Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Go $@%! Yourself, Good Habits, and a Terrifying Bromance
557 Plays4 months ago
In this episode, Greg wonders what circumstances warrant telling someone to go F themselves. John discusses how good habits can be developed, how to break bad ones, and why Kevin should make his bed every day. And Kevin expresses his concerns about the budding bromance between Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
Recommended
Transcript
Sleep Study Experience
00:00:00
Speaker
I went for a sleep study test once because Jennifer told me that like I sound like I stopped breathing while I'm sleeping and I went to a sleep study place and the guy goes, okay, here's the deal.
00:00:11
Speaker
If you, if you have an episode where you have apnea, I'm going to wake you up and I'm going to put this, uh, the mask on you, right? What's it called? CPAP machine. Yep. The Darth Vader mask. And it turns out I did not have sleep apnea and he woke, but he woke me up at like three 30 in the morning to leave. And that was rude because I was super comfy and he told you to get the fuck out. And I still had the, and he like shook me awake. He goes, Hey, Mr. Mitchell, good news. You don't have sleep apnea.
00:00:41
Speaker
the fuck out of here. I want to go to, so I want to go home and go to sleep because I don't have problems like you dumbass. Yeah. So I wrote a strongly worded email to Jennifer's name. Don't accuse me of having sleep app and looking at your, uh, your, your, uh, what do you call those? The form that they let you in with? What are those called? Entry form or like a waiver.
00:01:01
Speaker
No, no, no. Like when you go to a hospital, there's like a form you fill out, but it's like, John, just go go. Anyway, they're like, I see on your charm. We got to get this right. see if you're form yeah we do yeah Hold on. I'm going to Google it. I'm saying your form that you you were Jewish. I missed that. We could have saved a lot of time. You didn't need to take the sleep study.
Introduction to 'History Defeats Itself'
00:01:25
Speaker
History defeats itself as a comedy podcast. Kevin, John, and Greg are not experts, historians, or even all that smart.
00:01:36
Speaker
All right. Should we get started? I mean, yeah, we were started. Well, I mean, like with our topics, does anybody want to
Podcast Topics & Light Banter
00:01:41
Speaker
start? I mean, I think I think Greg should because he went last last time. So he should go first this time. OK. I will go first. How do you like that? Let's do it. I kind of have two topics that are very closely related. So they're not too much. They're not so much. Um, research, you know, like I didn't go on. I didn't read a book per se, or like, I actually read a book for this. These are two, these are two topping. So it's on Harry Potter is what you're saying. Wait, his or mine? Mine. God, I hope it is. Okay. So the first one is. Spoilers. They're spoilers. I've never seen it. It's really good. Harry dies at the end.
00:02:21
Speaker
and Oh, wait. No, there's no reason to see all like 12 of those movies. I've never seen any of them. They're really good. they're They're actually really good movies. i but Anyway, sorry, Greg. OK, so I have I have two topics. um First one is. A little bit funnier in the second one is a little more serious.
Off-Leash Dog Confrontation
00:02:40
Speaker
But they are they are related. So I want to know if you guys have ever been in a situation where you have told a complete stranger or someone that you just met to like go fuck themselves.
00:02:55
Speaker
And did it kind of come out of the blue? Were you surprised at your level of anger, how things escalated really quickly? Like it could have been, I know Kevin did a topic on road rage, but i was I was having a conversation with some friends over the weekend and I've had like two instances where I told somebody to go fuck themselves.
00:03:20
Speaker
And but out of nowhere, I was shocked. No, wasn't it wasn't out of nowhere. I think it was justifiable. So I thought this episode is on Tourette's. No, no, because it's on purpose. It was it was a definitive. Go fuck yourself. So what was the context? Why did you tell these people to go fuck themselves? OK, well, I could so I could start with my story because and then maybe you guys can think about something that maybe you have done.
00:03:41
Speaker
So it's it's kind of out of character for me, unless of course you're talking about playing hockey, because when you're playing hockey, you're kind of your adrenaline's going and you're, you know, I think they say that you're, you're, you're thinking switches from your frontal, frontal prefrontal cortex to your like lizard brain. And your lizard brain's not on the top of your head. Well, not your lizard brain. You're fucking the central. so well No, your lizard brain. You you have like, so so it's your lizard brain is your brain stem. Because basically it's a lizard brain. That's a real thing. Yeah, so real so it's it's it's it's your it's your basic lizard brains are basic instincts, right? You're youre like Sharon Stone when somebody jumps. Yes, it's your vagina shot. It's when like when somebody jumps out and scares you and you're like, whoa, right. That's your lizard brain responding. OK, so it happens when you play hockey, too, because you're not thinking things through. You don't think about consequences. You're like, I'm going to kill that motherfucker.
00:04:29
Speaker
But so that doesn't count because I've been playing hockey my whole life and I've told countless people to go fuck themselves. Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah. Any sort of like situation like that, sports or anything, you know, playing a game. Yeah. I'm talking about in the general fucking public where I've done it. So once time I've definitely done it, but I don't know that I could think of a story, but I'll be interested to hear the the context. And if this person, these people deserve such such vitriol language. Yeah. Well, I mean, maybe they didn't. Maybe I'm the bad guy in this. I might be the villain in the story.
00:04:59
Speaker
Okay. Okay. So I appreciate that you're open to that. I am. I'm totally open to it. So I was walking my dogs off and i they were both off leash. Now, you're the asshole. I'm the asshole. Obviously, I'm the asshole in this. But my two dogs are very, very good listeners. And as soon as I call them back, they come back. And I go out and tell them what's going on with your dummy. I was in a room. Yeah, they were. I often do. You're like, Tim. They don't interrupt like you guys, because they're good listeners. That's true. Yeah. Well, you're not good listeners. We're podcasters. We're just good talkers. They've got really good dog shoulders to lean on.
00:05:39
Speaker
And they like to lick my ears and make me feel better. But so, okay, we're in a very remote area where we go hiking and I've honestly like never even seen another person there before. So I like to let them off leash, you know, that's part of, our you know it's good for dogs. They like that shit, right? And since they're good listeners, I call them, they come right back. So we're walking along, we're walking along and there's a woman, I see you walking her dog,
00:06:06
Speaker
on a leash and I'm like, Oh, that's not good because if you have dogs that are off leash and then then there's a dog on the leash, the dog that's on a leash is going to get very defensive and be upset because so it's not fair. They're jealous. Exactly. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
00:06:23
Speaker
like good sign and this assholeles just running around fucking free the fuck ja no, yourself dog like So bear runs right back up to me and he's right by my side. But Tanner is very friendly. He's outgoing and he wants to go make friends. So he goes over there and I thought you said they were really good listeners. They were. I didn't call him back yet. I was seeing the situation.
00:06:47
Speaker
how it was working out. So Tanner starts to kind of prance around and gets closer to the dog. So I'm like, Tanner, get back here. And he makes a U-turn. He never got even closer to than 20 feet to them. He came back. I leashed both my dogs. Meanwhile, the woman comes over to me and she starts to be like,
00:07:07
Speaker
Oh my God, I can't believe. Don't you know anything? You should not be walking these dogs off leash. This is terrible. This is anything could have happened. My dog could have dragged me a mile and bla blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, look, ah you're right. I'm really sorry. I should not have had them off leash. Usually nobody is out here. And then but the good news is You know, and they came back and nothing happened. They're on the leash now, right? And then she's still going off. I can't believe your dogs don't listen to you or by byee I'm like, hey, they actually listened to me because as soon as I came right back and I leached them. I mean, did my dog fuck your dog when I wasn't looking because I don't remember that happening.
00:07:47
Speaker
Well Tanner is a good listener. here's a good listen right He's like, go ahead baby, tell me more. Oh, I see. Oh, that's so bad. Yeah. So poor Tanner's getting a bad rap, right? So she's still going off. And I said, Hey, you know, I've already apologized twice. If you keep this up, I'm going to tell you to go fuck yourself.
00:08:06
Speaker
that's what you said that's what i said and she's like i can't believe that you would talk to me i'm like go fuck he yourself did she have a short spiky haircut and no she did not again it's on i was the i was the asshole sure i had but i mean like stop yelling at me she was like but but but but but but but but on and on and on. Do you want to just follow me fucking home and like tell me all like enough already. Nothing even happened. Nothing happened. Her dog. I don't even think barked. So so so she deserved it. In my opinion, John, I'll i'll let you.
00:08:44
Speaker
Uh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, cause here's the thing. Like it should have been immediately diffused when you apologized. Like if she wanted to say her piece, that's okay. I agree with that. She sounded like she was a bit bitchy about it. She didn't have to go that direction. Like, Hey man, just my dog does not like that. If you could keep your dogs on a leash. Sure. No problem. What kind of dogs do you have? I feel like this is key to the story and really my guess, my opinion. Can I guess? Yes. Small and yippy. No.
00:09:12
Speaker
ah damn Not small in the large and vivacious at his charge. Old Nastas. I think is the root was that dog cut quite a figure.
00:09:24
Speaker
No, it was like, it looked like it was like a lab mix, just like Tanner. So they were like, they were both excited to see you. I'm a lab, you a lab? Oh my God, you're a lab, you're a lab. Hey, you got a penis? You a mix? You a mix? You a mix? You have balls, a penis, a vagina, what? Let's smell it. Let me smell your butt. Let me smell your butt, because I don't see any balls. Looks like those were taken away from you. Apologies, bud.
00:09:46
Speaker
It happens. It happens. I had the same situation
Neighbor Conflicts & Noise Complaints
00:09:49
Speaker
happen. Very common. We can all blame Bob Barker. He is kind of a dick. Well, he's dead. Sorry, Bob. RIP. RIP, Bob. but um Yeah, no, I mean, you know, ah you tried, you tried and you tried and you tried and that person just she just wanted she just wanted to be angry.
00:10:05
Speaker
Yeah, and I just, and I told her I was going to tell her to fuck off. you didn't want you i am And then I did. I respect that. I mean, I feel like would be I believe you say, I'm going to tell you to fuck off. You've already said fuck off. Yeah. You just, you just found a loophole is all you did. She kept going. You just put some words in front of the fuck off. yeah but You're right. Still in the sentence. You're right. But I got to say it twice. Yeah. Cause she kept going. I'm like, okay, that's enough. Fuck off.
00:10:32
Speaker
That's the thing I've definitely run into. I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but I've definitely run into situations where people are we're like, you're like, yeah, sorry about that. And they just keep going. You're like, yeah, OK, I get it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I apologize. And then they just keep going. It's like at that point, you're like, what else can I do? Except now we're in a fight, you know, now we're in an argument. Yeah. And the other thing is, if you're anything like me, you're not coachable. Like your words are not you're not going to teach me anything. I do. I refuse to fucking learn anything from you.
00:11:01
Speaker
So that's a flaw on my end. Well, and I guess so so as somebody who ah has a pit, right. So we don't let her off the leash because like because like a pit where you keep people. Yeah. Yeah. It's like some sort of monster. I'm sorry. I thought that was implied. I don't know why I have to explain this to you. I have a people bit. No. Have you seen Silence of the Land? Well, it's not really that it's just it's it's a lot of people now It's just it's people who have wronged me in some way Um, no, it's a pit bull and so that dog can kill another dog pretty quick, right? Sure And so so for me like we never let her off The leash and so it's very frustrating to be like on her side of it and i'm and she had a lab but like when someone's coming at you and like because one day courtney got knocked down because
00:11:51
Speaker
This dog came up and she was trying to hold Penny a cookie back and like cookie pulled her over and you know So it's like people not putting their dogs on leashes. So so I guess I say this right? Like who the fuck knows what's going on in her life or what's happened when incidences she's had So you are the asshole I am and you initially agreed with me. No, no, I would I would have totally told it up in it live I would have totally told her to fuck off but also later I'd be like man. She's probably right. I thought I the same, just so you know, I landed on that too. Like I'm not, I am not against me being in the wrong, but it's also apologized. It's just the going on and on and on. It's like, I don't need to fucking listen to you anymore. So I used to live in Echo Park and I lived in this apartment building for like, you said when I was in that, that old brick building, Greg. I remember that one. I think I was even,
00:12:45
Speaker
Oh yeah, I think so. Did I sleep on your couch? You did. Back when you still let people sleep on your couches? Back when you didn't have a $10,000 couch? Yeah. I thought it was $25,000. It goes up every time we talk about it. It's more than a portion.
00:12:59
Speaker
um But the floors were, it was like old building wooden floors. So you could hear like the people above you, you could just hear every step. And so the lady below me Like when I moved in I told her I was like hey, I understand we're in an apartment building It's old building so you know I said just like if we ever get real loud I always have people over if it's too loud just text me and I'll be happy to take care of it Well, she took advantage of that and she texted me every fucking time I had anybody over for any reason and so finally in this my dogs would come over Riverdance parties but But finally one day like she
00:13:39
Speaker
it was like it was likeclock again What kind of chips do you serve at a river dance party? You don't serve chips. You serve moss and and scotch. i
00:13:51
Speaker
Dryad moss. Nori. You serve Nori. isn't that is that irish yeah well isn't riverdance scottish or irish yeah i think i think i think i think we're losing the thread here so anyways there's like like 8 30 or something and and i had a couple people over and like you know anyway she texted me and she's just like you know Are you having a party up there or something? It's so loud in here. And finally, I was just like, I just couldn't take it anymore. And I was like, I didn't say fuck off, but I was just like, please. Oh, I didn't say please. So never fucking contact me again because you have abused this courtesy.
00:14:30
Speaker
and then I had a seer in the hallway. so you you Did you say that? That's really well thought out. I would have just been like, yeah being
Dog Attack Incident
00:14:39
Speaker
like that's really well thought out. so what I would have done the same as Kevin. That's like that's really impressive, Jen. Good for you. Because it was yeah it was just too much. It was too fucking much.
00:14:49
Speaker
I get I get like the dog thing too, because I you know, we've had we had ah ah ah but our little beagle banks. He got attacked by a dog who was off leash one time and shouldn't have been off leash. And and he's fine. It was just more. He was more rattled. He had a couple of nicks on him and stuff. But so I understand.
00:15:06
Speaker
Again, Greg immediately was like this did my back, you know, like you recognize that it was your fault. Nothing bad happened. There was no issue. And you got him on a leash. So say your piece if you want. Are people more shitty than they used to be? Or is that it was this Greg?
00:15:24
Speaker
uh this was not that long ago i think it was maybe like three months ago like like yeah i think i think they are right are people are just more like it was 15 years ago no man like are people like more like bitchy yeah everybody's like more bitchy now short fuse a lot of people have short fuses everybody wants to like offended everybody's offended by everything are you are you a member of society john you would yeah i mean i know it's on social media and i know but that's like I agree with John you know but it's like in real life right in real are people more like bitch at each other I I don't know I think that because I live downtown I'm around people all the time and I don't run into I mean you know like you see some crazy homeless shit going on you know like but that doesn't count Yeah, but but I mean you just I don't see like two people bump into each other and have a thing, right? It's just like I think for the most part people are pretty civil to each other when you consider the sheer especially the city that you live in the number of people that are in such a small area I think traffic moves pretty well for the most part. I think people get along Everybody fucking knows we were talking about I was talking to a friend today about LAX and what a fucking nightmare that is. Yeah And it place it's like, it's like that loop in LAX is the one place where you could cut everybody off. You could go in front and everyone's like, you know what? I'm late too. That's fine. Go for it. You know, it's like botched in whatever, you know, it's just, and that's the way society should be. It's like, dude, sometimes believe it or not, sometimes people cut you up off by mistake and it, they didn't mean to do that. They didn't even see you and shh.
00:16:56
Speaker
Dude, they're they don't hate you. They're not like trying to offend you. They're not trying to like emasculate you. So what happens
Divorce Trends & Civility
00:17:04
Speaker
when you get cut off? Yeah, I get emasculated, motherfuckers. Well, why do you think there's so many road rangers? Yeah.
00:17:12
Speaker
yeah i was so so um we were talking about all like you know i have ah do some other podcasting and and i we every know and i was touch well nobody listens to those either no nobody does but i was i was I was talking to a a divorce attorney. I just wanted to make it clear that that's why I was talking to him. now because Don't get your hopes up, Sheen, no matter what.
00:17:31
Speaker
but um Well, i mean you want to know Greg and I have a 14 year plan and we're seven years in and it is like it is on track. So far, so far it's been really frustrating. One of my questions was not making much progress. I asked him if if the divorce rate was trending up or down and in in his experience and he said,
00:17:53
Speaker
up And I was like, why do you you know why do you think that is? He's like, well, he's like, one thing I can tell you for sure is that there's a severe lack of civility between people that's that's gotten worse. And he said, you know, he's been doing this for 30 years. And he's like, the way that people talk to each other now, he's like, it's insane.
00:18:12
Speaker
Like the the text messages that we have to, you know, go through with conversations between spouses, you know, he's like, it's crazy. And I kind of was like thinking, I was like, you know, people are getting married later, maybe they're a little more you know mature or ready for it. Maybe then the divorce rate should go down. But but he thinks it's because people are just and he also said that people just don't want to commit anymore. But that was a different conversation. But I just thought it was interesting that he is seeing a lack of civility in that area in, you know, divorce law. Well, I think that sounds like a good TV show. Divorce law. Divorce. I think overall in life, it takes a little bit more work to be kind and civil. Sure. And it's so easy to be petty and angry.
00:19:05
Speaker
And that's just the fucking easy way out. And i think I think it's related to everything else in society right now where you have a shorter attention span because of social media and you're just watching these really short fucking clips of everything all the time. So I think people's yeah patience is like has has shrunk and your fuses have shrunk. So you don't give anyone... It takes maturation and growth to live with somebody for a long time and respect them and- Respect's a big part of it, yeah. And and work to appreciate that person because it really is so easy to to just be like, fuck you, get the fuck out of here. I saw it myself, I went out i went out to dinner, Jennifer came along and we were with several people that are kind of acquaintances from the gym and we all decided to get some drinks with our significant others. And this one guy brought his wife and everything she said, he was a,
00:19:59
Speaker
like a fucking dick about. It's like he just said some shitty. Every idea she had. And she was not like that at all. She was trying to say like really optimistic and nice things. And he's like, I don't i don't know why you fucking like that. I don't know why you're doing not doing that. And it was funny because it was people that I work out with. And she stopped going to the gym. He's like, I can't believe you stopped going to the gym. And she's like, I want to quit my membership right now. And he's like, no, you're not going to do that. She's like, I've been doing yoga at home this whole time. And everyone started crying and freaking out. and I couldn't believe what was happening before my eyes. It's like, why are you being so shitty to her? She's like, yeah she was like so nice and just outgoing. And they're like, so squats. How anybody else doing squats these days? I'm like, hey, oh bartender.
00:20:46
Speaker
Yeah, I it's it's it's not great. Could you put a little fit in all of that cocktail? It's a smidge. It just OK. So my other topic, let's just go. Well, that's oh, we're done. That's I could tell you. I meant my next story of when I told someone to fuck off if you want. I mean, sure. OK, here we go. Just make it shorter. The other one was too long.
00:21:05
Speaker
Okay, so I'm at a grocery store. That's already too long. We don't need I kind of want to hear we don't need to exit the grocery store. It wasn't in the grocery stores to talk a lot. So I was leaving and Jack was with me and Jack was probably like eight years old at the time. And he's getting in the passenger seat.
00:21:22
Speaker
or passenger door, I should say, and I'm getting the driver door. And just as he's like opening the door, get in. ah There was a guy that was pulling out of the pulling out of the parking spot right next to him. And he started turning the wheel and he like came really close to hitting Jack's door and like wedging him in the car, like wedging him against the car. He like missed my car door by a a little bit. So like he backs out and I just look at him. I'm like, fucking asshole. Like I just melt that.
00:21:51
Speaker
I get back in my car, Jack gets in the car, I'm sitting down, and the guy, like, parked behind me, gets out of his car, and he came over to my window, and he's like... Hey, man, I saw you call me a fucking asshole. And I'm like, oh, yeah, I i did. you You read that, right? You read that writing asshole. And I was calling you that you're fucking. And he's like, what's your problem? I'm like, oh, did you not notice that you almost hit my fucking pin my kid? Like your car came within inches of hitting the door and like hitting my kid.
00:22:22
Speaker
He's like, I have kids too, I would never do that. I'm like, why don't you just do me a favor and get back in your car, get the fuck out of here? And in the meantime, I'm thinking, okay, he's out of the car, he's blocking me in, I'm sitting in my car, he's standing, he's at the perfect position where he can just fucking slap me in the face, and I can't. I was supposed to hit somebody, you can't hit somebody when you're sitting in the fucking driver's seat of a car, you can't. Now you gotta open the door and just crack him in the knee.
00:22:46
Speaker
But not really. like It's tough. That's why you gotta carry a gun. Seriously. Just pop, pop, pop. I didn't want to do that and and that's why I don't have a gun because I didn't want it. It's not a pop, pop, pop situation. But it couldve he could have fucking he couldve like smoked me one. right So I just rolled my window right back up. I'm like, get back in your car and get the fuck out of here, you fucker.
00:23:10
Speaker
And he did. And then I look at Jack, I go, Hey, Jack, see what just happened. Want to get some ice cream? Yeah. I'm like, Jack, are you scared at all by that? It's like, no, I didn't think anything was going to happen. I'm like, I'm fucking pissing my pants right now. It's definitely when when, you know, when someone's going out, you know, when, when it's something with your kid, I was walking with, I was carrying Elwood. We had to leave a restaurant early because he was melting down. Not earlier this summer. And I was walking ah away from the restaurant and I was holding holding him and I'm crossing this crosswalk and I see this big, huge pickup truck.
00:23:44
Speaker
and he he slows down and so I start crossing and he just goes he just turns right in front of us and then I i stop and I and I was just I'm holding holding him and he like looks at me and he I must have had the the look of I want to hurt you on here because he was just like sorry bro my bad and I it wasn't good enough for me and that situation I don't I don't think I said fuck off I just said I said I said, use your fucking head or open your fucking eyes or something like that. I don't remember what it was, but I was I was hot because I mean, he didn't even look. You're turning yeah into a crosswalk in a crowded pedestrian area and you don't even look like that is that sucks.
00:24:25
Speaker
Come on, man. Put your shit together. So I live downtown, right? And I go where every day I'll take a like after I eat, I try to go for a walk after every meal and not like a like a 10 minute walk, 15 minute walk. Right. Just not to sit. I just try to get everything going. And anyway, so, you know, always going across. And he's going to take the beard out for a little stroll. Always fucking people like because there's a lot of one way streets that are like, you know, four lanes. Oh, they never looked and they just fucking turn and like and I'll be crossing and like if they get close enough to me, I'll like pop their car.
00:24:54
Speaker
And I'm just waiting for the day for somebody to stop. Because when they do, I'm going to run. so That's a good thing. If it's a one-way street, you just run in the other direction. They're never ready to get you. you big Oh God, he's not following the rules. fasteror master pass You made a U-turn. You can't do that. You're calling the road. Oh shit. I'm going to write him a ticket too. But it's crazy. The number of people like, like every, every day, every day, right? Not like 10 people every day, but like one person does it every time I'm out.
00:25:26
Speaker
And that's the scary part and it's probably what pissed off Kevin too. It's like, you're an adult, so you're used to that. You're saying it happens every day, so you're ready for it. yeah But when you're with a kid, oh yeah, for sure. Like, they're not, you know, they're not, they don't have that experience and they're not... And we teach him, you know, look both ways, cross the street, it's a crosswalk. I mean, I was holding him because he was having a meltdown, luckily, but... He could just it just drives me nuts. That's probably my biggest beef with the driving out here is that people just don't pay attention. And it seems worse here than it was in Chicago, maybe because in Chicago you kind of had to pay attention or you'd be dead. Right. But I mean, it's just blows me blows me away that these people are even that their cars are still in one piece. Yeah, that sucks. Wait, if people don't wreck, you get you get blow jobs. So confused. What?
00:26:12
Speaker
OK, should I transition to my next topic? Yes, I think you should finally transition. OK, here we go. And scene.
Disciplining Children & Strangers' Roles
00:26:21
Speaker
What are your feelings about strangers disciplining or talking to you your children? And correcting your. I mean, i I don't have kids, but I do have an opinion on this.
00:26:39
Speaker
um I think if like I think if that kid was like in danger, right? Like doing something that was putting themselves in danger and that parent wasn't paying attention. I don't know if I did but like like doing something about that like stepping in I think I wouldn't be worried about offending anyone. But other than that unless they're hitting their kid or something like that like you know like if they're just yeah no I think it's none of my fucking business.
00:27:01
Speaker
No, I'm talking about, okay, that's half right. So let me give you some context. I'm not talking about you seeing a parent disciplining their own child and you're thinking about whether you're going to intervene or not. No, I don't think that's what John meant. You're talking about stepping in. If I saw a kid doing something that I thought was rude. If their parent is present or not present.
00:27:23
Speaker
Yeah, like i yeah, I would I think it depends like if it was a little kid I'd be like where the fuck is these people's parents? Yeah, but like if it's a teenager and they're being like dicks or whatever like and that kind of shit like I just I don't care cuz they're teeny I was a dick when I was a teen right like I i think i'm I'm very I think I'm very tolerant of kids So and and and you're also really skinny. So those teenagers. Yeah, they they're probably sicking last but but i Yeah, like I just don't think it's any of them business Yeah, I agree. I agree with John unless the kid is in in danger or or there's some you know
00:27:58
Speaker
And if there's some other reason for, for to be concerned, I guess, you know, maybe I would step in and and say something. But even if someone was hitting, hitting Elwood or something, I would get Elwood out of the situation. I'd give the kid a death stare and find his parents. You know, that's what I wouldn't say anything to the kid, probably. Oh, really? OK. OK. I don't think so. Just because I don't know that. ah That kid's an asshole. Parents are probably assholes. you know um i don't I don't know that there's much I can do in that situation. And ah my first and my first thing would be to get Edward out of the situation. um But you know if that's also me sitting here three drinks in talking to you guys. you know If I'm in the situation, I don't know how I react, you know because you do get really really punchy when it comes to your kids. Yeah. Yes. I could imagine. Can't help it. Can't help it. But as far as when you said just talking, do you mean just talking at all? or
00:28:50
Speaker
Are you specifically saying like, oh I mean, the intervening, intervening. Yeah. Like it will be like, like give give an example. Like, well, you guys both gave really fine examples. I mean, that's that's I think you're on topic on point. I just I just. ah You're you're welcome.
00:29:06
Speaker
but Because the reason why I'm thinking about it is because you know, I have a I have a younger I have a granddaughter living in my house and I take her to the park and I think about okay word where's my responsibility and and begin and my thing is I Have like I've coached for like a number of years I'm used to talking to kids and I am NOT afraid to immediately tell a kid. Hey knock it off. Stop it.
00:29:32
Speaker
And that, that's enough. Like if they're doing something wrong, I'm going to fucking call them on that. And if, if their parents, if their parents see that, I don't give a shit. but what What kind of wrong are you talking about? Just doing something on the playground or doing something to your granddaughter?
00:29:49
Speaker
Now if, okay so I'm gonna, I'll give you a couple, like if there's some kind of a power discrepancy, like if if a kid, it doesn't even have to be my granddaughter, she's only a year old, but if there's like a fucking six year old picking on a two year old or a ten year old picking on on like a six year old or something like that and something's going on, I will fucking talk to that older kid and tell him to fucking stop.
00:30:11
Speaker
I won't swear, but i will I will intervene. I'm not afraid to intervene. I don't give a fuck if a parent tries to yell at me. The other side of that is, like are you being a Karen that's constantly trying to like enforce the rules and shit like that? No. In the moment, if you call out a kid that's doing something fucking wrong, I think it's good for them.
00:30:33
Speaker
because it has a greater impact than if their own parent tells them to knock it off. Or even if they're a teacher or a coach, if a random person sees them doing something wrong, and they're and trust me, they're fucking old enough to know that...
00:30:46
Speaker
Nova, who's a year old, knows the difference between right and wrong in a lot of things, right? She's like just seeing, she's a scientist right now. So she's seeing what's going on. I'm not saying she needs to be yelled at for stuff she's doing, but honestly, like a fucking like eight year old kid, if they're picking on another kid or they push a kid down or some shit like that, I'm gonna say it' different that's not what we do.
00:31:06
Speaker
I think that's different because that to me falls in the category of of maybe a little loosely, but danger. You know, if there's a if there's a 10 year old picking on a five year old or a six year old, that's that's something that like that's bad. That's like you could who knows what that could escalate. He could hurt him. He hurt the other kid, whatever. And then I would say it's still consistent with what you said, Kevin, by the way. I don't think it's inconsistent with what you were saying, because you said dependent on the situation on the situation. If it's just if it's like kids being assholes, but they're doing it like, you know,
00:31:36
Speaker
I don't know. I guess I putting in cutting in line for something or something like that. I'm like, well, who gives a shit? I don't like it. I think that's kind of like what I'm thinking about is like, you know, if there's like and I agree with you, too. If there's like three teenage or like a group of teenagers and they're like cursing like crazy, I don't give a shit. You know what I mean? Like, it's just like I get that it's a fair I don't care either. of yeah Yeah. But but ah yeah. That's what teenagers do. Teenagers swear a lot. And you telling them to stop swearing is not going to make them swear any less. But if i'm with if I'm with Elwood and we're at, I don't know, and we're at the ice cream shop and there's teenagers dropping F bombs next to us, I might be like, hey, man, can you just just chill it a little bit? I got i got my my kiddo here.
00:32:15
Speaker
I would be very respectful about it. And hopefully they'd be cool, you know, ideally, because you're right. I was a teenager, too. And kids are stupid. you know Teenagers are stupid. They don't really understand their surroundings that well. So when you're a teenager, like the only thing that's in the only thing you're paying attention to is what it's right in front of you, right? Exactly. They don't even know that there's kids around them. And and your and your penis.
00:32:34
Speaker
Yeah. Yep. Which I suppose is right in front of you. Yeah. I mean, I still pay hopefully to it. So that never really changed. Yeah. But no, I think that that in certain situations like that. Yes. As far as intervening, you know, with other kids where they're doing something wrong, like where their parents are around to. That's frustrating when you see a kid being a dick like on the playground or something or at the trampoline park and you're just like, I know that's your mom.
00:32:57
Speaker
Like your your mom doesn't give a shit. And that's an apple not falling apart from the trees. And me, if it's my situation and their parents around and the kids doing something like right there, I might not be a dick about it, but I'll say, hey, keep your hands to yourself. Like I'm not afraid to do that. I don't care. And if that parent wants to get pissed at me.
00:33:16
Speaker
They can go fuck themselves because I think back to the other topic. Yeah, I'm not going to be. I'm not like being a dick and a little circle. I'm not telling that kid that go fuck themselves and you're a piece of shit and wanted to go die. I'm saying keep your hands to yourself. That's a valuable fucking lesson. so They they need to hear you say it like keep your hands to yourself. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.
00:33:46
Speaker
But you know what I'm saying? it's like i'm not like I'm not fucking putting on my cowboy hat and looking for confrontations with kids. But if shit happens, dude, I'm not afraid to tell the kids to fucking knock it off, dude. yeah And i think it has I think it has a good impact on them. Honestly, I'm not like scaring them. Well, hopefully I'm not really scaring them because I'm not being a dick to them. But I'm letting them know, hey, this is not okay. And I think a worse thing to do is to do nothing.
00:34:14
Speaker
Like I think it's it does that kid a disservice to not be called out by something. Kids are like that's how they learn and grow as they fucking find they have boundaries to their actions and they have consequences for their actions. Even if it's someone just a random person that's telling them to stop. Don't do that. That's I think it's I think it's very situational for me. Like as far as the answer to your question. Yeah. Yeah.
00:34:42
Speaker
Well, yeah, that's exactly what we're talking about. Yeah. and And I guess like. I mean, I don't know what I hit a kid if they were. Let me let me let me let me finish that thought. You might want to. So like ah that's going to be the intro. I've got some. I've got some. Well, I hit a kid. And I have friends. That's the name of John's college band. When I hit a kid. We were Scott Scott and
00:35:08
Speaker
But like I have, you know, I have friends I've had for a lot of years that I knew before they had kids and now they have kids and I love their kids. And, and as ah so you know, some of them, I mean, one of these kids, like she's just like she's the most kind, loving human being I think that's ever been born. And so like if a kid was messing with her, I know who you're talking about. am I might hit him or I might hit that kid. Yeah, you wouldn't.
00:35:32
Speaker
I put it down. And if it was an adult doing it, you would. Yeah, that's true. If it was an adult doing it, I would take him apart piece by piece. Yeah, there was a kid. There was a kid who made fun of Elwood one time when I dropped him off at school ah in daycare and he was making fun of him because there was like a pool day and Elwood was very excited about or splash day. They call it where they just play outside and water balloons or whatever. And he wanted to wear his like floaties. And I was like, I was like, oh, you're not going to need those. He's like, but I want to wear them. I'm like, you know what, do knock yourself out, whatever.
00:36:00
Speaker
yeah for man I don't care. And so this kid started making fun of him when we went in there. And I just like, I got so Papa bear. I like just looked at him and I so i was just like, what's wrong? I think he looks great. looks so He looks great. I think it looks cool. I think the teacher was there too. And she's like, yeah, he looked, he looks cool. I think as an adult, I would have made fun of Elwood free dressing. Listen, I get it. I know it was silly, but he's,
00:36:22
Speaker
fucking three. Yeah. I mean, like, I mean, shit at the time, I think it was two. Like, I mean, he's off limits to make fun of. Yes. Like if he's, if he's nine. Yeah. Okay. I'm going to be like, dude, you're not wearing that because people, including me, we'll make fun of you and you'll never get away. And they've been telling him for 26 years to stop coming to splash day. It's not appropriate.
00:36:48
Speaker
John, you want to go next? Sure. What made you think I was done? I've just poured in another cocktail. Are you done, Greg? I'm done. Yeah. Okay. And history defeated itself somehow. doing it or get psycho We We could segue. History defeated itself somehow. All right. I always like to start with a couple of questions.
00:37:08
Speaker
Ooh. One. Seven.
Making the Bed & Productivity
00:37:10
Speaker
Now either one of you make your bed in the morning if you're the last one to get out of bed. Every time. 100% of the time, every time. Immediately. 0% of the time, never.
00:37:21
Speaker
OK. All right. Why? I'll even make I'll even make my bed. I'll even make my bed of Jen's. Yeah. Just your side or the whole thing. Whole fucking thing rolls are right out. Good. Good luck straighten out those fucking ankles. I do not. I do i don't I do not see the point. Well, maybe by the end of this.
00:37:41
Speaker
ah Nobody ever sees my bedroom, except me and my wife. So do you make it like before you go to bed or you just like get into like a gob of? Oh, we get sometimes sometimes it depends on on the situation. But no, most of the time we we get the sheet and the comforter lined up. It'll literally change your productivity. It dictates the productivity of your entire fucking day. If you make OK. OK. Drill sergeant Mitchell. It does. My name is scientifically proven. It actually does. Fucking.
00:38:09
Speaker
We're making your bed each morning. Yeah, look, that's why you got this like a fucking big bong on your lap right now. And you can't put the fucking map of the world together. It's like separated by like seven inches on each fucking panel. Why don't you buy one map? Why did you get this? No, but that's but it's artistic. No, okay no, it's not. Why don't you make your bed and see how that sign changes?
00:38:31
Speaker
Well, the bed behind you, Greg, in your very, very classy situation there, it's very made. yeah is It's very made. Yeah. But ah so making a bed that behavior is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of well-being and a greater a facility with following a budget. and See, I never, I never spent too much money at the fucking grocery store.
00:38:53
Speaker
That's a joke. I've been with you the other story. Yeah, you spent too much money. You spent so much money on Arby's. Sometimes I buy the really big thing. That's hard to do. I missed a joke. Can you repeat it? I missed a joke. I said you spent too much money on an Arby's. Arby's. Arby's. Do you know that Arby's? Yeah, you know that stands for roast beef.
00:39:12
Speaker
you guys go You guys go curly fries at Arby's, right? Oh, hell yeah. Yeah, you have to. I can't believe people don't. Like, it's so weird to me. I mean, the diary is happening no matter what, so you might as well get some flavor on the front end. Yeah, the curly fries come out exactly the same way they went in. yeah Just faster.
00:39:31
Speaker
sometimes they don't sometimes they curl it there's turds curl too curly turds I understand the idea I understand it's like the whole early to better litter eyes makes a man healthy wealthy and wise no I understand all that but like I don't know does it ah You can't tell me that if I make my bed in the morning that I'm going to make better financial decisions. Here's the thing. So I've been doing. So I read this book. Yes, you can. I read this book called The Power of Habit. um And and basically I habitually don't make. I have never made my bed. I have never. like I make it maybe once every month. Courtney makes her bed every day. and and like Since I've made my bed.
00:40:10
Speaker
Seven Nigerian princes have contacted me. but no like so So for the last 24 days, I've been making my bed. Okay. And I like that you know how many days. Well, because I started like I'm doing this whole thing. Like im it's not true. It is true. true The last 24 days I'm making my bed. No, you don't. I do lie. No, I'm lying. Okay, go ahead. So finish your bullshit story. It's not a bullshit story. And I'm being my days are being I'm way more productive throughout the day.
00:40:40
Speaker
Like ah it's like, the so it's, you know, I don't know. It's because you do. It's it's like, you it's like you start your day by completing something. Okay. Right. You just jerk off. I mean, know that's how I qualify. That's how I end my day. That's how I get, that's how I get right back into bed.
00:40:59
Speaker
I don't know. I get I get that. But I mean, I am a I'm a habitual kind of guy. I'm a routine kind of guy. I definitely like my routines and stuff. But i you know, I don't know. Is it specific to making a bet or is there is it more about just the idea of have being a habitual person? It's probably more the idea. But I'll tell you what, though, it's the first thing that you can get up and do as soon as you get up. And it's a good habit to get into because it means You get a little tiny dopamine dump from successfully doing something and it might and it only takes like 60 seconds unless you're really crazy about it. Like I am. Yeah, and takes me it takes me about five minutes to to do it because I. What the fuck are you doing? You got like throw pillows and shit. and You got like decorative shit. Well, I think it's bad as in like it's the room is like the exact same size as bed. Yeah. Well, you get a name on it. and every every morning i got You can't walk around. I got to drag Courtney out of the bed and that's a fight. That is a fight. so Because she wants to know what the weather is going to be. She does. And she wants to continue sleeping at 2.30 in the morning. I'm like, get up. Get up. I got to make the bed. Have whatever successful day. ah I'm going to make terrible financial decisions if you don't get out of bed right now. Oh no, my 401k is plummeting.
00:42:17
Speaker
No, because my Star Trek sheets are. The psychology behind it is that you you are you're starting your day by by, because basically it's like every morning you or every night you go to bed and you're like, that's like, it's like, I'm going to make my, it's a habit. I'm going to do this every day. And so you're starting the day by like keeping a promise and a habit that's like good. And it like gets in your brain. Like basically it like sets your brain to be productive.
00:42:42
Speaker
Do you tuck in, do you tuck everything in? I do, I do tuck everything in. That's insanity. I don't tuck in my comforter. I don't tuck in my comforter. But then you got to kick it all out. Sheets get tucked, not comforter. That's stupid. Do you do you untuck the sheets when you're getting better? Do you prefer to be like, like, I like being like a little, a little, a little burrito. I mean, I pull, it i I pull it up on one side. Yeah. My sheets come up on the one side, but the foot of the bed still tucked in and I'm usually trying to get laid and that Sometimes if the sheets are too tight, I can't get over that side of the bed. I like my bed like I like my penis tucked. Silence of the lamps.
00:43:20
Speaker
that's I don't know, man. I don't, I don't, uh, yeah. But anyway, but that's it. So that's okay. And then there's a certain way I have to melt. I have to make the bed. You just need to make the bed. You just did it every day. Make the bed. Don't be an asshole. Just make the fucking bed properly. So you, there's a whole book about this. Well, no, he can be yeah it's been a short book. No, well, it's, it's a lot of it's, this is ah a book about habits and and a lot of, and a lot of books about, I've read a lot of books about good habits and developing habits.
00:43:44
Speaker
And a lot of, like in every book it talks about that. Every book and is talks about making your back. I think it's a minor success you have and it trains you to have a, it's just like making good good food choices. If you start off with a bad food choice for breakfast, usually the rest of your day is ruined and you're gonna just keep fucking off.
00:44:02
Speaker
Yeah, because you're you're making good little choice because you're sitting there going, well, I've already fucked this day. Right. Right. Yeah. well i So I see what you're saying. So you make the bed in the morning. You're like, OK, I'm accomplished right away as I get shit done. OK. OK. All right. I can see that. I can see that. I'm not going to make my fucking bed, but I can see that. all right Well, you're going to be a loser and Greg and I are going to rule the world. So Sheena. She doesn't make the bed either. So you go to bed every night to an unmade bed. Yes. That's terrible. I feel bad for you.
00:44:32
Speaker
All right. Do you know, do you know? Okay. Listen to this. This is going to tell you, I'm going to delve into my psyche right now and you're going to probably feel bad for me, but there's a lot of people that know that I could feel worse for you. There's a lot of people that live in my house. Yeah. I have, I have seven people and I'm moving in soon. So three dogs, three cats and John banks.
00:44:52
Speaker
And I got to tell you, I love having my bedroom as our little aces. That's like the one room that doesn't get completely like fucked up with with laundry or or toys and all kinds of shit I like. I love coming home and I'll go to my bedroom. I go to the closet and I change and I like looking. I love looking at my bed and it looks like it's made because it's like a several sense of organization and it relaxes my mind. I can calm down. But if my bed is unmade,
00:45:22
Speaker
I, it fucking triggers me, man. Okay. I have built that shit. Okay. So I have a theory on why a partial theory on why I might not have any interest in making my bed. Okay. I might get in trouble for this, but I don't think she listens to the show anymore. She's very messy. So like her side of the bed, that's so hot. It's, it's terrible. I was married to Sheena and she didn't make her bed. I'd be like, Oh, baby.
00:45:47
Speaker
don't make that bad. Okay. Can you, uh, can you just, okay, I'm back. Why do you, why do you whisper like that? You make it because it's Sheena's mess, but it's so creepy. but i like wood cheese i like And so I, and what, the reason that I'm bringing this up is because of your comment, Greg, about when you got, when you get home, it's like your Oasis, it's your like one place where it's nice.
00:46:10
Speaker
I try. see um I'm keeping my voice. So sad. He's so sad right now. I'm scared. He's sad and scared. And she's she admits to it. I mean, her her side of the bed. It seriously is like I don't even clean over there. Like I don't know who cleans her bedroom and I don't go near. Are you afraid of spiders? Is that why? No, I mean, it's just it's too difficult to have a side of the bed. What are you even fucking talking about? Just a bed. Are you talking about like her nightstand? And no, no, ah there's just you can't even walk the floor.
00:46:39
Speaker
What? You can't walk over there. No, it's just clothes and crap and shoes and all sorts of stuff. Yeah. I mean, it's think she's hot. There's like there's 15 glasses on the unlike overnight. I would be so uncomfortable. but but That's what I'm saying. it I'd be uncomfortable with that. I'd look her and I go. It's okay, baby. Yeah, I mean, you pick you pick your battles, right? She's she's an amazing, amazing person. So if she's messy, ah whatever, you know. yeah So but I mean, that is a part of the reason why I probably don't look at because there's no use like there's no you if you make the bed, the rest of the rooms, fuck the rest of the room still going to be look like shit. Yeah.
00:47:15
Speaker
So I mean, that could be part of the reason why I i would not subscribe. Way to give it up. I might get it. Dump that on her. I did. wish she Yeah, I totally 100 percent. Wow. I want her percent of that. I'm going to you know what? I'm changing my topic on you being a real dick. You are. Hold on a second. Let's go back to my topic in where we're just used to smell someone a fuck off.
00:47:37
Speaker
Okay. So the next question, I really appreciate how honest Kevin just got that. Yeah. John, I feel like you're not, you haven't, you haven't like dug in deep enough into that into Kevin's ah honesty. Like I feel like you need to start talking to shit about Courtney right now. I told you about how I threw up after I had sex with Jen, but I don't think that's talking shit about Jen. I think that was related. Yeah. And honestly, that wasn't even in the episode. So.
00:48:05
Speaker
Oh, well, poor listener. It did happen. It wasn't just a poor listener or listener who has who has. Should I give context? No, I got drunk. I want I want question number two. OK, so question number two is.
00:48:23
Speaker
What is, uh, what's a habit? Well, actually this is a two-parter. So what's a habit that you have now that you do like a morning ritual, afternoon ritual, lunch, like what is something you do every day and why do you do it?
00:48:41
Speaker
So it can't be something like, you know, I put in my contacts and brush my teeth. yeah like You can't do that if you if you do that the same way every day. I mean, I guess the why do you do it part is probably. But but actually, like, why do you do it? Right. Well, I mean, the contacts are obvious because you're asking to see. Sure. yeah That's not where the contacts go. But you know what, though, it's not all bad.
00:49:07
Speaker
ah Um, he's got an ass stick. And this is for both of you. I, well, I will have an answer after Kevin. It seems like he wanted to talk. Yeah. Well, but you just reminded me of something. Cause I said the contact thing. I gotta be quiet. Cause she said she has disposable one a day contact. Listen to me. Oh, Kevin's getting the worst. I find them on the floor. He does that too. I find them. Yeah. or you does that too Courtney would just, vacuum hate them yeah. Yeah.
00:49:36
Speaker
Whenever Courtney is done with them, wherever she's out of the house. Jen has disposable contacts. You where you know where they are? in the trash can. That's where you'd think. I think Jennifer and I are going to renew our vows. It's just all going to be like clean, clean them and stuff. I'm trying to think of a habit that I have that's obviously cleaning up after your wife. I could be like a cup of coffee in the morning. Like, you know, it could be like, in other words, I mean, honestly, yeah. I mean, there is no morning that I do not.
00:50:10
Speaker
I mean, honestly, the first thing I usually do is I go downstairs and I make coffee, do a little bump, bump, get the day started. Right. Little note there. If Elwood's, if Elwood's awake, I go and check on him, see how he's doing. If not, which he's usually not the time I get up. I'll that's the first thing I do is I make coffee. And the the why I do that is because I live with caffeine. I love coffee in the morning. I'm pretty addicted to caffeine. Yeah. Sheena and I both drink it. So I, you know, it's just one of those things, you know, the division of labor, like I take care of the coffee every morning. So it's just something that I do. And is it, do you, what's, what's Sheena's division of labor? Cause so far, so ive heard her fucking shut out but she's got to find out she's got to find where she put her new contacts get you took her old contacts out somewhere and she can't see. No, she she gets Elwood's lunch ready in the morning. She a lot of she keeps her child alive and selfish. She obviously can't see and she's just pouring fucking Skittles into her. And she takes Banksy and leaves Elwood at home.
00:51:12
Speaker
yes no i actually i take buts i take He puts Banksy in the car seat. like And she's like, oh, and your breath is really bad this morning. ah Stop squirming. And my god, we need to shave you. Stop peeing in the car. Are you barking? are you barking? I'm like a normal person.
00:51:34
Speaker
Why is that lady yelling at you because you ran around without your leash?
00:51:41
Speaker
So, yeah, no, I mean, that's that would be my definitely every single morning. And why do you think you do that? Why do you think to make a coffee every day? Why do I make coffee? Yeah. Why do you make? Why do you think that's what you do every day? I just told you he likes to open his eyes. I like coffee. I like addicted to caffeine. I like the taste of it in the morning and I want to drink it. All right. Do you also enjoy the ritual of making it? Is there some part of that you enjoy?
00:52:05
Speaker
Yeah, I think I could I could say that. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I mean, there's definitely like, you know, I've got it down. and All right. I've got the ratios down. All right. Grind my own beans in the morning. Take this very seriously. I grind. He grinds his own beans and he he leaves the bean shells on his side of the bed.
00:52:25
Speaker
oh ah Yeah. The beans have shells. All right, how about how about how about you, Gregory? Yes, I have rituals. John Banks, thanks so much for asking. So the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is I take a dump. OK, first first thing. Well, then I'll wash my hands and then I'll make the bed. You can do you can dump that early. Sometimes I got to work my way up to that. Sometimes I poop before I even wake up. That's because you're old. Yeah.
00:53:01
Speaker
i do I do have a ritual every on a daily basis. um this is goingnna sound This is going to sound inconsistent with me and how I look, but i I have to exercise every single day. And if I don't, the weight of the world is on me. Like I feel super guilty if I don't work out.
00:53:21
Speaker
And obviously it's working for me. Yeah. Well, we can only see you from like nips up. So you look great. Yeah. yeah The nips are pretty good, actually. yeah the nips look good But I, by the way, have you ever seen his nipples? They're tiny. They are like, they're he, his nipples stop growing when he was one. like like They are so small. I've never seen tiny nipples. there's um There's no, there's no rule book. Everybody's got different nipples.
00:53:49
Speaker
No, nobody has those nipples. You're the only person on earth. My nipples are not that small. They're, they are. Yeah, they are. you And you're getting bigger and they're not, they're not growing. They seem to be getting small. No, we don't need to do this. No, they look pretty tiny. like They look pretty tiny. That's just one of them. You know, I need a, picture I need a picture of that for that. We'll make this the episode.
00:54:13
Speaker
I definitely, when you talk, you mentioned working out, I'm very habitual when it comes to working out. Like I, I take this, I have two runs. I have my two and a half mile run in my three and a half mile run. And it depends on which day while I'm feeling that day, it's the same route. It doesn't change.
00:54:28
Speaker
Before Elwood was born, I had to run every Saturday morning. It was my way to start my weekend off. It was just a way for me to get going. You know, I've talked about how big college football fan I am. I always loved taking my morning run. I'd listen to my college football podcast, get ready for a day of football and like all that stuff.
00:54:44
Speaker
I find that I'm less habitual and routine based since I had a child. I think that makes sense. Yeah. Because it's really hard yeah to be in that. And I suppose as you get old, as the kid gets older, Greg, you can probably attest to this, that you sort of get those routines those routines back or you make new routines. They have the ability don't ever come back. No.
00:55:05
Speaker
It's just so different. It's so different now. I just don't know what my morning is going to look like. You know, sometimes I wake up and and he's passed out. Sometimes I wake up to him going, daddy, daddy, because he's standing next to my bed. So, you know, I mean, it's just it's unpredictable. Yeah, I remember when my kids were younger, it was a lot tougher to have a consistent schedule.
00:55:26
Speaker
But what about you, John? Do you have? I do. So wait I didn't get to answer the question. I thought you said work out because he was going to ask. Oh, he was going to ask me, like, why do I do it? Oh, no, I wasn't. I don't care why Kevin was doing it. he Oh, shit was yeah. He just want to know about the call. Yeah. So why why do you do it?
00:55:42
Speaker
Why do I work out every day? Um, you know, I do it for that, uh, that sense of self worth. It just makes me feel good. It's selfish. I do it purely for selfish reasons. I love so many things about going to the gym. Like I love interacting with my buddies there. So socially, like it's a social thing. I like seeing women that might be wearing yoga pants at the gym. So it's an old creepy guy thing. Yep. Might be, might be.
00:56:07
Speaker
But whoever rented Lulu lemons, I mean, I think they should be our next president. Boy, I love Lulu. Yeah, that's great. great Good stuff. her Her and Lemon. Lulu and Lemon. They both are amazing. sometimes like Sometimes I dread going to the gym, but I'll tell you what, 100% of the time after the the the workout is over, I feel just fantastic.
00:56:30
Speaker
Do you ever have terrible workouts? I've had subpar workouts, but I've never regretted working out. No, but ah have you ever like I've had sometimes where I'm just like, I'm i'm done with it. I'm like, that sucked. That's not good. I just don't feel good. ah like I don't know. It's weird. I don't know if I can point a finger to any reason. It wasn't like I was hungover or I ate bad food or or whatever. I didn't sleep well. just Sometimes it just doesn't.
00:56:54
Speaker
Just take sometimes while I'm working out, I feel like that. I feel like, yeah oh, shit, this is I just don't have it in me today. My my tank is not all the way full and I'm not giving it everything out. But I try to really push through those kinds of days. And then when I'm done, I mean, I usually got some kind of benefit out of it. Yeah, it's better than sitting on the couch eating fucking Fritos. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I love. Actually, it's worse than that. I love Fritos. They're pretty fucking good. Chili cheese Fritos. Oh, my God.
00:57:22
Speaker
John, what do you do every day besides stroke your beard? Yeah, what's your habitual shit? So it used to be coffee. So I used to get up every day and then... Did you quit coffee? Well, so I... I didn't quit... I did quit... I quit coffee! Did you quit coffee? I quit coffee, but I quit sugar and I quit dairy and so... So everything that's delicious made my coffee great was sugar and dairy, right? Sugar and milk. And so since I'm not doing that anymore, this is the area where I don't fucking want to drink black coffee. So I gave up. I switched to oat milk in my coffee, by the way. And I've been I've never I've never looked back. What would you switch to? No sugar. I switched to oat milk. Right. But I would want to put sugar in the in there. I still want sugar. I got it. Here's the thing, though. Here's what I'll say about that. Once you get used to it, you won't miss it anymore.
00:58:09
Speaker
but Well, but so so i so I quit 24 days ago. like ah I started changing on these things. And his 24 days. Well, I started because that's when I fucking started, Greg. Okay. I mean, I don't know what to tell you. Make his bed without caffeine. Do you put sugar in your bed? I
Quirky Conversations
00:58:28
Speaker
do. I put sugar on my balls. I sugar my balls every day. That's my routine. That's why people call you sugar balls. I never understood that. I always thought it was weird. You listen to Def Lepper who you got.
00:58:38
Speaker
and and And so what I replace that with, and and and ah ah so I see and ah get up. You put semen in your coffee. I i do. I put semen in my coffee and then I pour it down the sink. Because nobody wants semen in their coffee. I ruin that.
00:58:53
Speaker
That's what I like to do. I like to ruin cups of coffee every morning.
Daily Routines & Exercise
00:58:57
Speaker
um So I get up, I put my... So does Starbucks, by the way. Yes, I agree with that. I put my workout clothes on, I make my bed, and then I go to the gym.
00:59:06
Speaker
And that's what I do. Every day. Every day. Do you want a fucking medal? No, I don't want a medal. You ask me. And it gives me a great sense of confidence starting my day. And I feel really good. It just makes me feel really good to exercise. Because I had that hernia for so long. And I just got out of the habit of exercising. And it's just so hard to get back into. God, you guys are so fucking lame.
00:59:31
Speaker
just Sorry we don't do heroin like you every day. Hey listen, you you start your day how you want to, I'll start my day how I want to. Okay, well we'll see who wakes up having given less blow drops. You don't know what kind of workouts I do. I never said what I did for my exercise. That's why that's why John has TMJ.
00:59:56
Speaker
and no gag reflex. so um But yeah, I could take that back again, but there's no there's no like it's not as there's no social part because like I go down in the morning and usually like I said, I'm i'm getting there between like four and four thirty and it's like it's like it's like the gym in the morning. That's when you yeah, you do you exercise exercise at four thirty in the morning. Yeah.
01:00:16
Speaker
and And so when i when I get there, there's nobody there, right? Yeah, people yeah no. thats But there are people who are rolling in like 5.15. But I don't ever talk to anybody. So it's not a social thing for me at all. It's it's definitely like it's it's like a feeling of accomplishment. And it's it's definitely a like a chemical. No Lululems. No Lululems. Well, actually, no. People start rolling in. Because I just, here's the thing. It's like a small, it's like my it's like my apartment building gym, right? And it's it's a good gym. It's got everything you need. But it's small. And so. Yeah.
01:00:43
Speaker
Yeah, it's just it open at like six to know it's open 24-7. Yeah, then why don't you fucking go in at a time? That's not stupid. Would that be I can't or 30 I can't work out it in the I can't work out in the afternoon But but then no one said to work out in the afternoon. How about seven? Well, cuz I cuz I do it's my workouts an hour and a half and if I i's Start work too late. Okay, John. i I want you to text me your routine We're going to find out what's dragging you down. We're going to workshop. Not OK. We're going to find a better routine for you. Hour and a half, that's a long workout. Yeah, it's a long workout. You're not pushing yourself hard enough. Oh, I'm pushing myself. You can get a strong 30 minutes, and you don't need anything more. Well, but it depends on what your goal is. And my goal is to do. What is your goal, John? I'm doing maximum weight low reps, because I'm trying to get bigger, and then. So that should take less time. No, because it's the rest times. You have to do like two-minute rest. You rest for 30 minutes between. Yeah. I do a squat and a lunge. I take a nap at 4.30 in the morning. You rest for like two minutes in between. But I'll do multiple exercises. I'll do like three exercises, and then I'll rest for two minutes. I'll do three exercises. Is this machines or weights? Both. Free weights will take a little bit longer machines, too. So he loads up the bar, then he runs upstairs, makes his best.
01:02:02
Speaker
comes back down, goes, oh, wait, that's way too much weight. So that I can't do that. He takes some weight off then you know then i'll check up yeah errors and and he's like, it's my bed still made. But that's just so that's just the morning. But then also like every day at lunch, like I do like 15 minutes of like do a lingo. Like that's ah that's a habit that but you also fucking walk across the
Bad Habits vs. Bad People
01:02:21
Speaker
street and hope cars don't hit you yeah at lunch. I know. How long are you taking for lunch?
01:02:28
Speaker
I take, it's an hour. I usually take an hour. It takes me, it takes me fucking to be careful. Greg's going to take 15 minutes to eat. How many? It takes 15 minutes to eat. How many choose are you getting? for vice I have no idea, but I poop a lot. You're hurting your digest. So anyway, so the reason I'm asking all these questions, um, is what if what's everything wrong in the world? Isn't bad people. It's just bad habits.
01:02:55
Speaker
and da Nope. Well, I don't know. I'm pretty sure when we get to my topic, you'll think it's just bad. pieces So you think you think racists and murderers and rapists are just like, Oh, you know what? It's just because I didn't make my bed.
01:03:11
Speaker
Come on. OK, it's a dumb question. I'm just trying to tie into thell just take your responsibility for their. I'm just trying to turn into the theme of history defeats itself. okay Because that's fair Kevin gets mad when we don't do that. No, it's a new way. We don't have to worry about it. Great. Then forget that question. But so basically habits, there's there's three things that happen with a habit. You get a cue, a craving, and then you get reward. Right. So so, for example, like with Kevin's coffee,
01:03:38
Speaker
So the the cue would be, because it's his habit, he wakes up, and so the cue is actually waking up, right? That would be the cue. And then the craving would be, as soon as he wakes up, he's probably, and I don't know, but you're probably saying something like, oh, I'm tired, man, I need my coffee. Because that's what people, you know, it's like, oh, God, it's like, I'm not throwing them my coffee. So so the the craving is a desire to- After I cry myself awake.
01:04:00
Speaker
Cry myself away. yeah Right. and the And so the craving is like a desire to to it actually could be it could be a social thing. It could be the the desire for the caffeine. And so and then the reward is going to be whatever the craving is, the reward is going to be that's met. Right. So if you're like if it's coffee around the water cooler, then the reward is you get to socialize. If it's the caffeine, then it's you know, the reward is you don't get a headache because as soon as you stop drinking caffeine, if you're addicted to it, it fucks up your body. yeah It did. When I when I stopped, I had eight for two days from the caffeine at about the time that fucker was going away. I had a three day headache from the fucking sugar. The sugar was way worse than the caffeine. I could believe that. I can believe that. But yeah, caffeine is it's I've quit coffee before and it's it's rough. I just enjoy I enjoy coffee, too. Like I enjoy the taste. I enjoy the. Yeah, you mentioned I used to until I got palpitations. Right. I've been offered for like 16 years now. But you didn't stop before palpitations, hadn't you? Nope.
01:04:59
Speaker
Well, I mean, I stopped before a fib. Oh, it stops because of palpitations. Oh, I get palpitations sometimes. Of course you do, because you're addicted to coffee. But it's not like I drink a pot a day. I just took two or three cups. OK. OK.
01:05:15
Speaker
You think it's good for you, pal? Do you? Oh, I'm sorry. Is this tiger so turning into an intervention for me and my issues? no I would say if you're going to do that, I wouldn't lead with coffee.
01:05:27
Speaker
Hey, you do what might makes you happy. I don't think that coffee is a bad habit at all. I don't, I don't, you know, every once in a while I'll make an afternoon coffee if I could use a little pick me up. But I mean, it's pretty rare. I do miss the taste and I miss the socialization of coffee and I like it's, there's, you know, there's an art to making a really good cup of coffee. Sure. That all, all that stuff is fantastic. Dude, dude, life sucks. You might as well enjoy these little moments that we get instead of having John tell you to fucking stop it. I didn't tell him to stop it. A hundred percent. You did. That's not where I'm going with this. Don't drink coffee. Make you put it in my goddamn mother. Brush your teeth with your left hand sometimes to attract your brain to be multifaceted. That's that is true. That is a true statement. oh good lord I would I would just be brushing my face.
01:06:16
Speaker
So bad with my left hand. I know you end up with a mustache. I mean, like when I was 14, I started masturbating on my left hand because I just wanted to. And let me tell you, it took a while, but it paid off because now it's like now it's either the weird part is when I turned 14, I started masturbating with John's left hand, too. It was well, it's very expensive because you got to get on a jet and fucking fly across the country. And and the group was quite a bit younger than you. Yeah. When I was 14, John was nine. So I think.
01:06:44
Speaker
I think we got some problems. There's problems. There's a lot of problems with this, Greg. A lot of problems. um I mean, with John Q. Law, we got problems. So ah researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered a simple- Just say MIT, because you cannot say Massachusetts. I can't. Why did you not say MIT? Why? The man can't reverse this. You can't do it. Massachusetts. It's because you hate Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
01:07:12
Speaker
Oh, I just can't say that. And the band Boston. you MIT you discovered a simple neurological loop at the core of every habit. All habits consist of three parts, a routine, a reward, and a cue.
Social Interaction & Addiction
01:07:24
Speaker
The researchers dubbed this the habit loop, right? And so if you're if you have a good habit or you have a benign habit, like coffee's a benign habit. right likes like you're not You're not beating your fucking kids because you're not getting coffee or anything. Unless you go into AFib. Even then, i mean yeah I guess it's not benign, but for most people it's great it's benign. um but you know like like If you have something like, ah one of the reasons like alcohol ah Alcoholics Anonymous works is because for a lot of people,
01:07:52
Speaker
Drinking is a social thing. And so it's like you what you of course you have the addiction to alcohol stuff like that. But what you what you get with AA is you get the you still get the social aspect of it. So you're not giving that up. So it makes it way easier to transition, but also makes it very easy to relapse if you don't feel connected to that group or if you fall out of touch with them. That's why one of the keys of AA is you stay in touch with your sponsor, especially for the i think first 90 days, like you're staying in touch with the sponsor all the fucking time.
01:08:21
Speaker
Right? And it's about keeping, you know, it's about for them, they do it a different way. But the science of it is, it's you need the social aspect. So I totally get that there was a a client of of of mine at my old job. He had a company called sober as fuck entertainment safe.
01:08:38
Speaker
And he would go to all sorts of sporting events, concerts and stuff like that. And he would work with the venues to create a place, an area that was alcohol free. Oh, nice. So not not a family section at a baseball game, but like actually like, you know, areas at festivals and sections of sporting events and stuff like that. And I always thought that was such a cool idea because of the fact that if I were to quit drinking, if I were to be told I had to quit drinking, if I found that I had, you know, had to quit.
01:09:09
Speaker
The hardest part would be the social aspect, would be the concerts, would be the sporting events. The rituals. I can't imagine sitting at a hockey game, Greg, and not drinking a beer. That sounds crazy to me. yeah and I can't imagine it being seven o'clock and not drinking a beer. but whatever I can't imagine even but imagine driving my kid to school and not having a beer.
01:09:30
Speaker
So like, but I, you know, traffic has a pain in the air. Oh my God. I'm not getting through that sober. So I hope, but I totally like understand that aspect of what you're talking about with AA because it's, it is, it's such a, uh, you know, you, you have to, you have to find a way to, to, to enjoy stuff without it. And what better way than having, isn't it crazy that support group of people, yeah isn't that crazy that as people, we are so fucking, um, every aspect of our lives.
01:09:59
Speaker
Like the the more social we are and how and how we interject social activities, the more successful we are. Our highs and lows are so dependent upon being social. And I know there's introverts and shit like that, but that's why I think 2020 was such a shit year for so many people because denying people the ah ability to see friends and family is just fucking harsh as fuck. Yeah.
01:10:28
Speaker
Absolutely. It's nuts. Well, which is why, I mean, you know, which is why a lot of times viruses do so well, right? Like seriously, because human beings are very, very social. I hope it had a great run. I mean, it did. And, you know, even, even, you know, because we, we didn't shut it all down. We didn't all shelter in place. We, yeah we still went to work. We still, you know, we were still doing things and you still go to the grocery store and you know, so still, it was still working. and Hey, John, is your topic almost over?
01:10:56
Speaker
Uh, yeah, I mean, I'm going to cut out. The only reason I'm asking is because I got to take a break. You know what I mean? Okay. we Let's take a break. Kevin, are you okay with that? Yeah, I'm fine with it. I'm editing this out. so so Well, I mean, I'm just...
Changing Organizational Habits
01:11:10
Speaker
John and I will continue talking. I'll keep going. I'll keep going and you can jump back in. I gotta a pee. All right. So um so of of people who have bad... Why is Greg so orange? Because he's he's been he's been using spray tan. Is he doing like the Donald Trump complexion? Yeah, he's in the DT.
01:11:27
Speaker
Weird. All right. So people in organizations that are successful at changing bad habits, or a bad habit could be considered some sort of work culture that doesn't work, is that they had identified the routine around the habit, experienced with different rewards to satisfy the craving the behavior was trying to fulfill, and isolated the cue that triggered the behavior in the first place.
01:11:48
Speaker
Finally, those who successfully executed habit change have a plan in place that would help them respond differently to the queue. um yeah so so So what would be, so you're saying like, just sticking with my coffee example, if I wanted to to change up my routine and not drink coffee anymore, I would.
01:12:07
Speaker
I would just replace that routine with something similar. or so so that so right so So basically, so if you if you wanted a quick coffee, right and you're just like, I can't cook coffee, I'm addicted to coffee. um Which is a lot of people, right? So then the the then you the so that's the first the first step is it's kind of like, the first step is kind of admitting you have a problem. This is an intervention. So the first step is is like recognizing the cue or so so are the craving. so like so So then you have this craving and then you go and then you go look for the reward. right And so you have a craving for coffee, the reward is you make the coffee and then again,
01:12:45
Speaker
Most likely with coffee, it is a chemical thing. right i mean sure But could be something else. right because It's also definitely habitual. Right. but But the habit forms because basically you start doing something by choice and then over time it just becomes a habit. right and so And then to break a habit, so then basically what you do is so if you want to stop making coffee, then it's the second the second step first the first step would be like, all right. like i I'm addicted to coffee. So then the second step is figuring out why you're addicted to coffee. So then you start experimenting with the rewards. And so like for you, okay um it would be instead of um you know instead of making coffee that morning,
01:13:22
Speaker
maybe maybe—maybe what you do is you wake up and you just spend 15 minutes talking to your wife, right? Because maybe that's the thing that you actually like about the coffee is maybe you guys get coffee together and it gives you this moment in the morning, right? And then the next thing you would do is instead of having coffee, maybe you just get like—you just chug a glass of water.
01:13:38
Speaker
right? And see if it's about like a—like a thirst situation, right? You know, like you wanna satisfy thirst. And then if that doesn't—and then—and so basically what you do is for like—for like about a week, you try different things and you see like does that glass of water satisfy the urge of coffee? And then basically you—you'd set a timer for 15 minutes. So you drink the water then set a timer for 15 minutes and in 15 minutes you still want the coffee, well then it's obviously not thirst.
01:14:04
Speaker
right Well, yeah, you don't drink coffee because you're thirsty. No, no, but I'm just i'm um and i'm just trying to let use it as an example. So that would be like, so the second step is you experiment with the rewards and then once you figure out what Um, so so then that's then you isolate the cue, right? And so basically there's, uh, hold on. I gotta, let me see if I can find this thing. Uh, so, so identify a cue. Okay. So basically you're trying to figure out what it is. So to identify categories of behavioral ahead of time to scrutinize them for patients is the experiments that have shown that almost all habitual cues fall into one of five categories.
01:14:41
Speaker
So you're doing your coffee thing because you're either doing it for location, time, emotional state, other people, or immediately preceding action. Right? And so then basically your, your step three is to figure out once you've done your little experiment with awards, then you figure out like which of those things is actually the cue, which of those is actually the thing that's like, so every in other words, you get up at eight o'clock in the morning and every day at eight o'clock, you make coffee, right? So maybe it's not about the coffee, but it's like, that's the thing you do when you wake up, right? Yeah. Greg fell asleep. No, I'm totally awake and I was listening to you and the coffee would have helped.
01:15:16
Speaker
And then finally, the yeah, so the last thing you do is, um so once you figure out what that is, then you have to, because you're it's habitual, so the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is you want coffee, so then once you figure out ah which one of those rewards will satisfy that craving,
01:15:34
Speaker
If it was drinking the water, then what you would do is you would every day you get up, drink water and then you set a timer for 15 minutes. Uh, and the reason you set up a timer is basically because like ah the the way your brain works, it's just like you're, you're anchoring that habit. Right. And you may still slip. There may be a day you do get up and make coffee, but eventually over time, what will happen is you'll start waking up and you won't even crave the coffee. What you'll crave is a glass of water. Okay. So it's like you replace, make sense you replace the, the, the thing that you're addicted to.
01:16:04
Speaker
That's the story of how John stopped masturbating. Nope. Nope. I still do that way too much. So do you, uh, I don't remember if you did or not, but do you want to shout the book out? Just since yeah. So it's the, the book is the power of habit, uh, by this guy, Charles Duhigg. Um, and it was a really good book. Like I read, like he talks about it, like it's like different chapters. and And that was like in the book, he talks about how there's,
01:16:26
Speaker
There's chapters in this book. I don't believe it. there's there's all How many pictures are in it? There's like millions of different ways that you can change a habit. right and that that's where you like like In other words, when I quit smoking, right like i I use carrots.
01:16:41
Speaker
I had carrots on me. I had toothpicks. Right. you you know so And and like toothpicks wouldn't work for me, because but carrots did, right? so So in other words, it's like the his point is that people... It's like you have to figure out... She's ranch, too. My smoking habits don't come, but my ranch consumption is in both ways. I dehydrated the carrots and rolled them up into papers and smoked them. Yeah. so comments And it was, I mean, I'm still, I have a two, two pack a day carrot habit, but you know, I don't smoke anymore. So anyway, so that's it. Beautiful. All right. Well, I'm going to shorten mine a little bit because we've been talking for a while and I've been very much enjoying our conversation. Mine's a little different, but
01:17:26
Speaker
um um my My topic is is about the the budding bromance between Elon Musk and Donald. Are you kidding me? I don't know who those people are. Let's just punt this topic. Well, the the focus of this, and this is why I wanted to talk about this, because one of the things that scares me about this bromance is the fact that someone like Elon Musk, I'm not a Musk fan. I'm just not.
Musk & Trump Relationship Concerns
01:17:53
Speaker
And you know that I'm not a Trump fan. But when somebody with that much power and that much people love you, do you know any of the crazy Musk people, yeah like people who just are obsessed with him? Yep, I do. ah down But I do, too. And it's it's it's weird because these people aren't the people I'm talking about are not, you know, right wing people. They're not even
01:18:17
Speaker
Well, one of them might be, but one of them's not even a trump or anything like that, but they, they just love this guy and they think he's just like the bees knees. And what scares me is that when somebody like this has an ear.
01:18:30
Speaker
president of policymakers, of lawmakers, I think that's very dangerous. I mean, he even, um, but you must make your bed. So what the fuck? Yeah, I know you can't take me seriously, but Musk hinted that he would be willing to offer advice and guidance on tech and innovation policy. And Trump said, you have a brilliant mind. And he suggested that he would welcome such input. So you're telling me,
01:18:52
Speaker
that a guy who is clearly out for his own profits is going to have a say in policy that's terrifying but but isn't it already that's how it already is i think though that it's it yes you're right you're right it is but i think that maybe it's just the how brazen it is right it's definitely it's definitely right out it's out on the front porch for everybody to see but that's that's how it is like that because basically it's like if you you know politicians engage with their large donors because they need money for campaigns. sure and so they engage with it large So any large donor is going to have an end of that you know the ear of that policy maker. But the reason that I did this topic and the reason that I'm i'm so nervous about it is that i you know i you guys know that I'm not an AI aficionado, but I follow
AI Regulation & Musk's Stance
01:19:41
Speaker
AI pretty closely. I used to do a podcast. I don't know if you guys knew I do other podcasts. What? um I've been told.
01:19:48
Speaker
But I mean, like the fact that, you know, one of my biggest things is he so he said ah he's big. He's strongly opposed to overregulation and says innovation innovation thrives in an environment of freedom, not under the heavy hand of government oversight. So this is a guy who, first of all, is, you know, is trying he's is way behind an AI development. He's way behind all the other big players. He's trying to catch up. Fine.
01:20:11
Speaker
He also signed an open letter yeah you know a couple of years ago saying that oh that AI progress needed to be stopped because, I don't know if you guys remember when that letter came out. I can't remember that, yeah. And and he was another a name on it. And it's like, okay, so you wanted progress to be stopped. Now you're concerned about government regulations stopping your AI progress. And it's just, I don't know, it freaks me out because I really think that, I think AI is great. I think it's going to do amazing things, but there are some serious, serious ethical concerns with it, obviously. I mean, people left Google because they were, they didn't, and open AI and Apple and everybody else because they didn't like where it was going. The godfather of AI, I can't, I'm blanking on his name right now.
01:20:55
Speaker
is concerned it's going to kill us all. yeah you know So I mean, to me, when you have a guy like Musk, who is very anti-government, oversight, you know very you know much about his you know what he considers freedom speech on on X, formerly known as Twitter, because I think you have to say the whole thing each time.
01:21:17
Speaker
It's going to give it to you. To me, it's just it's it. It makes me more nervous, I think, than the typical donor. Maybe it's because maybe my my fear is because he's he's got power and his endorsement of a monster just for his own. ah Financial gain worries me. Well, the weird thing about Musk is you can't fucking pin down his angle ever.
01:21:44
Speaker
It's Musk. I'm pretty sure. Yeah. I mean, I really think it's just. But it's Trump. Trump. Same argument. Right. Like, sure. Of course, he was Trump. ah He's probably running for president so he doesn't have to go to jail. Yeah. As my guess. Yeah. I just don't. I. OK, fine. It's Musk. But why? He's already fucking. Rich as fuck and he can do anything he wants to do anyway.
01:22:12
Speaker
Yeah, so what the fuck is going on? I don't understand what drives it' gotta be ego. so Did you did you uh, are you guys watching the daily show again at all? Do you ever like I have no, okay. So, um, uh, who's the guy that owns the Mavericks? I have. Oh, um, billionaire. I like him Cuban Cuban. Yeah. Mark Cuban Cuban. So he was on he was on there he was on the Daily Show, and he was talking about Elon Musk. and and And I thought this was kind of interesting, because that was one thing Jon started asking was about act X and how that influences, and you know what kind of influence he has. I'm sorry, say the full name. No, I'm not going to. X formerly known as Twitter. um But how Elon Musk actually has much greater influence
01:22:55
Speaker
overseas because of the power and the platform of ex-formally Twitter than than than he does at home, right? but get Interesting. you know but Because he does like, you know, that's the thing is like Donald Trump is not a great guy, but he's also somebody that
01:23:17
Speaker
He really plays to his base. right so so I think he would he would betray Elon Musk in a heartbeat if his base didn't want Elon Musk. right so so it's like He's going to appease his base, whatever that is. so i don't know how danger like and I understand what you're saying. like I do think it's crazy that you know we now have 13 billionaires who have more money together than the value of Google.
01:23:43
Speaker
Right. That's crazy. Right. That's, you know, that's one point something trillion. That's pretty nice. Yeah, it's crazy. Right. And so like, you know, like, like ah Zuckerberg, you know, he has any I think anybody I think to answer, like we have to we have to pass laws to get money out of politics.
Politics & Big Tech Intersection
01:24:02
Speaker
And until we do that, it's never going to happen. but Yeah. Right. But you know that. Yeah. But that's but that's the only way to stop it. Yeah, of course. I agree. I mean, there's a lot of changes we have to make. But, you know, we're at the end of democracy. I don't think we are. I don't think we are. We'll see. But I mean, but but big tech has largely stayed away from politics. Well, but they're not in the last like eight years like they're getting more and more involved. They have. I mean, honestly, it's it's not There's not a lot of endorsements. I mean, the endorsements for Trump besides Musk are. What about Peter Thiel? He's he's. Yeah, but he's also but he's been with Trump for a while. Right. But I'm saying but he's a billionaire from tech and he's. Sure. He's tried very hard to influence politics.
01:24:45
Speaker
Yeah, but he's, I guess he's not, I mean, he was, he's PayPal with, uh, what's his, with, uh, with Moss, right? And then he's done other stuff too. I think he was like, he, he, he was in on a lot of stuff in the beginning, right? I think, but I think he's mostly financial guy. Yeah. And, and then there's that, um, those other two knuckleheads, I forget what their names are. The, the financial, the, the, I think, do I have it on here? Am I taught and John? yeah What? um Yeah, so anyway, I don't remember what that is. But yeah, I feel like it's it's gotten you know more so. I think I feel like big tech has always kind of stayed away. And it was always really more on the liberal side because techy people tend to be a lot more liberal as a general rule. And what's interesting too is is is is Tesla. you know i mean I feel like Tesla
01:25:31
Speaker
is is more popular with liberal minded people. definitely right And you wonder, like i mean he obviously doesn't care like if he if he loses customers. I don't think he's even aware. you know think even gets I think he's so fucking batshit that he's gonna do what he wants to do. And I think he's if he loses his support, Musk,
01:25:59
Speaker
I don't I don't know. I don't know if that's a big threat to him or not. Well, did you not figure out what the fuck makes me tick? Yeah, I think it's I think it's I think he's kind of like um Jordan Peterson like Jordan I think ten years ago like if you listen to George Jordan Peterson talk ten years ago. He made some pretty good arguments. I don't know who that is. Jordan joson Jordan Peterson. He's he's like a ah He's from Massachusetts. he'ss He's from Canada, I think, actually. And um and he he was like he's considered anti-trans. He considered all these things, but like but he's ah a psychologist or a psychiatrist. And and he just had like some like hit some really good arguments about like ah when like when people were talking about um
01:26:46
Speaker
Like women and and men being paid equally. And he was basically like, he was like saying that with equality, you know, he's like, do do you want to go lay bricks or do you want, you know, was basically his whole thing was he was kind of talking about the importance of men in society and how they're getting downplayed. and And it wasn't like crazy. You may have disagreed with him, but like it was like logical, but now he's gotten to the point where he's been around so long. He he just.
01:27:09
Speaker
It's like he thinks he's fucking genius on everything and I think that's the same thing with Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg It's like you become successful in one thing and you do very good at it right and then that success leads you to believe that you know everything and so they become these like Like icons and they get these following nonsense Right, but but I don't so I think that's for for Elon Musk I think everything Elon Musk does he actually does from a place where he truly believes it is the best thing for the world and Because he is so fucking smart and I'm not I'm not saying this is my opinion But I think you the way he thinks of himself is he's the smartest guy in the on the earth And so what he knows what's best right but so he knows what's best so basically so him choosing Trump Is like it's he thinks it's best for the world because if it's about money
01:27:54
Speaker
Yeah, you know, it can't be about money. I don't think it is right. I don't it's got to be it's I think it's got to be power. I mean, one of the things he said that he was talking about the importance of media control and narrative framing. And he said how X formerly Twitter could be used to counteract what he described as biased mainstream media. And I'm thinking there is no more biased, fucked up shit out there than you're going to find and on on X formerly known as Twitter.
01:28:22
Speaker
I mean, seriously, though, I mean, like like saying that it's an alternative to to the biased mainstream media, it's such like ah I'm so tired of hearing that because, you know, Trump likes to lay that down all the time about like, you know, I mean, how many Trump say things like, oh, you can't trust, you can't trust the news, you can't trust the news. It's like, well, I mean, you trust Twitter and Facebook like over that. Well, and that because the news is obviously against him because they use research and facts.
01:28:48
Speaker
I think the reason why we're having such a hard time wrapping our arms around why it's so difficult to relate to Elon Musk is because he fucking he is so different and he is just a fucking and he's got this crazy following.
01:29:03
Speaker
he does and it's really wise and he's like incen and he's all but that's the thing too is like he's already so his tentacles are already so far into our government just just because of space x and and starling space x yeah for sure right yeah like but mr starling too right like like literally those two things are not just changing America, but the the world. right He has such a ah grip on our society and our government that I think that is more dangerous than his relationship with Trump.
01:29:37
Speaker
And also X for women known as Twitter. Right. Like right don't diminish that. That is like. Yeah. Like it might not be that. And and Solar City and Solar City and Speaker City. yeah Well, they also have a city. Yeah. People talk about, you know, Neuralink and, you know, the ah possibilities of that. And I think that's Yeah, sure. Like, I mean, if we can help people walk again, yeah, I mean, this is great stuff. Great stuff. But I don't know. I just, I, I worry about his, his power and where it's gotten. And I think him getting in bed with Trump.
01:30:19
Speaker
You know, but all faults aside, Musk is not stupid and he could see like there's no way he's going to get Biden or Harris to to do his bidding, whatever he wants, but he could get Trump to do it, you know? So.
01:30:34
Speaker
I don't know. It scares me. I had more, but I don't feel like talking about it now. Oh, I just I changed my mind. It's been it's a well, we've been talking for like two hours. like yeah I mean, it's really just overall the motivations scare me of Musk because I don't think that he has the best interest of the humanity and the world in mind. What you said, John, is very interesting that.
01:30:59
Speaker
One thing I didn't think about is that in his mind, he thinks he knows what's best. So, so the things he's doing, he's saying are good, but they're not, you know, the fact that he's trying to say that Twitter, sorry, expertly noticed is, is, is a good source of, of information is a reliable source of information is, is that's tough. That's, that's scary to me.
01:31:29
Speaker
You know, I mean, it's no more. I mean, is it? I mean, I guess it's as reliable as Facebook. It's as reliable as, you know, YouTube. And also like, I guess it depends on where you look. Is Elon Musk going to be the most dangerous thing in a Trump administration? I mean, get in line.
01:31:48
Speaker
I think he could be high on that list. so I mean, if he depending on which what way he wants to go, I mean, I guess my question would be, yeah, what is it that you fear? Like, like when you say, like, like of of all the things he does, like, what do you think the threat is? Bedwetting. Bedwetting is definitely big on the list. No, I think I think the A.I. angle, the the.
01:32:11
Speaker
The fact that he wants to do everything without anyone asking questions, the fact that he doesn't want, you know, like when he talks about government regulation, stifling innovation, he just doesn't want to have to answer it to anybody. Right. And when you're developing technology like this, you just you can't just rely on the fact that the people developing it are just good people with our best
Ethics in AI Development
01:32:35
Speaker
intentions. and but But is there government regulation right now on AI?
01:32:38
Speaker
No, but it's it's cut well, not in this country. OK, there is like there's there is the European Union has regulation. But if there's if there's one country that doesn't have regulation, it doesn't have regulation. Yeah. And I guess that's isn't that his I think that's his fears, particularly in AI. and And I'm not an Elon guy, so I'm not defending him. I'm just right. But um but I think one of his fear, I think one of the fears of of a lot of these companies is that basically right now,
01:33:06
Speaker
From what I understand, America is ahead on the technology side of it. We are actually ahead on AI than any other country in the world. If you start to regulate it, then basically you you stifle America, which has the good values, right quote, unquote, good values, and then a kind a country like China. Do we though? no i mean like like yeah Yeah, I think we do. I think I think we do because we don't do it perfectly. But I think I think what we want, like the the ideal and the dream of this country is to is to make a better world. And I don't think China necessarily wants to make a better world. Right. I think China wants to. I think China wants the world to be Chinese. I think Russia wants the world. Do you think Elon wants to make a better world?
01:33:44
Speaker
I think he does. I do. I do think that's the intent, you know, but but again, I think it gets really hard to separate when you get to a point where you have that much money and that much power. And that's kind of what I was trying to make the point with Jordan Peterson is like, I think once it's like you you get in this echo chamber of your, like, so you have people around you who think you're the greatest. And you know, and so in other words, it's like you start to believe.
01:34:06
Speaker
the that you can't be wrong and there's no one to check you. And I think that's dangerous, right? but i But I don't think necessarily that his intent, I mean, because like, think about it, like the electric car, Tesla, what, you know, it it turns out that it causes more pollution than it that ah actually cuts, but I think on a long enough timeline, and it is definitely like I've i've been reading all these things in Popular Mechanics where they're like creating all these, there's these advancements in batteries, and five years from now, all these problems that cause pollution are gonna be gone.
01:34:34
Speaker
Right. So well that's the problem they got to figure. Right. But they're figuring it out and they're actually they're figuring out with A.I. Right. And so so it's like so I think his intentions are good um and it doesn't mean he's good or evil or yeah I don't know. I just I don't see him as like a villain. I don't see him as Batman either. But I think I think his intention starting out was good. And I can't speak for what it is now because I think it's too corrupted by by by a lot of things. So.
01:35:05
Speaker
Yeah, I get, I get what you're saying. I guess, I guess for me, you know, being someone that's, that's follows AI pretty closely. I mean, there's, you know, you can start getting into quantum computing and you can start talking about all this stuff about how deep we can get in a short amount of time into this AI thing.
01:35:23
Speaker
And I'm not, I'm less worried about the world, us destroying ourselves with AI. I'm more worried about what, what a lack of regulation would look like as far as safety, as far as, um, economy.
01:35:41
Speaker
economy. yeah Yeah, I would say economy too. um You know, I think about, you know, I have a, you know, my kids three and a half, he's almost four years old and, and like, what's the world going to look like with unregulated AI by the time he's 20, 30, you know, because I just think that when you start developing stuff,
01:36:02
Speaker
and you have these capabilities and we're already worried about deep fakes, we're already worried about all that kind of stuff, we're already worried about tampering. The G's are already out of the bottle though. It's also out of the body. I don't think so. I don't think so because I think you can, you can't stop people from tinkering, right? But you can make it so that you can't get certain things into the public's hands. And I think the most obvious example would be like the idea that social media is bad
Social Media's Impact on Youth
01:36:32
Speaker
for kids. Right. So and people are like, well, it's on the parents and blah, blah, blah, blah. Well, maybe. But we've seen the damage that it does. We've seen teen suicide skyrocket. We've seen cyber bullying and all the other stuff. You know, Ray Gunn, the a break dancer from Australia,
01:36:54
Speaker
Do you guys know what I'm talking? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know if you watch the video. It was pretty awful. But, you know, it's just getting obscured. Yeah. But but didn't well I don't think so because she totally manipulated her way to the fucking top.
01:37:06
Speaker
Yeah, well, now that stuff. Yeah, that's true. I'm just talking about, I guess, like before that. Yeah. The the fact that she got there. and and That's that's that's a topic for another time. But but I think, though, that like we know that social media has a ton of negatives and it has and and and, you know, regulation has, you know, been slow, I think, for social media.
01:37:28
Speaker
And I'm not I'm not a big government guy. You know, I'm a liberal, but I'm not a big government guy. But at the same time, I don't trust these people. I don't trust Elon Musk. I don't trust Sam Altman. I don't trust Mark Zuckerberg. And that's what's. Yeah, I was agree with that. I do. agree I just don't know that they're going to be able to. You're right about the genie being out of the ball. Even if you don't trust them, the power that they wield is fucking dangerous. So they could like turn on a dime and then we're all fucked.
01:37:58
Speaker
That's true. I mean, and that's, that's, you're a hundred percent right. I mean, if we want, if we get like a supervillain Marvel kind of situation going on with one of these guys, well yeah, we're fine. But I'll say this too, right? I think that, um, you know, and I'm not advocating violence here, but, but I think and um not yes but a bad but everyone says i don know not that i think should you but one says before they advocate violence. no but If you, if you just look at a history,
01:38:25
Speaker
right and you know and so feeding itself we're approaching a point where if people can if people can have food and shelter and you know like if you can if you can if you can live in America and afford your rent and you know you you don't even have to be able to save money if you can just month to month cover everything and go to a bar and have a good time and have a few nights you know a few nights out of a month and that kind of stuff if you can do that Then you have a society that's going to be pretty calm, right? You're like, I don't want to give this up. But if you have people who start, you know, as homelessness increases and as the wealth gap gets bigger and bigger and bigger, eventually you get to a point. And what happens in every fucking point in history is when you have a bunch of people who are poor and you have very few people who are wealthy, you get a revolution, right? And it does not end well for the wealthy people. It just doesn't.
01:39:14
Speaker
It doesn't end well for anybody. Right. it doesn't It's terrible for a country, but it's especially because you know it's like because the someone will write you know you start getting leaders who are you know who are good speakers, who are charismatic, and they start leading people into like, that guy's your problem.
01:39:29
Speaker
Right. And whether it's true and but in a kind of and and kind of a way they are because of the way they keep lobbying to, you know, they keep they keep tilting the the house more and more towards them. Right. And eventually. Well, when people feel disassociated and disaffected, that's why people like Trump fucking. Yeah, that's very resonated. Yeah. That's why they they even though he is. They're just picking the wrong horse. Yeah.
01:39:52
Speaker
Yeah, he but he was the one saying, you know, I just I just I just read this book called Ark of the Covenant about basically it's the whole thing about Israel and and kind of like art like how it started and we'll just about the Jewish people and and Jewish Jewish Americans and it's a really good book.
01:40:08
Speaker
um But one of the things he talked about with Trump was, you know, for years, America had this policy with Palestine and Israel and two states, so it was like it never worked. And then Trump went in and fucking fucked the whole thing up. But he actually, you know, it's like he actually did some things that.
01:40:28
Speaker
Um, weren't any worse, you know, other words he he tried something new. Um, so, and again, I'm not a Trumper, but, and I would never vote for him. And because I think his, I think his intentions are very selfish and he had no clear, he had no clear policy outside. He had no clear, uh, Middle East policy, but he did do some things where we actually, for, with some countries, our relationships actually approved.
01:40:53
Speaker
in the middle east while trump was in office right so that's just you know and and again i don't think it's because he's so smart i just think it's like we we have tried something for decades and it just hasn't worked but we keep trying the same things like oh and a long enough timeline but it's like you know it doesn't so so i don't know what i'm saying maybe change is good um you know maybe the things we're afraid of like i totally get it right um so maybe you wake up and don't make your bed Yeah, or what's the what's the fucking point but also like the printing press the printing press causes like chaos for hundreds of years Like like the disinformation all this stuff, right? So so maybe Sure, maybe what we're in right now It feels like the end of the world and it feels like it's all this ominous shit But maybe what we're in is just a period That started really started about eight years ago and maybe in 10 years from now We'll be looking back on this and like holy shit.
AI Fears & Future Predictions
01:41:44
Speaker
That was crazy, but we got through it. I i don't want to sound like ah an AI doomsday kind of guy because I'm pro AI. I really am. we've all We've all seen those scientific movies. So i' just real quick. So AI is anal intruder. Is that OK? I am pro anal intruder.
01:42:02
Speaker
But um yes, but I just I worry about I worry about the there's also a race. There's a race to the top with the shit. yeah And that that freaks me out, too. You know, everyone's coming out with the latest and greatest models and and, you know, trying to beat each other. And it's like this pissing match between these big tech guys and and all this. And I just I think that when you have someone who's that involved in this pissing match, as I said, trying to get in bed with a potential president and and in bed in a different way than we've seen.
01:42:32
Speaker
I'm not, I'm not naive to think that lobbying doesn't happen, yeah you know, and like heavy, heavy lobbying and, and stuff. happen Obviously it does. But I watched this feels, this feels worse. I watched an interview with the the godfather of AI on, um, Bill Maher.
01:42:48
Speaker
And that, that, would and I can't remember his name either. And I can't, he either said it was 27, 2027 or 2029 is when you're going to have the first AI that is self-aware. Yeah. Right. I think that might even. Right. That's like. I can't, I know you it's in the next like few years. It's like, we're so close. I know it's crazy, man.
01:43:07
Speaker
They're not far. I mean, the stuff that they're doing, like I said, with quantum computing, being able to like do these calculations in like ridiculous amounts of time, they just, there's, you just, I just, I just get worried. I get a little worried i get it. Yeah. I mean, and and you should be and i think i'm worried too and it's the people, it's not the technology, it's the people.
01:43:28
Speaker
that Worry me, you know because I think like you can you can develop this stuff responsibly You can do it ethically you can do it with the best interest of humanity in mind and I'm just well Isn't it is it only takes one fuck up? Well, also isn't it? dar And you you you know more about this than I do Kevin But is my understanding but basically sometimes with AI AI will do things and they don't understand how it does it They don't understand how it comes up with that gets to that elusive. They call him hallucinate, right? I where I was, I used chat GPT to help me like summarize websites and articles and stuff like that when I'm like trying to research to to interview someone for for, you know, one of the other podcasts I do. I don't know if you guys realize I do other podcasts. But I mean, it got, it just made something up one time. And I was in interviewing someone and I was like, and you guys also do this, right? And she's like,
01:44:16
Speaker
No, no, we don't we don't we don't do that at all. And I mean, it legitimately was in there saying that this company. does Maybe it maybe it lives in the future and they're going to start doing that maybe maybe they started now. Maybe they were like, oh, we really. should I mean, because, they you know, ke quantum and was right computing, you get quantum entanglement, which we all know can help with time travel. We all we all watch Avengers. sos We all watch Quantum Deep. You didn't watch Avengers in game. I'm not a Marvel guy.
01:44:43
Speaker
Me. One quick side note that I thought was fun um about this ridiculous interview, because it lasted a long time. But apparently it started with an awkward and ironic 40 minute delay due to technical issues. Oh, yeah. you have an ex Oh, yeah. I remember hearing about that. Yeah. And I think that same thing happened when he had Florida, Ron DeSantis, Florida, the Florida governor on as well, I think that because he had he interviewed Ron DeSantis to announce his candidate for presidency on his platform and they had technical problems, too. So.
01:45:13
Speaker
What's his platform? X formerly known as Twitter. Oh, OK. Yeah. All right. Well, that was a long one. I didn't mean to get heavy. I didn't. I i was hoping it'd be funnier, but, you know, doomsday and the end of the world. You fucker. And John and I were already like, we exhausted our humor funny buns. Oh, yeah. Well, yeah. Your guys topics were hilarious. So there was really no need to try to be funny anymore. You should have been first, though.
01:45:39
Speaker
No, that's a terrible idea. You shouldn't have gone at all. No, you're right. I thought about it. I'm like, oh, God, this has been fun. I don't want to bring it down. well john dying I am so that. All right. Well, thank you guys for joining us. um We will be back in a month or so with another new episode. And yeah, anything. does Anything to add I like how our timelines are just fast and lose a month or so. Five weeks, four weeks, three weeks, maybe nine. Who knows?
01:46:05
Speaker
But does this is definitely a better way for us. Yeah, it's like a it doesn't matter.