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23 min
"In this video essay, I look at how the birth of industrial capitalism led to the birth of fossil fuel use at an industrial scale. Specifically, I look at how capitalist forces led factory owners to embrace fossil fuels over water power, despite water being cheaper and more...
3 min
A compilation of footage from the upcoming, independent docuseries "The Elements of Mutual Aid." Spanning North America and including over 60 voices from the frontlines, this project explores the origins, structures, healing ways, and logistics of grassroots mutual aid toward...
31 min
Empire not only made the colonies. It made the unequal Britain we see today.
76 min
America Lost is a documentary triptych that explores life in three of America’s “forgotten cities”—Youngstown, Ohio, Memphis, Tennessee, and Stockton, California. The film shows the dramatic decline of the American interior through a mosaic of stories including an...
14 min
It's a common misconception that socialists want to...ahem...*bonk* the rich. So what do we really want to do? Come learn about how socialist societies treat those with wealth and power!
4 min
This is the official Film Trailer for “Zeitgeist | Requiem” by Peter Joseph. Fourth in the series, Peter Joseph continues to explore the incompatibility of modern capitalism with future human survival. Departing from the ideological dogmas of today, the work focuses on the...
14 min
Racial inequality provokes passionate opinions and varied ideas of how to build a fair, equitable society. One topic that's been contentiously debated for generations is color blindness: the concept that we should look beyond race when thinking about equity. In this talk...
9 min
The white “race” was invented by rich Virginians in 1676 in the aftermath of a populous rebellion of impoverished, indentured, and enslaved Africans and Europeans now known as Bacon’s Rebellion.
47 min
The 20th Century saw a great global uprising against European imperialism as the former colonial countries shook off their shackles and rose up for independence. More than a half century later, global inequality is sharper than ever before. To understand the current...
6 min
In the 10 years since we made Inequality for All, inequality has surged. Yet I have hope for the future:
2 min
When corporations profit - they keep it. When they fail - we pay for it.
1 min
"Capitalists are THE enemies of the masses because they view us and use us as cattle. You should know this by now. But if you don't, here is a rare moment where one speaks honestly. And don't be mistaken... this is how they ALL think." - The Hampton Institute
26 min
In a blistering talk, Nobel Laureate Al Gore looks at the two main obstacles to climate solutions and gives his view of how we might actually solve the environmental crisis in time. You won't want to miss his searing indictment of fossil fuel companies for walking back their...
110 min
The Commons is a documentary film about communities re-asserting sustainable futures using consensus, equity and shared resources – ancient Commons principles.
51 min
20 years ago, a young group of social entrepreneurs started a company to sustainably harvest açaí berries in the Brazilian Amazon. They joined a movement of purpose-driven companies looking to change the world through an alternative economic model. These "triple bottom line"...
22 min
We've all heard poverty described as a "mindset" or a "moral failing," but those claims don't hold up to scrutiny when you start to look into it. In this episode we'll take a look at the real causes of poverty, and why it persists in capitalist economies. – Second Thought
53 min
Humans love to fix things, to find the cause of a problem, to probe, tinker, and mend. We ask, in many different ways, Why does this happen? What’s the root cause? What’s the origin? What or who is at fault? What or who is responsible? But there are three subjects that have...
2 min
Structural violence - why isn't this idea common knowledge yet? This is a clip from Zeitgeist: Moving Forward, directed by Peter Joseph, featuring Dr. James Gilligan.
3 min
What corporate America says: “No one wants to work anymore.” The truth: No one wants to be exploited anymore.
61 min
A Documentary about corruption in high places and those who enable it.
15 min
One of the most common objections to critiques of capitalism is "we don't have real capitalism, we have corporatism" or "crony capitalism" or even "techno-feudalism." These claims are often well-intentioned, but they miss the point. Let's talk about capitalism, corporatism...
5 min
The idea that everyone is "paid what they're worth" has proven to be a cruelly effective way to put the blame on workers for not getting ahead — while giving the rich and powerful cover to rig the game for their own benefit. Don't buy it.
10 min
Consumerism is destroying our earth and our wallets - here's how. In this video essay, we're discussing the advertisement-driven world we live in, the ways consumerism impacts personal finance, mental health, and the environment, and what we can do to combat consumerism.
26 min
We are surrounded by stuff. We buy and buy and buy - it’s the foundation of how our economies run, how they grow. But all this buying, all this economic "growing", is devastating people and our planet. We are in a dangerous spiral of out-of-control resource use. In the third...
“Socialism Sucks!” This blatant invective was hurled at me while I stood on a DC metro train reading Richard Wolff’s new book Understanding Socialism. I chuckled a bit, having heard this refrain from InfoWars or Turning Point warriors for years. “I suppose it depends on how...
Kevin Gustafson
5 min
Who else is sick of our government subsidizing the health care industry when millions can’t afford insurance, subsidizing Big Oil while they destroy the planet, and bailing out Wall Street when they crater our economy?
13 min
Our mindset surrounding work is stuck in the 20th century. With massive improvements in technology and productivity in the last few decades, it's time to reassess what work could look like. Is it time to move to a four day workweek? - Second Thought
5 min
Historian and political economist Gar Alperovitz offers an animated view of what a next system grounded in democratized ownership of the economy and real sustainability would look like.
19 min
Unions are having a bit of a moment right now - countless stores under brands like Amazon, Chipotle, REI, Starbucks, and many more are winning victories left and right, and corporate America is pulling out all the stops to crush them. Why is the US so antagonistic towards...
5 min
Does the world really need neuroadvertisers, PR researchers and branding consultants? Renowned academic and coiner of the ‘we are the 99%’ slogan, David Graeber was a passionate advocate for meaningful work. After famously condemning the 21st century phenomenon of ‘bullsh*t...
5 min
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich explains the policies that line the pockets of corporations while hurting ordinary Americans.
22 min
In this video essay, I look at why we need a war on capitalist Christmas. Specifically, I look at the history of how capitalism stole Christmas, and how we might be able to steal it back. Christmas wasn't always a holiday of private gift-giving, it used to be based in public...
21 min
This might be controversial.
19 min
There's a common expression, "it's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism." When the current economic model is seen more as an immutable force of nature than a system created by humans in the recent past, it becomes much harder to imagine actually...
The KEY question, I'm asked by students when I guest lecture about the #ClimateCrisis is 'but what can we do?'
So I recently rewrote my materials to try & tackle that question head on. Feel free to adapt them.
Buckle up - here's a LONG thread🧵about how we can fight back!
Dr. Aaron Thierry
3 min
Military spending and arms sales have a deep and lasting impact on the capacity to address the climate crisis, let alone in a way that promotes justice. Every dollar spent on the military not only increases greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but also diverts financial resources...
42 min
A documentary about Spanish involvement in the Moroccan occupation and exploitation of Western Sahara, Africa's last colony, with Sahrawi human rights defenders Elghalia Djimi and Sultana Khaya.
60 min
The laws of capitalism have elevated the interests of the few above that of the many, but we can rewrite the code and restore balance to society. In this series, Professor Katharina Pistor (@Columbia Law School) breaks down the history, process, institutions, and participants...
47 min
For more than three decades, transnational corporations have been busy buying up what used to be known as the commons -- everything from our forests and our oceans to our broadcast airwaves and our most important intellectual and cultural works. In This Land is Our Land...
39 min
Renowned energy expert Michael T. Klare provides an invaluable account of the new and increasingly dangerous competition for the world's dwindling natural resources. Arguing that the world is facing an unprecedented crisis of resource depletion -- one that goes beyond "peak...
47 min
While there's been no shortage of commentary about the structural crisis plaguing the American economic and political system, from wage stagnation and chronic unemployment to unchecked corporate and state power and growing inequality, analyses that offer practical...
46 min
Economist and bestselling author Juliet Schor lays out a positive vision for rethinking our relationship to consumer goods in this accessible and timely analysis of the devastating ecological, social, and personal costs of mass consumerism.
40 min
What distinguishing feature do the world's healthiest and happiest societies have in common? According to acclaimed author Richard Wilkinson, the answer is simple: they have far less income inequality than other societies. In this new film based on his international...
8 min
Corbyn sets the record straight.
21 min
Adam Conover breaks down why billionaire "charity" is terrible for the planet, and why we should stop swallowing their myths.
57 min
With breathtaking clarity, renowned University of Massachusetts Economics Professor Richard Wolff breaks down the root causes of today's economic crisis, showing how it was decades in the making and in fact reflects seismic failures within the structures of American-style...
47 min
'Growing Pains' is the title for a short edit (47min) of the award-winning documentary 'System Error'. A look at the global and political obsession with economic growth and the ecological and humanitarian consequences.
27 min
The library has been a long-standing institution in our society, but what if we applied its philosophy more broadly? Let's imagine what it would mean to realize the possibilities of this proto-socialist concept and reintroduce free access to the commons through a library...
11 min
Welcome to Oligarch Island
15 min
In this video essay, I look at why billionaires won't save us from climate change. Specifically, I look at how the elite philanthropy of Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk function as more of a billionaire preservation of wealth and self than as an act of altruism.
3 min
Abigail Disney looks at America's dysfunctional and unequal economy and asks why the American Dream has worked for the wealthy, yet is a nightmare for people born with less.
I have a very friendly relationship with Adam Bendell, who is very deeply involved in the world of impact investment and who has also been very interested in the work I am doing around gift economy. Over the years, he has come to events of mine and we have had some very...
Miki Kashtan
18 min
In this video essay, I look at why the suburbs are so terrible for people and the planet. Specifically, I look at the racist history of the suburbs in the United States in order to understand how the suburbs came about. The suburbs have a dark history of white supremacy and...
21 min
In this video essay, I look at how the rich really cause climate change. Specifically, I look at how the focus on the richest people in the world's consumption habits (i.e. our obsession with Taylor Swift's jet emissions) distracts us from how they make their money in the...
19 min
We're often told just how productive a capitalist economy is. We produce far more than we need...so why are there still so many hungry and malnourished people? In this episode we'll investigate the real cause of world hunger, and assess whether capitalism has the tools to...
19 min
You've probably seen videos ask questions like "why is _____ so poor?" or "why are northern countries richer?" but most of them fail to grapple with the underlying causes of global inequality. In this week's video, we'll fix that. Come learn about what really causes so-called...
5 min
The underlying problem is not inflation. It’s corporate power. The entire American economy is concentrated into the hands of a few greedy, corporate giants with the power to raise prices.
18 min
In this video essay, Our Changing Climate looks at why disaster capitalism exists and how it works. Specifically, they dive into the core principles behind disaster capitalism-- how crises are exploited to pass neoliberal policies, turn a profit, and privatize land and...
17 min
Fun fact, the vast majority of people see themselves as "middle class." That includes everyone from those making $20k per year all the way to those making millions of dollars per year. Surely they can't all be part of the same group, right? What's going on here? What is the...
13 min
Abby's speech at the People’s Summit for Democracy, the progressive counter to Biden's imperialist ‘Summit of the Americas’ on June 9 2022.
25 min
You've probably heard the word "socialism" in the media. More often than not, it's used as a pejorative. Why is that? Is socialism really that bad, or is there something else going on? In this episode, we'll take a look at socialism at the very surface level. This video is...
16 min
What would a sustainable, universally beneficial economy look like? "Like a doughnut," says Oxford economist Kate Raworth. In a stellar, eye-opening talk, she explains how we can move countries out of the hole -- where people are falling short on life's essentials -- and...
21 min
Ever think about how the average person is orders of magnitude more productive than workers of the past, and yet our work week hasn't gotten any shorter? What's the deal? In this week's episode, we're looking at the idea of "work," and how it's been so thoroughly polluted by...
12 min
I tried "hustle culture" for 3 years, and then stopped. Here's what I've learned. - Struthless
8 min
LOCAL: A Story Of Hope, examines the root causes of our social and environmental crises - the global economy - and proposes a call to action: “re-regulate the big and global – rebuild the small and local”. The controversial message is delivered by three strong voices - Helena...
Cooperatives are a great way to bring democracy into the workplace. They can either be built from scratch or by converting existing businesses into worker-owned cooperatives. For retiring business owners as well as entrepreneurs, selling a business to employees is a way to...
Cat Johnson
1- Requiem for the American Dream (2015)
Alpaslan Pasaoglu
16 min
Americans are currently burdened with about 1.57 trillion dollars of student debt, and that number is climbing rapidly. For many, a lifetime of debt has become the painful reality of life in the United States. Why? What happened to make this country, and this economic system...
20 min
Movements like Black Lives Matter often start out as radical demands for change, but somewhere along the way they get consumed, defanged, and turned into meaningless symbols. How does this happen?
43 min
In a major international investigation, Four Corners reveals the secrets of the Pandora Papers.
88 min
Imagine a future where we mimic the genius of nature—to re-calibrate the way humankind lives, breathes, builds—respecting the limits of our resources and transforming the modern world. Going Circular unlocks the secrets to circularity, an innovative concept that could save...
91 min
Inspired by Lewis Hyde’s beloved classic “The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World”, GIFT is a tribute to something that can’t be measured or counted, bought or sold. An intimate exploration of real-life gift economies, it’s a reflection on the creative...
16 min
You've probably heard the term "wage theft" before, but do you know just how big a problem it is? In the US, wage theft dwarfs all other kinds of theft combined. Let's take a look at why this is happening and try to understand the underlying problems that enable it.
12 min
CASH-IN COP-OUT tells how Glasgow’s COP26 climate summit notched-up yet another year of talks that failed to find a solution to the climate emergency. Thousands converged at COP26 with polarised objectives. Businesses sought deals to cash-in from the climate crisis. Thousands...
15 min
In this video, Second Though revisits the idea of "meritocracy" and explores the misguided belief that the United States is anywhere close to a "fair competition" where everyone has "equal opportunity."
9 min
Tory Corruption is just the tip of the iceberg...
13 min
The top 1% holds 15x more wealth than the bottom 50% combined. How did it get this way? Here's the full story of wealth inequality in America.
8 min
Why are billion-dollar corporate bailouts the American status quo, but bailing out struggling people is a socialist nightmare? It's almost like the priorities of this country are a little skewed...
19 min
With jobs being automated and handed off to machines at an ever-increasing pace, it's only natural to consider what our future will look like. Will humans have more free time to spend with loved ones? More time to pursue hobbies and fulfilling activities? Or will the status...
19 min
If you’re unemployed, it isn’t because there’s no work. There is, and always will be, work to be done. So...what's going on? Why are there so few meaningful jobs, and why are they getting replaced by alienating, meaningless labor?
82 min
“Home ownership to me means freedom—strictly. The more and more I evaluate this world, the more and more I understand: when you don’t own anything, you are nothing.” That’s how Greg Butler, a young black house flipper, sums up his view of the American dream.
These disclosures about how the world's wealthy and powerful hide their vast fortunes will hopefully turn up the heat on the politicians that maintain the wealth-hiding status quo.
Chuck Collins
6 min
Historian Rutger Bregman found a way to end poverty, obviously we had to ask him how!
13 min
It’s no secret that Americans love to hear about billionaires. You’ll find them everywhere. They’re on the news [Bezos space launch], have their own TV shows, movies, and even make their way to elected office. Specifically, we consistently give massive audiences to...
11 min
In this video, Krishnamurti critiques our work culture and urges us to find out if we can free ourselves from the imprisonment that is a 9 to 5 job. Jiddu Krishnamurti, (born 1895, Madanapalle, India—died 1986, Ojai, Calif., U.S.), Indian spiritual leader.
85 min
What if working together for the good of all was the most common business model? Watch as several organizations strive towards building a more cooperative future. By putting humanity before the bottom line, they are finding their place in a new economy no longer dominated by...
12 min
“We would live under their total unmediated control”
11 min
Why (and how) Planned Obsolescence and Capitalism make terrible products.
12 min
How we end consumerism, explained.
16 min
America produces more waste per capita than any other country in the world. And recycling, which was once considered the solution to that problem, isn’t really working anymore. Recycling works, but it’s not magic. As America continues to lead the world in per capita waste...
16 min
How many times have you heard the claim that capitalism is the most efficient system for the production and allocation of goods and services? It's a very common talking point in the "western world," especially in the United States. In this video, Second Thought deconstructs...
13 min
"Plastic pollution, explained. In this Our Changing Climate video essay, I look at an aspect of plastic pollution that often is ignored in the face of plastic pollution in the ocean. While ocean plastic pollution is an important issue, plastic is actually a fossil fuel...
2 min
An in-depth investigation into the 2008 financial crisis nine years in the making. Through interviews with regulators, former officials, foreclosure victims, industry whistleblowers, and journalists, THE CON connects the dots to what America used to be and where we’re headed...
3 min
The American Dream Dies Where Power Lies
From writer/director Eric Vaughan, producer Patrick Lovell and executive producer Adam Bronfman, The Con is an in-depth investigation into the 2008 financial crisis nine years in the making, Who did it, why it happened and how our...
14 min
"In this video essay, I look at why capitalism is killing us (and the planet) by causing climate change. Specifically, I look at how capitalism's multinationals like ExxonMobil and BP are responsible for increased emissions and ultimately the climate crisis we are living...
49 min
Helena Norberg-Hodge, speaking live from Beyond The Great Reset: The Systems Change Summit, May 2021
4 min
This follow-up to Valentin Thurn’s documentary, Taste the Waste, spotlights the people and companies throughout Europe who are working to salvage usable food. It is estimated that European households throw away 100 billion Euros worth of food each year. Thurn asks why is it...
3 min
Everything changes and yet everything stays the same. 1844: Friedrich Engels writes his book The Condition of the Working Class in England, a classic denunciation of the appalling living conditions for working people living at the heart of the industrial revolution in...
24 min
Hidden in the fantastic otherwordly narrative of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away is an allegory about society’s toxic obsession with work. The Studio Ghibli classic was released in 2001 and commented on Japan’s losing its soul to capitalism in the context of the country’s...
13 min
One of the most common misconceptions about US society is that we live under a perfectly fair, egalitarian system which rewards those who have intelligence and a strong work ethic. This is the myth of American meritocracy. In this episode, Second Thought explores why the US...