Guy, you gotta stop taking this fake University seriously... They are a propaganda machine.

My issues with this video:

1) They utilized definitions of parenthood centered around marriage instead of the presence of a parent. They acknowledge that the absence of marriage does not always mean the absence of a father, yet they primarily use statistics centered around marriage when these statistics do not tell the full story.

2) They center the worth of marriage around economic benefits as opposed to the strength of a relationship. It is somewhat gross to be saying that a "woman is married to the government" when she utilizes welfare, as that pretty clearly states that marriage isn't about relationships, but about financial transactions. This hearkens back to the days where a woman was seen as property owned by the husband, which shouldn't really come as much of a surprise because this is common in the bible and the raison d'etre of Prager U is centered around biblical values.

3) Implications are not statistics. It is interesting how many statistics they throw out regarding the increase of single motherhood, yet when it comes to the effect of welfare on single motherhood, they are conspicuously silent. They decide that this is the time to listen to Tupac quotes instead of checking out the science. This should be a huge red flag. When statistics suddenly go missing, that should lead you to go check it out for yourself.

So what does the evidence say? There is a lot here so bear with me.

a) The increase of the welfare state:

-Another area where evidence was conspicuously missing was the increase in welfare over time. It is heavily implied that welfare was increasing or at least consistently applied from the beginning of "the war on poverty" to now. This is simply not the case. One of the most important developments in welfare was welfare reform in the mid 90s. During this period, we saw a steep decline in welfare receipt:

This chart shows that in the '90s, welfare receipt (focused on welfare received by families) steeply decreased, however if you compare that to the rate of single motherhood, you will see that the graphs don't show a strong relation:

b) So lets talk about that. Does the science say that there is a strong relationship here?

Evidence actually indicates that the type of welfare reform succeeds in getting individuals to work, but as a result, this actually increases single parenthood. Further, reforms based around encouraging two-parent families did not make a significant difference. As such, it follows that more welfare, not less, would do more to decrease the single parenthood rate. The video argues that "marriage to the government" is harmful to the institution of marriage, however the evidence simply does not back up these claims.

4) My last two issues with this video are based not on what they said, but on what they didn't say. This video failed to speak about other factors which can reduce the single motherhood rate. These things shouldn't surprise you given that this channel is conservative, biblical propaganda. They did not mention any potential impact of abortion, or birth control or sex education on single motherhood.

5) And while they speak a lot about the harms of single motherhood, they fail to grapple with the consequences that are interwoven into this equation. While you may be more likely to go to jail if you are raised by a single mother, you are also more likely to be put into numerous other boxes which also increase your risk of going to jail, such as lack of access to childcare, poverty, poor education and lack of access to upward mobility, however, in order to grapple with these things, you have to acknowledge the harm of their solution. Their solution of reducing welfare increases poverty, decreases access to childcare, decreases education quality and decreases access to upward mobility. You cannot speak about the harms of single motherhood without acknowledging that the reason for these harms goes far beyond the lack of a father figure, and as soon as you acknowledge that, you see just how off the mark their solution actually is.

PS: I would just like to say, this is why I typically don't engage with someone who substitutes a Youtube video for an argument. You spend 30 seconds to find a shitty Prager U video and I spent an hour explaining why that video blows. I will not be responding to any other video arguments in the future. If you have an argument, make it yourself.

Well its not about the Youtube channel. Its about the person in the video who has spent half his life researching this kinda stuff. Of course its not the only thing that contributes to someone going to jail, there are many other factors to take into account, but there is data that support its a big contributor. He talks about much of what you say are missing in his other videos, articles and books. This was just a short video on the absence of fathers in the home and what consequences that can have on kids. I personally believe its the number one problem, but its certainly not the only one.

First of all, I am more than just a touch pissed about the fact that you just ignored basically my entire post. That is a shitty thing to do. Again, this is why I typically don't waste my time debating videos. You get to post bullshit while avoiding all accountability because you weren't the one who said it. It was just a small piece of the argument. The fact that everything about it was bad and wrong doesn't change anything...

Take accountability for the shit you say and the shit you post. Admit that the solution in the video you posted simply doesn't reflect the scientific reality of the impact of welfare on single motherhood.

Finally, Larry Elder is not a researcher. He has no peer reviewed papers under his belt. He does not participate in scientific studies. He is a conservative talk show host. Maybe talking heads and propagandists aren't the best sources? Maybe?

Fair enough. Ill just say your sources are propaganda like you do. But in my defense I lack melanin. So from what I hear Im basically just a savage animal. So dont expect too much. 

warned by the-pi-guy for baiting

I have no qualms with police reform, though I'd think better training and equipment would cost money. Don't really see how that's gonna do much for black lives at large though. Poor communities also having poor schools is something that really needs to change, otherwise how can these communities ever be expected to rise from poverty.

Well, I clearly wasted my morning.

If anyone wants to talk to me like an adult about the effects of welfare on single motherhood, let me know.

What are the effects? Educate me! I certainly feel guilty that I get disability money when I have no future and I know there are people who are still trying to make it in life that can't seem to get it. In my defense I've tried to have it canceled, but my parents wont allow it of course since they take most of the money from it.

I think the republicans made a huge strategic blunder in not impeaching Trump.

If a few senators would have fallen on the sword, voted to impeach Trump. Setting aside whether you think it was warranted, since let's be honest that wasn't the main factor in voting, it would have put them in a great position.

If Trump were impeached that would have raised the ire of his base with the "election was overturned" narrative. This would serve to vilify the democrats further, and encourage republican turnout. The republicans wouldn't have to run Pence, but whoever they run would have been less hated by the Democrats than Trump, which would limit enthusiasm and prevent them from running a relatively weak candidate (like... you know, Biden) on what is effectively an "anyone but Trump" platform. Meanwhile, whoever they picked would likely be more palatable to swing voters.

Instead, and of course things can change, things are looking like a democratic rout, where they can wind up with control of both houses and the presidency.

You don't need to defend yourself from anything. It is not a moral failing to receive welfare and that goes doubly for disability.

That said, in regards to single motherhood, reducing welfare generally increases single motherhood. This indicates that conservative fears regarding a welfare state are unfounded in this area. My lengthy post a couple hours ago goes into more detail on the subject.

Seeing guys like SpokenTruth and Sundin made me realize Im not very good at debating. They do their homework, research and present their opinions very well. I might not agree with everything, but I can clearly see they are very smart and passionate people. I dont usually do this, but I want to apologize to them for wasting their time. You guys deserve better. Ill just read yours and others comments and try to learn instead of embarrassing myself.


That was hard enough to admit. I need a cigarette...