Armstrong & Getty On Demand
Episode: “I Walked Up 4 Stairs & Hurt My Knee”
Air Date: November 19, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Podcast Network: iHeartPodcasts
Episode Overview
In this lively episode, Jack and Joe tackle a range of topics with their signature wit, skepticism, and occasional self-deprecation. The primary focus is on the pitfalls of rent control and government attempts at "affordability," framed by recent news stories and personal anecdotes. They also debate AI’s impact on society, revisit the American culture of “safetyism,” discuss the ongoing stock market reliance on AI, and sprinkle in quirky tales about raccoons, pop culture, and a humorous take on aging.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Olympic Teasers & Superstar Aging (01:03–02:23)
- The episode opens with a critique of media hype surrounding LeBron James and Stephen Curry’s potential participation in the 2028 Olympic Games. Both stars, who would be in their forties by then, are portrayed as unlikely candidates. Jack and Joe lampoon the news cycle’s obsession with “non-stories.”
- Quote (Joe Getty, 01:03):
“LeBron James, who will be 43 by that time, saying he won’t play. Steph Curry, who will be 40, saying it’s unlikely he’ll play. ... What a stupid story.”
2. The “Affordability” Debate: Rent Control & Housing Policy (02:23–14:03)
- Joe references a New York Times essay discussing “affordability,” noting that price controls are being floated — again — as a solution to high housing costs, despite universal economist skepticism.
- Jack ridicules the cyclical resurrection of price control arguments:
Quote (Jack Armstrong, 03:09):“Trying for the millionth time to push that fraud on humanity...”
- Detailed discussion of LA’s approach: Reducing red tape only for “affordable” housing and expanding rent control, paradoxically tightening supply and reducing quality.
- Explains how regulations purportedly for “safety” or “environmental” reasons are waived for affordable housing, leading them to question the necessity of such rules in the first place (04:35–05:37).
- Examples from Wall Street Journal and New York regarding rent control’s unintended consequences: decreased maintenance, fewer rentals, “ghost apartments,” and long-term supply constriction.
- Quote (Jack Armstrong, 09:46):
“The Supreme Court has been edging closer and closer to being sympathetic to this claim ... rent fixing is an unconstitutional taking under the Fifth Amendment.”
- Adds anecdotes: New York building owners leaving thousands of apartments empty due to unprofitable rent caps (11:00–12:13).
- Armstrong & Getty’s Econ 101: They advocate for basic economics education as an antidote to the allure of rent control and market manipulation.
- Quote (Jack Armstrong, 12:06):
“It just sounds good to dopey young people who listen... It's been true forever. As Jack said, it sounds good to young people who don’t understand how markets work.”
Notable Segment
- Gouging Analogy After Hurricanes (Safety and Economics):
Jack uses the “price gouging” after natural disasters (chainsaws in Florida) to illustrate why price controls ultimately harm consumers by stifling supply response (12:32–14:03).
3. AI, Stock Market Bubbles & Safetyism (14:03–28:00)
The AI Bubble and Nvidia’s Pivotal Role (14:03–22:29)
- Jack and Joe shift to the market’s fixation on AI and how Nvidia has effectively become a bellwether.
- Major tech giants account for over 40% of Nvidia’s sales, with exponential growth in AI spending. The duo discuss the “incestuous” nature of tech profits and raise the possibility of a bubble.
- Quote (Joe Getty, 21:02):
“As goes Nvidia, goes the stock market. That’s how big a deal they are.”
- Discusses the mindset shift as technology advances, referencing the podcast “The Last Invention” and teasing divisions among AI “accelerators” (optimists) and “doomers.”
The History & Psychology of Tech Adoption: Journey from Cars to AI (22:29–28:00)
- Jack reflects on the historical embrace of risky technology, using the automobile as a parallel for how Americans once valued innovation over excessive caution (“safetyism”).
- They recognize the change in societal attitudes, from risk-taking to risk-avoidance, linking today’s fear of AI to a broader cultural “safetyism” that stifles innovation.
- Quote (Joe Getty, 26:58):
“Here was an invention [the car] that was clearly going to kill lots of people. ... We just plowed forward.”
- Jack expresses the paradox: he partly buys the doomy narrative on AI but also admits American culture is now dominated by outsized caution.
4. Lighthearted Sidebars: Raccoon Domestication & Aging Humor (15:05–19:52)
- Brief, entertaining diversion: Raccoons’ evolution toward domestication in cities; how animals become accustomed to human environments long before active domestication.
- Memorable, tongue-in-cheek moment:
Quote (Jack Armstrong 19:24):
“I’m going to create a website called ‘Older Fans’ and it’s just me telling people what part of my body hurts today and what minuscule task I was doing that caused it.”
- Jack claims, “I walked up four stairs and I hurt my knee. How? I don’t know. Older fan.” (19:40)
5. The Welfare State, Accountability, & Human Nature (31:36–36:25)
- Joe and Jack segue into real-life anecdotes about work ethic, accountability for life decisions, and the politics of redistribution.
- Jack describes a construction worker repeatedly missing work with poor excuses, highlighting how individual decisions are omitted from public discussions about “haves and have-nots.”
- Debate about whether social support should more explicitly consider personal responsibility and “contributory negligence.”
6. Wrapping Up: Capitalism Defense, Human Nature, and TDS (29:18–31:36)
- Continued skepticism regarding utopian visions of AI or universal prosperity without considering human nature:
- Quote (Jack Armstrong, 30:54):
“If you don’t specifically address that concern about human nature and idle hands... then they need to go to hell. I mean, that’s ridiculous.”
- Teases upcoming deeper dives into capitalism’s merits and the (tongue-in-cheek) proposal that “Trump Derangement Syndrome” be recognized as a real psychological condition, based on something written by a psychiatrist.
7. International News Sidebar: China, Japan, and Taiwan Tensions (31:36–34:15)
- Briefly discusses heightened diplomatic tensions in East Asia and America’s long-standing “security umbrella,” foreshadowing broader realpolitik and its economic consequences.
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
-
On Media Hype (Joe Getty, 01:03):
“LeBron James, who will be 43 by that time, saying he won’t play. Steph Curry, who will be 40, saying it’s unlikely he’ll play. ... What a stupid story.”
-
On Rent Control (Jack Armstrong, 12:06):
“It just sounds good to dopey young people who listen... It's been true forever. As Jack said, it sounds good to young people who don’t understand how markets work.”
-
On Risk & Technology (Joe Getty, 26:58):
“Here was an invention [the car] that was clearly going to kill lots of people. ... We just plowed forward.”
-
On Human Nature & AI Utopianism (Jack Armstrong, 30:54):
“If you don’t specifically address that concern about human nature and idle hands... then they need to go to hell. I mean, that’s ridiculous.”
Segment Index
- 01:03–02:23 — NBA Olympic hype
- 02:23–14:03 — Rent control, “affordability,” real estate regulation
- 11:00–12:13 — NYC “ghost apartments” and legal challenges
- 14:03–22:29 — AI bubble, Nvidia, stock market
- 22:29–28:00 — Technology adoption, “safetyism,” and the psychology of risk
- 15:05–19:52 — Raccoons, urban domestication, and “Older Fans” humor
- 31:36–36:25 — Human nature, welfare state anecdotes, policy commentary
Final Thoughts
This episode is a quintessential Armstrong & Getty mix: sharp economic skepticism on rent control, cultural commentary on tech adoption and safety, real-life stories, humor, and irreverence. If you want to understand their take on big policy questions — and enjoy some biting banter on aging and raccoons in the process — this episode delivers.