Armstrong & Getty On Demand
Episode: Plan Better!
Date: September 2, 2025
Podcast Host: iHeartPodcasts
Episode Overview
On this post-Labor Day episode, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty return from vacation to reflect on a world seemingly more agitated and divided. With summer "officially over," the hosts dig into why anger, conflict, and negativity have become normalized in public discourse and personal interactions. Highlights include their takes on current news cycles, the rise of endorphin-chasing outrage culture, international politics (with a focus on the emerging alliances challenging U.S. power), personal anecdotes about travel woes (including Jack almost getting into a fight on a plane), and updates about masculinity and societal expectations. The episode balances humor and cultural commentary with concern over deeper social and global trends.
Key Themes & Discussions
1. End of Summer: Time to “Get Serious”
- Post-Labor Day Reset: The tone shifts as hosts lament the end of summer’s “fun,” with Jack declaring, "Summer's over… Life gets serious now. Congress is back in session. Kids are back in school. Taxes will be here. The fun is over. Time to grow up." (03:49)
- Playful banter about adulthood’s responsibilities post-vacation marks the transition back to “real life.”
- Joe jokes about resisting seriousness: "I was going to announce my intention to smoke dope and not pay attention to any of this crap ever again as long as I live." (04:44)
2. The Meaningless News Cycle & Manufactured Outrage
- Both hosts note that high-drama headlines often fade into irrelevance.
- Jack: “…there were like six one-day Trump firestorm stories that I don't even know what they were…and one week later nobody even remembers they happened.” (05:53)
- Joe agrees, and shares a story about TV news dramatizing mundane city council conflict for ratings: “What's important is the constant state of agitation.” (09:07)
- Discussion of “endorphin society”: modern media stokes negative emotional reactions for quick dopamine hits, lessening thoughtful engagement.
- Joe: “We're not even entertained anymore. We're just hit with little doses of endorphins…The negative. The endorphins you get from negative stuff… People love to hate things.” (07:50)
3. Society’s Focus on Negativity and Division
- The hosts extend the idea to daily life:
- Joe: “People bond more quickly over what they don't like and more deeply over what they hate than what they love… That negative energy is growing to the point that the glass being 88.4% full is practically ignored…” (09:37)
- They worry about how society (media, tech, social groups) increasingly fixates on negatives, fostering stress and division.
4. Big Picture: Geopolitics & World Order
- Brief but significant mention of the Xi-Putin-Modi meeting:
- Jack: “The biggest thing that happened over the weekend...is that meeting with Putin and Modi and Xi. China, India, Russia getting together…That's a major thing going on right there.” (11:29)
- Joe links U.S. political actions to shifting alliances (esp. India moving closer to Russia/China, Trump’s tariffs), signaling an underlying concern about the future world order and U.S. influence. (21:20-23:44)
- “The global order since [WWII]…has been dominated by us. That is coming to an end, I believe.” (20:47)
5. Personal Reflections & The Value of Breaking Away
- Back from break, the hosts reflect on news withdrawal:
- Both note that missing daily news drama made them feel less stressed.
- Joe: “It's just tiresome, particularly when you back off for a little bit and you get a little perspective.” (07:17)
- Jack’s family vacation leads to a humorous self-confession about losing all restraint with eating, like being “an eight-year-old.” (19:52)
6. Plane Story: Conflict & Social Decency
- Jack’s “Almost-Viral” Plane Incident: Recalls a tense moment where a fellow passenger erupts when asked to swap seats so a mom can sit with her baby and husband:
- Man: "Plan better!" (Repeated, shouted, becomes the episode’s titular “catchphrase.”) (32:20–34:25)
- Jack describes the urge to intervene: “If he touches that woman holding that baby, I am going to choke this guy out.”
- Random British passenger chimes in as if narrating: "You're the reason that society is breaking down. It's people like you and acting like this that is a problem with society." (34:55)
- The incident is an illustration of tension, lack of empathy, and readiness for conflict in public settings: “There’s like five people on this plane ready to fight right now.” (36:16)
- Joe brings comic relief, likening it to ‘Waffle House Airlines’ with its reputation for in-flight chaos. (37:20)
7. The State of Masculinity & Men’s Wellbeing
- Jack references a USA Today feature about the crisis in male mental health: “Men in America are experiencing unprecedented levels of loneliness, fatigue, depression, and suicide.” (28:59)
- Discussion of online masculinity influencers, “toxic masculinity” discussions, and media narratives demonizing men vs. those exploiting them.
- Joe: “The number of men who are demonized merely for being men and told that their masculinity is by definition in itself toxic…it’s an elephant and an ant.” (30:50)
- Ties the theme of anger and disconnection to tragic real-world violence statistics (e.g., Chicago weekend shootings).
8. Mailbag & Listener Engagement
- A listener shares about American flag being replaced in a classroom (46:49) – a jumping-off point for discussion about ideological overreach in schools and the need for parents to speak up.
- Joe: “Every single damn person needs to say, by the way, I don't approve of this. I think it's wrong and I don't think you should be doing it.” (48:12)
- Jack floats abolishing public school in favor of private/tutor systems: “The whole thing just needs to go.” (48:27)
- Joe responds, seeing the "infection" as perhaps too advanced to cure.
9. Global Immigration & Europe
- Multiple British citizens confided in Joe about their anxieties concerning immigration and cultural change in England/Europe.
- “All of them said way too much. It’s changing our society way too quickly. And these people believe things that are abhorrent to us and they find our beliefs abhorrent.” (48:38–50:08)
- French report on the Muslim Brotherhood’s attempts to influence France is mentioned as an example of "soft" ways foreign influence can take hold.
10. Lighter Moments: NFL Talk & Vacation Observations
- Quick rundown of NFL power rankings, with jokes about Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce headlines and absurd “distractions.”
- Jack: “Who does he think he is, a woman? Hey now.” (12:55)
- Joe: “That’s an utterly insignificant story. Almost as meaningless as Trump's latest argument with whomever.” (13:39)
- Joe recounts seeing ravens at the Tower of London and muses about being more comfortable in Britain’s reserved society. (40:15–40:38)
Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)
-
“Summer’s over…Life gets serious now...Time to grow up. Is everybody ready to grow up? Put on your big boy pants.”
— Jack Armstrong (03:49) -
“What’s important is the constant state of agitation.”
— Joe Getty (09:07) -
“We’ve gone from a world of reading and watching long things…and thinking to, you know, just quick hitters…now TikTok videos…It's endorphins society.”
— Joe Getty (07:50) -
“The biggest thing that happened over the weekend…is that meeting with Putin and Modi and Xi, China, India, Russia getting together…That is a…major thing going on right there.”
— Jack Armstrong (11:29) -
“Plan better!”
— Random agitated passenger, recounted by Jack Armstrong (32:20) -
“You're the reason that society is breaking down. It's people like you and acting like this that is a problem with society.”
— British passenger (34:55) -
“The number of men who are demonized merely for being men…it's an elephant and an ant.”
— Joe Getty (30:50) -
“I have crossed over to the side where I think we need to just get rid of the public school system. We need to start over…”
— Jack Armstrong (48:27)
Segment Timeline
- 03:49-06:33 – Summer ends; seriousness returns; vacation recaps; fleeting news cycles
- 06:33-10:37 – Manufactured outrage, negativity, and the neuroscience of societal conflict
- 10:37-12:01 – Near-airplane brawl; importance of big global stories (Xi-Putin-Modi)
- 12:01-15:45 – NFL news; Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce; cultural distractions vs real stories
- 17:53-20:47 – Epstein news cycle, British tabloids, reflection on health/eating habits
- 20:47-23:44 – Geopolitics of US, Russia, China, India; end of US-centric world order
- 28:03-31:36 – Masculinity, men’s issues, USA Today report; online influencers’ impact
- 32:17-37:17 – Jack’s plane story: social decency, conflict, British commentary
- 44:44-50:47 – Mailbag: flag incident, activism in schools, public school debate
- 50:47-53:01 – European immigration anxieties, French report, societal shifts
- 53:42-end – Pop culture (Eminem documentary), closing
Tone and Style
- Conversational, irreverent, and self-deprecating: Both hosts use humor even while discussing serious social and political issues.
- Skeptical and critical: Of headline news cycles, media incentives, and ideological excesses.
Summary Takeaway
The “Plan Better!” episode uses personal stories, cultural critique, and international events to reflect a society in turmoil, often distracted by superficial drama and addicted to outrage. Armstrong & Getty highlight the need to step back, regain perspective, and—perhaps—reconsider how we engage with negativity, both online and in person. Yet, as always, they can’t help but crack jokes and keep the tone lively even as they urge listeners to take stock of what truly matters as the serious part of the year begins.