The Game Is Rigged. That’s the Best News You’ll Hear All Year
Barry's Economics 42:53
134,840 views · 7,957 likes Watch on YouTube ↗
People love telling us that success is down to mindset, hard work and refusing to give up.
But what happens when that advice ignores the conditions people are actually trying to succeed in?
In this video, I look at the psychology of learned helplessness, the research into how we understand control over our lives, and the ways social systems can shape what we believe is possible for ourselves.
This isn't an argument for giving up. It's an argument for understanding the game you're playing, recognising the barriers in front of you, and finding a more useful way to think about what comes next.
How to Support Barry’s Economics
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomics
https://ko-fi.com/barryseconomics
https://paypal.me/barryseconomics
https://www.patreon.com/barryseconomics
Chapters
00:00 - 02:56 Intro
02:56 - 07:41 Learned Helplessness
07:41 - 19:56 The Mindset Problem
19:56 - 22:32 Headwinds vs Tailwinds
22:32 - 29:18 The Remnants of Choice & The Wrong Data Set
29:18 - 31:10 How this channel is funded
31:10 - 38:51 What message helps a young person?
38:51 - 42:52 "Inspiration Montage"
Written, Filmed and Produced By Barry ferns
Edited and Directed By John Gordillo
With Support from Kenny Waterson
Related videos
Dan Priestley & Gary Stevenson on Diary of a CEO: https://youtu.be/4yohVh4qcas
Learned helplessness - Penn State Erie material: https://youtu.be/p6TONVkJ3eI
Research & further reading
Abramson, L. Y., Seligman, M. E. P. & Teasdale, J. D. (1978). “Learned Helplessness in Humans: Critique and Reformulation.” Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1979-00305-001
Rotter, J. B. (1966). “Generalized Expectancies for Internal Versus External Control of Reinforcement.” Psychological Monographs: General and Applied. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0092976
Hoxby, C. M. & Avery, C. (2013). “The Missing ‘One-Offs’: The Hidden Supply of High-Achieving, Low-Income Students.” Brookings Papers on Economic Activity. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-missing-one-offs-the-hidden-supply-of-high-achieving-low-income-students/
Gottfredson, L. S. (1981). “Circumscription and Compromise: A Developmental Theory of Occupational Aspirations.”
https://www1.udel.edu/educ/gottfredson/reprints/1981CCtheory.pdf
Godfrey, E. B., Santos, C. E. & Burson, E. (2019). “For Better or Worse? System-Justifying Beliefs in Sixth-Grade Predict Trajectories of Self-Esteem and Behavior Across Early Adolescence.” Child Development.
https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12854
Diemer, M. A. & Blustein, D. L. (2006). “Critical Consciousness and Career Development Among Urban Youth.” Journal of Vocational Behavior.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2005.07.001
I’m Barry Ferns – a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.
No sponsors, ever.... this channel is funded by viewers:
▶ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/barryseconomics
▶ Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomics
https://paypal.me/barryseconomics
This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.
How to Support Barry’s Economics
Help us stay independent and keep making videos like this.
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomics
https://ko-fi.com/barryseconomics
https://paypal.me/barryseconomics
https://www.patreon.com/barryseconomics
Subscribe for future videos: https://www.youtube.com/@barryeconomics
More about me: https://barryferns.co.uk/
Mailing List Sign-up: https://tr.ee/0BKMVw
You can also follow me on
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryseconomics
Instagram: instagram.com/barryseconomics
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0vgya63dtCFD5tjODr7BEK?si=Bb6ftvByR1-6vG0Q2BTmMg
Twitter: twitter.com/barryseconomics
Substack: https://substack.com/@barryseconomics
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/barryseconomics.bsky.social
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/barryferns/
If you’re new to this, check out @garyseconomics first – his channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.
Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00
Want to see the stand-up side of all this?
Find my live comedy and storytelling here:
https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryferns
To learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/
#BarrysEconomics #GarysEconomics #Inequality #BehaviouralEconomics #SocialJustice #BarryFerns #ComedyWithDepth
But what happens when that advice ignores the conditions people are actually trying to succeed in?
In this video, I look at the psychology of learned helplessness, the research into how we understand control over our lives, and the ways social systems can shape what we believe is possible for ourselves.
This isn't an argument for giving up. It's an argument for understanding the game you're playing, recognising the barriers in front of you, and finding a more useful way to think about what comes next.
How to Support Barry’s Economics
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomics
https://ko-fi.com/barryseconomics
https://paypal.me/barryseconomics
https://www.patreon.com/barryseconomics
Chapters
00:00 - 02:56 Intro
02:56 - 07:41 Learned Helplessness
07:41 - 19:56 The Mindset Problem
19:56 - 22:32 Headwinds vs Tailwinds
22:32 - 29:18 The Remnants of Choice & The Wrong Data Set
29:18 - 31:10 How this channel is funded
31:10 - 38:51 What message helps a young person?
38:51 - 42:52 "Inspiration Montage"
Written, Filmed and Produced By Barry ferns
Edited and Directed By John Gordillo
With Support from Kenny Waterson
Related videos
Dan Priestley & Gary Stevenson on Diary of a CEO: https://youtu.be/4yohVh4qcas
Learned helplessness - Penn State Erie material: https://youtu.be/p6TONVkJ3eI
Research & further reading
Abramson, L. Y., Seligman, M. E. P. & Teasdale, J. D. (1978). “Learned Helplessness in Humans: Critique and Reformulation.” Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1979-00305-001
Rotter, J. B. (1966). “Generalized Expectancies for Internal Versus External Control of Reinforcement.” Psychological Monographs: General and Applied. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0092976
Hoxby, C. M. & Avery, C. (2013). “The Missing ‘One-Offs’: The Hidden Supply of High-Achieving, Low-Income Students.” Brookings Papers on Economic Activity. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-missing-one-offs-the-hidden-supply-of-high-achieving-low-income-students/
Gottfredson, L. S. (1981). “Circumscription and Compromise: A Developmental Theory of Occupational Aspirations.”
https://www1.udel.edu/educ/gottfredson/reprints/1981CCtheory.pdf
Godfrey, E. B., Santos, C. E. & Burson, E. (2019). “For Better or Worse? System-Justifying Beliefs in Sixth-Grade Predict Trajectories of Self-Esteem and Behavior Across Early Adolescence.” Child Development.
https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12854
Diemer, M. A. & Blustein, D. L. (2006). “Critical Consciousness and Career Development Among Urban Youth.” Journal of Vocational Behavior.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2005.07.001
I’m Barry Ferns – a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.
No sponsors, ever.... this channel is funded by viewers:
▶ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/barryseconomics
▶ Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomics
https://paypal.me/barryseconomics
This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.
How to Support Barry’s Economics
Help us stay independent and keep making videos like this.
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomics
https://ko-fi.com/barryseconomics
https://paypal.me/barryseconomics
https://www.patreon.com/barryseconomics
Subscribe for future videos: https://www.youtube.com/@barryeconomics
More about me: https://barryferns.co.uk/
Mailing List Sign-up: https://tr.ee/0BKMVw
You can also follow me on
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryseconomics
Instagram: instagram.com/barryseconomics
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0vgya63dtCFD5tjODr7BEK?si=Bb6ftvByR1-6vG0Q2BTmMg
Twitter: twitter.com/barryseconomics
Substack: https://substack.com/@barryseconomics
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/barryseconomics.bsky.social
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/barryferns/
If you’re new to this, check out @garyseconomics first – his channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.
Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00
Want to see the stand-up side of all this?
Find my live comedy and storytelling here:
https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryferns
To learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/
#BarrysEconomics #GarysEconomics #Inequality #BehaviouralEconomics #SocialJustice #BarryFerns #ComedyWithDepth
Category (YouTube): People & Blogs
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