America's Unemployment Problem
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ต.ค. 2020
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The pandemic has wreaked havoc on America's job market, leaving millions without steady pay or healthcare. We know that unemployment is a real problem, but the "official" unemployment figures don't tell the whole story. The true rate of unemployment is much worse than you think.
Further Reading:
www.thebalance.com/living-wag....
livingwage.mit.edu/articles/6...
www.lisep.org
www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/bu...
America's Unemployment Problem - Second Thought
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"Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor"
--James Baldwin
They reason poor people have to pay greater rates of interest is because they are a more risky group to lend to, if they would rather have access to zero options to financing them they would just not use the services which they hardly do, so most people prefer the easy money pawn services they have access to than nothing at all.
@@brettmcclain9289 i have friend with a perfect credit score, 850 that is. she is poor so the only thing she qualifies for are 30% credit cards. no major bank will give her anything else. doing this used to be illegal. the banks typically charge way more interest rate than what someone's actual risk is. i was one day late with a payment and my interest went to 30%. i was not more risky i was just a day late.
@@trenabristol8855 I was referring to the less regulated banking sector such as pawns shops and title loans, but I am sure that many banks do overcharge and under perform since the GOVERNMENT has regulated them in such a manner that they are forced to act as a cartel and it is mostly impossible to start up a bank to compete with them.
"The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness."
- Terry Pratchett, "Men at Arms"
@@brettmcclain9289 not what he’s talking about?
To make it worse:
-Discrimination
-Nepotism
-Expensive education
-No actual opportunity in entry levelmjobs
-Outsourcing
Factssss
- Hourly Pay. Some construction jobs can make you work 10 hours in a month and that's all you get paid in the month.
H-1B foreign staffing firms from India. indiots2.com
now add a global pandemic that steam roles the few viable jobs that are left...
@@wander-0014 I found my fortune in Paris! There's a huge shortage of tradespeople over there. I got a career with benefits without even asking. I'm never going back to Canada.
Wealthy people telling poor people it's their fault for being poor. Classic move.
Honestly, it's very saddening and unsettling.
These same wealthy people are the ones who decide the fate of the masses by governing over you. A travesty indeed to say the very least yes. How they became so wealthy is only by being the bloodsuckers they are.
@@user-gz4ve8mw9l while some people get rich in "fair" ways by owning a massive company or something, you are correct in saying that a lot of people get rich in those scummy ways.
You can het higher wages by taking innovation and learning skills or starting your own business.
@@brettmcclain9289 hey, if you graduated high-school and get two minimum wage jobs because its the only thing that you can do to try and pay your bills with no experience, with what time and money can you either start a business or get educated?
I’m 33, a chemist, and I have to live with my mom. Thought I’d have a family and a house by now, but I can’t even afford to support myself. No wonder depression is so common these days.
It’s even more of a punch in the gut that I’m the first one in my family to graduate from college, but oddly enough, I’m struggling more than either of my parents ever did.
Same here. I am still living with my parents. One bedroom rent is $1,300 a month and home price average is $365k. I’ll never be able to afford to live in the city I work. My sibling thinks I should move to a smaller city since I work from home but the problem is if I lose my job I have to move back to a large city because that’s where the jobs are.
Just do it broke. Struggle together. Sex and relationship great stress relief
26, computer engineer, same situation. Mom wants grandchildren but doesn't understand that I need a career before I could have the self-confidence to even consider having a family of my own. It's truly fascinating to think about the different perspectives people have about this all due to what they have seen in their lives.
th-cam.com/video/CaELQS5kTso/w-d-xo.html
- so you do not have a job, are hopeless and stopped seeking because there are NO jobs to find.
- yes
- that's nice, you're definetly not unemployed
- what?
Hmmm
@@AxxLAfrikuI don't know if this is marketing or not.... koolaid?
@@AxxLAfriku ???
I think that's to mainly exclude stay-at-home parents from the unemployment statistics, but yeah I agree that simply excluding everyone that's not looking for a job is blatant number skewing.
For many years those who were disabled were also not counted as unemployed.
The Unemployment rate also, for many years, only counted those people that were Collecting Unemployment Insurance in most states.
America has always fudged the numbers for political expediency.
Why aren't stuff like paid vacations, days off, maternity leave, pensions etc. included in most US jobs? That's literally standard here in Europe. Kinda shocked to hear about this for the first time considering in Ireland every employee is given minimum 4 weeks annual leave.
Shocked? You have to pay the ambulance un U.S (400 to 600 dolars) the social states in this country suck
@@omenmarin7903 I thought the ambulance ride was 10X higher.
Minimum wage jobs offer none of those things
Minimum wage jobs are considered entry-level and all offer nothing
@@scifirealism5943 Any full-time employee here is entitled to that, and that's pretty standard across Europe. No excuse why it shouldn't be the same anywhere but I guess it would be seen as radical socialism lol
The idea of “he who does not work does not eat” doesn’t work in a system with structural/cyclical unemployment.
It does for our kings and queens the peasants dont really have a say around here
I argue that only applies to societies that are unable to provide for everyone. In such societies we need everyone to be productive, so the idea of from each according to ability and to each according to need is reasonable. However, our modern society is capable of providing for everyone, so I would argue that society has an obligation to provide for everyone regardless of employment.
Well it does work. Just not for the workers. And sadly that is kind of the feature of the system
It’s an inherently unstable system.
Our current societal stability is predicated on people getting enough ‘bread and circuses’ to keep us from revolting. Once the bread and circuses stop, then all hell breaks loose.
If people are in difficult situations they can try to seek aid from the community.
An important thing you did not mention is that people cannot afford to upskill, because they can't afford to take qualifications. It means that people truly cannot escape from being a wage slave. It's the same in the UK, but not quite as extreme.
Can't afford to upskill?
@Mustafa Al-youzbaki Right, thank you.
Ageism in workplace hirings can also suppress those even fortunate enough to upskill anyways... Job retraining typical isn't that effective at improving wages too. Here's a article on both points: www.businessinsider.com/retraining-doesnt-help-older-workers-find-jobs-because-of-ageism-2019-5
Even if they could improve their skills, it wouldn't help because between the ever-increasing (over-)population, and the increased accessibility of higher-education to more people (thanks to predatory student-loans), there is just so much more competition than ever before, so even taking some night classes and upgrading your skills still won't help, especially with all the recent graduates constantly pouring out of school. 😕
In electrical engineering, Self teaching enabled me to change jobs and get more money. New better, faster chips every six months.
The latest DOD contractors are very nasty places to work. Bigger is NOT better.
those that can DO
what is left over ? teachers/managers/politicians
“In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.”
― Confucius
@Jokolo How's that boot taste?
Meh theres more to it than what the goverment is doing,
@Jokolo If the world around them is suffering, and they are wealthy, then they must lack in moral character, or else they would cease to be wealthy through charity. For this reason, they should be ashamed, and seek to correct their failing at once.
@Jokolo Nobody ever has to be ashamed of being in poverty, but the quote refers not to being in poverty but the existence of poverty.
Also, no job earns one wealth in any substantial amount, only capital does, at least in capitalism.
@Jokolo profile pic checks out
The best part is that TH-cam demonetizing this for no obvious reason (such as hate speech, profanity, graphic content, etc) is proof that they don’t want people to know this, proving your point in a way. It also means that google is also probably guilty of these things as well.
i’m always hard pressed to find any truths on google in recent years. maybe ever, i feel like learning all these things i’m waking up from a coma 😞
We live in a society where the hardest workers get paid the least.
th-cam.com/video/CaELQS5kTso/w-d-xo.html
And hence my forthcoing book "Work Hard and Other Lies". As someone who worked 80 hours a week in Silicon Valley for 20 years, I know firsthand. Employment, like most things in America, is a rigged scam.
Not really. The people who get payed the least are the people who flip burgers. The people who work the hardest are the people who spend 16 hours a day making decisions for an entire company while weighing costs and risks with potential rewards to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.
@@danydady6851 Or developers who work 80 hour weeks to create the next iPhone or Playstation and are then told they're too successful, too highly paid, and too white, so they're sent by Alan Greenspan to flip burgers while all those jobs are replaced with $1.21/hr workers from India. All because Mr. Greenspan illegally manipulated the labor market, which is a Federal crime. www.cnbc.com/id/43730337
It's not who works the hardest or smartest it's who works the most cunningness
Not to mention how hard it is to even get an interview or a job now. The application process is broken. Everyone wants 3-5 years of experience, but no one is willing to train workers on the job. So we have a ton of open positions, with unrealistic expectations, waiting to be filled. College grads sit on the sidelines with debt and unemployed because no one will give them a chance. This is where we are
Already like Second Thought, but love him even more since he went political and spoke the truth!
Me too
I'm saying doe!!!
SAME I LOVE THE NEW STUFF! I still do wish he did a space video now and then though.
I was subscribed in his first 400,000 subscribers.
agree sooo muchhh
I’m 19 and I live in New York the minimum wage here is about $12-$15 dollars and you literally can’t live off of that over here.
There's no way that anyone can live off $15 per hour in a lot of places in the US. You're basically just scraping by while living with your folks or with your friends. You need to make at least 25-30 dollars per hour to even start a decent life.
I have always said it, if you earn min wage you are a slave to your bosses
Dude I heard it's so expensive to live in New York. I dont think it's worth living there for the amount of money you have to pay smh.
@@kennethandres7734 Same thing applies in Canada. Yes, we appear to be a more egalitarian country compared to some countries in the world, but the cost of living is truly appalling. For instance I live in British Columbia (which is just above Washington state) and our minimum wage is $15 per hour, yet many can barely afford to survive. I live in the capital city Victoria, and the average 1 bedroom apartment starts between $1,300 - $1,800 and this is of course not including utilities. In place like Vancouver and Victoria you need to be making at least $28 per hour to get by, which is truly depressing.
@@kennethandres7734 While some American ideologies aren't bad, some of them are, and I hope they dont do that to your community.
I haven’t had a job in close to a year. I’ve been surviving off savings and living back at home with my parents. I’m educated in the Field of IT and no one is willing to give me even an entry level position without some prerequisite requirement such as years and years of previous experience. This unemployment phase of my life has got me really down, especially considering I’m 27, in my prime, and not being able to do anything with it
I'm from Romania, working in IT, and everyone is hiring here :)...All the big companies are here, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, etc. With an IT entry-mid level salary, you can afford to buy a house and pay monthly at the bank for it, live nicely and start a family. Health, Time Off, Sick leave, all included...And this is one of many countries and far from the best, but still a lot better than what's presented in this clip..
@@lecsu131 absolutely dude, I wish you the best and great success. Be safe out there
Darn. I'm worried about this myself my mom was in a similar situation she gave up looking for a job because it disabled her ( working what she calls men's jobs ) but disability benefits is another problem in the USA. If you don't work 4 years or be glued to your lawyer then your screwed and put down by all the conservatives for being "lazy".
@@connorkimball5431 no dude, you don't understand! If you're in IT, get out of there, there's plenty of jobs in Europe. I don't get this - USA is citizens are so privileged to be able to travel to Europe when most of Europe needs a visa to go to US. If you are free to roam this earth as you please, why only search for a job in your back garden? Think bigger, further...
@@lecsu131 I’ll tell you what, Europe is looking better and better the older I get in this disaster I call a home LOL
I’m a kid and I do not look forward to being an adult
I don't either. Enjoy as much of your child as you possibly can
Enjoy it now kid. It don’t get any easier from here
Same... but Thank the lord that I don’t live in the US
@@cephalonbob15 I wish I didn’t
Enjoy your childhood mate... mine feels like it was wasted but I look forward to at least an ok future with how things have turned to out to be recently with corona and starting university online... at least I can enjoy my early adulthood how I want
Welcome to America.
Do you get rights?
Well, let me answer a question with a question.
Are you rich? Yes? You get rights.
Are you not rich? Yes? No rights.
The rich are above the law, just as the government is immune to the legislature they pass. The majority are just used as slave labor and indoctrinated at an early age into the delusions of society. You can't even escape it otherwise you'd pay taxes for usa for life and any other nations taxes alongside USA's. The only ones who defend this system are the only ones who are well off and have everything to lose. They don't care that many are exploited in order for them to be well off. Just so long as they are not one of the ones exploited in the process. The best lie is the truth nobody wants to believe.
The rich are the new nobility. Americans should learn from the French what to do with nobility.
at least everyone have freedom lol
@@Azariven Freedom to die.
Sounds like a Plutocracy to me! Not a Democracy, but hey thats just me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is why I knew at the age of 23 that the economy was rigged. Today in order to stay just a little bit out of poverty I work 75 hours a week, 3 different jobs and 7 days a week and I'm highly educated and I never get any government assistance. The truth is that inflation robs you of your hard earned dollars. The truth is that the minimum wage should be set by a panel of economics every few years based on the cost of living and inflation and not by politicians. That is another reason the end is very near for the United states. Also notice that the same stimulus checks that was given to those making under 75,000 usd was basically a 15 dollar an hour amount if you work part time. A full time pay at that rate would be 2400 dollars a month and that's STILL not enough to live off that one job. So we work multiple jobs many days and hours a week just to survive. Thankfully the nation is collapsing and eventually all of this madness will end....
Min Wage should be adjusted for inflation annually, but the pols want to use it for political gain.
@@tradeprosper5002 which is why we need to make the minimum wage set only by economists on a panel separate from all politicians like all social democracies do. O guess its only wishful thinking living here in america anyways where money rules the day in politics
@@henrygraves6020
Did you ever consider moving out to a different country?
@@GTAVictor9128 I have already relocated to New Zealand. I only speak to warn others to leave the United States before it fully collapses
Yup it is going to colapse. LIBERTY, FRATERNITY, EQUALITY, GUILLOTINES!!!
In Australia you only need to work 1 hour a week to disappear from unemployment statistics.
Still wayyyyy better than here in the U.S.A
You can invest in btc now
@@justsomeoneelse5942 , you are right about that, in just about everything.
I work for a municipality in Michigan, were represented by a small union who has been out muscled over the past two decades by the organization. Were now trying to get representation from a large union. Most of the people I work with are Republican. Its hard to imagine the people who rely on collective bargaining rights the most are willing to vote for a party that has destroyed collective bargaining over the last 40 years. I believe sharing videos like this one can go along way towards enlightening voters in this country. The democratic party has failed to point out the hypocrisy of the right wing leaving it instead to people like you and me to spread truth. Americans deserve a fair shot at the American dream and since Reganomics we have been hemorrhaging wealth upward to the top 1% we need policy makers who are committed to ending this dramatic redistribution of wealth to the people who need it least. Keep up the great work of educating our electorate.
well written, keep on fighting the good fight!
The democrat party has failed to do anything but drain the middle class dry. When it comes to trade and jobs, there is only one party and only one position: import more labor, export more jobs.
Republicans pull themselves up by their bootstraps via their neck
@@Varlwyll we need a different voting system that lets more parties become viable
@@csl110 facts. Red or blue is all they want you to see. There are far more political options that are submerged in purpose out there
One of the things I frequently point to when talking about how this economy doesn't work for most people, is that you need a college degree to get a good paying job... which requires you to go into debt. You can't pay off college tuition on minimum wage unless you work 19 hours each and every day with no days off.
You could try to learn a trade which has cheaper entry cost and can yield greater wages than a four year degree.
@@brettmcclain9289 Except in the vast majority of cases... it doesn't. Trade school costs, on average, $33,000 compared to college which costs $127,000 however... that is also reflective of the wage you will probably earn. Most trade school jobs will give you pay similar to that of a teacher, one of the lowest, if not the lowest paying, career with a college degree involved. Which, if you want to support just yourself, is fine. If you want to do more than that, like most people do, it's not remotely near enough. I'd love for trade school to be a viable alternative but the thing is, it's simply not.
@@aaronkuhlman1392 some trades pay better than other's, like being a wielder, also if you are ambitious and try to take the harder jobs or live in places their skills are in greater demand (like South Dakota) then you can definitely earn wages above a teachers salary.
@@brettmcclain9289 You *can* but most will earn something similar. Also, if you're ambitious and willing to move, they pay 7 figures in Silicon Valley. Let me put it this way: if your end goal is to be able to support you and a family long term, by far the easiest and safest way is a college degree. There is no question about that. Trade schools are good, and I wish those careers would pay more, but they don't.
@@aaronkuhlman1392 Most of the reason's why it is harder to have a single income and support a large family is due to periods of high inflation like the 1970's and now 2020's , every time there is a large amount of inflation in the USA people living standards go down and more people enter the work force.
"America is a third world country with a Gucci belt"
It's a country that just benefits the few on expense of many.
It isn't though, if you have actually lived in a third world country you would know what a third world country actually looks like
America is a dying, declining giant that has been bankrupted by horrendously failed republican socioeconomic policies.
@@griefingstar5065 my guy I was quoting someone else -_-
@@griefingstar5065 Yeah, saying it's a third world country is a huge exaggeration, still it may be the case that living conditions of Americans will not be all too different to those from third world countries in the upcoming future if things continue the way they do now.
Honestly this is why I think Reagan was the biggest PoS to ever take Office .... I'd say trump but Reagans bs is a large reason for current state of US
I hated Ronnie!
If we're going worst president of all time, it's still Truman. But Reagan's a damn close second place
@@erebusvonmori8050 y truman tho
Pandemic isn't over, and we are still out of jobs because of it! Also while most jobs now pay in the 9$ to 10$ range rather than the absolute minimum wage they can, its still leaves people scraping to get by. Most americans don't save money, living paycheck to paycheck, and most can't cover an unexpected expense of $200 or more. Greatest nation my ass!
Even third-world countries are better to live in compared to the US sooner or later.
I must respectfully disagree ,I live in a developing country believe me the situation ur in at least has a better chance of getting better that the one most people in my country are in
Some 3rd word countries have universal healthcare so yeah they are better.
While this is empirically very much not true except for 1 or 2 metrics, it is concerning seeing how quickly the US is nose diving for the average individual. Something has to give sooner or later.
America is still a 1st word country, dont get me wrong it sucks in the rankings of first world countries but it is far from as bad as a third world country.
@Steven Hamner OK we won't get to that point at all since we have much easier access to advanced technology, but the US is kind of underwhelming though
And I thought I couldn't possibly feel more hopeless.
Don't give in. They will listen to you, keep fighting.
Dude, this just means that there are many more around you who can relate to your situation. Find a way to use that somehow?
It’s when we have nothing to lose that we become the best at changing the system. It never supported us anyway.
@@scienceannistyle7070 it did once upon a time, a long long time ago
My heart goes out to the poor Uber drivers, many of whom spent decades investing in mandatory local City taxi license fees, only for the those local governments to welcome Uber into their city.
Uber has a monopsony, and is absolutely committed to the destruction of their drivers. Not only are they investing their profits into driverless car technology, but they rely heavily on the steady stream of casual drivers, who don’t actually realize that by the time they take into account real expanses (depreciation, maintenance etc), they’re essentially working for less than minimum wage.
I travel a lot, don’t have an Uber account and tip the taxi driver wherever possible.
This appears to be why we have such a large military.
And the militarized police to quell the protests. Sound like China?
I make 50k as a single man in the military. Funny how the policy is written for average citizens to less than barely get by but they know very well they can't do the same if you are already contracted body and soul to Government care.
That 50k is before free healthcare and housing.
It won't be long before Second Thought achieves a million subscribers. With the top-notch content he enlightens us with, I'd say it is very much well deserved.
Looks like second has done it.
we need to spread the word of this channel post a link to it on facebook or whatever. WHEREEVER YOU CAN. spread this channel. if we work together, we can help Second Thought spread the word.... i hope.
@@kubakornijenko1927 first off, i feel sorry that you've been indoctrinated enough by the wrong people to think that. and second, if you think this is lies, why watch it? go back to watching fox news or some shit.
My dad lost his job with Uber over getting rear-ended while sitting in a turn lane while driving a client (so not his fault). Well the damages made the car undrivable, and Uber literally does nothing for him...insurance companies offered no help either. All of this happened right before covid too...
What a glorious new economy, where getting into an accident loses your job!
man i just want some good ol’ bernie sanders
New Deal Democrats like Sanders are radical socialists trying to take my freedoms™. At least that is what I'm constantly told by millionaires who are being paid by billionaires to tell me.
@@Praisethesunson well what do you expect from people who come from countries who’s education system doesn’t even reach the top 40? Why would you expect Americans to understand the difference between social democrats and socialism?
Fake comment. Purple is sus AF.
@Vasilijan Nikolovski Pinochet was actually the most radical politician .Even more radical than Funny mustache man.
@Vasilijan Nikolovski we meet again
YOOOOOOOOO CONGRATS ON THE SPONSORSHIP
Thanks! It definitely helps.
Finally, a sponsor for second thought. Haven't seen many of those in a bit.
@@SecondThought I just want to say that your videos really help in arguing back against the dumb things that MAGA morons come out with online, this will defo come in handy as they’re always spouting bs about the employment rate
I'm from Jamaica, where the recorded youth unemployment is 30.1% in 2020 ... Imagine what the actual numbers are
Two months later It would be 30% 😰😰
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Mark Twain
In economics, we call those that work, but do not make enough to support themselves underemployed. Real wages, that is, wages adjusted for inflation, have been going down for decades and its really concerning.
It’s pretty spooky hearing my exact situation laid out in such clinical detail. I’m a gig worker who makes poverty-level wages despite my job requiring a graduate degree.
I’m working on moving to a different country. The way I see it, it would be hard to find a country where I’d be worse off.
The entire world is rigged for the rich >:( some countries are better than others but you'll always be screwed D:
@@E10979 absolutely
You have north korea most of africa some of shout east africa, us of a and some of central and shout america i sugest for ya germany and france for the benefits and ether uk, spain, australia, canada (just jump the fence), shout africa and some other i think for the langueageas you could speak. Btw i am a romanian.
@@E10979 This is a major problem and harsh reality sadly. Even worse a hefty portion of the world nations are puppets or collaborators of the USA. The ones that aren't are typically closer in relations to Russia, and or China instead. The many are exploited for the benefit of the few out of sheer greed. These issues are global ones just its more rampant in the USA is all.
I like colder climates, so Western Europe seems ideal. The UK political environment is too close to the US, so sadly that’s not tolerable. I want to avoid religious indoctrination as well... I’m a tattoo artist, so thankfully I can pack up and do that almost anywhere. thanks for the suggestions
I've asked the older generations if they believed the younger generation is doing poorly because they're lazy or because they've been dealt a bad economic hand. Almost all of them say it's because the younger generation is facing way more challenging times. It baffles me that a man with a stay at home wife and 4 kids could support his entire family working at a factory for a car manufacturer with just a highschool education.
The benefits he got from his company sounded like a fairytale, I couldn't even believe it. Young workers don't lack work ethic, they're just severely undervalued in an overly competitive and saturated market. No wonder why they're depressed, not starting families and have a bleak outlook.
The U.S needs a mixed economy, renegade hyper-capitalism is hurting most people in this country.
Its not hypercapitalism. Corporations have captured the state and use it to lock out competition. State-backed monopolies are not capitalism, they're socialism.
@@Varlwyll regardless of what you believe the economic situation in this country is, we need to tilt it towards a mixed economy. I don’t think the economy should be a capitalist or socialist kind of policy, it should be more of a balance. The model should reflect what a lot of European countries are doing
@@Varlwyll companies owning the government aren't public corporations. That's the other way around (a private government). The companies owning a government and blocking competition is a purely capitalist move. Like the Rockefeller days.
@@Varlwyll not really mate. Socialism actually regulate Coorpos and coorpos bow down to the State. Look at the most EU countrys, its captitalism with socialism stuff combined like workerrights, strong unions that fight for higher wages for you and much more.
We should be going into the future with less jobs not more! Yet we have a society that keeps pushing the opposite. This idea we constantly need more jobs and everyone needs to have a job makes no sense logically. We only need jobs because people need money to get their needs and wants but money is completely made up. The system is the problem. Technology should free us from work to free us. This entire system is solely for the rich.
And how do you propose we change things? Globalism ensures that everyone must work, lest they starve.
@@theolwinkledink okay so this isn’t going to happen over night so we need patience and transition seems like the best way to go but we also need to realize the gravity of our situation so patience is needed but we need to start doing something other wise we will have serious problems in the future!
I suggest that the one thing we do is get this information and knowledge out there to as many people as possible! People lack so much knowledge and that’s a huge reason we are in this mess is because people don’t think about these things. This should be a constant thing and also always better understanding this stuff ourselves!
Next we need to get people who actually understand the way we are going doesn’t work and come together to figure out what we can do. Now I push for an abandonment of money all together but I’m fine conceding that we can still and probably will need to use money to get things done. A moneyless society is my personal goal for all humanity but what’s really important is we need a sustainable system that doesn’t destroy our own environment so get enough people to either vote someone into power that advocates for our share goal
Or
We get people together save up all our money and literally start from the ground up! It does sound out there and it’s not gonna be a walk in the park but what’s the alternative??? Our current trajectory is literally off a cliff!! I’m open to any other ideas anyone else has. These are just a few of mine. 👌
@@theolwinkledink UBI, I think second thought has a video on it.
@@Theinatoriinator UBI it seems is a mainstream transition that people can understand but it shouldn’t be the end goal by any means. There’s plenty of people with things already like UBI but are still being used just like everyone else. UBI helps with poverty to some degree but doesn’t address the system itself.
@Andrea The happier the person the more efficient they are at working!
Also the minimum wage has evolved overtime. The typical minimum wage was regarded for teenagers and college students but now more and more adults past their 30s are doing minimum wage work as their only source of income. Ultimately the bargaining power of workers must improve so that the impact of the minimum wage declines overtime anyways
That was never the purpose of the minimum wage, it's just propaganda fed to you so that rich elites can justify keeping it low.
Commenting to help with the TH-cam algorithm.
🙏
And here’s some additional help.
Yes!
@@Drowssap232 Me too! And also leaving a seperate comment. I don't know if that helps though? But fuck it.
I am going to steal this comment.
By this improved, more accurate definition of unemployment, I've been unemployed since high school (I'm 32 and have a Master's degree), and I would 100% agree with this definition. Every job I have held has either been part time, paying less than a livable wage, or both; I have only been able to pay off my student loans because I live with my parents
I think youre missing a key point: the american people will believe whatevers thrown at them by media companies. Our collective consciousness is like a 3 year old we collectively are very gullible
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100% correct =brainwashed by the entire system
Man I wish you are wrong , I can't even be in the middle .. it's either America is a crap country or their is nothing that needs to be changed. I say the housing market is messed up .. well that's supply and demand 🤦♀️ yeah because big corporations being paid by the government to buy up all the cheap houses and rent them out at a higher cost is totally supply and demand rather then abuse of power and causing more class disparities among the poor . On the other side let's bad mouth America and how evil capitalism is but let's benefit from stuff that is not widely available to 3rd world countries..
Covid 19 vaccine
I'm sure this pun has to have already been made but:
I'm glad so many are having a Second Thought about capitalism.
America is not under lassie fair capitalism, if it was most people would have a far greater standard of living, also the federal reserve never existing would have greatly reduced income inequality.
@@brettmcclain9289 hmm 🤔 imo i would say that laissez faire capitalism is largely present in the USA. power is mostly delegated to states in normal times, at least that's what I heard.
As for its consequences, it's that the rich take advantage of it to get richer, some perhaps do it with no moral conscience at all, others perhaps with guilt donate some of their money to charity anonymously.
@@warren5037 If you checked the economic freedom index their are several countries above the USA and even the number 1 country still requires you to have a bit of permits, If you ever started your own business than you could very quickly tell that America isn't the lassie fair land people think it is.
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I’m a disabled veteran and I’m extremely disappointed in this country. I joined as a young man when my brain wasn’t done completely forming and now I’m riddled with PTSD from Afghanistan and been homeless for 4 years now. Thank you for making this.
I still can't find a job all these years after highschool and when I apply for jobs I see "EXPERIENCE REQUIRED" on almost all job offerings and these places have been posted as hiring for years sometimes more than 5 years, gee I wonder why.
Even better, if you then wait for too long, you are not going to be accepted because you are too old, and would be wise to any attempts to underpay you. That won't be the official reason for refusing you, of course.
You must lie one your resume. Worked for me
'you have to work to survive, and even that is no longer a guarantee'
That's the quote that sticks with me the most after this video
I'll use this video for an opportunity here...
With the US election coming up, Florida and possibly other states are proposing amendments that will RAISE minimum wage. This is the chance to vote Yes on the ballot and increase minimum wage in these states
I already voted for that increase in Florida! Good stuff!
Yeah that's good lock low skill workers out of the economy smh
@@Varlwyll The wage would increase to $10, and then a $1/yr for just a few years after. Many businesses (at least in my area), especially SMALL businesses already pay $10 or more for low skilled workers so the law would likely have little effect on them. Legislation just ensures that additional businesses (as in places like Walmart and Circle-K that get away with super low-wages) actually pay their employees somewhat decently.
The movement towards automation is already happening no matter what the minimum wage is, the least we can do is make sure that employees get at least a semi-decent wage.
Living costs in Florida have been increasing dramatically lately, and in turn so should income, but too many are stuck at $8.56 an hour
"You're only unemployed if you're receiving unemployment benefits"
- The Government
Government: “Will you swim through that river of lava if it meant getting a job at McDonald’s? No? You’re not in the workforce and don’t count as unemployed.”
That thing with the faked unemployment numbers exists in nearly every country.
Greetings from germany. ;)
Ach hör mir auf, das is ein Trauerspiel hier.
Du hast recht. Man muss allerdings auch sagen, dass die Arbeitsmarktlage in Deutschland bei weitem besser ist als in vielen anderen Ländern. Wer arbeiten will findet auch welche.
@@elalcazar7374 das stimmt, und ich bin auch verdammt dankbar in Deutschland zu leben.
Trotzdem werden 2mio Arbeitslose mit Maßnahmen, minijobs und ähnlichem aus der Statistik rausgemogelt.
In Deutschland geht es uns supper (vorallem im vergleich zu Amerika) aber im Ramen unserer möglichkeiten sind wir unterentwickelt
@@derbananenbaumler9482 Es werden sogar jede Woche krankgeschriebene Arbeitslose aus der Statistik raus gerechnet. Balabala ist das!
yeah in germany youre demanded to inform authorities if youre ill so you will get subtracted from unemployment numbers. In winter our numbers drop usually, guess why...
We also subtract a lot of people working in jobs that are not able to sustain a life because of the low hours and low pay. That adds up to up to 2M, so its not about 3M as published, its more like 5M (9% of total pop), has been around there since I can remember.
Not just a problem in the US, unfortunately. Here in Australia we have up to over 100 unemployed people for every job opening (depending on the area)... And yet our government still claims that unemployment is doing well.
The best part is that when you try to bring this up in discussion with LNP (our right wing government) voters, they'll blame everyone else for not having the will to move to "places with work" or doing "tough work" like fruit picking jobs which pay a fucking pittance. Try to get them to explain how unemployed people are supposed to have the money to move, and they act like you're just being lazy and making excuses. Its really sad how much capitalism and super conservative politics have poisoned much of the Western world over the last few decades. The problems are so obvious, yet so many people are so indoctrinated by the propaganda that they're blind to what is essentially a gunshot through both kneecaps to everyone who is not rich.
It's exactly the same in the US. When the US decided to crack down on immigration violations in Alabama, the crops were rotting in the field because farmers refused to pay US citizens a high enough wage that people would be willing to do the work.
The most hard working group of people I now are the people on the bottom of the pyramid. The minimum wage workers, truckers, farmers, and factory workers. If ever somehow get rich because I own a large corporation or something like that, I would want to be paid a fair amount, and not millions or billions. I would make sure that the workers had healthcare benefits and housing, and I would help people that are in bad situations. And if I somehow couldn't pay them more, I would donate the vast majority of my funds to homeless shelters and to other charities. I cant believe that some of the worlds richest economies do this.
honest question as an American, if I move to Australia temporarily will I be better off there than in America or end up accidently being a illegal immigrant?
@@bigboix4177 idk
@Cheesie Horde thx. Plan on taking up a job in fighting because that's the only thing my parents haven't rammed my self esteem down on. I can make $9,000 usd if I win on my first match and more if I win a second time and so forth.
I've been saying this to my friends and family since 2012. The true unemployment rate is sky high and has been for a long time.
From an other country your situation is very hard like in my country with 1500 a month (minimum wage here) you can get a flat with 3 rooms, pay a car etc...
And even more poor peoples like my girlfriend parents just don't pay any tax so they can only get richer
the us system is very unfair in fact
Where are you from?
Yea, I can be comfortable and pay off a mortgage on 20 hrs a week as a cleaner in my neck of the woods...
Depends a lot on location and circumstances, and any mistakes you've made planning your life etc...
I just realized that second thought is inching closer to 1 million subs! Keep up the good work man, I’m proud of you!
He past 1M now
Needed that Second Thought fix. 👌
To everyone in California, please vote NO on proposition 22. This is a prop that is being pushed forward completely by companies like uber and lyft. It would take a 7/8 majority in the legislature to make any amendments if it is passed, making it all but impossible for gig workers to improve their working conditions in the future. This is simply a prop that is being funded completely by the companies (it is now the most expensive campaign in the state's history) so that if it passes they won't have to give the benefits or even a minimum wage that the workers are entitled to. Please do not fall for the yes on 22 propaganda.
I did the math on this a couple years ago. If you take the statistics from the Labor Dept and Census, subtract those over 65 and under 18, then you get rate of ~35% of working age adults who are not working full time. That was a couple years ago, pre-pandemic. What's more, the 65% of working age Americans who are working or seeking employment, includes those working over 30hrs a week, not 40 hours, which is what you have to work for a year straight before companies are mandated to offer vacation and a small amount of benefits. America, Land of Oligarchy!
I'm shocked there's no mandatory time off, maternity leave etc.
the stuff you've been making lately is great are there any other channels you know that offer similar content
Thanks! Glad you like it. My channel exists in a kind of grey area between educational video essays and political commentary. Check out r/breadtube if you’re looking for similar political perspectives!
Thank you for making this. I'm 30 and a recent university graduate. Even with a bachelor's degree and a great resume, the only callback I got was for a part-time, $10/hr food service position. :'( For those who are going through the same, it's not you. It's the system.
I see a lot of comments speaking about the US - and while this video talks about the US it is important to know, that the same thing happens in European countries as well.
Even though safety nets might appear stronger, there are a lot of exceptions, which leads to people being illegible leading yet again to lower numbers in the statistics.
This is a systematic problem caused by capitalism.
And don't even begin with current Russia, where a good chunk of population knows that our government is screwing with us yet cannot really do anything at the moment.
You stress minimum wage a lot, but "middle class" incomes aren't moving up along with inflation either. Those jobs that used to support an entire family while allowing one parent to stay home with kids.
You should've said "America is the richest third world country"
While America is not comparable to most third-world countries, I understand what you mean. Thanks for the laugh
The sad thing is that the US has all the power and money to solve its issues while third world countries don’t.
@@JoeARedHawk275 and the fact that we cant even solve our own third-world type problems.
@Steven Hamner the worst part is that other countries used to look up to the U.S. during the cold war. It's a shame what the White House is doing to this country.
@Cheesie Horde oh I have seen the poorest of the poor communities in the U.S., and I agree that some parts are third world, it's just not accurate to say that the entire country is third world.
Man, i wish everybody in the us would hear this and listen
At least 8 million U.S. citizens have gone below the Poverty line because of Covid-19. The worst part is, it was all preventable. Like how does this happen? I would've got a job this year to save for college but now I literally can't.
Edit: While I'm one of the lucky people with parents and relatives that have essential jobs, me and my family members are still heavily affected. And the fact that there are people that have billions of dollars and houses the size of small hotels (while most of those extremely wealthy people are not bad people) while there are people in poverty. And the fact that the minimum wage has gone down in the worlds richest country is.... unsettling, to say the least.
@[Čaÿřa] [Řøđříguež] big brain
Minimum wage here in Ohio is like $8.30 i made 12.50 an hour and worked over 40h a week and still couldnt find an apartment (1 bedroom) that wasnt infested with roaches or bedbugs. Its disguisting. Even when i worked for Amazon at $15 i couldn't get a decent apartment because they all want you to make 3x the rent 😑 ive lived with my mom almost all my life as a result im 26 now and i thought i'd be able to leave at 18 how nieve i was
It's not just the US... it's very similar in Germany. The only difference is that we "masked" the problem by sending people into "Kurzarbeit". Which means they only work 20-50% of the time but aren't registered as unemployed. Yet, the total hours worked are still just as bad as if we had similar numbers compared to the US.
Yes and no. Kurzarbeit is a methode to help the people in an economic crisis. Kurzarbeit is not a normal thing.
People in Kurzarbeit often don't work at all and 70-80% of their wage is payed by the government. These people are unemployed. The hope is when the economy starts to get better these people can work at their previous job.
@@pasallal7101 True... for small "interruptions" of regular business this might work... but right now it feels like a ticking time bomb
A difference is, that germany has more safety nets in place to support people financially. If you drop out of a job in the US, you drop hard.
Dude you have no idea what you are talking about. Poor people in the US have a very hard time. Germany is a far more developed country in every aspect.
Having watched your vids for a while I cant come to understand how someone would be fine with living in the US, especially those that are just joining the working force.
I would love to watch a video (made by you of course) of what the pros of the US are, not compared to its cons but rather to other countries
Awesome vid. I still remember during the Obama administration how the liberal media kept praising him for "record job growth", but what they weren't telling us was that the jobs created were low pay part time work...
This infuriates me so much. Asking for a livable wage, sick days, vacation time and family leave is so "radical" for some. This pandemic has shined a light into how our system is inherently designed this way to keep us living pay check to paycheck. We as people cannot afford to continue living this way, its not living its merely surviving. We need a revolution not reform.
Strange that it took a Pandemic to REALLY open our eyes to how the system works, in depth. A whole year and a few extra months of learning...
And we still do nothing.
Lost the job because of covid with a mortage and family. Now other jobs have low balled me and I'm forced to accept making 5 less an hour. No Healthcare no time off. My wife who is crippled thanks to horrible Healthcare is being forced back into a work force. I hate what this country does to the middle class.
jnffraniston@gmail .com
Great video Second Thought. Well said. This is something that needs to be addressed in this country or we will just keep seeing rising homelessness with no end in sight.
you're the man, I love all of your videos. Keep up the good work!
Excellent information. I wish this information could be understood by everyone. Loved the video! Keep up the great work.
This situation describes the past years for me perfectly. While I personally have been very fortunate to be getting raises and having constant work, my wife has not been so lucky. I encouraged her to NOT take a job because everywhere paid so little it wasn't worth her time or energy in my opinion. I would rather her just have the free time to pursue dreams like writing or art than plug away for 8 hours a day for 10 dollars or less an hour. There are so few opportunities and many of them are biased against people of race or body type, it's very frustrating to witness.
Was going to sit down and do some uni work... That can wait. Great content as per usual keep it up
As an individual in uni and a follower of this channel, I'm curious how you feel about what to study in uni as im planning on going to uni myself.
@@alw2839 civil engineering so completely unrelated unfortunately, very little to do with the sort of content n this channel
@@dougalhumberstone8841 My dad is one of the best engineers in his State (I don't live with him) How does it pay you know? Ive thought about doing it myself he's doing pretty good.
@@alw2839 i think civil is one of the lower paying options when compared to the likes of mechanical engineering but I think it is one of those areas that will continue to have job opportunities for the foreseeable future.
As an immigrant who graduated from college in the US and find all this content from second thought eye opening, im super frustrated with how badly things are going
Thank you second thoughts I love your content. Watching your videos with my dad has been a huge reason that helps me reconnect with my father. ! Keep it going. We need the our people to wake up. Not woke up.
If I had money, I would give it to this man to advertise all over the internet and spread the message. But unfortunately, I have no money.
im tired of seeing all these "socialist bad" and "capitalist good" ads
No one ever asks this:
If there is a "Minimum" wage then why is there not a "Maximum" wage ?
(this will trigger those that feel it is an arbitrary ceiling to the ( *^wink^* ) limitless amount that can otherwise be made...)
A lot of CEO have a wage of 1$. That's to evade taxes and they make their money on company stocks. So you can't really set a maximum becouse people would find ways to evade it.
@@Taka.1011 yep, they always find the loopholes, in fact i think there was a study and they found like either 20 or 80% of CEOs would be classified as psychopaths on a psyachtrists test.
I've said this many times. Only answer I get is 'that's not the way it works' it's not fair to the filthy rich
I live in Chiang Mai, my friend is from New Zealand. She owns several retail stores, the government paid 80 % of her workers she had to pay the rest of their salary for the 3 month lockdown and then again during the second lockdown. None of her employees lost their jobs. She said she got 12 weeks in advance in her bank account the next day. Now, her stores are open and busy.
Good content as always thanks
I love seeing these videos in my subscription box. Where I know I’m going to be educated and supporting someone I deeply agree with.
I'm so incredibly thankful that I live in Canada where, at least, we get an $11.65/hour minimum wage. America needs to change
I love your videos :) very insightful ✨
Man you really stand up and say uncomfortable things that everyone has just acted like are not real. I hope you keep doing what your doing you can really do some good. Thank you.
I have to wonder if there was a call to come out and stand before city halls nationwide for all those wishing (full time, better paid) jobs. And PTO and health care.
We need a "New Deal" that is permanent. Also, comment on the youtube algorithm and leave a like.
Can confirm. I lost my just-okay job after The Varus, and could only find jobs paying just over half of what I made before in my area. I ended up enlisting just to make enough money to get by.
Such a brilliant video Second Thought, Im proud to be a patreon and hope you can reach 1mil subs soon as you 100% deserve it
Dude. I usually nod along with your videos and gain some useful info (love all your excellent content, I've just been looking into a lot of your recent stuff for years what with The US being so fucked up and all), but this is the first one that was truly eye opening. I had never even blinked at all the talk about unemployment that persists in our media. Literally the definition of it causes us to be more servile about our situation as a nation. It definitely all adds up. I just... my focus had always been on the wage issues and taxation. My assumption that "unemployed" meant "working age and not working" has just been rocket-propelled out the window. No wonder places like /r/engineering and /r/engineeringstudents on reddit are chock full of "applied to 150 companies with zero response" posts.
My only question (doubt you'll respond but god I'd love to discuss) is how do we collectively say "no"? I've been wrestling with the idea for some time and I'm just not sure it's possible considering the self-serving ideology our country has incubated. There is a need for some sort of unanimous push in order to even gain our footing on these issues and the protests this year have shown that even that much is going to take some scary collective effort. It's daunting and disheartening and incredibly important.
From what i understand there isn't a shortage of jobs. There's a shortage of jobs that pay a living wage?
If i were paid $5 an hour to work i would barely care to do anything other than the absolute bare minimum. A wage like that isn't worth my effort.
Love your videos!
Interesting perspectives..... Gr8 video 👍🏾
"We want a college grad with 20 years of experience."
There, boom. The reason for your unemployment problem, right fucking there.
I disagree with how one issue is portrayed: Unemployment is not Underemployment. Of course the unemployment statistics are not measured using the right models, but classify underemployment as it’s own category as opposed to unemployment.
If someone isnt making enough to be able to fulfill their basic needs, it should be counted as unemployment. Anything less is just morphing the reality of the situation to suit political dogma.
@@chino313 Exactly, if you're working and not making enough to survive, then you might as well not be working
this is one topic where splitting hairs just makes you look like the bigger asshole
good writing, very insightful.
Thank you for the video.