Be Happy!: Why this is the best holiday season ever.

[jwgreek8606]

and I can use this little contaption to watch this vid!

[marsbarz]

Balsam Fir!!! (that's balsam fir right?)

I get to play Mass Effect 2.

WoW sucks.

IronMan <3

Happy holidays distant guys on Youtube!

[oilhammer04]

The part about working less is just an indication that we are on our way out as a nation. We are reaping the benefits of the hard work of our ancestors who built this nation. What are our descendants going to reap?

[b0bzm00s3]

@123zoroab No, we need to cut their taxes so that people will continue to have capital and the motivation to create products that increase our standard of living and extend our lives.

[123zoroab]

WOW we have all these goodies thanks to free market capitalism and big corporations.

We must all show our gratitude to the "wealth creators" and cut taxes on top earners immediately.

[JayEllJayToo]

Well, no, not exactly. We haven't had free market capitalism in this country in decades. And Reason is a libertarian publication, so they do believe in cutting taxes on top earners, that's true. But they also believe in cutting taxes on middle and low earners, too. They aren't Bush. Bush was no conservative, and he certainly was no libertarian. He was a business-first socialist. But yes, you're right, we do have these goodies thanks to big corporations. That's a good thing.

[hobo59]

Get your guns ready boys. There's a shootin war a comin !

[Pazrayna]

yeah! bread and circuses!

[jaynic2000]

What a crock of ****. So, because of superficial technicalogical advances we have it better, though the family structure have crumbled severly. I think this author needs to revisit what is most important in life. Family, friends and health. We are working less hours, because economic conditions are worse than the 70s. But, it is important to have more leisure time to spend on what makes us happy and to develop a healthy family environment and nuture friendships - not money.  Get real author!

[jbuzzw]

.

Unbelievable.

Is this a joke, ReasonTV? You've just proven that Aldous Huxley was right. We're entertaining ourselves to death while our country and world rots around us.

Just keep taking your Soma and go back to sleep...

.

[2ndAsstJizzMopper]

it's a grand time for obeyers. hence this vid.

[kyon813]

@toodance Hey. If you don't like the video, don't watch it!

[sageofsuccess]

I gave up reading REASON. This video reminds me of all the reasons why.

[NEFLLibertarians]

2 good things about the 70s. The evil Kenevil stunt bike and the birth of the Libertarian Party.

[Ozmator]

Wow, are you kidding? I loved those splinter ridden wooden toys from the 70s!

And think of the boost to the tweezers industry.

[MrOMGreligionLOL]

ask the kids in iraq/afganistan how better this christmas will be and how excited they are by they wests new technologies.

[lakeviewviking]

I'm as libertarian as the next guy, but I was better off with an Evil Kenevil doll in the 70s, rather than the imagination-sucking crap kids are getting today.

[RadioFreeWisconsin]

Kids are excited about World of Warcraft? Maybye a little too excited.

[davidngo4415]

Thank you for providing reasons to not be depressed. This government gives me enough sadness and lack of hope. Nice to realize that things aren't terrible....yet.

[Elregar]

Dude, our Dad bought pong when I was a kid. It began a love affair with video games that has lasted my life. I love WoW. 80 arcane Mage. For The Alliance!

[AndyMH182]

+1 for perspective

[ToddonCapeCod]

Reason to be happy this Christmas: It will be the last Christmas the Democrats will be in a majority for a LOOOONNNNNNGGG time!!!!

[jeyzi]

The Democrats will be a majority during 2010 Chrismas. The next Congress assembles in 2011.

[ToddonCapeCod]

True, but at least by Christmas, we will have the good news that tehy are outta here!!

[jaynic2000]

Outta here, but with what. More socialists in the form of Republicans? Socialism rules this country in the form of fascism, where corporations run the gov't (bailouts?).  Dems and Reps are the same coin, different sides. Reps like the credit card call national debt to spend, Dems like to tax the ppl to spend.

[sageofsuccess]

Then we will just have socialists who call themselves "Republicans."

[ToddonCapeCod]

Not if we get rid of all that are presently in there, regardless of party.

[blogegog]

Sure, life is much better than in the 70s, but the best part? We still get to complain about it!

[capitalist4life]

Imagine how great it would be without Uncle Sam on our backs!

[Raycheetah]

Don't worry. Barry Soetoro, of the Indonesian Soetoros, will do his best to make us all remember the '70s fondly... Even those of us who weren't alive, yet, then. ='[.]'=

[rma002]

@Akira861 Good question,

We have more leisure time because the time we have to devote to certain non-work, non-leisure related tasks is much less. Everybody has washing machines and dryers now, which saves an enormous amount of time. So do supermarkets, and millions of other things that take labor out of our day and add time.

I also want to mention that because of economic growth and technology, we are far more productive per hour then we where in any other point in history.

[TracyII77]

Working hours outside of the workplace have gone down. Think about how long it takes to cook dinner now as opposed to 30-40 years ago. Think about how long it takes to do Christmas shopping or any of several other tasks as compared to 30-40 years ago.

[trime1851]

Retirement and welfare

[Yoshiisland1]

Ah yes, free market and science working together. I love it.

Happy holidays!

[ilieklolcatz]

Hooray for capitalism!

[matahaari]

Happy Holidays Reason! Thank you for supplying us with thought-provoking videos, excellent editorials and for promoting free thinking.

[freesk8]

I love the way the x-mas tree looks better at the end of the video than at the beginning.

It reminds of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" where Charlie Brown buys a sad little tree, but then they decorate it and it looks good.

"All it needed was a little love."

Great video, Reason!!!

Free Minds and Free Markets!

[madadman]

It's always so refreshing to hear rational facts rather than emotional political rhetoric. Thanks Nick. Once again you make me proud to call myself a Libertarian.

[sottenri]

are people more, less, or equally as happy as they were in those examples from the past?

[MooseOfReason]

Love the hat, Nick.

[Mournbalde]

Thanks for putting things in perspective. It's so easy to throw ourselves pity party's when we cant see how much we really have.

[Eterna1Soldier]

capitalism ROCKS!

[samuils]

Eterna1Soldier

AMEN

[soundmoneyfan]

good stuff, merry Christmas ReasonTV!!

[onvogmasaj]

saturnalian recurrences to you too, reasontv

[nonantianarchist]

Great. But what happens when the Chinese finally figure out that sending us stuff in exchange for pieces of printed paper is a sucky deal?

[UCIBME]

if they still want to eat, they have no choice. Seriously.

[igorolech]

and happy christmas to you ;)

[freezombie]

Christmas: materialism gone bonkers.

[stefminus]

great video

[koko177]

this is chock full of advertisements its basically just one big add how fake this is bullshit for techno savages.

[MarcusCMarcellus]

Absolutely correct. Reason Magazine types, while useful on certain economic issues, have absolutely nothing to say about society, community, family, life or love. Just techno savages who think iphones will set us free and who, like good liberals, believe in progressive history.

[Mauhadeeb28]

ReasonTV is liberal? You are delusional, my friend.

[igorolech]

maybe he's from europe, i'm from poland and in our country liberals are free market and socialists are... social ;P if i can explain it that way. this trend is in whole europe.

[Mauhadeeb28]

Well that certainly is possible. Thanks for the perspective flip, friend.

Just checked his account and he is from Africa. That does indeed make ReasonTV liberal to him. Thanks again.

[igorolech]

always helpful ;)

[sniper6081]

Technically they are, but not in the way most of us are familiar with. They are what you'd call classical liberals and conservatives (true conservatives). Today, those two terms have been made into a package deal called, "libertarians", which is the term we all know and subscribe too.

[liber8me]

conservatism as an ideology changes a lot tho. i think what you mean by true conservatives is the neo conservatives or the new right?

[sniper6081]

No. Conservatism does not change. Conservatism means fiscal responsibility. Neocons are another story.

[liber8me]

what you're describing is the new right.

i did political science at university and im quoting right out of the text book:

"as a political ideology, conservatism is defined by a desire to conserve, reflected in a resistance to, or at least a suspicion of change.

essentially, conservatism changes depending upon the society, it has changed a lot since Burke was around for instance.

[sniper6081]

Do you believe everything you read? Even textbooks can get it wrong. You have to go back to the classical schools of political thought to understand those terms. Lots of terms are misunderstood, especially by the mainstream. Hell, most people don't even know what the word capitalism actually means.

[liber8me]

no I don't believe everything I read, but when a lot of sources point to the same conclusion you start to think the evidence is building up.

where did you get the idea that conservatism just means fiscal responsibility?

I told you before the defnition of conservatism. where did you get yours from?

[sniper6081]

The Austrian School of Economics. To be honest though, there are different types of conservatism, so I'm going to continue by stating that I'm refering to conservatism from a socioeconomic standpoint.

[liber8me]

the reason why conservatism has become associated with liberal ideals - free markets, fiscal responsibility etc - is because since the triumph of liberalism over the western world it has in effect ceased to become revolutionary and become conservative.

[TheMarketAssassin]

Great Video

[jxwhit8]

i can think of alot of things to be grateful this season.... TV, video games, gadgets, computers, etc is not one of them. This is all a distraction to the things that are at risk in our lives. I am grateful for my family, the air in my lungs, the strength in my arms, the clarity in my mind, and a Savior. And with this being the "reason" of the season... we must recommit ourselves to the cause of liberty, so that we can show God our gratitude to the real blessings in our lives.

[MrDaMan]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I wish continued and expanding success to Reason in all its forms. Great job guys keep'em coming!

[odDymarkow]

Holiday season? What is it?

[isin17123]

Merry Christmas, Reason!

[stick1to2the3issue]

ReasonTV - I appreciate the message of the video and I am a huge fan of Reason.

HOWEVER. Isn't it against your nature to be so politically correct with the "Holiday Season" rather than CHRISTMAS?

It's frigging Christmas!!! That's not an insult to anyone who doesn' t particpate, but if there were no Christmas there would be no "holiday season!".

You're not going to violate any libertarian principals by calling in Christmas!

So keep making those good videos minus the pc crap.

[BrokenMikrofone]

@stick1to2the3issue

Um, I am not sure he said that to be "PC". After all, he does have a Christmas tree in the background and he has a Santa hat after all.

[stick1to2the3issue]

@BrokenMikcrofone

Believe me I saw those...just like you see all of the commericials on tv with their CHRISTMAS PROPS but are too afraid of actually saying Merry Christmas for fear of being politically incorrect.

[mrdowns]

You don't have to initiate force to be a dick.

What's the problem with, "holiday season?"

[stick1to2the3issue]

The problem I have with holiday season is what I've already communicated. They are attempting to be politically correct by not saying Merry Christmas.

[Mastikator]

How's this for PC, screw your Christmas.

Just kidding, just kidding, no offense. Happy Kwanza.

[mrdowns]

what's wrong with being politically correct? As long as it's not done by force, it seems to me to be an easy courtesy. Of course, it can be taken too far as can anything.

Since there are, in fact, several overlapping holidays around this time, and a growing number of people aren't Christian, I don't see the problem, as long as it's voluntary.

[arbide2]

One sided, but more people should see this side of the argument.

[CountArtha]

The other side is the bullshit about the gap between rich and poor growing - even though EVERYONE is getting wealthier, we still get worked up when people have more than we do.

[Dukect]

Nice video

[MarcusCMarcellus]

This is SO impoverished! Such Panglossian materialist positivism. Oh, gadgets are better, ergo, the world is better. What crap - libertarianism at its absolute worse! The family has disintegrated, people work LONGER hours, isolation is now the norm, community is non-existent, political freedom has dwindled...but to a hollow libertarian this is the best of all possible worlds because the gadgets that make people stupid and enslave the masses are brighter. Pathetic.

[TracyII77]

People don't work longer hours. That is a myth. If that were true, the progressives at the turn of the last century would have had no reason to push through legislation regarding the 8 hour work day. The idea of community has always evolved and it is another myth that everyone just got along with their neighbors in the slums of NY. And yes, the family has disintegrated.  But that has more to do with social welfare and the sexual revolution.

[MarcusCMarcellus]

People don't work longer hours? Yeah, it takes two married slaves to give their children what one father was able to provide in 1960. But whatever: I will not bother with people who worship at the Reason altar. It's a mixed bag, of course, but this techno savage perspective is its weakest link.

[TracyII77]

Which actually was the norm leading up to 1960. It is a fallacy that women didn't enter the workforce until the 60's and 70's. The first labor unions to take hold were mostly in the garment industry amongst women. The turning point in labor history was the Triangle Factory fire which killed an almost entirely female work force. Not only did women work up to that time, but so do children. Child labor laws came at the same time as the 8 hour work day. So yes, we work less.

[Libertarianist]

We only work less because the advancement technology has enabled people to be more productive.

[Elasaltaculos]

exactly.

[stick1to2the3issue]

@MarcuCMarcellus

You could not be more wrong. It is astounding how wrong you are on that point.

The reason for your ignorance I believe is that since you now have common things like a NON ROTARY Phone...a cell phone, microwave, email capability, access to limitless information..you know say...eh who need'em

[MarcusCMarcellus]

to judge quality of life by material gadgets is like saying a high-tech prison is preferable to pastoral or agrarian freedom. you people are techno savages who just don't get it. i should not have bothered with you. my mistake.

[b0bzm00s3]

@MarcusCMarcellus You really shouldn't. Maybe you could head over to Central Africa or rural South America. I hear they still plow the fields by hand there and die at age 50.

Meanwhile, I'll be playing on my Xbox 360 and worrying about how I'll afford to live until I'm 90.

[MarcusCMarcellus]

Indeed. Playing your XBox as your political freedoms die, your erotic life becomes a pre-manufactured masturbatory nightmare, your circle of friends dwindles to Facebook "friends," your art becomes more and more indistinguishable from advertisement, and your knowledge of literature and the classics - the things which would equip you to recognize your diminished existence, resembles that of a caveman's. Enjoy your xbox man-child.

BTW, I live in NY and work in finance; I'm just not delusional.

[TracyII77]

And that explains your confusion over what farm life is really like. And there is actually more artists per capita now than 100 years ago. If you limit yourself to only commercial art, that is your problem. Here in Detroit, even abandon buildings are turned into art. Here on YouTube, average citizens can produce Web series that are not limited by a few corporate networks. And literature keeps ever expanding in an even more literate society.

[b0bzm00s3]

lolwut? I agree that with the parts about the political freedoms (really, it's kinda hard not to), but the rest of your statement reads like the paranoid ramblings of a mad man.

And you outright assume just because I enjoy video games that I'm an uneducated and uninformed dumbass. A bit presumptuous, aren't we?

I'm basically saying that the technological advancements that we have now make life so much more enjoyable than any other time in human history.

[TracyII77]

How is working 16 hour days on a farm doing back breaking work freedom? People chose and continue to choose to use gadgets that allow them to engage in more leisure activities. That is freedom. And considering how much time you yourself spend on YouTube just proves how hypocritical your whole statement is. And Facebook is just a modern version of the old Christmas letter. Now I don't have to wait months for the letter in the mail. I think you are confused about history.

[marjan15]

happy holidays to you too

[RemoSC49]

How true. Thanks