Armstrong & Getty On Demand
Episode: "Call Me A Fascist! Go Ahead!"
Date: April 3, 2026
Host: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Episode Overview
In this episode, Armstrong & Getty dive into the cultural and philosophical threads shaping Western civilization, with a focus on how Christian ideals underpin modern Western values—even for the non-religious. The hosts explore contemporary “woke” ideology, the nature of fame and its unintended consequences, gender roles, and the influence of Good Friday in Western thought. Taking inspiration from historian Tom Holland's book Dominion, they argue that Christianity’s moral revolution fundamentally altered humanity's view of power, justice, and compassion.
The tone is humorous, irreverent, and occasionally biting, with plenty of candid commentary on political and social topics, notably the Newsom family and debates around gender and parenting.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Good Friday and the Roots of Western Civilization
(Starts ~03:17, Resumes in Depth at 26:14)
- Good Friday’s Significance: Even secular listeners should recognize its importance, argue Jack and Joe, as Christianity has been "the dominant influencer of Western culture for 2,000 years." Tom Holland’s Dominion is cited as a powerful exploration of this theme.
- Jack Armstrong [03:17]: “It means a lot because it has been the dominant influencer of western culture for 2,000 years … I hope you can stick around even if you’re not religious.”
- Tom Holland’s Thesis: All Westerners—even atheists—are shaped by Christian thought, especially the notion that the weak deserve compassion rather than domination.
- They discuss how, before Christianity, societies glorified the powerful and marginalized the weak. Jesus’s crucifixion flipped this hierarchy:
- Jack Armstrong [30:49]: “Nobody would have pulled that up. … That was the belief system of human nature … But the idea … being held up of, here is the weakest, here's the lowest rising up against the most powerful being a symbol of, you know, the downtrodden have reasons to be respected and honored and valued in the same way that the powerful do, which was a completely new notion.”
- American Ideals Flow from Christianity: The Declaration of Independence’s concept that “all men are created equal” is drawn directly from Christian philosophy.
- Joe Getty [31:55]: “Without that notion, we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, could not have been written. Nobody would have ever said that pre-Christianity.”
2. False Choices: Space Program vs. Social Aid
(06:20–09:20)
- Debate on Funding Priorities: The hosts recount protests from the civil rights movement opposing moon landings as wasteful in the face of poverty. They criticize the “false choice” fallacy of comparing NASA’s budget to social welfare programs, stressing that the U.S. already spends vastly more on the latter:
- Jack Armstrong [08:20]: "We spend $20 billion on our space program... we spend, and I forget what the number was, 3/4 of a trillion dollars on various aid programs in the United States."
- Joe Getty [08:54]: "That's why democracy doesn't work. It's never worked. It can't work. We need to restrict voting to landed white..." (Tongue-in-cheek hyperbole, immediately followed by laughter and mock fascism)
- Jack Armstrong [09:21]: "Call me a fascist. Go ahead, Goose, Step right on out of here."
3. Parenting, Gender Roles, and “Enlightened” Elites
(09:31–15:16, 41:45–45:00)
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Gavin Newsom’s Wife’s Parenting Approach: Extended discussion about Jennifer Siebel Newsom's progressive, gender-neutral approach to raising children, including changing male protagonists to female in stories and encouraging boys to play with dolls.
- Jack Armstrong [10:01]: "So if she's reading Tom Sawyer to her kids, does she make it Tina Sawyer so that they know that girls can also make rafts and travel around?"
- Guest [10:16]: “If I'm reading a book and the protagonist is a male, I just change the he to a she...for my sons in particular, because I want them to see that women can be the center of a story, that women matter, that women are interesting.”
- Both hosts express skepticism, suggesting it reflects elitist detachment more than genuine enlightenment:
- Joe Getty [11:38]: “She has no idea what normal people think or do or how we live. She's guessing. ... It's like she took her kids on that zoo trip to the red states so they could see hate and racism and bigotry. It's like, sweetheart, I've lived in the red. It’s fine.”
- Jack Armstrong [13:15]: “Not a social construct. Nobody told the little...My son when he was 3, only pick up the bulldozers...They just naturally do that because there is a difference between the genders and we're designed a certain way by evolution.”
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Political Baggage & Presidential Prospects: The hosts argue that material from Newsom's wife’s past could become stumbling blocks if he runs for president.
- Jack Armstrong [14:32]: "There's going to be stuff that she has said on camera, on video, tweeted out, written about over her years that's going to come out if he actually makes it to presidential candidate..."
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Satirical Segment: Later, they pick up the theme with clips and commentary mocking the Newsoms’ self-importance and political naivete.
- Joe Getty [41:57]: “Hey mom, can we go to Disney World? No, kids. We’re off to shame white people in Alabama.”
- Jack Armstrong [43:18]: “You’re that. You’re like, you’ve become already the symbol of it.”
4. The Dark Side of Fame
(19:24–22:56)
- Listener’s Letter (Duggar Family Relations): A listener who personally knew the Duggar and Caldwell families offers insider reflections on the madness and intrusion brought by fame, especially when associated with a reality TV family.
- Joe Getty [21:39]: "Fame is a curse. The fact that so many people seek it is, well, dumb... Fame is a curse that goes along with being successful at a visible job."
- The hosts reflect on the way fame warps relationships and exposes families to unwanted attention and psychological stress.
5. Christianity, Enlightenment, and the “New” Moral View
(26:14–37:38)
- From Caesar to Christ: A recurring motif is the historic shift from ancient admiration of power and conquest (e.g., Julius Caesar) to the veneration of the weak and downtrodden, which they credit to Christian influence.
- Real-world examples illustrate this point, contrasting ancient and modern Western reactions to brutality.
- Jack Armstrong [34:02]: "There is no—is there anywhere on earth where you could still do that? Maybe there are some...But maybe there are some places on earth where you would still go out and slaughter the neighborhood village. And because you could do that, you’re held up as...Yeah, that’s awesome. Good for you. Those weak people, they have it coming.”
- Secular & Christian Blending: They note that even critics of traditional Christianity (including “woke” activists) unconsciously operate from Christian moral premises about helping the downtrodden.
- Jack Armstrong [35:24]: "The woke are Christian whether they know it or not.”
- Warning About Losing These Values: Armstrong & Getty warn that a return to brute might as right is a real historical danger.
- Joe Getty [37:11]: “I certainly don’t want to offend anybody’s religious beliefs, but I would say the history of mankind would suggest that it’s almost certainly going to be the brutality again unless we defend enlightenment. It needs to be defended. It’s not the—back to a fish doesn’t know what’s wet—it’s not the natural state of mankind, it’s a miracle. Fight for it.”
6. Humorous Asides & Closing Thoughts
(Throughout, especially final 5 minutes)
- *Final segment includes banter about Easter egg hunts (“Let the little kids get the eggs. Do not knock the little kids over, you’re an adult.” [45:17]), sports fandom, and satirical references to the intersection of politics and parenting.
- Short riff on Hershey’s “Reese’s will soon go back to using chocolate,” provoking comical anxiety about what’s been in their candy.*
Notable Quotes
- Jack Armstrong [03:17]: “It means a lot because it has been the dominant influencer of western culture for 2,000 years … I hope you can stick around even if you're not religious.”
- Joe Getty [08:54]: “That's why democracy doesn't work. It's never worked. It can't work. We need to restrict voting to landed white…” (mocking bad arguments with satire)
- Guest (Newsom’s wife) [10:16]: “If I'm reading a book and the protagonist is a male, I just change the he to a she... For my sons in particular... I want them to see that women can be the center of a story…”
- Joe Getty [11:38]: “She has no idea what normal people think or do or how we live. She's guessing.”
- Jack Armstrong [13:15]: “There is a difference between the genders and we're designed… by evolution.”
- Joe Getty [21:39]: “Fame is a curse. The fact that so many people seek it is, well, dumb…”
- Jack Armstrong [30:49]: “The downtrodden have reasons to be respected and honored and valued in the same way that the powerful do, which was a completely new notion.”
- Joe Getty [37:11]: “It’s not the natural state of mankind, it’s a miracle. Fight for it.”
Important Timestamps
- 03:17 – Opening reflections on Good Friday and cultural Christianity.
- 06:20–09:20 – Moon landing, civil rights protests, and “false choice” fallacy in politics.
- 09:31–15:16 – Parenting, gender roles, and criticism of progressive elite parenting.
- 19:24–22:56 – Personal insights on fame from a listener close to the Duggars.
- 26:14–37:38 – Deep dive on Dominion and how Christianity created modern Western values.
- 41:45–45:00 – Satirical discussion of the Newsom family’s influence on politics.
- 45:08–46:48 – Final thoughts: Easter egg hunts, sports, and the call to value decency.
Tone & Takeaways
The episode blends humor and biting social commentary, often lampooning elite progressivism, but delivers a substantive exploration of how deeply ingrained Christian values are in both political Right and Left. Armstrong & Getty challenge listeners to recognize the historical fragility and importance of compassion, equality, and the defense of the weak, warning that these gains are not guaranteed and must be protected—even as we joke about politics, candy, and sports.
Listeners come away with a clearer understanding of how history, moral philosophy, and day-to-day cultural battles intertwine—along with some good-natured mockery of America’s power couples and the perils of seeking fame.