Useful tips imo
I haven’t watched this particular video, but it’s worth pointing out that the channel (Kurzgesagt) is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (and possibly some part of the German government, IIRC, but I can’t find a source for it right now), so be wary of any political content like their video on climate change
Kurzgesagt gets funding from the German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF. Their financing model is a little weird but they are in practice state media. German liberals love to claim that they’re not state media as their money doesn’t come from the government but a separate household broadcasting fee.
In looking that up I found mostly German media articles referencing the partnership (it looks like it’s primarily to support the production of German language content). There’s also a bunch of far-right German libertarian type conspiracy blogs raving about how these videos are all lies.
Empanada (regardless of what we think of him) has also done some great responses to them. I stopped paying attention to them a while ago without the need for anyone’s input. Their videos are off-putting. Their videos are all lies cleverly developed to confuse and convince people who haven’t seen the big picture yet.
That’s the point. Without a grasp of social theory you will only engage with the video thesis, “why am I lonely” and take their words and cutesy pictures at face value without being able to root the thesis into it’s broader social context. Without a grasp of social theory you can be lied to and persuaded in any direction. That’s what these videos are designed to do.
Thanks, that was probably what I was thinking of
It’ll be interesting to see how they slip their shitty politics into this
Edit: okay, this video wasn’t as bad as the climate one. It makes some pretty basic points which I think we can all forget when we get tunnel visions sometimes. Yeah, call your friends who you lost contact with, just send a text/ call, don’t be afraid of rejection, etc.
It talks about social media and how it isolates some of us, but naturally, it doesn’t really ask why social media is oriented the way it is. Not surprising of course.
I don’t know what it is, but I feel like these are the more banal videos sprinkled in there to put other things into your mind in the future. If there was anything you could take away, great! Just be aware of why Kursegast even exists to begin with. Every video has some kind of intention behind it. Perhaps I’m cynical.
yeah i basically only watch them for their science content, which is still pretty good
see a lot of this type of content around. it’s not helpful, and it’s counterproductive. it’s also cult mentality and that makes it dangerous.
I know why I’m lonely, I don’t need liberal media to make up these faux rationales and then make up adjacent solutions that don’t address any of my material reality. they’re just manufacturing a hollow semblance of community to promote and sell an ideology.
I am also good at making friends and enjoy talking with people. the issues I face altogether with loneliness are due to structural foundations of society and the dogmatic ideology that’s so entrenched in all facets of that society
their channel is very cute. they are good at generating narrative. I liked one of their videos because it imagines god in a way that’s bordering a lot of buddhist/eastern philosophy i took too. so I found it interesting. but even that was hollowed out.
Boom. 🔥mic drop
They’re also heavily funded by the German gov and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Summary: if you don’t have enough friends and feel lonely you have no-one to blame but yourself. You didn’t value the forming of bonds enough; you didn’t put in enough effort; you didn’t try hard enough. Fix it by trying harder.
My thoughts:
- They mention covid as a scapegoat. These problems are much older than covid. Covid is just a scapegoat just like every other time it’s blamed for something.
- The forging of social bonds is natural. It shouldn’t be something you have to put a lot of work and effort into in order to maintain. That it does require so much effort needs to be addressed in a meaningful way. It isn’t. The difficulty is taken for granted.
- All of their videos end on a hopeful note. It’s just there to make you feel better for a second or two. It’s putting all the blame on the individual and providing simple solutions that make everything feel so easy. All you have to do is take this pill. When that simple prescription doesn’t work you’ve already internalized that it’s you who is to blame.
- People are stressed out, exhausted, paranoid, and deeply psychologically damaged in so many ways. There is no easy solution. I’ve seen so many of my own friends go down hill; I’m sure you have too. A lot of people have developed anxiety disorders verging on the extreme. There are no easy solutions.
I have to disagree with your first two points, at least partially. There are a lot of people for whom covid has had an isolating effect. My own friend circle has almost completely stopped having routine get-togethers like potlucks. I think we’ve all gotten in the habit of reclusion.
This brings me to your second point: social bonds do take work. Sometimes they happen ‘naturally’, but it is almost always a consequence of time spent together (family, work, etc). If you aren’t spending a lot of time around other people, you’ll need to put in effort to change that. And you also sometimes need to make an effort to maintain your friendships. I’ve improved relationships with some family members over the last few years, just by making a conscious effort to call more often.
I don’t have anything to add to your third point, since I’m not familiar with these videos. I do fully agree with your last point, and I agree that this makes everything, including relationships harder. I would just add that the isolation of covid has exacerbated these mental health issues for many people, myself included.
kurzgesagt? yuck.
I have nothing to add really, since others have already brought this up.
But I think this is a blind spot in the online left which the offline left can, at times, have a better grasp on if you can manage to even get into an org. Social alienation is one of the biggest if not the biggest problem facing most westerners (at least until climate change goes into full-swing). It’s why parasocial platforms (Vaush et al) get such huge amounts of traction. A successful movement would attempt to leverage this and redirect it to something healthier.
This is an excellent point and puts into words the main reason I didn’t downvote this post. I don’t want @tomaw@lemmygrad.ml to feel poorly about posting this.
Alienation and loneliness are something everyone feels under capitalism, all across the political spectrum, and the left needs to use this in agitprop a bit more.
