1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,680 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, Robert Evans here, and I wanted to let 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:06,359 Speaker 1: you know this is a compilation episode. So every episode 3 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: of the week that just happened is here in one 4 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 1: convenient and with somewhat less ads package for you to 5 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: listen to in a long stretch if you want. If 6 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: you've been listening to the episodes every day this week, 7 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: there's gonna be nothing new here for you, but you 8 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:28,040 Speaker 1: can make your own decisions. Hello, podcast fans, it's me today, 9 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: it's James. It's Ernie James. We're giving you some updates 10 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,480 Speaker 1: on the UC strike, but we record these before some 11 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: changes happened. Progress, you could call it, maybe it's not progress, 12 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 1: depends on where you're at a position wise with that. 13 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,560 Speaker 1: But there are two interviews today. One's going to explain 14 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: a little bit about the bargaining and the differences between 15 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:47,199 Speaker 1: rank and file on the bargaining team. The other one 16 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 1: is going to explain the very important and radical and 17 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: progressive access needs demands that were made. And it seems 18 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: like ultimately not at least, I'm not on the table 19 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: in this tentative agreement. So that's a tentative agreet out 20 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: for voting right now. If you have been on the 21 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: internet today Saturday, and if you've been on today you 22 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: will have seen it presented as if the strike was over. 23 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: That's not necessarily the case, right the contractors up for 24 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: ratification and it's ratified by union members who have to 25 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: vote on it. A number of people who are organizing 26 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,960 Speaker 1: for a no vote, especially people who are in departments 27 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:23,479 Speaker 1: or parts of the university, which would qualify follower tears 28 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 1: of pay. The contract has tiered pay, has tiered pay, 29 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: birtht geographically and depict based on what kind of work 30 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:31,960 Speaker 1: you're doing. Um So a lot of people who are 31 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: left at the bottom of those tears are obviously feeling 32 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: like they've they've been out of strike for five weeks 33 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: and haven't got what they wanted. A lot of people 34 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: who are in those higher tears are also feeling like 35 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: they should be expressing solidarity with their fellow workers at 36 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: the bottom. But you will have seen like a lot 37 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: of reporting. Some of it came up very very quickly 38 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: after the after the attemptive agreement was made, which it's 39 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: odd and perhaps is because the union appears to be 40 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: the union staff. I should say to people who are 41 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: who are making these in the terms some of the 42 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: people who are who are in favor of this contractor 43 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: using a PR company which appears to have maybe seeded 44 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: some stories and some publications, but we can't be sure. 45 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: Certainly they were very quick to press. So I would 46 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: urge you to listen to this as sort of a 47 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: coda to some of what you might be reading. There 48 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: are two things. You can listen to them separately. You 49 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: can listen one after the other. We won't have any 50 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 1: podcasts for a while over the over the break, so 51 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: I will speak to you again in the new year, 52 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: and I hope you enjoyed both these interviews. Mohammed, can 53 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: you just explain, first of all, tell folks at which 54 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: campus you're at and maybe what you're studying and where 55 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 1: you are in the in the giant structure that is 56 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:42,640 Speaker 1: like the U A, W U C S D. Yeah, absolutely, 57 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: so I'm at you see San Diego. I'm a fifth 58 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 1: year in the PhD program in the Department of Ethnic Studies. 59 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: And yeah, I specifically study like Muslim racialization and sectarianism 60 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,239 Speaker 1: in the US UM and how that yah, how that 61 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: looks up to like imperialism, settler cornialism, UM gender formations, 62 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: things like that, UM and I suppose my place within this, 63 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:09,919 Speaker 1: as you say, like the labyrinth of U C S D, 64 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: ANU AW politics. UM. Right now, I'm just a ranking 65 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 1: final member UM. However, a couple of years ago I 66 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: was UM the unit chair for San Diego, So I 67 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: was actually on the bargaining team previously UM, and that 68 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: was at the beginning of the pandemic UM, and so 69 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 1: a lot of like COVID bargaining for example, UM, I 70 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: sort of like oversaw that. And prior to that, I 71 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: UM was organizer with the COLA movement and so I 72 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 1: helped organize the wildcat strike UM GREA at San Diego. Yeah. Nice, Yeah, Yeah, 73 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: there's a long history off union ORGANA. It's good. And 74 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: so can you explain to folks a little bit about 75 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: because you mentioned the bargaining team there, right, and maybe 76 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: people wouldn't be familiar with the distinctions in union organization. 77 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: Obviously this is in Italy and in the nineties, so 78 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 1: you don't bargain with the entire union on mass e sadly, 79 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: but they do. The university meets with a certain group 80 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: of union representatives. So can you explain like who they 81 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 1: are and how they're selected to start with? Maybe yeah, absolutely, UM. 82 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 1: So there are essentially two levels of three levels of 83 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 1: leadership UM within the union. So at the top, in 84 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:30,679 Speaker 1: terms of statewide leadership, you have the Executive Board UM, 85 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: and that's you know, like president, vice presidents for North 86 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: and South campuses, UM, trustees, treasurers, things like that UM. 87 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:42,359 Speaker 1: And then you have campus based leadership and that's split 88 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,919 Speaker 1: between head stewards that are apportioned to campuses based on 89 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 1: their population in size UM. And then you have to 90 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: kind of sort of like head leadership positions, one being 91 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,680 Speaker 1: the unit chair and the other being the recording secretary. 92 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: And so the bargaining team for the whole union is 93 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 1: composed of the unit chair and the sec from each 94 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,479 Speaker 1: campus UM. And at this time around we've added someone 95 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: from you see, San Francisco. They're usually not represented, like 96 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 1: in the past bargaining cycles they haven't been, So there 97 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: are now nineteen people on UM the u W two 98 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,880 Speaker 1: eight six five bargaining team, whereas previously there had been 99 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:22,280 Speaker 1: a team UM. Yeah, and I guess that's sort of 100 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:25,679 Speaker 1: like final level of of leadership that combines both campus 101 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 1: level and statewide leadership is what's called the Joint Council UM. 102 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:31,919 Speaker 1: But that's kind of the hierarchy of the structure of 103 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: the union. Okay, yeah, it's fascinating. They just went to 104 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 1: an odd number because I want to get onto some 105 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:42,039 Speaker 1: think next, which is this division like this that I 106 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: think people are calling them b T ten and b 107 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 1: T nine, right, Yeah, which which could a bit b 108 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:48,919 Speaker 1: T nine at b T nine if you if you 109 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:52,359 Speaker 1: didn't have the the UCSF person, which would have been 110 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:57,400 Speaker 1: a whole larger sort of mess. N Yeah, yeah, that 111 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:01,359 Speaker 1: would have been great. So what is this division like 112 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:05,040 Speaker 1: there there are two distinct I guess positions as as 113 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: regards bargaining, So prectually could explain a little bit of that. Yeah, absolutely, Um, 114 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: I mean I think just you know, this might be obvious, 115 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: but just to preface with the fact that, um, even 116 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:17,600 Speaker 1: within these so called camps of like b T T 117 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: N b T nine, there's a lot of heterrogen aggy, right. 118 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: And so we saw this voting block emerge in the 119 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 1: first week of the strike mainly around UM the wages 120 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 1: demand and how um you know, one of the central 121 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: pieces of that original demand, the way that it was 122 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 1: crafted was that it was aimed at bringing members out 123 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: of rent burdon and so rent Burton. I'm sure folks 124 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: have talked about this before, but it's defined as paying 125 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:45,720 Speaker 1: more than of your monthly income in rent. And so 126 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:48,719 Speaker 1: that translated in terms of our demand to a minimum 127 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: base wage of dollars a year, along with wage increases 128 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,159 Speaker 1: that are attacked on to UM, the increase in like 129 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: the median rental price UM for housing and so uh, 130 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:04,719 Speaker 1: in that vote, we saw you know, the split emerge 131 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: ten nine, and then we saw UM again this kind 132 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 1: of split paralleled in the vote to have open or 133 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: closed Bardening sessions and the fact that ten people voted 134 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: to have closed sessions. And again, you know, since then 135 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 1: another big concession. I'm going to use the term concession, 136 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: even though there's a lot of consternation coming from like 137 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: u AW leadership, because concession is technically when you lose 138 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: something you've already had, you already have. And so when 139 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: it comes to like the Disability and Access article, UM, 140 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 1: you know, something that we proposed and which you demand, 141 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 1: that was crafted through and by uh, you know disability 142 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:45,640 Speaker 1: just as activists and disabled workers was mandatory supervisor training 143 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: and that was dropped UM. And again we saw that 144 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 1: along the same lines of ten and nine UM and 145 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: so you know, I think ideologically speaking, if I were 146 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 1: to kind of you know, analyze this and give my 147 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: I take, it's that the nine people I think are 148 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: more committed to UM, I suppose being like representative of 149 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 1: UH their campus concerns UM. And so, for example, some 150 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:17,160 Speaker 1: of those b T nine members I was on the 151 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: bargaining team with a few years ago, and you know, 152 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: they and I didn't necessarily agree on a lot of 153 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: issues UM. But now because their campuses have been vocally 154 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 1: in support of demands like a cost of living adjustment 155 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:34,240 Speaker 1: of COLA or in support of UM, you know, not 156 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:36,240 Speaker 1: dropping the amount of child care that we can get 157 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:40,400 Speaker 1: folks reimbursed for UM. You know, actually listening to their 158 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:43,079 Speaker 1: membership has caused them to kind of quinde quote side 159 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:47,360 Speaker 1: with UM other bargaining team members which may have other 160 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 1: ideological commitments beyond just the contract right and so commitment 161 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: to progressively defunding you see p d R at the 162 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: police department and sort of putting those funds elsewhere within 163 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 1: the university system UM. And so yeah, I mean I think, 164 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: you know, we see that kind of split and emerge UM, 165 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 1: you know now with this bargaining cycle. But this is 166 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:11,679 Speaker 1: also a split that's existed within the union for a while. 167 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:17,080 Speaker 1: And so you look historically at the contracts cycle, right, 168 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: UM two thousand eleven, and there's always been this kind 169 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:23,920 Speaker 1: of division, and it's red. It's represented in American labor 170 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,959 Speaker 1: more broadly between kind of like socio political unionism on 171 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:31,599 Speaker 1: one end and we're like liberal or business unionism on 172 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:34,599 Speaker 1: the other. And so it's not really at least it 173 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:37,000 Speaker 1: shouldn't be surprising to us that a lot of those 174 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 1: BT ten members or a majority of folks on the 175 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:44,079 Speaker 1: statewide executive board are aligned with what's called like the 176 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 1: administrative Caucus at the u a W international level, or 177 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: they're vocally supportive of current UW President Ray Curry. And 178 00:09:53,679 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 1: in the latest general elections UM, even though officially the 179 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:02,080 Speaker 1: local didn't take a stance UM. On social media, there's 180 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:05,079 Speaker 1: photos of our union president posing with Ray Curry UM 181 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 1: for the crease ador any team UM. And so there 182 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: are those kind of like larger structural alignments as well. Yeah, 183 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,439 Speaker 1: and of course if people are unaware and even yeah, 184 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: but like you said, within the union as a whole, 185 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 1: like and within the whole American unionization, right, we have 186 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 1: the a f l C I oh, which includes unions 187 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 1: which are of police officers. And then we have I 188 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:32,400 Speaker 1: know that the UCSD locals of you at least so 189 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: you see locals I should say, of u AW have 190 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: made statements about that being an issue, but it's it's 191 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: still a thing that's happening. And yeah, it doesn't necessarily 192 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:47,640 Speaker 1: and follow especially in this country, that labor organization is 193 00:10:47,679 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 1: always progressive in its in its other politics, right, absolutely, Yeah, 194 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: I thought it was really cool that a lot of 195 00:10:56,440 --> 00:10:59,719 Speaker 1: the demands that were made were progressive when when the 196 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 1: star began, right, like there was a cops of campus demand, 197 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:07,240 Speaker 1: there was access needs demand and things like that, like 198 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:10,600 Speaker 1: access to childcare for people. And some of them some 199 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:12,760 Speaker 1: of them were economics, some of them were not economics 200 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:14,839 Speaker 1: some of them which has always been a thing with 201 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: student organizing. Right, we can go back and I'm not 202 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:20,079 Speaker 1: really good at masks. We can get back to night 203 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: and we can we can look at like students making 204 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,640 Speaker 1: political demands and that changing the demands that unions made 205 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:28,920 Speaker 1: in the nineteen sixties. And I think it's cool that 206 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: that you will have those going in. Where are we 207 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 1: at with the bargaining now? Like it it doesn't look 208 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:39,160 Speaker 1: like cops are leaving campus from what I can see 209 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:45,680 Speaker 1: right now, yeah, I think, um, so it's kind of 210 00:11:45,679 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: complicated right now because we've just recently entered voluntary pre 211 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:53,920 Speaker 1: impast mediation UM. And so a lot of the big 212 00:11:53,960 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 1: outstanding articles wages, childcare, the remission of UH nonresident supplemental tuition, 213 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 1: which disproportionately affects international students right makes them quota postre 214 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,319 Speaker 1: more costly to the university. UM. So a lot of 215 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:12,679 Speaker 1: those open things now are being discussed through this mediator UM. 216 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 1: And I think even within that process, UM, we see 217 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 1: a lot of the same issues emerging that have been 218 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:23,640 Speaker 1: present for the entirety of the bargaining processes, which mainly 219 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:28,160 Speaker 1: is that UM. Again, my position on this is that 220 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:32,560 Speaker 1: our bargaining team hasn't been pushing enough UM. And you 221 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:34,800 Speaker 1: see that kind of on two levels. One at the 222 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:38,640 Speaker 1: actual table UM, there's a lot of passivity. And so 223 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 1: when you know the barbaining team is kind of explaining 224 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 1: their decision to membership, it's mainly UM. You know, they're 225 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 1: saying things like, well, we reduced the wages demand by 226 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 1: eleven thousand dollars, like right away, because that's what would 227 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:55,320 Speaker 1: be more amenable to the university. And of course that 228 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 1: is not true, right because the u C came back 229 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:00,840 Speaker 1: to us with like a dollar offer something like that, 230 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 1: like pitifule low um. And so again there's a lot 231 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 1: of you know, concessionary I think moves UM. And there's 232 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: the desire to to kind of close the gap with 233 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 1: the university essentially, and again that kind of betrays UM. 234 00:13:15,679 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: I think a fundamental misunderstanding from our bargaining team that somehow, 235 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,280 Speaker 1: if we are respectable enough, if we present enough rational 236 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:28,640 Speaker 1: arguments that you see will respect that right, they'll they'll 237 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: sort of like give in to our demands. UM. That 238 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:34,200 Speaker 1: will somehow goad them to come in our direction. Whereas 239 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 1: you know, we should see that you see as like 240 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,880 Speaker 1: one of the largest bosses, one of the largest landlords 241 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:41,680 Speaker 1: in the country. UM. And so of course they're gonna 242 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 1: try to scures us out of as much as they 243 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:48,559 Speaker 1: can because that's their function. UM. And so on one end, 244 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 1: I think we've seen a lot of core demands get dropped. 245 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:57,200 Speaker 1: We've seen um uh intense like weakening of our position 246 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:02,520 Speaker 1: as well as the really incredible black transparency UM. And 247 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:05,880 Speaker 1: so I mentioned before the fact that most bargaining meetings 248 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 1: or most bargaining sessions have been closed doors. UM. The 249 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:14,840 Speaker 1: fact that a number of like private like sidebars have 250 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 1: taken place, and oftentimes membership gets like very vague emails 251 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: or or we're you know, told like progress was made. 252 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 1: You know, we won certain things, but then the technicality 253 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:29,080 Speaker 1: of those wins is completely left out of the picture. UM. 254 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: Even more recently, bargaining team members voted to uh, make 255 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,760 Speaker 1: the votes at the table private. And so after dropping 256 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:40,160 Speaker 1: the coal to demand, you know, folks were upset and 257 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: obviously reaching out to the bargaining team, showing up to 258 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,520 Speaker 1: caucuses and being upset, and so from there, the bargaining 259 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:49,800 Speaker 1: team framed this as quote court harassment and essentially voted 260 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:53,120 Speaker 1: to make all the votes private. UM. And so you know, 261 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: we've seen a lot of moves like that that, you know, 262 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: make it clear that the union leadership is trying to 263 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:02,960 Speaker 1: preserve the union rather than preserve its membership right in 264 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: prisoner of the well being of those folks. And so 265 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:07,600 Speaker 1: I think at the table again we see this kind 266 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:14,240 Speaker 1: of passive or concessionaire UM strategy. And on the ground, 267 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:16,720 Speaker 1: when it comes to the strikes at all these campuses, 268 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:20,520 Speaker 1: we see something similar where you know, the majority of 269 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 1: the actions that we took in the first two to 270 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:27,120 Speaker 1: three weeks of the strike was just picketing, right, And obviously, 271 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 1: you know, the picket is a powerful tool to picket, 272 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:32,280 Speaker 1: is a very symbolic tool. But in a you know, 273 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: industry like the academy, picketing doesn't serve the same purpose 274 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: as it might like at a factory. Right, we're not 275 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 1: actually shutting down the workplace. It's a great show of 276 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 1: force in a way because you have thousands of people out, 277 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 1: but obviously, when we're being required to sign up for 278 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 1: twenty hours of picketing to get our strike pay, folks 279 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: get exhausted. We will have you know, like huge marches 280 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:55,800 Speaker 1: through campus, go to a rally and it will be 281 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 1: two hours of people talking um and that exhaust people. 282 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 1: And even when it comes to you know, like you 283 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:05,360 Speaker 1: see Davis, they had the undergrads actually had like an 284 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 1: amazing direct action where they blockaded the campus every single 285 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:11,240 Speaker 1: day um and that of course led to a legal 286 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:14,680 Speaker 1: response from the university and the union leadership. You know, 287 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 1: rather than challenge that or you know, take take measures 288 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 1: to make sure that those folks could organize autonomously of 289 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:28,840 Speaker 1: them um started uh, like harassing and discipline folks basically 290 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: UM for taking taking part in solidarity actions that may 291 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:36,480 Speaker 1: push up against the law. UM. And so what we 292 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:39,680 Speaker 1: see as like a concessionary attitude at the table, I 293 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:44,360 Speaker 1: think is translated as a very or is translated into 294 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:49,880 Speaker 1: like respectability politics UM on the ground UM Yeah, yeah, No, 295 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:51,320 Speaker 1: I think that's an makeing way of phrasing it. And 296 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: that's that's sort of what what you're definitely suggesting and 297 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 1: what it seems that we've seen. So when is that 298 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:02,240 Speaker 1: leave people? And I think some of the things that 299 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:04,520 Speaker 1: have been suggested to be like in in the sort 300 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,440 Speaker 1: of current proposals both from the union of the university, 301 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:11,959 Speaker 1: would leave people with a contract that they would find 302 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:16,720 Speaker 1: I'm guessing unsatisfactory, right, especially after for four and a 303 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,400 Speaker 1: half five weeks of being out of and and possible 304 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 1: withholding of pay right which we can get onto. But 305 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:26,959 Speaker 1: where does that leave people? Like what what sort of 306 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 1: feeling amongst your So obviously you can't speak for the 307 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:33,000 Speaker 1: rank of file across the whole university, but what's was 308 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:35,199 Speaker 1: the sort of feeling amongst the rank and file with 309 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:38,600 Speaker 1: regards to what do we do if we get this 310 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:41,800 Speaker 1: offer which doesn't give us the things that we went 311 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: out for in the first place. Yeah. UM, I think 312 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:50,560 Speaker 1: that there is a lot of just polarization around that question. UM. 313 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:53,800 Speaker 1: I've heard from a number of folks. Unsurprisingly. I think 314 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:58,040 Speaker 1: people who UM are material at least treated a little 315 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:00,640 Speaker 1: bit better. Right, we get higher pay already UM from 316 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,719 Speaker 1: the university being all right with it, you know. But 317 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 1: that's that's the most that I hear. I haven't heard anyone, 318 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:10,560 Speaker 1: even the most staunch supporter of the union establishment, say 319 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:13,640 Speaker 1: that this contractor at least what is bound to come 320 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:15,960 Speaker 1: to the table at this point, is going to be satisfactory, 321 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:18,959 Speaker 1: is going to actually be desirable. It's just seen as like, oh, 322 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:20,400 Speaker 1: this is the best we can get, and we might 323 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:25,119 Speaker 1: as well settle in like every sense of the word UM. 324 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: But that being said, there is a large contingent again, 325 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:30,439 Speaker 1: folks that are totally fine with that, or they're tired 326 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:34,040 Speaker 1: of striking, or they're seeing a lot of retaliation from 327 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:37,919 Speaker 1: their supervisors, and the union I think has failed to 328 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:41,760 Speaker 1: um not only respond to that retaliation and to like 329 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:45,639 Speaker 1: reensure and empower members, but it's also failed to you know, 330 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 1: the technical term and organizing would be innoculated. Right. UM, 331 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: there is a huge, in my opinion, organizational failure to 332 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:55,280 Speaker 1: make clear exactly what could happen to folks when we 333 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:57,960 Speaker 1: go on strike, or to prepare us to hear the 334 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:01,359 Speaker 1: talking points from the university UM, and how to you know, 335 00:19:01,359 --> 00:19:03,639 Speaker 1: collectively organize against it, to build up a kind of 336 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:06,720 Speaker 1: consciousness to resist internalizing that and to say like, oh, 337 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: I don't want to strike because my jobs at risk 338 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,000 Speaker 1: or something. And it's like, yeah, of course, right, that's 339 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:15,720 Speaker 1: the point, you know, it's like where we're taking that action, UM, 340 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:17,399 Speaker 1: And so on one end, right, I mean, there's a 341 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:19,199 Speaker 1: number of reasons as to why, and the kind of 342 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:22,000 Speaker 1: hinted at that, but there is a large contingent of 343 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:25,280 Speaker 1: of people who UM would just be okay and they're 344 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:28,719 Speaker 1: going to vote us. UM. But I also think, right, 345 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:31,119 Speaker 1: and as I'm sure you know you've you've seen around 346 00:19:31,119 --> 00:19:33,160 Speaker 1: social media or you've talked to other folks who are 347 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:36,800 Speaker 1: on this side of voting no UM. You know, I 348 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,320 Speaker 1: think a lot of the consternation there comes again from 349 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:43,720 Speaker 1: the fact that we've dropped so much UM and kind 350 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 1: of have left our most vulnerable members out to drive UM. 351 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,080 Speaker 1: So whether that comes from you know, reducing the amount 352 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:55,480 Speaker 1: of childcare or dependent health care or UM you know 353 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:58,360 Speaker 1: again dropping those like really core elements of the disability 354 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 1: and access needs UM articles. When it comes to dropping 355 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:05,160 Speaker 1: COLA and dropping our wages down to a point where 356 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 1: we would still be in not just rent burden, but 357 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: severe rent burden. UM. It's been leading a lot of 358 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:12,240 Speaker 1: folks to, uh, you know, promote the idea that we're 359 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 1: going to vote no UM regardless because even if the 360 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:18,720 Speaker 1: remaining articles you know, are better than we expected UM 361 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,880 Speaker 1: and they get tentatively agreed to, there's already too much 362 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:26,719 Speaker 1: that's been lost to make this uh an adequate contract, right, 363 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: not even great, not even satisfactory, but just adequate. UM. 364 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:34,000 Speaker 1: And so you know, of course that kind of UH division, 365 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:36,119 Speaker 1: as you might say, UM, has brought up a lot 366 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,520 Speaker 1: of tensions, especially in the last few days. UM. But 367 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 1: you know, I think now we're seeing a broader gap 368 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:49,600 Speaker 1: between these two like sides UM, where there are folks 369 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:52,320 Speaker 1: that are pretty much again set on voting yes because 370 00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: it's good enough UM, and there are other folks who 371 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 1: are pretty staunching in voting now and trying to build 372 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,360 Speaker 1: up that movement UM. And I think the point we're 373 00:21:03,359 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 1: at now at least speaking from that like vote no 374 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:09,639 Speaker 1: side is that, Um, we really need to outline and 375 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:13,480 Speaker 1: be transparent with membership where we can go from there, 376 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 1: Like how do we demystify the process or the process 377 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:20,240 Speaker 1: the possibility of impasse? Um. You know, that's been a 378 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:23,679 Speaker 1: concept that's thrown around a lot by UNI leadership and 379 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 1: is never fully unpacked. Um. And so it's like a 380 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 1: fearmongering tool that's that's been, in my opinion at least 381 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:36,639 Speaker 1: like used to subdue member militancy. UM. So that's one issue. 382 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:39,560 Speaker 1: Another issue is like how do we reopen certain articles? 383 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:42,119 Speaker 1: How do we build this quote unquote long haul strike 384 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:45,880 Speaker 1: to gain more than we've already you know, um given 385 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:47,320 Speaker 1: up at this point, And so I think a lot 386 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:52,040 Speaker 1: of those technicalities that are up in the air are renewed, 387 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:56,479 Speaker 1: sort of like areas of organizing focus. UM. Yeah, so 388 00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 1: you don't have to abandon some of those demands which 389 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:03,199 Speaker 1: we're not economic. Yeah, those can still be Yeah. I mean, 390 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,200 Speaker 1: I guess there's my point in really speculating how many 391 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:07,359 Speaker 1: people will vote yes or no. We'll see once once 392 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:11,560 Speaker 1: we see the agreement. And yeah, but like can you 393 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:15,440 Speaker 1: give us an update then on where striking gets some progressively, 394 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:17,200 Speaker 1: how did it gets longer? Right, people don't want to 395 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:19,679 Speaker 1: stand on a picket for five weeks, six weeks. They 396 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,800 Speaker 1: don't they want to go home for the holidays. They 397 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,560 Speaker 1: have this pressure that's been leveraged, perhaps unfairly and sometimes 398 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:35,720 Speaker 1: like erroneously that their students will face immigration or graduation consequences, 399 00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:39,960 Speaker 1: which is largely untrue. So, like, can you talk about 400 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,080 Speaker 1: there's there's a chance that people won't be getting paid 401 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:45,120 Speaker 1: right in December? Has that happened to any one? What's 402 00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:48,200 Speaker 1: the latest with that? Um SO? A lot of what's 403 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:52,840 Speaker 1: been going around UM in terms of issues with pay, 404 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,520 Speaker 1: A lot of the news I've seen concerns post docs, 405 00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 1: so folks from the local fifty eight who actually just 406 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:04,760 Speaker 1: signed an approse that tenantive agreement um SO. The university 407 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: has put out some language implying that they'll retroactively dock 408 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 1: pay UM and so UM Yeah, I can't like speak 409 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:15,040 Speaker 1: to the technicalities of that UM but that's definitely a 410 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:17,879 Speaker 1: concern I've seen floating around UM, and I know that 411 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:22,879 Speaker 1: they're actively organizing around it. UM for a s c 412 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 1: S and UH student researchers. UM we none of us 413 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: have been docked pay yet um we all got paid 414 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:33,879 Speaker 1: for December. Um, in part because I just think the 415 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:36,520 Speaker 1: university has a really hard time keeping track of who's 416 00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:38,560 Speaker 1: on strike. On top of the fact that, I mean, 417 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:40,440 Speaker 1: I don't know if anyone's already complained to you about 418 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:43,400 Speaker 1: you see path, but the parallel system that got rolled 419 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:46,080 Speaker 1: out yeah a few years ago. Um, it's terrible. It's 420 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:49,000 Speaker 1: an absolutely fucking nightmare. Yeah. Um. And so I think 421 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:51,960 Speaker 1: it would be a massive achievement for them to even 422 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:54,840 Speaker 1: be able to withhold folks pay through that system. Yeah. 423 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 1: They struggled to pay people in the first including myself. 424 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:03,199 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, um yeah, absolutely, and so um, you know, 425 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:05,359 Speaker 1: I think it is it is a real concern. But 426 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 1: at this point, um, at least to my knowledge, no 427 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:12,520 Speaker 1: one in five or s r U has been affected 428 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 1: by by pay withholding. And then let's let's talk about 429 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:18,399 Speaker 1: the grade withholding, which is now like today, is today 430 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,040 Speaker 1: right that the grades should be doing. Obviously many people 431 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 1: are not filing those grades, and which again it's another 432 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,360 Speaker 1: example of sue the UC just being a bureaucratic disaster. 433 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 1: But we can skip past that. So the grades are 434 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,040 Speaker 1: not being being filed, can we talk about some of 435 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:36,679 Speaker 1: the suggestions that have been made by the university. I 436 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:39,399 Speaker 1: know one of them was that students on like F 437 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:45,000 Speaker 1: one visas might face consequences. That's not true, as best 438 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,320 Speaker 1: having been one visa has better understand it, and that 439 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 1: students on think on grant and scholarships might face consequences. 440 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:54,960 Speaker 1: So can you explain sort of what they've said and 441 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,639 Speaker 1: then perhaps prehaps offer some insight into into why you 442 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:01,120 Speaker 1: think that that might be misleading? Yeah? Absolutely, UM, so 443 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:04,000 Speaker 1: exactly what you're saying. Um, you know, folks and vulnerable 444 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:07,840 Speaker 1: categories such as people on academic probation or whose financial 445 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:10,840 Speaker 1: aid is dependent on being in like you know, good 446 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:15,480 Speaker 1: standing um or yeah, like international students. Um. Yeah, there's 447 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:19,000 Speaker 1: been a lot of uh fairmongering and misleading information out 448 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,560 Speaker 1: there that these students might be you know, kicked out 449 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:24,040 Speaker 1: of school, they might be reported, they might um face 450 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 1: uh you know again like financial consequences. UM. But it's 451 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:34,159 Speaker 1: important also to recognize that uh having a grade remain blank, 452 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:36,879 Speaker 1: it doesn't affect folks g p A, it doesn't have 453 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:43,199 Speaker 1: folks affect folks academic standing um. And for international students, um. 454 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: You know, the best that we understand, and we've actually 455 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 1: communicated with Universities International students offices and what they say 456 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:54,240 Speaker 1: is that, UM, it's enrollment that matters, not necessarily having 457 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:58,440 Speaker 1: the grade, and so UM even if you know, let's 458 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:00,880 Speaker 1: say like all of someone's grades are withheld, they've still 459 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:04,560 Speaker 1: enrolled in the requisite number of credits UM, and so 460 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 1: that that standing in terms of a visa wouldn't be 461 00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:09,840 Speaker 1: affected UM. And the same goes for even something as 462 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:13,760 Speaker 1: simple as moving onto the next course in a sequence UM, 463 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:17,400 Speaker 1: because uh, you know, again, the withholding of a grade 464 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:20,320 Speaker 1: doesn't affect UM that kind of like progress or academic 465 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:25,760 Speaker 1: standard UM. And as a show like technical note, a 466 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:28,040 Speaker 1: lot of folks are again concerned that like, well, wouldn't 467 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:30,359 Speaker 1: this blank grade lead to an incomplete or wouldn't it 468 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:34,720 Speaker 1: lead to an F UM? And in terms of the incomplete, 469 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,320 Speaker 1: there's a reason why we're not filing everyone with an eye. 470 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:41,880 Speaker 1: We're leaving the grades blink because an incomplete is costly, 471 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:44,239 Speaker 1: it's more work for everyone, and so we're avoiding that. 472 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:49,720 Speaker 1: And UM, blank grades don't default to an F until 473 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 1: the following semester or following term ends. And so for 474 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,320 Speaker 1: us at U C S D UM since many of 475 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:59,280 Speaker 1: us are withholding grades. They those blank grades wouldn't turn 476 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:02,160 Speaker 1: to and F until the end of winter around March. 477 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:04,720 Speaker 1: And I don't think anyone expects to strike to go 478 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:10,200 Speaker 1: that one. Yeah, it will be truly historical. And yes, 479 00:27:10,359 --> 00:27:13,840 Speaker 1: So how has he had the graduate response been then? Yeah, 480 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:19,200 Speaker 1: that's um, it's difficult because I know at certain campuses, 481 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:21,359 Speaker 1: like I mentioned you see Davis earlier, there's been huge 482 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:27,119 Speaker 1: undergrad involvement there. UM. At San Diego, I think the 483 00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:30,080 Speaker 1: response has been a bit mixed. UM. I know many 484 00:27:30,119 --> 00:27:34,480 Speaker 1: of my students, for example, we're supportive of the strike UM. 485 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:37,320 Speaker 1: And within you know, my department Ethnic Studies, we did 486 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:40,800 Speaker 1: try to get students more involved, Like we held teachings 487 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:44,040 Speaker 1: UM to get students to come out. And you know 488 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:46,520 Speaker 1: the class I'm teeing for right now is called Land 489 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 1: and Labor and so we talked about you know, U, C. S. D, 490 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:52,680 Speaker 1: right and and the relationship to like colonialism, capitalism, landed 491 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: labor um. And so we've tried to integrate you know, 492 00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:01,959 Speaker 1: not just um, you know, student and engagement and support, 493 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:05,080 Speaker 1: but also to use this as another form of study, right, 494 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:07,320 Speaker 1: as a form of study that's not that's outside the 495 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:09,879 Speaker 1: kind of like bureaucratic mess that is the university with 496 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:15,360 Speaker 1: its nonsense UM. I think what's difficult at San Diego 497 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:21,600 Speaker 1: is that, UM, you know, political engagement has historically come 498 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,840 Speaker 1: in waves. Obviously at all universities. Folks come and go, 499 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:28,040 Speaker 1: but it's particularly acute, I think at San Diego where 500 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 1: there's massive moments of like upheaval and like folks coming 501 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:36,280 Speaker 1: out in the thousands, like we saw back in UM 502 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:40,600 Speaker 1: around the pandemic, around the uprisings UM during the summer, 503 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 1: around even the Cola movement, right, which was a little 504 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 1: bit before that, we saw huge numbers of undergrads come out, 505 00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:48,680 Speaker 1: in part because we were able back then at least 506 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: to connect our demands to their concerns. Right. The fact 507 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:56,680 Speaker 1: that psychological services on campus are horribly underfunded, Right, people 508 00:28:56,720 --> 00:28:58,920 Speaker 1: have to wait a whole quarter to get even the 509 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:01,640 Speaker 1: intake of planet UM. The fact that again like they're 510 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: getting screwed over with housing just as much as we 511 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:08,080 Speaker 1: are UM paying you know, over ten or fifteen thousand 512 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:11,880 Speaker 1: dollars a year in it for a dorm um. And 513 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:14,880 Speaker 1: so you know, that connection back then, I think, really 514 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 1: drew out the undergrads. And that's what's really lacking Now again, 515 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:20,920 Speaker 1: I think because of the way that the union has 516 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:25,560 Speaker 1: framed the struggle quite narrowly as not just what affects workers, 517 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:29,520 Speaker 1: but what what affects the majority of workers. UM, that's 518 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:32,160 Speaker 1: left out a lot of the broader concerns. That has 519 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:35,479 Speaker 1: foreclosed a lot of broader critiques of the university. And 520 00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:37,280 Speaker 1: so when it comes to something like the cops off 521 00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:40,320 Speaker 1: campus demand, the fact that we have bargain team members 522 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:42,880 Speaker 1: at u c l A, for example, literally lie and 523 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:45,479 Speaker 1: say that it's never been on the table UM, it's 524 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:49,480 Speaker 1: really indicative of how the union is trying to frame this. 525 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:52,800 Speaker 1: And so the fact that you know, again those broader 526 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 1: conversations around the UC being a landlord around them, the 527 00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:02,600 Speaker 1: way that you know, profit it and resources are inequitably 528 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:06,800 Speaker 1: distributed through the university infrastructure, right, those things drop out 529 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 1: of the conversation about our strike, UM, and if we 530 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:11,920 Speaker 1: do bring it up, we're seen as dissidents or something 531 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:15,760 Speaker 1: like that, or radical UM. And so the fact that 532 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:17,480 Speaker 1: those things have dropped out, I think has led to 533 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:21,560 Speaker 1: us seeing the situation like we see at UCSD where 534 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:28,080 Speaker 1: the undergrads are almost ambivalent, if not hostile, because we 535 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:30,960 Speaker 1: haven't done a good enough job engaging them. We haven't 536 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:35,000 Speaker 1: also organized alongside and with them. Um. Rather it's been 537 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: like come support your t A s and not like 538 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:42,000 Speaker 1: we're fighting together, right, And so it's yeah, it betrayed. 539 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:43,960 Speaker 1: It gives the impression that this is like a very 540 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:47,840 Speaker 1: one way um or you know, like an interdirectional form 541 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:50,520 Speaker 1: of support, where in reality, you know, we should be 542 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:53,440 Speaker 1: building up those ties of solidarity and that you know, 543 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:56,520 Speaker 1: we should be focusing not just on winning a contract, 544 00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 1: but then building and sustaining this movement against the university 545 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 1: in a much larger or broader sense. Yeah, because I'm 546 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:07,520 Speaker 1: speaking from experience, I know a lot of those undergrads 547 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:10,760 Speaker 1: feel very disempowered in their relations with the university and 548 00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:13,600 Speaker 1: and some of the demands, like the access needs demand, 549 00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:18,200 Speaker 1: you know, the demand for improved student counseling, psychological services, 550 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:21,720 Speaker 1: things like that. But that would benefit directly everyone on campus. 551 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:25,000 Speaker 1: And then it's a shame not to see that. It's 552 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,040 Speaker 1: a shame to see that sort of left to the 553 00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:31,880 Speaker 1: side when I think it could build a more effective movement. So, yeah, 554 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:34,120 Speaker 1: it does seem to go like you said, campus by 555 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:37,200 Speaker 1: campus department, your your department like has historically been a 556 00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:41,160 Speaker 1: lot more engaged than others. I think it's fair to 557 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:46,440 Speaker 1: say so. And so we've reached the Christmas break now 558 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:49,000 Speaker 1: great have been withheld. I think a lot of people 559 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,320 Speaker 1: thought was like sort of a nuclear option or like 560 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:55,360 Speaker 1: a step up, which he doesn't seem to have been, like, 561 00:31:55,400 --> 00:32:00,360 Speaker 1: it really hasn't done anything. And and the you see 562 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:03,880 Speaker 1: it entered into the university and the union have entered 563 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:08,600 Speaker 1: into a voluntary pre impassed mediation. When do you, like, 564 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:11,160 Speaker 1: if you were just speculating, and when do you think 565 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:14,640 Speaker 1: we'll see like a resolution, because it's already slipped out 566 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:16,440 Speaker 1: of coverage, right like if I look at our local 567 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:24,080 Speaker 1: newspaper that they've stopped reporting on it, which doesn't help absolutely. Yeah, um, 568 00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:28,480 Speaker 1: I think you know, it's it's difficult to speculate in 569 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:32,000 Speaker 1: part because as we've seen with past bargaining updates, they 570 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:35,960 Speaker 1: tend to drop bombshells on us. Um, like with the 571 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,760 Speaker 1: whole coal of demands being you know, severely cut down. 572 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:42,680 Speaker 1: We found about we found out about that like two 573 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:46,400 Speaker 1: hours before the bargaining which is out like ten pm. 574 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:49,440 Speaker 1: And so it's totally possible by like that by the 575 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:51,960 Speaker 1: end of this week we'll have a tentative agreement, like 576 00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:54,760 Speaker 1: you know, folks have been speculating on that. It wouldn't 577 00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:59,280 Speaker 1: surprise me. I would be disappointed, but I wouldn't be surprised. UM. 578 00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:02,040 Speaker 1: At the same time, though, I I do think that 579 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:05,840 Speaker 1: we've been able to build up sufficient pressure on the 580 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:10,080 Speaker 1: union establishment or the leadership UM that I think there 581 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:12,480 Speaker 1: it might be a bit more hesitant right to take 582 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:14,560 Speaker 1: that sudden of a move or to kind of come 583 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:18,400 Speaker 1: out of left field or something like that. UM. And 584 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:22,000 Speaker 1: so you know, there is a distinct possibility, especially with 585 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:24,720 Speaker 1: the holidays coming up, that this might go into the 586 00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:28,000 Speaker 1: new year. UM. And obviously that would be like my 587 00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 1: hope to go as long as possible, yea. UM. But yeah, 588 00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:35,800 Speaker 1: I think it's it's incredibly tough, and I think that's 589 00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:38,440 Speaker 1: causing a lot of anxiety UM. And that's kind of 590 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:41,120 Speaker 1: a disorganizing energy, right to not know when something like 591 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:43,880 Speaker 1: this might happen, because there is such an utter lack 592 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:50,000 Speaker 1: of communication or um, you know, democratic input UM. And 593 00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:54,160 Speaker 1: I think in terms of you know, the the coverage 594 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:58,120 Speaker 1: or the great strike, UM, what's really unfortunate, I think 595 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 1: is the way that I I've heard, you know, from 596 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:04,120 Speaker 1: the horse's mouth, right certain barning team members saying that 597 00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:08,200 Speaker 1: withholding grades isn't an important form or isn't an impactful 598 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:12,160 Speaker 1: form of labor withholding because the university doesn't care. And 599 00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:14,440 Speaker 1: historically we've seen that they really do care and within 600 00:34:14,480 --> 00:34:18,440 Speaker 1: activity strikes, withholding finals is a massive thing, right, And 601 00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:23,399 Speaker 1: I think that in order to really um realized the 602 00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:25,719 Speaker 1: impact that that will have on the institution, we have 603 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:29,560 Speaker 1: to go for a few more weeks into the winter quarter. Um. 604 00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:32,279 Speaker 1: And you know, right now even to try to um 605 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:36,400 Speaker 1: build up some more UM. I guess, like you know, 606 00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:39,680 Speaker 1: pr around great withholding UM. There are folks doing research 607 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:43,719 Speaker 1: and trying to calculate like quantify um what like you know, 608 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:46,600 Speaker 1: each credit would mean in like real dollars. And then 609 00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:49,680 Speaker 1: the fact that you know, hundreds of students grades are 610 00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:52,080 Speaker 1: being withheld for a three or four hour like three 611 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:55,000 Speaker 1: or four credit UM class and what that translates to 612 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:59,759 Speaker 1: into money? Um? And so yeah, yeah, I mean, if 613 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:02,799 Speaker 1: we live what the university does, right, it turns its 614 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:06,520 Speaker 1: capital into into into income essentially through like leveraging its 615 00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:09,560 Speaker 1: credibility for credential and and charging people masses of rent 616 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:12,920 Speaker 1: for living there increasingly, and you can't take away the 617 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:15,719 Speaker 1: housing right, which is it's made just so survivingue, but 618 00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:20,200 Speaker 1: you can't take away this this this product. Yeah and 619 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:22,080 Speaker 1: and and there have been um you know, there are 620 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:26,640 Speaker 1: a number of petitions out there, for example, UM UH 621 00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:30,320 Speaker 1: for undergrads to request like a reimbursement of their tuition 622 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:33,279 Speaker 1: for any classes that haven't been held or grades that 623 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:35,799 Speaker 1: have been withheld UM and I think that's a really 624 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:38,000 Speaker 1: fantastic way to engage them and to put pressure on 625 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:42,959 Speaker 1: the university. There's also been UM attempts or at least 626 00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:46,880 Speaker 1: you know, UM some strategizing on on our end on 627 00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:51,640 Speaker 1: how to uh have the grade strike impact the university's 628 00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:55,000 Speaker 1: accreditation UM and so we are trying to look for 629 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:58,560 Speaker 1: avenues to increase the pressure from this kind of like 630 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:02,800 Speaker 1: strategic move Yeah, that's smart. Yeah, Yeah. It must be difficult, 631 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:06,080 Speaker 1: I'm sure, Like is you develop relationships with undergraduate and 632 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:09,239 Speaker 1: especially when you're teaing in your department of class you 633 00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:13,160 Speaker 1: care about. It's a shame to to lose that opportunity 634 00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:15,480 Speaker 1: to talk to people about important things like landed labor. 635 00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:18,440 Speaker 1: And so I'm sure it's difficult to not have that 636 00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:19,960 Speaker 1: chance to even check in at the end of the 637 00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:22,880 Speaker 1: end of the term and just say like that, you know, 638 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:26,399 Speaker 1: it's been fun. What have we learned? Yeah? Absolutely, um, 639 00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:28,920 Speaker 1: And I think you know, for a lot of us 640 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:31,040 Speaker 1: who are a s c S. You know, we're doing 641 00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:34,239 Speaker 1: this not just for ourselves but for our students, right, 642 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:38,000 Speaker 1: because we care about education. We recognize that the university 643 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:41,360 Speaker 1: as an institution is actually corrosive right to a quality education. 644 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:44,640 Speaker 1: And so absolutely, I think like there is a sense 645 00:36:44,640 --> 00:36:46,640 Speaker 1: of loss. I think the fact that I can't, like 646 00:36:46,680 --> 00:36:50,600 Speaker 1: you're saying, close out my class, the fact that I can't, um, 647 00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:53,080 Speaker 1: you know, really invest in my students the way I 648 00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:55,160 Speaker 1: want and not trying to blame that on the strike, 649 00:36:55,200 --> 00:36:56,799 Speaker 1: but trying to blame that on the conditions that have 650 00:36:56,840 --> 00:37:00,560 Speaker 1: brought us to strike in the first police. Right. Yeah, um, 651 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:03,440 Speaker 1: I don't want to get like full marxistm on me, 652 00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:05,879 Speaker 1: but like, yeah, the further alien atd you are from 653 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:09,600 Speaker 1: your labor, then the the less that the experiences for 654 00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:13,440 Speaker 1: your undergraduates. And that is definitely a thing that happens 655 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:17,479 Speaker 1: at the university. You become more and more inlalienated. And yeah, 656 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:24,120 Speaker 1: the joy dies I say with a PhD in doing 657 00:37:24,120 --> 00:37:27,719 Speaker 1: the work in academia and mohmmed is there anything else 658 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:31,040 Speaker 1: people should know about the strike like that we haven't 659 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:39,920 Speaker 1: talked about mm hmm see UM. I I would say, 660 00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:42,640 Speaker 1: you know, one one important thing is that both for 661 00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:46,760 Speaker 1: folks within the university system and from you know, the outside, 662 00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:52,160 Speaker 1: is to kind of place this strike in historic context. UM. 663 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,840 Speaker 1: I think when the union leadership has spoken about this 664 00:37:55,880 --> 00:37:57,880 Speaker 1: at all, it's mainly around the size of the strength, 665 00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:00,799 Speaker 1: the fact that it's it's historic because we have you know, 666 00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:04,040 Speaker 1: forty eight thousand possible strikers UM from throughout the u 667 00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:07,839 Speaker 1: c S. And that's kind of misleading because I think 668 00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:11,280 Speaker 1: the real kind of like historic potential within the struggle 669 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:16,239 Speaker 1: is UM for example, establishing a precedent of what a 670 00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:18,920 Speaker 1: researcher strike looks like. Part of the reason it's so 671 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:23,279 Speaker 1: difficult for us to not only you know, mobilize researchers, 672 00:38:23,280 --> 00:38:27,279 Speaker 1: but also you know UM push back against retaliation is 673 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:29,439 Speaker 1: because there is no set structure for what that kind 674 00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:32,759 Speaker 1: of strike looks like, right, UM. There is no effective 675 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:36,320 Speaker 1: way that we have to UM counter the possible impacts 676 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:39,839 Speaker 1: on these people's futures UM. And so I think that 677 00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:43,040 Speaker 1: you know, really emphasizing that to folks is UM is key. 678 00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:46,640 Speaker 1: Another thing is um the cola demand. Right, the fact 679 00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:49,280 Speaker 1: that we are trying to or at least we've tried 680 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:54,759 Speaker 1: to tack um our wage increases not just to um 681 00:38:54,800 --> 00:38:58,240 Speaker 1: inflation or the consumer price index, but to the median 682 00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:03,040 Speaker 1: increase in rental prices. UM. That would be huge. And 683 00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:06,399 Speaker 1: that's not just big for us as as workers within 684 00:39:06,400 --> 00:39:09,239 Speaker 1: this local but that does set the precedent for all 685 00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:12,160 Speaker 1: workers in the US. And I think that you know 686 00:39:12,239 --> 00:39:15,319 Speaker 1: we really by we, I mean like the union as 687 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:19,200 Speaker 1: a whole apparatus has not stressed the importance of that 688 00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:22,000 Speaker 1: or the kind of like monumental shift that I could, 689 00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:26,760 Speaker 1: um kind of provoke in the landscape of American labor broadly, 690 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:30,000 Speaker 1: just so if people aren't aware, Like, like rent in 691 00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:32,520 Speaker 1: California has gone up a way more than double, almost 692 00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:36,440 Speaker 1: almost triple the rate of inflation, and working people people 693 00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:38,200 Speaker 1: who are members of unions by a large tend to 694 00:39:38,239 --> 00:39:40,200 Speaker 1: be people who don't own property, but they tend to 695 00:39:40,239 --> 00:39:42,960 Speaker 1: be people who rent property, right, And I can see 696 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:47,600 Speaker 1: by your your unfinished concrete ceiling that you're you're renting 697 00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:50,600 Speaker 1: from the UC, which is the biggest landlord in California. 698 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:52,960 Speaker 1: So like you're right that this is a very historic 699 00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:56,399 Speaker 1: thing is that rent increase for Cola. Is that tried 700 00:39:56,480 --> 00:39:59,520 Speaker 1: to median rent in the state or is it median 701 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:05,960 Speaker 1: rent across you see rented uh, like like apartments. So 702 00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:10,120 Speaker 1: I think the actual language So this is part of 703 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:13,040 Speaker 1: the problem is that because it was dropped so quickly 704 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:15,120 Speaker 1: at the table, we weren't even even able to get 705 00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:19,400 Speaker 1: into the vicissitudes of the demand itself. UM. And so 706 00:40:19,520 --> 00:40:26,560 Speaker 1: from my understanding, the increase would be based on UM 707 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:30,000 Speaker 1: the like least affordable or essentially the largest increase that 708 00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:33,319 Speaker 1: will see at any of the campuses, and everyone's wage 709 00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:36,359 Speaker 1: would be increased to that when we look at the 710 00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:40,759 Speaker 1: base wage k UM that was tacked onto again a 711 00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:43,640 Speaker 1: kind of like median income or a median rental price 712 00:40:43,719 --> 00:40:46,080 Speaker 1: throughout the state as well. And so actually fifty four 713 00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:48,120 Speaker 1: k would be exactly enough to get me out of 714 00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:50,960 Speaker 1: rent burden. So anything less than that would actually still 715 00:40:51,080 --> 00:40:55,120 Speaker 1: keep me in rent burdon UM And so yeah, that's 716 00:40:55,160 --> 00:40:58,799 Speaker 1: kind of how they Yeah, which rent bedon is it's 717 00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:02,399 Speaker 1: far too normal, I have to think, especially in California. Yeah, yeah, 718 00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:04,799 Speaker 1: that and like collective bargaining is tenants as well as 719 00:41:04,840 --> 00:41:08,279 Speaker 1: workers is fascinating, right, Like it's something we've seen, but 720 00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:11,440 Speaker 1: not in a large scale like and and like you 721 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:16,880 Speaker 1: on on rent strike yet but yes, and as as 722 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:18,680 Speaker 1: as a side note, yeah, UM, we did have a 723 00:41:18,680 --> 00:41:21,360 Speaker 1: couple of rent strikes in UH within the UC system 724 00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:22,799 Speaker 1: in the past few years at Berkeley at u C 725 00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:25,280 Speaker 1: l A and here UM and so I was actually 726 00:41:25,280 --> 00:41:28,400 Speaker 1: part of organizing UM in the aftermath of COLA at 727 00:41:28,440 --> 00:41:30,719 Speaker 1: the beginning of the pandemic. UM, I helped organize the 728 00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:34,480 Speaker 1: first rent strike UM within h D h U C 729 00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:37,239 Speaker 1: S D grat House UM. And so we have we 730 00:41:37,360 --> 00:41:39,200 Speaker 1: have also seen that. But that's another way that the 731 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:41,760 Speaker 1: union has kind of limited the scope of this movement. 732 00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:45,360 Speaker 1: Because there's been so much focus on us as only 733 00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:48,080 Speaker 1: workers and the bread and butter issues, we kind of 734 00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:51,600 Speaker 1: lose sight of the way that withholding rent, as you're saying, 735 00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:54,000 Speaker 1: is another way of like really getting at the heart 736 00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:57,560 Speaker 1: of the U c S profit engine. Yeah, yeah, and yes, 737 00:41:57,719 --> 00:42:00,360 Speaker 1: it is a shame that these like yeah, if you 738 00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:03,120 Speaker 1: want to, I think a historical perspective of course, like 739 00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:08,879 Speaker 1: a Paris, it's like the monolith of student political organizing, 740 00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:12,360 Speaker 1: I guess, and student political organizing changing the established structures 741 00:42:12,360 --> 00:42:16,200 Speaker 1: of the left, which which is it's some of what 742 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:19,320 Speaker 1: you had demanded was very similar to that in a sense, 743 00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:22,319 Speaker 1: and that it was societal and political as much as 744 00:42:22,600 --> 00:42:25,319 Speaker 1: it was an economic right. And American unions tend to 745 00:42:25,719 --> 00:42:28,840 Speaker 1: phrase themselves in terms of respectable liberal politics, not that. 746 00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:32,800 Speaker 1: So it's a shame to see that. Go, I guess absolutely, 747 00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:35,480 Speaker 1: and I think you know. This actually came up in 748 00:42:35,520 --> 00:42:38,279 Speaker 1: a in a meeting UM, which kind of astounded me, 749 00:42:38,320 --> 00:42:41,000 Speaker 1: but again didn't on one hand astounded me. Another hand 750 00:42:41,080 --> 00:42:43,440 Speaker 1: was completely sort of like to be expected, which is 751 00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:48,120 Speaker 1: someone saying, we need to make this movement um as 752 00:42:48,120 --> 00:42:51,360 Speaker 1: accessible as possible to workers without an activist bone in 753 00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:54,920 Speaker 1: their body. Um. And so again there's always that appeal 754 00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:58,279 Speaker 1: to the right, always the appeal to the most conservative 755 00:42:58,360 --> 00:43:01,440 Speaker 1: reactionary force, and always at the expense right of the 756 00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:04,720 Speaker 1: folks who are the most vulnerable, always at the expense 757 00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:07,040 Speaker 1: of expanding this movement. And so as you're saying something 758 00:43:07,080 --> 00:43:11,680 Speaker 1: that is more socio and socially and politically engaged, yeah, yeah, 759 00:43:11,719 --> 00:43:13,520 Speaker 1: I think most people come activist when they have to 760 00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:15,799 Speaker 1: live in their car because they can't reford to live 761 00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:17,480 Speaker 1: in the EUC housing when they work at the EC. 762 00:43:17,680 --> 00:43:22,680 Speaker 1: But that is not everyone, of course. And all right, Mohammed, 763 00:43:22,719 --> 00:43:25,280 Speaker 1: where can people find you? Do you have social media? 764 00:43:25,480 --> 00:43:26,800 Speaker 1: Do you, as I said, you want to share with 765 00:43:26,920 --> 00:43:30,200 Speaker 1: you first, to share like your unions or um something 766 00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:35,680 Speaker 1: else I guess on on Twitter? Um, I am at 767 00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:40,480 Speaker 1: a Islamo Marxist um and so yeah, yeah, so folks 768 00:43:40,480 --> 00:43:43,480 Speaker 1: can find me there. Um. Otherwise, I mean, if there 769 00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:47,959 Speaker 1: are folks within the u se Um that are organizing, um, 770 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:50,160 Speaker 1: within any of the like vote no channels, I'm sure 771 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:53,000 Speaker 1: folks could find their way to me. Um. But yeah, 772 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:55,239 Speaker 1: I think just in general, like following the rank and 773 00:43:55,320 --> 00:43:59,800 Speaker 1: file and COLA associated accounts on on social media, trying 774 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:03,400 Speaker 1: to you attend as many means as possible, is is 775 00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:05,920 Speaker 1: really how I think folks can get more in tune 776 00:44:05,960 --> 00:44:09,880 Speaker 1: with the struggle. Yes, that's great, Thank you so much 777 00:44:09,880 --> 00:44:12,320 Speaker 1: of your time. I appreciate it. And yeah, best of 778 00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:16,800 Speaker 1: luck with everything. Thanks so much. So. I'm joined today 779 00:44:16,800 --> 00:44:19,960 Speaker 1: by Megan Lynch, who's the founder of and a volunteer 780 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:22,600 Speaker 1: for u SEE Access Now, which has been one of 781 00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:26,760 Speaker 1: the important bodies lobbying for increased access needs for people 782 00:44:26,800 --> 00:44:30,720 Speaker 1: with disabilities at the u SEE as part of this strike. Hi, Megan, 783 00:44:30,719 --> 00:44:33,840 Speaker 1: how are you doing Hi, I'm doing well. How about 784 00:44:34,320 --> 00:44:37,840 Speaker 1: Thanks for having me great? Thanks, thanks for coming on. Megan. 785 00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:40,920 Speaker 1: Can you explain and maybe explain a little bit about 786 00:44:41,320 --> 00:44:43,480 Speaker 1: you see, access now first and then we can get 787 00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:45,480 Speaker 1: into sort of what the issues were and what the 788 00:44:45,480 --> 00:44:49,320 Speaker 1: demands were. Well, let me start with clarifying what access 789 00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:52,480 Speaker 1: needs are. Generally, I wouldn't want to I want to 790 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:54,520 Speaker 1: I wouldn't want to have more access needs because it 791 00:44:54,560 --> 00:44:56,480 Speaker 1: would mean that I need more things that I need 792 00:44:56,520 --> 00:45:01,640 Speaker 1: to negotiate getting them met. So an access need is, uh, 793 00:45:01,719 --> 00:45:06,640 Speaker 1: I have something that I need somebody to to. You know, 794 00:45:06,760 --> 00:45:12,239 Speaker 1: the inaccessible environment that we have often it's it's sort 795 00:45:12,280 --> 00:45:15,960 Speaker 1: of default inaccessibility, and so having an access needs means that, 796 00:45:16,040 --> 00:45:19,239 Speaker 1: you know, I need to work out how to be 797 00:45:19,360 --> 00:45:21,560 Speaker 1: in that environment. And sometimes you can even be in 798 00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:26,239 Speaker 1: a really well accessible environment, and uh, it would be 799 00:45:26,280 --> 00:45:29,120 Speaker 1: hard for people to meet your access need without again 800 00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:31,120 Speaker 1: trying to come to some kind of agreement. So there's 801 00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:33,840 Speaker 1: a difference between accessibility and access needs and I just 802 00:45:33,880 --> 00:45:38,320 Speaker 1: wanted to clarify that. Thank you. I think that's very important. 803 00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:42,080 Speaker 1: And so could you explain then what what sort of 804 00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:45,960 Speaker 1: issues people were running into before the strike, like what 805 00:45:45,960 --> 00:45:48,280 Speaker 1: what sort of things where they're that limited people's access 806 00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:52,920 Speaker 1: to university spaces or education or work. Well, still very 807 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:55,480 Speaker 1: much going on, and in fact it's actually increased during 808 00:45:55,480 --> 00:45:58,440 Speaker 1: the pandemic. Um the only time where things got a 809 00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:01,920 Speaker 1: little better for some of us is, uh, you know 810 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:05,040 Speaker 1: in March when everybody you know, and this is what 811 00:46:05,120 --> 00:46:09,919 Speaker 1: often happens, is that something when suddenly people who don't 812 00:46:09,920 --> 00:46:13,120 Speaker 1: identify as disabled needs something, and there's enough of that, 813 00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:16,560 Speaker 1: then there's there's no problem. Nobody has to submit medical documentation, 814 00:46:16,600 --> 00:46:18,840 Speaker 1: nobody has to get special permission. It's really not a 815 00:46:18,840 --> 00:46:23,400 Speaker 1: big rigmarole, right, But uh, when you identify as disabled 816 00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:25,399 Speaker 1: and you say I have this as an access need, 817 00:46:25,440 --> 00:46:28,880 Speaker 1: then suddenly, you know, you get you get the Spanish 818 00:46:28,880 --> 00:46:32,879 Speaker 1: inquisition in terms of whether you you you deserve this 819 00:46:32,960 --> 00:46:36,359 Speaker 1: thing that your tax dollars have been paying for at 820 00:46:36,360 --> 00:46:40,960 Speaker 1: your institution anyway, So, um, it really runs the gamut 821 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:42,920 Speaker 1: for you know. I guess what I could best talk 822 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:47,360 Speaker 1: about is my own situation and uh what led to 823 00:46:47,400 --> 00:46:51,440 Speaker 1: the formation of UC access now. So, um, I arrived 824 00:46:51,440 --> 00:46:56,399 Speaker 1: here before the start of fall as a fifty year 825 00:46:56,400 --> 00:46:59,040 Speaker 1: old disabled grad student, So I'm already in a kind 826 00:46:59,080 --> 00:47:01,960 Speaker 1: of unusual position ship by being fifty or four years 827 00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:05,600 Speaker 1: old here and then disabled on top of it. And uh, 828 00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:08,719 Speaker 1: I was set to t a my first quarter here, 829 00:47:09,239 --> 00:47:12,000 Speaker 1: and I could spot even before the quarters started that 830 00:47:12,280 --> 00:47:15,240 Speaker 1: the kinds of cycle recks they have here at UC Davis, 831 00:47:15,280 --> 00:47:19,520 Speaker 1: which is, you know, usually lauded for being quote unquote 832 00:47:19,520 --> 00:47:23,799 Speaker 1: bike friendly. Uh, we're not accessible to me, and that 833 00:47:23,920 --> 00:47:26,279 Speaker 1: they would eventually, you know, I could do it once 834 00:47:26,360 --> 00:47:29,719 Speaker 1: or twice without hurting myself, but over time I was 835 00:47:29,760 --> 00:47:31,719 Speaker 1: gonna be hurt and that would get in the way 836 00:47:31,760 --> 00:47:33,440 Speaker 1: of me being able to do my duties as a 837 00:47:33,520 --> 00:47:35,640 Speaker 1: t A. Not to mention anything I need to do 838 00:47:35,719 --> 00:47:40,840 Speaker 1: for myself, because I was writing, like a lot of 839 00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:45,399 Speaker 1: disabled cyclists, I don't ride the standard upright bicycle. I 840 00:47:45,640 --> 00:47:51,240 Speaker 1: ride a recumbent bicycle with underseat steering, and the recks 841 00:47:51,239 --> 00:47:53,120 Speaker 1: are not usually a big deal. Places I've lived in 842 00:47:53,160 --> 00:47:57,360 Speaker 1: a number of different cities in California, Berkeley, Los Angeles, 843 00:47:57,400 --> 00:47:59,600 Speaker 1: see a lot of places have what are you know 844 00:47:59,719 --> 00:48:02,440 Speaker 1: you acts you know, which is similar kind of to 845 00:48:02,520 --> 00:48:05,600 Speaker 1: a Sheffield rack for foes folks who know those, except 846 00:48:05,719 --> 00:48:07,920 Speaker 1: you know, not quite as big. So it's not like 847 00:48:07,960 --> 00:48:09,520 Speaker 1: it's this special you know, you don't go to a 848 00:48:09,560 --> 00:48:12,839 Speaker 1: special adaptive store for this rack. It is a more 849 00:48:12,880 --> 00:48:16,520 Speaker 1: accessible rack, and most cities are sensibly using them, but 850 00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:20,200 Speaker 1: for here, because despite their bike friendly reputation, they actually 851 00:48:20,200 --> 00:48:24,120 Speaker 1: want to prioritize space for cars. They have made these 852 00:48:24,200 --> 00:48:28,760 Speaker 1: racks that are so close together and not supportive, etcetera, 853 00:48:28,960 --> 00:48:33,040 Speaker 1: that the only part I could ever lock my bike 854 00:48:33,160 --> 00:48:36,000 Speaker 1: too would be the ends, and that's what everybody else 855 00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:38,480 Speaker 1: wants to take first. Um, And it wouldn't even be 856 00:48:38,520 --> 00:48:41,480 Speaker 1: easy to the ends because again, these are really very 857 00:48:41,520 --> 00:48:45,319 Speaker 1: specifically they have wheel wells, and the relationship between the 858 00:48:45,360 --> 00:48:49,240 Speaker 1: locker thing and the wheel well is exactly the space 859 00:48:49,239 --> 00:48:51,000 Speaker 1: of part you would do if you had sort of 860 00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:54,319 Speaker 1: a standard adult size upright bike. And honestly they're not 861 00:48:54,400 --> 00:48:57,800 Speaker 1: even good for people who ride those. So, for instance, 862 00:48:57,840 --> 00:49:00,239 Speaker 1: if you go and you see Davis subreddit, you will 863 00:49:00,280 --> 00:49:04,960 Speaker 1: see sometimes threads where people are bullying people who want 864 00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:07,759 Speaker 1: to get a cruiser bike because they're like, those things 865 00:49:07,800 --> 00:49:09,799 Speaker 1: take up too much room. No, it's not that they 866 00:49:09,800 --> 00:49:11,879 Speaker 1: didn't take up too much room, it's that the racks 867 00:49:11,920 --> 00:49:19,439 Speaker 1: are very poorly designed. There are things, but they are SUVs. Yeah, 868 00:49:19,440 --> 00:49:21,879 Speaker 1: they rather they would rather bully somebody about their choice 869 00:49:21,880 --> 00:49:23,840 Speaker 1: of bike than to say, hey, these are really what 870 00:49:23,960 --> 00:49:27,160 Speaker 1: a waste of taxpayer money to get these these bike 871 00:49:27,239 --> 00:49:29,719 Speaker 1: racks that not only don't work for a lot of 872 00:49:29,760 --> 00:49:32,360 Speaker 1: disabled people, but don't even work for people who are 873 00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:35,640 Speaker 1: riding cargo bikes or using a trailer or you know 874 00:49:35,680 --> 00:49:38,000 Speaker 1: other things you would want to do. So so anyway, 875 00:49:38,040 --> 00:49:42,080 Speaker 1: I went first to the Disabled Students Center here, which is, 876 00:49:42,120 --> 00:49:46,040 Speaker 1: you know, the rationing and policing agency for disabled people. 877 00:49:46,200 --> 00:49:51,640 Speaker 1: And you know, it's amazing to me like this, these 878 00:49:51,640 --> 00:49:54,640 Speaker 1: are the people and they would literally call themselves experts 879 00:49:54,640 --> 00:49:59,120 Speaker 1: on disability and accessibility. And they said to me, gosh, 880 00:49:59,200 --> 00:50:02,279 Speaker 1: it never occurred us that that would need to be accessible. 881 00:50:04,640 --> 00:50:06,680 Speaker 1: This is on a campus where they're trying to encourage 882 00:50:06,680 --> 00:50:08,560 Speaker 1: you to leave your car at home at least some 883 00:50:08,680 --> 00:50:12,960 Speaker 1: of us, right, and uh, and it's also how you 884 00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:15,400 Speaker 1: get to school and to work, right, So why wouldn't 885 00:50:15,400 --> 00:50:19,200 Speaker 1: I need that to be accessible? And so they I 886 00:50:19,239 --> 00:50:21,919 Speaker 1: asked for something as simple as can you sign a letter? 887 00:50:22,200 --> 00:50:24,560 Speaker 1: They wouldn't do it, you know, can you said they wouldn't. 888 00:50:24,600 --> 00:50:26,279 Speaker 1: They wouldn't back me up at all. So then I 889 00:50:26,320 --> 00:50:30,160 Speaker 1: go directly to the Transportation of parking services. They were like, 890 00:50:30,200 --> 00:50:32,240 Speaker 1: it's not covered under a d A, which is not true, 891 00:50:33,320 --> 00:50:36,080 Speaker 1: and you know, and then they were like the solution 892 00:50:36,120 --> 00:50:38,520 Speaker 1: they wanted to pose with it. You know. Eventually when 893 00:50:38,560 --> 00:50:41,759 Speaker 1: I finally after months, got a meeting, they were like, well, 894 00:50:41,920 --> 00:50:44,360 Speaker 1: give us your schedule of classes and will install one 895 00:50:44,520 --> 00:50:46,640 Speaker 1: of these racks at each building you're at. As if 896 00:50:46,680 --> 00:50:51,080 Speaker 1: my schedule isn't going to change each quarter, is that 897 00:50:51,120 --> 00:50:53,440 Speaker 1: a better use of Yeah, is that a better use 898 00:50:53,480 --> 00:50:55,440 Speaker 1: of tax money to send a crew around to like 899 00:50:55,880 --> 00:50:59,360 Speaker 1: to to to Jackhamber Concrete at a different location for 900 00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:03,240 Speaker 1: each quarter of acording to each disabled cyclist class that changes, 901 00:51:03,400 --> 00:51:07,440 Speaker 1: just get the right rack. So that that's when I 902 00:51:07,440 --> 00:51:10,040 Speaker 1: went to the union, and even in the union at 903 00:51:10,080 --> 00:51:13,520 Speaker 1: that time, you know, it was really clear it wasn't 904 00:51:13,520 --> 00:51:16,920 Speaker 1: just with that issue. I had other issues, but this 905 00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:19,080 Speaker 1: was definitely getting in the way of my work as 906 00:51:19,080 --> 00:51:23,040 Speaker 1: a t A because it was hurting my hands very badly, 907 00:51:23,080 --> 00:51:24,719 Speaker 1: and in fact I had fallen a couple of times 908 00:51:24,719 --> 00:51:26,239 Speaker 1: and my bike had fallen on top of me and 909 00:51:26,280 --> 00:51:28,760 Speaker 1: like nobody helps you that, you just sit there watching 910 00:51:28,760 --> 00:51:33,959 Speaker 1: you like a turtle trying to get So there's things 911 00:51:33,960 --> 00:51:37,320 Speaker 1: like that. There's things like um even just the housing 912 00:51:37,360 --> 00:51:41,319 Speaker 1: here in terms of for instance, if I had had 913 00:51:41,360 --> 00:51:43,719 Speaker 1: the luck of having a romantic partner, if I'd had 914 00:51:43,760 --> 00:51:46,440 Speaker 1: the wealth and the ability to choose to have children, 915 00:51:46,800 --> 00:51:48,960 Speaker 1: I would have been able to get grad housing. But 916 00:51:49,080 --> 00:51:51,560 Speaker 1: as a disabled person who has an access need to 917 00:51:51,600 --> 00:51:56,440 Speaker 1: be close to campus, I was I had zero priority whatsoever, 918 00:51:57,040 --> 00:51:59,840 Speaker 1: and so I very nearly ended up starting that quarter 919 00:51:59,840 --> 00:52:02,440 Speaker 1: how thing to live out of my car because you know, 920 00:52:02,520 --> 00:52:04,520 Speaker 1: and I would think it would be pretty clear that 921 00:52:04,560 --> 00:52:08,080 Speaker 1: a fifty four year old disabled grad student might actually have, 922 00:52:10,200 --> 00:52:14,040 Speaker 1: uh maybe have more have fewer options in housing than 923 00:52:14,080 --> 00:52:18,480 Speaker 1: somebody who's in their twenties and isn't disabled. But but 924 00:52:18,600 --> 00:52:20,680 Speaker 1: you know, and I'm not saying that parents don't need 925 00:52:20,719 --> 00:52:22,759 Speaker 1: family housing or anything like that, but what I'm saying 926 00:52:22,840 --> 00:52:27,120 Speaker 1: is very clearly I think some disabled people do have 927 00:52:27,440 --> 00:52:32,160 Speaker 1: strong access needs to have accessible housing near campus. And 928 00:52:32,200 --> 00:52:36,000 Speaker 1: that's very much not something that they bothered themselves with 929 00:52:36,080 --> 00:52:39,359 Speaker 1: here at UC Davis. So you know, there's other things 930 00:52:39,360 --> 00:52:42,080 Speaker 1: in terms of online accessibility and other things, but that 931 00:52:42,200 --> 00:52:44,600 Speaker 1: those are the things that that affected me that I 932 00:52:44,640 --> 00:52:48,040 Speaker 1: think are worth mentioning simply because they they're both unusual 933 00:52:48,080 --> 00:52:51,000 Speaker 1: things people don't tend to think of right, Yeah, yeah, 934 00:52:51,160 --> 00:52:53,160 Speaker 1: I know, and it is a very uh, it's a 935 00:52:53,239 --> 00:52:55,840 Speaker 1: very difficult system to navigate. Like, like you said, I 936 00:52:55,880 --> 00:52:57,960 Speaker 1: think one of the things that's already stood out is 937 00:52:58,000 --> 00:53:02,279 Speaker 1: this this demand for like documenta shoan, frenny, any sort 938 00:53:02,320 --> 00:53:04,440 Speaker 1: of accommodation that you might need that they can make 939 00:53:04,440 --> 00:53:07,360 Speaker 1: it very hard to remember in um, I was teaching 940 00:53:07,360 --> 00:53:10,840 Speaker 1: at UCSD and I shattered my pelvis, uh, and like 941 00:53:10,960 --> 00:53:14,960 Speaker 1: that made moving at all extremely difficult for me, and 942 00:53:15,440 --> 00:53:19,919 Speaker 1: they wouldn't give me a parking pass and like then 943 00:53:20,000 --> 00:53:22,279 Speaker 1: then proceeded to offer me once their diabetes, which is 944 00:53:22,280 --> 00:53:26,759 Speaker 1: a whole like like interesting, like it's sort of calculation 945 00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:29,080 Speaker 1: of which one of those things will definitely stop you walking. 946 00:53:29,640 --> 00:53:33,239 Speaker 1: So yeah, and it was extremely sort of humiliating, I 947 00:53:33,280 --> 00:53:36,920 Speaker 1: guess from a personal perspective, and degrading and time consuming 948 00:53:37,000 --> 00:53:42,960 Speaker 1: and unnecessary. And so what were the demands then at 949 00:53:42,960 --> 00:53:44,800 Speaker 1: the start of this strike, right, there was an access 950 00:53:44,920 --> 00:53:47,720 Speaker 1: needs element to the demands being made by the union. 951 00:53:47,920 --> 00:53:53,000 Speaker 1: So perhaps we can go through Maybe first we can 952 00:53:53,000 --> 00:53:56,480 Speaker 1: go through how you went from uh like this bike correct, 953 00:53:56,520 --> 00:53:59,680 Speaker 1: which didn't accommodate but pretty pretty basic need right to 954 00:53:59,680 --> 00:54:01,480 Speaker 1: trans for yourself to campus, how do we get from 955 00:54:01,480 --> 00:54:05,719 Speaker 1: there to the union? Having access needs to minds as 956 00:54:05,760 --> 00:54:09,960 Speaker 1: part of the strike. So as far as you see 957 00:54:09,960 --> 00:54:14,800 Speaker 1: Access Now, it's involvement with it. UM. We went on 958 00:54:14,840 --> 00:54:19,200 Speaker 1: Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and published the demandifesto in 959 00:54:19,320 --> 00:54:24,239 Speaker 1: July of so, uh, the months between you know, the 960 00:54:24,280 --> 00:54:26,520 Speaker 1: fall when I made you know, went through these processes 961 00:54:26,560 --> 00:54:29,520 Speaker 1: and when I finally decided, Okay, nobody's doing anything about this, 962 00:54:29,600 --> 00:54:32,200 Speaker 1: and I don't see any other organizations, so let's you know, 963 00:54:32,280 --> 00:54:38,880 Speaker 1: jump into this um. By July, Uh, you see, Access 964 00:54:38,920 --> 00:54:43,480 Speaker 1: Now was contacted by somebody who was an officer within 965 00:54:43,880 --> 00:54:46,799 Speaker 1: u A W fifty ten and that's the post Doc 966 00:54:46,880 --> 00:54:53,040 Speaker 1: and and Academic Researcher Union, and they had seen our work, 967 00:54:53,560 --> 00:54:57,640 Speaker 1: you know, via social media and whatnot and said, you know, 968 00:54:57,680 --> 00:55:00,800 Speaker 1: we're about to go into contract bargaining and we'd really 969 00:55:00,880 --> 00:55:03,440 Speaker 1: like to talk about disability issues. So we had a 970 00:55:03,480 --> 00:55:06,719 Speaker 1: meeting with them, and we actually had we did a 971 00:55:06,760 --> 00:55:10,279 Speaker 1: presentation also to them, uh for their social justice and 972 00:55:10,400 --> 00:55:13,399 Speaker 1: in our series. But we also had a meeting with 973 00:55:13,480 --> 00:55:17,680 Speaker 1: a number of people from fifty in terms of let's, 974 00:55:17,800 --> 00:55:21,040 Speaker 1: you know, let's think creatively here, let's let's be ambitious 975 00:55:21,080 --> 00:55:23,719 Speaker 1: about what it is, you know, because the thing is 976 00:55:23,719 --> 00:55:26,279 Speaker 1: is that a lot of what people tend to do, 977 00:55:26,360 --> 00:55:30,840 Speaker 1: particularly particularly when they're not disabled, but even some disabled 978 00:55:30,840 --> 00:55:32,880 Speaker 1: people can do this because internalized able ism is a 979 00:55:32,960 --> 00:55:36,239 Speaker 1: really hard to throw off. We're sort of you know, 980 00:55:36,280 --> 00:55:38,080 Speaker 1: and this is true of other oppressions too. You know, 981 00:55:38,120 --> 00:55:40,800 Speaker 1: we're all sort of used to this system that has 982 00:55:40,840 --> 00:55:47,200 Speaker 1: this policing, austerity, etcetera. You know, we all get schooled 983 00:55:47,200 --> 00:55:50,439 Speaker 1: into not hoping for much anymore because we're just so used. 984 00:55:50,520 --> 00:55:52,720 Speaker 1: You know, in my life time, I've lived through decades 985 00:55:52,719 --> 00:55:56,279 Speaker 1: of this kind of regularite bologne. So so it takes 986 00:55:56,320 --> 00:55:59,000 Speaker 1: a while to think big about these things. But that's 987 00:55:59,000 --> 00:56:00,600 Speaker 1: what we were trying to do. And so we sort 988 00:56:00,600 --> 00:56:03,680 Speaker 1: of brainstormed with them as several UC Access Now members 989 00:56:04,200 --> 00:56:07,160 Speaker 1: and several fifty eight ten members in terms of the 990 00:56:07,160 --> 00:56:11,080 Speaker 1: sorts of things that could be uh asking for. And 991 00:56:11,160 --> 00:56:13,680 Speaker 1: so if if there's time and you don't mind, I 992 00:56:13,680 --> 00:56:17,600 Speaker 1: can give you a view of that because the other 993 00:56:17,600 --> 00:56:22,440 Speaker 1: stuff is online. But this isn't so again, this is 994 00:56:22,520 --> 00:56:24,680 Speaker 1: sort of just a spitballing document. But we were like, 995 00:56:24,719 --> 00:56:27,759 Speaker 1: you know, all ads for post doc positions on all platforms, 996 00:56:27,760 --> 00:56:31,640 Speaker 1: they have to be accessible. Now some some of this 997 00:56:31,760 --> 00:56:34,279 Speaker 1: and some of what we're talking about is stuff that 998 00:56:34,320 --> 00:56:36,880 Speaker 1: you see is actually legally obligated to do and just 999 00:56:37,040 --> 00:56:39,719 Speaker 1: has not been doing. Um. That would be one of them. 1000 00:56:40,400 --> 00:56:43,520 Speaker 1: UM training. You know, most emergency access plans are not 1001 00:56:43,680 --> 00:56:45,919 Speaker 1: made with the input of disabled people, and they don't 1002 00:56:45,920 --> 00:56:49,719 Speaker 1: even mention us. So you know, there are considerations for 1003 00:56:49,760 --> 00:56:54,640 Speaker 1: accessibility for different types of disabilities, different people. Uh. We 1004 00:56:54,719 --> 00:56:57,640 Speaker 1: have several buildings on UC Davis campus here that have 1005 00:56:57,719 --> 00:57:02,600 Speaker 1: little placards right in the lobby that's say a they 1006 00:57:02,600 --> 00:57:07,720 Speaker 1: say something like, if you depend on uh, visual alarm 1007 00:57:07,800 --> 00:57:10,799 Speaker 1: systems in an emergency, please let somebody else know you're 1008 00:57:10,840 --> 00:57:13,279 Speaker 1: in this building. Blah blah blah. And it's like even 1009 00:57:13,320 --> 00:57:17,080 Speaker 1: the way that's phrased, because you know, quote unquote abled people, 1010 00:57:17,880 --> 00:57:20,400 Speaker 1: are you dependent on a sound alarm system to get 1011 00:57:20,400 --> 00:57:24,360 Speaker 1: out in a fire. But they but they don't phrase it, 1012 00:57:24,600 --> 00:57:26,880 Speaker 1: you know, as dependence when it's for them, right, They 1013 00:57:26,880 --> 00:57:29,560 Speaker 1: only phrase it as dependence when it's for somebody who's 1014 00:57:29,560 --> 00:57:32,440 Speaker 1: death or hard of hearing. So we've got several buildings 1015 00:57:32,440 --> 00:57:36,000 Speaker 1: on campus where they know that it's not up, it's 1016 00:57:36,040 --> 00:57:38,040 Speaker 1: not up to even not even just a d A. 1017 00:57:38,160 --> 00:57:41,080 Speaker 1: But just like basic human decency, people will die in 1018 00:57:41,120 --> 00:57:43,680 Speaker 1: that building. Deaf and hard of hearing, people will not 1019 00:57:43,800 --> 00:57:47,160 Speaker 1: know that there's a fire or another emergency alarm system 1020 00:57:47,200 --> 00:57:49,880 Speaker 1: going off because we couldn't be bothered to pony up 1021 00:57:49,880 --> 00:57:53,640 Speaker 1: for some lights. Um. So that that kind of thing. 1022 00:57:53,680 --> 00:57:56,080 Speaker 1: In terms of an emergency action plan, these things have 1023 00:57:56,160 --> 00:57:58,360 Speaker 1: to be done. There has to be training not only 1024 00:57:58,400 --> 00:58:01,040 Speaker 1: for the supervisors but really for you see itself, because 1025 00:58:01,040 --> 00:58:04,280 Speaker 1: the whole system is just you know, a cram full 1026 00:58:04,400 --> 00:58:07,320 Speaker 1: of able is um. You know, online working is key 1027 00:58:07,360 --> 00:58:09,680 Speaker 1: to accessibility. So it has to be a regular option, 1028 00:58:09,760 --> 00:58:12,360 Speaker 1: not just something for the pandemic. It should have been 1029 00:58:12,440 --> 00:58:15,760 Speaker 1: the whole time, and it also shouldn't you know, be 1030 00:58:16,040 --> 00:58:20,760 Speaker 1: a big burst up to it. There are some and 1031 00:58:20,840 --> 00:58:22,760 Speaker 1: you know they're like kind of things you would think 1032 00:58:22,800 --> 00:58:25,800 Speaker 1: of as smaller that we put in here simply because 1033 00:58:26,280 --> 00:58:29,240 Speaker 1: again we're trying to think creatively, which is you know, 1034 00:58:29,360 --> 00:58:32,320 Speaker 1: reimbursements for instance. I mean that's a general problem with 1035 00:58:32,520 --> 00:58:35,240 Speaker 1: grad students and whatnot. Is that the university, which has 1036 00:58:35,280 --> 00:58:38,360 Speaker 1: far more resources than we do, it's sort of you know, 1037 00:58:38,520 --> 00:58:42,000 Speaker 1: taking its time reimbursing us for things that we've had 1038 00:58:42,040 --> 00:58:45,240 Speaker 1: to get right, and so the debt is actually being 1039 00:58:45,640 --> 00:58:48,320 Speaker 1: heaped onto the people least able to support it. And 1040 00:58:48,360 --> 00:58:51,440 Speaker 1: when it comes to disabled people, that is going to 1041 00:58:51,560 --> 00:58:54,080 Speaker 1: be even more of a burden because most disabled people 1042 00:58:54,160 --> 00:58:56,320 Speaker 1: have a higher cost of living and often have a 1043 00:58:56,360 --> 00:58:59,520 Speaker 1: lower income to boot. So we put you know that 1044 00:58:59,560 --> 00:59:04,280 Speaker 1: in there. Put in reimbursements for costs incurred working at 1045 00:59:04,320 --> 00:59:07,160 Speaker 1: home or or or you know, in other ways remotely 1046 00:59:07,200 --> 00:59:09,440 Speaker 1: for an employer. That's section to eight oh two of 1047 00:59:09,480 --> 00:59:14,480 Speaker 1: the California Labor Code. Um uh, you know, sick policy 1048 00:59:14,520 --> 00:59:18,640 Speaker 1: in terms of like commuter checks, which you know, or 1049 00:59:18,720 --> 00:59:22,520 Speaker 1: some other kind of thing for public transit. The child 1050 00:59:22,600 --> 00:59:25,440 Speaker 1: care spaces and lactation rooms are accessible because you know 1051 00:59:25,800 --> 00:59:28,360 Speaker 1: the union will like lobby for that right, but you 1052 00:59:28,400 --> 00:59:30,800 Speaker 1: need to be you need to be express about the 1053 00:59:30,840 --> 00:59:34,600 Speaker 1: idea that these things need to be accessible. Like people 1054 00:59:34,640 --> 00:59:38,720 Speaker 1: don't think of everything needed to be accessible, but really 1055 00:59:38,760 --> 00:59:41,680 Speaker 1: it does. Yeah, and that sends a very sort of 1056 00:59:41,680 --> 00:59:45,360 Speaker 1: condescending message about like what you know, different people with 1057 00:59:45,400 --> 00:59:48,440 Speaker 1: different diffabilities might or might not be doing at which 1058 00:59:49,080 --> 00:59:52,320 Speaker 1: obviously isn't great that the US doing that. And so 1059 00:59:52,520 --> 00:59:56,680 Speaker 1: like I really I thought these demands were fascinating because 1060 00:59:57,320 --> 00:59:59,480 Speaker 1: it's not what we often talk about when we talk 1061 00:59:59,480 --> 01:00:02,640 Speaker 1: about rights that we talk about strikes often purely in 1062 01:00:02,760 --> 01:00:07,000 Speaker 1: terms of economics, right like UH, in in the US, 1063 01:00:07,080 --> 01:00:09,920 Speaker 1: I can include things like non way to benefits like healthcare, 1064 01:00:10,640 --> 01:00:14,320 Speaker 1: but it in sort of most instances we talk about 1065 01:00:14,360 --> 01:00:16,920 Speaker 1: striking bread and butter terms like they have gone out 1066 01:00:17,000 --> 01:00:19,160 Speaker 1: and they want this much money to come back. And 1067 01:00:19,760 --> 01:00:22,640 Speaker 1: I think that strikes have the potential to build much 1068 01:00:22,760 --> 01:00:27,880 Speaker 1: greater solidarity by doing things like this, by incorporating these 1069 01:00:28,840 --> 01:00:31,800 Speaker 1: I guess social justice demands is one way of phrasing it. 1070 01:00:32,760 --> 01:00:35,080 Speaker 1: This basic human decency to minds will be another way 1071 01:00:35,120 --> 01:00:39,720 Speaker 1: of saying it. And it really Yeah, it really impressed 1072 01:00:39,760 --> 01:00:43,640 Speaker 1: me that this was part of the package of demands 1073 01:00:43,680 --> 01:00:47,320 Speaker 1: from the union. How have things gone? Are you comfortable 1074 01:00:47,320 --> 01:00:51,840 Speaker 1: talking about how things have gone since the strike began? Well, 1075 01:00:51,920 --> 01:00:56,000 Speaker 1: I certainly don't know everything backwards and forwards, because honestly, 1076 01:00:56,080 --> 01:00:57,680 Speaker 1: it would be hard for any one person to do 1077 01:00:57,760 --> 01:01:01,840 Speaker 1: it all. It's all extremely complex in terms of not 1078 01:01:01,880 --> 01:01:03,920 Speaker 1: in terms of like you know, things on the ground, 1079 01:01:03,920 --> 01:01:08,240 Speaker 1: but in terms of the language in contracts and the 1080 01:01:08,280 --> 01:01:11,439 Speaker 1: process and bargaining. UH. There's a difference between like things 1081 01:01:11,520 --> 01:01:14,240 Speaker 1: that are tradition traditional to do as opposed to things 1082 01:01:14,240 --> 01:01:16,160 Speaker 1: that are actually the law, and then of course the 1083 01:01:16,160 --> 01:01:18,400 Speaker 1: actual enforcement and law. So anyway, this has been going 1084 01:01:18,440 --> 01:01:19,880 Speaker 1: on for a whole year, and as you can imagine, 1085 01:01:19,920 --> 01:01:22,880 Speaker 1: like penetrating it as your average person, it can be 1086 01:01:22,960 --> 01:01:26,040 Speaker 1: very difficult. So I will certainly give you, you know, 1087 01:01:26,160 --> 01:01:28,520 Speaker 1: my view of it as so far as I've seen it, 1088 01:01:28,600 --> 01:01:32,400 Speaker 1: but um, we do have. Uh So, so we helped 1089 01:01:33,440 --> 01:01:35,720 Speaker 1: with like sort of spitballing and they took it from there. 1090 01:01:36,480 --> 01:01:41,480 Speaker 1: And what they started out with was not as you know, 1091 01:01:41,560 --> 01:01:46,200 Speaker 1: ambitious as the spitball document. Um, I think it tends. 1092 01:01:46,240 --> 01:01:50,640 Speaker 1: I think that got replicated a lot throughout the unions, 1093 01:01:50,680 --> 01:01:54,200 Speaker 1: which is, you know, my advice as somebody from the 1094 01:01:54,200 --> 01:01:58,040 Speaker 1: outside just thinking about negotiations in general. Okay, you know 1095 01:01:58,080 --> 01:02:01,480 Speaker 1: they're gonna cut you down, right, so why would you 1096 01:02:01,560 --> 01:02:03,840 Speaker 1: be the one to cut you down. You know they're 1097 01:02:03,840 --> 01:02:06,880 Speaker 1: gonna do it right, you think big, let them cut 1098 01:02:06,880 --> 01:02:12,560 Speaker 1: you down. And and unfortunately there were the majority voices 1099 01:02:12,800 --> 01:02:16,480 Speaker 1: in the bargaining teams tended often to be at least 1100 01:02:16,520 --> 01:02:20,640 Speaker 1: where the access needs articles were concerned, um, tended to 1101 01:02:20,680 --> 01:02:24,560 Speaker 1: be kind of let us cut ourselves down. Uh So 1102 01:02:24,640 --> 01:02:27,360 Speaker 1: the starting doc for ten, although you know, it's still 1103 01:02:27,440 --> 01:02:29,440 Speaker 1: had things in it that were very like if we 1104 01:02:29,560 --> 01:02:34,120 Speaker 1: have the original version of ten instead of what actually 1105 01:02:35,400 --> 01:02:41,960 Speaker 1: the folks you know voted on voted yes on recently, Uh, 1106 01:02:42,000 --> 01:02:45,479 Speaker 1: it would still be a revolutionary document in in US 1107 01:02:45,560 --> 01:02:48,320 Speaker 1: labor history. I think, you know, I don't. I've never 1108 01:02:48,360 --> 01:02:52,760 Speaker 1: heard in the news of anything any uh more ambitious 1109 01:02:52,800 --> 01:02:55,320 Speaker 1: than that. But but definitely it was down from what 1110 01:02:55,360 --> 01:03:01,640 Speaker 1: we were starting with, which you know, um so, But 1111 01:03:01,720 --> 01:03:04,160 Speaker 1: I think what happened was that you know, fifty eight 1112 01:03:04,200 --> 01:03:07,400 Speaker 1: ten came out and they were trying to coordinate and 1113 01:03:07,480 --> 01:03:11,560 Speaker 1: learn from each other to different units. Right. So then 1114 01:03:11,840 --> 01:03:18,000 Speaker 1: folks on s R you and U A W also 1115 01:03:19,360 --> 01:03:22,720 Speaker 1: uh worked on the access needs articles and and the 1116 01:03:22,800 --> 01:03:25,880 Speaker 1: access needs articles even in themselves was a change because 1117 01:03:25,920 --> 01:03:29,720 Speaker 1: the previous versions of these things were phrases reasonable accommodations, 1118 01:03:29,760 --> 01:03:33,400 Speaker 1: which is language that stems from the Americans with Disabilities Act. 1119 01:03:34,080 --> 01:03:40,080 Speaker 1: And even that phrase is something that is really outdated 1120 01:03:40,120 --> 01:03:44,200 Speaker 1: because it is the idea, the ideas who is deciding 1121 01:03:44,200 --> 01:03:47,920 Speaker 1: what's reasonable, right the person who has no lived experience 1122 01:03:47,960 --> 01:03:52,800 Speaker 1: of disability or this gigantic public institution that is funded 1123 01:03:52,880 --> 01:03:57,000 Speaker 1: including by disabled people's tuitions and fed fees and whatnot 1124 01:03:57,040 --> 01:04:01,960 Speaker 1: in taxes. But you know where's my money go. It 1125 01:04:02,000 --> 01:04:04,720 Speaker 1: goes into building an inaccessible university, right, So why am 1126 01:04:04,760 --> 01:04:07,840 Speaker 1: I supposed to let you judge what is reasonable? I 1127 01:04:07,840 --> 01:04:11,520 Speaker 1: think it's incredibly unreasonable that you use my money to 1128 01:04:11,680 --> 01:04:15,720 Speaker 1: build a university that not is not only hard for 1129 01:04:15,800 --> 01:04:18,440 Speaker 1: me to be at, but it is actively hostile to 1130 01:04:18,520 --> 01:04:22,040 Speaker 1: my health. Um and so you know, and just the 1131 01:04:22,440 --> 01:04:28,960 Speaker 1: word accommodations centers and codifies that inaccessibility as being the norm, 1132 01:04:29,160 --> 01:04:31,600 Speaker 1: and anything you do different from it is like you 1133 01:04:31,680 --> 01:04:34,160 Speaker 1: being accommodating. We'll get that, get the hell out over 1134 01:04:34,160 --> 01:04:38,600 Speaker 1: here with that stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it makes much 1135 01:04:38,640 --> 01:04:42,240 Speaker 1: more sense to phrase it in those ways. And like, yeah, 1136 01:04:42,480 --> 01:04:44,720 Speaker 1: it seems like it was, as you said, a very 1137 01:04:44,760 --> 01:04:49,800 Speaker 1: ambitious goal and one that not only those things got transferred, 1138 01:04:49,840 --> 01:04:53,760 Speaker 1: which is I mean that that can happen in strikes. 1139 01:04:53,840 --> 01:04:58,040 Speaker 1: But it's also like it's it's a non economic thing 1140 01:04:58,120 --> 01:04:59,880 Speaker 1: that the university could have given to you all of 1141 01:05:00,040 --> 01:05:01,760 Speaker 1: they wouldn't have had to have, you know, I mean, 1142 01:05:01,880 --> 01:05:03,840 Speaker 1: the university has a lot of money, and it would 1143 01:05:03,840 --> 01:05:05,760 Speaker 1: it would be very possible for it to pay grad 1144 01:05:05,800 --> 01:05:08,160 Speaker 1: to its students aways they asked for at the start 1145 01:05:08,160 --> 01:05:12,160 Speaker 1: and post grad post docs and could be paid the 1146 01:05:12,200 --> 01:05:13,680 Speaker 1: way to say, asked for to your and it wouldn't 1147 01:05:13,680 --> 01:05:15,960 Speaker 1: really have the university. They could they could, you know, 1148 01:05:16,240 --> 01:05:18,880 Speaker 1: there are a million ways they could fund that. But well, 1149 01:05:18,880 --> 01:05:20,480 Speaker 1: I think that gets to the crux of why they 1150 01:05:20,480 --> 01:05:22,920 Speaker 1: don't do this, because the thing is is that if 1151 01:05:23,160 --> 01:05:24,880 Speaker 1: if you really think about it this way, and it 1152 01:05:24,880 --> 01:05:27,240 Speaker 1: takes a little doing, because again we're sort of school 1153 01:05:27,320 --> 01:05:33,000 Speaker 1: dot to, but it is a form of misappropriation of 1154 01:05:33,000 --> 01:05:36,440 Speaker 1: public funds. If all of the public is funding this institution, 1155 01:05:36,440 --> 01:05:38,880 Speaker 1: and we do that through our state and our federal taxes, 1156 01:05:39,000 --> 01:05:41,360 Speaker 1: we do and then of course if we get in 1157 01:05:41,440 --> 01:05:43,920 Speaker 1: we're doing it through tuition of feeds, and then of 1158 01:05:43,960 --> 01:05:46,720 Speaker 1: course the grants the university gets are also federal grants 1159 01:05:46,720 --> 01:05:51,600 Speaker 1: and this sort of thing. Um, then what you're doing 1160 01:05:51,680 --> 01:05:54,240 Speaker 1: is you're taking money that comes from all of the 1161 01:05:54,280 --> 01:05:59,000 Speaker 1: public and pre pandemic figures in terms of like this 1162 01:05:59,040 --> 01:06:01,960 Speaker 1: is before the mass disabling event that the pandemic is 1163 01:06:03,120 --> 01:06:08,520 Speaker 1: the of America, adult Americans had at least one disability. 1164 01:06:09,000 --> 01:06:12,480 Speaker 1: So you're taking money from those folks, and you're saying, 1165 01:06:12,520 --> 01:06:14,800 Speaker 1: but we're not going to build this public university in 1166 01:06:14,800 --> 01:06:18,840 Speaker 1: a way that is not only like tolerable by you, 1167 01:06:18,920 --> 01:06:21,640 Speaker 1: but like a place where you could thrive. It doesn't 1168 01:06:21,640 --> 01:06:24,360 Speaker 1: even reach tolerable. It actually drives a lot of us 1169 01:06:24,360 --> 01:06:26,400 Speaker 1: out of here. It worse in health, and I have 1170 01:06:26,560 --> 01:06:31,680 Speaker 1: no doubt that it has killed people. So we So 1171 01:06:31,760 --> 01:06:34,280 Speaker 1: what happens? The reason I mentioned this is because that 1172 01:06:34,400 --> 01:06:38,480 Speaker 1: misappropriation to funds. You know, that's the incentive, right, what 1173 01:06:38,640 --> 01:06:42,280 Speaker 1: can if if if you're going off this austerity mindset 1174 01:06:42,280 --> 01:06:45,520 Speaker 1: that you shut off like people from things they need, right, 1175 01:06:46,000 --> 01:06:49,680 Speaker 1: what happens to that money? Well, we have an admin 1176 01:06:49,720 --> 01:06:52,960 Speaker 1: that is completely bloated in size. We have every single 1177 01:06:53,120 --> 01:06:56,280 Speaker 1: chancellor getting a raise during a pandemic that they completely 1178 01:06:56,760 --> 01:07:00,120 Speaker 1: blew in terms of public health protections, in terms of 1179 01:07:00,160 --> 01:07:03,240 Speaker 1: accessibility even to people when they needed it during the pandemic. 1180 01:07:04,080 --> 01:07:07,440 Speaker 1: Like if they hadn't been fighting accessibility that long, we 1181 01:07:07,480 --> 01:07:09,440 Speaker 1: would have handled the pandemic better because we would have 1182 01:07:09,480 --> 01:07:14,880 Speaker 1: had better online pedagogy already available and developed. So it 1183 01:07:14,960 --> 01:07:18,200 Speaker 1: is that's a kind of jump that people don't make. 1184 01:07:18,720 --> 01:07:22,080 Speaker 1: But that's exactly what's going on. That's why they have 1185 01:07:22,200 --> 01:07:28,320 Speaker 1: the interest in putting this rationing and policing bureaucracy together too, Like, 1186 01:07:28,400 --> 01:07:31,400 Speaker 1: not many disabled people even get here because this is 1187 01:07:31,400 --> 01:07:35,000 Speaker 1: of course not the only ablest institution. It's hard to 1188 01:07:35,040 --> 01:07:38,200 Speaker 1: even get here. But then when you get here, they 1189 01:07:38,200 --> 01:07:41,800 Speaker 1: want to reduce who can get their access needs met, 1190 01:07:41,920 --> 01:07:46,120 Speaker 1: and then the access needs being met is such a gauntlet, 1191 01:07:47,960 --> 01:07:51,360 Speaker 1: and only the most privileged of disabled people can get that. 1192 01:07:51,480 --> 01:07:54,280 Speaker 1: And so you know, as far as disabled people at 1193 01:07:55,480 --> 01:07:59,600 Speaker 1: at you see who are in the system so to speak, 1194 01:07:59,640 --> 01:08:03,240 Speaker 1: you know, our registered or whatever that's going to not 1195 01:08:03,360 --> 01:08:05,880 Speaker 1: at all be representative of the public. That's going to 1196 01:08:05,920 --> 01:08:11,120 Speaker 1: be mostly white folks with some access to privilege. You know, yeah, 1197 01:08:11,200 --> 01:08:13,680 Speaker 1: of course. And I think you've given a good sort 1198 01:08:13,720 --> 01:08:17,719 Speaker 1: of elucidation of why this is a struggle that obviously 1199 01:08:17,720 --> 01:08:20,040 Speaker 1: everyone should be part of, everyone should be getting behind, 1200 01:08:20,080 --> 01:08:22,559 Speaker 1: because it's like it's it's all of us who are 1201 01:08:22,560 --> 01:08:24,080 Speaker 1: invested in this in order of us are paying for 1202 01:08:24,120 --> 01:08:29,360 Speaker 1: this university which isn't accessible right now. So I wonder, like, 1203 01:08:29,960 --> 01:08:34,400 Speaker 1: what's your advice, because there are unprecedented numbers of people 1204 01:08:34,439 --> 01:08:38,040 Speaker 1: forming unions right like Starbucks being one example that we 1205 01:08:38,080 --> 01:08:40,000 Speaker 1: see a lot of coverage of, but all across the 1206 01:08:40,000 --> 01:08:42,080 Speaker 1: country there are more people forming unions there and more 1207 01:08:42,080 --> 01:08:47,719 Speaker 1: people going on to strike. How should they organize around 1208 01:08:48,200 --> 01:08:51,160 Speaker 1: similar things like, how should they organize around getting these 1209 01:08:51,160 --> 01:08:55,120 Speaker 1: access needs met? Well, I think I think you have 1210 01:08:55,200 --> 01:08:57,519 Speaker 1: to start by sweeping your old side of the street, 1211 01:08:57,600 --> 01:08:59,640 Speaker 1: which is that you have to make sure that you 1212 01:09:00,200 --> 01:09:05,840 Speaker 1: or union communications, your meetings, uh, everything about your union 1213 01:09:06,000 --> 01:09:07,960 Speaker 1: is accessible. And if you don't know how to do that, 1214 01:09:08,000 --> 01:09:10,240 Speaker 1: then that's where you start. You start with learning what 1215 01:09:10,320 --> 01:09:14,960 Speaker 1: accessibility is and how to make things accessible. Because what 1216 01:09:15,040 --> 01:09:18,200 Speaker 1: we found when we started, uh, when we came out 1217 01:09:18,280 --> 01:09:22,360 Speaker 1: kind of UC access Now did was you know, as 1218 01:09:22,360 --> 01:09:26,160 Speaker 1: you can imagine, in a society where there are quite 1219 01:09:28,040 --> 01:09:33,040 Speaker 1: strong financial punishments for even to say, you know, even 1220 01:09:33,080 --> 01:09:36,760 Speaker 1: identifying as disabled. And what I mean by that is like, say, 1221 01:09:36,840 --> 01:09:40,400 Speaker 1: again here on UC Davis, you were talking about how 1222 01:09:40,400 --> 01:09:42,400 Speaker 1: hard it was for you to get parking right, you know, 1223 01:09:42,560 --> 01:09:44,920 Speaker 1: when you had s chatter Paul Pelvis, how it was 1224 01:09:44,960 --> 01:09:47,800 Speaker 1: to go every single day here on campus. There are 1225 01:09:47,840 --> 01:09:50,400 Speaker 1: able to employees driving trucks and vans that they drive 1226 01:09:50,479 --> 01:09:52,920 Speaker 1: straight up to the door of the building on the sidewalk, 1227 01:09:52,960 --> 01:09:57,200 Speaker 1: blocking egress for actual disabled people and actually blocking fire 1228 01:09:57,240 --> 01:10:00,880 Speaker 1: regress out of the building. Because that's what's you know, 1229 01:10:00,880 --> 01:10:03,519 Speaker 1: because they can't be bothered to walk twenty ft from 1230 01:10:03,560 --> 01:10:06,759 Speaker 1: the legal space that they have already have the privilege 1231 01:10:06,800 --> 01:10:09,920 Speaker 1: of being on campus compared to everybody else, right, but 1232 01:10:09,960 --> 01:10:11,839 Speaker 1: they but they had to have it even more convenient 1233 01:10:11,880 --> 01:10:13,960 Speaker 1: to that, and then they drive straight up to the door. 1234 01:10:14,200 --> 01:10:18,599 Speaker 1: Right Nobody gives them. Nobody says boo about that. Nobody 1235 01:10:18,640 --> 01:10:22,559 Speaker 1: says you need to get a medical documentation, Nobody says 1236 01:10:22,920 --> 01:10:25,960 Speaker 1: you're getting fined and you'r and you you don't get 1237 01:10:25,960 --> 01:10:28,680 Speaker 1: to drive this campus truck again or whatever. None of 1238 01:10:28,720 --> 01:10:31,639 Speaker 1: that goes on. What would happen, I guarantee you if 1239 01:10:31,680 --> 01:10:35,559 Speaker 1: that employee identified as disabled all of a sudden, then 1240 01:10:35,600 --> 01:10:38,000 Speaker 1: they would come down on that person for what they're doing. 1241 01:10:39,680 --> 01:10:42,200 Speaker 1: It's it's a real so because of these things, there's 1242 01:10:42,240 --> 01:10:46,680 Speaker 1: a lot of incentive for people to hide their disability 1243 01:10:47,160 --> 01:10:49,200 Speaker 1: because you get there's a lot of stigma, but there's 1244 01:10:49,240 --> 01:10:53,320 Speaker 1: also a real, quite real financial hit to it. And 1245 01:10:53,640 --> 01:10:56,679 Speaker 1: uh and so what happens once you sort of create 1246 01:10:56,840 --> 01:11:01,360 Speaker 1: a safer space to talk about it, people will start 1247 01:11:01,400 --> 01:11:03,960 Speaker 1: damning you, you know, and they will let you know 1248 01:11:04,120 --> 01:11:06,599 Speaker 1: that they're starting to have problems on the job or whatever. 1249 01:11:06,800 --> 01:11:09,240 Speaker 1: They may not be ready to come out. For those 1250 01:11:09,479 --> 01:11:11,800 Speaker 1: like some people, it's obvious they're disabled, right, it's not 1251 01:11:11,880 --> 01:11:14,200 Speaker 1: even like they have a choice about quote unquote coming 1252 01:11:14,200 --> 01:11:17,559 Speaker 1: out right. But for other people it's not obvious unless 1253 01:11:17,600 --> 01:11:19,519 Speaker 1: they tell you, and they they have a lot of 1254 01:11:19,560 --> 01:11:23,840 Speaker 1: incentive to not you know, identify that way. Um. But 1255 01:11:23,960 --> 01:11:27,519 Speaker 1: when you make your union a safe and inclusive and 1256 01:11:27,600 --> 01:11:31,599 Speaker 1: accessible place, you will find that you have already been 1257 01:11:31,600 --> 01:11:35,519 Speaker 1: making assumptions about what your union membership is. So you 1258 01:11:35,560 --> 01:11:38,800 Speaker 1: already have members who are disabled, it's just that they're 1259 01:11:38,840 --> 01:11:42,840 Speaker 1: not telling you about it. But furthermore, if your union 1260 01:11:42,880 --> 01:11:49,200 Speaker 1: starts really um becoming an accessible inclusive place, you know, 1261 01:11:49,280 --> 01:11:53,160 Speaker 1: not performative, really being there, like your your communications are accessible, 1262 01:11:53,640 --> 01:11:57,640 Speaker 1: you you're clearly um educating yourselves around able is um 1263 01:11:57,800 --> 01:12:01,559 Speaker 1: educating yourselves around accessibility. So like when you have your meeting, 1264 01:12:01,840 --> 01:12:05,599 Speaker 1: it's not in a room that isn't wheelchair accessible, that 1265 01:12:05,720 --> 01:12:08,479 Speaker 1: doesn't have a working elevator on that floor. You know, 1266 01:12:08,520 --> 01:12:11,240 Speaker 1: all these things that people kind of don't think about 1267 01:12:11,320 --> 01:12:15,320 Speaker 1: until uh, they're the one with the broken leg. Um. 1268 01:12:15,439 --> 01:12:19,599 Speaker 1: Then that really goes some way to helping you organize things, 1269 01:12:19,600 --> 01:12:22,559 Speaker 1: and you will find you already have members that you 1270 01:12:22,600 --> 01:12:25,439 Speaker 1: can tap, you know, because they'll start to feel more 1271 01:12:25,520 --> 01:12:28,280 Speaker 1: for more involved once they see you're willing to go 1272 01:12:28,320 --> 01:12:31,760 Speaker 1: to bad from them. And what I would say that 1273 01:12:31,840 --> 01:12:35,120 Speaker 1: peaks folks should learn from the U see U a 1274 01:12:35,400 --> 01:12:39,519 Speaker 1: w experience right now. And this doesn't just refer to 1275 01:12:39,600 --> 01:12:45,760 Speaker 1: disabled workers, it's really other marginalized workers, which is, you know, 1276 01:12:46,920 --> 01:12:49,840 Speaker 1: if you're in a contract bargaining situation and it's clear 1277 01:12:49,920 --> 01:12:54,640 Speaker 1: that like you're the bargaining chip, Like why would that 1278 01:12:54,720 --> 01:12:56,920 Speaker 1: why would that group want to hang with you? You're 1279 01:12:57,040 --> 01:13:00,320 Speaker 1: you're saying, support us and what we want, but we're 1280 01:13:00,320 --> 01:13:03,840 Speaker 1: gonna desert you when it's your time. You weren't gonna 1281 01:13:03,880 --> 01:13:06,760 Speaker 1: depend on the fact that everybody likes more pay and 1282 01:13:06,760 --> 01:13:09,880 Speaker 1: we're just gonna say, Okay, you're gonna stick with us 1283 01:13:09,920 --> 01:13:11,920 Speaker 1: and and work, you know, with the union no matter 1284 01:13:12,000 --> 01:13:16,280 Speaker 1: what it's like. Now a lot of people are gonna go, well, 1285 01:13:16,439 --> 01:13:19,200 Speaker 1: I'm sticking you know, you clearly don't support me, So 1286 01:13:19,240 --> 01:13:21,240 Speaker 1: I don't see why I need to go with you 1287 01:13:21,880 --> 01:13:24,280 Speaker 1: and put myself at risk because if you win, I'm 1288 01:13:24,280 --> 01:13:27,760 Speaker 1: gonna get the raise anyway. And uh, and if you 1289 01:13:27,800 --> 01:13:31,000 Speaker 1: don't win, well then that's good for you because now 1290 01:13:31,040 --> 01:13:33,120 Speaker 1: you know how it feels like to be tossed aside, 1291 01:13:33,360 --> 01:13:36,439 Speaker 1: you know, so, so you have to really be there 1292 01:13:36,479 --> 01:13:38,519 Speaker 1: for your marginalized workers. You know, it has to be 1293 01:13:38,600 --> 01:13:42,800 Speaker 1: this non performative thing. But the but the thing is 1294 01:13:42,800 --> 01:13:45,639 Speaker 1: is that if you are non performative about it, you 1295 01:13:45,720 --> 01:13:51,400 Speaker 1: are you're making the workplace not only better from disabled 1296 01:13:51,400 --> 01:13:54,040 Speaker 1: workers you already have, but you are making it better 1297 01:13:54,479 --> 01:13:58,240 Speaker 1: for yourself. Because every single one of us pretty much 1298 01:13:58,320 --> 01:14:01,639 Speaker 1: is going to be disabled either temport earlier permanently at 1299 01:14:01,680 --> 01:14:04,280 Speaker 1: some point in our lives. It is the easiest club 1300 01:14:04,520 --> 01:14:10,040 Speaker 1: to join. And you know, I think as we found 1301 01:14:10,120 --> 01:14:12,360 Speaker 1: during the pandemic. You know, people, a lot of people 1302 01:14:12,600 --> 01:14:16,719 Speaker 1: they make this They say, oh, online sucks, Online school sucks. 1303 01:14:17,240 --> 01:14:20,200 Speaker 1: Why does it suck because you never invested in it. 1304 01:14:20,200 --> 01:14:24,280 Speaker 1: It's like several several decades and old, you never invested 1305 01:14:24,320 --> 01:14:27,080 Speaker 1: in it. You never put any effort or money into it. 1306 01:14:28,439 --> 01:14:31,400 Speaker 1: Like that's you know, So if you want your workplace 1307 01:14:31,439 --> 01:14:34,720 Speaker 1: to be a good quality workplace for you, that is 1308 01:14:34,760 --> 01:14:37,720 Speaker 1: not only just like a place you barely you know, 1309 01:14:37,920 --> 01:14:41,800 Speaker 1: feel okay going to, but like someplace you really we 1310 01:14:41,880 --> 01:14:43,960 Speaker 1: spend most of our lives in the workplace. You know, 1311 01:14:45,320 --> 01:14:50,559 Speaker 1: Students right, So it should be someplace that really makes 1312 01:14:50,640 --> 01:14:53,639 Speaker 1: us feel better and fulfilled, because nobody works well when 1313 01:14:53,640 --> 01:14:56,880 Speaker 1: they're stressed out. Nobody, you know, you're not productive when 1314 01:14:56,880 --> 01:15:00,400 Speaker 1: you're constantly stressed. So this really to be a win 1315 01:15:00,439 --> 01:15:03,599 Speaker 1: win all around. And and you're think about it this 1316 01:15:03,600 --> 01:15:05,360 Speaker 1: way also, which is that you know, and this is 1317 01:15:05,400 --> 01:15:10,400 Speaker 1: particularly applicable when it comes to you see, and you know, 1318 01:15:10,439 --> 01:15:12,600 Speaker 1: the pandemic is another great example of this is this 1319 01:15:12,640 --> 01:15:14,360 Speaker 1: has gotten a little bit of focus on the press, 1320 01:15:14,360 --> 01:15:16,320 Speaker 1: but I don't think as much as it deserves, which 1321 01:15:16,360 --> 01:15:19,000 Speaker 1: is that you have this not only an event where 1322 01:15:19,040 --> 01:15:22,840 Speaker 1: millions of people died globally, right, which you have. You 1323 01:15:22,920 --> 01:15:26,040 Speaker 1: have quite a few people, they have long COVID, they 1324 01:15:26,040 --> 01:15:29,000 Speaker 1: have other things. People who arrive at you see, and 1325 01:15:29,040 --> 01:15:30,800 Speaker 1: particularly who go you know, get to the point they've 1326 01:15:30,840 --> 01:15:32,479 Speaker 1: got their degree or whatever. You know, these are people 1327 01:15:32,520 --> 01:15:39,240 Speaker 1: who are trained, highly educated, trained in a certain thing. 1328 01:15:39,280 --> 01:15:42,240 Speaker 1: They're making contributions to their field. Do you really want 1329 01:15:42,280 --> 01:15:45,519 Speaker 1: it to be that we lose all the knowledge that 1330 01:15:45,600 --> 01:15:51,320 Speaker 1: these people have, all the the institutional memory and experience 1331 01:15:51,400 --> 01:15:54,720 Speaker 1: that these people have, just at a time when we're 1332 01:15:54,760 --> 01:15:58,120 Speaker 1: facing an incredible crises as a planet. You know, in 1333 01:15:58,200 --> 01:16:00,760 Speaker 1: terms of climate change and in terms of you know, 1334 01:16:00,840 --> 01:16:03,640 Speaker 1: the attacks on democracies and things, or just even what 1335 01:16:03,680 --> 01:16:05,960 Speaker 1: the people mean to their community, right, you know, you're 1336 01:16:06,000 --> 01:16:09,120 Speaker 1: talking about the fabric of your community if you make it. 1337 01:16:10,280 --> 01:16:13,080 Speaker 1: If you have an inaccessible workplace, if you have an 1338 01:16:13,120 --> 01:16:19,120 Speaker 1: inaccessible school, if you have places you know in the 1339 01:16:19,160 --> 01:16:23,360 Speaker 1: public square that are not accessible, you're making it so 1340 01:16:23,400 --> 01:16:28,040 Speaker 1: that when somebody becomes disabled, and that person could be you, 1341 01:16:28,040 --> 01:16:30,280 Speaker 1: you may never be able to practice the thing that 1342 01:16:30,360 --> 01:16:33,320 Speaker 1: you love and you've trained for your whole life, and 1343 01:16:33,520 --> 01:16:37,599 Speaker 1: the community loses what you could bring to this at 1344 01:16:37,600 --> 01:16:41,760 Speaker 1: a time when we need more than ever every all 1345 01:16:41,800 --> 01:16:44,439 Speaker 1: hands on deck to be like solving climate change and 1346 01:16:44,479 --> 01:16:49,840 Speaker 1: other problems that face us. Yeah, yeah, that is it's 1347 01:16:49,920 --> 01:16:53,680 Speaker 1: very well said. Actually that yeah, certainly made a very 1348 01:16:53,720 --> 01:16:57,479 Speaker 1: good case. So I want to I mean obviously that 1349 01:16:57,560 --> 01:17:00,559 Speaker 1: the negotiations are still ongoing at least four uh the 1350 01:17:00,760 --> 01:17:06,360 Speaker 1: s I U and for a I think for as well, Um, 1351 01:17:06,439 --> 01:17:11,880 Speaker 1: so what can people do to support the demands that 1352 01:17:11,920 --> 01:17:14,720 Speaker 1: have been made? How can people maybe who are not 1353 01:17:14,800 --> 01:17:16,640 Speaker 1: part of the union, who are not part of the 1354 01:17:16,760 --> 01:17:18,880 Speaker 1: u C even or preps undergrad to are part of 1355 01:17:18,880 --> 01:17:20,479 Speaker 1: the U S but not part of the union. How 1356 01:17:20,520 --> 01:17:24,600 Speaker 1: how can they show solidarity and support here? Well, I 1357 01:17:24,600 --> 01:17:26,920 Speaker 1: think part of this is, you know, not giving up 1358 01:17:26,920 --> 01:17:29,759 Speaker 1: on the idea that we can press for the original 1359 01:17:29,760 --> 01:17:33,080 Speaker 1: access needs article. I know there's all sorts of like 1360 01:17:33,120 --> 01:17:38,080 Speaker 1: you know, technical rules about regressive bargaining, but honestly, I 1361 01:17:38,120 --> 01:17:40,040 Speaker 1: think you see has broken a lot of the rules 1362 01:17:40,040 --> 01:17:42,120 Speaker 1: of bargaining. So I don't see why that doesn't you 1363 01:17:42,160 --> 01:17:44,600 Speaker 1: know what It's like, what's good for the goose is 1364 01:17:44,640 --> 01:17:46,600 Speaker 1: good for the gander as far as I'm concerned. But 1365 01:17:46,840 --> 01:17:50,920 Speaker 1: there's also even outside of bargaining. You know, as I said, 1366 01:17:50,920 --> 01:17:52,960 Speaker 1: a lot of these things are things that you see 1367 01:17:53,280 --> 01:17:57,639 Speaker 1: routinely breaks. A d A you see routinely breaks There's 1368 01:17:57,640 --> 01:18:00,240 Speaker 1: other parts of disability law in terms of sex five 1369 01:18:00,320 --> 01:18:03,360 Speaker 1: oh for the Rehabilitation Act, and there's some California law 1370 01:18:03,400 --> 01:18:06,080 Speaker 1: as well as my understanding of it. So you know, 1371 01:18:06,360 --> 01:18:09,679 Speaker 1: you see, just as they have this rationing and policing 1372 01:18:09,720 --> 01:18:13,679 Speaker 1: agency bureaucracy, and it's two separate silos, one for students 1373 01:18:13,720 --> 01:18:16,320 Speaker 1: and one for workers, and they do that. Like even 1374 01:18:16,360 --> 01:18:18,559 Speaker 1: the fact that they do that communicates that it's not 1375 01:18:18,640 --> 01:18:22,200 Speaker 1: about offering accessibility as a default, because why would you 1376 01:18:22,240 --> 01:18:24,919 Speaker 1: have two silos for that. Well, you have two silos 1377 01:18:24,960 --> 01:18:27,400 Speaker 1: for that because the law that affects students and affects 1378 01:18:27,479 --> 01:18:30,519 Speaker 1: workers are slightly different. So what you're coming from is 1379 01:18:30,560 --> 01:18:37,120 Speaker 1: this aspect of we are dedicated to only doing the 1380 01:18:37,120 --> 01:18:40,640 Speaker 1: barest minimum of the minimum required by law, so we 1381 01:18:40,680 --> 01:18:43,120 Speaker 1: don't even want to meet that minimum required by law. 1382 01:18:43,160 --> 01:18:45,759 Speaker 1: It's like it's like, you know, you want to offer 1383 01:18:45,840 --> 01:18:47,800 Speaker 1: minimum wage, but if you can get away with it, 1384 01:18:47,840 --> 01:18:49,519 Speaker 1: you're not even going to meet minimum wage. And you 1385 01:18:49,520 --> 01:18:51,720 Speaker 1: have a lot of lawyers in a bureaucracy to make 1386 01:18:51,760 --> 01:18:53,800 Speaker 1: it possible for you to do that. That's what you 1387 01:18:53,880 --> 01:18:58,920 Speaker 1: see does um So that kind of stuff is stuff 1388 01:18:58,960 --> 01:19:02,639 Speaker 1: that outside even a labor contract, you should be able 1389 01:19:02,680 --> 01:19:06,160 Speaker 1: to write the governor, right, the lieutenant governor who's actually 1390 01:19:06,200 --> 01:19:08,639 Speaker 1: got a seat on the board of regents rights your 1391 01:19:08,720 --> 01:19:11,920 Speaker 1: California legislators. You know, when there was a there was 1392 01:19:11,960 --> 01:19:15,200 Speaker 1: a nimby who sued cow. This was in the news 1393 01:19:15,280 --> 01:19:18,000 Speaker 1: this year. There was a nimby who sued cow to 1394 01:19:18,280 --> 01:19:21,599 Speaker 1: make it so the caw con make housing and and 1395 01:19:22,360 --> 01:19:24,920 Speaker 1: or to cow to make it so the cow was 1396 01:19:24,960 --> 01:19:27,439 Speaker 1: going to have to limit how many it was admitting. 1397 01:19:27,479 --> 01:19:30,679 Speaker 1: Because in the opinion of that group, like they weren't 1398 01:19:30,680 --> 01:19:32,720 Speaker 1: building enough housing to take care of their students, and 1399 01:19:32,760 --> 01:19:35,679 Speaker 1: they were crowding at Berkeley and blah blah blah. The 1400 01:19:35,760 --> 01:19:38,880 Speaker 1: outrage about that from parents who wanted to send their 1401 01:19:38,960 --> 01:19:41,400 Speaker 1: kids to cow was so great that like within a 1402 01:19:41,439 --> 01:19:44,479 Speaker 1: couple of weeks, the governor and the legislators had passed 1403 01:19:44,560 --> 01:19:47,800 Speaker 1: something to address that. If you put that kind of 1404 01:19:47,840 --> 01:19:51,720 Speaker 1: pressure on the governor of the lieutenant governor and the 1405 01:19:52,040 --> 01:19:55,840 Speaker 1: you know, your state legisslators, they will make sure that 1406 01:19:55,920 --> 01:19:59,639 Speaker 1: the UC Office of the President feels that pressure because 1407 01:19:59,680 --> 01:20:01,800 Speaker 1: these are things, these are laws. You know, at the 1408 01:20:02,800 --> 01:20:06,360 Speaker 1: we had more ambitious things beyond law. But some of 1409 01:20:06,400 --> 01:20:09,160 Speaker 1: the things that we were that are trying to do 1410 01:20:09,200 --> 01:20:12,639 Speaker 1: in this contract are really just things that they're already 1411 01:20:12,640 --> 01:20:15,320 Speaker 1: required by law to do but aren't doing. We were 1412 01:20:15,360 --> 01:20:16,600 Speaker 1: trying to give it and make it so there was 1413 01:20:16,680 --> 01:20:21,200 Speaker 1: more teeth there, because clearly the federal and state teeth 1414 01:20:21,240 --> 01:20:26,479 Speaker 1: weren't good enough. So we um, we have a resist 1415 01:20:26,520 --> 01:20:28,479 Speaker 1: spot petition out there, but you know, to make it 1416 01:20:28,479 --> 01:20:32,240 Speaker 1: a little easier to contact your if you're a California resident, 1417 01:20:33,439 --> 01:20:36,120 Speaker 1: the resist pot petition would work that way. But if 1418 01:20:36,680 --> 01:20:38,559 Speaker 1: but if not. You know, like I said, if you 1419 01:20:38,720 --> 01:20:41,479 Speaker 1: if you if you're a parent of a student here, 1420 01:20:41,520 --> 01:20:44,360 Speaker 1: you can write. If you're an alumni, you know, you 1421 01:20:44,400 --> 01:20:50,559 Speaker 1: can write, just really hammer them about it. Okay, Yeah, yeah, definitely. 1422 01:20:50,600 --> 01:20:52,479 Speaker 1: I think I think writing does make a difference. And 1423 01:20:52,479 --> 01:20:55,400 Speaker 1: I think especially for an institution that I don't quite 1424 01:20:55,400 --> 01:20:57,639 Speaker 1: know how financially dependent they are in donations, but they 1425 01:20:57,800 --> 01:21:02,720 Speaker 1: certainly do like to solicit them, actually if you're an alumnus, 1426 01:21:02,800 --> 01:21:05,840 Speaker 1: because think they solicit them for me a lot. I 1427 01:21:05,880 --> 01:21:08,320 Speaker 1: do not have that much money. So yeah, thank you 1428 01:21:08,439 --> 01:21:10,960 Speaker 1: very much for sharing all of that with us. And 1429 01:21:11,000 --> 01:21:13,719 Speaker 1: I thought that's really really interactive. How can people find 1430 01:21:13,760 --> 01:21:15,680 Speaker 1: you and how can people find you? See access now 1431 01:21:15,720 --> 01:21:19,720 Speaker 1: if they want to find you online? Uh, we are 1432 01:21:19,880 --> 01:21:24,719 Speaker 1: on Twitter as access you see at access you see um. 1433 01:21:24,800 --> 01:21:28,080 Speaker 1: We are on Facebook and Instagram as well. Actually is 1434 01:21:28,120 --> 01:21:31,800 Speaker 1: also linked in for the more business people. Uh you 1435 01:21:31,880 --> 01:21:35,080 Speaker 1: see access now um. And you can also reach us 1436 01:21:35,080 --> 01:21:37,160 Speaker 1: at you see access now at gmail dot com if 1437 01:21:37,160 --> 01:21:40,680 Speaker 1: you wanted to email us. Wonderful. Yeah, thank you very much. 1438 01:21:40,760 --> 01:21:43,880 Speaker 1: And just to finish that briefly, we are going to 1439 01:21:43,920 --> 01:21:45,960 Speaker 1: try and make a transcript. It's available at the same 1440 01:21:46,000 --> 01:21:49,680 Speaker 1: time the episode goes out and so folks would like 1441 01:21:49,800 --> 01:21:51,880 Speaker 1: to read it that way if that's easier for them, 1442 01:21:51,880 --> 01:21:53,559 Speaker 1: than We're going to make sure that we have that 1443 01:21:53,640 --> 01:21:56,439 Speaker 1: for this one. So yeah, if you're if you're listening, 1444 01:21:56,520 --> 01:21:58,519 Speaker 1: or if you think someone else that you know would 1445 01:21:58,600 --> 01:22:00,840 Speaker 1: like this and this it doesn't work for them, and 1446 01:22:00,880 --> 01:22:03,200 Speaker 1: we're going to do that. Thank you so much, Megan 1447 01:22:03,320 --> 01:22:06,000 Speaker 1: for giving us some of your afternoon. And yeah, I 1448 01:22:06,040 --> 01:22:07,800 Speaker 1: hope you see some support and I wish you the 1449 01:22:07,840 --> 01:22:10,479 Speaker 1: best of luck with everything. Well, thank you so much. 1450 01:22:26,120 --> 01:22:31,160 Speaker 1: Woo and welcome to it could happen here. My name 1451 01:22:31,200 --> 01:22:35,840 Speaker 1: is Sharene and today you are stuck with me. Yes, 1452 01:22:36,920 --> 01:22:39,960 Speaker 1: what a treat for all of you beautiful people out there. 1453 01:22:40,800 --> 01:22:42,720 Speaker 1: I've been wanting to do an episode about the World 1454 01:22:42,800 --> 01:22:44,760 Speaker 1: Cup for a while, but I felt like there was 1455 01:22:44,840 --> 01:22:47,719 Speaker 1: just so much to cover, and it was also happening 1456 01:22:47,720 --> 01:22:50,280 Speaker 1: in real time, so I want to wait a bit 1457 01:22:50,360 --> 01:22:53,680 Speaker 1: so I could have enough stuff to pull from. I 1458 01:22:53,760 --> 01:22:57,519 Speaker 1: will say I am recording this on Monday, December nineteenth. 1459 01:22:57,800 --> 01:23:02,160 Speaker 1: It is the day after the weekend where France lost 1460 01:23:02,360 --> 01:23:06,200 Speaker 1: to Argentina, and Argentina are now our World Cup champions. 1461 01:23:07,080 --> 01:23:10,960 Speaker 1: I'm happy about that. And then Morocco did lose last 1462 01:23:10,960 --> 01:23:15,720 Speaker 1: week to France, which was devastating to me and my 1463 01:23:15,800 --> 01:23:17,920 Speaker 1: family and the rest of the Arab world because we 1464 01:23:17,960 --> 01:23:20,720 Speaker 1: would have loved to see them beat their colonizers, but 1465 01:23:21,280 --> 01:23:23,719 Speaker 1: they got really far, and I want to talk about 1466 01:23:23,760 --> 01:23:27,479 Speaker 1: the impact that that's had. They did coming forth when 1467 01:23:27,520 --> 01:23:31,040 Speaker 1: they lost to Croatia this weekend as well, so just 1468 01:23:31,120 --> 01:23:34,400 Speaker 1: in case y'all needed to know that, But I will 1469 01:23:34,400 --> 01:23:39,400 Speaker 1: say I am really happy for Argentina, and maybe it 1470 01:23:39,479 --> 01:23:43,200 Speaker 1: was because Morocco lost to France, but I wasn't mad 1471 01:23:43,280 --> 01:23:47,880 Speaker 1: seeing France losing, and all the celebrations I've seen from 1472 01:23:47,880 --> 01:23:53,360 Speaker 1: people celebrating Argentina have been so heartwarming and yeah, but anyway, 1473 01:23:53,640 --> 01:23:56,439 Speaker 1: I wanted to focus on something that I think has 1474 01:23:56,439 --> 01:24:01,679 Speaker 1: been so unprecedented and beautiful and singular and I think 1475 01:24:01,720 --> 01:24:06,360 Speaker 1: deserves more coverage, and that is this show of Palestinian 1476 01:24:06,400 --> 01:24:09,680 Speaker 1: solidarity that has been happening during the World Cup. It 1477 01:24:09,800 --> 01:24:12,080 Speaker 1: is so cool, and I want to talk about why 1478 01:24:12,080 --> 01:24:15,639 Speaker 1: it's happening, the circumstances that could lead to this happening, 1479 01:24:16,040 --> 01:24:19,160 Speaker 1: and what it means, because I think it's very significant 1480 01:24:19,800 --> 01:24:24,280 Speaker 1: moving forward when it comes to Palestinian rights since Palestinian support, 1481 01:24:24,760 --> 01:24:28,640 Speaker 1: So let's get into it. There's a great article by 1482 01:24:28,720 --> 01:24:33,479 Speaker 1: British Palestinian writer Hams Aisha titled Palestine is the biggest 1483 01:24:33,479 --> 01:24:36,439 Speaker 1: winner at this year's World Cup. And this article did 1484 01:24:36,520 --> 01:24:39,599 Speaker 1: such a good job compiling some key moments, so I'm 1485 01:24:39,640 --> 01:24:41,880 Speaker 1: going to be referencing from it a lot as we 1486 01:24:41,960 --> 01:24:46,559 Speaker 1: continue this episode. Okay, here we go. Despite the Western 1487 01:24:46,640 --> 01:24:50,519 Speaker 1: media doing its best to ignore it, the World Cup 1488 01:24:50,600 --> 01:24:55,800 Speaker 1: has seen a huge tidal wave of Palestinian solidarity and 1489 01:24:55,880 --> 01:24:58,679 Speaker 1: it's united the Arab world in a really special way 1490 01:24:58,960 --> 01:25:02,240 Speaker 1: and also highlighted just how many people Arab and non 1491 01:25:02,280 --> 01:25:06,960 Speaker 1: Arab alike support the Palestinian cause. And so, not to 1492 01:25:07,040 --> 01:25:10,120 Speaker 1: be too cheesy, the biggest winners of this World Cup, 1493 01:25:10,160 --> 01:25:13,160 Speaker 1: in my opinion, haven't even had a team at all competing, 1494 01:25:13,520 --> 01:25:17,240 Speaker 1: and that's the Palestinians. The World Cup has been characterized 1495 01:25:17,280 --> 01:25:22,920 Speaker 1: by unforeseeable developments and dramatic quote unquote upsets, which it's 1496 01:25:22,960 --> 01:25:25,479 Speaker 1: a word I don't even really like, even if it's 1497 01:25:25,479 --> 01:25:28,640 Speaker 1: grammatically correct when it's used in fucking sports jargon. But 1498 01:25:28,680 --> 01:25:30,120 Speaker 1: I don't like it because it kind of sounds like 1499 01:25:30,120 --> 01:25:33,719 Speaker 1: a bad thing, because it's like upset bo who. But really, 1500 01:25:33,760 --> 01:25:35,920 Speaker 1: I think surprises like this are a really good thing 1501 01:25:36,120 --> 01:25:39,640 Speaker 1: because what these upsets usually mean is simply that the 1502 01:25:39,760 --> 01:25:42,799 Speaker 1: underdog one, which is a narrative I will always support. 1503 01:25:43,120 --> 01:25:48,200 Speaker 1: So these surprises really started with Argentina's lost to Saudi Arabia, 1504 01:25:48,400 --> 01:25:53,200 Speaker 1: which shocked everyone. The faces in the stadium, draws on 1505 01:25:53,240 --> 01:25:55,880 Speaker 1: the floor, everyone was shocked. I watched it with my mom. 1506 01:25:56,040 --> 01:25:59,400 Speaker 1: It was it was incredible and it was truly a 1507 01:25:59,439 --> 01:26:02,719 Speaker 1: beautiful game. I highly recommend you at least watch some 1508 01:26:02,840 --> 01:26:06,240 Speaker 1: clips from it. It was fucking cool and I don't know, 1509 01:26:06,280 --> 01:26:09,200 Speaker 1: it came out of nowhere. Was really beautiful. And after 1510 01:26:09,240 --> 01:26:12,759 Speaker 1: this victory, Kingston, man of Saudi Arabia, ordered that day 1511 01:26:12,800 --> 01:26:15,960 Speaker 1: that they won a public holiday to say the least. 1512 01:26:16,000 --> 01:26:19,880 Speaker 1: Everyone was losing their minds and these surprises seemed to 1513 01:26:19,920 --> 01:26:22,960 Speaker 1: be endless in this World Cup, mostly because, as I said, 1514 01:26:23,120 --> 01:26:27,840 Speaker 1: the obvious teams were losing to the underdogs. And coming 1515 01:26:27,880 --> 01:26:30,519 Speaker 1: out of this one of the most consistent themes has 1516 01:26:30,600 --> 01:26:35,880 Speaker 1: been this overarching Palestinian solidarity that has unfolded, particularly among 1517 01:26:36,040 --> 01:26:41,880 Speaker 1: fans of Arab Nations. World Cup was already significant on 1518 01:26:41,920 --> 01:26:45,040 Speaker 1: its own It's held in Gotha, making it the first 1519 01:26:45,080 --> 01:26:47,280 Speaker 1: World Cup to be held in the Arab world and 1520 01:26:47,360 --> 01:26:50,640 Speaker 1: the Muslim world, and only the second held entirely in 1521 01:26:50,680 --> 01:26:54,479 Speaker 1: Asia after the two thousand two tournaments in South Korea 1522 01:26:54,600 --> 01:27:00,479 Speaker 1: and Japan. The Arab world is obsessed with soccer. An 1523 01:27:00,560 --> 01:27:03,760 Speaker 1: understatement to say obsessed, I should you not. It's a 1524 01:27:03,880 --> 01:27:07,680 Speaker 1: huge part of Arab culture, Middle Eastern culture, and so 1525 01:27:07,760 --> 01:27:10,280 Speaker 1: this was already a huge deal to start with. And 1526 01:27:10,320 --> 01:27:13,080 Speaker 1: I think these two things together, the fact that it's 1527 01:27:13,560 --> 01:27:15,799 Speaker 1: very cultural and the fact that this is the first 1528 01:27:15,840 --> 01:27:19,360 Speaker 1: time it's been on an Arab stage. I think these 1529 01:27:19,360 --> 01:27:22,679 Speaker 1: two things together created the seed for Arabs and Middle 1530 01:27:22,680 --> 01:27:25,639 Speaker 1: East owners to really come together in a way we've 1531 01:27:25,680 --> 01:27:29,240 Speaker 1: never really seen. And this first World Cup in the 1532 01:27:29,280 --> 01:27:33,839 Speaker 1: Arab world has captured in this symbolic way, this reality 1533 01:27:33,920 --> 01:27:39,040 Speaker 1: where Western powers have receded in the face of their challengers. Morocco. 1534 01:27:39,240 --> 01:27:43,480 Speaker 1: They reached the semifinals and they played France, their colonizers, 1535 01:27:43,880 --> 01:27:47,720 Speaker 1: which was so symbolic. Saudi Arabia humiliated one of the 1536 01:27:47,760 --> 01:27:51,600 Speaker 1: tournament favorites, Argentina, and then Tunisia did the same to 1537 01:27:51,680 --> 01:27:56,920 Speaker 1: its former colonizer France Japan. They beat Germany and Spain. 1538 01:27:58,120 --> 01:28:01,920 Speaker 1: This traditional power and battle in global soccer and what 1539 01:28:02,040 --> 01:28:05,360 Speaker 1: it means for geopolitics. I feel like it can no 1540 01:28:05,439 --> 01:28:09,439 Speaker 1: longer be taken for granted or ignored. As many as 1541 01:28:09,520 --> 01:28:13,639 Speaker 1: five million Moroccans live abroad, mostly in Europe, and they've 1542 01:28:13,640 --> 01:28:18,400 Speaker 1: celebrated the team's victories in huge street celebrations in France 1543 01:28:18,439 --> 01:28:21,800 Speaker 1: and Belgium and Spain and the Netherlands, and just internationally. 1544 01:28:22,360 --> 01:28:25,920 Speaker 1: For Moroccans living outside of Morocco and for so many 1545 01:28:25,960 --> 01:28:29,920 Speaker 1: other migrants from the Arab world or Africa, they've been 1546 01:28:30,000 --> 01:28:33,680 Speaker 1: driven by decades of desperation in their home countries to 1547 01:28:33,760 --> 01:28:38,120 Speaker 1: risk everything to reach Europe, only to suffer abuse and contempt. 1548 01:28:38,560 --> 01:28:43,600 Speaker 1: So this achievement after achievement was a huge pivotal milestone. 1549 01:28:44,280 --> 01:28:46,600 Speaker 1: And I think this drive has been coupled with the 1550 01:28:46,640 --> 01:28:50,080 Speaker 1: show of Palestinian pride and thought out as well. There 1551 01:28:50,160 --> 01:28:53,160 Speaker 1: was no Palestinian team at the World Cup, and yet 1552 01:28:53,160 --> 01:28:57,479 Speaker 1: the Palestinian flag was everywhere, not only in the hands 1553 01:28:57,600 --> 01:29:01,519 Speaker 1: of celebrating Moroccan players and fans, but also at every 1554 01:29:01,560 --> 01:29:05,160 Speaker 1: game and on the streets of Dha and it was 1555 01:29:05,360 --> 01:29:11,840 Speaker 1: just overwhelming and so amazing to see. And these displays 1556 01:29:11,880 --> 01:29:15,240 Speaker 1: they shocked some Israeli journalists who had been assured by 1557 01:29:15,280 --> 01:29:19,280 Speaker 1: their own government that the US brokered Abraham Accords that 1558 01:29:19,320 --> 01:29:22,839 Speaker 1: had happened between Israel and Morocco and other Arab states. 1559 01:29:23,120 --> 01:29:26,240 Speaker 1: They thought that this signaled that the Arab world had 1560 01:29:26,280 --> 01:29:31,599 Speaker 1: relinquished any pretense of advocacy for Palestinian rights. But as 1561 01:29:31,640 --> 01:29:34,800 Speaker 1: we see with a lot of sports, soccer creates its 1562 01:29:34,840 --> 01:29:39,000 Speaker 1: own form of civil society. And especially because it's a 1563 01:29:39,120 --> 01:29:42,800 Speaker 1: huge international game in a way that no other sport 1564 01:29:42,880 --> 01:29:46,800 Speaker 1: really is, and also being played in a region where 1565 01:29:46,880 --> 01:29:52,639 Speaker 1: civil society has largely been suppressed by authoritarians, it's made 1566 01:29:52,640 --> 01:29:55,839 Speaker 1: it clear in this World Cup that the Arab public 1567 01:29:56,000 --> 01:29:59,320 Speaker 1: is not willing to follow their unelected leaders and accepting 1568 01:29:59,360 --> 01:30:03,200 Speaker 1: the brutal against Palestinians and what human rights organizations have 1569 01:30:03,320 --> 01:30:08,000 Speaker 1: called Israel's apartheid system a k a. Israel's ethnic cleansing 1570 01:30:08,040 --> 01:30:12,840 Speaker 1: of Palestinians, violence, brutality, murder. The list can go on. 1571 01:30:13,560 --> 01:30:17,040 Speaker 1: I'm sure you've heard me on my soapbox before, but 1572 01:30:17,240 --> 01:30:20,679 Speaker 1: it always bears repeating. My point is that the Arab 1573 01:30:20,720 --> 01:30:23,680 Speaker 1: public and the people in these Arab nations do not 1574 01:30:23,760 --> 01:30:27,559 Speaker 1: represent and do not necessarily believe in these leaders that 1575 01:30:27,640 --> 01:30:33,000 Speaker 1: again they did not elect it's all authoritarian dictatorships and 1576 01:30:33,040 --> 01:30:37,160 Speaker 1: just corrupt government that I mean, we can get into 1577 01:30:37,200 --> 01:30:41,040 Speaker 1: history another time, but the disablement of so many of 1578 01:30:41,040 --> 01:30:44,280 Speaker 1: these governments have been because of the Western world, say 1579 01:30:44,320 --> 01:30:47,880 Speaker 1: the least, I don't know, a different episode. I'm getting distracted, sorry. 1580 01:30:48,479 --> 01:30:51,280 Speaker 1: Even countries that did not qualify for the World Cup 1581 01:30:51,360 --> 01:30:55,800 Speaker 1: are surging with this united pride and pro Palestinian sentiment. 1582 01:30:56,640 --> 01:31:00,439 Speaker 1: The Palestinian cause is obviously near and dear to the 1583 01:31:00,479 --> 01:31:04,479 Speaker 1: hearts of many Arabs across the world. And again, not 1584 01:31:04,640 --> 01:31:06,800 Speaker 1: only is this the first time the World Cup has 1585 01:31:06,840 --> 01:31:09,880 Speaker 1: been hosted in an Arab country, it's also probably the 1586 01:31:09,920 --> 01:31:12,559 Speaker 1: first time there has been such a large gathering and 1587 01:31:12,640 --> 01:31:17,559 Speaker 1: concentration of Arabs across nationalities gathered all in one place. 1588 01:31:18,560 --> 01:31:21,920 Speaker 1: And again, at almost every single game, there have been 1589 01:31:21,960 --> 01:31:25,559 Speaker 1: fans holding the Palestinian flag or banners that say Free 1590 01:31:25,560 --> 01:31:31,720 Speaker 1: Palestine in the stadium. In their matches against Australia and Belgium, respectively, 1591 01:31:32,120 --> 01:31:36,640 Speaker 1: Tunisia and Moroccan fans each unfurled a huge Free Palestine 1592 01:31:36,680 --> 01:31:40,479 Speaker 1: flag in the forty minute, which is very significant because 1593 01:31:40,479 --> 01:31:44,400 Speaker 1: this is in reference to the ninet Necba, which translates 1594 01:31:44,439 --> 01:31:49,800 Speaker 1: to the catastrophe. The Necaba deserves millions of episodes on 1595 01:31:49,800 --> 01:31:53,439 Speaker 1: its own, but essentially it was the mass expulsion and 1596 01:31:53,520 --> 01:31:57,080 Speaker 1: ethnic cleansing of at least seven hundred and fifty thousand 1597 01:31:57,160 --> 01:32:02,439 Speaker 1: Palestinian refugees in ninety eight when the state of Israel 1598 01:32:02,640 --> 01:32:05,240 Speaker 1: was formed. A side note that I do want to 1599 01:32:05,240 --> 01:32:09,240 Speaker 1: mention here is that there's an incredible film on Netflix 1600 01:32:09,320 --> 01:32:12,000 Speaker 1: right now that you should all go watch. It's called 1601 01:32:12,120 --> 01:32:16,439 Speaker 1: Farha f A r h A. It's about the Neckba 1602 01:32:16,680 --> 01:32:19,240 Speaker 1: and there's never been a film like this before. And 1603 01:32:19,280 --> 01:32:21,759 Speaker 1: the Israeli government has been doing this like smear campaign 1604 01:32:21,800 --> 01:32:24,840 Speaker 1: against it and has been calling it all sorts of 1605 01:32:24,960 --> 01:32:30,439 Speaker 1: terrible things. But the other side, Palestinian supporters and Palestinians, 1606 01:32:30,479 --> 01:32:34,560 Speaker 1: they've made it so successful. They've outdone the haters, I 1607 01:32:34,600 --> 01:32:36,599 Speaker 1: guess to say the least, and it's doing really well. 1608 01:32:36,640 --> 01:32:38,400 Speaker 1: And it's because of these supporters that it is doing 1609 01:32:38,439 --> 01:32:41,280 Speaker 1: so well. So I mean, sorry to get a little 1610 01:32:41,320 --> 01:32:44,400 Speaker 1: bit tangential here, but I really encourage you to watch 1611 01:32:44,479 --> 01:32:47,599 Speaker 1: Farha on Netflix right now. There's never been a film 1612 01:32:47,640 --> 01:32:52,559 Speaker 1: about this catastrophe, the Neckba, so I highly encourage everyone 1613 01:32:52,600 --> 01:32:54,360 Speaker 1: to watch or even just like put it on in 1614 01:32:54,439 --> 01:32:56,880 Speaker 1: the background while you're doing something else, so it counts 1615 01:32:56,880 --> 01:33:00,600 Speaker 1: as views. Just keep supporting it. I think this is 1616 01:33:00,640 --> 01:33:04,120 Speaker 1: a really important time and it feels really significant that 1617 01:33:04,160 --> 01:33:07,000 Speaker 1: this is all happening at the same time. So anyway, 1618 01:33:07,280 --> 01:33:10,599 Speaker 1: go out to that film. But Tunisia and Moroccan fans 1619 01:33:10,760 --> 01:33:14,440 Speaker 1: each at the forty minute in reference to this catastrophe, 1620 01:33:14,720 --> 01:33:18,879 Speaker 1: they unfurled this huge free Palestine flag, and by waving 1621 01:33:18,880 --> 01:33:23,519 Speaker 1: that Palestinian flag, Moroccan fans and players expressed a very 1622 01:33:23,520 --> 01:33:26,960 Speaker 1: public descent from the choices of their government and of 1623 01:33:27,000 --> 01:33:30,000 Speaker 1: the Western powers and as well as other Arab autocrats 1624 01:33:30,040 --> 01:33:34,080 Speaker 1: to abandon the Palestinians to their fate. And as they advanced, 1625 01:33:34,200 --> 01:33:37,400 Speaker 1: Morocco was able to sustain the attention on these issues, 1626 01:33:38,000 --> 01:33:40,840 Speaker 1: and their players proved time and time again that they 1627 01:33:40,840 --> 01:33:44,640 Speaker 1: are more than deserving to be playing on this world stage. 1628 01:33:45,400 --> 01:33:48,240 Speaker 1: Morocco was also the first African team to make the 1629 01:33:48,280 --> 01:33:51,040 Speaker 1: semifinals of the World Cup, which is also a significant 1630 01:33:51,080 --> 01:33:53,719 Speaker 1: achievement and a lovely slap in the face to anyone 1631 01:33:53,760 --> 01:33:58,080 Speaker 1: who doubted them. The Moroccan defense was incredible, maybe some 1632 01:33:58,160 --> 01:34:01,040 Speaker 1: of the best defense I've ever seen, but due to 1633 01:34:01,200 --> 01:34:05,519 Speaker 1: soccer's globalization. The top players in soccer have for decades 1634 01:34:05,600 --> 01:34:09,160 Speaker 1: all played in Europe's elite leagues, and this was the 1635 01:34:09,200 --> 01:34:13,080 Speaker 1: first World Cup in which all five African teams were 1636 01:34:13,120 --> 01:34:17,640 Speaker 1: coached by African coaches rather than by European ones, and 1637 01:34:17,680 --> 01:34:22,280 Speaker 1: Morocco's coach in particular appears to have made an exceptionable difference. 1638 01:34:23,200 --> 01:34:27,240 Speaker 1: During Tunisia's game against France, a Gunesian fan ran onto 1639 01:34:27,240 --> 01:34:30,840 Speaker 1: the pitch and he waved a Palestinian flag, cartwheeling in 1640 01:34:30,880 --> 01:34:35,639 Speaker 1: the process. The crowd erupted into chance of Palestine as 1641 01:34:35,640 --> 01:34:38,799 Speaker 1: he was dragged away by security, and in a different 1642 01:34:38,800 --> 01:34:42,400 Speaker 1: match at the stadium, fans chanted with spirit and blood, 1643 01:34:42,520 --> 01:34:46,080 Speaker 1: we will redeem you Old Palestine. They chanted this in Arabic. 1644 01:34:46,840 --> 01:34:50,280 Speaker 1: And this occurred on the International Day of Solidarity with 1645 01:34:50,320 --> 01:34:54,639 Speaker 1: the Palestinian people November twenty nine, and it felt very poetic. 1646 01:34:55,360 --> 01:34:59,280 Speaker 1: And then when Morocco knocked the former champions Spain out 1647 01:34:59,280 --> 01:35:02,799 Speaker 1: of the tournament, the Moroccan team posed for the standard 1648 01:35:02,840 --> 01:35:06,679 Speaker 1: celebratory team photo and instead of holding the Moroccan flag, 1649 01:35:06,920 --> 01:35:10,799 Speaker 1: they all held a Palestinian one. A winning team holding 1650 01:35:10,880 --> 01:35:15,040 Speaker 1: up the flag of another country has literally never happened before, 1651 01:35:15,880 --> 01:35:18,800 Speaker 1: and the fact that it's a Palestinian flag. I don't know, 1652 01:35:18,880 --> 01:35:23,280 Speaker 1: man chills, I'm obsessed, obsessed, but okay, I feel like 1653 01:35:23,280 --> 01:35:25,639 Speaker 1: I'm going to get more rambily and distracted. So before 1654 01:35:25,680 --> 01:35:28,559 Speaker 1: I do that, let's take a break. I could not 1655 01:35:28,680 --> 01:35:32,040 Speaker 1: think of a witty segue to get there, but here 1656 01:35:32,080 --> 01:35:36,880 Speaker 1: are some ads. Okay, we're back. I also wanted to 1657 01:35:36,920 --> 01:35:40,960 Speaker 1: mention what, in my opinion, is the most iconic image 1658 01:35:41,040 --> 01:35:46,959 Speaker 1: of the World Cup, and that is when Morocco's Sophia 1659 01:35:47,000 --> 01:35:50,599 Speaker 1: and Buffal was dancing with his mom after his team's 1660 01:35:50,760 --> 01:35:55,519 Speaker 1: brilliant upset victory over Portugal in the quarterfinals. They were 1661 01:35:55,640 --> 01:35:59,000 Speaker 1: dancing and happy, and she's wearing a hijab, and it 1662 01:35:59,120 --> 01:36:06,040 Speaker 1: was just this you're display of joy and um it 1663 01:36:06,160 --> 01:36:08,559 Speaker 1: just it felt really familiar to me, and it felt 1664 01:36:08,560 --> 01:36:10,799 Speaker 1: that way to a lot of Middle Easterners and Arabs 1665 01:36:10,840 --> 01:36:15,479 Speaker 1: and Moroccans. This moment, this dancing between him and his mom, 1666 01:36:15,600 --> 01:36:18,720 Speaker 1: it was a statement of pride and of priorities and 1667 01:36:18,760 --> 01:36:23,000 Speaker 1: a reminder that as the mother of another great football player, 1668 01:36:23,360 --> 01:36:27,559 Speaker 1: Zenna Dean's Adan, she once said that quote some things 1669 01:36:27,560 --> 01:36:31,120 Speaker 1: are bigger than football. Buffall and his mother, like the 1670 01:36:31,120 --> 01:36:34,839 Speaker 1: majority of Morocco's players and coaches. They live in European 1671 01:36:34,960 --> 01:36:39,840 Speaker 1: cities and they're part of that continent's vast, marginalized and 1672 01:36:39,880 --> 01:36:45,000 Speaker 1: embattled migrant underclass. Again, she wore a hijab, something that 1673 01:36:45,080 --> 01:36:47,559 Speaker 1: she would be barred from doing if she was a 1674 01:36:47,600 --> 01:36:51,880 Speaker 1: teacher or a public servant in France. Against all of that, 1675 01:36:52,400 --> 01:36:55,200 Speaker 1: this moment on the field was captured in a moment 1676 01:36:55,320 --> 01:37:00,400 Speaker 1: of unbridled joy. It was so pure and so human 1677 01:37:01,040 --> 01:37:04,479 Speaker 1: and just reminded everyone, I hope reminded me and my 1678 01:37:04,600 --> 01:37:08,400 Speaker 1: family of who we are. And again, I think this 1679 01:37:08,479 --> 01:37:11,760 Speaker 1: is really significant when you think about the geopolitical implications 1680 01:37:11,800 --> 01:37:15,160 Speaker 1: that we've seen during these games, with countries like Morocco 1681 01:37:15,439 --> 01:37:18,679 Speaker 1: playing against the teams of the countries that colonized them 1682 01:37:18,720 --> 01:37:21,840 Speaker 1: a k a. When they played with France, it really 1683 01:37:21,840 --> 01:37:26,919 Speaker 1: feels like this beautiful blossoming of culture against all odds 1684 01:37:27,040 --> 01:37:32,240 Speaker 1: of trying to suppress it. So outside the stadiums, this 1685 01:37:32,360 --> 01:37:36,200 Speaker 1: theme remained the same when it came to Palestinian solidarity. 1686 01:37:36,680 --> 01:37:40,400 Speaker 1: A Saudi Arabian vendor selling flags of different countries. He 1687 01:37:40,439 --> 01:37:43,320 Speaker 1: went viral after he was spotted giving customers an extra 1688 01:37:43,360 --> 01:37:46,920 Speaker 1: Palestinian flag as a free gift with any purchase, and 1689 01:37:46,960 --> 01:37:50,200 Speaker 1: so this uplifting message that has been repeated time and 1690 01:37:50,240 --> 01:37:53,280 Speaker 1: time again during this World Cup is that Palestine can 1691 01:37:53,320 --> 01:37:56,200 Speaker 1: never be removed from the hearts of the people. And 1692 01:37:56,240 --> 01:37:59,599 Speaker 1: there are so many heartwarming videos like the one I mentioned, 1693 01:37:59,800 --> 01:38:02,760 Speaker 1: and I urge everyone to follow Palestinian accounts to keep 1694 01:38:02,840 --> 01:38:06,040 Speaker 1: up if you're curious. I know the World Cup is 1695 01:38:06,080 --> 01:38:10,719 Speaker 1: technically over now, but these videos are so fun and 1696 01:38:10,960 --> 01:38:15,760 Speaker 1: joyful to watch. I really felt so much joy watching them. 1697 01:38:15,760 --> 01:38:18,960 Speaker 1: This outpouring of support for Palestine is reminiscent of an 1698 01:38:19,000 --> 01:38:21,759 Speaker 1: earlier time in history when the Arab world was also 1699 01:38:21,880 --> 01:38:25,880 Speaker 1: united in its support for Palestine. The Palestinian cause was 1700 01:38:26,000 --> 01:38:28,880 Speaker 1: once a driving force in the policy direction of the 1701 01:38:28,920 --> 01:38:31,960 Speaker 1: Arab world, and it reached its zenith in the nineteen 1702 01:38:32,040 --> 01:38:35,880 Speaker 1: sixties when nations like Syria, Jordan and Egypt they went 1703 01:38:35,920 --> 01:38:39,240 Speaker 1: to war against Israel with the anti imperial objective of 1704 01:38:39,320 --> 01:38:45,120 Speaker 1: regional Arab unity in Palestinian liberation. However, those aspirations were 1705 01:38:45,160 --> 01:38:49,360 Speaker 1: stomped out in nineteen sixty seven when Israel quote unquote 1706 01:38:49,360 --> 01:38:52,840 Speaker 1: one the Six Day War or the June War, which 1707 01:38:52,880 --> 01:38:55,919 Speaker 1: is also known as the nineteen sixty seven Arab Israeli 1708 01:38:55,960 --> 01:39:00,000 Speaker 1: War or the Third Arab Israeli War. Just a very 1709 01:39:00,040 --> 01:39:03,839 Speaker 1: quick history lesson here. This war was fought between Israel 1710 01:39:03,960 --> 01:39:07,120 Speaker 1: and a coalition of Arab states, and it ended after 1711 01:39:07,240 --> 01:39:11,400 Speaker 1: Israeli tanks and infantry advanced on a heavily fortified region 1712 01:39:11,439 --> 01:39:15,400 Speaker 1: of Syria called the Golden Heights. They successfully captured the 1713 01:39:15,439 --> 01:39:18,679 Speaker 1: Goal and Heights. After this, the next day, on June 1714 01:39:18,680 --> 01:39:22,320 Speaker 1: tenth and nineteen sixty seven, a U N brokered ceasefire 1715 01:39:22,360 --> 01:39:25,320 Speaker 1: took effect and the Sixth Day War came to an 1716 01:39:25,360 --> 01:39:29,720 Speaker 1: abrupt end. The casualties between the two opposing sides are 1717 01:39:29,760 --> 01:39:34,719 Speaker 1: basically incomparable. I'm gonna say some stats here, but despair 1718 01:39:34,840 --> 01:39:38,360 Speaker 1: with me. Between seven hundred and seventy six and nine 1719 01:39:38,439 --> 01:39:41,759 Speaker 1: hundred and eighty three Israelis were killed and four thousand 1720 01:39:41,760 --> 01:39:45,799 Speaker 1: and five hundred and seventeen were wounded. Fifteen Israeli soldiers 1721 01:39:45,800 --> 01:39:52,080 Speaker 1: were captured. Arab casualties were far greater. Between nine thousand 1722 01:39:52,080 --> 01:39:55,960 Speaker 1: and eight hundred and fifteen thousand Egyptian soldiers were listed 1723 01:39:56,000 --> 01:39:59,759 Speaker 1: as killed or missing in action. An additional four thousand, 1724 01:40:00,000 --> 01:40:04,040 Speaker 1: three hundred and thirty eight Egyptian soldiers were captured. Jordanian 1725 01:40:04,120 --> 01:40:07,320 Speaker 1: losses are estimated to be seven hundred killed in action 1726 01:40:07,600 --> 01:40:11,240 Speaker 1: with another two thousand and five hundred wounded. The Syrians 1727 01:40:11,240 --> 01:40:14,679 Speaker 1: were estimated to have sustained between a thousand and two thousand, 1728 01:40:14,720 --> 01:40:18,040 Speaker 1: five hundred killed in action, between three hundred and sixty 1729 01:40:18,080 --> 01:40:23,800 Speaker 1: seven and five Syrians were captured. It's an incomparable, an 1730 01:40:23,840 --> 01:40:27,519 Speaker 1: insurmountable loss, and I might go as far to say 1731 01:40:27,560 --> 01:40:31,480 Speaker 1: it was a massacre because it was so unbalanced. Casualties 1732 01:40:31,479 --> 01:40:33,800 Speaker 1: were also suffered by the u n e F, the 1733 01:40:33,920 --> 01:40:37,560 Speaker 1: United Nations Emergency force that was stationed on the Egyptian 1734 01:40:37,600 --> 01:40:41,799 Speaker 1: side of the border. In three different episodes, Israeli forces 1735 01:40:41,840 --> 01:40:45,000 Speaker 1: attacked a U n e F convoy as well as 1736 01:40:45,080 --> 01:40:48,920 Speaker 1: camps in which UN e F personnel were concentrated, as 1737 01:40:48,920 --> 01:40:51,800 Speaker 1: well as the un e F headquarters in Gaza, and 1738 01:40:51,840 --> 01:40:56,160 Speaker 1: this resulted in one Brazilian peacekeeper and fourteen Indian officials 1739 01:40:56,240 --> 01:41:00,000 Speaker 1: killed by Israeli forces, with an additional seventeen peacekeepers wound. 1740 01:41:00,080 --> 01:41:04,680 Speaker 1: Did in both groups, that's your history lesson for today, 1741 01:41:04,760 --> 01:41:07,360 Speaker 1: at least for now. But as you can't imagine that 1742 01:41:07,400 --> 01:41:10,680 Speaker 1: this was a huge loss for the Arab world. In 1743 01:41:10,720 --> 01:41:13,720 Speaker 1: addition to stealing the gold and heights. This war led 1744 01:41:13,800 --> 01:41:19,200 Speaker 1: Israel to seizing and occupying all remaining Palestinian territories, and 1745 01:41:20,120 --> 01:41:23,200 Speaker 1: as you know or should know by now, Israel has 1746 01:41:23,240 --> 01:41:26,320 Speaker 1: maintained its control of the land at the expense of 1747 01:41:26,320 --> 01:41:30,080 Speaker 1: the Palestinians, with Arab leaders not able to do much 1748 01:41:30,120 --> 01:41:34,200 Speaker 1: in protest over these years, especially after this nineteen sixty 1749 01:41:34,240 --> 01:41:38,600 Speaker 1: seven loss, a lot of Arab leaders almost seemed indifferent. 1750 01:41:39,720 --> 01:41:43,400 Speaker 1: When we fast forward to something happened that seemed like 1751 01:41:43,560 --> 01:41:47,439 Speaker 1: a decisive death blow to the hopes of Palestinian solidarity 1752 01:41:47,640 --> 01:41:52,000 Speaker 1: in the Abraham Accords were signed, and these were a 1753 01:41:52,040 --> 01:41:56,479 Speaker 1: series of joint normalization statements between Israel and Arab countries 1754 01:41:56,800 --> 01:42:00,120 Speaker 1: that would theoretically pave the way for increased business and 1755 01:42:00,240 --> 01:42:04,800 Speaker 1: diplomatic relations. The implication was that Israel could afford to 1756 01:42:04,880 --> 01:42:08,559 Speaker 1: maintain it's apartheid rule and still enjoy warm relations with 1757 01:42:08,600 --> 01:42:12,240 Speaker 1: the Arab world because their politicians too, We're happy to 1758 01:42:12,320 --> 01:42:18,040 Speaker 1: willfully neglect the Palestinians. Officials from Bahayan, the UAE, and 1759 01:42:18,080 --> 01:42:23,960 Speaker 1: Morocco all signed the supposed quote unquote peace treaty with Israel. However, 1760 01:42:24,520 --> 01:42:27,479 Speaker 1: as we've seen from this year's World Cup, the Arab 1761 01:42:27,520 --> 01:42:32,000 Speaker 1: people do not agree with their politicians or their decisions. Again, 1762 01:42:32,520 --> 01:42:36,280 Speaker 1: most of these decision makers are not elected by their people. 1763 01:42:37,000 --> 01:42:39,240 Speaker 1: There's a lot of corruption at play, and I think 1764 01:42:39,280 --> 01:42:42,519 Speaker 1: it's very important to always separate a government from its people, 1765 01:42:43,240 --> 01:42:46,479 Speaker 1: as we're seeing, especially in Iran right now, which is 1766 01:42:47,240 --> 01:42:50,640 Speaker 1: something that makes me very emotional and deserves to be 1767 01:42:50,680 --> 01:42:52,960 Speaker 1: talked about more. I can't do a justice in this 1768 01:42:53,000 --> 01:42:55,479 Speaker 1: one sentence, but I urge you all to keep spreading 1769 01:42:55,479 --> 01:42:59,120 Speaker 1: awareness about Iran. Please. What they're doing to protesters is 1770 01:42:59,160 --> 01:43:04,759 Speaker 1: inhumane and truly medieval. Recent polls indicate that the Arab 1771 01:43:04,800 --> 01:43:09,240 Speaker 1: public widely disapproves of the Abraham Accords, strongly disagreeing with 1772 01:43:09,280 --> 01:43:12,640 Speaker 1: the prospect of normalizing ties with Israel as long as 1773 01:43:12,680 --> 01:43:16,400 Speaker 1: the Palestinians remain oppressed. But if there were still any 1774 01:43:16,520 --> 01:43:21,120 Speaker 1: lingering doubts that these accords our bullshit had not wanted. 1775 01:43:21,880 --> 01:43:25,599 Speaker 1: The experience of Israeli journalists and Clethod can be seen 1776 01:43:25,760 --> 01:43:30,400 Speaker 1: as this decisive confirmation that the treatment of Palestinians will 1777 01:43:30,439 --> 01:43:36,600 Speaker 1: actually be what dictate the trajectory of normalization. Israeli journalists 1778 01:43:36,640 --> 01:43:41,400 Speaker 1: broadcasting live have been interrupted by rallies of people chanting 1779 01:43:41,439 --> 01:43:46,280 Speaker 1: pro Palestinian slogans and waving Palestinian flags. An Egyptian man 1780 01:43:46,360 --> 01:43:49,400 Speaker 1: went viral after he leaned into the camera and said, 1781 01:43:49,680 --> 01:43:55,360 Speaker 1: live on Israeli television, Viva Palestine. Fans refusing to speak 1782 01:43:55,439 --> 01:43:59,640 Speaker 1: to Israeli channels has also been a hilarious common occurrence. 1783 01:44:00,240 --> 01:44:04,040 Speaker 1: One particular exchange included Moroccan fans posing for the camera 1784 01:44:04,439 --> 01:44:07,840 Speaker 1: before swiftly walking off upon realizing it was for an 1785 01:44:07,880 --> 01:44:12,360 Speaker 1: Israeli media outlet. The reporter's response was one of shock, 1786 01:44:12,800 --> 01:44:16,320 Speaker 1: repeatedly citing that a piece agreement had been signed by Morocco, 1787 01:44:16,760 --> 01:44:20,599 Speaker 1: thereby assuming that the Moroccan people themselves endorsed the notion 1788 01:44:20,920 --> 01:44:26,360 Speaker 1: that Israel's crimes could be whitewashed and forgotten. And again, 1789 01:44:27,240 --> 01:44:30,080 Speaker 1: highly recommend you watch these videos. They have brought me 1790 01:44:30,120 --> 01:44:34,559 Speaker 1: a joy that I haven't felt in literal years, and 1791 01:44:34,600 --> 01:44:39,320 Speaker 1: it's just beautiful and most importantly hilarious to see. Highly recommend. 1792 01:44:39,920 --> 01:44:43,000 Speaker 1: There are silver lining sometimes to life, and I feel 1793 01:44:43,000 --> 01:44:45,519 Speaker 1: like there are enough terrible things happening where a little 1794 01:44:45,600 --> 01:44:51,400 Speaker 1: joy is fine. And seeing Israeli journalists being accumulated, thank you, 1795 01:44:51,600 --> 01:44:55,639 Speaker 1: Thank you world. There's a thread on Twitter of World 1796 01:44:55,640 --> 01:44:58,760 Speaker 1: Cup football fans refusing to speak to Israeli channels. I'll 1797 01:44:58,800 --> 01:45:01,640 Speaker 1: try to put that in the notes and where, but regardless, 1798 01:45:01,720 --> 01:45:07,400 Speaker 1: highly recommend looking up these videos. Just again beautiful, beautiful stuff. 1799 01:45:08,280 --> 01:45:12,120 Speaker 1: And as I mentioned, Israeli journalists often seem bewildered as 1800 01:45:12,120 --> 01:45:15,679 Speaker 1: to why they are being boycotted. An Israeli reporter told 1801 01:45:15,680 --> 01:45:18,760 Speaker 1: The New York Times, I really changed my mind here. 1802 01:45:19,600 --> 01:45:22,080 Speaker 1: We are not human beings for them. They want to 1803 01:45:22,120 --> 01:45:26,160 Speaker 1: wipe us out from the map, which is obviously not true, 1804 01:45:26,760 --> 01:45:29,599 Speaker 1: and language like this is one of many Zionist talking 1805 01:45:29,640 --> 01:45:34,520 Speaker 1: points that are all stupid. And while Israeli journalists speculated 1806 01:45:34,520 --> 01:45:37,719 Speaker 1: about being wiped out, that is in fact the lived 1807 01:45:37,760 --> 01:45:42,760 Speaker 1: reality for Palestinians under Israeli rule. Also, there is a 1808 01:45:42,840 --> 01:45:44,800 Speaker 1: video that was captured, and I'm sure there are many 1809 01:45:44,840 --> 01:45:47,920 Speaker 1: more instances like this where it was not captured on video, 1810 01:45:48,560 --> 01:45:52,560 Speaker 1: but the Israeli police were violently cracking down on Palestinians, 1811 01:45:52,600 --> 01:45:57,400 Speaker 1: including children, who were celebrating Morocco's previous winds and occupied 1812 01:45:57,439 --> 01:46:01,639 Speaker 1: East Jerusalem. They were celebrating Rocco becoming the first African 1813 01:46:01,680 --> 01:46:05,679 Speaker 1: or air country to reach the Semifinals, and they were 1814 01:46:05,760 --> 01:46:09,040 Speaker 1: literally beaten up. There's no defense in this video That's 1815 01:46:09,040 --> 01:46:11,320 Speaker 1: the thing that I can't get over is the idea 1816 01:46:11,320 --> 01:46:14,760 Speaker 1: facts in a way that is so indefensible and so obvious. 1817 01:46:15,320 --> 01:46:17,760 Speaker 1: And you can say maybe the similar things about the 1818 01:46:17,800 --> 01:46:21,480 Speaker 1: police here. It's mind blowing that they've been able to 1819 01:46:21,640 --> 01:46:26,639 Speaker 1: terrorize Palestinians for basically a century now. I also want 1820 01:46:26,720 --> 01:46:30,120 Speaker 1: to play this video. Well, you're gonna hear the audio. 1821 01:46:30,600 --> 01:46:35,080 Speaker 1: There's a Palestinian activist online that I really admire. He's 1822 01:46:35,120 --> 01:46:39,679 Speaker 1: always posting really great things, and he sometimes posts funny 1823 01:46:39,720 --> 01:46:42,800 Speaker 1: things which are very funny. But his name is Slaa 1824 01:46:43,080 --> 01:46:48,120 Speaker 1: and his handle is s b e I h dot jpg. 1825 01:46:48,920 --> 01:46:52,360 Speaker 1: And there is a video that he posted about basically 1826 01:46:52,360 --> 01:46:55,679 Speaker 1: what Israel has been doing just throughout even the past 1827 01:46:55,760 --> 01:46:58,960 Speaker 1: week when this World Cup is happening, and I feel 1828 01:46:59,000 --> 01:47:01,360 Speaker 1: like he'll say it better than me paraphrasing it, so 1829 01:47:01,479 --> 01:47:03,960 Speaker 1: here he is. Let's go through everything Israel has been 1830 01:47:04,040 --> 01:47:06,960 Speaker 1: doing to Palestinians in the past week or so, during 1831 01:47:07,000 --> 01:47:09,719 Speaker 1: all this hype of Morocco making it to the semi finals. 1832 01:47:09,840 --> 01:47:12,360 Speaker 1: And these are the reasons why so many people are 1833 01:47:12,439 --> 01:47:15,120 Speaker 1: carrying and waving the Palestinian flag at the World Cup 1834 01:47:15,200 --> 01:47:18,120 Speaker 1: right now, including the Moroccan team. After their matches. First, 1835 01:47:18,120 --> 01:47:22,480 Speaker 1: we have Palestinians who are celebrating Morocco's winds being attacked 1836 01:47:22,479 --> 01:47:25,639 Speaker 1: by Israeli occupation forces. They're out here waving the Morocco flag, 1837 01:47:25,760 --> 01:47:27,800 Speaker 1: trying to celebrate with them, and of course it has 1838 01:47:27,840 --> 01:47:31,200 Speaker 1: to be cut short with Israeli soldiers coming and hitting everyone. 1839 01:47:31,439 --> 01:47:34,120 Speaker 1: Then we have a sixteen year old child named Jennezekadine 1840 01:47:34,240 --> 01:47:36,240 Speaker 1: who was on the roof of her house when she 1841 01:47:36,400 --> 01:47:39,599 Speaker 1: was shot in the face by Israeli forces during another 1842 01:47:39,640 --> 01:47:41,920 Speaker 1: illegal raid of the city of Genine. We have another 1843 01:47:41,960 --> 01:47:45,040 Speaker 1: sixteen year old Palestinian child, a boy named Yeti Maui, 1844 01:47:45,120 --> 01:47:48,000 Speaker 1: who was also killed by Israeli forces in west of Romola. 1845 01:47:48,120 --> 01:47:50,599 Speaker 1: On top of those two, we have four Palestinian men 1846 01:47:51,000 --> 01:47:55,400 Speaker 1: also killed by Israeli forces Jehad Hamid Ladock damage and 1847 01:47:56,560 --> 01:48:00,839 Speaker 1: Israeli forces demolished another Palestinian home in a town near Jericho. 1848 01:48:01,040 --> 01:48:04,679 Speaker 1: Then another Palestine home in the town of Laban. Israeli 1849 01:48:04,720 --> 01:48:08,599 Speaker 1: occupation forces fired tear gas at journalists who were covering 1850 01:48:08,600 --> 01:48:12,519 Speaker 1: the Palestinian protests against the illegal Israeli settlement expansions in 1851 01:48:12,560 --> 01:48:14,840 Speaker 1: the town of bid Desion. You'd think that we're done, 1852 01:48:14,960 --> 01:48:18,120 Speaker 1: but there's more. We have an Israeli soldier brutally beating 1853 01:48:18,200 --> 01:48:21,519 Speaker 1: a young Palestinian man in Nabilis. The soldier sits on 1854 01:48:21,560 --> 01:48:24,000 Speaker 1: top of him and punches him in the head. And 1855 01:48:24,040 --> 01:48:28,160 Speaker 1: the east of Hebron, Israeli forces cut down fifty olive 1856 01:48:28,240 --> 01:48:32,400 Speaker 1: trees belonging to Palestinian farmers. And of course Israeli settlers 1857 01:48:32,400 --> 01:48:35,840 Speaker 1: continue to break into a Uxam moss under the protection 1858 01:48:35,960 --> 01:48:40,080 Speaker 1: of Israeli occupation forces. This is why everyone's living in 1859 01:48:40,080 --> 01:48:42,200 Speaker 1: a Palestinian flag at the World Cup. This is why 1860 01:48:42,240 --> 01:48:45,040 Speaker 1: that tun Asian man randomly ran through the match with 1861 01:48:45,080 --> 01:48:48,640 Speaker 1: the Palestinian flag, or why Israeli reporters are being ignored 1862 01:48:48,800 --> 01:48:51,679 Speaker 1: and shunned. These are the reasons. Why not because anti 1863 01:48:51,680 --> 01:48:56,280 Speaker 1: Semitism is because Israel is literally killing Palestinians. You'd rather 1864 01:48:56,320 --> 01:48:58,920 Speaker 1: just blame it all on anti Semitism instead of simply 1865 01:48:58,960 --> 01:49:02,720 Speaker 1: holding Israel a acountable for their actions. Everything I just 1866 01:49:02,840 --> 01:49:06,320 Speaker 1: listed happened in the past like ten days, putting aside 1867 01:49:06,439 --> 01:49:08,640 Speaker 1: everything that Israel has been doing to Palestinians for the 1868 01:49:08,680 --> 01:49:12,320 Speaker 1: past well almost a hundred years now. So don't be 1869 01:49:12,360 --> 01:49:16,719 Speaker 1: surprised when people stand with the people of Palestine. Last 1870 01:49:16,720 --> 01:49:21,680 Speaker 1: week marked six months since El Jazira journalist Sharine was 1871 01:49:21,760 --> 01:49:25,839 Speaker 1: assassinated by Israeli forces, and while her death did attract 1872 01:49:25,880 --> 01:49:28,840 Speaker 1: more coverage than as usual, in part to her being 1873 01:49:28,840 --> 01:49:33,320 Speaker 1: an American citizen, it was unfortunately not an exception. Since 1874 01:49:33,360 --> 01:49:37,560 Speaker 1: the year two thousand fifty, Palestinian journalists have been murdered, 1875 01:49:37,960 --> 01:49:43,800 Speaker 1: many many more civilians, including children, have been murdered. So 1876 01:49:43,840 --> 01:49:47,880 Speaker 1: if media representatives or journalists from an apartheid state can't 1877 01:49:47,880 --> 01:49:50,680 Speaker 1: seem to understand why the reception to their presence has 1878 01:49:50,720 --> 01:49:54,559 Speaker 1: been so cold, they just are better off examining why 1879 01:49:54,600 --> 01:49:57,000 Speaker 1: that is and why their government is actually the one 1880 01:49:57,240 --> 01:50:00,280 Speaker 1: attempting to wipe a people off the map. Even in 1881 01:50:00,320 --> 01:50:05,280 Speaker 1: the weeks during this World Cup, Israel has killed multiple Palestinians, 1882 01:50:05,320 --> 01:50:09,719 Speaker 1: has murdered multiple Palestinians. They killed a sixteen year old 1883 01:50:09,760 --> 01:50:13,360 Speaker 1: girl when she was on her roof searching for her cat. 1884 01:50:14,160 --> 01:50:19,400 Speaker 1: She was shot four times, twice in the head. How 1885 01:50:19,439 --> 01:50:22,479 Speaker 1: can you justify that they're claiming it was an accident. 1886 01:50:22,680 --> 01:50:27,400 Speaker 1: But it's similar to what police say here when they 1887 01:50:27,479 --> 01:50:30,280 Speaker 1: shoot someone multiple times in the back and then blame 1888 01:50:30,320 --> 01:50:33,360 Speaker 1: it on the person that they murdered. In the family 1889 01:50:33,360 --> 01:50:37,320 Speaker 1: that they destroyed X y Z, etcetera, etcetera. And just 1890 01:50:37,400 --> 01:50:40,360 Speaker 1: to put it in perspective, Israeli forces have killed over 1891 01:50:40,479 --> 01:50:44,880 Speaker 1: two hundred and fifteen Palestinians this year, making it the 1892 01:50:44,960 --> 01:50:48,800 Speaker 1: deadliest year and over a decade. Israel is the one 1893 01:50:48,880 --> 01:50:52,200 Speaker 1: who does not see Palestinians, as has proven time and 1894 01:50:52,240 --> 01:50:56,880 Speaker 1: time again by their actions as human beings. Something so 1895 01:50:56,960 --> 01:51:01,200 Speaker 1: significant is that the public support of Palestinians solidarity has 1896 01:51:01,240 --> 01:51:05,040 Speaker 1: not been confined to only fans of Arab nations. Brazilian 1897 01:51:05,160 --> 01:51:09,760 Speaker 1: fans also proudly raised the Palestinian flag, and Uruguay supporters 1898 01:51:09,800 --> 01:51:13,320 Speaker 1: have been spotted donning the Kofeia, which is the symbolic 1899 01:51:13,439 --> 01:51:16,040 Speaker 1: black and white scarf that has become a symbol of 1900 01:51:16,080 --> 01:51:20,360 Speaker 1: Palestinian resistance, and they're also wearing pro Palestinian shirts, with 1901 01:51:20,439 --> 01:51:25,400 Speaker 1: fans insisting the Palestinian people deserve freedom. One clip that 1902 01:51:25,439 --> 01:51:29,040 Speaker 1: also went viral on social media featured an English fan who, 1903 01:51:29,120 --> 01:51:32,120 Speaker 1: during an interview with an Arabic channel, confessed that as 1904 01:51:32,120 --> 01:51:35,240 Speaker 1: Arabic wasn't really that strong, and then he shouted free 1905 01:51:35,280 --> 01:51:40,120 Speaker 1: Palestine and great Arabic and then he broke into this free, free, 1906 01:51:40,120 --> 01:51:45,120 Speaker 1: free chant with everyone around him again joyful, beautiful stuff. 1907 01:51:45,720 --> 01:51:48,880 Speaker 1: That just proves that this kind of support works, and 1908 01:51:48,960 --> 01:51:53,240 Speaker 1: it grows and it spreads, and so all of this 1909 01:51:53,280 --> 01:51:55,760 Speaker 1: really goes to show is that while Arab governments have 1910 01:51:55,880 --> 01:51:59,919 Speaker 1: been normalizing relations with Israel, that sentiment is not reflected 1911 01:52:00,000 --> 01:52:03,040 Speaker 1: in the streets, and Arabs and non Arabs alike are 1912 01:52:03,080 --> 01:52:08,240 Speaker 1: more passionate than ever about the Palestinian cause. Some Palestinians 1913 01:52:08,240 --> 01:52:10,679 Speaker 1: living in Cutold have referred to the World Cup as 1914 01:52:10,960 --> 01:52:14,800 Speaker 1: a quote golden opportunity to introduce our cause, and this 1915 01:52:14,920 --> 01:52:19,240 Speaker 1: intent has been received enthusiastically, to say the least. And 1916 01:52:19,360 --> 01:52:23,240 Speaker 1: yet in the face of such an unavoidable talking point, 1917 01:52:23,640 --> 01:52:27,240 Speaker 1: there's been a striking, if not unsurprising, radio silence from 1918 01:52:27,240 --> 01:52:30,479 Speaker 1: Western media. It's a huge reason why I wanted to 1919 01:52:30,479 --> 01:52:33,320 Speaker 1: talk about this in an episode. I found it so 1920 01:52:33,400 --> 01:52:36,400 Speaker 1: strange that my family and friends who were tuned into 1921 01:52:36,400 --> 01:52:39,479 Speaker 1: the World Cup, we're constantly talking about something that hasn't 1922 01:52:39,479 --> 01:52:42,400 Speaker 1: been covered at all by Western media, at least not 1923 01:52:42,439 --> 01:52:46,800 Speaker 1: in a real honest way. If anything, the World Cup 1924 01:52:47,120 --> 01:52:52,839 Speaker 1: has ignited a Islamophobic and orientalists tropes in some Western 1925 01:52:52,960 --> 01:52:56,839 Speaker 1: news coverage, which I think is so shameful. For example, 1926 01:52:56,840 --> 01:52:59,040 Speaker 1: I'm going to go through a little list that Al 1927 01:52:59,120 --> 01:53:04,280 Speaker 1: Jazeera shared. A Dutch newspaper published a cartoon of Moroccan 1928 01:53:04,360 --> 01:53:08,679 Speaker 1: men stealing the World Cup trophy. And this image, they're 1929 01:53:08,720 --> 01:53:12,760 Speaker 1: on a bike and they're grabbing this trophy from a 1930 01:53:12,840 --> 01:53:18,400 Speaker 1: white man. They're depicted as not white, obviously, and it 1931 01:53:18,640 --> 01:53:22,519 Speaker 1: just reinforces these stereotypes of young Arab men in the 1932 01:53:22,560 --> 01:53:28,599 Speaker 1: Netherlands being seen as criminals. Another example is Okay, so 1933 01:53:29,360 --> 01:53:33,280 Speaker 1: when Muslims put up an index finger, it's what we 1934 01:53:33,400 --> 01:53:38,719 Speaker 1: call dak weed, which is to signify the oneness of God, 1935 01:53:39,560 --> 01:53:43,080 Speaker 1: because Islam there's only one God, just like all the 1936 01:53:43,760 --> 01:53:47,200 Speaker 1: Big Three as far as religions go. But when these 1937 01:53:47,280 --> 01:53:50,559 Speaker 1: Muslim teams are winning, the gestures from the players, like 1938 01:53:50,640 --> 01:53:53,439 Speaker 1: sometimes you'll see a player raising an index finger, are 1939 01:53:53,520 --> 01:53:56,880 Speaker 1: raising two index fingers. And so this fucking German TV 1940 01:53:57,040 --> 01:54:02,080 Speaker 1: news anchor responded to Moroccos excess by suggesting that these 1941 01:54:02,080 --> 01:54:05,280 Speaker 1: players that are raising their index fingers are showing support 1942 01:54:05,360 --> 01:54:08,840 Speaker 1: for Isis. And some fans have responded to this with humor, 1943 01:54:08,880 --> 01:54:11,360 Speaker 1: but at the same time it's like you're laughing only 1944 01:54:11,360 --> 01:54:16,400 Speaker 1: because it's sad and maddening. Another example is a cartoon 1945 01:54:16,520 --> 01:54:20,760 Speaker 1: in a French newspaper. It depicted Cathos national team as 1946 01:54:20,840 --> 01:54:26,080 Speaker 1: bearded caricatures that were playing soccer holding rifles and machete's. 1947 01:54:27,240 --> 01:54:31,400 Speaker 1: Is such an ugly cartoon and I have no idea 1948 01:54:31,479 --> 01:54:34,600 Speaker 1: why they insist on making these artistic depictions. I think 1949 01:54:34,600 --> 01:54:37,440 Speaker 1: they know because it's gone people riled up in the past. 1950 01:54:37,760 --> 01:54:41,240 Speaker 1: It's almost like they're like poking the bear. So it's 1951 01:54:41,280 --> 01:54:45,200 Speaker 1: kind of annoying. That's so childish in my opinion, but again, 1952 01:54:45,840 --> 01:54:50,360 Speaker 1: terrible depiction of Arabs, what's new. And then another example 1953 01:54:50,640 --> 01:54:54,040 Speaker 1: is a photo caption in a British newspaper stated that 1954 01:54:54,160 --> 01:54:57,839 Speaker 1: Cathodies are not used to seeing women in Western clothing, 1955 01:54:58,440 --> 01:55:04,160 Speaker 1: when in reality about population is from other countries, including 1956 01:55:04,200 --> 01:55:09,800 Speaker 1: western ones, and this caption was later removed. Another example, 1957 01:55:10,120 --> 01:55:14,120 Speaker 1: yes there's still more, is that a French journalist joked 1958 01:55:14,160 --> 01:55:17,680 Speaker 1: about there being a lot of Mosques in Clethod as 1959 01:55:17,680 --> 01:55:21,720 Speaker 1: if that was something like notable to be aware of. Yeah, no, ship, 1960 01:55:21,760 --> 01:55:26,680 Speaker 1: people are sucking Muslim And then a Danish TV channel 1961 01:55:26,920 --> 01:55:30,680 Speaker 1: literally compared Morocco's players who were celebrating by hugging their 1962 01:55:30,720 --> 01:55:34,760 Speaker 1: mothers on the field. They compared them with monkeys on 1963 01:55:34,920 --> 01:55:39,000 Speaker 1: live television TV two News. They showed a segment in 1964 01:55:39,080 --> 01:55:42,200 Speaker 1: which the anchor Sore and Lippert he held up an 1965 01:55:42,200 --> 01:55:46,360 Speaker 1: image of monkeys embracing while talking about Morocco's national team 1966 01:55:46,400 --> 01:55:50,680 Speaker 1: players hugging their mothers. And while comparing black and brown 1967 01:55:50,720 --> 01:55:56,840 Speaker 1: people with monkeys is a common, unsurprising racist trope, it 1968 01:55:56,960 --> 01:55:59,840 Speaker 1: was still pretty upsetting to see what happened in this 1969 01:56:00,040 --> 01:56:04,560 Speaker 1: year of two whatever. I just think the obvious orientalist 1970 01:56:04,800 --> 01:56:08,560 Speaker 1: nature of Western news really um came out in full 1971 01:56:08,600 --> 01:56:11,680 Speaker 1: force for some of this coverage. But yeah, I just 1972 01:56:11,760 --> 01:56:15,920 Speaker 1: think these kind of depictions and coverage, it reinforces stereotypes 1973 01:56:15,920 --> 01:56:21,080 Speaker 1: that are harmful and shameful, and it further makes immigrants 1974 01:56:21,120 --> 01:56:24,400 Speaker 1: and people of color in countries that they immigrant to 1975 01:56:25,280 --> 01:56:29,320 Speaker 1: just get terrorized. And I just wanted to bring up 1976 01:56:29,360 --> 01:56:32,160 Speaker 1: some examples to remind you that news sucks most of 1977 01:56:32,200 --> 01:56:35,320 Speaker 1: the time. Okay, the World Cup and all the joy 1978 01:56:35,360 --> 01:56:38,760 Speaker 1: and pride that's come from it is all my family, 1979 01:56:38,920 --> 01:56:41,480 Speaker 1: and I'm sure most air families have talked about for 1980 01:56:41,480 --> 01:56:45,640 Speaker 1: the last month, and I feel like it barely registers here. 1981 01:56:46,600 --> 01:56:51,360 Speaker 1: You have no idea how happy I've seen my parents, 1982 01:56:51,360 --> 01:56:54,520 Speaker 1: and my mom in particular just text me updates, are 1983 01:56:54,520 --> 01:56:57,960 Speaker 1: watching a game with me. We're all so united in 1984 01:56:57,960 --> 01:57:01,360 Speaker 1: a way that I haven't felt before, and it's just 1985 01:57:01,440 --> 01:57:03,640 Speaker 1: really beautiful, and it reminds you that borders are all 1986 01:57:03,720 --> 01:57:05,760 Speaker 1: made up and in the end, we're all the same 1987 01:57:05,840 --> 01:57:11,040 Speaker 1: people fighting for the same things. Notoriously, large sections of 1988 01:57:11,240 --> 01:57:14,120 Speaker 1: US and British media have engaged in the practice a 1989 01:57:14,200 --> 01:57:18,600 Speaker 1: deceptive framing and untrue coverage when it comes to covering 1990 01:57:18,760 --> 01:57:23,880 Speaker 1: Israel's treatment of Palestinians. We've seen this in inaccurate headlines, 1991 01:57:23,960 --> 01:57:27,880 Speaker 1: the twisting of words, and the general constant anti Palestinian 1992 01:57:27,960 --> 01:57:31,920 Speaker 1: and pro Israel bias that is almost always present when 1993 01:57:31,960 --> 01:57:36,760 Speaker 1: Western media talks about Palestine, and if Palestine rises in 1994 01:57:36,960 --> 01:57:41,240 Speaker 1: the political agenda, western media is quick to disparage it. 1995 01:57:41,760 --> 01:57:45,320 Speaker 1: In the UK, when a Labor Party candidate made reference 1996 01:57:45,320 --> 01:57:49,760 Speaker 1: to Palestine during a campaign in one the liberal leaning 1997 01:57:49,920 --> 01:57:54,440 Speaker 1: New Statesman magazine referred to it as quote unhinged and 1998 01:57:54,680 --> 01:58:00,600 Speaker 1: an obsession. British Palestinian writer again Hamazali sha rights in 1999 01:58:00,720 --> 01:58:05,720 Speaker 1: his article do people suffering from decades of cruelty deserve support? 2000 01:58:06,400 --> 01:58:11,080 Speaker 1: Apparently not if they're Palestinian. It's characteristic of this bias 2001 01:58:11,200 --> 01:58:14,280 Speaker 1: that while human rights have been a hot topic throughout 2002 01:58:14,320 --> 01:58:17,080 Speaker 1: the World Cup, and fans across the world are being 2003 01:58:17,080 --> 01:58:21,240 Speaker 1: commanded to speak out against injustice. The outpouring of Palestinian 2004 01:58:21,280 --> 01:58:27,800 Speaker 1: solidarity has largely been ignored, and this, unfortunately isn't surprising, 2005 01:58:28,760 --> 01:58:32,280 Speaker 1: but it doesn't make it any less disappointing, he continues, 2006 01:58:33,120 --> 01:58:37,000 Speaker 1: as it maintains its rule. Israel has spent years, with 2007 01:58:37,160 --> 01:58:41,360 Speaker 1: unconditional assistance from the Western world, cracking down and suppressing 2008 01:58:41,360 --> 01:58:45,800 Speaker 1: Palestinian solidarity. We are under no illusions that the outpouring 2009 01:58:45,840 --> 01:58:48,880 Speaker 1: of support at the World Cup will cause the occupation 2010 01:58:48,960 --> 01:58:52,480 Speaker 1: to grind to a halt or prevent Palestinians from being killed. 2011 01:58:53,320 --> 01:58:56,360 Speaker 1: As a British Palestinian, he says, I often see the 2012 01:58:56,440 --> 01:58:59,440 Speaker 1: misery of my family who are living under occupation gets 2013 01:58:59,480 --> 01:59:03,680 Speaker 1: swept under the carpet by the international community. As a result, 2014 01:59:04,040 --> 01:59:08,360 Speaker 1: it's hard not to exist in a perpetual state of despondency. 2015 01:59:08,520 --> 01:59:12,080 Speaker 1: But seeing the Palestinian flag hoisted so proudly during the 2016 01:59:12,120 --> 01:59:16,919 Speaker 1: World Cup has been heartening because it provides new grounds 2017 01:59:17,000 --> 01:59:20,000 Speaker 1: for hope and it shows that this is by no 2018 01:59:20,200 --> 01:59:23,720 Speaker 1: means a solo struggle and that the commitment to palestinean 2019 01:59:23,800 --> 01:59:29,200 Speaker 1: liberation remains as unshakable as ever. That was the end 2020 01:59:29,200 --> 01:59:32,640 Speaker 1: of his article, and uh, that's a great place to 2021 01:59:32,720 --> 01:59:35,520 Speaker 1: end because that was fucking great and poetic. And I 2022 01:59:35,560 --> 01:59:40,640 Speaker 1: hope that you also go watch the movie on Netflix. 2023 01:59:41,520 --> 01:59:44,880 Speaker 1: It's really important and it all goes hand in hand 2024 01:59:45,040 --> 01:59:48,680 Speaker 1: with supporting the Palestinian people and continuing to raise awareness 2025 01:59:48,840 --> 01:59:51,920 Speaker 1: because that's a huge reason why we've gotten this far, 2026 01:59:53,240 --> 01:59:58,160 Speaker 1: and the culmination of all of that being broadcast from 2027 01:59:58,160 --> 02:00:04,880 Speaker 1: the World Cup internationally. It's just been really really incredible 2028 02:00:05,000 --> 02:00:10,040 Speaker 1: and beautiful to watch. And uh, yeah, that's the episode 2029 02:00:10,720 --> 02:00:14,920 Speaker 1: until next time. I don't know, go watch. That's the 2030 02:00:14,920 --> 02:00:16,760 Speaker 1: only thing I can really say. And I hope you 2031 02:00:16,800 --> 02:00:38,280 Speaker 1: all have nice holidays whatever you do. Um yeah, have fun, goodbye, 2032 02:00:40,880 --> 02:00:44,600 Speaker 1: Welcome Today could happen here. It's it's the last episode 2033 02:00:44,840 --> 02:00:48,800 Speaker 1: that that that we're that I'm recording this year. Um yeah, 2034 02:00:48,840 --> 02:00:50,960 Speaker 1: I'm your host. Be along, and today we are going 2035 02:00:51,040 --> 02:00:54,440 Speaker 1: to tell you a story of the Republican Party using 2036 02:00:54,440 --> 02:00:57,600 Speaker 1: extensive political violence and attempt to manipulate an election to 2037 02:00:57,680 --> 02:01:01,720 Speaker 1: install their unelected presidential Canada as dictator of the United States. 2038 02:01:01,840 --> 02:01:04,560 Speaker 1: And of by this, of course, I am referring not 2039 02:01:04,640 --> 02:01:08,720 Speaker 1: to the election, but to the election of two thousand's okay, 2040 02:01:08,760 --> 02:01:10,840 Speaker 1: So for for for those of you who do not 2041 02:01:11,280 --> 02:01:16,680 Speaker 1: remember this story, and this is okay. I was like 2042 02:01:16,920 --> 02:01:20,840 Speaker 1: three when this was happening. But weirdly, I have a 2043 02:01:20,960 --> 02:01:23,760 Speaker 1: very very this is legitimately one of my first memories. 2044 02:01:23,880 --> 02:01:26,840 Speaker 1: Is just I have the words engraved into my mind 2045 02:01:26,960 --> 02:01:30,560 Speaker 1: hanging chads, and so we we we will get to 2046 02:01:30,640 --> 02:01:33,640 Speaker 1: what exactly that is. But the two thousand election was 2047 02:01:34,200 --> 02:01:37,200 Speaker 1: one of the most chaotic elections in the history of 2048 02:01:37,240 --> 02:01:41,720 Speaker 1: the United States. Now, the US has a long history 2049 02:01:41,760 --> 02:01:46,160 Speaker 1: of really really weird elections. I mean, you know, from 2050 02:01:46,200 --> 02:01:48,800 Speaker 1: from from the serbspective of sort of like is the 2051 02:01:48,880 --> 02:01:51,160 Speaker 1: U s representative democracy? I think there's a pretty good 2052 02:01:51,240 --> 02:01:56,680 Speaker 1: argument that no election until like after the Civil Rights 2053 02:01:56,760 --> 02:02:01,680 Speaker 1: Act is even sort of a legitimate election. But you know, 2054 02:02:01,720 --> 02:02:04,320 Speaker 1: I mean, and and so far as you like consider 2055 02:02:04,360 --> 02:02:08,960 Speaker 1: elections to be legitimate, which you know, okay, but you 2056 02:02:09,000 --> 02:02:11,080 Speaker 1: know that the US is no is no stranger to 2057 02:02:11,200 --> 02:02:14,760 Speaker 1: someone winning an election than not taking office. There are, 2058 02:02:14,800 --> 02:02:16,520 Speaker 1: in fact, there are if you if you go back 2059 02:02:16,520 --> 02:02:19,400 Speaker 1: into American history, there are two different elections that are 2060 02:02:19,400 --> 02:02:25,000 Speaker 1: called the corrupt bargain Um. There's uh, John Quincy Adams, 2061 02:02:26,000 --> 02:02:30,040 Speaker 1: and I think it's makes this really really weird alliance 2062 02:02:30,120 --> 02:02:35,480 Speaker 1: with the original American political Slee's ball Henry Clay to 2063 02:02:35,520 --> 02:02:38,720 Speaker 1: get himself and solved as president. Although that that that's 2064 02:02:38,720 --> 02:02:41,160 Speaker 1: an election that's like truly an election where there are 2065 02:02:41,200 --> 02:02:47,200 Speaker 1: no heroes, where it's it's John Quincy Adams Henry Clay 2066 02:02:48,720 --> 02:02:53,200 Speaker 1: allying to bring down Andrew fucking Jackson. So you know, 2067 02:02:53,320 --> 02:02:57,360 Speaker 1: no no heroes there. There. There's there's another election after Reconstruction, 2068 02:02:57,400 --> 02:03:01,160 Speaker 1: which is the end of Reconstruction, where the Republican Party 2069 02:03:01,200 --> 02:03:06,080 Speaker 1: literally trades and like trades ending Reconstruction for putting their 2070 02:03:06,080 --> 02:03:11,160 Speaker 1: president in office. After a truly genuinely wild set of 2071 02:03:11,200 --> 02:03:14,280 Speaker 1: voting results happens, we're like all of the votes are 2072 02:03:14,320 --> 02:03:17,120 Speaker 1: in a box and the two parties are fighting over 2073 02:03:17,160 --> 02:03:19,720 Speaker 1: like who's going to count the votes because the guy 2074 02:03:19,760 --> 02:03:23,360 Speaker 1: who counts the votes from like the box is the 2075 02:03:23,400 --> 02:03:25,680 Speaker 1: person who's going to determine who wins the election. And 2076 02:03:25,680 --> 02:03:29,200 Speaker 1: so there's this whole negotiated thing where the eight d 2077 02:03:29,400 --> 02:03:32,920 Speaker 1: like racist Southern Democrats, are like, okay, we'll we'll give you, 2078 02:03:32,960 --> 02:03:35,400 Speaker 1: we'll we'll give you this election if you promised the 2079 02:03:35,440 --> 02:03:39,080 Speaker 1: pull troops out of the South. So okay, you know, 2080 02:03:39,280 --> 02:03:42,320 Speaker 1: American elections have always been sort of more fraudulent than 2081 02:03:42,520 --> 02:03:45,360 Speaker 1: people give them credit for. But the two thousand election, 2082 02:03:45,480 --> 02:03:47,880 Speaker 1: even by the standards of like an American election, is 2083 02:03:48,480 --> 02:03:52,480 Speaker 1: some bullshit. So let's let's let's go back. Let's go 2084 02:03:52,520 --> 02:03:54,600 Speaker 1: back to the origin of the story. The year is 2085 02:03:54,640 --> 02:03:58,400 Speaker 1: two thousand. For the last time in human history, humanity 2086 02:03:58,440 --> 02:04:01,960 Speaker 1: has taken collective action to stopping in penny catastrophe, having 2087 02:04:02,200 --> 02:04:05,240 Speaker 1: by the heartrending labor of a bunch of siss admins, 2088 02:04:05,280 --> 02:04:08,360 Speaker 1: including a guy that I knew growing up who spent 2089 02:04:08,480 --> 02:04:11,800 Speaker 1: fucking New Year, who literally spent New Year's Eve until 2090 02:04:11,880 --> 02:04:14,400 Speaker 1: the bell ring, like basically in a closet with a 2091 02:04:14,400 --> 02:04:16,440 Speaker 1: bunch of computers at his job trying to make sure 2092 02:04:16,480 --> 02:04:19,400 Speaker 1: what UK wouldn't happen. But you know, we did it, 2093 02:04:19,480 --> 02:04:21,520 Speaker 1: Actually we we actually did it. There was there was 2094 02:04:21,520 --> 02:04:24,280 Speaker 1: there was like, you know, there was human collective action 2095 02:04:24,320 --> 02:04:28,080 Speaker 1: to stop a major catastrophe from happening. And Al Gore, 2096 02:04:28,160 --> 02:04:30,520 Speaker 1: a Democrat who claims to have invented the Internet, is 2097 02:04:30,600 --> 02:04:35,040 Speaker 1: running against Harvard educated Harvard and actually Yale educated oil 2098 02:04:35,080 --> 02:04:40,600 Speaker 1: man caused playing as a cowboy whose name is George Bush, 2099 02:04:40,640 --> 02:04:43,880 Speaker 1: and I, oh god, I don't know, I don't I 2100 02:04:43,880 --> 02:04:48,480 Speaker 1: feel like people have kind of forgotten how really genuinely 2101 02:04:48,600 --> 02:04:51,400 Speaker 1: sleazy George Bush was. Like he he has this sort 2102 02:04:51,440 --> 02:04:53,160 Speaker 1: of public like, you know, one of the reasons he 2103 02:04:53,240 --> 02:04:55,760 Speaker 1: wins elections, and he has his public images like the 2104 02:04:55,880 --> 02:04:59,120 Speaker 1: guy who you know, like everyone like he he's the 2105 02:04:59,120 --> 02:05:02,320 Speaker 1: presidential candidate you'd want to have a beer with. But again, 2106 02:05:02,360 --> 02:05:06,960 Speaker 1: like literally everything from he's like public mannerisms down to 2107 02:05:07,080 --> 02:05:10,280 Speaker 1: like the minutia of his accent to like the stupid 2108 02:05:10,280 --> 02:05:12,800 Speaker 1: cowboy hat that he wears. All of this this is 2109 02:05:12,800 --> 02:05:15,040 Speaker 1: a bullshit, right, This is a fucking Harvard guy, And 2110 02:05:15,200 --> 02:05:20,640 Speaker 1: all of this is you know, completely intricately manufactured by 2111 02:05:20,760 --> 02:05:24,200 Speaker 1: a set a set of like very very very like 2112 02:05:25,360 --> 02:05:31,120 Speaker 1: sleazy but incredibly ruthless and efficient Republican political operatives. Now, 2113 02:05:31,800 --> 02:05:35,320 Speaker 1: George Bush's father is George H. W. Bush, who was 2114 02:05:35,360 --> 02:05:38,440 Speaker 1: the first and only director of the CIA to become president. 2115 02:05:39,400 --> 02:05:42,680 Speaker 1: So yeah, but Bush bushes running on this sort of 2116 02:05:42,720 --> 02:05:46,640 Speaker 1: neo conservative alliance of Texas oil men, evangelical hardliners, and 2117 02:05:46,640 --> 02:05:51,800 Speaker 1: weapons contractors. Um. The weapons contractors part uh winds up 2118 02:05:51,840 --> 02:05:56,440 Speaker 1: being incredibly relevant when nine eleven happens, and both Bush 2119 02:05:56,600 --> 02:06:00,040 Speaker 1: and Dick his code what's it called vice presidential I 2120 02:06:01,320 --> 02:06:04,280 Speaker 1: guess candidate at the time, but it is vice presidential selection. 2121 02:06:04,360 --> 02:06:09,360 Speaker 1: Dick Cheney, who is like Dick Cheney like saying that 2122 02:06:09,440 --> 02:06:12,360 Speaker 1: he's like the physical human embodiments of the military industrial 2123 02:06:12,400 --> 02:06:17,360 Speaker 1: complex is under selling how closely tied um Dick Cheney 2124 02:06:17,440 --> 02:06:20,040 Speaker 1: is to the military dustrial complex. And you know, like 2125 02:06:20,080 --> 02:06:21,360 Speaker 1: this is this is part of the reason why the 2126 02:06:21,360 --> 02:06:24,520 Speaker 1: warn Rock happens because again, like this entire coalition is 2127 02:06:24,600 --> 02:06:28,280 Speaker 1: just like it is, it is the it is is 2128 02:06:28,320 --> 02:06:32,960 Speaker 1: the sort of height of the military petro dollar coalition, 2129 02:06:33,880 --> 02:06:38,600 Speaker 1: just a a coalition of pere evil like fueled by 2130 02:06:38,680 --> 02:06:43,320 Speaker 1: war profits and homophobia. And but you know, part part 2131 02:06:43,320 --> 02:06:45,360 Speaker 1: of part of what's been happening in in this entire 2132 02:06:45,400 --> 02:06:48,040 Speaker 1: period is this is this is the year after the 2133 02:06:48,040 --> 02:06:51,320 Speaker 1: Battle of Seattle on the anti globalization movement hasn't been 2134 02:06:51,320 --> 02:06:53,040 Speaker 1: smashed again. This is there's other things. This is pre 2135 02:06:53,240 --> 02:06:55,080 Speaker 1: nine eleven, right, This is this is a very very 2136 02:06:55,080 --> 02:06:58,880 Speaker 1: short period of time where like in between the Battle 2137 02:06:58,880 --> 02:07:04,920 Speaker 1: of Seattle and UH eleven, where American politics are very 2138 02:07:05,000 --> 02:07:10,520 Speaker 1: very very weird, and you get another thing that we 2139 02:07:10,520 --> 02:07:14,400 Speaker 1: don't really have now, but from the nineties until about 2140 02:07:14,440 --> 02:07:17,640 Speaker 1: nine eleven kind of existed where that which was that 2141 02:07:18,080 --> 02:07:21,160 Speaker 1: there was a period where third party is kind of 2142 02:07:21,200 --> 02:07:26,400 Speaker 1: mattered ish like Ross Pirot like in the nineties. Arguably 2143 02:07:26,600 --> 02:07:29,400 Speaker 1: maybe could have won the election if vietn't just like 2144 02:07:29,680 --> 02:07:33,240 Speaker 1: given up. But yeah, you know. And one of the 2145 02:07:33,240 --> 02:07:36,280 Speaker 1: sort of products of this is that the Green Party 2146 02:07:36,800 --> 02:07:39,480 Speaker 1: is actually a real thing in in two thousands in 2147 02:07:39,480 --> 02:07:40,960 Speaker 1: a way that they're kind of not right. And then 2148 02:07:40,960 --> 02:07:43,800 Speaker 1: this has been this this sort of unfolding of a 2149 02:07:43,840 --> 02:07:46,120 Speaker 1: bunch of left wing social movements into which is absolutely 2150 02:07:46,160 --> 02:07:49,920 Speaker 1: disastrous attempt to enter party politics. Um, but they pull, 2151 02:07:50,280 --> 02:07:52,640 Speaker 1: you know, and this is the thing that no one 2152 02:07:52,680 --> 02:07:54,160 Speaker 1: has ever heard the end of, but they pull a 2153 02:07:54,200 --> 02:07:58,720 Speaker 1: bunch of votes into Ralph Nader in Florida, which winds 2154 02:07:58,760 --> 02:08:02,840 Speaker 1: up being a big deal. But the product of this 2155 02:08:03,000 --> 02:08:07,200 Speaker 1: is that this election is on a just on a 2156 02:08:07,320 --> 02:08:11,880 Speaker 1: knife's edge. Both sides of this election are unbelievably close. 2157 02:08:12,200 --> 02:08:16,560 Speaker 1: The entire election comes down to Florida. Now, the problem 2158 02:08:16,680 --> 02:08:18,600 Speaker 1: with the entire election coming down to Florida is that 2159 02:08:18,640 --> 02:08:21,680 Speaker 1: the American electoral system is a fucking joke. It is 2160 02:08:21,720 --> 02:08:24,840 Speaker 1: a disaster. It is a a genuine embarrassment. The United 2161 02:08:24,880 --> 02:08:27,920 Speaker 1: States is a country that has more resources than like, 2162 02:08:28,480 --> 02:08:37,680 Speaker 1: it has enough resources that, like Genghis Khan would weep like, 2163 02:08:38,280 --> 02:08:43,840 Speaker 1: it has a genuinely unfathomable amounts of resources, and its 2164 02:08:43,840 --> 02:08:48,839 Speaker 1: election system is basically run by a bunch of weird 2165 02:08:49,000 --> 02:08:54,840 Speaker 1: dipshit like party if like local like a weird patchwork 2166 02:08:54,880 --> 02:08:59,880 Speaker 1: of like completely underfunded and overworked local government officials who 2167 02:09:00,240 --> 02:09:04,200 Speaker 1: never have real budgets and who just spends like two 2168 02:09:04,240 --> 02:09:07,560 Speaker 1: months not sleeping with their like three co workers trying 2169 02:09:07,560 --> 02:09:10,520 Speaker 1: to make the elections work. And this is really weird 2170 02:09:10,560 --> 02:09:15,760 Speaker 1: because like most places on Earth that have elections, um, 2171 02:09:15,800 --> 02:09:19,160 Speaker 1: there's like, you know, a national thing that sort of 2172 02:09:19,200 --> 02:09:21,440 Speaker 1: does the elections in the US, Like no, no, it 2173 02:09:21,920 --> 02:09:25,640 Speaker 1: relies heavily on volunteers. It's just like this weird patchwork 2174 02:09:25,800 --> 02:09:30,320 Speaker 1: quilt of stuff, and Florida being Florida, a bunch of 2175 02:09:30,360 --> 02:09:34,760 Speaker 1: stuff goes very wrong very quickly. Um. There There's two 2176 02:09:34,880 --> 02:09:37,320 Speaker 1: very famous ballot problems, the most famous of which is 2177 02:09:37,360 --> 02:09:41,400 Speaker 1: hanging chads. So okay, okay, what what what? What is 2178 02:09:41,440 --> 02:09:43,560 Speaker 1: the hanging chat For people who have forgotten? Are people 2179 02:09:43,600 --> 02:09:46,640 Speaker 1: who you know, weren't alive then, which I realize is 2180 02:09:47,560 --> 02:09:49,920 Speaker 1: I man, the fact that the fact that I have 2181 02:09:49,960 --> 02:09:53,360 Speaker 1: coworkers who are not alive for hanging chads is really 2182 02:09:53,400 --> 02:09:56,600 Speaker 1: really disturbing thought. But okay, so what is a hanging 2183 02:09:56,680 --> 02:09:59,240 Speaker 1: chat um? The answer is that in Florida, the way 2184 02:09:59,240 --> 02:10:02,680 Speaker 1: this ballot works is that you have to physically punch 2185 02:10:02,800 --> 02:10:05,560 Speaker 1: holes in your ballot. And you know, you punch a 2186 02:10:05,600 --> 02:10:07,520 Speaker 1: hole in the place, like, okay, so today, right when 2187 02:10:07,560 --> 02:10:09,640 Speaker 1: you fill in a ballot, you have to like fill 2188 02:10:09,680 --> 02:10:14,960 Speaker 1: in a square right with a pencil in in in Florida, 2189 02:10:15,000 --> 02:10:17,880 Speaker 1: you have to like hole punch that square. This is 2190 02:10:17,880 --> 02:10:21,000 Speaker 1: maybe the worst ballot design I can possibly imagine, and 2191 02:10:21,080 --> 02:10:25,000 Speaker 1: it goes terribly wrong. A bunch of these whole punches 2192 02:10:25,040 --> 02:10:29,480 Speaker 1: basically don't actually remove all the paper. And there's there 2193 02:10:29,520 --> 02:10:33,320 Speaker 1: are so many ways, so many ways that this gets 2194 02:10:33,360 --> 02:10:36,360 Speaker 1: sucked up. The hanging chat is the most famous one. 2195 02:10:36,400 --> 02:10:39,720 Speaker 1: That hanging so a chad Basically, it's the piece of 2196 02:10:39,720 --> 02:10:43,240 Speaker 1: paper that when you punch the thing with like the 2197 02:10:43,240 --> 02:10:47,400 Speaker 1: whole punch it's supposed to like, it's the paper that 2198 02:10:47,440 --> 02:10:50,560 Speaker 1: comes out of the hole. Right. Hanging chad is when 2199 02:10:50,720 --> 02:10:54,040 Speaker 1: you do the whole punch thing. But the chat is 2200 02:10:54,120 --> 02:10:57,160 Speaker 1: still connected to the piece of paper by like one corner. 2201 02:10:57,840 --> 02:11:00,760 Speaker 1: But but but again less less. Do you think there's 2202 02:11:00,800 --> 02:11:03,920 Speaker 1: only one way that these ballots get sucked up? No, no, no, no, no, 2203 02:11:04,120 --> 02:11:08,440 Speaker 1: there's there are like, there are an unfathomable number of 2204 02:11:08,480 --> 02:11:12,080 Speaker 1: ways that these ballots don't punch correctly. They're they're swinging 2205 02:11:12,120 --> 02:11:15,080 Speaker 1: door chairs, there's tried chairs, there's did bull chairs, there's 2206 02:11:15,120 --> 02:11:19,640 Speaker 1: pregnant chats. It's unbelievable. And a bunch of people's votes 2207 02:11:19,720 --> 02:11:23,160 Speaker 1: just don't get counted because these ballots. The reason they're 2208 02:11:23,160 --> 02:11:25,240 Speaker 1: doing these whole bunch ballots that these are these are 2209 02:11:25,280 --> 02:11:26,360 Speaker 1: you know, this is what it's supposed to be, like 2210 02:11:26,360 --> 02:11:28,880 Speaker 1: the fancy new like voting technology. Right then, then the 2211 02:11:28,880 --> 02:11:31,640 Speaker 1: new vote technology is the voting machines. And the way 2212 02:11:31,680 --> 02:11:34,040 Speaker 1: the voting machine works is basically, the voting machine can 2213 02:11:34,120 --> 02:11:36,880 Speaker 1: check if if if there's a hole there, and if 2214 02:11:36,920 --> 02:11:38,440 Speaker 1: there's a hole in the paper, then it counts you 2215 02:11:38,480 --> 02:11:40,640 Speaker 1: as the accounts that as the vote. But if the 2216 02:11:40,720 --> 02:11:43,360 Speaker 1: entire chad hasn't been punched out, it won't count your vote. 2217 02:11:44,000 --> 02:11:47,840 Speaker 1: This is a problem. And there's another problem, uh, and 2218 02:11:47,840 --> 02:11:51,680 Speaker 1: and that problem is the butterfly ballot. So the butterfly 2219 02:11:51,760 --> 02:11:54,600 Speaker 1: ballot was original. Is this ballot they're using in Florida 2220 02:11:54,600 --> 02:11:58,240 Speaker 1: that was originally designed to help elderly voters? Um, it's 2221 02:11:58,240 --> 02:12:00,800 Speaker 1: supposed to be. The goal all of the ballot is 2222 02:12:00,840 --> 02:12:03,160 Speaker 1: to have larger thought sizes to make it more accessible 2223 02:12:03,200 --> 02:12:05,879 Speaker 1: for people. Which this is good, right, like, okay, I 2224 02:12:05,680 --> 02:12:09,000 Speaker 1: I support I support accessible design. Is put accessible design 2225 02:12:09,040 --> 02:12:12,840 Speaker 1: for voting. The problem is this ballot is designed like ship. 2226 02:12:13,840 --> 02:12:16,120 Speaker 1: The way it works is there's a two page ballot 2227 02:12:16,160 --> 02:12:17,520 Speaker 1: with like a crease in the middle. Right. It's it's 2228 02:12:17,560 --> 02:12:20,120 Speaker 1: kind of like a book, right, like you unfold the 2229 02:12:20,160 --> 02:12:21,840 Speaker 1: book in the middle of the ballot, you know, And 2230 02:12:22,280 --> 02:12:27,240 Speaker 1: on both of these pages there are like the different 2231 02:12:27,240 --> 02:12:30,320 Speaker 1: different candidate names and parties. The problem is, in order 2232 02:12:30,360 --> 02:12:33,120 Speaker 1: to pick a candidate, you have to punch just like 2233 02:12:33,160 --> 02:12:34,720 Speaker 1: a whole. You have to punch one of the one 2234 02:12:34,720 --> 02:12:36,560 Speaker 1: of these served circles. But these circles are in a 2235 02:12:36,720 --> 02:12:40,839 Speaker 1: line down the middle of the crease of the ballot, right, 2236 02:12:40,960 --> 02:12:44,040 Speaker 1: so you have you have candidates on both You should 2237 02:12:44,040 --> 02:12:45,600 Speaker 1: you should google what these look like because it's kind 2238 02:12:45,600 --> 02:12:48,200 Speaker 1: of hard to explain. But basically what's happening is that 2239 02:12:48,960 --> 02:12:51,360 Speaker 1: there are there are different party names on each side 2240 02:12:51,400 --> 02:12:54,200 Speaker 1: of the ballot. But then in order to pick which 2241 02:12:54,240 --> 02:12:56,480 Speaker 1: party you're voting for, you have to pick for a 2242 02:12:56,600 --> 02:13:01,600 Speaker 1: specific hole that's supposed to be next you the like 2243 02:13:01,680 --> 02:13:03,760 Speaker 1: the candidate you supported in the in the middle of 2244 02:13:03,760 --> 02:13:05,200 Speaker 1: the page. Of the problem is these are all on 2245 02:13:05,200 --> 02:13:07,560 Speaker 1: a line, right. They're on a straight line, which means 2246 02:13:07,600 --> 02:13:11,280 Speaker 1: that two candidates can be like across from each other 2247 02:13:11,320 --> 02:13:14,120 Speaker 1: on the same page or on on opposite pages. And 2248 02:13:14,160 --> 02:13:17,440 Speaker 1: then there's two holes that are like right next because 2249 02:13:17,440 --> 02:13:18,920 Speaker 1: because the holes are both in the middle of the ballot, right, 2250 02:13:18,960 --> 02:13:21,880 Speaker 1: so that you have these situations where for example, for 2251 02:13:22,000 --> 02:13:24,760 Speaker 1: and this is the one that's important. Inside of the 2252 02:13:24,560 --> 02:13:27,720 Speaker 1: there's like two lines and then there's like it says 2253 02:13:28,120 --> 02:13:31,480 Speaker 1: al Gore and Lieberman in it, right, and inside of 2254 02:13:31,480 --> 02:13:33,560 Speaker 1: those two lines in the in the in the middle 2255 02:13:33,560 --> 02:13:35,800 Speaker 1: of the page, there are two holes, and one of 2256 02:13:35,840 --> 02:13:38,760 Speaker 1: these holes votes for Core. But the other one of 2257 02:13:38,760 --> 02:13:42,320 Speaker 1: those holes, I is for the candidate on the other 2258 02:13:42,360 --> 02:13:44,760 Speaker 1: side of the page, which is Reformed Party candidate Crimtinal 2259 02:13:44,760 --> 02:13:48,920 Speaker 1: Fascist Goal path Bu Canon. And the result of this, 2260 02:13:48,960 --> 02:13:51,640 Speaker 1: it says, people start looking through these things. Pap Bu 2261 02:13:51,680 --> 02:13:56,080 Speaker 1: Canon has a bunch of voters from Democratic Party strongholds 2262 02:13:56,080 --> 02:13:58,360 Speaker 1: and like also particularly like like a bunch of like 2263 02:13:58,400 --> 02:14:03,800 Speaker 1: Democratic Catholic voters vote for Buchanan, and Buchanan himself is like, 2264 02:14:04,040 --> 02:14:08,400 Speaker 1: there's no way this is real. Like Buchanan's like, you know, 2265 02:14:08,880 --> 02:14:11,880 Speaker 1: he's he's a figure will probably like one day do 2266 02:14:12,000 --> 02:14:15,560 Speaker 1: a like we'll probably talk about more on this podcast. Yeah, 2267 02:14:15,640 --> 02:14:19,000 Speaker 1: that those behind the Baschard's episode about him, he is 2268 02:14:19,040 --> 02:14:21,880 Speaker 1: a he is a fucking Nazi. Uh, he sucks ass. 2269 02:14:22,720 --> 02:14:25,400 Speaker 1: But he's also so he's from a kind of evangelical 2270 02:14:25,480 --> 02:14:30,520 Speaker 1: who like really really really fucking hates Catholics. And you know, 2271 02:14:30,680 --> 02:14:33,560 Speaker 1: so there's a bunch of these Catholic like Democratic voters 2272 02:14:33,560 --> 02:14:35,280 Speaker 1: he voted for this guy, and everyone's like, what the 2273 02:14:35,320 --> 02:14:37,440 Speaker 1: funk happened here? The thing that happened here is all 2274 02:14:37,440 --> 02:14:44,040 Speaker 1: these people got confused. And yes, so this is a 2275 02:14:44,080 --> 02:14:47,320 Speaker 1: disaster on a hundred million levels. And when we come 2276 02:14:47,360 --> 02:14:50,320 Speaker 1: back from ads, we will talk about the product of 2277 02:14:50,360 --> 02:14:54,320 Speaker 1: all of this, which is not good. Alright, we're back. 2278 02:14:55,080 --> 02:14:59,240 Speaker 1: So on election night, the media starts to call Florida 2279 02:14:59,320 --> 02:15:02,680 Speaker 1: for Gore based an exit pulling, but they start getting 2280 02:15:02,720 --> 02:15:05,280 Speaker 1: calls for Republican political operatives saying hold no, hold on, 2281 02:15:05,320 --> 02:15:08,640 Speaker 1: hold on, it's actually too close to call. And the 2282 02:15:08,720 --> 02:15:15,040 Speaker 1: initial count from Florida has the Republican Party ahead. But 2283 02:15:15,520 --> 02:15:17,240 Speaker 1: when I say the Hublican Party is ahead, they were 2284 02:15:17,240 --> 02:15:20,880 Speaker 1: ahead by like six votes. And so this triggers a 2285 02:15:20,920 --> 02:15:24,520 Speaker 1: mandatory recount. But and this, and this is another problem 2286 02:15:24,520 --> 02:15:26,440 Speaker 1: with this, right we we we we've gone through at 2287 02:15:26,560 --> 02:15:30,640 Speaker 1: length all of the problems with these ballots. Right the 2288 02:15:30,760 --> 02:15:34,560 Speaker 1: recall that they do is a recall using the voting machines. 2289 02:15:35,320 --> 02:15:40,720 Speaker 1: And those voting machines our guess what the ones that are. 2290 02:15:40,800 --> 02:15:43,200 Speaker 1: If if you if you rerun a funked up Chad 2291 02:15:43,200 --> 02:15:46,560 Speaker 1: ballot through the same voting machine, it's going to get 2292 02:15:46,600 --> 02:15:51,000 Speaker 1: a fucked up result. So okay, So they run this 2293 02:15:51,040 --> 02:15:55,240 Speaker 1: again and the difference in votes comes down to fle 2294 02:15:55,520 --> 02:16:02,640 Speaker 1: five hundred votes. At this point, Gore's campaign requests a 2295 02:16:02,720 --> 02:16:05,360 Speaker 1: manual recount. They want people to look at the balance 2296 02:16:05,400 --> 02:16:08,120 Speaker 1: by hand and figure out who people actually voted for, 2297 02:16:08,400 --> 02:16:11,240 Speaker 1: because these machines are a fucking shit show. But in 2298 02:16:11,400 --> 02:16:14,400 Speaker 1: any kind of sort of like you know, and even 2299 02:16:14,480 --> 02:16:19,480 Speaker 1: remotely competent or saying like democratic political system, there would 2300 02:16:19,480 --> 02:16:22,680 Speaker 1: be a bunch of people doing this like they're there. 2301 02:16:22,720 --> 02:16:24,720 Speaker 1: You know, like when when an election happens, they would 2302 02:16:24,760 --> 02:16:27,200 Speaker 1: be just a very very large number of people mobilized 2303 02:16:27,240 --> 02:16:30,160 Speaker 1: to make sure that it runs smoothly. There's not. There's 2304 02:16:30,280 --> 02:16:34,720 Speaker 1: like a bunch of like unbelievably overworked and underpaid. Some 2305 02:16:34,760 --> 02:16:37,560 Speaker 1: people are people who also people who are just sucking volunteers, 2306 02:16:37,560 --> 02:16:41,280 Speaker 1: like a bunch of just random like unbelievably exhausted, like 2307 02:16:42,840 --> 02:16:47,240 Speaker 1: local election officials who have to do this recount. And 2308 02:16:47,600 --> 02:16:49,880 Speaker 1: this is where the Bush campaign sees their chance to 2309 02:16:49,920 --> 02:16:52,720 Speaker 1: steal the election. So the election happens on November seven, 2310 02:16:52,840 --> 02:16:55,680 Speaker 1: and on November eleven, the Bush campaign sues to stop 2311 02:16:55,720 --> 02:17:00,200 Speaker 1: the recount. Now, we talked on a previous episod known 2312 02:17:00,240 --> 02:17:04,240 Speaker 1: a while back about the Democrats how they have this 2313 02:17:04,320 --> 02:17:06,200 Speaker 1: line in the two thousand's about how they're part of 2314 02:17:06,240 --> 02:17:09,600 Speaker 1: the quote reality based community, and how this is a 2315 02:17:09,640 --> 02:17:12,320 Speaker 1: reflection of you know, if you look at the whole quote, 2316 02:17:12,320 --> 02:17:17,080 Speaker 1: which is from a Republican political strategist, I what's actually 2317 02:17:17,080 --> 02:17:19,560 Speaker 1: what they're saying here is that what's happening is that 2318 02:17:19,600 --> 02:17:23,920 Speaker 1: the Democrats observe reality. Well, the Republicans set out to 2319 02:17:23,959 --> 02:17:29,640 Speaker 1: define reality. And this is the moment, this election is 2320 02:17:29,680 --> 02:17:31,760 Speaker 1: where we get to see how the dynat we we 2321 02:17:31,879 --> 02:17:34,000 Speaker 1: we we we get to like really first see these 2322 02:17:34,600 --> 02:17:38,119 Speaker 1: these principles in action. I'm gonna read from the Washington 2323 02:17:38,160 --> 02:17:42,279 Speaker 1: Post here. Unlike the Gore campaign, which focused on filing 2324 02:17:42,320 --> 02:17:45,039 Speaker 1: motions in Florida courts to keep the recount going in 2325 02:17:45,120 --> 02:17:49,480 Speaker 1: key counties like Miami Dodd, the Bush campaign waged a broader, 2326 02:17:49,560 --> 02:17:53,000 Speaker 1: costlier effort on multiple fronts. Blakeman said it was a 2327 02:17:53,040 --> 02:17:56,000 Speaker 1: three pronged effort. He said, it was a court battle, 2328 02:17:56,080 --> 02:17:58,400 Speaker 1: it was a recount organization, and it was also a 2329 02:17:58,440 --> 02:18:03,320 Speaker 1: pr effort because although the voting effort ended, the campaign 2330 02:18:03,360 --> 02:18:06,640 Speaker 1: never did until there was a definitive winner. So what 2331 02:18:06,720 --> 02:18:09,680 Speaker 1: happens here is Republicans start this massive media blitz to 2332 02:18:09,680 --> 02:18:13,360 Speaker 1: convince people that Bush actually won the election. And this 2333 02:18:13,360 --> 02:18:15,640 Speaker 1: this is a really really important moment in sort of 2334 02:18:15,640 --> 02:18:17,920 Speaker 1: American history because it's one of the things that solidifies, 2335 02:18:19,120 --> 02:18:22,600 Speaker 1: um It's one of the things that solidifies sort of 2336 02:18:22,640 --> 02:18:24,720 Speaker 1: like like owning the lib for example. It's like a 2337 02:18:24,720 --> 02:18:26,720 Speaker 1: major point, and it's like like one of like the 2338 02:18:26,840 --> 02:18:29,320 Speaker 1: key focal points of America of Republican politics. And this 2339 02:18:29,320 --> 02:18:32,840 Speaker 1: is eventually gonna consume like all of their politics right 2340 02:18:32,879 --> 02:18:35,400 Speaker 1: until when we get this sort of you know, like 2341 02:18:35,520 --> 02:18:37,600 Speaker 1: now right where that's like owning the Libs is the 2342 02:18:37,680 --> 02:18:39,640 Speaker 1: only thing this is about. You know, this this had 2343 02:18:39,680 --> 02:18:41,320 Speaker 1: owning the Libs is kind of like it's it's been 2344 02:18:41,360 --> 02:18:44,119 Speaker 1: a part of Republican politics for a long time. But 2345 02:18:44,280 --> 02:18:45,880 Speaker 1: this is where we really start to see it sort 2346 02:18:45,920 --> 02:18:49,000 Speaker 1: of consuming everything. And Okay, if you look at their 2347 02:18:49,040 --> 02:18:51,760 Speaker 1: like like what they're saying, by modern standards, it is 2348 02:18:51,800 --> 02:18:55,160 Speaker 1: incredibly weak ship. Right, this is like this is a 2349 02:18:55,200 --> 02:18:57,959 Speaker 1: culture that is just a bourge from the es. Nobody 2350 02:18:58,000 --> 02:19:01,640 Speaker 1: has invented real posted yet, but it is really on 2351 02:19:01,720 --> 02:19:03,480 Speaker 1: the lip stuff. Like they have this whole campaign where 2352 02:19:03,480 --> 02:19:07,000 Speaker 1: they call the Goyal Libramain campaign sore loser Man, and 2353 02:19:07,000 --> 02:19:10,240 Speaker 1: everyone has like sore loser man hats and like they 2354 02:19:10,240 --> 02:19:12,800 Speaker 1: have all these like printed signs and like T shirts 2355 02:19:12,840 --> 02:19:17,600 Speaker 1: and they're selling merch and you know, and so you know, 2356 02:19:17,640 --> 02:19:20,720 Speaker 1: they're running basically an OP and they're running an OPT 2357 02:19:20,720 --> 02:19:24,680 Speaker 1: to convince everyone that like, no, actually we legitimately won 2358 02:19:24,720 --> 02:19:28,200 Speaker 1: this election and it's over and the recounts just people 2359 02:19:28,240 --> 02:19:31,280 Speaker 1: being but heard they lost. And this is where things 2360 02:19:31,360 --> 02:19:35,200 Speaker 1: get really really weird. So in Miami, DoD where there's 2361 02:19:35,200 --> 02:19:39,400 Speaker 1: a manual recount going on. A bunch of protesters in 2362 02:19:39,520 --> 02:19:44,120 Speaker 1: fancy suits show up and starts screaming at election workers. Now, 2363 02:19:44,480 --> 02:19:48,040 Speaker 1: if this was the old Democratic Party machine like LBJ 2364 02:19:48,200 --> 02:19:50,800 Speaker 1: would have personally pushed six of these guys out a window, 2365 02:19:51,160 --> 02:19:53,199 Speaker 1: and the recount would have been run by like sixty 2366 02:19:53,240 --> 02:19:57,119 Speaker 1: of the earliest dudes, the entire Chicago mob. But this 2367 02:19:57,200 --> 02:20:00,360 Speaker 1: is the the incredibly decrepit two thousand Democratic Party, who 2368 02:20:00,360 --> 02:20:03,680 Speaker 1: have replaced all their mob guys with consultants. And these 2369 02:20:03,680 --> 02:20:07,280 Speaker 1: people legitimately, like you know, they believe in the rules 2370 02:20:07,280 --> 02:20:10,520 Speaker 1: and the norms and the process. And the result of 2371 02:20:10,520 --> 02:20:13,080 Speaker 1: this is that Bush literally destroys the entire United States, 2372 02:20:13,120 --> 02:20:20,400 Speaker 1: and I think, like irrevocably damaged, like the entirety of 2373 02:20:20,440 --> 02:20:22,400 Speaker 1: the of you know, like what what whatever is left 2374 02:20:22,400 --> 02:20:27,880 Speaker 1: to the American democratic system. So how how this has achieved? 2375 02:20:28,440 --> 02:20:31,480 Speaker 1: But back in Miami DoD this Democratic Party operative is 2376 02:20:31,520 --> 02:20:34,800 Speaker 1: seen walking around the recount area with a ballot. Now 2377 02:20:35,000 --> 02:20:38,320 Speaker 1: this is a blank ballot, right, this guy is going 2378 02:20:38,360 --> 02:20:41,039 Speaker 1: to see He's going with an election official to go 2379 02:20:41,200 --> 02:20:43,880 Speaker 1: see if he can replicate like the like how the 2380 02:20:43,920 --> 02:20:46,000 Speaker 1: hay h has stuff happens to prove that like this 2381 02:20:46,040 --> 02:20:48,800 Speaker 1: is what's going on. But they Problicans see this guy 2382 02:20:48,959 --> 02:20:51,760 Speaker 1: and they immediately start screaming about how the Democrats are 2383 02:20:51,760 --> 02:20:54,920 Speaker 1: staling in the election, and they like beat this ship 2384 02:20:54,959 --> 02:20:58,440 Speaker 1: out of this guy, and just a full on riot 2385 02:20:58,480 --> 02:21:04,640 Speaker 1: starts in this government building and it works. The recount stops. 2386 02:21:04,680 --> 02:21:09,240 Speaker 1: The election workers are terrified. The recount. Yeah, like the 2387 02:21:09,080 --> 02:21:11,760 Speaker 1: all like everything stopped for the day. They can't do anything. 2388 02:21:11,760 --> 02:21:15,520 Speaker 1: And the next day the recount is fully stopped. It 2389 02:21:15,560 --> 02:21:18,840 Speaker 1: never resumes, and the Republicans are sunned by this. They 2390 02:21:18,840 --> 02:21:22,000 Speaker 1: assumed that, like, you know, the political operatives doing the rioting, 2391 02:21:22,040 --> 02:21:24,200 Speaker 1: we're gonna like face some oppositions to the Democrats on 2392 02:21:24,240 --> 02:21:29,400 Speaker 1: the ground for you know, like literally assaulting and intimidating 2393 02:21:30,280 --> 02:21:32,880 Speaker 1: a bunch of election workers in order to like stop 2394 02:21:33,200 --> 02:21:36,440 Speaker 1: votes from being counted. But there's they they don't, there's 2395 02:21:36,480 --> 02:21:38,720 Speaker 1: there's nothing, there's no resistance at all. Um. Here's a 2396 02:21:38,800 --> 02:21:41,560 Speaker 1: quote from Douglas Hay, who is there a Republican political 2397 02:21:41,560 --> 02:21:43,240 Speaker 1: operatives who is one of the organizers of the Brooks 2398 02:21:43,280 --> 02:21:47,000 Speaker 1: Brothers riot, who he tried to do a redemption arc 2399 02:21:48,000 --> 02:21:53,000 Speaker 1: in the media to sort of like be like, oh 2400 02:21:53,320 --> 02:21:55,480 Speaker 1: I was part of the Brooks Brothers riot. But even 2401 02:21:55,560 --> 02:21:58,879 Speaker 1: I think the stop the steel stuff is bad, which, 2402 02:21:59,040 --> 02:22:03,360 Speaker 1: like I think man doth protest too much. Um, here's 2403 02:22:03,360 --> 02:22:06,280 Speaker 1: just the quote. I still don't understand how it was 2404 02:22:06,320 --> 02:22:10,400 Speaker 1: that we completely outmatched the Democrats, Hey says, and this 2405 02:22:10,440 --> 02:22:13,600 Speaker 1: is how Bush wins the election the Supreme Court, which 2406 02:22:13,680 --> 02:22:15,320 Speaker 1: again it should also be know the Streme Court is 2407 02:22:15,360 --> 02:22:19,279 Speaker 1: staffed by a bunch of George H. W. Bush appointees. Um. 2408 02:22:19,320 --> 02:22:22,040 Speaker 1: Eventually here's the Clayic case and decides that the constitution 2409 02:22:22,040 --> 02:22:24,000 Speaker 1: says that the winner the winner has to be declared 2410 02:22:24,000 --> 02:22:25,960 Speaker 1: by a certain times, so there's no time for a recount, 2411 02:22:25,959 --> 02:22:31,040 Speaker 1: and they have the election to Bush. And this is achieved. 2412 02:22:31,080 --> 02:22:33,280 Speaker 1: And this is possible because of the Brooks Brothers riot 2413 02:22:33,320 --> 02:22:35,120 Speaker 1: and the Brooks Brothers, right, is what this whole sort 2414 02:22:35,120 --> 02:22:37,600 Speaker 1: of republican opertor things comes to be known because they're 2415 02:22:37,600 --> 02:22:42,320 Speaker 1: all wearing Brooks Brothers suits. Um. Now, okay, there are 2416 02:22:42,320 --> 02:22:45,039 Speaker 1: a lot of people involved in this riot who are 2417 02:22:45,080 --> 02:22:48,880 Speaker 1: like at the core of modern republican politics. Um. Yeah, 2418 02:22:49,200 --> 02:22:51,600 Speaker 1: Neil Gorrich and Amy COLEMYN. Barritt, and I think there's 2419 02:22:51,600 --> 02:22:56,119 Speaker 1: actually one other like Paris and Republicans of elevated senior office. 2420 02:22:56,280 --> 02:22:59,040 Speaker 1: There are multiple people on the Supreme Court today who 2421 02:22:59,080 --> 02:23:01,840 Speaker 1: were on the Wish legal team when they were doing this. 2422 02:23:03,080 --> 02:23:05,360 Speaker 1: And you know, there's also the question of the extent 2423 02:23:05,400 --> 02:23:07,920 Speaker 1: to which roger Stone is involved. If you asked roger Stone, 2424 02:23:08,360 --> 02:23:13,160 Speaker 1: he claims to have organized literally this entire thing. Um. Now, 2425 02:23:13,240 --> 02:23:15,720 Speaker 1: other people who were involved with they claimed that roger 2426 02:23:15,760 --> 02:23:18,920 Speaker 1: Stone was like fucked off at a hotel somewhere else 2427 02:23:19,800 --> 02:23:23,560 Speaker 1: and didn't was just sort of around and didn't actually 2428 02:23:23,680 --> 02:23:28,000 Speaker 1: organize it. But either way, this set up precedent for 2429 02:23:28,480 --> 02:23:31,920 Speaker 1: how you can rig an election, which is if you 2430 02:23:32,000 --> 02:23:34,360 Speaker 1: if you can seize the majority on the Supreme Court. 2431 02:23:34,440 --> 02:23:35,920 Speaker 1: Was sort of like when you know, you can put 2432 02:23:35,920 --> 02:23:39,320 Speaker 1: your sort of loyal minions there and then you can 2433 02:23:39,400 --> 02:23:42,000 Speaker 1: have an initial count of an election that looked that 2434 02:23:42,120 --> 02:23:44,800 Speaker 1: that that looks like it's favoring you, even if that's 2435 02:23:44,800 --> 02:23:48,280 Speaker 1: not actually true. If you then have an initial count 2436 02:23:48,320 --> 02:23:51,280 Speaker 1: of an election that says that you win, and then 2437 02:23:51,320 --> 02:23:53,240 Speaker 1: you can stop and then you were able to stop 2438 02:23:53,360 --> 02:23:58,039 Speaker 1: votes from being counted, uh from November until January, you 2439 02:23:58,080 --> 02:24:00,680 Speaker 1: will win the election. That that that that is the 2440 02:24:00,680 --> 02:24:04,560 Speaker 1: precedents that was installed by by the two thous election 2441 02:24:05,080 --> 02:24:07,200 Speaker 1: and if you look at the Stop the Still campaign, 2442 02:24:07,760 --> 02:24:09,920 Speaker 1: this is exactly what Trump is trying to do. And 2443 02:24:10,080 --> 02:24:14,119 Speaker 1: literally Roger Stone is also trying to do this, right, Um, 2444 02:24:14,200 --> 02:24:15,600 Speaker 1: this is this is this is this is what stop 2445 02:24:15,640 --> 02:24:18,840 Speaker 1: is Still is. I you can you can find Trump 2446 02:24:18,840 --> 02:24:21,360 Speaker 1: talking about this months before the election, right this, this, 2447 02:24:21,360 --> 02:24:23,600 Speaker 1: this is why he was trying to do his whole 2448 02:24:23,640 --> 02:24:28,200 Speaker 1: thing about about the mail in ballots because he and 2449 02:24:28,320 --> 02:24:30,360 Speaker 1: Roger Stone and sort of all the political operators whore 2450 02:24:30,360 --> 02:24:33,360 Speaker 1: involved in the circles were like, okay, so we know 2451 02:24:33,520 --> 02:24:35,520 Speaker 1: that like a bunch of Democrats are gonna do mail 2452 02:24:35,520 --> 02:24:37,360 Speaker 1: in ballots because of COVID because they don't want to 2453 02:24:37,360 --> 02:24:39,560 Speaker 1: be there at the ballots. They know that the initial 2454 02:24:39,640 --> 02:24:41,840 Speaker 1: count is going to favor them. And I think people 2455 02:24:41,840 --> 02:24:44,600 Speaker 1: have forgotten this, but if you remember the the night 2456 02:24:44,640 --> 02:24:47,600 Speaker 1: of the election in I remember like like even a 2457 02:24:47,640 --> 02:24:49,240 Speaker 1: bunch of my friends who were like people who were 2458 02:24:49,240 --> 02:24:53,240 Speaker 1: you know, like like fairly serious, like I don't know 2459 02:24:53,320 --> 02:24:56,520 Speaker 1: politics nowhere, people were really deeply invested in politics, like 2460 02:24:56,640 --> 02:25:00,200 Speaker 1: thought that Trump had won the election because what would 2461 02:25:00,200 --> 02:25:02,440 Speaker 1: have been counted on that night was just was just 2462 02:25:02,600 --> 02:25:05,720 Speaker 1: the sort of initially wasn't counting the mail in ballots, 2463 02:25:06,720 --> 02:25:09,600 Speaker 1: and so yeah, the plan was just to de legitimate 2464 02:25:09,959 --> 02:25:12,360 Speaker 1: mail in ballots in the eyes of of sort of 2465 02:25:12,720 --> 02:25:15,080 Speaker 1: the well mostly the Republican based, but like sort of 2466 02:25:15,080 --> 02:25:18,080 Speaker 1: the American populacets the whole, and then have a bunch 2467 02:25:18,080 --> 02:25:21,959 Speaker 1: of people physically assault these centers to get them to 2468 02:25:22,000 --> 02:25:24,560 Speaker 1: stop the places with these votes are being counted, to 2469 02:25:24,600 --> 02:25:28,080 Speaker 1: get them to stop the count and it doesn't work. 2470 02:25:28,160 --> 02:25:33,320 Speaker 1: And it doesn't work I think partially because but yeah, 2471 02:25:33,320 --> 02:25:38,879 Speaker 1: those feelings, Like one of the things is that you 2472 02:25:38,920 --> 02:25:42,440 Speaker 1: know you can't if you're gonna do a play like this, 2473 02:25:44,400 --> 02:25:48,400 Speaker 1: you have to run it like you you are relying 2474 02:25:48,440 --> 02:25:50,640 Speaker 1: on the sort of physical intimidation of the court workers. 2475 02:25:50,720 --> 02:25:53,600 Speaker 1: But mostly what you need to do is make sure 2476 02:25:53,600 --> 02:25:57,320 Speaker 1: that it's stuck in a court fight. And the problem 2477 02:25:57,400 --> 02:26:00,160 Speaker 1: is that like the sort of modern like trump Ace 2478 02:26:00,280 --> 02:26:04,039 Speaker 1: people like they don't have any competent lawyers. The root 2479 02:26:04,120 --> 02:26:06,240 Speaker 1: of Giuliani is like trying to do this ship or whatever. 2480 02:26:06,280 --> 02:26:09,520 Speaker 1: But like that guy, I don't know that that guy 2481 02:26:09,680 --> 02:26:15,080 Speaker 1: may have known what a law was in like ninety three, 2482 02:26:16,000 --> 02:26:20,800 Speaker 1: but his brain has been just melted by like inhaling 2483 02:26:20,959 --> 02:26:27,720 Speaker 1: cigars smoke and truly copious about of drugs, so you know, 2484 02:26:27,720 --> 02:26:29,360 Speaker 1: they're not they're not really able to sort of pull 2485 02:26:29,400 --> 02:26:35,120 Speaker 1: this off. But Bush is and the result of this 2486 02:26:35,480 --> 02:26:38,800 Speaker 1: is the American reaction about eleven is the war in 2487 02:26:38,879 --> 02:26:43,840 Speaker 1: the Rock is basically the the the sort of complete 2488 02:26:43,879 --> 02:26:50,760 Speaker 1: annihilation of like the content like this is slightly an exaggeration, 2489 02:26:50,800 --> 02:26:53,840 Speaker 1: but like the concept of freedom in the US, like 2490 02:26:53,959 --> 02:26:56,440 Speaker 1: the ability for you not to be constantly surveiled, the 2491 02:26:56,480 --> 02:27:01,959 Speaker 1: ability for you to like you know, live live in 2492 02:27:01,959 --> 02:27:04,520 Speaker 1: a society in which there's like every single thing you 2493 02:27:04,560 --> 02:27:08,120 Speaker 1: do isn't being monitored by a thousand different kinds of 2494 02:27:08,120 --> 02:27:10,720 Speaker 1: police stations who are all sharing your tweets so they 2495 02:27:10,720 --> 02:27:13,280 Speaker 1: can fucking grab people out off of the road, sucking 2496 02:27:13,400 --> 02:27:17,879 Speaker 1: unmarked fans, right, Like, that's all stuff that is a 2497 02:27:17,920 --> 02:27:20,360 Speaker 1: specific product of the sort of kind of fascism at 2498 02:27:20,360 --> 02:27:23,120 Speaker 1: the Bush administration deploys and they're a we'll do this 2499 02:27:23,160 --> 02:27:25,959 Speaker 1: because they just try to stole an election, and now 2500 02:27:26,120 --> 02:27:28,080 Speaker 1: we all we all sort of just live in in 2501 02:27:28,120 --> 02:27:30,800 Speaker 1: the permanent afterlife of the Brooks Brothers riot. This is 2502 02:27:30,840 --> 02:27:33,200 Speaker 1: what January sixth was. This is what stop the Steel is, 2503 02:27:34,160 --> 02:27:36,280 Speaker 1: and it's what the that's what the modern Republican Party 2504 02:27:36,360 --> 02:27:41,000 Speaker 1: is so yeah. It's happy holidays everyone. I hope you 2505 02:27:41,040 --> 02:27:44,160 Speaker 1: have a good new Year. And uh inslaw. We will 2506 02:27:44,760 --> 02:27:49,320 Speaker 1: destroy these fashion Republican bastards and make sure that none 2507 02:27:49,360 --> 02:28:06,560 Speaker 1: of them ever get to do this again. Hello, Ulu, 2508 02:28:07,120 --> 02:28:11,120 Speaker 1: welcome to another episode of It could happen here with 2509 02:28:11,240 --> 02:28:18,200 Speaker 1: a twist. Um, this is the holiday special answer for that. UM, 2510 02:28:18,240 --> 02:28:21,240 Speaker 1: So you know, buckle up, you know Santa might make 2511 02:28:21,280 --> 02:28:25,440 Speaker 1: an appearance. UM. I don't want to take a moment 2512 02:28:25,560 --> 02:28:29,520 Speaker 1: to discuss, you know, this whole idea of Christmas. This 2513 02:28:30,200 --> 02:28:36,840 Speaker 1: practice is globally celebrated cultural festivity, and I guess on 2514 02:28:37,000 --> 02:28:40,920 Speaker 1: the not to be stereotypically leftist, but the issues I 2515 02:28:40,959 --> 02:28:44,200 Speaker 1: have with it alongside UM, I think some of the 2516 02:28:45,440 --> 02:28:54,080 Speaker 1: ah best UM and most I think UM hopeful elements 2517 02:28:54,120 --> 02:28:58,320 Speaker 1: within it. I don't know about the rest of you. UM. 2518 02:28:58,360 --> 02:29:04,800 Speaker 1: And by the way, I'm joined by Garrison andterest for 2519 02:29:07,000 --> 02:29:09,440 Speaker 1: I'm very excited we get we get to finally talk 2520 02:29:09,480 --> 02:29:11,360 Speaker 1: about the issue that I've been wanting to talk about 2521 02:29:11,800 --> 02:29:15,200 Speaker 1: ever ever since we started the show. How telling your 2522 02:29:15,280 --> 02:29:18,480 Speaker 1: kids that Santa exists is actually child abuse? This is 2523 02:29:18,600 --> 02:29:21,440 Speaker 1: very exciting. I'm glad we can have this civil discussion 2524 02:29:21,800 --> 02:29:25,680 Speaker 1: to to to cover these these hard hitting topics that 2525 02:29:25,720 --> 02:29:30,720 Speaker 1: are impacting us most in Are you trying to say 2526 02:29:30,720 --> 02:29:35,160 Speaker 1: this like a Santin's abolitionist or something. Yes, I think 2527 02:29:35,560 --> 02:29:39,879 Speaker 1: the fact that we condone lying to children in this 2528 02:29:39,879 --> 02:29:42,640 Speaker 1: way every Christmas is I'm sorry, but that's that's so 2529 02:29:42,720 --> 02:29:45,200 Speaker 1: politically unrealistic. I don't know how you have a platform. 2530 02:29:45,959 --> 02:29:48,880 Speaker 1: Can't take that seriously. Um, it teaches our kids not 2531 02:29:48,920 --> 02:29:52,680 Speaker 1: to trust us. Um. It starts. It is really an 2532 02:29:52,680 --> 02:29:55,879 Speaker 1: extension of the great Man theory that Santa as this 2533 02:29:55,920 --> 02:29:58,320 Speaker 1: man is the only one capable of delivering all these presents. 2534 02:29:58,560 --> 02:30:00,760 Speaker 1: I think it's I think it's quite. Are you trying 2535 02:30:00,760 --> 02:30:03,520 Speaker 1: to say so it's a manifestation of patriarchy. That's right, 2536 02:30:03,680 --> 02:30:07,199 Speaker 1: it is. It is quite. It's it's quite problematic. Um. 2537 02:30:07,280 --> 02:30:09,840 Speaker 1: You know those elves are not getting paid. You know 2538 02:30:09,920 --> 02:30:13,120 Speaker 1: that Santa has tried to bust unions at his workshop 2539 02:30:13,160 --> 02:30:16,039 Speaker 1: every year. Um. I don't think this reindeer are treated 2540 02:30:16,120 --> 02:30:19,280 Speaker 1: very well. Um. There is a whole, a whole lot 2541 02:30:19,360 --> 02:30:22,360 Speaker 1: of issues here. Yeah, it's a normalization of the surveillance state. 2542 02:30:22,600 --> 02:30:26,600 Speaker 1: It right on the shelf classic, Yeah, elf on the 2543 02:30:26,600 --> 02:30:29,480 Speaker 1: shelf came to rise after the Patriot Act was introduced 2544 02:30:29,720 --> 02:30:33,720 Speaker 1: to condition American children into thinking it's okay to always 2545 02:30:33,760 --> 02:30:36,720 Speaker 1: be watched. This is it's it's this, this, this is sick. 2546 02:30:37,600 --> 02:30:41,320 Speaker 1: Parents are culpable in promoting this myth. Um, I think 2547 02:30:41,320 --> 02:30:43,920 Speaker 1: this needs to be addressed. You know what I think, 2548 02:30:44,200 --> 02:30:46,000 Speaker 1: you know what I think. I think you all need 2549 02:30:46,040 --> 02:30:48,440 Speaker 1: to be Christmas bill. I don't know about show, but 2550 02:30:48,520 --> 02:30:52,880 Speaker 1: I love I love Christmas, I think, Um, I think 2551 02:30:52,879 --> 02:30:56,040 Speaker 1: it's I think we need to take a Christmas bill. Um. 2552 02:30:56,080 --> 02:30:59,560 Speaker 1: You know, of course the actual gift getting hasn't been 2553 02:30:59,600 --> 02:31:04,560 Speaker 1: the best. Especially want to get past une, just like, okay, 2554 02:31:04,800 --> 02:31:08,199 Speaker 1: this is what it is then. But you know, the 2555 02:31:08,200 --> 02:31:10,120 Speaker 1: the unity and the joy and the excitement, I mean 2556 02:31:10,120 --> 02:31:12,240 Speaker 1: what about that? You know, the color, the food and 2557 02:31:12,280 --> 02:31:17,240 Speaker 1: the drink, getting people together, um, catching up. You know, 2558 02:31:17,320 --> 02:31:20,520 Speaker 1: celebrated in many different ways, religiously and non religiously. And 2559 02:31:20,520 --> 02:31:22,760 Speaker 1: of course it's not even celebrated at all, um in 2560 02:31:22,840 --> 02:31:26,039 Speaker 1: some places and with some people. Um. And you know, 2561 02:31:26,040 --> 02:31:29,000 Speaker 1: there are other religious observances and holidays around this time. 2562 02:31:29,440 --> 02:31:33,760 Speaker 1: They don't like Kannaka and concer and whatever else. But 2563 02:31:34,040 --> 02:31:37,240 Speaker 1: you know, I think a lot of us are most 2564 02:31:37,240 --> 02:31:41,720 Speaker 1: familiar with Christmas, and I think we're, you know, mostly 2565 02:31:41,920 --> 02:31:45,920 Speaker 1: familiar with the origins of Christmas. That's not the kind 2566 02:31:45,920 --> 02:31:49,160 Speaker 1: of episode we're getting into here. Um. I think you know, 2567 02:31:49,600 --> 02:31:52,760 Speaker 1: we all known about Jesus and you and sat Anlia 2568 02:31:53,000 --> 02:31:57,440 Speaker 1: and all that fun stuff. Knows it about Charles Dickens 2569 02:31:57,520 --> 02:32:03,560 Speaker 1: and Scrooge and of course the the diagram of Scrooge 2570 02:32:04,000 --> 02:32:07,199 Speaker 1: and cringe. And you know whether or not those two 2571 02:32:07,320 --> 02:32:10,160 Speaker 1: concepts will a lap. But I want to look more 2572 02:32:10,240 --> 02:32:13,640 Speaker 1: to these sort of you know, ideas of what Christmas is, 2573 02:32:13,680 --> 02:32:18,280 Speaker 1: what it means, you know, um, and really how a 2574 02:32:18,320 --> 02:32:21,440 Speaker 1: lot of our society's issues come to the forefront around 2575 02:32:21,440 --> 02:32:26,240 Speaker 1: this time of year. Um, the scourge of Scrooge is 2576 02:32:26,360 --> 02:32:30,959 Speaker 1: particularly apparent. I mean, for many, Christmas is basically capitalism 2577 02:32:31,040 --> 02:32:36,880 Speaker 1: on steroids. For one, UM and Santa have to sort 2578 02:32:36,879 --> 02:32:39,720 Speaker 1: of promote that from an early age as a propaganda 2579 02:32:39,760 --> 02:32:43,280 Speaker 1: tool of the capitalists, as I'm sure would m would. 2580 02:32:43,280 --> 02:32:48,480 Speaker 1: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Great. Well that's the 2581 02:32:48,520 --> 02:32:51,800 Speaker 1: episode everybody. Again. I hope you I hope you have 2582 02:32:51,840 --> 02:32:55,720 Speaker 1: a good holiday season. Oh wait, I think Andrew is 2583 02:32:55,720 --> 02:32:57,560 Speaker 1: more to say. Yeah, I think we're wrapping up a 2584 02:32:57,600 --> 02:33:00,440 Speaker 1: little bit EARLYI there, you know, but you know, we 2585 02:33:00,480 --> 02:33:03,240 Speaker 1: can't talk about the fact that you know, Santa really 2586 02:33:03,480 --> 02:33:08,240 Speaker 1: is um a big fan of this like ultimate now 2587 02:33:08,240 --> 02:33:11,320 Speaker 1: you know, there's GDP growth sull of inducing this this 2588 02:33:11,480 --> 02:33:17,000 Speaker 1: pro growth ist capitalist production for production, seek consumption for 2589 02:33:17,040 --> 02:33:22,039 Speaker 1: consumption sake, like the idea that Santa expects children to 2590 02:33:22,120 --> 02:33:26,840 Speaker 1: write and request something from him every single year. Um, 2591 02:33:26,879 --> 02:33:31,240 Speaker 1: that he he, he stakes an entire holiday upon his 2592 02:33:31,280 --> 02:33:35,240 Speaker 1: own business and upon his own you know production, whole 2593 02:33:35,440 --> 02:33:39,640 Speaker 1: industrial apparatus a center around this one event, um. And 2594 02:33:39,680 --> 02:33:42,320 Speaker 1: I mean the sort of consumption we see around Christmas season, 2595 02:33:42,360 --> 02:33:45,720 Speaker 1: it's like it ramps up, you know, online stores, department stores, 2596 02:33:45,840 --> 02:33:49,959 Speaker 1: malls just burst in with with people um looking to 2597 02:33:50,360 --> 02:33:54,320 Speaker 1: bye bye bye all around the world. In America, at 2598 02:33:54,360 --> 02:33:58,840 Speaker 1: least twenty nineteen so Americans spent over one trillion dollars 2599 02:33:58,959 --> 02:34:01,360 Speaker 1: just in the Christmas see done. I mean, it's just 2600 02:34:02,440 --> 02:34:06,800 Speaker 1: glorious excess, honestly. And of course there's also the excessive 2601 02:34:07,080 --> 02:34:11,960 Speaker 1: you know, decorating and shopping and drinking and the us 2602 02:34:12,000 --> 02:34:14,240 Speaker 1: and sort of arrities with those things. And that sort 2603 02:34:14,280 --> 02:34:17,960 Speaker 1: of over indulgence is part of what's seriously harm on 2604 02:34:18,040 --> 02:34:23,039 Speaker 1: the planet. Not to you know, blame individuals and exclusively 2605 02:34:23,240 --> 02:34:26,039 Speaker 1: because you know, obviously the sort of thing is encouraged 2606 02:34:26,040 --> 02:34:29,640 Speaker 1: by you know, advertising and by the entire industries that 2607 02:34:29,720 --> 02:34:35,600 Speaker 1: builds around around this, this idea of consumerism. But the 2608 02:34:35,640 --> 02:34:37,800 Speaker 1: holiday is basically, you know, you know, it's become this 2609 02:34:37,920 --> 02:34:40,680 Speaker 1: thing where the focal point is to indulge, to splooge, 2610 02:34:40,720 --> 02:34:45,040 Speaker 1: to consume um. And you see a lot of Christmas 2611 02:34:45,080 --> 02:34:47,840 Speaker 1: movies too, I mean Christmas of the Crowns is when 2612 02:34:47,920 --> 02:34:52,120 Speaker 1: particularly iconic example. And with all this you know consumerism, 2613 02:34:52,120 --> 02:34:55,039 Speaker 1: it feels like we lose sight of the purpose, you know, 2614 02:34:55,080 --> 02:34:56,600 Speaker 1: of the gift giving. I don't think we've lost our 2615 02:34:56,640 --> 02:34:59,720 Speaker 1: selves less nature. I think we've lost some of the 2616 02:35:00,160 --> 02:35:03,320 Speaker 1: within it. I think it's by design a natural tendency 2617 02:35:03,360 --> 02:35:05,240 Speaker 1: to care for the people in our lives are sort 2618 02:35:05,280 --> 02:35:09,000 Speaker 1: of exploited. Um, you know, we're expected by the systems, 2619 02:35:09,040 --> 02:35:12,840 Speaker 1: are super hyper competitively in spirital coupitlism. But now we 2620 02:35:12,920 --> 02:35:16,040 Speaker 1: have to be super generous and caring around this time 2621 02:35:16,040 --> 02:35:18,120 Speaker 1: of year. But just in a way that just so 2622 02:35:18,280 --> 02:35:22,760 Speaker 1: happens to profit campus anyway. It's like, yeah, yeah, be generous, 2623 02:35:22,879 --> 02:35:26,680 Speaker 1: be caring and stuff by this gift for you know, 2624 02:35:26,720 --> 02:35:29,760 Speaker 1: you know, you loved one and I will pocket the change. 2625 02:35:30,400 --> 02:35:31,960 Speaker 1: And I don't think it has to be that way. 2626 02:35:32,120 --> 02:35:36,240 Speaker 1: But the commercialization of what we're wants wholly days is 2627 02:35:36,760 --> 02:35:39,520 Speaker 1: you know, it tends to do that. And of course 2628 02:35:39,520 --> 02:35:42,800 Speaker 1: with all these soup kitchens and can food drives and 2629 02:35:43,400 --> 02:35:47,560 Speaker 1: Red Cross Santa's outside groceries, building and for some donations. 2630 02:35:48,120 --> 02:35:50,080 Speaker 1: Um and by the way, it don't donate the Red 2631 02:35:50,160 --> 02:35:55,200 Speaker 1: Cross that kind of problematic. Salvation Army do not do 2632 02:35:55,240 --> 02:36:02,800 Speaker 1: not donative salvation Salvation my bad, I'm back. I think 2633 02:36:02,800 --> 02:36:06,160 Speaker 1: that's confusing them. Red Cross just takes credit for anarchist 2634 02:36:06,240 --> 02:36:11,200 Speaker 1: projects in the relief of disasters and salation Harmy hates 2635 02:36:11,280 --> 02:36:14,280 Speaker 1: gay people, so it also has also has shot anarchists. 2636 02:36:15,160 --> 02:36:18,320 Speaker 1: I think they don't talk about very much. Well damn, 2637 02:36:18,480 --> 02:36:23,200 Speaker 1: that should probably be an episode. Yeah, there's another way 2638 02:36:23,240 --> 02:36:28,520 Speaker 1: of that, but yeah, yeah, you know, it's like all 2639 02:36:28,560 --> 02:36:32,280 Speaker 1: this stuff is happening, and it's like this sort of 2640 02:36:32,400 --> 02:36:39,280 Speaker 1: performance of all of a sudden, we care about, um, 2641 02:36:39,360 --> 02:36:42,120 Speaker 1: what's the name of that little kid from Christmas Carol, 2642 02:36:42,640 --> 02:36:48,480 Speaker 1: Tiny Tim? All of a sudden, we care about Tiny Tim. 2643 02:36:48,520 --> 02:36:52,000 Speaker 1: In a system that literally requires an impoverished base of people, 2644 02:36:52,400 --> 02:36:55,680 Speaker 1: you know, poverty is certainly this virtue that we we 2645 02:36:55,760 --> 02:36:58,160 Speaker 1: look to help Tom meliorate to be careful. You know, 2646 02:36:58,240 --> 02:37:00,440 Speaker 1: we we want to uplift the tiny him as we're 2647 02:37:00,440 --> 02:37:03,480 Speaker 1: gonna warm the hearts of the Scrooge McDuck's of the 2648 02:37:03,520 --> 02:37:06,880 Speaker 1: world the rest of the year. It's just like, oh, well, 2649 02:37:07,080 --> 02:37:09,360 Speaker 1: in this underclass is a patrol and the class needs 2650 02:37:09,360 --> 02:37:14,360 Speaker 1: to exist. I think the extension of our tendency towards 2651 02:37:14,400 --> 02:37:17,360 Speaker 1: mutually throughout the year and across bonds of kid and 2652 02:37:17,400 --> 02:37:21,600 Speaker 1: on kind of like, um, it's something that we should 2653 02:37:21,800 --> 02:37:28,640 Speaker 1: pursue um to prefigure a gift economy um, not just 2654 02:37:29,760 --> 02:37:32,440 Speaker 1: around a particular season, but year round. I think that 2655 02:37:32,600 --> 02:37:37,720 Speaker 1: is both while exercise to look into and of course 2656 02:37:37,760 --> 02:37:40,959 Speaker 1: I think an ideal you would want to see. I 2657 02:37:41,000 --> 02:37:47,200 Speaker 1: guess we could call us my Christmas wish UM readjustment 2658 02:37:47,280 --> 02:37:49,240 Speaker 1: to this sort of consumption around this time of year, 2659 02:37:50,000 --> 02:37:53,000 Speaker 1: the one that is done with a sort of ad 2660 02:37:53,080 --> 02:37:56,400 Speaker 1: growth mindset. One of his cognizance of local condition is 2661 02:37:56,400 --> 02:37:59,160 Speaker 1: the one that seeks to reduce food miles, socalize the 2662 02:37:59,160 --> 02:38:02,640 Speaker 1: production can some shown. So that's I guess wish number 2663 02:38:02,640 --> 02:38:05,320 Speaker 1: one Christmas wish number one. Let's um, let's make a 2664 02:38:05,320 --> 02:38:13,160 Speaker 1: gift economy rather than a capitalist gift consumption day. And 2665 02:38:13,200 --> 02:38:15,360 Speaker 1: of course I think our next Christmas wish on this 2666 02:38:15,440 --> 02:38:20,040 Speaker 1: topic would be a wish for work abolition. You know, 2667 02:38:20,040 --> 02:38:22,360 Speaker 1: with all that consumption happening around this time, yet it 2668 02:38:22,440 --> 02:38:26,120 Speaker 1: really does a number on the service and manufacturing and 2669 02:38:26,280 --> 02:38:30,920 Speaker 1: delivery and SOT and so forth workers around the world. 2670 02:38:31,160 --> 02:38:35,320 Speaker 1: You know, work sucks in general, but it's extra sucks 2671 02:38:35,360 --> 02:38:38,560 Speaker 1: around this time of year. Um, you know, with sweatshop labor, 2672 02:38:38,680 --> 02:38:43,120 Speaker 1: with retail hell around this season, it's really opposite of 2673 02:38:43,120 --> 02:38:45,360 Speaker 1: peace on you for a good chunk of the working class. 2674 02:38:46,920 --> 02:38:49,840 Speaker 1: You could call it the season for overworking. And it's 2675 02:38:49,840 --> 02:38:55,280 Speaker 1: not just for um, you know, gears, token oppressed group, 2676 02:38:55,480 --> 02:39:00,120 Speaker 1: you know, the elves, like the other workers that the 2677 02:39:00,240 --> 02:39:05,640 Speaker 1: exploits it that we should probably be championing. Yeah, we 2678 02:39:05,640 --> 02:39:09,160 Speaker 1: we talked about this in a couple of China episodes 2679 02:39:09,160 --> 02:39:11,160 Speaker 1: that I did. But one of the big reasons for 2680 02:39:11,240 --> 02:39:15,720 Speaker 1: the sort of huge like workers up risings in China 2681 02:39:15,760 --> 02:39:18,600 Speaker 1: in the last like a few weeks was that like 2682 02:39:19,120 --> 02:39:21,400 Speaker 1: basically a bunch of people got locked into a factory 2683 02:39:21,480 --> 02:39:24,320 Speaker 1: because Fox Gone and Apple were trying to hit their 2684 02:39:24,360 --> 02:39:28,560 Speaker 1: Christmas like production targets. And people started fighting the cops 2685 02:39:28,600 --> 02:39:30,879 Speaker 1: because they were like, this actually sucks. I don't want 2686 02:39:30,920 --> 02:39:34,480 Speaker 1: to be stuck in here being lied to by how 2687 02:39:34,560 --> 02:39:37,840 Speaker 1: much I'm going to get paid so that these companies 2688 02:39:37,840 --> 02:39:43,240 Speaker 1: can have their Christmas sales. I mean, yeah, definitely. I 2689 02:39:43,240 --> 02:39:45,280 Speaker 1: think it's completely fair to say that the worker elves 2690 02:39:45,280 --> 02:39:49,440 Speaker 1: are very mistreated. Um. But with the exception I think 2691 02:39:49,600 --> 02:39:52,160 Speaker 1: of specifically the elf on the shelf elves. I don't 2692 02:39:52,160 --> 02:39:56,680 Speaker 1: think those count as workers. Elves are cops. They only 2693 02:39:56,720 --> 02:40:00,320 Speaker 1: function as niches for the surreal state. So yes, the 2694 02:40:00,360 --> 02:40:04,400 Speaker 1: elf workers are are mistreated um and should unionize and 2695 02:40:04,400 --> 02:40:07,880 Speaker 1: and should should deserve way more support and possibly even 2696 02:40:07,879 --> 02:40:10,160 Speaker 1: the abolition of of work. But the elf on the 2697 02:40:10,160 --> 02:40:13,440 Speaker 1: shelf elves are not workers. I think that's a that's 2698 02:40:13,480 --> 02:40:18,600 Speaker 1: an important distinction. Yeah. Yeah, it's like the class strators 2699 02:40:18,680 --> 02:40:24,560 Speaker 1: more than anything, exactly. Yeah, very blatantly. So yeah, it 2700 02:40:24,640 --> 02:40:28,120 Speaker 1: really is, you know, the season for overworken. You know, 2701 02:40:28,520 --> 02:40:32,280 Speaker 1: with all this, it's very interesting that that's really what 2702 02:40:32,320 --> 02:40:36,000 Speaker 1: triggered the protests in China. I mean, I would love 2703 02:40:36,040 --> 02:40:39,840 Speaker 1: to see celebrations and festivals have given in any sort 2704 02:40:39,840 --> 02:40:42,160 Speaker 1: of an archic society, but it doesn't fail. No, it's 2705 02:40:42,200 --> 02:40:47,039 Speaker 1: at the right these festivities UM built on the exploitation 2706 02:40:47,480 --> 02:40:52,440 Speaker 1: of others. I mean, what kind of celebration it's we 2707 02:40:52,560 --> 02:40:56,560 Speaker 1: had when people are suffering in such a capacity to 2708 02:40:56,959 --> 02:41:02,600 Speaker 1: produce that sort of celebration. And speaking of suffering, I think, um, 2709 02:41:02,680 --> 02:41:06,360 Speaker 1: there are a lot of people who suffer through family 2710 02:41:06,560 --> 02:41:09,720 Speaker 1: around this time of year. And I think some people 2711 02:41:09,760 --> 02:41:13,400 Speaker 1: actually appreciate having to work through the holidays because it 2712 02:41:13,440 --> 02:41:17,320 Speaker 1: means they don't have to deal with said family. And 2713 02:41:17,360 --> 02:41:19,920 Speaker 1: I mean family is a big focus and the sort 2714 02:41:19,920 --> 02:41:23,560 Speaker 1: of culture of Christmas. But you know, unlike the greeting 2715 02:41:23,640 --> 02:41:26,720 Speaker 1: cards and the billboards and stuff, not everyone's family is 2716 02:41:26,800 --> 02:41:30,520 Speaker 1: picture perfect and holiday is often open a lot of 2717 02:41:30,520 --> 02:41:34,320 Speaker 1: wounds and heightened re read for a lot of people. UM. 2718 02:41:34,800 --> 02:41:38,920 Speaker 1: People consume to hear people um, and a lot of 2719 02:41:38,920 --> 02:41:46,800 Speaker 1: toxicity and intoxication is brought under one roof during TRUSTMA celebrations, 2720 02:41:46,840 --> 02:41:49,440 Speaker 1: bigotree abuse, that sort of thing. It's not a fun 2721 02:41:49,440 --> 02:41:52,879 Speaker 1: time for some people. And I think it's important in 2722 02:41:52,959 --> 02:41:55,160 Speaker 1: the season and in general to let go of this 2723 02:41:55,280 --> 02:42:00,440 Speaker 1: sort of patriarchal and restricting designation of family in favor 2724 02:42:00,440 --> 02:42:04,640 Speaker 1: of something that is more subject to choice, to agency, 2725 02:42:05,240 --> 02:42:08,960 Speaker 1: to consent to you know, more expanded forms of kinship, 2726 02:42:09,040 --> 02:42:12,080 Speaker 1: bringing people together who care for and enjoy and want 2727 02:42:12,120 --> 02:42:16,320 Speaker 1: to share each other's company, you know, create a new traditions, 2728 02:42:16,600 --> 02:42:21,520 Speaker 1: to build new bonds of solarity and care. UM. I think, 2729 02:42:22,440 --> 02:42:26,680 Speaker 1: you know, opportunities like these, Seasons like these enable us 2730 02:42:26,720 --> 02:42:31,680 Speaker 1: to demonstrate the veracity of the liberation that can be 2731 02:42:31,760 --> 02:42:35,560 Speaker 1: had in our projects. I think it's something that a 2732 02:42:35,600 --> 02:42:39,280 Speaker 1: lot of people need around this season because mental health 2733 02:42:39,360 --> 02:42:41,920 Speaker 1: boways seem to worsen around this time of year. They 2734 02:42:41,959 --> 02:42:46,760 Speaker 1: often toxic culture of Christmas could be clearly bad people's 2735 02:42:46,800 --> 02:42:49,879 Speaker 1: mental health. You know, it's loneliness and depression and suicide 2736 02:42:49,920 --> 02:42:53,240 Speaker 1: and the struggle to care for your basic needs that 2737 02:42:53,360 --> 02:42:55,600 Speaker 1: alone and joy the season, and it takes some big 2738 02:42:55,680 --> 02:42:59,879 Speaker 1: tool on people's well being. You know, it's easy to 2739 02:43:00,000 --> 02:43:03,120 Speaker 1: they all just go to therapy and whatever. But with 2740 02:43:03,320 --> 02:43:07,200 Speaker 1: the inaccessibility of therapy and the fact that you know, 2741 02:43:07,440 --> 02:43:12,280 Speaker 1: therapy is not necessarily a salve for material conditions, UM. 2742 02:43:12,440 --> 02:43:15,560 Speaker 1: There needs to be a social safety net in place. 2743 02:43:15,600 --> 02:43:18,120 Speaker 1: They must be healing in community and not just an 2744 02:43:18,200 --> 02:43:22,720 Speaker 1: exolution UM. And so I think the season is an 2745 02:43:22,800 --> 02:43:25,720 Speaker 1: opportunity for us to reflect on that and to you know, 2746 02:43:25,760 --> 02:43:30,040 Speaker 1: try to avail ourselves to those whom we fay might 2747 02:43:30,040 --> 02:43:32,240 Speaker 1: be suffering at this time. And if you yourself a 2748 02:43:32,320 --> 02:43:35,600 Speaker 1: suffering and it's trying to reach out and sort of 2749 02:43:36,240 --> 02:43:39,440 Speaker 1: engage in that sort of mutual mutual aid and mutual support, 2750 02:43:40,560 --> 02:43:43,040 Speaker 1: I think there's a lot that we can reframe and 2751 02:43:43,120 --> 02:43:47,880 Speaker 1: reconsider surrounding Christmas. I mean, for a season of kindness 2752 02:43:47,879 --> 02:43:52,840 Speaker 1: and given it unfortunately hoots a lot of people, um, 2753 02:43:52,879 --> 02:43:57,640 Speaker 1: but that can change, you know, through solidarity, through generosity, 2754 02:43:58,520 --> 02:44:02,480 Speaker 1: through kinship, solidarity organized in the bottom of the extension 2755 02:44:02,480 --> 02:44:06,320 Speaker 1: of the principle of mutually into everyday life. Redirecting our 2756 02:44:06,400 --> 02:44:10,440 Speaker 1: generosity around this time from giving to the pockets of 2757 02:44:10,520 --> 02:44:14,480 Speaker 1: billionaires to given to the people, um. To display our 2758 02:44:14,520 --> 02:44:18,480 Speaker 1: capacity for well doing, to think locally, to think d 2759 02:44:18,600 --> 02:44:21,600 Speaker 1: I y, to think meaningful rather than to just add 2760 02:44:21,600 --> 02:44:24,959 Speaker 1: another thing to the Amazon card. And of course not 2761 02:44:25,120 --> 02:44:28,800 Speaker 1: just physically giving gifts, but as being generous with our 2762 02:44:29,200 --> 02:44:32,320 Speaker 1: time and our love and our care because we do 2763 02:44:32,600 --> 02:44:35,360 Speaker 1: need each other, um, not just in this time, but 2764 02:44:35,480 --> 02:44:40,600 Speaker 1: in general. I think bred Santa had some entertaining suggestions 2765 02:44:40,600 --> 02:44:44,320 Speaker 1: of the season. To bred Santa, of course, being Peter Kropotkin, 2766 02:44:45,160 --> 02:44:50,120 Speaker 1: he figured that we should all pose as Santa Clause 2767 02:44:50,520 --> 02:44:55,160 Speaker 1: perhaps there as a subversion of what he represents as 2768 02:44:55,160 --> 02:44:59,960 Speaker 1: a capitalist. We all pools as Santa Claus or as St. Nicholas, 2769 02:45:00,040 --> 02:45:03,400 Speaker 1: and to infiltrate the stores and give way the toys. 2770 02:45:04,240 --> 02:45:07,879 Speaker 1: Um and one postcard Krobakin route that of the night 2771 02:45:07,920 --> 02:45:12,240 Speaker 1: before Christmas, we'll all be about while the people are sleeping. 2772 02:45:12,320 --> 02:45:15,760 Speaker 1: We will realize or cloud will expropriate goods from the 2773 02:45:15,879 --> 02:45:19,720 Speaker 1: stores because that's fair, and distribute them widely to those 2774 02:45:19,800 --> 02:45:25,320 Speaker 1: we need care. So yeah, Merry Christmas and half of 2775 02:45:25,320 --> 02:45:28,800 Speaker 1: your holidays to all and to all are good. Fight 2776 02:45:30,320 --> 02:45:40,240 Speaker 1: for freedom. You can of course find me on YouTube 2777 02:45:40,240 --> 02:45:44,400 Speaker 1: at androids um dot com slash and underscore seeing True, 2778 02:45:45,240 --> 02:45:48,039 Speaker 1: and if you want, you can support me on picture 2779 02:45:48,040 --> 02:45:51,320 Speaker 1: on dot com slash saying true. That's it for me 2780 02:45:51,800 --> 02:45:55,720 Speaker 1: for this year, for it could happen here, So you're 2781 02:45:55,760 --> 02:46:06,840 Speaker 1: next year great destroist icons Center Clause. Hey, we'll be 2782 02:46:06,879 --> 02:46:10,240 Speaker 1: back Monday with more episodes every week from now until 2783 02:46:10,240 --> 02:46:12,720 Speaker 1: the heat death of the Universe. It could happen here 2784 02:46:12,800 --> 02:46:15,400 Speaker 1: is a production of cool Zone Media. For more podcasts 2785 02:46:15,440 --> 02:46:18,040 Speaker 1: from cool Zone Media, visit our website cool zone media 2786 02:46:18,080 --> 02:46:19,880 Speaker 1: dot com, or check us out on the I Heart 2787 02:46:19,959 --> 02:46:23,000 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts, 2788 02:46:23,360 --> 02:46:25,520 Speaker 1: you can find sources for It could happen here, Updated 2789 02:46:25,560 --> 02:46:29,000 Speaker 1: monthly at cool zone media dot com slash sources. Thanks 2790 02:46:29,040 --> 02:46:29,600 Speaker 1: for listening.