Entitled Millennials

In this clip from his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses the eviction of "Mom's for Housing" and how it reflects the purpose of militarized police as agents of capital in a class war against working people. He reinforces the idea that police do not exist to protect people, but rather to protect private property. He analyzes how housing has ceased to be viewed as an essential need, but rather as a commodity to be used in investment portfolios. Don't forget you can support our Independent Media work by joining us on Patreon! patreon.com/entitledmillennials Support our work with a one-time donation through PayPal! paypal.me/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D examines the buying up of agricultural land by billionaires and multi-national agribusiness conglomerates. Jumping in to the video, Double D reads excerpts from a 'Jacobin' article, which details the recent trend of billionaires investing in agricultural land. He highlights their abuse of tax easements which leave these billionaires paying a fraction of a fraction in taxes in relation to the actual value of the land. He highlights parcels of land worth tens of millions of dollars, being appraised for mere thousands of dollars in taxes. Meanwhile, neighboring parcel not eligible for these tax loop holes, pay tens of thousands in taxes on land worth only a few hundred thousand in value. He notes that some of these tax reductions involve the use of the land for "ranching" which amounts to cattle grazing periodically on the land. He points out that while these billionaires do not work the land, they will often times receive massive tax adjustments for having farmers "rent the land" for cultivation. He compares this relation to the landlord-serf relationship that existed throughout most of the feudal era, he claims that this process is increasingly turning former land owners into modern day peasants. He notes that this land exploitation also robs local communities of billions upon billions of dollars in tax revenue, cash which ends up lining the off shore bank accounts of the rich as it is vacuumed out of the communities who actual live on and work the land. Double D also highlights tax easements adjusted for "land conservation." He shows an image of a popular meme, depicting a billionaire buying up thousands of acres of Amazon Rainforest for the purpose of "conservation." He points out that in reality, this "conservation" amounts to PR, as it turned out that this specific billionaire still allowed logging on the supposedly conserved land. Citing a 'Pro Publica' article, Double D examines a series of tax scams known as "syndicated land trusts", which allow Wall Street investors to masquerade their land purchases behind "conservation" when in reality they are abusing the tax code to reap hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit via tax write offs. He asks his audience to consider what could be done with such tax revenue if it was permitted to be used collectively by local governments for sustainable agriculture and to repatriate the land. Moving on, Double D begins to examine the U.S. system of industrial agriculture. He highlights and article from 'The Guardian' which interviews family farmers, including an activist Double D had worked with in the past. He reads testimonies from farmers who have seen their neighbors and fellow farmers shut down their facilities and sell of their land to agribusiness conglomerates. Double D notes the ever growing industry of corn and soya bean cash crop cultivation which feeds industrial meat and ethanol production in the Midwest. He shows how this process of conglomeration continues to push farmers of their land, as they are outpriced in the market even after being forced to abandon crop diversity and livestock cultivation. He shows how this process has completely hollowed out rural towns and cities, forcing shop keepers to shutter their doors, and for hospitals to shut down permanently. Double D also examines the environmental devastation perpetuated by this agribusiness giants. He notes that there are nearly 25 millions hogs in Iowa, while there are only 3 million people living in the state. He examines how all 3 million of those people have their waste flushed down toilets and treated before it is recycling back in to the water supply. He notes that none of the waste produced by these 25 million hogs is treated or recycled. Instead, it is stored in massive reservoir pits, before being sprayed across fields as "fertilizer." He shows how this waste runs off in to irrigation ditches, and then into Iowa's waterways, 760 of which are severely destroyed by agricultural pollution, resulting in regular fish kills, as well as increased rates of cancer and other illness among rural residents. He shows also, how this process allows waste to flow down major waterways such as the Mississippi, a reality which has resulted in the "Gulf of Mexico Dead Cone" where no life can persist due to the lack of dissolved oxygen. Ending the video, Double D again quotes Iowa farmers, who lament the loss of knowledge of how to cultivate crops and raise livestock. They insist that this reality has left a few massive corporations with the power to decide who gets to eat and who does not. Double D points out that as this process continues, farmers and their community members will be increasingly pushed in to a neo-peasant relationship with the land. He asks his viewers to consider an alternative vision of the future, where working people and indigenous people have true sovereignty over the land they live and work on.

In this clip from his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses the nature of the capitalist duopoly in the United States. He explains "The Ratchet Effect" and how Republicans exist to turn policy to the right, while Democrats exist to siphon off political dissent and to prevent movement back to the left. He explains how the corrupt nature of liberal democracy will prevent forward movement politically, and explains how bourgeois democracy is purposefully engineered to deny the people political power. He advocates for building coalition of working people capable of overturning liberal democracy with the intention of building something new and more equitable. Don't forget to join us on Patreon! patreon.com/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses the recent string of bank failures and bailouts, before examining how this banking crisis exposes the hollowed out nature of the U.S. economy, and how it may accelerate the growing trend towards dedollarization. Jumping in to the video, Double D briefly recaps some of the narrative surrounding the recent string of bank failures, before reading excerpts from an article from Geopolitical Economy Report and Michael Hudson, which details the cause of the SVB and Signature Bank collapse. Double D shows how much of this crisis stems from banks pushing high interest returns on their clients deposits, using the long term interest returns on government bonds to pay for them. He shows how as the Federal Reserve began to raise interest rates, ostensibly to "cool down" inflation, the price of government bonds plummeted. Alongside this, depositor faith in these banks was shaken, as the cryptocurrency bubble popped, and realization set in that SVB and other banks would no longer be able to pay increased returns as the federal reserve began to hollow out their asset base; causing a bank run, the largest in U.S. history, which caused these banks to collapse. Going on with this outline, Double D shows how this recent bank crisis shows how the Federal Reserve has backed itself into a "monetary corner." Going back to examine the 2008 Bank Bailout, he shows how the Fed implemented two decades of "Quantitative Easing" where the government bought back bonds, lowered interest rates to near zero, and flooded a struggling economy with a torrent of cash. This cash inflow was used to artificially inflate asset prices in the Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (FIRE) sector of the economy; taking the form of stock buy backs, mass purchasing of repackaged mortgages, and short term hedge fund bets. The long term effect of this was not to actually rehabilitate a systemically sick economy, but rather to escalate the process of financialization, and produce an artificially rebounded economy that was built on nothing more than an "asset price inflation house of cards." He shows how now, as the Fed raises interest rates in an attempt to quash inflation, they risk popping an "everything bubble" that has been inflating for decades. Moving on, Double D attempts to dispel mainstream narratives around the governments response to the crisis. He notes that officials have said recent measures by the Treasury Department and the Fed do not "constitute a bailout" but rather the use of an emergency relief fund. Double D scoffs at this misleading statement, and points out how the government backed ALL of these banks deposits, most of which were well above the 250,000 FDIC insured limited. He notes how this effectively serves as declaration to a deeply corrupt banking system: "All deposits in all banks are safe; regardless of how risky or negligent their business practices are." He then touches on how certain libertarian politicians and faux progressive indie media analysts are attempting to characterize this bailouts as a struggle against the "Big Four" financial institutions. Claiming that banks like SVB are small banks that help fund small businesses and tech startups. Meanwhile, the reality suggests that these banks are nothing more than a Silicon Valley to Wall Street Initial Public Offering (IPO) pipeline, which serves as a medium to launder money and pad the pockets of tech speculators and financial middle-men. Moving on, Double D speculates on the long term effects of this crisis. Citing an article titled "Prepare for a Multipolar Currency World" from the Financial Times, Double D shows how the now cemented negative reputation of the U.S. financial system is going to help accelerate the trend towards dedollarization. He ruminates on how even western capitalists, are beginning to realize that "having all their eggs in the American basket", may be a bad strategy. He notes that even countries with more strict capital flow restrictions, may be a better bet than the U.S. economy, which has been completely cannibalized by a speculative and parasitic financialized elite.

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D uses a memorandum from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, coupled with other sources, to examine the nature and breadth of U.S. technological and cultural hegemony and how this hegemony relates to the American Empire as a whole. Jumping in to the video, Double D recaps some of the discussion from the previous two episodes, before starting an analysis of the Plaza Accords and the Fairchild Agreement. Citing an article from Los Angeles Times, printed in 1987, he outlines how Japan was outcompeting the United States semi-conductor and microchip companies. A realization that lead U.S. corporations, in conjunction with the Defense Department and the Intelligence Community, to hobble Japanese financial markets as well as their high-tech industries; forcing them to open up their markets to U.S. industrial competition as well as financial speculation. Double D also outlines the various other ways the United States engages in protectionism. He insists that the "free-market" is an egregious lie, and shows how increasingly U.S. tech firms amount to nothing more than financialized conglomerates. Using Apple as an example, he explains how Apple does not manufacture products, provide research and development, or ship their own products; rather third party corporations do all the productive work, while Apple Corporation receives "rent" on their intellectual property. Double D goes on to explain how the same scheme used to hobble Japanese competition is being weaponized once again in the ongoing trade war with China. He highlights the recent barring or condemnation of Chinese firms such as Huawei or TikTok. He scoffs at rhetoric around this trade war, where the U.S. claims "the protection of democracy" or ensuring "national security" around these bans, noting that the situation really constitutes protectionism for American corporations which are increasingly no longer innovative or competitive on the global stage. He points out that this "high-tech economic war" has higher stakes for the U.S. Empire beyond controlling global markets, acknowledging that much of the recent "Chip War" rests on the fact that U.S. military hegemony is rooted in having access to cheap microchips as well as other tech commodities which are essential for military hardware and AI. Moving on, Double D attempts to provide some analysis which shows the conjunction between U.S. technological hegemony and its global surveillance state; noting the ties between the Intelligence Community and Tech Giants such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google. He goes on to outline the history of the U.S. surveillance state, noting the revelations brought about by Edward Snowden, as well as recent leaks which show that the United States has been spying on its European Allies, including French Presidents and Chancellor Angela Merkel. Ending the discussion on technological hegemony, Double D begins to analyze cultural hegemony. He begins by describing the "culture industrial complex." That is the relationships between Hollywood, Mass Media, the Intelligence Community, and the political class; and how this industrial complex is used to instill "cultural hegemony." Next he plays a brief video outlining Antonio Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony, which explains how the dominant ideology of the ruling class is trickled through stories and images to become a "common-sense", that the majority of people will never question. Double D relates this to U.S. political culture as well, explaining how the same process, the same "spectacle" is played out via mass media. He ends the video by playing a brief explainer-visualizer that outline the principles of Noam Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent", which shows on the mass media corporations act as a filter through which all political discourse must be sieved. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and comment; together we can beat the algorithms! Join our Patreon community for only $1 a month to gain early access, exclusive posts, behind the scenes, community thank yous, and direct input into content creation while also helping to grow our revolutionary broadcast. See you there! patreon.com/entitledmillennials One time donations through PayPal are also GREATLY appreciated! paypal.me/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D uses the recently release memorandum from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (CMFA to outline arguments against United States military and economic hegemony, hedging the discussion with additional source material. Double D opens the video by recapping some of the points made in Part I of the United States Hegemony series, before diving in to quotations from the CMFA memorandum outlining military hegemony. He outline the long history of American conquest, noting that the United States was founded entirely on westward and colonial expansion in conjunction with slavery and genocide. He suggests that this policy, become now a cultural fixation, has persisted into the modern era; resulting in hundreds of wars, coups, military interventions, and economic warfare. Double D uses a map and series of graphics from the "Ubique American Geographic Society" to visualize the American Empire, highlighting 800+ military bases, with nearly 200,000 U.S. soldiers occupying countries from Europe, to Africa, to the Far East. He highlights the concentration of troops in the areas dividing Western to Eastern Europe, West Asia, and in and around China and South East Asia. He insists that this is a policy of Imperial encirclement, meant to curtail the spheres of influence of potential rival powers such as Russia or China. He draws attention to the issues surrounding these U.S. military bases, insisting that they act as an occupying force that helps to coerce foreign governments, nominally called "allies", into marching lock step with American Imperial designs. He also highlights abuses and exploitation surrounding American military bases, including instances of sexual assault, violence on native peoples, severe environmental damage, accidental deaths caused by military hardware, and even cases of murder. He insists that a large portion of the population in these occupied countries, i.e., Okinawa, the Philippines, Pacific Islands, and South Korea; have called for the immediate dismantling of these military bases. Moving on, Double D ruminates on the nature of the American Empire and its crimes against humanity. He notes that the Third Reich was greatly inspired by the American Project of colonialism; and uses this to explore how fascism amounts to the process of colonialism turned inward. He asks, what is colonialism, if not the genocide, apartheid, and political and economic subjugation used in perpetuity on the colonies, turned inward to populations living within the imperial core of the U.S. and Western Europe. He ruminates on the sheer scale and volume of violence employed by the empire in its wars in East Asia and West Asia, citing statistics that suggest millions were killed and that tens of millions were displaced. Stepping away from statistics, Double D opts to show and discuss some graphic imagery depicting the horrors of American Empire. First, showing paintings from a Korean artist depicting American G.I.'s executing families and raping women. He also shows a painting from Pablo Picasso, titled "The Massacre in Korea" which shows U.S. soldiers executing pregnant women and children. Moving on to America's Wars in the "Middle East" he shows leaked photographs from the infamous Abu Ghraib black site prison; which depicts unimaginable scenes of torture and humiliation inflicted on Iraqis by U.S. military personnel. He then shows photographs from the American War in Vietnam, highlighting the immolation of women and children with napalm; and the use of the notorious defoliant Agent Orange, which left huge swathes of Vietnams robust agricultural regions inarable, and the past use of which is still resulting in children being born with mutations, including their being born without the higher functions of their brain. Rounding off the video, Double D examines U.S. economic hegemony, showing how the United States has weaponized the supremacy of the U.S. dollar, the IMF-World Bank Debt Trap, and a brutal sanctions regime, to force countries in the global south into a state of neo-colonialism, from which there is no escape. He also highlights that this economic warfare is used on America's supposed "allies", noting briefly the Plaza Accords used to suppress rising Japanese high tech competition. He ends the video with brief analysis, paving the way for Part III of the United States Hegemony series, which will focus on Technological & Cultural hegemony. Like, comment, and subscribe! Every interaction is a victory against suppressive algorithms! Support our Independent Media work on Patreon for as little as $1 a month! Indie Media cannot survive without your support! Patrons get Early Access for all videos, exclusive posts, behind the scenes content, community thank yous every episode, and direct input on content creation! See y'all there! patreon.com/entitledmillennials Onetime donations through PayPal are also GREATLY appreciated! paypal.me/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D examines a memorandum from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs which outlines and condemns United States Hegemony. Double D uses alternative sources and analysis to fact check and add more perspective to the document. Jumping in to the video, Double D reads excerpts from the Chinese Foreign Ministry memorandum, outlining the "five pillars of U.S. Hegemony", political, military, economic, technological, and cultural. Double D highlights the U.S. abuse of political hegemony, citing color revolutions, which he examines further using a political analysis published in the Westminster Papers by Professor Gerald Sussman. He shows how the U.S. will use mass propaganda, front funding organizations, and public manipulation to turn social movements in a country into a push for regime change. Using the Westminster analysis, Double D cements the fact that despite "democracy" rhetoric surrounding color revolutions, the vast majority of resources dumped in to this political engineering revolves around "free market" reforms. Moving on, Double D examines the history of the United States abusing its political hegemony to manipulate international diplomacy. He starts by focusing on the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), showing how the U.S. repeatedly used domestic partisanship as an excuse to slow diplomacy around the banning of chemical and biological weapons. He shows how the U.S. used its political influence to secure "special considerations" around the CWC, ensuring that the U.S. answered to no-one surrounding chemical weapon testing or disarmament verification. He notes also that the U.S. secured the right to determine which sites could be inspected. Using a resource from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Double D shows how even with "full compliance" on the CWC, the United States has secured the capacity to continue developing and mobilizing certain chemical and biological weapons systems. Double D then goes on to examine the United States withdrawal from international nuclear weapons treaties, citing the "Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty" as well as the Open-Skies Treat. Double D uses this example to examine United States Nuclear Policy, quoting both Biden and the State Department in the use of "first-strike policy", noting that the United States is the only country on Earth to suggest that they may use nuclear weapons to preserve national interests, rather than a policy of simple deterrence under Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) stance, which is canon for most countries. Double D then cites the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft so examine times throughout history that the United States has engaged in Nuclear Brinksmanship by threatening to use nuclear weapons, dating as recently as the Clinton Administration, who threatened North Korea with warheads if they didn't abandon their nuclear reactor program. Segueing from nuclear policy, Double D examines how the U.S. stance has been implemented in the Indo-Pacific region. Citing an article from Nikkei-Japan, he outlines the U.S. policy of "Nuclear Encirclement", showing how the United States has invested tens of billions of dollars to develop a "precision-strike missile system" in the first island chain surrounding China in conjunction with a second island chain air defense system. Double D explains how this is an attempt to secure "nuclear primacy" in the region, by implementing first-strike capabilities that could destroy China's nuclear infrastructure before they have the chance to retaliate. Double D asks his audience to consider the existential and suicidal nature of such a policy, and asks them to consider how the U.S. would react to a similar policy in the Caribbean. Rounding off the video, Double D examines the argument presented in the memorandum that claims "the U.S. uses a false democracy vs authoritarianism rhetoric" to justify its imperial agenda. He quotes a recent study from the Alliance of Democracies Foundation that suggests that China lives in a healthier democracy when compared to the United States. He goes on to examine more statistics from this study that suggest a majority of the world sees the United States as a threat to international democracy. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and drop a comment! Every little bit helps beat the Algorithm. Support our independent media work on Patreon for as little as $1 a month! Patrons get Early Access to all videos, exclusive posts, behind the scenes content, a thank you in every video, and get to have direct input in the sort of content the channel produces! patreon.com/entitledmillennials One time donations through PayPal are also GREATLY appreciated! paypal.me/entitledmillennials

In this clip from his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D examines how privatization of the nation's rail system has yielding inefficiency, dangerous conditions, and artificially inflated costs. He uses this and other examples to examine how using the profit motive as the prime directive of a country produces cultural and economic sickness within a society. Like, Subscribe, Comment, Bang the DANG BELL! Don't forget you can support my independent media work on Patreon for as little as $1 a month! Patrons get early access to all videos, behind the scenes content, exclusive posts, and get a direct say in the sort of content the channel produces! patreon.com/entitledmillennials One time donations through PayPal are also appreciated! paypal.me/entitledmillennials

In this episode of the "Entitled Millennials" podcast, Double D sits down with comrade Colton Power of the YouTube channel AbcadeazCoffee to discuss issues surrounding policing. Jumping in to the video, the pair discuss updates from Memphis protests surrounding the death of Tyre Nichols, highlighting new direct actions, the ongoing investigation of officer Preston Hemphill, and the news that the three EMT's who failed to provide adequate care for Tyre have been discharged. The two go on to discuss the well organized actions of activists and the response of the City of Memphis. They ask what this increased organization may mean for wider movements, and question if perhaps left leaning organizations have learned from the shortcomings of past spontaneous actions. The two discuss what a post-policing, post-prison world may look like, with a focus on how public safety would be managed in the interim period. Colton brings the conversation back around to the issues of capitalism and imperialism, and reminds viewers not to fall complacent over general reforms, but to continue pushing for the deep systemic change that will be necessary to overcome police brutality. The two transition into a general discussion on police violence and gun violence and how the two issues intersect with the military industrial complex and the racist origins of policing. They examine the racist history of gun control, and debate the efficacy of such reforms when statistically such laws disproportionately effect people of color who carry arms to defend themselves again police or gangland violence. The two go on to discuss the relationship between America's violent colonial history and it's contemporary gun culture. Double D draws a correlation between the emasculation and alienation of white working class males as a driving force behind fire arm fetishism, noting that as white workers had their capacity to provide for their families, as well as their sense of community and belonging destroyed, gun culture acted as a means to fill that emotional void. Colton adds that right wing online personalities have further exacerbated this trend as young men flock to hyper-masculine charlatans to cope with their own sense of alienation. Moving on, Double D plays a video showing State Troopers clearing a path for the Proud Boys at an anti-trans rally in Memphis, he goes on to read a testimony from a Memphis activist who suggests that law enforcement may be collaborating with these right wing militias. The two use this instance as a chance to discuss the long history of police collaboration with white supremacist's organizations, touching on their complacency in the ousting of black politicians in the Reconstruction Era south as well as modern police departments origins in "slave catching squads." Double D plays another video, depicting the shooting by police of double amputee Anthony Lowe. The two ruminate on the absolute horror and inhumanity of people who are willing to shoot someone having a clear mental health crisis. Double D suggests that this sort of callousness is endemic to capitalist, imperialist systems, and he suggests that their violence will only grow worse as the contradictions of capitalism sharpen, and as society as a whole continues to break down. Colton expressed disbelief at reactionary elements within society that fetishize policing, imploring them to understand that when the chips are down, the police will turn on you the same way they have people of color. He insists that people must understand that policing as it exists today is completely counter to the public interest. Like, subscribe, and comment! Let's destroy that algorithm! Please spread that Indie Media love to our comrade Colton over at his channel AbcadeazCoffee! Link below and in pinned comment! Don't forget you can support our independent media work on Patreon for as little as $1 a month! Patrons get early access to all content, exclusive posts, behind the scenes, and get direct input into the sort of content they'd like to see produced! P.S. Twenty minutes of behind the scenes content from this episode coming to the Patreon! patreon.com/entitledmillennials One time donations through PayPal are also appreciated! paypal.me/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses the farce of the House Resolution to condemn "The Horrors of Socialism." Opening the video, Double D outlines some of the points made on the debate floor surrounding the resolution. Noting the absolute naivete and ignorance surrounding notions and perspectives concerning socialism. He picks out Republican Representative from Florida, Maria Salazar's arguments. Noting that she insists that Socialism and Communism have been responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people world wide. Double D scoffs at this notion, and points out that Salazar and other U.S. politicians conveniently ignore the massive death toll racked up by capitalist systems. He cites US chattel slavery, colonialism, apartheid, genocide, the rise of fascism, two world wars, and the perpetuation of wealth inequality as all being the violent legacy of capitalist systems. He also dismisses Salazar's comments which insist that socialism inherently leads to totalitarianism. Double D notes that apologists for capitalism always ignore capitalism's predisposition to learn towards inverted totalitarianism, that is the dictatorship of capital, hiding behind the façade of democracy with the illusion of choice manifesting in the lie of corporate consumerism. Double D moves on to dissect arguments from Democratic politicians. He condemns their willingness to engage in this political theater in order to garner clout from their more center-leaning constituents. He takes particular aim at Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who "condemned socialist autocrats" despite her notorious role in fixing the Democratic Primaries to prop up American autocrats such as the Clintons. He goes on to point out how even the most progressive of Democrats, including Ro Khanna, reject the idea of nationalization or moving beyond capitalism. He uses a video clip with Khanna's statements to suggest that even in the greatest upsurge of "progressive democratic revolution" the people of the U.S. will be left with little more than Band-Aid solutions to the existential crises being caused by capitalism. Double D ends this segment by pointing out the hypocrisy that is the root of capitalist arguments against socialism; he notes that the very horror stories promised to us if we dare to move down the path of socialism, is the very real horror we live with day to day under capitalist systems. He notes media narratives of "hard working or charitable Americans" which with just a few change of words, could be spun to portrait the supposed "horrors of socialism", including breadlines, homelessness, crumbling infrastructure, and shortages of basic goods. Moving on from the floor debate, Double D examines some of the points made within the house resolution. He points out how many of its claims, centered around the supposed atrocities of socialist movements, are rooted in false narratives and cooked statistics that have been perpetuated by fascist sympathizers, the US state, and foundations that have questionable origins; citing the author of the infamous novel 'Gulag Archipelago' and the team that produced 'The Black Book of Communism.' Double D highlights the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC). He examines the foundations founders, noting several Ukrainian Nationalists, fascist collaborators, and mouth pieces of big business; including the founder of the Heritage Foundation; an institutional supporter of U.S. imperial policy and advocate of corporatism. Double D ends the video by discerning the ties between multinational corporations, the US intelligence community, fascist movements worldwide, and organizations like the VOC. He insists that we are all living in a multi-layered false reality that has been pushed upon us for generations by capitalists and other power mongers who have a vested interest in our complacency with an unjust system. He asks his viewers to reject everything they've been told, so that they can begin the process of their own reeducation and liberation, which will lead them towards becoming the critical thinkers the world so desperately needs. Thanks for watching, don't forget to like, subscribe, and comment! You can support our independent media work on Patreon for as little as $1 a month! Patrons gain early access to all content, exclusive posts, behind the scenes content, and direct influence in the sort of content the channel produces! patreon.com/entitledmillennials One time donations through our PayPal are also greatly appreciated! paypal.me/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D examines the brutal police killing of Memphis native Tyre Nichols, with a focus on the activism surrounding the incident, as well as a broader discussion of police violence in the United States. Opening the video, Double D laments the murder of another young person of color at the hands of militant police. He goes on to roll video from the murder of Tyre Nichols, asking apologists for police to reconcile the veracity and regularity of this sort of violence with the supposed "serve and protect" purpose of policing. After the video, Double D points out that the supposed justification for the detainment which led to Tyre's murder was "reckless driving", moving on, Double D rolls video from after Tyre's beating which depicts officers laughing and joking around while bragging about how they had brutalized Tyre. After the video Double D comments on the gross level of "one-ups-man-ship" present in the officers dialogue, he shows this as a prime example of the sickening culture of dehumanization and moral justification which is the norm within police departments throughout the country. Double D transitions away from the incident itself, and begins to examine the coalition building and tactics Memphis residents used to secure concessions from the police department as well as the city of Memphis. He highlights two organizations, "Memphis Community Safety Team" who acted and Marshalls for subsequent protests, and "Decarcerate Memphis" a more Anarchist leaning organization with a focus on anti-police, anti-prison-industrial-complex actions. He lauds the Memphis coalition for their thorough planning, efficiency, and dedication; and suggests that this sort of militant organizing amounts to the building blocks of a larger solidarity movement that could be capable of building a general strike. He asks his viewers to imagine every local organization, left organization, and independent party united in a common action with a common list of demands organized in such a way that they could sustain a lasting general strike capable of winning systemic change. He points out that throughout history it has been this level of organizing which has taken moments of spontaneous uprising and turned them into actions of revolutionary system upheaval; he asks socialists, communists, and progressive elements to remember this lesson as they move forward with their mobilization efforts. Double D reports status updates from a comrade on the ground, who details an action involving shutting down the 1-55 highway while maneuvering around antagonizing police as well as potentially reactionary elements. Double D uses this as an example as to why militant organization is the only way to carry out actions in an effective and efficient way capable of securing victory. He notes that the Memphis coalition succeeded in winning concessions, notably the discharge and arrest of five of the officers responsible, as well as the disbanding of the associated SCORPION police unit. Again Double D lauds this coalitions victories, but reminds his audience to be wary of reforms to an inherently pro-capitalist, pro-racist organization. He steers the dialogue around reform back to radical upheaval of systems, suggesting that their can be no lasting victory until we have achieved police and prison abolition, and have meaningfully begun the transition away from the capitalist modes of appropriation which create crime and policing in the first place. Rounding off the video, Double D discusses the topic of racism as it applies to the instance of the Tyre Nichols murder. He touches on how right wing pundits and other reactionaries have touted the fact that Tyre died at the hands of black officers as an example that "race" has nothing to do with any issue surrounding policing. Double D acknowledges that race alone is not the only factor which creates violent policing, pointing again to capitalist property relations, he points out, however, that the victims skin color can still be a focal point. Quoting Frantz Fanon's 'Black Skin, White Masks' Double D examines the insidious and corrupting influence racism has in the white supremacist super structure, pointing out the reality of "internalized racism" which takes the caricature of race and plants it in the minds of people of color, compelling them to "mask" their blackness, even up to the point of embracing a dehumanization of their own racial community; he notes that this processes is especially prevalent in groups which exercise power, privileges, or authority over others. Support Independent Left Media, hit like, subscribe, and drop a comment! Don't forget to support us for $1 a month on Patreon or with a one time donation through PayPal! patreon.com/entitledmillennials paypal.me/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D analyzes an interview with John Bellamy Foster, where he discusses his new book, 'Capitalism in the Anthropocene', and his arguments for how capitalism is the driving force behind climate change. Double D analyzes some of the contradictions of capitalism, and how those contradictions are the primary cause of climate collapse. He cites capitalism's inherent obsession with growth, citing a system of "compounding growth" which leads to the economy doubling roughly every twenty-five years. He points out how this contradiction has led to an economy of such a scale that its continued growth is impossible on a small planet with limited resources. He also asks his viewers to consider what this compounding growth has done in just the last two hundred years since capitalism's "coming of age", pointing out that in that time we have already pushed past three of the nine planetary boundaries which lead to climate crisis. Double D goes on to compare this "growth for growths sake" to the modus operandi of a virus or a cancer cell. He dismisses nihilistic points of view that compare humanity to a virus or a cancer cell, suggesting instead that capitalism is the cancer, a cancer which has been allowed to fester for far too long in the civilizational organism. He compares social movements, militant organization, and the movement towards socialism as a medical procedure that can eliminate the cancerous growth of capitalism which threatens all life on this planet. Going on with the video, Double D discusses the failings of social relations which occur under the capitalist system. Citing the article with John Bellamy Foster, he examines our mass marketing consumer culture, which serves as a synthetic replacement for actual human needs such as community belonging and the time and resources necessary to pursue self-actualization. Citing his own recent departure from his job, he notes how much less he has had to consume while not being a part of the 40+ hour a week work grind. He then asks his viewers to consider this on a mass scale, suggesting that part of the transition from capitalism to socialism should necessarily involve using existing productive capacities to ensure that all human beings have the necessities, while requiring them to work far less. He cites the pandemic as an example of how drastically carbon emissions can be cut when human beings are permitted to slow down and simply exist rather than carry on as cogs in a terminal growth machine. Ending the video, Double D ruminates on China's recent push for an ecological society. He uses this analysis as a chance to examine the global south's inevitable economic development, suggesting that without "green reparations" that will help developing countries modernize in a sustainable way, no amount of green initiatives in the global north will be enough to stop the tide of ecological collapse. Closing the video, Double D asks his viewers to comment with their vision of an ecological civilization, with a special focus on how they feel the transition from capitalism to socialism can make that dream a reality for future generations.

What an amazing journey it's been the last four years. In those four years we've gone from doing videos over an old rickety dining room table with a cloth backdrop for a handful of friends and family, to a professional studio with a whole community centered around independent media and anti-capitalist analysis. Couldn't have gotten here without you guys. Now it's time to use 2023 to take this channel to the next level. Anyone can now join the newly revamped Patreon for as little as $1. Behind the scenes content, early access for all content, exclusive posts, personal engagement, community rankings, roll credits acknowledgement, patron direction in future content, book reviews, and a whole mess of other content is now available for ANY patron. Help us build an engaging Patreon community that will be a guiding force in the direction this channel goes. We want our Patrons posting articles, suggesting interviews, offering comments and criticisms to help improve the channel. Those who support this show should have a direct and meaningful input into what sort of content gets produced. This is my way of saying "this isn't my channel, it's our channel." As we reach our fundraising goals we'll start pushing out more content for the channel, including a weekly or biweekly livestream, multiple episodes of "Thinking Out Loud" a week, regular clips, as well as in-depth interviews with activists, educators, and experts. Our first fundraising goal of $150 is already 1/3rd of the way there! Help us make the Entitled Millennials the independent media channel it deserves to be.

In this clip from his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses the roots of the Student Debt Crisis. He examines how making education class restricted has instituted a form of social reproduction, where those who are able to afford college go on to become technicians and complex system managers who do not question the status quo, but instead run the self replicated system as efficiently as possible. Don't forget to like, comment, and hit subscribe! Please support the channel financially if you can! You can now join the Patreon for as little as $1 a month, with exclusive posts and behind the scene content coming every few days! patreon.com/entitledmillennials paypal.me/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses the Qatar World Cup and the Kafala System of migrant slave labor that made the event possible. Jumping in to the video, Double D discusses the controversies surrounding the 2022 Qatar World Cup, including its being hosted in a gulf state, the looming accusations of corruption, and a mass showing of support for Palestine from fans. He then reads excerpts from an article examining Qatar's massive migrant labor scheme known as The Kafala System. Double D reads testimonies from Kafala laborers who are now stuck in Qatar with no passport and no access to healthcare. He explains how recruitment agencies will lie about the nature of the job vacancies their seeking to fill, and how migrant workers will have their passports seized upon arrival, preventing them from leaving the country. Double D outlines a whole host of abuses associated with the Kafala system, including 12- 15 hour work days, terrible and/or dangerous working conditions, no sick days, no days off, no access to the outside world, and systemic cases of domestic kafala workers being confined to the home where they are perpetually raped and beaten. Double D explains how the Kafala System, which means "Guardianship" in Arabic, turns private individuals and corporations into "sponsors" for migrant workers. This sponsorship puts complete power in the hands of the private entity while allowing the government to brush off any and all calls for reform. He shows how these private entities control their workers movements, access to communications, access to healthcare, and are permitted to arbitrarily dismiss kafala employees, thereby blacklisting them from different work. He points out how the system also works on indebted servitude, where employers will garnish wages for transportation or healthcare costs. Going on with the video, Double D zooms out, and examines how this Kafala System is an example of how slavery has persisted into the 21st century. He points out instances of Kafala employers engaging in "visa-trading" where they will lease workers out to another employee, often into worse conditions and pay. Double D compares this "visa-trading" to the system of slave leasing that was common in the American plantation system throughout the first half of the 19th century. He points out how in Kafala countries, often times migrants outnumber actual citizens, and how these migrants have none of the legal rights guaranteed by national citizenship. He draws parallels with this migrant to citizen disparity with the slave societies of the American south or French controlled Haiti. Rounding off the video, Double D points out that while Western countries point the finger at Qatar and other Kafala nations, they seem content to ignore their own their own systems of migrant exploitation. Double D points out how the United States economy is built on the backs of millions upon millions of Latin American migrant workers, who are not protected by citizenship, and who are subjected to poverty wages and inhumane working conditions; all while the specter of deportation looms over their head. He shows how much of the American agricultural system, as well as the hospitality and food service industry is built off this exploitation. Ending the video, Double D attempts to tie these systems of migrant exploitation to the greater capitalist system. He explains how the seed capital for capitalism was built off the backs of slaves and the stolen natural resources of indigenous peoples. He points to the Kafala system, the US Migration system, and the system of Mass Incarceration in the US, as examples of how capitalism cannot exist without an army of slaves. He reminds viewers that profit is just the unpaid wages of working people, and that no working person is paid so little as a slave. He examines also, how the modern day neo-colonial system perpetuates these human rights abuses. He shows how all of the highly developed global north was developed trough the hyperexploitation of the global south, and that this exploitation has necessarily lead to under-development, which then leads to a process known as brain drain, where even the human resources of the global south are expropriated, as skilled workers and technicians are forced to migrate out of their over-exploited countries into the imperial core, where the imperialist countries benefit from their labor at the expense of the colonized world. Please support my work and independent media by becoming a Patron or by giving a one time donation through paypal. Solidarity forever. patreon.com/entitledmillennials paypal.me/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses the prevalence of insider trading within the United States Congress. Opening the video, Double D reads excerpts from an article from 'Jacobin', he then outlines the influence the Military Industrial Complex has on elected officials, noting lobbying, super PAC's, and Iron Triangles that recycle corporate execs into politicians and pundits and then back again. Double D goes on to examine ever increasing military budgets, noting that this years National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is increasing yet again, to the tune of another $100 billion dollars. He sardonically points out that while partisan gridlock is used to perpetually justify a failure to act on the nation's most pressing issues, there never seems to be an issue with cross-party collaboration when it comes to bank rolling militarism. Relating the reality of bloated military budgets to the issue of congressional insider trading, Double D shows how 284, or 53%, of sitting members of congress own stocks. Beyond this, he shows how 97 members of congress have bought or sold stocks in the very industries those members of congress have "exercised" legislative authority over. He cites too, how before the public was made aware of the seriousness of the pand - emic, briefed members of congress cashed out millions of dollars worth of stocks and financial assets; then proceeded to use the crisis as an excuse to further line their pockets under the guise of response. Reading more excerpts from the article, he notes how anti-congressional-stock-trading legislation exists, but that the law is minimally enforced, and that fines for transgression seldom amount to more than a paltry $200. Double D disagrees with the author of the Jacobin articles position, that more anti-stock-trading legislation will do anything to curb this endemic issue. He points out first that existing legislation is already not enforced, and that the criminal justice appointees who would enforce such laws will never do so, seeing as they are appointing by the very individuals who are engaged in corruption. He notes also that such levels of brazen corruption are inherent to liberal democracies, where the government and the corporation have become completely inseparable. He insists that without mass mobilization and structural organization of working class power that is capable of rendering consequences for the corrupt, the cash cow of congressional insider trading will continue to be milked. Continuing with the subject of congressional insider trading, Double shows how this process is inextricably linked with military contractors. He points out how members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) are known to engage in the most trades, trading in the stocks of the very companies their discretionary budgeting will bank roll. Noting that the NDAA is expected to reach an inconceivable $1 Trillion by the year 2027; Double D tries to wrap his head around that sum, imagining what sort of global society we could be living in if $1 Trillion were invested in humanity rather than war. Closing out the video, Double D ruminates on the systemic and economic nature of Empire and the Military Industrial Complex. He explains how the United States has become completely dependent on this form of Keynesianism. He elaborates on how endless military expenditure is a method of burning through excess capital without fundamentally reforming an economic system that puts a handful of people at the top of a hedonistic pyramid. He shows how militarism keeps what remains of American industrial capitalism, and its debt driven consumerist engine running, as the economy, and society as a whole, continues to be hollowed out by imperial hubris and corporate greed. #militarism #militaryindustrialcomplex #news #independentmedia #socialist #peacenotwar #endthewars #leftist

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses the Rail Workers Union recent call for nationalization of all rail lines in the US, Mexico, and Canada. Jumping in to the video, Double D reads excerpts from an article published by "People's World" which outlines some of the recent labor struggle between RWU and the big rail bosses, as well as highlighting their recent call for nationalization of all rail lines in the United States. Double D shows how the Steering Committee of the RWU sees nationalization as a fight not just for economic justice but for democracy. Double D contrasts this perspective with the on going political theater of Democrats claiming that "American democracy is under siege" by right wing political forces. He agreeing with that reality, Double D points out that both the political class and the media class leave any and all notion of economic democracy out of this discussion. He asserts that capitalism and democracy are not only not synonymous, they are in fact contrary to one another, and that so long as social, economic, and political life is dominated by corporations, American democracy will remain on life support. Double D examines the authoritarian structure of capitalism, outlining the concept of the "dictatorship of capital" and analyzes how the corporation is in its essence an authoritarian structure. Relating this to the rail road, he shows how big rail bosses have ousted 29% of the rail road work force over the last eight years, and have continued to boast record profits straight through the Great Recession and even the pandemic. Ruminating on this reality, Double D considers the madness of having the profit motive as the driving ideological force within your society. He points out how rail lines have begun looking at profit margin as the primary definition of the success of the rail road. He asks what is the purpose of a railroad? To make money? Or to transport human beings and freight? He goes on to examine how the profit motive has warped every aspect of American society, citing food production, entertainment and the arts, and even national security and foreign policy. Analyzing some history of the rail lines, Double D explains how nationalization is nothing new in US history. He outlines how the government took several bankrupt or defunct rail lines, and merged them into one federally owned company known as "Conrail" back in 1976. He shows however, that while the government was able to return the rail lines to profitability, the federal assets were sold off to two rail giants, who then split up the network, and discontinued many of the smaller branches. He goes on to examine the 1918 Railroad Control Act, through which the US government seized control of all rail lines to ensure the safe and efficient transportation of military equipment and personnel during the First World War. He then shows how a majority of rail workers voted to maintain nationalization as the rail roads began to move back into private hands. Double D asks how we could possibly living in a democracy, when a majority of workers who do all of the work vote a certain way, yet the ownership class still remains in control of one of the most essential parts of our national infrastructure. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and comment! Support the show financially if you can! patreon.com/entitledmillennials paypal.me/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses Biden's recent announcement that he will be "pardoning" those convicted on a federal level for small amounts of marijuana possession. Double D opens the video by reading excerpts from a "Slate" article, which outlines the specifics of Biden's marijuana pardons. Double D points out that Biden's pardons release no prisoners in the War on Drugs, rather, Biden's pardons do nothing more than "expunge" the record of 6,500 people who had already served their time for possession. He points out as well, that the move does nothing meaningful to reschedule the controlled substance, and suggests that the pardons amount to nothing more than hot air rhetoric leading up to the midterms. Going on, Double D ruminates on the culture of paranoia and mass incarceration created by cannabis being relegated to the war on drugs. He cites the article in pointing out that cannabis convictions reached their height in 2008, and reflects on the fear and destruction of lives this battle in the war on drugs has fostered. He examines the argument of legalization versus decriminalization, touching on the pros and cons of both, while pointing out the hypocrisy that comes with white capitalists profiting of legal cannabis, while thousand of people of color continue to be locked up for cannabis possession and distribution. He suggests that while legalization can generate tax revenue for the states and the federal government, such revenue will be going into the "black hole" of taxation that exists within capitalist governments. He notes also that corporate weed will push out working class pot dealers, particularly those of color, who have managed to eke on some semblance of economic dignity from the underground prohibition market. Ending the video, Double D brings the discussion back to the political processes that occur within capitalist societies. He points out that while mass movements against marijuana prohibition have helped to normalize cannabis culture, the real push for legalization has come at the behest of capitalists seeking to build a legal cannabis market. He points to this fact as emblematic of the political reality in liberal bourgeois democracy: that it is the will of the capitalist class, not the working class, that propels the engine of political change within liberal society. He examines how the delay in cannabis prohibition reform is the result of clashing interests between two fiefdoms within the capitalist class: those of the insurgent industrial cannabis growers, and those of the entrenched Prison Industrial Complex. He points out that while these two sections of the capitalist class vie against one another to shape policy, the war on drugs will continue to destroy hundreds of thousands of lives. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and comment! Thank you for your continued support for independent media! Support the show financially if you can! patreon.com/entitledmillennials paypal.me/entitledmillennials #cannabis #cannabisprohibition #marijuana #marijuanamovement #marijuanaprohibition #weed #weeprohibition #warondrugs #thewarondrugs

In this clip from his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses how unemployment is a natural byproduct of capitalist systems. He discusses the "boom and bust cycles" of capitalism and how the decisions of a handful of economic and political elites results in the ruin of millions of lives. Don't forget to like and subscribe and drop a comment! Support the show financially if you can! paypal.me/entitledmillennials patreon.com/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses a recent article from 'The Intercept' which outlines how former President Ronald Reagan colluded with the intelligence community to enthrall working Americans with the student loan debt crisis. Opening the video, Double D quotes Roger Freeman, former adviser to Eisenhower, Nixon, and Reagan who said: "Free college would create a dangerous educated proletariat." He then goes on to outline the current state of the student debt crisis, and dismisses President Joe Biden's paltry $10,000 student debt relief as a band aid on terminal economic wound. Reading from 'The Intercept' article, Double D outlines how Ronald Reagan coasted to victory in his re-election bid for the governorship of California by playing on the fears of "campus protest" which was ongoing and militant at the height of the Vietnam War. Double D points out how Reagan went on to weaponize this rhetoric in his Presidential bid, which was then in turn adopted by conservative politicians throughout the country. Taking a step back, Double D dismisses the criticisms of reactionaries condemning student loan debt relief, pointing out that the cumulative debt consist of nothing more than fabricated numbers on a screen that represent predatory loans. He insists also, that given the nature of the U.S. monetary system and the petro-dollar, that any and all fears of would be government spending is a fallacy; as U.S. financial hegemony allows for an indefinite amount of deficit spending. Jumping back into the article, Double D scoffs at adviser Roger Freeman, who claimed that having a well-educated but unemployed proletariat was what led to the rise of fascism in Europe. Double D points out that the entire premise of "liberal democracy" is centered on the idea that a highly educated population will elect representatives of their interest to administer the government. He questions Roger Freeman's claim that, "an educated proletariat is dynamite" asking why working people would be dangerous if their elected representatives are actually serving their democratic interests. He sardonically asks the question if we are actually governing ourselves through elections, or if a ruling class is appointing "leaders" over us instead, and that a well educated working class would become keen on this fact and resist their domination. Going on, Double D quotes the article in pointing out that the ruling class only wants certain people educated, and that this does not include the sons and daughters of the lower levels of the working class. He asserts that the ruling class wants to use higher education to engage in their own "social reproduction", that is to say that they want to reproduce their own ideas and ways of thinking in the upper classes, while also reproducing an intermediate class of "complex-system-managers" who use their administrative positions in the political, economic, and military systems to maintain the status quo. Next, Double D discusses the interwoven nature of the intelligence community with Ronald Reagan's anti-education rhetoric; pointing out meetings between him and the CIA and FBI regarding suppressing "communist influence in universities." Double D points out that anytime the state department or political puppets start using anti-communist rhetoric, you can know that they're about to take something away from you. That they will either privatize your public services, or strip away another one of your constitutional rights. He elaborates that the Red Scare and anti-communism has been used to completely hollow out not only the institutions of liberal democracy, but also the unions, churches, and our very communities; leaving us with confined parameters of social and political thought that leave us atomized, amnesiac, and powerless to resist domination. With the same tenor, Double D ridicules suburban liberals who have been made to idealize the intelligence community, pointing out that the FBI and CIA are the extralegal paramilitary wing of the ruling class which as been responsible for the complete desecration of liberal democracy. Rounding off the video, Double examines the manufactured monster of student loan debt, pointing out that it has had a "two-birds-one-stone" effect on the working class. He claims that student loan debt has one, barred working people from pursuing the education that will give them the power to resist their subjugation, and two, has saddled them with an oppressive system of debt that diminishes their political and economic power. He then ruminates on his own past experiences struggling to get through college while raising a child and working fulltime, stating that he decided not to finish pursuing his Bachelor's degree due to the mountain of debt he would accrue just to earn a low paying position as a public school teacher. He then asks says, "this is just my story, how many more millions of stories are their just like mine?"

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses the shooting of Oklahoma county sheriff Sergeant Swartz, who was killed while serving an eviction notice. Jumping into the video, Double D reads excerpts from an article from 'The Oklahoman' which outlines the events of the shooting. Reading the charges put to the defendant, he laughs at the clerk of court bureaucracy, which feels the need to lay charge on top of charge onto a man who is already guilt of murder. He points out also, the media's morbid fascination with outlining a defendants criminal past, noting that this is a means of manufacturing our consent for the sort of trigger-happy policing that results in the deaths of hundreds innocent people every year. Diving deeper into the story, Double D rolls a video from the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) Facebook page which depicts Sergeant Swartz on his routine of delivering eviction papers. In the video, Swartz talks repeatedly of his "desire to help people", being what caused him to join the force. Double D contrasts Swartz supposed raison d'etre with a point in the video which shows Swartz evicting an 80 year old woman from her home. Double D ruminates on the rational and psychological disconnect that occurs within most people serving in law enforcement. While suggesting that many people do enlist in law enforcement with the intention of helping people, he questions how such individuals reconcile their sense of self with the reality of their job, pointing out that serving eviction notices, uprooting homeless people, and arresting non-violent drug users does nothing but destroy lives. Double D suggests that it is this reality which causes people to make comments such as "FUCK 12", "ACAB", or "Fuck the Police." He points out these slogans exist because working people associate police with violence, eviction, fines, and the war on drugs, more than they associate them with crime management and prevention. He then explains the rationale behind the popular slogan "ACAB: All Cops Are Bastards", saying that while individual people working in law enforcement may be "good people", that upon donning the uniform and upholding unjust laws and property relations, they become in essence, "bastards of the state", or "bastards of the system of capitalism", whose prime directive it is to uphold unjust systems of appropriation while masquerading as "agents of the peace." Next, Double D dispels the "policing is dangerous work" narrative, citing the article which claims that the last OCSO deputy killed in the line of duty was nearly 100 years ago in 1935, the result of a shootout with bank robbers who had escaped the local penitentiary. He notes also that nation-wide statistics reveal that far less police are killed in the line of duty than are innocent people killed by their hand every year. Ending the video, Double D suggests that violent incidents such as this will only become more prevalent, as an increasingly desperate working class is pushed into spontaneous retaliation more often. He points out that eviction is a form of state-sanctioned violence, that homelessness is systemic violence, and that the eviction notice on your door is a promise of the violence which will be brought upon you if you refuse to vacate your home; and that there is no excuse for a society that elevates property rights over human rights such as the guarantee of adequate housing. Thanks for watching! Support the show financially if you can! If not, drop a like, a comment, and share to your friends! Thank you for supporting Independent Media. patreon.com/entitledmillennials paypal.me/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D examines an article from The Intercept, which dissects a memo regarding inflation and labor markets from the economic research wing of Bank of America. Jumping into the video, Double D reads excerpts from the memo where its author, Ethan Harris, details fears of a "strong labor market", which could make conditions difficult for investors. He also outlines the current economic backdrop into which this memo has been released, detailing "The Great Resignation", a renewed vigor in the labor movement, and rising inflation. Double D notes Bank of America's hope that the current ratio of unemployed workers to potential job openings will return to "pre-pandemic levels." He points out that capitalists rely on unemployment to keep wages low and to encourage inter-worker competition, and that the current labor market has by default put a certain degree of leverage in the hands of working people. Next, Double D touches on how the Federal Reserve has opted to increase interest rates in order to tackle the rise in inflation, their strategy being based in the presumption that the inflation is tied to an increase in wages. Meanwhile, statistic show that wage increases have been minimal, reflecting only 4-6%, while inflation has peaked at 9, 10, or 11% for varying commodities. Double D scoffs at the ever changing excuses capitalists cook up to justify inflation, citing the pandemic checks, the war in Ukraine, and now the negligible increase in wages at a time when corporations are boasting record profits. In quoting Adam Smith, he notes that capitalists will blame anything other than their own bottom line in explaining the prevalence of inflation. Double D then examines the boom and bust cycles of capitalist societies, citing the articles statistic which shows that at the height of the 2008-2009 housing market collapse, there were six unemployed workers for every job opening. He ruminates on how these crisis are portraited as being unprecedented, while they tend to occur every 7-10 years, completely upending the lives of every day people, forcing them to toil away in rebuilding an economy that will inevitably crash again. He touches also on Bank of America's fear of "Full-Employment", analyzing more clearly how unemployment is a permanent fixture of capitalist societies, its being the result of the contradiction between capitalists need to have consumers able to afford their products, while simultaneously needing to suppress the employment and slash the wages of those very same consumers. Ending the video, he again examines Bank of America's hope that the Federal Reserve's purposeful inducement of a recession will stifle working class leverage in the economy, despite the fact that their belief in a wage to price inflation spiral is fictitious. Relating this phenomena to Antonio Gramsci's notion of cultural hegemony, he notes this as an example of the detached reality of the ruling class, pointing out that in their hubris the economic elite have chosen to go on chasing ghosts, rather than to realistically examine the consequences of their own exploitative systems. paypal.me/entitledmillennials patreon.com/entitledmillennials

In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D examines how armed activists showed up to stop a Dallas homeless encampment from being displaced. Double D jumps into the video by reading an op-ed article from Dallas News, which condemns the activists for showing up with weapons to interrupt city policy. He dispels the city's claim that they were "just intending to clean up the camp", noting that such "clean ups" amount to material violence on some of the most vulnerable in our society, often times resulting in the destruction of their belongings or even bringing about police violence. Double D counters the articles condemnation of the armed defense, which the author claims "suggests the possibility of violence", pointing out that this "suggestion of potential violence" is in response to decades of violence against homeless people perpetuated by a system of violence. He states that evicting people from their homes is violence, that forcing people to live on the street is violence, that failing to provide adequate housing and sanitation is violence, and that maintaining a system which commodifies the essentials as life such as food and healthcare is violence. Double D goes on to advocate for a policy of leaving homeless communities in peace while officials implement the resources necessary to lift people off the street. He suggests that if homeless encampments "need to be cleaned", that city workers should show up with the necessary resources, then work hand in hand with the homeless encampments to clean and sanitize the area. He also points out that while cities such as Dallas and Houston are doing more than others to house people, it will not be enough to permanently solve the issue. He notes that homelessness itself is not the problem, rather that it is a symptom of a system built on capitalist appropriation which turns the basic things necessary for life into commodities. Further dispelling the article's condemnation of armed defense, Double D quotes Frantz Fanon's "Wretched of the Earth" which elaborates the idea that everyday people react with violence because the system and culture which dominates them is violent. He maintains that never in history has it been working people who have instigated violence, that they have always only ever responded to violence with violence. Rounding off the video, Double D suggests that it is only through this form of direct action that working people have achieved any victory against systems of domination. He maintains that while elections and protests play an important role in building mass movements, that it is only through stringent community and political organization, coupled with sustained direct action, that fundamental and lasting change can be achieved. Ending the video, Double D shouts out "The Illahee Spirit Runners", a pan-indigenous activist group committed to ecological defense, de-colonization, and Land Back initiatives. He calls on his audience to get involved and get organized, reminding them that unless we walk the walk, systems of domination and exploitation will only grow more malevolent and destructive. GET INVOLVED WITH THE ILLAHEE SPIRIT RUNNERS! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Illahee-Spirit-Runners-All-Turtle-Island-106678055050698 Twitter: https://twitter.com/IRunners Donations to the Ecovillage project go to... PayPal @DebbieBoone Cashapp @DebbieCBoone Illahee Spirit Blog Website: https://illaheespiritwalking2020.travel.blog/?fbclid=IwAR189mYZrv2vvd9p5-igTxrkTniWe-eeDoMdODXFe1ADgs5gp7a7ErVLmmY Solidarity forever.