All language subtitles for Kal Penn Approves This Message - 1x02_track3_eng

- Tonight, I am talking about
trade schools, colleges,

technology, the global economy,

and I'm pretty sure
there's a nicki minaj reference

in there somewhere
since last week,

we shouted out cardi b.

Welcome to "kal penn
approves this message."

- ♪

- one of the upsides to this
quarantine is seeing how many

people learn to do new things.

Now, if you're like me, you have
totally squandered that time by

pounding frosé over
virtual happy hours,

largely boycotting pants,
and thinking about

what life will be like
if this never ends.

At first, I was like, "oh my
god, it would be amazing."

but then the other
part of me was like,

"frosé is a summer drink.
This is not sustainable."

I realized, "look, if this
does go on for a while,

"I should maybe join
my instabragger friends

and learn some new skills."

and thinking about all of this
reminded me of a story

about my friend nick that
I wanted to share tonight.

So a few years ago, nick
and I were eating some tacos,

as dudes do, and nick asked if
I wanted to check out this house

that he's building himself.

So I followed him in his pickup
truck for, like, 20 miles,

and I just kept thinking,
"man, this is super impressive."

at 24, nick has somehow
saved up enough money to hire

a whole contractor/construction
team to build him a house.

You guys know what
I was doing at 24?

I was wearing this oversized
fez on the tv series "angel."

yeah, you're welcome.

So we pull up to nick's house,

and it's this
beautiful, rustic cabin

that looked like it was
out of "architectural digest."

for those who don't know,
"architectural digest" is like

"us weekly," but for houses.

So while I'm checking out
nick's huge fireplace

under a double-height ceiling,

he goes, "a lot of beer
went into this living room."

and I was like, "what?"

and he goes, "yeah, you know, to
get that heavy fireplace mantle

"in here, I had to have a
bunch of friends come help out.

So I bought them a keg.
We kicked it."

and I was like, "wait
a [bleep] minute, nick.

"when you said you
built your own house,

"you mean you actually
built your own house?

"like, with your hands?

And got drunk during?"

and that's when I realized
that in terms of life skills,

going to trade school
taught nick

some really impressive things.

And it cost a fraction of
going to a four-year college.

And that's what we're
gonna talk about tonight:

Trade school, college,
and how graduates of both

fit into a rapidly changing
global economy,

all of which will be affected by

the people we decide
to elect on November 3.

When it comes to what
people do after high school,

usually there are, what?
Four main options, right?

Go into the workforce, military,
college, or go to trade school.

And tonight, I'm gonna
focus on those last two:

College and trade school.

What do I mean by college?

Community colleges,
four-year degree programs,

things that prepare for you
careers that might range from

being a teacher to a ceo to
whatever it is your friend

who unironically wears
fedoras does for a living.

Uh, this is mine, by the way.
His name is david.

David has a phd in something,
but I have no clue what he does

for a living 'cause we
just never talk about work.

By trade school, I mean
any school that teaches you

a specific set of skills
for a specific line of work.

So two systems, people, work it.

And, no, I'm not referring to

the rupaul institute
of working it, girl.

Trade schools can prepare
people for a range of careers,

whether you wanna be
a medical assistant

or an electrical worker
or a home inspector.

Those are all people
who are working it.

I have admittedly often thought
about whether I should have

applied to the rupaul
institute of working it, girl.

What do you think, brita filter?

- Hi, kal.
When I say working it,

I mean more of a
state of mind and being,

where you feel good and
you show the world who you are.

You know, getting training to
make sure that you can compete

in today's economy is another
important way of working it too.

So, work it! [laughs]

- thanks, brita.

College and trade school
are both incredibly valuable

in their own right.
But they often ridiculously

get pitted against
each other culturally.

We have all heard these
stereotypes before, right?

It's like, oh, universities
are brainwashing for the elites!

Or, trade school? What?

That's for those people who
don't wanna access college.

It's a lot of noise.
It's a lot of bullshit.

The comparisons are
a false narrative.

They're propagated by
people who live for drama.

It's a manufactured beef.

You know what it's like?
It's like nicki versus cardi.

Twitter makes me think
that I can't like them both.

But you know what?
I refuse to pick sides.

I am gonna be rap switzerland
on that one.

Whether you go to college or
trade school, you learn stuff.

You gain some knowledge.
Ideally, that gets you a job.

Ideally, that's
vital to our economy.

The thing is, the economy
doesn't just sit still.

It's always changing.
Technology evolves.

For example, when's the
last time you wrote a letter

with a fancy quill dipped
in olden-days black ink

made from the protuberances
of oak trees

where a gall wasp
has laid its eggs?

- Last week.
- Not you, david!

The point is that
most people have not.

We barely write things
at all anymore, right?

We type on keyboards.
We talk into phones.

Whether it's the quill industry
getting disrupted by pens

or the pants-making industry
getting disrupted by quarantine,

careers of today
might fade away tomorrow.

This is really something
to think about when we vote.

Some of us believe
the world's richest,

most powerful country
should fund

the education of its population.

Some of us think the government
should be far less involved.

But as this debate plays out
in the us, we gotta focus.

Other countries are
getting their citizens ready

for these jobs of the future
by investing in stem:

Science, technology,
engineering, and math.

Look, to be fair,
we're doing it too,

but is it to the same extent?

Less than 20% of
13 to 19-year-olds

are interested in stem careers.

That's not great, guys!

Even coming out of your room to
say hi to your parents' friends

polls at, like, 23%.

If we don't convince more
young people to go into stem,

we'll fall behind
in the global economy.

And it shouldn't be
hard to convince people

because stem fields are awesome.

If you still don't believe me,

take it from my friend
bill nye the science guy.

A, yes, he's my friend.
You can be jealous.

And b, when he was your age,

he thought about becoming
bill nye the bagel guy.

Bill nye the break pads guy.
Or just bill nye the guy.

But thankfully for all of us,
he chose a career in science.

And it made all the
difference for him.

- Greetings.
Bill nye, here.

Kal asked me to do a little bit
about the importance of science,

technology, engineering,
and math.

There's nothing more important.

How do you think
we even have this video?

Or you have enough food to eat?

Or the 7.7 billion other
people around the world

have enough food to eat?
Do you think it's magic?

No, people, it's science!

It's in the us constitution.

"the progress of science
and useful arts."

that's like making
things to solve problems.

Now, kal, you gotta figure out

how to put the paper
in your printer yourself.

You can do that.
You can do it.

- Now, some of you might be
wondering: Isn't this all kind

of hypocritical coming from
someone who is happily

benefiting from an education in
the arts?

And to that,
I offer you two points.

First, the arts
aren't all fun and games.

Need I remind you?

Second, check out the movement

to invest in something
called steam.

And, no, I'm not talking
about turbine lobbyists.

Steam stands for science,
technology, engineering,

arts, and the math.

The idea there is that infusing
arts curriculum into stem

will allow the united states
to not just advance technology,

but to creatively innovate it.

Aka, more jobs of the future.

Who you vote for locally and
nationally will say a lot about

the direction of our educational
system and the economy.

Will we stay competitive
with the rest of the world?

Now, some elected officials
do seem to understand genuinely

the importance of
these fields for the future.

And for the ones
who don't, well,

maybe it's time they
learned a new set of skills.

Coming up, I'm talking with
secretary hillary clinton.

- ♪

- with every new
generation of technology,

our lives are
totally transformed.

And the newest wave of
innovation is automation.

- Man: This is a conventional
18-wheeler that drives itself

thanks to a $30,000 retrofit.

- Man: Introducing do not pay,

one of the world's
first robot attorneys.

- Boeing announcing today
it plans to start testing

pilotless planes.

- Kal: That sounds terrifying
in more ways than one.

Within about 15 years, up to
47% of our current workforce

could be automated,
according to some experts.

Even the field of hitchhiking
could be automated.

- Hello, I am hitchbot,
a hitchhiking robot

from port credit, ontario.

- Kal: But a lot of humans
don't seem too worried about it

directly affecting them.

- I don't think a
robot could do my job.

- I think there are
certain aspects of my job

that could probably be
automated.

Uh, but overall,
I do not think so.

- To do my job, you have
to have empathy and compassion

towards other living beings.

I don't think
robots can do that.

- I'm confident that
you're always gonna need

that human connection,
uh, when it comes to sales.

- I've been working
as a personal trainer

for 15 years now.

I do not think a robot
could replace me right now.

- Kal: I got some
bad news for you.

But look, even if robot
trainers, pilotless planes,

and robot attorneys
aren't my thing,

I'm actually really excited
about how automation

will change the world
and revolutionize the workforce.

And I'm not the only one.

By 2022, it's estimated that
automation could actually create

58 million more jobs globally
than it's set to displace.

And one place preparing for
those jobs is girls who code--

a nonprofit organization that
aims to introduce young students

to computer science.

- I am not scared of
technology at all.

I welcome it with open arms.

The more technology
that we create,

the better our lives
will be in the future.

- I have seen so many cool
things, uh, being 3d printed,

so many cool things being built
in these past few months alone.

And I just can't wait
to see more of it

and to see where we end up.

- I love technology.

I'm not scared of technology
when it's being used in a way

that is not only accessible, but
also in a way that is committed

to making sure that humans
are at the forefront.

- This enthusiasm for automation
has also reached politicians

on both sides of the aisle.

- We should be excited about
automation because what it--

what it could potentially mean

is more time
educating ourselves,

more time creating art.

- In an innovative world, where
innovation drives the future--

and I believe that's what
we're--we're moving into--

america wins, because america
is the innovator of the world.

- But even if you're
excited about the future,

it still leaves us
with the question:

How do we prepare for
the robot revolution?

- My backup plan would be

probably coding
and data science.

- I would love to work
in museum translation,

something like that.

- Stay-at-home dog mom
and, I don't know,

sell something over instagram,

like a lot of people do
nowadays.

- If a robot took my job, I
would try to get another one.

But if I couldn't because
robots took over the world,

I would move to costa rica

and I would live off
the land, probably. [laughs]

- kal: All right,
that sounds incredible.

But they probably don't
have room for all of us,

so we need a plan.

Maybe liz reynolds,
the executive director of

mit's task force on
the work of the future,

has a better answer.

- So to the extent that whatever
education people are getting

involves an apprenticeship
or an internship or a co-op,

that is a great way to develop
skills that are really important

in the labor force
going forwards.

Government has a critical role
to play in helping workers

adjust for the
work of the future.

First and foremost
is making education

both affordable and accessible.

- Kal: So remember,
when we vote,

it's important to look at
how our representatives are

investing in us humans, because
technology will keep changing,

and so will the economy.

So we all need to get
ready for the future.

[robotic voice] I, for one,
am looking forward to it.

Coming up, I am talking to
secretary hillary clinton.

- ♪

- ♪

- welcome back, everybody!

So my guest tonight was
a very hated hall monitor

when she was
in elementary school,

and we never got over that.

She's also
a grammy-winning artist

and happened to be a
fantastic secretary of state

and senator from new york.

Please welcome
secretary hillary clinton.

- Clinton: Kal,
it's great to be with you.

And, uh, were you one of those
guys who misbehaved in the hall

or the cafeteria, huh?

- I actually did
it the other way.

I was--I was--I think I was
student body vice president.

And we would try to get away
with as much as possible.

So we would--we would misbehave,

and then the teachers
would come to us and say,

"uh, who did that?"

we'd be like, "I--I don't know.
I--I couldn't tell you."

tonight's episode is
mostly about education.

And we had discussed previously
the fields that young people

may wanna consider given
the rise in automation.

So we talked about stem.

We talked about university
versus trade school.

Back in the day, you know, did
you ever think that people could

be replaced by technology
in the way that we have been?

- Not to the extent,
uh, that we have been.

I mean, obviously we have seen
people replaced by technology.

You know, people didn't, uh,
drive horse carts when, uh,

I was growing up, as hard
as that might be to believe.

Uh, so we knew that jobs
were subject to automation.

But the acceleration of robotics
and artificial intelligence and

everything that we have seen in
the last 25, 30 years is just,

I think, faster than what
any of us could have imagined.

- I feel like we've seen
really incredible things

from young people recently,
right?

Even in promoting the show,
seems like a lot of times

journalists are the ones who
will ask, "oh, young people,

they don't really care, right?"

I'm like, "what are
you talking about?

Open your eyes!
Look at what's happening!"

they're the ones who do care.

What are things that
have inspired you recently

from youth movements?

- I think the black
lives matter movement,

started by three
young women, uh,

who have been not only focused,
but smart in how they've tried

to pick their
targets for change.

And they've gotten allies
in city councils,

in state legislatures,
and elsewhere.

Uh, I think the
climate movement.

You know, it's not
just greta thunberg.

It's countless young people.

And--and I mean
some really young.

Little kids
who now get the fact

that we're destroying
our planet.

Come on, people! Wake up!

And young people
have been saying this

and increasingly
I think are demanding, uh,

that politicians
and public officials

either act or
get out of the way.

- I'm curious about--
it seems like

you were involved in young
republicans in high school,

but then became progressive
as you got older.

What changed your
views the most?

How did that happen?

- Something happened
to me when I was, um,

a senior in high school.

I had two young women teachers.

And they, um, put on a,
uh, political convention,

because it was 1964.

So...Because of my father,
primarily, you know,

I thought I was
supporting republicans.

And so my very smart, uh,
government teacher said to me,

"okay, you're gonna
represent lyndon johnson."

and she said to my friend,

who was one of the few
democrats in our high school,

"you're gonna
represent barry goldwater."

oh, we both were
very upset, da, da.

But it forced me to actually go
to the library and come up with

arguments for a debate about
why I supported lyndon johnson.

So I really began to go,
"oh, wait a minute, you know?

Maybe--maybe there's
something to this."

and then by the time I got to
college, I was actually, um,

elected president
of the young republicans

my very first year in college.

But by December of that
first year, I decided, you know,

"I don't buy this."

- when I had the
chance to book you,

this reminds me of this--

several conversations
I had with friends, right?

Said, "I think secretary clinton

has agreed to join us
for our show."

there was a lot of pushback
from democratic friends.

Um, and I know that
you know it's there.

It's sort of like, "oh,
she might be too polarizing.

"do you--do you really want
a polarizing guest on--on

"an episode of this new show

that's encouraging
people to vote?"

and I just thought--I wanted to
ask you how that makes you feel,

whether it's exhausting.

Because to me, it's sort of
like how kumail nanjiani

is getting all the acting jobs

now that he's ripped
and way funnier than me.

Uh, is that frustrating?
Is it exhausting?

Or is that just
part of how it is?

- Now, why I am polarizing?

Well, you know,
I'm a kind of pushy woman,

if you really stop
to think about it.

And I've also pushed
hard on a lot of issues

that I care deeply about.

You know, back when
I was first lady, um,

and was advocating for
universal healthcare, uh,

I was burned in effigy.

Now, was I polarizing because I
thought everybody in the country

should have access to quality,
affordable healthcare?

Or was I the, you know--
the figurehead, ah,

that was then targeted because

there are a lot of
really powerful interests

who don't want us to have,
uh, universal healthcare,

no matter what you call it.

Whether you call it universal
healthcare, medicare for all,

whatever you call it, there are
a lot of powerful interests, ah,

that don't want you to have it.

So I have been literally
in the cauldron of, you know,

tough political fights
for more than 30 years.

And I know that people go,
"oh my gosh, it's so exhausting.

"you know, maybe
if she went away,

we wouldn't have these fights."

well, I'm here to
tell you it's not about me.

It's about the fight.

- Can we play a
quick game with you?

- Sure.
- This was--so over the years,

you know, there have been
buzzy voting blocks

that people talk about,

like soccer moms.
- Yeah.

- Uh, so I will give
you some voting blocks,

and you tell me if
they're real or fake--

- [laughs]

- --according to at least one
semi-legitimate news source.

Are you up for that?
- Okay.

- Okay, all right.
We'll set a timer.

Uh, here we go.
Uh, nascar dads.

Real or fake?
- Oh yeah, absolutely.

- Real.
That is real, from espn.

Uh, office park dads.

- Yes, that's real too.
- Also real.

That is correct.
Wow, okay, two in row.

Uh, panera voters.

- No.
- That was real.

There was a vox article--
- oh, really?

- Yeah, I was very
surprised too.

A vox article that referred
to a group as panera voters.

Uh--uh,
"south park" republicans.

- Ooh.

Yes.
- Correct.

It was "city journal"
and andrew sullivan.

- [laughs]

- you did--you did well.

When I--when I got this list
and we were going through them,

I got none of them right.

Uh, so well--well done.

- I have spent a lot more time
than you have looking at how

pollsters and--and consumer,
uh, analysts have--

divide people up, you know?

Rather than bringing
people together,

let's segment them into as
many different little, you know,

groups as we can.

- So unfair advantage.

You had way better
briefing materials--

- secretary clinton:
Yeah, I did.

I think so.
- --Than I did.

Thank you, secretary clinton,
for joining us this evening.

It's really an
honor to have you,

and I appreciate your insights.

- Oh, thank you.

It's great to talk
to you again, kal.

- Likewise.
Good to see you. Thank you.

- ♪

- ♪

- hey, man.

Secretary clinton
just texted me.

Um, were you talking
shit about me?

- [nervous chuckle]

always nice
to hear from my friends.

Before we say
goodnight, you know,

I'd like to leave you
with something you can do.

In this case, to prepare
for our changing economy.

So a macro action that you can
take is help start a club

in your community by becoming
a girls who code facilitator.

They're a great nonprofit
organization which aims to

support and increase the number
of women in computer science.

The best part is you don't even
need technical experience

to get involved.

But if you are
interested in coding,

here's your micro action.

Just download a fun coding app.

Investing in a new skill
for just five minutes a day

can really pay off
in the long run.

It can also give you
something to talk about

when your nephew comes to town,
like, uh, "hey, tenzin,

"my ternary operator totally
crashed and my angular injected

"into a controller and minified

"to something like x or c.

Isn't that crazy?"

look, we can all be
prepared for the future

and still have it be fun.

And as always, register to vote.

Go to kalpennapprovesvoting.Com.

I'll see you next week.

In the meantime,
here's something awesome.

- Balla's life.
I know.

- Man: You made it.

- No!
- Man: You did.

Woo-hoo!

- Man: I heard the haters
were talking crap about you

on the internet.
- Well, can the haters do this?

I call that the [bleep] shot.

[laughs]