Conservative Teens vs Liberal Parents | Middle Ground

00:28:33
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVG2ZlpB8ek

Summary

TLDRLe projet Middle Ground explore des croyances divergentes parmi des personnes sur des sujets controversés. Les discussions soulignent la complexité des opinions, la lutte pour les droits individuels et les défis sociétaux modernes. À travers des conversations sur le corps, les vaccins, l'avortement et la législation sur les armes, les participants essaient de trouver un terrain d'entente tout en affirmant leur propre point de vue. L'empathie et la compréhension sont encouragées, malgré des sentiments passionnés et parfois conflictuels.

Takeaways

  • 🗣️ Les discussions portent sur des sujets sensibles.
  • 🤔 Les opinions sur le droit au corps varient considérablement.
  • 💉 La vaccination est un sujet de débat avec des implications sociales.
  • 👶 L'avortement est perçu différemment selon les expériences personnelles.
  • 🌈 Les droits des LGBTQ+ provoquent des réflexions profondes.
  • 🔫 La question de posséder des armes soulève des préoccupations sur la sécurité.
  • 💔 Les opinions politiques peuvent affecter les relations personnelles.
  • 📈 La montée des préoccupations liées au capitalisme est discutée.
  • 🌍 L'idée de rêve américain est remise en question.
  • 💪 L'importance de l'ouverture d'esprit est soulignée.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    Le narrateur introduit l'expérience sociale "Middle Ground", qui vise à rassembler des personnes ayant des croyances opposées, tout en encourageant l'empathie et la pensée critique. Les participants abordent des sujets délicats, notamment le privilège, l'avortement et les vaccins, ce qui suscite des débats passionnés sur la signification de la justice et des droits individuels.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    Dans un échange concernant le droit du gouvernement à intervenir sur le corps des individus, les participants expriment des opinions divergentes sur les vaccins et l'avortement, soulignant des considérations éthiques sur la vie et les choix personnels. Des tensions surgissent lorsque des individus accusent les autres de privilège sans en comprendre la réalité de leur vécu.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Les participants abordent le sujet des droits des LGBTQ+ et de l'identité de genre, mettant en lumière des expériences personnelles et les défis de parenté lorsqu'un enfant est transgenre. Cela ouvre une discussion sur l'acceptation sociale et la sécurité des personnes LGBTQ+, ainsi que la responsabilité parentale à cet égard.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    Le débat sur les droits à posséder des armes soulève des préoccupations de sécurité personnelle et d'auto-défense, entrecoupées d'arguments sur la régulation des armes à feu. Les participants expriment leurs expériences et leurs craintes concernant la violence, ce qui alimente une discussion sur la recherche de solutions face aux fusillades de masse et à la criminalité.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:28:33

    L'idée que "le rêve américain est mort" est mise en question, les participants partageant leurs différentes perspectives, notamment celles des immigrants. Le rêve américain est interprété comme une opportunité, mais aussi comme un concept entaché d'injustices historiques, reflétant une grande diversité de vécus et d'aspirations au sein de la société.

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Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • Qu'est-ce que le projet Middle Ground?

    C'est une expérience sociale qui réunit des personnes ayant des croyances opposées pour des discussions.

  • Quels sujets sont abordés dans cette discussion?

    Les sujets incluent le droit au corps, les vaccins, l'avortement, les droits LGBTQ+, le port d'armes, et les relations familiales affectées par des opinions politiques.

  • Pourquoi certaines personnes soutiennent-elles les mandats de vaccination?

    Elles croient que le gouvernement doit protéger la santé publique, surtout en temps de pandémie.

  • Quelle est l'opinion sur l'avortement dans cette discussion?

    Les opinions varient, avec certains considérant l'avortement comme un droit et d'autres le considérant comme une question de vie.

  • La possession d'armes est-elle considérée comme un droit humain?

    Les opinions divergent, certains soutenant que c'est un droit fondamental pour les individus de se défendre.

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  • 00:00:00
    - [Narrator] Middle Ground is a social experiment,
  • 00:00:02
    that brings humans with opposing beliefs together.
  • 00:00:04
    These discussions may contain viewpoints
  • 00:00:06
    that are the result of misinformation.
  • 00:00:08
    Remember to seek out experts,
  • 00:00:09
    and to be critical of your own biases
  • 00:00:11
    while forming an opinion.
  • 00:00:13
    Please see the humanity in each participant,
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    and as always, we encourage empathy.
  • 00:00:23
    - You're equating some minor inconveniences
  • 00:00:26
    in your privileged life to-
  • 00:00:27
    - Why would you assume my life
  • 00:00:28
    is privileged? - An unsupported-
  • 00:00:30
    - But why would you see my life as privileged though?
  • 00:00:31
    I mean, I don't say that about you.
  • 00:00:33
    Why would you see my life as privileged?
  • 00:00:34
    - I'm privileged.
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    - Okay, that's fine,
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    but why would you see my life as privileged?
  • 00:00:37
    - For one, you're a man.
  • 00:00:39
    (upbeat instrumental music)
  • 00:00:49
    - [Narrator] Step forward if you agree with the prompt.
  • 00:00:53
    The government has no right
  • 00:00:55
    to tell people what to do with their body.
  • 00:00:59
    (footsteps approaching)
  • 00:01:02
    - Vaccines.
  • 00:01:03
    - Yes.
  • 00:01:08
    Yeah, I don't think the government has the right
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    to tell you what you-
  • 00:01:10
    - I'm gonna step out, sorry.
  • 00:01:11
    - Okay. I stood here because of vaccines,
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    but I know a lot of you guys probably looking at me like,
  • 00:01:14
    "Oh, what about abortion?"
  • 00:01:16
    Now thing is, when it comes to abortion,
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    two bodies are involved.
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    It's the woman, and it's the fetus.
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    The fetus, has a heartbeat, it has DNA.
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    It should have rights.
  • 00:01:25
    - When?
  • 00:01:26
    - Life begins at conception.
  • 00:01:27
    - That's not when the heart's there though.
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    - Heart beat starts at four weeks.
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    It's not just a clump of cells, it is life.
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    At 21 weeks, it can live outside of the womb.
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    Abortion ends with murder and death.
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    - Over 90% of abortions happen within the first 10 weeks.
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    - That still, I think that's not acceptable.
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    - But they still have the potential of having life though.
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    The mortality rate of a fetus getting aborted is 100%.
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    It's gonna die when it's aborted.
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    - And you're very lucky you'll never have to experience,
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    what it's like to have to make that choice.
  • 00:01:54
    - But what if I become a father,
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    and the woman who I got pregnant wants to have an abortion,
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    it's gonna affect me.
  • 00:02:01
    - You would have a discussion with your partner then,
  • 00:02:03
    and decide what you are gonna do
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    and be glad that you have a choice,
  • 00:02:06
    - Of course. - to even discuss
  • 00:02:07
    with that partner.
  • 00:02:08
    - Unfortunately, human nature.
  • 00:02:09
    If you take away the option or the right to do that,
  • 00:02:13
    then they'll find it another way.
  • 00:02:15
    - And it will be unsafe.
  • 00:02:16
    - And would you support the mom?
  • 00:02:18
    Would you support the mom in that scenario?
  • 00:02:20
    - If the mom had an abortion or the mom-
  • 00:02:21
    - No, no, no, if she gave birth.
  • 00:02:23
    - Oh, of course.
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    I would support her, I'd say,
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    "What you do is a good thing and-"
  • 00:02:26
    - No, no, no, support her financially
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    for the rest of her life,
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    or for the rest of the baby's life.
  • 00:02:31
    - Are you talking about like,
  • 00:02:32
    what do you mean me support her, like as a citizen or?
  • 00:02:34
    - If somebody has a baby.
  • 00:02:35
    - We do have child support,
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    and it comes from taxpayer money.
  • 00:02:38
    - There's foster care, there's adoption,
  • 00:02:40
    there's mothers waiting.
  • 00:02:41
    - Those systems are very broken,
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    and people all the time are trying to stop funding
  • 00:02:46
    for programs like that.
  • 00:02:47
    - Now, I want to ask you guys,
  • 00:02:49
    do you support vaccine mandates?
  • 00:02:51
    - Yes.
  • 00:02:52
    - You stepped forward and said the government
  • 00:02:54
    shouldn't tell you what do with your body though.
  • 00:02:56
    Why would you support-
  • 00:02:57
    - My issue is, is that I believe that the government
  • 00:02:59
    should not be able to tell me what to do with my body,
  • 00:03:01
    but I have to accept the consequences,
  • 00:03:04
    for the choices that I make with my body.
  • 00:03:05
    The vaccines for instance,
  • 00:03:07
    I absolutely felt that everyone should get vaccinated.
  • 00:03:10
    Why?
  • 00:03:11
    Because this was a pandemic.
  • 00:03:12
    But if you don't want to,
  • 00:03:14
    I don't think the government should have to tell you
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    that you have to,
  • 00:03:16
    but you then have to suffer the consequences
  • 00:03:19
    of your choices.
  • 00:03:21
    Which means you cannot patronize certain places.
  • 00:03:23
    You can't put other people at risk.
  • 00:03:25
    - I know you're saying they're doing it to protect us.
  • 00:03:27
    The coronavirus has a survival rate almost 98%, 99%,
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    and we're mandating these vaccines.
  • 00:03:33
    Why are we not mandating the flu?
  • 00:03:35
    - What's frightening to me is that,
  • 00:03:36
    you're equating some minor inconveniences
  • 00:03:40
    in your privileged life to-
  • 00:03:41
    - Why would you assume my life
  • 00:03:42
    is privileged? - An unsupported-
  • 00:03:43
    - But why would you say my life is privileged though?
  • 00:03:45
    You don't know my life.
  • 00:03:46
    I don't say that about you,
  • 00:03:47
    why would you say my life is privileged?
  • 00:03:48
    - I'm privileged.
  • 00:03:49
    - Okay, that's fine,
  • 00:03:50
    but why would you assume my life is privileged?
  • 00:03:52
    - For one, you're a man.
  • 00:03:53
    - You know, most people commit suicide, are men.
  • 00:03:55
    Most people who work in dangerous workplaces are men.
  • 00:03:57
    Most people who fight in war are men.
  • 00:03:59
    - And who set that system up?
  • 00:04:01
    - Men.
  • 00:04:02
    - [Narrator] I'm gonna ask the disagreers to step forward.
  • 00:04:04
    - Well, I think I give a unique perspective on this,
  • 00:04:06
    'cause I actually do agree with the vaccine mandate.
  • 00:04:09
    I think COVID was just a huge disaster,
  • 00:04:12
    and I think it could have ended a lot sooner,
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    if things were more organized.
  • 00:04:17
    - Definitely as far as whether the government
  • 00:04:20
    should intervene on people's bodies,
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    I think there are a lot of instances
  • 00:04:23
    where the government should.
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    One to protect the society in general,
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    especially in cases, such as a pandemic,
  • 00:04:29
    where the disease could literally wipe out cities.
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    In other instances as well, such as drug use,
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    I think the government should intervene.
  • 00:04:36
    Because when you have a society that's addicted
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    to opioids or crack, it spreads like wildfire
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    and I've seen it firsthand,
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    and it's very difficult to control
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    without the help of government.
  • 00:04:46
    Now on the topic of abortion,
  • 00:04:47
    that one's very complex,
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    and in general I always want to favor
  • 00:04:51
    a woman's right to choose.
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    But I think there's also a very fundamental question
  • 00:04:54
    that both of you brought up,
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    is at what point is a fetus, a human or a person?
  • 00:05:01
    Let's say a child is eight months in the womb,
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    and at that point, the baby has a heart,
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    the baby has a brain, has legs, has arms,
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    do you think it's okay for that to be terminated?
  • 00:05:12
    - Nobody is doing that.
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    And nobody is having abortions with viable fetuses,
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    unless it is a medical emergency that will kill the baby,
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    and the mother.
  • 00:05:25
    - My name is Ben.
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    I'm a business consultant for a telecom company,
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    and I'm a liberal dad.
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    When it comes to the abortion issue,
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    I am not exactly sure where I stand.
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    I am not pro-choice or pro-life.
  • 00:05:37
    - My name is Dawn.
  • 00:05:38
    I'm a regional sales manager for a dialysis company,
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    as well as a therapist, and I'm a liberal parent.
  • 00:05:44
    As far as my views on abortion,
  • 00:05:46
    to be honest, it just makes me very sad.
  • 00:05:49
    I can't believe that we are moving backwards,
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    by taking people's rights away
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    to choose what's happening to their body.
  • 00:05:58
    - [Narrator] Not being an LGBTQ+ ally
  • 00:06:02
    makes someone a bad person.
  • 00:06:09
    - It's strong, it's a little strong.
  • 00:06:11
    - It's a general way to put it.
  • 00:06:13
    I would question someone's empathy.
  • 00:06:15
    - That's it. And their awareness
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    of the other people around them,
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    because I guarantee, you know someone-
  • 00:06:20
    - Absolutely and their environment.
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    - Right.
  • 00:06:23
    Discussing the validity of the existence
  • 00:06:25
    of other human beings, isn't a political issue, that's like-
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    - It's there. - There's something wrong
  • 00:06:31
    with you if you are like, "No trans people don't exist."
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    Obviously they do.
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    I would like to think that it's a safer world,
  • 00:06:40
    - Yes. - to be LGBTQ,
  • 00:06:41
    but that would be naive. - Of course.
  • 00:06:43
    - People are getting murdered for being trans.
  • 00:06:46
    - Yes.
  • 00:06:47
    - And gay.
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    It's scary.
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    I have three kids.
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    I have three boys. - Oh.
  • 00:06:54
    - One of them is trans.
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    I worry that.
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    I mean, for however progressive a new generation seems,
  • 00:07:05
    that I have to think about, will there be violence done?
  • 00:07:09
    Which I mean, every parent worries about violence.
  • 00:07:12
    That's part of the gig
  • 00:07:13
    of being a parent. - Yes.
  • 00:07:15
    - And I've got an extra, I've got a new layer.
  • 00:07:17
    (Cindy laughs)
  • 00:07:19
    My child is in a wonderfully privileged situation
  • 00:07:23
    - Okay. where they have
  • 00:07:23
    a lot of support.
  • 00:07:24
    - Okay, okay, that helps.
  • 00:07:26
    - But as they get older, their circle gets wider,
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    and my sphere of influence gets less effective
  • 00:07:33
    as they get older, you know?
  • 00:07:36
    Hi, I'm Cindy.
  • 00:07:38
    I am a stay-at-home mom, and I am a liberal parent.
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    One of my children came out as trans two years ago.
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    Mine and my husband's response was, "That's great.
  • 00:07:51
    Would you like to go by these pronouns,
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    and would you like to pick out a name?
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    Let's make sure that we talk to a gender specialist
  • 00:08:00
    so we know what options there are,
  • 00:08:03
    and we'll just take this one step at a time.
  • 00:08:06
    We'll move forward with the best information possible."
  • 00:08:11
    - [Narrator] Can the disagreers a step forward?
  • 00:08:16
    - I can provide a unique perspective on this
  • 00:08:18
    'cause I'm actually bisexual.
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    So I think not being an ally,
  • 00:08:24
    as long as you're not harming people,
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    you're not harassing people,
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    you're not posting on social media that these people suck,
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    then I don't think you're a bad person for that.
  • 00:08:35
    - As a Christian, I don't think that being LGBTQ aligns
  • 00:08:38
    with God's view of the family.
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    Doesn't mean that I will disrespect them
  • 00:08:43
    in any way, I just think that it's a sin.
  • 00:08:46
    - As far as your faith is concerned,
  • 00:08:48
    what would happen if your child came out to you
  • 00:08:51
    that they were gay, bisexual, trans.
  • 00:08:54
    - I think that if the sin is not practiced upon,
  • 00:08:57
    it's not a problem, it can be dealt with.
  • 00:08:59
    Especially with transitioning,
  • 00:09:01
    it usually comes from mental problems like depression,
  • 00:09:04
    anxiety, and all those things.
  • 00:09:06
    - So you think they can be kind of taught to not be gay?
  • 00:09:10
    - No. - Pray the gay away.
  • 00:09:11
    - Do you support conversion therapy?
  • 00:09:13
    - No, I don't think that we can convert anyone
  • 00:09:16
    into doing anything.
  • 00:09:17
    I would not ostracize my child,
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    but I would not support it.
  • 00:09:19
    Just like I don't support any sin.
  • 00:09:21
    - So I think that if you want to be transgender,
  • 00:09:24
    you could be transgender.
  • 00:09:25
    We live in a, again, I said a free nation.
  • 00:09:27
    But if you're asking for my opinion,
  • 00:09:28
    I believe that men and women are completely different.
  • 00:09:31
    We have different chromosomes, different bone structure.
  • 00:09:33
    If you are a transgender woman, I still view you as a man.
  • 00:09:37
    You could express yourself as a woman, that's fine.
  • 00:09:39
    But I don't believe that society should automatically,
  • 00:09:42
    say that, "Okay, you are a woman."
  • 00:09:44
    Let's say for instance,
  • 00:09:44
    there's a 18 year old biological man,
  • 00:09:47
    but says that there are a woman now,
  • 00:09:49
    they still have male genitalia.
  • 00:09:51
    They could walk into a woman's locker room,
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    and show off their male genitalia, I don't agree with that,
  • 00:09:55
    I don't think that's okay.
  • 00:09:57
    - That's not happening. - That is happening though.
  • 00:10:00
    - Is it really happening?
  • 00:10:00
    - That is literally transphobia.
  • 00:10:02
    (group chattering)
  • 00:10:04
    - Not even a trans person, it could just be a creepy guy,
  • 00:10:07
    like pretending to be-
  • 00:10:08
    - Yes, yes creepy guys.
  • 00:10:10
    I'm much more danger in a women's restroom
  • 00:10:13
    from a Cis gender straight creepy guy,
  • 00:10:17
    than I am trans person. - That gives them the excuse,
  • 00:10:18
    that's what I'm trying to say.
  • 00:10:20
    - So do you support
  • 00:10:21
    gender neutral bathrooms, - Yes.
  • 00:10:22
    like women and men can go into the same bathroom.
  • 00:10:24
    Do you think that could increase
  • 00:10:24
    the chances of rape or assault?
  • 00:10:27
    - They already exist?
  • 00:10:29
    It's interesting that men are only concerned about this rape
  • 00:10:32
    in the bathroom,
  • 00:10:33
    when we're having a conversation about trans folk.
  • 00:10:37
    - But gender neutral bathrooms
  • 00:10:38
    just stem from this idea though.
  • 00:10:39
    - No, this idea that rape is gonna suddenly go
  • 00:10:42
    on the rise because of gender neutral bathrooms,
  • 00:10:45
    stems from transphobia.
  • 00:10:49
    - I'm Eden, I'm 16 years old,
  • 00:10:51
    and I'm on the conservative teen side.
  • 00:10:53
    I think that transitioning does more harm than good,
  • 00:10:57
    and I think that we are born in the body that we're given,
  • 00:11:01
    and we should stay that way.
  • 00:11:02
    God has created us in his image
  • 00:11:05
    and I don't think we should change the way we are.
  • 00:11:08
    - [Narrator] Owning a gun is a basic human right.
  • 00:11:19
    - I absolutely hate hearing about school shootings
  • 00:11:22
    on the news, and just shootings in general, it's horrible.
  • 00:11:26
    This isn't like, Spider-Man's not gonna save people,
  • 00:11:30
    people have the right to protect themselves.
  • 00:11:32
    - A lot of mass shooters target gun-free zones
  • 00:11:35
    because they know there's not gonna be a person
  • 00:11:36
    who's going to fight against them, or shoot them back.
  • 00:11:39
    There's a lot of mass shootings at schools,
  • 00:11:41
    and that's because schools have gun free zones.
  • 00:11:44
    I view owning a gun as a right to defend myself.
  • 00:11:47
    You look at countries that have banned guns in the past,
  • 00:11:50
    the USSR, Nazi Germany.
  • 00:11:52
    You look at China under Mao Zedong,
  • 00:11:54
    they strip their citizens of arms
  • 00:11:57
    so they could oppress them.
  • 00:11:58
    And I think the reason why our founding fathers
  • 00:12:01
    enshrined the second amendment,
  • 00:12:03
    is because they wanted us to protect ourselves
  • 00:12:05
    against tyrannical government,
  • 00:12:06
    and to protect ourselves against danger around us too.
  • 00:12:09
    - I think that, from a woman's perspective,
  • 00:12:12
    if, as a woman, you get into a dangerous situation,
  • 00:12:15
    for example, with a man, having a gun
  • 00:12:17
    and knowing how to use a gun,
  • 00:12:18
    is the only way that will protect me.
  • 00:12:20
    Having my tiny little pepper spray won't help me forever.
  • 00:12:24
    I think definitely if you take away guns,
  • 00:12:26
    the bad guys will always get their guns one way or another.
  • 00:12:28
    - I live in Los Angeles, and LA has strict gun control laws.
  • 00:12:32
    This is my perspective of it.
  • 00:12:33
    I think LA has become a more dangerous city,
  • 00:12:36
    and I feel very unsafe walking down the street,
  • 00:12:39
    just not armed.
  • 00:12:40
    Crime is on the rise in America,
  • 00:12:41
    and I think one of the ways to stop crime
  • 00:12:43
    is by owning a gun.
  • 00:12:44
    - I definitely think that there should be this control
  • 00:12:47
    in place to who buys guns.
  • 00:12:49
    You couldn't just be able to go to a store and buy a gun,
  • 00:12:51
    there should be regulations into who buys guns,
  • 00:12:53
    and who shoots a gun.
  • 00:12:58
    - I actually debated whether or not I was gonna sit down,
  • 00:13:00
    because I do believe people have the right to bear arms.
  • 00:13:03
    I do.
  • 00:13:04
    My issue is what kind of arms they're bearing.
  • 00:13:06
    I believe people should get to go hunt,
  • 00:13:08
    but do you need a semi-automatic rifle to do that?
  • 00:13:12
    I'll tell you personally, I'm afraid of guns,
  • 00:13:13
    personally myself.
  • 00:13:15
    But I just think there need to be stricter regulations
  • 00:13:18
    with it.
  • 00:13:19
    - But the majority of people who die by gunshot,
  • 00:13:24
    are women in a domestic violence situation.
  • 00:13:26
    So mass shootings definitely,
  • 00:13:28
    don't want automatic rifles, against that, nobody needs 'em.
  • 00:13:31
    But the most dangerous gun, is the one in your home.
  • 00:13:34
    - I do wanna ask you a question.
  • 00:13:35
    Do you think that women should have the right to bear arms
  • 00:13:38
    to protect themselves? - Yes, yeah.
  • 00:13:41
    I'm not against the right to own guns.
  • 00:13:44
    The prompt was, do you think owning a gun is a human right?
  • 00:13:48
    And I don't agree with that.
  • 00:13:50
    - In my perspective,
  • 00:13:51
    I grew up in a gun riddled neighborhood.
  • 00:13:53
    I myself am a gun owner now,
  • 00:13:55
    because of the fact that I had to create
  • 00:13:57
    some type of means of self-defense.
  • 00:13:59
    So why did you disagree?
  • 00:14:00
    I disagree because I would prefer not to be,
  • 00:14:04
    I think it's not a human right,
  • 00:14:06
    as much as almost a necessity for a lot of people.
  • 00:14:08
    And not everyone,
  • 00:14:09
    there's a lot of neighborhoods that are very safe,
  • 00:14:11
    but even in a safe neighborhood, you can be robbed,
  • 00:14:13
    you can be killed.
  • 00:14:14
    I've been stuck up several times with a gun to my face,
  • 00:14:17
    and all I could think of is, "Man, if I die,
  • 00:14:21
    it's gonna be because I didn't have a weapon
  • 00:14:22
    to help protect me."
  • 00:14:23
    - Do you think that we should take away all guns
  • 00:14:25
    from the entire world?
  • 00:14:26
    - Yes, if there was like a magnet, like magneto from "X-Men"
  • 00:14:28
    and he just suck up all the guns,
  • 00:14:30
    I think that would be such a better place.
  • 00:14:33
    - [Narrator] My political opinions,
  • 00:14:35
    have hurt my relationships with friends and family.
  • 00:14:45
    - During 2020, when America got really like
  • 00:14:48
    politically intense, and my teacher,
  • 00:14:50
    she was very politically active,
  • 00:14:52
    and she wanted us to speak our voices,
  • 00:14:54
    and they found out I was conservative
  • 00:14:56
    and they said, "Okay, you're completely going against
  • 00:14:58
    what we believe."
  • 00:14:59
    Like the whole school's very liberal,
  • 00:15:00
    and I guess they just kind of pushed me away.
  • 00:15:03
    - Did you feel like you would get bullied after?
  • 00:15:06
    - No. I'll just get looks.
  • 00:15:08
    Some people come up and say, "You're racist,
  • 00:15:10
    or you're xenophobic."
  • 00:15:11
    They would tell me, "Oh, do you support Trump?"
  • 00:15:13
    But I just brushed it off.
  • 00:15:14
    I told them, "Hey, I respect that you think like this,
  • 00:15:17
    please respect me."
  • 00:15:18
    - I think that that is,
  • 00:15:20
    whether or not we have the same ideas,
  • 00:15:22
    I think that that is still an admirable quality.
  • 00:15:25
    - Yeah. - Despite getting looks,
  • 00:15:27
    or feeling like maybe you don't belong,
  • 00:15:30
    that you're still...
  • 00:15:32
    You have your convictions. - Yeah.
  • 00:15:34
    - So I can respect that you're convicted.
  • 00:15:37
    - Yeah. (Cindy laughs)
  • 00:15:38
    - I think being liberal,
  • 00:15:40
    we think of the right as being stuck in the sand.
  • 00:15:43
    It's interesting to hear that liberals
  • 00:15:44
    were not having his right opinion.
  • 00:15:47
    I think that everyone should have their opinion.
  • 00:15:48
    - Well, I think we're talking about issues
  • 00:15:50
    that aren't a matter of opinion,
  • 00:15:52
    but a matter of your morality,
  • 00:15:55
    the value of human lives.
  • 00:15:57
    I've had to personally block a few people on Facebook,
  • 00:16:01
    family members. - Oh wow.
  • 00:16:03
    - Mostly men that are married to the women
  • 00:16:05
    in my family.
  • 00:16:06
    Like, "Hey, this conversation is really getting personal
  • 00:16:10
    and hurtful, and if you carry on this way,
  • 00:16:13
    I'm gonna have to block you."
  • 00:16:15
    - Were they harassing you?
  • 00:16:17
    - I feel very harassed yeah, and belittled.
  • 00:16:19
    - Were you ostracized? Or was there someone that you-
  • 00:16:22
    - I think on my end, it was myself.
  • 00:16:24
    I understand people have different beliefs
  • 00:16:26
    and I respect that,
  • 00:16:27
    and I think it's good for everyone to share their beliefs.
  • 00:16:30
    That's the way we progress.
  • 00:16:31
    But I think when people become ignorant,
  • 00:16:33
    or offensive consistently, without any type of evidence,
  • 00:16:36
    or any type of backup behind that,
  • 00:16:37
    that's the point where I say,
  • 00:16:38
    "You know what? I probably shouldn't be friends with you,
  • 00:16:40
    because you may smile in my face,
  • 00:16:42
    but behind my back, you have a different sentiment."
  • 00:16:47
    - I haven't lost any relationships, because me
  • 00:16:50
    and my friends don't really dive into politics.
  • 00:16:52
    We kind of just play video games,
  • 00:16:54
    and talk about comics together.
  • 00:16:55
    I think if you lose a relationship over politics,
  • 00:16:58
    that's kind of sad.
  • 00:16:59
    - Unfortunately, it's a part of growing up.
  • 00:17:01
    - Yeah. For sure.
  • 00:17:03
    - Hopefully you won't lose any friends,
  • 00:17:04
    but usually as you get older,
  • 00:17:06
    start to see those divides a little clearer.
  • 00:17:08
    - I mean, you guys are older than us,
  • 00:17:09
    was it like this, going back, now 20 years ago?
  • 00:17:11
    - Politics has changed so much,
  • 00:17:13
    and I think you touched on it,
  • 00:17:15
    that now it's being associated,
  • 00:17:17
    policy is being associated with ethics.
  • 00:17:19
    I haven't lost any friendships
  • 00:17:21
    or relationships because I won't allow that to happen.
  • 00:17:25
    I believe that the majority of us, probably about 80%,
  • 00:17:29
    are in the middle with varying degrees.
  • 00:17:32
    And there are those people who are very, very conservative,
  • 00:17:35
    very, very ultraliberal, who are the outliers.
  • 00:17:38
    - Right, I think it's subtle.
  • 00:17:39
    Where you have somebody that you meet with
  • 00:17:41
    on a regular basis.
  • 00:17:42
    You talk with them, you have a good time.
  • 00:17:44
    If topics get brought up,
  • 00:17:45
    and it's a, "Oh, okay. You're one of those."
  • 00:17:49
    They don't tell you that to your face,
  • 00:17:50
    but it's kind of subtle.
  • 00:17:52
    - And also I think with the prevalence of social media,
  • 00:17:55
    people's opinions are a lot more out there.
  • 00:17:57
    - I never understood why anyone posted political opinions
  • 00:18:00
    on social media?
  • 00:18:01
    I think it's just annoying.
  • 00:18:02
    - Well I have three kids.
  • 00:18:03
    They know more about politics
  • 00:18:05
    than I did when I was voting age.
  • 00:18:08
    - It's annoying, yeah.
  • 00:18:10
    - I think it's very encouraging,
  • 00:18:11
    because they're gonna be more informed
  • 00:18:14
    when they are a voting age.
  • 00:18:16
    - I mean, yeah, it just makes life more divisive.
  • 00:18:19
    There's more arguments and stuff.
  • 00:18:21
    And more, and more relationships ending
  • 00:18:23
    because politics is such a big part of life.
  • 00:18:27
    - Hi, my name is Scott.
  • 00:18:29
    I am a liberal parent.
  • 00:18:32
    I have many children, I have four.
  • 00:18:34
    My oldest daughter is extremely left wing.
  • 00:18:37
    My two middle daughters are roughly right
  • 00:18:40
    in the middle there, and then Chase is conservative.
  • 00:18:43
    - My name is Chase.
  • 00:18:44
    I'm 19 years old, and I'm on the conservative teen side.
  • 00:18:47
    My dad, Scott, we talk about politics,
  • 00:18:50
    mostly gun rights, and the government, and the economy.
  • 00:18:54
    We disagree, but we like hearing each other's side.
  • 00:18:58
    - [Narrator] The feminist movement is overrated.
  • 00:19:06
    - Oh yes.
  • 00:19:08
    - The reason I sat down, is because feminism,
  • 00:19:12
    as we know it in social media,
  • 00:19:16
    and the marches, is generally run by white women.
  • 00:19:21
    And we don't have a lot of intersectionality.
  • 00:19:25
    Margaret Sanger. - Margaret Sanger.
  • 00:19:26
    - Yeah, and-
  • 00:19:27
    - Susan B. Anthony. - Susan B. Anthony,
  • 00:19:29
    total racist.
  • 00:19:30
    The women that headed up the suffragette movement,
  • 00:19:34
    they were not inclusive. - Of course, yes.
  • 00:19:36
    - And they wanted rights for white women.
  • 00:19:39
    - That's true. - And that thread
  • 00:19:40
    has followed us, to be very exclusionary to black women,
  • 00:19:46
    disabled women, women of color, indigenous women.
  • 00:19:49
    - I don't think that feminism in America
  • 00:19:51
    is based off racism.
  • 00:19:52
    The reason why there's more white feminists
  • 00:19:54
    is because there's a higher white population in America.
  • 00:19:56
    So generally there's gonna be more white feminists,
  • 00:19:59
    because of that. - Hmm.
  • 00:20:00
    - I think that definitely in the beginning of feminism,
  • 00:20:03
    feminists wanted votes for women.
  • 00:20:05
    That women would be allowed to work,
  • 00:20:07
    would be allowed to go to universities, and such.
  • 00:20:09
    I definitely agree with that,
  • 00:20:10
    but I think that feminism has gone too far
  • 00:20:12
    into saying, "My body, my choice."
  • 00:20:14
    And saying that women are not at all equal.
  • 00:20:18
    Saying that women are being suppressed by white men
  • 00:20:21
    and such things.
  • 00:20:26
    - No.
  • 00:20:27
    We got a long way to go, there's just not enough done.
  • 00:20:30
    - In America, or just in the world in general.
  • 00:20:32
    - Well, America for sure.
  • 00:20:34
    The world in general is a heck of a lot worse
  • 00:20:35
    than America. - Yeah, I agree with you.
  • 00:20:37
    - I think that women should be able to do
  • 00:20:39
    everything that men can,
  • 00:20:40
    but we also have to protect ourselves.
  • 00:20:42
    So if you wanna be a stay-at-home mom,
  • 00:20:45
    and do one of the hardest jobs on the planet,
  • 00:20:46
    you absolutely should be able to do that.
  • 00:20:48
    But you should also discuss with your partner
  • 00:20:50
    and put in things into place, so that you're protected
  • 00:20:53
    if you choose to do that.
  • 00:20:54
    Some women aren't doing that,
  • 00:20:55
    like life insurance and things like that.
  • 00:20:57
    I think part of feminism is being able
  • 00:20:59
    to take care of yourself.
  • 00:21:01
    - [Narrator] Capitalism is failing our society.
  • 00:21:10
    - This system that just values production, consumerism,
  • 00:21:17
    production, consumerism, until you die,
  • 00:21:20
    doesn't work for anybody,
  • 00:21:22
    but a very, very small percentage of billionaires,
  • 00:21:26
    and it's all baloney that the system is rigged
  • 00:21:30
    to keep workers working,
  • 00:21:32
    and the rich just keep getting richer.
  • 00:21:35
    - Yeah, I think there could be some good in capitalism,
  • 00:21:38
    which is like the innovation part of it.
  • 00:21:41
    But in general, capitalism definitely sucks from the poor.
  • 00:21:45
    There's a lot of industries
  • 00:21:46
    that definitely shouldn't have any capitalism
  • 00:21:49
    involved at all.
  • 00:21:49
    The medical field.
  • 00:21:51
    It's unjust that certain people get better care
  • 00:21:53
    than other people,
  • 00:21:54
    just because they're more financially well off.
  • 00:21:57
    Who are they to determine the value of life?
  • 00:21:59
    The healthcare system creates such profit,
  • 00:22:02
    and that profit is created off the misery of others,
  • 00:22:05
    of the illness of others,
  • 00:22:07
    including the prison system,
  • 00:22:09
    where you have jails that are privately owned.
  • 00:22:10
    Because at that point,
  • 00:22:11
    what you have is a hotel, and you want to fill up the hotel.
  • 00:22:15
    Why would there be a business, that profits off of crime,
  • 00:22:18
    that doesn't make any sense,
  • 00:22:19
    if you put profit ahead of people,
  • 00:22:21
    people are going to suffer, obviously.
  • 00:22:25
    - So you said, only the billionaire succeed in capitalism,
  • 00:22:30
    and I gotta disagree with that,
  • 00:22:32
    because I'm the CEO of my own company.
  • 00:22:34
    A couple months ago, I started a jewelry company,
  • 00:22:37
    and I'm not a billionaire,
  • 00:22:38
    but it's been relatively successful enough,
  • 00:22:41
    I can like make rent, and go through college a bit, so.
  • 00:22:45
    I think there's people like me who own a small business,
  • 00:22:47
    who capitalism really benefits.
  • 00:22:50
    - If capitalism isn't the solution,
  • 00:22:51
    then what is the solution?
  • 00:22:54
    - Do you wanna hear it?
  • 00:22:55
    - Socialism? - Socialism.
  • 00:22:57
    - Problem with democratic socialism,
  • 00:22:58
    I mean, you talk about how capitalism
  • 00:23:00
    hurts the middle class,
  • 00:23:01
    but in reality if democratic socialism was tried,
  • 00:23:03
    the middle class are gonna be paying way more taxes,
  • 00:23:05
    not just the rich.
  • 00:23:06
    You see the rich don't pay taxes because they don't work.
  • 00:23:09
    They make money off assets.
  • 00:23:10
    The middle class, they work.
  • 00:23:12
    And because they're working,
  • 00:23:13
    they're gonna be paying more taxes,
  • 00:23:15
    under a proposal like Bernie Sanders,
  • 00:23:17
    or I don't know, AOC or Ilhan Omar.
  • 00:23:20
    - I personally am okay with paying higher taxes.
  • 00:23:23
    I would love people who make billions of dollars
  • 00:23:25
    to pay their fair share of taxes.
  • 00:23:27
    But increased taxes,
  • 00:23:29
    for a better situation for people overall.
  • 00:23:32
    That is exactly what I stand for.
  • 00:23:35
    - I'm not sure that socialism is the answer.
  • 00:23:38
    Yugoslavia before World War II did okay,
  • 00:23:41
    but they didn't do all that great,
  • 00:23:42
    and they were taken over quite quickly.
  • 00:23:44
    What I'm thinking is capitalism,
  • 00:23:47
    although is not the best solution,
  • 00:23:51
    is one of the best solutions for a democratic society.
  • 00:23:54
    - Think about socialism,
  • 00:23:54
    you think about wealth distribution.
  • 00:23:56
    And then money becomes a very big role too,
  • 00:23:59
    because the ones that have less money
  • 00:24:01
    become envious of those that have more money.
  • 00:24:03
    And then money, it becomes a God,
  • 00:24:06
    because you don't want anyone else to have that money,
  • 00:24:08
    but yourself.
  • 00:24:09
    And if you, for example, look at the Scandinavian countries,
  • 00:24:12
    they have a capitalistic market,
  • 00:24:14
    but they have a socialist wealth distribution.
  • 00:24:16
    And that's why it works over there.
  • 00:24:17
    And I personally come from Europe, so I have seen that.
  • 00:24:21
    - So you think that works?
  • 00:24:22
    - I personally don't think that works.
  • 00:24:23
    I think it takes a lot of money from the rich,
  • 00:24:25
    and from the middle class.
  • 00:24:29
    - My name is Nathan, I'm 18 years old.
  • 00:24:32
    I would like to ask the other side,
  • 00:24:33
    if they believe America is the greatest country
  • 00:24:36
    in the world.
  • 00:24:37
    If they disagree with that,
  • 00:24:38
    I want to know what country they believe
  • 00:24:39
    is better than America.
  • 00:24:40
    I do believe it's a blessing and it's a privilege,
  • 00:24:43
    to live in a country that gives you the liberty
  • 00:24:45
    and freedom, and to express who you wanna be.
  • 00:24:47
    - [Narrator] The American dream is dead.
  • 00:25:01
    - I gotta say I disagree with the phrase American dream,
  • 00:25:05
    and American dream for who?
  • 00:25:08
    The native Americans we slaughtered,
  • 00:25:11
    the enslaved people.
  • 00:25:13
    This romantic idea that there's this dream,
  • 00:25:17
    is just basically marketing for capitalism.
  • 00:25:20
    It's very well funded propaganda,
  • 00:25:23
    and has it inspired, good acts,
  • 00:25:27
    and good people to do good things?
  • 00:25:29
    Of course, of course.
  • 00:25:30
    Because ultimately, in a large sense,
  • 00:25:32
    humanity is good.
  • 00:25:35
    But this idea of the American dream,
  • 00:25:40
    I think the fantasy of it is being torn apart a little bit.
  • 00:25:43
    And I think that's actually exciting,
  • 00:25:46
    because it opens up room for something better,
  • 00:25:49
    something more inclusive to grow.
  • 00:25:54
    - I think the phrase is kind of corny,
  • 00:25:56
    but the idea that someone's like building themselves up
  • 00:26:00
    in capitalism,
  • 00:26:01
    I feel like that I kind of have done that a bit
  • 00:26:03
    with my business.
  • 00:26:05
    So I don't think it's dead.
  • 00:26:07
    - I do think the American dream is dying though.
  • 00:26:08
    The American dream now,
  • 00:26:09
    is not the same as it was 30 years ago.
  • 00:26:11
    Have a family, buy a home, have a great job,
  • 00:26:14
    but now it's very difficult to buy a home.
  • 00:26:16
    Income has not increased compared to the price of a house.
  • 00:26:20
    I do think it's dying though,
  • 00:26:21
    but I don't think it's completely dead.
  • 00:26:23
    Because there's a lot of immigrants
  • 00:26:25
    who are still trying to come to America.
  • 00:26:27
    America does have the highest immigrant population,
  • 00:26:29
    14% of our population are immigrants.
  • 00:26:31
    We have a lot of people on our Southern border,
  • 00:26:33
    and I think they all want to come to America.
  • 00:26:35
    - Yeah, I think the American dream still exists,
  • 00:26:38
    and I can speak firsthand,
  • 00:26:39
    because my family came from a third world country.
  • 00:26:43
    But so does the American nightmare.
  • 00:26:44
    The people suffering, not just here,
  • 00:26:46
    but also around the world, due to policies,
  • 00:26:49
    due to exploitation, due to colonization,
  • 00:26:52
    due to a lot of issues that are directly at hand to America.
  • 00:26:56
    So there's a lot of blood on the United States hand.
  • 00:26:58
    And a lot of people don't wanna leave their home country.
  • 00:27:01
    But the situations that have been created there,
  • 00:27:03
    are forcing people to leave.
  • 00:27:05
    Like my mother would've loved to stay in Mexico,
  • 00:27:08
    but unfortunately, due to poverty,
  • 00:27:09
    which had a lot to do with NAFTA, and what happened in 1994,
  • 00:27:13
    directly caused
  • 00:27:13
    by the United States. - Yeah.
  • 00:27:15
    - Issues that created this migration.
  • 00:27:17
    So is it a better opportunity here? Yes.
  • 00:27:21
    My people come here, and we send our money back,
  • 00:27:23
    to our ancestors.
  • 00:27:24
    Would we just like to stay where we're from?
  • 00:27:26
    Yeah, that would be a much better option.
  • 00:27:28
    - As an immigrant myself,
  • 00:27:29
    I definitely think that the American dreams still exists.
  • 00:27:31
    We long for the opportunities that people have here
  • 00:27:34
    in America, for the job opportunities that people have,
  • 00:27:37
    the innovations that are available,
  • 00:27:39
    in this free market economy, this capitalist country.
  • 00:27:42
    - So the American dream is in the eye of the beholder.
  • 00:27:45
    If you're an immigrant, or if you live here, it's different.
  • 00:27:47
    It's gonna be different.
  • 00:27:49
    - I don't like the idea of the American dream,
  • 00:27:51
    but I am a person who's still gonna always believe in hope.
  • 00:27:55
    If you work hard and you take advantage of opportunities,
  • 00:27:58
    you can make a difference in your life.
  • 00:28:00
    I mean, you're an example of it, I'm so amazed by you.
  • 00:28:03
    I think it's awesome, what you're doing at such a young age.
  • 00:28:06
    I am very, very impressed with you three.
  • 00:28:09
    My hope for you is that you stay open-minded,
  • 00:28:12
    and that you're always willing to be learners,
  • 00:28:14
    and not just listeners.
  • 00:28:15
    - Yeah.
  • 00:28:17
    - [Narrator] All right, great.
  • 00:28:18
    (all clapping)
  • 00:28:22
    - Thank you for coming today. - Yeah.
  • 00:28:24
    - Appreciate it. - Thank you.
  • 00:28:26
    - Be a good lawyer someday Nathan.
  • 00:28:28
    - Thank you. (Nathan laughs)
Tags
  • discussions
  • opinions
  • droits
  • vaccins
  • avortement
  • LGBTQ+
  • posséder une arme
  • expérience sociale
  • Middle Ground
  • empathie