidenaune7008]

because the government and corporations (which are also governments) are colluding.

[@complainer406]

As much as I'm sure you miss having a show, I like this Adam who doesn't have to hold his tongue against giant media companies

[@themaindragon]

The irony when in the beginning of the video he is talking about having to do just that.

[@ragabashmoon1551]

@@themaindragon Yea, a lot of KZbinrs are talking about that new rule.

[@famousgoldentouch]

As said a thousand times ;) or he joins HBO like bill Maher or John Oliver… say what u want when u want fu…ers 😂 like John’s ex - ongoing business daddy joke 😅😂😂

[@Kyonikov]

Google is also a giant media company.

[@tryveganplease4586]

#TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease

[@kerlyenai]

Another effect of mergers: job loss. When huge companies merge they immediately downgrade and, and this is far worse, destroy their smaller competition thus causing huge losses of jobs (the losses being far greater than any jobs eventually created by those huge companies).

[@JamesTDG]

I believe Leverage directly mentioned this problem in one of their episodes...

[@mk1st]

Right, those folks laid off can’t even get a job in their chosen industry if the competition has been crushed.

[@williamhamilton9442]

Is that what happened when Facebook, Google and Amazon dropped thousands of tech jobs?

[@denisemcallister2586]

The system is working exactly as designed.

[@EmeraldLavigne]

Which is also part of what makes American health insurance so inefficient.

[@mrnelsonius5631]

As an artist working in one of the creative fields mentioned here, one of the first things I was coached on when things were taking off is that there are certain companies you just don’t say *anything* bad about, or remotely critical of, publicly. Why? Because they control the entire industry and they absolutely will blacklist you and you’ll never get to work in that industry again. That is an insane level of control for one corporation and is no different than mafia rule. We don’t have an authoritarian government, yet, but we do have an authoritarian economy 🇺🇸

[@badladyami]

Billionaires are still mortal. Everyone refuses to accept that there is ONLY ONE solution to tyranny.

[@claudiaarjangi4914]

And an authoritarian economy is way worse..🤦‍♀️ As government is meant to be a countries management group for the security & welfare of the peoples in that country.. So their rules/laws etc are, by definition, for you.. Whereas the capitalism economy is by definition, each company purposely fighting against 'everyone's' welfare in place of their own monetary gain.. I simply don't get how Americans have fallen for the line, that old chestnut .. 🥸 That if you restrict government regulations, that will make a better life for You.. 🤦‍♀️ Come on.. The only people that benefits ( in the long run ) is the big companies trying to take more than their fair share from every one of Your pockets, personally.. Which should you have more faith in ? It seems people have short memories, get distracted & don't want to remember that Power corrupts & Absolute Power corrupts absolutely.. 🥲☮️🌏

[@thepiperpie]

really? not authoritarian? why would they spend money getting rioters out of jail if they weren't enforcing voting? (if that sounds insane to you, you haven't done your research)

[@akstewart2010]

plutocracy

[@Hndsmstrngr1]

The Federal Mafia fronts for the "Families" in the 0.10%. We are in a fascist industrial state whereby big money is married to the federal government ( the original and fundamental definition of the word fascist created by Giovanni Gentile working for/with Benito Mussolini) controlling all aspects of Our lives. Lives. "Why it's just corporate policy not something illegal) Thanks to things like Citizen United which allows us to pour untold amounts of dark money into the Candidates that they want in the system, because they will repay the favor by being completely in their favor in renderings of any laws enacted). They have total control over what we see what we hear, What's in the water what's in the air And ding! ding! ding! ding!.. Where do you have access to health care to combat the problems that all this toxic s*** that they allowed to exist or not. And even then a lot of Health Care you get today does not actually cure the problem it just treats the symptom. Look at how much money they lose if they actually helped people stay well and healthy. History has proven that when too few people control all the money at all the resources life is just a giant sewer outside of the castle.

[@crazyhayn]

"Convenience Fees" are for the "convenience" of using their platform that is the only place to purchase most tickets. It really is a "Because We Can" fee

[@k.a.236]

"Obama's justice department waved the merger through like it was a drone strike on a civilian apartment building." ☠️☠️☠️ Adam, please never change.

[@emeraldaly7646]

It's an edge I don't exactly remember from ARE, but I'm happy to see it.

[@HumanFellaPerson]

I thought they were besties.

[@DanielGarcia-rx3kt]

Favorite quote in the video, tbh 😂 gotta make sure he doesn't sound like a weak Presi- I mean, KZbin content creator 😃

[@TheAdamConover]

I promise you I never will

[@FGH9G]

Or a Yemeni wedding! 😂

[@rileyk5228]

The biggest problem is people like to believe they're future millionaires, and don't wanna hold the current ones accountable, as it could one day affect their imaginary fortune

[@SamiiYou]

Maybe as maybe but I don't see what that has to do with corporate consolidation.

[@SarahSkinnyJeans]

This is a very good analysis and point 💯

[@SonofSethoitae]

@@SamiiYou ...corporate consolidation is done by millionaires. So people who see themselves as future millionaires don't want to jeopardize their future millions by hobbling corporate power.

[@noahhager1187]

not really, no one deludes themself into believing that they're going to be millionaires. Its more like people believe that the millionaires and billionaires deserve what they get and need the money because they "worked harder". In what way is going to meetings 8 hours a day harder then the 100 hour work week that game devs need to put themselves through.

[@jewbearidk]

theres a quote "don't forget that most men with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich than face the reality of being poor"

[@Kram1032]

It's nice that mergers are being stopped now, but at this point there have been so many crazy nonsensical mergers, what's really needed is active breakups.

[@kyleoates6367]

Hopefully the results of ticketmaster's debacle is a step towards that. What's really disheartening, though, is hearing people in my state complain about ALL this... but they all keep elected the same people who would rather have a merger yes man in the FTC than who Biden put in.

[@icedirt9658]

Disney needs split up

[@ZachTheHuman]

@@icedirt9658yeah actually I could do with less of that fuking mouse.

[@JimTheFly]

@@icedirt9658 Disney is one of those companies where you look up what they own and you're exhausted by the time you get to the end of running down the entire list. I just looked it up and thought "Holy crap this is a TON of stuff" and then it went "And that's just the US side!"

[@lordapolyon]

We need FCC chief Undead Teddy Roosevelt

[@NiceDonkey3417]

The streaming mergers were a big gut punch. We went those route because we didn't want to pay for entertainment we didn't use. Now they're forcing us to pay for it again. I've cancelled everyone that has merged, except MAX, because it's free through our phone, but best believe the whole extended family has that login.

[@vicetea86]

Dude, the thing I find the most frightening part is how easily people are mislead into fighting against our own interest. It just blows my mind.

[@mycodingchannel9690]

why do you think age old capitalism is still alive and thriving. Working doesn't mean fair.

[@czarkusa2018]

Regulate me harder, daddy

[@ilikegamesye]

neolibs and republicans suck so much. they're one and the same, only caring about shareholders, not their constituents who put them in the places of power they use for personal gain rather than helping further the Great American Experiment.

[@NelrondEvan]

I'd argue that it wasn't easy. It just takes time and money; the two things the mega rich have ample amounts of

[@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus]

I hope you felt that way when 2 weeks turned into 2 years and ruined everything

[@spof465]

As someone going through an accounting degree, we are literally taught in school that it is far more efficient to Buy your competition before it gets big, than to actually compete. So that's a thing :D

[@SpookyLurker]

Ouch.

[@ProfiteerProphet]

I went through law school and in tax law we learned that it is better for large corporations to not pay their taxes and use a number of stalling techniques to get to the statute of limitations on paying those taxes, so....yeah, the system is very much rigged. (Don't try this at home, kids, its only for big corps)

[@hambinger]

I remember when I worked with Disney decades ago they were terrified of being bought out, and their solution was to purchase other companies and grow assets such that they were unpurchasable. This means that mergers require more mergers to survive. It is a self-perpetuating destructive cycle.

[@Oliviaandtrina]

The number of companies they own is genuinely bone chilling.

[@GustavSvard]

Disney-Lockheed-McDonald's-Citicorp Does not approve this message.

[@GreyWouldBe]

I love Defunctland for all his deep dives and I remember one video where he went into that period where there was almost no more Dinny. Crazy to think of now that they own everything.

[@sbyrstall]

Now they are so big and gone woke they might be putting themselves out of business. Not much of a business model.

[@PIKMINROCK1]

@@sbyrstall They are nowhere near putting themselves out of business unless someone blows up Disney World. The issue currently is that during a recession, investors can more about profits over growth metrics and streaming services are a loss-leader. "Wokeness" hasn't even really cost them that much, moreso the Disney Parks shenanigans like the awful Star Wars hotel) and making so many of their Disney+ shows exclusive instead of trying to spread around to other networks.

[@MIKELIN8]

Earth Wind and Fire was appearing near me a few years ago. I went online to buy tickets from the venue. They advertised tickets for $125 each. I was transferred to the TicketMaster site, where the fees started piling up. When they were finished, the ticket price was now over $400. I backed out immediately, and didn't go to see the concert.

[@mandipandi303]

Ticketmaster is a monster. John Oliver did a great piece on how awful it- and many other artists and companies that contribute to the problem- are.

[@barbaralachance5836]

Yes it was a great episode! Ticket master is the worse... Ruined an entire amazing industry 🙄

[@denelson83]

@@barbaralachance5836 And now only the ultra-rich can afford the tickets, and Ticketmaster *still* makes hoards of money off them.

[@denelson83]

Of course! "Ticketmonster"!

[@Xenderman]

Adam had an episode called "Adam Ruins Music" and ticketmaster was one of their subjects

[@DelphinusVyse]

Adam Ruins Everything was one of my favorite shows but I never knew why it got cancelled until today. This video was a great and very informative watch and I look forward to more!

[@JamesTDG]

Agreed, best show I ever watched.

[@Kingofb0ngstyle]

It probably got cancelled because, he told too much of the truth, and tv is all about lies.

[@shimonnyman1138]

Because wbd wanted to cancel everything good and wholesome

[@crsh6755]

@@shimonnyman1138it was cause of the rise of skywalker not the AT&T time warner merger, and don’t let any bullshitters tell you otherwise.

[@shimonnyman1138]

@crsh6755 how can a show be canceled.for something that hasn't occurred yet

[@leemiller29]

I was on a new true crime show for CNN - poured my heart and soul (and probably shaved a couple years off my life) into it. Then our network's parent company is bought by a conglomerate famous for TRUE CRIME - and when our show is 90% complete, they say "we have no place to air this true crime show" and CANCELED US. I'M STILL MAD 9 MONTHS LATER UGHHHH

[@FlyOnAWall11]

Adam, you're a national treasure. Thank you for all that you do!

[@JohnThomas-mb8si]

I left Tyson back in August after less than a year working as a contractor for them. I worked directly for executives briefly before I left. The amount of soulless greed I over heard in casual conversation was unimaginable. Right after I left, they announced they were closing all satellite offices. They are forcing employees to move to Arkansas or quit, even if they were fully remote. I'm more than certain this was a decision made by 1 individual that forced it upon the rest of the company. Ill never forget the eye roll of someone who was running the test factory while talking about workers walking out over wages being too low.

[@davidtaliaferro]

As a native of Arkansas, a plantation state known for rimming Trump's ass 24/7, I can assure you that quitting or cutting your wrist would be preferable to moving here.

[@JohnThomas-mb8si]

@@davidtaliaferro I do live here haha if it weren't for family ties my wife and I would already be gone

[@Kingofb0ngstyle]

Everyone should just leave the company, they couldn't run without their employees. Another catch 22 trap. People too afraid to stand up to their oppressor.

[@SmashToBits]

@@Kingofb0ngstyle If only "just leaving your job" was easy, not everyone can just quit their job on at the drop of a hat like that. Its basically designed into capitalism, but it is a reality.

[@Love_N_Let_Live]

@@Kingofb0ngstyle The sad thing is, the government and every other business has made this not the case. Wherever you go, you're not going to make enough to be comfortable because we've allowed the monopolies to buy out every industry and politician. For example, in the 80's, men aged 18-35 made over $1,000/week on average, and now 40 years later that same agre group makes around $800/week. That is not good at all. Even if prices stayed the exact same as in the 80's, that would be bad for us. Guess what, the prices are much higher than what they were in the 80's, or even from just a decade ago. The US is becoming a third world country. More than 50% make less than 50k, and in most cities 50k will barely let you live comfortably and save, and in many cities, that's impossible to live off of without being in the hood. Your choice is to leave that company and go to another that will pay you around the same, which is just not enough. Any teenager with a job could buy a house in the 70's if he saved for a couple years. Now we're lucky to ever own a house or land.

[@frankiesayspanic]

one time i was suuuuper stoned and had got a fuckton of munchie snacks. my partner came home to me surrounded by stacy pita chips, sabra hummus, smart food popcorn, grandma’s cookies (the brand not like cookies made by my gramgrams), a chewy granola bar, and a starbucks vanilla double shot drink thingy the one that comes in a can. after a looking at it all for a minute he laughed and i thought he was making fun of me, which fair, but then he informed me that every single item i had was a pepsico product (he used to work for frito lay whose parent company is pepsi). that was the harshest my mellow has ever been harshed.

[@colleenroberts8202]

Wait til you learn about Nestle

[@z-beeblebrox]

That's like when I worked for Macys in the mattress department, and discovered that Serta and Beautyrest - the two biggest US "competitors" were both owned by the same fucking company.

[@frankiesayspanic]

@rizalboy most of its subsidiaries arent

[@frankiesayspanic]

@@colleenroberts8202 oh im learnt, can fuckin shop without buying from just like three different corps

[@frankiesayspanic]

@@z-beeblebrox don’t you just love how they do that shit

[@HypernovaBolts11]

I just described this video to my friends as follows: "Adam Conover of 'Adam Ruins Everything' fame, whose show was cancelled after a merger, has made a video about mergers. "It's legitimately amazing that he still has the same sense of wit and respect for people who get screwed over, while also doing a good amount of rigorous research, basically by himself and a small team." Who does all the research for this stuff? Baby formula doesn't effect me directly, but how decisions are made about its production do. I have phenylketonuria, a subject SciShow just did a video about for the first time, and I used a medical formula produced by Abbott all my life. When one factory had to close, they focused on making their expensive baby formula over the Phenex-2 I need to survive. I'm still bitter about this. And Cambrooke's quality control has also left a lot to be desired. Look up how their Glytactin Ready-to-Drink Chocolate did with the "new recipe" towards the very end of 2022. Thanks, Adam. I really needed to turn my brain off and let someone tell me how not everything going wrong in my life is my fault today. Thank you. Please make sure your team knows how much it helps.

[@eatmanyzoos]

its helps that he sounds like a frustrated middle school teacher wrangling a bunch of idiot kids and not adults that are of equal intelligence.

[@JustinWoo]

There was a movie with a satire ad a long while back, and it ended with "proud to be one of America's 5 companies!" and wow did that hold up.

[@OctagonalSquare]

The same thing that allows them to control the market is the same thing that allows them to keep you from actually owning anything. Right to repair is a HUGE part of this. If you can’t repair the things you own on your own terms, by either buying the parts and fixing it yourself, or hiring anyone you want and not just those paying the producer to be allowed to repair, then you don’t own your own property, it is the property of the company that made it and you’re just holding onto it for them

[@DIGardening]

That is a huge problem that I never thought of in those terms. Thanks for pointing it out. My husband and I are mechanically minded and choose to repair as much as possible. We are transitioning to "stupid" devices in as many areas as possible because we are tired of watching high dollar goods break as soon as the warranty expires with no repair options.

[@lifeb4game]

This is the biggest issue imo. We live in a throw away world anymore. Products designed to break after a few years to force people to purchase new products because it's the most profitable option. You don't make much when you sell one and the owner can repair through their lifetime. I also wonder why people so concerned about the environment don't force this issue more. I'm not a green freak, but it'd be more environmentally sustainable to produce less and allow people to repair. Rather than throwing away products to replace. It's waste waste when you do it like that. But what do I know.

[@manticore5733]

Tied into this is also the built in expiration date on many high and mid level items: products are designed to require replacing rather than being designed to last. You never get free lifetime guarantees on products now. And similar to above are design choices that make items unviable to repair such as welding screw fittings... the benefit of strength is usually negligible but makes it almost impossible to replace a part because you'd have to drill it out or angle-grind the screw heads!

[@zfjames]

“right to repair” is literally always there because you have the product in your hand and parts can be made or sourced. Companies shouldn’t have to warranty whatever frankenstein mess you make when you try to repair electronics.

[@tomrussell7061]

Gilm@@lifeb4game Alexande of r nevsky

[@crungus__]

I hated it when the corporations went “it’s consolidating time” and merged all over America

[@whysocurious7366]

I hate that I understand this meme. You reminded me that I spend way too much time online.

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

Wow, a Morbius meme that actually made me chuckle.

[@banquetoftheleviathan1404]

Pirating and shopping secondhand is something at least. Tho thats more for avoiding support.

[@renaigh]

the economic system of all time

[@ObsessiveSting]

Go Go Monopoly Rangers!!!

[@jeffreycarman2185]

Back before Ticketmaster had a monopoly, I went to some of the the biggest shows that came to my area and never paid more than the 2023 equivalent of about $100 bucks. I was broke as a joke and still used to be able to see shows, for about one days’ pay. Now I have a professional job and ticket prices for a lot of performers average higher than my mortgage payment.

[@atraxisdarkstar]

I mean hasn't Ticketmaster had basically a monopoly since the early 90's? Pearl Jam tried to take a stand against them and fell off the map for years because they couldn't find places to play.

[@scalp340]

Because you had to either buy them at the box office or win them on the radio. Making ticket demand low and purchasing predictable. Now, you can buy them at will at your convince whenever you want. In order to facilitate this demand. Services like ticket master has to buy up huge blocks of tickets. Coupled with inflation, it drives up the price of tickets. This is literally the cost of everyone having access to see a show/buy a ticket all the time. You're welcome.

[@timothyhoffman3470]

Back when all the best rock bands were out 70's 80's I went too the many many shows for 7 to 8 dollars a ticket back in the great old days! I went to a lot of the great bands concerts! Have not see one since they went to 30 worthless dollars a ticket~ I can't become one of them with my mastery of guitar play like no other! Because I can't get the money to do it in ticket prices! The reason the best bands are no more~The crook'$ out priced the future real musicians! The reason we don't have real musicians,{{{ Instrumentalists }}} with real instruments real musicians. And of the new ones anymore After the 90's~ That went from thousands of them to now just a few of them!~ To give us no talent pop & rap! With all the fake music tones & fake auto~tuned singers, you get with today bogus so-called music!~ That is not!

[@nothereanymore3941]

The thought that some people cheered when Disney bought all the stuff they did is absolutely chilling

[@backlogbuddies]

I'm sorry did you not watch the video? Disney buying up everything is bad for everyone

[@severdislike4222]

The end goal of capitalistic competition is monopoly / becoming the state. It is treated as a zero sum game where the winner is allowed to cannibalize the corpses of its competitors while offering less in return for more aggressive forms of extraction.

[@dissonanceparadiddle]

And it's not a all at once process. It's been slowly and surely becoming the state since the start of the country. It's almost done too 😤

[@Darca1n]

Only one thing though, they don't want to fully become the state, they just want all of the control and none of the responsibility, the latter of which they'll happily leave with what is simply a hollowed out shell if they have their way. After all, why would corporations want to have to spend their own money to maintain roads and required public services?

[@chistinelane]

If you grow infinitely you will eventually have to consume the world. There's no other choice, it's not even evil, nor good, because those aren't options anymore. You grow. Or you die. Full stop.

[@TheNerdsFromHell]

No he's just paraphrasing Marx

[@jonbongjovi1869]

FUN FACT! Capitalism is NOT LEGAL under current american laws. (But who ya gonna call? The Robber Barons' KKKops???) Capitalism is SYSTEMIC FRAUD, systemic malpractice, conspiracy, theft, and soooo much more. (It's based on insane lies galore. EX: "Competition lowers prices and improves quality!" is like "protect & serve"! You just Repeat The Lie Repeat The Lie like Officer Hitler taught us, so the public just accepts it. Competition BALLOONS prices and it must: TWO CEOs are going to be paid a lot more than ONE PUBLIC SERVANT is. POTUS makes $440,000 a YEAR!! If his job were Capitalism (instead of socialism as it is now), his pay would be $40 MILLION a year.....coming out of our pockets!) (FDNY CEO makes like $300,000 a year. Energy CEO in NH alone makes $6 million a year! Does NO work! There are a thousand BANK CEOs in America! ALL that excess and fat!) (PEPSI and COKE spend billion$ per year ADVERTISING their product. The socialized FDNY spends ZERO dollars per century!) AND EVERYONE MUST LEARN WHAT "FRAUD" IS, cuz that's the obvious statute for each and every lie by our govt and press. "We can't get George Santos out of Congress!" YES YOU CAN, if you pressure the cops and D.A.s to do their ONE JOB, and arrest GS for systemic FRAUD. ANY DECEPTION (even omission!) FOR MONETARY GAIN (Money, a job, etc) IS FELONY FRAUD. It's a CRIME when a politician breaks their campaign promise, for instance. But they don't want the public knowing this.

[@michaelgodwin6158]

This is such an important concept that I've struggled to explain to many of my family: that the capitalism they grew up with that gave them good jobs and good lives is just not the same animal today that it was for them. I'm gonna share this video, it does a great job explaining exactly how the interests of business and shareholders, and everyday Americans grew so far apart.

[@shacktime]

The only thing capitalism understands is appetite. With an impulse as primitive as that it’s only a matter of time before the only thing left to eat is itself.

[@PastStory]

Technically that wasn't the capitalism that gave them the good jobs and the good lives, but the result of the New Deal which created certain labor laws and regulated companies in a way that provided the environment for good jobs and having good lives. What we're witnessing now is the result of the erosion of those New Deal era policies and regulations. The capitalism they grew up with was the same, is was only just more tame.

[@almanacofsleep]

No it's the same capitalism, your parents where born at a higher point in the curve...

[@achimdemus-holzhaeuser1233]

@@PastStory The worst part is, that those Monopolies spread and fork the rest of the world as well .. this video should be shown on repeat in every High School instead of Banner Time.

[@espresseaux]

I totally agree. Good point about the net gains.

[@pleaseforgetme4985]

After missing Adam ruins everything all these years later, I’m so glad you still found a way to spew the truth. Also these feel so unhinged and I love it

[@Thelmaandlouisedogs]

I always loved the show, was sad when it ended

[@KerrieM]

I feel like KZbin and whatever comes next will likely be a better alternative to the traditional ways of television …

[@ulogy]

ARE grew to be a bit too 100-level. This was a bit more raw, and I enjoy it.

[@Mikenperu]

@@KerrieM KZbin ... I mean Google... also tries to monopolize online content.

[@richardkeller4892]

Basically if you want to stop corporation monopolies then you need to vote in progressives in primaries. Companies will tell you in many different ways how this is bad, but progressives would be aligned with conservative values in other countries

[@mikesmollin2043]

what progressives? there are none and when one shows up they are cheated out or corrupted

[@ana-mariailie5574]

What I don't get is... America doesn't have anti-monopoly laws?? I'm asking because here, in Europe, there are rules that merges need to follow, like... if X company merges with Y, they can't have more than Z% of the market together, etc. I worked in such a company, and they needed to sell certain parts of the companies in order to be able to do so.

[@runningsandwich]

​@@ana-mariailie5574we in fact do have anti-monopoly laws. In the US, those who make/enforce laws are not subject tp them.

[@salemcrow5078]

​​@@ana-mariailie5574We do, we just also blatantly ignore them these days.

[@C.C.Bailey]

Hearing Adam swear when you're used to his "adam ruins everything" series that explicitly doesn't swear is crazy

[@jtlangone]

Yeah, my 7 year old who was sitting next to me really enjoyed it... no corporate merger education for him today I guess 😕

[@LoLingVo]

​@@jtlangonedude needs to know this. Why get worked up over words?

[@rickkroll]

​@@jtlangoneif your kid cant handle cuss words at 7 says way more about you than Adam choosing to cuss in an unmonetized video

[@TheSupart91]

What blows my mind is people ok with billion dollar companies can do whatever they want unchecked but "cant afford $1-$9 raises" for everyday workers

[@Naknave]

Yeah same ":( I couldn't possibly afford to give a liveable wage, it might make my profits be sad"

[@FrankJared-ss5jz]

😂

[@RaisonLychi]

It's too bad hackers go for smaller big retail businesses instead of breaking companies who deserve it like ticket master

[@eisgnom7383]

Thing about crime is that you usually don't want to get caught. And attacking Monopolies leads to that usually

[@meoff7602]

Gaming companies get hit constantly, but I guess that's what happens when you piss off a tech savvy consumer base.

[@mwfmtnman]

Time for someone to go Mr. Robot on their asses.

[@fisharepeopletoo9653]

@@meoff7602 So Taylor swift fans need to put down the hair brushes and pick up the school books, then they too could hack ticketmaster

[@virginiarogers9391]

@@fisharepeopletoo9653 yes, if only those silly little women put down their hairbrushes and read a textbook!!

[@ChristinaTheWatercolorFox]

I saw your show on NYE in Arlington Va last year (the place with the weird office chairs). I had a blast and laughed so hard my face hurt! Everyone should check out his live show if you can! It’s was a blast!

[@barkspasenine]

I miss the good old days when you could just go to the venue in person and pick up a ticket with no added fees

[@brinistaco1970]

you must be old like me

[@Allycat101010]

They REALLY pulled a trick convincing people that they were "making things modern and convenient" when theyre openly just trying to fleece people to an unimaginable degree

[@tonystidham4564]

I lost jobs in 1996 and 2002 because of mergers. I learned years ago when an executive comes in from the new company, wearing an expensive suit, has a nice dark tan, nice haircut and very white teeth, and says nothing will change, you're screwed 🤪

[@thumper84]

So you are saying you are dead weight with few skills?

[@matthewslade4853]

I heard the "nothing is changing" lie before. I and many others left before the worst of it. We saw the writing on the wall

[@seigeengine]

You're operating under the assumption that the people who run businesses act rationally to secure the interests of the business AKA that they aren't pillagers and tyrants.@@thumper84

[@frtzkng]

Lesson: if someone starts their reply with 'so you're saying' or similar, chances are really high that what follows is nothing of value.

[@cokesquirrel]

I remember when I worked for IMS and VNU bought them (The names mean nothing to anybody but...) The new CEO came out to meet me because I was the director for the midwest region We went to a lunch and she spent 30 minutes woke up my We went to lunch and she spent 30 minutes Spewing corporate jargon My response was can you Please do me a favor and stop fucking around Surprisingly to nobody I was laid off the next week

[@josephb1884]

I got more and more depressed as I listened, but the gold is in the final minutes. Thank you, Adam. I hope this video makes a real difference.

[@Thomas-sb8xh]

Damn, Man it was the best articulated collective anger since the fantastic and immortal George Carlin, I feel his spirit hovering over Adam very frequently repeating short frase: yeah, fucking right ! We should give the man a hell of a rise ! well done and greetings from Poland

[@Yugophoto]

I used to work for a major event venue, and even though we weren't contractually linked to ticketmaster/live nation, many of the events we hosted were. They were hell to work with, they would close their ticket booth before the event ended, which resulted in anyone looking for a refund to yell at us (the venue staff) even though we had no way to issue refunds. They would oversell events and lie to us about it when we found out we were at or over fire code capacity, and if you pushed back too hard you could lose big events. Fuck live nation.

[@Marfman]

I went to a sold out show at LiveNation venue, and it was so packed that I thought, "there's no way this is legal." Looks like I probably was right.

[@THandP_org]

Live Nation does this to small venues ALL THE TIME

[@Lord_Chieftain]

Takes an enormous set of balls to go directly against the oligarchs, keep up the honorable work my man.

[@clarkpalace]

Remember when we would only use the word oligarch to describe russian aholes?

[@22z83]

facts

[@divergentthg7925]

It's sad times when standing up to a few people is called gutsy

[@denelson83]

But the oligarchs are now way too heavily entrenched, fortified and defended, like Israel vs. the Palestinians. They have learned from history, like the Borg adapting to Starfleet's weapons.

[@backlogbuddies]

Using KZbin helps the oligarchs more. He should look into self hosting to truly stick it to them

[@PrettyGuardian]

Swifties are literally changing America's antitrust policies. I love this. We need more skepticism of corporations and these mergers.

[@StephGV2]

They are not changing America's antitrust policies. The billionaire controlled media is allowing some conversation to take place. They *might* allow one company to be thrown under the bus. But they will not allow a political movement to build and succeed at the polls.

[@mediawarrior5957]

LNE made a mistake they screwed over a major talent.

[@Liquorice_Monster]

I fucking wish. Swifties are garbage but if they could help bring back antitrust, I'd be on board. They're doing jack shit about it though.

[@sto12m]

is that why they lost their case?

[@chaosking911]

I'm still not going to hold my breath, this country is a joke.

[@musicauthority674]

I love this channel, finally someone that tells it exactly the way it is. a good thing that after taking a beating he was able to get out the truth on YT. even though YT has been sucking worse and worse recently. hopefully this channel will be around for a long time? because the people of this Country badly need an education.

[@jjettswriting]

When I watched Adam Ruins Everything, my favorite episodes were the ones where you gave me a way to do something about the issue you brought up (I now no longer contribute canned food to food banks; instead I ask them what kind of donation would help them buy something that might actually be good for their patrons or offer them a monetary donation or offer of service where I help cook or clean instead). Thank you for giving me a solution to this problem; I feel like I can do something about the angst I feel and look forward to other episodes that have the same format.

[@silverserpent420]

You are AWESOME!! THANK YOU for helping out. I try to do my part too after finding out recycling was worse than simply reusing at home. Big hugs to you, keep up the great work!!!

[@NoelleSmash]

This man is being honest about a lot more than most mainstream media is willing to. It does seem obvious to some that of course corporate interests aren't the same as worker interests, but it's important and good that he's using his platform to show how this all works and what's really going on, and not pointing fingers or victim blaming, just finding the actual cause for why things suck.

[@vaporeonice3146]

The reason for your first sentence is that mainstream media is run by monopolistic megacorporations. I also see that as the biggest barrier to this fight; media megacorps convincing people that shit like transgender people or racist tweets are the reason our country (and our environment) are going down the toilet, rather than corporate consolidation of power. But I’m glad to hear there are some glimmers of hope. Almost everyone, regardless of where they are on the political spectrum, is harmed by this, and we need to be educated about it and fight back against it.

[@LuaanTi]

Plenty of companies work in a way where company interests align with worker interests. It's not crazy. Unsurprisingly, people do a better job when they feel their work matters, their work environment is nice, they are not under massive stress, they don't have to worry about their livelihood and families... It's all just the US-style management. Pretty much all of it. The whole idea is pushing everyone into a corner with no escape and then juicing them for all that's worth. It's not good for the company, it never was. But it's oh so amazing for the _managers_ . They get all the rewards with no responsibility for how devastating this is. You know, that Standard Oil monopoly? When they were forced to break it up... the newly formed companies made _far_ more money for their owners. The monopoly was never worth it for anything else than the ego of some guy who wanted all the power.

[@matthewrice5721]

Turns out (and this is crazy) if you let the invisible hand of the free market do whatever it wants, it will immediately try to invisibly fist you.

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

Which is especially bad for the people not into that sort of thing.

[@joshworthy5615]

U the man, sorry bout ur show. I always felt u were saying stuff others would not want out, I love that, keep going g

[@OldManInternet]

The board game tried to warn us, but we were too busy fighting to actually pay attention. Almost like we've been conditioned to get distracted arguing about things that don't matter while someone else benefits...

[@dilaisy_loone2846]

No no conditioned, if you look at who owns Fox News, you’ll see the connections between all the media companies, who choose to report irrelevant social war shit that doesn’t affect anyone but marginalize people, and keeps the attention there. Because if you’re too mad because this specific person did this, then you will never know what happened in Ohio

[@Earthstar_Review]

... Monopoly is more true to life than I ever wanted it to be.

[@peterclancy8501]

I keep telling people- if you're starving, eat the rich. Your neighbor is too skinny and the rich are too fat to get away.

[@suarezguy]

I think Monopoly is more pro-monopoly, even when you lose you have a good time while you did play (and especially if a lot of people did play and the game lasted a while you do have to at least somewhat respect the winner).

[@DnmOrr]

Wait until you learn how the game was originally meant to be played. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYLdeZSAntp3mMk kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6uYeWOZnJeojtU Or read the book: The monopolists : obsession, fury, and the scandal behind the world's favorite board game

[@pantone369c]

How do we get Adam on a bigger platform than the KZbin algorithm? Every single person in the country needs to see this video.

[@melyraps]

Doesn’t Daily Show have an opening? Not sure if it’s “bigger” though.

[@AssGasGottaBlast]

@@melyraps I think that would polarize him greatly.

[@Dexter037S4]

@@AssGasGottaBlast Yeah, that's a problem, Adam's one of the few people who can get to even the most braindead rightoids out there.

[@GeorgeLocke]

Like, comment, subscribe, and size the means of production.

[@RafaelSwit]

Jon Stewart and Adam Conover…

[@rashadb954]

I'm surprised Adam didn't mention the thriving ticket scalping community and how ticketmaster enables and encourages their behavior.

[@edgrimm5862]

That gets complicated, because officially ticketmaster opposes ticket scalping. It's generally best to keep reports of corporate falsehoods to areas that are clear cut if those areas are big enough to take them down, because stuff like ticket sellers encouraging the ticket scalping business has been leveraged as a distraction from the major abuses before. You never want your opponent to get a slap on the wrist for 5% of their misdeeds because you mentioned them and they redirected the focus to that 5%, when you could have gotten them for 89% of their misdeeds or whatever the percentage of their worst crime happened to be.

[@AlwaysBolttheBird]

@@edgrimm5862 except now you can sell your own tickets through their marketplace so they 100% have no issues with scalping

[@coonhound_pharoah]

Ticket scalping is good. It rations limited resources to those who most powerfully demand them. This is a good thing.

[@TrashRat45]

right!!! Like I wanted to get tickets to see Babymetal and Dethklok. though AXS the tickets say $55 for General admission, but all sold out. HOWEVER theres the 'verified resale' bullshit which bumps the price to $180 fucking What the actual fuck

[@davidtatro7457]

@@coonhound_pharoah no.

[@starsplanets2568]

This might be my proudest moment against monopoly's ever. The internet here is a local state one. Its the best internet I've ever had. My parents raise animals. They give me the food from them. Eggs, beef, bacon sometimes, even a few veggies that my brother helps my mom grow. I live a ways away but my mom brings me some every week or so. I comfortably pay for my internet since its amazing. This is how the local economies should be. Local produce and meat, local internet, and even local stores. My community is very local and I love it.

[@DeputyDingaling]

As an employee at a certain biggest food company in the US, thank you for talking about this. I never see anyone talking about their shitty practices besides me :/

[@jaishu123]

Which one?

[@kerwinbrown4180]

People mention it in passing but it is benefits people with money to invest and inside knowledge

[@JJ-fg2wd]

@@jaishu123 probably Sysco

[@じゅげむ-s6b]

which one?

[@DeputyDingaling]

@@じゅげむ-s6b Tyson, though I’ve since left the company

[@xidarian]

It's even worse. Media monopolies change how the next generation thinks. Someone like Adam can be silently denied an audience by not presenting his content to those who aren't already fans. In the future they don't deny you free speech. They simply make sure no one is listening.

[@dancinganimals.]

I'm terrified

[@jjcoola998]

Notice how KZbin is demonetizing many of the critical thinkers

[@AquaDogYT]

this has been how it has always worked throughout history i literally do not know what you are on. People are just more educated about it xd. Not saying its not a bad thing just saying this will not bring any cataclysmic shift in how our society operates, it'll just perpetuate how it already does, which yeah is pretty poorly.

[@samwilde8311]

@@jjcoola998 I still remember the moment most of the channels that cover internet news, especially relating KZbin stuff, all got hit with tons of strikes, shadow bans, and demonetization, and since then penguinz0 is the only one left that still does that kind of thing.

[@thatguythere6161]

@@AquaDogYTWell, it gets worse when there’s less media platforms. If there’s many smaller media platforms, then there will be more chances for their voice to be heard even if some companies don’t want to show them.

[@ajtibbitts0]

It’s all based on the illusion of choice. People often don’t recognize how out of control this is because when you go to the grocery store or shopping for clothes etc it *looks* like you have options and choices but it’s all tactical marketing hiding the fact that a handful of conglomerates own literally every facet of our lives. It’s madness!

[@boopdoop2251]

While this is true, we also shouldn’t forget our local businesses and need to give them more business when we can. Farmers Markets and other locally owned businesses are a way to make a real difference in supporting real people rather than huge soulless companies. It does make a difference because your business makes a difference for them.

[@divergentthg7925]

Just like George Carlin along with many others have been saying it😂

[@DrakeWurrum]

What makes it even scarier is how people like to hate on socialism or communism by bringing up (the myth) that you only get to purchase ONE type of product and if you want alternatives you're SOL. It's shocking how often the lived reality of capitalism is projected onto other -isms to present them as evil.

[@gemixx8365]

Exactly! It isn't just shopping either, it's *everything*. Think about the conversations you see online about *anything*. Do the opinions you see being expressed seem.. natural? Like the person making it, of their own volition without any outside influence, chose to get online and start shilling for or demonizing whatever side of whatever subject? It's mass hysteria. Hell, something even bigger than that.

[@18aplateindoors]

@@gemixx8365ding ding dingggg

[@ninadavis2763]

Thank you for speaking out against these giants!

[@heraldtim]

Thanks for this video Adam. I've been twenty-four years in healthcare management. Venture capital firms are buying up hospitals, provider groups, ancillary services, nursing homes, everything. They cut and cut until the level of care is frighteningly poor; then they sell at a profit and leave a giant mess behind them. This crap is everywhere.

[@notgump1312]

You'd probably enjoy the podcast "Marx & Medicine". They have a couple episodes where they cover this exact thing in really excruciatingly fine detail.

[@drezworthy]

So true.

[@bored588]

would suck if a government did that, wait a minute

[@franknyhuis6607]

Exactly what our last Liberal Party government in Australia pushed through at a frightening rate, because totally aligns with their capitalist ideology, despite how bad it actually is for the people. Yet our compliant media barely mentioned it.

[@austinberner31]

Killer job on this Adam. I’d like to add that Live Nation’s venue ownership has mostly eliminated small-mid-size venues in major cities, meaning it’s harder for musicians to break through. Plus, with giants like iHeart owning all the radio stations, the same tired playlist gets played allll day. But again, since there are no real DJs, good luck pitching your band’s new release, because your “local” station isn’t local at all. It’s syndicated.

[@MrLebruleur]

Livenation festivals also employ free labour in forms of free ticket to the festival for a few hours of work a day, worked there for the bar companies (unaffiliated but i saw and talked with livenation "charity workers")

[@CreatingDavid]

Kxfm pop sensibilities'

[@frailvoid5844]

There are still some ok stations in Chicago but not many and most of them are college radio and npr music which actually features up and coming locals a lot

[@bedwinsounds8897]

I used to run a country radio station in a small market. Played newer artists, experimented with more female singers in rotation, got to engage with the local audience, ran our own promotions. Fun as hell. When we were bought out last year by a regional corporation (not iHeart, but still) I had to run the same syndicated playlist sent out to every other country station under the umbrella. It sucks but unless you're a solo white male artist, you're not breaking through on country radio. However it's encouraging that smaller market venues still don't use TM/LN unless Combs/Aldean/Bryan is coming to play the university stadium; a local promoter can still grab Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, or Ashley McBryde to play their theater/amphitheater without this "dynamic pricing" BS. 🥔

[@16rander]

The pandemic exposed the failures of so many of these consolidations. Thank you for putting it in such a shareable, funny, informative way

[@beme2032]

I would say it depends on your perspective whether it was a failure or a success. The Plannedemic architects are classic serial killers on a global scale-they love the power of the kill, taunting us to try and catch them, then bragging about their deeds when we do. The world is run by psychopaths.

[@16rander]

@@beme2032 dude what

[@plursocks]

For real. I live in Japan now and we have not had nearly the same amount of supply chain issues that the US has had. I can easily go to the store and get eggs, baby formula, and my prescription of concerta without having to worry about it. I visited the US in August and I was shocked to see how bad it's gotten. Shelves were so empty...I only saw that for a few months in 2020 and mostly for masks and hand sanitizer. It's easy to think that your experiences are the same as everyone else's when you don't know anything else but as someone living abroad...Americans are getting screwed over.

[@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus]

@@plursocks you get called a bigot and buzz words for pointing that out in America

[@plursocks]

@@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus yep. People say "why do you hate America". Dude. I literally don't. If I did, I would give up and stop talking about it. I know we can do better and I want better for everyone.

[@Indegoondent-ub7eq]

Making a personal vow to never buy through ticketmaster again. Ive obviously known it was screwed but hearing this really put it in perspective. Our collective personal choices and conviction is all we have left. The same way Amazon ran other companies out of business then did whatever they like, the reverse is possible. We stop buying until they feel the pain then something better will come

[@Lucas-pw8tp]

I remember when I woke up to a whole bunch of apolitical people on twitter mad at ticketmaster. This is why things change, not because of morality or philosophy, but because people lose the things they used to have.

[@DanielGarcia-kw4ep]

Exactly why it is so hard to have a revolution on the developed world too

[@ThatOneOtherFangirl]

I always wondered why Adam Ruins Everything got cancelled, I had lots of good conversations with friends because of the episodes! I'm glad you've found a way to keep telling the truth! I'm dreading giving Ticketmaster my money because I want to see my silly fake Satanist band in months, so I'm hoping that Ticketmaster gets forcefully broken away from Live Nation, that way the music scene gets closer to what it used to be.

[@tryveganplease4586]

#TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease

[@BenRHarsh]

It got canceled because they can't serve ads in the middle of your conversations with your friends... yet.

[@boornish]

@@tryveganplease4586 no

[@tryveganplease4586]

Why?

[@ThatOneOtherFangirl]

@@tryveganplease4586 Tried veganism, not for me

[@guhraysee]

I’m convinced this is how Adam unironically soft-launched the concept of “Adam Ruins Everything: The Movie” with us lol

[@daftwulli6145]

Even ruined his fingers he is committed

[@synthetichumangaming4634]

Adam Ruins: E V E R Y T H I N G

[@jparsons3444]

Such an important message. I hope it hits as many ears as possible.

[@csnipper524]

This is why politics is so important to these people. Not just who is in power, but the fight itself. For the most part or country is 2 groups, left and right, that are encouraged to fight each other so much we aren't paying attention to the fact we are being screwed by the whole thing. Divide and conquer is one of the most basic ways to win and its apparently working better than ever.

[@the_oc_brewpub_sound_guy3071]

I 100% agree. It's a duopoly.

[@animuswonder]

oh the 2 groups aren’t even left and right. it’s more like center-right and right

[@kevinbrooks9074]

​@@animuswonder 🤣🤣🤣

[@pooppoop2767]

Unfortunately we have to play by their rules because the rich will just allow fascists and ultra nationalists to start ww3 if their bottom line is threatened.

[@edgrimm5862]

@@animuswonder How about right and far right? I understand the one party is a lot less radical than the other, but even comparing the parties' positions now versus when I was first starting to look into politics back when Regan was in office... Regan was to the left of where either party is today. He didn't strike me as being center or center-right.

[@nflynn]

I remember when a gig ticket had art on it too, Ticketmaster also ruined the idea of collecting old tickets

[@hilary3219]

Omg, I wish that was still true, Taylor's would be so cool!

[@user-em6ie2be7x]

Corporate Consolidation...The false idea that Corporations are giving you more choices, when in reality you'll end up with less & less options than you did before.

[@dracodraco1982]

Well, we do have an awful lot of options. All those different flavors of Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Captain Crunch for example. We have oodles and oodles of choices for the mundane things. A M&M for every occasion, practically! Just there's a whole lot less when it comes to things that matter: Broadband, schools, health care, politics, etc. That's how you can grow the cult of choice, even when all the big and most the meaningful choices have been taken off the market. To be fair, though, it's a pretty convincing illusion judging by how many folk still believe in it so fervently.

[@JamesTDG]

@@dracodraco1982 Can confirm. My school is stuck in a strict contract with Edgenuity and AcceleratED (or rather, their parent companies), they can't get out of it because they are a fairly recent institution that just barely scrapes by

[@michaeld4861]

Adam doesn't ruin anything, he just explains why billionaires have.

[@misscrackwood]

Thank you for doing this piece Adam. Even though I'm not American, these indecent mergers has bad effects on us in Canada as well. As a concert enthusiast, I stopped counting the number of times Ticketmaster fucked us over, especially now with the reselling platform and multiple presales BS. These big corporations need to crash and burn. Eat the rich they say 😏

[@dlo111]

Amen! 🇨🇦

[@tryveganplease4586]

#TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease

[@MatHEWStorm]

Check out the Rogers and Shaw merger that our government just ignored 😪 Burger king bought tim Hortons

[@JonMartinYXD]

Rogers-Shaw is going to *suck*. Mobile phone service and Internet access are very susceptible to monopolies (Canada is nearly at duopoly: Bellus and Shogers) because the cost to entry is so high. You can't start small and grow - a mobile provider with just one tower is never going to grow. The solution is to make all the infrastructure publicly owned and then let the telcos rent space on it. Government (or Crown corporation) builds the towers and backhaul, then any mobile provider just needs to rent space on the tower to put their antennas. Same with landline Internet. Public builds out fibre to the home, then telcos rent rack space in the COs for their equipment and start competing for customers. It is no accident that Saskatchewan probably has the best mobile coverage in the country. Sasktel makes money, but they are also accountable to the government who demands things like coverage for small towns that the private telcos won't go to because it isn't profitable enough.

[@Anthroid9]

@@tryveganplease4586 never, ever. Being vegan is just a silly thing to do

[@gaberelich]

The Dungeons and Dragons OGL chaos was an attempt at a vertical monopoly - control the books, shut down 3rd party publishers, squeeze out brick and mortar stores, own the digital platform, charge microtransactions. And the Geeks won the battle (though more to come)

[@basstedson]

A big issue with that attempt is there are plenty of viable alternatives to DND. They have to listen when people say they will go elsewhere, Ticketmaster doesn't.

[@Lina-py5wm]

They thought they could get away with messing with the rules when their fanbase is full of nerds who crawl through hundreds of pages of math lmao

[@lalalazy9780]

No nerds haven't won that battle yet. We just got a temporary victory. You forget that DnD is only one of their major products, they also have MTG. As someone passionate about MTG, I can say with confidence that the player base has been getting shafted by WOtC. They are doing everything they can to cut LGSs out of the picture and solely sell their product online and most of that product is catered toward collectors, not actual players. Unlike DnD there is no reasonable alternative to MTG, and our only avenue to fighting back is to either stop buying new products or to proxy cards. The company would *never* power creep the game into oblivion making older sets less and less relevant to incentivize people to keep buying products. The company would *never* wage a holy war against websites where high-quality proxies can be made and bought. The battle just started my dude.

[@brinnshea]

@@lalalazy9780 No, that's exactly what "winning the battle" is. There are other battles in the war, but this battle has been won by the fans.

[@Neeko48]

It's so annoying that these laws aren't enforced enough. Kroger needs to be broken up, they own half the grocery stores around me and are trying to buy the other half (Albertson's/Safeway) it would absolutely be devastating. They're always right across the street from one another, so we'd lose half our grocery stores

[@pauls4522]

Same in my area with hyvee groceries. They are already in the capitalist stage where they aimlessly cut people in upper management and IT to cut cost. They are weird too such as supporting armed guards with assault rifles.. When they fire people in upper roles they try to say "we won't fire you, we are moving you into the store role". Then they don't have to pay unemployment. This tactic was made legal in the state of iowa.. yup...

[@thewittyusername]

Yeah, Kroger bought QFC (in the northwest), removing the Q(quality) but raising the prices

[@MusicLover333]

Over here people don't know what Albertsons even is anymore 😢 I haven't seen one since I was a preteen

[@NiceDonkey3417]

I haven't had Kroger in years, but when I did shop them, they already owned Albertson's and Safeway.

[@cooperminion825]

I just rewatched an episode of Adam Ruins Everything yesterday that dealt with this. Such a shame that about 5 years have gone by and nothing has really changed

[@jonbongjovi1869]

I was a reporter in NYC 25 years ago.....exposing many of these scams, but the public were zombies, sigh. EX: I noticed ALL NYC MSM would "Recommend" the SAME "SOLD-OUT!" concerts every week........shows that did NOT need any ink (as they were allegedly "SOLD-OUT!")....... and I uncovered that Ticketmaster would sell like only 20% of the tickets to BIG concerts........and THEN FALSELY ANNOUNCE that the show was sold-out...........and TA-DA! That was all it took, to create FAKE demand for a NOT-sold-out show.......and to be able to SCALP the remaining 80% of tickets for 500% above the ticket price! (TM then kicks back $$$$ to the press outlets. One giant Super-Mafia.) DIdn't help when fake NY Governor Pataki legalized scalping in the 1990s. (Still, what they were doing was total FRAUD -- not legal in any way. But cops exist to protect the Robber Barons from the rest of us.)

[@BrianJNelson]

It took over 50 years the last time they "solved" it, so expect the process to be slow.

[@redhotgalego]

I mean, lots of things have changed, it's a lot worse now lol

[@JohnTheRevelat0r]

I haven't given Ticket Master/Live Nation my money for almost a decade now. Missed several performances by some artists I love, but I also think the artists need to put a foot down for their fans, not just wash their hands and let everyone be screwed. Luckily, some of the artists I enjoy watching started making smaller shows on independent venues. It all started when I was actually in line for the pre-sale of tickets for a huge festival and FIVE SECONDS after the pre-sale started, all tickets were already sold out and half of them reposted for sale at 200% premium. I said screw it and never looked back.

[@MusicLover333]

👏👏👏 Same! The pre-sale buyouts and resales are just outrages!

[@Proud_childless_cat_lady]

Yeah, if artists said no then Ticketmaster would be done.

[@cyradragons]

Pearl Jam tried this in the not too distant past. Few other artists were interested in joining then. Maybe they'll be more into it now, but they're all touring now... Robert Smith recently tried to push back for The Cure's current tour, but I don't think it went very far. You'd think the artists would be on this since they don't make shit for touring. Their money comes from the merchandise sales.

[@NiceDonkey3417]

Did you hear how much Swift made off this tour? Yeah, she could have afforded to take a stand, but instead she chose the money train. I'm absolutely dumbfound by her fans, too. They have to see that she's doing nothing about it, but turn their eyes.

[@ericpheymannicie5044]

The issue runs deep though, most artists actually can't fight the system by doing small shows like that, because they are under contract by the record labels that pay them, and as Adam mentioned, LiveNation is actually managing many of them, so they are extra super double screwed out of that option. In order for an artist to make a stand, they need to choose to stop getting paid by their label, and also to break their contract that legally prohibits them from trying to get paid by anyone else either. Not many artist will or even CAN choose that. And if they do, they better be ready to get swept under the rug as soon as LiveNation decides to market the ever living crap out of anything that covers them up.

[@creepydude6826]

This video really made me hold up a torch at mergers, good job!

[@evanrothwell1875]

Lets be real, its not "Adam ruins everything" never should have been. It's "Business Incorporation ruins everything."

[@dx.feelgood5825]

Well is started off being about simple things people enjoy and adam telling them thr truth about them would ruin their perspective on said things, ruining it for them. but like.. yeah basically. nearly every fucking video subject rounds back to corporations and greed fucking everyone else over.

[@SinHurr]

_Capitalism_ Ruins Everything

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

Adam Smith Ruins Everything

[@jomarcentermjm]

Its still make sense because Adam ruins out "untainted" views of the world. By uncovering the horrible truth about our world. What he did he just ruined our views on monopolies and mergers that we all think it a good idea.

[@bigkirbyhj666]

@@jomarcentermjm Ummmm the only people who think that wouldn't watch this

[@hiimemily]

It's hard for me to feel bad for someone who's worth nine figures, but Ticketmaster managed it.

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

Turns out she just had to be oppressed by an entity worth eleven figures, whodathunk?

[@evanerys]

@@imveryangryitsnotbutter There is a lesson about hierarchies in there if we're willing to look.

[@MK_ULTRA420]

@@evanerys Yeah but Kanye West did that and look what happened to him.

[@TheModdedwarfare3]

@@imveryangryitsnotbutter big fishy eat the small fishy

[@TheModdedwarfare3]

@@MK_ULTRA420 yikes on bikes dude. Stop defending the person that is a okay with the execution of a race of people. By the way it wouldn't end with the Jews. There is no end to a purity spiral. Fascism consolidates, cuts off a chunk of their base, kills, then repeats until there's only one single person that is pure enough.

[@FunderburkWes]

FINALLY, Adam is back and kicking! I had always wondered what happened to ‘Adam Ruins Everything.’ This is SO much better than what you can put on TV anyways.

[@TheLastBeanBender]

cant believed he ruined my marriage though

[@mmruma]

I was born in '65. I used to go to every concert in my area regardless of the headliner. When I paid $350 for an obstructed view seat at Fenway Park to see Roger Waters about 10 years ago, I knew this was the end of my run. It's a shame that hardcore fans like myself are priced out of these events. I never plan on attending another show in my lifetime, and I urge everyone to stop wasting all this money on these monopolies.

[@britneycampbell8696]

This felt like the Adam Conover equivalent of that one Bill Nye video where hes yelling about the planet being on FUCKING FIRE

[@fgoindarkg]

Bill Nye is a science fraud. What's your point?

[@omnibussy]

Oh, Adam. Adam Ruins Everything introduced skeptical thinking to a bunch of my young family members because I had your show on in the living room so often back in 2016. Most importantly, it introduced it to them in a fun, hilarious way. It's fucked that you're starting over in some senses, but I can't tell you how happy your channel existing and being updated makes me. Keep it up. I'll be a patron once my financial situ looks stable

[@tryveganplease4586]

#TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease

[@omnibussy]

@@tryveganplease4586 no 🙃

[@raybeetle]

woah there! thats a cuss word!!

[@mrcroob8563]

@@tryveganplease4586 Im not sure whos worse, you, or the people who paste whole bible passages on your comment...

[@Seldomheardabout]

Dude can’t even defend his own ideas, but he can question yours? Go watch him on the jre from a few years back. Dude should be working at a bowling alley at this point.

[@ojiilemon]

I'm exhausted lmao but thank you for giving us solutions Adam. The hardest part of this is feeling helpless

[@mmclxxii]

on one's own, we are. together, we rise.

[@Owl350]

Thank you for all the help you have given us in the working class !

[@SmirkingRevenge]

This should be required viewing. So informative and easily digestible. Consumers need to be aware of this so we can effectively fight it.

[@JonathanLit]

Agree

[@MCArt25]

What are we going to do, NOT buy something?

[@csnipper524]

The 2 problems are that the people who have the power to fight won't, and most people don't care unless it effects them directly and even they will be distracted 2 minutes later by a video of a cat playing bongos or something.

[@raumarsene9910]

​@Tambourine unfortunately, it is unrealistic. However, you can still advocate for your rights, we managed to get out of a gilded age once before, I believe we can do it again. People just need to at least be aware that having a monopoly for every aspect of daily life is actively fucking everything over. We need to realize that this wasn't always normal.

[@dELTA13579111315]

Adam sucks, he's a massive tool and always has been, at least as long as he's been a "celebrity"

[@rosshalz]

".... If they hate CNN's Don Lemon, they're gone!" said Adam 2 months ago. Prophetic

[@Derangedlefty]

No fuckin way I thought this video was more recent

[@asagoldsmith3328]

""If they hate CNN's Don Lemon, they're gone!" Said Adam 2 months ago. Prophetic," said rosshalz 2 months ago. Prophetic.

[@beccalife275]

People seem to believe that monopolies being illegal means that corporates will follow the rules.

[@rajcan2008]

Let’s take a moment of deep appreciation for Adam’s work on how much time and research must’ve gone into producing such enlightening informative videos for the most compelling everyday matters that affect us in every possible way yet seem invisible to us unless pointed out in these kinds of videos. A big fan!

[@britefeather]

If a company wants to be a monopoly, it better be ready to be regulated like a utility.

[@suicune2001]

They would just move to Texas. Texas doesn't believe in regulations. :(

[@rushkovski]

Or, preferably, nationalized

[@kelsoanngames]

As someone who works in TV, the Discovery/Warner merger completely destroyed development and employment. So many people lost jobs and any movement in the industry came to a halt. It’s absolutely ridiculous

[@reesepage9937]

This was an incredibly well put together piece. Adam, this was incredible

[@mattschultz4111]

Protect Adam! I think more people need to understand this and you put it into words. Thank you!

[@UsaWusa]

And now I finally know why one of my favourite TV shows was canceled. I know it's not as great for you Adam, but we're grateful to see you on YT!!!!

[@qpnnio]

He didn't just tell the news. He told us a story. He engaged us and challenged us to take part and forge our own lore in this narrative. He crafted a world where the good can triumph, and invited us to play. Great video man.

[@jeffgutierrez8796]

As an artist, we don't book shows that only use ticket master. If more fans and artist avoided those renues, they'd stop price gouging.

[@seigeengine]

In theory, yes. The problem is that many are unable to do that. Once you have control of enough of a market, it becomes basically impossible to mount a meaningful resistance.

[@seigeengine]

@@too1leasy Are you expecting Taylor Swift to... start building stadiums?

[@moritod]

That scream at around 3:40. Thank you Adam. That's been in my heart for decades.

[@sambuechel9632]

Im so glad your back in force adam. The world needs more of you.

[@gooseazul]

I actually lived in Harrison, Arkansas for 4 months. Walmart and Tyson were the "good" jobs there. It was eye opening. Also not gonna lie, I haven't been to live entertainment in forever because it's blindingly expensive. Adam, I'm glad you're still making things. Thanks for many hours of entertainment over the years.

[@tryveganplease4586]

#TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease #TryVeganPlease

[@drakinor]

As a small business owner, married to another small business owner, who pays himself less than any of his employees, I love this video. Small businesses take care of their people but we struggle to keep people because we cant offer the same bs that big business can to lure people in and then abuse them. I don't fault my people for leaving for "better benefits" but at the same time I am sad to know that they will not be valued in the same way.

[@quinnmarchese6313]

i just have an immense respect for you taking less than your employees--i worked in a restaurant where the owner payed us just over minimum wage (which is much less than a living wage), refused to let us take tips of any sort (had a coworker fired practically on the spot simply because they excepted a fiver from a customer), and then the owner would literally NEVER be there outside of checking in when we opened. On one hand, it was nice to not feel so "managed" all the time and he was pretty cool with when we got prep and stuff done, as long as it got done, but on the other hand, it was incredibly difficult to deal with his lack of support. for example, i was the oldest employee on shift but the guy never told me how to manage the younger workers, and if a customer complained, we had to get ahold of him before any decision could be made in regards to making the customer happy.

[@Keira_Blackstone]

glad to hear how you operate, but I've worked for a small business machine shop where I was working minimum wage with no benefits and the owner drove a Ferrari to work. the problem is that the business owners have the power to be cruel or benevolent at their own whim, rather than there being enforcement in place that requires fair treatment of workers.

[@jimikimble]

@@Keira_Blackstone Or there needs to be more machine shop owners that are willing to treat their employees and customers well and beat out the horrible owner for skilled labor.

[@DaveBoy]

@@jimikimble Right but if there's isn't, and you're a machinist, you're possibly captured. The dumb thing about economists is how they just think that everyone is a friction-free little cog that can pack up their life and move to wherever they can get the most money. It's like, got a sick relative? Value family ties? Found your place in the community? Well sorry! "I can't model that on a spreadsheet so it doesn't matter!"

[@ststst981]

Yea you are sadly a small outlier, most small businesses ive worked for, thr owners would always whine about margins and making no money and saying thats why they couldn't pay us more, but they also would have nice new cars and multiple homes

[@Sakur.aiMusic]

omg I've been waiting for Adam to do something on his own. Hell yeah, how didn't I find this sooner.

[@conortulley7484]

Adam Conover should be appointed general in this fight against Corporate Mergers