Let's Talk About Entitlement Culture

[@thefinancialdiet]

SINCERE APOLOGY for the radiator noise at the beginning of this video, it stops early on but it's very annoying. Combination of living in New York City and wanting to record/get this video out quickly. Love you guys

[@leza4453]

A lot of what you said also relates to consumption of animal products. Production was ramped up to the detriment of animal welfare, horrible working conditions in slaughterhouses and other production sites, and using up ressources like crazy. Now a lot of people eat animal products in every meal, every single day, because it was made convienient and aggressively marketed as a good thing. As consumers we have an impact on these issues.

[@missmia196]

Timestamp when it stops??

[@tonioinverness]

Totally thought that was an iron lung...

[@scottbuck1572]

IMO you can barely hear it

[@elfkwest]

@@missmia196 about 3:05

[@bananainpjs]

On the topic of disability, I think that the argument that these services are helpful and life affirming for many disabled folks really leaves out the greater context that these same services actually CAUSE disabilities in many of their workers. Poor working conditions, no bathroom breaks, horrible pay, no sick leave, etc are all directly related to poor health outcomes (mental and physical) and that leads to higher levels of disability and illness overall. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, and we have to be able to hold the "yes and" of it all.

[@lowkeyrising]

As a disabled person, I was waiting for someone to comment on this exactly! Yes, deliveries and such help disabled and the aging, but when worked get screwed over, get no worker's rights basically, and become disabled themselves, this is NOT a win!! The disabled community has had a history of being neglected and denied worker's rights, so these poor conditions are stripping worker's rights...how is it supposed to be of ANY help to gaining worker's rights for the disabled community? Seriously people need to look outside of themselves and have empathy or others.

[@Aleatoire9]

You could also argue convenience culture is leading to even more sedentary lifestyles for able bodied people which we know breeds medical and physical problems the more and more you remain in that lifestyle. Helping disabled and elderly people is awesome but you are so right that this does create a cycle of more disability and more health issues on the worker and consumer side. 😢

[@lauraigla6319]

Furthermore, it highlights the severity for which disable people cannot rely on their surrounding community and must pay out of their personal pocket to receive necessary services.

[@renata8979]

I can’t speak for US, but in my country disabled and elderly people simply don’t have the money to order delivery from supermarkets, let alone restaurants. If they do get a delivery, it comes from charity organisations.

[@Lionesse-z41553]

Very well said! I can tie some of my disability directly to my experience in the workforce.

[@hurududu29]

Right now in Canada our postal workers are on strike for fair wages and protections because of pressure from delivery services like Amazon. While this is inconvenient, I’m asking family and friends to wait to send packages until a deal is struck. Sure we might not get gifts on December 25th, but staying in solidarity with our fellow workers is more important

[@TheCalucita]

I didn't know about this! 🍁🍁Just some maple leafs to support the canadian post! (For the family members nearby, may I recommend some chocolates, or a funky drink from the supermarket, and from the family members far away, the 2000's had some weird and funny digital holiday cards we can bring back into fashion 🍁🎉)

[@maggiebookworm]

I recently learned that a Canada Post strike in the 80s is part of the reason we have such good (well better than the US) maternity leave! Strikes work and the rights won can benefit all workers

[@Lau3464l]

Yes! Proud to support our post workers!

[@timmoerman2694]

Some years ago I made up a poster with a picture of a letter carrier and the words, "WE SUPPORT OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM." I gotta run that off again.

[@rhitell]

Caitlyn Flanagan wrote a controversial and very interesting essay years ago about a similar topic - how many families outsource childcare (previously the woman’s job) to immigrants who they won’t pay social security taxes to because the nannies often didn’t have citizenship. Trading women’s labor for exploitation still isn’t the answer. Great video and thanks for making nuance clear.

[@scootergirl3662]

These are the sort of difficult conversations you don’t see from even the most progressive of popular activists nowadays

[@6ThreeSided9]

@@scootergirl3662 Any social issue that threatens white women is conveniently left out of such spaces.

[@SlickSimulacrum]

@@scootergirl3662 , You are in all the wrong circles... Progressive is an opinion. One person's progress is another's right wing hellscape living nightmare. Go find the left bub. They're just between the lines if you look hard enough. Purposely excluded from discourse because the "right" [historically accurate definition] owns everything. You decry democracy where class dynamics and money as speech [political power] exist, and I will call you a fool.

[@bevbevbev_]

@@scootergirl3662 This is something I always bring up in my feminist spaces. I grew up in a country where it is normal to see an underaged Girl living with a family and doing chores. It wasn't like that in my home. My dad is deeply patriarchal so the chores feel on my mom and my siblings (often the girls). Women in my country will host seminars talking about empowering women, while having an underaged maid in their homes. Maids that were often exposed to sexual violence from the husband, beatings from the wife etc. This has always bothered me because it is basically women exploiting other women and girls.

[@simonebernacchia5724]

@@bevbevbev_ Is good when they do but not when "the others" do of course, usual double standard

[@kanyeblessed6558]

Those comments did my head in....like OBVIOUSLY these convenience services help people who are disabled and aged, the video was clearly not arguing that we shouldn't be helping vulnerable populations. I feel like a lot of these negative comments come from people who are able-bodied and quite privileged who want to use the argument as a loophole to not check their own privilege and make changes that may make their lives SLIGHTLY less conformable...Changing the system WILL BE UNCOMFORTABLE!!! Not to mention, why can't we build community with people who are disabled or aged to help them with these sorts of errands? If we know our neighbor has trouble leaving their house, can we offer to pick up food or help them with basic services? Like come on. The tantrum comments perfectly illustrated the thesis of your video - which was excellently executed btw!

[@Will140f]

All valid. Also, it won’t really be THAT uncomfortable unless you’re very out of touch with reality for most other people. We’ve only had UberEats and pals for less than a decade. We did just fine finding takeout before they existed and we will continue to be able to find it without them. Also, local competition for delivery services and apps will be hugely beneficial in knocking all the megacorporation apps down a few notches.

[@jcg03002]

Yes, 💯. People use the elderly and disabled as a shield to push back on any arguments that make them uncomfortable. Reminds me of the joke that suddenly everyone cares about the disabled when it comes to parking removal but not the rest of the time.

[@alyssaakabob]

Thank you! 100% agree

[@TheRealE.B.]

Able-bodied people love using the disabled as a bogeyman. Take car dependence. In the mind of an able-bodied car owner, disabled people "need" there to be lots of free parking and high speed limits everywhere so that getting around is convenient for car owners... because disabled people can't walk (obviously). In reality, many disabled people CAN walk (e.g. blind people), many of them CAN'T drive, and everything that's dangerous and unpleasant for able-bodied pedestrians is even worse for disabled pedestrians and people in wheelchairs. At best, such people want it to be easier to occasionally chauffeur their disabled family and friends, but they have zero interest in granting disabled people the dignity of independent mobility.

[@Tnya099]

​@@TheRealE.B.Omg I've had friends talk about stuff like this in front of me, forgetting that I can't drive

[@emilyniedbala]

I would also highlight that these services are very expensive and the vast majority of people with disabilities live in poverty as it is… its great that those who need it and have the money to spare can use it, but I honestly believe the majority of disabled people aren’t benefiting from these services because they aren’t able to afford them, and I think we should be seeking better publicly funded access in these areas rather than being satisfied with a system that only aids those with the money to spare (and as a disabled person, I appreciate your re-acknowledgement of the issue in this video but I also thought the way you addressed it in the video was perfectly adequate)

[@alyssaakabob]

💯!!! Convenience culture comes at a cost and people try to morally justify this cost instead of reflecting

[@ishathakor]

im saying! my grandparents had very little mobility in their old age and they could NOT have afforded constantly getting grocery deliveries or ubers or food deliveries etc. they lived as long as they did because there were people (their family and neighbours) looking after them. when my grandpa couldn't go to the office to get paperwork for his house done, someone in the neighbourhood could drive him. if he had to pay for an uber every time he needed groceries he wouldn't be able to afford the groceries.

[@GunmaGirl]

Also something being an important service for those with disabilities does not mean that every consumer needs to be using the same service all the time. Parking is an easy example. Everyone loves a shorter walk to the store, but spots are reserved for people with disabilities for a specific reason. A more significant example would be a home health aide vs a personal assistant for the wealthy.

[@poniesandproteins]

Yes! And even if they can afford it right now, once the prices skyrocket, because they will for it to be a sustainable business model long term, they'll be priced out then. Much better idea to focus on improving social services that don't rely on the whims of Jeff bezos for long term access, instead of eroding then for our own short term convenience

[@MarleyMe95]

Chelsea, great videos on this topic! I really recommend fellow KZbinr/author Leena Norms who has two videos: "small actions mean nothing" and "Never tell me there is no ethical consumption under capitalism" where she debunks similar defenses of consumption culture. (She is also my dream TFC guest, just putting that out there). My takeaway from her points is that we don't change our small behaviors because we think they will change the world, we change them because we have our own moral code and don't want to do things that harm others. I think the defensiveness people have is a bit of denial. In the first video I mentioned, Leena talks about how taking action means we have to stop pretending things are "okay". I think people really struggle with facing the inequities built into our system. It's always easier to turn a blind eye and build strawman arguments then to feel that pain.

[@maggiebookworm]

A Leena x Chelsea crossover is what I have been wanting for literal YEARS!

[@julieannsarabia]

Rutger Bregman has a wonderful viewpoint on Hope versus Optimism and how pretending things are okay is detrimental to any real progress because it never really acknowledges the truth and reality of the system we are upholding. He would also make a great guest..

[@AussieERS]

Ohh yes it would be great to see Leena on this channel!!

[@victorrrrriaaaaaaaa]

Leena is fantastic, full endorsement from me !

[@TheShakedGuide]

I'm happy to tell you that the previous video has encouraged me to delete all the food delivery apps off my phone, embarrassed to admit I'm battling an addiction here. But I'm determined to make myself learn how to cook at 27 and grab some independance 🙏🏻

[@thefinancialdiet]

:')

[@victorrrrriaaaaaaaa]

@@TheShakedGuide you can do it!!!

[@TheShakedGuide]

@@victorrrrriaaaaaaaa thank you so much!! 🩷🩷✨️

[@rocioiribe5841]

you can do it! honestly Budget Bytes has helped me so much with simple, approachable, yet delicious recipes :D

[@crisberbas]

I'm so proud of you, you're going to become the best chef! (being a very mediocre cook also feeds you)

[@ScarlettThunder]

I've grown to despise the expression "There's no ethical consumption under capitalism" because most people hide behind it as an excuse not to examine their own spending habits. If there's no ethical consumption under capitalism then we should be aiming to consume less.

[@Lau3464l]

Totally. We shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water

[@MoonLitChild]

Part of what we don't interrogate/question anymore as far as consumption habits is "retail therapy"-- it's just as much an addiction as other types of rabid consumption but in my experience it's the most normalized. All that 'treat yourself' mentality just feeds into the reality that, unfortunately, retail therapy works. It's a dopamine kick, same as any other really problematic soending habit. The way buying stuff got packaged as part of "self care" the moment the conversation of self care began tells you everything about that conversation. It drives me crazy how retail therapy gets a pass when we talk about spending habits.

[@HumbleWooper]

Agreed! Rethinking "need" vs "want" is key, IMO. So many products today use manipulation to short-circuit our brain enough that we're unable to ask ourselves whether we *really* need a thing. Limited availability. Limited time discounts. New flavors or styles from popular brands, to get us focused on the choice of which one, rather than whether to buy at all. Performative environmentalism (buying "green" products so you can be seen using them, to fit in with a social circle, or to feel better about your consumption habits). And so on and so on.

[@bevbevbev_]

I had to go back to watch the previous video and go through the comments and I just want to say we are in an individualistic hellscape and we will never be free because people aren't willing to challenge themselves.

[@Will140f]

I would suggest that the majority of people saying “what about disabled people?” are not themselves disabled and are using disabled people as an excuse to assuage their conscience about benefitting from an exploitative service. People are ridiculous. As if calling out the exploitation of low wage workers is somehow ableist. In no universe are accessibility and good labour conditions mutually exclusive.

[@SamiKelsh]

This. It’s curious the way so many people are really invested in disability rights when it threatens specifically stuff they personally don’t want to have to interrogate their use of, and only then. While it’s true that some of these services can improve quality of life for disabled people, using that as a blanket defense of them without acknowledging that disabled people should be able to access accommodations that don’t come at the expense of workers’ wellbeing… is not great.

[@Will140f]

@ and I’ll add to that, that disabled people should not HAVE to use these privately owned services because if they do that means that public services for disabled people are inadequate and need to be improved. Like if if someone using a wheelchair takes accessible Ubers all the time that probably means the accessible public transit near them is terrible

[@fuchion15]

@@Will140f Yes! Took the words straight out of my mouth!

[@SaintAvangeline]

100%.

[@scootergirl3662]

I would agree - I’ve been screwed over by a lot of the same people that claim to be warriors for the marginalized IMAO I think this using other people as shields against having to have actual difficult discussion is a symptom of the polarization, and just general comfort with animosity we have in American politics Well, I realize there’s not a whole lot of far right in these comments sections most likely, I will still point out that everyone does this. The religious right loves to use veterans, even as they vote to cut or worsen the services they need.

[@hilarymorales9809]

Hey! I would like to add that this is not only bleeding your pocket, it can affect your mind and life experience. The constant notifications of discounts keep you craving food and objects that you don’t need, it constantly puts your decision making abilities to the test. Therefore, peace and contempt with your own life gets questioned many times a day. Snow ball effect. 🙅🏽‍♀️

[@thefinancialdiet]

100%

[@ariwl1]

Agreed. The only one of these apps I have on my phone is Uber, and in recent history I've mainly just used it when I go to visit my mother. She lives far away, I have to fly in, and she's reached an age where she's not comfortable driving on freeways anymore. But I was getting notifications from the app every day about essentially nothing until I was finally motivated to figure out how to turn them off. Even if you have no intention of using these they never want you to forget they are there.

[@estherokeefe1268]

I read a quote recently, “the purpose of a habit is to remove an action from self-negotiation”. If I have to decide every single day whether to cook or order in, I’ve created uncertainty for myself, and I’m likely to pick the easiest option. Meanwhile since I’m out of the cooking habit, when I do decide to cook it’s a struggle because I’m rusty at it, making takeaway look like a better option next time. It’s such a feedback loop, and I’m certain Uber knows about it because I’m pretty sure that’s why Uber One exists - to add a sunk cost as an extra weight on the Uber Eats side of the decision scale.

[@liv97497]

Very true! I went through a selection process to work for corporate burger king once and they spoke very proudly of how the app tracks people's habits (and location) to personalize the notifications. They have McDonald's stores flagged for example so you get a notification with an offer whenever you're close to a McDonald's. The app learns when you're more likely to want food, when you're going home from work, etc etc to provide you with an offer at those key moments. I imagine all the other apps do the same.

[@MoonLitChild]

​@@estherokeefe1268 That's a very Buddhist way of looking at habits as a whole and I really like it. Self-negotiation and reflection on actions is the core of pretty much all Buddhism, and I'm going to start using that quote when I talk to others about the nature of habit, especially the borderline where habit becomes addiction. It's important we reflect on the nature and root of our habits, especially when money is involved.

[@mouseyes]

Regarding delivery service for disability: making improvements in our city infrastructure to make it easier to be a pedestrian also would make it easier for wheelchairs and powerchairs, too! Plus these delivery services are so expensive, I'm curious if people on disability benefits only can actually afford them and/or if it is actually exploitative of them. These delivery services outcompete any local services that might so the same thing and then raise prices, leaving some populations with little choice.

[@maggie6152]

Disabled woman here: Absolutely cannot afford them.

[@f.autumn.1904]

I can't afford them. When I first went on disability leave this spring I ordered a lot of meal deliveries, but I quickly found that it was unsustainable at my reduced income.

[@MoonLitChild]

The only time in my life I could afford take out was when we lived in the middle of nowhere as a kid, while my parents were still together so there were two incomes. Delivery apps didn't exist when I was a kid (elder millennial speaking) and even after they did, we still couldn't afford them. The people who say delivery apps are "game changers" for the disabled community do not live on disability income. They just conflate convenience and their conception of what disability is.

[@gaelle4328]

Actually no, I cannot afford them and have been denied help because they exist (not US)

[@scottbuck1572]

"No ethical consumption under capitalism" is not an excuse to uncritically engage in hyper-consumerism. Thank you Chelsea

[@annaphallactic]

As a disabled person, watching able-bodied people use us as human shields against criticism from their own shitty ethics is just wild and needs to stop. We don't exist to justify anyone's bad behavior.

[@beths6950]

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@MoonLitChild]

Fuckin for real. It's always the able-bodied who chime in first on this shit.

[@Mandelasmind]

Thank you. I blame the therapy craze for creating a population with this mentality.

[@carmagana]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@ifetayodavidson-cade5613]

So many folks wanna bring up disability justice issues as a defense to convenience products and services, but don't wanna wear a mask so that disabled people can engage in public life with greater safety.

[@Will140f]

And like, how is buying a 4$ shirt made of reusable shopping bag material from Shein helping anyone with accessibility requirements? It’s largely though not entirely a bogus argument.

[@racheljames9187]

So true, people want to have their cake and eat it. Thing is, if we genuinely want to care for others, it'll likely mean more tax and various other things for the wealthy... justice requires to some degree a revision of the current system of doing things... it will cost some people but is so worth it.

[@amywilson7540]

If you wear a mask, that's nice, but it's not going to enable an injured or disabled person to physically get to a store in the first place if they can't walk or drive (which some people can't do).

[@ifetayodavidson-cade5613]

@@amywilson7540 Yes, my comment assumes they have functional assistive devices and access to paratransit services.

[@kagitsune]

This one! The ableism is showing its ass!

[@eskimopie155]

The point about the gig workers being put in precarious and risky positions for our comfort so true. During the early pandemic when we were all panicking, my immunocompromised friend stopped going pretty much anywhere but kept going to the grocery store himself. He said even though he had a legitimate health reason to use a delivery service, he refused risk someone else’s life for his own. Now that the world has reopened, I think about that every time I see a bike courier weaving through rush hour traffic to deliver someone dinner. Not saying the person buying is always able to get it themselves or should have to, but pausing to ponder what the delivery person has to endure motivates me to go get things myself.

[@onyxcat146]

I always appreciate how nuanced your videos are. I’m legally blind and services like Amazon, food apps, uber etc make my life significantly easier. BUT I hate that that convenience comes at the expense of exploiting others. I try my best to minimize use of them. I wish people would stop hiding behind disabled people. The world would be a better place if we started to look out for those around us.

[@karaperez6098]

Chelsea, well said. You continue to set the bar for nuanced financial conversations.

[@whatamess8764]

100%

[@thefinancialdiet]

Thank you!!

[@LauraUnás-e6q]

I come from a low income country and recently moved to London to study. Naturally, my budget is very tight, but your advices have encouraged me to look for more sustainable ways to live. For example, almost all of the cold weather clothes I bought (I come from a very warm weather) are second hand, which I have found extremely affordable and also fun to hunt for! All of this to say: it is possible (at least in some cases) to do both.

[@LauraUnás-e6q]

And, on the same note, I believe is a little bit condescendent to assume that people with economic limitations or disabilities are not able to choose sustainable options! It denies them agency and condemn them (us, tbh) to determinism...

[@victoriamorris8678]

"a serfdom". YES. it is the word I was looking for. Thank you.

[@scootergirl3662]

I like how you call out the people that have basically given up trying to shop from ethical businesses. The sheer lack of open mindedness and creativity is frustrating from a lot of people, especially when they actually have the money to do so. I have very little money, but I don’t use that as an excuse to only go to Walmart like a lot of people in poor small towns like to do. With just a bit of exploration, I found that my food stamps actually go further at Aldi’s, who, at least has the decency to let their workers sit, and make a living wage Americans need to stop with this bullshit that there is nothing they can do. There is always something you can do even if it is just choosing this thing over the other. With so many people with this attitude, I kind of honestly want unions to hurt customers too. The companies are the enemy yes, but many consumers are complacent to it, and need to get a shock to the system as well.

[@Lau3464l]

I totally get the sentiment, but I’m not sure I understand your last point about hurting/shocking the consumer. I was going to rebut it but I’m interested in you elaborating, if you don’t mind?

[@kweenz600]

@@Lau3464l if I’m reading it correctly, I believe they’re saying that the work of striking and negotiating etc that unions engage in can have the fringe benefit of bothering the consumer enough to be more mindful of the fact that workers are people also. So, for example, if regular people get their packages late, that definitely would suck for them, but it also remind them that the person delivering this package is in fact a person and not a robot without any needs, desires, or bills of their own. That’s my interpretation at least.

[@suen5006]

Sadly in many small towns now nothing is left but Walmart of dollar stores within a reasonable distance. Still, I avoid Walmart like the plague.

[@Erin-rg3dw]

Agreed. There's also this mindset of consumers that if they keep buying from the company doing bad, the company will have the money to change its practices. Newsflash - they won't. Companies only change to follow the money, so if people are still buying, they have no reason to change.

[@AlicedeTerre]

Tbh the sort of low prices we’re used to were always a result of exploitation and shouldn’t continue.

[@tricuspa]

I loved the "...Toddler" video, and I think the stuff that folks really miss. It's tough not to want convenience and this is one of the hard points folks have to face. As you've become more dependent on this you are making other folks suffer and keeping wages down, effectively.

[@dyhppyx]

I'm an Uber driver. Thank you speaking up for us. Users have idea how messed up we are treated

[@baeballeverwizard]

I've been on and off listening to financial audit and while the show and Caleb himself aren't perfect, many episodes highlight the over reliance that people have on these services. People who don't even have the income to afford services like food delivery feel like it's a necessity and can't comprehend life without them, and lots of guests will get particularly defensive about their use of these services. They will use excuses such as the rising costs of groceries to defend their habits, even when the rising cost of convenience is higher than the rising cost of groceries. These apps have brainwashed people's understanding of necessity vs convenience.

[@juliekring7574]

Ooh same. He does seem to be on the edge of a mental breakdown lately. The edginess is off-putting but what he says is true. I remember one person freaked out because he said she couldn't afford Spotify premium, and a lot of people came to her defense. They were acting like we have had all the songs in creation at our fingertips uninterrupted for all of human existence. It has been 10 years tops. We used to hum, or sit quietly with our thoughts, or sing together. You do not *need* Spotify just like you do not *need* door dash or instacart.

[@victorrrrriaaaaaaaa]

I thought what you were trying to say in the video was incredibly clear and nuanced however people rather get mad immediately than think and reflect

[@cesargalvan9808]

Period

[@kanyeblessed6558]

Exactly. It was so ironic, the people throwing a tantrum in the comments. Like how are you gonna complain about the system and then not reflect and change your own actions, even if it can be uncomfortable.

[@dgeata]

The people using these services are either adults, or teens old enough to engage in critical thinking. Either way, we adults have somehow become overly vulnerable to being told things without sugar coating. There are a lot of hard truths in that last video and I am glad that Chelsea said in a nuanced way, but didn't dance around using pointed language. In the case of teens using these apps, they may not put a lot of thought into how they use these apps affect people outside of their immediate sphere. Things like this are great ways to teach them and help them understand and develop critical thinking skills.

[@nuxxy_]

​@@kanyeblessed6558bc all of the actions can be under that label .... we can go back to everyone needing to walk to a well if you want to get rid of convienience. one type of convienience comes into conflict with another for the new forms bc its all part of the same time period

[@pipancla]

@@kanyeblessed6558 Seems as though the adult toddlers didn't like being called out for adult toddler behaviour

[@robinmaher4797]

'Two things can be true at the same time' - this is literally the definition of being an adult.

[@billkinneman3252]

One of the things I genuinely appreciate about this channel is your ability to handle nuance. Even if I disagree with you on an issue or its solution, you are never dismissive of the meaningful factors that play into the issue. This particular issue is so challenging because the same convenience service that creates disruption and even oppression can be a hugely positive force in certain people's lives. One thing I can confirm (having worked for a food delivery app) is that the local restaurant and the delivery driver will be treated far better if you call the restaurant directly to make your order (or, if they have one of the white label websites that are customized for direct orders, that is almost as good). That will also usually result in a cheaper price for you.

[@VoodooAsparagus]

Wonderful video! When I moved to Hong Kong, my father in law told me, wouldn't it be wonderful if other countries had domestic workers like in Hong Kong? That way, women could work more, less stress on parents raising children. He failed to acknowledge that this convenience is derived from the exploitation of (mostly) women from countries such as Philippines, Thailand. Foreign domestic workers can legally be paid much lower than the minimum wage, and are forced into dangerous power imbalances with their employers. Would love an episode specifically about migrant workers and how this is creating a caste system in some societies.

[@Kryxtal]

Very common in Malaysia and Singapore too.

[@let_me_ink]

I hate people's urge to hide behind the underprivileged to hide there poor choices. Yes somewhere there are low income people using fast fashion stores, but I've never met them. The only people I meet that shop shein Temu ect are people with enough money to not do that. Yes, delivery is great for people with disabilities if they have the finances, but many don't BECAUSE they are disabled. And these jobs in can be disabling. From car accidents to poor working conditions, it's a problem at all of these businesses. I need people to just take responsibility for what they want to do. If you want to shop fast fashion than do it with a back bone, don't just explain it away by using the plieght of people you don't even know

[@Val-8CH]

This. Do it or don't, but if you do stop pretending like most of these choices are your only option. You're making a string of awful harmful choices because you can't bother to be mildly inconvenienced for a greater good. It's wild that the people pointing that out are somehow made to be the bigger villains half the time. When it comes to Amazon in particular, I made a point to make them my last resort if I can't find something anywhere else. Which isn't even a vow to abstain. As a result I think it has been YEARS since I've bought anything from there, and I've been fine. I give this example to show that it really does take so little effort sometimes to make a change that would be significant if done collectively. I wish we would all get on the same page.

[@princesstelimena2887]

EXACTLY! I hate that argument. Like even if people with low incomes needed shein to survive that doesn't mean you as a middle-class person also need to shop from them. They're just using lower-income people as an excuse to keep supporting a bad business

[@carolynbraunius1914]

These videos are great. Our society doesn’t encourage personal reflection. Life is easy but we are isolated. I don’t think we realize how isolated we are, until we need a ride somewhere and we have a very short list of people we can call.

[@jaimeerindy4573]

I feel like you made it clear on multiple occasions that you were not referring to people who rely on certain services due to disability. You are talking about the far larger percentage of able bodied people who regularly use those services

[@mrrd4444]

Something I've seen highlighted in relation to Palestine but also applies here: so many people just hate FEELING BAD and hate being called out for being complicit in something because they personalize it into "WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME A BAD PERSON?" rather than take a moment to have some introspection. Rather than changing something in their lives they'll insist I CAN'T BE DOING BAD BECAUSE I'M NOT A BAD PERSON when that's not the point. When I realize a company I'm patronizing is doing terrible things I have to decide to change tact or if I cannot do it at this time. People need to stop and think about what they can DO rather than obsess over what kind of person they think they are. Because feeling bad isn't the point. Doing better is. Sometimes you can change, sometimes you can't, but at least think about it and try.

[@vtheory7531]

I think the only thing that might offend people in the original video is calling them "an adult toddler" but everything else she mentioned is completely reasonable and sensible.

[@iammrbeat]

Ultimately, a few oligarchs control everything. Powerful special interests run society, not us. Until that changes, workers will have little power. I am finally in a position in my life in which I can buy local and avoid buying from Amazon, Walmart, etc. I go out of my way to support local businesses and farmers. It's not even that hard, just slightly more expensive. But simply put, there's not enough people like me. Our laws need to change. I repeat. OUR LAWS NEED TO CHANGE. In order for this to happen, I agree with you, Chelsea, the culture needs to change from us realizing cheaper crap and convenience is simply not worth it anymore when we spend so many of our living hours just trying to survive at our crappy jobs. Thank you for all the work you do.

[@annalizer1992]

Yes! That is exactly what I thought when watching your latest video, and I commented something similar about wants vs needs and women's domestic labour being outsourced. It frustrates me to no end when people think they are entitled to stuff like that, also because I am on a super tight budget and can't afford these conveniences, but also because if you have to, you just manage to get stuff done anyways. It's not perfect or particularly nice sometimes, but it's fine. It's not a 'need' for things to be easy at all times, it's a privilege.

[@phoenixhexclar9340]

I think in the case of elderly and disabled folks that need these services, they should not be through privatized companies. That's the main solution. If you can live without it just fine, then maybe consider why you still do.

[@JessOwens]

I’ve been loving this recent series and it’s making me rethink a lot of my spend habits. Thank you 🩵

[@ToDreamOfJade]

Thank you for responding to people's critiques with understanding and nuance! I think that people were also offended and therefore defensive about being referred to as "adult toddlers". The nuance was kind of lost with the title, so people clicked on the video already feeling attacked. I know video titles are intentional for a myriad of ways, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

[@Pomagranite167]

I completely agree with her though. I think a LOT of adults in the developed world (especially in my age bracket) have lives with such convenience, luxury, lack of hardship, and coodling that many are honestly overgrown toddlers. It's never easy hearing a hard truth about oneself, but it doesn't make it less true. Not everything needsto be sugarcoated or a euphamism and "gentle nudges". Perhaps they got offended because it's true, which is the part they should focus on, not the part where it hurt to hear.

[@isabelledoerre1831]

Was going to sayyyy… As I was reading the comments I couldn’t help thinking to myself… these do NOT pass the vibe check. Happy you’re addressing it! Truly appreciated the video- very insightful and clearly something people don’t want to hear, but may need to…

[@wcg66]

My wife is a teacher in a suburban high school here in Ontario, Canada. The amount of Uber Eats orders for fast food delivered to the school is pretty sickening. Especially since there are kids who can barely afford lunch or have parents who are struggling financially. These orders are easily $20-30 each, it's insane.

[@toyafan]

it is fascinating to me how heavily people will judge you for buying from fast fashion or shein, but not say a single thing to the people buying from designer brands that are also using slave labor and underpaying their employees

[@supernova622]

Ostensibly if you're paying 100s of dollars for a garment, the laborers *could* be making fair wages. A $3 tank top? You don't have to be an expert to recognize that the math doesn't work out for people or the planet

[@UndeadGirlCyber]

I believe in that particular instance it's that fast fashion *additionally* is low quality and easy to over-consume. Both designer fashion and fast fashion can have terrible worker conditions (fast fashion being more likely, I'd argue), but with fast fashion you can feasibly replace your wardrobe every month (you might even have to) - that's making the problem worse.

[@janethdx]

As someone who grew up undocumented and cleaning houses with my mom and had a disabled father with an amputated leg, I can tell you that "convenience" services are often upheld by disabled workers. My mom had arthritis and we still cleaned houses and businesses. I remember my shoulders getting so tired and achy as a child that a doctor prescribed me muscle relaxers, and of course we kept cleaning houses on weekends. Disabilities don't just go away because you're poor and need to make extra money.

[@laurachow8150]

I love that you can address so much nuance. You are so smart! Part of what I had to learn in DBT was understanding the "yes and"s of the world. Multiple things can be true and often are, even things that seem diametrically opposed at first.

[@karenbachar5253]

C-you can not please all the people all the time. You bring up valid issues people need to take what they like and leave the rest...cheers

[@shiplon4107]

I was kinda shocked at the comment section of that original video and how many of the comments completely glossed over very integral parts of the video. Especially the fact that these services created to "save us time" come at the cost of workers time (usually people of colour, usually overqualified immigrants). Many people were basically saying "oh well I'm actually supporting these workers with my money" which 1) solidifies the idea that you value your own time more highly than others and 2) is very much giving white saviour energy

[@2011alexia]

I really appreciate the commentary on food delivery apps in particular. I ended up deleting the app in order to save money, eat healthier and contribute less to the convenience economy.

[@blessedmediocrelife]

I appreciate your perspective. Thank you for having the courage to have the conversation.

[@JessicaUzumaki]

I'm a person who uses a lot of convenience services and I'm not disabled or rich. My sweetheart and I are both retail workers but we're childless for an idea of our income. We use electric bikes or walk on foot to get around unless it's winter where we walk when the weather is permitting. We live very close to our place of work so we are almost always able to walk there, even in the winter. We're also Canadian for what it's worth. The services we use most are grocery delivery services, taxi cabs, and food delivery services. In the winter months when we need to cab, the is less per month than the monthly insurance on a car (we tip, don't worry). It's also cheaper than two adult bus passes in my area. These cab rides are to get to places too cold on foot like doctor's appointments, social outings, etc. Groceries are very exhausting and difficult to carry by bike so we rely on grocery services for delivery. These are subscription services that generally cost $10 per month. We use two and we often put in two large orders a month except for in Winter when we can't make small trips on bike for fresh veg, more milk, etc. The delivery services we use are ones that have actual employees at stores using company cars. They also price their items at the same cost as in store. We tip them too. We do shop fast fashion and thrift because we're low income but we only buy things new that are made of sustainable fabrics like cotton, viscose, linen, etc. If I don't know a fabric I google it before I buy it. We're also careful with our selection of soaps and cleaning products opting for the most sustainable brands that we can afford. These are brands like Method, Bonterra (toilet paper), etc. I'm just quickly writing all this out so you have an idea of how this "lifestyle" can be had without spending tons of money. Basically, it's all attainable for us by not having a car and living in walking distance of work. If people get to stay out of the office and working from home and choose to live like us by dropping their car suddenly everything becomes much more affordable and some of that money can be used towards upgrading their essentials to sustainable brands. I haven't mentioned any of our inconveniences like shitty bike paths and lack of mobility to areas out of biking distance but 99% of the time this isn't a concern. EDIT: Forgot to add, we totally use SkiptheDishes and UberEats occasionally for pizza or chinese food. It's an expensive occasional treat and our biggest sin. I'm not proud of it.

[@faithcrisis2138]

My husband and I have come up with an "order list," since we're both bartenders and are trying to budget our lives to make the most of all purchases. We order only items we can't find in the stores normally, like a specific ingredient that's difficult to source in our area, and we make one monthly bulk order. Otherwise, we go to the store and use coupons and store apps to get better deals than these apps could ever provide.

[@solidsnake1806]

Interpreting that video as a suggestion that maybe wheelchair users should stop ordering in groceries (for example) just because Chelsea didn't rush to assure that she understands things are different when you require accommodation in life is WILD. How do y'all guys survive in the real world.

[@thefinancialdiet]

The craziest part is that I literally specifically talk about disability and its exceptions to a lot of the commentary in the original video!! Lol -C

[@SaintAvangeline]

"I like pancakes." "Oh, so you hate waffles?"

[@scootergirl3662]

I’ve known some of these people that would comment those sorts of things They are often privileged and have mommy and daddy to take care of them so they don’t actually know what they are talking about

[@Uncle_Smidge]

I call it Asterisk Culture. If you don't see seventeen specific asterisks coddling YOUR exact mental scenario, it's the end of the damn world.

[@maisade]

@@SaintAvangeline That crap grinds my gears so much😂

[@coneil72]

Amazing, amazing video. Thank you for this. I think about 2020, and the explosion of grocery deliveries that year. So many of us - myself included, I'm ashamed to say - outsourced services like that to low-wage workers. We asked them to risk their lives in our place, all for the sake of a $10 tip. We have essentially returned to a Victorian-like social structure, pre-unions. This is not OK.

[@iambatman9420]

The series has been super interesting - thanks for talking about these topics :)

[@lindiwengwevela524]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the impact convenience culture has on the environment. There's been a lot of talk about how the increasing consumption of disposable, unsustainably made, non-degradable products has negatively affected our ecosystems. There are so many (Western) countries that are scrambling to find places to dump their trash, much of it being fast fashion and single use plastic items. Most of it ends up being dumped in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. Western convenience consumerism has had a devastating impact on much of the environment in the global South.

[@racheljames9187]

So true. In global terms, clothing deprivation is a myth - we produce more than enough to clothe everybody well, yet many western people buy more than they need, buy items that are low quality and produced with exploitative labour and environmental practices, and see donation as a valve to deal with the excess - we send our unwanted clothing 'to the people who don't have enough clothing' and feel good ok about donating worn and damaged items we'd never wear ourselves :/ Only 10% of items donated to a thrift store are sold there, the unwanted stuff is landfilled, downcycled (to insulation etc) or sent overseas. We need to send quality items overseas - stuff that will last and is culturally appropriate, not the rubbish we currently send them. We need to have the very long term in mind with every clothing purchase.

[@angelinadobler79]

Finally someone made the point to the "some people can only afford fast fashion" argument!! Thank you!

[@thwalkdiotwalk]

Thank you so much for talk about this! I think it is so important to think about how your decisions could impact others. When you have the money to buy a few quality clothing pieces but instead opt to purchase a lot of fast fashion, if you donate it, the quality of second hand donations is now lower. When you take rideshare services instead of public transit, you put your money towards something that doesn't benefit your community, it benefits that company. If only low income people take public transit, it is not sustainable, people of all classes need to choose to take public transit in order for it to have the funding necessary to succeed.

[@lindag.9069]

I feel like we get really caught up in the Make Better Choices as a Consumer blame game here and forget the larger context of how these systems interact and support each other. Consumers across the board increasingly rely on conveniences like fast fashion, food delivery services, grocery delivery, ride share apps, etc. powered by gig workers because workers are tired, stretched too thin, underpaid despite being more productive than we have ever been in history... which contributes to the poor treatment of gig workers, who are also tired, stretched too thin, underpaid, etc. and we end up debating who is Better for making certain choices and who is Worse for making certain choices instead of finding solidarity and actually holding the people who created and profit from this system accountable and changing it. Which is what the Bezoses and Musks of the world want -- if we're too busy fighting each other, we can't fight them, right?

[@Shirumoon]

Only half way in but I'm so thrilled to see you being bold enough to post this video! Too many creators are walking on egg shells around their viewers and don't dare to "offend" them so this was really refreshing. And as a chronically ill person I agree: Many services and products I use are making life better for me AND worse for others. Society and the government should be filling the gap that convenience is filling right now. But apathaty is still not the solution? Vote with your dollar is so real. Because ultimately, corporations are not even people if you think about it this way, they're entities that are trying to instill wants into us but also reacting to the way we are or arn't spending our money. If their advertisement won't work on us, they will have to eventually reconsider their strategies.

[@andreawc88]

Thank you for making us pause and think about this. You are absolutely right . As one of the comments said it will be uncomfortable. We are getting so used to these conveniences that doing things the old way are now out of question. We need to pause and rethink. I certainly need to.

[@andreawc88]

And I would add that thanks to your videos and other creators aligned to your thinking, I certainly have shifted to small shops, rethinking my purchases for the holidays, buying local and now I order directly from restaurants and even walk to pick up our food. And there is so much more I could be doing. So thank you. While you may get a lot of negative comments, I just want to thank you for helping me check my privilege. ❤

[@bea4156]

Thank you for standing up for workers!! 💯💯

[@Siijiska]

I think you're doing a great job nuancing this discussion! Lots of good points and answers to the comments here.

[@baeballeverwizard]

I feel like the disability argument is a strawman in this discussion, using an appeal to people's compassion towards the disabled as a way to justify their use of convenience services

[@ketameanii]

yeah i definitely can see that

[@ketameanii]

instead of like looking at the system as a whole

[@DrDroog29]

100%.

[@wafflesandkiwi]

Absolutely agree. We've become so polarized that if someone says something we don't like we have to think of ridiculous arguments rather than having an intelligent calm discussion.

[@officialghosty518]

I almost never order using uber eats and similar apps, not because of an ethical or financial reason, but a dietary restriction. There are really only 2 or 3 restaurants around me from which I can order food safely. I wonder sometimes if that wasn't the case, what my usage of those apps would be. A couple days ago, I caved and ordered takeout from one of the places because as a person with chronic illness, there are some days I just cannot leave the house to pick up my food. Since beginning to be a more mindful consumer and watching lots of channels including yours and others that discuss overconsumption and ethical consumption, I've been trying to order things online even less. I appreciate your discussing these topics but I also appreciate the grace you give to people with disabilities for whom these apps are really a great help.

[@agriope2334]

Thank you SO much for talking about this, in this video and in the monthly. We give ourselves license to use other people as tools to fulfill our needs. We know it is wrong, but we do it anyway bc x, y, z. I am including myself in this bc it's incredibly hard not to participate on some level. But whatever our reasons, we are still exploiting others. Like you said, I'd rather find a way where no one is exploited. Again, thank you so much. I loved the nuance and understanding for different positions without compromising on your integrity or the message.

[@tylerfoster1763]

I would have to rewatch your previous video in order to provide a proper critique, but IIRC the issue I took with it was that it came across as an argument against the existence of delivery services rather than an argument in favor of labor rights. I also still don't quite understand what "entitlement culture" is or how this relates to it.

[@Kelbel5995]

Loved the previous video and I think your additional points are spot on.

[@TheHonorableAudio]

Thank you for responding to the comment about the consumer not being responsible for a company’s practices. We, as individual consumers and as a collective, do have quite a bit of say when we remember that our money is our voice in this capitalist wasteland. Time and time again when consumers boycott or abandon a business for whatever reason, the business will respond by assuaging the issue. Now, if they are actually addressing the issue or simply burying it further from the consumers eyes, that’s another issue altogether. But in this world, our money = our vote.

[@flutterbeyes]

(I never comment on videos, so hopefully this is taken as intended. I’m not looking to argue with people, this is just how I saw things.) I wonder if the issue with the original video, and the reason it’s getting so many unexpected responses is the disconnect between the videos title, the ‘thesis statement’ of the video, and what was actually argued in the video? I don’t think the video really focused on it’s central theme of convenience in and of itself and how it makes us ‘adult toddlers’ (my personal interpretation of an adult toddler is less about getting stuff delivered). Instead the video focused more on the ethics of gig work, our treatment of these service workers, and over consumerism which I think are slightly different conversations. There’s an overlap between these issues and convenience for sure, but i think the issue with too much convenience felt underdeveloped as an argument. Perhaps the video title should have been about the ethics of outsourcing our labour or the ethics of delivery services. Again, I say this because there are comforts we have access to that don’t involve exploitation, as demonstrated by the guest speaker, and Chelsea doesn’t take issue with the convenience culture the guest’s business promotes. Additionally, i think the conveniences discussed probably should have been separate smaller videos to get all the nuances. For instance, if you live in a country where grocery stores have delivery drivers that will bring food to your house - I would argue it’s not a convenience you need to feel bad about/ scale back because no one is getting hurt in that arrangement. Making lots of separate videos may seem excessive but I think it would make an easy series to put together. I also don’t think people in the comments that are defending their convenience usage are necessarily the type of people using these services in excess. They may be using them quite moderately and the suggestion that even that might be too much is the thing bothering them. I don’t think that was Chelsea’s message or intention, but I can see people taking it that way, especially if many parts of their lives are uncomfortable and these conveniences are some of the few easy comforts they have. Essentially, I think it’s possible a lot of the people commenting who are defensive may use these services but also fall outside of the higher income earners Chelsea says are the most culpable. I didn’t get the sense the points Chelsea made in her initial video were aimed at higher earners (but I may have just missed/ forgotten something). I thought her video was about regular average earners who use these services even if it doesn’t appear to make the most financial sense but it does free up some time in their days. Which again, leads to that ‘defensiveness’. Also the title of the video calling people ‘toddlers’ probably doesn’t help. There are a lot of people shocked by the defensiveness in the comments but it’s also quite interesting how many people are congratulating themselves for meeting the (kind of arbitrary?) standards outlined in Chelsea’s video. By which I mean, they don’t use the specific delivery services or apps that Chelsea specifically mentioned even though those apps and services are not the be all and end all of the conversation. It’s possible the people who don’t feel defensive ‘fall short’ in other areas of convenience culture but because it wasn’t mentioned in the video they may not realise it. And if it had been mentioned in the video, perhaps it would have touched a nerve. Both sides seem to be doing the same thing - making it clear to Chelsea and anyone reading that they’re not ‘part of the problem’. They’re just doing it by different means. Again, not trying to argue or start something. Just offering my perspective. Anyway, this ended up being a much longer wall of text than I planned. I’ll be amazed if anyone actually reads it.

[@teenindustry]

As someone who is both middle class and living with a mild disability (epilepsy) which means I can’t drive uber is a game changer. I try not to use it a lot but often it’s the difference between a 90 minute public transport ride or hour long walk to and from the gym or 10 minute ride and 12 to 20 bucks. I can also see how pre cut veg in the supermarket make life easier for those with a disability. I don’t like exploitative labour practices but without other infrastructure I rely on these services sometimes. While I love fashion I try to buy more ethically and sustainably. I think we are all just doing our best

[@sb1206]

Thank you for bringing up the issue of quantity. Buying 1 sweater for $50 vs. 10 sweaters for $50 actually makes a huge difference re: environmental impact. Quality has gone down across the board and all, etc. but those cheap sweaters will inevitably end up in a landfill and are the result of even more exploited laborers. Amazon makes it so easy to consume MORE and the barrage of haul videos makes it seem normal but it’s really, really harmful.

[@Yavin4]

All labor needs to be respected and paid a fair salary. Any business model that cannot pay its labor force should not exist.

[@epbrown01]

Agreed. I hate when people (usually politicians) claim some jobs aren’t worth a living wage. That’s a violation of the social contract: if you’re knocking out 40 hours a week doing a job, it should pay enough to support you, period. It doesn’t matter if you’re flipping burgers, working a counter in a bodega, or washing cars. You’re a contributing member of society, you should be able to live in that society. It’s not some sort of capitalist tragedy if the CEO only makes 200 times your annual pay instead of 300; we can afford to close the wealth gap a bit.

[@racheljames9187]

1000 yeses to this. Fair pay and conditions are for every single worker.

[@alexa-hk2xu]

"just because these companies have terrible labor practices or are exploitative (...), that's not my responsibility as the consumer." - as far as people who think that way goes, i am inclined to wonder whether there are any other decisions or behaviors they make in their lives that they also don't take accountability for. possibly egregious ones. that sounds like a very selfish way to think.

[@liv97497]

These convenience apps are even bad for the businesses. I know restaurant owners who decided to only be in one of these food delivery apps (or none), because the fees are pretty high, and if anything goes wrong (say, the delivery person doesn't get to the destination or the customer has a complaint) the onus is often on the restaurant to fix it, not the app. Now I always order from the restaurant itself and if they don't offer delivery I just go pick it up.

[@ericalepman1377]

I am in a long term relationship with no kids and both work full time. We do not use Uber Eats and I rarely use Amazon. We go to the Farmers Market and Whole Foods. We are very blessed to be able to afford good quality food and I like to cook. That being said, we also have the time to not use these services. I personally like going to the grocery store or the farmers market because it makes me feel like a human. The idea of doing everything from home can be nice for a time but long term it is not healthy. I also have a partner who helps around the house and with our dog. If you are someone who can afford the time or money, help you own mental health and do things yourself. We shouldn't be so afraid of going out into the world, that's not good. Also if you use one of these services, tip well or don't use them period.

[@seagullglatthaar8214]

Excellent points in the video and the original. I am a middle class working woman with 3 kids. It is a constant struggle to balance household, kids and work. It feels like whenever I voice this the recommendation is to outsource my labor (never mention my husband helping of course). I have refused explaining that I do not want to exploit in most cases disadvantaged women. I usually get blank stares or the response that I'm helping them because they want to do this to earn some extra money. Right. From now on I'll just show your video to them. In the meantime I've been retraining my husband to do his share of the housework (thanks MIL)

[@user-fv1qi2xt2p]

Great video! Chelsea makes a good point that these companies are fully capable of providing workers with fair wages and safe working conditions and still make a profit without raising prices. Grub hub made 2.4 billion in profits in 2022. The wealthy just keep accumulating wealth, and to what end? At what cost? We have strength in numbers and can vote with our dollar to force them to be more equitable. This helps everyone. We are all getting squeezed by corporate greed right now and it’s happening in every sector. We need to come together and fight this stuff.

[@linguaphile42]

Bravo for this excellent message. I am a Boomer, but one born at the end of the generation, who graduated college in a recession that meant I didn't own much furniture for 3-4 years, and my pay in education was frozen. A futon on the floor, and books pushed up against the wall on the floor until some hand-me-downs started to come my way -- that was the norm. None of it ever seemed weird to me. There were years that I wouldn't buy any chocolate for myself, but just delight in it when it came my way. Now, it seems like the people who voted to dismantle our system of government did so because things are more expensive than they remember them being. Meanwhile, they subscribe to multiple streaming services, do several trips for destination showers, weddings, gender reveals, etc. -- things unheard until 10 years ago. It's ridiculous, and should be called out. Yes, you can have services to benefit people who really need them, but when you're pumping that much money into the economy for unnecessary convenience, prices stay up for us all, and the exploitation of folks we've priced out is real.

[@BellaOConnor-m3t]

Yes to ALL of this! I’m so tired of people who have the financial means to make better choices justify their unethical consumption with “no ethical consumption under capitalism” or “too much pressure is on the consumer” blah blah. It’s not half as radical or class conscience as they think it is. Stop buying from H&M and go touch grass, hun.

[@renata8979]

To be fair, there is a lot of uncalled for pressure on the consumer, however, never ever have I been to a coffee shop where you could only get a drink to-go if you bring your own re-usable cup. I'd like to see someone try and open such a place, it would be an interesting experiment.

[@grumpyschnauzer]

As a therapist I don’t appreciate being paid a third what I would have been paid 10 years ago because they want to commercialize and cheapen therapy. In addition, no benefits, no retirement offered, and no job security because companies want to exploit our field and our craft to medicalize it for insurances. I don’t appreciate this and don’t support anything that takes from hard working citizens and their ability to live comfortably. I don’t use grocer services because I prefer cashiers, I don’t use self-checkout, I don’t use food delivery and I subscribe to as few things as possible. I still buy physical books, movies, and pay for tangible goods more than AI programmed services. Why pay for BetterHelp… what will eventually just be an AI machine faking people out on providing connection and therapy? The majority of therapists are women and are not given a livable wage as a therapist with a masters making as little as $25 and hour for nearly 8 years of schooling and training and more… plus required to keep up with association fees and licensing fees.

[@hellaradusername]

If nothing else, I'm thankful that my parents never paid for food delivery and would go drive to pick up pizza or Chinese food. I've kept up that habit.

[@lb3659]

Proudly a Luddite. I think it’s genuinely important to apply the same worker rights questions that created the Luddite movement to the modern era. Nothing happens that hasn’t happened before.

[@louise6268]

I don't really get why people trust companies in the first place. They knowingly make things convenient and cheap to get people to depend on it (or at least form habits) and then when they have enough customers, they start raising prices, downsizing the product/services and switching quality material/ingredients for the cheap stuff to make more profit. THEY ALL DO THIS Out of distrust, I started making my own body products (soaps, chapstick, bath bombs, balms...) and while it obviously takes time and effort, it's shocking how simple and SO MUCH CHEAPER it is (and I'm only using top ingredients, as local as possible). I'm slowly getting equipped to be able to provide homemade products like these to my friends and family. I am not letting them get scammed by Big Corps when I can do something about it

[@Ahreeyuh]

A very thoughtful and balanced response. I think people need to see more nuance in these topics.

[@madeleinebrown1161]

While the disability argument is fair, we also have to remember that it's not like these services are public utilities. They're still incredibly expensive and if you're on SSI or SSDI it's very unlikely you'll be spending that money on expensive delivery apps. (SSDI is more but it's still barely anything). And sure, not everyone with a disability is on public assistance, but this is what we're talking about here. These services aren't made with people with disabilities in mind - they're made for people who have disposable income. Again you CAN be a person with disabilities and have that income, but much more often you don't. And that's not the intent of the services anyway. If anything, people should be clamoring for public transportation, public healthcare, stuff that will actually make peoples' lives better, not for private companies who treat their employees and contractors like garbage.

[@braintonguerottalk]

So glad we got a thoughtful commentary and response to I think very reasonable concerns about some implications very reasonable to identify, even in error, in the previous video. I was fully expecting "why i left the left" but voilà, some people are principled!

[@braintonguerottalk]

After Ana Kasparian from TYT I don't expect any intellectual responsibility or consistency, so it's good to see clarification

[@spottedtiger380]

Love your haircut!!

[@racheljames9187]

yeah it is super cute and suits her :)

[@Aoiraider]

The fact that you can go from a kid who threw out a maxed out hello kitty credit card to becoming a person who is so kind, thoughtful and articulate person is so inspirational. Everyone should be so thoughtful in contemplating their consumer habits. Love your content, please keep at it.

[@katc2040]

Kinda insane to imply that having a spending problem doesnt mean your kind thoughtful or articulate

[@thefinancialdiet]

This is a really kind comment, thank you

[@mythebe]

Hi Chelsea! Wise words. I wanted to add my take on the subject. Which is there is no excuse for exploiting the working class in order to accommodate people with disabilities. Oppressing one marginalized as the means to benefit another marginalized group is one of the things that makes our society disgusting. Not to mention the stupidity of it since many disabled people are convenience gig workers. Shitty convenience gig working conditions are making things worse for disabled people who work them (some of whom probably have to work those jobs because most businesses won’t hire disabled people). Also, I was raised in extreme poverty, and I am living all my life in poverty thanks to disabilities. It’s offensive whenever people say that poor people can only afford fast fashion. Poor people like myself ARE ABLE to buy clothing that is not fast fashion. Thrift stores and outlets exist almost everywhere within the sprawl and certainly in rural areas. Regular stores almost always have a discount section. My sole income is a tiny monthly disability benefit, I never buy fast fashion, and I’m still known for being well dressed with a great sense of style.

[@aliciamullaney6634]

So glad that I know how to survive without all these conviences in my life. First I live in a more remote area where delivering food and getting Ubers is near impossible. Second at the age of 58, I lived a lot of my life without cell phones dictating my life, so while I do have a cell phone, I am not completely attached to it, I actually leave my home without my cell phone many a days and somehow I survive out in the wild. Glad I was born in a time when playing outside and leaving someone a message on their answering machine was the way we worked and lived nicely. I also know how to use a map!

[@genevalawrence801]

Re: the outsourcing of affluent people's domestic labor - I think an excellent step would be to STOP referring to that labor as "women's labor." Words matter. One reason that the men in domestic partnerships don't step up is that the words chosen for the discourse allow them to believe that taking care of elderly or disabled family members, taking care of children, managing family logistics, and doing domestic labor isn't their job. It's work that belongs to the women in their lives. Edited to add - This is not meant to call out Chelsea, who is doing an excellent job of examining economic behavior and saying things that need to be said. It's meant to call out our culture. The words we choose are often a reflection of our culture. And when it comes to the roles of men and women, our culture has work to do.

[@detectiverose]

One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2024 was to stop ordering food delivery, and other than a few hangovers, I stuck to it. It was honestly just to save myself money and try to gain some discipline over my admittedly terrible diet, but your videos on this subject have prompted me to delete every account I had for every delivery app. The temptation isn’t even there, anymore.

[@marycollins848]

One service economy choice that is booming around me that my family doesn't do is housekeeping services. I think it's wild my friends literally don't know how to clean anything. When I was a kid my grandmother had a cleaner but she was elderly. I am seeing families with and without children, with and without stay at home spouses, able bodied and fit, refusing to scrub a toilet themselves.

[@folaigh4209]

As a Euro girlie grappling with the introduction of more of more delivery and subscription based things probably a bit slower than the US girlies, i often worry that many of these services are a solution to problems they themselves create. They’re conveniences many adults have lived without for many years and could continue to live without, but somehow it seems like you never even knew you lived like an Amish person who makes her own life harder than it has to be.

[@realclassroom1278]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I have decided not to shop on Amazon, and to only shop in the stores in our downtown area. We are getting our tree tonight. Instead of going to a big box store, we are going to a family owned lot in our community.

[@RandomJane104]

This just triggered me but not quite for the reasons one might think. I used to do 100% of the grocery shopping in my house (hitting 3 different places most weeks to save money) despite making the most money and working the most hours (45+/week). I also do 95% of the cooking and meal planning and 90% of the cleaning. We have a condo, so my husband doesn't do yard work either. In therapy, my husband agreed to do the main grocery shop to take some burden off me, plus emptying the dishwasher, taking out the trash, and vacuuming when I tell him to (never of his own volition). He did the grocery shopping for a couple of years, then covid hit and he discovered ordering online and picking up. He thinks it's the best thing ever. I hate it. It makes me have to get the list together on Saturday when i'm not in grocery mode, instead of Sunday morning, plus they tend to substitute things or not give us the best produce, etc. So now I have him get his things and the things we can't get at Aldi/Costco by pickup, and I end up going to Aldi to buy most of the groceries on Sunday (plus a monthly Costco run) when I have had time to figure out what to cook for the week on Sunday. My brain just isn't in grocery mode on Saturday. So I'm back to doing the bulk. I guess at least I'm only hitting one or two places instead of all three. Him picking up the groceries makes it less convenient for the planner/cook. He takes the easy way out and discounts the labor that I did for years, pushing it onto a serf because he's too lazy to do grocery shopping. It eats into his video gaming time. He isn't demanding and doesn't require cooking or cleaning to happen. He would just eat frozen meals and let things go to $hit of I decided not to do them, but if I want them done, I have to do them or tell him to. What is wrong with so many men?

[@adamalton2436]

I strangely can hear Tyler Durdent in my head warning us that “The things you own begin to own you.”

[@katie8099]

People with disabilities shouldn’t have to rely on corporations “providing” conveniences. I hope someday we don’t have to.

[@bunnyisarider13]

Solid. I'm a gig worker of the grocery shopping and delivering variety and I like it, but it should absolutely pay more (tips make it or break it. it would NOT be worthwhile if ppl didn't) & we should have workers rights. The biggest appeal about it for me is being able to control my schedule therefore giving me some autonomy, where with other low paying jobs that I have worked my whole working life you have very little schedule flexibility and I've also had some trash bosses. Ya don't have to deal with the latter with gig work, of course they could also just boot you off their platform anytime if they feel like it 🙈

[@angelal8829]

The disability argument also ignores the ways in which many disabled folks are kept in structural poverty (denial of benefits once a certain very small level of assets are acquired etc.) and so often can’t actually use a lot of these services in the ways that would be helpful.

[@papi_sativa]

To that first comment: There's a difference between fault and *RESPONSIBILITY*

[@JuliaTaylorSoprano]

Thank you for acknowledging the disabled community. Disability has skyrocketed since COVID, and will continue to do so as long as the Long COVID problem is ignored by public health policy makers. I think any conversation with a level of nuance is challenging to have online and I thank you for talking about hard things ❤

[@Jessica-n2y7j]

100% agree and thank you for bringing up Covid! For anyone else reading, it's not too late to start masking again and it could prevent you or someone else from becoming disabled due to a Covid infection.