Armstrong & Getty On Demand – "That Toy Is Childish"
Date: November 7, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty, with Katie Green
Guest: Anastasia Bowden (Pacific Legal Foundation)
Overview
In this lively episode, Armstrong & Getty wade into the world of modern dating trends, toy nostalgia, and the serious constitutional questions swirling around presidential emergency powers—much of which is sparked by a current Supreme Court case. Along the way, sharp commentary, biting humor, and a few characteristically cantankerous exchanges fuel the conversation. Legal expert Anastasia Bowden joins to analyze the Supreme Court’s considerations regarding presidential authority to implement tariffs. The team also waxes nostalgic about classic toys, and as always, lampoons modern culture and politics.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Hot Modern Dating “Trends” (03:08 – 12:07)
The Trends:
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Shreking: (03:36) Intentionally dating someone you don't find attractive (like “Shrek”) because you think they’ll treat you better.
- Jack Armstrong (04:05): “The fact that you are lowering your standards because you think he'll be... feel so lucky to have you that he treats you better... is about as disgusting a philosophy as I can imagine.”
- Joe Getty (03:58): “That’ll go great for a healthy relationship.”
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Throning: (04:29) Dating someone to boost your own social status.
- Katie Green (04:29): “Throning is when you date someone to raise your own social status. So the goal is to land a partner with clout.”
- Jack Armstrong (05:18): “Where that crosses into throning? I don’t know.”
- Katie Green (05:23): “If a person seems overly focused on your status or your social circle and changes their behavior depending upon whether you're in public or private, this can indicate throning.”
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Banksying: (06:03) Withdrawing emotionally from a partner without explanation, like an elusive artist.
- Joe Getty (06:22): “All right, this is ridiculous. Everything doesn't need a name. Everything isn't a trend.”
- Jack Armstrong (06:53): “What Joe is doing is called rage talking.”
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Zip Coding: (09:23) Focusing your dating app search either only within or only outside your own zip code, sometimes to avoid being recognized (09:26).
- Jack Armstrong (09:50): “That might fit in with the stat we had a while back of the percentage of people, particularly men, on online dating sites who are freaking married.”
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Monkey Barring: (11:22) Not letting go of one relationship until another is secured.
- Katie Green (11:40): “People move from one partner to the next, only letting go of the previous once they've sealed the deal with their next one.”
- Jack Armstrong (11:47): “Not a good idea according to any therapist. But Monkey Barring—yes.”
Hosts’ Take on Trends:
- Joe Getty (07:04): “When someone trains people inhaling, then exhaling when they’re done inhaling, it’s a new trend on TikTok.”
- The hosts mock the labeling of common behaviors as “trends” and express discomfort with the shallowness that current social media culture perpetuates.
Notable Moment:
- Katie Green (08:25): Jokes that Joe is heated while wearing his "cut the crap" T-shirt.
- Joe Getty (08:07): “We're too tolerant as a society. We've got to be less tolerant. That's ugly. It's stupid, it's shallow.”
2. Infidelity and Dating Apps (10:00 – 11:14)
- The hosts discuss the surprisingly high number of married people on dating sites.
- Jack Armstrong (10:48): “Going onto a dating website with your picture and everything, while you're married, claiming you're single—how do you think that's going to end, you moron?”
3. Where Relationship Culture is Heading (09:02 – 09:06)
- Jack Armstrong (09:02): “If our politics has gotten dominated by the worst among us, why wouldn't relationship trends get dominated by the worst among us?”
- Reflection on how both politics and relationships appear to be influenced by “the shallowest among us.”
4. Political News, Redistricting, and Voting Structure (15:15 – 21:06)
- Pelosi’s retirement at age 86 is announced (15:17).
- Discussion on the flaws in redistricting and districting criteria (“the big six”—16:10).
- Math-oriented approaches to redistricting and proportional ranked-choice voting (STV) are explored.
- Joe Getty (17:12): “Not to be confused with STD...”
- Praise of Portland’s council elections using this system.
- Hosts critique the unchanged size of the House of Representatives since 1913, suggesting it's outdated considering the population (18:11, 20:36).
5. Supreme Court Focus: Presidential Emergency Powers & Tariffs
Main Segment with Anastasia Bowden (25:26 – 33:16)
Background:
- The Supreme Court is hearing arguments about whether the President (specifically Trump, in this example) can unilaterally impose tariffs as an "emergency" measure via the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Key Takeaways:
-
Three Justices likely to side with executive power: Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh.
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Three against: Jackson, Kagan, Sotomayor.
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Three toss-ups: Gorsuch, Barrett, Roberts.
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Jack Armstrong (27:00): “If you buy [Trump’s] reasoning, a Democratic president could declare a climate emergency and put all kinds of penalties on all kinds of things in the same way. … Nobody—no conservative—should want that.”
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Anastasia Bowden (29:31): “What's to stop a President from going even further? ... This would effectively be a blank check to the President.”
Concern Over Precedent:
- Joe Getty (30:09): “Just the phrase ‘emergency powers’ should send every American to grab their Gadsden flag and wave it around.”
- Anastasia Bowden (32:25): “One of the most famous statements from constitutional law… is that emergency powers beget emergencies. The more you hand this power over, it will be used not just during the administration you favor, but the next.”
Unwinding Illegal Tariffs:
- Jack Armstrong (31:25): “Who gets it? The guy who bought the truck that cost $1,000 more or the Ford dealer…? I mean, I can’t imagine how you would unwind that.”
- Anastasia Bowden (31:53): “It’s a logistical nightmare. But the answer... ‘Hey, Congress can fix this later.’ That should not be a reason to rule against this.”
6. Toy Hall of Fame: Battleship, Slime, Trivial Pursuit
(36:36 – 37:36)
- This year’s inductees: Battleship, Slime, Trivial Pursuit.
- Joe Getty (36:48): “Sold 100 million of these.”
- Jack Armstrong (37:26): “That's probably why I got absolutely childish. Yeah, that toy is childish.”
- The hosts riff on political over-analysis of toys, e.g., “I don't think they should sell Battleship because it teaches militarism to children.” (37:39)
7. Listener Feedback, Trump, and Tariffs (37:50 – 38:59)
- Responding to a listener who feels tariffs are crucial for U.S. business revival.
- Jack Armstrong (38:36): “What if you’re a company that’s already, you know, bought the land… because you decided the only way to compete is to bring [production] back to the U.S. … and then it turns out the tariffs are illegal and your competitor didn’t do that?”
- Joe Getty (38:59): “You just excused a Democratic far left president from doing anything they want, exceeding their constitutional powers if their goal is noble. That’s not the way it works, brother or sister or neither or both. It's a thing these days.”
8. Comic Relief & Edgy Humor (39:12 – 40:53)
- Sharing a daring joke by Greg Gutfeld about New York City and 9/11.
- Jack Armstrong (39:32): “Oh, it’s a joke.”
- Joe Getty (40:04): “Yeah, that’s a joke, but not a funny one. It’s a surprising one and a shocking one. It’s making a statement.”
- Reflections on how time affects whether tragedies become acceptable joke material.
9. Tesla Shareholder News & Political Satire (40:53 – 41:34)
- Tesla shareholders approve a massive pay package for Elon Musk; hosts mock “commies” who object, and discuss Tesla’s shift toward robotics and AI.
- Joe Getty (41:17): “Shut up, commies.”
Notable Quotes by Timestamp
-
On shallow dating trends:
Joe Getty (06:34): “Slowly withdrawing because the fire is gone. That's called a relationship ending. I'm going to speak for our listeners. This is ridiculous. Everything doesn't need a name. Everything isn't a trend.” -
On social media’s effect:
Jack Armstrong (09:02): “If our politics has gotten dominated by the worst among us, why wouldn't relationship trends get dominated by the worst among us?” -
On emergency powers and the Supreme Court:
Anastasia Bowden (32:25): “One of the most famous statements from constitutional law… is that emergency powers beget emergencies.”
Joe Getty (30:09): “Just the phrase ‘emergency powers’ should send every American to grab their Gadsden flag.”
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 03:08 — Modern dating trends breakdown
- 06:03 — “Banksying” and reactions; Joe’s “rage talking”
- 09:23 — “Zip coding”, infidelity, dating app dynamics
- 15:17 — Pelosi retirement and political news
- 16:40 — Redistricting and voting reform discussion
- 25:26 — Start of Supreme Court/tariff powers segment
- 27:28 — The “mic drop” moment on presidential powers
- 29:53 — Who’s likely to side with government/executive
- 31:25 — Tangled issues in unwinding tariffs
- 32:25 — “Emergency powers beget emergencies”
- 36:36 — Toy Hall of Fame segment
- 37:50 — Listener feedback and tariffs debate
- 39:12 — Greg Gutfeld’s edgy joke and discussion
- 40:53 — Tesla shareholder news, AI direction
Tone & Style
In trademark Armstrong & Getty fashion, the episode blends quick-witted sarcasm, skeptical humor, and a deep libertarian streak—especially suspicious of trends, overreaches of power, and self-important narratives. Guest Anastasia Bowden’s appearance brings sharp legal insight and a more measured, analytical tone during the Supreme Court segment.
For Listeners Who Missed It
This episode is as much cultural commentary as current affairs. It covers how society labels common behaviors as “trends,” questions the wisdom of unchecked executive power, and indulges in nostalgia with the Toy Hall of Fame. The Supreme Court segment is particularly informative for those interested in separation of powers and economic policy. Armstrong & Getty’s irreverent take ensures a lively, engaging listen peppered with pointed jabs, laugh-out-loud moments, and legal substance.