Her Bones Are Locked Up!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "Her Bones Are Locked Up!"

Release Date: June 24, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts

---

1. Criticism of CNN and Media Outlets

The episode opens with a heated critique of CNN and other cable news networks. Joe Getty expresses strong disdain towards CNN, labeling it as "fake news" and criticizing its leadership.

• Joe Getty (00:47): "You're really, you're gutless losers. I say that to CNN because I watch it. I have no choice. I got to watch that garbage. It's all garbage. It's all fake news."

• Michael (00:48): "You really are."

This segment sets a confrontational tone, highlighting the hosts' frustration with perceived media biases and misinformation.

---

2. Iran's Enriched Uranium Mystery

Jack Armstrong delves into international affairs, specifically the unresolved status of Iran's enriched uranium post-US attack on the Fordo facility.

• Jack Armstrong (00:47): "Questions remain about the fate of Iran's enriched uranium processed at Fordo after the Iranians claimed they moved it before the US Attack."

• Discussion Points:

  • Satellite images indicating unusual activity prior to the attack.
  • The International Atomic Energy Agency's concern over 900 pounds of uranium enriched to 60% being unaccounted for.
  • Speculations surrounding Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s disappearance and his potential hiding strategies against Israel and the US.

• Michael (02:16): "So those are two pretty interesting ongoing threads of this whole story. The missing 900 pounds of enriched uranium. Uranium and the missing ayatollah."

The hosts explore the geopolitical implications of these developments, questioning the transparency and potential future risks associated with missing nuclear materials.

---

3. Trump's Stance on Israel and Iran Conflict

The conversation shifts to former President Donald Trump's reaction to the Israel-Iran ceasefire.

• Jack Armstrong (05:00): "Trump is just so much about doing business and making money and, hey, let's all get along..."

• Michael (05:23): "Well, depends, Depends on where Iran is. Maybe they're, they're in full surrender mode..."

Jack criticizes Trump for allegedly misunderstanding the complexities of Islamic fundamentalism and Israel’s objectives. They discuss Trump's reported interactions with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Trump's perceived inability to grasp the severity of the Iran-Iranian opposition dynamics.

---

4. Role of the U.S. Submarine Service

Armstrong takes a moment to commend the U.S. submarine service, praising their covert operations and the assurance their presence provides.

• Jack Armstrong (06:19): "Number one, everybody's talking about the B2s and the 37 hour round trip and the rest of it. It was masterful and fantastic. But I must stand up for the force that was, as they say, unseen and unseen America's submarine service..."

This brief but impactful segment underscores the importance of military readiness and the often-overlooked contributions of the submarine fleet.

---

5. Radical Islam and Global Security

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on combating radical Islamic ideologies, drawing parallels with historical movements.

• Jack Armstrong (07:00): "The idea that the righteous victory of Islam over the Jews and the evildoers is within reach... is one of the most important things mankind could do is to nip that whole radical Islam is going to take over the globe idea."

He references the decline of the pan-Arab movement in the mid-20th century as a precedent for addressing radicalism today, advocating for proactive measures to prevent ideological dominance.

---

6. Mental Health Study: Conservatives vs. Liberals

A comprehensive analysis of a new mental health study is presented, highlighting significant disparities between conservatives and liberals.

• Study Overview (18:22):

  • Conducted with over 60,000 respondents.
  • Found that conservatives report higher mental health scores compared to liberals.

• Jack Armstrong (19:56): "But liberals report an average score of 53 and conservatives 68."

• Discussion Highlights:

  • Gender and racial breakdowns show consistent gaps in reported mental health between political affiliations.
  • Generational differences indicate younger liberals, particularly Gen Z, report the lowest mental health scores.
  • Possible reasons include environmental factors, societal pressures, and cultural attitudes towards mental health.

• Michael (24:33): "But I'm surrounded by this world, you would really stand out as like, you might be kicked out of the herd if you were to say, you know, I think I'm perfectly fine."

The hosts interpret these findings through a conservative lens, suggesting that progressive communities may carry undue burdens that negatively impact mental well-being.

---

7. Social Dependency and Welfare Critique

The discussion transitions to societal reliance on government assistance and the cultural implications of welfare programs.

• Joe Getty (15:13): "So the government can help me."

• Jack Armstrong (16:43): "It's obscene. There have been brilliant, brave black activists who've talked about, you're slaving away on the government's plantation. Stop it. Become independent."

They critique the dependency culture fostered by welfare systems, emphasizing personal responsibility and the detrimental effects of such reliance on societal progress.

---

8. ICE Detention of Iranian Migrants

Current events are addressed with recent news about ICE's detention of 11 Iranian migrants, including suspected terrorists.

• Michael (35:26): "ICE grabs 11 Iranian migrants, including suspected terrorists as border patrol warns of possible sleeper cells."

The hosts speculate on the motivations behind these arrests, linking them to the broader context of US-Iran tensions and security measures.

---

9. Nomination of Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

A controversial topic emerges with Trump being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in relation to the Israel-Iran ceasefire.

• Jack Armstrong (18:22): "We learned not long ago how easy it is to nominate somebody for the Nobel Peace Prize."

• Michael (18:33): "Anybody practically can nominate you from the Nobel Peace Prize. It doesn't mean anything really."

They discuss the implications of such nominations, questioning the credibility and significance of the recognition given Trump's polarizing reputation.

---

10. Closing Segment: Family Dynamics and Societal Expectations

The episode concludes with a personal anecdote featuring a caller's interaction with his mother, highlighting generational conflicts and societal pressures related to employment and government assistance.

• Caller (14:43 - 16:05): Expresses frustration over job prospects and the conditionality of receiving Section 8 housing assistance.

• Jack Armstrong (16:05): "That ought to be played for every high school kid in America that exchange."

The hosts use this clip to underscore the real-world impact of welfare policies and societal expectations on individual aspirations and family relationships.

---

Key Takeaways

• Media Distrust: Strong skepticism towards mainstream media outlets like CNN, perceived as biased and unreliable.
• Geopolitical Tensions: Ongoing concerns about Iran's nuclear activities and the strategic maneuvers of global leaders in response to threats.
• Mental Health Disparities: Significant differences in reported mental health between political affiliations, with conservatives reporting better outcomes.
• Social and Economic Critiques: Examination of welfare dependency and its effects on personal responsibility and societal progress.
• Current Events: Updates on immigration enforcement and high-profile political nominations.

Notable Quotes

• Joe Getty (00:47): "They're really, you're gutless losers... It's all fake news."
• Jack Armstrong (07:00): "One of the most important things mankind could do is to nip that whole radical Islam is going to take over the globe idea."
• Jack Armstrong (19:56): "Liberals report an average score of 53 and conservatives 68."
• Joe Getty (15:13): "The government can help me."

Conclusion

"Her Bones Are Locked Up!" presents a fervent discussion on media credibility, international security, political polarization in mental health, and societal dependencies. Armstrong and Getty blend personal opinions with current events, offering a perspective that challenges mainstream narratives and calls for greater personal accountability and strategic geopolitical actions.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center. Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

But when I see CNN all night long, they're trying to say, well, maybe it wasn't really as demolished as we thought. I think CNN ought to apologize to the pilots of the B2s. I think that MSDN CO2 apologize. I think these guys really, these networks, these cable networks are real losers.

[Michael]

You really are.

[Joe Getty]

You're really, you're gutless losers. I say that to CNN because I watch it. I have no choice. I got to watch that garbage. It's all garbage. It's all fake news. But I think CNN is a gutless group of people. And the people that run it, nobody even knows it's been sold so many times. But the people that run it ought to be ashamed. Msdnc. A guy named Brian Roberts, he heads it. He's a disgrace. He's a weak, pathetic disgrace.

[Michael]

Oh, and earlier he said CNN is scum, which is my favorite comment that he made today. CNN is scum. Anywho, some reporting from some of these scumbags he doesn't like. Here's a little news around what's been going on.

[Jack Armstrong]

Questions remain about the fate of Iran's enriched uranium processed at Fordo after the Iranians claimed they moved it before the US Attack. Satellite images from the day before the US Strike show unusual activity. A line of trucks seen on a service road. The International Atomic Energy Agency now warning nearly 900 pounds of Iranian uranium enriched to 60% near weapons grade is unaccounted for. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not been seen for almost two weeks in public now, prompting speculation about ways hiding Israel in the U.S. as you know, say they're not trying to change the regime there, but raising questions. Where is he tonight and what would happen if you were killed in one of these attacks?

[Michael]

So those are two pretty interesting ongoing threads of this whole story. The missing 900 pounds of enriched uranium. Uranium and the missing ayatollah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. I'm feeling he's just as far underground as he can get.

[Michael]

You think he's sitting on the uranium somewhere?

[Jack Armstrong]

That's possible, I suppose, but he's, I think he's just in deep cover.

[Michael]

What about. So some journalists, bad ones, are using the whole. The uranium was moved before the attack as a c. We didn't need to do that. It was a bad idea or it was a failure or whatever.

[Jack Armstrong]

You had to scum.

[Michael]

That, that, that is scummy, because those places needed to be destroyed. So that can't continue to enrich uranium, obviously. But, yeah, we got to figure out where that is now. Was it Marco Rubio something? Might have been. Marco Rubio said Israel's got to know where it is. I mean, they've got people on the ground. They, they, they were, they're monitoring where trucks are going and all that sort of thing. So I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I've been completely mystified today, if you're just tuning in by Trump's reaction to Israel continuing their attacks to the very last possible moment before the alleged ceasefire. In fact, as long as we're discussing it, Michael, let's hit. Sorry, I scrolled past it. Just hit 41B.

[Joe Getty]

You know what we have, we basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the. They're doing. You understand that?

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't get how Trump doesn't understand. No, Israel has a mission to accomplish and they haven't yet accomplished it, so they've got a little more to do. And imposing a ceasefire now because we've knocked out Fordo or whatever, it just, they haven't finished the job. I just, I think you mentioned earlier that Trump is just so much about doing business and making money and, hey, let's all get along and then your people can be prosperous and, and why would you have them live like this when we are offering that? He doesn't get Islamic fundamentalism and he doesn't get the need to finally end Islamic fundamentalism or at least its capacity to do harm in Iran by Israel.

[Michael]

So the, they're referring to a cease fire in all the headlines I'm looking up at the cable news channel. So there is a ceasefire currently going on.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wonder if that's just till Bibi can get Trump on the phone and explain himself.

[Michael]

Now, you had the report earlier from somewhere that Trump actually told Bibi to turn some planes around that were headed to do more bombing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, there was the phase in, of the ceasefire and, and allegedly BB had some heavy stuff heading toward Iran and Trump said, no, no, no, turn those planes around. Which I just, I am completely mystified by.

[Michael]

Well, depends, Depends on where Iran is. Maybe they're, they're in full surrender mode. I mean, they get, they've. I don't see how they've got any choice.

[Jack Armstrong]

What is your choice?

[Michael]

You, you're completely defenseless, you have no air defense. You've Got no air force. You've got, you've got nothing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I, I return to the thing that Iran's posturing can't be believed. It can't be trusted. So they are in surrender mode. You've disarmed your neighbor, your, your murderous neighbor from his machine gun and his, his shotgun. And he's saying, look, I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to fight anymore. Just let me hold onto my buck knife. And you're saying, no, no, I'm going to blast that buck knife out of your hand. I don't trust you for a minute. That's where Israel is. So no, I don't trust them being in.

[Michael]

You're a neocon. You and John Bolton and Lindsey Graham should just go fight every nation on earth.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh yeah, we had a meeting last night and drank the blood of the innocents. It was great. So I want to make that point. I have two other straight points I've been wanting to make then into some really great analysis. Number one, everybody's talking about the B2s and the 37 hour round trip and the rest of it. And it was masterful and fantastic. But I must stand up for the force that was, as they say, unseen and unseen America's submarine service, which unleashed holy hell from under the ocean. And they are wherever they need to be, lurking unseen around the world. And by God, you should sleep better at night knowing the submarine service is doing what they're doing. Second thing, once in a while you have a soft head, say you can't bomb an idea, you can't kill an idea. And I heard the point made, and I can't remember who said it exactly, but the idea that has animated the mullahs in Iran and the Revolutionary Guard and everybody else to a large extent is the idea that the righteous victory of Islam over the Jews and the evildoers is within reach. And we are going to clean the earth of the scourge of the Jews from Israel. That's step number one. And then our righteous Islamic revolution will take over the whole world. But there have been other movements like that that have been bombed out of existence or ended. The commentator I'm thinking about cited the pan Arab movement of the middle part of the 20th century, mostly the second half. Nasser was the great, look him up was the great leader of that. But when they all ganged up on Israel in the 60s and 70s and got their asses whooped, although it was a touch and go there for a while, that just went away. And one of the most important things mankind could do is. Is. Is nip that whole radical Islam is going to take over the globe idea. Nip that in the bud and put some roundup on it. Anyway, been wanting to say that. Finally got it out.

[Michael]

These people have no. What does Trump say there?

[Jack Armstrong]

They have no.

[Michael]

They.

[Jack Armstrong]

They don't know what the f. They're doing.

[Joe Getty]

They don't know what the they're doing.

[Michael]

There you go.

[Jack Armstrong]

See? I think they know precisely what the f They're doing. Elliot Kaufman wrote a piece Recently, Benjamin Netanyahu vs Kassim Soleimani, who you may recall from the headlines in Trump's first term. It's got blue eyes. One blue over there. The other one blue over there is the old, wow, terrible, tasteless joke goes. But just before he got snuffed, there was a video made by one of his fellow commanders talking about his life's work. And Soleimani said, I have assembled for you six armies outside Iran, and I have created a corridor 1500 kilometers long and 1000 kilometers wide all the way to the shores of the Mediterranean. Any enemy that decides to fight against the Islamic Revolution and. And against the sacred regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, notice those were two different things. The Islamic Revolution, blah, blah, blah, will have to go through these six armies. It won't be able to do so. Yet Israel did. Rather than nip around the edges of Soleimani strategy, Jerusalem has fought Tehran on its own terms. Of Soleimani's six armies, only the Houthis and Iraq's popular mobilization units have escaped. After the October 7 massacre, Israel fought through Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, wiping out their leadership and slicing up their missile arsenals, leaving the Assad regime in Syria to crumble without support. Oh, which reminds me, I want to get to the fact that Russia, which has sworn allegiance with Iran, is like. Yeah, yeah, I gotta take a call. Well, I'll call you back. And is. Is nowhere to be found. And suddenly, Iran didn't look so menacing. Israel could focus on the state and nuclear program, seeking its destruction without about thousands of rockets a day from Iran's proxies. Then President Trump could enter to remove all doubt. And that's where we are. Let him finish. For the love of humanity, let him finish.

[Michael]

Warmonger.

[Jack Armstrong]

In some cases, yes. Yeah. And then I am a hardcore preserve the peace through strength so that everybody can live and prosper and raise their children in peace.

[Michael]

You're one of those people Tucker Carlson was warning me about.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, Tucker Carlson, who said that if we attack Iran, I Want to make sure I get this right. Iran has powerful allies. The first week of war in Iran could easily kill thousands of Americans. It could collapse our economy as oil prices surge to unmanageable inflation and cause trigger unmanageable inflation. Iran has powerful allies, said Tucker. It's now part of a global bloc called brics, which represents the majority of the world's landmass, population, economy, and military. Military power. Iran has extensive military ties with Russia. It sells the overwhelming majority of its oil exports to China. Iran isn't alone. An attack on Iran could easily become a world war. We'd lose.

[Michael]

Interesting. So if that were true, he thinks surrendering to it preemptively would mean that we didn't lose. It seems like that that would be announcing we've lost.

[Jack Armstrong]

I have no idea. Or is it just all these guys despise Jews? I mean, because as Tucker's favorite fake historian, Daryl Cooper, put it, we should commence airstrikes on Tel Aviv immediately.

[Michael]

Wow, he said that?

[Jack Armstrong]

And then he said, unlike Iran, Israel's primary strategic goals involve getting American servicemen killed.

[Michael]

Wow. So was Tucker okay with Iran getting a nuke? Kind of a why do we get to have have them if they don't kind of guy.

[Jack Armstrong]

He is big on moral equivalency these days. I don't know. I don't recall him saying anything specifically about that. He may have.

[Michael]

Man, that's nutso. What's that thing?

[Jack Armstrong]

All leaders kill people, right?

[Michael]

Tucker, what's that thing you got coming up later that I'm so excited about?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah, it is so interesting. A gigantic new study. It's over 60,000 respondents of mental health broken down in all sorts of different ways. Age, income, education, sexual orientation and political stances. And one side of the aisle is way more miserable than the other. Analysis on why that is so interesting. We'll have that for you at the bottom of the hour or in a little bit, if you're listening to the podcast in the future.

[Michael]

I just came across an interesting thing Chuck Todd said to Jake Tapper about the Biden family. That's still a story, I guess somewhere, but it's interesting. Among other things we got on the way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Stay here, Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

The only thing I do is I exercise faithfully.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't eat red meat. I like to plank. It's fun. Everybody, she just held a five minute plank. I'm a lot younger than her and I can't do that. Be kind, be happy, be fearless. Yeah.

[Michael]

A hundred year old woman can hold a Five minute plank. Osteoporosis. Your bones lock up.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's not what that is. You're fool. I was gonna go with. You're gonna be light. She's really light. You're stiff as a board.

[Michael]

I've seen old people.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's a stupid thing to say. I disavow what he just said. I disavow.

[Michael]

Well, I think that's the advantage.

[Jack Armstrong]

She's got 100 year old lady doing a five minute plank. Well, people who get really, really old.

[Michael]

You go one of two directions you get. You're a fat old person or you're a super skinny old person. I'm guessing she's one of the super skinny old people.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's the only two choices. Yeah, it's unfortunate. Speaking of the flower of American womanhood, this clip is something else. Mom is in bed flipping through her phone, doing something on her phone. Her son is, is talking to her and recording it all on his phone. Listen to this.

[Caller]

Not getting no job. If you go get a job, they're going to take my Section 8. Then you won't be able to get no Section 8. You're not going to get no job. They're going to count your income against my section 8 and my link card. You're not working. No. So I don't care what you got to say. I don't care how you feel. You're not working. You're not going to get a job. You, you're not going to school, you're not doing none of that.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm saying how I'm supposed to be successful in life, Mom.

[Caller]

So you're basically telling me I got to be.

[Joe Getty]

I gotta be broke to be successful. I gotta be broke so I can get section eight.

[Caller]

You gotta be. The government can help you.

[Joe Getty]

So the government can help me.

[Jack Armstrong]

So you telling me I can't work no job, bro.

[Joe Getty]

Like that's like all my friends got jobs and live in nice houses.

[Caller]

So you telling me I got the.

[Joe Getty]

I got to go through the same.

[Caller]

Thing you went through if you have a house, any of that. They're going to take my Section 8.

[Jack Armstrong]

How?

[Caller]

What they be like, go get yours. At ease. You can go get a house.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, they will look at that and.

[Joe Getty]

Be like he's doing something and give.

[Jack Armstrong]

Me a bigger house machine.

[Caller]

That's what you told me, where I'm gonna go. I don't have no job. I can get off your Section 8 and apply for my own Section 8. If. Okay, but if you do that, you're gonna have to Go the hard way. It's gonna take a long.

[Joe Getty]

So what?

[Caller]

That's what I'm saying. Let's get on section 8, find you a nice apartment, go get you a link card. You will be fine. You don't have to sit up and work. You don't have to work. No job. The government is here to help us.

[Jack Armstrong]

That ought to be played for every high school kid in America that exchange. And lest any think for a second that since these are black folks, this is about race. Yeah, she's a horror. He's a hero. Standing up to his mom like that. If I had a job to offer that young man, I. Hell, I'd put him on management track and offer him a stake of ownership. To have the courage to. To call her out like that, say, no, I don't want to live like that.

[Michael]

We have created a culture dependency. And then you've got that whole welfare cliff situation where sometimes if you tried to get out of your situation, it would do you more harm than good. At least for quite a while.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? It's obscene.

[Michael]

It is obscene.

[Jack Armstrong]

There are, there have been brilliant, brave black activists who've talked about, you're slaving away on the government's plantation. Stop it. Become independent. Yeah, that's. That's terrible.

[Michael]

That was a disappointing thing to hear right there from that woman.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know what? I thought it was life affirming. I thought the kid's attitude was fantastic. He's got great mental health. You know who doesn't? Bisexual progressives, the happiest and most miserable people in America. Coming up next, Armstrong and Getty.

[Michael]

A couple of quick headlines before Joe tells us how crazy we all are based on a new study. And maybe we'll expand or expound either on these stories here in a little bit. Trump, responding to Democratic threats to impeach him, tweeted out, go ahead, make my day. ICE has just nabbed 11 Iranian migrants, including suspected terrorists, as border patrol warns of possible sleeper cells. That's a big story.

[Jack Armstrong]

Where did we grab them? Do we know? Well, we'll stay tuned for details. By golly.

[Michael]

Does it say? It doesn't say. Yeah, we'll get to that later. Trump has been officially nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize over the Israel Iran ceasef. And this. Trump was just asked this on the plane. He's on the way to the NATO summit right now about the fact that Putin has volunteered to help with the Israel Iran conflict. He said, I don't need help with Iran. I need help with you about Putin.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Okay. I like it we learned not long ago how easy it is to nominate somebody for the Nobel Peace Prize. I mean I'm going to nominate my dog Baxter. Yeah, he needs to be more aggressive toward other dogs and he's less aggressive now.

[Michael]

I don't know why this isn't reported more on and yet anybody practically can nominate you from the Nobel Peace Prize. It doesn't mean anything really.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're still waiting for our nomination by the way folks. Hello. Anyway, we'll cover the cost, you do the paperwork. We'll, we'll pay the fee. So this is so interesting. Came across this the other day a couple of scientists writers commentaries who ran into each other after the one published a piece on why young men have turned against the Democratic party. And this other guy, this other researcher said hey, you know, I've actually been doing studies in that area. Let's get together and talk about it and compare notes. And, and they came, they've come out with a really, really interesting report. Young people in general report fairly miserable mental health with high rates of anxiety and depression. But this is particularly true for young women. And, and they make the point that assumptions Democrats make about how to attract younger voters may not appeal to men for various reasons. But they point out that this, that it the one report they looked at buried the most interesting finding which is that conservatives have much higher self reported mental health than liberals.

[Michael]

Is this surprising to anyone? No, no.

[Jack Armstrong]

The, the really interesting part is still to come. Self reporting, grain of salt, but just a grain, not a shaker. Why?

[Michael]

I don't know. On self reporting on your mental health.

[Jack Armstrong]

It could be that in certain communities it is taboo to be honest about your mental health.

[Michael]

I think it's more likely the other direction.

[Jack Armstrong]

But yeah, I'm just trying to be.

[Michael]

Fair that in more communities it's the greatest prize of all to explain how. Yeah, I have anxiety and, and depression and OCD and all these other things.

[Jack Armstrong]

I agree with you completely and I'm glad you pointed that out. It's a wide gap too between conservatives and liberals. According to this giant study with 60,000 respondents that provides the opportunity for highly detailed demographic demographic analysis among people who report excellent mental health. Conservatives outnumber liberals 50:1 to 20 as a ratio but liberals outnumber conservatives 45 to 19. Among those voters who say they have poor mental health, this is not the.

[Michael]

Least bit surprising to me.

[Jack Armstrong]

What's, what's interesting and they assigned points. So 100 point scale 0 is poor mental health, 25 is fair, 50 is good, 75 is very good. 100 is excellent.

[Michael]

I think I go, if. What would you say for yourself? I'm going. I would say, very good. Others might disagree with me who know me, but I feel like I'm very good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Can we have a round of rating where we rate each other too? Of course.

[Michael]

I live in a town full of people who are crazy, so it helps me stand out. I feel like.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are you graded on a curve in this? I don't know. So here's the first thing that popped into my mind is. And part of the reason I leapt to this thought was because we came across an absolutely fantastic quote which I've misplaced. Damn it. That women more. More than men, not all women, but women in general, and like effeminate men, filter information through a process not of. Is this true? But will believing this gain me social currency and acceptance? Will the group accept me for adopting this attitude? And so the first thing I thought was, okay, maybe people of an unhappy or mentally fragile bent need more support, and so they tend toward liberalism. Well, it's funny, I had that thought and the guys immediately got to the question. They said, could this reflect a spurious correlation? In other words, that voters with characteristics associated with lower happiness tend to be attracted to liberalism, but that political attitudes themselves don't tell you much on their own? In short, no, they write, or at least probably not. The difference between liberals and conservatives is remarkably persistent. And even once you control for those factors, then they explain. Going to give you a long chart with those point values that I talked about. The average American self reports at 60 on the scale somewhere between good and very good mental health.

[Michael]

Yeah, that's roughly where I would be.

[Jack Armstrong]

But liberals report an average score of 53 and conservatives 68. Moderates, not shockingly right in the middle at 58. Anyway, moderate, moderates, they take advantage of. That's a moderate for you. Always moderating. Anyway, take advantage of the large sample size in this CES study. Let's see how this difference holds up against a wide array of demographic and political characteristics. Uh, let's see. Gender. Men tend to be conservative men at a 69 giggity. Um, liberal men of 56. Conservative women up there at 66. Liberal women way down at 51. Shocking average mental health score. White folks. That said that.

[Michael]

I realize what you just said about all those things, but, man, because I'm surrounded by this world, you would really stand out as like, you might be kicked out of the herd if you were to say, you know, I think I'm perfectly fine.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Whereas I Live in a world of a. Hey, we're all here for you. Have a drink, you'll be fine. And most people are, let's see, black in his or, I'm sorry white. Black and Hispanic and Asian conservatives are virtually tied at 68, 68, 65, 65. Liberal, white, black, Hispanic and Asians is 52, 60, 51, 51 like a fairly consistent 14 point gap. Young people age Gen Z, that's 97 or later it's 56 to 40. Gen Zers liberal Gen Zers are among the most miserable people America. The older you get, the higher the scores get on both ends of the scale and we could get into education, that sort of thing.

[Michael]

Gen Zers report the most. It's tough to break all this stuff down and I realize they tried to control for all these things but I can't imagine being a 20 year old in a lot of your blue cities and telling your parents nothing. I'm fine. You wouldn't want to disappoint your parents like that by telling them you don't have anxiety or depression or any of those things. Yeah, your parents would be horrified.

[Jack Armstrong]

I know several young people, some of whom I may be genetically related to who are seem to be very bright, very well adjusted, happy with their lives but have some of these modern emotional problems and it makes me really curious as we've discussed many times through the years what environmental causes are going on? Is it the never ending barrage of inputs that's my greatest suspicion?

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

So yeah, we're never quiet, we're never alone, we're never bored.

[Michael]

You're right. In presenting this information we're kind of, I was kind of presenting it like this is all somewhat imagined but we have talked a lot about and I know I got, I got one kid who has for real anxiety, depression, ocd, all that sort of stuff and it's been struggling with it his whole life and on medication and I've seen a gazillion psychiatrists and doctors and blah blah, blah. So yeah, there's something going on that is causing problems, right? Yeah. So separating out that the real from the just culturally you live in a town where everybody's supposed to have some of this stuff because life is so hard and the world is so bad.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you're keeping track at home. Just for the record, Jack came to judge, Joe came to understand.

[Michael]

Damn right I came to judge and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Then brag about it. So let's be fair, I bragged about it. Anyway, so this is as I, as I mentioned last segment, the most Miserable bastards in America appear to be progressive bisexuals. If you are bisexual or other, and apparently there are some conservatives, they're at a 59, which ain't great. But if you're a progressive bisexual, you're at you self rate yourself at 35 for men, which is, I mean like by far the most miserable people in America. I heard one prominent lesbian writer, I read her write, well, what do you want? These people want everything from the world. Both sexes, you know, everything goes. How can the world not disappoint them?

[Michael]

Hmm. I feel like I know a lot of baristas that meet that description. And they look unhappy. I don't know that that's our facial expression anyway.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. And their voice, their vocal fright voice. Interestingly, people who have high interest in news and politics on both sides of the aisle tend to be more happy with their mental health.

[Michael]

Really?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I'm somewhat surprised by that because it's enough to make you insane. Trust me, I do it for a living.

[Michael]

Huh.

[Jack Armstrong]

And it declines. Low news and political interest significantly lower on both sides.

[Michael]

Wow. So they just take in the information about the world, just kind of the way they hear it from people and. And get despondent over it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. Having more income does seem to make you more positive about your mental health. That could be the other way of Asian correlation. Yeah. Or reverse.

[Michael]

Yeah, yeah. You're much more likely to make more money if you're mentally okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

No meaningful difference in mental health between Catholics, Protestants and adherents of other organized religions. The differences between liberals and conservatives persist there, but religious adherence does soften them somewhat.

[Michael]

I'm glad to see there's not a big breakdown between Protestants and Catholics, married.

[Jack Armstrong]

People and people in. Well, I know you wanted to start another holy war. You're a big fan of Joan of Arc. But married people and people in domestic partnerships are happier than those who are separated, widowed, divorced, or have never been married.

[Michael]

That has been true for as long as we've been doing radio and reading these studies. That married people tend to report being happier more than single people, which is interesting given that so much of the single world looks at married people is like, I'm glad I'm not in that prison. When statistically that does not born out at all.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, not at all. It's interesting they phrased it as happier when it's self reported mental health. Not sure those are synonyms, but I guess they're close.

[Michael]

I think they're pretty close.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah. Those are the main takeaways. Why are young liberals so depressed, Matt? IGLESIAS wrote about you'd be depressed too.

[Joe Getty]

They don't know what the they're doing.

[Michael]

Their weird hair color and a thing through their nose.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. A couple old white men. I can't stand it. And he points out. Jack, you'll be gratified by this that there may be a performative acts aspect to this.

[Michael]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Liberals may express negative sentiment as a sign of solid solidarity with the movement.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

That thinks there is profound injustice in the world. How can I act happy with all this injustice? I shouldn't judge me.

[Michael]

You think you could walk into your hipster coffee shop where you're a barista and there's like nine other employees and be a. Everything's fine. You know, life is what life is. I just, I roll with the punches. You think you can be that person?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah. Good days, bad days. What are you gonna do? Let's make some coffee. Right? Gotta be drummed out.

[Michael]

You see what Trump did?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh my God, it is so clearly a fascist dictatorship. Right? Leave. I've considered moving to Belgium.

[Michael]

I couldn't find a parking spot because of the patriarchy. We got more on the way. All those news stories are mentioned, among other things. On the way. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty Sonic drive and has announced it will offer a pickle Rita slush made with a pickle juice flavored boba after asking themselves, what is the absolute worst thing you could spill in your car?

[Michael]

Oh, boy. No kidding. So you asked the question. I brought you the headline. ICE grabs 11 Iranian migrants, including suspected terrorists as border patrol warns of possible sleeper cells. So this happened over the weekend in eight states. So I don't know, like if they had their eye eyes on a bunch of people and decided with the bombings, now is the time to make sure these guys are rounded up. That's probably what happened.

[Jack Armstrong]

Could see it.

[Michael]

Yeah, but lots of different places. Yeah, that's probably it. I mean, they got the names of all these people and you know, they're going through them one by one, however you get to them. But somebody probably decided now might be a good time to grab any of the illegal Iranians since we're gonna grab them at some point anyway, especially if.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know if they have a point scale or can auto sort them or whatever by, you know, crimes committed or final order of deportation in place or whatever. But they thought, yeah, who can we heave? How about these guys?

[Michael]

Under the Biden administration, more than 700 Iranian migrants who crossed the border illegally were released into the United States, according to border records.

[Jack Armstrong]

So yeah, beautiful.

[Michael]

That's a small number compared to the overall, but yeah, so who knows what those people are up to. Speaking of Joe Biden, Chuck Todd still talking to Jack. Jake Tapper. Chuck Todd, he used to be on Meet the Press. Jake Tapro wrote the book about Joe Biden. Nobody cares about that story anymore. It's gone. And it's for historians to discuss now. But I thought this was kind of interesting. And they were having a conversation, Todd and Tapper, about the Biden family lore.

[Jack Armstrong]

Look, I mean, you know, you and I covered, you know, for most of.

[Michael]

Our professional lives, the story of Joe.

[Jack Armstrong]

Biden was this guy cared about his family so much, he commuted home every night from Washington. Now here's by the way. Here's the by the way. You know, what else you could say is this man was so ambitious. Right after his family went through that tragedy, he commuted every day to work. Right, right. Like it's the same story. He had his narrative, his had his sister help raise. I sit here, I look at this.

[Michael]

And, and I think, were we sold a 40 year bill of goods? Yes, but how about that? Finally getting to that conclusion. Chuck Todd and Jake Tapper, were we sold a 40 year bill of goods? On the whole, my word is a Biden or my family's the most important thing to me. You spent many hours on the train every day while your sister raised your kids so you could claim you're a working man because that was part of your whole shtick.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Michael]

You didn't have to do that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Biden's just a phony. He was always a phony.

[Michael]

Well, I don't think people knew that. I didn't know that.

[Jack Armstrong]

No. No. It's become more and more clear. Speaking of presidents of the United States, Donald J. Trump is the current one. What the former ambassador of Israel said about Trump is notable. We'll have that for you next hour. If you don't get next hour, you can't listen. Grab it via podcast. Subscribe to Armstrong. You get it on Demand podcast wherever you like to get them.

[Michael]

We do a lot of segments. You should get them all. You don't miss a one.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. This is an I heart podcast.