Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: Go Feed Fairy Dust To Your Pet Unicorn, Sir

Date: December 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty dive into the ramifications of rising corporate taxes in Washington state and the increasingly antagonistic political rhetoric surrounding big tech companies like Microsoft and Amazon. They critique progressive ideology, explore the realities of economics through Hayek's theories, and weigh in on topics ranging from designer babies and marriage culture to the perils of mob mentality and performative corporate activism. The show is peppered with their trademark sarcasm, biting humor, and frequent digressions into cultural commentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Washington State vs. Big Tech: The Tax Debate

• Context: Reporter Brandy Cruz interviews State Rep. Sean Scott about Microsoft's warning over high taxes.

• Rep. Scott’s Stance: He refuses to prioritize the needs of corporations, implying workers could create a "better" Amazon by collectivizing.

• Hosts' Reaction: Jack and Joe mock Scott’s “fantasy view” of economics, arguing it’s naïve and untethered from reality.

  • Jack: “Seriously, go home and feed fairy dust to your pet unicorn, sir, because you have no connection with reality.” [06:09]
  • Joe: “You just think that like multibillion-dollar corporations will just keep cranking out money for your town or state or this country regardless of how you treat them.” [03:45]

• Brad Smith’s Warning: Microsoft’s President points out that excessive taxes drive jobs away, even for his own company.

  Timestamps:

  • Interview & analysis – [01:29]–[07:00]
  • Rep. Scott’s answer dissected – [04:30]–[05:27]

2. Economic Realities: Hayek and the Limits of Planning

• Main Point: Jack references Friedrich Hayek’s "The Use of Knowledge in Society" to stress the impossibility of central economic planning.

• Quote:

  • Jack: "The free market solves all of that and nearly instantaneously, over and over and over again. It's a miracle of efficiency. And yet we keep everything effing with it." [10:20]

  Timestamps:

  • Hayek discussion – [09:27]–[10:41]

3. The Ethics and Weirdness of Designer Babies

• News Segment: Discussion of Nucleus Genomics offering embryo screening for “desirable” traits like intelligence, height, or lack of acne.

• Hosts’ Reaction: All co-hosts find the language and practice ethically troubling and foresee social pressures for “perfection.”

  • Joe: “The term desirable child is not troubling at all.” [16:10]
  • Katie Greener: “This whole thing is sick to me… you shouldn’t be a parent.” [18:37]

  Timestamps:

  • Genetics & ethics topic – [15:20]–[19:12]

4. Changing Pressures on Marriage and Settling Down

• Article Discussed: Freya India’s commentary in The Free Press challenges the narrative that young women face societal pressure to marry young.

• Hosts’ Discussion: The modern script often values independence over early commitment, with those marrying young now seen as “wasting their potential.”

• Quote:

  • Jack (paraphrasing the article): "The young woman who settles down has always been seen as wasting her potential." [24:40]
  • Joe: “There’s certainly not community pressure to find a man, get married and have kids around here.” [24:12]

  Timestamps:

  • Marriage norms debate – [21:57]–[31:01]

5. Mob Mentality & Performative Corporate Change

• Example: Land O’Lakes butter changed its Native American logo during “The Great Awokening”; hosts lampoon how minor symbolic changes were made out of fear, not public demand.

• Main Point: Social movements can become absurd and destructive when fueled by groupthink and intellectual fads.

• Quote:

  • Jack: “That's what the postmodernists do. They bully you into changing everything, and so confuse you that you just go ahead and take orders from them because you don't know what to do.” [33:03]
  • Joe: “Being part of an angry mob is fun and exciting.” [35:09]

  Timestamps:

  • Logo changes & mob mentality – [32:08]–[35:29]

6. Other Notable Segments

- Pipe Bomber Arrested from Jan 6th

• The suspect is from a wealthy family, still living at home at 30.
• Jack: “The rich ninny anarchist. Oh, golly.” [36:47]

- Metal in Cheese Recall

• Sarcastic commentary on modern safety scares.
• Jack: "Daddy, there's metal fragments in my taco. Shut up and enjoy it." [32:10]

- Final Philosophical Reflection

• Jack: “Take time to be morally serious before you would direct others.” [37:08]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Go home and feed fairy dust to your pet unicorn, sir, because you have no connection with reality."
  – Jack Armstrong [06:09]

• "I don't center those people in my policies."
  – Washington State Rep. Sean Scott [02:17; 02:50] (mocked throughout episode)

• "Being part of an angry mob is fun and exciting."
  – Jack Armstrong [35:09]

• "The pressure today is to avoid anything that might stick, to run through life without getting snagged on any responsibilities..."
  – Quoting Freya India, discussed by Jack and Katie [23:30–29:10]

• "You just think that multibillion-dollar corporations will just keep cranking out money...regardless of how you treat them?"
  – Joe Getty [03:45]

• "The free market solves all of that and nearly instantaneously, over and over and over again. It's a miracle of efficiency. And yet we keep effing with it."
  – Jack Armstrong [10:20]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Big Tech Tax Debate — [01:29]–[07:00]
• Hayek and Economics — [09:27]–[10:41]
• Designer Babies Ethics — [15:20]–[19:12]
• Marriage, Singlehood & Social Pressure — [21:57]–[31:01]
• Land O’Lakes & Mob Mentality — [32:08]–[35:29]
• Philosophical Final Thought — [37:08]–[37:32]

Tone & Takeaways

The episode maintains Armstrong & Getty's well-known sardonic tone, blending passionate critique with exasperated humor and cultural skepticism. They lampoon progressive economic thinking, express deep wariness of utopian social engineering, and rail against intellectual trends they see as disconnected from common sense or lived reality. Listeners are left with a blend of economic literacy, cultural skepticism, and frequent comedic asides—encouraged, ultimately, to think critically about both policy and prevailing cultural winds.

Useful if you missed the episode: This summary captures the central themes, memorable soundbites, and provides clear markers for the show’s key arguments—minus the ads, intros, and outros.