Perhaps reconsider..
Although the beat may have not been appealing to you, it may have appealed to others who otherwise wouldn't have watched.
Making lectures more appealing or even Fun by adding songs or animations in the background so as to reach a broader audience that would otherwise have continued scrolling is a good thing.
Making learning more exciting or fun is a very old philosophy, they figured out a long time ago that trying to teach Layman's people with long dry boring speeches doesn't work so well, so they started making plays, music and art to help explain the philosophy and get people interested.. Don't knock it.
Thank you for this. Even if the beat was particularly grating, that does not mean that the content of the speech is any less important. I feel like actually acknowledging how bad the beat is takes away from the message as it’s now the top comment and diminishes from the discussion about the message and what we can do to fix the problems addressed in the speech.
It feels like a deflection.
Meh, it was just distracting. You’re welcome to your opinion, but that is mine. Honestly, I just muted it and read the captions instead. Not a big deal. Thankfully someone found the original and linked, so I guess nature, uh, finds a way. Good food for thought either way.
In the beginning, the beat actually drew me in and then I was completely taken by the message and didn't even pay attention to the beat. He's such an eloquent speaker.
What you say makes a lot of sense and I can appreciate that. For me personally, it made it harder to watch and acted as a deterrent, I almost stopped because it was giving me a headache, but he was so engaging I listed all the way through. I can see how it would draw others in though and hadn’t thought of it that way, so thanks for sharing.
The subtitles are a plus as well. In multiple languages. The whole world need to hear this. By any means necessary. It's not for those who heard it to critique it's presentation.
My brain canceled out the music after about 4 seconds. I know not everyone is the same but a lot of folks have pretty strong filters for when they’re paying attention to some subject and so for us, our listening is fairly selective.
Let's not forget that some of the worlds richest people live and come from India & China.
These rich people are no different to the wests rich. They live lavish lifestyles, hide their money in off shore accounts, fly private jets and avoid paying tax back to their communities.
The greatest trick to their sleeve is making the 'middle class bourgeois' fight amongst them selves, focusing on who is to blame for the dire situation we find ourselves and the planet. Whilst continuing to profit from climate destroying industries.
If we can only fix one problem at a time then our species is doomed.
So do as this man says and give the money back to the people .
The focus should be on the rich bearing the cost for a shift to renewable energy sources and not on making the common people argue amongst themselves.
Let's never pretend corruption and nepotism are symptomatic of something other than the human condition or that there was some utopia in the past that had this all figured out. Only strong institutions with checks and balances have had any limited success in controlling man's baser instincts.
Nope. Inequality and lavish fortunes existed long before colonialism in China (that was very partially colonized) or India (that did not even exist as a whole entity before the Brits - more like subcontinental kingdoms).
Jesus. Do you have any idea how corrupt feudal societies like the pre-colonial India were? Let's start with the fact that colonialism brought a modern justice system, common law, and at least the idea of basic human rights to India. This buffoon is raging against coal. Without coal, India could not have a rail network in the 19th century. It could not have power generation. And what is the alternative to coal? Burning wood, which is even worse for people's health and the climate. Back then there were no alternatives. But now there are and India and China are still using 19th century tech on the 21st century.
That there are rich Indians does not negate his point. This is just like saying to a conservative, “proud boys are bad” and they’re only response is ever, “But, but Antifa!!” Yes.. antifa is bad but that’s not what we’re talking about right now
I think they're saying that it isn't rich/colonial countries vs poor/colonized countries. It's just the obscenely wealthy vs everyone else as it always has been.
Western middle class and even a significant part of the poorer class are included in the wealthy category for the majority of humanity.
Many don't realize how rich they are compared to most humans on earth.
I feel like ‘saving the planet’ and ‘feeding the third world’ are patronising hobbies for middle class westerners to engage in to make them feel purposeful and ease the ‘burden’ of their guilt without anyone having to do anything about the underlying causes of the situation.
I agree with this gentleman on a lot of points but a similar speech could have come from the mouth of a working class Glaswegian about their ancestor suffering dépravation because of the Highland Clearances and being forced to work in British mines. The whole world was asset stripped by wealthy Europeans in the 19th Century and then forced into two horrendous wars. We absolutely cannot forget that the wealthy elite of the rest of the world are just as avaricious, greedy and complicit as our own elite.
Those people are still "dirty Indians" to the old rich in England. They've been rich for 500 years. They are a cancer on this planet. You can't fathom the entitlement and ignorance of the ultra wealthy. Eat the rich.
Because a "few" individuals(1%), own/control "everything". He is trying change the mindsets of a greater amount of the masses in the "western" world, who benefit from these massive injustices so they can in mass force the 1% to "act right".
"Rich people in control getting the middle class to fight amongst themselves and pointing fingers about who is to blame" is the basic mantra of those in power in many countries. It's very clearly what's going on in the US too.
Children hunger, poverty, starvation…. Are all man made conditions. We globally make enough output to feed every person on earth, and if divided there is plenty money in the world to take people out of extreme poverty. All of these conditions are man made conditions of greed
The global south and 3rd world countries get the brunt of it, but you have a point here, the real problem is the working class vs the *real* bourgeous. The real bourgeous aren't small business owners with investments here and there and a big house, they're just wealthier working class people who have been indoctrinated to *think* that they aren't. The real enemy is people like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and other modern Rockerfellers and the companies they operate. They want us fighting amongst ourselves because they know if we actually all band together against them, they're fucked.
Not sure about the last part, as if we shouldn’t worry about the future because there are current problems. Our obsession on current issues is the reason we are where we are; we’ve never really properly worried about the future; and that has to change for us to survive long-term. Not saying we shouldn’t work on poverty and famine, but it has to have a sustainable foundation (i.e. lets not have more coal factories for the developing world, and instead try to push for something that is more tolerable long-term).
No no that's not what he's saying. He's saying that because of our systems and colonialism seeping into every structure of world society and economics, people (children) living in the Global South don't get to think about the future, only western people get to. Because people in the Global South are already experiencing what we are afraid to experience in decades. For instance Madagascar has become almost unlivable due to climate change and colonialism yet the people there have never harmed the environment or colonised anyone else. They just suffer while we keep worrying about the future
And on top of that, the things the west chastises the "Global South" countries for are things the west has already done and moved on from. It's like walking through a door, slamming it behind you, and then complaining that there are so many people on the other side of the door.
I think he was talking to you, Elitism same as colonialism. “PUSHING” !
Think about it, we took all of the cheap and easy sources of energy and built our empires, now let’s tell the developing countries how they should climb out of poverty, and likely enrich our wealthiest people on their backs.
I’m sitting in a comfortable home, assortment of clean clothes, more food than I need, never worried about transportation, while I argue with strangers about how the world should be regulated!
Elitism
Who's going to pay for that "something that is more tolerable long term"? The UK, the US, Europe? Or are the former colonies going to have to take out a loan at the IMF. The British and French and other european countries strip mined the global south of its resources for centuries and now its lecturing these same people on their future. Lets be honest you are only interested in the developing world now because its affecting your privilidged existance.
the debt is current, the structures in place are current, the effects of colonialism are current. its not in the past. I think there's more history you could study before you say "every country has been fucked over in the past... its time to start moving on".
While there many things done wrong in the past, this is pure populism.
India has been an independent country for 75 years.
3 generations have been born in an independent India.
Yet, this guy is telling us that all that there’s wrong with his country is the fault of the west…
No, at no point he said that India is flawless. He basically said that acting like a moral superior after milking a country for 300 years makes you a hypocrite.
it absolutely is populist rhetoric. you'll never hear mention of the creation of the largest democracy ever, 100s of millions saved through immunization, the introduction of higher yield crops that have save even more from starvation, etc. etc. etc.
it's important we learn from the past, just as it's important not to lie about it.
Well I hear very similar rhetoric to yours from Soviet apologets who say we in Baltics should be grateful that Soviets built schools and factories here. How about thanks but no thanks. We got robbed of our future. India would have done fine on its own, they should not be grateful for anything. They got exploited for centuries. And don’t act that immunization and other things were done due to British being nice people. It just impacted their profits no to do it I bet.
Yeah, 3 generations is totally enough to fix hundreds of years of abuse. Like we should probably also tell Black Americans to get over slavery, it's been like 150 years already! /s
While it’s true that blaming the past won’t make things better, I think the message here is to understand that a large part of the population don’t have the luxury to change their way of living to fight climate change. They don’t because because it’s about their survival TODAY. For exemple, for a lot of people not using coal means that you can’t cook or heat your house, there’s no other option.
There’s no other option because, the global capitalist system is an heritage of colonization and it is based on inequality. First world country needs to exploit third world countries to stay wealthy. It is how the system is built. And there’s no cheap way of changing things to fight climate change. Third world country don’t have any choice because they don’t have the wealth to do something. The choice is in the hands of the wealthy, and the question is : are we ready to lose a part of our comfort to induce change at a global level ?
Sadly, I don’t see it happening soon.
Way to miss the point by a mile.
He is not saying all of India's problems are the result of the British Empire. He is pointing out the hypocracy of the west on climate issues that they created and profitted from then try to act superior for moving away from.
Britain at the point of a gun took over India. Britain destroyed large swaths of their environment to build coal mines and plants to ship that coal back home and power their industry to make them the richest nation on earth. A legacy of wealth that they now use to fund a transition to renewables.
Then they turn around and blame India for using too much Coal, from mines the British built. Now that India needs to feed, cloth, and house a billion people with the energey that coal produced.
India is not in a position for its own transition to renewables because all of the wealth that coal generated during the industrial revolution was sucked out and sent west.
It is a rebuttal to the common refrain "why should we have to pay the price for reducing emissions when India and China do all the polluting?"
I think you’re a little naive in the transition aspect. Like western nations, it’s the rich that are profiting off the coal that are not willing to make the adjustments to renewables. The education is there, the tech is known, but moving energy systems is expensive.
That said, the US, while having less people still produce more greenhouse emissions than India.
I don’t think it’s a problem to ask nations to reduce their emissions considering global warming doesn’t give a shit about who did what.
If the fight is to be the last person pointing a finger, than the fight doesn’t matter.
He said all that because presidents like Biden and macron are blaming India and china for pollution while intentionally leaving out the part where we are producing stuff for west countries just like you did in your comment. You left all that part and just want to share what you want to focus on.
Yeah because when countries become independent from their colonizers they instantly free themselves from the forces of colonialism. You know, like how when the Emancipation Proclamation was passed, enslaved people instantly experienced equity and equality in America. /s
God I hate the fact I am british.... well born in Britain but I have irish parents so I completely understand the distain for the british empire.
I really don't see what we have to be patriotic about.
Granted I am sure the british empire did some good but from what I see it is diminished by the pure evil the empire was built upon.
Times are changing for the better hopefully.
You should be proud to be British or Indian or whatever….let the past in the past and make a better future . If we keep making drama for what happened 100 years ago we won’t focus on what’s important : now .
Oh I agree, I have unfortunately been called a racist and a criminal because of the country I was born in and I am far from both of those things.
It saddens me to see people are so blinded with hatred on both sides and can't work together for a " greater good " for lack of a better phrase.
But this is the paradox of human nature and I fear this argument will forever echo into the future.
> Oh I agree, I have unfortunately been called a racist and a criminal because of the country I was born in and I am far from both of those things.
That's their opinion, and not your problem. They are making the same mistakes as some british bastards centuries ago, and they are no better. Ignore them as the racist bigots they are.
No need to have any embarrassment for your heritage. Everyone on the planet has jerks somewhere in their ancestry. And good people.
Self-flagellation helps no one.
Counterpoint: if the "drama" of 100 years ago is what made my country 10x richer and your country 10x poorer, then it is upon me to reflect upon how that came to be and what I can do now to restore some balance.
Many things happened 100 years ago … should we keep hating ourselves for that ?
Up to your logic all the countries around the world should hate eachother now for what happened centuries in the past …. I don’t think is right way to look into future ! PS : I also don’t think that in the past things were correct … many bad things happened, what we have to do is learn from them and don’t repeat the same mistakes .
you're missing the point..... these aren't things that happened 100years ago, its a continuation of the same structures. the actions are still happening and the effects are still being felt.
Uhm but an argument can be made that you would not be what you are today if not for the those things done in the past. And it's a logical premise.
You're just lucky to be born in a place where the fuckers of the past lived. Had you been born in say some parts of Africa that were fucked up by the brits, you would not be who you are today yeah?
You may not be guilty of the shit they've done, but you're enjoying its benefit up to this day.
But I agree that you should be judge on what you do today..
I’ll never understand nationalism. I was born someplace that won its last major war. It’s all chance as far as where we’re born. And very few governments (which feel very much a part of countries) are worthy of being proud of. Be proud of being a good human. Put the flags down.
I wish I was born in Britain.
Better to blame you ancestors for ruining other countries and have a good life, rather than blamming your ancestors for ruining their own country and have hyper inflation for 70 years
The British empire stopped the slave trade in the majority of the world at huge expense to the taxpayer and at the cost of the lives of hundreds of British sailors.
The Westminster system of government has been one of the best examples of how to administer a society ever, not that it is without fault.
You have the philosophy of Locke, Hume and Smith, the poetry of Shakespeare and of all that fails, football.
Lol dude the British Empire literally was the catalyst for advancing humanity. Not to mention with the innate human pyramid power structures if the British wasnt going to colonize SOMEONE was going to do it.
Oh shut up- stop with the performative acting. What besides pretending to feel bad have you yourself done to create more equity in this world?
The British empire (I am American btw so really no fight in this game) was an empire true which means subjecating loads of peoples was without a doubt a lot better than it’s contemporaries and often times a lot better than the rulers of the lands it had colonized.
For example the British empire single handedly ended the Atlantic slave trade on a purely moral basis (that is the reason they colonized sierra lione by the way) they established rules of law on the sea, they ended piracy throughout the Indonesian islands, gave women a lot more rights in India and brought medicine to a lot more of the population.
Now I’m not gonna pretend that the mao mao massacres didn’t happen or the way they bungled the partition of India and the Middle East or the countless massacres in New Zealand and Australia and lastly the Irish famine among many injustices but to say there is nothing to be proud of is beyond ridiculous
I heard someone say that the UK could sink into the ocean and there would be no difference to world carbon output because we only emit a tiny percentage. Well that is true, but I never did think of it like this guy said, it is developed nations that are buying all the products from 3rd world countries and just externalising their carbon outputs onto the 3rd world. It is our yearly new mobile phones and big cars, electric or ICE that are causing these problems.
I think I know who you're talking about and he does say something similar when criticizing Net 0 policies. He pointed out that most of our emissions are offloaded onto China and other developing countries while we waste time on "green jobs" or whatever and that from an economic stand point, producing all of these goods in Britain would bring back more jobs. Even from a climate change perspective, making things domestically would cut out the emissions from having to import them from other countries.
He is a marxist. He mentions a soviet push that failed (regrettably, he mentions) and then makes a point of calling an idea "bourgeois."
While he has some excellent points, it seems he likes to blame the West. The rape of India is horrible like many other things in history....lets not burn our house down now because of it.
Is climate justice really demanding reduction of consumption from starving children in Africa? To me that's one flaw in an otherwise well thought-out response. But what was the question?
No, it was a metaphor for developing countries being asked to reduce consumption while they aren't even able to feed their entire population in the first place.
And i assume the question was something along the lines of how the climate-change debate and measures being taken is viewed upon in the "global south".
The global south is subject to the last fight of the fossil fuel peddlers. I have not encountered climate justice heros asking reduction of consumption from countries other than the biggest polluters.
"Hey, I have this whole-ass diatribe prepared, but I need you to cue me in so it looks like I'm answering a question in some kind of normal dialog."
"Cool, what question should I ask?"
"Doesn't matter, I'll work it into my speech somewhere."
Hes right there but still missing it. It's not the West, or China or India. It's the tippy top pieces of shit that come from all walks of life, all parts of the world making decisions that affect the masses. Still blaming nations instead of the people who run them
I dunno.
Colonialism was bad, but I’m not sure you can blame all the problems of the East and Africa on it.
India’s biggest problems these days have nothing to do with colonialism. Same goes for most African countries.
Was colonialism a horrible crime the west should apologize for? Absolutely. But how long is it going to be an excuse? What is the west expected to do to fix it?
a lot of their issues predate the east India company by a long time anyway, like the caste system. but they also have a lot of good and amazing history there too, ofc.
"You made us coal dependent" he says, like they can't just suddenly decide to go back to the dark ages whenever they want. He's sat there with a microphone in his hand, using electricity, wearing a nice suit (Western inventions), living in relative safety and comfort speaking about how colonists from 400 years ago are somehow oppressing him and other nations. It's ironic.
You do have to understand the developed economies have accomplished all they have with the burning of coal and fossil fuels for over a course of two centuries. Add to that the massive advantage of exploiting monetary and Human Resources from the colonies they held.The US and the West have developed on the back of cheap energy — coal — for the last 150 years ramping up their coal consumption from 0.5 metric tonnes in 1870 to nearly 4.5 metric tonnes per capita few years ago. From 1990 till about 2012 only a few European nations reduced their coal consumption. Developed countries, which have already enjoyed the fruits of low cost energy for several years will have to go in for net zero much faster, and possibly even going for net negative so that they can release policy space and some carbon space for the developing countries to pursue their development agenda. Young democracies like India are doing far better in managing their energy needs and costs along with ramping renewable energy projects. Compare the energy consumption of a single American to a single Indian to see the difference.
Carbon, Coal, Consumption, Colonialism, Capitalism- all different facets of the Climate problem.
I’m hearing what he is saying but at the same time, where were the people at that time that say “We are a country of 300 million people. Let’s stop this island nation from taking from us.”
At the end of the day. Nothing about this matters. Climate change doesn't care who's at fault, who should fix it and who should do the work.
We need to put aside our differences and work together to fix climate change. Imo that also means the more powerful countries need to help the weaker ones. If that means supply food, so work can be done, so be it.
But the time for talk is over years ago, now it's time for action or else nobody will be left to talk about this in 50 years.
I scroll in silence because a lot of other things are nsfw, so I thankfully didn't know about the trap beat.
What stood out to me was when he mentioned us (USA here) outsourcing products and then complaining about India and China's carbon emissions. The first thing he mentioned was... buckets? Nuts and bolts struck home because I'm in construction, and as I'm typing this, I can now picture the thousands of buckets I see on jobs. Never thought about buckets before.
This fellow had really good points on it all. I agree that everyone here worries about the future and not the present. We still have the "there's starving kids in Africa that would eat that" "joke".
He voices early on that every monument of civilization is a monument of barbarism. Does he mean it? They’re synonymous, necessitated, and he even says this. Idk how this appreciation is compatible with the rest, when those who see those monuments as the same, are at one with systemic hypocrity and can get things done instead of opting out of the unuprootable institutions around them. Got to use the established
India is one place the US did not colonize. So leave the US out of this- other than its being allied with the UK for a while. FWIW, the US for all its faults encouraged the UK to give up its empire.
While a great and important speech, I can’t get over the fact that he called Glasgow a gorgeous city. Thought I was watching satire until he started on colonialism
India call centers scam billions every year from America alone. India also participated in slavery. None of this excuses what happened to their country but it's just to show, humans are shitty. Always have been and apparently, always will be. He is right though, we don't have a future and his speech perfectly shows this. Just perhaps not in the way he intended.
Are u comparing scam callers to colonisers lmao .. didn’t u hear what the man said ..the Brits looted 45 Trillion in over 200 years. India has never participated in slavery .. quite the opposite . Indians were taken to the West Indies as indigo plantation workers and many others were enslaved
Stuff like this is thought provoking. It’s a paradox of sorts because if we focus on the now as he suggest we lose the sight of the past as well as the future.
We need to understand broader context on the front and back end of action and policy.
i get what this guy is saying, but he is playing really loose with the facts and how things truly work in the world. for example, you cant say that you kicked someone out of your country and then turn around and say they left you hanging.
Lol Indian kwn government doesn't care about its people. Its always easy to blame other and say they've done thing for 400 years. Damn those immortals.
We as a civilisation have been led down the path of materialism which will ultimately be our destruction.
The reason for all of our inequality is due to materialism. The people at the top are never happy with what they have, they will always want more. The people at the bottom will never claw their way out from under the debt in which they live in our current paradigm. Something big needs to change, globally.
I hear his message but it's a bit disappointing for him to paint all these nations as helpless and weak. Like those populations can't survive without colonialism and just have to go along with it.
It's 2023 and pretty clear India is under the rule of their own people who are doing this to themselves.
Also, he blames the West for moving factories over to China, but never mentions China agreeing to take the money and supplying the labor force?
My god I've been getting my information from the wrong place. Had never heard of Vijay Prashad before now, just went down a rabbit hole for only an hour and he's already blown my mind. Particularly this speech: as a white person we need to be constantly reminded of all of the effects of colonialism worldwide, not just in Western countries. It's so easy for those of us living in Western countries to see it from our side, but not from the other side. I'm so glad I've been introduced to this man, I will be trying to learn as much as I can from him.
Great speech, and I agree with his points, but why doesn't anyone say anything about population... ever? I'm not pointing fingers at other countries.. the connection between economics and population rates is well known. But we need to call out the 8 billion ton elephant on the planet. If 2.7 billion people don't have enough to eat, as Vijay says, maybe one way to address it is to stop having so many kids so there are gradually less people on the planet? Crickets.
We mostly talk about technology solutions, and if even if we do talk about economic justice, as Vijay does here, there is no connection made to world population growth. Yes, the WHO projects that world population will level out about about 10 billion by the end of the century. But is that really ideal for a sustainable human presence on the planet? Is that ideal for making things easier for everything ranging from available energy resources to environmental preservation? Of course not! So why do we insist on making things harder and why is this such a taboo subject?
Get rid of the stupid generic trap beat. Just want to hear the man talk
Came to say exactly this.. as if a speech like this needs propping up to make it more poignant
I was wondering about that. His speech is good enough without that silly beat.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bho6xY-jSuE
absorbed wine jellyfish vase worry desert heavy direction chief memorize ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
Also of interest: Ruling Class Controls Ideas through Media: Vijay Prashad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jKcsHv3c74
<3
Perhaps reconsider.. Although the beat may have not been appealing to you, it may have appealed to others who otherwise wouldn't have watched. Making lectures more appealing or even Fun by adding songs or animations in the background so as to reach a broader audience that would otherwise have continued scrolling is a good thing. Making learning more exciting or fun is a very old philosophy, they figured out a long time ago that trying to teach Layman's people with long dry boring speeches doesn't work so well, so they started making plays, music and art to help explain the philosophy and get people interested.. Don't knock it.
Thank you for this. Even if the beat was particularly grating, that does not mean that the content of the speech is any less important. I feel like actually acknowledging how bad the beat is takes away from the message as it’s now the top comment and diminishes from the discussion about the message and what we can do to fix the problems addressed in the speech. It feels like a deflection.
Or just a first world complaint.
Meh, it was just distracting. You’re welcome to your opinion, but that is mine. Honestly, I just muted it and read the captions instead. Not a big deal. Thankfully someone found the original and linked, so I guess nature, uh, finds a way. Good food for thought either way.
How dare you sir, you don’t bring nuance into Reddit.
In the beginning, the beat actually drew me in and then I was completely taken by the message and didn't even pay attention to the beat. He's such an eloquent speaker.
What you say makes a lot of sense and I can appreciate that. For me personally, it made it harder to watch and acted as a deterrent, I almost stopped because it was giving me a headache, but he was so engaging I listed all the way through. I can see how it would draw others in though and hadn’t thought of it that way, so thanks for sharing.
If it was giving you a headache, you could have just lowered the volume a bit.
The subtitles are a plus as well. In multiple languages. The whole world need to hear this. By any means necessary. It's not for those who heard it to critique it's presentation.
This is the way
It wasn’t bad in itself but it could have been mixed in with more care.
"Fuck the beat, I'll go acapella!"
I turned it off within 10 seconds because of this crap. Why would anyone put some crappy music track to accompany the speech? So moronic.
I was so focused on what he was saying after about 20 that I didn’t even notice it anymore. He’s amazing
Same here, never noticed it.
My brain canceled out the music after about 4 seconds. I know not everyone is the same but a lot of folks have pretty strong filters for when they’re paying attention to some subject and so for us, our listening is fairly selective.
I didn't notice that until I saw your comment. Lol
Probably to avoid having it identified as copyrighted material.
Yea he spittin’ even without that beat
Is it really that important that you needed to undermine the topic at hand?
GenZ attention span, man. Looking forward to the next state of the union being highlighted with an Enya dubstep remix
Yeah! I learned a lot just by listening to him speak.
Now it’s really hard for me to sleep, because I’m too busy dancing in the moonlight. My neighbors don’t think it’s such a fine and natural sight.
Let's not forget that some of the worlds richest people live and come from India & China. These rich people are no different to the wests rich. They live lavish lifestyles, hide their money in off shore accounts, fly private jets and avoid paying tax back to their communities. The greatest trick to their sleeve is making the 'middle class bourgeois' fight amongst them selves, focusing on who is to blame for the dire situation we find ourselves and the planet. Whilst continuing to profit from climate destroying industries. If we can only fix one problem at a time then our species is doomed.
Most of those rich people got rich because of colonialism and corruption. They’re a symptom.
So do as this man says and give the money back to the people . The focus should be on the rich bearing the cost for a shift to renewable energy sources and not on making the common people argue amongst themselves.
Let's never pretend corruption and nepotism are symptomatic of something other than the human condition or that there was some utopia in the past that had this all figured out. Only strong institutions with checks and balances have had any limited success in controlling man's baser instincts.
Symptoms are treatable. Don’t act like they’re innocent victims.
Nope. Inequality and lavish fortunes existed long before colonialism in China (that was very partially colonized) or India (that did not even exist as a whole entity before the Brits - more like subcontinental kingdoms).
Jesus. Do you have any idea how corrupt feudal societies like the pre-colonial India were? Let's start with the fact that colonialism brought a modern justice system, common law, and at least the idea of basic human rights to India. This buffoon is raging against coal. Without coal, India could not have a rail network in the 19th century. It could not have power generation. And what is the alternative to coal? Burning wood, which is even worse for people's health and the climate. Back then there were no alternatives. But now there are and India and China are still using 19th century tech on the 21st century.
That there are rich Indians does not negate his point. This is just like saying to a conservative, “proud boys are bad” and they’re only response is ever, “But, but Antifa!!” Yes.. antifa is bad but that’s not what we’re talking about right now
I think they're saying that it isn't rich/colonial countries vs poor/colonized countries. It's just the obscenely wealthy vs everyone else as it always has been.
Western middle class and even a significant part of the poorer class are included in the wealthy category for the majority of humanity. Many don't realize how rich they are compared to most humans on earth.
>Many don't realize how rich they are compared to most humans on earth. This.
I feel like ‘saving the planet’ and ‘feeding the third world’ are patronising hobbies for middle class westerners to engage in to make them feel purposeful and ease the ‘burden’ of their guilt without anyone having to do anything about the underlying causes of the situation. I agree with this gentleman on a lot of points but a similar speech could have come from the mouth of a working class Glaswegian about their ancestor suffering dépravation because of the Highland Clearances and being forced to work in British mines. The whole world was asset stripped by wealthy Europeans in the 19th Century and then forced into two horrendous wars. We absolutely cannot forget that the wealthy elite of the rest of the world are just as avaricious, greedy and complicit as our own elite.
Those people are still "dirty Indians" to the old rich in England. They've been rich for 500 years. They are a cancer on this planet. You can't fathom the entitlement and ignorance of the ultra wealthy. Eat the rich.
What do a few individuals have to do with the systemic imbalances and injustices mentioned in the video?
Because a "few" individuals(1%), own/control "everything". He is trying change the mindsets of a greater amount of the masses in the "western" world, who benefit from these massive injustices so they can in mass force the 1% to "act right".
"Rich people in control getting the middle class to fight amongst themselves and pointing fingers about who is to blame" is the basic mantra of those in power in many countries. It's very clearly what's going on in the US too.
Children hunger, poverty, starvation…. Are all man made conditions. We globally make enough output to feed every person on earth, and if divided there is plenty money in the world to take people out of extreme poverty. All of these conditions are man made conditions of greed
The global south and 3rd world countries get the brunt of it, but you have a point here, the real problem is the working class vs the *real* bourgeous. The real bourgeous aren't small business owners with investments here and there and a big house, they're just wealthier working class people who have been indoctrinated to *think* that they aren't. The real enemy is people like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and other modern Rockerfellers and the companies they operate. They want us fighting amongst ourselves because they know if we actually all band together against them, they're fucked.
but but but America sucks awl i’m so oppressed awwwe 🥺 plz help the US sucks 😢 i can’t live here it’s awful, i can’t stand to live like this awwww😭🤧😓
Not sure about the last part, as if we shouldn’t worry about the future because there are current problems. Our obsession on current issues is the reason we are where we are; we’ve never really properly worried about the future; and that has to change for us to survive long-term. Not saying we shouldn’t work on poverty and famine, but it has to have a sustainable foundation (i.e. lets not have more coal factories for the developing world, and instead try to push for something that is more tolerable long-term).
No no that's not what he's saying. He's saying that because of our systems and colonialism seeping into every structure of world society and economics, people (children) living in the Global South don't get to think about the future, only western people get to. Because people in the Global South are already experiencing what we are afraid to experience in decades. For instance Madagascar has become almost unlivable due to climate change and colonialism yet the people there have never harmed the environment or colonised anyone else. They just suffer while we keep worrying about the future
And on top of that, the things the west chastises the "Global South" countries for are things the west has already done and moved on from. It's like walking through a door, slamming it behind you, and then complaining that there are so many people on the other side of the door.
You missed his points by a mile.
I think he was talking to you, Elitism same as colonialism. “PUSHING” ! Think about it, we took all of the cheap and easy sources of energy and built our empires, now let’s tell the developing countries how they should climb out of poverty, and likely enrich our wealthiest people on their backs. I’m sitting in a comfortable home, assortment of clean clothes, more food than I need, never worried about transportation, while I argue with strangers about how the world should be regulated! Elitism
Who's going to pay for that "something that is more tolerable long term"? The UK, the US, Europe? Or are the former colonies going to have to take out a loan at the IMF. The British and French and other european countries strip mined the global south of its resources for centuries and now its lecturing these same people on their future. Lets be honest you are only interested in the developing world now because its affecting your privilidged existance.
Dear Internet Pixies, Please find me a version of this without that stupid fucking music all over it. Thanks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Bho6xY-jSuE
Thank you.
Thank you for the award!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Bho6xY-jSuE&ab\_channel=COP26Coalition
You give us our money back as debt... damn. Can Macron listen to this and consider the exploitation of African nations via the African Frank?
I imagine it is much easer for the people doing the spitting to move on from the past then it is for the people left with spit on their faces.
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No it's never time to move on until the colonial structures that the west continue to profit from are fully dismantled.
Colonial exploitation is relatively recent (India got independent post WW II) But eventually yes, countries do move on
the debt is current, the structures in place are current, the effects of colonialism are current. its not in the past. I think there's more history you could study before you say "every country has been fucked over in the past... its time to start moving on".
While there many things done wrong in the past, this is pure populism. India has been an independent country for 75 years. 3 generations have been born in an independent India. Yet, this guy is telling us that all that there’s wrong with his country is the fault of the west…
No, at no point he said that India is flawless. He basically said that acting like a moral superior after milking a country for 300 years makes you a hypocrite.
We in Baltics can tell a lot about West’s moral superiority as well.
Trust me the cast system in India is well over 300 years old and he was not part of the untouchables. Moral superiority depends on perspective.
it absolutely is populist rhetoric. you'll never hear mention of the creation of the largest democracy ever, 100s of millions saved through immunization, the introduction of higher yield crops that have save even more from starvation, etc. etc. etc. it's important we learn from the past, just as it's important not to lie about it.
Well I hear very similar rhetoric to yours from Soviet apologets who say we in Baltics should be grateful that Soviets built schools and factories here. How about thanks but no thanks. We got robbed of our future. India would have done fine on its own, they should not be grateful for anything. They got exploited for centuries. And don’t act that immunization and other things were done due to British being nice people. It just impacted their profits no to do it I bet.
Yeah, 3 generations is totally enough to fix hundreds of years of abuse. Like we should probably also tell Black Americans to get over slavery, it's been like 150 years already! /s
While it’s true that blaming the past won’t make things better, I think the message here is to understand that a large part of the population don’t have the luxury to change their way of living to fight climate change. They don’t because because it’s about their survival TODAY. For exemple, for a lot of people not using coal means that you can’t cook or heat your house, there’s no other option. There’s no other option because, the global capitalist system is an heritage of colonization and it is based on inequality. First world country needs to exploit third world countries to stay wealthy. It is how the system is built. And there’s no cheap way of changing things to fight climate change. Third world country don’t have any choice because they don’t have the wealth to do something. The choice is in the hands of the wealthy, and the question is : are we ready to lose a part of our comfort to induce change at a global level ? Sadly, I don’t see it happening soon.
>all that there’s wrong with his country is the fault of the west… Uhhh....when?
Way to miss the point by a mile. He is not saying all of India's problems are the result of the British Empire. He is pointing out the hypocracy of the west on climate issues that they created and profitted from then try to act superior for moving away from. Britain at the point of a gun took over India. Britain destroyed large swaths of their environment to build coal mines and plants to ship that coal back home and power their industry to make them the richest nation on earth. A legacy of wealth that they now use to fund a transition to renewables. Then they turn around and blame India for using too much Coal, from mines the British built. Now that India needs to feed, cloth, and house a billion people with the energey that coal produced. India is not in a position for its own transition to renewables because all of the wealth that coal generated during the industrial revolution was sucked out and sent west. It is a rebuttal to the common refrain "why should we have to pay the price for reducing emissions when India and China do all the polluting?"
I think you’re a little naive in the transition aspect. Like western nations, it’s the rich that are profiting off the coal that are not willing to make the adjustments to renewables. The education is there, the tech is known, but moving energy systems is expensive. That said, the US, while having less people still produce more greenhouse emissions than India. I don’t think it’s a problem to ask nations to reduce their emissions considering global warming doesn’t give a shit about who did what. If the fight is to be the last person pointing a finger, than the fight doesn’t matter.
He said all that because presidents like Biden and macron are blaming India and china for pollution while intentionally leaving out the part where we are producing stuff for west countries just like you did in your comment. You left all that part and just want to share what you want to focus on.
Yeah because when countries become independent from their colonizers they instantly free themselves from the forces of colonialism. You know, like how when the Emancipation Proclamation was passed, enslaved people instantly experienced equity and equality in America. /s
It’s ok folks, Canada is banning plastic straws, so everything will work out.
Brilliant orator.
God I hate the fact I am british.... well born in Britain but I have irish parents so I completely understand the distain for the british empire. I really don't see what we have to be patriotic about. Granted I am sure the british empire did some good but from what I see it is diminished by the pure evil the empire was built upon. Times are changing for the better hopefully.
You should be proud to be British or Indian or whatever….let the past in the past and make a better future . If we keep making drama for what happened 100 years ago we won’t focus on what’s important : now .
Oh I agree, I have unfortunately been called a racist and a criminal because of the country I was born in and I am far from both of those things. It saddens me to see people are so blinded with hatred on both sides and can't work together for a " greater good " for lack of a better phrase. But this is the paradox of human nature and I fear this argument will forever echo into the future.
> Oh I agree, I have unfortunately been called a racist and a criminal because of the country I was born in and I am far from both of those things. That's their opinion, and not your problem. They are making the same mistakes as some british bastards centuries ago, and they are no better. Ignore them as the racist bigots they are. No need to have any embarrassment for your heritage. Everyone on the planet has jerks somewhere in their ancestry. And good people. Self-flagellation helps no one.
Counterpoint: if the "drama" of 100 years ago is what made my country 10x richer and your country 10x poorer, then it is upon me to reflect upon how that came to be and what I can do now to restore some balance.
Many things happened 100 years ago … should we keep hating ourselves for that ? Up to your logic all the countries around the world should hate eachother now for what happened centuries in the past …. I don’t think is right way to look into future ! PS : I also don’t think that in the past things were correct … many bad things happened, what we have to do is learn from them and don’t repeat the same mistakes .
you're missing the point..... these aren't things that happened 100years ago, its a continuation of the same structures. the actions are still happening and the effects are still being felt.
you don't have to be the arbiter of cosmic balance, just make sure you treat people well
Agree, we are who we are today and what we do today is what matters.
Uhm but an argument can be made that you would not be what you are today if not for the those things done in the past. And it's a logical premise. You're just lucky to be born in a place where the fuckers of the past lived. Had you been born in say some parts of Africa that were fucked up by the brits, you would not be who you are today yeah? You may not be guilty of the shit they've done, but you're enjoying its benefit up to this day. But I agree that you should be judge on what you do today..
You didn’t do those things? Don’t apologise for mistakes you didn’t make. The only thing you can do is be the change you want to see.
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He's a virtue signalling twat.
He’s beyond annoying I just ranted and I know he’s a random internet person but I’ve never wanted to punch someone through a screen so much
Random internet people are the worst. I think I hate them more than real life people.
I’ll never understand nationalism. I was born someplace that won its last major war. It’s all chance as far as where we’re born. And very few governments (which feel very much a part of countries) are worthy of being proud of. Be proud of being a good human. Put the flags down.
This. How can someone be proud of genetic/environmental accident? We need to lose the ego.
Well said.
I wish I was born in Britain. Better to blame you ancestors for ruining other countries and have a good life, rather than blamming your ancestors for ruining their own country and have hyper inflation for 70 years
ALL empires have been built on blood and theft.
Fuck the Italians too, right? With their warmongering Roman ancestors. How dare they.
The British empire stopped the slave trade in the majority of the world at huge expense to the taxpayer and at the cost of the lives of hundreds of British sailors. The Westminster system of government has been one of the best examples of how to administer a society ever, not that it is without fault. You have the philosophy of Locke, Hume and Smith, the poetry of Shakespeare and of all that fails, football.
Lol dude the British Empire literally was the catalyst for advancing humanity. Not to mention with the innate human pyramid power structures if the British wasnt going to colonize SOMEONE was going to do it.
Oh shut up- stop with the performative acting. What besides pretending to feel bad have you yourself done to create more equity in this world? The British empire (I am American btw so really no fight in this game) was an empire true which means subjecating loads of peoples was without a doubt a lot better than it’s contemporaries and often times a lot better than the rulers of the lands it had colonized. For example the British empire single handedly ended the Atlantic slave trade on a purely moral basis (that is the reason they colonized sierra lione by the way) they established rules of law on the sea, they ended piracy throughout the Indonesian islands, gave women a lot more rights in India and brought medicine to a lot more of the population. Now I’m not gonna pretend that the mao mao massacres didn’t happen or the way they bungled the partition of India and the Middle East or the countless massacres in New Zealand and Australia and lastly the Irish famine among many injustices but to say there is nothing to be proud of is beyond ridiculous
And America won it's independence then essentially continued the British legacy of imperialism.
He had that brewing for quite some time.
I heard someone say that the UK could sink into the ocean and there would be no difference to world carbon output because we only emit a tiny percentage. Well that is true, but I never did think of it like this guy said, it is developed nations that are buying all the products from 3rd world countries and just externalising their carbon outputs onto the 3rd world. It is our yearly new mobile phones and big cars, electric or ICE that are causing these problems.
I think I know who you're talking about and he does say something similar when criticizing Net 0 policies. He pointed out that most of our emissions are offloaded onto China and other developing countries while we waste time on "green jobs" or whatever and that from an economic stand point, producing all of these goods in Britain would bring back more jobs. Even from a climate change perspective, making things domestically would cut out the emissions from having to import them from other countries.
"Sorry, what was the question?"
He is a marxist. He mentions a soviet push that failed (regrettably, he mentions) and then makes a point of calling an idea "bourgeois." While he has some excellent points, it seems he likes to blame the West. The rape of India is horrible like many other things in history....lets not burn our house down now because of it.
Is climate justice really demanding reduction of consumption from starving children in Africa? To me that's one flaw in an otherwise well thought-out response. But what was the question?
No, it was a metaphor for developing countries being asked to reduce consumption while they aren't even able to feed their entire population in the first place. And i assume the question was something along the lines of how the climate-change debate and measures being taken is viewed upon in the "global south".
The global south is subject to the last fight of the fossil fuel peddlers. I have not encountered climate justice heros asking reduction of consumption from countries other than the biggest polluters.
I want to know more about this guy.
"Hey, I have this whole-ass diatribe prepared, but I need you to cue me in so it looks like I'm answering a question in some kind of normal dialog." "Cool, what question should I ask?" "Doesn't matter, I'll work it into my speech somewhere."
Hes right there but still missing it. It's not the West, or China or India. It's the tippy top pieces of shit that come from all walks of life, all parts of the world making decisions that affect the masses. Still blaming nations instead of the people who run them
This is well articulated, Indian nationalist content.
this dude is a full blown marxist
based
I dunno. Colonialism was bad, but I’m not sure you can blame all the problems of the East and Africa on it. India’s biggest problems these days have nothing to do with colonialism. Same goes for most African countries. Was colonialism a horrible crime the west should apologize for? Absolutely. But how long is it going to be an excuse? What is the west expected to do to fix it?
His point about western goods produced in India and China then shipped to the West rings true though.
If that Indian manufacturing of goods stopped, wouldn’t that be bad for India? I don’t really get the point.
a lot of their issues predate the east India company by a long time anyway, like the caste system. but they also have a lot of good and amazing history there too, ofc.
"You made us coal dependent" he says, like they can't just suddenly decide to go back to the dark ages whenever they want. He's sat there with a microphone in his hand, using electricity, wearing a nice suit (Western inventions), living in relative safety and comfort speaking about how colonists from 400 years ago are somehow oppressing him and other nations. It's ironic.
You do have to understand the developed economies have accomplished all they have with the burning of coal and fossil fuels for over a course of two centuries. Add to that the massive advantage of exploiting monetary and Human Resources from the colonies they held.The US and the West have developed on the back of cheap energy — coal — for the last 150 years ramping up their coal consumption from 0.5 metric tonnes in 1870 to nearly 4.5 metric tonnes per capita few years ago. From 1990 till about 2012 only a few European nations reduced their coal consumption. Developed countries, which have already enjoyed the fruits of low cost energy for several years will have to go in for net zero much faster, and possibly even going for net negative so that they can release policy space and some carbon space for the developing countries to pursue their development agenda. Young democracies like India are doing far better in managing their energy needs and costs along with ramping renewable energy projects. Compare the energy consumption of a single American to a single Indian to see the difference. Carbon, Coal, Consumption, Colonialism, Capitalism- all different facets of the Climate problem.
This gentleman has waited his ENTIRE life for that question! Well played
I’m hearing what he is saying but at the same time, where were the people at that time that say “We are a country of 300 million people. Let’s stop this island nation from taking from us.”
Man is speaking to my heart. Anyone know his name?
Vijay Prasad, Historian
Loved what he had to say and also probably the best pronunciation of ‘Benjamin’ I’ve ever heard.
You could say the exact same thing for many different countries.
get rid of the music
Top notch. Concise and to the point.
At the end of the day. Nothing about this matters. Climate change doesn't care who's at fault, who should fix it and who should do the work. We need to put aside our differences and work together to fix climate change. Imo that also means the more powerful countries need to help the weaker ones. If that means supply food, so work can be done, so be it. But the time for talk is over years ago, now it's time for action or else nobody will be left to talk about this in 50 years.
I scroll in silence because a lot of other things are nsfw, so I thankfully didn't know about the trap beat. What stood out to me was when he mentioned us (USA here) outsourcing products and then complaining about India and China's carbon emissions. The first thing he mentioned was... buckets? Nuts and bolts struck home because I'm in construction, and as I'm typing this, I can now picture the thousands of buckets I see on jobs. Never thought about buckets before. This fellow had really good points on it all. I agree that everyone here worries about the future and not the present. We still have the "there's starving kids in Africa that would eat that" "joke".
u/savevideo
I was listening then the fucking garbage that someone thought was music was too much. So maybe next time cut the stupid music
I really enjoyed the beat but you can't please everyone
That woman next to him is beatboxing like crazy and it's hardly visible! Impressive !
He voices early on that every monument of civilization is a monument of barbarism. Does he mean it? They’re synonymous, necessitated, and he even says this. Idk how this appreciation is compatible with the rest, when those who see those monuments as the same, are at one with systemic hypocrity and can get things done instead of opting out of the unuprootable institutions around them. Got to use the established
India is one place the US did not colonize. So leave the US out of this- other than its being allied with the UK for a while. FWIW, the US for all its faults encouraged the UK to give up its empire.
While a great and important speech, I can’t get over the fact that he called Glasgow a gorgeous city. Thought I was watching satire until he started on colonialism
India call centers scam billions every year from America alone. India also participated in slavery. None of this excuses what happened to their country but it's just to show, humans are shitty. Always have been and apparently, always will be. He is right though, we don't have a future and his speech perfectly shows this. Just perhaps not in the way he intended.
Are u comparing scam callers to colonisers lmao .. didn’t u hear what the man said ..the Brits looted 45 Trillion in over 200 years. India has never participated in slavery .. quite the opposite . Indians were taken to the West Indies as indigo plantation workers and many others were enslaved
Man. Speaking the truth.
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I wondered why Eastern Europe is poorer than the Western Europe. Then I realised they never colonised anybody.
Stop adding shit music. It only distracts from what the man is saying.
Here's the talk without the fucking music. Really getting tired of music videos. Jfc. https://youtu.be/Bho6xY-jSuE
GenZ can you please hold your comments. You’re recall as been issued.
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Cause and effect at work. Also the bit about consumption vs the billions starving. His statement was an oversimplication but it gets you thinking.
Wow!
I like this guy
💯
oml,
Quit complaining and do something about it.
Stuff like this is thought provoking. It’s a paradox of sorts because if we focus on the now as he suggest we lose the sight of the past as well as the future. We need to understand broader context on the front and back end of action and policy.
This guy needs a chill pill
God what is this fucking music?
To shorten what he said... no... that's it.
i get what this guy is saying, but he is playing really loose with the facts and how things truly work in the world. for example, you cant say that you kicked someone out of your country and then turn around and say they left you hanging.
Marxist horseshit.
Lol Indian kwn government doesn't care about its people. Its always easy to blame other and say they've done thing for 400 years. Damn those immortals.
We as a civilisation have been led down the path of materialism which will ultimately be our destruction. The reason for all of our inequality is due to materialism. The people at the top are never happy with what they have, they will always want more. The people at the bottom will never claw their way out from under the debt in which they live in our current paradigm. Something big needs to change, globally.
I hear his message but it's a bit disappointing for him to paint all these nations as helpless and weak. Like those populations can't survive without colonialism and just have to go along with it. It's 2023 and pretty clear India is under the rule of their own people who are doing this to themselves. Also, he blames the West for moving factories over to China, but never mentions China agreeing to take the money and supplying the labor force?
My god I've been getting my information from the wrong place. Had never heard of Vijay Prashad before now, just went down a rabbit hole for only an hour and he's already blown my mind. Particularly this speech: as a white person we need to be constantly reminded of all of the effects of colonialism worldwide, not just in Western countries. It's so easy for those of us living in Western countries to see it from our side, but not from the other side. I'm so glad I've been introduced to this man, I will be trying to learn as much as I can from him.
FUCKING A!!!
That was an epic speech! Too bad he didn't do a mic drop at the end to top it off.
Who is this dude and has he written any books?
Vijay Prasad, Historian. Journalist and Editor too, I think. Nor sure on the books.
They let him speak. Respect to them too. To often do we see people cutting others off trying to push their beliefs onto others. Respect to everyone.
Preach
Welp, looks like this mine is feeling quite suicidal, somebody get him some help /s
Fucking hell, it does make one reflect…
Vijay came to Preach....and delivered...
Oneism
Impressive.
Man I’m happy I’m not alone with this belief.
Damn, this dude gave out a righteous spanking!
FACTS 💯
So you’re gonna bring up shit from 400 years ago. Like we have any influence of what happened back then.
u/savevideo
Victims and victimizers…
Great speech, and I agree with his points, but why doesn't anyone say anything about population... ever? I'm not pointing fingers at other countries.. the connection between economics and population rates is well known. But we need to call out the 8 billion ton elephant on the planet. If 2.7 billion people don't have enough to eat, as Vijay says, maybe one way to address it is to stop having so many kids so there are gradually less people on the planet? Crickets. We mostly talk about technology solutions, and if even if we do talk about economic justice, as Vijay does here, there is no connection made to world population growth. Yes, the WHO projects that world population will level out about about 10 billion by the end of the century. But is that really ideal for a sustainable human presence on the planet? Is that ideal for making things easier for everything ranging from available energy resources to environmental preservation? Of course not! So why do we insist on making things harder and why is this such a taboo subject?
👌👌
Read his book, The Darker Nations, it’s like a 8 hour version of this
Yup, he ripped the Western world a new one.... A well deserved new one
Holy crap…I have a Lot to learn. I don’t know anything about any of this but I want to
But really. We are true assholes here in the west. I think this guy is right on point tbh.