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I took the video as a long winded “don’t hate the player hate the game” and assume he wants external validation that it’s okay to manipulate people if everyone

I took the video as a long winded “don’t hate the player hate the game” and assume he wants external validation that it’s okay to manipulate people if everyone else is doing it. I like him and watch all his videos, but the ease of that justification is why we are on a long slippery slide straight into dystopia.

raziel2p 5y ago
On the other hand, judging people for actions/justifications like these makes it easier to postpone or avoid making demands for systematic changes. Blaming individuals is easier, and has a higher chance of getting results. The fossil fuel industry is great at utilizing this, placing blame on individuals of the general public for pollution.
- MichaelGroves 5y ago
  If you're a race car driver who takes sponsorships from Ford to promote car culture and sell more gas guzzlers to the general public, shouldn't your chosen role in this system that earn you some ire? That's just "the player playing the game", except the game is a big problem. And if the game is a problem, then so are the players who choose to play it. Maybe that race car driver is a brainlet who would otherwise be living in poverty, so we shouldn't give him too much grief for it. Probably not, but maybe. But the veritasium guy? He's surely a bright guy with plenty of opportunities; he could have chosen another line of work.
  - raziel2p 5y ago
    I think your points are valid, and it's an interesting problem, but I think a few key differences are worth noting. A race driver is a much more elite position. There are less of them than there are Youtubers, and there's a lot more attention on you. A dismissal of a sponsorship could be spun into a big PR move, if they wanted to. Compare that to a single social media actor, you'd have to be an absolute huge name to make any sort of difference, simply because there are so many others out there that will immediately fill the gap you'd leave. Maybe Derek (I had to google his name) would be able to choose another line of work, but what if your passion is to spread knowledge about science and such to the general public? As much as I dislike them myself, I really do believe that social media such as Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok, is the best way to achieve that goal today.
- jjj123 5y ago
  I hear that, but it seems like in the video he doesn’t place any blame on the platforms, and treats it as a kind of natural phenomenon (I stopped watching after he compared it to evolution). I don’t think anything he said is incorrect, but he does seem to miss the world of possible incentive structures that would reduce clickbait.
rowanG077 5y ago
What do you expect people to do? Let their YouTube careers bleed to death because of their principle? The only one at fault here is YouTube and their algorithm.
- emerged 5y ago
  That’s the issue I’m highlighting. The dystopian evolution consists of all these small steps where people shrug and say “everyone else is doing it” and it ratchets up another notch. The only way to stop it is to stop giving an inch. But that will never happen, guys like him have way too much to lose to take a stand. Plus most of the other YouTubers will happily continue so it will have been for nothing.
  - rowanG077 5y ago
    This is precisely what government is for. To protect the interest of it's people over a companies bottom line when the people themselves can't. It's completely unrealistic to expect an individual to do the "right" thing here. When that right thing means their career ends.

raziel2p 5y ago

On the other hand, judging people for actions/justifications like these makes it easier to postpone or avoid making demands for systematic changes. Blaming individuals is easier, and has a higher chance of getting results. The fossil fuel industry is great at utilizing this, placing blame on individuals of the general public for pollution.

MichaelGroves 5y ago
If you're a race car driver who takes sponsorships from Ford to promote car culture and sell more gas guzzlers to the general public, shouldn't your chosen role in this system that earn you some ire? That's just "the player playing the game", except the game is a big problem. And if the game is a problem, then so are the players who choose to play it. Maybe that race car driver is a brainlet who would otherwise be living in poverty, so we shouldn't give him too much grief for it. Probably not, but maybe. But the veritasium guy? He's surely a bright guy with plenty of opportunities; he could have chosen another line of work.
- raziel2p 5y ago
  I think your points are valid, and it's an interesting problem, but I think a few key differences are worth noting. A race driver is a much more elite position. There are less of them than there are Youtubers, and there's a lot more attention on you. A dismissal of a sponsorship could be spun into a big PR move, if they wanted to. Compare that to a single social media actor, you'd have to be an absolute huge name to make any sort of difference, simply because there are so many others out there that will immediately fill the gap you'd leave. Maybe Derek (I had to google his name) would be able to choose another line of work, but what if your passion is to spread knowledge about science and such to the general public? As much as I dislike them myself, I really do believe that social media such as Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok, is the best way to achieve that goal today.
jjj123 5y ago
I hear that, but it seems like in the video he doesn’t place any blame on the platforms, and treats it as a kind of natural phenomenon (I stopped watching after he compared it to evolution). I don’t think anything he said is incorrect, but he does seem to miss the world of possible incentive structures that would reduce clickbait.

rowanG077 5y ago

What do you expect people to do? Let their YouTube careers bleed to death because of their principle? The only one at fault here is YouTube and their algorithm.

emerged 5y ago
That’s the issue I’m highlighting. The dystopian evolution consists of all these small steps where people shrug and say “everyone else is doing it” and it ratchets up another notch. The only way to stop it is to stop giving an inch. But that will never happen, guys like him have way too much to lose to take a stand. Plus most of the other YouTubers will happily continue so it will have been for nothing.
- rowanG077 5y ago
  This is precisely what government is for. To protect the interest of it's people over a companies bottom line when the people themselves can't. It's completely unrealistic to expect an individual to do the "right" thing here. When that right thing means their career ends.