Armstrong & Getty On Demand – Replay Hour (Monday Hour Two)

Air Date: December 22, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode is a curated replay hour from Armstrong & Getty, featuring classic discussions and listener highlights. The episode covers several societal themes: the psychology and history of conspiracy theories, the rise and fallout of transgender issues in society, ongoing debates about price controls and rent control—plus a segment celebrating the value of scouting programs. The conversation is characteristically lively, skeptical, irreverent, and driven by the hosts' curiosity and quick wit.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Psychology and Permanence of Conspiracy Theories

(03:56–11:03)

• The hosts discuss the enduring nature of conspiracy theories, examining why they persist across history.
• Armstrong introduces "proportionality bias"—the tendency to believe big events must have big causes, as opposed to accidents or lone actors.
  • “The conspiracist worldview transforms chaos into drama and tragedy into design…It restores meaning in a confusing world…” (Jack Armstrong, 04:13)
• Examples include historical blood libels against Jews, the spread of witch trials via the printing press, and modern internet conspiracies.
• Getty draws analogies between the spread of misinformation in the age of the printing press and today’s internet-driven rumor-mongering.
• The temptation of a satisfying narrative over uncomfortable realities is a major theme.
  • “Conspiracy theories offer what old religions once did. Moral structure, belonging, and the assurance that evil is real…” (Jack Armstrong, 06:57)
• The difference between actual conspiracies and “conspiracy theories” is examined.
  • “What’s the difference between a conspiracy and a conspiracy theory? ...there are plenty of conspiracies—more than one person working toward a despicable end…” (Jack Armstrong, 08:01)

Notable Quote

“The most enduring conspiracy theories…often follow events that feel too momentous to have been set in motion by something as mundane as one mentally unwell individual.”
— Jack Armstrong (04:46)

Notable Segment

• Aldous Huxley quote: “The surest way to work up a crusade in favor of some good cause is to promise people they will have a chance of maltreating someone...” (Jack Armstrong, 10:31)

2. Security and the Illusion of Safety

(11:03–13:02)

• The hosts discuss a viral video of someone breaching security to get near Ariana Grande, highlighting the fallibility and theatrical nature of most security measures.
  • “Most security is security theater. I don’t know what you—” (Jack Armstrong, 11:47)
• Reflection on why society has come to require such high levels of security for celebrities and public figures.

3. Gender Identity, Transgender Laws, and Recent Controversies

(16:09–23:46)

• "Gender Bending Madness” update: Armstrong reports on new statistics showing a sharp decline in young people identifying as transgender.
• The hosts discuss the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) looming ban based on new studies confirming men retain significant advantages in women’s sports after transition.
  • “It says here they’re bigger and stronger than women. Damned good thing they did that new study.” (Jack Armstrong, 17:34)
• Atlanta Library Incident: A confrontation between a trans woman and a police officer over restroom usage leads to a debate about bathroom policies and public comfort.
  • “All the penises are in one room and all the vaginas are in a different room.” (Joe Getty, 19:25)
• Prison safety is discussed through real-life accounts of violence resulting from housing biological males who identify as women in women’s prisons.
• The case of a convicted pedophile being granted taxpayer-funded gender-affirming procedures and a trans lawmaker convicted of child exploitation bring additional edge to the conversation, with the hosts highly critical of current policies.
  • “He sexually abused his own 10 year old son and produced child porn with the boy.” (Jack Armstrong, 22:13)
  • “Murder him, put him to death.” (Joe Getty, 22:22)
• The tone is incredulous and derisive regarding policies that the hosts view as dangerous or ideologically driven.

4. Affordability Crisis—Price Controls and Rent Control

(27:00–39:56)

• Armstrong & Getty review an op-ed arguing for price controls and dissect decades of economic evidence and experience showing such controls, especially rent control, are counter-productive.
  • “Economists think it’s a bad idea. It’s been looked at for years, these ideas…rent control doesn’t work.” (Joe Getty, 35:12)
• L.A.’s efforts to cut red tape for “affordable housing” are critiqued as illogical when greater reforms are needed.
  • “If it's affordable housing, we'll cut all the red tape and you can go ahead and build it. What possible sense does that make?” (Jack Armstrong, 31:31)
• Legal challenges to rent control in New York are highlighted, with the hosts rooting for Supreme Court action.
• The segment ends with a classic Econ 101 lesson: price gouging post-disaster is defended as a mechanism that brings needed goods to where demand is highest, using chainsaws as an example.
  • “You put a price control on chainsaws…Why would I [drive to Florida]? So the people in Florida can't get a damn chainsaw.” (Jack Armstrong, 38:45)

5. The Value of Scouting (Listener Segment)

(43:10–48:28)

• The hosts share emails and stories from listeners about how Scouts, especially Eagle Scout projects, foster invaluable real-world skills and character in youth.
  • “You could see them grow. He said they came back, they almost looked taller coming out of the canyon.” (Joe Getty, 46:26)
  • “Nothing in my four years of college came close to teaching me real world experience and responsibilities than my Eagle project did.” (Jack reading a listener email, 47:45)
• A light, sentimental moment emphasizing the positive impact of community and struggle for youth.

Notable Quotes

• “The conspiracist worldview transforms chaos into drama and tragedy into design…It restores meaning in a confusing world…”
  — Jack Armstrong (04:13)
• “The psychology remains the same—conspiracy theories offer what old religions once did. Moral structure, belonging, and the assurance that evil is real, identifiable and conquerable.”
  — Jack Armstrong (06:57)
• “It is so cold in New York City…I saw a squirrel pouring hot cocoa on his nuts.”
  — Jack Armstrong (43:20)
• “Can you see my privates? Can you see my privates? Can you?”
  — Story from Joe Getty about his child, adding playfulness (44:18)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Conspiracy Theories & Historical Echoes: 03:56–11:03
• Event Security & Societal Decay: 11:03–13:02
• Transgender Policy & Social Fallout: 16:09–23:46
• Affordability, Price Controls & Rent: 27:00–39:56
• Scouting Stories & Listener Email: 43:10–48:28

Memorable Moments and Tone

• The hosts employ their signature blend of skepticism, humor, and libertarian-leaning reason throughout.
• Analogies to past eras (printing press and witch trials) connect modern phenomena to deep-rooted patterns in human society.
• They frequently break up serious discussion with gallows humor, absurdity, and inside jokes.
• The scouting segment provides a rare earnest note amid sarcasm.

Summary

This replay installment is a masterclass in Armstrong & Getty’s approach: cutting through fads and policies with historical perspective, irreverence, and an eye for human psychology. They cover the drift of conspiracy thinking, pitfalls of misguided economic policies, and cultural flashpoints over gender identity. They’re unafraid to take controversial stances and balance snark with genuine moments, especially when listener stories touch on the enduring value of character-building institutions like Scouting.