Why Billie Eilish & Harry Styles Are Going To Get Hurt, the UAW Scandal, & Oregon's Mushrooms
– Sup, you beautiful bastards. Welcome back to “The Philip DeFranco Show.” Hope you had a fantastic Sunday. Also, friendly reminder, if you missed last week, “Freestyle the News” is now over on its dedicated channel, youtube.com/@ZaidTabani. It’s the top link down below. Definitely check it out after today’s show and go subscribe. But, we got a lot to talk about today, so buckle up, make sure you’re subscribed, and let’s just jump into it. (air whooshes) Starting with, what the hell’s happening at concerts? Over the last few days, you may have seen, there have been tons of headlines
and TikToks of people sharing stories, about wild fan behavior at concerts. With a number of sparking debates about whether or not the behavior crosses a line. Starting with the example of this viral clip from a Billy Eilish concert, where someone in the crowd is essentially trying to out-sing Billy. (concert goer screaming off-key) ♪ I’m not afraid anymore ♪ – Or that video containing clips from multiple songs, so it seems that person was doing it throughout the entire concert, and people saying it looks like it goes beyond, like, general, kind of, like, sing-along here and there,
sort of stuff, because you have a number of fans just looking back to see who’s responsible, where they have this, kind
You also had other similar videos popping up, including one where a fan posted of an older Taylor Swift concert, claiming that they were screaming so loud that a mom asked them to calm down because they were scaring her seven year old child. ♪ Say my name and everything just stops ♪ (concert goer shrieks) (audience cheers) The people also split there, but really, one of the things that stood out the most, and this is, personally, where it gets my attention, the conversation around what is appropriate when you’re trying to get an artist’s attention. And there, it
starts with the age old debate of “should you bring a sign and hold it up?” Is that part of a concert or are you just being a jerk who’s blocking someone’s view? And, there, I learned that you do have artists, like Harry Styles, who actually sets time in shows for fans to hold those signs, so we can read a few, right? That way people can do signs, but don’t hold them up while he is singing, so people can enjoy the show, which I think absolutely makes sense, but it brings us to the thing that has
really, I’d say, pissed me off the most, and why I even brought this up. What’s going on with, what appears to be a growing trend, of throwing stuff at the musical artist that you’re watching. To use Harry Styles as an example, again, people have thrown Skittles in his eye, he’s dodge pairs of sunglasses, people have thrown phones at him. – Who threw the chicken nugget? It’s another chicken nugget.” – Which, like, he’s taken that in stride, but also, the Skittle looked like it actually hurt him. Like I said, I know it’s not a new issue.
I remember NBA YoungBoy literally threatening to fuck somebody up back in 2018 for throwing something up. I think back to Kid Cudi at Rolling Loud last year, people wouldn’t stop throwing. He says, “if you throw something else, I’m gonna leave.” He gets hit, he leaves. I also think back to Tyler, the Creator going on this, kind of, mini rant mid-concert after people were throwing stuff on stage again. (crowd roars disaprovingly) – I don’t understand the logic of throwing your (beep) up here, not only for safety reasons, but, bro, I don’t want your (beep). I don’t
want it. (audience laughs) Like, I’m not even being funny. Like, every show someone throws something up here, and I don’t understand the logic. Like, why do you think you think I want your (beep). Then if I slip and break my foot? Stop throwing that (beep) up here, bro. Now, you look stupid. Now, everyone around you is looking at you, like a real (beep) idiot. (audience roars angrily) Stop. I guess, with this first kind of quick story, I do wanna pass the question off, specifically, to people who are, maybe, more frequent concert goers. Have you personally
seen that there are more and more instances like this, or do you think there’s just increased visibility on stuff like this, because of the rise of social media? Or, on the other hand, with the rise of social media, does more of this happen because people are like, “oh, I could do something and it might go viral?” Or, I guess, final question for the people that are complaining about the things that we talked about, are people becoming too sensitive to what crowd etiquette is? Any and all thoughts, let me know. In business news, the future of
the American working class is hanging by a thread in this election. And, no, I’m not talking about, like, a Trump versus Biden scenario, though that would be important, as well. Rather, I wanna take a hard look at the race for the presidency of the United Auto Workers, or UAW. It’s one of the oldest and most influential unions Uncle Sam ever expelled out of its body. All right, since it’s founding in 1935, the UAW has branched out to more than just vehicles, organizing sectors from hospitals and universities, to publishers and aerospace companies, with more than 600
local unions, taking on some 1000 employers. But, ever since it peaked at close to 2 million members in the late seventies, the UAW has declined. Enjoying an active membership today of just 400,000 people in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. And, this is due to a bunch of factors, including an economic crisis, and the stripping away of labor protections by Reagan, as well as Deindustrialization, brought about by foreign competition, from the likes of Volkswagen, Toyota, and Nissan, all of which hit the automotive industry especially hard forcing the UAW to make concessions on wages, benefits, and
job security, right? It was mirroring trends across the rest of the economy, most notably how the share of US workers in a union now stands at just 10%, the lowest since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began gathering data four decades ago. When you just look at private sector workers, that share drops to a meager 6%. But, for many workers in the UAW, none of this was inevitable, right? They feel let down by corrupt complacent union leadership, that’s closer to the companies they should be fighting against, than the workers they should be advocating for. And, when
I say corrupt, understand I mean, literally, because for the past five years the UAW’s been wading through this swamp of fraud and embezzlement convictions, that has taken down two former presidents, as well as over a dozen top officials. With the former presidents, Gary Jones and Dennis Williams wasting millions of dollars in membership dues on things like vacations, going golfing, champagne, lavish dinners, fancy cigars, and Palm Spring villas, as well as just some absurd and random expenses, like $95,000 worth of backpacks with the former secretary treasurer’s name on them to be handed out at conferences. You
know, necessities. And then, on top of all that union leaders were caught taking bribes from Fiat Chrysler, in exchange for concessions on contract negotiations for more than eight years. With all this coming to light, you had a lot of workers going, “all right, the union needs a deep clean, let’s start with the election process.” All right, because normally, delegates just picked the leadership at a convention, meaning the decision-making process was tainted by favoritism, and didn’t always reflect the wishes of the Rank and File. But, in 2021, there was an overwhelmingly supported referendum, changing the union’s
constitution to allow for direct election to leaders, meaning that one member gets one vote. And, last November, the first such election took place with the incumbent Ray Curry standing up against the progressive reformer, Shawn Fain, right? And Fain is an electrician by trade, from Indiana, where he began working at a Chrysler plant in 1994, and has been a union member ever since. And, as the corruption scandals were unfolding, he was an outspoken voice against Curry’s administration caucus, basically the equivalent of a political party inside the union, because not only did it oppose “one member, one
vote,” it also ruled the UAW for more than 70 years. And, reformers like Fain, argued that it’s lost touch with rank and file, pointing out that Curry makes around 200 grand per year, yet still gave himself a raise last year, and increased pensions for staff at the Detroit headquarters, a move seen as a favor ahead of the election. And, then at a convention last summer, delegates initially voted to raise pay for striking workers from $400 per week, to up to $500. But, at the final hours of the meeting, after some delegates had left, the admin
caucus snuck in a motion to reverse the increase, which is especially egregious when you factor in this internal audit, obtained by The Intercept, showing that leaders significantly understated the value of their union assets to their members, telling them that the strike fund was worth $815 million, which yes, a lot, but it was also several hundreds of million short of its real value. And, very key thing there, that under valuation put it below the $850 million threshold, that would automatically reduce membership dues. So, basically, the leadership using an accounting trick to squeeze more money out of
the rank and file. Additionally, many reformers argued the admin caucus is floundered on recent strikes, with 3000 striking workers at a Volvo plant in Virginia, rejecting three contracts proposed by union negotiators before narrowly accepting the fourth, and around 10,000 workers on strike against Deere, shutting down two union proposals, and then taking the third. Then, with the shift toward electric vehicles, critics say the union hasn’t done enough to stop car companies from leaving workers behind, right? Because as gas powered engines get phased out, and old factories shut down, battery plants are popping up, in the anti-union
south instead. So, if Fain and his party, Members United, calling for a return to the days when the UAW set the standard for the working class in America, saying if they get elected, they’ll be more aggressive and confrontational with employers, make more ambitious uncompromising demands, and stick it out with striking workers for longer – The days of UAW leadership selling out your strikes are gonna be over. The days of making you vote on concessionary contracts are over. We’re not gonna settle for the scraps anymore. We’re gonna get back to setting the standard for the entire
working class. – And so, what we saw is after the first round of voting wrapped up in November, Members United emerged with two national vice presidents, three regional directors, and a secretary treasurer. Meaning, if Fain gets elected, reformers will hold a majority on the 14-member international executive board for the first time in history, something that would be absolutely massive for progressive labor activists who, not long ago, took over another of America’s most powerful unions, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. With a new leadership, they’re taking a much more aggressive posture, and organizing to combat consolidation and
wage deflation in the transportation and shipping industry. So, if the UAW follows suit, not only will this make a big splash in labor politics, but it’ll also determine the union’s position in upcoming negotiations, which is incredibly important, because contract negotiations with the big three automakers, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, they’re all scheduled for this summer. With all that, actually bring us to the most recent news that all of this hinges on, the race between Fain and Curry, where the contest went to a runoff vote and the count for that started this month, with Fain leading
by 505 votes, but he hasn’t won just yet, because there’s about 600 challenge ballots that need to be audited by an independent monitor, and, that’s still ongoing. Any day now, the final results are gonna come out and union members across North America are holding their breath in anticipation. And then, great news for gamers, and anyone who knows one, “nexus.gg,” the easiest way to get the games that you want, is a fantastic sponsor of today’s show. I’ve set up a shop with Nexus at nexus.gg/PhilDeFranco, and it doesn’t matter what platform you use, add months to an
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into the science of these treatments, also linked to it down below. And, there we talked to Matthew Johnson, a leading scientist in the field who explained why psychedelic therapies, like Ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin are so much more effective at actually helping people struggling with mental health issues. And, among the many other powerful insights, Johnson really highlighted the thesis of the series that we’re doing, and why we’re doing it. The American people and lawmakers are catching on to what science has shown us for many, many years. But, as the federal government approves more therapies and an
increasing number of states legalize them, Johnson highlighted the importance of ensuring safety. All right, well, we have a ton of research showing how successful these drugs can be. They come from controlled studies with extensive screening, preparation and follow up care, in line with very structured federal regulations. But, when states legalize these therapeutic treatments, they have to create their own rules and regulations, and design their own safety mechanisms. And, that’s an absolutely huge undertaking, because all of this is very new. For example, on January 1st, Oregon officially became the first ever state to legalize the use
of psilocybin, aka magic mushrooms, for therapeutic use, that after voters approved a ballot measure back in 2020. But, services aren’t yet being provided, because the state only just opened up applications for licenses on January 2nd, and there are four different licenses they have to review and approve, manufacturers, testing labs, service centers and therapy facilitators. Right, and, to that point, while states that approve or propose similar laws will have Oregon to look to, Oregon doesn’t really have other blueprints to draw from, at least in the United States at the state level, we’re talking about designing rules
and regulations for something that has basically never been done before, and all under the added pressure of everyone watching and scrutinizing. So, to try to get a better idea of this whole process, we talked to Angie Allbee, the Oregon Psilocybin Services section manager at Oregon Health Authority. She’s been helping lead the process, and she told us that in order to create these policies from scratch, and to be the first to forge a path many others will likely follow, she and her team have been gathering a lot of input. So, in addition to collecting feedback from
relevant government agencies, advisory boards, and committees, they’ve also been hearing from a ton of different organizations and community members, with all the explaining that they’ve really gone at this with a focus on equity, and ensuring they hear voices from underserved people, and underserved populations. – I think first and foremost, we have a responsibility to ensure that we’re really speaking with those communities that have been most impacted by the war on drugs. And so, making sure that we’re speaking with communities of color about, you know, their experiences – And, that intake has gone beyond public hearings
and sessions. Allbee’s team has also met with various groups, as they wanna provide feedback and help community circles with members of the indigenous community, and others who don’t necessarily want to speak in a public setting. – We’ve really met with folks that had experience for centuries in practicing with psilocybin, from all over the world, and also from those places where psilocybin is legal. I think that we’ve done a really great job at a robust rulemaking process, where there hasn’t been anything to draw from, other than cannabis regulation, which is a very different policy structure, than
psilocybin services, and the work that we’re doing. – And, on that last point, while Allbee says that looking at cannabis legalization has been helpful in some ways, it’s also very different. All right, cannabis laws are structured around drug policy, and a dispensary model. You go into a dispensary, a guy named Gregg with super red eyes sells you weed, and you leave. By contrast, Oregon psilocybin law is centered on health policy, right? You go to a service center, licensed professionals do intake and preparation, administer a regulated amount of psilocybin, they guide you through a therapy, and
provide support after. So, cannabis and psilocybin regulations might share similarities for growing, testing, and distributing the products, but the psilocybin law at its core is centered around health. So, there has to be a much bigger focus on the safety of patients – In our rules, there’s some examples. The informed consent process is very important for clients to understand what to expect, what are the potential benefits, what are the potential risks, the client Bill of Rights, understanding what their rights are. We have a requirement that if anyone sees abuse or suspects abuse happening that that’s reported
immediately. That’s a requirement and rule. We also have a transportation plan, so people are not gonna be able to get behind the wheel of their car, or operate heavy machinery after they leave an administration session. There’s also safety and support planning considerations. We know that it’s not just the psilocybin itself, but the preparation, the support during an administration session, and the support that comes afterward in the integration sessions. – Allbee also told us that one of our team’s biggest priorities is ensuring there are safeguards to prevent practitioners from abusing clients in a very vulnerable mental
state. So, in addition to setting requirements to ensure that the people facilitating the therapy do certain training, and meet certain standards to get licensed, they’re also required to go through criminal background checks. Though Allbee did know that there is an equity element there that makes it so the people with convictions aren’t automatically disqualified, but can be assessed to see if their history is a risk or not. And, those are just some examples, right? In addition to safety, because the entire purpose of this law is to provide mental health services, there are also has to be
a big focus on people’s ability to access care. And that includes both the physical ability to access services, and the ability to afford them. But, there also some big hurdles there. In regards to physical access, Allbee says that there’s been backlash and resistance from local governments, because of the stigma around psilocybin and the misconception that the law is going to be administered through the dispensary model like cannabis, right? That dispensary model has prompted backlash from local governments, with some jurisdictions even responding by making zoning and land-use laws more strict. So, grow houses, testing labs or
centers are restricted from operating there, and some have actually even banned psilocybin operations outright. And, on the note of affordability, because insurance won’t cover these services, Allbee says that one of our big focuses has been on lowering cost-related barriers – As a condition of receiving a license, we are requiring that applicants provide a social equity plan, and they will be responsible for providing what their metrics are, and how they’re living up to those when they do renewals. We want to build on that work more, but I think it’s a great place to begin. – Beyond
that, health authority and its partners are also looking at ways to subsidize care, and to help provide resources for people who wanna become licensed, but face cost barriers. And, again, these are just some examples. Now, as far as exactly when these services will be up and running, Allbee says, it’s hard to say exactly, because there are a ton of moving parts here. The licensing process is still underway, and each license has different requirements. Facilitators have to train and take exams while labs, producers, and service centers have to have inspections and figure out zoning laws. But,
Allbee says that she expects the services to kick-off sometime later this year. – I do think that by 2023, we will have doors opening, and hopefully by Q2 or Q3 of this year. – And, lemme just make that clear, because this is a huge deal. The first ever legal psilocybin program in America will be up and running very soon. And, Allbee says that she hopes that Oregon’s law will forge a path for other states that want to legalize psilocybin, especially when it comes to focusing on equity and structuring laws around health policy frameworks over drug
policy frameworks. – I do hope that any other states that are considering doing this work, really learn a lot about how we center equity, and the ways that certain communities have been most disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs, and other policies related to centering a drug policy framework. We’re trying to do really important work, shifting from a drug policy framework rooted in the war on drugs, to a health policy framework that really holds promise for healing and wellness and just overall health in Oregon. I also really hope that other states that are considering doing
this work really acknowledge and honor all of the knowledge and experience that has existed in this unregulated space before legalization and for thousands of years. And, also honoring indigenous communities and those tribal communities that have practiced cultural and ceremonial practices with psilocybin. – But ultimately, that’s where we are with this one. We’re obviously gonna keep our eyes to see what happens there. Also, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out, because for the next part of this series, we’re gonna be taking a look at the business side of things. Specifically focus on what it
looks like to actually provide these kinds of services. And that’s where today’s show is gonna end. Of course, whether it be this last story, or anything I talked about today, I’d love to know your thoughts or whatever mattered most to you. Also, before you leave the Tubes of You, check out that brand new banger from Zaid Tabani, “Freestyle in the News.”Click there or down below. But, as always, my name is Philip DeFranco, you’ve just been filled in. I love yo’ faces and I’ll see you tomorrow on a brand new Phillip DeFranco Show.
