Dr Maples series on West Virginian coal wars: ruclips.net/video/Ebd1tQ6fiOc/видео.html&ab_channel=Dr.Maples “Coal Wars” themed playlist of working class anthems: music.ruclips.net/p/PLTRUyNJ0kO5jQrbtUoIuni24ONR4y_ac6&si=aHLu63K9OOCjvx46
I've already started watching Dr. Maples' playlist on the coal wars and it's very good. Thanks both for sharing this info with others who want to enrich their knowledge.
To think there was a time when old-school blue-collar workers supported things like unions, the New Deal and even the Socialist Party... then Reagan and his gang of ghouls turned them as right-wing as possible
I need someone to do a deep dive into the Reagans' astrologer. The one who helped with stuff like domestic policy & international crises. I'm shocked his name comes up so much & no one's really taken that on yet bc it's a grubby meaty story.
@@picahudsoniaunflocked5426There is actually a Behind the Bastards podcast episode on that topic called "the astrologer who managed the reagan presidency", maybe check that out.
I was raised in a WV coal mining camp for Black people. My address was just "The Colored Camp". Our families were paid in script long after it was illegal. I remember the dark wooden floors and the green walls of the company store, the smell of machine oil, even the faint smell of calcium carbide. I appreciate this video for a lot of reasons. But, I really appreciate being seen a bit. Cheers.
@@TheHonestPeanut I never worked in the mine. Left the state pretty young after most of the camp burned down. I think Dad (grandfather) retired from mine 34? I have his helmet. It says, "181 Buggies" .
@@SylvrfonicAs a fellow Appalachian, I'd also like to point out that we got screwed big time, by pharma companies. Can't forget that slimeball Rudy Giuliani. Who was Purdue Pharma's lawyer. Even argued for them to keep selling Oxycontin while the trial went on and one. We have had a nice long run at things. I also personally knew the devil himself, one Mr. Robert Murray. Hated him too.
"You weigh 16 tons, and what do you get? Another fried chicken and a welfare cheque. St. Peter dontcha call me, cause I can't go. I owe my soul to the grocery store."
I was born one morning, the sun had a frown Tripped over my laces and spaghetti flew out Ordered 16 xl pizzas to go and When the delivery guy asked how I can afford, "I dropship with hustler's university on a 4chan board"
Some people say a man is made out of mud, a poor man's made out of burgers and crud. Burgers and crud and Fox and porn, a mind thats weak and a heart thats gone, ya weigh 16 tons and waddya get...
WELL, I WAS BORN A COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER In a cabin, on a hill in Butcher Holler WE WERE POOR BUT WE HAD FUDGE ROUNDS That's the one thing that daddy made sure of
A real “welfare queens” story hit, and left, headlines so fast. People didn’t seem to think a multimillionaire NFL player (Brett Farve) and the Governor of Mississippi stealing a million+ from the TANF fund was worth more scrutiny? So frustrating that people just dropped that but the news cycle moves fast with stories like that. Brilliant video, sir!!!
EVERY major business in eurocentric culture is literally and entirely propped up by government subsidy aka welfare.. apparently he has a major problem with monarchy too, since thats an entire system of governance based around birthright welfare that actually harms everyone outside the birthright
@@katherinehebert6523 yeah, I feel that. I was so disappointed I listened to the song about 10 times just to make sure I was understanding it. Hopefully people use it as a template for detecting fascist propaganda.
"You load sixteen tons, what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt Saint Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go I owe my soul to the company store" I was literally typing this out and had JUST finished when you brought it up. Loved the high note.
"Once I build a railroad, made it run Made it race against time Once I built a railroad, now it's done Brother can you spare a dime?" There are a lot of old songs that really should see a revival now that folks have remembered how much the Unions have done for us all.
"They say in Harlan County There are no neutrals there You'll either be a union man Or a thug for J. H. Blair. Which side are you on? Which side are you on? Tell me Which side are you on? Which side are you on?"
@@docwhammoyeah, philosophies are what inform how people act, including our oppressors. Then that philosophy is taught and eventually absorbed by the oppressed so the oppressed begin to police themselves. Chill out with the condescending comments next time, alright?
There's this fundamental and deeply rooted belief among all conservatives the world over that hierarchy is the natural state of all things. It's nearly impossible to convince a rich person that their place at the top of the hierarchy is bad and that the best system would be for them to be among the masses. To them, they see equality as everyone being dirt poor. Even as a leftist, I sometimes struggle with comprehending the world without naturally sorting it into a hierarchy but I'm working to deconstruct that.
My main problem with the song isn't just the hits on welfare recipients, it's that it correctly identifies the alienation and degradation that capitalism inflicts on workers and then says that the only reason that happens is because of the Federal government. It has nothing to say about the rich, it only has condemnation for the politicians. Politicians are the backstop for capitalists, but government can also be a tool of the people.
@@Riskofdisconnect that's a nice sentiment, but it disregards any progress that doesn't come about through revolution. I don't think we'll be completely saved through government action but it's the best option we have at the moment so why not use it?
I'm reading History of America in 10 Strikes, and the concept that older miners ended up back in the breaker rooms with the kids is just soul crushing. You give your life to a mine and work for years breaking your body to the point where you can't work directly in the mine, so you're sent to watch over the next generation of miners as they break slate from coal. You might have even ended up in the same breaker room you started in as a child decades before. Jfc no wonder they didn't teach us this shit in school.
My parents made sure that visiting the old coal mines was part of my summer vacation as a child. They taught me all about how things used to be and everything folks needed to sacrifice just for basic humane treatment. They also took me to the Detroit Institute for the Arts to see the Diego Divera murals there. Hidden within the images glorifying industry are hidden symbols telling the painful story of the fight of the Detroit unions.
another great book is labors untold story. the beginning goes into a lot of the coal mining labor organizing and subsequent union busting. it’s well written and easy to read
Dead at "people of a certain BMI" at 2:35. Overall, very well researched. Thanks for this video including information about feminism, welfare, capitalism, Blair Mountain (and reference to Black Wall Street), current US politics, and country musicians (Tyler Childers) actually standing for equal rights. Thank you. Sadly, the audience that needs this information the most will not see it.
This entire song is about economic policy and the only numbers in it are a BMI calculation that ignores the existence of food deserts. Most educated conservative.
Cool video. Im a ginger and a leftist. Im a factory worker in a rural town. I believe that anything that raises up my fellow humans, raises me up too. Poor people are going to rise up.
Reminder that much of modern country is a bastardization of a working class genre. This is not to say it is all inherently bad because of that, but it is worth remembering that the roots and history of country is deeply working class, and that like so many other working class efforts it was bastardized by the powerful in an attempt to defang this popular genre. At this point, this has been happening over a long enough period that many get into the genre without any connection to that effort, creating a field with an enormous range of politics, values, and understanding of its history.
9-11 did a lot of damage to country as a genre, but even before that, country radio slanted conservative because of all of the crossover between christian themes and southern aesthetic. Gonna repeat here what I said in my comment (and I think I'm just echoing what you said lol).... there's still a lot of good country music out there that doesn't fall on conservative party lines. It just doesn't get mainstream radio play because stations want to serve a biased audience without risking controversy.
@@bulletsandbracelets4140country music just followed the trajectory of popular american music, and america generally; they’ve been in a sharp decline for 40 years, aided by the political and economic institutions that underpin them.
@@breno855 The same goes for pretty much every genre of modern music. Hip hop, jazz, blues, EDM, and ska all have roots in various black communities. Even my favorite genre, metal, wouldn't be the same if Black Sabbath's guitarist hadn't lost two of his fingertips in a factory accident.
I'm a hospice nurse so I have patients of all demographics and many of my patients and their families are on welfare. I recently got into an argument with my dad and grandpa about welfare and they told me most people on welfare make more than I do as a nurse. When I asked where they got their numbers from or if they've ever even met a person on welfare, they just shrugged and told me that it was just the truth and I'd understand when I'm older and have 'real world experience'. I'm almost 30 and have been working since I was 15. The idea of welfare queens is so ubiquitous in American culture that many people just believe it to be true without needing any facts or even anecdotes to believe it. It's just forever a fact to them until we get rid of welfare entirely.
Much like racism, the welfare queen myth helps people construct the image of a person they can look down on and feel superior towards, thus helping them cope with their hardships while priming them to oppose any change in the social order that would deprive them of such an easy target.
There are literally welfare people around me who drive newer cars and wear expensive clothing. The welfare isn't how they make money most get section 8 so their rent is pretty much covered along with bills, they get food stamps so food costs are covered so they have no costs of living expenses, then they got their side hustles which is tax free which they can just blow on whatever they want. I literally work 50-60 hours a week and get zero help and can barely keep a roof over my head yeah there is some animosity against people who game the system. But when I see a guy driving a tricked out older car, wearing gold and an expensive leather jacket buying a bottle of Remy Martin with a wad of cash and then purchasing water and a bag of funyuns with a food stamp card oh yeah it pisses me off.
@@DustinDonald-cz9otIt's crazy how common that scenario is. My dad told me nearly the same story about where we lived when I was a kid, and I've heard coworkers recount similar experiences. Wild how little that story changes.
all the strikes going on and dude hasn’t showed solidarity to the working class but he’s made videos with jordan peterson & joe rogan. this is what happens when your politics don’t involve real class consciousness
17:34 Good on you to take this opportunity to not only correct your mistake, but pointing to a lot of history we don't hear about as much as we should.
This is literally my current favorite YT channel, and one great reason why is that you are wonderful at sourcing socialist and anarchist works that provides us with a history of our ideas in action and removes the framing of our ideas being unamerican. I forever live with the burden that my father had significant cognitive dissonance due to the lies and rhetoric of propagandists like Crowder. The ethics and values I hold dearly were instilled in me directly by my father and it was hard to see him be led astray. I never got to recover that damage before he passed away, but we did have a strong relationship and a big reason is who he taught me to be. That song "16 Tons" was something that my dad would sing to me when I was a little kid. He explained the message to me when I was maybe six years old and I was always moved by it. When you started off about company towns that song started spinning through my head. To hear you actually reference the song itself just after was so satisfying to me. It is a reminder that, even though it took me 27 years to refine my beliefs, I have not changed. My values are still the same thing that I was raised into. It just took me time to put all the pieces together. Thanks again for presenting that tradition of the proletariat. P.S. It is a running joke amongst my friends that I can turn any conversation into the anarchist roots of Chumbawumba. That was the video of yours that won my heart, but you just do a really good job overall of making leftist philosophy feel so natural.
It's Bread & Roses from my Mom for me, & she's still dying, & it's so sad hearing hatred in the woman's voice who taught me to value all human beings + practice kindness.
my dad is in a union and he hates it because its pretty ineffective and most of the people in charge are buddy buddy with the higher ups at said company. He falls for the fox news rhetoric and thinks whats wrong is the union, when they stopped hiring full timers like him decaded ago and most people he works with are many more part timers. He doesn't seem to realize that the union is the only thing keeping him employed there. He thinks that if the union was gone everything would be magically better. Its so annoying.
This was a great video, especially the intro. It's funny, we don't have the same race associations for welfare in the UK. In my experience, we'd tend to think of welfare recipients as white, overweight, and working class.
Probably bc the British population is overwhelmingly white and black and asian immigration is a more recent (second half of 20th century) phenomenon. So when thatcher came basically all welfare recipients were white
Meanwhile the real Queen somehow got away with receiving millions of pounds in taxpayers money. But I guess that's different because she had blue blood ;)
I think it depends on where you are. There's definitely the assumption that certain ethnic demographics claim more welfare than others round here, and theres the assumption that anyone immigrating or claiming asylum is doing it "for benefits"
"In my experience, we'd tend to think of welfare recipients as white, overweight, and working class." Yes, that's how any normal person (as in non-communist) in the United States thinks of it as well since it is true more whites are on welfare than anyone else. Baizuo on the other hand have to shoehorn race it into everything they dislike because they know even right wingers and republicans dont like it and they're trying to make them out to be hypocritical. In reality, they're just making it to where people are starting to just ignore racism. Literally "boy who cried wolf" effect happening and they are too caught up in their religious fervor to notice.
Thank you so much for this. Every time I see people call this a "working class anthem" or the "song of a generation" I cry a little inside. I get why, but that doesn't make it easier to see. Country music is unironically great, it's mainstream country radio that's problematic af. They won't play any song that might upset a conservative audience XD but that doesn't mean those songs don't exist! Spotify is my best friend for finding good country songs that never get any play on the radio.
The amount of amazing country and modern folk musicians I've found on Tiktok is astounding. Pink Williams is a great find if you like offensive humor (like disrespecting the dead, not racism or whatever)
I love Johnny Cash's anti-boss anthems. "Oney", of course, & love love love the Franken-Caddillac he "re-appropriates" from the line for a couple decades in "1 Piece At A Time"...
when they say working class, they mean well off hw!te people who go to work to avoid interacting with their wives and kids but dont actually need the money because ma and pa's house sold for 885k yesterday
I miss the Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, etc... days of country, people who really really were sticking up for the middle class and poor, not demonizing them using racist dog whistles.
I grew up by blair mountain, it's beautiful there but so poor and ravaged by doctors pushing pills, then heroin, then meth... One day I hope I can return to those mountains, but I don't expect it will happen soon
It's no surprise that this song was only embraced by the right-wing, despite Mr. Anthony's attempts to claim both sides. Putting "fuck them fat welfare queens" in your "class solidarity" anthem immediately ruins any left-wing credibility that it had at the beginning. This song is the perfect embodiment of "they had us in the first half".
A masterpiece of a video, thank you. My 6 and 8 year old are watching this with me right now and you've explained things in a way that they understand a lot of it, so extra thanks for being pretty accessible.
@@OGrandomunknownperson I try to parent my kids logically, and not hide information from them (as long as it's not going to harm them emotionally). We have lots of very interesting conversations, and they're turning out to be really smart, interesting, and kind children!
@forest_green that's great, honestly for a 6 and 8 they are super geniuses to even understand the context and what unions are. Honestly wish my parents were like that
The audacity of that turd to complain about how unfair everything is for him and how the people on benefits are partly responsible, while sitting on 90 acres. Meanwhile, my disabled ass lives on less than $1,000 per month with no possibility of ever owning even one acre and a shed. To me, he IS one of the "rich men".
This is one of the best videos I've seen in a long time. Thank you. What's more effed up about Reagan destroying the unions as president, is the fact he was the president of SAG the last time they and the writers were on strike at the same time. He led their negotiations, successfully.
@@ChillGoblin it really is wild. Another example of how spineless Reagan was and how his position on labor, or anything really, changed when it suited him personally. I really like the approach you took in the video. Particularly towards Oliver Anthony and those particular lines in his song. It's an approach I haven't seen anyone else take. I've been telling people that the left should be using the song as an opportunity to explain why Anthony is misguided in that opinion, instead of opening the attack gates, because a huge number of people feel the same as him and it's not necessarily their fault, at least not 100%. It's the propaganda machine and lack of education that has led so many people to believe these things. I'd bet Anthony would come around on the issue too, and become an ally of the left. I think he already regrets that part of the song. I also appreciate how you kept it clean and I can watch the video with my daughter. It can be hard to find good videos like that.
i can't stop thinking about this ever since someone pointed it out to me: fudge rounds don't even come in a bag. he makes it sound like the kind of snack you grab by the handful and shovel into your mouth like M&Ms or potato chips, but they're Little Debbie snacks. they come in a box of individually wrapped items. did he put this line in his song without even knowing what fudge rounds actually ARE?????
36:58 This. I said this to a coworker once. Told him "youre 100x closer to a homeless person than you are to being rich" Bro straight up said "that's bullshit"
He, an most people who think similarly to him, don't realize that they're one bad day away from depending on those benefits to eat and have a roof over their heads. One car accident. One serious medical event. One job loss. One natural disaster. That's all it takes.
i slightly resent the fact you're not only intelligent and well spoken, but also a talented artist, but all kidding aside i really enjoy your videos. Im pretty shocked you don't have more subs, but im sure that will change in the near future
I really like these kinds of educational but still entertaining history videos. The only nitpick I have is how indigenous people are basically never mentioned. It feels kinda relevant to many topics discussed
APTN is Canada's indigenous peoples' network. Their newscasts are free on RUclips & only about 23 mins long. Ofc it's real community news, so it may be a little dry to some folks. But if you watch for a few weeks you'll start seeing people you want to know more about --- they profile everyone from jingle dress dancers to musicians to fashion influencers to hockey players to activists of all kinds to entrepreneurs to community representatives, of all ages + genders, from varying communities. Their covid coverage with their public health nurses + interviews were very informative & kept me afloat long after my province abdicated communicating to the public. I've kept a list of interesting people I've seen on APTN & will go find their site or exhibits or channels or store or social media, & they've introduced me to people I vibe with parasocially. I try to get in the habit of watching actual APTN more regularly, bc it reports all the stories that almost never make other Canadian broadcasts, so I'm trying to base my news diet around it as a staple. I keep going off all the news but I'm trying to get back in the habit of really following the stories. Anyways they have miniscult view counts despite being rad, so I thought I'd let you (& others) know they're around in case you hadn't run into them yet & were interested. Thank's all!
I had to sub when you fixed that mistake and educated us into the black woman ally that was wonderful of you. Your making me doubt my intolerant views and I’m only 19 min in . You are doing a wonderful job educating and encouraging a healthy view point on life . Thank you sir for your wonderful work
We could put together a weeks-long playlist of songs that recognize a real problem and real pain but point figures at scapegoats instead of the cause of the problem.
Great video! As someone with most of my family living in North Carolina bluegrass and the Appalachian has meant a lot to me throughout the years. Incredible to hear the history of the mountain and loving the playlist! Will be wearing a red bandana during my anarchist meetings you betcha!
The weird thing about the minor line to me is like the whole Epstein thing is pretty big. No one other than gislaine has seen any sort of accountability. Plenty of people on his flight records aren’t even widely panned. So saying oh we need to do less for those kids seems like a really odd shot. Like of all the people who have been given too much attention I’d argue that the victims of Epstein aren’t amongst them. Follow that with some of the other lyrics and it seems like he has some pretty questionable ideas about who’s to really blame and where we should be pointing fingers.
I don't recall all the lyrics fully, but I was under the assumption that the line about caring about kids on islands or whatever was like... saying politicians were *going* to the island, not trying to bring justice to the victims (not at all a defense of the dude of course)
Thank you. That line doesn't get the questioning attention it deserves. It's so messy when Oliver comes out & is all like "I'm a centrist blah blah common sense blah blah"...like, no dude those aren't "centrist" views.
Love your explanation of the West Virginia Miners’ Strike and its fascinating and intentionally erased history. Few stories are as good an example of what capitalists are willing to do to keep their control over the lives of the proletariat, and how unions are the most powerful way to fight back against them (although a revolutionary proletarian socialist party is necessary to actually end capitalism).
I've wondered a lot about this, as someone who has been on SSI, Medicaid, and Medicare since I graduated college in 2011, due to a birth defect that virtually makes in unemployable. I've been sent to vocational rehabilitation, lost "benefits" because I didn't have enough documentation of my address, and even temporarily put in a facility. So many people think I'm faking or misusing the system, especially since my meds cause weight gain. The ableism and fatphobia are also in that lyric.
The gross thing is that a lot of these politicians are well educated and know that good social programs work and prevent a lot of pain and misery. However, the populist opinion of "poor people bad", means they have to go along with it to get votes. It's easier to tap into malice than it is to actually fix things.
My mom let me buy fudge rounds (and oatmealcreampies) with quarters I found on the ground shed tell me to go look around for quarters so I could get myself a fudgeround. We didn't have wellfair out of pride.
I'll never understand why there are so many parents who let their children go without because "muh pride". It reminds me of when my ex-boyfriend and I were both dirt poor. I told him that he qualifies for his own food stamps (I already received them due to disability, but it was only about $100). He told me with a straight face, "I'd rather starve than get food stamps". Funny how he had no problem eating the food I bought with mine, though.
I absolutely appreciate this video. My Grandfather was a coal miner in West Virginia in the 1940s at 15 years old in the mine. I studied this in college as a history student as a result and wrote a very internally rewarding research paper on it. Starting with a quote from Frank Keeney was the shit.
I would like to mention that Cesco Estep, the striker that was killed during the "Bull Moose Special" attack on the striking workers in Holly Grove, is still buried not far from where he was murdered. There was a memorial service this past spring where we tidied up his grave and paid our respects.
As someone who lives in Richmond, this song sparked a lot in me as most people have never heard of our city or if they have it's all from the civil war. I love the line "Rich Men north of Richmond" it's so good, if only the song's political messaging wasn't so muddled. I'd love for someone to cover/alter the song with more obviously working class lyrics I could vibe with.
Sixteen Tons is a banger for sure, one of my favorites from the 40's Country Hits mix my Grandpa played all the time. I grew to like a lot of it and still listen to a lot of older country on my own, on purpose.
I just heard it for the first time like 2 months ago, I have no idea how I'd not heard it, but it made me go check on the latest update on my state's longest running coal strike only to find it had ended quietly after 2 years with no new contract, ended up falling down a rabbit hole of my state's many, many coal strikes and the surprising history of attempted racial solidarity between white and black miners.
Im so happy that the algorithm is showing me new channels ive never seen before with subscriber counts only in thousands or 10s of thousands. Absolutely hilarious intro
I must say this was a super well done well researched video I learned a lot about Welfare in the States as a non American. Also you have an amazing voice!
"Coal minders were payed in company script, essentially fake money that could only be spent buying buying goods at the company store." This feels... _disturbingly familiar,_ somehow.
thankfully it's illegal these days, workers must have the option of taking their pay in actual cash money dollars. of course that doesn't stop companies who keep trying to re-introduce company scrip with a ~*fun quirky*~ modern spin on it
hoping Oliver's youtube playlist that includes antisemitic videos gets brought up EDIT: I asked CG about it on twitter and he said he did see the playlist, but since it wasn't something Oliver was platforming he didn't want to make any assumptions about the nature of the playlist. I think it still warranted mentioning, but I recognize it's a totally fair and good-faith position to have on it
@@leftieluci2292 yeah I'm at the last 4 minutes now. disappointing. I assume CG just didn't check his playlists when he went to Oliver's youtube channel. but it's not like no one brought it up, it seems like he would have run into it being mentioned in the course of research and footage collection
@@amalgamfrostpink5030yea i doubt its intentional, chill goblins got a decent track record. I hadnt heard of this playlist either, but it doesnt surprise me
I'm not American and I had not heard this song until now so your initial skit confused me SO much 😂 I'm so glad to have found your channel, you have an amazing mix of humour and actual information.
I’ve never clicked on a video so fast. I don’t care what it’s about, I know it’s going to be awesome and I’m going to have to send the link to all of my favorite people
Thank you for the video. I think you are a talented and astute writer. You express complex ideas in a nuanced way. I also appreciate your comedy and amusing drawings. Keep it up, brother!
Another great piece of music about the coal wars and company towns is the album Kentucky by Panopticon. Panopticon is a one man bluegrass black metal band and the man behind it is an anarchist. Granted this won't be for everyone seeing as black metal is pretty harsh but if you're interested then definitely give it a listen and get ahold of the lyrics. Great video by the way, love your work.
16 tons is such a banger that I immediately joined in when he started singing. My both windows were open and I saw an open neighbour walk by staring at me. I am German btw. Gods, 16 tons is such a banger.
This reminds me so much of the storyline in GLOW of Welfare Queen being played by Awesome Kong (real name Kia Stevens), discussed the issues with representation and treatment of the poorer black people, and the issues it causes for others in the racial group when it is thought to be seen as furthering stigma to apply for welfare.
I know a fair few people on benefits in the UK, part of it is that they can't hold down a job. BUT they provide free childcare for people who can get jobs, they help out at the food bank (which btw, has really antisocial hours), they help out with social clubs for old people and community centres that have had local budgets cut. These people have a really bad rap in my local community because of the area I live. But the budgets to their services have been cut to hell and back, the only way that the services can continue is that you have to have people on benefits volunteer there because no one actually gets paid to do what is a full time job
It is worth mention that saying he is astroturfed doesnt mean that he even was aware or a psyop, just that the popularity was directly connected to extreme amounts of investment by political actors.
Absolutely bangin' content as always, Goblin! I watched this dude Oliver Anthony's followup vid and it seems like he genuinely realizes that people on welfare are being taken advantage of as well, but he's proud of the song he made and maybe just a bit too stubborn to admit that he messed up a bit when looking for those sweet sweet rhymes. I think we can genuinely enjoy the song and when we get to the welfare part we can have a "well he made a whoopsie here and we're all aware of it, but we know what he's trying to say with this music" moment. Having said that, let's see how wrong I am as I finish the rest of this video, hah.
His video also talks about groomers being a danger which is a huge conservative talking point around restricting lgbtq rights. I think he's just a conservative who is at least fed up with Republican politicians too... but still agrees with them on most everything except the way they are rich while so many struggle. I think he sees two camps of poor people - the ones who need temporary help and the ones who cheat the system. He was singing about the latter camp. I have family like this who I still love, so there's worse places to be. But it's still frustrating, lol. Cultural changes don't have to be scary, other people embracing their differences doesn't mean they become less important if they still want to be oldschool. And no one should have to prove they deserve to live, or have value as humans. Money shouldn't run our lives the way it does.
@@bulletsandbracelets4140 A perspective I heard that makes the most sense to me is that he's a libertarian. "I'm pretty much straight down the middle politically" is also the way a lot of libertarians describe themselves. I think a lot of people aren't considering that because the less transparently odious forms of right-libertarianism have largely fallen out of vogue since 2016.
@@aquatictrotsky1067 The groomer comment still tells me he's on the right-wing side of libertarianism. He certainly isn't on the left if he's in any way pointing at anyone on welfare (even if he clarified he isn't talking about everyone on welfare). I don't think he's as extreme as some, but I don't buy anyone "libertarian" who thinks "groomers" are a danger to kids. I know what he probably means, and freedom likely isn't something he is interested in if that's the case.
Me: Oh boy another chill goblin video about the funny fat hating song. Also me: oh no I learned another blatantly evil thing the USA did. At least the goblin was chill.
Pretty amusing for Tim Scott to argue about federal spending when his state receives the 11th highest amount of federal funds with the 23rd largest population.
i think my brain is incredibly broken from being online too long because that Spiderman bit was actually, _unironically_ hilarious shit to me lmaooooo what is wrong with me
Dr Maples series on West Virginian coal wars:
ruclips.net/video/Ebd1tQ6fiOc/видео.html&ab_channel=Dr.Maples
“Coal Wars” themed playlist of working class anthems:
music.ruclips.net/p/PLTRUyNJ0kO5jQrbtUoIuni24ONR4y_ac6&si=aHLu63K9OOCjvx46
@ChillGoblin Thanks so much for the shout out!!!! That’s really kind of you and I’m glad you enjoyed the series.
I've already started watching Dr. Maples' playlist on the coal wars and it's very good. Thanks both for sharing this info with others who want to enrich their knowledge.
@@dr.maples No worries at all :) Super informative series and you deserve more subs
I hope "Draglines" made your playlist! It's an incredible coal song.
GOBLIN, you seriously need to upload that poopin on company time song as it’s own video, it’s a hilarious banger!!!
I love and hate that practically every graph of the 20th century makes far more sense when you mark when Reagan took power
To think there was a time when old-school blue-collar workers supported things like unions, the New Deal and even the Socialist Party... then Reagan and his gang of ghouls turned them as right-wing as possible
It's super depressing
I need someone to do a deep dive into the Reagans' astrologer. The one who helped with stuff like domestic policy & international crises. I'm shocked his name comes up so much & no one's really taken that on yet bc it's a grubby meaty story.
@@picahudsoniaunflocked5426There is actually a Behind the Bastards podcast episode on that topic called "the astrologer who managed the reagan presidency", maybe check that out.
@@picahudsoniaunflocked5426 I think there's a Behind the Bastards episode on that guy?
I was raised in a WV coal mining camp for Black people. My address was just "The Colored Camp". Our families were paid in script long after it was illegal. I remember the dark wooden floors and the green walls of the company store, the smell of machine oil, even the faint smell of calcium carbide.
I appreciate this video for a lot of reasons. But, I really appreciate being seen a bit. Cheers.
❤
i call BS lol i was in swabian land
What mine were you at?
@@TheHonestPeanut I never worked in the mine. Left the state pretty young after most of the camp burned down. I think Dad (grandfather) retired from mine 34? I have his helmet. It says, "181 Buggies" .
@@SylvrfonicAs a fellow Appalachian, I'd also like to point out that we got screwed big time, by pharma companies. Can't forget that slimeball Rudy Giuliani. Who was Purdue Pharma's lawyer. Even argued for them to keep selling Oxycontin while the trial went on and one. We have had a nice long run at things. I also personally knew the devil himself, one Mr. Robert Murray. Hated him too.
"You weigh 16 tons, and what do you get? Another fried chicken and a welfare cheque. St. Peter dontcha call me, cause I can't go. I owe my soul to the grocery store."
I was born one morning, the sun had a frown
Tripped over my laces and spaghetti flew out
Ordered 16 xl pizzas to go and
When the delivery guy asked how I can afford,
"I dropship with hustler's university on a 4chan board"
😀🤣😂😅😆😆😁😄😃😀🤣😂🤣😅
Some people say a man is made out of mud, a poor man's made out of burgers and crud. Burgers and crud and Fox and porn, a mind thats weak and a heart thats gone, ya weigh 16 tons and waddya get...
omg this and the replies are so funny man Ive sang them all multiple times now.
Ah yes. Like that Blind Bill Disliksie song : ' I don't want any low wealthcare fees, just spend that money to the troops overseas ' ;)
BOSS MAKES A DOLLAR
I MAKE A DIME
SO PLEASE CUT HIS TAXES
AND PUT CHILDREN IN MINES
Give em fudge rounds for lunch
WELL, I WAS BORN A COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER
In a cabin, on a hill in Butcher Holler
WE WERE POOR BUT WE HAD FUDGE ROUNDS
That's the one thing that daddy made sure of
Imagine thinking raising taxes benefits the poor, you are dumb
Boo! Socialist! Radical Marxist! How dare you not put children in the mines!?! Think of the shareholders 🥺
BOO! Socialist! Radical Marxist!
How dare you not put children in the mines!
Think of the shareholders 🥺
A real “welfare queens” story hit, and left, headlines so fast. People didn’t seem to think a multimillionaire NFL player (Brett Farve) and the Governor of Mississippi stealing a million+ from the TANF fund was worth more scrutiny? So frustrating that people just dropped that but the news cycle moves fast with stories like that.
Brilliant video, sir!!!
EVERY major business in eurocentric culture is literally and entirely propped up by government subsidy aka welfare.. apparently he has a major problem with monarchy too, since thats an entire system of governance based around birthright welfare that actually harms everyone outside the birthright
I just googled this, it's pretty messed up.
The biggest Welfare Queens are tax-free churches, defense contractors, and lobbyist scum.
i was so unbelievably pissed when I heard about this... I was seething, maddest I've been in a while
When the wealthy exploit the system, they are considered savvy. When the poor do it, they are considered parasites.
"They had us in the first half, I'm not gonna lie" the song.
The second verse is the key to its meaning. If you consider it the primary thought the rest of it falls into place.
Agreed
Okay same though I had a full “oh wow we’re finally seeing eye to eye and OOop”
@@katherinehebert6523 yeah, I feel that. I was so disappointed I listened to the song about 10 times just to make sure I was understanding it. Hopefully people use it as a template for detecting fascist propaganda.
@@LongDefiant all that listening and you still don't understand it, that's crazy
"You load sixteen tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store"
I was literally typing this out and had JUST finished when you brought it up. Loved the high note.
"Once I build a railroad, made it run
Made it race against time
Once I built a railroad, now it's done
Brother can you spare a dime?"
There are a lot of old songs that really should see a revival now that folks have remembered how much the Unions have done for us all.
"They say in Harlan County
There are no neutrals there
You'll either be a union man
Or a thug for J. H. Blair.
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Tell me
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?"
I think the main thing keeping up the current system is the generally held philosophy that the rich deserve to be rich.
The rich _being rich_ allowed them the control and influence to *make* that belief "generally held"
The American ethos seems to be that everyone thinks they are temporarily embarrassed millionaires
@@khill8645 well yeah but it's not an unbreakable cycle. We broke out of feudalism and we can break out of capitalism too.
@@docwhammoyeah, philosophies are what inform how people act, including our oppressors. Then that philosophy is taught and eventually absorbed by the oppressed so the oppressed begin to police themselves.
Chill out with the condescending comments next time, alright?
There's this fundamental and deeply rooted belief among all conservatives the world over that hierarchy is the natural state of all things. It's nearly impossible to convince a rich person that their place at the top of the hierarchy is bad and that the best system would be for them to be among the masses. To them, they see equality as everyone being dirt poor. Even as a leftist, I sometimes struggle with comprehending the world without naturally sorting it into a hierarchy but I'm working to deconstruct that.
My main problem with the song isn't just the hits on welfare recipients, it's that it correctly identifies the alienation and degradation that capitalism inflicts on workers and then says that the only reason that happens is because of the Federal government. It has nothing to say about the rich, it only has condemnation for the politicians. Politicians are the backstop for capitalists, but government can also be a tool of the people.
"government can also be a tool of the people"
i want to believe
@@methyod it should be. I wish it was so much more often than it is.
Trump just cut out the "middle man"
"the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house."
- Audre Lorde
@@Riskofdisconnect that's a nice sentiment, but it disregards any progress that doesn't come about through revolution. I don't think we'll be completely saved through government action but it's the best option we have at the moment so why not use it?
I'm reading History of America in 10 Strikes, and the concept that older miners ended up back in the breaker rooms with the kids is just soul crushing. You give your life to a mine and work for years breaking your body to the point where you can't work directly in the mine, so you're sent to watch over the next generation of miners as they break slate from coal. You might have even ended up in the same breaker room you started in as a child decades before. Jfc no wonder they didn't teach us this shit in school.
Thank you for turning me on to this book!!! I hope Radical Reviewer covers it.
My parents made sure that visiting the old coal mines was part of my summer vacation as a child. They taught me all about how things used to be and everything folks needed to sacrifice just for basic humane treatment.
They also took me to the Detroit Institute for the Arts to see the Diego Divera murals there. Hidden within the images glorifying industry are hidden symbols telling the painful story of the fight of the Detroit unions.
another great book is labors untold story. the beginning goes into a lot of the coal mining labor organizing and subsequent union busting. it’s well written and easy to read
Dead at "people of a certain BMI" at 2:35.
Overall, very well researched. Thanks for this video including information about feminism, welfare, capitalism, Blair Mountain (and reference to Black Wall Street), current US politics, and country musicians (Tyler Childers) actually standing for equal rights.
Thank you.
Sadly, the audience that needs this information the most will not see it.
It was the next couple of lines that got me 😂
"If you're 5 foot 3... well thats a bad start" 😂😂 @@luna-p
This entire song is about economic policy and the only numbers in it are a BMI calculation that ignores the existence of food deserts. Most educated conservative.
Cool video.
Im a ginger and a leftist. Im a factory worker in a rural town.
I believe that anything that raises up my fellow humans, raises me up too.
Poor people are going to rise up.
Rise up gamers and sisters.
true but lifting those fat people is so much harder, we should leave the fatties behind
Man nobody gets hurt than the middle because both think you are their enemy
Thank you ginger. We forgive you
careful there bud.
Reminder that much of modern country is a bastardization of a working class genre. This is not to say it is all inherently bad because of that, but it is worth remembering that the roots and history of country is deeply working class, and that like so many other working class efforts it was bastardized by the powerful in an attempt to defang this popular genre. At this point, this has been happening over a long enough period that many get into the genre without any connection to that effort, creating a field with an enormous range of politics, values, and understanding of its history.
9-11 did a lot of damage to country as a genre, but even before that, country radio slanted conservative because of all of the crossover between christian themes and southern aesthetic. Gonna repeat here what I said in my comment (and I think I'm just echoing what you said lol).... there's still a lot of good country music out there that doesn't fall on conservative party lines. It just doesn't get mainstream radio play because stations want to serve a biased audience without risking controversy.
@@bulletsandbracelets4140country music just followed the trajectory of popular american music, and america generally; they’ve been in a sharp decline for 40 years, aided by the political and economic institutions that underpin them.
The same goes for punk and folk
A lot of working class aesthetic got appropriated by the modern petty bourgeoisie to serve their racist and antisocial agenda.
@@breno855 The same goes for pretty much every genre of modern music. Hip hop, jazz, blues, EDM, and ska all have roots in various black communities. Even my favorite genre, metal, wouldn't be the same if Black Sabbath's guitarist hadn't lost two of his fingertips in a factory accident.
I'm a hospice nurse so I have patients of all demographics and many of my patients and their families are on welfare. I recently got into an argument with my dad and grandpa about welfare and they told me most people on welfare make more than I do as a nurse. When I asked where they got their numbers from or if they've ever even met a person on welfare, they just shrugged and told me that it was just the truth and I'd understand when I'm older and have 'real world experience'. I'm almost 30 and have been working since I was 15.
The idea of welfare queens is so ubiquitous in American culture that many people just believe it to be true without needing any facts or even anecdotes to believe it. It's just forever a fact to them until we get rid of welfare entirely.
Much like racism, the welfare queen myth helps people construct the image of a person they can look down on and feel superior towards, thus helping them cope with their hardships while priming them to oppose any change in the social order that would deprive them of such an easy target.
There are literally welfare people around me who drive newer cars and wear expensive clothing. The welfare isn't how they make money most get section 8 so their rent is pretty much covered along with bills, they get food stamps so food costs are covered so they have no costs of living expenses, then they got their side hustles which is tax free which they can just blow on whatever they want. I literally work 50-60 hours a week and get zero help and can barely keep a roof over my head yeah there is some animosity against people who game the system. But when I see a guy driving a tricked out older car, wearing gold and an expensive leather jacket buying a bottle of Remy Martin with a wad of cash and then purchasing water and a bag of funyuns with a food stamp card oh yeah it pisses me off.
@@DustinDonald-cz9ot I can 100% guarantee you those people are not getting their money from welfare.
@@DustinDonald-cz9otIt's crazy how common that scenario is. My dad told me nearly the same story about where we lived when I was a kid, and I've heard coworkers recount similar experiences.
Wild how little that story changes.
@@DustinDonald-cz9otyou are mad at the wrong people
Sometimes life really just is a Key and Peele skit, man.
Is this a reference to the one skit about the country song? Cause that one is hilarious
@@AmunDeusyep, that’s the one
Haha i was just about to comment that
Or some bri*ish skit.
@@AmunDeusSurprised the opening skit didn't talk about how racist the song is because it's exactly like the country song skit
all the strikes going on and dude hasn’t showed solidarity to the working class but he’s made videos with jordan peterson & joe rogan. this is what happens when your politics don’t involve real class consciousness
"I think the left and the right serve the same master and that's no good for anyone"
Okay, I think it does matter who he believes that master is.
Labor history is what we need more of. Thanks!
Thank you so much!
That intro wins the day!!!
THE DAY IS MINE!
17:34 Good on you to take this opportunity to not only correct your mistake, but pointing to a lot of history we don't hear about as much as we should.
Yeah, I really appreciate him shouting out the great work and activism of Johnnie Tillmon.
This is literally my current favorite YT channel, and one great reason why is that you are wonderful at sourcing socialist and anarchist works that provides us with a history of our ideas in action and removes the framing of our ideas being unamerican.
I forever live with the burden that my father had significant cognitive dissonance due to the lies and rhetoric of propagandists like Crowder. The ethics and values I hold dearly were instilled in me directly by my father and it was hard to see him be led astray. I never got to recover that damage before he passed away, but we did have a strong relationship and a big reason is who he taught me to be.
That song "16 Tons" was something that my dad would sing to me when I was a little kid. He explained the message to me when I was maybe six years old and I was always moved by it. When you started off about company towns that song started spinning through my head. To hear you actually reference the song itself just after was so satisfying to me. It is a reminder that, even though it took me 27 years to refine my beliefs, I have not changed. My values are still the same thing that I was raised into. It just took me time to put all the pieces together.
Thanks again for presenting that tradition of the proletariat.
P.S. It is a running joke amongst my friends that I can turn any conversation into the anarchist roots of Chumbawumba. That was the video of yours that won my heart, but you just do a really good job overall of making leftist philosophy feel so natural.
It's Bread & Roses from my Mom for me, & she's still dying, & it's so sad hearing hatred in the woman's voice who taught me to value all human beings + practice kindness.
"The anarchist roots of chumbawumba" is not a sentence i thought i would ever read lol
@@adamsmasher9769 sounds like _somebody_ didn't know about the anarchist roots of chumbawumba then 😏 /j
my dad is in a union and he hates it because its pretty ineffective and most of the people in charge are buddy buddy with the higher ups at said company. He falls for the fox news rhetoric and thinks whats wrong is the union, when they stopped hiring full timers like him decaded ago and most people he works with are many more part timers. He doesn't seem to realize that the union is the only thing keeping him employed there. He thinks that if the union was gone everything would be magically better. Its so annoying.
This was a great video, especially the intro. It's funny, we don't have the same race associations for welfare in the UK. In my experience, we'd tend to think of welfare recipients as white, overweight, and working class.
Probably bc the British population is overwhelmingly white and black and asian immigration is a more recent (second half of 20th century) phenomenon. So when thatcher came basically all welfare recipients were white
As featured on "Jeremy Kyle"😬
Meanwhile the real Queen somehow got away with receiving millions of pounds in taxpayers money. But I guess that's different because she had blue blood ;)
I think it depends on where you are. There's definitely the assumption that certain ethnic demographics claim more welfare than others round here, and theres the assumption that anyone immigrating or claiming asylum is doing it "for benefits"
"In my experience, we'd tend to think of welfare recipients as white, overweight, and working class."
Yes, that's how any normal person (as in non-communist) in the United States thinks of it as well since it is true more whites are on welfare than anyone else. Baizuo on the other hand have to shoehorn race it into everything they dislike because they know even right wingers and republicans dont like it and they're trying to make them out to be hypocritical.
In reality, they're just making it to where people are starting to just ignore racism. Literally "boy who cried wolf" effect happening and they are too caught up in their religious fervor to notice.
Thank you so much for this. Every time I see people call this a "working class anthem" or the "song of a generation" I cry a little inside. I get why, but that doesn't make it easier to see.
Country music is unironically great, it's mainstream country radio that's problematic af. They won't play any song that might upset a conservative audience XD but that doesn't mean those songs don't exist! Spotify is my best friend for finding good country songs that never get any play on the radio.
The amount of amazing country and modern folk musicians I've found on Tiktok is astounding. Pink Williams is a great find if you like offensive humor (like disrespecting the dead, not racism or whatever)
@@darkshadowrule2952 I'm not on tiktok but I'll have to see if I can check them out!
I love Johnny Cash's anti-boss anthems. "Oney", of course, & love love love the Franken-Caddillac he "re-appropriates" from the line for a couple decades in "1 Piece At A Time"...
when they say working class, they mean well off hw!te people who go to work to avoid interacting with their wives and kids but dont actually need the money because ma and pa's house sold for 885k yesterday
I miss the Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, etc... days of country, people who really really were sticking up for the middle class and poor, not demonizing them using racist dog whistles.
I grew up by blair mountain, it's beautiful there but so poor and ravaged by doctors pushing pills, then heroin, then meth... One day I hope I can return to those mountains, but I don't expect it will happen soon
Sorry, comrade, I hope that for you, too - and I hope the music can take you back until then 💚🖤
if the right thinks you're on the right and the left agrees, maybe that should encourage some introspection?
Absolutely.
It's no surprise that this song was only embraced by the right-wing, despite Mr. Anthony's attempts to claim both sides. Putting "fuck them fat welfare queens" in your "class solidarity" anthem immediately ruins any left-wing credibility that it had at the beginning.
This song is the perfect embodiment of "they had us in the first half".
A masterpiece of a video, thank you. My 6 and 8 year old are watching this with me right now and you've explained things in a way that they understand a lot of it, so extra thanks for being pretty accessible.
That’s great! Sorry for all the swears
@@ChillGoblinlol, no worries! Swears are the spice of life.
You are a strange parent. Not a bad one, just a strange one
@@OGrandomunknownperson I try to parent my kids logically, and not hide information from them (as long as it's not going to harm them emotionally). We have lots of very interesting conversations, and they're turning out to be really smart, interesting, and kind children!
@forest_green that's great, honestly for a 6 and 8 they are super geniuses to even understand the context and what unions are. Honestly wish my parents were like that
its ironic that Oliver Anthony lives on a 90 acre farm, and I feel like that's a rich man.
If he owns 90 acres of farmland then holy shit yes he has more wealth than most Americans
The audacity of that turd to complain about how unfair everything is for him and how the people on benefits are partly responsible, while sitting on 90 acres. Meanwhile, my disabled ass lives on less than $1,000 per month with no possibility of ever owning even one acre and a shed.
To me, he IS one of the "rich men".
This is one of the best videos I've seen in a long time. Thank you.
What's more effed up about Reagan destroying the unions as president, is the fact he was the president of SAG the last time they and the writers were on strike at the same time. He led their negotiations, successfully.
Damn, seriously???? That's wild
@@ChillGoblin it really is wild. Another example of how spineless Reagan was and how his position on labor, or anything really, changed when it suited him personally.
I really like the approach you took in the video. Particularly towards Oliver Anthony and those particular lines in his song. It's an approach I haven't seen anyone else take. I've been telling people that the left should be using the song as an opportunity to explain why Anthony is misguided in that opinion, instead of opening the attack gates, because a huge number of people feel the same as him and it's not necessarily their fault, at least not 100%. It's the propaganda machine and lack of education that has led so many people to believe these things. I'd bet Anthony would come around on the issue too, and become an ally of the left. I think he already regrets that part of the song.
I also appreciate how you kept it clean and I can watch the video with my daughter. It can be hard to find good videos like that.
Sounds par for elites. Plenty of them benefited by programs and welfare then when in office cut cut cut
@@ChillGoblinwait you didn’t know that? What kind of research do you do? 😂 bozo
38:38 "Coal became a hot commodity, especially if you touched it while it was on fire."😂 *Standing ovation and salute*
i can't stop thinking about this ever since someone pointed it out to me: fudge rounds don't even come in a bag. he makes it sound like the kind of snack you grab by the handful and shovel into your mouth like M&Ms or potato chips, but they're Little Debbie snacks. they come in a box of individually wrapped items. did he put this line in his song without even knowing what fudge rounds actually ARE?????
Finally someone asking the REAL questions
36:58 This. I said this to a coworker once. Told him "youre 100x closer to a homeless person than you are to being rich" Bro straight up said "that's bullshit"
He, an most people who think similarly to him, don't realize that they're one bad day away from depending on those benefits to eat and have a roof over their heads. One car accident. One serious medical event. One job loss. One natural disaster. That's all it takes.
Holy shit that "arm yourselves" woman is based almost beyond belief
Mother Jones! Not even her most based moment
@ChillGoblin she shall be my queen and John Brown my king
i slightly resent the fact you're not only intelligent and well spoken, but also a talented artist, but all kidding aside i really enjoy your videos. Im pretty shocked you don't have more subs, but im sure that will change in the near future
I really like these kinds of educational but still entertaining history videos. The only nitpick I have is how indigenous people are basically never mentioned. It feels kinda relevant to many topics discussed
Yeah, he's not woke enough.
@@7996hobguyfor what?
APTN is Canada's indigenous peoples' network. Their newscasts are free on RUclips & only about 23 mins long. Ofc it's real community news, so it may be a little dry to some folks. But if you watch for a few weeks you'll start seeing people you want to know more about --- they profile everyone from jingle dress dancers to musicians to fashion influencers to hockey players to activists of all kinds to entrepreneurs to community representatives, of all ages + genders, from varying communities. Their covid coverage with their public health nurses + interviews were very informative & kept me afloat long after my province abdicated communicating to the public. I've kept a list of interesting people I've seen on APTN & will go find their site or exhibits or channels or store or social media, & they've introduced me to people I vibe with parasocially. I try to get in the habit of watching actual APTN more regularly, bc it reports all the stories that almost never make other Canadian broadcasts, so I'm trying to base my news diet around it as a staple. I keep going off all the news but I'm trying to get back in the habit of really following the stories.
Anyways they have miniscult view counts despite being rad, so I thought I'd let you (& others) know they're around in case you hadn't run into them yet & were interested. Thank's all!
I had to sub when you fixed that mistake and educated us into the black woman ally that was wonderful of you. Your making me doubt my intolerant views and I’m only 19 min in . You are doing a wonderful job educating and encouraging a healthy view point on life . Thank you sir for your wonderful work
We could put together a weeks-long playlist of songs that recognize a real problem and real pain but point figures at scapegoats instead of the cause of the problem.
Mad props for the correction AND added info on Johnnie Tillmon! Great video with inspiring info and great humor 👍🏽❤️
Incredible opening. Can't wait to hear the rest.
truly amazing
So soothing, honestly
He should do a classic fake commercial for the Greatest Hits album.
Chill Goblin makes great video essays, but he makes even greater cosplays
And such lovely music
69th like. Nice.
Great video! As someone with most of my family living in North Carolina bluegrass and the Appalachian has meant a lot to me throughout the years. Incredible to hear the history of the mountain and loving the playlist! Will be wearing a red bandana during my anarchist meetings you betcha!
You’re so god damn talented dude. Your content is going to skyrocket. Just keep cooking.
The weird thing about the minor line to me is like the whole Epstein thing is pretty big. No one other than gislaine has seen any sort of accountability. Plenty of people on his flight records aren’t even widely panned. So saying oh we need to do less for those kids seems like a really odd shot. Like of all the people who have been given too much attention I’d argue that the victims of Epstein aren’t amongst them. Follow that with some of the other lyrics and it seems like he has some pretty questionable ideas about who’s to really blame and where we should be pointing fingers.
Thanks for putting words to my thoughts, that was bothering me since I first heard it.
I don't recall all the lyrics fully, but I was under the assumption that the line about caring about kids on islands or whatever was like... saying politicians were *going* to the island, not trying to bring justice to the victims (not at all a defense of the dude of course)
I think he might just not be a guy who's used to thinking very deeply about politics.
Matt fucking Groening.
Thank you. That line doesn't get the questioning attention it deserves. It's so messy when Oliver comes out & is all like "I'm a centrist blah blah common sense blah blah"...like, no dude those aren't "centrist" views.
Love your explanation of the West Virginia Miners’ Strike and its fascinating and intentionally erased history. Few stories are as good an example of what capitalists are willing to do to keep their control over the lives of the proletariat, and how unions are the most powerful way to fight back against them (although a revolutionary proletarian socialist party is necessary to actually end capitalism).
I've wondered a lot about this, as someone who has been on SSI, Medicaid, and Medicare since I graduated college in 2011, due to a birth defect that virtually makes in unemployable. I've been sent to vocational rehabilitation, lost "benefits" because I didn't have enough documentation of my address, and even temporarily put in a facility. So many people think I'm faking or misusing the system, especially since my meds cause weight gain. The ableism and fatphobia are also in that lyric.
I vote we give Chill Goblin some company Scrip for a folk album.
The gross thing is that a lot of these politicians are well educated and know that good social programs work and prevent a lot of pain and misery. However, the populist opinion of "poor people bad", means they have to go along with it to get votes. It's easier to tap into malice than it is to actually fix things.
My mom let me buy fudge rounds (and oatmealcreampies) with quarters I found on the ground shed tell me to go look around for quarters so I could get myself a fudgeround. We didn't have wellfair out of pride.
I cried the year Mom sent the Thanksgiving hamper back indignantly bc "we weren't charity cases".
We should've been. We were.
class cucks
I'll never understand why there are so many parents who let their children go without because "muh pride". It reminds me of when my ex-boyfriend and I were both dirt poor. I told him that he qualifies for his own food stamps (I already received them due to disability, but it was only about $100). He told me with a straight face, "I'd rather starve than get food stamps". Funny how he had no problem eating the food I bought with mine, though.
Another banger video
I appreciate you leaving the mistake in with Johnnie and correcting it. The drawings are amazing.
"Solidarity Forever" is a straight banger y'all
Pete Seger itself was a really cool dude.
@@isuckatusernames4297Ralph Chaplin made solidarity forever last time I checked
@@SwedishDrunkard5963 yeah but pete seger made soem other songs too.
but yeah
videos like this are why I love RUclips. Nice blend of facts and funny commentary with cool visuals. Great job!
I absolutely appreciate this video. My Grandfather was a coal miner in West Virginia in the 1940s at 15 years old in the mine. I studied this in college as a history student as a result and wrote a very internally rewarding research paper on it. Starting with a quote from Frank Keeney was the shit.
"Blond, redhead, brunette... ginger fluid" 😂😂😂😂😂
Just watched Todd in the Shadows video about this song and was recommended this, good job algorithm
Oh hell yeah, good to know I'm downstream of his video in the algorithm river!
I heard country music described once as "Farm Emo" and i could never unhear it.
Edit*not saying its bad tho.
I would like to mention that Cesco Estep, the striker that was killed during the "Bull Moose Special" attack on the striking workers in Holly Grove, is still buried not far from where he was murdered. There was a memorial service this past spring where we tidied up his grave and paid our respects.
i like your goblin drawings. they tickle my brain in a way i can't describe
I was ready for 1h14m of Oliver Anthony song parodies
As someone who lives in Richmond, this song sparked a lot in me as most people have never heard of our city or if they have it's all from the civil war. I love the line "Rich Men north of Richmond" it's so good, if only the song's political messaging wasn't so muddled. I'd love for someone to cover/alter the song with more obviously working class lyrics I could vibe with.
Most people have never heard of Virginia's capital city?
Sixteen Tons is a banger for sure, one of my favorites from the 40's Country Hits mix my Grandpa played all the time. I grew to like a lot of it and still listen to a lot of older country on my own, on purpose.
I just heard it for the first time like 2 months ago, I have no idea how I'd not heard it, but it made me go check on the latest update on my state's longest running coal strike only to find it had ended quietly after 2 years with no new contract, ended up falling down a rabbit hole of my state's many, many coal strikes and the surprising history of attempted racial solidarity between white and black miners.
Old country is pretty much the only country that doesn't suck. And I will always have a soft spot for The Dixie Chicks.
@@justinwatson1510 Man they went thru it. Mad respect for the Chicks.
Im so happy that the algorithm is showing me new channels ive never seen before with subscriber counts only in thousands or 10s of thousands. Absolutely hilarious intro
I must say this was a super well done well researched video I learned a lot about Welfare in the States as a non American. Also you have an amazing voice!
Lying to the government for fun and profit is my new job description
#LifeGoals #Aspirational
The parodies at the beginning were so good!
You are exceptionally exceptionally well informed, intentioned talented and funny new favourite guy on this platform
"Coal minders were payed in company script, essentially fake money that could only be spent buying buying goods at the company store."
This feels... _disturbingly familiar,_ somehow.
thankfully it's illegal these days, workers must have the option of taking their pay in actual cash money dollars. of course that doesn't stop companies who keep trying to re-introduce company scrip with a ~*fun quirky*~ modern spin on it
@@TheGuindoRoblox, Amazon, Tesla... but especially Roblox for the scrip.
@@TheGuindo Get paid in crypto!
@@cericatare you saying Roblox is the means of production 😂
hoping Oliver's youtube playlist that includes antisemitic videos gets brought up
EDIT: I asked CG about it on twitter and he said he did see the playlist, but since it wasn't something Oliver was platforming he didn't want to make any assumptions about the nature of the playlist. I think it still warranted mentioning, but I recognize it's a totally fair and good-faith position to have on it
it wasn't brought up lol
@@leftieluci2292 yeah I'm at the last 4 minutes now. disappointing. I assume CG just didn't check his playlists when he went to Oliver's youtube channel. but it's not like no one brought it up, it seems like he would have run into it being mentioned in the course of research and footage collection
yeah i'd prefer to believe he didn't know about it but it's odd for sure
It is just as wasy to miss information as it is to find it.
@@amalgamfrostpink5030yea i doubt its intentional, chill goblins got a decent track record. I hadnt heard of this playlist either, but it doesnt surprise me
I'm not American and I had not heard this song until now so your initial skit confused me SO much 😂
I'm so glad to have found your channel, you have an amazing mix of humour and actual information.
I have trusted you to deliver since the colonialism-fascism video and you have not disappointed since.
Im sorry but your analysis of the lyrics to spiderman was so poignant and accurate i have to subscribe.
Hope you make more videos! Your goblin vibe is gold
I’ve never clicked on a video so fast. I don’t care what it’s about, I know it’s going to be awesome and I’m going to have to send the link to all of my favorite people
Thank you for the video. I think you are a talented and astute writer. You express complex ideas in a nuanced way. I also appreciate your comedy and amusing drawings. Keep it up, brother!
Your video def helped me feel less alone. Thank you for that.
This is one of the best videos i have ever watch!! I am completely blown away!!!
Another great piece of music about the coal wars and company towns is the album Kentucky by Panopticon.
Panopticon is a one man bluegrass black metal band and the man behind it is an anarchist. Granted this won't be for everyone seeing as black metal is pretty harsh but if you're interested then definitely give it a listen and get ahold of the lyrics.
Great video by the way, love your work.
Bro I can't believe I stumbled into a Panopticon name drop in a video about Anthony Oliver. Top marks my friend.
16 tons is such a banger that I immediately joined in when he started singing. My both windows were open and I saw an open neighbour walk by staring at me.
I am German btw.
Gods, 16 tons is such a banger.
I hope Oliver Anthony sees this vid🙏
This reminds me so much of the storyline in GLOW of Welfare Queen being played by Awesome Kong (real name Kia Stevens), discussed the issues with representation and treatment of the poorer black people, and the issues it causes for others in the racial group when it is thought to be seen as furthering stigma to apply for welfare.
I was thinking about that too.
Holy shit dude, i never thought twice about Tyler Childers but you mightve just made me a fan. Also that opening was superb my man
Fantastic. Thank you for the history of unions and the srong advocation of worker and class solidarity.
That went a lot of places and was smart and worthwhile. I appreciate you, Chill Goblin.
This is legit one of the best/most informative essays I've seen. Love it. Keep it up and smoke one for me
I show up to most new channels being like "who is this guy, I'll never subscribe to this." subscribed.
Love your vids, more enlightening than most RUclips creators. Giving me more armor in this sick world.
I know a fair few people on benefits in the UK, part of it is that they can't hold down a job. BUT they provide free childcare for people who can get jobs, they help out at the food bank (which btw, has really antisocial hours), they help out with social clubs for old people and community centres that have had local budgets cut. These people have a really bad rap in my local community because of the area I live. But the budgets to their services have been cut to hell and back, the only way that the services can continue is that you have to have people on benefits volunteer there because no one actually gets paid to do what is a full time job
42:47 in México those were called "tiendas de raya" because the acoount lodges were usually striped notebooks
Where is the “really like” button? This slaps harder than I thought possible.
I am dead at the first frame of this video. The cosplay is too good
It is worth mention that saying he is astroturfed doesnt mean that he even was aware or a psyop, just that the popularity was directly connected to extreme amounts of investment by political actors.
My mom was playing this song and as soon as I heard "welfare queen" the dog whistle alarm in my brain went off.
The biggest benefactors of welfare are corporations
huh?
dude was so close to having a class solidarity banger and ruined it by falling for fox news rhetoric.
You're hearing dog whistles because you're a trained animal. Congrats on having zero critical thinking skills.
Solidarity Forever.
A Long Violent History.
Great video, we didn't get this song in Australia so interesting to see along with all that crazy history.
Absolutely bangin' content as always, Goblin! I watched this dude Oliver Anthony's followup vid and it seems like he genuinely realizes that people on welfare are being taken advantage of as well, but he's proud of the song he made and maybe just a bit too stubborn to admit that he messed up a bit when looking for those sweet sweet rhymes. I think we can genuinely enjoy the song and when we get to the welfare part we can have a "well he made a whoopsie here and we're all aware of it, but we know what he's trying to say with this music" moment.
Having said that, let's see how wrong I am as I finish the rest of this video, hah.
I'm not convinced that he's not a more sophisticated bad actor who understands left wing rhetoric, but doesn't actually agree with it.
His video also talks about groomers being a danger which is a huge conservative talking point around restricting lgbtq rights. I think he's just a conservative who is at least fed up with Republican politicians too... but still agrees with them on most everything except the way they are rich while so many struggle. I think he sees two camps of poor people - the ones who need temporary help and the ones who cheat the system. He was singing about the latter camp.
I have family like this who I still love, so there's worse places to be. But it's still frustrating, lol. Cultural changes don't have to be scary, other people embracing their differences doesn't mean they become less important if they still want to be oldschool. And no one should have to prove they deserve to live, or have value as humans. Money shouldn't run our lives the way it does.
@@bulletsandbracelets4140 A perspective I heard that makes the most sense to me is that he's a libertarian. "I'm pretty much straight down the middle politically" is also the way a lot of libertarians describe themselves. I think a lot of people aren't considering that because the less transparently odious forms of right-libertarianism have largely fallen out of vogue since 2016.
@@aquatictrotsky1067 The groomer comment still tells me he's on the right-wing side of libertarianism. He certainly isn't on the left if he's in any way pointing at anyone on welfare (even if he clarified he isn't talking about everyone on welfare). I don't think he's as extreme as some, but I don't buy anyone "libertarian" who thinks "groomers" are a danger to kids. I know what he probably means, and freedom likely isn't something he is interested in if that's the case.
Personally, I’m grateful for the song, for no other reason than that it led me to your channel! This video was phenomenal.
Me: Oh boy another chill goblin video about the funny fat hating song.
Also me: oh no I learned another blatantly evil thing the USA did.
At least the goblin was chill.
What a fun and informative video to listen to ! Honestly mega surprised you only have 30k subs !
Hell yeah, nothing worse than becoming a fan of a creator in between uploads. Glad you're back
Pretty amusing for Tim Scott to argue about federal spending when his state receives the 11th highest amount of federal funds with the 23rd largest population.
i think my brain is incredibly broken from being online too long because that Spiderman bit was actually, _unironically_ hilarious shit to me lmaooooo what is wrong with me