Armstrong & Getty On Demand – "Do You Have A Faucet?"
Date: December 16, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Episode Overview
This episode blends Armstrong & Getty’s signature banter with thoughtful (and often provocative) commentary on cultural trends, current events, and hot-button social issues. Starting with news of major sports injuries, the hosts dive into the cultural legacy of "White Christmas," their ongoing charity fundraising for Scouts, the latest job numbers, and then devote significant time to "gender-bending madness"—exploring transgender trends, university activism, and the implications of radical gender medicine. The show wraps up with discussion of the Trump White House, touching on media narratives and political personalities.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Patrick Mahomes Injury & Sports Burnout
[02:44 – 04:11]
- Big News: Patrick Mahomes is out for the season with a torn ACL, jeopardizing the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff chances.
- Fatigue Among Champions: After years of extended seasons, the hosts speculate that “maybe they're almost happy to have a break.”
- Jack Armstrong: “I'm sure as guys who are fanatically competitive, they're disappointed, but…they might think, this isn't so bad.” [03:34]
- Comparison to Michael Jordan: Joe Getty notes Jordan’s mid-career break may have fueled his six-championship run. [03:47]
2. The Story Behind "White Christmas"
[04:56 – 09:56]
- Cultural Reflections: Jack shares history, noting "White Christmas" (the all-time best-selling single) found resonance among WWII troops longing for home.
- The Emotional Weight:
- Jack Armstrong: “The fame and the emotional weight of the song had everything to do with World War II…an incredible comfort, kind of a bittersweet comfort to the guys fighting overseas.” [05:47]
- Bing Crosby’s Hardest Moment: Bing once said his most difficult performance was singing "White Christmas" to troops in 1944, knowing many would die days later.
- Jack Armstrong, quoting Howard Crosby: “He had to stand there and sing White Christmas with a hundred GIs in tears without breaking down himself.” [06:54]
- Music Preservation Trivia: The original 1942 master worn out—Crosby re-recorded it in 1947, which is the version we hear now. [07:59]
- Holiday Music Trends: Hosts bemoan newer pop Christmas songs, preferring classic standards. Banter about Mariah Carey and Band Aid’s "Do They Know It's Christmas" (and its questionable lyrics given much of Africa isn’t Christian). [09:22 – 11:55]
3. Scouting Fundraiser & Modern Youth
[14:34 – 18:25]
- Charity Appeal: A drive to raise $100,000 for Scouting, specifically to provide scholarships so less-privileged kids can participate.
- Joe Getty: “We're trying to raise money for Scouting…A lot of things—band programs, youth sports, scouting…tremendous amounts of time donated by parents.” [14:34]
- Positive Impact: Anecdotes from parents credit Scout experience with instilling responsibility and maturity.
- Joe Getty: “I've seen kids that were 16 years old that seem like they're 28 years old. And I feel like in the modern world I see the reverse. Most often I see 28 year olds who seem like they're 16.” [15:59]
- Costs & Access: The fundraiser covers fees for low-income families, making Scouting accessible to more kids.
- Humor: Donations accepted with amusing fake names: "Jack’s wet sheets" and "Hip Anonymous" among others. [17:21]
4. Jobs Numbers & Economic Spin
[18:43 – 20:39]
- Latest Stats: US added 64,000 jobs in November, with unemployment rising to 4.6% (highest in four years).
- Jack Armstrong: “It's a full time job. Trying to understand the jobs numbers.” [18:50]
- Co-host: “Every month they’re always ‘fueling questions.’” [19:16]
- Layoffs in Government: Notable drop in federal jobs—over 270,000 since January. [19:16]
- Media Language: Mocking economic reporting’s reliance on rhymes and alliteration—"low fire, low hire environment." [19:41]
- Pre-show Banter: The naming of show segments, now rebranding “Campus Madness” as “Campus Chaos” for better alliteration. [20:13]
5. Social Issues: Crime & Addiction
[20:53 – 21:56]
- Crime Updates: Brown University shooter search, and a high-profile murder charge involving Rob Reiner’s son.
- Bigger Picture: Discussion focuses on systemic issues around addiction and mental illness; questions on what society can do when even money and compassion fail to “save” troubled individuals.
6. Gender-Bending Madness Update
[24:35 – 37:41; Continued at 40:01 – 43:22]
A. Transgender Prison Issues
- Reporting on a trans-identified male, convicted of matricide, being transferred to a women’s prison with a mother-baby unit.
- Jack Armstrong:" “A story that 10 years ago every human on earth would have said what? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.” [24:56]
B. Women-Only Groups Challenged
- New Cambridge University women’s society faces campus backlash simply for affirming biological sex as a real and immutable characteristic.
- Over 30 societies quickly denounce it, viewing feminism minus intersectionality as “not effective, considerate or productive.” [25:48-27:52]
C. Trends Among Adolescents
- Sharp rise, then sharp fall, in self-identified transgender and nonbinary youth in recent years.
- Signaling Theory: Insight into why identification can be “socially contagious” but also quickly loses cachet.
- Jack Armstrong: “Most of these signals entail costs we are willing to bear…Costly signals are a more reliable indicator…than cheap ones.” [28:38]
- He draws parallels to college degrees, showing how easy, low-cost "signals" (like saying you are genderqueer) eventually become devalued as everyone does it. [29:42-32:01]
- Host Challenge: Jack invites listeners to suggest examples of “costly signaling” on the right, showing even political tribes aren’t immune. [30:49]
D. Autism and Gender Dysphoria
- Noting a strong observed connection between autism and trans identification in youth—lonely or neurodivergent kids may leap at the acceptance of trans or radical gender communities.
- Jack Armstrong: “Being accepted is extremely important because they don’t get acceptance…if someone offers them…enthusiastic acceptance, autistic kids will often leap at that.” [33:03]
- Co-host: “You got a kid, they're lonely…you got a group and friends and you're being cheered. Yeah, I can see why that’d be very appealing.” [34:02]
E. Inside Gender Medicine & “Nullification”
- Footage from a 2021 U.S. transgender health conference: Medical professionals describe “nullification” surgeries—removing all sexual characteristics for patients wanting to be neither male nor female (“like a Ken doll”).
- Co-host: “You gotta urinate out of something. Do you have a faucet?” [40:34]
- Jack Armstrong: “Not long ago a patient like sky would have been given a psychological evaluation…But in the evolving world of gender medicine, clinicians now want to help…like sky achieve their gender goals…” [37:06]
- Co-host: “That's the definition of…‘inmates are running the asylum.’” [41:42]
- Jack Armstrong: "This is Dr. Mengele stuff…this is mutilating children.” [42:41]
7. Trump White House & Media Narratives
[43:22 – 45:25]
- Media Hit Piece: New York Times runs article quoting Susie Wiles (close to Trump) calling him "an alcoholic’s personality.”
- Her Response: Claims context was missing, statements misunderstood.
- Co-host: “She’s distancing herself from the article that she sat down for?” [44:09]
- Jack Armstrong: “Whether it’s 70% accurate and 30% jazzed up or vice versa, I don’t know.” [44:20]
- On Personality Types:
- Co-host: “Her saying ‘Mr. Trump has an alcoholic’s personality’—it’s hard to imagine putting that in a context that would soften that.” [44:27]
- Jack Armstrong: “Like Michael Jordan…his competitiveness is borderline psycho and it made him the greatest…” [45:05]
Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)
- Jack Armstrong on Mahomes’ injury:
“You got to be worn out…They might think, this isn’t so bad.” [03:34] - On “White Christmas”:
“He had to stand there and sing White Christmas with a hundred GIs and tears without breaking down himself.” (quoting Howard Crosby) [06:54] - On Social Signaling:
“Costly signals are a more reliable indicator of underlying traits…” [28:38] - On new term “nullification” and radical gender medicine:
Co-host: “You gotta urinate out of something. Do you have a faucet?” [40:34] Jack Armstrong: “Not long ago a patient like sky would have been given a psychological evaluation…But in the evolving world of gender medicine, clinicians now want to help…like sky achieve their gender goals…” [37:06] - On Trump’s personality:
“He has an alcoholic's personality and operates, quote, with a view that there's nothing he can't do. Nothing. Zero. Nothing." (quoting Susie Wiles) [44:37]
Memorable & Lighthearted Moments
- Jack and Joe joke about “Campus Chaos” alliteration—“If it rhymes, it’s more true. Everybody knows that.” [20:39]
- Satirical donation names for Scout fundraiser: "Jack’s wet sheets," "Hip Anonymous," “Gavin needs it more.” [17:21]
- Armstrong’s holiday music plea: “I’d rather have a reindeer gourmet in my chestnuts than hear the latest Ariana Grande Christmas song.” [09:59]
- Ongoing jokes about advertisements, gift-giving, and what classic Christmas music means.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [02:44] – Mahomes injury & NFL burnout
- [04:56] – "White Christmas" history & meaning
- [14:34] – Scout fundraiser impact and anecdotes
- [18:43] – November jobs numbers & economic commentary
- [20:53] – Social issues: crime, addiction, and society’s limits
- [24:35] – Gender-bending madness: from prisons to colleges to gender medicine
- [33:22] – Autism, loneliness, and cultural trends in gender identity
- [37:41] – "Nullification" and the radical direction of gender medicine
- [43:22] – Susie Wiles, Trump, and media narratives
Tone & Style
True to Armstrong & Getty’s style, the episode combines sharp cultural commentary with irreverent humor, frequent sarcasm, and plainspoken skepticism of prevailing trends. Their discourse, particularly on gender and youth trends, is openly critical and pointed. On issues of charity and the American holiday spirit, the tone softens toward warmth and encouragement.
Summary
This episode covers the big news in sports, musical nostalgia tied to WWII, the importance of developing responsibility in young people (and how to make Scouting more accessible), and skepticism about economic “spin.” The heart of the episode is a deep-dive into the “gender madness”—including social contagion, academic activism, the intersections with neurodiversity, and the unsettling directions of radical gender medicine—before closing with the latest media drama around Trump’s White House. All is delivered with Armstrong & Getty’s characteristic wit, skepticism, and signature back-and-forth chemistry.
