Mike Johnson says men need to stop ‘playing video games all day’ and get to work: ‘They’re draining resources’
"Return the dignity of work to young men who need to be at work instead of playing video games all day."
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Republican efforts to attach work requirements to Medicaid, suggesting that young American men are wasting their lives "playing video games all day" instead of working.
Johnson's remarks came as House Republicans pushed forward a budget framework that would help finance President Donald Trump's tax cuts, with plans to slash federal spending by trillions. GOP leaders are eyeing $880 billion in reductions to Medicaid, a move critics warn could gut health coverage for millions of low-income Americans.
https://www.latintimes.com/mike-johnson-says-men-need-stop-playing-video-games-all-day-get-work-theyre-draining-580534Open linkView original on lemmy.world473
Comments150
... by paying them what they're fucking worth, asshole.
No no. Dignity is being paid minimum, getting minimal benefits like healthcare.
Don’t want to DRAIN THOSE RESOURCES.
Fucking assclown Johnson.
Sorry Mike, but one of the good things that's come out of the internet is that it's made people far more aware of just how much of the value their labor creates goes to paying for the privileged lives of worthless shitheels like you.
Upvoted for usage of the word "shitheel". Love that word.
Oh are we gonna return to the video games are evil and should be banned era of America? What's next DnD is turning kids into devil worshippers?
Yes and after that, LSD-laced Disney character stickers being handed out in elementary schools.
Jesus, these fundies were have a different panic every month in the Reagan years.
Ya gotta check your kids Halloween candy for drugs! Even though that has never happened at any time in history other than the guy poisoning his own kids (or step kids?) candy. But every year there's a big deal about it.
Who gives away drugs? What’s the business model here? How will you get repeat business?
These people don’t think things through!
My wife's grand father once told her, "Don't drive through (hippie college town near us) with your windows open because they'll throw drugs into your car." Ever since then I rolled down the windows regardless of weather. Never scored free drugs.
Have you tried looking sad when driving around with the windows down preferrably with some sort of signage that says "I am sad, free drugs would make me happy"?
"nobody ever has a stash of cocaine for emergency uses" ISAIP.
Wow, you messed up that and the attribution but I got what you were saying
Nobody has ever woken up with more crack
There's a ska/punk band called Leftöver Crack, based on this concept
ISAIP: I said as I peed
You must be fun at the urinals
Well they do say "the first one's free", but anonymously both ways? The dealer doesn't know his potential customers, the potential customer doesn't know where that shit came from? You have to be dumb to fall for such a scare story. But the kneejerk of "Our Children" is strong.
Right? Even if it was a "prank", you wouldn't see the result anyway. Nothing about it makes sense.
I mean, banning video games completely is part of Project 2025 and they've so far been pretty much following that to the tee.
I'm British and I know it's actually video nasties.
Nah, that's Harry Potter these days. Try to keep up!
These assholes talking about working lol.
They "work" 70(?) Days out of the year. On top of that they spend like 95% of their time telling billionaires what they will do for them if they give them money.
Fuck this pencil-dicked Evil Leave-it-to-Beaver looking motherfucker.
Not defending Mike Johnson here, but there's supposed to be more to it than just the days in session. About 140 in session days, which allows other days to read and research what you're legislating on. And then the lengthy recesses are so congressmen can be home to work with and listen to their constituents.
Whether or not it happens like that is a mystery, I guess.
Well, the 'listening to their constituents' thing certainly hasn't been going well lately... what with all the screaming matches, arrests, barely contained open revolts and what not.
They just kinda said those were all fake news and then stopped doing them.
The labor force participation rate for men ages 25-54 is approximately 90%.
Who the hell is he talking about? We're all working already
https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/civilian-labor-force-participation-rate.htm
Children. That's why they're eroding child labor laws.
They call 13 year old girls "young women," so it stands to reason that they're talking about getting teenage boys into the workforce for minimum wage here, yeah.
I believe you mistyped "military-aged males"
He wants you to work more for less pay to make more money for the people he actually represents.
Just classic republican nonsense. Bitching about things that don't exist. But they blast it all over, so people believe it.
You're a drain on resources you authoritarian bootlicker.
This "people should work harder" point is always made by people who haven't done a honest day's work in decades.
Seriously, what does Mike Johnson do? Sit around in rooms exchanging shitty ideas with out of touch, untouchable millionaires?
He has an app on his adult son's phone to track his porn viewing habits. He's a creep that has no ground to stand on to criticize others.
And vice versa, if I recall.
Yes. Their cult's obsession of pleasure in general is disgusting. It's probably why they want everyone else to be as miserable as they are
Um, I assume you typo'd? Does this fix it?
Yes. Their cult’s obsession of demonizing pleasure in general is disgusting. It’s probably why they want everyone else to be as miserable as they areThat stuff is creepy and we shouldn't tolerate it.
As a gamer, I believe the appropriate response is, "Suck my dick fag Johnson, your mom's a cum guzzling whore draining the resources of my balls."
Or something to that effect.
Only a seasoned Xbox Live veteran could phrase that eloquently.
They messed with gamers.
Gamers.
"My dad works for Microsoft!!"
I’ll give up my fantasy worlds when you give up yours. Yours has been far more detrimental to the world.
Fuck you, I've worked 8+ hours a day for the past 30 years & I will do whatever the fuck I want in my off time.
Reminder: Mike Johnson has never actually worked a real job.
He's a hypocrite & if there is a Hell, he'll be burning right there beside me.
That's the problem, he doesn't want people to have an off time.
I'd wager I get more done by 8 AM than Johnson gets done all day.
Bonus: I don't wake up until 9 AM.
Stop wasting your life playing vidyagaems. Start wasting your life creating shareholder value.
That's funny. Last I checked, I'm not the one taking recess for f'ing Easter of all things.
no one shut down their job and prevented everyone from working for over a week just because they didnt get their way, either.
Typical republican sophistry
Who TF think medicaid goes to people choosing not to work?
They don’t care. The cruelty is the point.
Once you work, you likely make too much to qualify for Medicaid
I didn't get the earn income tax credit this year because I earn too much even though I'm dirt poor
Lmao fuck all the way off, Christian Dominionist Captain Narnia
Big call out by a man with so much free time his son has to monitor his porn usage
That always disturbed me. It’s disturbing that he mentioned it publicly and doesn’t find anything wrong with it.
If you are interested in video games, mental health and the current moral panic about it from an actual scientific perspective... from a scientist who is also a life long fan of video games... and understands them beyond "is too much video game bad?" check out the youtube channel Psychgeist, in particular this recent video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42D9olrXL-s
If Mike Johnson gave a shit about young men, he would be terrified by the speed that mobile phone gambling, especially but not limited to sports gambling is tearing through and destroying the lives of young men in the U.S. I mean, everyone is suffering from it but demographically the whole industry seems aimed at young men.
Fuck you Mike Johnson, video games are art and you don't understand art because you are a boring-creepy ass fascist.
Let me say this emphatically, if you are out there playing video games and not really wanting to go through the hellish process of applying to jobs in the U.S. and decide to play an extremely good video game that is both mentally challenging and also a vehicle for socialization and making friends.... good. The rules of capitalism were supposed to be that if the pay and conditions you are offering employees isn't sufficient vs. the required amount of labor and time, you need to sweeten the deal as the employer, that is how bargaining works?? The fact that people like Mike Johnson always return to this rhetoric the minute the "wisdom of the market" turns not in favor of the rich tells you everything you need to know about Mike Johnson and his ilk.
fuck you, pay me - The Philharmonik 🎵 🎵 🎵 🎵
https://thephilharmonik.bandcamp.com/track/pay-me
Hours - Maky Lavendar 🎵 🎵
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3d0bcuokTk
non-acoustic version that bumps 🎵🎵🎵
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyfH8zSfTX4
https://makylavender.bandcamp.com/album/at-least-my-mom-loves-me
Makes me think of Bukowski's 'The Genius of the Crowd'...this part particularly;
"...but there is genius in their hatred
there is enough genius in their hatred to kill you
to kill anybody
not wanting solitude
not understanding solitude
they will attempt to destroy anything
that differs from their own
not being able to create art
they will not understand art
they will consider their failure as creators
only as a failure of the world"
https://youtu.be/el8BHe18owk
I‘m curious if he told Elmo the same. The
guynazi who streams gaming content from his private jet 30% of his day, posts shit on shitter 60% of the day and fucks up democracy 20% of the day.This is what these productivity gurus are referring to when they‘re talking about giving 110% every day
I was wondering if the comment wasn’t actually a swipe at that asshole.
Being CEO of 7 companies while also being the unelected head of a major government department only leaves a person with 99% of their time available for other stuff.
says guy who's job is literally nothing more than draining resources. go fuck yourself cuntface.
Now I'm gonna play video games extra hard today. Fuck you, Mike.
Also - I generate more value while taking a shit than this leech has created in his entire life.
Is he talking about Elon, or?
The Trump admin just made their fatal mistake. They. Attacked. Gamers.
BOTTOM TEXT
If the gamers get spicy, the MAGA Nazi government should produce a game in which gamers can kill the government officials they hate. The gamers will stay inside and play all day. Problem solved.
No they won't? Do you know who makes the best drone fpv pilots in Ukraine?
This isn't mentioned enough. I think it will be soon more in the near future though.
Men should stop wasting their time on nonsense like religion. Grow up. You can't leave your life based on a fairy tale.
I've been working since I was 13. But I think my avocado toast budget just can't be cut any further.
He had me at "Return the dignity of work".
I don't think that he has any intention to do that, but that would certainly go a long way towards getting people to work like he wants.
Was annoyed, then confused, then I see what you mean. Yeah, he's got no intention of actually bringing dignity back to the workplace, but some people would be willing to work if jobs were treated in a dignified way. As it is, tipping alone has ruined any possibility that the US would ever let the people "take away" the ability of rich people to have servants.
Well since its always projection with these losers, I wonder what he's been playing lately that he feels so guilty about.
Anime-based porn games... Doesn't filter out by his son.
Hypothesis: Men are leeching government funds and playing video games all day
Proof: Man with government contracts playing POE on plane
Pay people more work and have them do dignified jobs (ie: not making them pee in a bottle) and you'd have more people working.
Treat people like shit and crash the global economy, not so much.
But it's not like conservatives care about making sense of being consistent. Hang mike johnson.
Many men look at the pain/reward ratio and it's not actually worth it. People are rational: toiling away to at best afford a tiny apartment that takes up half your salary while the other half is spent on food is not alluring. Ironically, this guy is in a position to alter society so the rewards are not so small and instead he chooses moral condemnation as the tool to motivate, as though his castigation will change the equation. He may be an idiot or may be very intelligent and just exploiting the system by saying what people want to hear to distract from the real problem.
Mike Johnson, you are cordially invited to fuck all the way off with that delusional bullshit.
When the hell will 'wholly detached rich guy says other people should work harder to make him even richerer' stop being so fucking common? I see like one of these a month minimum these days. Man, fuck every one of these assclowns.
Fuck you. Pay me.
How about we all spend 20 hours a week doing actually important jobs, not 40 hours on frivolous bullshit jobs?
Problem is there are way more people than there are "important jobs"
That's why you reduce the number of hours.
Mike Johnson, you know who's "draining resources?"
Your mother.
Well-paying jobs are everywhere! In fact, I had three job offers hit me in the face just now while I was walking my dog.
........can I walk your dog?
Did you apply online?
What's wrong with this country? Can't I walk down the street without being offered a job?
Mike Johnson needs to drain my butt while I drain resources. In other words, eat shit, you fucknutter.
Devour feculence, Mr Speaker.
The work is mysterious and important
"Building new power plants and taking all the water just to service broligarchs' AI businesses is fine, though."
Get me a job that pays at least minimum wage. Anything less isn't deserving of anyone's effort.
What's the point of fighting for freedom if my free time is still dictated by the government?
What the fuck does that have to with access to medical care you absolute fucking waste of flesh‽
No one is living off of Medicare or Medicaid. No one is able to not work and instead play video games all day because of these programs. All a work requirement does is make it harder for these programs to help the people who need them. Which of course makes it more likely that they will be stu k with deteriorating health issues which will make it harder for them to work.
This is just an attempt to cut benefits for the poor to make room for tax cuts for the rich. It's all about obfuscating the cuts so they can try to dodge accountability.
Fuck you Mike Johnson. You are net drain on humanity. You are actively working to increase suffering and death. Stop pretending to love Jesus because the last time he met someone like you he whipped them and drove them out of the temple.
Absolutely. i would also like to emphasize that this would disproportionately effect people with disabilities.
Also, when I was homesteading, I didn't officially have a job and didn't make much money, but I was working far more than an average full time job and was able to support myself other than the cost for health insurance.
But the whole idea that access to healthcare should be linked to and require employment is insane and sociopathic.
They are Nazis. Nazis believe that anyone who isn't a productive cog in their industrial and military machine doesn't deserve to live. The USA needs to overthrow this Nazi regime before they start the mass exterminations.
maybe try paying a living wage first.
He's a waste of air
He does understand that neet gamers are the republican base right?
Arbeit macht frei - work sets you free
I have an idea, mike. How about you stop trying to tell people what to do in their lives and trying doing your fucking job? Parasite.
The US has the lowest unemployment rate in history. Who he fuck has time to play games?!
I like to look at the employment population ratio of those 25-54. We don't need to count college kids, and we don't need to count retired folk. This is a nice, easy measure that doesn't need many judgement calls on who has a job and who wants a job.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS12300060
And yup, it's as close to the high as it ever was.
I usually fall asleep 15 mins into playing because corporate America drains my resources 40+ hours a week.
Oh so we aren't doing massive layoffs suddenly? /s
Quit enjoying your life with games and get back to making me and my billionaire buddies more money you slacker!
... from their rich overlords.
That's what he means.
I just finished working four 12 hour shifts dealing with morons and shitty people, Mike. I'll play some god damn video games if I want to.
He hates them because they're fun and he's republican. Sad and pathetic to end up so cross.
This fucking administration...
Deportation for everyone: it's ok, we're saving Jewish people from the mean mean thought criminals.
Gut all beneficial programs: it's ok they're all parasites who play video games all day.
If the US feels like it needs more workers they should try restoring the social contract
As always, what's not said is often more telling that what is.
He values women so little that he doesn't even consider their contribution worthwhile enough to mention. It's fine for them to waste their time playing games all day. (Or he doesn't think women don't play games, which is just as poor)
Fuck you
keeps playing
Separation of church and state seems to have been a pretty good idea despite Mike's idiocy in that regard as well. Maybe we also need a separation of economy and government too since their continued mismanagement has destabilized bonds, reduced confidence in US markets due to their manipulation, and an ongoing inability to even create a budget.
"separation of government and economy" is precisely what these assholes are angling for. Regulation is very good actually when it's done on behalf of the people.
The government regulates the credit card industry without holding a monopoly on using credit cards they create, and regulates the airline industry but doesn't make everyone buy their planes. I'm not arguing against regulation, but I'm also not a fan of monopolies held in public or private sectors.
They targeted gamers.
I dare him to name a video game.
Candy crush?
Ironically, straight out of the communist country playbook. Go to Lao even today, there is a midnight curfew because you shouldn't be out late, you should be up early to work!
Well, maybe make life not suck so bad then. Make things affordable again? Let’s start there.
This must be a sign from God that I need to pursue the American dream of monetized game streaming.
They need to get back to sharing their porn playlist with their kids like good decent American folks.
Wait... You guys have all been playing video games all day?! Well damn it!
Then treat workers with dignity you asshat. Pay them well, give them the days off they need, give them a retirement to look forward to, health care, respect their time off, and STFU about what they do on their time off even if it’s just playing video games.
I'm going to start calling these motherfuckers Don Quixote, they debate strawmen as if they were fighting windmills
From time to time the ruling class has to be reminded that, as the bigger of the two classes, the working class could just eat them and start over. If we're not content with the system, we can change it anytime we like. We'll start by trying to get change by ballot box, but if you close that door for us, if you force us too... we absolutely can get change by guillotine.
Soap Box
Ballot Box
>>We're probably here<<
Ammo box
Hes totally a drain on Oxygen ressources. He should stop using it.
Possibly mildly unpopular opinion. I'd probably be happy giving up gaming to work more, say 60 hours a week total, if that meant I could fully support my family on my own income and let my wife do something other than work (if she chooses)
Just repeating what the others said, but the 40 hour work week is brutal enough on balancing home and family. When I would pull overtime shifts and work 60-80 hour weeks, only a fool would have been able to look at what was going on and call it reasonable. I'd come home from work, if it was day 6 I would throw the clothes in the wash, crawl into bed, wake up and shower, put on the work uniform, and go back to work.
Food was whatever restaurant or fast food joint a coworker was heading to, and maybe some peanut butter or crackers at home.
I was single then, and no kids or true responsibilities outside of work. It would have been insanity to try and add significant chores and child-rearing to that timetable, and any romance with the partner would be impossible. It doesn't have anything to do with gaming, much less your wife and family.
I'm not sure what your profession is but I worked a relatively easy job and 60 hours killed me, plus killed any semblance of family life I had. You're not home, and when you are you're too exhausted to do anything. With a physically gruelling job I'd imagine it would be even worse l.
I doubt you'd be happy with that long term. I had a friend who did that and it burned him out hard, working long hours for a family he hardly had time with. But maybe you're exceptional.
Regardless, it's not easy to find a job like that in this economy.
No thanks I would like a work life balance.
If I wasn’t salaried I’d be down. But I’d need a new leisure activity since gaming is my main one.
I don't want this dignity shit. I would like instead to have sex all my available time after work if I want to. Otherwise I would like to do other things.
Tell me you are out of touch with saying it
Maybe congress needs to do something themselves. These days they don't seem to be moving at all. On anything.
Hey now, the reason I game so much is cause I have insomnia. I go to work!
Couldn't you get some kind of medication to help with that from our wonderful healthcare system . . . ah, yes, I see the problem now.
He should ho share porn with his son again
Come make me
The day Mike quits his cushy job as house speaker and goes to work in the mines is the day I'll join him there
I hate that a little worm like this shithead has any power whatsoever.
This weird little freak can go fuck himself.
is he watching gay porn, or is he turns to straight porn as a closeted to "stave off his desires"
Mike Johnson has a very cab forward face. (Look it up, it was a thing.)
Stop selling iPhones ...
Dude's like 5'2, MAYBE 100lbs soaking wet, and spineless. Fuck off, bitch.
What does size even have to do with anything. Don't have to be short to be spineless or a bitch.
But he's all 3 and I'm more than a foot taller than him. He's a little bitch and I would crush him in person. But folks like him need to hide behind bullshit. Put us in the same room and I'll happily turn his bitch ass to Jello
You could’ve just said he looks like the Keebler elf’s accountant