'Keep Calm and Carry On' is a lie.
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- Опубліковано 19 чер 2020
- Admitting I'm a failure. Why don't we ever follow through on our beliefs? Can our nostalgia save the world? A video essay on apathy, World War II and why Keep Calm and Carry On is a pretty rubbish plan.
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Books mentioned:
The Ministry of Nostalgia by Owen Hatherley / the-ministry-of-nostalgia
Don't Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change by George Marshall / don-t-even-think-about-it
We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
by Jonathan Safran Foer: / we-are-the-weather
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I actually hate it so passionately when British people say we’d be speaking German if it wasn’t for them. I’m irish, the only reason I’m speaking English right now is because of the British Invasion and occupation of Ireland. You put your language on me but act as if having to speak the language of your oppressor is the worst thing to ever happen. It’s so hypocritical
Fellow Irish here just wanted to say I totally agree with you and its so frustrating when they dont even teach their own wrong doings in history but only whats been done wrong to them... Or even hypotheticals
Yesssss and watching the british romanticise the army when they had such a harmful impact in NI
Thank you for pointing that out. I'd never thought about the implications of the statement, I only thought of it as a way to remind people that the Nazis really could have won the war, that it is not to be taken for granted.
T h i s 🇮🇪
My partner has irish family and I can't even my own history after being told everything
When you said "it's not against the law" after talking about buying fast fashion I literally had to pause the video to stare at my wall for 30 seconds with chills on my arms ... Shit
Exactly! I've never felt so terrible for my choices before. We need to make a change in the way we accept harm being done to others if it makes out lives easier.
that one hit me like a ton of bricks...
Btw i'm pretty sure this has gotta be one of your top 3 videos
Damn I wish I had a ‘Freedom is in peril defend it with all your might’ cutesy mug
YEEESSS that’s just what I was thinking! Where’s that tea towel and poster and magnet!
Okay I saw this, I want this too, and I have a small illustration business - watch this space ahahah
As a 52 year old mum I have to say you are so brilliant at discussing really difficult topics in a relatable way, wish I had been as together as you at the same age xx
Aw thank you x
This made me feel like 🤔🤨🤯😔😟😲😡😤 I feel ashamed of only doing the bare minimum and whatever is comfortable with my personal rhythm so I can feel like I've done something without actually making myself uncomfortable
Aw I hope it didn't make you feel too bad - I'm right there with you in the confusion and stress of it, it's definitely an uncomfortable but worthwhile ride!
You know, I was just reading comments under a meme about Wetherspoons. There were lots of people commenting that they understood that their employees were totally screwed over, but couldn't give up their cheap coffee and beers. You've hit the nail on the head.
Leena, I just wanted to say this, even if it is a little awkward: you’re one of my favorite creators. There are videos of yours that I keep thinking about years and years later. I‘ve always wanted to support you and be a part of the Gumption Club, but paying anything in dollars becomes so much more money in my country that it was a little bit of a financial commitment. However, I just got a job! In the middle of a pandemic! So I’ll be joining, because you’ve brought so much joy and great debates into my life, I want to repay you the way I can. If I could, I would bake you a cake! But as I’m half a world away, I’ll just be a patron and hopefully a friend if you ever #ComeToBrazil hahaha
The excitement that goes through our house when there’s a new Leena video.
😍 hoped it lived up to the hype!
I find this so very hard. Trying to live differently from everyone around me is hard. Alienating friends and family by calling them out for their racist / misogynist jokes and harmful carbon footprint is hurting me, because some of them simply scoff and turn away. And then who is helped by this? They are not going to cease to be any of those things. This is so messy. Of course I am continuing with this anyway, with myself most of all. I guess, what I mean is: If the people we need to convince the most of climate change and the necessity to reprogram our society feel empowered by the governments of the world to just Keep Calm and Carry On, then how can a bunch of socially and ecologically conscious people convince the apathetic masses without just driving them away and building fronts, furthering the devide we see in almost every western country today? I am clueless at the moment, and very unsure if what we are doing right now is even helpful at all. That's not objective, that's my perspective, my mental state right now. Just constantly, relentlessly frustrated, unsure, disappointed, and so very tired. Anyone else?
I feel very similar. I look for like-minded people for mental support, to those that already are willing to talk about climate change or racism, or they are activists already, this can very easily lead to staying in a bubble of people who essentially agree. But trying to convince anyone else can drive them away, unless they already agree at least on some things. And even with people who agree that there is a climate crisis and racial injustice, the solutions that we imagine might be completely different. I realized that I can at least try to talk to as many people as possible, as often as possible about these topics but start by listening. I try to understand why they do not see these things as priorities in their lives and talk about what influences their thinking. Sometimes we find common ground and sometimes not. But sometimes I end up like you - angry, frustrated and exhausted. I guess that is the price. Take care
Let's create a self-help group. I am dealing with the exact same thing and it is frustrating me immensely.
I also see myself in what you’re describing. I’m not sure what the answer is but I feel for me it’s important to keep going and somehow find ways to balance the mental health cost. Radical self care etc to keep energy high and present enough to continue engaging and learning and challenging.
It helps me sometimes to focus my energy elsewhere. It's important to discuss, but if people are not willing to listen to you, it makes no sense and drains you. I hope you find some like-minded people to have productive conversations with!
I find myself "forgetting" and becoming automatically apathetic when there aren't constant reminders around me that things are bad (like the government opening shops like everything is fine, and people generally not talking about racism or climate change). It's so easy to be distracted by small life concerns like what I'm having for tea or doing my dishes. I've been trying to read more non-fiction about these topics and follow people that are talking about it, so that eventually I can drill it into my brain that yes, these things are happening, and no, it's not all going to disappear overnight. Getting into the habit of not forgetting is imo very important to avoid becoming someone who just keeps calm and carries on.
YUP TO EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID! The shop stuff is so super confusing.
This is so hard for me as well! I live in Sweden and, as people have probably heard, we haven’t been the best with doing as much as we possibly can... The reminders that have come from the internet have been good, but it has been really hard to not just “keep calm and carry on” when that is not to far from the message that the government is sending out...
Also I understand that living in Sweden is not an excuse to not doing my part, but it’s another excuse I find myself using to not doing my best... I realize now that this is a complicated thing that I need to educate myself on, way more than I am doing now!
@@frida3025 I'm from Sweden too, and while I see your point, I also have to somewhat defend the method used here. Yes, there have been more cases of covid and more deaths here than in comparable countries (like Norway), but we're less likely to get hit by a second wave since we won't suddenly open up everything after having been closed (because we never really closed down). When the second wave hits Norway, for example, it's not unlikely that their numbers will match ours. It's also relevant to take the value of keeping society going into account - people will have it easier to pay their bills and buy food if they still can work, and the lack of isolation here will especially help people who have mental health issues and/or suicidal tendencies.
I don't claim to know everything and I honestly think it's too early for anyone to say which methods "worked" and which didn't, but I am saying that it's more complicated than the numbers might make it look and not everything should be taken at face value (and that includes my objections!). :)
BookishDaydreams yes absolutely! There is no one that knows now what the “most correct” strategy was, and I think that we’ll just have to wait and see. I need to educate myself better, and I need to learn about the different strategies, but I do see the point of the Swedish way.
One thing I have to say absolutely the Swedish model is that Swedes are now starting to be very relaxed about the situation, and many people are living in very similar ways to how they did before the pandemic... It is good to have people at work and the economy running, but a lot of people (including me sometimes) have seemed to forget that it is such a serious situation.
As I said, these are just some thoughts, I’m no expert!
5:02
"(...) To what extent can we live with ourselves when we are actively choosing to do things that are both legal and supported by the culture that we live in, but that we know are going to result in the death or persecution of others?"
This, this, this. I've recently given up fast fashion and turned vegan because I've started to ask myself this, and because I've done my best to examine what actions my values logically should lead to. I truly believe that living in accordance with your own values is one of the best and most impactful changes you can make!
Lovely video btw :)
Leena, this is a fantastic video. A side-effect of turning your convictions into habits is that it makes following up on your beliefs less emotionally overwhelming. I struggle with getting obsessed with a new belief, researching about it constantly, then getting stressed and putting that new information aside. It's kind of a shameful thing to admit, but it's been true for me quite a few times. By approaching these beliefs with a goal -- finding a way to integrate a practical habit into my life -- helps to a) sift through information to find out how to take action b) begin taking long-term change c) be less overwhelmed d) have a solid foundation on which to build new habits and act on beliefs. Anyway, all of this to say that this video does an amazing job vocalizing something critically important and I'm glad you took the time to make it. :)
Yes you're so right - having a goal in mind helps. I get that impulse to become obsessed once you realise there's this area you've been completely blind to. It's hard to get the balance between honouring that curiosity and alarm, but also pacing yourself. WE'LL ALL KEEP TRYING TO FIND IT THOUGH :) X
Honestly Leena, just the best top-quality content during corona. What a great video to make us sit down and reflect on ourselves and all the apathy-crime we've been doing - an UTTER TURNIP!
The bit about the movie + the worker "just doing her job" really hits for me.
Society is not structured and does not value people doing what is morally correct, what is ethically correct, or what needs to be done for the community. Society values people who get jobs, pay taxes, birth children, and spend money in the local economy of their area.
(The worker character in the movie) says "I saw a job opening, i applied. (When asked about letting the people out of the burning building) that wasn't my job, I was there to guard." She was doing what society wants everyone to do; what they're told by those above them, either via power or money or both, in order to live.
Obviously I'm only briefly touching on the tip of the iceberg of discussion around this topic, but it reminds me of being asked what I'm 'up to nowadays' - as in employment, during the first few months of Covid-19 lockdown, when I was sheltering in place to avoid infecting and killing my father, a medically at-risk individual in my household. I did/do need to be employed, but with only retail experience and everything going remote/shutting down, it was safer, easier, and the morally correct decision to stay home, dick around, and NOT kill my father/spread C-19 everywhere by going out + trying to get employed. But according to the government, I should have gone out and gotten a job, regardless of the risk to my family.
I made the correct moral choice for the *greater good*, but I made the wrong choice for the "Keep Calm and Carry On" mindset.
(*yes that is a cheeky Worlds end ref😅)
There’s so much to unpack in this video! Definitely going to be one I rewatch. I hadn’t thought before about how viewing WWII as an untouchably terrible event stops us from making parallels with the present. thank you for making fantastic content as always!!!
"Everyone's doing it. After all, it's not against the law."
Well that hit..
That Boris Johnson as Churchill send up is perfection.
That was so interesting about the war posters, in school i literally had a notebook that said 'keep calm and carry on'. NO MORE ! no room for apathy !
This is a video I return to from time to time. It's so beautifully crafted from the narrative, to the research, to the styling, to the editing. It's honestly a masterpiece and I thought you should know.
I had this epiphany too a few weeks ago. I remember learning about major historical events in history class and thinking, “I would of been there and been on the right side of history.” Now that major shit is going down I’m doing nothing and feel real apathetic. :/ I guess it’s a major reality check.
You’ve somehow managed to coherently piece together every overwhelming jumbled thought I have. Yet again. Love this video Leena 👏🏻
i took a module in 1940s literature last year and just emailed this video to my lecturer bc yooooo she’s gonna love it
I mostly avoid fast fashion but I'm a grad student and I don't have much income... so when you said "I deserve it. Everybody is doing it after all. It's not against the law." I just realized that the fact that I have accepted that some of my clothes would be produced in way that harms people is absolutely horrific. I am overcome with the weight of my choices and I won't ever do it again. Thank you for making this video.
P.S. I've always hated those posters because they seem to advocate that we would placate ourselves, and as an American, I had no idea where they came from but now that makes a lot of sense. Being docile and calm isn't a virtue if you ask me. I place a lot more value in getting pissed off and resolving the problem.
Leena stays reminding me why she is my favourite youtuber, and my best friend in my head with whom we go for a quick coffee catch up and end up sitting there for 4 hours before running home
This is a really interesting perspective on the WWII-situation. I'm from Germany and, in my experience, we generally have (or are taught) the understanding that we would not have acted any differently than our ancestors have. Not because they were or we are bad people but because of the exact reasons you address in the video. I didn't know that people from other countries genuinely think that they, collectively, would have fared better than the Germans did back then. This is why I think it's so important to understand that people are and remain people. We are not that much different from our ancestors or other cultures. We have the same fears, dreams and hopes and we tend to fall into the same behavioural patterns.
The Reader was one of the first texts we read in German studies. When I studied the book, it made me rethink a LOT of public discourse around victim and perpetrator. The truth is that perpetrators are often victims of something too. And in our fight against fear and ignorance, it is fear and ignorance we have to fight - or even apathy(!), not individuals.
This was very thoughtful, thank you. I've been struggling with the opposite of apathy during coronavirus. The lockdown made my childhood OCD come back with a vengeance. I can't go outside without immediately taking a shower when I come back in. Whenever I receive a delivery it goes into a quarantine box for 3 days, and then I wash my hands like 6 times in succession. I've sewn dozens of face masks. And lately, as people have gotten very lazy at social distancing I've been very rude, calling people out on the street when they won't make room on the sidewalk and I have to walk into traffic (and I only go out about once a week but this still happens multiple times an outing). I've screamed at neighbours for having little block parties in the sunshine, then have severe panic attacks because that's not a natural behaviour for me and I really have to cross a high bar of fury to get there.
The fact that other people are playing fast and loose with public safety is totally shredding my sanity. Everyone tells me to ignore it, but I can't and I don't know how to address it in a more productive way (I have reported people to the police for lockdown violations and I've also written my MP but nothing ever happens). It's like watching a tsunami come in and trying to get people off the beach but they just look at you with vacant eyes-nobody's home in there.
Your characterisation of Boris Johnson is spot on, and a large part of the problem. If he had real conviction and care, he could imbue with his messages to the public with solemn purpose. But he's just part of it; it seems the attention span of the average person in a crisis is maybe a month long? (I worry that the BLM protests will similiarly fade.) It doesn't help that thie virus is invisible, and the deaths too innumerate to count, yet too few to be personal for many. In the Blitz, Britons had bombs falling and buildings destroyed for months on end. It was very visible and probably much easier to pay attention to and stay focused.
I don't know what the answer is. I don't know how to make people care about their life over their lifestyle.
Beyond this, as far as say climate change goes (or BLM), I have seen people gradually making changes, but it's so slow, and again so much of it is being trapped along with people (and corporations and governments) not willing to make radical changes. It's so deeply frustrating.
THIS IS SO GOOOOOOD!!!!! WOW. Thank you. Will be sharing far & wide. So appreciate you & the work & honesty that went into this!
I really needed to hear this... have had moments of being disgusted at my apathy, but haven't followed through on any ideas for helping to improve the situation. I'm feeling weirdly inspired and anxious at the same time now... thanks
This is so powerful, you're honestly making me change the way I do life. I'm I'm 32 and have been so apathetic, discovered you a couple of days a ago and you've set off a seismic shift in my mindset. Imma have to watch this a few times.
Spectacular video, as always. So well researched and produced, I'm always impressed by your ability to make such a coherent arguement about such big topics
This is so excellent! I read the reader in high school and ten years later I still ponder over the moral questions it posed!
fantastic vision there's just so much you highlight that I need probably more brainpower than I feel like I have at my disposal to think about. I think one of my biggest challenges around my own apathy is a sense of exhaustion, a feeling of burn-out that I'm not doing enough but being unable to really know what to do in order to improve particularly when balancing the desire to do and change things with the often overwhelming feeling of guilt and responsibility (and, occaionally fear) when I fall short of my ideals, particularly in the face of much of the world around me seeming not to care.
Much to think on.
This video has made me cry and it's good that it did. Thank you so much Leena, the world needs to listen
Pretty sure this is the best thing I’ve ever seen on UA-cam. I struggle to find the time and energy to articulate my deep feelings about the world around me, this perfectly sums up my thoughts my entire adult life. I’ll be sharing on insta and hope a lot of people who follow me watch this. Seriously bloody amazing.
this got me feeling all sorts of ways, tearing up at the end. thank you for your message, it's something everyone needs now more than ever
These are exactly the kind of questions I keep asking myself! Thank you for putting them into words and for giving advice on how to start acting!! xx
Leena this is such an amazing video and so thought provoking! Especially what you said about turning veggie - the subconscious blinkers that you have reconfigured
Wow, Leena this video is SO GOOD!!! Thank you so much! I will rewatch this many times over the next days or maybe I'll transcribe it and hang it on my walls, so many people need to hear this so bad (including me)!!
Woooah how did I miss this?! This should be shared everywhere❤️
I definitely struggle with becoming apathetic to issues I know in my gut are incredibly important when I feel under threat. I'm currently fresh out of uni and trying to choose which path I want to go down career-wise, and it's so so hard to stay true to your convictions about which industries are good for the world and deserve my energy when money, job security, reputation and the sunk-cost-fallacy of previous investment in certain beliefs get involved. I think this time of people's life (post-uni, when aspirations have to turn into action) can really show how strong a person's convictions are. Thank you for reaffirming mine, Leena!
I keep coming back to this video essay. It's just so well written and apt. Amazing job Leena 💜
Yessss, before you brought the book out I was like, "oh she would love the Ministry of Nostalgia" and boom! you bring it out and make the message very accessible. You wonder :)
Your videos are so beautifully shot and put together and you have an incredible talent to phrase your thoughts on the current moment so eloquently and combine culture, history and politics, thank you :)! Had no idea that the keep calm and carry on poster is a relict of WW2 and it makes me really happy to hear that you've been able to build a habit of eating vegetarian
This is a work of genius, I’ll definitely be coming back to it when the apathy inevitably takes over. Also feeling inspired for a little art project. For the past year I’ve been living back in my teenage bedroom, with a door covered by a huge Keep calm and Carry on poster, on a Union Jack background no less! I got it during my first visit to London at the height of its popularity; in the meantime I’ve learned about its history and have a much clearer image of British history and society after living there than the culture I was taught to idealise in a bilingual college in Romania. I just ignore the poster now but it’s been bugging me for too long. Screw nostalgia, you can bet I’m gonna collage the hell out of it into a much more apt STOP SLEEPING & START MOVING poster.
This video hit very hard! The observation of how things changed so drastically during the War was also so eye-opening. Also, any advice on working on change when also dealing with mental health issues?
I'll never be able to look at Keep Calm Carry On merch the same way ever again...(and that's a good thing)
My favourite thing about your videos is that they make me think and reflect from perspectives I never would have thought of myself 🙌💕
god leena your videos lately just keep blowing my mind and this was especially thought provoking. i can't believe i never thought to connect the fact that society was changed pretty hugely during ww2 and now, during MULTIPLE pretty huge global crises, collectively we aren't doing ANYTHING, even though clearly we could and NEED TO. also, the thought about fast fashion really hit me - i think we're so damn used to seeing black and brown people in inhumane situations that it just doesn't really hit us the way it should anymore (kind of the way smokers see those cancer images on cigarette packs all the time and still continue to buy them?). shit's fucked and i want to share this video with EVERYONE
I appreciate you speaking about these topics so much - it is not easy and it is not comfortable but it is necessary. Life can seem to difficult to handle sometimes but at least this video, the Gumption club and many lovely commenters are making me feel that there is quite a number of people worldwide, who care and seek change. While there are no easy and quick solutions, I think that pushing the conversation forward, 1% forward or less every time, might bring about real change in the future. I think that our generation will have a tough time in trying to balance out the energy spent on solving climate crisis, racism, discrimination and more, with taking care of our mental health and not becoming overwhelmed so much that we will implode and stop caring altogether or not care anymore because there is no energy left. At least, this is what I will try to do in my work - empower others, give them information and help them to take care of their mental health when they need it.
Truly great video ! Motivates me to make the same choices as you and seeing you embracing those ideas makes me realize I can do as well ! Resist apathy !!
I'm speechless at how good this video is - but just because I don't have the words doesn't mean I'll use that as an excuse to privately re-evaluate some of my own actions! So thank you!
Gosh wow the algorithm only just recommended me to you and this is fantastic! Such an entertaining and hilarious way to deliver your message too, Just wow.. one of the most intelligent and relatable UA-camr I have ever encountered. Hitting that subscribe button pronto! Thank you Leena you cheered me right the eff up! x
Aw thank you and WELCOME 🙏
This is probably one if my favourite videos of yours, and I love a LOT of your videos. Really well said, definitely encouraged me and given me loads to think about. Thank u
Aw thank you! That means a lot - it's not my * biggest * video but I put a lot of love in to it so lovely to see people are still watching and getting something out of it 💜
Trying to be conscious of so much all the time is quite exhausting, which is why I admire you so much!
I love your video essays SO much! Thank you for all the work and research.
Ok this is the most thought provoking video I have watched in like, forever. Thank you so much for making & sharing this!
This is so eye opening and so well thought out!!! Thank you for making content like this xxxxx
Such a great video! I also find it really hard to continue to act on my beliefs and values, especially when it feels like most people around me are just concerned with their own lives. It seems like they don't want to sacrifice their luxuries, and therefore they avoid really thinking about/learning more about what consequences these luxuries have for other people/ the climate (for example fast fashion and flying). I know I have been guilty of this in the past, and to some extent still am today, because if I know all the details it will be so much harder to justify continuing living my comfortable life. I am still working on becoming better at this every day, and I am trying to get the people around me to do the same. However it sometimes feels like I am being a hypocrite since I acted like them just a few years ago, and I therefore feel that I can't judge them too harshly. Complicated!
Really liked your analysis of the now comparing it to the past. Once I'm back att school (teacher) I'll be sharing this with my older pupils before they get into analysis writing. You made this (feel) so effortless. Makes it easy for me to narrow it down and explain the layers of analysis to them while they also get to listen to a really well delivered analysis of the society they inhabit right now. Well done!
Ps. My pupils are age 13-16.
I have rewatched this video so many times already... So many good, thought-provoking topics!
I have the car sharing poster in my office at work. As an urban planner concerned with sustainable mobility you want to change mobility behaviour and the poster spoke to me - in an ironic sort of way. I only have it in a small format though, because I'm german and certain topics are not really conversation starters....
😂😂😂incredible
this video is really great and taps into something I’ve been thinking a lot about in lockdown. I’ve noticed with interest many people’s (my own included) cognitive inability to process the spread of the virus (completely understandable that people can’t comprehend the scale of a global pandemic), I’ve noticed that people see things in a very binary fashion, either locked down or not locked down, or ‘well we can do this so why can’t we do that’ etc. For example, if there is a small risk of catching/transmitting corona virus with every interaction that takes place, but it is impossible to minimise your interactions (and risk) to absolute 0, it is still worth while to reduce your interactions in every possible scenario. And the idea that even if you are not an at risk person, your catching of corona virus and subsequently spreading it on, will inevitably at some point give it to a vulnerable person who may die. I found the match stick infographic really inspiring as it summed up that idea so well. It reminds me of a philosophical argument I studied at university about walking past a starving child, and proximity altering how much we care (I think the philosopher was wrong - I don’t think it’s proximity; I think it’s our cognitive ability to understand the impacts of our actions when they are so far removed from ourselves), its also invisible to see the effects of your actions, We will never see how many lives We have saved from not catching and transmitting the virus, so it’s an abstract concept. All of this has really made it concrete to me that it is so important to have government and policy that streamlines our actions so that the our effectiveness in how we fight racism/corona/climate change/etc. Is not hampered by the simple yet very difficult to overcome obstacle of our own cognition. We need to make a system where we do not have to constantly do the mentally exhausting work of relying on our (understandably weak) ability to comprehend complex issues and the consequences of our actions to do the right thing. It is impossible to have your brain alert and aware of all your actions at all times, We need policy, so that the train tracks we trundle along peacefully lead us in a positive direction, not a negative one. This is not to forgive ourselves for being apathetic, but I think it’s important to focus our attention towards making long term changes in structures, rather than focusing on single day to day behavioural decisions. Not that we should give up on these behaviours as well if you can make them into a habit; but I think shaming yourself about it is less effective than realising it’s bigger than us and our actions and instead focusing our ‘shame energy’ on the systems that allow people to act in a way that has negative consequences.
The end of the video with those three tips are KEY!!! Habits building is so important
One thing me and my friends have mentioned frequently is how, in the UK, the increasingly warm winters and longer summers are worrying regarding the climate crisis...but we're enjoying the warmth.
Really amazing video Leena! One of my favourites of yours for sure! x
This is so good. Thank you for sharing it. I won't be keeping calm anymore.
Leena. Thank you for putting these thoughts into words so eloquently.
This was the best kind of call-out - will save this video for any time I feel the apathy creeping back
Thank you Leena, this is very good. Your point about guilt and shame about past apathy really resonated with my current experience around BLM. The past few weeks have been on a journey from acknowledging injustice on an intellectual level towards a painful embodied and emotional experience, a knawing and sickening feeling of guilt. This question of how I (we) can move beyond these (relatively useless) feelings towards sustainable actions of real world change should be questions that we continue to engage with. It's a process, keep up the good work 💖
Hey Leena, this is a great video! I vaguely knew that about Stay Calm and Carry On but you gave a much more in depth and insightful interpretation/framing of it. I find myself leaning on the "I know about the weather" thing with Black history and the history of racism in America - I grew up knowing about MLK and the stars of the Civil Rights Movement, but I've learned some things in the last few weeks that make me realise I really don't KNOW-know about it.
One thing I'll say is that while I think overall your metaphor holds up and your use of the Nuremburg movie was a good illustration of your point, the thing you said right at the start about "the holocausts happening right now" hit me a little hard, as a Jew. I think if you're generalizing from the Shoah/ Holocaust it's much less loaded and much more accurate to say "genocides" rather than "holocausts".
You're totally right, that's my bad - should have said more accurately 'genocides like and on the scale of the holocaust' - will adjust in future, thanks for pointing out. Yes - I find it so interesting that cross over of experiences and weather and what we assume we know. It's overwhelming but well worth inspecting. Thanks so much for your thoughtful and lovely comment :)
Leena, this was so so great. Have you transcribed it or done captions, and if not, would you like help doing so at all? Think it would be great if this were accessible to everyone because it’s so well put together!!
I'm thinking about writing up German subtitles for this so I can sent it to friends and family. I struggle with the apathy within all of us for quite some time now and it's hard and it helps to hear that others care as well and also try to change. Gives me hope that somehow we will!
WOW. I think this is one of the best videos you've ever made?? I'm gonna have to watch it a couple times more and send it to some friends. THANK YOU.
'And give myself room to mourn and then organise", I can't really explain how hard this hit.... I'm graduating high school this year and the subjects I've chosen revolve around sociology, psychology, climate change and indigenous Australian history and culture. And during this time I am constantly feeling this immense grief for the environment and those people negatively affected by the capitalist regime in place actively degrading the planet and peoples lives. This mourning (as I'm now starting to realises is what I am feeling) has been intensified in lockdown and I have become emotionally attached to the ideas Leena talks about in this video. However, I also recognise I am in the planning phase of what to do next. Because of my geographical isolation there are no protests to attend, there are no local activism groups in my area and I don't yet have complete control over the foods and products I buy. But I see this time to start planning, to start educating myself about climate change, racism and corruption and discover the ways I can best enact change.
We can keep carrying on, it's not working for anyone at the moment, the system we're stuck in as a global market is overvaluing consumerism and exploitation and I don't want to wake up 10 years from now to the exact same arguments from white supremacist and the top 1% telling me we're fine. We Are Not FUCKING Fine
Such a great video Leena!!! Your channel is a gem!!! (hello from Australia)
I always knew I didn’t like that phrase, and now I know (how to clearly explain) why.
So much to unpack in that. Incredible video. I'll need to rewatch another few times to really understand. 🤔🤔
Honestly one of your best videos yet! Really enjoyed it, made me think and evaluate my beliefs and where they come from. x
This video is AMAZING. I can’t wait to watch it back again and really just dig into it. Thank you for all the amazing work you do x
What a FANTASTIC video. Informative, to the point and motivational. Well done Leena!
Probably the best video that I've watched during quarantine. Thank you.
I am sooooo here for this content! Thank you!
This is such an amazing video!! I never knew the origins of keep calm and carry on!!
I’m watching this very late 😂 but I have to say your videos are timeless. This is so relevant right now!
On point! thank you so much for the thought provoking and inspiring video!
your videos are just so fucking good, I always forget how good they are until you post another one
Holy moly, it's amazing how you connect dots
that's a nice way of putting it! I don't feel like a great researcher or like, an expert - but I DO love a good philosophical dot to dot!
This was a really good video. The whole 'Keep Calm and Carry On' thing has always made me feel uncoomfortable, and I've not really been able to pinpoint why. Recently, I've done a lot of figuring stuff out because I realised that the whole attitude is just another version of 'panem et circuses' / 'bread and circuses'. It's a way to appease the general population so that we don't take action. I've always felt that individualism has been prioritised over community and looking at those around. I will continue to look at the things I can do, and then do them!
Oh my God. I don't remember the last time I watched something so good on UA-cam. Thanks.
By far, one of your strongest videos! Brilliant content.
You are soooo my cup of tea I'm basically drinking you through my eyes this week 😍👍🏻😂
INCREDIBLE video, loved this (and all your stuff, really).
This is brilliant. Thank you so much for making this.
aw thank you!
Incredible video Leena x
So many amazing points in this video! One thing I have noticed from people is that when someone is doing something to challenge the norm it very quickly becomes an issue of "why are they still going on about it?" I've been lucky and privileged enough to convert to a mostly plastic free lift style but most people now just get annoyed when I mention anything relating to it. I'm wondering if it is because as soon as some people start doing something to help it automatically makes people quite defensive about what they are willing to do? Just a thought but I definitely think it can link to the 3 things you mentioned of racism, covid 19 and the climate crisis.
Thank you for this thought provoking and timely content, it’s an amazing video essay!
Oh wow leena! THank you so much!
Thank you for this video
(just an unnecessary side note: Michael's "beautiful romantic love affair" actually started when he was 15, and Hannah 36)
Yeah fair play, not unnecessary at all, I should have definitely said grooming!
Thank you, the book lost me when they romanticized child abuse. My teacher didn’t think it was bad either, but if it had been reversed genders I’m very sure it would have been made a topic of discussion. Any deeper meaning this book tried to convey was lost on me because all I could see was a monster getting convicted in the end. Then again German schools make ww2 a subject for nearly every year of your education so I still had more covering of it than I was personally comfortable with. The first time we went to a concentration camp was in 2nd grade for example. It’s a shame we spent so much time on a horrible book.