Sure you can argue that your financial situation is a bit better, but the power dynamics between yourself and owners is still the same regardless if you make a lot or a little and more importantly, salaries change. When your job isn’t considered competitive anymore you’ll be in the same boat or if you get laid off or you get sick, etc.

I mean the difference between them and they employees is that they can sell their restaurant when they want to quit at a good profit while their employees have to leave with only the clothes on their back.

The Swedish union IF Metal is currently striking on Tesla, and the conflict has resulted in many other unions entering their own strikes targeting Tesla in solidarity. One of them, SEKO which handles deliveries have prevented Tesla from acquiring license plates and they have sued the Swedish government for this because Tesla cannot get their license plates now.

For the other strikers they’ve used all manner of underhanded tactics to dodge the strike. Scabs, alternative suppliers for foreign countries, etc.

They’re fighting tooth and nail against unions. It’s disgraceful.

Nationalize your enterprise? Or better yet, convert it to a cooperative and give the profits directly to the employees?

That’s why they hate things like welfare or full employment. They need a desperate army of reserve labor to keep wages low.

I love this guy! He has made so many more insightful videos about similar topics.

You’re being melodramatic! As if there’s any democracy in parliamentarism anyway! You’re basically telling me that people who challenge their society gets arrested and some might die. I don’t sympathize with people willing to sacrifice themselves for a state or a nation. That’s foolish, especially when this state has been defeated! The geographical location of Ukraine has been Russian for a very long time and I’m curious what you think Ukrainian (as opposed to Russian) culture even is. The state of Ukraine is barely 33 years old! Additionally Russia organizes itself into regions with varying levels of autonomy, sometimes regions with very high autonomy. It’s not like a country such as Poland or Czechia where there’s little difference between the regions.

You’re wrong about the outcome of nuclear war. The only way only Russia is exterminated by nuclear war would be 1) If the US would attack first and 2) If they resign to their fate without retaliating or 3) it happens in your fantasy. 1 and 2 are highly unlikely. 3 is guaranteed but not helpful.

It’s true that MLs hate America as it exists right now. Even if you ignore all of the other faults of USA, they’re the primary enforcer of capitalism after all. America effectively runs the world, holds the exchange currency of the world, decides international law (especially surrounding the internet and intellectual property) and isn’t held accountable by anything or anyone, not even its own citizens. The reason why MLs might support many of Americas enemies is because America decides to be enemies with Marxist-Leninist states. You have to ask yourself how reasonable it is to have a country consistently deciding to make enemies of other countries because they run a different society. Russia however isn’t Marxist-Leninist so MLs don’t have a stake in defending Russia.

Most people are pawns, not just Ukrainians. Like I said; we’re slaves and additionally many are undereducated and uninformed. If people want to truly be their own people they should aspire to break free from capitalist propaganda but many just eat it right up. Even you seem to treat Ukrainians like pawns since you believe that so many will be unable to live in Russia, maybe you should give them more credit than that?

If defending yourself against a fascist invasion is pro war, so be it. Let me ask you: what the fuck was ukraine supposed to do? Lay down their weapons? Let the orks kill their men, rape their women and children? Should we let countries invade eachother for no fucking reason? Or should we fight back and try our hardest to defeat tyranny?

I wholeheartedly support people seeking to protect their loved ones, but war isn’t that. War is when you fight for a capitalist state in order to reach their political goals. That’s true both in offense as well as in defense. For Russia that interest is to steal Ukrainian land to reach Putin’s flimsy goals, whereas for Ukraine, it’s to preserve the independence and integrity of their country. But unless you’re looking at something like literal nazis who are looking to exterminate you, then you’re not looking at death when you get defeated, you instead have new management. The Ukrainian people doesn’t disappear because Ukraine disappears.

The path toward war isn’t instant. Ukraine has a history with Russia that can easily put them at odds with Russian interests. Their previous governments understood this and tried to keep a good relationship with Russia. War was the price they had to pay for rejecting Russia and moving closer to Europe and USA. Belarus doesn’t have this problem because they managed to collaborate with Russia. In a world where might makes right (like in capitalist worlds), then this is the logical outcome of geopolitical competition. The obvious way to protect the interests of the Ukrainian state would have been to keep the nuclear weapons because then they could at least threaten Russia with nuclear war. That’s how geopolitics works in capitalism.

The best way to protect the interest of the people would be to have socialist governments in both countries. Then there would be no need for war.

And once again and I will never stop saying this: ruzzia started this war. Not Ukraine. They are defending themselves. Kremlin always has a choice, for Ukraine, not fighting means certain death. War does not justify any means because there js no justification. Its a brutal invasion.

For Ukraine not fighting means death of the state. You seem to think that Ukrainian state and the people are the same, but they’re not. Workers are workers independent of state. We are just slaves to be used by the capitalist states as they wish and we shouldn’t be loyal to them just like we should be loyal to our employers. Russia has chosen to use their slaves to invade Ukraine and that most certainly means death and destruction (especially considering how Russia’s military has conducted the war) so to end the war is to conclude the war as quickly as possible.

Ukraine can surrender, although I don’t think that’s a good option. Especially for the sake of setting a precedent in geopolitics since that means that (like you said); it validates the invasion and wars of conquest which is a bad thing and shouldn’t be validated.

But once again I will reiterate I don’t expect Russia to give up either. The conflict will therefore continue until either Russia decides that they can’t fight anymore or Ukraine collapse. The worst case scenario would be if Russia decides to make good on their threats and decide to launch nukes and that might happen if Ukraine becomes seen as a serious threat.

Its his words, not mine. He called it a far right coup backed by US. Both of these are lies.

Yes it is his words, spoken to a specific audience.

He calls it that because he is spouting ruzzian propaganda. Hopefully we could at least agree on that.

If that’s the case than that would surprise me. I wonder what stake MLs would have in supporting modern Russia since it’s a capitalist dystopia run by oligarchs. Now if it was Soviet propaganda on the other hand, I would understand. That’s why I highly doubt your claims of them lying and spouting Russian propaganda, because lying for the sake of Russia doesn’t make any sense.

That is a rather big if there buddy. Dylan does give explanation why it wasn’t and if not in this video, he absolutely debunked it in his video about euromaidan. Also he does give counter evidence against the claim that it was backed by US. Did US send its troops? No. Their Diplomats? Their people to protest? No. They were supporting it because they rose up against their former president and in the same way against ruzzia. Obviously US would be happy about it, i am not blind. But there is no evidence for the fact it was “backed” by the us

That’s not counter evidence, that’s conjecture. You don’t have to send troops. Every country will have people to challenge the status quo. It’s not like USA sent troops to Al-Quaida or the Lybian rebels or created them from nothing, they were already there! They could support groups with weapons, supplies, communication or training or some other way. Now with that being said, I don’t think US armed the rebels or supplied them and I would be surprised if Second Thought are hinting at that. I’m curious myself what they actually are referring to, but I doubt they have actually released a video on the subject. I never came across a video on their main channel about it and I don’t want to listen through all of the deprogram either.

You must have misunderstood me then, his videos are on his main channel are not so overt because he hides his true colours.

In this case you must be misunderstanding me. He’s open about his biases. They’re not exactly hiding that they’re all MLs. That’s why I said that his stance doesn’t seem any different. It’s similar talking points, similar rhetoric. Just a different format.

Also I just want to point out that just because I despise ruzzia with every fibre of my being, I do not like the US. They have done some really fucked up things and their domestic politics are awful.

Yes it’s terrible that the world has become the plaything of all these large countries USA, Russia and China. I am strictly against USA in its current form as well and I’m also against Putin’s Russia. They are two very dangerous countries and it’s truly a travesty that they hold the largest nuclear arsenals to subjugate the rest of the world with.

But right now, they support a country that deserves support. I don’t want this war to go on, I really don’t. I love ukranian cities and their people, their beautiful nature and their tasty food. I want to see my ukrainan friends again.

But it was taken, some are dead, some fight as I speak. Hopefully, some day, I’ll be able to hug them somewhere in a Ukranian beach in crimea. That’s all I want.

My personal stance since the conflict began has mostly been speaking in favor of Ukraine and against Russia, even if I am seemingly taken a pro-Russian stance here (I’m not). I don’t have a stake either in Russia or Ukraine. They’re both capitalist countries who are doing what capitalist countries do. The thing I want to avoid is nuclear armageddon and I certainly dislike USA lording over everything and increasing the risk.

I live next to Ukraine, I have seen the destruction personally, I have lost people I love and see bullshit when it’s there.

Ah you’re Polish then I assume? My condolences and I think that maybe that fact makes you quite impartial toward a narrative where Ukraine is seen as the victim, which I agree to, Ukraine IS the victim here.

I agree with your definition of war, never said otherwise.

Yet you’re pro-war. So you apparently agree with my definition but are also pro-war. Therefore workers should fight each other if the ends justify the means? Is that right?

Calling euromaidan a “far right coup” is complete lie, it is ruzzian propaganda. Euromaidan was unilateral and supported by left and right. Neonazis joined it, of course as they saw an opportunity. Since then the far right party has been getting less and less support, today being the lowest.

When a ML says “far right”, he might mean a neonazi, a conservative or a liberal. On the political scale from that perspective a “centrist” would be a social democrat. However the far right party might stand in polls isn’t exactly interesting. If the goal is to make Ukraine compatible with the west like Second Thought claims, then nazi ideology would be counterproductive toward that goal anyway so I’m not sure what you think that proves.

Calling the new government a puppet regime is disingenuous, just like any of his and your claims. First government almost immediately held a public vote, thats how zelenski got into government.

Maybe? I mean if we’re supposed to entertain that argument then we could guess that Russia’s elections in the regions they conquered also prove that there’s a genuine sentiment in breaking off? I don’t think so. Election results isn’t a sign of consent. I would also like to know why he decides to call it a “puppet regime”. At the same time, it’s pretty common for MLs to be suspicious of any cooperation with the west. It sounds like something he would have said on his own channel but maybe it greater detail argue why that is the case.

They (USA and EU) did not plan a proxy war. Ruzzia started this war for its own imperial means. That reality was not swept under the rug, its a blatant fucking lie.

Okay and you’re sure about this why? In the video Dylan doesn’t give any explanation either why he thinks otherwise. If Ukraine really is a puppet state and the protests were backed by USA, maybe that was the plan?

I have to admit that the things you bring up weren’t the things I expected you to want to highlight since you seemed to argue that he has a different stance toward the conflict between his own channel and the video you posted, which doesn’t seem to be the case. The video you posted of Dylan is just nitpicking on the points presented in the video. Dylan doesn’t give his own evidence to his claims and while the burden of proof is on Second Thought it’s important to realize that he’s talking about this topic to a completely different audience who already are (or at least should be) informed of what he’s talking about. He’s hardly trying to present a case to convince outsiders, so making a nitpicking video against it is very easy, because the format isn’t meant to convince anyone. Why should I be impressed or convinced by Dylan? Come on…

That you have to ask Second Thought. This is what he has said about the conflict:

1. This war doesn’t benefit the average people of Ukraine or Russia. They’re suffering needlessly for the sake of geopolitical jockeying.
2. Sanctions on Russia will only hurt the everyday citizen, not the oligarchs or the powerful. Sanctions are a brutal, inhumane tool and we should oppose them.
3. Anti-war is the only principled position. Escalating into a hot war with another nuclear power is a death sentence.
4. This conflict should be resolved diplomatically. That must include an end to hostilities, as well as a new agreement that prevents NATO expansion towards “unfriendly” states. NATO is a relic of the Cold War, and it doesn’t do anyone any good. A bomb is a bomb, no matter what language you use to make it seem justified.

You should read the thread if you’re interested.

That is your opinion. I like their content, they’re thought provoking and entertaining. I don’t agree with everything they claim but it’s good stuff.

It isn’t, if I tried to explain every single contradiction and lie he has spouted in that video i would hit the character limit.

No you literally couldn’t because you have nothing to say. If you have something of substance to say, say it. Don’t hide between a long and obnoxious reaction video.

The rest of your post is just… ridiculous. You can argue the 4 points he raised to him if you want, but I’d rather choose not to engage with that nonsense since it’s not my arguments.

You’re not wrong about these arguments such as Russia being the aggressor and them being able to retreat. Nobody is disputing those facts. Preferably I would also like Russia to realize that they did wrong, surrender to Ukraine and pay them war reparations, but I live in the real world where that seems pretty unlikely. That’s why I don’t expect for such an outcome, not because I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. You can scream yourself hoarse about what Russia ought to do, but that’s a factor we cannot control and we should approach the conflict with that in mind.

I do agree with him that we should have anti-war and your argument against that isn’t an argument even. War is just a political event where workers are sent to kill other workers. Anti-war is the position of the worker movement and everybody who are social democrat or more left leaning agrees on that fact. Since you think otherwise, you must be a reactionary and are blowing some sort of dog whistle right now.

This is not WW2, this is a war where one country is a nuclear power, the largest nuclear power in the world in fact! The performance of the Russian army during the conflict doesn’t really mean that they cannot launch nukes. Even if their nukes aren’t fully effective, they can most likely still cause tremendous harm and the threat of the nuclear war isn’t just the initial salvo but the retaliation and the threat of nuclear winter. For us who live in Europe, Russia’s arsenal is a nasty and scary threat, but maybe you don’t care because I assume you live in USA and feel more confident? I think that confidence is also misplaced, there’s no defense against nuclear armageddon. If that happens, billions will die and suffer.

The fact that the video isn’t posted on his own channel is likely just because the video isn’t a Second Thought video, which has a very specific format. Why should he post it there?

Yes their podcast is called “The Deprogram” and you can check it out here. They all make great content, go check them out! I really liked Yugopnik’s video about the commodification of people’s romantic lives for example. It was very interesting and thought provoking, a very “Žižekian” approach.

I’m not going to engage with your personal attacks and you should feel shameful for saying such nasty things to a stranger you hardly know.

The Ukraine-Russia conflict can be viewed in many different ways. One of them is Russia being an aggressor and waging an illegal war of conquest like Nazi Germany, and that’s a valid way to look at the conflict. I’m sure even he would agree of that. However the conflict is also very dangerous, especially with NATO involvement. The biggest threat is actually if the war would escalate into nuclear annihilation because Putin has threatened that if Russia loses, they’re going to start nuking. Have you forgotten about that?

US involvement is the thing that actively saves innocent lives in this conflict. Shooting down missiles, giving ukranian soldiers more protection, and more ways to remove invaders from their lands.

That is your opinion. A missile can be used to shoot a helicopter just as easily on the Ukraine side of the border as on the Russian side of the border.

If we assume that Ukraine would manage to sue for some sort of white peace or extended ceasefire, what would that mean with the supplies that has been lent to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and all the debt that Ukraine is racking up? Who do you think will have to pay for all that and what would the consequences be for Ukrainians? Probably not very good things. Possibly privatizations, international loans from WTO or other forms of neocolonialism. The intent of involvement from the west is highly suspicious and deserve its own scrutiny.

And what do you think putting and “end” to the conflict would achieve? Ruzzia would resupply and attack in 5 years again.

Maybe so, or maybe there might be a regime change in 5 years? Maybe with some time passing Putin somehow dies? Of sickness, old age or some other reason? In 5 years Putin would be over the average life expectancy of Russians. Maybe the Russians don’t try again in 5 years because they got humiliated this time? The world isn’t static and time changes things.

Second thought released its own video surrounding the Ukraine conflict and in a comment he posted he outlined his positions surrounding the conflict. I quote:

1. This war doesn’t benefit the average people of Ukraine or Russia. They’re suffering needlessly for the sake of geopolitical jockeying.
2. Sanctions on Russia will only hurt the everyday citizen, not the oligarchs or the powerful. Sanctions are a brutal, inhumane tool and we should oppose them.
3. Anti-war is the only principled position. Escalating into a hot war with another nuclear power is a death sentence.
4. This conflict should be resolved diplomatically. That must include an end to hostilities, as well as a new agreement that prevents NATO expansion towards “unfriendly” states. NATO is a relic of the Cold War, and it doesn’t do anyone any good. A bomb is a bomb, no matter what language you use to make it seem justified.

This is similar to the things he said in your video you linked. What has he lied about? Can you name even one contradiction? That doesn’t mean that he wants Ukraine to surrender or give up, rather that’s just your interpretation of his stance which is blatantly wrong and has no evidence. The fact that you try to claim otherwise because he calls for peace is just slander.

Not really. Even in the video you yourself links he’s calling an end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and an end to US involvement.

Otherwise you would get weird situations where people could apply to distant jobs and the employer having to pay those costs and hours. Get a job with a 2 hour one-way commute and you would then only need to work 4 hours… obviously not going to work.

From an employee perspective, that’s not much of a problem but the solution is hardly complicated either. Wouldn’t employers just not hire people who live too far from the work site?