Your Guide to Dealing with Uncle Bob | Robert Reich

Robert Reich gives you a holiday survival guide for political talks.
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[@RumchugMusic]

I know the Uncle Bob in the skit is a top earner, but the sad fact Robert is that most of our Uncle Bobs are middle class joes who vote against their own economic self interests.

[@S2Tubes]

Personal values are more important than what you consider self interest.

[@fatpotatoe6039]

Maria A are you talking about Robert Reich? Price floors create untraded and wasted surplus. Minimum wage thus causes unemployment. This is basic marginalist economics.

[@heronimousbrapson863]

Fat Potatoe Yet workers earning a low wage cannot afford to buy the goods the make or the services they provide to others. How is THAT good for the economy?

[@heronimousbrapson863]

Frederic Bastiat Yet low wage workers cannot afford to buy the goods they make. How is THAT good for the economy?

[@ariadne4720]

the petite-bourgoisie, they've been around a long time

[@docmansound1]

Just bring Robert Reich to your family dinner. I don't have that many facts at my disposal...

[@tcg4111]

+docmansound1 or just play this video to them lol

[@inafern]

lol, that sounds like fun actually

[@drfistface]

My autistic eight year old son watches this video over and over- hundreds of times. He does not understand who Santa Clause is but he seems to know who uncle Bob is- at this rate he will learn to debunk trickle down economics before he figures out how to brush his own teeth

[@kalevii]

Uncle Bob was a great man, he helped prevent judgement day from ever happening from skynet.

[@GuyRegular]

I know Uncle Bob, his last name is Fox........

[@KieranGarland]

These videos are brilliant. Thanks for sharing.

[@dylanmarshall8781]

Actually Uncle Bob... 😂

[@MC-up9nx]

Brilliant this needs more views

[@musicaficionado3805]

Michael Cook we need less economic ignorance not more. Robert Reich is not an economics but class warfare intellectual masquerading as an economist. His economic stupidity is more than astounding

[@astrotherapist]

What if all your relatives are "Uncle Bob?"

[@elizdonovan5650]

In the face of these facts, how do the majority of US voting public still make such awful choices when electing state and national representatives? Love how Professor Reich explains things so that even I can understand the issues. 🌲🌝☘️

[@RandallSnyderJr]

*Well done Mr. Reich! Keep'm coming.*

[@JimmyBoo72]

Uncle Bob would be a Trump supporter.

[@RumchugMusic]

+Jimbo Jimmy The sad truth about most Uncle Bobs is that unlike the one in this skit most of them are middle/working class people.

[@MetalRat518]

Yes and reason, for some reason, doesn't seem to work.

[@Chewychaca]

Robert Reich is actually pretty good at acting

[@CynthiaSchoenbauer]

I think his magic is that he is trying to be nice to people who are so selfish that it kills you to be nice to them. HIs patience is endless.

[@SunflowerSocialist]

Well they don't really bother using socialist as a pejorative against me, because I am (no joke) a card carrying democratic socialist.

[@musicaficionado3805]

Brendan Davison how’s your socialist paradise working in Venezuela?

[@fatpotatoe6039]

"That's not actual socialism" Cue the laughter.

[@CarolYost]

So am I.

[@ariadne4720]

I'm an anarcha-socialist. They probably would not invite me to Thanksgiving. Anyway there is no such holiday here.

[@magic591]

A good, rip roaring eggnog fart would shut Uncle Bob up.

[@glike2]

Funny how Robert changes into Bob with just a scratchy voice, grouchy demeanor and glasses. Like Jekyll and Hyde! Ha Ha Ha funny video!

[@KCarver]

Come to Australia. You could really use you, Mr Reich.

[@rparl]

Outstanding. You ended with a kumbaya moment.

[@CynthiaSchoenbauer]

It is a fantasy, but it sure does look good. I look at ALL of my memories of THANKSGIVING through wonderful rose-colored glasses (and have tried to make them all classes) .... about love. But after a great many years even the dreamer in me can see beyond the hopes and dreams to see the stark reality (I could see the start of problems even back then) that Thanksgiving does not measure up well when seen through critical-thinking adult eyes. DARN!

[@HT-zx8dn]

Happy Holidays

[@suzannelaforce6988]

Nice... Yes, the way to defuse "Uncle Bobs" is with calm reasonableness and facts. Thanks again, Robert, for doing this with humor too.

[@ariadne4720]

if only that were true. Real Uncle Bob's listen to stories told them by Tucker Carlson and the like, and do not care about facts in the least.

[@juliusmerlino2027]

Omg this is such a good video!!

[@samisparkar]

Watch his documentary "inequality for all" it's amazing and funny

[@GenevieveThornton]

Haha, the end credits list bob/uncle bob...but I thought he was played by two separate people!

[@jackbyrd53]

How did I miss this one! Wish you'd do a Halloween version of dealing with Uncle Bob before midterms! How to avoid the real horror show if Dems don't deliver!

[@SuperGoBlaziken]

That double blink

[@incognitotorpedo42]

If only my uncle Bob could be swayed by facts and logic...

[@futureshock7425]

you can tell he has this guy in his family

[@CarolYost]

Since Uncle Bob is really Robert Reich, how can they show both of them in the same picture? Robert Reich, I see you’re a good actor as well as a good visual artist.

[@hughmann8452]

Simply move Uncle Bob to the kiddie table and tell him he has to remain there until he grows up and is able to have an intelligent, reasonable conversation with the adults at the grown-up table.

[@ariadne4720]

he never will grow up, it would be pointless

[@Soma81]

Uncle Rob earned his place at the Adult Table Robert should leave

[@JB52520]

Every time you hear "actually, Uncle Bob", drink!

[@sophiasummers1637]

My economics degree was basically Trickle Down Indoctrination.

[@sandyhagey564]

Great video.

[@barrylarking8986]

Is this an Oscar worthy performance?

[@arcadiaberger3763]

Maybe Uncle Bob will come around. Christmas is a time for miracles, after all.

[@ASMRyouVEGANyet]

Arcadia Berger we could've used that miracle in November 2016

[@Soma81]

Uncle Bob Sounds Wonderful I bet Robert wishes he had a Uncle

[@dosmastrify]

I've seen mix studies about job growth and adjustments to the minimum wage. I'm seeing schools cut the hours of their staff when they were told that if anybody worked full-time they needed to be provided health benefits. That would be a raise so to speak and it didn't help anybody I gave more people or part-time jobs and people that were making a living wage got knocked down to a part-time job

[@darlingnikki1353]

Omg Professor Reich "Uncle Bob" aka my "friend" Tim

[@patrickbateman4272]

Great

[@Junior_Rocky]

He always explains things so well!

[@DendyJungle]

I wish it were this easy. Old dogs can't learn new tricks is what I believe though

[@rejvaik00]

Holidays are never fun with the family. Holidays are best with your buddies at the bar

[@benmasclans4]

I actually do have an uncle bob who's like this

[@ariadne4720]

The problem is real uncle Bobs do not listen to reason

[@CynthiaSchoenbauer]

You got that right! I feel the very same way.

[@heronimousbrapson863]

For me to argue with Uncle Bob, I'd have to get roaring drunk first.

[@inafern]

hahaaa the end

[@AndreasDelleske]

Don’t choke on your Apple pie, Uncle Bob. On a second thought... your death would liberate money for healthcare and a house and your heritage makes your children rich without even needing to work. So, have another apple pie.

[@pallen1065]

Don't you have a brother? Is this him (and you)? Anyway, a fun watch. Good for the digestion ..

[@CynthiaSchoenbauer]

Cute! I like when humor is used to teach. It is gentle and loving... and appeals to us all.

[@daniellecormier2060]

You are a patient man ...🤔 ... Care to join me (or even better, replace me) at my next family gathering?

[@atheistgroup2948]

yes uncle Bob, I'm a socialist and you know why? because every country has a degree of socialism in it, yes even the USA.... you are welcome uncle Bob

[@anxietywave8735]

Thats not an uncle bob, uncle bob is supposed to be a whimscle genius and runs along and gives you this.

[@Dr_Do-Little]

I gave up on uncle Bob a long time ago. I just let him babble. i don't have time or energy for that anymore.

[@Junior_Rocky]

Unfortunately, there are a lot of Uncle Bobs in my family. 😬

[@danthemansmail]

Robert you are a good man. I wish you would understand that the system itself is the problem. You always point out the problem and what needs to be done to fix it.....but never how. Therein lies the truth....

[@bellm79]

+Dan Harris He has 100's of videos, on this channel, that outline the how. Most of them are 2 and a half minutes long. If you want to know what to do with this information on general--call/write your Congressmen, they keep track of what their potential voters care about, I got mine on the phone in person over the TPP! Join activists groups like this one, MoveOn.org, FreePress.org, Americans for Tax Fairness, Courage Campaign, Color of Change, or support any of them financially. Shoot down nonsense and misinformation when you hear it. It's all possible if people stop being apathetic and get out and act. 2015 was full of successes by these groups and the way they mobilized. Stopping the Comcast Time Warner Merger, protecting Net Neutrality, stopping the Keystone Pipeline, getting healthcare to 9/11 first-responders (Google it). Small victories, but they wouldn't have been possible without people and groups standing up.

[@danthemansmail]

Mike B I appreciate your positive enthusiasm. Because of that I won't point out the vast list of defeats we have experienced for every victory. You are right about peoples apathy. but you forgot to mention peoples ignorance as well. They are a two sided coin of self imposed slavery. Your statement could have been far more useful to someone not as politically aware or active as myself. I agree with everything you say....I just perhaps have a lower opinion of the masses and their ability to think critically and make rational decisions. I believe the mass of America as been intentionally poorly educated and have no ability whatsoever to distinguish a rational argument from right wing bullshit. As far as Robert Reich goes...we have a small basic misunderstanding. He does indeed point out the problem and he does indeed state what needs to be done in order to change things. But he always leaves out the final step. What he desires cannot happen within the system as it currently exists But he never mentions that or that fact that nothing less then a political revolution will save us from the corporation. He still exists within the system and because of it will always in the end be compromised.

[@bellm79]

Dan Harris Ok, I see where you're coming from. I agree, it will take a revolution, from the next POTUS, to your local city councilmen. I think getting someone like Bernie Sanders into the office is the first step, but keeping the momentum and grass roots support going AFTER he is elected will be the key. The next thing I'd love to see happen is having the FCC pass a law, banning advertisements during the one-hour news period all networks are required to broadcast. Forget the ratings and the "fairness", just make the news. If American's are educated, involved, and informed, they can turn this ship around. Hopefully...

[@Lonsoleil]

I agree. Even after watching Reich's "Saving Capitalism" I still can't help but to wonder if Capitalism is worth saving.

[@zeusmasterson4117]

As if you can talk to Bob. Just don’t invite him.

[@richardunderwood4158]

Robert Reich has a good sense of humor. lol

[@arthurfrederickide3605]

Unions made America great.

[@kbilisoly9355]

You for president 2020!!!

[@multani82]

Stand up from table, grab uncle by lapel, throw uncle against wall and see if he sticks. If he doesn't stick, repeat until he sticks or wall goes down. The end....

[@MetalRat518]

A little to violent there multani82. But, we'll keep this in mind for spaghetti!

[@DanYHKim2]

Strange . . . Uncle Bob looks a lot like Robert Reich, except with a bow tie and glasses.

[@bsananda0]

+Daniel Kim Yes I think it is he.

[@farhanraza3876]

read the discription

[@michaeldautry]

Fucking Bob!

[@amwerner1]

1:57 this part is a little dated. More people are joining unions now.

[@eliolopez3107]

Very well done Robert!

[@nevadataylor]

Why does capitalism have to be so ridiculously confusing? The rich do this on purpose, just as nobles use to bar everyone from learning languages, and kept them complex and difficult to understand too. Design is not found in how complex something is, but rather in how simplistic something is.

[@Orf]

How do poor people pay more in sales taxes??

[@michaeldautry]

Matt Orfalea % of income

[@MiguelPimentel001]

This is a great video but, that woman in the purple shirt just seems really uncomfortable. She's thinking, "oh no... they're going to talk about politics forever!"

[@icetwo]

it does't lool like Christmas.

[@steveferris7164]

Ineffective strategy. You don't convince anyone by direct confrontation. You find common ground and build from that. The reason why you raise the minimum wage is because the poor spend 100% of their income (because they have to in order to survive). Provide them a livable wage and spending increases, demand increases, sales increase, and corporations make more money. This permits wages to rise which repeats the cycle. You seek a win/win, not a win/lose over Uncle Bob. Confrontation is not the way to proceed. Collaboration is. As an aside a national minimum wage is unconscionable. Who believes that a person living in Washington DC has the same living expenses as the person living in Little Rock, AK? The federal government pays it's personnel based on local cost of living conditions. Why doesn't the minimum (which should be livable) wage do the same? Why doesn't SNAP and TANF? Why don't Americans go for win/win instead of win/lose?

[@CynthiaSchoenbauer]

Is part of you actually Uncle Bob? You both look strangely alike. 😲

[@divineinpurple9058]

Uncle Bob reminds me of my mother in law. What's wrong with being a socialist anyway?

[@musicaficionado3805]

Caroline Bartel because it leads to economic devastation like what happened in the USSR, North Korea, and now Venezuela

[@francisluglio6611]

As much as I am a leftist and democratic voter, they're just going to see these arguments as short sighted and come up with counters to this. You need to start with their point of view, not state your contrast to them

[@politicalkaffir9095]

I actually like Uncle Bob better; he should do the gruffy intellectual.

[@danielking1431]

Strawman: The Video

[@dosmastrify]

Dan King factless reply, YOURS

[@walterconcrete5017]

What if you are the only person in your family who didn’t vote for Donald Trump. USA USA 🇺🇸

[@WeasleyDodds]

uncle bob is pretty hot

[@MrNettoon]

yea but Uncle Bob rich as fuck. I'd rather be Bob.

[@fuckfannyfiddlefart]

Nothing wrong with being a Socialist!

[@musicaficionado3805]

fuckfannyfiddlefart tell that to the people of Venezuela

[@fuckfannyfiddlefart]

euthanasia for uncle Bob, time Millenials rejected the burden of uncle Bob and the privileged-greedy generation.

[@trumpanzeehunter2559]

CONS try and feed you the latest BS story they heard on FOX.

[@timlevis3630]

This is my brother in law 30 years a union man with pension and 401k yet still spouts uncle Bobs right wing horseshit.

[@racheljohnhyatt4028]

trump doesn't care

[@politically_mindless_9543]

Strawman

[@ryanmichaelhaley]

Sorry, but if you raise the minimum wage, you effectively raise the overhead. It doesn't matter how much you sell if the overhead has doubled.

[@tcg4111]

+Ryan Haley a) Doubling the minimum wage does NOT mean the overhead would double also lol. Labor costs only take up just a tiny percentage of the total overhead. So yes, the overhead would increase but only by a small and insignificant percentage. Definitely, NOWHERE NEAR the 100% increase (double) you falsely assume it would be. b) Yes, it DOES matter how much you sell regardless of what the overhead is. Obviously, higher the overhead, higher the number of products you need to sell (So even if the overhead was doubled, it only means that twice as many products would have to be sold then. But like I pointed out already, the overhead increase is just a small percentage and nowhere near twice the original amount). And as Robert explained more than once in this very video, raising the minimum wage directly leads to increased consumer spending which means more products are being sold, which, therefore, helps the business owner(s) meet and surpass the new increased overhead, thus still making the same gross profit if not more AND leading to a higher standard of living for the consumers which directly helps boost the economy overall.

[@ryanmichaelhaley]

+tonyrexx97 I appreciate your point of view, and I agree, increased wages will stimulate the economy, but not in the manner you are thinking. Obviously you've never managed a restaurant. When I was referring to doubling the overhead, I was referring to doubling the labor overhead. Labor runs about 20% - 25% of the total revenue, and after paying other costs, the profits only yield around 2% - 5%. Double labor costs would mean that I would sacrifice hiring more unskilled labor in exchange for better skilled people that can keep up with the pace of high volume sales. This would mean that Johnny burger flipper would have an even harder time finding a job as the job market for once unskilled labor has now become a competitive cut-throat industry for people who will work harder for that level of income. I've seen unskilled labor trying to keep up with high volume situations and it just doesn't work. Poor Johnny is not going to make more money, he's just going to be unemployed. Not only must we consider the cost of labor, but also the cost of management. I believe a McDonald's manager makes about $30,000 on average, which is around $15 an hour. The manager will obviously not make what the guys working the fryers will make, so he needs a raise, too. Higher costs means higher prices, it's just the way the economy works. Take a look at the impact of gas prices, if you don't believe me. To side with you a little, I will agree that there is a problem, and an unfair distribution of wealth. But the solution is not to just increase minimum wage, it's more about pushing a little bit from the 1% all the way down to the lower bracket. Everyone needs to make more, not just poor minimum wage Johnny. The people at the top determine what we make, and in a perfect world it's so the company can make more money. However, the sad truth of the matter is that most of these profits just go in their pockets.

[@tcg4111]

Ryan Haley That was a great explanation and I do see what you're trying to say. But I do still see a couple of things I'm not sure I agree with. For example the second part of your answer is nearly entirely my point. It sounds like it's automatically assumed that the cost of skilled labor doesn't increase also when the cost of low skilled labor aka minimum wage increases. I don't see how that would be the case here. When low skilled workers now make what higher skilled workers used to make, wouldn't that eventually create a shortage of higher skilled workers since some of those workers that wanted to make more than minimum wage now try to become more skilled and apply themselves to the next level? And others wouldn't even bother becoming a skilled worker since the payout is essentially the same. Either way it creates a shortage for all jobs in that level of pay. My point is, wouldn't this force the top 1% to raise the wages of those who used to earn around $15/hr to say $25/hr? and those that earned $25/hr to $40/hr? and so on all the way to the top? Doesn't it make sense that the top 1% would be motivated to ensure that the higher skill leveled workers are compensated more than low skill leveled workers? Especially in a competitive market, isn't it just looking out for your own interests to have higher skill leveled workers working for you? Sure, it won't happen right away or even in the first few months, but can you honestly argue that that wouldn't happen eventually? And yes, some people may temporarily suffer, but when in history did change that dissatisfied nobody ever happen? For example, when the tractor was invented, it put hundreds and thousands of people manually working the fields, out of work. Eventually those same workers then had to become even more skilled, in order to get the jobs that worked, repaired and built those tractors. In my honest opinion (cause we can really only speculate on this), I think that raising the minimum wage is the ONLY first step one can make towards eventually decreasing the gap in distribution of income as well as the gap in wealth inequality by forcing those at the top to pay workers in each skill level, one up higher in wages than those below them, which has to start from the bottom and move on up and NOT the other way around since that's been proven not to work multiple times as is evident when you look at the past few decades over which the minimum wage was among the very few things in our competitive market that never increased proportionally to the rate of inflation or anywhere close to it.

[@ryanmichaelhaley]

+tonyrexx97 I agree, but when we start to look at the "real" overhead, it's really the CEO salary upwards of 300 times what the lowest paid employee makes. Does that individual really work 300 times smarter or harder? They need to make a little less and focus more on compensating the workforce more fairly. This is one of the problems capitalism must address, as competition forces companies to find ways to spend less and make more than their competitor, but when the company does well...only the top 1% reap that benefit. It's not a stable system, and if left unregulated, eventually fails and becomes communism.

[@MetalRat518]

Little King, I just made $15 per hour and I assure you, that spending will increase! I was able to buy some clothes that I badly needed as I was wearing rags, shoes, as my old ones had holes, and lots of other things! Like enough food, and able to pay bills in full! So this really is a win win. I think the 1% are scared because they view us as a threat in an irrational way. They seem to watch us like bugs in a bottle and feel that they are responsible for us! They seem to think their money is theirs, when really they are stealing it. They don't want to have anything to do with the rest of the people on the planet besides themselves, but they know that they must, otherwise who would do all the farming and manufacturing and stuff? But, somehow they are only loyal to the conditions and infrastructure that effects them! So, they don't care whether Americans become as poor as Malawians! Its simple! Yet, the middle class Uncle Bobs keep voting for the interests of the 1% as if they are going to actually help them out at all, as if they are helping them now! As if their social security is coming from the 1% as a gift instead of from their own tax dollars! Silly aren't they?

[@atrociousconsequences4432]

Right-wing relatives should be celebrating greedy, vile, hateful Trumpmas instead.

[@atrociousconsequences4432]

Uncle Bob will now be paying too much in taxes to Billionaires sitting on a$$es !!

[@jasonbaker1493]

The prologue to this argument is the leftist short haired wife starting a horrible conversation nobody really wanted to get into.

[@michealhiggins4748]

jason baker m

[@ASMRyouVEGANyet]

Yeah right. It's always the Republicans in my family who can't wait to bring up politics

[@HEARD201]

how about instead you drop politics during the holidays and actually spend time talking about non controversial things

[@sallymoen6371]

...but this guy brought it up. The video is how you respond.

[@HEARD201]

+Sally Moen I bet know one would ever have a video of how to respond to left wings

[@blackneos940]

+Guitarot Like Religion.....? :3

[@HEARD201]

+Keegan I'm a left wing but at least ik some things right wing do make sense so stop being an ignorant human being

[@HEARD201]

+Keegan I'm a left wing but at least ik some things right wing do make sense so stop being an ignorant human being

[@jimthewindmillman9317]

Another alinski Pon...

[@mrgibson4875]

PS socialism is a dirty word what you should say is progressive capitalism and mean it.

[@SuplexTreatment]

Vote Libertarian

[@musicaficionado3805]

I can destroy these arguments by Reich easily. People pay a lot in sales tax, gasoline tax, license taxes, progressive taxes, medicare taxes, social security taxes, etc. The reason why economies grow is that businesses undertake and accumulate more capital by savings (by consumers and capitalists) not spending. A consumer can spend all he wants if nothing is being produced there is no wealth in society. "The fair share" in the 50s and 60s is baloney. Unions only occupied in their peak at 20% of the entire workforce. We are much wealthier now then it was then and unions are on an all time low in membership. As more capital goods are accumulated wages goes up because businesses need more complementary factors of production which raise their prices.

[@mecongberlin]

A: the share (%) of the overall income for paid (indirect) taxes is higher for poor people b: economies do not grow by capital absorbed within organizations - equity does. Savings of private households do bring some macroeconomical growth (Germany 1955-69) but only if your economy has a strong export base. What really grows is wealth. C: a consumer can always spend thanks to globalization and the internet, question is whereto (capital export). D: We = winner of the economic game vs. the other people of the country = individuals vs. society. E: capital goods = material goods - we are living at the end of a service society going into a time society. Wages are only influenced for them who partake - see above individuals vs. society.

[@jegrif123]

This is a really liberal channel. I'm going to go before I reach the butthurt.

[@larrybrennan1463]

The usual economic ignorance from Reich.

[@danielking1431]

Strawman: The Video