I discuss the issues workers who are not able to fit into the normal 9-5 workplace environment, such as those with disabilities, stay-at-home parents, and caregivers, have long faced and the myriad of ways capitalism has taken advantage of them, from MLM scams and at-home business scams that have existed for many years, to YouTube gurus, to gig work platforms that pay severely below minimum wage, to chaotic, risky investment methods like those popularized by Wall Street Bets. Labor organizing and progressive policy change can create change for these most vulnerable workers, who are also often performing some of the most important work of our society uncompensated as caregivers or in raising children. Remote and gig workers workers absolutely should be folded into the union resurgence we have seen recently. This “invisible” population of exploited workers deserves visibility. I also explain the issues with local governments pushing for return to office to “save downtowns” and how good Federal leadership is needed to show the larger policy benefits to vulnerable populations and the environment of maintaining remote work.
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Fixing The Fixerpunk episodes cover ideas about changing yourself and society from my own self-development process. The title of this installment comes from a quote said by pro wrestler Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) but originally from Paulo Coelho: “fight for your dreams and your dreams will fight for you.” I broaden the scope of this from the personal to the collective, and realized that if we fight for the world we dream of, the world will fight for us and for our dreams. Creating the collective environment where people can flourish is one of the most powerful ways we can improve our lives and achieve our goals. This is demonstrated by the fact that those in power relentlessly seek systemic political change to benefit them, and try to prevent us from acting collectively, such as by blocking union organizing.
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What do health and productivity optimization experts like Dr. Andrew Huberman, “dopamine addiction” experts like Dr. Anna Lembke, strict, clean-eating diets, personal finance experts, and welfare reform all have in common? Unreasonably high standards, rigidity, and traditionalism are common themes, but the narrative around them, and the way they are influencing us to view systemic problems affecting others is perhaps their most problematic aspect.
Terms like “instant gratification” and “dopamine addiction” that came from health and productivity optimization theories, have popped up in spaces ranging from fitness to finance to homelessness in order to blame the victims of late-stage capitalism for their own distress. Among the most spurious claims was made by Jordan Peterson, who says that people suffer with issues like depression because they are not “optimally deprived.” Productivity optimization ideas are creating self-doubt on levels similar to conservative religious ideologies, with people even questioning themselves over decisions as minor and banal as whether or not they are allowed to listen to music or watch TV at all. This is because people are afraid that imperfect practice of protocols, whether it be not completely depriving themselves of all spending in the finance realm, or not doing only productive things in the productivity space, will result in economic demise, just as the religious ideas will make people afraid of spiritual demise. This leads to people not only blaming themselves for their own economic hardship, but in turn blaming the supposed “bad habits” of others for their failures, which impedes solidarity. As I have explained in prior episodes, the newest means of enforcement of late stage capitalism is us enforcing its ideals on others and that is precisely how these overly strict self-help ideas are being used. Overall, these ideas are serving to promote right-wing ideologies, obfuscate systemic problems, and distract the public from seeking social change.
Self-help ideas can be a positive influence and some of these practices and protocols can substantially help people, but they need to be implemented in a way that is non-judgmental, inclusive, and understands systemic problems. Here, I start to discuss a path forward for a progressive and inclusive approach to self-help.
Episode Notes:
(Always rough, may contain errors.)
They don’t want you to be able to trust yourself when you know there is something wrong.
They blame you for everything, you cannot do anything right, so why listen to what you think? Then you only listen to what they think.
Health optimization/dopamine addiction narratives:
People constantly questioning themselves about normal things like listening to music and watching TV, just like I’ve seen in strict religious environments.
Dopamine addiction is now being tied to almost everything
Because of the influence of these ideas in the San Francisco tech community, their terminology is even leaking into the way they discuss homelessness.
Is instant gratification really the reason why people suffer? NO!
It Is Not Dopamine Addiction, It Is Futility Aversion.
Based on their experience of working hard and never seeing the fruit of their labor, people rightly do not believe that working harder and harder will yield any different or better results.
All far-right ideologies keep you in a loop that keeps you from seeing the true systemic problems.
People who are in bad situations already feel ashamed enough!
People in bad situations are a lot smarter than the ivory tower gives them credit for.
Even now fitness is moving away from more inclusive models like IIFYM to strict diets to fix so-called “dopamine addiction.”
The term “processed food” is super ambiguous
Personal finance – Dave Ramsey and Caleb Hammer:
Hammer commenters calling people immature, associating immaturity with people in hardship wanting better conditions and to be treated better
Telling people to only work and sleep, but also meal prep everything
The ironic importance of processed food for productivity (even as health optimization people say it’s terrible for productivity) and how we subsidize food impacts what food is available – Frenchy’s video on this: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT82FNecC/
Irony of strict budgeting to survive in capitalism is that the capitalist system depends on you to spend. Look at the RTO narrative.
Making you spend more and keeping you less financially healthy to “save downtowns.”
They don’t want you using your power, withholding your labor, they want you subservient
The common threat is that they don’t want you to know your own power
Finance experts will claim that you only need to severely deprive yourself and work extremely long hours for a few years to pay off your debt, that it’s only temporary, but claiming the suffering is temporary is totally false for most people.
Always feeling like you need to do more can ironically be a source of so-called distraction.
Avoiding “instant gratification” aka poor people don’t deserve to be happy
Trying to do everything to become a so-called better person and climb out of poverty through optimization and frugality will lead to severe burnout.
No one understands cognitive burden/load and workload capacity, and that there is substantial individual variation. You cannot work every moment you are awake. A free hour is not a free hour to do any specific thing there are certain times for someone can be awake, but incapable of doing work.
Yes, there may be some “super” people who can do all of those things at the same time, but that’s not most people.
Welfare reform is based around treating poor people as undeserving, forcing them into bad low wage jobs, even when they are qualified for better, and motivational rhetoric, blaming them for their own hardship.
They want us to enforce these norms on each other so we blame each other, and those more marginalized among us for their problems. May not be a coincidence this stuff is regaining popularity with a recession coming.
The solution is not to dismiss these ideas of improvement, but to get these concepts into conversation with the ideas of marginalized communities and systemic change
These ideas in Health, Fitness, Finance, and Productivity can be very helpful to many people if we can find ways to adapt them and use them in an inclusive way.
The 5 Keys to creating a more Progressive or Leftist Form of Self-Help: Positive, Inclusive, Empowering, Systemic, Supported
Got questions or comments about this episode? Have you faced oppression, have a story about bad bosses, a corrupt company, or another injustice you want to vent or spread the word about, or do you want to just share about your fitness or personal development journey? I’d love to hear from you!
Call in and leave a voicemail any time, day or night, toll-free at 844-477-PUNK (7865)
Or submit your question by email:
greyson@offspeedsolutions.com
Off Speed Solutions provides strategy and consulting for advocacy communications, digital marketing, websites, community engagement, day-to-day operational support, and media ecosystems. Proudly serving nonprofits, political organizations, individual advocates, media and content creators, entrepreneurs, and socially responsible enterprises. Learn more at http://www.offspeedsolutions.com
This podcast is not medical advice or professional advice of any sort. This content is for entertainment and general informational purposes only. We do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of the information herein. The viewer should not rely solely upon such and consult a competent professional before deciding to follow any course of action. Please promptly consult a qualified physician if you have any medical or mental health concerns.
I wanted to very briefly share my unique perspective on the controversy around Oliver Anthony and Rich Men North of Richmond, a country song that has gained much popularity among conservatives and was referenced during the GOP presidential debate. Many seem baffled by Anthony’s attempts to distance himself from Republican politicians and the seemingly contradictory blend of working class pro-labor sentiments and conservative welfare-shaming (I cover the fat-shaming aspects more at the end of the last episode) in the song. But based on my experience in conservative movements, his reflect a long-standing subset of right-libertarian ideology that has always operated in a populistic, anti-political manner, seemingly calling out the injustices caused by late stage capitalism, but pointing the blame at vaguely defined enemies, while ultimately serving conservative policy objectives. This is largely the result of the proliferation of conservative media, and hence political confusion amongst rural Americans. I believe that further left ideas that are not in the mainstream of the Democratic Party may likewise be able to engage this population who are facing issues progressive policies can solve but are unlikely to identify with either political party, yet are still largely influenced by conservative ideas.
Programming note: A new full length episode will likely be posted in a couple days.
Got questions or comments about this episode? Have you faced oppression, have a story about bad bosses, a corrupt company, or another injustice you want to vent or spread the word about? I’d love to hear from you! Call in and leave a voicemail any time, day or night, toll-free at 844-477-PUNK (7865) Or submit your question by email: greyson@offspeedsolutions.com
Off Speed Solutions provides strategy and consulting for advocacy communications, digital marketing, websites, community engagement, day-to-day operational support, and media ecosystems. Proudly serving nonprofits, political organizations, individual advocates, media and content creators, entrepreneurs, and socially responsible enterprises. Learn more at http://www.offspeedsolutions.c…
This podcast is not professional advice of any sort. This content is for entertainment and general informational purposes only. We do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of the information herein. The viewer should not rely solely upon such and consult a competent professional before deciding to follow any course of action.
Car sales training company boss Andy Elliott says he will fire anyone without a six pack, as reported by the New York Post, and he was rightfully called out for his ridiculous standard. But this shows a larger trend of a specific type of very lean physique, being associated with wealth and success, especially among men, and is a part of a larger trend that seeks to blame individuals for their lack of economic success. We have seen this dynamic before: with villains in professional wrestling, and specifically those who I have previously termed Heel Populists. My Heel Populism article about MJF: https://www.prowrestlingmusings.com/post/unmasking-today-s-mjf-an-introduction-to-heel-populism
These strong men with superior-looking physiques blame and shame those on the bottom who don’t look like them as being undisciplined or morally defective, with their overweight or subpar physique being evidence of the lack of discipline that they posit has caused their woes. This to deflect from the true causes of their marks’ distress, the very system of economic oppression the villain represents. Fitness can be a powerful tool to build confidence and help you become who you are supposed to be, but do not let a narrow idea of fitness and an air of superiority get in the way of solidarity and solutions.
RIP Terry Funk and Windham Rotunda aka Bray Wyatt. “And in a world surrounded in hate, greed and violence, a world where closure may never come. We all know a place that has hot and cold hope on tap. For better or for worse.” – Windham Rotunda aka Bray Wyatt – Source: https://twitter.com/windham6/status/1556394433825935363?s=46&t=x3E-r-OT2KgX3LK5oJokcA
(Sorry if my voice cracked a bit while reading the quote. I got a bit emotional.)
Mental performance and productivity optimizing techniques, like those popularized by Dr. Andrew Huberman, and the concepts of dopamine fasting, dopamine detoxing, and dopamine “addiction,” partially popularized by Dr. Anna Lembke in her book Dopamine Nation, have taken social media by storm, but do they really work and can they be causing harm to marginalized communities by creating false ideas about serious political and social problems? Could the obsession with dopamine be tied to strict religious ideas or even eugenics? Alternative methods can be a breakthrough for mental health that can help people improve their lives and change their circumstances, but we have to know that they work, respect people’s unique life and cultural experiences, and get systemic change to work in conversation with them so the working class can benefit, and not create blame and shame.
Recent polls have shown Democrats’ support has significantly declined among young men, specifically 12th grade high schoolers, lower income, less educated, and even Black and Latino voters. This should come as no surprise, given how Democrats have failed in all areas of long-term cultural engagement, focus on issues that do not resonate with these groups, currently lack a positive vision, as opposed to simply defending against threats from the right, and especially have not engaged adequately in narratives of positive masculinity to counter the right’s claims to vulnerable men. I explain how the Democrats’ current focus on 3 main points: Republicans/Trump are a threat to democracy, Republicans/Trump are a threat to minority identity groups, and “everything is fine now, keep it that way,” have helped in the short-term with more educated voters but ignore or even repel these key groups.
Somewhat paradoxically to conventional political wisdom, I feel that further left and more progressive ideas and groups can achieve far better success in these demographic groups that typical liberal/Democratic politics have left behind. These ideas can address the long-standing issues with material conditions that conservatives and the far-right have pushed false narratives about the cause of and fake solutions in a way liberals simply cannot. And they can create long-term engagement and narratives that combine strength with inclusion to help those who feel abandoned create community and seek true solutions to the systemic causes of their tribulation. There are very real issues that they face which Democrats exclude for short-term political reasons, but need to be addressed by someone. Right now that someone is the right, but it doesn’t have to be. Even if Democrats cannot address them, left-wing groups outside the mainstream of Democratic politics can act in a similar fashion to conservative groups, such as the Tea Party and Trump’s early supporters. that were not initially embraced by the GOP but later became a major part of its support and changed its policy direction.
Both the finances of organizations and the finances of the people in our community, especially those who are involved in activism, individually matter to the success of progressive and leftist movements. Better financial security serves the goal of helping uplift the working class, and also makes for more effective activism.
Fixing The Fixerpunk episodes cover ideas about changing yourself and society from my own self-development process. This episode is just some thoughts that came about from me not feeling like I’ve “earned the right” to have fun on my birthday, coping with feeling behind in life, making people in your life unhappy because you’re not being productive or successful enough, ADHD medication side effects, and difficulties balancing being happy and being productive, which turns out to be just another way the mental programming of capitalism gets in our way. Also I share some updates on my fitness progress, explain some of the origins of my fitness journey, why starting heavy resistance training early on is so important, and discuss my biggest lifelong challenge in getting my body beach ready: the “muffin top” that pops over my boardshorts.
Got questions or comments about this episode? Do you want to share something from your own personal growth journey? Have you faced oppression, have a story about bad bosses, a corrupt company, or another injustice you want to vent or spread the word about? I’d love to hear from you!
Call in and leave a voicemail any time, day or night, toll-free at 844-477-PUNK (7865)
Or submit your question by email:
greyson@offspeedsolutions.com
Off Speed Solutions provides strategy and consulting for advocacy communications, digital marketing, websites, community engagement, day-to-day operational support, and media ecosystems. Proudly serving nonprofits, political organizations, individual advocates, media and content creators, entrepreneurs, and socially responsible enterprises. Learn more at http://www.offspeedsolutions.com
This podcast is not professional advice of any sort. This content is for entertainment and general informational purposes only. We do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of the information herein. The viewer should not rely solely upon such and consult a competent professional before deciding to follow any course of action. If you have any medical or mental health concerns, please promptly consult a qualified physician.
A recent tweet by MSNBC of an article about far-right and white supremacist radicalization in fitness and combat sports like mixed martial arts has drawn substantial attention and controversy to an issue that I have long viewed as imperative to protecting democracy and helping progressive movements gain support from young men in particular. Exposing these issues and the nefarious characters starting white supremacist MMA gyms and online groups is important, but rhetoric should be designed to show that the left does not oppose fitness and combat sports themselves. In fact, the left should be involved in fitness and combat sports, create alternatives for populations vulnerable to bad actors, and can both prevent radicalization and provide much benefit to the fitness community. There is a way to balance both the need for body positivity and the desire of many to become strong athletes and realize their full potential. Leftism and progressivism must not be known as the ideologies of weakness and defeat.
MSNBC article by Cynthia Miller-Idriss about white supremacist and far-right groups recruiting through online fitness communities:
If you are interested in preventing radicalization in fitness communities and creating a positive, progressive, leftist approach to fitness, I have more insights in these episodes:
As I discussed, pro wrestling has some amazing examples with progressive and leftist athletes showing a new path for positive masculinity, fitness, and combat sports. Adam Page is one of my favorite exemplars of this and my article “Can A Millennial Cowboy Wrestler’s Ways Help Save Our Social and Political Discourse?” will introduce you to his story and the lessons from his approach: https://podcast.greysonpeltier.com/wp/2021/07/28/can-a-millennial-cowboy-wrestlers-ways-save-our-social-and-political-discourse/
Fighting Toxic Masculinity with Pro Wrestling episode:
Got questions or comments about this episode? Is there another political or social issue you’d like me to cover? Have you faced oppression, have a story about bad bosses, a corrupt company, or another injustice you want to vent or spread the word about? I’d love to hear from you! Call in and leave a voicemail any time, day or night, toll free at 844-477-PUNK (7865)
Or submit your question by email:
greyson@offspeedsolutions.com
Off Speed Solutions provides strategy and consulting for advocacy communications, digital marketing, websites, community engagement, day-to-day operational support, and media ecosystems. Proudly serving nonprofits, political organizations, individual advocates, media and content creators, entrepreneurs, and socially responsible enterprises. Learn more at http://www.offspeedsolutions.com
This podcast is not professional advice of any sort. This content is for entertainment and general informational purposes only. We do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of the information herein. The viewer should not rely solely upon such and consult a competent professional before deciding to follow any course of action.