Thanks for this video, and the great soccer analogy. I'd like to offer another. I'm a Rope Access technician and I identify a lot with Yossarian, because my life is literally on the line for my job. However, I must point out that he is not a fighter pilot, but a bomber (1:17). Therefore he has the most training of any person of the team, but his life is in the hands of those around him while he concentrates on a specific skilled task.
I really appreciated this short video! I already knew the espression "catch-22" but the first time I listened to it was in a 1990s song (Walking contradiction by Green Day) and I didn't understand the meaning. Then, after several years, I read the book and finally it was clear!
Maybe in Italian it'd be 'un cane che si morde la coda' or 'una situazione paradossale', but I'd go for the first one. Thanks a lot for the useful short lesson
yes, also to me it seems: 'il cane che si morde la coda', that literally translated would become' 'the dog that bites his own tail', so 'catch 22' in English. Interesting! Thanks
Thanks for the video! I linked it on one of my blog posts that talks about catch 22 situations in confirmation bias. I come from Brazil, and although in Portuguese we don't have an exact match to the "catch 22" term, we often say "beco sem saída" for similar situations, which means "dead end" or "no outlet." Once again, thanks for sharing the video and explanation!
We here in Egypt have the expression of vicious circle as well , and we sometimes say ( the egg or the chicken ) which means which comes first the egg or the chicken .Thanks Ben for all your effort
My last job was a Catch 22. If i ask for reasonable help and clarification then they act like the job may be too much for me to handle. If i dont ask for help then i get in trouble for not going through procedures. If i follow the flawed procedures i get in trouble. If i dont i get in trouble. Its a Catch 22 + Dont Shoot the messenger.
Your video was most helpful and inspiring! It got me to think about catch-22-situations and how to escape them. Here are my thoughts presented as a short essay: Navigating the Paradox: Strategies for Escaping Catch-22 Situations and Making Them Obsolete A Catch-22 situation is inherently paradoxical, often frustrating, and at times, seemingly inescapable. Defined by a set of circumstances that offer no clear escape or solution, it can cause a sense of helplessness and perpetual entrapment. It is rooted in laws, regulations, or practices that victimize individuals irrespective of their actions. Despite these complexities, there are ways to navigate and potentially escape these situations, which will be the focus of this essay. Recognizing the Catch-22: The first step is recognizing when you're in a Catch-22 situation. These circumstances often present themselves as an infinite loop of conditions, where one's actions lead back to the initial problematic situation. You must identify the circular logic or paradoxical conditions that perpetuate the problem. Reframe the Situation: Often, the entrapment in a Catch-22 stems from a narrow perspective or restricted thinking. When we view the situation from a different angle, the constraints may not seem so binding. It involves challenging the status quo, questioning the rules, and identifying assumptions that may not necessarily hold. Look for the Third Option: Typically, a Catch-22 presents only two options, both leading to trouble. However, this binary perception is often a construct of the situation rather than a reality. Creativity can lead to a third option, a workaround, that is not readily apparent. This requires thinking outside the box and not limiting oneself to the choices presented. Leverage the Power of Time: Often, Catch-22 situations are not permanent. Variables may change over time, creating opportunities to escape the predicament. Patience, resilience, and a keen understanding of these changing variables can often provide unexpected avenues to resolve the situation. Enlist External Help: In some situations, an external perspective can be invaluable. Someone not entangled in the Catch-22 may see alternative solutions or can use their influence or resources to change the circumstances. This help could come from a mentor, a mediator, or an industry expert, depending on the nature of the situation. Challenging and Changing the Rules: The rules that create Catch-22 situations are often man-made, meaning they can be changed. If you're dealing with institutional Catch-22s, consider working towards changing the policy or regulation. This requires lobbying, creating awareness, and gathering support from others affected by the same issues. Mitigating the Impact of Catch-22: In some cases, escaping the Catch-22 might be impossible. Here, the goal shifts to mitigating its impact. This might involve developing coping strategies, creating contingency plans, or learning to operate within the constraints without letting it negatively impact your well-being. Conclusion: While Catch-22 situations are frustrating and challenging, they are not always insurmountable. The keys to navigating these complex circumstances are creative problem-solving, patience, external perspectives, and a willingness to challenge and change the rules. Even when escape is impossible, mitigating the impact of the situation can make it obsolete over time. By reframing our perspective and broadening our approach, we can lessen the paradoxical hold of a Catch-22 on our lives.
In Polish translation, Heller's book is titled "Paragraf 22" and we use that as the same phrase as Catch 22. I have to admit, that I've never read that book and you just inspired me to read it in English. Greetings from Poland!
It seams that the meaning of catch 22 overlaps another expression - vicious circle. The latter is present in Polish - błędne koło :) many thanks for your videos !
Hello, Ben! When I was watching your video I thought about similar situation: when I was smaller my mother used to say that I haven't experience to do something, but when I didn't do this thing she asked me: why don't you do it? So yes, it was a catch 22-situation
In Polish we'd probably say something along the lines of "sytuacja bez wyjścia" which loosely translates to "a situation without a way out" Though I've never heard that phrase in English, gotta add it to my list
Thanks for the explanation , I 've just come across your site here and I must say I really enjoyed listening to the video and the commentator.Hats off to you ! A catch22 situation is rendered as "une situation difficile" in French ( I'm French) or " Eine Zwickmühle " in German .The German expression is like the english one , it sounds more explicit in the nature of the situation at hand .On the contrary, the French explanation is relatively general and can apply to lots of cases.
Thank you so much Ben, I watched your videos , all of them in order tò refresh my English since I had scheduled C2 Oral and written certification through Language cert a while ago and...I passed them, thank you very much.
Hello dear professor Your lessons are really interesting and crucial, thank you so much for your help and advice,i do appreciate your job,i wish you peace and happiness under the sky of prosperity ,all the best. Take care and have a good time.
I have forgotten about this phrase or this book. The last time I heard it and went through so many catch 22 was in the 70s. For me its more than 30 years since I been in any catch 22 situations. 😮
Kinda similar is "to search for glasses without them" as you would need glasses to see but if you had them you wouldn't need to search for them. And another nice example would be locking your key behind a door that that key opens. You need the key to get in but you don't get in without the key.
Thank you very much for this entertaining video, Ben! In German the equivalent for the term “a catch-22 situation” is the noun “Zwickmühle”, which can also mean “quandary” or “dilemma”. In fact, this word is composed of the root “Zwick-“ and the noun “Mühle”, which means “mill”. The verb “zwicken”, on the other hand, translates as “to pinch”, “to twinge”, “to twitch”, or “to tweak”. What do you think about this? 🤔 Kind regards, Anna
I still remember how one of my Australian friends explained this phrase to me when I first heard of it. It was poorly explained I must say (we were still teenagers). 🤣 Finally, I've learnt exactly what it means just now.
I do have a Catch 22 example, and that is: my current life (more seriously, in Portuguese we don't have one? but Ben's examples were good and to the point (ha! get it?))
At my old kob, there was a major catch... When getting a translator for a client, they to tell you in English that they nneeded a translator. Another individual couldn't translate for them, like a parent or relative, but if they say its their translator, you had to take it since they said its their translator
In my native language we had the tradition of putting things/goods on donkeys for internal traveling, so if the Donkey hates to use it as a vehicle, it decides to escape into another place but the one who gets it will use as a vehicle too. Thus its satuation is catch-22 satuation. We use this expression when we see someone runs from bad satuation to another bad satuation. Take care everyday!!
As a EU citizen in the UK - there was a time when you had to prove you have a job to get your National Insurance number - but you couldn't be employed if you didn't have one already
I am a UK citizen, but I spent my teenage years abroad. UK is horrible for this. 😀 The other classic one is "proof of address." To open a bank account, you need to show a proof of address, which can be a water bill, gas bill, phone bill or a BANK STATEMENT. I had _just_ moved there. I was staying with family. I didn't have any bills in my name. And how could I have a UK bank statement when they won't even let me open a bank account? 🙄 I can't even remember how I solved that in the end.
@@caliente-frio3966 Same thing happened to me when I came to the UK, 8 years ago. And I'm about to go in Spain and that's the same thing again. You need an NIE to get anything, but you need one of those things to get an NIE. The solution is to find someone or something who doesn't follow the rules :) You are TECHNICALLY not able to move into plenty of countries without breaking at least one of the rules of that country. The worst part is that no one care about illegal immigration so, only people trying to get there legally are bothered by those rules...
I think we in Arabic call it the dilemma of the egg and chicken. of course evolution showed us recently that the chicken came first. but the older generations didn't know that, so they posited the question 'which comes first? the chicken or the egg?' as unanswerable. that's the closest example to 'catch 22' I can think of.
I've got an example that I heard on a podcast a while ago. There was a celebrity guest, talking about his mental health and whatnot. He said that his recent weight gain was making him depressed. He saw a doctor about it, who prescribed him antidepressants. Now, one of the side effects of taking these pills was weight gain. So, the catch-22 is: He's depressed because he's overweight, so he takes antidepressants. But the antidepressants are making him gain more weight, which then makes him more depressed.
I think this is an example. I got into a debate online with a guy. He said that educated women are “marrying down” to men who aren’t as educated/successful as them and I told him that I’m an educated man who is a nurse and my wife is a nursing assistant and I’m more educated and successful than my wife, so did I marry down? He was in what I believe in a Catch 22 situation because he didn’t want to say “yes, you married down” because that would insult all women but at the same time, he couldn’t say no because that would contradict his whole argument.
A good example is the middle income trap. The country went from dirt poor to being somewhere in the middle, because it has low labour costs, so it attracts capital from rich countries. But it cannot improve and become a rich country itself, because the very thing that made it attractive is low labour costs, so if the wages get higher, the capital will flow to cheaper countries instead.
hi im an illustrator and something that idk sounds kinda like a sort of like a catch 22 but not sure if it is is i occasionally get people that approach me telling me they want to draw but they can't want to do so because they aren't talented, i tell them they just need to practice and its not about talent and they respond with they can't practice cause they can't draw can't draw cause not talented/skilled, can't practice cause they can't draw. its an odd sort of like weird self imposed catch 22 in a way...
We don't have such a phrase in Polish but the situation is very typical. We joke about Ash Ketchum being the best employee ever because he is 10 and has about 20 years of experience (because he never aged). Thanks for the video :)
My country Ukraine says to NATO: allow us to join you to be able to protect us from putin. To which NATO says: that is out of the question, because we want Ukraine to protect us from putin. Catch 22?
Example: The stomach is hurting because Sam has not eaten yet. Sam needs the food to stop the stomach ache. But the stomach ache must stop in order for Sam to retrieve the food.
Talking about West Ham i do hope our Italian striker Scamacca it's going to be your real present top player, he does need a foreign experience in Premier League to improve personally and professionaly 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹 Catch 22 situation is Man Utd: they buy expensive players to win Premier League, but all the players they've been purchasing are not good enough to win something!
I am retired and living in Thailand. You can't qualify for Thailand's retirement visa without having aThai bank account. But you can't get a Thai bank account without having the retirement visa. Catch-22
A good example of a Catch-22 that I like is the interrogations that were done in America during Cold War. American citizens would be accused of being communists, and those that the interrogators thought were communists were put on a blacklist. Being on the blacklist meant that you would lose your job. Guaranteed. When you were accused of being a communist, YOU had to prove to THEM that you were not. However, contradictory conditions made it impossible. Simplified, it would go as follows: "Are you a communist?" - "Yes" You just said you are a communist, therefore you are - "No" That's what a communist would say. You are lying to them. -"I have the right to not answer thanks to the fifth amendment" You do not want to answer, so you're definitely hiding something.
Thank u so much to make it easy & fun. En español lo explica muy bien wordreference: It's a real Catch-22: to get a job you need experience, but to get experience you need a job. Es un verdadero círculo vicioso: para conseguir trabajo necesitas experiencia y para ganar experiencia necesitas un trabajo. “Paradoja”
Because right now is on the wave the "Elvis" movie, I started to listen his songs, where I found a word which is very hard to translate with an electronic dictionary, the word is "beckoning"😁. Could you please explain that word for me.
Unless you don´t have a steady job, the bank won`t give you a loan, and only if you get a loan , you probably will be able to purchase a property. In Spain this situation is so-called " la pescadilla que se muerde la cola"
It's a puzzle without a solution. For example, if Harry wants to meet his cousin Mary with the hopes of getting married to her, but to get to know her well, Mary has to live with him. So, Harry asks her to stay a few weeks with him. So, Mary says, "well, I'll only stay with you, if you promise to treat me as if we were brother and sister." So, as they live together as brother and sister, but because of how they treat each other, they start getting the Westernmark Syndrome. At the end of the weeks, they talked so much as brother and sister that they feel horrified to imagine talking about sex and even having sex. So, they lose interest in each other and Harry doesn't end up marrying Mary. As you get closer to the solution, there's something that pushes away the solution. There's no resolve.
Catch 22- Can't go to college without money. Can't get a job without car. Can't get a car without job. Right now I found a way to go to college however my money is depleting so I need a job. But I still have not enough money to buy a car. So can't have job without car and can't finish college without the money from the job.
Aqui onde eu moro as garotas gostam de sair com os caras que ja saem com outras garotas ou ja estao comprometidos, um garoto que não pega ninguém não vai sair com uma garota dessas, pois para sair com elas ele precisa sair com outras garotas primeiro... Catch 22.
@@tothepointenglishwithben.I appreciate your short. Video. .the Illustrations are apt and precise. Just being curious, do the English expressions, "caught between and betwixt", , and " between the devil and the deep sea" mean the same as "catch-22 "?
You need decent education for a decent payed job but university costs for a decent education HAHAHAHA You go into the job centre with a list of jobs for yourself that is appropriate and your capable of doing BUT your list of jobs are taken by people outside the job centre not needing the job centre to get jobs AHAHAHA so then the job centre tell you what jobs YOU can do AHAHAHA
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Ben just to let you know that I absolutely love the short lessons because they're not overwhelming. Simple yet effective:) all the best from Poland.
Glad you like them, Anna 🙂
true👍😊❤
I need my glasses to find my glasses. But I can't find my glasses
A solution to that can be to ask someone to find your glasses for you.
Hmmm, maybe you just need to, never madeit to the doctor? That one seems more,obvious
Thanks for this video, and the great soccer analogy. I'd like to offer another. I'm a Rope Access technician and I identify a lot with Yossarian, because my life is literally on the line for my job. However, I must point out that he is not a fighter pilot, but a bomber (1:17). Therefore he has the most training of any person of the team, but his life is in the hands of those around him while he concentrates on a specific skilled task.
I really appreciated this short video!
I already knew the espression "catch-22" but the first time I listened to it was in a 1990s song (Walking contradiction by Green Day) and I didn't understand the meaning. Then, after several years, I read the book and finally it was clear!
What a cool lesson! In Italy we said È UN VANE CHE SI MORDE LA CODA a dog biting his own tail
Maybe in Italian it'd be 'un cane che si morde la coda' or 'una situazione paradossale', but I'd go for the first one. Thanks a lot for the useful short lesson
Similar to italian, in spanish "el pez que se muerde la cola" o "una paradoja "
Similar in Spanish,"es la pescadilla que se muerde la cola". 😊
@@pedropabloguijarrogarcia2575 Thanks!
@@luisacordon7207 Thank you!
yes, also to me it seems: 'il cane che si morde la coda', that literally translated would become' 'the dog that bites his own tail', so 'catch 22' in English. Interesting! Thanks
Thanks for the video! I linked it on one of my blog posts that talks about catch 22 situations in confirmation bias. I come from Brazil, and although in Portuguese we don't have an exact match to the "catch 22" term, we often say "beco sem saída" for similar situations, which means "dead end" or "no outlet." Once again, thanks for sharing the video and explanation!
We here in Egypt have the expression of vicious circle as well , and we sometimes say ( the egg or the chicken ) which means which comes first the egg or the chicken .Thanks Ben for all your effort
My last job was a Catch 22. If i ask for reasonable help and clarification then they act like the job may be too much for me to handle. If i dont ask for help then i get in trouble for not going through procedures. If i follow the flawed procedures i get in trouble. If i dont i get in trouble.
Its a Catch 22 + Dont Shoot the messenger.
Thanks a lot for these explanations, Ben!
My pleasure 🙂
Your video was most helpful and inspiring!
It got me to think about catch-22-situations and how to escape them.
Here are my thoughts presented as a short essay:
Navigating the Paradox: Strategies for Escaping Catch-22 Situations and Making Them Obsolete
A Catch-22 situation is inherently paradoxical, often frustrating, and at times, seemingly inescapable. Defined by a set of circumstances that offer no clear escape or solution, it can cause a sense of helplessness and perpetual entrapment. It is rooted in laws, regulations, or practices that victimize individuals irrespective of their actions. Despite these complexities, there are ways to navigate and potentially escape these situations, which will be the focus of this essay.
Recognizing the Catch-22:
The first step is recognizing when you're in a Catch-22 situation. These circumstances often present themselves as an infinite loop of conditions, where one's actions lead back to the initial problematic situation. You must identify the circular logic or paradoxical conditions that perpetuate the problem.
Reframe the Situation:
Often, the entrapment in a Catch-22 stems from a narrow perspective or restricted thinking. When we view the situation from a different angle, the constraints may not seem so binding. It involves challenging the status quo, questioning the rules, and identifying assumptions that may not necessarily hold.
Look for the Third Option:
Typically, a Catch-22 presents only two options, both leading to trouble. However, this binary perception is often a construct of the situation rather than a reality. Creativity can lead to a third option, a workaround, that is not readily apparent. This requires thinking outside the box and not limiting oneself to the choices presented.
Leverage the Power of Time:
Often, Catch-22 situations are not permanent. Variables may change over time, creating opportunities to escape the predicament. Patience, resilience, and a keen understanding of these changing variables can often provide unexpected avenues to resolve the situation.
Enlist External Help:
In some situations, an external perspective can be invaluable. Someone not entangled in the Catch-22 may see alternative solutions or can use their influence or resources to change the circumstances. This help could come from a mentor, a mediator, or an industry expert, depending on the nature of the situation.
Challenging and Changing the Rules:
The rules that create Catch-22 situations are often man-made, meaning they can be changed. If you're dealing with institutional Catch-22s, consider working towards changing the policy or regulation. This requires lobbying, creating awareness, and gathering support from others affected by the same issues.
Mitigating the Impact of Catch-22:
In some cases, escaping the Catch-22 might be impossible. Here, the goal shifts to mitigating its impact. This might involve developing coping strategies, creating contingency plans, or learning to operate within the constraints without letting it negatively impact your well-being.
Conclusion:
While Catch-22 situations are frustrating and challenging, they are not always insurmountable. The keys to navigating these complex circumstances are creative problem-solving, patience, external perspectives, and a willingness to challenge and change the rules. Even when escape is impossible, mitigating the impact of the situation can make it obsolete over time. By reframing our perspective and broadening our approach, we can lessen the paradoxical hold of a Catch-22 on our lives.
Wow! Very impressive
In Polish translation, Heller's book is titled "Paragraf 22" and we use that as the same phrase as Catch 22. I have to admit, that I've never read that book and you just inspired me to read it in English. Greetings from Poland!
Great! Hope you like it 🙂
@@tothepointenglishwithben. Could you also say here
Hope you'll like it? 🤔
It seams that the meaning of catch 22 overlaps another expression - vicious circle. The latter is present in Polish - błędne koło :) many thanks for your videos !
Yes, the meaning is similar but often used in a different context
I loved this video! Thanks. En español diríamos 'es un círculo vicioso'.
Seguro? No me parece que sea esa la frase. Estoy tratando de pensar en una!
I have never heard about this, it is really curious, probably in Spanish we would say “es la pescadilla que se muerde la cola”. Thank you so much Ben
Pure true pure english pure information of course
Finally I get it!! Thank you
Hello, Ben! When I was watching your video I thought about similar situation: when I was smaller my mother used to say that I haven't experience to do something, but when I didn't do this thing she asked me: why don't you do it? So yes, it was a catch 22-situation
Just great!
In Polish we'd probably say something along the lines of "sytuacja bez wyjścia" which loosely translates to "a situation without a way out"
Though I've never heard that phrase in English, gotta add it to my list
Or " patowa sytuacja" - stalemate, deadlock
albo ,, bledne kolo ''
Thanks for the explanation , I 've just come across your site here and I must say I really enjoyed listening to the video and the commentator.Hats off to you !
A catch22 situation is rendered as "une situation difficile" in French ( I'm French) or " Eine Zwickmühle " in German .The German expression is like the english one , it sounds more explicit in the nature of the situation at hand .On the contrary, the French explanation is relatively general and can apply to lots of cases.
I miss for long lessons buy enjoy short ones anyway! Anything from you is the greatest. Thanks, Ben!
Is it a synonym for the very Trolley problem?
No. The trolley problem has simple but ethically challenging solutions
@@tothepointenglishwithben. Th trolley problem...Ben, could you....elaborate on that, pls?
😊
Love it.. That is why we have lies and alternative realities. I am always aiming for "catch- 11-78"..
thank you very much,I can't really remember a similar term or expression in Arabic I think its a cultural thing
It's similar to "Zihar" in Surah 58.
Thanx for that explanation mate.
Thank you so much Ben, I watched your videos , all of them in order tò refresh my English since I had scheduled C2 Oral and written certification through Language cert a while ago and...I passed them, thank you very much.
Hello dear professor
Your lessons are really interesting and crucial, thank you so much for your help and advice,i do appreciate your job,i wish you peace and happiness under the sky of prosperity ,all the best.
Take care and have a good time.
Very interesting Ben, thank you 😊 hope you’re sound 😊
Sound as a pound... thanks, Elena! Hope you're well, too! 🙂
@@tothepointenglishwithben. Can’t complain Ben 😊 have a nice day, cheers 😊
I have forgotten about this phrase or this book. The last time I heard it and went through so many catch 22 was in the 70s. For me its more than 30 years since I been in any catch 22 situations. 😮
great & useful 👍
thanks
from Gilgit-Baltistan😊❤❤
In Russian it would be «замкнутый круг» (vicious circle)
In Czech it would be ‘začarovaný kruh’ ( same meaning)
Kinda similar is "to search for glasses without them" as you would need glasses to see but if you had them you wouldn't need to search for them.
And another nice example would be locking your key behind a door that that key opens. You need the key to get in but you don't get in without the key.
Ben, good to see you again gaffer. Greetings from Casablanca Morocco. Bye for now and stay mellow.
Very interesting. I like the story behind the phrase.
Sometimes we say in Polish "kwadratura koła" which means "squaring the circle" :)
Thank you very much for this entertaining video, Ben!
In German the equivalent for the term “a catch-22 situation” is the noun “Zwickmühle”, which can also mean “quandary” or “dilemma”. In fact, this word is composed of the root “Zwick-“ and the noun “Mühle”, which means “mill”. The verb “zwicken”, on the other hand, translates as “to pinch”, “to twinge”, “to twitch”, or “to tweak”.
What do you think about this? 🤔
Kind regards,
Anna
Thank you very much❤
I still remember how one of my Australian friends explained this phrase to me when I first heard of it. It was poorly explained I must say (we were still teenagers). 🤣 Finally, I've learnt exactly what it means just now.
Thanks! ✨✨✨✨
Very precise and short , 👍
Share us that how non native Learn English easily as they just focused on grammar but it's not fruitful.
I do have a Catch 22 example, and that is: my current life
(more seriously, in Portuguese we don't have one? but Ben's examples were good and to the point (ha! get it?))
😀👍
You've got Scamacca my friend. A very good and talented italian player. He has a huge potential as well.
Yes. He looks very good. I expect him to score a lot of goals for us this season 🙂
At my old kob, there was a major catch...
When getting a translator for a client, they to tell you in English that they nneeded a translator. Another individual couldn't translate for them, like a parent or relative, but if they say its their translator, you had to take it since they said its their translator
In my native language we had the tradition of putting things/goods on donkeys for internal traveling, so if the Donkey hates to use it as a vehicle, it decides to escape into another place but the one who gets it will use as a vehicle too.
Thus its satuation is catch-22 satuation.
We use this expression when we see someone runs from bad satuation to another bad satuation.
Take care everyday!!
Interesting example!
As a EU citizen in the UK - there was a time when you had to prove you have a job to get your National Insurance number - but you couldn't be employed if you didn't have one already
I am a UK citizen, but I spent my teenage years abroad. UK is horrible for this. 😀
The other classic one is "proof of address." To open a bank account, you need to show a proof of address, which can be a water bill, gas bill, phone bill or a BANK STATEMENT.
I had _just_ moved there. I was staying with family. I didn't have any bills in my name. And how could I have a UK bank statement when they won't even let me open a bank account? 🙄
I can't even remember how I solved that in the end.
@@caliente-frio3966 Same thing happened to me when I came to the UK, 8 years ago. And I'm about to go in Spain and that's the same thing again. You need an NIE to get anything, but you need one of those things to get an NIE.
The solution is to find someone or something who doesn't follow the rules :) You are TECHNICALLY not able to move into plenty of countries without breaking at least one of the rules of that country. The worst part is that no one care about illegal immigration so, only people trying to get there legally are bothered by those rules...
En español "es la pescadilla que se muerde la cola".
Y también “el pez que se muerde la cola”….
Hello. In Spanish it would be "el huevo o la gallina"
Thank you sir❤
My happiness vs other's happiness 😊
I think we in Arabic call it the dilemma of the egg and chicken.
of course evolution showed us recently that the chicken came first. but the older generations didn't know that, so they posited the question 'which comes first? the chicken or the egg?' as unanswerable. that's the closest example to 'catch 22' I can think of.
I've got an example that I heard on a podcast a while ago.
There was a celebrity guest, talking about his mental health and whatnot. He said that his recent weight gain was making him depressed. He saw a doctor about it, who prescribed him antidepressants. Now, one of the side effects of taking these pills was weight gain. So, the catch-22 is:
He's depressed because he's overweight, so he takes antidepressants. But the antidepressants are making him gain more weight, which then makes him more depressed.
I think this is an example. I got into a debate online with a guy. He said that educated women are “marrying down” to men who aren’t as educated/successful as them and I told him that I’m an educated man who is a nurse and my wife is a nursing assistant and I’m more educated and successful than my wife, so did I marry down? He was in what I believe in a Catch 22 situation because he didn’t want to say “yes, you married down” because that would insult all women but at the same time, he couldn’t say no because that would contradict his whole argument.
I've heard this on a Greenday song, and always wanted to know what it means. Thanks
Me too. Walking Contradiction
Got a question as regards this expression. Could we say that the horrible situation humans face in the movie " War Z" is a catch -22 one?
Also a good ska band.
A good example is the middle income trap. The country went from dirt poor to being somewhere in the middle, because it has low labour costs, so it attracts capital from rich countries. But it cannot improve and become a rich country itself, because the very thing that made it attractive is low labour costs, so if the wages get higher, the capital will flow to cheaper countries instead.
Well.. west ham..🎉🎉
Thank you, Ben! Great lesson! In Ukrainian we have an expression "патова ситуація", it came from chess and means "a situation without way out".
патова ситуація - this is dead end. A bit of different
@@marinazeider6856 this is dead end it's матова ситуація🙂
hi im an illustrator and something that idk sounds kinda like a sort of like a catch 22 but not sure if it is is
i occasionally get people that approach me telling me
they want to draw but they can't want to do so because they aren't talented, i tell them they just need to practice and its not about talent and they respond with they can't practice cause they can't draw
can't draw cause not talented/skilled, can't practice cause they can't draw.
its an odd sort of like weird self imposed catch 22 in a way...
We don't have such a phrase in Polish but the situation is very typical. We joke about Ash Ketchum being the best employee ever because he is 10 and has about 20 years of experience (because he never aged). Thanks for the video :)
Hi. In Poland saying "Paragraf 22" is known. Maybe it isn't so popular but yes, it works and it's used.
@@EngineerAW of course it's used
We joke about Ash Ketchum.... What do you mean? Never heard if it ?
And I'm Polish 😊
My country Ukraine says to NATO: allow us to join you to be able to protect us from putin.
To which NATO says: that is out of the question, because we want Ukraine to protect us from putin.
Catch 22?
More or less
I need land to do farming.. I need to do farming to earn money to buy land.Its a catch 22 situation.
Is this correct?
Yes 👍
"A dog biting his tail", is there something similar in English?
Example: The stomach is hurting because Sam has not eaten yet. Sam needs the food to stop the stomach ache. But the stomach ache must stop in order for Sam to retrieve the food.
Good one 👍
I would say in Spanish...la pescadilla que se muerde la cola
Talking about West Ham i do hope our Italian striker Scamacca it's going to be your real present top player, he does need a foreign experience in Premier League to improve personally and professionaly 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹 Catch 22 situation is Man Utd: they buy expensive players to win Premier League, but all the players they've been purchasing are not good enough to win something!
Scamacca is my new favourite player 😃
Ben sir...,....
I am retired and living in Thailand. You can't qualify for Thailand's retirement visa without having aThai bank account. But you can't get a Thai bank account without having the retirement visa. Catch-22
A good example of a Catch-22 that I like is the interrogations that were done in America during Cold War. American citizens would be accused of being communists, and those that the interrogators thought were communists were put on a blacklist. Being on the blacklist meant that you would lose your job. Guaranteed.
When you were accused of being a communist, YOU had to prove to THEM that you were not. However, contradictory conditions made it impossible.
Simplified, it would go as follows: "Are you a communist?"
- "Yes"
You just said you are a communist, therefore you are
- "No"
That's what a communist would say. You are lying to them.
-"I have the right to not answer thanks to the fifth amendment"
You do not want to answer, so you're definitely hiding something.
As a foreigner, in Switzerland you need a residence permit to get an apartment for rent, however you need a rent to get the permit.
Good example 🙂
Thank u so much to make it easy & fun.
En español lo explica muy bien wordreference:
It's a real Catch-22: to get a job you need experience, but to get experience you need a job.
Es un verdadero círculo vicioso: para conseguir trabajo necesitas experiencia y para ganar experiencia necesitas un trabajo. “Paradoja”
Circulo vicioso in Spanish, I dare say!
La pescadilla que se muerde la cola I would say
Read the book. He was a bombardier, not a fighter pilot.
Because right now is on the wave the "Elvis" movie, I started to listen his songs, where I found a word which is very hard to translate with an electronic dictionary, the word is "beckoning"😁. Could you please explain that word for me.
It's from the verb to beckon which means to call someone by gesturing with one's hand.
@@tothepointenglishwithben. Thank you, thank you very much😎🍷
@@gheorghechilnicean5530 "beckoning candle..." when the candle is starting to die out....
In french with have this expression "c'est un puit sans fond" = its a bottomless pit!
Unless you don´t have a steady job, the bank won`t give you a loan, and only if you get a loan , you probably will be able to purchase a property. In Spain this situation is so-called " la pescadilla que se muerde la cola"
OMG, Ben, you could not be more handsome and magnetic. I know that remark is quite shocking, sorry about that (but I cannot help it).
In Spain we say "la pescadilla que se muerde la cola"
Grandfather clause
It's a puzzle without a solution.
For example, if Harry wants to meet his cousin Mary with the hopes of getting married to her, but to get to know her well, Mary has to live with him.
So, Harry asks her to stay a few weeks with him.
So, Mary says, "well, I'll only stay with you, if you promise to treat me as if we were brother and sister."
So, as they live together as brother and sister, but because of how they treat each other, they start getting the Westernmark Syndrome.
At the end of the weeks, they talked so much as brother and sister that they feel horrified to imagine talking about sex and even having sex.
So, they lose interest in each other and Harry doesn't end up marrying Mary.
As you get closer to the solution, there's something that pushes away the solution. There's no resolve.
Catch 22- Can't go to college without money. Can't get a job without car. Can't get a car without job. Right now I found a way to go to college however my money is depleting so I need a job. But I still have not enough money to buy a car. So can't have job without car and can't finish college without the money from the job.
in Hungarian:
pike caught by a fox
8 ന്ടേ പണി - 😊 Malayalam informal way
Catch 22 situation: what is first? The egg or the hen?
The same thing is happening to Manchester United, they have to overpay players as they don't play Champion.
In Catalan we say 'És el peix que es mossega la cua'. Literally, it's the fish bitting its tail.
Aqui onde eu moro as garotas gostam de sair com os caras que ja saem com outras garotas ou ja estao comprometidos, um garoto que não pega ninguém não vai sair com uma garota dessas, pois para sair com elas ele precisa sair com outras garotas primeiro... Catch 22.
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Začarovaný kruh (Czech expression)
Reason im here is because i Just passed a car with carplate catch22 😂
Beef.
This sentence is False
😆 and I never lie!
@@tothepointenglishwithben.I appreciate your short. Video. .the Illustrations are apt and precise. Just being curious, do the English expressions, "caught between and betwixt", , and " between the devil and the deep sea" mean the same as "catch-22 "?
You need decent education for a decent payed job but university costs for a decent education HAHAHAHA
You go into the job centre with a list of jobs for yourself that is appropriate and your capable of doing BUT your list of jobs are taken by people outside the job centre not needing the job centre to get jobs AHAHAHA so then the job centre tell you what jobs YOU can do AHAHAHA