How Kurzgesagt Cooks Propaganda For Billionaires
Why Hacker News recommends it
Mostly used as a critical source on how popular science channels may be shaped by billionaire funding.
What it is
The Hated One argues that Kurzgesagt acts as a propaganda vehicle for its billionaire-linked sponsors, citing funding it received. The video prompted a response from Kurzgesagt.
Recommended by 1 HN commenters across 1 different months, 2022 to 2023.
What Hacker News said
Recommends brandnewideas · 2023-11 · on “YouTube is now blocking Ad Blockers – So I just make ads run 16x faster”
Propaganda for billionaires and the various methodologies they use to control and slowly reshape society. The following video is a good start: [this video] The optimism you mention in your comment is key. Conditioning the public to perceive and blindly accept the ideas and procedures commonly discussed in many of their videos as something net-positive seems to be the primary goal. The art-style I think plays a very well-defined role in that: yes it's bland, but it's the most unlikely one to offend any one average viewer, irrespective of nationality or culture. It's just cute 2D flat birds after all.
Cites oska · 2023-05 · on “How much do you “really” earn creating content on YouTube?”
(Can't edit my comment above now so adding on by reply) My observation above was just from personal experience. But after making it I searched 'Kurzgesagt' on YouTube (just wanted to see what videos they'd recently produced) and, as well as their recent videos, that search also turned up one called Kurzgesagt: billionaire propaganda, trusting science, and effective altruism [1] which I've now watched and found that my observation has been made by others and analysed in quite some detail. That video mentioned some others on the same subject [2-3], which I haven't watched but also look interesting. [1] [LINK] [2] [this video] [3] [LINK]
Critical xenotize · 2022-12 · on “Discovery identifies Australia as birthplace of all modern mammals”
This video might give you some insight on why they use the research that they use, or rather, the lack of research they use. [this video]
Critical RoyGBivCap · 2023-05 · on “MSFT is forcing Outlook and Teams to open links in Edge and IT admins are angry”
Zoomers these days seem to think Bill is a benevolent do-gooder due to Gates foundation propaganda: [this video] Those of us who were computer nerds in the '90s know he and Microsoft were more akin to the Borg. Slashdot always used to feature Bill as Locutus on stories about him/Microsoft. This is completely on brand for microsoft. The "reform" is entirely made up. He's the same oligarch he always was, and so are they.