A viral video about a problem that can be seen through many lenses

Johnny Harris is a YouTuber who makes some stunning quality videos on a weekly (approximately) basis.  I say stunning quality not because of the quality of video editing or videography (although those are quite good) but for the quality of the content.  Johnny Harris does journalism the way it's supposed to be done; classic journalism.

I felt not just compelled but obligated to share one of his most recent videos on the subject of Why McDonald's Ice Cream Machines Are Always Broken.  It's a video that needs to be seen for several reasons and through several lenses.

Watch the video below a few times.  First watch it through the lens of journalism.  Look at the extent he goes to in order to validate the claims he's heard.  It's as incredible as it is commendable.  Not only does he do his due diligence research, he tries to extricate opinion, including his own from fact, and exhorts the viewer to do some investigation of their own (all while warning that doing it to the extent he did is probably not advisable). He even offers disclaimers where he feels opinions are turning up in his video.

The man deserves an award for his efforts (and this video is just one example of that).  Contrast what he does with how the mainstream media operates and the dysfunction should become pretty obvious if you are a conservative (less so if you are a raging progressive, but at least try to find something to compare it against).  Mainstream media is rife with laziness.  It is more than 50% (often far, far more)  opinion journalism and not reporting, let alone investigation.

But I've droned on too long already.  Watch the video and I'll suggest some other lenses through which to view it afterwards.

Was I right?  He even goes beyond the surface explanation was offered everywhere else.  Why?  Because it seemed far to cut and dry.  There's another lens to view this video through - skepticism.  The skepticism present in this video should inspire the viewer's skepticism in not just the same subject, but every subject - including his videos.  By not being self-serving, he actually is being self-serving because it inspires your trust as well as your skepticism. It can do both. CNN cannot claim the same and deserves far more skepticism than you afford Johnny Harris.

Now think about crony capitalism and why it stifles innovation and hurts small businesses and consumers.  This sort of counter-productive activity is being encouraged by a big business and this is just one instance. There are cozy companies being just as lazy and counter-productive as journalists. Laziness and self-serving self-interest are two distinguishing features of crony capitalism.  And crony capitalism is not limited big business; it infects government.  Bureaucracies like the IRS or the EPA that exists to feed themselves and grow themselves are not above working with Democrats who want to do the same, or big business who want to use legislation to stifle competition. It's ubiquitous as well as nefarious.

American society seems to be on an unalterable path towards an oligopoly of a few big businesses and big government, a path that inevitably leads to dictatorial fascism.  A Road To Serfdom (mandatory reading for the uninitiated) indeed. This is why we need to follow Rules For Patriots and prevent it.  This stuff truly matters - far more than your YouTube playlist, or when the next season of Stranger Things will be on Netflix.  And this brings us back to Johnny Harris and his citizen  activism.  He's doing something and trying to point out things that matter in order to stop them from happening or from continuing.  You should be doing the same.

Or at least due yourself this service: Question what you are told, question the motivation of the teller. Think for yourself and ask critical questions.