Podcast Summary: Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: Go West Young Man...
Date: August 18, 2025
Host(s): Armstrong & Getty
Podcast Network: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

In this reflective and humorous episode, Armstrong & Getty delve into the decline of American geographic mobility—why people no longer "go west" (or anywhere) for new opportunities as they once did. Drawing on a past discussion and an influential Atlantic article, the hosts explore why Americans are moving less, the historical roots of American restlessness, the cultural phenomenon of "Moving Day," and the impact of urban preservationist policies on modern life. They balance serious social commentary with playful banter about family dynamics, nostalgia, and time travel.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter: The Realities of the Bathroom Scale

Timestamps: 03:07 – 05:14

• Getty laments the “meanness” of his bathroom scale after late-night indulgences:

  “I don't know if it thinks I stole its wife or something, but the scale, so mean to me.” — Getty (03:23)

• Both joke about trying to outsmart their scales and the futility of ignoring basic reality. Armstrong compares cycling through scales to a famous political anecdote:

  “I'll do like Trump did with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Lady, I don’t like these numbers. I'm gonna get a different scale.” — Getty (04:27)

• Discussion about families with multiple bathroom scales for each member, which Getty finds excessive clutter unless one has a “huge bathroom” (05:08).

2. Americans Aren’t Moving Like They Used To

Timestamps: 08:43 – 19:52

• Armstrong highlights a new low in Americans moving for better jobs, referencing an Atlantic article titled "Progressive Froze the American Dream."

  • The mythos of America: historically a highly mobile society unlike Europe or Asia where villages remain static.
  • Quote from historian Carl Becker on America’s cultural tolerance due to ceaseless migration:

    “This is the only nation in the world that would say something like, ‘Howdy, stranger.’” — Armstrong quoting Becker (11:38)

• Getty reflects on his upbringing in a “moving family,” missing out on extended family proximity, and how that impacts his kids. While he longs for close-knit family ties, he acknowledges fewer people seem to prioritize them today:

  “I see other people that have that in their lifestyle. It looks so awesome. But...people seem to care less about family than they ever have.” — Getty (09:46)

• The double-edged sword of family proximity: Armstrong points out that closeness can also create friction:

  “I know more than one person who is driven completely insane by the proximity of their family and the need to deal with them on a regular basis...you can’t choose your family.” — Armstrong (10:25)

3. The Forgotten Ritual of “Moving Day”

Timestamps: 11:41 – 18:07

• Armstrong shares historical insights from the Atlantic article about “Moving Day,” a once-widespread American quasi-holiday observed mostly in urban areas during 19th and early 20th centuries.

  • On a single date (often May 1st, but varied by city), a mass exodus as families moved houses almost ritualistically, leading to street scenes of chaos and camaraderie:

    “It was a festival of new hopes and beginnings, of shattered dreams and shattered crockery.” — Armstrong quoting a Chicago paper (12:39)

  • Anecdotes of chaos:

    “Thermopylae was a very tame pass compared with the excitement which rises when two families meet in the same hall.” — Armstrong quoting a Brooklyn minister (15:16)

  • The hosts tie this ritual to modern rental markets—how move-in/move-out days are synchronized in college towns and resort destinations.

• Jaw-dropping statistic:

  “Back in 1906...over a five year span, 80% of local families [in St. Louis] would have changed addresses.” — Armstrong (17:44)

  • Getty is stunned, calling it “a completely different lifestyle” (18:07).

4. The Impact of Urban Preservationism

Timestamps: 18:09 – 19:52

• Armstrong critiques so-called progressive policies since the 1960s/70s that halted the "remaking" of neighborhoods, arguing this “freezing in amber” led to modern housing shortages:

  “America would say, ‘yeah, we want to...tear down what is not efficient and build what is efficient...’ But the progressives said, ‘no, we can’t do that.’ ... It is the NIMBY nature of lefties and how they fall in love with a particular look... So why are you freezing it in amber?” — Armstrong (18:09)

• Amusing take on American vs. European attitudes:

  “Somebody once said to me, they were talking about Rome, and they said, yeah, we tear down our coliseums so nobody, no future civilization will ever visit our coliseums, because we just tear them down and build something new, which is better.” — Armstrong (19:38)

• Getty wraps up: “Everything was very different back in 1906.” (19:52)

5. Nostalgia, Time Travel, & Final Reflections

Timestamps: 20:03 – 21:15

• The hosts daydream about visiting 1906 San Francisco, referencing modern colorized film footage and the allure of time travel:

  “If you had a time machine, you could go back and just, like, walk around the street someplace. It'd be endlessly fascinating.” — Getty (20:28)

  • Armstrong and Getty joke about the risks ("scratch yourself on a rusty nail and you'll be dead...because there's no antibiotics," Getty at 20:51).
  • Amusing, philosophical banter about whether vaccinations would accompany you in a time machine (21:10).

Notable Quotes

• On trying to fool the scale:
  “The funny thing about the scale is...this weird sense that I have that I can, you know, slip one by the scale somehow, you know, I'll eat this one. Really. It shouldn’t eat this sort of thing, right?” — Getty (03:31)
• On family proximity:
  “I got to believe overall, the upside would be better than the downside.” — Getty (10:41)
• On American mobility:
  “The ceaseless migration that we have shaped a new way of thinking…This is the only nation in the world that would say something like, ‘Howdy, stranger.’” — Armstrong (11:38)
• On Moving Day:
  “It was a festival of new hopes and beginnings, of shattered dreams and shattered crockery, as a Chicago newspaper put it in 1882.” — Armstrong (12:39)
• On housing policies:
  “It is the NIMBY nature of lefties and how they fall in love with a particular look...So why are you freezing it in amber?” — Armstrong (18:09)
• On nostalgia for another era:
  “I think I wish my kids would have been able to be around cousins and stuff a lot. But I am raising my kids certainly with the idea if you can't find the job you want here and you probably can't go to where it is.” — Getty (17:32)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Bathroom scale woes & food guilt: 03:07–05:14
• Decline of American migration: 08:43–11:38
• History & spectacle of “Moving Day”: 11:41–18:07
• Family, proximity, and generational differences: 16:09–17:44
• Critique of urban preservation and NIMBYism: 18:09–19:52
• 1906 nostalgia, time machines & final musings: 20:03–21:15

Tone & Style

The conversation features the signature Armstrong & Getty blend of dry wit, cultural curiosity, and casual storytelling. They mix history-fueled reflection with relatable, sometimes self-deprecating humor—all while maintaining a sense of nostalgia and inquisitiveness about both American character and their own family experiences.

Takeaway

"Go West Young Man..." offers an entertaining yet insightful meditation on American mobility—how it shaped the nation, why it’s ebbing, and what’s lost (or gained) when people stop chasing new horizons. History, policy, and family life intersect throughout the episode, revealing how yesterday’s customs shape today’s choices.