 I used to think that conservatives and right-wing types are pretty much just evil. Evil. That they don't give a damn about people who are suffering and are just generally cold-hearted pricks. Why else would they be so rabidly opposed to any sort of social welfare program that helps the poor or people in need? That some people just simply have their hand out and they want something for nothing. But then I was like, hold up. There are a lot of conservatives out there. If this theory is true, that would mean that a huge chunk of the population are like heartless monsters. And that's just ridiculous. If that's true, then I might as well just kill myself now because there's no hope for humanity. Okay, maybe there's some other reason why people are against social welfare and social justice. You know, some other reason besides being a cold-hearted prick? There's only one way to find out. I need to learn more about what these people believe. So I started to look into the right-wing worldview. Not like far-right fascist, but conservatives and right-wing liberals was reading their articles, watching their videos, and after doing this for a while, quite a long while, I was like, huh, there's a moral philosophy here. One that expresses concern for the well-being of others. What? One that wants to alleviate people's suffering and enhance their well-being. Yes, it surprised me too. Although, if you're a conservative or right-wing type, first of all, hello, thank you for watching. Then you're probably not surprised at all. In fact, you're probably surprised and a bit offended that I was surprised. Like, why would I assume you're an asshole? What kind of asshole am I to assume you're an asshole? Fuck this lucky black cat bitch. And if you're on the left, you might be thinking, what do you mean they're not assholes? Are you fucking kidding me? You're basically a fascist sympathizer. Fuck this lucky black cat bitch. Wow, this video's off to a good start. Hopefully there's still someone watching. Hi, mom. Yeah, who am I kidding? She probably stopped watching too. People gravitate towards political ideas for different reasons. And yeah, I do believe there are people who gravitate towards the conservative right because they're cold-hearted assholes. But I don't think this is the case for most people. I think most right-wing people gravitate towards these views because it gives them a philosophy that makes them feel empowered. Some even believe that this philosophy will make the world a better place. This is something that this video will explore. Why people are attracted to right-wing views and how empowerment and even altruism can be prime motivations. I think these motives are true for most conservatives. You know, the people who you might work with or sit at the table with on holidays. But I can't say if they're true for any particular right-wing or anti-SJW spokesperson. I don't know. I can't see into their heart. And if I could, I think I'd be too scared to look. Too scared to look. Too scared to look. Look, look, look. People just simply have their hand up. That's better. Some nice fluffy clouds to soothe the mind. So, here's the plan for this video. I'm gonna explain what this right-wing moral philosophy is. It makes it appealing to people. Explain the motive, the impact. Is it helpful? Is it harmful? And also, why people who are into this philosophy are so close-minded to left-wing ideas. So, what is this right-wing moral philosophy? Well, who better to explain it than one of today's best-known conservative thinkers? The supreme cuxtroyer himself. The one. The oath. The infamous. Ben Shapiro. To me, this is the most empowering thing that anyone can say to you. Life is your own and it's your decision what to do with it. That you get to make the decisions that make your life better. This is the basic conservative worldview. You're an individual, no one has to give you anything, but no one's gonna get in your way. Total personal responsibility. Or what I like to call radical responsibility. Not radical as in getting to the root, but radical as in extreme. You are completely responsible for your success or for your failure. If you find yourself at the bottom of society, at the bottom of the hierarchies of wealth and power, that's on you. That'd be a you problem. Don't blame anyone else and don't look to anyone else for help. It's all on you. This worldview despises the left because the left focuses on blaming outside forces. We leftists blame capitalism, imperialism, racism, all the various forms of oppression. And this is a problem according to the right-wing view because they say that if people blame their problems on these outside forces, that will prevent them from taking responsibility. The left believes in a hierarchy of victimhood. This is nonsense, but what it does do is it's pretty popular on college campuses because it removes the requirement for you to make good decisions with your life. If you fail, if you suck at life, you don't have to blame you. You can blame everybody else, which is super, super convenient. Seems like they don't believe that leftists focus on injustice because we care about people or want to improve their lives. They just think we like excuses. And I think being a good human being means essentially taking responsibility for your actions. It's much easier to perceive yourself as a victim. It gives you an easy out. Things are bad in your life. Well, just blame somebody else. You know, you're not succeeding. Someone you know isn't succeeding. It must be due to some societal obstacle. So never blame societal obstacles. Always blame the individual. Sounds harsh, but let's hear a gentler version of the same idea from another right-wing spokesperson by the name of Stephen Malania. Trash millionaire rage against Trump. Fake anger wider than my skinny rump. Whoa, uh, wrong clip. The question is, is the black community suffering from white racism or problems with character, problems with morality? And you know, I've been hammering on this topic worldwide, you know, for the human race as a whole, that we really need to start looking at our behaviors, not at what we call our prejudices. We need to start looking at our actions, not at all of the imagined slights that can be out there in the world like mosquitoes buzzing around us and crippling us. Because we don't have control over what other people think. We only have fundamental control over what we do. And the degree to which we can improve our actions is the degree to which we can be a powerful force in the world. So basically oppression, prejudice, your boss, your landlord, the housing market, the job market, bad schools, police brutality, impoverished neighborhoods, you know, all those imagined slights that can be out there in the world like mosquitoes. Don't think about that shit, because you cannot control it. Focus on your own actions, because that's what you can control. That's where you have power. What before sounded very harsh and judgmental now sounds like empowerment, which is attractive. We can be a powerful force in the world. To me, this is the most empowering thing that anyone can say to you. It's all on you. If you have the responsibility, that means you have the power. Well, that sounds nice. It sounds motivating. And it's part of the reason why so many people are fans of that right-wing liberal, Jordan Peterson, because he gives motivational speeches like this. Get your bloody act together, but I'm on your side. It's because not because I want to destroy you or demean you or push you down in the dominance hierarchy, but because I want the best in you to emerge. And so you need standards. It's like, what are you doing? Waste in your life. There's way more than that to you. Get your act together and bring it out. Get your act together. Take responsibility for your life. Take control. You have the power. You can be great. Thanks, lobster dad. In this worldview, the right-wing is about empowerment, the power of the individual. Doesn't the right-wing view make you feel pumped up and ready to take on the world? It's like snorting cocaine. I am a gold! Cocaine, right-wing philosophy, has some seriously fucked-up side effects. Cut taxes. Cut all the taxes. The market must be free. And socialism is dictatorship. Socialism is slavery. Do you want to be a slave? I'm on drugs! Case in point, the 2012 Republican Party presidential debate. The debate moderator describes a scenario of a healthy 30-year-old man who has no health insurance because he thinks he's too healthy to need it. But then, something terrible happens and he falls into a coma. The debate moderator asks candidate Ron Paul who should pay for this man's medical treatment? Who's gonna pay for if he goes into a coma? What he should do is whatever he wants to do and assume responsibility for himself, my advice to him would have a major medical policy, but not before. But he doesn't have that. And he needs intensive care for six months. Who pays? That's what freedom is all about, taking your own risk. This whole idea that you have to prepare and take care of everybody. Congressman, are you saying the society should just let him die? No. You heard it. A few people in the audience cheering for a man to be left to die because he wasn't responsible enough to have health insurance. That's one of the problems with radical responsibility. It creates an attitude of, well, if people are in a rough spot, even a life-or-death rough spot, it's their own damn fault, so fuck him. Society should just let him die? No. This fuck-the-poor-fuck-anyone-who-needs-help attitude can make conservatives seem like heartless monsters. And that can be true, but I think most of them are just flawed human beings like the rest of us, trying not to be terrified in this terrifying world. It's like, yeah, I'm in control of my life. The left keeps talking about these scary forces like capitalism and oppression and all this shit that's gonna make me not in control of my life, and I don't want to believe in that shit, man. That's scary. It sounds like bad monsters coming to get me, and I don't want to believe in bad monsters. I want to believe that I'm strong and capable, and I've got a big sword to fight all the dragons, in fact, those dragons aren't even real. Just, you know, I'm in control of my life. I'm okay. Everything's fine, okay? I've got this. I've got this. I believe in myself. They're just so desperate for a sense of empowerment, you know, and they embrace radical responsibility because it gives them an illusion of empowerment. But it's like, with the cocaine, you know, it's like, ooh, I'm high now. I'm in my belief in my own empowerment, ooh, fuck, there's some bad side effects that come with that cocaine, and that is like, you know, you swallow that pill, and now you order fucking mixing metaphors, mixing drug metaphors, but now you howl... Okay, here's a bad side effect for that illusion of empowerment. You cannot have sympathy for those facing social injustice. You can't do anything but blame individuals for their troubles, because if you let yourself see anyone as anything less than totally responsible, that would shatter your own illusion of being empowered. And that's fucking scary. This makes radical responsibility quite harmful. For many people, this philosophy is the root of their aversion to any sort of policy that helps the poor or helps those in need. Sounds pretty bad, right? Well, hang on, because there's more where that came from. I'm on drugs! If you believe in radical responsibility, you won't blame social injustice and the nature of capitalism for why someone's at the bottom of society. That's victimhood thinking. But then, how do you explain why someone's at the bottom? If it's not due to some social injustice or failing in society, then it must be their own failing and their own fault. And so, you think to yourself, maybe they're lazy or weak or stupid, maybe they make bad choices. Whatever the case, they've earned their place at the bottom. There are certain groups who are disproportionately at the bottom or have higher rates of being in prison or low levels of education and so on, because then you move from thinking individuals earned their place at the bottom to thinking that racial groups earned their place at the bottom. And you know, if you don't want to think that, that's a bad road to go down. I do not recommend it. If you think a racial group earned their place at the bottom, how do you explain that to yourself? If people in that group are more likely to make bad choices. But then how do you explain why they're more likely to make bad choices? Is it because they're affected by racism, poverty, socioeconomic conditions, a brutal history? No, no, no, it can't be. Those are excuses. But if it's not that, then what else can it be? Do you just think that they're lazy, weak, stupid? You've rejected every other explanation, so it seems like the only thing left is that bad road to go down. Now, to be clear, I'm not saying that being a conservative makes you a racist. I'm saying that conservative right-wing views, they can be like a gateway drug to racism. Some really extreme racism. And that gateway drug is the philosophy of radical responsibility. A rejection of social policies like welfare and universal healthcare that help people in need and a risk of racism. These are the side effects of radical responsibility. That all sounds pretty harmful, but if you take the right-wing view, radical responsibility is actually meant to protect against harm. And that harm comes from the left. In the words of Stefan Molina, damn it, wrong clip again. I'm trying to do math. I'm a shout in your ear. Random numbers and fart in your beer. That ain't it either. Here we go. One of the greatest ways to see if people in the community is the degree to which they generate excuses for that community. Like if you hand over these prefabricated excuses for underperformance, for underperformance in good parenting, for underperformance economically or in the pursuit of education or whatever it is, if you hand people these sort of prefabricated excuses, it's hobbling them in so many ways. So in this view, when the left says, hey, the working class is screwed over by capitalism. Hey, people of color are screwed over by racism. This is just making things worse because we're giving people excuses for failure, making them see themselves as powerless victims. And when you feel powerless, that crushes your hope, crushes your will to work hard for success. Makes you want to give up and not even try. Right-wingers see radical responsibility as saving people from this fate. Well, I guess I don't have to kill myself or anything. I'll just have a regular drink. I want to be better. Live to fight for a better world. I just realized that I probably shouldn't drink from a glass that is bleach residue in it. Oh my God. Am I going to die? Am I okay? Like, no, I mean, seriously, like, I hope I'm okay. So, I'm a leftist, though. Maybe you've forgotten by now. But I think there is a degree of truth to this radical responsibility thing. I just think that it's too, you know, radical. But yeah, I get it. We don't want to make people feel powerless. Where there is no power, there is no hope. Where there is no hope, there is no responsibility. And where there is no responsibility, bad things happen. This focus on personal responsibility wouldn't be so bad if all they were saying was, hey, social injustice, that's outside your individual control. So, focus on what you can control, on trying your best and trying to make the most of your life. And sometimes it seems like they're saying that, but then later they always take it so much further. No, oppression doesn't exist. It doesn't exist. Barriers to escaping poverty don't exist. Anyone can make it if they try and aren't a total moron. The idea that America is a terrible, racist, sexist, bigoted, homophobic place to stop you from pursuing your dreams is utter and complete nonsense. And it's also not true, by the way, that America is a place where nobody can change their circumstance. America is a place where everybody can change their circumstance. Cool story, bro. Look, I get it. You don't want to make people feel discouraged. But don't lie to them. Don't sell them a fantasy. Social injustice is real. Oppression is real. The barriers to escaping poverty are real. Denying that is denying reality. It's a radical responsibility. On the one side, there's the desire to inspire. To make people believe in themselves. To give them the will to try to help them succeed. And that's beautiful. But on the other side is this contempt for anyone who doesn't succeed. This not really hatred, but this looking down on them and an indifference to their suffering. A willingness to let them suffer or even die and then say it's their own damn faults. And that is fucking ugly. But let's focus on the beautiful side of radical responsibility. That kokai. Because in many cases, even that beautiful side can be ugly. It can backfire and do the opposite of what it intends. Imagine believing that you and you alone are responsible for your success or failure. If your life is leaning more towards failure, your opinion of yourself is going to be pretty low. You're going to feel inferior like you just don't have what it takes. You feel powerless. Not because of capitalism or oppression or being born into poverty. But because you suck. You inherently suck. Stupid, weak, lazy pathetic fucking loser. I'm a fucking loser. I'll always be a loser. There's nothing I can do. So why try? Why try? Now I'm not saying this will be the case for everyone and clearly it's not. But it does happen. Your self-esteem will be kicked into the toilet. And if you feel that way, you're going to lose your will to try. I mean, if you suck that bad, then why bother? So, what's the solution? Radical responsibility can lead to paralysis, but so can the view that forces of oppression outside your control make you utterly helpless. In my opinion, we need a balanced approach. We don't want to go to either extreme. Oh, shit. Does that mean I'm a centrist? Sometimes we need to kick ourselves in the ass and say, hey, stop making excuses. You've got to try harder. But sometimes you need to be compassionate with yourself and be like those excuses are legitimate. Those obstacles are real. It's not your fault. You're not a loser. You're not weak. You're just human. Life is unfair and no, that's not okay. You deserve better. You watching this, you deserve better. You really, really do. Combine this together and you get something like, yes, you're facing some big, unfair obstacles. But that's no excuse to give up. You're not powerless. So fucking try hard and do the best you can. Rar! Go get him, tiger! I should be a motivational speaker. Move over, Jordan Peterson. But is this a proper solution? I mean, sure, it gets people to fight to overcome life's unfair obstacles. And that's good. But it doesn't do a damn thing to make those unfair obstacles go away. Many of the problems we face in life have no individual solution. As individuals, we're not powerless, but we are relatively weak. Our real power can only be achieved when we come together. Workers have joined together and used their collective power to improve their lives by winning things like the 8 hour work day, paid sick leave and paid vacations. African Americans and their allies joined together to win civil rights. And the slave people in Haiti joined together and fought a revolution that ended slavery. Individual responsibility is not enough. We need to take collective responsibility to make things better for everyone. In my opinion, this will require getting rid of capitalism. To borrow a metaphor, capitalism is like a great big wheel crushing those of us on the ground. Which is why which is why I'm going to in the future be making a bunch of videos about capitalism. So if you're into that, subscribe to this channel. It was a great take. We did it. Nailed it.