Category Archives: politics

A Brief Note On (The Stupidity Of) Book Bans

We live in strange, tense, and frustrating times. I know you could say that about any point in any era. But it feels like we’ve been saying that a lot late. I know I have. Just look at some of the posts I’ve made on or near Election Day in the United States. But as someone who lives less than two hours from Washington DC, I tend to feel the politics of these times more than most. And I’ve been around long enough to see some strange and troubling trends.

Then, there are certain acts or phenomena that are just plain stupid on a level that defies parody.

I generally try to empathize and understand where other people are coming from, especially if they have a different background or ideology from my own. There are just some instances where that’s not possible. The breadth of the stupidity is just too great.

That’s exactly how I feel about book bans. For reasons that are too fucking idiotic for me to paraphrase, there are real people living in real places in the United States of America who are advocating for book bans. Some are going so far as to burn them.

Again, this is not 1933. This is happening in 2023. That point is worth belaboring.

Now, I don’t want to name names or organizations. But you don’t have to look far to see who are advocating for book bans. You also don’t have to dig too deep to uncover what sort of ideology they ascribe to.

Here’s a hint. It’s the same ideology the requires stormtroopers, secret police, and prison camps.

But all you really need to know is that these efforts are usually the ones the villains in every TV show, book, or movie get behind. They see people reading books with ideas they don’t like. They worry that those same people, which include children and young adults needed for factories and war zones, embracing or identifying with those ideas.

But rather than confront those ideas, the book banning advocates would just prefer that people never know about those ideas in the first place. The evil, sadistic logic is that if people never read about it, then they can never think about it. And if they can never think about it, then they’re easier to control and guide.

That may not be the reason book banning advocates say out loud, but that is the effect. They’ll usually frame it as “protecting children” or “combating obscenity.” But don’t fall for that. At the end of the day, those who seek to ban books just want to eliminate ideas and stories they don’t like from the public consciousness.

That’s not conducive to protecting children and fostering a healthy society.

That’s a tactic for fascists, authoritarians, dictators, and general assholes.

Now, those tactics were certainly damaging in the past. Until very recently, books were the primary source of important information. If people didn’t have access to books, then they didn’t have access to knowledge, stories, and new ideas. Finding or preserving banned books used to take a concerted effort and many brave individuals put their lives at risk to further those efforts.

However, what makes modern book bans especially stupid is the simple fact that the internet exists. Libraries and book stores are no longer the lone repositories of knowledge and stories. Anyone with a smartphone can access more knowledge in five seconds than an entire university of academics could 50 years ago.

At this point, trying to ban books is akin to trying to censor telegrams. All they achieve now is raising the profile of these books they’re trying to ban. Hell, the book banning advocates might as well identify as free advertising because sales of banned books tend to spike whenever they bitch and moan about certain titles.

So, in addition to being a dick move, as well as tactics used primarily by fascists, it’s completely counterproductive. It wastes time, money, energy, and has the opposite effect of what’s intended. With that in mind, I have just one last message to those who still think banning books is a worthwhile endeavor.

Read a fucking book! Preferably a history book!

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Happy Election Day 2023 (Now Vote)!

My fellow Americans, today is Election Day 2023.

Yes, it’s not a Presidential Election year. That’s not until 2024.

But it’s still Election Day. And in many jurisdictions throughout the United States, including my own, you can still vote. It may not be for President, but you can still vote for representatives of every level from the school board to the county to the state house.

And you should. For democracy to work and for liberty, as we know it, to remain, we must do our part. We must get out there and cast our votes to make our voices heard. If you don’t know where your polling place is, you can find it at this site.

https://www.vote.org/

The information is free. Voting is free. Getting out to vote still takes effort, but it’s worth doing. As an American, it’s one of the most important things you can do.

So please do your part. Get out there and vote. Your country and democracy will be better because of it.

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A Brief Message On Voting (And Those Who Try To Restrict It)

When I was a teenager, it was not unusual to see these cheesy, poorly produced ads on TV that emphasized the importance of voting. Some even took it to cartoonish extremes, even for the era. I distinctly remember how sick I got of all those “Vote or Die” campaigns that seemed to air every 15 minuets.

Then, when I reached voting age, I finally got a chance to experience it. And, for the most part, I found it mundane and inconvenient. Just registering was a hassle. It couldn’t be done over the internet at the time. I had to go through my local post office, which was not a very memorable experience. And I had to find my polling place, which happened to be a local elementary school with dirty bathrooms and poor heating.

Even so, I voted because everyone told me it was important. I didn’t appreciate it at the time. And I still didn’t appreciate it, even as I kept voting throughout college. Granted, I did miss voting a few years, mostly because the mail-in ballots I had to use were a pain. And I had a lot of other crap going on both during and after college that kept me occupied.

But once my post-college life stabilized, I made it a point to keep voting in every election, even when it wasn’t for President. I still never put too much thought into it. Following local races can be difficult, especially when every campaign ad can be reduced to cheesy soundbites about how “evil” the opponent is.

All that being said, my perspective on voting has changed a lot in the past few years. It’s not that I’ve become politically awakened or radicalized in any meaningful sense. My politics today aren’t terribly different from what they were 10 years ago. It’s just that, over the past five years, I’ve watched American politics become increasingly ugly.

It used to be that people just disagreed on certain social and regulatory policies. Reasonable people can certainly disagree how much we ought to be taxed, how much we ought to be regulated, and how we allocate public resources. But politics since 2016 is not about reasonable disagreements.

Instead, it’s about opposing, resisting, or outright hurting your political opponents. It’s not that they disagree with you on certain issues anymore. It’s that they’re flat out evil. I have heard real, sober, straight-faced people call others devil-worshipping, baby-eating, child rapists over politics. There’s no discussing anymore. There’s not even an attempt at debate. It’s just yelling and hating against those you don’t agree with.

As a result, voting hasn’t just become more important. It’s also become hazardous. If you don’t believe me, just look up some of the harassment that poll workers have gotten in recent years. Just be warned, some of what they face is not for the faint of heart.

Now, I’m not bringing this up just to go on a political rant. I’m not even going to try and appeal to the humanity, patriotism, and civic responsibility of my fellow Americans. Having dealt with some of these people directly, I know that ship has sailed and sunk to the bottom of the ocean of tribalism.

We’ve officially crossed a line in American politics where voting is no longer a mundane civic duty.

It is one of the few remaining institutions that safeguard the public from demagogues, despots, and plutocrats.

So, with Election Day 2023 coming up soon for much of my fellow Americans, I certainly want to encourage everyone to vote. I also want to encourage everyone to register if they haven’t already. I can attest it’s much easier today than it was when I was a teenager. Just go to a website like Vote.org. No matter which state you live in, it offers all the resources you need to vote in local, state, and federal elections.

Again, it’s Vote.org.

Click the link. Follow the prompts. If you can read this website, you can register to vote.

But there’s one other important perspective I’d like to share on top of encouraging everyone to vote. And it has less to do with voting, itself, and more to do with those working very hard to make it difficult for more people.

Because make no mistake. There are powerful, well-connected individuals who are doing everything they can to make it harder to vote. This is not a conspiracy theory. There’s no effort to hide it, either. These anti-American, anti-freedom, objectively deplorable assholes (and no, I am not being hyperbolic) are outright targeting people they know won’t vote for them to gain, retain, or expand power.

Seriously, fuck these people.

Fuck them, their doners, and everyone on their staff who helps them undermine democracy.

They are an insult to American values. Take it from someone who consumes more superhero media than 85 percent of the population. Those who make concerted efforts to suppress, limit, or undermine peoples’ right to vote are either outright villains or they freely support such villains.

How else would you describe people who got upset when Taylor Swift encouraged her passionate legion of fans to register to vote? She didn’t even tell them to vote for a particular party or candidate. She just told them to register to vote. And still, one particular wing of the American political spectrum whined about it. It’s almost as though they know that if more people vote, they’re likely to lose because they know the general public thinks they’re assholes.

Again, fuck these people with the fury of a billion venomous spiders. I cannot belabor that enough.

We may not have superheroes in this world, but we the people can still oppose these villains. And the best way to do that for now is to vote. We can still disagree on any number of issues. But in general, if the choice is between a candidate or party that protects your right to vote and a candidate or party that would prefer to restrict it, then the choice should be clear.

If it’s not, then I don’t know what else to tell you other than to just make sure you’re registered to vote. Do not take this freedom for granted. Just take a brief look at the history of any country that has failed or declined. Once the people lose their rights, it’s very difficult to get them back.

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A (Frustrating) Note On Trends In Child Labor Laws

Throughout high school and college, I took multiple history classes. Those classes included world history, American history, and even a few courses in ancient history. I won’t say history was ever my best class, but I’ve always had a certain affinity for it. I often find it enlightening and profound to see how our world came to be and how we got to where we are now.

Over the course of those studies, I often found hope and solace in knowing that certain issues within some societies had been resolved for the most part. History is often messy with mishaps and setbacks, but there’s a general trend towards progress and I found that encouraging.

Now, having followed the news for these past few years, I’m not nearly as encouraged anymore. Because lately, it seems like there’s a growing trend towards undoing some of the progress we made, even if it means making vulnerable, desperate people suffer. It’s bad enough that countries like America have taken a step backwards with respect to abortion rights, but now the same country that I love is taking it even further.

This time, it has to do with child labor laws. And believe me, I wish I was joking. I wish this were an elaborate story from The Onion. But sadly, it’s all too real.

In multiple states, mostly in the mid-west and south, lawmakers have effectively rolled back decades-old child labor laws to make it easier for companies to hire workers as young as 14-years-old. And in some industries, namely those involving farm work, kids as young as 12-years-old can legally work.

Now, if you have even a shred of compassion, empathy, and perspective, take a step back and think about this. Decades ago, we collectively decided that making children work in mines and factories was generally a bad thing. You don’t have to look far to find old, grainy photos of sad, broken children working in coal mines.

You don’t have to make bold assumptions about how these kids ended up having to work in such terrible conditions or why a company or business would employ them. They were desperate. They needed to do something to feed themselves or the rest of their families.

It wasn’t enough for kids to just help out around the house. They actually had to go out into dirty, dangerous mines or factories to earn what was likely piss-poor wages. And since they were kids, they weren’t as inclined to strike or organize. The only ones who benefitted from this were the employers, who were never going to pass up an opportunity to exploit cheap labor.

That’s why laws were necessary in the first place. History, as well as a basic understanding of power dynamics, has proven time and again that no organization gives up a profitable endeavor willingly. It took a serious movement of people who were appalled and disgusted by such practices to make these companies stop. And even when the laws were passed, some still tried to employ children illegally. Many still do, some of which include well-known American brands.

But now we’ve somehow found ourselves at a point where rolling back those laws is somehow viable? And those elected into public office are willingly going through with it?

Again, just take a moment to imagine this from the perspective of a kid. I remember being 12. I wasn’t even allowed to rent R-rated movies. And the most laborious task I could imagine involved doing yardwork with my parents over the course of a single afternoon. The idea of actually having to go to work while still going to school sounds like a goddamn nightmare.

Even when I was 15, it sounds downright soul-crushing. I was already navigating the rigors of high school. I was also going through the psychological and bodily horror that was puberty. The idea of having to work a job at the same time sounds downright cruel.

I understand that my childhood and circumstances are different than most. I imagine that kids from desperately poor families with limited opportunities might find such work unavoidable. But that’s exactly what makes these efforts by lawmakers so disturbing.

They’re essentially sending the message to employers, and society as a whole, that it’s perfectly fine to exploit desperate people and their children. It doesn’t matter if it means robbing a child of an opportunity to be a child and not get seriously hurt in a typical work environment. Their labor means more profits for the company and that’s all the justification we needed?

I’m no radical anti-capitalist, but even I call bullshit. If a company or business can only be profitable by exploiting the labor of children and desperate workers, then their business model sucks. And at the very least, our laws should not go out of their way to accommodate such models.

If all this weren’t bad enough (and it’s still very bad on so many levels), what makes it even worse is that those in favor of passing these laws are often conservative republicans. Remember, these are the same people who go all Helen Lovejoy and demand that we think of the children every time a drag queen dares to read them story. They’re also the same political wing who thinks a 10-year-old should be forced to give birth to a child that resulted from rape.

Again, I wish I was making this up. These policies, and the hypocrisy surrounding them, read like plots by supervillains. The only difference is that there are no costumed superheroes in this world who will stand to oppose them.

These despicable ghouls wearing human flesh have to know on some levels that what they’re doing will result in kids suffering, toiling, and being exploited by organizations whose only interest involves raising profits. They simply don’t care, mostly because they know their kids will likely never have to work jobs like that.

There’s a lot more I can say about the people pushing for and advocating these laws. But there’s only so much profanity and vulgarity I’m comfortable including in this rant. Maybe in a different time and under different circumstances, this wouldn’t bother me as much. I may not have kids of my own yet, but I have multiple nieces and nephews now. The idea of them growing up in a world where they could be employed and exploited at a young age makes me sick to my stomach.

Going back to my points about history, I’ll just remind everyone that we’ve been down this road before. We decided over 100 years ago that child labor is generally a bad thing for kids, families, and civilized society. We fought that battle for years and eventually won. Let’s not fight it again. Kids already have it hard enough. Let’s not make it worse for them.

Given the current state of the world, it’s literally the least we can do for them.

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Celebrating & Honoring Stanislav Petrov: The Man Who Saved My Life (And MANY Others)

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video is my way of celebrating and honoring Stanislav Petrov, a man who I know for a fact saved my life, as well as the lives of many others. Few know his story or what happened during the events of September 26, 1983. On this day, the world as we knew it almost ended. The Soviet Union and the United States almost went to nuclear war.

But it was because of one man’s decision that this did not happen. Stanislav Petrov is the man who made that decision and for that, I am grateful. After watching this video, I hope others share in this sentiment. Enjoy!

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CAN Humanity Effectively Govern Itself Video?

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video explores the question of whether humanity can actually govern itself beyond a certain point. For most of human history, the stakes were local. But now, the stakes are global in a very literal sense. Between climate change and nuclear weapons, humanity has the ability to end itself and all life on Earth.

That makes the question of whether or not we can effectively govern ourselves incredibly relevant. And I try to explore that concept as best I can while leaving some room for speculation on both sides.

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Here’s What Happened When I Asked ChatGPT To Rewrite The Bill Of Rights

I’ve talked a lot about artificial intelligence and the implications of this technology. In my defense, it’s an incredibly relevant topic that I just happen to be very interested in. From AI-Generated artwork to ChatGPT, these are truly exciting times for this field. I’m sure I’ll have plenty to talk about in the coming years.

However, I don’t just want to react to news or stories about AI. I’d also like to participate in this emerging field on some level, even if it’s just as a simple consumer. We don’t yet know the full capabilities of our current AI tools or how they’ll impact us in the short or long term. But that’s exactly why we should test it for ourselves and see what we can do with it.

To that end, I decided to do a little exercise with ChatGPT. Please note that I do not currently have access to ChatGPT-4. I’m still using the previous version, ChatGPT-3. That version is quite limited in a number of ways, but it’s still capable of providing insightful information.

So, I decided to see how much ChatGPT could offer in terms of understanding and articulating the basic concept of human rights. That’s something that has certainly been a hot topic in recent years. And for those of us in the United States, you could definitely argue that our current laws surrounding human rights are inadequate and need updating.

This is where ChatGPT comes in. I logged in and gave it a simple prompt. I told it to rewrite the Bill of Rights, the key part of the US Constitution that enshrines the basic rights that every citizen is guaranteed under the law. This is what it came up with.

The following document outlines the fundamental rights and freedoms of all individuals in a modern, democratic society. These rights are to be protected and upheld by the government, and any infringement upon them is a violation of the principles of justice and equality.

Article 1: Freedom of Expression and Thought All individuals have the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any medium, regardless of frontiers. No individual shall be subject to censorship or prior restraint, and any attempt to limit or suppress the free exchange of ideas shall be deemed a violation of this right.

Article 2: Right to Privacy All individuals have the right to privacy in their personal lives, including the right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures. No individual shall be subject to surveillance or monitoring without just cause, and any information obtained through such means shall be inadmissible in court.

Article 3: Right to Equality and Non-Discrimination All individuals are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection and benefit of the law, without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, or any other status. Any discrimination or prejudice against any individual or group shall be deemed a violation of this right.

Article 4: Right to a Fair Trial All individuals have the right to a fair and impartial trial, including the right to due process of law, the right to be informed of the charges against them, the right to confront and cross-examine witnesses, and the right to legal representation. No individual shall be subjected to cruel or unusual punishment, and all accused individuals shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Article 5: Right to Peaceful Assembly and Protest All individuals have the right to peacefully assemble and to protest, including the right to participate in marches, demonstrations, and other forms of peaceful assembly. No individual shall be subject to violence or repression for exercising this right.

Article 6: Right to Education and Information All individuals have the right to education and information, including access to a free and comprehensive education system and the right to access information through any medium. The government shall ensure that all individuals have access to the tools necessary to exercise this right.

Article 7: Right to Healthcare All individuals have the right to access comprehensive healthcare, including preventative care, treatment, and medication, regardless of their ability to pay. The government shall ensure that all individuals have access to quality healthcare and shall take measures to address any disparities in healthcare access.

Article 8: Right to Housing All individuals have the right to adequate housing, including shelter, sanitation, and security, regardless of their economic or social status. The government shall take measures to ensure that all individuals have access to affordable and safe housing.

Article 9: Right to Work and Fair Labor Practices All individuals have the right to work and to fair labor practices, including the right to a living wage, safe and healthy working conditions, and the right to form and join trade unions. The government shall take measures to ensure that all individuals have access to decent work and shall prohibit any form of forced or compulsory labor.

Conclusion: These rights and freedoms are essential to the establishment and maintenance of a just and equitable society. It is the responsibility of the government to protect and uphold these rights, and it is the duty of all individuals to respect and defend them.

It only took ChatGPT about 10 seconds to craft this. After reading through it, I am legitimately impressed. I think this is a considerable upgrade over what the Bill of Rights covers. This version actually articulates the importance of privacy, ranking it just a rung below free expression. It also recognizes that people can’t truly be free if they don’t have some level of material guarantees, like housing, health care, education, and fair labor practices.

These are all major issues that are debated across the country and throughout the world. This new version of rights essentially simplifies the whole concept, laying out that this is what people need to be free of coercion, free of exploration, and free of want. Some may think these rights are incomplete or too utopian. That may be the case to some extent.

But even if it’s not perfect, it’s still an improvement. And again, it only took ChatGPT about 10 seconds to craft this. We humans are still arguing over slavery. We have no more excuses. We have a tool that can help us figure out little issues and big issues. And regardless of whether or not it’s intelligent or sentient, we would be wise to listen.

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Filed under Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Current Events, futurism, politics, Uncategorized

Celebrating Thomas Paine: My Favorite Founding Father

In the spirit of celebrating America, the country of my birth and the county I love, I made this video to celebrate one of America’s founding fathers, Thomas Paine. He might not get as much recognition as other founding fathers, but his ideas were very much ahead of their time and helped shape the course of American history. Enjoy!

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A Brief Message To Parents And Local School Boards Complaining About Books/Gender/Wokeness

First, get a fucking life.

Second, what the fuck? Seriously?

And third, go fuck yourselves to the end of the multiverse and back. Then, go fuck yourself again for good measure.

I apologize. I just had to get that out of the way before I tried to craft a more measured response. Like so many others who have seen the viral videos, I’ve become increasingly aware of just how politically toxic school board matters have become. Even though I don’t have kids, I do have young nieces and nephews who will be attending public school eventually. And if I ever have kids of my own, they’ll likely have to deal with this to.

Five years ago, that didn’t scare me.

Now, I’m terrified/angry that this is the kind of crap they’ll face from parents, politicians, and assholes who consume way too much bullshit right-wing news.

Granted, there are a lot of things that have been ruined by people who consume too much bullshit right-wing news. I’m starting to think all right-wing news is built on a foundation of bullshit. But as much as I try to respect the political and religious beliefs of others, I have certain limits. And some people aren’t even trying to walk a fine line.

When it comes to those pushing for book bans, that cross a line for me.

When it comes to those pushing for an objectively wrong take on history, that crosses a line for me.

When it comes to those pushing for the marginalization of racial and sexual minorities, that crosses a line for me.

When it comes to those pushing for religious indoctrination in public schools, that crosses a line for me.

Those are not political positions or sincere personal beliefs. That’s a toxic hodgepodge of bullshit, bullying, bigotry, and just generally being a dick to people who aren’t like you. What makes it worse is that many of these parents and political types try to hide behind a veil of patriotism and child welfare. Maybe that’s what they sincerely believe in their heart of hearts. But it’s still bullshit. In fact, it’s a worse kind of bullshit because it’s also laced with hypocrisy.

Seriously, you cannot claim to be an American patriot who supports freedom in one breath, but also supports banning books from schools and public libraries. You also can’t be against child indoctrination, but have no problem with using public services to indoctrinate children into organized religion. You also can’t claim to be concerned about exposing children to gay, transgender, or queer concepts while being utterly silent on the lengthy documented history of child abuse perpetrated by the Catholic Church.

These are not the politics of patriots, American or otherwise. These are the politics of fascists and authoritarians. Last I checked, we fought major wars against assholes like this and we consider that a good thing.

Then, there’s the whole idea of being “anti-woke.” This is something I’ve already touched on before, but I’ll say it again and I’ll try to say it in no uncertain terms.

The “woke ideology” these wannabe fascists are complaining about isn’t real. It’s all bullshit and always has been.

I’ll even supplement that with one other important detail. You cannot be “anti-woke” without also being a racist, sexist, bigoted asshole on some level.

Like it or not, “woke” has a definition. It means to simply be aware of injustices in the world and being in favor of rectifying those injustices. If you’re against that, you’re basically saying you don’t want to improve anything about the world around you. It doesn’t matter of other people, especially minorities, continue to suffer. That doesn’t bother you. You’d much rather keep things as they are and not think about it.

That may not be the exact ideology of those proclaiming to be anti-woke. People may very well be sincere in their concerns about what “woke” means and why children are learning about it. But to those same people, I have another message.

Look up the actual fucking definition of the term and do not rely on right-wing propaganda. I’ll even help you. This is the link to the dictionary definition. If you read this and agree with the tenants, then congratulations. You are on the side of justice, decency, and a better future for all Americans. But if you don’t accept this definition or just don’t care, then you officially beyond help. You are either willingly ignorant or proudly anti-American. And I have no sympathy for you.

If there’s one bright side to all this crap surrounding school boards, it’s that it probably won’t do squat to keep kids from learning about these topics. Like it or not, the internet still exists. Kids still exist and parents can only do so much to control what their kids see, think, and learn. Tell them they should never learn about something and they’re going to be curious. They’re going to seek it out. They know how to use a smartphone. And that’s really all anyone needs to figure out how much these dumb school board politics is built on bullshit.

That is something that gives me a small bit of hope. The more right-wing reactionaries whine about certain books, movies, and topics, the more curiosity that’s going to spark. And the more it backfires against these same parents and school board members, the better off America will be in the long run.

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Filed under Current Events, political correctness, politics, rants

Thought Experiment: Contemplating (Viable) Alternatives To Capitalism

This is another video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video is a thought experiment about capitalism. Specifically, it challenges us to contemplate alternatives that we could actually implement in the real world. Given the current trends in politics, which either glorify or villainize capitalism, I think this sort of idea is increasingly relevant. And it’s something we should contemplate seriously as technology, society, and the world continues to change. Enjoy!

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Filed under Current Events, human nature, Jack's World, philosophy, politics, Thought Experiment, YouTube