@@NekoMouser yup, I used to be in that camp and now that I’d like to think I’ve slowly grown out of that, I feel like I can take in political points much more openly and examine them without a need to be “right” or “wrong”.
I think it's because of a good example in the channel itself. He is actually quite talented at being unbiased and inflammatory, and it's really nice. I wish more people on the right and left would adopt this
Saying "I don't know" to many political issues is the most liberating feeling. Totally with you on the move away from partisan politics to personal politics. It's so freeing.
One opinion I have strongly is that politicians need to be in charge of less stuff because they can't possibly know the best answer for all of it. If someone asked me how to regulate an industry, I'd say I don't know and I doubt they do either.
@@MidwestArtMan That's a weird take. So then we would have no laws because the people who make them might make a mistake? It also builds on the assumption that politicians are the only ones without complete knowledge and that everybody else is smart and good enough to always do the right things.
I've watched your content for years, so much of this is stuff that I already know. But I don't watch you particularly because of your political stance. There are times I agree with you and times I don't. I watch because you have a distinctive style and you're engaging, if not also funny. Your biggest strength is that you never take yourself too seriously, even when talking about serious things.
Another thing is that even when JJ disagrees with me, it never feels like he is pushing it on me, and I can always understand where he comes from and why.
Although I’m quite solidly on the left, I actually really appreciate hearing about your perspective as a conservative, particularly in the non-combative way you always put things. I try to avoid stating my political opinions in my videos (almost to the point of secrecy) because what I hate most about modern political discourse is how liberals and conservatives *have* to view each-other as an evil enemy force to be stopped, as opposed to fellow citizens with slightly different values. I just don’t believe people should be shamed for their political beliefs.
agreed. i'm quite solidly left as well, but i grew up somewhat conservative, though more so the classical conservativism that jj describes rather than the crazy right wing evangelicals. it's nice to have a refreshing perspective since i think that most people have more in common with their political beliefs than they wish to believe, since most people may lean one way or another and not be extreme to that direction, if that makes any sense.
When one side is filled with Nazis, racists, sexists, homophobes, and greedy capitalists, not being on the left means that you hate human rights. How can there be peaceful discourse with one side based on human rights vs one side based on temerity in expressing wickedness?
“Life is much easier when you can get comfortable with saying things like ‘I don’t know’ or ‘maybe they’re wrong’ without feeling like your whole life will come crashing down because of it” is one of the greatest quotes I’ve ever heard. Found this channel a couple months ago and have no idea how he only has 600k. Most entertaining videos on the website, can’t wait for him to hit a million
Ya- me too. I mean, me as well! (Its so hard not to say 'me too'when in agreement w/ someone b/c it now has such an insinuation towards sexual assault 😡) I came across JJ's channel last year and I was really surprised he didnt have well over 1 million subscribers.
I know your audience is generally left of center but as a part of the percentage that is probably even further than right than you are, I want to echo everyone else's respect for your positions. Your dignity and humility in approaching everything is what makes you such a one of a kind voice in this space. It is something you've inspired me to practice myself.
and in the other direction, as a marxist (a position even you many times ridicularized in your videos) i still enjoy watching your videos, your explorations of certain aspects of the world and seeing your opinions on many different topics. Because of that, i can easily put aside and respect your opinions as even when you label my views as antiquated i still can follow the vibe and example set by the rest of the video. To finalize, using your example of "conditions lead to people being lead to certain ideological views" that my position as a Brazilian of a mid-low income, the governments i have seen, the financial situations my family has been through, as well as my philosophical views, that you could argue that was why i ended up with the political opinions that i have.
I’ve seen other lefties leave similar comments but as someone who also identifies as purely left-wing I appreciate that as someone who identifies as conservative, you are still welcoming to people such as myself who can come off as radical. The loudest conservatives tend to be the ones who don’t represent the majority well while people such as yourself are the ones who actually represent the people and their feelings. Thanks!
The extremists on both sides aren't open minded, only to what fits their narrative. Which is sad to say since both extremist sides go with bias over facts. I'm more right wing I'd say, however I wouldn't say I'm a radical insane pro Trumper. I have a lot of friends in the city who are more liberal per se. And me and them can have civil discussions and we can both learn something from it! Two moderate perspectives are the best.
@@fatkid420 i agree, extremists on both the left and right are EXTREMELY problematic. i am a moderate who leans left on some social issues like gay rights and abortion. but in other ways i am more conservative. i am constantly attacked verbally by more radical leftists if i speak my opinion on other issues (for example i don’t support sex work/prostitution and i don’t see it as a real, skilled job, and many people are not ok with me feeling that way.) being open minded, cordial, civilised, etc. is very important for a society. i get along best with moderates who lean both directions because we can discuss cordially what we personally believe in
@ich liebe taiwan 🇹🇼 I'm the same. Some cases I'm more extreme on the right, however social issues such as abortion, gay rights etc they should be addressed and also supported. However. I'm also highly against the increase in immigration when we're already facing a housing crisis where Canadians can't afford to buy a home let alone live, I'm against the wokeism that we're facing that takes said social issues to an extreme proportion. These issues can still be problematic with some especially the etremeist religious and homophobic people. However, we're not all like that. I resent the current government we have, I think we were better under the Harper government as much as people hate to admit it because of their biases. Personally if the Trudeau government was better than the Harper government I'd embrace it. But it's not. It's worse. Also the left will attack you on anything you don't believe in radically. They'll accuse you of racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. Prostitution is not a job. It's a criminal offense. Not only is it dangerous for disease spreading but it's also dangerous for the women who get trafficked into it, and also their safety regarding murderers and such. The left will disagree however it's criminal for a reason. Some sex work I'm fine with. OnlyFans being one. It's a safer alternative and it's "content creation" in a sense. I believe that porno and only fans are fine only if it's consensual of course.
I think it’s really interesting that despite this channel being described a sort of “un-left space”, a large majority of your audience is on the left (myself included). I honestly think it’s because many people on the left are so tired of the “culture-war” focused brand of conservatism, that a channel like yours feels like a breath of fresh air. This channel offers a way for people to see your perspectives and not feel judged in any way for their own perspective, in a sense. You’ve created a space that’s way more open to nuance and discussion that is kinda hard to find in any sort of space that has any discussion of politics. I just think it‘s neat, to say the least.
A lot of us are from the US, and in the US his brand of conservatism doesn't sound like our conservatism at all, even if it arguably is if you descend to some kind of Burkean axiomatic level. I'd even say that it's squarely within our major "left" party's spread of positions.
indeed i agree with you. I always considered myself center left. I am Italian and here there is a similar "culture-war" situation that barely allows meaningful communication. I like this channel for your same reasons, tbh i started watching videos here because i love flags haha
@@MattMcIrvin it's a very interesting thing i am noting aswell, I am italian and i followed the recent finnish election was won by a centre right party. With a football type reaction by the right and far right in italy, and reading the actual political program the finnish centre right is more similar to the italian center left. As for example your american far left is more moderate than the italian far left, considering that for example Kennedy here would be seen as a centrist politician. It' very interesting to me how the left and right "meter" change a lot by countries
Unsubscribed. Just kidding. Actually, I am a little disappointed the more I get to know you that we agree on so many things. lol But I'm pretty sure we do. On another note, ok fine...I'll take some political beliefs quizzes in a future livestream.
Wow. So refreshing. The moralistic conviction that you owe this to your audience is new to me and cool. Thank you for being so transparent. I think you are right about it supporting enjoying content.
My wife and I, huge leftists, lovingly refer to you as "our favourite conservative." You're the ideal conservative in our mind, the kind that keeps our insane ideas in check, explains counterarguements well, and isn't irrationally full of hate and anti-science. Thank-you for the interesting conversations you have sparked in this household.
It'd be a better place for everyone if we picked the best parts from both sides and we were all centrists. I relate to JJ being a gay conservative but I still have liberal views on how things should be. We shouldn't be steering people left or right, we need to keep going forward.
@@andrewhanson1180 I get what your saying but don't totally agree if everyone was centrist nothing would ever change we need people on the extremes to push the status quo and get everyone thinking if something is truly right
I'm a pretty unapologetic "lefty" (though think more European social democrat than socialist) and I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and channel as a whole. I am so sad that moderation has been largely lost.
I'll be really honest, knowing what political beliefs you have, have no affects on how I watch this channel, as I enjoy this channel and I always click on a new video.
It absolutely affects how I watch it. This video dispelled a lot of reservations and issues I may have had regarding his content and biases. Having an up-front explanation and rejection of the extreme instills great confidence in the quality of one's intellectual honesty.
As somebody who is quite far left, especially in an American context, your videos are awesome. I disagree with a lot of your politics, but your perspective is so different to what I usually see, and you have such a knack for explaining things in a simple, unbiased, and interesting way that I don't care. I've been watching your channel for 2-ish years and will continue to do so for a long, long time. Congrats on 600k, and onward to 1 milllion!
I completely agree. I’m a politician for the Socialist party in Norway, but i love Watching your videoes and i think it’s good to Get other viewpoints:)
I’ve never heard anyone express exactly how I feel in a more coherent and organized way. Even I can’t do it. This is a spectacular video; my beliefs match up almost perfectly.
You’re at 600,000 subscribers now!?!? That’s absolutely insane! I’ve watched for about 1.5-2 years and you had like 60k subs. Definitely hitting a million in 2022, JJ. Keep up your grind and it will pay off!
I did a double take when you said 600k. This channel's quality made me think I was watching someone who had over a 1mil subscribers over the last year.
I was really taken aback when he said 600k. I’ve been watching JJ’s stuff for a while now too and everything he does has the quality of a larger channel. I’m amazed he doesn’t have more, but I’m so glad his audience is growing as fast as it is. He’ll get the million mark in 2022 for sure
JJ, I identify as left wing but I enjoy your videos an awful lot - it is great to find a refreshing opposition to my own views that I can find entertaining. I hate living in a bubble politically and completely agree with your point re the monotony of left wing youtubers and the downright craziness of the populist american right make me almost completely ignore the political side of youtube. So, I thank you for allowing me to engage with the other side. Congrats on 600k!
The community you’ve garnered around this channel is truly amazing, it’s so rare to see genuine dialogue and understanding between rivalling opinions. Growing up in a middle class family in a nice suburban neighbourhood in maple ridge I feel very similarly to issues as you and you’ve helped me find the right words to express my opinions to both family and friends and for that I can’t thank you enough. I strive to be as unbiased as I can and look at things from every side (my family is very liberal so that also helps me stay grounded in my more conservative beliefs); and to find a channel like yours that effectively reports on issues and events in ways that appeal to most people on both spectrums has had a very positive effect on how I’m able to discus politics considering I’m still young and learning (just graduated last year). Just wanted to say thank you for the sincerity and knowledge you’ve shared.
JJ, i just want to say, I love to hear more moderate voices, people who don't say "both sides are right" but who take a look at individual issues and decide based on their own philosophy what us right. I really hope you keep up the good work, and just know that you are a special person in the world of (semi) political commentary on TH-cam
I don't actually think JJ is especially moderate. Maybe you get that impression from his TH-cam channel because, as he said, he tries not to make his videos too political. My impression is that he is very firmly in the right-wing of Canadian conservatives. For example, whenever the Conservative Party has to select a leader, JJ is always highly critical of the candidates in the "moderate lane" and more sympathetic to the further-right ones. He has also expressed some opinions that seem pretty fringe, such as wanting to abolish the CBC.
This is good political content. I was raised as a “centrist” moderate conservative, and have drifted center-left on average over time as I took the time to re-examine my positions with more information and more nuanced moral arguments, but I deeply respect anyone who can coherently articulate and civilly argue their beliefs in good faith...which is sadly becoming rarer as the parties here in the US play the populist game of erecting strawmen to tear down.
@@sergelondon916 It's not the only factor (the US has been two-party since basically day one, but only tribalist ABOUT those parties in SOME periods of its history, so that on its own can't be sufficient on its own to produce tribalism in the public at large, even if it is a major contributing cause), and I would argue that the two-party system is itself a natural consequence of the way our voting system is structured, so the easiest way to solve the two-party system is to change the voting system (preferably to STV or MMP, but AV would require fewer amendments, and even it would help *tremendously*), but yes, the fewer tribes there are and the closer they are to even in power, the more likely one is to demonize the other, and once they do political discourse rapidly starts racing to the bottom.
@@night6724 Who said anything about a third party system? Your worried about that when you need at least $10 million dollars to run for political office. $1 billion at least to be president. And the electoral college derails the Democratic process.
@@night6724 the theory goes that it's harder to demonize ur enemies with simple strawmen if they exist in. a variety of different parties that need to be more nuanced and targeted to get more attention. You may be "right-wing" but if you're uber socially conservative then you might be part of a "Christian Democracy" party while if ur socially liberal and just want less taxes/spending then you'll be part of a more libertarian-ish "free market" party, and vice versa on the left, a "labor party" for the normal social democrat, a socialist/ecological party for those who want socialism or are just a tree hugger and et cetera and et cetera
@@night6724 It's about removing the mechanisms that allow for parties to consolidate power, and therefore have an oligopoly/monopoly of power in government. And i say monopoly because in most of the US, for example, only one party has any chance of winning. A government monopoly brings with it all the negatives that a corporate monopoly brings in addition to making it easier for those with money and power to buy influence and gridlock the government (thus preventing meaningful changes to the status quo that allows those with money and power to have said money and power). A mechanism that allows for the two party system to o exist and a proposed solution: replace first-past-the-post voting for ranked-choice voting for all federal, state, and local elections. The "easiest" way I see to achieve this is with a constitutional amendment (easy being relative; remember the two parties that we depend on to make the amendment are controlled by people who stand to lose from such an amendment)
i'm so glad i found your channel, as a left-leaning queer person it's really hard to find other perspectives that don't seek to alienate people like me so i frequently get stuck in echo chambers, so it's really good to find an 'un-left' creator that doesn't base their political identity on who they don't like :)
The vast majority of libertarians don't really care about that stuff on any level that matters. While one may personally believe it is weird or wrong, they also believe in personal liberty and aren't going to really do anything about it unless someone is trying to indoctrinate or groom children or something.
You're so reasonable it's kind of ridiculous. In this age of hyperbole and never ending mass-media induced social fury, I expect my content creators to be bombastic, angry, and tell me to hate people who disagree with us-- your temperate disposition simply won't do in 2022.
If you don’t hate the “bad guys” then maybe you’ll actually realize how corrupt religious, political and economic leaders are we can’t have that Please go check you favorite news site to get correct information on who to hate Have a nice day :)
@@pascalausensi9592 lmao I was pointing out how the news/social media tries to get us (normal people) to fight amongst ourselves, meanwhile the people who control those things and have an insanely high level of control over the world are actively profiting from us being distracted by hating each other to the point we don’t realize they’re the actual bad people preventing the world from being as good/peaceful etc as possible
As a lefty bordering on socialist, I respect and understand you viewpoint because it's grounded in a broader understanding. If all political discourse had as much thought as yours we've be a long way from the culture war crap to that motivates too many voters. Thank you.
Unfortunately there is evidence of unfriendly foreign influence manipulating many issues through bot accounts to help create this culture war. The tech industry doesn’t help either because it’s algorithms end up trying to make one feel angry because thats what gets more clicks and advertising revenue.
@@Snoop_Dugg it's so funny. The culture war may be spearheaded by AI but it learns from our choices! And sadly people choose to consume and participate in drama more than anything else. We thrive off potential validation WITHIN that confrontation! This in turn IS our culture!
Oh yeah, humans love controversy. But we never had these problems in the 80's, 90's because we didn't have this constant bombardment of information and news.
Anytime I try to have any discussions with socialists now, they just get angry and name call. I used to be a socialist. I wish more of them would be cordial. They would see maybe we don't disagree on as much as we think.
Amazing. I loved how he explained why he’s conservative by putting his background into perspective. Different people have different political beliefs and alot of it has to be with how you grew up.
I consider myself a conservative and I'm 22 now but I remember when I was 16 getting into the altright movement and culture war crap but thankfully and have grown out of that and now see things from a very human perspective, I think one problem in politics is people see their "political opponents" as nothing more as the enemy or as completely brain dead when they're just simply people with different life perspectives and 90% of the time mean well
I'm on the left and I wish more of the left would be open to respectfully engaging with people on the right. Especially young people on the alt right, since they are in a phase of their lives where they can easily have their opinions changed. It makes me sad that many leftists don't give people (even on our own side) room to grow and make up for past mistakes.
@@crimsonghost4107 yeah I've had similar experiences with talking to my fellow conservatives about workers rights and fairer wages, but yeah I've noticed some leftist folks try to broadly paint all conservatives on the spectrum as intolerant racists and bigots
@@crimsonghost4107 why not just respect the fact that everyone has different opinions and that's okay vs trying to change their opinions to align with your own because you think your opinions are right and everyone else's is wrong?
@@kumi9479 It's important to respect differing opinions but at the same time, not engaging in discussion especially with opposing views is unhealthy and unbalanced. When someone is of a different alignment to you, by all means give your opinion, not for the purposes of changing their views, but for them to CONSIDER a different point of view to the issue. In order to find the truth, one must consider both sides.
I am what people would call a “leftist” and your channel and perspective is something I really appreciate. I remember coming across your channel a year or so ago and actually clicking away from the video when I heard you were a conservative. That is something I do regret and I’m happy I was mature enough in the end to click on your videos when they popped up a few months later.
Same. I've been watching this channel for years and have only grown more left wing but still really appreciate his views on things and enjoy hearing a perspective different from my own, especially since i'll admit i consume a lot of left wing media
It's a sincere, brave and ethical thing to do, making your political and philosophical beliefs clear. In this age where people can lose a lot from making their views known, we need more people to be frank and clear like yourself. The last part I think makes you a better human being in that you acknowledge that you're human unlike a lot of personalities on YT that will never admit fault and will always double down. Looking forward to your next video.
As a Conservative, I wish all Conservatives were like you. Maybe then our perspectives and philosophies (yes, plural, we are a diverse group) would be taken more seriously by the international community and lead to more understanding and respectful discourse.
@@youdontknowme8129 it’s not so easy to do, though I agree they do need to be dropped. They are kind of deep rooted in the Conservative party that seems to be being removed with time
This is probably your best video and the most refreshing “political” video I’ve seen in years. Very thoughtful and insightful and I’m a lifetime leftist. I personally find the “un-left” aspect to your channel to be appealing to me because it challenges some notions I have. The culture war type videos on both sides are just so draining to me at this point.
This, very much. I'm pretty much far right, but I'd describe myself more of a real politik kind of person. It seems that the entire idea of "right" youtube videos are just the American anti-progressives and the left are the opposite, both just being exported to the rest of the world. Sure, I agree with some of these people, but it does get really tedious. Would you say you're more economically right or politically? I'm curious :P
@@AlienTreeGuy What positions do you hold to be able to consider yourself far right? This is pretty interesting because i don't think i've seen anyone actually identify as far right.
@@extremedrumming3393 to be quite honest they could just be a North American conservative living in France or Denmark. Especially with the separation of social and economic beliefs, I would find it likely that they are either European or a younger person.
@@extremedrumming3393 Generally I consider myself somewhat of an authoritarian of some description. I like the idea of a strong leader directing a country, since all I generally see in politics is weak responses and compromises. I don't mean authoritarian as in dictatorship necessarily, but I do idealize some of older kings such as Frederick II of Prussia or Gustav III of Sweden. A sort of enlightened absolutism. That's just my preferred way, though. I'm perfectly happy with strongman politics in democracies as well. I'm generally left economically, since I come from Sweden, but I fall right in most other regards. Strong police, strong military, strong prisons. Emphasis on tradition and cultural uniqueness within nations. That doesn't necessarily mean I disagree with some things that is not traditional. Being gay myself, I generally support LGB stuff. Complicated opinions on most things, in any case :P
As a middle-class German guy whose believes range broadly between conservative centrist and liberal left social democrat, i must applaud you on how you approach politics, especially in regards to politics on the internet. I too have noticed the trends that you mentioned in the video, and i'm happy to see that a TH-camr who deals with politics (even if it is not the majority of your content) finally take a stance against the polarization that is going on. But regardless of that, congratulations on reaching 600k subscribers! Hopefully it will indeed be at least 1 million by the end of 2022!
It helps when your country has some form of proportional representation. Imagine if your only choice was a CDU coalition with AFD or SPD coalition with Die Linke, Merkel's grand coalition is something that is just not possible in a two party system.
I'm pretty heavily left wing, but you represent a very welcoming and understandable form of conservatism. And as someone from the U.S. I can genuinely say it's incredibly refreshing to see a conservative that doesn't break down into cultist conspiracy. I enjoy engaging with your videos and really appreciate someone who treats politics reasonably. Thank you for being here :]
@@Ant-fc7rf I mean, those are the kinds of people that have the American culture by the balls. My dad has always voted Republican down the line, still does, but even he can, for example, see that his brother is an insane cultist with the Qanon, stolen election, trumpian politics, conservatism where they consider Putin preferable to biden. I think its largely the media they consume responsible for this, but the biggest names in American conservatism right now are the cultists.
@@Ant-fc7rf It's what most people are exposed to, the loudest voices get heard more. Hence why the right think we are all rainbow colour screamfests. While we all think conservatives are batshit consipracy theroists trying to take away rights. Tbf what's happening in America atm with trans rights and women's choice, doesn't help that notion.
As someone who's firmly positioned on the left, it's good to hear there are people who don't necessarily agree with all my values but in a way that doesn't demonize the very existence of certain groups or the inflammatory moral grandstanding often heard from conservative rhetoric. It's also refreshing to hear someone with this particular perspective of conserving the status quo that is aware that their position is at least in part influenced by how they benefit from the status quo. I think the main thing that separates you from most conservatives is that you actually think critically about your beliefs rather than simply leaning on appeals to emotion. Great vid
I cannot begin to express how much i appreciate your mindset on a lot of these things. The world needs more people who think like you (not necessarily policy wise or specific idea wise) but people who are able to be pragmatic about things and arnt afraid to have a more nuanced political identity. thank you
Umm, if you look now days on who wants to conserve the corporations it’s the left. Basically all Corps, main stream media and the likes are very leftist!
Most conservatives are that way, I hunt because I care about the environment and my area has a major bear and deer problem. I play music with a small British style brass band because they are disappearing so I want to keep them around. That is why most people are conservative.
This is really the only channel on TH-cam where I feel myself represented, in any capacity, politically (and in many ways philosophically). I'm a relatively young Canadian with adjacent-Conservative tendencies and associations, while feeling in many ways utterly alienated by the conservative (and liberal) dogmas we're exposed to today. I feel absolutely no sense of condescension or pandering from you, and no motivation to push me in any particular political direction, but merely presenting certain realities in a multi-faceted way (while transparently communicating your thoughts & biases). You're able to eloquently and sensibly represent multiple sides of any given issue or argument, which is actually so goddamn refreshing compared to literally everyone else cramming their agenda down your throat. It's really refreshing, I wished there were more people and channels like yours.
I identify as a moderate, I'm an American. I grew up in quite a right wing area (voted 65/35 even in 2020, and that's with the fact that it counts none of the active military folks who vote elsewhere who live here as there is a large navy base in my community). I often get called far left where I live, but then people who are far left will call me far right, so there's that. All of those political viewpoint quiz things return to me as that I'm a moderate (who leans one way or another depending on the questions they ask). I feel quite aligned with J.J.'s political beliefs, not completely, I want to conserve what is so great about my country and change what isn't, but I think that's how everyone should be. It isn't outrageous to want prescriptions to be more affordable, healthcare to be more affordable in the US. That said, I think a lot could be fixed in cities that have housing crises by simply loosening some of the ridiculous building codes (like having a parking spot in a garage for every apartment built and having so much green space per square foot of impermeable land). I'm not advocating for laissez faire, I'm stating that I think the govt is too involved in some things and not involved enough in others. I also identify with states' rights, something that was big in the 80s, when my dad came to voting age, as I think the federal govt has take more powers than explicitly given to them in the constitution (as it says that everything else is reserved to the states)
As a leftist liberal, I appreciate you being an aware conservative more than I would if you were a blind liberal. Whether conservative, liberal, or otherwise, one of the worst things you can do is blindly follow and agree with every single thing your party does. I think it’s great that you realize your party’s history, unlike a lot of LGBTQ+ conservatives. Not only do you acknowledge the wrongdoings of your party, you hold them to their faults. I try to do the same and I think it’s the best thing to do if you hope to ever truly achieve a better future for your nation and the world.
What is a "leftist liberal"? Or, what is it to you? Because as far as I was aware, that's a contradiction in terms. Leftist and liberal are two entirely separate political identities that occupy different places on the spectrum, and don't overlap. To my understanding, at least. A leftist being an anticapitalist on the left of the spectrum, and liberals being basically centre, and support capitalism (though perhaps with friendlier face than your average neoliberal or conservative)
As a leftist, it's refreshing to see a reasonable conservative talking, given that the majority of people on social media calling themselves conservative are much more the prickly culture war types. That, and your intentions seem to be relatively good. I think it is more appropriate to build your own beliefs and principles stronger rather than tear down those of another when pleading your case in the political field
@UCrrHYkS0Z_JnkWFwGdpIWpA The problem is that those tend to be the quiet ones. They're the truly "live and let live" ones, which is honestly a pretty perfect way of going about life, it just means that the conservatives that are heard happen to be the homophobes.
This video made me realize we all been polarized so much that it was shocking to me at first that I can share the same opinions on some topics with someone who does not share the same political point of view with me but it was more shocking to realize this was shocking to me in the first place. Excepting everyone to agree with your own beliefs is not healthy, progression comes from conflict, I guess all the crazy people in both parts made me subconsciously think that they would be never on the same side. However we often forget there’s no sides, the main goal is to make everyone’s life better and this can be achieved only by different ideas clashing and shaping the best outcome. Thank you for this video. As a 23 year-old in that phase of burning with ideological fire, it’s so easy to lost the plot sometimes.
@@jasperfisch8652 as I said progression comes from conflict, so it should be polar sides but not so strong that two polars started to tear apart each other. It defeats the while purpose.
Very true... It's even easier to get riled up when the extreme sides are louder and often get the spotlight, so we feel like it's us against "the bad guys" I'm on the same stage in life and having this type of content makes me think more rationally about politics
I'm glad that you openly talk about political opinions instead of toxicly denying that videos are apolitical. This a lot more honest than other creators. Being honest with that can make it easier for both viewers understanding which comments might be neutral or which might have a bias (in a way you didn't intend).
Usually I get a "Don't meet your hero's" feeling from these kinds of videos, but not this one.... I haven't met many people with a similar mindset in politics, makes more sense why I can watch your videos easily lol
i usually dont see people as my heros unless i have already met them and know them personally, otherwise, i just hold respect for people in these positions and thats it
I detest the common misconception that centrists (or someone who looks at both sides and sorts out what makes sense to them) are in reality just afraid to choose a side. In reality, we're sortve rejecting ideology.
people dislike the idea that many centrists believe, which is that they're the only people who have looked at "both sides" in reality there is no both sides, and while many people fall into the trap of treating politics like a team sport (including centrists), a large portion of people construct their beliefs after having considered several avenues. centricism is no different.
A lot of leftists take a critical stance towards ideology, that's kind of the whole point of critical theory and its descendents. The difference is that those areas of study are interested in how ideology interacts with material conditions, whereas a centrist who "rejects" ideology is implicitly adopting a conservative ideology by virtue of upholding the status quo and being disproportionally skeptical of change
@@InverseAgonist they don't *really* criticize ideology. If you actually ask a leftist what their proposals for the future are, 99% of the time, it's socialism. Critical theory has legitimate purpose, but I find it has really no answers as to what to do aside from trying socialism again. Which is what I find very disengenious about it. They act like they want to eschew ideology but they're just rebranding an existing ideology and using Marxist analysis to do so.
I just wanna make clear, I do lean far to the left of the political wing. But, with that being said, I’ve always enjoyed your videos knowing we probably don’t see eye to eye on most things politically. I think you do a great job at criticising your own ideology (something I think everyone should do) and in your regular videos you do a good job at explaining the facts of the situation rather than a politically motivated view. Overall, I think you’ve done incredibly well at maintaining a fun and knowledge driven audience rather than an ideologically focused audience like a lot of TH-camrs
Really respect what you're tryna do JJ, the 'un-left' space is an idea I can get behind. I'm someone who leans to the right on many issues, but I'm by no means a die-hard right-winger, I'm pretty disenfranchised from the modern right. I've found that when you make pragmatic arguments for more right-wing ideas like a market economy or a strong military, people are much more sympathetic. Unfortunately, the culture war just turns everything into a childish insults match and not a genuine discussion of ideas.
@C.D.N.U I agree, I think the whole "the free market will provide for everyone" concept is utopian, you need basic things like a welfare state and access to healthcare, education etc. There are many flaws to a market economy, but when you compare capitalist countries with non-capitalist countries, it's clear that capitalism is preferable, we're best off working with what we've got than tearing down the whole system.
@C.D.N.U Scarcity isn't something you can overcome because there's a finite amount of matter, let alone the fraction of a fraction of a fraction of it found in our galaxy.
@C.D.N.U In my opinion, that can be remedied by having limits on demand. For example, during covid, you've seen those 'you must only buy x toilet paper rolls' signs. Do that, but everywhere, and remove prices. In economics classes, they teach that prices serve to limit demand; to stop people from buying all of the diamonds. But, I think that prices are a bad way to limit demand as it gives the rich higher limits than the poor, meaning that the poor can't get their basic needs met. I'm willing to hear out your opinions on my statement.
@@inaudiblenoise9668 Please see the paper, 'Economic Development, Political-Economic system, and the Physical Quality of Life' BTW, the data is from the World Bank, not from the countries themselves, so 'socialist countries are compulsive liars' isn't an argument. I am more than welcome to hear your thoughts on this.
I think it is important to have un-left spaces. I’m a social liberal myself so I’m sorta a leftist in some sense, but I recognize that one of the flaws of leftism is the way in which it overlooks nuance in favour of “good guy vs bad guy” thinking. I’m sure the right does this as well, I just find from personal experience it can be frustrating to agree with something some says but then see it applied generally in ways that can be harmful. For example, I think that globalization, particularly of capitalism, has been in many ways very destructive. You get companies going abroad and dumping their waste in places with less environmental restrictions, or abusing places with low/no minimum wage for cheap labour. Being leftish that angers me, and I’m sure it angers some conservatives too. But what many leftists will do is then say that all globalization is evil. That overlooks so much medical and economic progress that has happened because of it. Infant mortality rates, overall life expectancy, people raised out of poverty, access to birth control etc have all increased. It’s not purely evil or purely good, it’s both and we need to reform it with that in mind. There is also a very concerning aspect of leftism that I’ve seen online which may be small but still can be dangerous which I’d describe as something like anti-intellectualism. I don’t know if that’s the correct word, but if you’ve ever seen someone say “why can’t we just print more money?” or “the economy isn’t real” you probably know what I’m talking about. It’s great to question reality, but like 9 times out of 10 the people questioning don’t want to know the answer, they just want to make a point about deconstructing social concepts. In doing that though, they neglect factual realities, such as resource scarcity or inflation. Not everything related to economic theory is just made up to abuse the proletariat. So while I align more with the left than the right, I think it’s very important to provide non-left perspectives and give people some nuance. I myself often overlook that nuance and benefit from the grounding of thinking outside of a limited worldview for a second. It doesn’t make leftism wrong. A lot of the issues regarding oppression and workers rights are very accurate observations. But we can’t let them distance us from reality either.
Not sure who you are talking to, but they sound like either liberals or new/undisciplined leftists. Marxism is all about nuance, we look at the material conditions in every situation rather than treating things as simply right/ wrong, good/evil. Yes, sometimes its hard even for us to refrain from calling people who have caused incredible harm "evil" (Hitler, Churchill, Raegan etc), or systems like capitalism or white supremacy. But that is not a flaw of leftism. Leftist thought teaches us to think of events in history as struggles between different groups with contradictory interests. In this way, it is the material conditions that matter, not simply if something is inherently good or bad. Globalism isn't the issue, capitalism is. I haven't heard many leftists complain about globalism, usually we are focused on capitalism and its many subcategories (colonialism, fascism, white supremacy etc.). If a leftist is criticizing globalism, it is probably under the assumption that they are talking about the effects of globalism under capitalism, such as neo colonialism. Of course the economy is real in the sense that it affects all of us. But it isn't the law of nature that capitalists believe. It's all made up. I'm not sure what you mean by the realities of resource scarcity and inflation. Resource scarcity under capitalism rarely exists. Usually what they call scarcity is actually resources being withheld. Most "inflation" is simply capitalists raising prices to make money. This is what happened recently with oil in the US. There was no scarcity, they refused to drill more oil. And it wasn't prices magically going up due to "inflation". Oil prices went up because corporations took advantage of a world crisis. That's all. When it comes to looking at multiple worldviews, I agree. But keep in mind everyone's biases, and intentions. Keeping an open mind, within reason, is a good thing. But this doesn't mean you have to "meet in the middle" between left and right. The left is not a monolith, there is as much of a variety in leftist thought as there is on the right (liberals + conservatives). So even though I am no longer open to listening to capitalists, I still constantly challenge my own beliefs from a leftist prospective.
I really agree, I’d just like to add that anti-intellectualism isn’t just a left wing or right wing thing. The way you described it is definitely more left, but people being against “science” and “elites from the big cities” for no reason except for I was told to aren’t just left or right.
@@heroicskeleton1566lmao that’s just ridiculous and so wrong you clearly failed history Capitalism has literally lifted people out a property more than anything else in history. You’re never going to create something that’s better than that and you are clearly leaving out the terrible shit that left wing leaders have done like Stalin,mao Che etc you are Clearly biased with your own political views and opinions of the world in certain things which is a problem
It never makes sense to me. to identify as left or right. I use my whole brain. Logic with empathy. . Empathetic logic. Conserving, and liberating where I choose. If only driven by emotions, then I'm liable to be manipulated by them. If someone can sway me, while i don't see clearly with logic and reason. Blinded by rage, or empathetic situations without harboring my empathy to those that "oppose" my current stance. Then I'm blind to what the topic is about, not thinking how it will shape the future. And where it would go from there. Understand psychology should be taught in elementary school. through high school getting progressively more informative, so people can understand their brains how they are formed, where they can be manipulated and how.
@@santosdr2 i think it depends on how you view labels tbh. like im more of a descriptivist, so although im not real big on labels, i can look at the beliefs i have and acknowledge that they mostly line up with what society views as leftist. so i loosely identify with the term, along with a few others i see people who have identical beliefs to me use. i just identify with whatever word will express my opinions the best in day to day conversation. i look at every issue on an individual basis and form opinions regardless of that label, because its all more of a sliding scale for me anyway. i can have whatever beliefs i want, i just pick a label that best conveys my message depending on who im talking to it can become a problem when you have a prescriptivist point of view tho, because you start feeling like you have to acquire certain beliefs to properly fit that label. its easier for prescriptivists to get sucked into the weird gatekeeping, in-fighting, and partisan bs that doesnt really matter to anyone outside of their niche group.
@@somedude172 Why don't you say as an individual? Is it because you want to feel socially accepted? Views are one thing. actions are another. Are you actions or the actions of the percieved "left" in line with what they claim to be love for all. Is rampant degeneration of the family unit, best for future children? Is birthing people. Really teh standards we want for future children? Do we really want to dehumanize people and gender norms to create lunacy and call it normal?
@@somedude172 when you label yourself as left, you take on the positions of Left or just drop out when it is convenient. This is why two party system is designed to destroy the population. Ultimately a single party. With individuals being held accountable would benefit the whole. Then we can take accountability
@@santosdr2 idk wtf youre on about with "rampant degeneration of the family unit" and " Is birthing people. Really teh standards we want for future children?", especially since the latter isnt even a full sentence. i will not be responding after this until you can type in a way that other humans can understand- sorry if english isnt your first language, but i just cannot understand half of what youre trying to say. but in response to what i do understand: first off, you should google the difference between *pre*scriptivism and *de*scriptivism (or.... you know.. actually read my original comment). prescriptivism is when you see a label and make yourself fit it, like you described- descriptivism is when you form your ideas and then pick a label that happens to line up. this is useful because when im having a conversation, no one wants to sit there and discuss every single individual topic. sometimes its easiest to give a synopsis of your ideals, and "left leaning" does that the best for me. for example, i might say "im left, and even i think democrats suck". just saying "i think democrats suck" doesnt give the same message. and it makes no sense to sit there and explain my beliefs in detail when there is a label that gives everyone a pretty basic idea of what i believe. thats the entire purpose of language. also, left =/= democrat. i dont associate with any party, but my views typically align with the left as a whole. not democrats, theyre just republicans who have learned how to pander. no genuine leftist considers democrats left. its starting to sound like youre not actually anti-label, youre just anti-left.
You're the first conservative I've heard admit to upholding the status quo-- or parts of it --as a value (personal or otherwise). You know, to actually conserve things you/we already have. You're not the first conservative to hold that position, of course, but you are the first to be self-aware of it in my experience. I don't even consider it a negative, just rare and refreshing. And that's why I'm subbed. Plus your flag related videos are quite enjoyable.
I just honestly think the status quo isn’t that bad. I think more people should stop and think about all the things they have to be grateful for. That was something I was really taught as a child. My mother will still often text me and say things like “remember to count your blessings JJ!”
@@JJMcCullough what you're saying is that your political beliefs lie with preserving yourself and not aiding and progressing both your life and the lives of others, which I don't see a point in
I appreciate your perspective, and your smart divorce of association between “identity politics” as many conservatives call it and the partisan politics themselves. A conservative that acknowledges and appreciates the reality of marginalized people instead of falling into the more tunnel-visioned conservative media mindset. I also appreciate that you bounce around a lot in your videos, as in like your body; it keeps you visually interesting to keep an eye on which makes it easier to listen to your message with full humanity. I feel like that might be an odd comment but I wanted to share it nonetheless. Congrats on your accomplishments and I look forward to learning more about culture from you!
I write all my political beliefs in a notebook and take down the dates I write them. My beliefs change yearly, not a significant amount but it’s a change. Looking back and reading them feels weird. It’s like reading someone else’s thoughts. It makes me almost cringe reading about what I used to think but that’s good as it shows I’m maturing more. 3 years ago I was very political and all I believed in was facts, logic & stats. Now I’m much less political in daily life and I’ve incorporated empathy into my facts & logic philosophy. I’ll probably read this comment a year from now and cringe at what I’ve said.
@@Theviewerdude It’s been a year and I’m back I guess. My comment ain’t making me cringe too much except for the “empathy into facts logics and philosophy”. I honestly hate politics now and try to stay away from the media. It’s the same thing every time and it’s never something good so it just depressing to hear. I knew I was at my limit when I got into my Ted Kaczynski phase. So a lot has changed in one year. Here’s to another year :)
Honestly I feel like your drift from "conservatism" towards a more centrist position is actually really not uncommon at all for a middle class "anglo" of your age. In Britain at least there is sort of this "centrist dad" stereotype of the professional late 30s/40s middle class man.
I consider myself a moderate conservative too (I value individual freedoms, and I believe in the free market as the superior system of economics), and it's honestly really reaffirming to find another conservative whose political agenda is dictated by reason and careful thought rather than bigoted biases, dogmatism, and anxiety.
@@JackDSquat In political science, the ideology is just called "liberal-conservatism", and it is the dominant strand of conservatism in Europe and Canada. No need to associate these ideas with extremist ideas like right-libertarianism. Right-wing libertarianism was popularized by Murray Rothbard who supported the creation of a "flourishing free market in children" and opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
@@elwinowen5469 ideology evolve. To claim that because mainstream libertarian supported segregation in the 60, libertarian are forever white nationalist is to claim that democrat in the usa are slave holder because in the 19th century, they were the slave owners. And no. In political science, we do not learn that right libertarianism is an inherently extreme ideology. Where did you take your political science class? I know that in the usa, education is much more partisan than here in canada. Thats why im asking. Right libertarianism is often defined by common belief such as -liberty of association -absolute free speech -absolute liberty of wearing arm -alternative to government system, like a collective school as opposed to a public school -market based economy -confederation as opposed to federation or unitary state -decentralized politics. -government having no affair in personal relationships( thats why it was the conservative and libertarian that fought for gay marriage in the uk). -advocate for self responsibility instead of collective All of those are not that far from usual american belief or even conservative belief. They are not radical in any shape or form. I don't agree with them and from what I've read, neither are you, but to claim that they are radical and racist is uninformed at best, disingenuous at worst. Edit. Also, in political science, and i am in my second year of college with this concentration so im not a novice, we do not learn which individual promoted ideology but the ideology itself. We don't look at hitler when we talk about fachism. We look at the system. Its politic, its power, its economic and how it relate to political culture ect. Its the entire point of our discipline. Yes, the precursor of american libertarianism was racist, but if the ideology itself is not, then it is irrelevant to political science. We may look on how a slippery slope might be formed though. Also. Lets keep it civil. I don't want to fight. Im really tired of internet rethoric. Just want to have either a civil debate or correct some things.
I love individual freedoms and Capitalism too! I tend to identity more as a Social Capatalist or Social Democrat rather than a conservative though. Granted as a queer trans woman I'm acutely aware of how most American Republicans view me so I'm not exactly endeared to The Right
I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your perspective. You are one of the best channels on TH-cam, always showing me knew things about the world and the wonder that hides in every day life and culture. You’ve shown me so much beauty and fascinating dynamics and history in the stuff I normally just accept as part of everyday life. Your ability to explore to turn the mundane into the fascinating, common knowledge into exciting wisdom, to turn everyday occurrences into lessons about the world, history, and humanity is an incredible gift you have. Additionally, your self-awareness shows how much thought you put into what you create and how carefully crafted your messages and videos are. You treat your audience not as an instrument to play the right notes to, but as people. I hope that one day you will reach a million subscribers, but million or not, you should take pride in being one of the best TH-camrs, and one of the best creators.
I do appreciate that this channel is an un-left space and I personally think its the the most unique and gravitating 'selling point' of J.J.'s videos. As someone who would probably consider themself on the left side of things, the internet is oversaturated with a left prespective to the point of nausea but at the same time, most things labeled 'conservative' are very reactionary and 'radically' conservative to the point of nausea which is why your non-sensationalized beliefs make a pleasent and refreshing breath-of-fresh-air middle-ground
I wish this flavor of political ideology was more popular. I feel like in America there isn't really a space for moderate conservatives anymore. Everything just gets caught up in the culture war and the real problems in society are left by the wayside more often than not.
I think he's a calmer and less reactionary version of someone like Bill Maher, though I'd say J.J.'s politics may lean more to the right on many economic issues. Honestly, I don't hate Bill, and I've often found him entertaining, but I can't ignore his shortcomings, he can contradict himself, and his rhetoric is certainly more offensive (as in he's attacking other people and viewpoints, not that his rhetoric itself is grossly objectionable) than introspective. But, in the end, Bill is a TV personality, so it's fair to say being loud and rectionary is kind of part of his job, it's what draws in an audience. He's really no different to most TV political pundits in that regard.
I think the un-leftness of this channel is why I like it so much. If I wanted to 'own the libs' there are a lot of channels that cater to that, but they also have their own biases that they assume that their viewers share. But everywhere else I turn I hear people talking about 'late stage capitalism' and other relatively radical left wing concepts in circumstances that have nothing to do with politics, as if its assumed that everyone watching agrees. Its nice to have a break from those assumptions, regardless of whether the video has anything to do with politics.
@@IcarusNadir The topic of the video is not inherently political, but the creator will for some reason mention 'late stage capitalism' or whatever other left wing politics may be relevant to the discussion and they just assume that the viewer agrees with them. Late stage capitalism is a good example because many people will say things like 'thats just what its like living in late stage capitalism' as a response to some kind of injustice, but this idea that the next step is socialism and its coming soon is pretty radical.
@@Jade93972 As a society we only think that socialism is "radical" because of 70 years of conservative US government propaganda though. Seriously, what's radical about workers making a good living, healthcare being accessable and kids not having a school lunch debt? Seems like the real radical idea is opposing all those things aka the status quo
I started watching you shortly after you started. You popped up on my recommended feed and I was hooked. I'm a lefty, coming from an impoverished southern US community, the ideals that I've formed over my youth into adulthood (I'm well into my 30's now) haven't changed much. I've always known you were conservative, but I've always been drawn to your political essays for the "friend who lives in another town" vibe they've always given. It's had an impact on my own beliefs and I very much appreciate that, as trying to search out content that challenges your biases on either side of the compass tends to end up in frustrating painful dives into "the other side", with all its own vitriol and spite. To that end, your content is a breathe of fresh air, and a level headed, non-party-towing example of an honest, true example of someone's opposing viewpoint. Thank you. I also love your other content. I could watch you talk about pop culture all day, this is one of the few channels I've "rung the bell" on, and for good reason.
I’ve always appreciated your perspectives because you bring a much needed, sober minded view of the issues. As an American, I’m fearful for the immediate future of our political system but I hope that your method of cool-headed analysis and intellectual humility will catch on and see us through.
I thought I had my political beliefs all figured out. Conservative, would more than likely vote red. But I joined a labor union and realized things weren’t so simple. I hate that big business can sometimes exploit workers but at the same time I don’t feel like the government needs to weaponize another plight to be used to enforce their narrative. At the end of the day we’re all just people wanting to live in peace. Thank you for your content JJ.
as a leftist, thank you for joining a labor union! we really need to realize that the workers have a common goal in just being able to support themselves and their families, which the current climate does not really allow for. you’re doing a great thing man
I was a member of the CWA when I worked for AT&T. The union leaders were all friends with the management, and did nothing to resolve thousands of dollars of missing sick pay and vacation that I, and many other employees, were owed. A class action lawsuit on the other hand… I was a libertarian who was apathetic to labor unions before this experience, but now I just see that unions are just another place for people to get power over others, and feel good while doing it. Join a labor union if you want, just don’t force me to do it by law. Let me resolve my issues individually.
@@gratefuldead4714 Union are okay. Like they have in Germany and Nordic Countries. Where union works and Businesses negotiation and come to reasonable accommodations. However, militant Unions are a no no. Like the corrupt like the ones they have in France and used to have in the U.S and U.K.
@@sergelondon916 Sometimes a more radical or "militant" union is what's needed when a company is extremely antagonistic to cooperating with its workers
I’m a 67 year old US American. The first video of yours I watched was a Canadian citizenship class you were teaching. It was so good that I have kept watching since then. I have found all your content extremely informative and interesting. Keep it up.
Conservative or progressive "orthodoxy" is pretty much an oxymoron. They're both pragmatic terms to describe how to approach the prospect of change. The small-c conservative view is basically "don't mess with success" while the progressive view is "identify and solve problems with the system". They're not actually at odds, but you can sort yourself into two camps based on which phrase resonates more with you. Either way, the idea that either philosophy is outside the realm of 'Moderate' politics or has any strict orthodoxy is preposterous.
When you add gender ideology stuff into the mix where pronouns are more important than anything else, people who identify with "leftist" positions lose the "pragmatic' high ground because they're mixing in nonsense that makes part of the Right's fixation on religion look sane by comparison...and they were already straining credibility by not being fiscally conservative anyway.
A proper liberal has no voice. Nowadays leftists are not liberals. The leftists that we have want to social engineer our society into something entirely different than what we have and a lot of people are going to get hurt. If you watch what your legacy media is telling you and you really pay attention to what is really happening in real life. I mean you have to wait a year for it to pan out and you will see that they've lied to you they do not reflect reality.
I love that I can leave my echo chamber and find people who are agreeable and nice while still being different in values to me. It's very pleasant to see a temperate and nice person who disagrees with me, when open discussion is otherwise so hard.
This is probably very close to my personal philosophy. Increasingly, I feel politically like I am in a no man's land as I value moderation, cautiousness and compromise which I feel the two parties in the US no longer value given how partisan our politics have become.
ZiPolishHammer moderates in the senate rn obstruct stuff like build back better and bigger stimulus packages from getting passed. they say they wanna compromise, but they just throw the whole bill away when ppl like biden do compromise
@@processlayer1212 From the reading I've done (as a layman in politics), there are _many_ ways to improve our first-past-the-post system. (That is, be more representational, have less toxic debates, etc.) There's different systems such as single transferable vote, mixed-member, urban-rural. Unfortunately it would slightly weaken or be neutral to the dominant parties, so they don't have a direct incentive for these types of reforms. (But that's why it's important to be involved in politics. :)
I feel the same way as you. It seems like you can't have a nuanced view of any issue--everything issue has to be black and white, no gray and able to be easily boiled down to slogans that can be yelled at a rally or protest or put on a sign and that scares the hell out of me because that's just groupthink in it's purest form.
I'm Québécois and I identify as "left-winged" (not center-left). Still, I always highly respected J.J. Although, we may not agree on every political issue, he does care about presenting unbiased facts, he stands up against conspiracy theories and he is not a bigot of any kind. He deserves credit because he works harder than basically anyone else to inform people about Canadian politics. In a democracy, that kind of stuff is more important than "having the right ideology".
7:56 this is so true. I’m a teenager who’s always been pretty moderate in my opinions, never really radical. When shown a highly debated topic I don’t develop my own strong opinion about it right away, and if shown new evidence I can change my mind pretty easily compared to others. I’ve always had people tell me that’s a bad thing, that I should have my own solid beliefs and fight for them. But when you get too stuck in your beliefs you end up ignoring obvious facts and occurrences that go against them. People who think that way also very rarely have productive debates and conversations with those with differing perspectives. Heck Ive seen people learn that another person is a conservative or a liberal and proceed to negatively assume their entire personality and value system, it’s very black and white. As the world changes, so should the way you think about certain things. I like to take in parts of different perspectives to then make my own. It’s also so alleviating to see truth in opposing opinions and admit that you don’t know which side of an argument is right.
@@SamuraSan7204 yes I agree. That can be the danger with being toooo open to different perspectives, it’s the balance of being open minded while not betraying your own fundamental morals.
@@SamuraSan7204 however, I’ve found it is often the radical parts of someone’s beliefs, that I explained I am wary of, that would be referred to as their “brain falling out”
I find myself in almost the exact same position as you and like you said society an politics right now are very black or white, people tend to forget the different shades of grey there are, Im really enjoying this comment section as you are probably and it feels nice :)
Sweet, I now have a term I can describe my political views: "un-right". I definitely also cringe at the vapid and impassioned left-wing fixation on every buisness being ultimately a force for bad whether it be environmentalism or ripping off consumers. Definitely made my life easier when I learned to say "I wouldn't know that" or "It's not probably not that simple" whenever I or someone else says something.
I think "un-right" is correct for me too. In the elections I've participated in after fully forming my political views, I've fluctuated somewhat between different parties, including going between the most centre-left and the most far-left.
then what's the point of politics if discourse is an insular affair of bull-headed identity and/or deference to the inherent complexity of everything... the politicians will think how everyone allows them to, almost like that's the point of democracy.
This is why JJ's channel is by far my most favorite channel, he is extremely articulate and well informed, and as for his political beliefs he actually has good reasons for believing in them and most importantly he understands what has led him and has influenced him to have those beliefs. That self-aware nature is extremely rare I believe when it comes to politics, on both sides of the border.
Thank you so much for this video! As an American that most closely identifies with the Libertarian Party. I've still never felt like that's a group I can sign up with because a lot of people that have take the ideas to extremes that make me uncomfortable. It's really awesome seeing a growing creator who's happy to take a step back and think about things and say "I don't know" rather than engage the flame wars.
It's easy for the most extreme views to become the loudest and most visible. Every group has their crazies. I was a libertarian-ish when I was younger. As I've gotten older I become more of a lefty, but we have tankies and college kids who've never been in a fight who think they're going to start a revolution. After reading everything from Adam Smith to Karl Marx to Frederick Hayek to Thomas Paine, etc. I've realized that most of the crazy people that subscribe to these ideologies have a base understanding of them at best.
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” ― Issac Asimov
For any "expert", it is possible, if not incredibly likely, to find someone who is just as credentialed who holds a counter point of view, and with a good probability of studies to support their claims. The "anti-intellectualism" isn't defiance of authorities, but an indifference to think through a problem within their own knowledge base. No one has a monopoly on knowledge.
@@quintessenceSL this is true, however often the cited experts used as counterexamples are on the fringes of their field. Consistently siding with these experts definitely feels like someone is trying to justify their beliefs rather than study the info out there.
@@jesseolson109 Any new idea is, by definition, fringe. If there is an anti-intellectualism, it is believing the entirety of knowledge is just so, not evolving, and ourselves with it (and only a select group have anything meaningful to add to it). Nevermind the obvious appeal to authority; that is not expertise but clergy. There is always a multitude of ways to evaluate a problem. Let the arguments stand on their own merits regardless of who professed them.
I'm very firmly left but watching this video, I am awed by your calm and clear understanding and perspective as a conservative in the way you defined it for yourself and I strongly believe that this is one of the best educational channels that gives this flavour of political perspective on youtube. I wanted to seek out more diverse perspectives on politics outside my own current view and this was a great refreshing find.
This is very intersting to see different peoples political ideologies in the comment section. I am proud of how civil yall are. I am a libertarian' right leaning in the political compass test.
A couple years ago I watched your videos and I was thinking that...uhh just another western liberal...but since than my views became less extremist I realised I miss judged your political beliefs and subscribed and like your work.
Looking at this video from the perspective of a young adult is pretty interesting, since I'm currently in the state of mellowing out my political beliefs and realizing that I don't need to find the "one true ideology" to base my identity around. I'd argue that a lot of young people these days struggle to form any coherent preference for one ideology over the others in the information hellscape of the internet. This leads to jregs content with the almost schizophrenic view of politics where the individual beliefs stop mattering much and it becomes more about playing with the rhetoric every political ideology throws around in an abstract surface level way. I remember in highschool a few years ago I was switching between ideological beliefs drastically on an almost daily basis which from what I gather seems to be a very common state for youth these days. Realizing that it's okay to believe in something that might be wrong is probably one of the most distinct changes in my political identity as I start to move through my 20s.
I think it's quite toxic that society at large has forced people into "left or right". I think centrism is the best position for this reason because it doesn't play tribe and tries to examine both sides
The Overton window is too narrow, so actual discussion of many ideologies, and so analysing their advantages and flaws is much harder, and so somebody discovers an ideology but may not necessarily know that much bout it.
As a leftist (and an LGBTQ person myself), I appreciate that you've recognized the negative effects of evangelism on right-wing politics, unlike many North American conservatives today who seem to not care. I also appreciate your forwardness regarding your own beliefs, and I can say with certainty that I will continue to enjoy your very informative videos on cultural analysis and the like. I've been watching since you had just 80,000 subscribers, and I can't wait to see you hit that elusive million.
This is a really great video, JJ. I think it is really easy to agree with a video like this. Becuase you are so well spoken and rational, I think people are more drawn to agreeing with you than disagreeing. But part of the problem we see today is people's inability to orientate their own thoughts in this sort of manner. I could say "oh yeah, this guy makes a lot of sense, I completley agree", but when you do that you are really just letting different sources of media and culture push your thinking around. Not in a "brainwashing way", but kind of like stealing someone else's work if that makes sense. For everyone who really appreciates JJ's idealogical cadence (including myself), I think the deeper lesson to be learnt here is about how you can apply this to your own beliefs and values. I don't even know if this makes sense.
The overwhelmingly positive response this video has gotten makes me think that, yes, people want authenticity, they want humility, they want non-extreme, but still politically-minded people speaking in a normal human way to them.
@@JJMcCullough You are right. People want that and yet the mainstream media in the US is so polarized. (No idea how it is in Canada) It might be that a two party system naturally contributes to such tribalism and drives a wedge between populance. Every issue ends up being left vs right / us vs them. People vote against the opposing team instead of voting for a representative that best matches their personal views. With a multi-party proportional system it would be much easier to have a civil debate and cooperate across the board.
The word for this would be unprincipled. So many people are adrift in the winds and react to things with immediate feelings, but they have no anchor of principles to center their thoughts or arguments.
As someone who is a queer far left socialist, this is the type of video I really appreciate because this is the type of video that demonstrates the importance of having an opposition party, when that party is actually sensible. As far left as I am, I recognize that having an opposition party is critical to democracy, and many opposition parties is even better, and this is the type of opposition party I want to see. Opposition parties that have differing views but all still have a foundation of rational and logical thinking. You are the type of conservative I want to see: someone that I disagree with but that I can still respect as someone who is perfectly capable of logical thinking and comfortable acknowledging that they or someone they like may be wrong on something, and who simply has a different belief than me, but can still look at things objectively and sensibly, and simply come to a different conclusion based on the same set of objective facts.
I see where you're coming from. I personally oppose the concept of political parties altogether simply because I think it's extremely divisive and limits discourse to trying to "own" the other side rather than an actual comparison of beliefs
"Un-left" is a brilliant term and perfectly describes what I've thought of this channels stance. I love the pragmatism, as I myself would always say I'm "centrist with a progressive slant" but each federal or Provincial voting time comes I'd do my due diligence and vote with zero affiliation to any party, just the one I thought would best deal with the issues I was facing at the time and my community.
As a disabled, autistic, transgender communist, I've never felt more safe around a conservative than here on your TH-cam channel. And I sincerely thank you for that.
Thank you for this. We need for centre right in Canada, I personally am in a more die hard right position right now, but greatly appreciate your views on Canada and politics in general. Thanks for a great, clear video
Personally as a self-titled socialist I was a bit concerned to watch this video as I immediately saw the conservative hashtag. I have never personally found a place for myself on the political compass as I think ideologies are very fluid. Needless to say I was delightfully surprised to see your views on politics are actually quite eye opening to me! As a Native American I heavily enjoyed your videos and shorts on the first nations and how the Canadian government is dealing with it and overall I find you really respectable! Thank you so much for this video as I understand that being open about politics is a must in todays space, especially in North America. I will continue to watch you and I really enjoyed this video, keep it up J.J.!
@@gorbachevspizzahut well, they said that they're socialist, but don't really fit into the traditional definition. They also said they're native American. Some native American cultures had an interesting process of distributing resources within the community, and so I was wondering if that is what they were describing, or something like it.
I consider myself to be center left, even though I'm pretty disenchanted with the more aggressive type of politics that are popular these days, which is why I really enjoy how you put your ideas in a very moderate and concise way, even if we don't always agree on everything.
A lot of us are like this. A rough estimate from my own personal experiences would be that about one third of us share these types of views. The problem is that the media on both sides try to show the worst in everybody to drive division so they can get more money. Unfortunately I feel that moderates on both sides are being pushed to the extremes.
I think conservatism is exactly has J.J. describes it. :-) That's my experience as an American conservative. When I turn on a Democratic-aligned station like CNN, MSNBC, or NPR all I hear are ad hominem attacks against conservatives. In my day to day life, the conservatives I know and love all seem to be very reasonable and reflective as J.J. is.
@@npickard4218 Sadly, it's not. J.J. is globally a Canadian intellectual (he's university educated in politics, but also researches politics daily to make videos) which the average person is not. Because of this, he has a much more nuanced opinion and leans much more towards the center than most conservatives (he's center-right, but barely right). Amongst people, he's a very small opinion minority and, by extension, amongst conservatives as well. If you take the opinion of people voting for the Conservative party, he maybe alligns with 10% of them if not less. Also, while he's right that American and Canadian cultures have a lot of similarities, he's incorrect about how similar our political positions are. Due to a significant French heritage (more left leaning than our English one), Canada leans more to the left than the US even outside of Quebec (and the French speaking parts). It's why our health systems and education systems are so different for example, both are because of French influence and both are generally things we are pretty proud of. Relative to your politics, he's what a Democrat is in theory (since you have a two party system, Democrats end up covering a whole group of things).
@@dzello Hello Dzello, I have a Ph.D. in Political Science and I teach for a living so I literally spend all of my intellectual time (mostly) studying these topics. So don't be so impressed with J.J. He may know more than the average person, as you say, but in my social network ... birds of a feather, fly together ... he would not score as high as you put him. I don't say this to insult him, it's just that I tend to make friends who research these topics because that's what I do. I agree with you whole-heartedly when you say that Canada (even Ango-Canada) leans more to the Left than America does. In fact, the Conservative Party of both Canada and Britain seem quite liberal to me. That party would not fit well into our Republican Party. I would say that your Conservative Party is a watered down Democratic Party (sounds like you're Canadian.) My Dad was an immigrant from Canada, he left at 22 because he preferred America. He was born in Amherstburg, Ontario and then moved to Toronto as a young man before leaving Canada permanently. My entire childhood was spent visiting my Canadian cousins in Ontario at every three day weekend or vacation. My Dad's Canadian siblings and my cousins there called themselves conservative but we could never figure it out. Their values seemed quite liberal to us so we avoided talking about politics at all costs. There's something about the official Conservative Party that befuddles philosophical conservatives all around the world. You may know that the late, great Sir Roger Scruton - probably the most eloquent and intellectual spokesman in the U.K. for conservatism since Burke - spoke endearingly about the NHS, as if that system were a lifelong friend. It makes American conservatives recoil. The mere idea that British and Canadian conservatives look benevolently toward an over-reaching national government for their needs and wants like a "Big Daddy" comes across as juvenile or arrested development on the part of those conservatives. My instinct is never to turn to the government for my personal needs. Our beloved George Washington said, "Government, like fire, is a troublesome servant and a dangerous master."
I may not be conservative myself, but seeing someone expressing their beliefs in a calm and reasonable manner is truly a breath of fresh air in this excessively polarizing era of media. And in the end, that's why I watch your channel: Exploring the variety of human experiences while respecting others'. Keep making amazing content!
Yeah, I'm pretty solidly a leftist myself. I can respect JJ's positions and outlook quite a lot. I'm personally also pretty sick of the effects of the "culture war" era of politics. Its pretty useless, polarizing everything, and just makes a much angrier and combative culture. JJ seems to have relatively similar conservative politics to my dad. And even though I vehemently disagree with those beleifs sometimes, I always find that being understanding and empathetic makes for far better discussions. Understanding that the person you are talking to is a human being who has reasons for believing what they do (whether good or bad reasons), makes for much more positive experience. Letting emotions flair up too much usually only makes both parties angry, has nobody changing their minds, and leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
My brain has taken me through a variety of political opinions, and religious beliefs too, it is vulnerable but also sort of liberating to just sit down when you're a bit older (I'm 29) and say "ok what do I actually believe. " If one can do that I think it helps a person to actually settle down in who they are. Great vid JJ
Im a libertarian, and I fully approve of and respect the reopening of political discussion, as opposed to political screaming matches. Your cool headedness is extremely important going forward.
"Life is much easier when you can get comfortable saying things like "I dont know" or "maybe they're wrong" and not feel like your whole identity will come crashing down as a result." Thats the juice, right there.
i’ve always appreciated your brand of conservatism. me personally, i grew up with with the more radical beliefs of my eastern european dad, and thus associated any type of conservatism with that. i am definitely left wing, but it’s so nice to just watch a youtuber that doesn’t feel so polarizing with their beliefs. it’s a peaceful “agree to disagree” feeling. especially as a fellow queer person and canadian.
I actually watch you because I am on the other side of the political argument I want to thank you for helping me learn to accept others views even if I disagree and also to come into every argument to learn rather than to win
I think politics is at its best when two opposite sides of the political spectrum can sit down with one another and exchange ideas in a productive and thought provoking way. As a progressive left winger it’s really interesting to hear a person educated in politics from the other side of the spectrum sit down and talk about their reasoning behind their final judgement. Your like the ideal kind of person to debate politics with if you know what I mean.
" Hi person who wants to genocide Jews, " Political dissidents ", homosexuals, Bisexuals, Transgender people, other LGBTQIA+ people, blacks, the disabled ect " " Hi person who wants to abolish an evil system aswell as give freedom to every people " " Let's talk " x2
@@YouHaveAnApeHead I mean, JJ clearly wants none of those things. Jut as not every left winger want to be Pol Pot. Small c conservatism has a different meaning and JJ identifies with that ideeology. Of a smaller government, belief in the value of consumer culture, of free trade, etc...
@@Noah-ws8ho Pol Pot wasn't a communist firstly, he was a US backed genocidal dickhead. Communist Vietnam was responsible for the collapse of Pol Pots regime infact. JJ's belief in Capitalism is the problem, the system in nature is oppressive, apart of this oppression is the idea of a traditional family. Capitalism has Men for Labour, and Women to have children and raise them to either be housekeepers or factory workers. Anything that says people can be anything other than that is disliked as the rich will struggle more to make more cheap labour. This is why LGBTQIA+ peoples are always oppressed under Capitalism. Also, any consumerism will lead to the exploitation of the resource rich third world and all of it's people. There is no ethical solution to this, it's either revolt or hope something changes that never will. Any free market ideology will kill us all, it requires infinite growth on a finite planet.
This comment section is so refreshing, it’s amazing how cordial politics can be when people don’t make it their entire identity
Agreed. Politics as identity is a recipe for disaster.
Especially when So many people simply view politics as a set of dogmas one must believe to remain in a group.
@@NekoMouser yup, I used to be in that camp and now that I’d like to think I’ve slowly grown out of that, I feel like I can take in political points much more openly and examine them without a need to be “right” or “wrong”.
I think it's because of a good example in the channel itself. He is actually quite talented at being unbiased and inflammatory, and it's really nice. I wish more people on the right and left would adopt this
Right?!
Saying "I don't know" to many political issues is the most liberating feeling. Totally with you on the move away from partisan politics to personal politics. It's so freeing.
Yeah, I think humility is what we are missing in today's dialogue. Everyone is so loud and self assured, instead of calm and considerate of issues.
Also saying "It's complicated".
One opinion I have strongly is that politicians need to be in charge of less stuff because they can't possibly know the best answer for all of it. If someone asked me how to regulate an industry, I'd say I don't know and I doubt they do either.
@@MidwestArtMan That's a weird take. So then we would have no laws because the people who make them might make a mistake?
It also builds on the assumption that politicians are the only ones without complete knowledge and that everybody else is smart and good enough to always do the right things.
@@Simon-A.-Tan
1. Not a weird take
2. That does not logically follow
3. It makes no such assumption
I've watched your content for years, so much of this is stuff that I already know. But I don't watch you particularly because of your political stance. There are times I agree with you and times I don't. I watch because you have a distinctive style and you're engaging, if not also funny. Your biggest strength is that you never take yourself too seriously, even when talking about serious things.
Another thing is that even when JJ disagrees with me, it never feels like he is pushing it on me, and I can always understand where he comes from and why.
I think having varied political beliefs is a good thing on the internet
Couldn't have said it any better
Although i am a more recent subscriber i always love the content you produce
Agreed
and that's a good thing. nobody really agrees with 100% of EVERYTHING that someone says. it's important to be individualistic too.
Although I’m quite solidly on the left, I actually really appreciate hearing about your perspective as a conservative, particularly in the non-combative way you always put things. I try to avoid stating my political opinions in my videos (almost to the point of secrecy) because what I hate most about modern political discourse is how liberals and conservatives *have* to view each-other as an evil enemy force to be stopped, as opposed to fellow citizens with slightly different values. I just don’t believe people should be shamed for their political beliefs.
agreed. i'm quite solidly left as well, but i grew up somewhat conservative, though more so the classical conservativism that jj describes rather than the crazy right wing evangelicals. it's nice to have a refreshing perspective since i think that most people have more in common with their political beliefs than they wish to believe, since most people may lean one way or another and not be extreme to that direction, if that makes any sense.
When one side is filled with Nazis, racists, sexists, homophobes, and greedy capitalists, not being on the left means that you hate human rights. How can there be peaceful discourse with one side based on human rights vs one side based on temerity in expressing wickedness?
@@willsalen8370 bruh
@@willsalen8370 Yikes.
@@spacecase4984 yikes? How would you feel if someone hated you just for who you are? That’s what the right does every day
I am firmly convinced that JJ is sitting on a yoga ball when he films his videos
Yes so am I
Yep he said so in a q and a
Yup he’s confirmed this before.
“Life is much easier when you can get comfortable with saying things like ‘I don’t know’ or ‘maybe they’re wrong’ without feeling like your whole life will come crashing down because of it” is one of the greatest quotes I’ve ever heard. Found this channel a couple months ago and have no idea how he only has 600k. Most entertaining videos on the website, can’t wait for him to hit a million
I guess it's still not worth considering why you were reliant on 'knowing' from the start.
Luckily found him when he first started up and it’s been awesome watching him and changing views with him as time goes on
Ya- me too. I mean, me as well! (Its so hard not to say 'me too'when in agreement w/ someone b/c it now has such an insinuation towards sexual assault 😡)
I came across JJ's channel last year and I was really surprised he didnt have well over 1 million subscribers.
@@hopecowschickens 😂mommy-daddy why? why? why do i react to ever-nascent desert pummus thrown with the conviction of warfare.
@@hopecowschickens you can still say me too in a sentence, it doesn't mean anything more than it used to
I know your audience is generally left of center but as a part of the percentage that is probably even further than right than you are, I want to echo everyone else's respect for your positions. Your dignity and humility in approaching everything is what makes you such a one of a kind voice in this space. It is something you've inspired me to practice myself.
I’m in the same boat as you and completely agree!
and in the other direction, as a marxist (a position even you many times ridicularized in your videos) i still enjoy watching your videos, your explorations of certain aspects of the world and seeing your opinions on many different topics. Because of that, i can easily put aside and respect your opinions as even when you label my views as antiquated i still can follow the vibe and example set by the rest of the video.
To finalize, using your example of "conditions lead to people being lead to certain ideological views" that my position as a Brazilian of a mid-low income, the governments i have seen, the financial situations my family has been through, as well as my philosophical views, that you could argue that was why i ended up with the political opinions that i have.
@@jacksauce im in the same boat as you and I nullify your opinion. please kindly shut up
@@sparklesparklesparkle6318 Cringe
I agree, I am slightly to the right of JJ but I appreciate his pragmatism
I’ve seen other lefties leave similar comments but as someone who also identifies as purely left-wing I appreciate that as someone who identifies as conservative, you are still welcoming to people such as myself who can come off as radical. The loudest conservatives tend to be the ones who don’t represent the majority well while people such as yourself are the ones who actually represent the people and their feelings. Thanks!
The extremists on both sides aren't open minded, only to what fits their narrative. Which is sad to say since both extremist sides go with bias over facts. I'm more right wing I'd say, however I wouldn't say I'm a radical insane pro Trumper.
I have a lot of friends in the city who are more liberal per se. And me and them can have civil discussions and we can both learn something from it! Two moderate perspectives are the best.
@@fatkid420 Just cause someone’s extreme doesn’t mean they aren’t open minded
@@fatkid420 i agree, extremists on both the left and right are EXTREMELY problematic. i am a moderate who leans left on some social issues like gay rights and abortion. but in other ways i am more conservative. i am constantly attacked verbally by more radical leftists if i speak my opinion on other issues (for example i don’t support sex work/prostitution and i don’t see it as a real, skilled job, and many people are not ok with me feeling that way.)
being open minded, cordial, civilised, etc. is very important for a society. i get along best with moderates who lean both directions because we can discuss cordially what we personally believe in
@ich liebe taiwan 🇹🇼 I'm the same. Some cases I'm more extreme on the right, however social issues such as abortion, gay rights etc they should be addressed and also supported. However. I'm also highly against the increase in immigration when we're already facing a housing crisis where Canadians can't afford to buy a home let alone live, I'm against the wokeism that we're facing that takes said social issues to an extreme proportion. These issues can still be problematic with some especially the etremeist religious and homophobic people. However, we're not all like that.
I resent the current government we have, I think we were better under the Harper government as much as people hate to admit it because of their biases. Personally if the Trudeau government was better than the Harper government I'd embrace it. But it's not. It's worse.
Also the left will attack you on anything you don't believe in radically. They'll accuse you of racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. Prostitution is not a job. It's a criminal offense. Not only is it dangerous for disease spreading but it's also dangerous for the women who get trafficked into it, and also their safety regarding murderers and such. The left will disagree however it's criminal for a reason.
Some sex work I'm fine with. OnlyFans being one. It's a safer alternative and it's "content creation" in a sense. I believe that porno and only fans are fine only if it's consensual of course.
@@fatkid420 yeah like I’m a bit of an extremist, but I find it weird other leftists get so angry over minor social issues
I think it’s really interesting that despite this channel being described a sort of “un-left space”, a large majority of your audience is on the left (myself included). I honestly think it’s because many people on the left are so tired of the “culture-war” focused brand of conservatism, that a channel like yours feels like a breath of fresh air. This channel offers a way for people to see your perspectives and not feel judged in any way for their own perspective, in a sense. You’ve created a space that’s way more open to nuance and discussion that is kinda hard to find in any sort of space that has any discussion of politics. I just think it‘s neat, to say the least.
well said
Indeed. I'm about as far left as you can be without embracing the teachings of Marx, and I have never felt alienated or unwelcome in this space.
A lot of us are from the US, and in the US his brand of conservatism doesn't sound like our conservatism at all, even if it arguably is if you descend to some kind of Burkean axiomatic level. I'd even say that it's squarely within our major "left" party's spread of positions.
indeed i agree with you. I always considered myself center left. I am Italian and here there is a similar "culture-war" situation that barely allows meaningful communication. I like this channel for your same reasons, tbh i started watching videos here because i love flags haha
@@MattMcIrvin it's a very interesting thing i am noting aswell, I am italian and i followed the recent finnish election was won by a centre right party. With a football type reaction by the right and far right in italy, and reading the actual political program the finnish centre right is more similar to the italian center left. As for example your american far left is more moderate than the italian far left, considering that for example Kennedy here would be seen as a centrist politician. It' very interesting to me how the left and right "meter" change a lot by countries
Unsubscribed. Just kidding. Actually, I am a little disappointed the more I get to know you that we agree on so many things. lol But I'm pretty sure we do.
On another note, ok fine...I'll take some political beliefs quizzes in a future livestream.
Hello mr beat!
Judging by your subscriptions I know where you lean :P
Mr beast 😨😳 no way🤯
@@alrasin579 Lmfao
@@__chinmay__ And which subscriptions are those?
@@iammrbeat Tom Nicholas and second thought? I'm subbed to them too! :D
Also three arrows!
Wow. So refreshing. The moralistic conviction that you owe this to your audience is new to me and cool. Thank you for being so transparent. I think you are right about it supporting enjoying content.
My wife and I, huge leftists, lovingly refer to you as "our favourite conservative." You're the ideal conservative in our mind, the kind that keeps our insane ideas in check, explains counterarguements well, and isn't irrationally full of hate and anti-science. Thank-you for the interesting conversations you have sparked in this household.
😂god I thought I’d never here a leftist admit there idea’s are insane
@@Hellllllo852 Right-wing ideas can also be insane. The point is having a ongoing and open discussion. Nothing improves without feedback.
It'd be a better place for everyone if we picked the best parts from both sides and we were all centrists. I relate to JJ being a gay conservative but I still have liberal views on how things should be. We shouldn't be steering people left or right, we need to keep going forward.
@@andrewhanson1180 I get what your saying but don't totally agree if everyone was centrist nothing would ever change we need people on the extremes to push the status quo and get everyone thinking if something is truly right
@Vita their
I'm a pretty unapologetic "lefty" (though think more European social democrat than socialist) and I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and channel as a whole. I am so sad that moderation has been largely lost.
thats not really leftist as social democrats here still want corporations and unequal livin standards, just not as america
@@tonymatic1704 I think they just meant they're on the left wing of the spectrum, not calling themselves a leftist
@@tonymatic1704 Social democrat is the standard left denomination in most of Europe. Distinct from radical socialist left.
@@tonymatic1704 Even social liberals are often considered centre-left.
Yes, to clarify, I'm not a "leftist". I'm a moderate that is on the left side of the spectrum. I'm part of a dying breed.
I'll be really honest, knowing what political beliefs you have, have no affects on how I watch this channel, as I enjoy this channel and I always click on a new video.
It absolutely affects how I watch it. This video dispelled a lot of reservations and issues I may have had regarding his content and biases. Having an up-front explanation and rejection of the extreme instills great confidence in the quality of one's intellectual honesty.
As somebody who is quite far left, especially in an American context, your videos are awesome. I disagree with a lot of your politics, but your perspective is so different to what I usually see, and you have such a knack for explaining things in a simple, unbiased, and interesting way that I don't care. I've been watching your channel for 2-ish years and will continue to do so for a long, long time. Congrats on 600k, and onward to 1 milllion!
I completely agree. I’m a politician for the Socialist party in Norway, but i love Watching your videoes and i think it’s good to Get other viewpoints:)
i will never understand how anyone supports institutions over entrepreneurs to be fair
Ignoring politics has cured my depression, anxiety, gout, and the common cold!
I was dying of cancer but turning off CNN cured me
You'r privilege if you can just ignore politics and go along with your life.
😂
no thats not how that works, a homeless man isn't more privileged than a senator just because he doesn't need to worry about politics@@lawtraf8008
@@bigchungus8287 Cancer News Network
I’ve never heard anyone express exactly how I feel in a more coherent and organized way. Even I can’t do it. This is a spectacular video; my beliefs match up almost perfectly.
Same
It's a very pragmatic way to be.
Same
me too
You’re at 600,000 subscribers now!?!? That’s absolutely insane! I’ve watched for about 1.5-2 years and you had like 60k subs. Definitely hitting a million in 2022, JJ. Keep up your grind and it will pay off!
It’s mainly because of the shorts he’s been posting. A lot of his most popular videos now are shorts
I did a double take when you said 600k. This channel's quality made me think I was watching someone who had over a 1mil subscribers over the last year.
I was really taken aback when he said 600k. I’ve been watching JJ’s stuff for a while now too and everything he does has the quality of a larger channel. I’m amazed he doesn’t have more, but I’m so glad his audience is growing as fast as it is. He’ll get the million mark in 2022 for sure
JJ, I identify as left wing but I enjoy your videos an awful lot - it is great to find a refreshing opposition to my own views that I can find entertaining. I hate living in a bubble politically and completely agree with your point re the monotony of left wing youtubers and the downright craziness of the populist american right make me almost completely ignore the political side of youtube. So, I thank you for allowing me to engage with the other side. Congrats on 600k!
The community you’ve garnered around this channel is truly amazing, it’s so rare to see genuine dialogue and understanding between rivalling opinions. Growing up in a middle class family in a nice suburban neighbourhood in maple ridge I feel very similarly to issues as you and you’ve helped me find the right words to express my opinions to both family and friends and for that I can’t thank you enough. I strive to be as unbiased as I can and look at things from every side (my family is very liberal so that also helps me stay grounded in my more conservative beliefs); and to find a channel like yours that effectively reports on issues and events in ways that appeal to most people on both spectrums has had a very positive effect on how I’m able to discus politics considering I’m still young and learning (just graduated last year). Just wanted to say thank you for the sincerity and knowledge you’ve shared.
JJ, i just want to say, I love to hear more moderate voices, people who don't say "both sides are right" but who take a look at individual issues and decide based on their own philosophy what us right. I really hope you keep up the good work, and just know that you are a special person in the world of (semi) political commentary on TH-cam
Canada f•ck yeah
I don't actually think JJ is especially moderate. Maybe you get that impression from his TH-cam channel because, as he said, he tries not to make his videos too political.
My impression is that he is very firmly in the right-wing of Canadian conservatives. For example, whenever the Conservative Party has to select a leader, JJ is always highly critical of the candidates in the "moderate lane" and more sympathetic to the further-right ones. He has also expressed some opinions that seem pretty fringe, such as wanting to abolish the CBC.
This is good political content. I was raised as a “centrist” moderate conservative, and have drifted center-left on average over time as I took the time to re-examine my positions with more information and more nuanced moral arguments, but I deeply respect anyone who can coherently articulate and civilly argue their beliefs in good faith...which is sadly becoming rarer as the parties here in the US play the populist game of erecting strawmen to tear down.
The two party system and money involved has created Tribalism.
@@sergelondon916 It's not the only factor (the US has been two-party since basically day one, but only tribalist ABOUT those parties in SOME periods of its history, so that on its own can't be sufficient on its own to produce tribalism in the public at large, even if it is a major contributing cause), and I would argue that the two-party system is itself a natural consequence of the way our voting system is structured, so the easiest way to solve the two-party system is to change the voting system (preferably to STV or MMP, but AV would require fewer amendments, and even it would help *tremendously*), but yes, the fewer tribes there are and the closer they are to even in power, the more likely one is to demonize the other, and once they do political discourse rapidly starts racing to the bottom.
@@night6724 Who said anything about a third party system? Your worried about that when you need at least $10 million dollars to run for political office.
$1 billion at least to be president. And the electoral college derails the Democratic process.
@@night6724 the theory goes that it's harder to demonize ur enemies with simple strawmen if they exist in. a variety of different parties that need to be more nuanced and targeted to get more attention. You may be "right-wing" but if you're uber socially conservative then you might be part of a "Christian Democracy" party while if ur socially liberal and just want less taxes/spending then you'll be part of a more libertarian-ish "free market" party, and vice versa on the left, a "labor party" for the normal social democrat, a socialist/ecological party for those who want socialism or are just a tree hugger and et cetera and et cetera
@@night6724 It's about removing the mechanisms that allow for parties to consolidate power, and therefore have an oligopoly/monopoly of power in government. And i say monopoly because in most of the US, for example, only one party has any chance of winning. A government monopoly brings with it all the negatives that a corporate monopoly brings in addition to making it easier for those with money and power to buy influence and gridlock the government (thus preventing meaningful changes to the status quo that allows those with money and power to have said money and power).
A mechanism that allows for the two party system to o exist and a proposed solution: replace first-past-the-post voting for ranked-choice voting for all federal, state, and local elections. The "easiest" way I see to achieve this is with a constitutional amendment (easy being relative; remember the two parties that we depend on to make the amendment are controlled by people who stand to lose from such an amendment)
It's nice to see a discussion on political beliefs online that doesn't involve attacking another belief. Also congrats on 600k
i'm so glad i found your channel, as a left-leaning queer person it's really hard to find other perspectives that don't seek to alienate people like me so i frequently get stuck in echo chambers, so it's really good to find an 'un-left' creator that doesn't base their political identity on who they don't like :)
on chesmond
this!! i was really happy to see how respectful he is
Good luck finding an… “un-left” creator that actually does do that
@@LordHoward on this channel
The vast majority of libertarians don't really care about that stuff on any level that matters. While one may personally believe it is weird or wrong, they also believe in personal liberty and aren't going to really do anything about it unless someone is trying to indoctrinate or groom children or something.
You're so reasonable it's kind of ridiculous. In this age of hyperbole and never ending mass-media induced social fury, I expect my content creators to be bombastic, angry, and tell me to hate people who disagree with us-- your temperate disposition simply won't do in 2022.
If you don’t hate the “bad guys” then maybe you’ll actually realize how corrupt religious, political and economic leaders are we can’t have that
Please go check you favorite news site to get correct information on who to hate
Have a nice day :)
@@fossforever512 So the "bad guys" are corrupt religious, political and economic leaders?
@@pascalausensi9592 also anyone who is different
@@pascalausensi9592 Pretty much, yeah.
@@pascalausensi9592 lmao I was pointing out how the news/social media tries to get us (normal people) to fight amongst ourselves, meanwhile the people who control those things and have an insanely high level of control over the world are actively profiting from us being distracted by hating each other to the point we don’t realize they’re the actual bad people preventing the world from being as good/peaceful etc as possible
Very thoughtful and honest. I love this channel.
Makes sense, his personality shares many similarities with yourself.
BIng chilling man joined the chat
bruh
Good to know he watches this channel
Why hello there👋
As a lefty bordering on socialist, I respect and understand you viewpoint because it's grounded in a broader understanding. If all political discourse had as much thought as yours we've be a long way from the culture war crap to that motivates too many voters. Thank you.
Canada F•ck yeah !!
Unfortunately there is evidence of unfriendly foreign influence manipulating many issues through bot accounts to help create this culture war.
The tech industry doesn’t help either because it’s algorithms end up trying to make one feel angry because thats what gets more clicks and advertising revenue.
@@Snoop_Dugg it's so funny. The culture war may be spearheaded by AI but it learns from our choices! And sadly people choose to consume and participate in drama more than anything else. We thrive off potential validation WITHIN that confrontation! This in turn IS our culture!
Oh yeah, humans love controversy.
But we never had these problems in the 80's, 90's because we didn't have this constant bombardment of information and news.
Anytime I try to have any discussions with socialists now, they just get angry and name call. I used to be a socialist. I wish more of them would be cordial. They would see maybe we don't disagree on as much as we think.
Amazing. I loved how he explained why he’s conservative by putting his background into perspective. Different people have different political beliefs and alot of it has to be with how you grew up.
I consider myself a conservative and I'm 22 now but I remember when I was 16 getting into the altright movement and culture war crap but thankfully and have grown out of that and now see things from a very human perspective, I think one problem in politics is people see their "political opponents" as nothing more as the enemy or as completely brain dead when they're just simply people with different life perspectives and 90% of the time mean well
I'm on the left and I wish more of the left would be open to respectfully engaging with people on the right. Especially young people on the alt right, since they are in a phase of their lives where they can easily have their opinions changed. It makes me sad that many leftists don't give people (even on our own side) room to grow and make up for past mistakes.
@@crimsonghost4107 yeah I've had similar experiences with talking to my fellow conservatives about workers rights and fairer wages, but yeah I've noticed some leftist folks try to broadly paint all conservatives on the spectrum as intolerant racists and bigots
@@crimsonghost4107 why not just respect the fact that everyone has different opinions and that's okay vs trying to change their opinions to align with your own because you think your opinions are right and everyone else's is wrong?
@@kumi9479 It's important to respect differing opinions but at the same time, not engaging in discussion especially with opposing views is unhealthy and unbalanced. When someone is of a different alignment to you, by all means give your opinion, not for the purposes of changing their views, but for them to CONSIDER a different point of view to the issue. In order to find the truth, one must consider both sides.
Alt-rightism is cancer to politics cancer to the people too as a whole
I am what people would call a “leftist” and your channel and perspective is something I really appreciate. I remember coming across your channel a year or so ago and actually clicking away from the video when I heard you were a conservative. That is something I do regret and I’m happy I was mature enough in the end to click on your videos when they popped up a few months later.
Exactly same here!
Me too, I have followed his channel for a while and I do enjoy his videos
Perhaps he's a lefty in disguise? 😉
Same. I've been watching this channel for years and have only grown more left wing but still really appreciate his views on things and enjoy hearing a perspective different from my own, especially since i'll admit i consume a lot of left wing media
Its never bad to hear different perspectives
It's a sincere, brave and ethical thing to do, making your political and philosophical beliefs clear. In this age where people can lose a lot from making their views known, we need more people to be frank and clear like yourself. The last part I think makes you a better human being in that you acknowledge that you're human unlike a lot of personalities on YT that will never admit fault and will always double down. Looking forward to your next video.
@Good Guy What a ridiculous comment.
As a Conservative, I wish all Conservatives were like you. Maybe then our perspectives and philosophies (yes, plural, we are a diverse group) would be taken more seriously by the international community and lead to more understanding and respectful discourse.
As a staunch leftist I wholeheartedly agree!
Drop the evangelicals. Honestly I would be more inclined to trust conservatives if they started with that.
@@youdontknowme8129 it’s not so easy to do, though I agree they do need to be dropped. They are kind of deep rooted in the Conservative party that seems to be being removed with time
@@youdontknowme8129 adding on to what the other guy said, you can’t just “drop” people. They have to go somewhere.
@@youdontknowme8129 you don’t drop a group of people. Evangelicals are an important part of modern US conservative ideology
This is probably your best video and the most refreshing “political” video I’ve seen in years. Very thoughtful and insightful and I’m a lifetime leftist. I personally find the “un-left” aspect to your channel to be appealing to me because it challenges some notions I have. The culture war type videos on both sides are just so draining to me at this point.
This, very much. I'm pretty much far right, but I'd describe myself more of a real politik kind of person. It seems that the entire idea of "right" youtube videos are just the American anti-progressives and the left are the opposite, both just being exported to the rest of the world. Sure, I agree with some of these people, but it does get really tedious. Would you say you're more economically right or politically? I'm curious :P
I second this whole-heartedly!
@@AlienTreeGuy What positions do you hold to be able to consider yourself far right? This is pretty interesting because i don't think i've seen anyone actually identify as far right.
@@extremedrumming3393 to be quite honest they could just be a North American conservative living in France or Denmark. Especially with the separation of social and economic beliefs, I would find it likely that they are either European or a younger person.
@@extremedrumming3393 Generally I consider myself somewhat of an authoritarian of some description. I like the idea of a strong leader directing a country, since all I generally see in politics is weak responses and compromises. I don't mean authoritarian as in dictatorship necessarily, but I do idealize some of older kings such as Frederick II of Prussia or Gustav III of Sweden. A sort of enlightened absolutism. That's just my preferred way, though. I'm perfectly happy with strongman politics in democracies as well. I'm generally left economically, since I come from Sweden, but I fall right in most other regards. Strong police, strong military, strong prisons. Emphasis on tradition and cultural uniqueness within nations. That doesn't necessarily mean I disagree with some things that is not traditional. Being gay myself, I generally support LGB stuff.
Complicated opinions on most things, in any case :P
As a middle-class German guy whose believes range broadly between conservative centrist and liberal left social democrat, i must applaud you on how you approach politics, especially in regards to politics on the internet. I too have noticed the trends that you mentioned in the video, and i'm happy to see that a TH-camr who deals with politics (even if it is not the majority of your content) finally take a stance against the polarization that is going on. But regardless of that, congratulations on reaching 600k subscribers! Hopefully it will indeed be at least 1 million by the end of 2022!
It helps when your country has some form of proportional representation. Imagine if your only choice was a CDU coalition with AFD or SPD coalition with Die Linke, Merkel's grand coalition is something that is just not possible in a two party system.
I'm pretty heavily left wing, but you represent a very welcoming and understandable form of conservatism. And as someone from the U.S. I can genuinely say it's incredibly refreshing to see a conservative that doesn't break down into cultist conspiracy. I enjoy engaging with your videos and really appreciate someone who treats politics reasonably. Thank you for being here :]
RUSSIA-GATE 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ya it's nice when people aren't to far left or two far right
@@Ant-fc7rf I mean, those are the kinds of people that have the American culture by the balls. My dad has always voted Republican down the line, still does, but even he can, for example, see that his brother is an insane cultist with the Qanon, stolen election, trumpian politics, conservatism where they consider Putin preferable to biden.
I think its largely the media they consume responsible for this, but the biggest names in American conservatism right now are the cultists.
@@Ant-fc7rf It's what most people are exposed to, the loudest voices get heard more. Hence why the right think we are all rainbow colour screamfests. While we all think conservatives are batshit consipracy theroists trying to take away rights. Tbf what's happening in America atm with trans rights and women's choice, doesn't help that notion.
@@Ant-fc7rf tbf the craziest of the group are always the loudest
As someone who's firmly positioned on the left, it's good to hear there are people who don't necessarily agree with all my values but in a way that doesn't demonize the very existence of certain groups or the inflammatory moral grandstanding often heard from conservative rhetoric. It's also refreshing to hear someone with this particular perspective of conserving the status quo that is aware that their position is at least in part influenced by how they benefit from the status quo. I think the main thing that separates you from most conservatives is that you actually think critically about your beliefs rather than simply leaning on appeals to emotion. Great vid
I cannot begin to express how much i appreciate your mindset on a lot of these things. The world needs more people who think like you (not necessarily policy wise or specific idea wise) but people who are able to be pragmatic about things and arnt afraid to have a more nuanced political identity. thank you
It's nice to see a conservative who actually wants to conserve things other than religion and corporations
I’m a conservative who wants to conserve the environment especially
Agreed
Umm, if you look now days on who wants to conserve the corporations it’s the left. Basically all Corps, main stream media and the likes are very leftist!
Most conservatives are that way, I hunt because I care about the environment and my area has a major bear and deer problem. I play music with a small British style brass band because they are disappearing so I want to keep them around. That is why most people are conservative.
@@LS-rw9yp Typically the left doesn’t support the corporations even if the corporations pretend to be on the left.
This is really the only channel on TH-cam where I feel myself represented, in any capacity, politically (and in many ways philosophically). I'm a relatively young Canadian with adjacent-Conservative tendencies and associations, while feeling in many ways utterly alienated by the conservative (and liberal) dogmas we're exposed to today. I feel absolutely no sense of condescension or pandering from you, and no motivation to push me in any particular political direction, but merely presenting certain realities in a multi-faceted way (while transparently communicating your thoughts & biases). You're able to eloquently and sensibly represent multiple sides of any given issue or argument, which is actually so goddamn refreshing compared to literally everyone else cramming their agenda down your throat. It's really refreshing, I wished there were more people and channels like yours.
I identify as a moderate, I'm an American. I grew up in quite a right wing area (voted 65/35 even in 2020, and that's with the fact that it counts none of the active military folks who vote elsewhere who live here as there is a large navy base in my community). I often get called far left where I live, but then people who are far left will call me far right, so there's that. All of those political viewpoint quiz things return to me as that I'm a moderate (who leans one way or another depending on the questions they ask). I feel quite aligned with J.J.'s political beliefs, not completely, I want to conserve what is so great about my country and change what isn't, but I think that's how everyone should be. It isn't outrageous to want prescriptions to be more affordable, healthcare to be more affordable in the US. That said, I think a lot could be fixed in cities that have housing crises by simply loosening some of the ridiculous building codes (like having a parking spot in a garage for every apartment built and having so much green space per square foot of impermeable land). I'm not advocating for laissez faire, I'm stating that I think the govt is too involved in some things and not involved enough in others. I also identify with states' rights, something that was big in the 80s, when my dad came to voting age, as I think the federal govt has take more powers than explicitly given to them in the constitution (as it says that everything else is reserved to the states)
As a leftist liberal, I appreciate you being an aware conservative more than I would if you were a blind liberal. Whether conservative, liberal, or otherwise, one of the worst things you can do is blindly follow and agree with every single thing your party does. I think it’s great that you realize your party’s history, unlike a lot of LGBTQ+ conservatives. Not only do you acknowledge the wrongdoings of your party, you hold them to their faults. I try to do the same and I think it’s the best thing to do if you hope to ever truly achieve a better future for your nation and the world.
He's actually pretty liberal. No wonder you like him.
What is a "leftist liberal"? Or, what is it to you? Because as far as I was aware, that's a contradiction in terms. Leftist and liberal are two entirely separate political identities that occupy different places on the spectrum, and don't overlap. To my understanding, at least. A leftist being an anticapitalist on the left of the spectrum, and liberals being basically centre, and support capitalism (though perhaps with friendlier face than your average neoliberal or conservative)
Leftist and Liberal are mutually exclusive.
@@ArthurCSchaperMR cope
Liberals aren’t leftist, F off.
As a leftist, it's refreshing to see a reasonable conservative talking, given that the majority of people on social media calling themselves conservative are much more the prickly culture war types. That, and your intentions seem to be relatively good.
I think it is more appropriate to build your own beliefs and principles stronger rather than tear down those of another when pleading your case in the political field
Yeah, seeing a conservative that's pro-gay and (maybe?) pro trans is really cool to me.
Most conservatives in my experience are quite queerphobic
@UCrrHYkS0Z_JnkWFwGdpIWpA The problem is that those tend to be the quiet ones. They're the truly "live and let live" ones, which is honestly a pretty perfect way of going about life, it just means that the conservatives that are heard happen to be the homophobes.
it would be a far less toxic environment if conservatives shared his non hostile attitude and weren't ultimately just looking for attention
@@usermcskull4713 a lot of them might be transphobic but I've found that most of them are pretty okay with gay people
@@kushal4956 not most in my experience lol
This video made me realize we all been polarized so much that it was shocking to me at first that I can share the same opinions on some topics with someone who does not share the same political point of view with me but it was more shocking to realize this was shocking to me in the first place. Excepting everyone to agree with your own beliefs is not healthy, progression comes from conflict, I guess all the crazy people in both parts made me subconsciously think that they would be never on the same side. However we often forget there’s no sides, the main goal is to make everyone’s life better and this can be achieved only by different ideas clashing and shaping the best outcome. Thank you for this video. As a 23 year-old in that phase of burning with ideological fire, it’s so easy to lost the plot sometimes.
Polarization is good
@@jasperfisch8652 as I said progression comes from conflict, so it should be polar sides but not so strong that two polars started to tear apart each other. It defeats the while purpose.
Very true... It's even easier to get riled up when the extreme sides are louder and often get the spotlight, so we feel like it's us against "the bad guys"
I'm on the same stage in life and having this type of content makes me think more rationally about politics
I'm glad that you openly talk about political opinions instead of toxicly denying that videos are apolitical. This a lot more honest than other creators. Being honest with that can make it easier for both viewers understanding which comments might be neutral or which might have a bias (in a way you didn't intend).
Usually I get a "Don't meet your hero's" feeling from these kinds of videos, but not this one.... I haven't met many people with a similar mindset in politics, makes more sense why I can watch your videos easily lol
i usually dont see people as my heros unless i have already met them and know them personally, otherwise, i just hold respect for people in these positions and thats it
I detest the common misconception that centrists (or someone who looks at both sides and sorts out what makes sense to them) are in reality just afraid to choose a side. In reality, we're sortve rejecting ideology.
don't let Jreg see this...
people dislike the idea that many centrists believe, which is that they're the only people who have looked at "both sides"
in reality there is no both sides, and while many people fall into the trap of treating politics like a team sport (including centrists), a large portion of people construct their beliefs after having considered several avenues. centricism is no different.
A lot of leftists take a critical stance towards ideology, that's kind of the whole point of critical theory and its descendents.
The difference is that those areas of study are interested in how ideology interacts with material conditions, whereas a centrist who "rejects" ideology is implicitly adopting a conservative ideology by virtue of upholding the status quo and being disproportionally skeptical of change
@@InverseAgonist they don't *really* criticize ideology. If you actually ask a leftist what their proposals for the future are, 99% of the time, it's socialism. Critical theory has legitimate purpose, but I find it has really no answers as to what to do aside from trying socialism again.
Which is what I find very disengenious about it. They act like they want to eschew ideology but they're just rebranding an existing ideology and using Marxist analysis to do so.
I just wanna make clear, I do lean far to the left of the political wing. But, with that being said, I’ve always enjoyed your videos knowing we probably don’t see eye to eye on most things politically. I think you do a great job at criticising your own ideology (something I think everyone should do) and in your regular videos you do a good job at explaining the facts of the situation rather than a politically motivated view. Overall, I think you’ve done incredibly well at maintaining a fun and knowledge driven audience rather than an ideologically focused audience like a lot of TH-camrs
Really respect what you're tryna do JJ, the 'un-left' space is an idea I can get behind. I'm someone who leans to the right on many issues, but I'm by no means a die-hard right-winger, I'm pretty disenfranchised from the modern right. I've found that when you make pragmatic arguments for more right-wing ideas like a market economy or a strong military, people are much more sympathetic. Unfortunately, the culture war just turns everything into a childish insults match and not a genuine discussion of ideas.
@C.D.N.U I agree, I think the whole "the free market will provide for everyone" concept is utopian, you need basic things like a welfare state and access to healthcare, education etc. There are many flaws to a market economy, but when you compare capitalist countries with non-capitalist countries, it's clear that capitalism is preferable, we're best off working with what we've got than tearing down the whole system.
@C.D.N.U Scarcity isn't something you can overcome because there's a finite amount of matter, let alone the fraction of a fraction of a fraction of it found in our galaxy.
@C.D.N.U Source on that?
@C.D.N.U In my opinion, that can be remedied by having limits on demand. For example, during covid, you've seen those 'you must only buy x toilet paper rolls' signs. Do that, but everywhere, and remove prices. In economics classes, they teach that prices serve to limit demand; to stop people from buying all of the diamonds. But, I think that prices are a bad way to limit demand as it gives the rich higher limits than the poor, meaning that the poor can't get their basic needs met. I'm willing to hear out your opinions on my statement.
@@inaudiblenoise9668 Please see the paper, 'Economic Development, Political-Economic system, and the Physical Quality of Life' BTW, the data is from the World Bank, not from the countries themselves, so 'socialist countries are compulsive liars' isn't an argument. I am more than welcome to hear your thoughts on this.
I think it is important to have un-left spaces. I’m a social liberal myself so I’m sorta a leftist in some sense, but I recognize that one of the flaws of leftism is the way in which it overlooks nuance in favour of “good guy vs bad guy” thinking. I’m sure the right does this as well, I just find from personal experience it can be frustrating to agree with something some says but then see it applied generally in ways that can be harmful. For example, I think that globalization, particularly of capitalism, has been in many ways very destructive. You get companies going abroad and dumping their waste in places with less environmental restrictions, or abusing places with low/no minimum wage for cheap labour. Being leftish that angers me, and I’m sure it angers some conservatives too. But what many leftists will do is then say that all globalization is evil. That overlooks so much medical and economic progress that has happened because of it. Infant mortality rates, overall life expectancy, people raised out of poverty, access to birth control etc have all increased. It’s not purely evil or purely good, it’s both and we need to reform it with that in mind. There is also a very concerning aspect of leftism that I’ve seen online which may be small but still can be dangerous which I’d describe as something like anti-intellectualism. I don’t know if that’s the correct word, but if you’ve ever seen someone say “why can’t we just print more money?” or “the economy isn’t real” you probably know what I’m talking about. It’s great to question reality, but like 9 times out of 10 the people questioning don’t want to know the answer, they just want to make a point about deconstructing social concepts. In doing that though, they neglect factual realities, such as resource scarcity or inflation. Not everything related to economic theory is just made up to abuse the proletariat. So while I align more with the left than the right, I think it’s very important to provide non-left perspectives and give people some nuance. I myself often overlook that nuance and benefit from the grounding of thinking outside of a limited worldview for a second. It doesn’t make leftism wrong. A lot of the issues regarding oppression and workers rights are very accurate observations. But we can’t let them distance us from reality either.
Not sure who you are talking to, but they sound like either liberals or new/undisciplined leftists. Marxism is all about nuance, we look at the material conditions in every situation rather than treating things as simply right/ wrong, good/evil. Yes, sometimes its hard even for us to refrain from calling people who have caused incredible harm "evil" (Hitler, Churchill, Raegan etc), or systems like capitalism or white supremacy. But that is not a flaw of leftism. Leftist thought teaches us to think of events in history as struggles between different groups with contradictory interests. In this way, it is the material conditions that matter, not simply if something is inherently good or bad.
Globalism isn't the issue, capitalism is. I haven't heard many leftists complain about globalism, usually we are focused on capitalism and its many subcategories (colonialism, fascism, white supremacy etc.). If a leftist is criticizing globalism, it is probably under the assumption that they are talking about the effects of globalism under capitalism, such as neo colonialism.
Of course the economy is real in the sense that it affects all of us. But it isn't the law of nature that capitalists believe. It's all made up. I'm not sure what you mean by the realities of resource scarcity and inflation. Resource scarcity under capitalism rarely exists. Usually what they call scarcity is actually resources being withheld. Most "inflation" is simply capitalists raising prices to make money. This is what happened recently with oil in the US. There was no scarcity, they refused to drill more oil. And it wasn't prices magically going up due to "inflation". Oil prices went up because corporations took advantage of a world crisis. That's all.
When it comes to looking at multiple worldviews, I agree. But keep in mind everyone's biases, and intentions. Keeping an open mind, within reason, is a good thing. But this doesn't mean you have to "meet in the middle" between left and right. The left is not a monolith, there is as much of a variety in leftist thought as there is on the right (liberals + conservatives). So even though I am no longer open to listening to capitalists, I still constantly challenge my own beliefs from a leftist prospective.
I really agree, I’d just like to add that anti-intellectualism isn’t just a left wing or right wing thing. The way you described it is definitely more left, but people being against “science” and “elites from the big cities” for no reason except for I was told to aren’t just left or right.
@@heroicskeleton1566 grow up, son
@@heroicskeleton1566 that last sentence makes literally no sense man 🫤
@@heroicskeleton1566lmao that’s just ridiculous and so wrong you clearly failed history Capitalism has literally lifted people out a property more than anything else in history. You’re never going to create something that’s better than that and you are clearly leaving out the terrible shit that left wing leaders have done like Stalin,mao Che etc you are Clearly biased with your own political views and opinions of the world in certain things which is a problem
As a leftist I really appreciate what you describe as “a non-leftist space.”
It never makes sense to me. to identify as left or right. I use my whole brain. Logic with empathy. . Empathetic logic.
Conserving, and liberating where I choose.
If only driven by emotions, then I'm liable to be manipulated by them. If someone can sway me, while i don't see clearly with logic and reason. Blinded by rage, or empathetic situations without harboring my empathy to those that "oppose" my current stance. Then I'm blind to what the topic is about, not thinking how it will shape the future. And where it would go from there.
Understand psychology should be taught in elementary school. through high school getting progressively more informative, so people can understand their brains how they are formed, where they can be manipulated and how.
@@santosdr2 i think it depends on how you view labels tbh. like im more of a descriptivist, so although im not real big on labels, i can look at the beliefs i have and acknowledge that they mostly line up with what society views as leftist. so i loosely identify with the term, along with a few others i see people who have identical beliefs to me use. i just identify with whatever word will express my opinions the best in day to day conversation. i look at every issue on an individual basis and form opinions regardless of that label, because its all more of a sliding scale for me anyway. i can have whatever beliefs i want, i just pick a label that best conveys my message depending on who im talking to
it can become a problem when you have a prescriptivist point of view tho, because you start feeling like you have to acquire certain beliefs to properly fit that label. its easier for prescriptivists to get sucked into the weird gatekeeping, in-fighting, and partisan bs that doesnt really matter to anyone outside of their niche group.
@@somedude172 Why don't you say as an individual? Is it because you want to feel socially accepted? Views are one thing. actions are another. Are you actions or the actions of the percieved "left" in line with what they claim to be love for all.
Is rampant degeneration of the family unit, best for future children? Is birthing people. Really teh standards we want for future children?
Do we really want to dehumanize people and gender norms to create lunacy and call it normal?
@@somedude172 when you label yourself as left, you take on the positions of Left or just drop out when it is convenient. This is why two party system is designed to destroy the population.
Ultimately a single party. With individuals being held accountable would benefit the whole.
Then we can take accountability
@@santosdr2 idk wtf youre on about with "rampant degeneration of the family unit" and " Is birthing people. Really teh standards we want for future children?", especially since the latter isnt even a full sentence. i will not be responding after this until you can type in a way that other humans can understand- sorry if english isnt your first language, but i just cannot understand half of what youre trying to say. but in response to what i do understand:
first off, you should google the difference between *pre*scriptivism and *de*scriptivism (or.... you know.. actually read my original comment). prescriptivism is when you see a label and make yourself fit it, like you described- descriptivism is when you form your ideas and then pick a label that happens to line up. this is useful because when im having a conversation, no one wants to sit there and discuss every single individual topic. sometimes its easiest to give a synopsis of your ideals, and "left leaning" does that the best for me.
for example, i might say "im left, and even i think democrats suck". just saying "i think democrats suck" doesnt give the same message. and it makes no sense to sit there and explain my beliefs in detail when there is a label that gives everyone a pretty basic idea of what i believe. thats the entire purpose of language.
also, left =/= democrat. i dont associate with any party, but my views typically align with the left as a whole. not democrats, theyre just republicans who have learned how to pander. no genuine leftist considers democrats left. its starting to sound like youre not actually anti-label, youre just anti-left.
You're the first conservative I've heard admit to upholding the status quo-- or parts of it --as a value (personal or otherwise). You know, to actually conserve things you/we already have.
You're not the first conservative to hold that position, of course, but you are the first to be self-aware of it in my experience. I don't even consider it a negative, just rare and refreshing. And that's why I'm subbed. Plus your flag related videos are quite enjoyable.
I just honestly think the status quo isn’t that bad. I think more people should stop and think about all the things they have to be grateful for. That was something I was really taught as a child. My mother will still often text me and say things like “remember to count your blessings JJ!”
@@JJMcCullough I'm not a fan of neoliberalism but I think there are lot if plus sides with the ideology too.
@@JJMcCullough so you have no desire to improve? No desire to progress?
@@JJMcCullough what you're saying is that your political beliefs lie with preserving yourself and not aiding and progressing both your life and the lives of others, which I don't see a point in
@@__chinmay__ Where are the plus sides?
I appreciate your perspective, and your smart divorce of association between “identity politics” as many conservatives call it and the partisan politics themselves. A conservative that acknowledges and appreciates the reality of marginalized people instead of falling into the more tunnel-visioned conservative media mindset. I also appreciate that you bounce around a lot in your videos, as in like your body; it keeps you visually interesting to keep an eye on which makes it easier to listen to your message with full humanity. I feel like that might be an odd comment but I wanted to share it nonetheless. Congrats on your accomplishments and I look forward to learning more about culture from you!
This guy is cringe as f
@@wardsandstrom3293 thanks 😘
I write all my political beliefs in a notebook and take down the dates I write them. My beliefs change yearly, not a significant amount but it’s a change. Looking back and reading them feels weird. It’s like reading someone else’s thoughts. It makes me almost cringe reading about what I used to think but that’s good as it shows I’m maturing more. 3 years ago I was very political and all I believed in was facts, logic & stats. Now I’m much less political in daily life and I’ve incorporated empathy into my facts & logic philosophy.
I’ll probably read this comment a year from now and cringe at what I’ve said.
So what do you think about this comment now
is it Obama was given now? we need an update.
@@Theviewerdude It’s been a year and I’m back I guess. My comment ain’t making me cringe too much except for the “empathy into facts logics and philosophy”.
I honestly hate politics now and try to stay away from the media. It’s the same thing every time and it’s never something good so it just depressing to hear. I knew I was at my limit when I got into my Ted Kaczynski phase. So a lot has changed in one year.
Here’s to another year :)
@@felobatirmoheb4884I left a little update
@@obamawastaken9069 so?
Honestly I feel like your drift from "conservatism" towards a more centrist position is actually really not uncommon at all for a middle class "anglo" of your age. In Britain at least there is sort of this "centrist dad" stereotype of the professional late 30s/40s middle class man.
I am cool with this
I consider myself a moderate conservative too (I value individual freedoms, and I believe in the free market as the superior system of economics), and it's honestly really reaffirming to find another conservative whose political agenda is dictated by reason and careful thought rather than bigoted biases, dogmatism, and anxiety.
you seem more like a libertarian to me
@@JackDSquat In political science, the ideology is just called "liberal-conservatism", and it is the dominant strand of conservatism in Europe and Canada.
No need to associate these ideas with extremist ideas like right-libertarianism. Right-wing libertarianism was popularized by Murray Rothbard who supported the creation of a "flourishing free market in children" and opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
@@elwinowen5469 ideology evolve. To claim that because mainstream libertarian supported segregation in the 60, libertarian are forever white nationalist is to claim that democrat in the usa are slave holder because in the 19th century, they were the slave owners.
And no. In political science, we do not learn that right libertarianism is an inherently extreme ideology. Where did you take your political science class? I know that in the usa, education is much more partisan than here in canada. Thats why im asking.
Right libertarianism is often defined by common belief such as
-liberty of association
-absolute free speech
-absolute liberty of wearing arm
-alternative to government system, like a collective school as opposed to a public school
-market based economy
-confederation as opposed to federation or unitary state
-decentralized politics.
-government having no affair in personal relationships( thats why it was the conservative and libertarian that fought for gay marriage in the uk).
-advocate for self responsibility instead of collective
All of those are not that far from usual american belief or even conservative belief. They are not radical in any shape or form. I don't agree with them and from what I've read, neither are you, but to claim that they are radical and racist is uninformed at best, disingenuous at worst.
Edit. Also, in political science, and i am in my second year of college with this concentration so im not a novice, we do not learn which individual promoted ideology but the ideology itself. We don't look at hitler when we talk about fachism. We look at the system. Its politic, its power, its economic and how it relate to political culture ect. Its the entire point of our discipline. Yes, the precursor of american libertarianism was racist, but if the ideology itself is not, then it is irrelevant to political science. We may look on how a slippery slope might be formed though.
Also. Lets keep it civil. I don't want to fight. Im really tired of internet rethoric. Just want to have either a civil debate or correct some things.
@@JackDSquat liberal
I love individual freedoms and Capitalism too! I tend to identity more as a Social Capatalist or Social Democrat rather than a conservative though. Granted as a queer trans woman I'm acutely aware of how most American Republicans view me so I'm not exactly endeared to The Right
Honestly, the most surprising part in this video for me was the fact that JJ is 37. Amazing video by the way!
I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your perspective. You are one of the best channels on TH-cam, always showing me knew things about the world and the wonder that hides in every day life and culture. You’ve shown me so much beauty and fascinating dynamics and history in the stuff I normally just accept as part of everyday life. Your ability to explore to turn the mundane into the fascinating, common knowledge into exciting wisdom, to turn everyday occurrences into lessons about the world, history, and humanity is an incredible gift you have.
Additionally, your self-awareness shows how much thought you put into what you create and how carefully crafted your messages and videos are. You treat your audience not as an instrument to play the right notes to, but as people.
I hope that one day you will reach a million subscribers, but million or not, you should take pride in being one of the best TH-camrs, and one of the best creators.
I do appreciate that this channel is an un-left space and I personally think its the the most unique and gravitating 'selling point' of J.J.'s videos. As someone who would probably consider themself on the left side of things, the internet is oversaturated with a left prespective to the point of nausea but at the same time, most things labeled 'conservative' are very reactionary and 'radically' conservative to the point of nausea which is why your non-sensationalized beliefs make a pleasent and refreshing breath-of-fresh-air middle-ground
Thanks so much! I’m glad people enjoy this “un left” idea
@@JJMcCullough Is there any other channel you would label as "un left"?
I wish this flavor of political ideology was more popular. I feel like in America there isn't really a space for moderate conservatives anymore. Everything just gets caught up in the culture war and the real problems in society are left by the wayside more often than not.
I think he's a calmer and less reactionary version of someone like Bill Maher, though I'd say J.J.'s politics may lean more to the right on many economic issues. Honestly, I don't hate Bill, and I've often found him entertaining, but I can't ignore his shortcomings, he can contradict himself, and his rhetoric is certainly more offensive (as in he's attacking other people and viewpoints, not that his rhetoric itself is grossly objectionable) than introspective. But, in the end, Bill is a TV personality, so it's fair to say being loud and rectionary is kind of part of his job, it's what draws in an audience. He's really no different to most TV political pundits in that regard.
I think the un-leftness of this channel is why I like it so much. If I wanted to 'own the libs' there are a lot of channels that cater to that, but they also have their own biases that they assume that their viewers share. But everywhere else I turn I hear people talking about 'late stage capitalism' and other relatively radical left wing concepts in circumstances that have nothing to do with politics, as if its assumed that everyone watching agrees. Its nice to have a break from those assumptions, regardless of whether the video has anything to do with politics.
I agree with this so much.
How does that not have anything to do with politics? It's 100% politics.
@@IcarusNadir The topic of the video is not inherently political, but the creator will for some reason mention 'late stage capitalism' or whatever other left wing politics may be relevant to the discussion and they just assume that the viewer agrees with them.
Late stage capitalism is a good example because many people will say things like 'thats just what its like living in late stage capitalism' as a response to some kind of injustice, but this idea that the next step is socialism and its coming soon is pretty radical.
@@Jade93972 As a society we only think that socialism is "radical" because of 70 years of conservative US government propaganda though.
Seriously, what's radical about workers making a good living, healthcare being accessable and kids not having a school lunch debt? Seems like the real radical idea is opposing all those things aka the status quo
@@alexrogers777 Those are not socialist ideas.
I started watching you shortly after you started. You popped up on my recommended feed and I was hooked. I'm a lefty, coming from an impoverished southern US community, the ideals that I've formed over my youth into adulthood (I'm well into my 30's now) haven't changed much. I've always known you were conservative, but I've always been drawn to your political essays for the "friend who lives in another town" vibe they've always given. It's had an impact on my own beliefs and I very much appreciate that, as trying to search out content that challenges your biases on either side of the compass tends to end up in frustrating painful dives into "the other side", with all its own vitriol and spite. To that end, your content is a breathe of fresh air, and a level headed, non-party-towing example of an honest, true example of someone's opposing viewpoint. Thank you.
I also love your other content. I could watch you talk about pop culture all day, this is one of the few channels I've "rung the bell" on, and for good reason.
I’ve always appreciated your perspectives because you bring a much needed, sober minded view of the issues. As an American, I’m fearful for the immediate future of our political system but I hope that your method of cool-headed analysis and intellectual humility will catch on and see us through.
I thought I had my political beliefs all figured out. Conservative, would more than likely vote red. But I joined a labor union and realized things weren’t so simple. I hate that big business can sometimes exploit workers but at the same time I don’t feel like the government needs to weaponize another plight to be used to enforce their narrative. At the end of the day we’re all just people wanting to live in peace. Thank you for your content JJ.
as a leftist, thank you for joining a labor union! we really need to realize that the workers have a common goal in just being able to support themselves and their families, which the current climate does not really allow for. you’re doing a great thing man
I was a member of the CWA when I worked for AT&T. The union leaders were all friends with the management, and did nothing to resolve thousands of dollars of missing sick pay and vacation that I, and many other employees, were owed. A class action lawsuit on the other hand…
I was a libertarian who was apathetic to labor unions before this experience, but now I just see that unions are just another place for people to get power over others, and feel good while doing it. Join a labor union if you want, just don’t force me to do it by law. Let me resolve my issues individually.
@@gratefuldead4714 Union are okay. Like they have in Germany and Nordic Countries. Where union works and Businesses negotiation and come to reasonable accommodations. However, militant Unions are a no no. Like the corrupt like the ones they have in France and used to have in the U.S and U.K.
Congrats for realizing the nuance of the situation & leaving that one-dimensional mindset(which politicians could use to manipulate people)!
@@sergelondon916 Sometimes a more radical or "militant" union is what's needed when a company is extremely antagonistic to cooperating with its workers
I’m a 67 year old US American. The first video of yours I watched was a Canadian citizenship class you were teaching. It was so good that I have kept watching since then. I have found all your content extremely informative and interesting. Keep it up.
This is why I love your content. You’ve never explicitly said one opinion is better than the other and always shown everything in equal lights.
Conservative or progressive "orthodoxy" is pretty much an oxymoron. They're both pragmatic terms to describe how to approach the prospect of change. The small-c conservative view is basically "don't mess with success" while the progressive view is "identify and solve problems with the system". They're not actually at odds, but you can sort yourself into two camps based on which phrase resonates more with you.
Either way, the idea that either philosophy is outside the realm of 'Moderate' politics or has any strict orthodoxy is preposterous.
When you add gender ideology stuff into the mix where pronouns are more important than anything else, people who identify with "leftist" positions lose the "pragmatic' high ground because they're mixing in nonsense that makes part of the Right's fixation on religion look sane by comparison...and they were already straining credibility by not being fiscally conservative anyway.
A proper liberal has no voice. Nowadays leftists are not liberals. The leftists that we have want to social engineer our society into something entirely different than what we have and a lot of people are going to get hurt.
If you watch what your legacy media is telling you and you really pay attention to what is really happening in real life. I mean you have to wait a year for it to pan out and you will see that they've lied to you they do not reflect reality.
I love that I can leave my echo chamber and find people who are agreeable and nice while still being different in values to me. It's very pleasant to see a temperate and nice person who disagrees with me, when open discussion is otherwise so hard.
This is probably very close to my personal philosophy. Increasingly, I feel politically like I am in a no man's land as I value moderation, cautiousness and compromise which I feel the two parties in the US no longer value given how partisan our politics have become.
If you were a moderate in the senate, how would you even go about trying to compromise when the rhetoric is as toxic as it is these days?
ZiPolishHammer moderates in the senate rn obstruct stuff like build back better and bigger stimulus packages from getting passed. they say they wanna compromise, but they just throw the whole bill away when ppl like biden do compromise
Do you think a multi-party proportional system would help encourage compromise?
@@processlayer1212 From the reading I've done (as a layman in politics), there are _many_ ways to improve our first-past-the-post system. (That is, be more representational, have less toxic debates, etc.) There's different systems such as single transferable vote, mixed-member, urban-rural. Unfortunately it would slightly weaken or be neutral to the dominant parties, so they don't have a direct incentive for these types of reforms. (But that's why it's important to be involved in politics. :)
I feel the same way as you. It seems like you can't have a nuanced view of any issue--everything issue has to be black and white, no gray and able to be easily boiled down to slogans that can be yelled at a rally or protest or put on a sign and that scares the hell out of me because that's just groupthink in it's purest form.
The honesty of introspection and humility found here are a breath of fresh air. Thank you J.J.!
I'm Québécois and I identify as "left-winged" (not center-left). Still, I always highly respected J.J.
Although, we may not agree on every political issue, he does care about presenting unbiased facts, he stands up against conspiracy theories and he is not a bigot of any kind. He deserves credit because he works harder than basically anyone else to inform people about Canadian politics.
In a democracy, that kind of stuff is more important than "having the right ideology".
7:56 this is so true. I’m a teenager who’s always been pretty moderate in my opinions, never really radical. When shown a highly debated topic I don’t develop my own strong opinion about it right away, and if shown new evidence I can change my mind pretty easily compared to others. I’ve always had people tell me that’s a bad thing, that I should have my own solid beliefs and fight for them. But when you get too stuck in your beliefs you end up ignoring obvious facts and occurrences that go against them. People who think that way also very rarely have productive debates and conversations with those with differing perspectives. Heck Ive seen people learn that another person is a conservative or a liberal and proceed to negatively assume their entire personality and value system, it’s very black and white. As the world changes, so should the way you think about certain things. I like to take in parts of different perspectives to then make my own. It’s also so alleviating to see truth in opposing opinions and admit that you don’t know which side of an argument is right.
You make a valid point and all I have to say to that is. “Be open minded, but not too much or your brain’ll fall out.”
@@SamuraSan7204 yes I agree. That can be the danger with being toooo open to different perspectives, it’s the balance of being open minded while not betraying your own fundamental morals.
@@SamuraSan7204 however, I’ve found it is often the radical parts of someone’s beliefs, that I explained I am wary of, that would be referred to as their “brain falling out”
I find myself in almost the exact same position as you and like you said society an politics right now are very black or white, people tend to forget the different shades of grey there are, Im really enjoying this comment section as you are probably and it feels nice :)
Sweet, I now have a term I can describe my political views: "un-right". I definitely also cringe at the vapid and impassioned left-wing fixation on every buisness being ultimately a force for bad whether it be environmentalism or ripping off consumers. Definitely made my life easier when I learned to say "I wouldn't know that" or "It's not probably not that simple" whenever I or someone else says something.
honestly "it's probably not that simple" is an accurate response to most things lol
I think "un-right" is correct for me too. In the elections I've participated in after fully forming my political views, I've fluctuated somewhat between different parties, including going between the most centre-left and the most far-left.
then what's the point of politics if discourse is an insular affair of bull-headed identity and/or deference to the inherent complexity of everything... the politicians will think how everyone allows them to, almost like that's the point of democracy.
im glad you can remain unbiased as well as have your own distinct opinion, great stuff!
*distinct
@safie queen be gone bot
This is why JJ's channel is by far my most favorite channel, he is extremely articulate and well informed, and as for his political beliefs he actually has good reasons for believing in them and most importantly he understands what has led him and has influenced him to have those beliefs. That self-aware nature is extremely rare I believe when it comes to politics, on both sides of the border.
Thank you so much for this video! As an American that most closely identifies with the Libertarian Party. I've still never felt like that's a group I can sign up with because a lot of people that have take the ideas to extremes that make me uncomfortable. It's really awesome seeing a growing creator who's happy to take a step back and think about things and say "I don't know" rather than engage the flame wars.
It's easy for the most extreme views to become the loudest and most visible. Every group has their crazies. I was a libertarian-ish when I was younger. As I've gotten older I become more of a lefty, but we have tankies and college kids who've never been in a fight who think they're going to start a revolution.
After reading everything from Adam Smith to Karl Marx to Frederick Hayek to Thomas Paine, etc. I've realized that most of the crazy people that subscribe to these ideologies have a base understanding of them at best.
He’s always claimed to be a very moderate conservative, though…
@safie queen no
@@kendricklamargaming8174 just report them and move on
@safie queen Go Away!
So a Canadian Conservative... lol
@@TrafficPartyHatTest whats wrong with replying lol
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
― Issac Asimov
@@JohnM-sw4sc wtf does any of that have to do with slavs
For any "expert", it is possible, if not incredibly likely, to find someone who is just as credentialed who holds a counter point of view, and with a good probability of studies to support their claims.
The "anti-intellectualism" isn't defiance of authorities, but an indifference to think through a problem within their own knowledge base.
No one has a monopoly on knowledge.
@@quintessenceSL this is true, however often the cited experts used as counterexamples are on the fringes of their field. Consistently siding with these experts definitely feels like someone is trying to justify their beliefs rather than study the info out there.
@@JohnM-sw4sc racism
@@jesseolson109 Any new idea is, by definition, fringe. If there is an anti-intellectualism, it is believing the entirety of knowledge is just so, not evolving, and ourselves with it (and only a select group have anything meaningful to add to it).
Nevermind the obvious appeal to authority; that is not expertise but clergy. There is always a multitude of ways to evaluate a problem. Let the arguments stand on their own merits regardless of who professed them.
I'm very firmly left but watching this video, I am awed by your calm and clear understanding and perspective as a conservative in the way you defined it for yourself and I strongly believe that this is one of the best educational channels that gives this flavour of political perspective on youtube. I wanted to seek out more diverse perspectives on politics outside my own current view and this was a great refreshing find.
This is very intersting to see different peoples political ideologies in the comment section. I am proud of how civil yall are. I am a libertarian' right leaning in the political compass test.
A couple years ago I watched your videos and I was thinking that...uhh just another western liberal...but since than my views became less extremist I realised I miss judged your political beliefs and subscribed and like your work.
Looking at this video from the perspective of a young adult is pretty interesting, since I'm currently in the state of mellowing out my political beliefs and realizing that I don't need to find the "one true ideology" to base my identity around. I'd argue that a lot of young people these days struggle to form any coherent preference for one ideology over the others in the information hellscape of the internet. This leads to jregs content with the almost schizophrenic view of politics where the individual beliefs stop mattering much and it becomes more about playing with the rhetoric every political ideology throws around in an abstract surface level way. I remember in highschool a few years ago I was switching between ideological beliefs drastically on an almost daily basis which from what I gather seems to be a very common state for youth these days. Realizing that it's okay to believe in something that might be wrong is probably one of the most distinct changes in my political identity as I start to move through my 20s.
I think it's quite toxic that society at large has forced people into "left or right". I think centrism is the best position for this reason because it doesn't play tribe and tries to examine both sides
The Overton window is too narrow, so actual discussion of many ideologies, and so analysing their advantages and flaws is much harder, and so somebody discovers an ideology but may not necessarily know that much bout it.
This was 2 years ago and you’re not even to 900k. Why?? You deserve much more
Been waiting for this video for a long time
As a leftist (and an LGBTQ person myself), I appreciate that you've recognized the negative effects of evangelism on right-wing politics, unlike many North American conservatives today who seem to not care. I also appreciate your forwardness regarding your own beliefs, and I can say with certainty that I will continue to enjoy your very informative videos on cultural analysis and the like. I've been watching since you had just 80,000 subscribers, and I can't wait to see you hit that elusive million.
As an LGBT person who’s a little more right leaning I can confirm many of us agree with JJ’s sentiment on the conservative direction right now. :)
This is a really great video, JJ. I think it is really easy to agree with a video like this. Becuase you are so well spoken and rational, I think people are more drawn to agreeing with you than disagreeing. But part of the problem we see today is people's inability to orientate their own thoughts in this sort of manner. I could say "oh yeah, this guy makes a lot of sense, I completley agree", but when you do that you are really just letting different sources of media and culture push your thinking around. Not in a "brainwashing way", but kind of like stealing someone else's work if that makes sense. For everyone who really appreciates JJ's idealogical cadence (including myself), I think the deeper lesson to be learnt here is about how you can apply this to your own beliefs and values. I don't even know if this makes sense.
The overwhelmingly positive response this video has gotten makes me think that, yes, people want authenticity, they want humility, they want non-extreme, but still politically-minded people speaking in a normal human way to them.
@@JJMcCullough You are right. People want that and yet the mainstream media in the US is so polarized. (No idea how it is in Canada)
It might be that a two party system naturally contributes to such tribalism and drives a wedge between populance. Every issue ends up being left vs right / us vs them. People vote against the opposing team instead of voting for a representative that best matches their personal views.
With a multi-party proportional system it would be much easier to have a civil debate and cooperate across the board.
The word for this would be unprincipled. So many people are adrift in the winds and react to things with immediate feelings, but they have no anchor of principles to center their thoughts or arguments.
As someone who is a queer far left socialist, this is the type of video I really appreciate because this is the type of video that demonstrates the importance of having an opposition party, when that party is actually sensible. As far left as I am, I recognize that having an opposition party is critical to democracy, and many opposition parties is even better, and this is the type of opposition party I want to see. Opposition parties that have differing views but all still have a foundation of rational and logical thinking. You are the type of conservative I want to see: someone that I disagree with but that I can still respect as someone who is perfectly capable of logical thinking and comfortable acknowledging that they or someone they like may be wrong on something, and who simply has a different belief than me, but can still look at things objectively and sensibly, and simply come to a different conclusion based on the same set of objective facts.
I see where you're coming from. I personally oppose the concept of political parties altogether simply because I think it's extremely divisive and limits discourse to trying to "own" the other side rather than an actual comparison of beliefs
I’ve literally never seen a genuinely good “these are my beliefs” video… maybe we’re not so doomed after all
"Un-left" is a brilliant term and perfectly describes what I've thought of this channels stance. I love the pragmatism, as I myself would always say I'm "centrist with a progressive slant" but each federal or Provincial voting time comes I'd do my due diligence and vote with zero affiliation to any party, just the one I thought would best deal with the issues I was facing at the time and my community.
As a disabled, autistic, transgender communist, I've never felt more safe around a conservative than here on your TH-cam channel. And I sincerely thank you for that.
Thank you for this. We need for centre right in Canada, I personally am in a more die hard right position right now, but greatly appreciate your views on Canada and politics in general. Thanks for a great, clear video
Personally as a self-titled socialist I was a bit concerned to watch this video as I immediately saw the conservative hashtag. I have never personally found a place for myself on the political compass as I think ideologies are very fluid.
Needless to say I was delightfully surprised to see your views on politics are actually quite eye opening to me! As a Native American I heavily enjoyed your videos and shorts on the first nations and how the Canadian government is dealing with it and overall I find you really respectable! Thank you so much for this video as I understand that being open about politics is a must in todays space, especially in North America. I will continue to watch you and I really enjoyed this video, keep it up J.J.!
Would it be fair to say, that your principles of socialism are derived from native American traditions?
@@northernmetalworker why?
As a socdem (I'm not socialist because I think socialism is impossible with present-day technology), he's always seemed quite moderate to me
@@gorbachevspizzahut well, they said that they're socialist, but don't really fit into the traditional definition. They also said they're native American.
Some native American cultures had an interesting process of distributing resources within the community, and so I was wondering if that is what they were describing, or something like it.
I consider myself to be center left, even though I'm pretty disenchanted with the more aggressive type of politics that are popular these days, which is why I really enjoy how you put your ideas in a very moderate and concise way, even if we don't always agree on everything.
as a conservative, THANK YOU!!!!!!!! I'll use this to explain conservationism to others as I'm bad at words
It’s almost end of 24 and you’re still under 1M 🥺😭
If this is what conservatism was like on the whole, I would be way more interested in it
A lot of us are like this. A rough estimate from my own personal experiences would be that about one third of us share these types of views. The problem is that the media on both sides try to show the worst in everybody to drive division so they can get more money. Unfortunately I feel that moderates on both sides are being pushed to the extremes.
I think conservatism is exactly has J.J. describes it. :-) That's my experience as an American conservative. When I turn on a Democratic-aligned station like CNN, MSNBC, or NPR all I hear are ad hominem attacks against conservatives. In my day to day life, the conservatives I know and love all seem to be very reasonable and reflective as J.J. is.
@@npickard4218 NPR is not really "left wing". Their news reporting is pretty center. It's their editorial stuff that's left-leaning.
@@npickard4218 Sadly, it's not. J.J. is globally a Canadian intellectual (he's university educated in politics, but also researches politics daily to make videos) which the average person is not. Because of this, he has a much more nuanced opinion and leans much more towards the center than most conservatives (he's center-right, but barely right). Amongst people, he's a very small opinion minority and, by extension, amongst conservatives as well. If you take the opinion of people voting for the Conservative party, he maybe alligns with 10% of them if not less.
Also, while he's right that American and Canadian cultures have a lot of similarities, he's incorrect about how similar our political positions are. Due to a significant French heritage (more left leaning than our English one), Canada leans more to the left than the US even outside of Quebec (and the French speaking parts). It's why our health systems and education systems are so different for example, both are because of French influence and both are generally things we are pretty proud of. Relative to your politics, he's what a Democrat is in theory (since you have a two party system, Democrats end up covering a whole group of things).
@@dzello Hello Dzello, I have a Ph.D. in Political Science and I teach for a living so I literally spend all of my intellectual time (mostly) studying these topics. So don't be so impressed with J.J. He may know more than the average person, as you say, but in my social network ... birds of a feather, fly together ... he would not score as high as you put him. I don't say this to insult him, it's just that I tend to make friends who research these topics because that's what I do.
I agree with you whole-heartedly when you say that Canada (even Ango-Canada) leans more to the Left than America does. In fact, the Conservative Party of both Canada and Britain seem quite liberal to me. That party would not fit well into our Republican Party. I would say that your Conservative Party is a watered down Democratic Party (sounds like you're Canadian.)
My Dad was an immigrant from Canada, he left at 22 because he preferred America. He was born in Amherstburg, Ontario and then moved to Toronto as a young man before leaving Canada permanently. My entire childhood was spent visiting my Canadian cousins in Ontario at every three day weekend or vacation. My Dad's Canadian siblings and my cousins there called themselves conservative but we could never figure it out. Their values seemed quite liberal to us so we avoided talking about politics at all costs. There's something about the official Conservative Party that befuddles philosophical conservatives all around the world.
You may know that the late, great Sir Roger Scruton - probably the most eloquent and intellectual spokesman in the U.K. for conservatism since Burke - spoke endearingly about the NHS, as if that system were a lifelong friend. It makes American conservatives recoil. The mere idea that British and Canadian conservatives look benevolently toward an over-reaching national government for their needs and wants like a "Big Daddy" comes across as juvenile or arrested development on the part of those conservatives. My instinct is never to turn to the government for my personal needs. Our beloved George Washington said, "Government, like fire, is a troublesome servant and a dangerous master."
I may not be conservative myself, but seeing someone expressing their beliefs in a calm and reasonable manner is truly a breath of fresh air in this excessively polarizing era of media. And in the end, that's why I watch your channel: Exploring the variety of human experiences while respecting others'. Keep making amazing content!
Yeah, I'm pretty solidly a leftist myself. I can respect JJ's positions and outlook quite a lot. I'm personally also pretty sick of the effects of the "culture war" era of politics. Its pretty useless, polarizing everything, and just makes a much angrier and combative culture. JJ seems to have relatively similar conservative politics to my dad. And even though I vehemently disagree with those beleifs sometimes, I always find that being understanding and empathetic makes for far better discussions. Understanding that the person you are talking to is a human being who has reasons for believing what they do (whether good or bad reasons), makes for much more positive experience. Letting emotions flair up too much usually only makes both parties angry, has nobody changing their minds, and leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
My brain has taken me through a variety of political opinions, and religious beliefs too, it is vulnerable but also sort of liberating to just sit down when you're a bit older (I'm 29) and say "ok what do I actually believe. " If one can do that I think it helps a person to actually settle down in who they are.
Great vid JJ
You're at that age of self reflection. It's tough
Im a libertarian, and I fully approve of and respect the reopening of political discussion, as opposed to political screaming matches. Your cool headedness is extremely important going forward.
"Life is much easier when you can get comfortable saying things like "I dont know" or "maybe they're wrong" and not feel like your whole identity will come crashing down as a result."
Thats the juice, right there.
i’ve always appreciated your brand of conservatism. me personally, i grew up with with the more radical beliefs of my eastern european dad, and thus associated any type of conservatism with that. i am definitely left wing, but it’s so nice to just watch a youtuber that doesn’t feel so polarizing with their beliefs. it’s a peaceful “agree to disagree” feeling. especially as a fellow queer person and canadian.
I actually watch you because I am on the other side of the political argument
I want to thank you for helping me learn to accept others views even if I disagree and also to come into every argument to learn rather than to win
I think politics is at its best when two opposite sides of the political spectrum can sit down with one another and exchange ideas in a productive and thought provoking way. As a progressive left winger it’s really interesting to hear a person educated in politics from the other side of the spectrum sit down and talk about their reasoning behind their final judgement. Your like the ideal kind of person to debate politics with if you know what I mean.
" Hi person who wants to genocide Jews, " Political dissidents ", homosexuals, Bisexuals, Transgender people, other LGBTQIA+ people, blacks, the disabled ect "
" Hi person who wants to abolish an evil system aswell as give freedom to every people "
" Let's talk " x2
@@YouHaveAnApeHead I mean, JJ clearly wants none of those things. Jut as not every left winger want to be Pol Pot. Small c conservatism has a different meaning and JJ identifies with that ideeology. Of a smaller government, belief in the value of consumer culture, of free trade, etc...
@@Noah-ws8ho Pol Pot wasn't a communist firstly, he was a US backed genocidal dickhead. Communist Vietnam was responsible for the collapse of Pol Pots regime infact. JJ's belief in Capitalism is the problem, the system in nature is oppressive, apart of this oppression is the idea of a traditional family. Capitalism has Men for Labour, and Women to have children and raise them to either be housekeepers or factory workers. Anything that says people can be anything other than that is disliked as the rich will struggle more to make more cheap labour. This is why LGBTQIA+ peoples are always oppressed under Capitalism. Also, any consumerism will lead to the exploitation of the resource rich third world and all of it's people. There is no ethical solution to this, it's either revolt or hope something changes that never will. Any free market ideology will kill us all, it requires infinite growth on a finite planet.