Reposted by ideomancer
My name is not the reason we're paying $5/gallon for gas.
My name is not the reason you can't afford your groceries.
My name is not the reason you can't afford your mortgage or rent.
My name is not the reason you can't see a doctor.
Their policies are the reason.
!["In general if you mention Theorist Media, [people] are like 'I don't know what that is,'” said another Theorist Media worker. “And then you're like 'Do you know MatPat,' and they're like 'Oh yeah.' So that is a way to get people that might not have engaged with the brand for a while back."
This also provides a potential source of leverage: Theorist Media’s viewership dropped following Patrick’s departure, and while workers say that management has claimed it’s since stabilized, that doesn’t mean the company’s metrics can afford to take another big hit if, say, fans pull their support due to outrage over Lunar X’s failure to recognize the union.
"I personally think that after MatPat left, a lot of our audience kind of disengaged from the channels.”
But the sword cuts both ways: YouTube is a choppy sea in the best of times, and one or two unfavorable algorithm shifts could send workers careening overboard.
"This is a worry that predates [Patrick] retiring, that I've heard also across the industry of YouTubers. It's a volatile, volatile industry,” said a Theorist Media worker. “We are very aware that any day it could just all collapse, so that was another [indication] that we need to have severance in our contracts."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5gdejlhcswjbzraadoltdpps/bafkreicsm5x24kks3pasiguvnp6vqt2wcyibteydbtmxg7vskt3phicp4i)
