Mark's absolute best interview skill is his silence. Most interviewers would jump in with another question as soon as the guest stops speaking. Mark will just keep his mouth shut and that awkward silence turns to gold.
It's so true. If someone is pretty high he tries to keep a momentum but other than that, he just lets them share & it's like we're holding space for them too - it's just a really good thing he's doing.
Absolutely. The most interesting part of the interviews is watching how these poor, broken people work through their thought process and how different it is from yours and mine. Truly fascinating.
This is an interesting topic. I've recently found myself homeless. I'm not on drugs. I'm an Army veteran. While it may be easy to sit still and stay homeless forever, I've managed to find work and I get up every morning at 5 AM, 6 days of the week. Within the next couple of weeks I'll have enough saved up to get a place to rent for myself. Every day I have to remind myself, I'm homeless not hopeless. I hope that someone else in a similar situation reads this comment. Keep your head up and don't lose focus of the goal. It's up to you to change your situation, if you do nothing then nothing will change.
That’s the message I got from watching these films. Childhood trauma is a huge problem, and it’s a generational cycle. You can also tell these interviews in the last three years really got to him.
@@kazbah1217 Fortunately they seem to have moved into neutering and spaying themselves at unsustainable rates just for the fake virtue-signaling points now. The downside seems to be that normal functioning people are too scared/apathetic to stop them from doing it to their kids too.
As someone who was on the skid row and down in Venice beach, I have never heard someone from outside homelessness speak so much honesty and truth. Rebecca (one of his intervieweees) was a friend of mine and to see how far she’s gone from us starting in the same place and to hear marks testimony on homelessness, I feel so incredibly lucky and proud of myself for getting out of that.
I was an addict, dad put me in rehab. I was clean for 6 months and go back to being a junky for 18 months.. And yeah, you realize one day, you are worth more than that. You want a house, and a car, and a family.. He is 100% correct, the only person that can help you is you
Keep grinding! I got sick and tired of being sick and tired and decided to get clean and sober about 11 years ago. Honestly, for the first 2 years I was just going through the motions and learning to live a new life. One day it just clicked. To be different we must do different. FIRST we have to learn HOW to do different and then implement these changes in our daily lives. This takes time. Take that time. Make time for yourself and your recovery. You ARE worth it. Be patient with yourself. You’re worth the efforts, I promise. I hope you find happiness. Many of us get clean/sober and are still bored and miserable. Love yourself..and do it guilt free❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💪🏽one day at a time
It's all about the individual wanting to change, and that's the hardest part. Some do not ever experience this epiphany. Addiction is pure evil, not the individual but the drugs, alcohol and dopamine hits themselves (gambling, sex, etc.). We need to focus on the soul and not the variables.
My parents were a disaster, I still don’t know how I made it out alive. Once in awhile I become them and I stop and regroup. Self awareness is something I learned later in life that helped me survive.
Amen I agree I also had an insane childhood finally getting out married at 17 I had my first son I was still a child and then all that hurt and pain came in and hit me I couldn’t love my son without letting go of my own pain because I didn’t know how to love myself and I made a decision I wasn’t going to repeat the insane cycle and allow my children to be hurt in the process I prayed gave it to God did a lot of self accountability I can say my oldest is almost 16 I have three boys and I have given them a life without ever knowing how ugly mine was they will always be first because that’s what love is to me ✌🏼
@@andrealynell89 sounds like you have been through a lot and come out better for it. If I may disagree slightly, God first and everyone else including mate and children second. This way God protects you and yours.
without mark i wouldn’t have been able to cope with the loss of my mother, she’s still alive, but an addict. i stepped away, i have two boys of my own, and i refuse to allow her near them. mark has helped me understand my mom through all of his interviews, mark is doing gods work. our country is in a massive mental health and drug crisis, this is insanely sad. mark has saved lives in so many ways, i don’t even think he realizes it. i have much love and appreciation for this soul ♥️
I understand you. I've had to pull away from my only daughter who is alcoholic and meth user. She is now 52 years old and her children and I are mourning her loss even though she is still alive and dreading the phone call that we know we will one day recieve.
Yep. I am in the same situation as you. My mom barely knows her 2 grandkids, but that is her 'choice' as an addict. I just tell myself to be the mom, that I always wanted mine to be; loving and stable.
I was born a crack baby ie my mom was using during her pregnancy. Grow up around alot of drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence. Seeing all this at a young age put so much fear in me that I knew I could never live my life like this. Sometimes your childhood environment works as a reverse role model if you're lucky. Not all of us are born with this outlook, so I definitely count myself as lucky and never take for granted that I "survived" my childhood.
And yet, I grew up in a neighborhood where abuse of friends and neighbors was happening all the time and the topic of daily conversation of oh did you hear about such and such. Yet, the majority of people now grown up who went through this, did not let it ruin their lives. They got little jobs which grew into bigger and bigger jobs, some saved like squirrels until they changed their lives. It's a small percentage that get broken and give in to despair and self loathing and that drives them to drink and drugs. Imagine if most people did not bend but break. This country would be a land of zombies.
Soft White Underbelly is one of the most inspirational, emotional, insightful, aware, and informational channel on the internet to date. Mark is an amazing soul for what he is doing.
@@ericcarpenter3006 he pays these people in either food, money, resources. he's basically giving them work, which nobody else will, to hear their stories, which a lot of them seem to enjoy his genuine interest in their lives. as he said, all photography has an exploitative element. what he's doing isn't hurting anyone, it's showing the world what we rarely get to see in the homeless population of america.
@@ColoRadoSNOWrideri used to watch him a lot. what exactly does he say to them? i recall liking mark quite a lot. i’d listen to it like an audiobook while im busy doing something else usually
"Always treat people with respect, because you don't know what they've been through" my father's wise words. Lucky are we who had loving parents. We were told no matter what happens to hold our heads up high and to stand tall. Love builds that inner strength.
I think that is the biggest message of Mark's channel. The real huge elephant in the room is a lack of family values...a lack of cultural values in the US that inculcates a desire to provide first and foremost for one's family. Almost every video I have watched on his channel the kids were abused by their parents.
When I watched his series on the Whittaker family in WV…I was never the same again. They lived in the most messed up situation I’ve ever seen. Yet you could tell they were happy in their own way and cared for each other despite the crippling disabilities and insane living conditions. I will never again be ungrateful for anything my life.
There was abuse in my childhood so when I had children I was aggressively protective of my kids. My now adult daughter was in a car with 4 of her friends and talking about things that had happened to them in childhood, some funny some sad. My daughter called me the next day and said that she was the only one in that car that wasn't sexually assaulted when she was a child. Both of us cried about it and wondered why all of this happens and why it's almost acceptable for this to happen to any child
Seriously, I feel like I defied the odds on that respect. When I got older, in college, I realized how prevalent it was. I really felt like I dodged a bullet. But I listened to both my grandmas and my Mom. They protected me & informed me. I'm so grateful for that. I'm trying to do the same with my own 2 girls. 👍
People that take advantage of and ruin a child's Innocence are the worst kind of monsters there are in this world. It happens more than people realize..
@@matthewp5472 sometimes the people closest to you (whether family or friends) are not who you think the are. I say this from experience.. Sometimes they're the people you would least expect. People should also realize that it's not just men that prey on children.
This is one of the most truthful, most useful interviews I've ever watched. I worked in a shelter for over 3 years. I saw ONE person get straightened out & live a healthy life. His was the solitary success story I can point to. But his story is enough to compel me to continue to help. Keep it up Mark. Thank you Joe!
@johnconn3054 ya I worked in street outreach for years and saw hundreds of success stories, either he's full of BS or terrible at that role. Mark is in CA where we have much better services than most states, he wouldn't have to pay for people's treatment he could just connect them to resources. It's baffling to me that he knows so little about the success of "Housing First" and Harm Reduction, for someone who's been visiting skid row for 12 years he should be better informed.
The dude himself has literally said he doesn't give a shit about the people he interviews. For him this is just a business, nothing more, nothing less.
@@Francis-of8cw if you've ever worked with people like that in a capacity similar to what Mark does, you have to have that attitude. Mark doesn't have that attitude (or wall) with a number of his sujbects. For example there is a family the Whittaker family of Odd, West Virginia, that Mark has routinely followed up with and provides some assistance to, for a number of years.
This is an interesting one because Rogan & him are basically direct opposites. One tries his best to make a difference & refuses to give up on LA’s homeless, while the other fled from LA fast as he could because he didn’t like seeing homeless people when he left his mansion to drive to the Comedy Store
@@CantTellYou probably a little more to it than he didn’t like passing by homeless. The state was taxing him millions while the schools and roads were unusable. It was becoming unsafe for he and his family. The wokeness and other politics were out of control. Joe has contributed millions in taxes and shared a wide array of ideas to millions of people. Including having him this guest. But of course he hasn’t done as much as a keyboard warrior such as yourself.
That makes so much sense. Your self worth is such a huge factor in recovery. I quite drugs because I had kids. I refused to be a low life and live on the streets. My life was no longer about me it was about my children. It was the best thing I've ever done. 15years later and I haven't looked back. But I had enough self worth to change my life. Not everyone does. I never had a father growing up and I would be damned if my children didn't have a father growing up. I broke the cycle and I can't tell you how happy I am now.
Same. The only thing that had the power to get me sober was my children. I wasn't going to live with my children being teens or adults and saying " my dad was drunk my whole childhood." I wasn't going to live with that. It was do or die.
As an addict that couldn't be a more true statement by Mark. I was a junkie living with my mom and finally one day I was sick withdrawaling from heroin and I just said that "I don't want this for myself anymore, I deserve better and I never want to feel like this again". Mind you this is after 4/5 years of heavy use and overdosing on meth/heroin multiple times, but the statement hits really close to home because the only person that can truly get you out of that situation is yourself, and you have to truly want better for yourself to get to the point where you WANT to fix it.
Been listening to Joe for a while now and SWU for a couple years. Been waiting for this. Homelessness and drug abuse has skyrocketed and the root of the problem lies most times with childhood and absent or abusive parental figures. More needs to be done to encourage young men and women to break generational patterns and Mark has done so much work to accomplish that. I am a DUI Program Administrator and I show his Channel to my Classes often because they all relate to childhood trauma being a source of addictive behaviors. It is helping so much to share this crisis with members of the community! Thanks Mark and Joe.
Give things 10 to 20 years and the homeless population is going to be flooded with former trans types that had their lives destroyed by their fake virtue-signaling parents and or peer pressure.
Yes but it’s an affordable housing crisis especially in California. There are people working full-time and living in their cars because they can’t afford to pay 💰 for housing. I had to leave the SF bay area because of that reason.
I've watched a lot of Mark's videos and they are heartbreaking. A lot of these folks are extraordinary people because they are still living, engaging, and personable even after enduring hideous crimes and extensive abuse, neglect, and loneliness - from their own families. What a broken world we live in. Mark thanks for showing us their pain. Not for entertainment but as a reminder to be kind to everyone that crosses our paths even when we think they don't deserve it. I think the best and most inspiring video I've seen is the man who had his face shot off by a shot gun during the commission of a crime where he was just a by-stander. He had every reason to be bitter but the man has hope, was amazingly kind, and intelligent.
So happy to see Mark here. Proud of you Mark and the profound effect you’ve had on so many lives and us, your audience. All my life I wanted to document and expose the pain and suffering that goes on in hopes of effecting change because I myself have lived in a state of suffering and understand what pain can do to a person. Instead I do my work as an RN and a case manager and the irony is I likely gain more from my engagements than those I work with. Mark, you provide a platform and opportunity for people to share their experiences and voice without judgement or interruption and this is one of the most selfless gifts you could possibly offer. If there’s a god this is what they mean by doing gods work. No one is perfect but Mark is acting on the change he wishes to see and has reached so many people far beyond those he interviews. Love love love.
Not sure he's having any effect on anyone's life except his own. At 3:49 he says he's done "like, 5,000 videos" and he knows of only "about 4" where the interviewee got sober and straightened out to live a decent life. The rest, according to Mark, are hopeless losers who will never amount to anything. Why, then, does he do these videos? Does he do them for charity? ??
Mark doesn’t care about anything unless it benefits him. Listen to his words. Also have you heard of Amanda rabb who died in the care of his referral? The one she was openly refusing and didn’t want to be a part of for virtual reality treatment. #justiceforamandarabb th-cam.com/video/xdfvYfuEUsA/w-d-xo.html
As a former addict, having been clean from opiates for 26 years… Everything in this interview is absolutely true. Having to change your entire identity is not easy. Being an addict and 24 hour day job. The first thing you think about in the morning is where am I going to get my dope, if you can just turn all that energy into being a different person you can get clean believe me it's nobody's job but your own I did it without any help after 15 years of being an addict. Nobody can blame anybody else or rely on anybody else for their sobriety, except for themselves. How dare anybody ever ask why doesn't he help?
@@SimonDelaney1974 honestly, some people's disease is so bad, that they just cannot get better; unfortunately. It doesnt mean that dont want to get better. They just did not want to (maybe) early enough or relapsed too many times and their bodies/brains just cannot survive their relapses. I am not better or worse than any other addict on the planet. I just followed through and by the grace of God stayed sober because i did the right things long enough.... i dont mean to sound superior. Addiction is a life threatening disease. Period.
Mark's work with and for the Whitaker family is absolutely beautiful. I consider it some of his best and most uplifting artwork. He brought the shine back to their eyes and is still helping them.
Yes he did great with the Whitakers. I suppose the strenght they had was that they had each other even though they had little else. Their neighbours were protecting them too. It was amazing to see how Mark slowly gained their trust and they began to talk more.
@@ronl.4524 Didn't know that, thats not ok and morally wrong. He did help them though .. i'm wondering what condition they would be in if he hadn't helped. There was trips for food, clothes he got their roof fixed, helped one with getting medical attention. He did more than I've ever done to help people. On balance I think he is a good guy
My dad was an alcoholic i love him for teaching me what not to be as an adult. One thing I will give that man, he always blamed himself and knew only he could fix him. R.I.P Dad
That hit hard. Me and my father went rounds over his drinking. He always apologized. At the end our relationship was the best it had ever been and I would not cha.ge it for the world. I miss my dad. R.I.P POPS
Your father taught you the greatest life lesson ever, by blaming himself, and not making excuses or blaming others. That lesson is why you chose to go a different path. This is why fathers are important.
God it’s so good to see Mark here. I’ve been a fan of him for YEARS now. And his content has always been massively underrated for what he does. Such a brilliant dude with humbling interview skills.
The most important thing Mark brings to society is clarity regarding realistic expectations about what can be fixed, and what CAN"T. These video's are a direct slap in the face to societies ideological expectations.
It’s crazy when someone you discovered 2 years ago makes it onto the Rogan podcast. Very happy for Mark he puts in a lot of hard work and dedication to provide so many interviews.
Ive been following soft white underbelly since the early 2000's when he came to Philly(where I live) and checked out Kensington Ave here.. I was a junkie on there street back then, and I was sitting in a methadone clinic when a buddy of mine came up to me and told me he was in a video... turned out to be Mark and SWU.. followed him ever since. Its been part of my strength to stay off the street and stay clean.
As a person who has been sober for twenty five years I agree Mark. It is about self worth. Feeling I was worth it enough to get clean. I was treated like crap as a child and I never felt like I deserved anything. My life has been mostly great since I got clean. I have my own business, home, partner and health. Most importantly I feel like I am worth something. I really help people in my work. I have friends and a peace I never thought I would experience. Unfortunately I know I am in the minority but I still work on my recovery.
One time I did a event rental delivery to Downtown LA and parked in front of a huge luxury high rise. I stepped out of my truck directly into pee all over the curb, a homeless guy jumped into the bed of my truck and acted as if he was part of the loading crew. My client came downstairs to meet us and as I was shoing this homeless man away, my client asked him if he needed a hug and the homeless started crying and embraced him. I'll never forget that.
Mark's work is so valuable. Talk about REAL NEWS. The people he interviews are heroic for sharing their stories. Can you imagine explaining your life, mistakes and hopes so openly on camera? The vulnerability is truly beautiful. I cannot express how grateful I am for myself and all of humanity to experience the truth that is shared thru this guys magic. Shaking + awakening.
Discovered SWU over a year ago. Mark L is a true gem, he has a way of highlighting the beauty in each & every one of them. Shows their humanity, speaks to them with dignity & respect. Can’t get enough. We need more of this, hope he gets blessed with everything he needs so he continues on this path & takes us along with him❤
@@CasperInkyMagoo Lima is one of the SKETCHIEST creatures I've ever learned about. Mark should not have gotten involved with her. His videos talking with her (especially about Amanda) make Mark look really bad.
@@LetsSingTheDoomSong Mark is a sociopath, it's pretty obvious by his inability to feign the correct emotional responses when discussing really fucked up shit. The way he chuckles when Joe mentions the woman that died in a water tank is a huge tell
As someone who has been homeless, there are so many days that the whole entire perfect storm stretched me physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. I existed in a frantic pace to convince myself that it would be a short and temporary mistake. That pace bled me of any hope in very short order. I literally preferred to die rather than suffering. It was a slow journey out of that abyss. It was about starting from scratch. Clearing out the wreckage and building a brand new life. I discovered moments of gratitude. Small steps opened more paths. Little victories led to joy, led to faith, and hope came back.
This is the one and only person that I have absolutely needed to see as a guest on JRE. I can’t even begin to tell you how exited I was when I saw the notification. Been a Mark fan for a couple years now.
Marks videos need to be seen. He always makes the interviewies start with their childhood. We need to realize it all starts with childhood. We cant judge these people because they were abused. He teaches us to be empathetic. I never felt so bad for these people until i saw marks videos. His videos teach us to treat people better.
In my 20s, I did 5 years of weekly volunteer work with incarcerated juveniles. One Thanksgiving I went in to talk with them. I had 47 kids there. I remember telling an example about how dads look out for you, etc. Glassy stares back... I inquired and 2 out of 47 kids had a constant, positive dad in their lives. The rest couldn't relate. Anecdotal, but it relates perfectly and resonates with part of what this video addresses. Dads, be there and be an example.
Finally! I’ve been waiting for Mark to be a guest on one of the major podcasts. Knew it would happen someday but didn’t know when. There are plenty of people in this world who care about society’s most vulnerable. There are even more people who would care if they knew how many are truly suffering. I hope this exposure brings more people to the channel which has been called “a crash course on empathy”. God knows we need more of it than ever.
Those Soft White Underbelly interviews are incredible. Yes, it's a bit like watching a train wreck in slow motion but Mark does such an incredible job connecting with these people. He deserves more recognition.
I agree. IMO Mark's work is telling the stories of marginalized people, with empathy and patience, as opposed to any form of exploitation. 99.9% of his critics do far less for the disenfranchised, damaged and forgotten.
Its a shame Joe only focussed on the ones who can ‘barely communicate’ and missed out the EPIC ONES such as the divorce lawyer talking about love and marriage. Was one of the BEST interviews on any show, and should be watched by everyone. Charisma and wisdom galore!
Well despite the fact that some of them are inspirational, in reality most of them are very poorly functioning individuals. Then you realize that a lot of them are molded by the systems we have in place and lack thereof.
I've watched dozens of Mark Laita's videos and often before watching, I think to myself, _"I won't find a video about whatever subject interesting",_ and then I find the video to be so *compelling, extraordinary and often mind blowing* that I then watch a few more videos. Mark does amazing work.
I've been watching Soft White Underbelly for awhile now. Nice to see Mark show up on JRE. There's so much on the channel I can relate to from the aspect of loving people who could fit right in. It's a different perspective and helps with empathy. I'm rooting for those souls.
So cool to see Mark finally on Rogan. Some of the most raw content on TH-cam. He deserves the recognition, especially since he’s done everything without making money on his videos. In fact, he operates at a massive loss. His story about his life and previous career is fascinating. Very cool.
Can you try to explain? I'm curious in what way his videos touch you. Do they motivate you as well? If so, in what way? Sorry for all the questions. Your comment just jumped out to me.
Absolutely ON POINT! I’ve worked Skid Row in my career. Finally, someone that acknowledges the problems and sees them, and says them, as they are. Keep up the great work, Laita!
Thanks for having Mark on. I love his channel. Mark has found a way to show people that homeless people are human and deserving of compassion and help. Not everyone is on drugs or a criminal or just lazy. I have been homeless before. I was not on drugs, I was not an alcoholic, I did everything right. I was crossing the street one day and got hit by a car. More like the car turned in front of a Van, the van hit the car, the car hit me. This happened just as my job was ending and I was in school. The accident screwed up my spine every other disc is busted and or protruding, my thumb that was recovering from a previous injury got traumatized and now permanent nerve damage. I'm in pain all the time every day, when I took the meds as prescribed I couldn't focus in class and because of the spine injury I couldn't sit long or stand long without discomfort. This caused grades to slip. The next semester funding was late and couldn't work. No work or funds from school I fail the semester because I couldn't get the bookI lose my apartment because no money for rent. I stayed with family for a bit but then I couldn't anymore because the house got sold so homeless. Fast-forward to today I have been housed for the last four years thank God faith in God ànd Little acts of compassion and kindness go along way in keeping your sanity. I think many people get mental health problems from being homeless for a long time, the lack of nutrition,sleep, and for some the isolation from people for various reasons contribute to it.I am so great full for the help I received from a shelter I went to. I was blessed to get into a shelter where the people were very caring and they treated me like a person. I was enrolled in a program, turned in my paperwork and a few months later I was in my new apartment in a new building. I was expedited because of my injuries.All I can say is I am grateful for Alpha Project, Interfaith ministry, and the other people that were helpful and kind. Homelessness can happen to anyone even if you did everything right. No one wants to be homeless and stay that way. Those that seem that way are just so beat down the strength needed to get past it and get up is gone because they kept getting knocked down and can nolonger find a good enough reason to continue fighting. Pray for those enduring homelessness, if you see one playing music to earn money drop a few dollars in they cup. They could be out there robing people and I assure you they're more than likely going to get a hot meal with the money not buy drugs at least 95%of the time. If you want to help and are uncomfortable giving money then give a sandwich or some other kind of food. I don't recommend putting money in the community meeter because the funds won't directly go to help the people you want to help it goes to the staff people that make all the extra BS programs that are ineffective that make the mayor look good and like an effort is being made to help. Have a blessed evening.
I understand you weren't on illegal drugs but it sounds like the prescribed drugs (opiates?) played a part in your path to homelessness? Your injuries sound brutal & obviously you needed pain relief. Just pointing out that a lot of homeless drug addicts' stories started the same way as yours
I hate how this guy feels like he has to justify and explain what he's doing. He's not exploiting these people. He's bringing awareness to them in a constructive way.
The work Mark does is insightful, ground breaking, and eye opening...in this interview with Joe, he comes off a bit jaded and harsh but in his SWUB interviews he is respectful and yet still able to peel back the onion of these people's lives to reveal the common set of circumstances, which is primarily horrendously unresolved childhood trauma, which leads to these broken people.
You know I was just thinking the same thing watching this. Mark has done a great deal to bring attention to these people and do what he can to help. The way he pieced together some of his words here wasn't great.
I'm so glad somebody else said it because I was getting the same feeling. And although I do view his interviews as insightful and important I feel as though the way he speaks of his subjects when they can't hear him is probably more accurate than the way he is in front of them. He seems to have written off every drug addict and basically wiped away any social responsibility that people have. People who are down and out in that situation addicted to drugs and on the streets for years cannot get out of their situation based off of sheer willpower alone. Although I don't expect him to use his income too support these people I think that it's important we recognize that he is creating wealth off of these interviews and knowing that he might not see these people in the same way I thought he did gives me a different perspective with all together
I've seen him make rude sexual comments to a prostitute who was already at the lowest points in her life. I've seen how he connected one of the guests with a woman who did experimental VR therapy on her (exposing her to triggers) driving her insane. Later that woman died.
Coming from a recovering addict it's impossible not to get jaded to some extent and extremely skeptical. A huge component of addicts and mentally ill people is that their perception is very distorted. They can be manipulating and lieing and not even know they are doing it. Recovery is a day to day process and it only takes using once to completely fuck it all up. The change has to come within and they have to be willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Nobody can just hold your hand and make it happen for you. It takes an incredible amount of footwork, willingness, patience, and ability to be honest and accept accountability.
So glad to see Mark's work and the poor folks he interviews getting more awareness. Some of them do really break your heart, especially the ones who were terribly abused as children by everyone around them. I hope we learn to set aside our differences and wake up to the severe social issues at hand.
I appreciate his work, but sometimes I do think Mark sometimes gets too caught up with his guests. Like that one prostitute from L.A. who had a large tattoo on her face, seemed like Mark was smitten with her as he went the extra step of trying to 'save' her by giving her money and setting her up with living situation. Unsurprisingly, in a follow up interview, she went right back to the streets. She played Mark as she would have played any other person trying to 'save' her, they are good at talking the talk but in reality they are so engrained in the lifestyle, they have zero desire to ever change.
Been watching SWU for a year now, great channel and Mark has done a fine job sharing the pain, humanity and hopelessness of these people. Highly recommend everyone to watch it
I have been a subscriber to Soft White Underbelly for a while and seeing this guy on JRE is phenomenal. The interviews and photography this man brings to light in so many subjects and in so many ways is mindblowing. Its not just about mental health he studies, its PTSD, its incest, its soooo much more.
there are horrible mothers as well let's not forget that, in fact a lot of people are fucked because they had no father figure, it shows how important fathers and men figures are in a kid's life. With none, just a dumbass mother, they are fked.
That video of the Cecile hotel is notorious. I’ve been watching SWU for 3 years. Mark has a heart of gold and my favorite episodes are the Whittakers. My heart goes out to anybody who reaches out to the forgotten. This is Mark’s calling and he deserves the best.❤
The wild part is the leftist cult in how they are throwing hate at him for exposing the reality of what's behind the homeless problem because it proves their narratives are too stupid and fake to be real.
I watch your videos , they are hard to watch but we need to see this truth . My brother came from a good family no abuse dad was amazing. He was a pro Athlete with CTE . He was homeless in South America and Canada . Because of his head injury he ended up here shooting up , eating out of garbage cans and living in these same garbage cans. He is now with me on meds . This homeless problem is a mental health issue and happens in every kind of family. Thanks for putting this out. ❤
But the problem is we have to ask the mentally incapacitated if they want help when in that state of mind. The right to self determination is essentially the right to fail…and here we are!
@@pinchebruha405 Yeah man, THAT is the problem. Because we definitely ask them lol.....what fucking planet do you live on? Because for the vast majority we sure as hell don't. You're talking about an incredibly small part of the group that quite frankly is insignificant enough that is isn't worth mentioning. FFS, basically blaming them and acting as if that is the reason for the problem (and here we are!) which is fucking ridiculous and flat out stupid. Not only are almost none of them asked if they want help, but there's also the huge % that end up in prison, which just makes things far worse (and is another place where they aren't asked if they would like help). But sure, keep telling yourself that is the real problem....they WANT to be homeless! The only thing worse not knowing what you're talking about, is not knowing what you're talking about yet confidently talking about it anyways.
I've been watching Mark for at least 5 years now. He has enriched my life. He is also at times made my life a depression hell. It's all about opening your eyes to what's real for many people. It certainly has made me even more compassionate than I already was. But being an empath, I have to walk away from his channel at times. Then I revisit it after a couple of months. Nonetheless, either way I appreciate all of his work.
I loved the interview on Spotify! And when Mark talked about his mom and how her incondicional love is kind of his motor to do what he does, man, it was powerful and beautiful. I love him!
I think Soft White Underbelly is one of the most important TH-cam Channels on this site. It can be extremely dark in some videos but i think some are really worth listening to. Every aspect of humanity on tape.
Omg he’s exactly right! I’m a recovering addict 10 years clean this year! I didn’t have self worth I gave up!! I can remember not caring if I lived or died! Now I am a strong woman a great mom and wife!! That is because I changed my self worth!! I lost my parents young! I was touched by men in my life that was supposed to protect me at a young age! I know im worth more now!! I work everyday and I take care of my responsibilities and I always admit to my faults!!
Mark is allowing their voices and stories to be shared throughout the world through his amazing talent and film work. Thank you Mark, SWU is a treasure!
I spent 7 years totally strung out on Heroin and Meth. Totally homeless. Eating out of, and sleeping in dumpsters(when I slept). I was an absolute goner... Today I am clean and sober, have a place to live, a decent job, friends and family are back, approaching 6 years of sobriety. ITS POSSIBLE... ONLY IF YOU DECIDE TO DO IT.
I’ve been through a lot of things as a child that Mark’s interviewees have been through, I watch his interviews from time to time to remind myself how I COULD have ended up and I haven’t, it’s almost soothing to me in a way, because I struggle with my mental health a lot but I check with myself, I do my best to heal and not to end up like them. It really puts everything into a perspective to hear real stories like that, and probably also shows that the only common thing all these people have is inadequate parenting they received.
i feel u mate - some times i feel like - 1 step - 1 wrong turn with drugs - it could be me. cant watch them with out cryng inside.....hard very hard life....
I totally appreciate what you’re saying but it’s not always the case. I’m friends with this successful farmer (my family is generational farmers). His older brother played NHL hockey for 11 seasons and made millions. He is a big athletic guy 6’4 tall like 240 lbs and his role on the teams he played for was an enforcer (fighter). He unfortunately got injured all the time from fighting and the team doctors would prescribe him pain killers. Obviously he eventually developed a dependency to the pills. After he retired the family and the NHL both put him in rehab at different times. It unfortunately didn’t solve the dependency and he is now one of the masses of homeless in LA. I know he has decent parents who tried to help…
@@BradNemeth some people r more sesetive to adictions. especially if never had one. u simply dont know how to ahndle this. and ofc its not a joke if we speakabout painkillers and some heavy pills. alot of people now r tryng the lsd or ayahuaska dmt healing. it helps in drug abuse and therapy
I can relate. My mom was mentally ill and abusive. But I knew I wanted a better life and I learned about myself and my emotions. I learned how to "change the subject" in my mind so I could heal and not be full of rage
I know how Mark feels, i am getting young niece clean right now, almost 2 months. But it takes so much patience, love and understanding. It's been 2 months and I'm finally starting to see a light turn back on in her. She is blessed to have family who loves and cares about her. Those people on skid row don't always have family to do so, or they burnt all their bridges. I have 13 years clean and to this day, even though I have absolutely no desire to do drugs, I still have to be active in my recovery. It's a life long disease, you just have to heal.
Thank You, Joe, for having Mark Laita on your show. It was a great, insightful interview. I love Mark's work and benevolence regarding the Soft, White Underbelly. 💙
You do know what that term refers to right??? Churchill used it to describe a optimal point of attack. So, is he attacking society or the creature it creates? 🤔
@@ronl.4524 Yes, I am aware what it means. It's all about Vulnerability. I wouldn't look at it as a "point of attack!" Is that what u r really getting out of this interview? Did U watch it in its entirety? He's creating awareness to dysfunctional family systems, parenting, and trauma. He's shedding light on horrific situations. I'm not sure why U R confused. He is not exploiting, particularly when they have given permission to be interviewed. He has helped many of them. Change comes from within. Period.
Wow Joe, good to see MARK on your show. He is a teacher and Ive learned so much thru his videos and share his channel often. Self worth broken, poor nutrition, drug addiction, mental health, no belief in a better life, just living moment to moment for drugs. I dont see how we can fix it. It has to come from within, a belief in self.
Mark hit it on the head when he said he knows of very few success stories of street people. I experienced the same thing after 20 years boots on the ground trying to help. The thing I learned was we are mostly enabling with the giving. I know it sounds horrible but we have to start with the tough love. No more allowing people to live on the streets. Its rehab, mental health or jail. What we are doing now letting people languish untreated on the streets is cruel and unsustainable. Here in Sacramento large areas of river and the wildlife habitats are being destroyed from the pollution. In the city areas get so polluted and trashed they have to be cleared out and cleaned up. The places that are set up to help with tiny homes and the like are not being utilized to their fullest because street people don't want to follow the rules to stay. I gave for 20 years and I quit. Could not enable one more person. And I need to add whatever people have been using in the last year or so is making them very tweeky, more extreme than I have ever seen. :(
@janetpersons7647 I have heard it said dealing with the homeless is the equivalent of a big business. Kind of like doing income tax returns-its an undergound economy. Btw, Joe was referring to Eliza Lam.
So... you wanna send em all to jail? I mean, there aren't enough rehab facilities, so jail it is, right? I'm sure most will do just fine in prison. Right? Of course, you'll have to build a lot more prisons to accommodate everyone. Which I'm sure would suit you fine. Sounds like you'd fit right in with Trump's Final Solution. Maybe they'll hire you as a camp guard.
Thank you for this interview! I've been watching his work for a while. The first step in helping these people, as a society, is being willing to be aware of the parts of society we may want to avoid. And oftentimes the first step in healing the generational cycle of abuse is being given a space to speak your story into the open, which builds self awareness and a glimmer of self compassion and self understanding. As a child who experienced early childhood abuse and a loss of childhood, I can say for a fact that a childhood can be healed. It can never be redone, but it can be restored. I read "the body keeps the score" and "waking the tiger" and many other books that deal with cPTSD. On top of that, I work with a wounded healer therapist who doesn't see me as a victim but a human. She is not trying to save me. You can't save anybody who doesn't want to do the work to save themselves. Once you do want to do the work, kfs a matter of finding the appropriate support and quality tools and resources....which is where we, as a society, come in. We do have a part in this work. It's just that .....our part isn't in saving people from themselves, and I think Mark demonstrates that very well.
Words cannot express how much I love what this man has done. He’s one of the few people who understands life and humanity. His work is exquisite. Sublime. Hope he has many more years of following his passion and taking us along for the ride.
@@CasperInkyMagoo ok I looked it up. What I found was people with their own TH-cam channels taking things out of context and sensationalizing cherry picked details in order to grab viewer attention. Am I missing something?
@@evanwilliams8627 I think you're missing the fact that Lima lied about the autopsy report and that it's incredibly immoral to put somebody dealing with addiction and schizophrenia symptoms in a virtual reality program with addiction triggers. What they did was exploit of vulnerable person and at worst Human experimentation. I have no idea what you watched but you obviously missed the point of the investigated journalism exposing mark and Lima's immoral actions regarding Amanda.
Love this. I was a drug addict for 28 years and has been sober and clean for 3 years now. I was Homeless in periods of my life but i live in Denmark and it is other terms. These people on skidrow are not who they really are and they deserves to find out. When you get clean you realizes that it was just a role you where playing. Mark is really doing a really super great job with these interviews and maybe his work Will infuence some of these people to change just a little bit of their mind. And maybe some of the rest of us to. The wish to change has to come from within the person. You cant help If the person does not want the change. But Mark gives these persons a voice. Greetings from Denmark
damn, props to you for getting clean! I've been behind the CPH trainstation walking through all those african hookers to get some dirty ass coke when I was there a few years ago. I assume you can get your hands on anything in, what's the name of that place inside CPH again? Lemme google it...CHRISTIANIA! That place was sort of shady at night
I use some of Mark's videos in psychology classes. Most people have no idea what serious mental illness looks like. His videos give a very clear picture.
It’s fascinating to see how desensitized Mark is compared to Joe. It’s like every story is a knife to Joes stomach, but Mark has heard and seen it all. His brain is almost rewired. Pretty telling for the community that actually lives this stuff
Which is weird because usually Joe just blames the homeless problem on Democrats or people being lazy. Hopefully he learned something from this but we'll see
@@AustinKoleCarlisleAmericas materialistic, capitalistic/economic driven society is a hunting like culture, it’s no surprise many people do not want to be apart of it.
@@AustinKoleCarlisle yeah it's just such a clueless statement. As if all cities don't have the same problems. But you know it is funny places like Alabama don't have homeless problems.. why? Poor red states use The money the federal government gives them to build housing for their homeless lol great system. And the best part is that money comes from states like California and New York! But keep blaming all problems on "Democrat cities" (fun fact most cities lean left) and not the corporate duopoly. You're welcome for the free education
@@user-nj1zu2nf1x Well when Democrats claim they’re the party that wants to help those less fortunate and you see places like skid row under 100% Democratic Party control it makes you wonder wtf are they doing because places like skid row shouldn’t exist but they do
Mark does an exceptional job with these interviews. They should be shown to teens in high school. And he's right, no one can help these people if they won't put in the effort to help themselves. It's the same as living with an alcoholic.
No, but if you surround yourself with those who finally love you it does help. Its so hard, I have done it all but it is work and focus and getting rid of those that hurt us.
This made me cry like a baby. Oh my God. I’m a recovering heroine addict. I don’t know how I pulled it together, but holy shit, I’m glad I’m the exception.
His interviews changed my view on everything. I have such sympathy now, where before I was judgemental. He raises awareness in us, it allows us to see the real problem, it’s a ripple effect on us. I now want to help as oppose to ignore. 🙏🏻
I LOVE those videos. Let people tell their own stories. I come from a very rough childhood. I was homeless by 13 and fell into addiction at an early age because its the only thing to kill the loneliness. Still today I struggle with Social Anxiety Disorder.. Its so easy to ignore the real issues in this world and im so happy someone is willing to give people a platform.
I had a crappy childhood… violence, drugs, and molestation. I had a lot of pain I hid with heroin addiction for 5 1/2 years. I ended up in Philly.. homeless. I picked myself up and decided I needed to do something different. I ended up with a nursing license and now I live on 153 farm in Maine. It can be done.. but it has to be done by the individual. No one can help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves.
I watch these videos of soft white underbelly, firstly it was entertainment but the more I've watched the over the years, the harsh reality of the real world kicks in and makes you want to hold your children closer. Stay strong people xx
The best way I found that helped me was change my surroundings. When I knew it's gotten to be to much I just moved. I didnt have a place to go I just moved I know it's hard for people to do that but I know that's what helped me. If you can get away from where it's easy it helps a lot. I know that's not the only thing that can help you have to want to change as well.
That's one of the keys to sobriety. You almost have to start over your life completely, and in order to do that you have to let go of the places and the people that you use to surround yourself with. I know so many people who go through rehab, get clean and then come back to their friends who are still using. You have to remove yourself from the temptations and peer pressure.
Thank you! I often say this. It’s hard but I don’t care if you’re addict or homeless you need to get some stable footing and push on from there. I see these people living in the most expensive areas of the country and wonder why they can’t survive. I want to tell them. Move rural middle of the country, grab ANY job at fast food or Walmart and a crapy apartment. Get sober or save anything you can and go from there. I know that’s incredibly difficult to do but having a drug source a few blocks away or living in a place that’s $2,100 a month is putting them in a needless cycle of disparity
When I was in high school most of my friends were on drugs and committing crime. I joined the army early in my senior year. I hated the Army but it got me out of that environment. When I got out 4 years later all my friends were in prison or near dead. I had self discipline and a goal.
@@shred1 That's great I wish I had goals when I was younger. I grew up with mom who was an addict that use to take me to doctors and fake sick so she could medicine. It was my fault when she didn't get what she wanted.I grew thinking there was something wrong with me always because of that. Had trust issues and no sense of love. Around the same time my dad died when I was 8 in a work related accident. I was messed with by an older boy around the same time as well. Took me most of my young adult years to overcome all the mental damage everything caused. I had nothing but anger. I got on drugs made me feel in control and no care. I thank God everyday for giving me a purpose and staying clean. Everyone, can do it it's hard and a battle everyday but it's worth it a million times over ...
I watch a lot soft white underbelly and whats Mark doing is so so important and so big. Those stories need attention and those souls have to be heard. Our world would be a better place if there would be more such people like Mark.
Are you saying these videos are important because they raise awareness. Do you think they're actually helping the homeless problem? How? I find Soft White Underbelly videos well edited and engaging, but I sometimes wonder if they're not also a bit of a simulacrum: like yellow ribbons tied in trees "support our troops," whereas they actually do nothing of the sort. Except perhaps assuaging the conscience of upper middle class suburbanites. Not questioning your suggestion. I'm genuinely wondering how these videos are 'important' in effecting change.
@@AnHebrewChild he is not trying to solve any problem with his videos .Sometimes he help people if they ask for help directly ,but it’s naiv to think that those interwievs could help to solve those global problems😅 The message is that every person has to be seen and has a story behind.and a lot of other things.Depends on you what you find there ,you know😉mark is a photographer so it’s also kind of art.
Mark does such great work. I am always surprised when people haven't heard of Soft White Underbelly, but I always recommend it to anyone looking for something interesting
Mark's videos are fantastic. He touched on a key point. The fatherless children are astounding. The breakdown of the family structure causes untold problems.
I was homeless for about 4 years not because I'm lazy or don't work hard or have a skill, I am a high end cabinet builder/ trim carpenter from my youth and have a good work ethic, but I was robbed by one of my clients (a banker lol... live and learn) who I trusted far too much and got into for a couple hundred thousand, and this loss was devastating and my son and I ended up on the road living in vehicles. We ended up working ourselves out of it and buying a piece of land... I'm sending this message from that land now. Not every homeless person is a psycho and not every banker is an upstanding citizen ... stay strong, be smart... work hard and pray in Jesus' name. 🙏
Mark's absolute best interview skill is his silence. Most interviewers would jump in with another question as soon as the guest stops speaking. Mark will just keep his mouth shut and that awkward silence turns to gold.
It's so true. If someone is pretty high he tries to keep a momentum but other than that, he just lets them share & it's like we're holding space for them too - it's just a really good thing he's doing.
Well said 👏
Absolutely. The most interesting part of the interviews is watching how these poor, broken people work through their thought process and how different it is from yours and mine. Truly fascinating.
cause a lot of people that he interviews are hardly ever heard and at some point in their life someone took their voice away
@@christinalewis9305
i knew a girl who's therapy was when she could hear a train coming she'd run down close to the tracks & scream her guts out
This is an interesting topic. I've recently found myself homeless. I'm not on drugs. I'm an Army veteran. While it may be easy to sit still and stay homeless forever, I've managed to find work and I get up every morning at 5 AM, 6 days of the week. Within the next couple of weeks I'll have enough saved up to get a place to rent for myself.
Every day I have to remind myself, I'm homeless not hopeless. I hope that someone else in a similar situation reads this comment. Keep your head up and don't lose focus of the goal. It's up to you to change your situation, if you do nothing then nothing will change.
I'm doing that as well. Been smoking all year and struggling with kratom. I'm just suck of people I hate them
Sick*
Stop smoking kratom and do better
Well said. Good luck. Others who are addicted or depressed have a harder time being motivated.
@@Annapurna818 they got mad motivation to get that next fix.
That’s the message I got from watching these films. Childhood trauma is a huge problem, and it’s a generational cycle. You can also tell these interviews in the last three years really got to him.
Perfectly said. Yes this is the root cause. Some ppl shouldn't have offspring.
@@kazbah1217 Fortunately they seem to have moved into neutering and spaying themselves at unsustainable rates just for the fake virtue-signaling points now.
The downside seems to be that normal functioning people are too scared/apathetic to stop them from doing it to their kids too.
Keep grooming kids.its a huge problem
@@kazbah1217 The situation is a bit more complex than that.
@@dwightschrute7021 tell us professor🙄😒
As someone who was on the skid row and down in Venice beach, I have never heard someone from outside homelessness speak so much honesty and truth. Rebecca (one of his intervieweees) was a friend of mine and to see how far she’s gone from us starting in the same place and to hear marks testimony on homelessness, I feel so incredibly lucky and proud of myself for getting out of that.
I pray for Rebecca 😢 I’m so proud with you ❤
You should be proud. Congratulations
That's inspiring, do you think Rebecca can turn things around at this stage ?
@@bedtimeclub unfortunately I don’t. Who knows what is in Gods plan though
Well done. Hugs to you. 🫂
I was an addict, dad put me in rehab. I was clean for 6 months and go back to being a junky for 18 months.. And yeah, you realize one day, you are worth more than that. You want a house, and a car, and a family.. He is 100% correct, the only person that can help you is you
Keep grinding! I got sick and tired of being sick and tired and decided to get clean and sober about 11 years ago. Honestly, for the first 2 years I was just going through the motions and learning to live a new life. One day it just clicked. To be different we must do different. FIRST we have to learn HOW to do different and then implement these changes in our daily lives. This takes time. Take that time. Make time for yourself and your recovery. You ARE worth it. Be patient with yourself. You’re worth the efforts, I promise.
I hope you find happiness. Many of us get clean/sober and are still bored and miserable. Love yourself..and do it guilt free❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💪🏽one day at a time
Like an awakening?
It's all about the individual wanting to change, and that's the hardest part. Some do not ever experience this epiphany. Addiction is pure evil, not the individual but the drugs, alcohol and dopamine hits themselves (gambling, sex, etc.). We need to focus on the soul and not the variables.
Glad you realized that. I hope you see the goodness of God in the land of the living. ❤
Mark is doing amazing work. He is helping people by putting a spotlight on these people and their tragic stories.
Joe, this is an interview that I feel is LONG overdue. Thank you for having Mark on and having this conversation!
HES A FAKE
My parents were a disaster, I still don’t know how I made it out alive. Once in awhile I become them and I stop and regroup. Self awareness is something I learned later in life that helped me survive.
Amen I agree I also had an insane childhood finally getting out married at 17 I had my first son I was still a child and then all that hurt and pain came in and hit me I couldn’t love my son without letting go of my own pain because I didn’t know how to love myself and I made a decision I wasn’t going to repeat the insane cycle and allow my children to be hurt in the process I prayed gave it to God did a lot of self accountability I can say my oldest is almost 16 I have three boys and I have given them a life without ever knowing how ugly mine was they will always be first because that’s what love is to me ✌🏼
@@andrealynell89 sounds like you have been through a lot and come out better for it.
If I may disagree slightly, God first and everyone else including mate and children second.
This way God protects you and yours.
So great. So glad for you sir!!! ❤❤
Same brother
Cosigned 🤗
without mark i wouldn’t have been able to cope with the loss of my mother, she’s still alive, but an addict. i stepped away, i have two boys of my own, and i refuse to allow her near them. mark has helped me understand my mom through all of his interviews, mark is doing gods work. our country is in a massive mental health and drug crisis, this is insanely sad.
mark has saved lives in so many ways, i don’t even think he realizes it. i have much love and appreciation for this soul ♥️
I understand you. I've had to pull away from my only daughter who is alcoholic and meth user. She is now 52 years old and her children and I are mourning her loss even though she is still alive and dreading the phone call that we know we will one day recieve.
I think he knows .
Does “Gods work”consist of working with Lima
Wow I hope God lifts you up
Yep. I am in the same situation as you. My mom barely knows her 2 grandkids, but that is her 'choice' as an addict. I just tell myself to be the mom, that I always wanted mine to be; loving and stable.
I was born a crack baby ie my mom was using during her pregnancy. Grow up around alot of drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence. Seeing all this at a young age put so much fear in me that I knew I could never live my life like this. Sometimes your childhood environment works as a reverse role model if you're lucky. Not all of us are born with this outlook, so I definitely count myself as lucky and never take for granted that I "survived" my childhood.
how are you doing now?
My father being a crack addict and my family wrought with abusive people is exactly what kept me from drugs and violence myself. Felt this.
Same story I feel you 100 percent
And yet, I grew up in a neighborhood where abuse of friends and neighbors was happening all the time and the topic of daily conversation of oh did you hear about such and such. Yet, the majority of people now grown up who went through this, did not let it ruin their lives. They got little jobs which grew into bigger and bigger jobs, some saved like squirrels until they changed their lives. It's a small percentage that get broken and give in to despair and self loathing and that drives them to drink and drugs. Imagine if most people did not bend but break. This country would be a land of zombies.
Did she make you use the pipe when you came out
so happy he got on JRE, very deserved
foreal ive been watching him since he started basically
Joes a drug addict that's why he is getting interview. Joe gonna go homeless
😎It's pretty funny how Joe is noticing my channels-page members lately... ironic?
SHARPS INTERVIEW IS WAY BETTER
@Nоt RiскrоII 🅥 should have read your name first, shame on, shame on you, fool me, you can't get fooled again
Soft White Underbelly is one of the most inspirational, emotional, insightful, aware, and informational channel on the internet to date. Mark is an amazing soul for what he is doing.
Typical Californian business model. Exploit to excell
@@ericcarpenter3006 he pays these people in either food, money, resources. he's basically giving them work, which nobody else will, to hear their stories, which a lot of them seem to enjoy his genuine interest in their lives. as he said, all photography has an exploitative element. what he's doing isn't hurting anyone, it's showing the world what we rarely get to see in the homeless population of america.
Actually it's a disgusting eyesore.
@@AttackOnSociety explain please im curious
@@ColoRadoSNOWrideri used to watch him a lot. what exactly does he say to them? i recall liking mark quite a lot. i’d listen to it like an audiobook while im busy doing something else usually
"Always treat people with respect, because you don't know what they've been through" my father's wise words. Lucky are we who had loving parents. We were told no matter what happens to hold our heads up high and to stand tall. Love builds that inner strength.
I think that is the biggest message of Mark's channel. The real huge elephant in the room is a lack of family values...a lack of cultural values in the US that inculcates a desire to provide first and foremost for one's family. Almost every video I have watched on his channel the kids were abused by their parents.
When I watched his series on the Whittaker family in WV…I was never the same again. They lived in the most messed up situation I’ve ever seen. Yet you could tell they were happy in their own way and cared for each other despite the crippling disabilities and insane living conditions. I will never again be ungrateful for anything my life.
The Whittakers were my introduction to SWU. Then, I found the skid row videos...
@@ChampaBayBeast me too! Love the Whitakers and REBEKKAH!
Ray would like prob tell you roof roof ra ra rooof roooof
@@aceburgers8801 ❤️
It made me very upset that so many people where allowed to inbreed. It should have been stopped.
There was abuse in my childhood so when I had children I was aggressively protective of my kids. My now adult daughter was in a car with 4 of her friends and talking about things that had happened to them in childhood, some funny some sad. My daughter called me the next day and said that she was the only one in that car that wasn't sexually assaulted when she was a child. Both of us cried about it and wondered why all of this happens and why it's almost acceptable for this to happen to any child
Seriously, I feel like I defied the odds on that respect. When I got older, in college, I realized how prevalent it was. I really felt like I dodged a bullet. But I listened to both my grandmas and my Mom. They protected me & informed me. I'm so grateful for that. I'm trying to do the same with my own 2 girls. 👍
Have any general advice for new parents to keep their own kids out of bad situations?
@@matthewp5472 don't trust anyone
People that take advantage of and ruin a child's Innocence are the worst kind of monsters there are in this world. It happens more than people realize..
@@matthewp5472 sometimes the people closest to you (whether family or friends) are not who you think the are. I say this from experience.. Sometimes they're the people you would least expect. People should also realize that it's not just men that prey on children.
This is one of the most truthful, most useful interviews I've ever watched. I worked in a shelter for over 3 years. I saw ONE person get straightened out & live a healthy life. His was the solitary success story I can point to. But his story is enough to compel me to continue to help. Keep it up Mark. Thank you Joe!
th-cam.com/video/xdfvYfuEUsA/w-d-xo.html
ITS NOT WHAT YOU THINK
AND MARK L IS NOT WHO YOU THINK HE IS
1 person per 3 years would compel me to change my strategy
@johnconn3054 ya I worked in street outreach for years and saw hundreds of success stories, either he's full of BS or terrible at that role. Mark is in CA where we have much better services than most states, he wouldn't have to pay for people's treatment he could just connect them to resources. It's baffling to me that he knows so little about the success of "Housing First" and Harm Reduction, for someone who's been visiting skid row for 12 years he should be better informed.
Tomorrow is near, yet so far away. Choose this day to love unconditionally, and be happy within
Richard A . Blair Fx
OR Instagram
He will guide you through the process of investing
@emilysmith5096 Everybody has been talking about (Richard A. Blair Fx) so I'm not surprise you mentioned him again is this his contact
I really need to write him up
Mark is literally one of the best, most compassionate humans I've ever seen. I absolutely love your work Mark!
what a good soul..
Really making an "Art" project out of people in a suffering state is compassion?
thank you, much appreciated.
The dude himself has literally said he doesn't give a shit about the people he interviews. For him this is just a business, nothing more, nothing less.
@@Francis-of8cw if you've ever worked with people like that in a capacity similar to what Mark does, you have to have that attitude. Mark doesn't have that attitude (or wall) with a number of his sujbects. For example there is a family the Whittaker family of Odd, West Virginia, that Mark has routinely followed up with and provides some assistance to, for a number of years.
This makes me happy that he was asked to do this. His work is so important and should be seen by as many people as possible.
could not agree more. _100%_ perfect
This is an interesting one because Rogan & him are basically direct opposites. One tries his best to make a difference & refuses to give up on LA’s homeless, while the other fled from LA fast as he could because he didn’t like seeing homeless people when he left his mansion to drive to the Comedy Store
@@CantTellYou probably a little more to it than he didn’t like passing by homeless.
The state was taxing him millions while the schools and roads were unusable. It was becoming unsafe for he and his family. The wokeness and other politics were out of control.
Joe has contributed millions in taxes and shared a wide array of ideas to millions of people. Including having him this guest. But of course he hasn’t done as much as a keyboard warrior such as yourself.
@@CantTellYou But it's not like Mark lives in those areas, though. He said himself that he lives in Pacific Palisades which is affluent.
Yup, but nothing can be done about it, unless the person wants and accepts help... so yes, he's pointing it out, but ain't up to him to fix it.
That makes so much sense. Your self worth is such a huge factor in recovery. I quite drugs because I had kids. I refused to be a low life and live on the streets. My life was no longer about me it was about my children. It was the best thing I've ever done. 15years later and I haven't looked back. But I had enough self worth to change my life. Not everyone does. I never had a father growing up and I would be damned if my children didn't have a father growing up. I broke the cycle and I can't tell you how happy I am now.
He did inbreds in wv crazy af
Same. The only thing that had the power to get me sober was my children. I wasn't going to live with my children being teens or adults and saying " my dad was drunk my whole childhood." I wasn't going to live with that. It was do or die.
@@AusDenBergen I'm glad you found your way out. Your right. It was do or die.
well having read your comment sir, I have no problem believing you value yourself very highly.
All you people fawning over this guy need to look up Amanda Raab and Lima Jevremovich.
As an addict that couldn't be a more true statement by Mark. I was a junkie living with my mom and finally one day I was sick withdrawaling from heroin and I just said that "I don't want this for myself anymore, I deserve better and I never want to feel like this again". Mind you this is after 4/5 years of heavy use and overdosing on meth/heroin multiple times, but the statement hits really close to home because the only person that can truly get you out of that situation is yourself, and you have to truly want better for yourself to get to the point where you WANT to fix it.
Been listening to Joe for a while now and SWU for a couple years. Been waiting for this. Homelessness and drug abuse has skyrocketed and the root of the problem lies most times with childhood and absent or abusive parental figures. More needs to be done to encourage young men and women to break generational patterns and Mark has done so much work to accomplish that. I am a DUI Program Administrator and I show his Channel to my
Classes often because they all relate to childhood trauma being a source of addictive behaviors. It is helping so much to share this crisis with members of the community! Thanks Mark and Joe.
Great comment, I agree
Give things 10 to 20 years and the homeless population is going to be flooded with former trans types that had their lives destroyed by their fake virtue-signaling parents and or peer pressure.
Thank you!
Luv this comment I agree G. Voices this Joe are huge tho this is a very important episode if you ask me.
Yes but it’s an affordable housing crisis especially in California. There are people working full-time and living in their cars because they can’t afford to pay 💰 for housing. I had to leave the SF bay area because of that reason.
I've watched a lot of Mark's videos and they are heartbreaking. A lot of these folks are extraordinary people because they are still living, engaging, and personable even after enduring hideous crimes and extensive abuse, neglect, and loneliness - from their own families. What a broken world we live in.
Mark thanks for showing us their pain. Not for entertainment but as a reminder to be kind to everyone that crosses our paths even when we think they don't deserve it.
I think the best and most inspiring video I've seen is the man who had his face shot off by a shot gun during the commission of a crime where he was just a by-stander. He had every reason to be bitter but the man has hope, was amazingly kind, and intelligent.
I saw that video not that long ago, i absolutely bawled for this poor man, my heart broke for him
Alot of them burned those bridges down between them and their families. Addiction is a beast.
What's heartbreaking is knowing he catches feelings for lowlifes and gets people support their shit lifestyles. Fuck Mark and @SoftWhiteUnderbelly
couldn't agree more. utterly perfect
Just no solution, and awareness of a problem with no solution is meaningless.
So happy to see Mark here. Proud of you Mark and the profound effect you’ve had on so many lives and us, your audience. All my life I wanted to document and expose the pain and suffering that goes on in hopes of effecting change because I myself have lived in a state of suffering and understand what pain can do to a person. Instead I do my work as an RN and a case manager and the irony is I likely gain more from my engagements than those I work with. Mark, you provide a platform and opportunity for people to share their experiences and voice without judgement or interruption and this is one of the most selfless gifts you could possibly offer. If there’s a god this is what they mean by doing gods work. No one is perfect but Mark is acting on the change he wishes to see and has reached so many people far beyond those he interviews. Love love love.
Not sure he's having any effect on anyone's life except his own. At 3:49 he says he's done "like, 5,000 videos" and he knows of only "about 4" where the interviewee got sober and straightened out to live a decent life. The rest, according to Mark, are hopeless losers who will never amount to anything. Why, then, does he do these videos? Does he do them for charity? ??
Thank you. Well said.
@@QueenYak he literally explains in the video
@@desireev.9173 glad to see others spreading this message!! I was dumbfounded when this video came up in my suggestions
Mark doesn’t care about anything unless it benefits him. Listen to his words. Also have you heard of Amanda rabb who died in the care of his referral? The one she was openly refusing and didn’t want to be a part of for virtual reality treatment. #justiceforamandarabb th-cam.com/video/xdfvYfuEUsA/w-d-xo.html
As a former addict, having been clean from opiates for 26 years… Everything in this interview is absolutely true. Having to change your entire identity is not easy. Being an addict and 24 hour day job. The first thing you think about in the morning is where am I going to get my dope, if you can just turn all that energy into being a different person you can get clean believe me it's nobody's job but your own I did it without any help after 15 years of being an addict. Nobody can blame anybody else or rely on anybody else for their sobriety, except for themselves. How dare anybody ever ask why doesn't he help?
You are awesome. Inspiring thx
Also each persons ‘rock bottom’ is different. People as you said, change when they’re ready. Or have just given up.
God Bless You... 💙
Generally people that ask that question do not understand addiction
@@SimonDelaney1974 honestly, some people's disease is so bad, that they just cannot get better; unfortunately. It doesnt mean that dont want to get better. They just did not want to (maybe) early enough or relapsed too many times and their bodies/brains just cannot survive their relapses. I am not better or worse than any other addict on the planet. I just followed through and by the grace of God stayed sober because i did the right things long enough.... i dont mean to sound superior. Addiction is a life threatening disease. Period.
Mark's work with and for the Whitaker family is absolutely beautiful. I consider it some of his best and most uplifting artwork. He brought the shine back to their eyes and is still helping them.
Absolutely! I love that series, I can see marks intentions are genuine, a awesome caring human
Yes he did great with the Whitakers. I suppose the strenght they had was that they had each other even though they had little else. Their neighbours were protecting them too. It was amazing to see how Mark slowly gained their trust and they began to talk more.
You mean the ones he called America's most inbred family?
Yes, a saint...
@@ronl.4524 Didn't know that, thats not ok and morally wrong. He did help them though .. i'm wondering what condition they would be in if he hadn't helped. There was trips for food, clothes he got their roof fixed, helped one with getting medical attention. He did more than I've ever done to help people. On balance I think he is a good guy
Agreed
My dad was an alcoholic i love him for teaching me what not to be as an adult. One thing I will give that man, he always blamed himself and knew only he could fix him. R.I.P Dad
Bless you !!!!!
That hit hard. Me and my father went rounds over his drinking. He always apologized. At the end our relationship was the best it had ever been and I would not cha.ge it for the world. I miss my dad. R.I.P POPS
Thank you for that.
@@TheFamilyManOf5 I'm so glad you got that with him, I always wanted a dad. X
Your father taught you the greatest life lesson ever, by blaming himself, and not making excuses or blaming others. That lesson is why you chose to go a different path. This is why fathers are important.
God it’s so good to see Mark here. I’ve been a fan of him for YEARS now. And his content has always been massively underrated for what he does. Such a brilliant dude with humbling interview skills.
fan of murderers? not a good look
Owq
So underrated is Mark's work, what a beautiful thing this man is doing..
All you people fawning over this guy need to look up Amanda Raab and Lima Jevremovich.
Mark & Joe are right: if we want to change a generation of 🇺🇸, we need to focus on kids ages 0-5.
The most important thing Mark brings to society is clarity regarding realistic expectations about what can be fixed, and what CAN"T. These video's are a direct slap in the face to societies ideological expectations.
It’s crazy when someone you discovered 2 years ago makes it onto the Rogan podcast. Very happy for Mark he puts in a lot of hard work and dedication to provide so many interviews.
Here is the recommended clip that explain that alll:
th-cam.com/video/zoVXqIogCBE/w-d-xo.html
Ive been following soft white underbelly since the early 2000's when he came to Philly(where I live) and checked out Kensington Ave here.. I was a junkie on there street back then, and I was sitting in a methadone clinic when a buddy of mine came up to me and told me he was in a video... turned out to be Mark and SWU.. followed him ever since. Its been part of my strength to stay off the street and stay clean.
Same crazy & I watch/listen to both faithfully every day at work.
I was about to say the same thing!
i know right, hard work pays off
So glad you found Mark, his work should be seen by everyone. Extremely powerful real-world lessons to be learned.
got AMANDA RABB killed and profited from it, real stand up guy!
As a person who has been sober for twenty five years I agree Mark. It is about self worth. Feeling I was worth it enough to get clean. I was treated like crap as a child and I never felt like I deserved anything. My life has been mostly great since I got clean. I have my own business, home, partner and health. Most importantly I feel like I am worth something. I really help people in my work. I have friends and a peace I never thought I would experience. Unfortunately I know I am in the minority but I still work on my recovery.
Proud of you.
So damn proud!!!!
@@Job.Well.Done_01 thank you 🙏🏻
What's your business?
@@karencampbell2410 absolutely welcome!
@@isaiahsmith6016 child behaviour service
One time I did a event rental delivery to Downtown LA and parked in front of a huge luxury high rise. I stepped out of my truck directly into pee all over the curb, a homeless guy jumped into the bed of my truck and acted as if he was part of the loading crew. My client came downstairs to meet us and as I was shoing this homeless man away, my client asked him if he needed a hug and the homeless started crying and embraced him. I'll never forget that.
Goddamn....
Mark's work is so valuable. Talk about REAL NEWS. The people he interviews are heroic for sharing their stories. Can you imagine explaining your life, mistakes and hopes so openly on camera? The vulnerability is truly beautiful. I cannot express how grateful I am for myself and all of humanity to experience the truth that is shared thru this guys magic. Shaking + awakening.
Yeah, Marks not exactly who he appears to be. Look up Amanda Raab and Lima Jevremovich.
Discovered SWU over a year ago. Mark L is a true gem, he has a way of highlighting the beauty in each & every one of them. Shows their humanity, speaks to them with dignity & respect. Can’t get enough. We need more of this, hope he gets blessed with everything he needs so he continues on this path & takes us along with him❤
amanda rabb.
All you people fawning over this guy need to look up Amanda Raab and Lima Jevremovich.
@@CasperInkyMagoo Lima is one of the SKETCHIEST creatures I've ever learned about. Mark should not have gotten involved with her. His videos talking with her (especially about Amanda) make Mark look really bad.
@@LetsSingTheDoomSong Mark is a sociopath, it's pretty obvious by his inability to feign the correct emotional responses when discussing really fucked up shit. The way he chuckles when Joe mentions the woman that died in a water tank is a huge tell
@@TrueLife.. CORRECT.
As someone who has been homeless, there are so many days that the whole entire perfect storm stretched me physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. I existed in a frantic pace to convince myself that it would be a short and temporary mistake. That pace bled me of any hope in very short order. I literally preferred to die rather than suffering. It was a slow journey out of that abyss. It was about starting from scratch. Clearing out the wreckage and building a brand new life. I discovered moments of gratitude. Small steps opened more paths. Little victories led to joy, led to faith, and hope came back.
God bless you. So many people have been in your shoes and never got out.
good job buddy , im trying too , we gonna make it
Proud of you! Pulling yourself out of the storm and going from surviving to thriving can be extremely hard some days.
Good on you man. Respect brother from England
@@junkjunk2493 ❤️
Mark is an incredible caring and generous human being with a heart of gold 💛, the world needs more soldiers like him! ✨️
This is the one and only person that I have absolutely needed to see as a guest on JRE. I can’t even begin to tell you how exited I was when I saw the notification. Been a Mark fan for a couple years now.
Marks videos need to be seen. He always makes the interviewies start with their childhood. We need to realize it all starts with childhood. We cant judge these people because they were abused. He teaches us to be empathetic. I never felt so bad for these people until i saw marks videos. His videos teach us to treat people better.
Never saw your videos as entertainment. Always educational, motivational and an expression of compassion .
In my 20s, I did 5 years of weekly volunteer work with incarcerated juveniles. One Thanksgiving I went in to talk with them. I had 47 kids there. I remember telling an example about how dads look out for you, etc. Glassy stares back... I inquired and 2 out of 47 kids had a constant, positive dad in their lives. The rest couldn't relate. Anecdotal, but it relates perfectly and resonates with part of what this video addresses. Dads, be there and be an example.
Finally! I’ve been waiting for Mark to be a guest on one of the major podcasts. Knew it would happen someday but didn’t know when. There are plenty of people in this world who care about society’s most vulnerable. There are even more people who would care if they knew how many are truly suffering. I hope this exposure brings more people to the channel which has been called “a crash course on empathy”. God knows we need more of it than ever.
Mark isn’t exactly what he appears to be. Look up Amanda Raab and Lima Jevremovich.
AGREED!!!
Those Soft White Underbelly interviews are incredible. Yes, it's a bit like watching a train wreck in slow motion but Mark does such an incredible job connecting with these people. He deserves more recognition.
A lot of people be hating on Mark to
spot on. entirely right!
I agree. IMO Mark's work is telling the stories of marginalized people, with empathy and patience, as opposed to any form of exploitation. 99.9% of his critics do far less for the disenfranchised, damaged and forgotten.
@@killdizzleyeah my radar says the same.
Its a shame Joe only focussed on the ones who can ‘barely communicate’ and missed out the EPIC ONES such as the divorce lawyer talking about love and marriage. Was one of the BEST interviews on any show, and should be watched by everyone. Charisma and wisdom galore!
Yeah that one was gold
I guess he assumes that people only want the car crashes
Watched that the other day. So surprised by how good it was!!!?? That was amazing. So engaging.
Well despite the fact that some of them are inspirational, in reality most of them are very poorly functioning individuals. Then you realize that a lot of them are molded by the systems we have in place and lack thereof.
The divorce lawyer was amazing
I've watched dozens of Mark Laita's videos and often before watching, I think to myself, _"I won't find a video about whatever subject interesting",_ and then I find the video to be so *compelling, extraordinary and often mind blowing* that I then watch a few more videos. Mark does amazing work.
I've been watching Soft White Underbelly for awhile now. Nice to see Mark show up on JRE. There's so much on the channel I can relate to from the aspect of loving people who could fit right in. It's a different perspective and helps with empathy. I'm rooting for those souls.
So cool to see Mark finally on Rogan. Some of the most raw content on TH-cam. He deserves the recognition, especially since he’s done everything without making money on his videos. In fact, he operates at a massive loss. His story about his life and previous career is fascinating. Very cool.
His videos are therapy to me. I can't even explain how much his videos touch me. I am so grateful for this man.
Can you try to explain? I'm curious in what way his videos touch you. Do they motivate you as well? If so, in what way?
Sorry for all the questions. Your comment just jumped out to me.
@@AnHebrewChildno
He’s a FAKE
Absolutely ON POINT!
I’ve worked Skid Row in my career. Finally, someone that acknowledges the problems and sees them, and says them, as they are.
Keep up the great work, Laita!
Thanks for having Mark on. I love his channel. Mark has found a way to show people that homeless people are human and deserving of compassion and help. Not everyone is on drugs or a criminal or just lazy. I have been homeless before. I was not on drugs, I was not an alcoholic, I did everything right. I was crossing the street one day and got hit by a car. More like the car turned in front of a Van, the van hit the car, the car hit me. This happened just as my job was ending and I was in school. The accident screwed up my spine every other disc is busted and or protruding, my thumb that was recovering from a previous injury got traumatized and now permanent nerve damage. I'm in pain all the time every day, when I took the meds as prescribed I couldn't focus in class and because of the spine injury I couldn't sit long or stand long without discomfort. This caused grades to slip. The next semester funding was late and couldn't work. No work or funds from school I fail the semester because I couldn't get the bookI lose my apartment because no money for rent. I stayed with family for a bit but then I couldn't anymore because the house got sold so homeless. Fast-forward to today I have been housed for the last four years thank God faith in God ànd Little acts of compassion and kindness go along way in keeping your sanity. I think many people get mental health problems from being homeless for a long time, the lack of nutrition,sleep, and for some the isolation from people for various reasons contribute to it.I am so great full for the help I received from a shelter I went to. I was blessed to get into a shelter where the people were very caring and they treated me like a person. I was enrolled in a program, turned in my paperwork and a few months later I was in my new apartment in a new building. I was expedited because of my injuries.All I can say is I am grateful for Alpha Project, Interfaith ministry, and the other people that were helpful and kind. Homelessness can happen to anyone even if you did everything right. No one wants to be homeless and stay that way. Those that seem that way are just so beat down the strength needed to get past it and get up is gone because they kept getting knocked down and can nolonger find a good enough reason to continue fighting. Pray for those enduring homelessness, if you see one playing music to earn money drop a few dollars in they cup. They could be out there robing people and I assure you they're more than likely going to get a hot meal with the money not buy drugs at least 95%of the time. If you want to help and are uncomfortable giving money then give a sandwich or some other kind of food. I don't recommend putting money in the community meeter because the funds won't directly go to help the people you want to help it goes to the staff people that make all the extra BS programs that are ineffective that make the mayor look good and like an effort is being made to help. Have a blessed evening.
I understand you weren't on illegal drugs but it sounds like the prescribed drugs (opiates?) played a part in your path to homelessness? Your injuries sound brutal & obviously you needed pain relief. Just pointing out that a lot of homeless drug addicts' stories started the same way as yours
I hate how this guy feels like he has to justify and explain what he's doing. He's not exploiting these people. He's bringing awareness to them in a constructive way.
He’s exploiting the fuck out of them
I agree. He’s giving them a voice and humanizing the homeless.
@@heatherwitte2244 I like how you worded that!
No, he’s a complete fake.
Please watch BJ investigates this guy is a fake
The work Mark does is insightful, ground breaking, and eye opening...in this interview with Joe, he comes off a bit jaded and harsh but in his SWUB interviews he is respectful and yet still able to peel back the onion of these people's lives to reveal the common set of circumstances, which is primarily horrendously unresolved childhood trauma, which leads to these broken people.
You know I was just thinking the same thing watching this. Mark has done a great deal to bring attention to these people and do what he can to help. The way he pieced together some of his words here wasn't great.
And he’s made millions of of it. What a pure soul 🥴🙄🧿 It’s exploitation of sick ppl pure and simple.
I'm so glad somebody else said it because I was getting the same feeling. And although I do view his interviews as insightful and important I feel as though the way he speaks of his subjects when they can't hear him is probably more accurate than the way he is in front of them. He seems to have written off every drug addict and basically wiped away any social responsibility that people have. People who are down and out in that situation addicted to drugs and on the streets for years cannot get out of their situation based off of sheer willpower alone. Although I don't expect him to use his income too support these people I think that it's important we recognize that he is creating wealth off of these interviews and knowing that he might not see these people in the same way I thought he did gives me a different perspective with all together
I've seen him make rude sexual comments to a prostitute who was already at the lowest points in her life. I've seen how he connected one of the guests with a woman who did experimental VR therapy on her (exposing her to triggers) driving her insane. Later that woman died.
Coming from a recovering addict it's impossible not to get jaded to some extent and extremely skeptical. A huge component of addicts and mentally ill people is that their perception is very distorted. They can be manipulating and lieing and not even know they are doing it. Recovery is a day to day process and it only takes using once to completely fuck it all up. The change has to come within and they have to be willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Nobody can just hold your hand and make it happen for you. It takes an incredible amount of footwork, willingness, patience, and ability to be honest and accept accountability.
IM SO HAPPY FOR MARK, thank you for giving this man recognition Joe it was long overdue
So glad to see Mark's work and the poor folks he interviews getting more awareness. Some of them do really break your heart, especially the ones who were terribly abused as children by everyone around them. I hope we learn to set aside our differences and wake up to the severe social issues at hand.
I appreciate his work, but sometimes I do think Mark sometimes gets too caught up with his guests. Like that one prostitute from L.A. who had a large tattoo on her face, seemed like Mark was smitten with her as he went the extra step of trying to 'save' her by giving her money and setting her up with living situation. Unsurprisingly, in a follow up interview, she went right back to the streets. She played Mark as she would have played any other person trying to 'save' her, they are good at talking the talk but in reality they are so engrained in the lifestyle, they have zero desire to ever change.
Mark's compassion, and respect, is evident in all the videos I have watched...may God continue to bless him and this mission.
He’s a FAKE
Been watching SWU for a year now, great channel and Mark has done a fine job sharing the pain, humanity and hopelessness of these people. Highly recommend everyone to watch it
I have been a subscriber to Soft White Underbelly for a while and seeing this guy on JRE is phenomenal. The interviews and photography this man brings to light in so many subjects and in so many ways is mindblowing. Its not just about mental health he studies, its PTSD, its incest, its soooo much more.
there are horrible mothers as well let's not forget that, in fact a lot of people are fucked because they had no father figure, it shows how important fathers and men figures are in a kid's life. With none, just a dumbass mother, they are fked.
I'm in the middle of watching this now on spotify. Absolutely incredible interview. I loved every second.
That video of the Cecile hotel is notorious. I’ve been watching SWU for 3 years. Mark has a heart of gold and my favorite episodes are the Whittakers. My heart goes out to anybody who reaches out to the forgotten. This is Mark’s calling and he deserves the best.❤
So glad Mark's channel is getting huge exposure. His videos are so interesting and really puts things into perspective.
The wild part is the leftist cult in how they are throwing hate at him for exposing the reality of what's behind the homeless problem because it proves their narratives are too stupid and fake to be real.
I watch your videos , they are hard to watch but we need to see this truth . My brother came from a good family no abuse dad was amazing. He was a pro Athlete with CTE . He was homeless in South America and Canada . Because of his head injury he ended up here shooting up , eating out of garbage cans and living in these same garbage cans. He is now with me on meds . This homeless problem is a mental health issue and happens in every kind of family. Thanks for putting this out. ❤
absolutely & most people don’t choose to live that way!! everyone is worthy of living a safe & healthy life.
But the problem is we have to ask the mentally incapacitated if they want help when in that state of mind. The right to self determination is essentially the right to fail…and here we are!
@@pinchebruha405 Yeah man, THAT is the problem. Because we definitely ask them lol.....what fucking planet do you live on? Because for the vast majority we sure as hell don't. You're talking about an incredibly small part of the group that quite frankly is insignificant enough that is isn't worth mentioning. FFS, basically blaming them and acting as if that is the reason for the problem (and here we are!) which is fucking ridiculous and flat out stupid. Not only are almost none of them asked if they want help, but there's also the huge % that end up in prison, which just makes things far worse (and is another place where they aren't asked if they would like help). But sure, keep telling yourself that is the real problem....they WANT to be homeless! The only thing worse not knowing what you're talking about, is not knowing what you're talking about yet confidently talking about it anyways.
The best that can be hoped for is he not have children and pass it down to them.
I've been watching Mark for at least 5 years now. He has enriched my life. He is also at times made my life a depression hell. It's all about opening your eyes to what's real for many people. It certainly has made me even more compassionate than I already was. But being an empath, I have to walk away from his channel at times. Then I revisit it after a couple of months. Nonetheless, either way I appreciate all of his work.
I loved the interview on Spotify! And when Mark talked about his mom and how her incondicional love is kind of his motor to do what he does, man, it was powerful and beautiful. I love him!
He’s a complete FAKE
Man I'm glad you got Mark on here. Started watching him last year and his channel is addicting. Good to see HIM in front of the camera for once.
I think Soft White Underbelly is one of the most important TH-cam Channels on this site. It can be extremely dark in some videos but i think some are really worth listening to. Every aspect of humanity on tape.
Dude you are helping by showing the world what is happening. Without your video's people just don't know.
Omg he’s exactly right! I’m a recovering addict 10 years clean this year! I didn’t have self worth I gave up!! I can remember not caring if I lived or died! Now I am a strong woman a great mom and wife!! That is because I changed my self worth!! I lost my parents young! I was touched by men in my life that was supposed to protect me at a young age! I know im worth more now!! I work everyday and I take care of my responsibilities and I always admit to my faults!!
Mark is allowing their voices and stories to be shared throughout the world through his amazing talent and film work. Thank you Mark, SWU is a treasure!
All you people fawning over this guy need to look up Amanda Raab and Lima Jevremovich.
I spent 7 years totally strung out on Heroin and Meth. Totally homeless. Eating out of, and sleeping in dumpsters(when I slept). I was an absolute goner... Today I am clean and sober, have a place to live, a decent job, friends and family are back, approaching 6 years of sobriety. ITS POSSIBLE... ONLY IF YOU DECIDE TO DO IT.
I’ve been through a lot of things as a child that Mark’s interviewees have been through, I watch his interviews from time to time to remind myself how I COULD have ended up and I haven’t, it’s almost soothing to me in a way, because I struggle with my mental health a lot but I check with myself, I do my best to heal and not to end up like them. It really puts everything into a perspective to hear real stories like that, and probably also shows that the only common thing all these people have is inadequate parenting they received.
i feel u mate - some times i feel like - 1 step - 1 wrong turn with drugs - it could be me. cant watch them with out cryng inside.....hard very hard life....
I totally appreciate what you’re saying but it’s not always the case.
I’m friends with this successful farmer (my family is generational farmers). His older brother played NHL hockey for 11 seasons and made millions. He is a big athletic guy 6’4 tall like 240 lbs and his role on the teams he played for was an enforcer (fighter). He unfortunately got injured all the time from fighting and the team doctors would prescribe him pain killers. Obviously he eventually developed a dependency to the pills. After he retired the family and the NHL both put him in rehab at different times. It unfortunately didn’t solve the dependency and he is now one of the masses of homeless in LA. I know he has decent parents who tried to help…
@@BradNemeth some people r more sesetive to adictions. especially if never had one. u simply dont know how to ahndle this. and ofc its not a joke if we speakabout painkillers and some heavy pills. alot of people now r tryng the lsd or ayahuaska dmt healing. it helps in drug abuse and therapy
I can relate. My mom was mentally ill and abusive. But I knew I wanted a better life and I learned about myself and my emotions. I learned how to "change the subject" in my mind so I could heal and not be full of rage
@@tvv178 why do you say that?
I know how Mark feels, i am getting young niece clean right now, almost 2 months. But it takes so much patience, love and understanding. It's been 2 months and I'm finally starting to see a light turn back on in her. She is blessed to have family who loves and cares about her. Those people on skid row don't always have family to do so, or they burnt all their bridges. I have 13 years clean and to this day, even though I have absolutely no desire to do drugs, I still have to be active in my recovery. It's a life long disease, you just have to heal.
So happy for Mark to be recognized he's worked so hard!!!
Here is the full clip : th-cam.com/video/ejkd7DI9JEs/w-d-xo.html
Thank You, Joe, for having Mark Laita on your show. It was a great, insightful interview. I love Mark's work and benevolence regarding the Soft, White Underbelly. 💙
You do know what that term refers to right??? Churchill used it to describe a optimal point of attack.
So, is he attacking society or the creature it creates? 🤔
@@ronl.4524 Yes, I am aware what it means. It's all about Vulnerability. I wouldn't look at it as a "point of attack!" Is that what u r really getting out of this interview? Did U watch it in its entirety? He's creating awareness to dysfunctional family systems, parenting, and trauma. He's shedding light on horrific situations. I'm not sure why U R confused. He is not exploiting, particularly when they have given permission to be interviewed. He has helped many of them. Change comes from within. Period.
Wow Joe, good to see MARK on your show. He is a teacher and Ive learned so much thru his videos and share his channel often. Self worth broken, poor nutrition, drug addiction, mental health, no belief in a better life, just living moment to moment for drugs. I dont see how we can fix it. It has to come from within, a belief in self.
Mark hit it on the head when he said he knows of very few success stories of street people. I experienced the same thing after 20 years boots on the ground trying to help. The thing I learned was we are mostly enabling with the giving. I know it sounds horrible but we have to start with the tough love. No more allowing people to live on the streets. Its rehab, mental health or jail. What we are doing now letting people languish untreated on the streets is cruel and unsustainable. Here in Sacramento large areas of river and the wildlife habitats are being destroyed from the pollution. In the city areas get so polluted and trashed they have to be cleared out and cleaned up. The places that are set up to help with tiny homes and the like are not being utilized to their fullest because street people don't want to follow the rules to stay. I gave for 20 years and I quit. Could not enable one more person. And I need to add whatever people have been using in the last year or so is making them very tweeky, more extreme than I have ever seen. :(
@janetpersons7647 I have heard it said dealing with the homeless is the equivalent of a big business. Kind of like doing income tax returns-its an undergound economy. Btw, Joe was referring to Eliza Lam.
You haven't watched any of marks videos have you?
Wow, sounds awfully Authoritarian, Dictatorial.
So... you wanna send em all to jail? I mean, there aren't enough rehab facilities, so jail it is, right? I'm sure most will do just fine in prison. Right? Of course, you'll have to build a lot more prisons to accommodate everyone. Which I'm sure would suit you fine. Sounds like you'd fit right in with Trump's Final Solution. Maybe they'll hire you as a camp guard.
I agree. And stop giving them tax dollars.
Thank you for this interview! I've been watching his work for a while. The first step in helping these people, as a society, is being willing to be aware of the parts of society we may want to avoid. And oftentimes the first step in healing the generational cycle of abuse is being given a space to speak your story into the open, which builds self awareness and a glimmer of self compassion and self understanding.
As a child who experienced early childhood abuse and a loss of childhood, I can say for a fact that a childhood can be healed. It can never be redone, but it can be restored. I read "the body keeps the score" and "waking the tiger" and many other books that deal with cPTSD. On top of that, I work with a wounded healer therapist who doesn't see me as a victim but a human. She is not trying to save me. You can't save anybody who doesn't want to do the work to save themselves. Once you do want to do the work, kfs a matter of finding the appropriate support and quality tools and resources....which is where we, as a society, come in. We do have a part in this work. It's just that .....our part isn't in saving people from themselves, and I think Mark demonstrates that very well.
Words cannot express how much I love what this man has done. He’s one of the few people who understands life and humanity. His work is exquisite. Sublime. Hope he has many more years of following his passion and taking us along for the ride.
All you people fawning over this guy need to look up Amanda Raab and Lima Jevremovich.
Once you do, come back and tell me how much you love him.
@@CasperInkyMagoo ok I looked it up. What I found was people with their own TH-cam channels taking things out of context and sensationalizing cherry picked details in order to grab viewer attention. Am I missing something?
@@evanwilliams8627 I think you're missing the fact that Lima lied about the autopsy report and that it's incredibly immoral to put somebody dealing with addiction and schizophrenia symptoms in a virtual reality program with addiction triggers. What they did was exploit of vulnerable person and at worst Human experimentation. I have no idea what you watched but you obviously missed the point of the investigated journalism exposing mark and Lima's immoral actions regarding Amanda.
@@DreamseedVR very well. Could you provide me a link to a reputable source? I’m interested if something illegal really did happen.
@@evanwilliams8627 yes. Yes you are.
Love this.
I was a drug addict for 28 years and has been sober and clean for 3 years now. I was Homeless in periods of my life but i live in Denmark and it is other terms.
These people on skidrow are not who they really are and they deserves to find out. When you get clean you realizes that it was just a role you where playing. Mark is really doing a really super great job with these interviews and maybe his work Will infuence some of these people to change just a little bit of their mind.
And maybe some of the rest of us to. The wish to change has to come from within the person. You cant help If the person does not want the change. But Mark gives these persons a voice. Greetings from Denmark
I'm glad you were able to come to terms with the abuse you suffered as a child and take back your life.
Imo it's no playing a role as much as it is chemicals highjacking your brain and soul.
Stopping anything after 28 years is hard, let alone a drug addiction. Well done, keep going.
damn, props to you for getting clean! I've been behind the CPH trainstation walking through all those african hookers to get some dirty ass coke when I was there a few years ago. I assume you can get your hands on anything in, what's the name of that place inside CPH again? Lemme google it...CHRISTIANIA! That place was sort of shady at night
Mark & Joe are right: if we want to change a generation of 🇺🇸, we need to focus on kids ages 0-5.
I use some of Mark's videos in psychology classes. Most people have no idea what serious mental illness looks like. His videos give a very clear picture.
Been a fan of marks work for a while it's wonderful to see him on JRE it's really going to give his work a boost
About darn time! Excellent guest. His communication skills weren't always the best, but he is a very important person and I'm so happy you had him on.
It’s fascinating to see how desensitized Mark is compared to Joe. It’s like every story is a knife to Joes stomach, but Mark has heard and seen it all. His brain is almost rewired. Pretty telling for the community that actually lives this stuff
Which is weird because usually Joe just blames the homeless problem on Democrats or people being lazy. Hopefully he learned something from this but we'll see
@@user-nj1zu2nf1x Democrat-run cities are not without blame.
@@AustinKoleCarlisleAmericas materialistic, capitalistic/economic driven society is a hunting like culture, it’s no surprise many people do not want to be apart of it.
@@AustinKoleCarlisle yeah it's just such a clueless statement. As if all cities don't have the same problems. But you know it is funny places like Alabama don't have homeless problems.. why? Poor red states use The money the federal government gives them to build housing for their homeless lol great system. And the best part is that money comes from states like California and New York! But keep blaming all problems on "Democrat cities" (fun fact most cities lean left) and not the corporate duopoly. You're welcome for the free education
@@user-nj1zu2nf1x Well when Democrats claim they’re the party that wants to help those less fortunate and you see places like skid row under 100% Democratic Party control it makes you wonder wtf are they doing because places like skid row shouldn’t exist but they do
Mark does an exceptional job with these interviews. They should be shown to teens in high school. And he's right, no one can help these people if they won't put in the effort to help themselves. It's the same as living with an alcoholic.
He’s a FAKE
"you can't fix a childhood." very powerful words
No, but if you surround yourself with those who finally love you it does help. Its so hard, I have done it all but it is work and focus and getting rid of those that hurt us.
Much love to Mark! 🖤💕 Everyone should be aware of his channel and the stories he helps people to share with the world.
This made me cry like a baby. Oh my God. I’m a recovering heroine addict. I don’t know how I pulled it together, but holy shit, I’m glad I’m the exception.
Mark came so far, one of the most important channels on TH-cam
Mark is the man! I’m so stoked to see him finally get on here, been watching soft white forever!
Been watching Mark's interviews almost every weekday morning for years, great channel, wasn't expecting to ever see him on jre, this is great!
His interviews changed my view on everything. I have such sympathy now, where before I was judgemental. He raises awareness in us, it allows us to see the real problem, it’s a ripple effect on us. I now want to help as oppose to ignore. 🙏🏻
I LOVE those videos. Let people tell their own stories. I come from a very rough childhood. I was homeless by 13 and fell into addiction at an early age because its the only thing to kill the loneliness. Still today I struggle with Social Anxiety Disorder.. Its so easy to ignore the real issues in this world and im so happy someone is willing to give people a platform.
I had a crappy childhood… violence, drugs, and molestation. I had a lot of pain I hid with heroin addiction for 5 1/2 years. I ended up in Philly.. homeless. I picked myself up and decided I needed to do something different. I ended up with a nursing license and now I live on 153 farm in Maine. It can be done.. but it has to be done by the individual. No one can help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves.
Beautiful!
❤️
I've viewed a number of Mark's videos and have experienced many emotions afterward. Much respect to this man for his hard work 🙏
Soft White Underbelly always has fascinating interviews. Sure, he isn’t saving the world, but he brings it to our attention.
I watch these videos of soft white underbelly, firstly it was entertainment but the more I've watched the over the years, the harsh reality of the real world kicks in and makes you want to hold your children closer. Stay strong people xx
The best way I found that helped me was change my surroundings. When I knew it's gotten to be to much I just moved. I didnt have a place to go I just moved I know it's hard for people to do that but I know that's what helped me. If you can get away from where it's easy it helps a lot. I know that's not the only thing that can help you have to want to change as well.
Moving is the key thing . Move away was one or if not the best thing that ever helped me . Then you have to help yourself , give yourself a chance .
That's one of the keys to sobriety. You almost have to start over your life completely, and in order to do that you have to let go of the places and the people that you use to surround yourself with. I know so many people who go through rehab, get clean and then come back to their friends who are still using. You have to remove yourself from the temptations and peer pressure.
Thank you! I often say this. It’s hard but I don’t care if you’re addict or homeless you need to get some stable footing and push on from there. I see these people living in the most expensive areas of the country and wonder why they can’t survive. I want to tell them. Move rural middle of the country, grab ANY job at fast food or Walmart and a crapy apartment. Get sober or save anything you can and go from there. I know that’s incredibly difficult to do but having a drug source a few blocks away or living in a place that’s $2,100 a month is putting them in a needless cycle of disparity
When I was in high school most of my friends were on drugs and committing crime. I joined the army early in my senior year. I hated the Army but it got me out of that environment. When I got out 4 years later all my friends were in prison or near dead. I had self discipline and a goal.
@@shred1 That's great I wish I had goals when I was younger. I grew up with mom who was an addict that use to take me to doctors and fake sick so she could medicine. It was my fault when she didn't get what she wanted.I grew thinking there was something wrong with me always because of that. Had trust issues and no sense of love. Around the same time my dad died when I was 8 in a work related accident. I was messed with by an older boy around the same time as well. Took me most of my young adult years to overcome all the mental damage everything caused. I had nothing but anger. I got on drugs made me feel in control and no care. I thank God everyday for giving me a purpose and staying clean. Everyone, can do it it's hard and a battle everyday but it's worth it a million times over ...
I was expecting this interview for a quite long time!
Well done Joe for bringing one of the most awesome, kind person's I've ever seen in my life.
All you people fawning over this guy need to look up Amanda Raab and Lima Jevremovich.
@@CasperInkyMagoo agreed.
I watch a lot soft white underbelly and whats Mark doing is so so important and so big.
Those stories need attention and those souls have to be heard.
Our world would be a better place if there would be more such people like Mark.
Are you saying these videos are important because they raise awareness. Do you think they're actually helping the homeless problem? How?
I find Soft White Underbelly videos well edited and engaging, but I sometimes wonder if they're not also a bit of a simulacrum: like yellow ribbons tied in trees "support our troops," whereas they actually do nothing of the sort. Except perhaps assuaging the conscience of upper middle class suburbanites.
Not questioning your suggestion. I'm genuinely wondering how these videos are 'important' in effecting change.
@@AnHebrewChild he is not trying to solve any problem with his videos .Sometimes he help people if they ask for help directly ,but it’s naiv to think that those interwievs could help to solve those global problems😅
The message is that every person has to be seen and has a story behind.and a lot of other things.Depends on you what you find there ,you know😉mark is a photographer so it’s also kind of art.
Mark does such great work. I am always surprised when people haven't heard of Soft White Underbelly, but I always recommend it to anyone looking for something interesting
Mark's videos are fantastic. He touched on a key point. The fatherless children are astounding. The breakdown of the family structure causes untold problems.
I was homeless for about 4 years not because I'm lazy or don't work hard or have a skill, I am a high end cabinet builder/ trim carpenter from my youth and have a good work ethic, but I was robbed by one of my clients (a banker lol... live and learn) who I trusted far too much and got into for a couple hundred thousand, and this loss was devastating and my son and I ended up on the road living in vehicles. We ended up working ourselves out of it and buying a piece of land... I'm sending this message from that land now. Not every homeless person is a psycho and not every banker is an upstanding citizen ... stay strong, be smart... work hard and pray in Jesus' name. 🙏
Hey, fuck that banker yo
Hope you and your son are doing well 😊
Jesus didn't help you much when you were homeless did he. Stop letting religion control you.
Pride and distrust keeps you trying to swim on your own.
I pray that you keep your eyes on the prize. Yes.
Jesus Christ.
Wishing you a blessed Easter Sunday. ❤
(The Watchman on
the Wall 88) ✅