Armstrong & Getty On Demand: A&G Replay Thursday Hour One

iHeartPodcasts | Aired: November 27, 2025

Overview

In this "best-of" replay episode, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty dig into themes of social and political tribalism, media narratives, historical memory—especially regarding World War II and the atomic bombings—government overreach, and the psychology of conformity. The episode is rich with historic analysis, personal anecdotes, and the hosts' trademark irreverent banter. Topics include debates about “woke” ideology, propaganda, opening a child's bank account in the age of heightened security, and why the history of the Pacific War is underappreciated compared to Europe’s WWII theater.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Cultural Signals & Tribalism

Cybertruck at Mardi Gras / “Woke” Politics

• The hosts begin with a humorous take on a Cybertruck being booed at Mardi Gras, drawing parallels between reactions to modern symbols and broader social tribalism.
  • Joe Getty on expenditures: “Women are show[ing] boobs for me. Yet still time to boo the leader of Doge. Because you hate cutbacks in spending. I just don’t get it.” [04:28]
  • Michael: “Wasteful spending, idiotic spending. That’s just tribal signaling. Ooga booga.” [04:42]

Media Narratives on Transgender People in the Military

• The hosts challenge mainstream reported numbers of transgender individuals in the military, citing new data from the Trump administration (4,200 service members, not 15,000).
  • Michael: “If you’re not familiar with the term, it means a person of one sex pretending to be the other sex.” [05:35]
  • Joe: “I never believed it. But...” [05:48]

Bill Kristol & Conservative Grifting

• Discussion of Bill Kristol’s perceived ideological flip for financial gain, and the larger phenomenon of “convert” worship and cynicism in political commentary.
  • Joe: “He just thinks, you know what? It’s all a game anyway. Screw it.” [07:30]

The Psychology of Conformity

Mind Control & Group Dynamics

• Reference to Jason Kristoff’s presentation on how repetition and group think drive people’s beliefs and behavior, whether by advertisers or governments.
  • Michael (quoting Kristoff): “Mind control works on the subconscious... It’s in the realm of activity similar to your heart beating.” [10:12]
  • Joe: “Do any of my beliefs come from my own thinking? Or is this all just because I was surrounded by it?” [11:35]
  • Michael (Kristoff): “If you dare say no in opposition of the most repetitive content, your nervous system will make you feel extremely uneasy and full of anxiety.” [12:01]

Practical Consequences

• Conformity as anthropologically adaptive—peer pressure is hardwired, not weakness.
  • Michael: “There’s more to peer pressure than meets the eye, right?” [12:24]
  • Joe: “If you find yourself wanting to conform, understand that that is your animal brain being used often by evil people to try to get you to behave in a certain way.” [15:00]

The Red Tape of Modern Banking & Patriot Act Overreach

Opening a Bank Account for a Minor

• Joe recounts trying to open a bank account for his 13-year-old son, hitting hurdles due to post-9/11 Patriot Act requirements.
  • Joe: “I haven’t been around the idea of opening an account for a bank in 40 years... so I don’t know if the rules have changed.” [15:54]
  • Joe: “They treat everybody like you’re a wannabe terrorist... he needs to have two forms of ID is where we ran into the roadblock... The fact that I’m his dad isn’t good enough.” [16:17]
  • Michael (sarcastic): “Child money laundering little mule for your militia, whatever you want to call him.” [17:41]
  • Joe: “Anytime the government says there’s an emergency, there are two emergencies.” [18:47]
  • Notable—Joe uses this story as a broader point about government creep, referencing Ronald Reagan’s skepticism:
    • Joe: “Ronald Reagan ran on ‘the scariest words in the English language are, I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.’” [19:03]

World War II - Pacific Theater, History, and the Atomic Bomb

Why We Remember Europe Over the Pacific

• Discussion on why WWII’s European theater dominates public memory, even though the Pacific War involved extreme brutality and larger Japanese war crimes.
  • Joe: “Japan was one of the most ruthless regimes that’s ever existed on planet Earth. Why we regularly refer to Nazis or Hitler as the worst thing...” [27:11]
  • Michael: “Ask a Korean about the Japanese. Ask a Japanese about the Chinese, ask a Filipino about any of them. Oh my God, will they bring the hate.” [27:59]

Necessity of Dropping the Bomb

• Detailed recounting of Japan’s refusal to surrender, the role of the "big six" leaders, and why dropping the atomic bombs was seen as necessary to end the war and avoid even higher casualties.
  • Joe: “Japan had never surrendered... No Japanese unit, not one, had surrendered in any battle. They would continue to fight until they were all dead.” [30:25]
  • Joe: “If we didn’t drop the bomb, we were going to surround Japan and starve millions of people until they surrendered, which would have killed way more people than the bombs killed.” [32:45]
  • Joe: “Around 200,000 people were killed by the bombs... twice as many Japanese as that died at the hands of the Russians in the very same weeks.” [34:00]
  • Michael: “Self-hatred is the hallmark of the progressive.” [34:22]

Contemporary Debate Over ‘Justification’

• The hosts reflect on ideological divides over the bomb, referencing a personal anecdote where they and a friend realized they were on opposite sides of the discussion.
  • Joe: “I was thinking it’s crazy that people believe we shouldn’t have dropped the bomb. She was thinking it’s crazy that people think we should have dropped the bomb... those of us on whichever side just can’t believe the other side believes what they believe.” [36:15]
  • Michael: “If you are on the left you get a great deal of social reinforcement... You cannot be accepted in those circles if you are a patriotic American who... thinks we have been a great country.” [36:44]

Pacific War’s Brutality

• The Pacific’s “total war” character, including atrocities and psychological scars for US and Japanese soldiers alike.
  • Joe: “Our marines would come across dead US soldiers who had had their genitals cut off and shoved in their mouth sometimes while they were alive by the Japanese.” [43:16]
  • Joe describing American brutality in response: “US soldiers would collect gold teeth... trying to pry his teeth out while he’s still alive.” [44:10]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Wasteful spending, idiotic spending. That's just tribal signaling. Ooga booga." – Michael [04:42]
• "If you're not familiar with the term [transgender], it means a person of one sex pretending to be the other sex." – Michael [05:35]
• "Do any of my beliefs come from my own thinking? Or is this all just because I was surrounded by it?" – Joe [11:35]
• "If you find yourself wanting to conform, understand that that is your animal brain being used often by evil people to try to get you to behave in a certain way." – Joe [15:00]
• "Anytime the government says there's an emergency, there are two emergencies." – Joe [18:47]
• "Japan controlled 20% of the planet... a significantly greater chunk than the Nazis took over..." – Joe [27:35]
• "No Japanese unit, not one, had surrendered in any battle... They would continue to fight until they were all dead." – Joe [30:25]
• "If we didn't drop the bomb, we were going to surround Japan and starve millions of people until they surrendered, which would have killed way more people than the bombs killed." – Joe [32:45]
• "Ask a Korean about the Japanese. Ask a Japanese person about the Chinese, ask a Filipino about any of them. Oh, my God, will they bring the hate..." – Michael [27:59]

Important Timestamps

• 03:37 – Introduction to the replay format, “best of” material
• 04:25 – Mardi Gras cybertruck story; discussion of crowd reactions and symbolic tribalism
• 05:35 – Media coverage & numbers around transgender service in the military
• 07:00 – Bill Kristol’s shift and the conservative media grift industry
• 10:10 – Jason Kristoff and psychology of group think and media manipulation
• 15:54 – Joe’s anecdote: opening a bank account for his teenage son & Patriot Act fallout
• 23:44 – Nuclear arsenals, history of atomic bomb decision, Pacific theater WWII narrative
• 29:31-38:11 – Deep dive: Japanese surrender, brutality of the late Pacific War, “big six,” and the bomb debate
• 43:16 – Horrors and psychological toll of fighting in the Pacific; US and Japanese atrocities

Tone & Style

Armstrong & Getty maintain their signature irreverent, sarcastic, and direct style throughout, mixing history and current events with personal anecdotes and political skepticism. The humor is dry, sometimes gallows, and the conversations lean emotionally invested but self-aware.

This summary encapsulates the episode’s key explorations of American history, political divisions, government authority, and the endless quest to understand why we believe what we believe—all with the hosts' usual skepticism and wit.