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Everything is alive here. Do you understand what I mean? These trees are alive. I can imagine these leaves sitting here saying, "Oh, I don't want to fall off in October." But you know what? You have to go. Bobby Pendergrass is a dying breed. A black steelworker in Virton, West Virginia, the third-whitest state in America, where tens of thousands of jobs in the steel industry have disappeared. Even when I was in college, I was making more money at the steel mill You know the story about how industries decline and cities die. There were once 110 bars in Virton.
The government has turned its back on the American people. Have a car. You should have a car so you can go out. But here everything is different. This is a story about the type of men who may soon disappear altogether. And one guy looked at me and said, "Oh, you're that liberal who doesn't know what a woman is." Genesis, chapter two, verse 18. A woman left her husband. So maybe there's a bit of a [__] in that man who came out of the woman. Because I meet a lot of guys who I feel like are [__]. Do you understand what I mean? And they do dirty things.
What do you think about this transgender stuff Well, transgender stuff, it's got to be a disease, man. Wirton is a hilly working-class town sandwiched between Ohio and Pennsylvania. Its main street runs under a steel mill, and as we drove past, we met Bobby. You say you started there in 1978, when you were 18, in a factory. At the steel mill, yes. My father and all my uncles worked there before. So when you finished school, was there an expectation that you would go to work in a factory? Normally you could go to college, you know You could join the army or you could go to a factory.
I still managed to retire from the steel mill. That is, even though everything was falling apart and the factory changed its name three times, I was able to achieve this. The goal was to work 30 years at a steel mill, get a pension, social security, and have all your damn belongings paid for. To understand Bobby and Virton, you have to understand the factory. We had to turn on our headlights when driving down the main street, there was so much pollution. During the day? Yes, during the day. You go to the post office, do you see their handrails? I built this. Going down those fire escapes, those handrails? I built it.
Being a member. But you say you started working at 12 Yes. I've actually been working since eight. Well, this is the factory, right? Yes. Not anymore. Now there is simply nothing here. There is absolutely nothing here. Weirton Steel Corporation was once the largest private employer and taxpayer in West Virginia How do you feel as people who have spent their whole lives here, seeing this? This is heartbreaking. My grandfather worked here, my father, Mike's father, my grandfather.
His grandfather. Fourth generation. What was it like here when it was all at its peak? When the plant was at its peak, there were 13,000 people here. It was impossible to go anywhere without meeting someone. There was a lot more dirty smoke. I mean, it's a tin factory. And you're saying that one in four cans of Campbell's soup was once made here? Not just Campbell's soup, but every fourth can produced in the United States. I mean, what made this place so profitable for the steel industry?
River, railroad, and access to, uh. It's dirt. There was easy access to coal, you know, to get coal and iron ore here. Yes, I think it's hard to convey through video how huge this complex is. I mean, it's cute. 13,000 people worked here alone. I mean, that would be a huge company in itself. Yes. And for her to be here, you know, because it looks like a small town now. This is somehow incomprehensible. Yes. I don't even want to drive through this city In the 1980s, American steel declined due to foreign competition, companies not investing, and inflexible union contracts.
Why is the country now dotted with places where there are only skeletons of steel mills, and an entire huge industry has been reduced to what you see here? What went wrong? The government has turned its back on the American people. For some reason, America didn't want to deal with steel because it was a dirty production process; it wanted to be a service-based country Now they have hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, things like that. They didn't want steel. Do you think it's possible to have a true steel industry in America today? I think in the current global economy, man, everyone is looking for cheap labor. Do you understand what I mean? There will always be
someone who will do it cheaper than you. Once you let the genie out of the bottle, you can never put it back. A unique case for Virton: when the steel industry was in decline in the 1980s, the workers bought the company themselves and ran it for 20 years, although they eventually went bankrupt. The plant will be completely closed from 2024. A big steel city that is transforming into something else. We don't yet know what exactly it is turning into. We only know that it will no longer be a steel mill. Since the factories closed, there's been little here.
Yes. opportunities for people to stay here to work. I don't want to say that this is a dying region, because it's not dying, it's transforming. There is work here, but no career prospects. My grandchildren live in Texas, and when they come to visit, they always call this place "the old folks' neighborhood." Besides losing my job, something else happened. Steel provided a certain life and shaped certain people. People like Bobby And I was far from West Virginia. In fact, I just got back from a two-week business trip to Europe and was feeling very exhausted. So, and I'm not going to
lie, the first thing I did when I got home was drink AG1, the sponsor of this video. And now this raises a question. When was the last time you went a whole week without feeling exhausted? Next-generation AG1 replaces the need for multivitamins, probiotics, and more in a single serving. It is designed to support energy and immunity, which is important now that it gets dark at five o'clock. And it is confirmed by four "gold standard" clinical trials, which is very important to me as a journalist. Every morning I add one scoop to a shaker with 250-350 ml of cold water. For a limited time, use my link below to receive a free immune support kit including omega-3 fish oil and vitamin D3 plus
K2 worth $111 when you sign up for your first AG1 Pro or AG1 Next Generation subscription. Just scan the QR code or follow the link in the description. So a big thank you to AG1 for sponsoring this video. I really rely on their product as I travel all the time, especially this time of year when it's easy to get sick. Highly recommend. Now let's go back to West Virginia. Do you understand what I mean? You could die any day. Do you understand what I mean? You were breathing in different, you know, different chemicals. A universal healthcare system should have been implemented
long ago. Do you understand what I mean? Do you know what I mean? Because it looks like it's been a disaster for all these small companies, and it's all because of healthcare. What are your political views now? Because some of what you're saying sounds like Trump. Some of what you say sounds, you know, like a socialist. The thing is.look, I'll be honest with you, I'm not a Democrat or a Republican really. But I believe in democratic principles, first of all, I am black. And one thing about black people: black people will always care about everyone, because we remember a time when no one cared about us. If you had a sister, a black girl, who had a child from a mixed
marriage, I guarantee you, if you brought her home to her black grandmother, you know? No black person will touch this mixed-race child because Grandma will make it clear: don't touch my grandchildren. Do you understand what I mean? I don't know if they would do that in the White House. I don't care if you love another guy, or even your car. Do you understand what I mean? You can [__] your car, your dog. I don't care what you do. Just get the [__] away from me. And don't come at me with culture wars. We have been divided in this country over religious, racial, social, cultural issues. And tell me, what religion was anything other than [__]?
Don't let children there, gays might take them. And then you take them to the priest, and he makes fun of them to the fullest. And he makes fun of you because you're a boy. At what point will we, as Americans, stop engaging in cultural [__] and talk about the economy? And I know they're going to say, "Oh, well, black people don't take care of their kids," because I've always dated other races. Do you understand what I mean? I dated white girls back in the 80s. I didn't get married until I was, I think, about 33. I never had children. I already worked at the factory. I already had all the [__] I wanted.
I worked at this factory, I don't care if you're black or white, you could leave the " whites" because they were taking your life, and the [__] still aren't happy. And I had two divorces. I'm on my third marriage because, like I said, sometimes when you come along, things don't go as planned. And I'm the kind of guy who doesn't really care what it is. If you have to go, you have to go. Everyone in America wants the same thing. Everyone wants to be happy. Do you understand what I'm talking about? Everyone wants to feel like they had a chance. And everyone wants to be themselves and be free. Even if you're gay, I understand gay people. Hey, maybe you were born this way.
And he thinks he's gay, in his head. He is gay. And then one guy looked at me and said, "Oh, you're that liberal who doesn't know who a woman is." Genesis, chapter two, verse 18. A woman left her husband. So maybe the man who came out of that woman has a little bit of a womanizer in him, because I meet a lot of guys who I sense a womanizer in. Do you understand what I mean? And they act like [__]. What do you think about all this transgender stuff? Well, transgender stuff, it must be some kind of disease, man. Dude, I don't want that scum in the toilet. [__], I'd rather let this scum be in the toilet than a priest. At least he
cut off his horseradish. He's not in the toilet, he doesn't want my daughter, he cut off his dick. This biker with a dick is a problem for me. Do you understand what I mean? Because this scumbag might want to use his dick on my daughter . But that transgender scumbag.He didn't cut his dick off. He thinks he is her. I have something I'm going to tell you now. You are still young. While you're sailing through this thing called life, you know? Your goal is to find your peace and happiness mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially. Because if you don't find it for yourself, you won't be able to give it to anyone else. Believe me, I was known here as the owner of the coolest
cars. Do you understand what I mean? Come over, I'll show you a couple of them. Come on. Yes. Yes, I have a few pieces here. These are my cars. I bought this car when I was eight. I was 27 years old. I'm 67 now. I've had this car for so many years. Now come here. This is the one I bought. This is my Corvette now. I bought it in the 90s. The mill was good to me. dude. Was the mill good to you? He was kind to me. I mean, I took my money and invested it. The mill was wonderful to me.
How did your family get here? They all came from South Carolina. Uh, they all, they came from the cotton fields of South Carolina. To work at the mill? To work at the mill. Many people hear about the loss of factory jobs and think it's some kind of white MAGA issue. No, no, no. When, you know, one thing you understand, as you mentioned Gary, Indiana, right? Any of these cities, you come to these cities, and the city centers are full. Yes, you live in that area, even if you had a nice area with a nice house, the factory is gone, the job is gone. We're all in this together, man. Do you understand what I'm talking about
? This is something that everyone, you see, all my white friends know that I know this. But that's enough for you, dude. We are all together. Do you understand what I mean? We, we, we are part of the poor working class. These are my thoughts. I call it, this tree has always been here. So many of my relatives died. Do you understand what I mean? We met here, and they always died here. I always look at it as a tree of knowledge. And what I do-I sit here and think that everything around me is alive. Do you understand what I mean? These trees are alive. I can imagine these leaves sitting here saying, "Oh, I don't want to leave the tree in October." But you know what? You have to go. But when you start to see yourself as part of this
ecosystem, you have to be here to maybe enjoy it more than material things. Do you understand what I'm talking about? And these moments are just that. As I said, these are quiet moments. I used to run around the streets all the time. And suddenly I just stopped hanging around the streets. As I got older, I said, "Dude," and I was able to sit here, actually for the last five or six years, really connect with nature and myself. I would rather be sitting right here than on a cruise because I know and I know I won't pay $5 for a glass of water and let myself be robbed. I remember my little cousins in the South saying, "Man, to hell with these unions, huh?"
I always drove a Cadillac. Towards the end, I always drove a Cadillac. I always drove my Corvette. And I looked at the guys behind me and said, "Without the union, you bastards, you would never drive a car like that." Here in the South, you've been told that unions are But I can honestly say that I had that Cadillac and that Corvette because I had a union job, bro. I've met people in the South, and they say, "Well, you can't have unions, because the only way to keep factories here in America is to be union-free." Well, it's all because they're being fooled. Why should the capitalist system work because taxpayers bail them out? Students now owe our federal government trillions of dollars. And we pay the likes of Exxon Mobil by
giving them tax breaks. And they don't call it socialism. But if you help our students who will become engineers, doctors and everything else. If you help them, that's socialism. All industrialized countries have universal health care. And we sit here and argue among ourselves. And some of my friends who were still working, I would ask them, "Why are you still working?" "Dude, Bobby, I need health insurance." These are the same bastards I sat and talked to who said, "[__] universal healthcare." If you had universal healthcare, you would have retired long ago. I would never run for office because it's impossible to get 10 people in a room and have them agree on anything. And they actually believe that black people agree to everything, but
in reality that's not the case. If you put 10 people in a room, if you put 10 white people in a room, they won't agree on anything. If you put 10 Mexicans in a room, they. We all come from the same culture, because we would rather ruin things than fix them. Do you understand what I mean? We would rather break than fix. We would rather choose hate than love. Do you understand what I mean? We, we, we are different, man. We are different. And we shouldn't be so different. Especially if you run around shouting that you are a Christian nation-that is probably the biggest joke in the world. A Christian nation that doesn't want to feed the hungry.
Do you understand what I mean? A Christian nation that allows lynching or anything else. I mean, the first thing I'll say is, hey, God wouldn't like that. Nobody remembers God, they never remember God when they do some crap. Nobody says anything about God. Do you understand what I mean? And when children are killed at school, they say: we pray for you. How about passing laws to say that maybe these weapons need to be.well, we need to keep a little bit of an eye on them. I know, I know a couple of cousins who don't need guns. I would n't give them a weapon. Do you understand what I mean? But they have it.
Today, the prosperity that Bobby had, and in which we live, is hard to come by. Especially for young people, things look bleak. This.well, this is the same mill, right? Yes. Not anymore. Now there is simply nothing there What do people here do for fun? They are leaving. They're going to Pittsburgh. They have a car. You need to have a car so you can go out. What do you think are the chances that you will still be living here in 20 years?
I hope, I hope not. exist in 20 years. It seems nice here. It seems like a calm, easy place to live, doesn't it? Well, something like that. Everything is fine. Sometimes there are drug addicts and. How, how would you describe it to someone who has never heard of this place and has never been here? Dying. Dead? Boring. That's good in a mill, unlike these gas wells. I.have to work, earn enough money to live. The paper mill closed. Alpha retired from there. Two of my grandfathers retired from there.
I never got there. I have four children. Four children? Yes, I have two boys, two girls, two mothers of my children. Uh, I had a daughter from a failed relationship when I was 28. She was older when I was 29, but I went to prison. When I was 31, my daughter's mother took the child away from her while I was still waiting for the DNA test when I got out, but.no, I broke down and failed once, and my license was revoked. She was already on her way to being adopted by the people she had anyway. And now that I look back. It's for a reason, you know. So I'm tired of starting all over again. If I start all over again, I don't want to do it here because.
Yeah. This is not funny. This.there are no opportunities here. May I ask what you went to prison for? Car accident. First time. Uh, no license, no registration, nothing like that Booze. The girl almost died in my arms then. Has prison changed you at all? No, I have never changed who I am. I will never, ever sell drugs. Not even to the one to whom I have dedicated my entire life. Drugs are Plants are burning, and let them burn.
Women's handlebars. This is the life you want to live behind bars Yes, but not this part. Is something coming, or do you think something will come, to fill this void That power station, but it doesn't fill this void. It's too small, and they don't pay enough there. That battery factory, founded by the man who built Tesla's battery business, grew up on the site of an old steel mill. Right now, bridges, buildings, and roads built for steel are being demolished to make way for batteries. So they built that bridge to let trains into the factory. Now they are cleaning the bridge because the trucks need to pass with these batteries.
Changing times. The batteries are so big they don't fit under the bridge. Do you think people in Virton will still be talking about steel in 20 years? What will they say about batteries? I do n't think so. They very kindly gave us some of these T-shirts, United Steelworkers T-shirts And, of course, made in America. Made in the USA. So, so you're trying to find a buyer? Yes. What, what does this mean? Our main concern is job creation. They don't focus us on jobs. But they.We would like them to be unionized. If not, that's a minus.
This is focused on trying to develop the community. And, uh, we'll get to that. The new plant is great for Virton, but it won't create what steel created No jobs, no memories, no people like Bobby Pendergrass. Thanks for watching, don't forget to hit the subscribe button.
