I hope more people hear your lectures and ideas. Most college idealize Chomsky and others. I remember when I was in college and 9:11 happened in the morning on the way to art school and we heard what was happening in New York on radio. It was very confusing and when we got to school the campus was closed by the security and then a student started to yell, this is our fault, this happened because everything America has done. It was an art school so it was very left.

Ideas are lethal when we are not allowed to challenge them in the sunlight of critical inquiry

You a good man Nikos, you are doing good work. Rarely have i seen such intelligent, open minded, and articulate person.

I deeply appreciate this talk, this speaker, the cumulative wisdom of his experience, and the sharing of this crystallised culmination of insight and inspiration for us to hear 🙏🙏🔥💪

Verily is that saying true- 'No good deed goes unpunished'. America saved Europe's arse in WW1/WW2 and spent billions via the Marshall Plan rebuilding it. And what does it get for its pains? Hatred, vilification, contempt, and calumny. Greece was in a state of torpor and stasis for the best part of 2000 years, till it was liberated with help from the British. A little gratitude should be in order.

American idea is unique: gave constitutional state to the world; federalism; individual freedom; limited rights to government; freedom of thought; freedom to own firearms etc. If America doesn’t protect these ideas, she will become like the rest!

Monsieur Sotirakopoulos is a learned ,thoughtful intellectual. His ideas will have enormous effect on the world at large, if only they are exposed.

Whoooooo! Nikos! Yet another amazing talk! The thing about anti-Americanism already existing in 1944 surprised me. That some intellectuals saw the United States as worse than both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union shocked me. Keep up the good work!

Please forgive me for another comment. When 911 happened I was horrified at what I saw was an attack on western life by barbaric principles. I shared this with a close friend who is a Baptist minister. His response was, maybe I feel upset because I have an affiliation with the people in the towers (I was in finance in Toronto and am white, he is not). I was shocked and did not know what to say. I did not feel affiliation with New York investment bankers and traders. The horrendous deaths those people experienced was enough to be shocked. That remains my most memorable exposure to someone who, I found out, was steeped in CRT, Standpoint epistemology and a closet follower of Liberation Theology. It fractured our relationship forever.

I was born in 1961. I see a very strong movement to the left in under 45 years olds. The university and grade school teachers have been very successful in indoctrinating students. We , US , have a huge problem in the direction we’re going.

At 16 years old I happened to chance upon The Atlas Shrugged. That book *validated my own philosophy on how I was living my life then and how will be living my life till my end. *I have always been the "odd" one out.

What people often forget about the 911 attacks is that the Twin Towers mostly hosted offices for the New York state and city governments, not for bankers or financiers. When some people were cheering at the thought of bankers jumping to their deaths, it was actually just normal civil servants with modest paychecks.

This guy is doing the Lord's work, changing the world for the better, one mind at a time.

To quote Ronald Reagan: 'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.'

I am a Canadian fan of US founding principles and this is one of the best descriptions I have ever heard. Juxtaposition with other ideas about the position of the individual in society and what they should do, does a great job of underscoring these! Look into how much Marcuse despised the American good life and worked to tear it down (without getting his hands dirty of course). Anti-Americans are miserable and see that as a sign of their moral superiority.

It's very sad that this channel has only relatively few subscribers 😢. Wonderful, educational topics. Not the hate filled rhetoric of the mainstream media that tear down rather than build up.

Thank you for this interesting, thought-provoking lecture.

A very logically constructed lecture; it was clearly and decisively spoken, without hesitations and "ummms". You speak with conviction, so well done.

Love this guy - so informative

I'm your age, so I lived it like you did, watch it on tv from Italy. From the opposite point of view, being pro American all my life, so my family. Had the chance to visit the towers at night, so that day shattered me. And I knew people who were instead ok with it, if not happy. Because of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They didn't even knew about Pearl Harbor and the fact that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the counteract for it and the US fought against Hitler and Japan was an ally to Hitler. You were totally right into your speech of Israel and Palestine, you only can fight if you know the facts. And facts are a lot of Japanese people recognized that the bombs, with all the distruction and death, were at least the only way Japan was spared of the communist invasion of China. Same as Vietnam. The US were there to avoid the spreading of Chinese communism. I'm so glad to be able to listen to you, as having your particular point of view is incredibly enriching. Thanks so much! And thanks to Ayn Rand first. She's not as reknown as she deserves. Cause the so called "cultural world" is ruled by the communists.

I like this guy. Of course, I’ve heard about Ayn Rand and her works but I have never studied her philosophy in depth. This had to do with too many people having such a negative opinion about her. Now, I’m interested in forming my own opinion. Thank you and this channel for your material. I am enjoying greatly.

Great talk Nikos! If you can change your viewpoint as much as you did, then others who are as honest as you can too. America is still the nation where people only offer lip service to altruism, but live their lives pretty much rationally selfishly. I think we’ll all be much happier when offering any credence to altruism is finally thrown out. I also think, in the rest of the world, anti-Americanism will fade away when Americans can proudly assert their right to rational self interest.

Another great show, I'm addicted to watching you explain things that i never could put into words like you can and do, Keep up your Great Work

You said something that I have long felt about certain people I’ve known who were either already or would eventually become involved in the political left. There was a darkness in them. Nothing seemed to please them as much as seeing or making others feel stupid, small, insignificant, helpless, and miserable, and they seemed to enjoy it most of all when these others were those who were happily unsophisticated and untroubled by existence.

I suppose that if you are a collectivist, America is the "big bad" because America represents everything that is possible if you reject collectivism. It's funny that they don't then question their allegiance to collectivism.

In Europe antiamericanism is common especially in countries that were liberated by the Americans im WW2. These people need a scapegoat and they don't know their history.

Great food for thought Nikos

Being a country of "business" and "happiness" does not exclude using one's prosperity to help people in need. We want everyone to be free, prosperous, and happy.

With you. Once again a foreign born person of learned experience is teaching the native born Americans what they should already know.

Thanks! What a beautiful tribute to the Founding principles of America = Americanism! ❤

24:45 start of Q&A

Ευχαριστώ πολύ για την ομιλία Νίκο!!!

I truly enjoyed your speech, and how the changes you have made in your life have lead you to knowing that America is not bad and unique. But where you asked me was make America great again, the right, from my point of view America has been taken over by liberalism higher academia so much that the right is trying to get it back. We are looking for individual rights as you spoke about, we are looking for the pursuit of happiness again, we are looking for stability and family again. We may have to break a few eggs or two things wrong to get to what Americas founders originally intended for us. So yes make America great means back to principles. I’m not sure how do you see it but this is how I see it in 1000 to others that want to make America great again!

Unfortunately people just continue to exhibit their ignorance, wicked personality, and jealousy.

2009 I visited Normandy for the D-Day commemoration, and every US military reenactment participant, from the UK, Belgium, Italy, France and Germany that I met, wished Texas would invade Europe. “Don’t you mean the United States?” No, Texas. Because the liberals in the US are trying too hard to make it like Europe. ❤❤❤

Really helpful talk in understanding this issue.

Years ago I met a beautiful Pakistani and Muslim man who is traveling through America come to think of it, a few months before 911… he was from England obviously quite well offer he was traveling on holiday through America solo, supposedly he was a geologist doing something with maps. I met him in this little town I live in currently at a fruit stand and we immediately were drawn to each other. We spend some time together that summer and I remember he said that he was surprised how wonderful of Americans had been to him so I believe he has been brainwashed to hate Americans as well…. But when he got here he was really surprised how cool everybody was and he was Muslim so he had a little prayer mat so he still prayed and stuff but I guess he didn’t have to pray as often because traveling with a hardship or something… anyways I’m glad he came here so that he could meet people and see that his brainwashing was wrong… hey don’t be mad, we all get brainwashed by the people that came before us believe me I know all the racist words for all the different people from me…. But there comes a point in your own life you have to see for yourself that it’s crap and harmful to your own spirit let alone to the world and other people. I remember being on the phone with him and he asked me if I thought he had anything to do with 911 - and I remember saying to him well did you? He said no . So later we met up again in the winter and drove up to Canada to see this Muslim thing at a college… it was beautiful, I was pretty young in my 20s, and on the way back from Canada he got really intense and I don’t really know anything about politics are really the world to be honest… I was just getting started in life -I had my head in books for several years becoming a nurse. He got really extreme politics and his whole mood changed in the car and it was weird. He was saying that I didn’t stand for anything and he kept saying “my people” when really rich kid with Pakistani a parent who lived in England but he kept getting really political and quite scary about stuff in Pakistan and I I didn’t have an understanding of what was going on, not because I’m a bad person or because I was chasing material things like people think, truthfully I barely survived to become 23 I was doing drugs and drinking in and totally lost, somehow I managed to be lucky enough enough to go to treatment and do everything it took to have a better life, but because I didn’t know about the other injustices that he was talking about he was telling me I don’t stand for anything, and maybe I didn’t I was just glad to be alive trying my best. He was beautiful- physically, but he scared me and I didn’t know what to do about that but that ended our friendship.

Follow the middle path. That's a balanced life. We need money to survive . We need money for almost everything except for having empathy for others. If we combine money with feelings for others in a genuine way, our life would be very good. America was founded on pursuit of happiness individually. Now let's expand it further and make it one of the best countries in the world ( mind it , no country can become the best).

Anybody who quotes fight club at a presentation is a guy I will have a beer with

>GREAT LECTURE!! Nikos Sotirakopoulos is some one to watch in the future. My 911 Experience was very different. On the evening of 9-11-2001 I attended a monthly meeting of the John Birch Society. We were all Christians. We talked about the towers coming down. One guy said: "IT WAS THE DEVIL!" My response was: "No, it was God chastising us for not being better." >My Goals have never been "Consumerist." Don't get confused: I LOVE CONSUMING! Better not touch my stuff... @33:00 I think the Neo-Cons, religious conservatives & MAGA types are confusing European Civilization with "AMERICANISM." AMERICAN RADICAL INDIVIDUALIST CIVILIZATION is then confused with "Woke" culture. I don't see how anyone can be a Christian with out individualism. I think Christ taught individualism. While I think there is a lot of sarcasm and satire in "Atlas Shrugged", ultimately John Gault ends up being a type of Christ. IMHO

With wonderful deathless ditties We build up the world's great cities, And out of a fabulous story We fashion an empire's glory: One man with a dream, at pleasure, Shall go forth and conquer a crown; And three with a new song's measure Can trample a kingdom down.

Freedom Freedom Freedom for God is the U.S.A lifestyle. Be accountable to your individuality as a free person ❤❤❤ I love the U.S.A culture work hard for the American dreams!

To your 18-year-old self, and recognizing the darkness in your soul, we all have that opportunity to address the places where we were programmed wrong by others, and I think it’s very beautiful that you’re sharing this with us! I too had a dark soul and 18-and recognizing the truth behind it all, knowing that we are all connected, and I appreciate what you’re saying and I listen to your other talk about the left and Isreal, I just can’t wrap my head around why these liberal lunatics in America would protest against Israel when Hamas would absolutely kill them all for what they think they stand for. For not covering their blue hair. I appreciate your insight. There are normal people in America, we just live in the upside down world right now. Everything that’s happening in the Middle East is so deep and generation is after generations of fighting … I have no doubt both sides have done mean things over the years. We only get one spin around this thing, I wish the days were wasted in war… I appreciate what you said about what America stands for and what other countries say they stand for and what an interesting perspective. You’re right our constitution protects us as individuals, and like you said not everyone was included in that in the beginning and that’s gone.. too far actually… but the pendulum will swing. I think the lunatics on the far left and far right should visit other countries, to see how good they truly have it.. how good we have it. Government can’t provide that for everyone else although it seems like they try to interject the USA in every war…. And we just have to remember the people are not the government policies, I’m just trying to freaking love each other man!

Well done.

"Atlas Shrugged," the best book I've ever read, excluding the Bible.

Capitalism is liberty. USA are the most beautiful place.

the first part is a good example of how alienation doesn't need to be inherent to the ideology but to the mindset. he was pro communism and then he becames anti-communist, and still keeping its alienated mindset

"Egalitarian universalism, from which sprang the ideas of freedom and social solidarity, of an autonomous conduct of life and emancipation, of the individual morality of conscience, human rights and democracy, is the direct heir of the Judaic ethic of justice and the Christian ethic of love. This legacy, substantially unchanged, has been the object of continual critical appropriation and reinterpretation. To this day, there is no alternative to it. And in light of the current challenges of a postnational constellation, we continue to draw on the substance of this heritage. Everything else is just idle postmodern talk. " Jürgen Habermas

Thanks!

Well done!

Great talk Nikos. Loved it.

really good points

This hatred is driven by envy

Great talk. I think I generally agree with most of your thesis I do think there is likely good criticism within the capitalist system. I’ve found it hard to follow anyone who argued for one system over another is universally good while the other bad (not suggesting Niko did this). The main issue with capitalism as I see it is that much of those who ended up “winning” within the system appear to have significantly more power within that system and all over the world. Much of the world is capitalist but not free of course. But even in the USA they have so much power and influence that our democracy is being questioned. When one sees how much lobbyists influence what laws are passed and not passed. Clearly some form of government control should exist that helps balance the imbalance and fairness within the country. Yes the United States is still the best place in general to exist in but we must still work towards improving the system whatever that improvement is. Just because communism had a social safety net (that sucked - I’m from the USSR) it doesn’t mean that the United States shouldn’t have a robust system, like some European countries. No doubt that there are always new problems to face with additions to the way our governments function. There is also obviously something we should still value as a common good and pretending that selfishness is the only was I’m my view is ridiculous.

Hi! Ur amazing! Very knowledgeable and teaching methods! TY

The market has solution for everything....if it has free hands

Wow. Great talk. I learned so much

What is he saying about the “freaks in the bathtub” or “freeze in the bathtub “??

I'm thinking that when he refers to conservatism he must mean conservatism in Europe. Conservatism is a bit different in the US. It actually most closely resembles everything he described about American. Conservatism in the US is trying to preserve the American principals founded in 1776 and it is also attempting to combat the socialism/communism movement that is raging from the left.

Brave, consice and inspiring!

Pursue YOUR HAPPINESS through hard work preserverance and personal responsibility as per my loving Irish mother and Thomas Jefferson. Thk you

I feel bad for the kid that was waiting in line to make his question.

I want to offer up my services to this channel......who the hell is filming this?? They fail to anticipate the speaker's movements EVERY SINGLE TIME, and it's not like it's a surprise where he's going to go next!! For the love of God, please let me film these. I'll do it for free!!

It is truly the age of envy.

I audio on this video has a buzz that starts half way through that is very distracting!

17:20 good luck, sitting in your house and coming up with all those terrible ideas without the comforts of steady food, heating, electricity, safety, clothes, clean water.. you know, all those horrible things that are distinctly American 26:35 excellent point! Maybe, having that dress they never used in the closet, brought them comfort and identity and security because they came from profound poverty, and didn’t even have a one single dress. So maybe it already served its purpose without even having to be worn. Judge? Excellent.

THERE IS A BUZZING IN THIS VIDEO AFTER 15:00. IT IS NOT YOUR HEADPHONES!

I am a Christian and I have no problem with having material things. I don't see any dichotomy there either. The Christian position is that while you have the liberty to acquire as much material wealth for yourself - as the bible says, a righteous man leaves an inheritance for his children - they should not be the center of your existence and don't be too obsessed with them as to acquire them through dubious means. By the way, I love the US. It is the only country that I wish to live in someday because I believe in its values, culture and institutions.

5:42 7:08 8:36 11:11 13:00 15:10 20:41 36:20 39:23 39:50

💯

The last question a young lady asked, it was about a metaphorical soil, a ground to prosper, like say protestantyzm, but the speaker took it literally as a soil, dirt.. he should slow down and think about a question, and ask if he doesn’t understand it ;)

I love this guy! I also was a communist in my young age... so I feel everything he says! God bless him and USA.

"Consuming ...getting more stuff makes us happy" ,was not the point to America's freedoms. It was to be free to be free....Not materialism. That is the result , through the human condition.

I appreciate your understanding of antiamericanism and the philosophy behind it. But I don’t think that you understand what the MAGA movement is about. It is not pro-balkanization but rather anti-globalist. There is a big difference. In the USA we are losing individual freedoms for the sake of elitist goals which are designed to gradually erode the sovereignty of the nation. By saying MAGA we are saying every country should strive to become as great as it can be.

Dario Fo, I'm ashamed he was a fellow Italian.

I think the concern with consumerism isn't that people shouldn't want *things* - it's that capitalism naturally drives prodcution and marketing of addictive goods/ processes which is ultimately harmful in the pursuit of profit for profit's sake... and that these systems also result in/ tend towards increasing levels of exploitation and inequality viz. the super-rich and Bezos engaging in what Yanis has called technofeudalism. It's not as though unfettered neoliberalism doesn't have problems.

America stands for free thought, debate, and the rule of law. Read the USA constitution and bill of rights.

By his comment Ayn needs to do more research on make America great again. Like his talks though

Don’t just like and comment everyone should share on social media

Whoa.... My mind was just blown... Americanism... Is the only ism of a country

Funny how the folks telling of the nobility of sacrifice don't sacrifice anything, but others.The

The US is often criticized simply because it is an easy target for criticism. ✓ A great deal of opposition comes simply as a response to success and power; fear and envy produce a desire to attack. ✓ Inheritors of successful systems often fall short of the competence and character commensurate with the power and success they enjoy, and therefore do foolish things that tarnish the image of the system. ✓ The open and free nature of the US exposes problems that in other countries and systems carry on worse, but invisible: racism, poverty, and violence are three easy examples. ✓ There's very little risk in criticizing the US even when you clearly have your facts wrong and/or your reasoning is weak.

How much damage can a political movement do? That came from Europe's greatest philosopher?

I love America enough to point out areas for improvement. Sit down bruh

Maga movement is not the movement of the Balkans! It's the movement of the nuclear family. Mother father, children, family, freedom of religion, less government, good values, working hard and getting rewarded for that. Basically prior to 1964. I think you're just responding to his incoherence question. It doesn't even make sense to someone who is Maga.

IT IS the blame of the losers. Envy driven. The Zeitgeist of the 68 ties IS still common.

Happiness 😎 Great Speech Sir. Well put.

I can watch the world and make my own opinions

We have socialism for the government leaders. Who get free Healthcare, no taxes, their children don’t have to pay student loans, free travel cost. Double standards.

Dr. So, American Imperialism started as early as 1896. Anti-American imperialism started 1899 in the Philippines. Not 1945.

I don't think I've ever heard someone totally NOT understand what MAGA is or what we want. If I ever heard "American is the same as any other country" and wants what any other ...blah blah blah. Total ignorance. I must assume that everything else this gentleman spoke to is likely gross misinterpretation of anything to do with America.

I can 100% prove what you said was true -- I thought the exact same warped, Leftist way, when I was in high school in Singapore.

Not quite getting the anti consumerism is mostly on the right

It'll be interesting to see someone do an analysis on Singapore, which is ranked as the freest economy in the world followed closely by Switzerland.

At about 19 minutes he speaks of freed's freaks and bathtubs, I can't understand despite listening to it several times what he is speaking of, can anyone help?

Funny first guy I’m sure aspires for the “ better things higher quality “ yes bro , who are you to judge , and where does that guy draw the line , that he isn’t what he criticises .. others would use his attitude against him and he would complain

the bug in the right speaker is really irritating.

I am not Anti-American. I have trouble with the leadership. Our rights are diminishing. Businesses closing or going to China. 99% of citizens economic stature declining. Costs of everything going up unprecedentedly.

man smart borat is great

You must understand that Ayn Rand Institute is a far-right wing "think tank" with an agenda and is very biased. That is fine; they are entitled to their opinions too, but they leave out many important truths that conflict their conclusions. Please don't use this video as your only source of information on this topic.