The A&G Replay Monday Hour One

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: The A&G Replay Monday Hour One – Detailed Summary

Episode Overview Released on June 30, 2025, "The A&G Replay Monday Hour One" episode of the Armstrong & Getty On Demand podcast delves into a variety of pressing topics, blending international affairs, domestic issues, technological advancements, and personal anecdotes. Hosted by Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty, with contributions from Katie and occasional interruptions from guests, the episode offers listeners a comprehensive look at current events intertwined with the hosts' unique humor and insights.

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1. International Affairs: Ukrainian Prisoners and Russian Aggression

The episode opens with a poignant discussion about the recent exchange of Ukrainian prisoners of war with Russia. Steve Hayes reports on the dire conditions faced by the freed POWs, highlighting their physical state and the brutal treatment endured during captivity.

Notable Quote:

"If nothing was already broken, they would break it."
– Jack Armstrong [01:55]

Jack Armstrong criticizes Putin and the Russian military's actions, questioning the rationale behind allowing Russia to sustain its aggressive stance in Ukraine. The hosts commend Pete Hegseth for straightforwardly identifying Russia as the aggressor during his Senate testimonies.

Notable Quote:

"Now, Pete Hegseth... He was doing three appearances before Congress... about a whole bunch of different things."
– Jack Armstrong [02:56]

2. Domestic Issues: California's Law Enforcement and Public Safety

Shifting focus to domestic matters, Armstrong and Getty critique California's handling of public safety. They reference Jim Garry from the National Review, who questions the effectiveness of California's law enforcement claims, especially when curfews are still necessary despite assurances of control.

Notable Quote:

"What would it been like without them?"
– Jack Armstrong [04:12]

Katie employs a sports team metaphor to illustrate California leaders' lack of real-world experience in handling significant challenges, suggesting that leaders like Governor Gavin Newsom are untested in genuinely competitive environments.

3. The Rise of AI: Quasi-Religious Phenomenon and Human Relationships

A substantial portion of the episode explores the burgeoning quasi-religious reverence for AI and chatbots. The hosts discuss alarming trends where tens of thousands view AI, such as ChatGPT, as divine entities, leading to the formation of new-age belief systems online.

Notable Quote:

"We live in a post truth universe."
– Jack Armstrong [05:17]

Armstrong expresses concern over advertisements promoting AI as romantic partners, reflecting on how technology is rapidly altering human relationships and emotional dependencies.

Notable Quote:

"This is so freaking crazy. How did it happen so fast?"
– Jack Armstrong [07:54]

4. Parenting and Economics: The True Cost of Raising Children

Diving into personal territory, the conversation shifts to the financial aspects of parenting. Armstrong cites a statistic claiming the average cost of raising a child in the U.S. is $26,000 per year, prompting a discussion about the accuracy and perceptions of this figure.

Notable Quote:

"Life is not dollars and cents, folks. You can't take it with you."
– Katie [10:24]

Katie shares her experience of raising three children without meticulously tracking expenses, emphasizing that the true costs are often intangible and not easily quantifiable.

5. Activism and Protests: Vandalism at a Michigan Botanical Garden

The hosts react to recent activist actions where hundreds of flowers were vandalized at a Michigan botanical garden, accompanied by pro-Palestinian signage. Armstrong and Katie express disdain for the destructive methods used to convey political messages.

Notable Quote:

"Plant lives don't matter, Human lives do."
– Katie [12:34]

Armstrong mockingly suggests extreme punitive measures against the vandals, highlighting the absurdity and frustration with such protests.

6. Japan's Declining Birth Rate: Societal Implications

A significant segment is dedicated to Japan's alarming decline in birth rates. Armstrong presents statistics showing a 5.7% drop in births in 2024, the lowest since records began, and discusses the cascading effects on society, including vacant homes and economic challenges.

Notable Quote:

"Japan will be a landmass with historical sites and no humans."
– Jack Armstrong [17:18]

Katie muses humorously about the future of Japan, envisioning it as a near-abandoned country while others face similar demographic declines.

7. Human Connectivity: The Decline of American Men's Friendships

The hosts delve into societal changes impacting friendships among American men. Referencing a 2024 study by the Survey Center on American Life, they discuss the stark decline in close male friendships compared to 1990, noting a fivefold increase in men reporting zero close friends.

Notable Quote:

"The zero crowd went from... probably roughly three to 17."
– Jack Armstrong [23:22]

Katie and Armstrong explore potential causes, including overemphasis on work, entertainment, and societal shifts away from traditional masculinity, leading to increased isolation and mental health challenges.

8. Activism and Aid: Greta Thunberg and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition

The conversation turns to international activism, specifically the detainment of Greta Thunberg and members of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition by Israel. The activists were aboard an aid ship bound for Gaza, which Israel branded as a "selfie yacht" aimed at garnering publicity.

Notable Quote:

"Hamas want freedom, you morons."
– Katie [35:24]

The hosts critique the efficacy and intentions behind such aid missions, questioning their impact on the ground in Gaza.

9. Personal Anecdotes: Social Interactions and the New Talk Back Feature

Transitioning to lighter topics, Armstrong and Getty share personal stories about the lack of social interactions in modern settings like gyms, where earbuds have become barriers to communication. They also experiment with a new Talk Back feature, reading listener comments and reacting humorously to feedback.

Notable Quote:

"Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. The Armstrong and Getty Show."
– Joe Getty [17:42]

10. Light-Hearted Conversations: Food Preferences and Family Stories

The episode concludes with engaging and humorous exchanges about food preferences, such as strawberry milkshakes and ham sandwiches. The hosts share family anecdotes, highlighting generational differences and personal tastes.

Notable Quote:

"I have such wonders that await me... All I got to do is have a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich."
– Jack Armstrong [38:14]

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Conclusion "The A&G Replay Monday Hour One" offers a multifaceted exploration of contemporary issues, blending serious discussions with personal insights and humor. From international conflicts and societal shifts to technological advancements and everyday anecdotes, Armstrong and Getty provide listeners with a thought-provoking and entertaining narrative that underscores the complexities of modern life.

Notable Closing Moment:

"This is an iHeart podcast."
– Jack Armstrong [39:11]

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Speaker Attribution Legend:

• Jack Armstrong: Primary Host
• Joe Getty: Co-Host
• Katie: Contributor
• Steve Hayes: Reporter
• Annabe & Greta Thunberg: Guests/Referenced Entities

Timestamps: Provided in [MM:SS] format alongside quotes for reference.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an I Heart podcast.

[Joe Getty]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio, the George Washington Broadcast Center. Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Katie]

Armstrong and Getty. And now he is Armstrong and Getty strong.

[Jack Armstrong]

And welcome to a replay of the Armstrong and Getty Show. We are on vacation, but boy, do we have some good stuff for you.

[Katie]

Yes, indeed we do. And if you want to catch up on your ang listening during your travels, remember, grab the podcast Armstrong and Getty on demand. You ought to subscribe wherever you like to get podcasts. Now on with the infotainment.

[Steve Hayes]

Dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were freed in an exchange with Russia. They were greeted to a hero's welcome at a hospital north of Kiev. But they looked like the living dead, gaunt heads shaven, their bodies broken and some said beaten. Oleksandr Kulkov told me he was a prisoner for over three years and that the Russians broke his ribs. If nothing was already broken, they would break it.

[Jack Armstrong]

He said, Geez, Putin and his military, their animals. You want to let them win? I don't get it. Anyway, Pete Hegseth, who we were just applauding for something. He was asked under oath yesterday by Senate lawmakers. He's doing three appearances before Congress this weekend being grilled about a whole bunch of different things. Senator McConnell, former majority leader, asked the question of Hegseth, who is the aggressor in Ukraine, and Hegseth said russia is the aggressor. Now, Steve Hayes of the Dispatch said, should we be encouraged that Hegseth gave the obvious and accurate answer to that question or discouraged that McConnell felt the need to ask it? But yeah, it's good. It's good, good news as far as I'm concerned. Man, oh man, that's, that's something. Those stories about the, the hostages or prisoners coming back.

[Katie]

Yeah. The utter disregard for human life, whether theirs or other people's, that is part of Russian military history is amazing. I was just reading and listening about World War II, some of the major victories that Russia had and the incredible sacrifices they made. And the point was made that some of those horrific numbers are because of their techniques, they're just utterly heedless of.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wasting men that doesn't matter to them all. Never had.

[Katie]

Yeah. And. And US Casualties were much, much lower in similar encounters just because we go about warfare in a very different way. We did back in the 40s. Anyway, back closer continues to today, obviously.

[Jack Armstrong]

Back closer to home. I thought this was a pretty good point from Jim Garry, the National Review. Do California elected officials realize how ridiculous they sound? When they spend several days insisting that local law enforcement had it handled, the streets were quiet and local law enforcement resources are sufficient to maintain order. And then a day or two later last night, the mayor is forced to declare a curfew. Okay, you had it under control. You still got. You had to have a curfew last night with the National Guard troops. What would it been like without them?

[Katie]

You know, the metaphor I keep using, and I'm sticking with it, is the leaders in California are like a sports team that has not yet played a real game. They just scrimmage. They have an inter squad scrimmage over and over and over again, and they never come up against an opponent that's really, really trying to win. And they think they have game. Gavin Newsom thinks he has national level game.

[Jack Armstrong]

Two suspects have just been charged with throwing Molotov cocktails at police during the LA riots. This happened moments ago. That doesn't sound very peaceful to me.

[Katie]

Firebombs. Just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn.

[Jack Armstrong]

Just a bunch of people enjoying watching cars burn.

[Katie]

Well, wait a minute. Give me 70, Michael. 70 again. The great Maxine Waters.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't think that somehow because they called out the National Guard, there was violence? There was no violence. I was on the street.

[Katie]

I know. Yeah. Those chunks of concrete being hurled over and over again at the cops. I guess that video was AI or something. Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

We live in a post truth universe. Oh, and inflation lower than expected. So I don't understand what's going on. Why after Liberation Day and the tariffs and the turmoil and this and that, and of course, the endless mainstream coverage of how Trump's Hitler with a bad economic policy, his poll numbers are up and inflation's basically flat. Okay, I don't know.

[Katie]

Bing, bing bong, bong, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, bong, bong. Granted, but it's a complicated stew. The economy. It could be argued that increased fears of economic woes to come have caused a suppression of consumer spending.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would have to dig into that economic stew.

[Katie]

Oh, hey, speaking of AI, which I mentioned a second ago, tens of thousands of people now believe AI or ChatGPT is God. What seems to be a religion is forming up around AI. Quasi religious posts would fill up entire AI forums if moderators didn't censor them. Just five days ago, the moderator of a pro AI Reddit announced that they are now banning these fanatics. Two days earlier, another Redditor warned of thousands of people online with spiritual delusions about AI.

[Jack Armstrong]

I need to look into this. That I hadn't Heard a word about, nor anticipated a lot of this stuff. I had anticipated. A lot of us did. I hadn't anticipated that. That's kooky. Now, I did get. I did get sent this the other day. It was an ad. I don't know where the ad showed up. I won't replace him, but I'll be here when you can't sleep. Here are 10 AI boyfriends who help you heal, distract you, and remind you of your worth. And it's got a picture of a young, handsome man. Where in the hell are we headed?

[Katie]

Planet of the Beavers. Nobody's getting together anymore.

[Jack Armstrong]

I won't replace him, but I'll be here when you can't sleep. Here are 10 AI boyfriends who help you heal, distract you, and remind you of your worth. That is so freaking crazy. That is so freaking crazy. How did it happen so fast? I mean, we thought maybe someday, if AI gets good enough and robots look exactly like humans, possibly the most deranged among us could develop. No, no.

[Katie]

Middle of that sentence that happened.

[Jack Armstrong]

Just, Just. Just words on a screen with no voice.

[Katie]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And no image whatsoever. And no robot is making people stay at home and feel like they're in a relationship. That is so crazy.

[Katie]

You yourself have mentioned that Chat, GPT or whatever is a better counselor than most counselors.

[Jack Armstrong]

Freaking right. If you haven't been using that big.

[Katie]

A stretch that it's a better friend, too.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, but. But an emotional, like, love relationship, really.

[Katie]

Even a friend relationship is sick because it's real.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, no, no, I haven't. I haven't felt that at all. Any, like, friendship or anything like that. The. The ability to distill a tremendous amount of information down to the best very quickly and put it in, like, conversational terms. Yes, but, man, that's so nuts. I mean, I don't know where we're going. Man. Down this road lies madness. You're right, Jonathan Turley. Maybe this stat that I came across doesn't matter, since everybody's going to be in love with a chatbot. You can't have a kid with a chatbot. The average cost of raising a child in the US is now $26,000 per year. Okay. I think most parents listening right now are saying, how in the heck are you raising a kid for $26,000 a year? Really? I mean, I don't know what they factor into raising a kid or whatnot, but seems low to me. Everything in everything. In food, clothes, schooling, everything.

[Katie]

Every time I hear those numbers, whether they are low or high, I Think how'd you come up with that?

[Jack Armstrong]

True. Yeah. Because what are you?

[Katie]

And who asks?

[Jack Armstrong]

Band rental, travel, sports, vacation.

[Katie]

Again, to my point, who asked you? Since I've never heard a parent.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good point.

[Katie]

Say, you know, my kid's costing more than I thought. I'm. Good point. Considering changing this relationship.

[Jack Armstrong]

No parent has, like, on their spreadsheet or whatever. If you're the sort of person that does this, I don't. Probably should. Where you put all your expenses. I don't. I don't know of anybody who, like, has things that they put in the. What it cost me to have a kid column to keep track.

[Katie]

Well, right. Yeah. Yeah. I've never. Having raised three kids, I had a minor child under my roof for 25 straight years. @ no point did Judy and I ever say, all right, we need to total up all these expenses so we can.

[Jack Armstrong]

What?

[Katie]

And then we'll grant credits for lawns mowed and bathrooms cleaned or whatever chores were done. And then we'll. I mean, it's just. It wasn't anything we ever thought about.

[Jack Armstrong]

G. Knock off $5,000 for the most satisfying thing I've ever done in life. I'll give you that. But the rest of it is just a cost.

[Katie]

It's a net negative right in the hole. I. I'm just. It's funny, maybe I lacked imagination as a youngster, but Judy and I knew we wanted to have kids at one point, and so we went ahead. There was no, like, long, careful. Can we afford to or what? No, you just do it and figure it out. And it goes, fine.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Katie]

Were we poor? Yes. Was it fine? Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, the expenses just kind of fit in with the rest of your household expenses. I mean, I suppose you could make the argument that your house is bigger. So part of the house payment goes is because of them. And you have to maybe have a bigger car and make more trips. You figure out all the gas for driving to pick them up at school and drop them. I mean, you're a nut if you do that. Well.

[Katie]

Right. Yeah. And again, why are we talking about.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know. So you care. Exactly. What's the idea?

[Katie]

Exactly. Yeah. Well, I need to put a price on each child. Tell you what, the boy's extra handsome, so we'll get him a discount, but. Yeah. I don't know. It's an odd bit of analysis. Life is not dollars and cents.

[Jack Armstrong]

You play sports, so I had to buy you more clothes for that. You don't play sports, but you're in band, so you have A different cost. What the hell?

[Katie]

Yeah, yeah. I don't know. Seems odd. Life is not dollars and cents, folks. You can't take it with you. Ah, right. Moving along. I don't want to talk unrest anymore. I'll tell you. This here's a great protest for you. This is really going to get a lot of people on their side. Hundreds of flowers were vandalized at a Botanical Michigan garden. And the activists who did it left pro Palestinian signs behind that said, plant lives don't matter, Human lives do.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh my God. Glue those people to something. Let us pelt them with rocks or fruit.

[Katie]

I'm in favor of all of those things. The garden director made his heart broken.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's one of the few things that falls under our strict reading of cruel and unusual. Glue to them to something and throw rocks at them is probably cruel and unusual. Barbaric.

[Katie]

It's a little cruel and certainly unusual. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

You've been sentenced to be glued to something in public. Yeah. A year.

[Katie]

Palestinian lives deserve to be cared for more than these flowers. Don't waste your tears on the flowers. They're not even dead and will grow again next spring.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is it even worth going this far into this conversation? Do they possibly think they did their cause any help? I almost feel like if I wanted to discredit the pro Palestinian crowd, I would do something like that. Is this like a, you know, a noose flag operation? A noose in a fraternity to show racism. And it turns out it's the somebody put it up on purpose to stop.

[Katie]

The war, resist imperialism. The flower said, crazy people really would like to give you a good thrash.

[Jack Armstrong]

Glue you to something.

[Joe Getty]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. The Armstrong and Getty Show. The Armstrong and Getty Show.

[Jack Armstrong]

So Japan released their birth statistics yesterday. They had about 680, 000 babies in 2024. That was down 5.7% from the previous year, which had set a record previous. Yeah. So this is the spiral that people talk about that if you've ever read about it or looked at it mathematically, there's something happens when you're, when you're, you know, it's like compound interest, really. It's a similar concept when you stop having babies and then. Then those people don't grow up, so they don't have two kids. And I mean, it just exponentially shrinks. And then at some point you hit a tipping point and it just goes really, really fast. And they must be there. In Japan, a drop of 5.7% in one year from the previous record low in terms of babies, what will it be next year? It's the lowest number of babies born since they started keeping data again. They do this fairly regularly. And the now current number of live births per mom is what I just came across it. It's incredibly low. It's well below sustainable rate and will drop very, very fast. They are now at, I think it was 1.1.15. It's about half, really.

[Katie]

It's higher than I thought it was, honestly. But you're at half the birth rate.

[Jack Armstrong]

To sustain your population and you don't allow immigration.

[Katie]

Right? What the hell? I realize I'm easily amazed, but I want to go back to that figure. If your birth rate dropped by 5.7% in a decade, that would be a huge story. It dropped in a year.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I know, it's absolutely incredible. There's all kinds of fallout from this. Like for instance, the number of vacant homes that they have in Japan. There's just lots of houses that are vacant, but there's nobody to buy because there just aren't enough people. And they're trying to figure out what to do with that. The number of IKEA uninhabited properties, that's the term, has topped 9 million nationwide, with 900,000 of them in Tokyo alone. Just uninhabited places. And there's nobody that's going to buy them because there's no hope of anybody buying them.

[Katie]

Well, there's nobody to buy them because there's nobody.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, exactly.

[Katie]

I'm going to Tokyo to do some prime squatting. I'm going to go down to Shinjuku, squat in some apartment, eat some sushi. Anyway, like I said, Fuji, I've never been to Japan. Obviously.

[Jack Armstrong]

Like I said earlier, we get to watch the. Japan's going to be the, you know what's going to happen to the rest of us in Western society as our birth rates decline too, and see what happens. Of course we allow lots of sometimes not on purpose immigration, which is different than a lot of your Asian countries that have zero.

[Katie]

Right, right. They're very, very racist. They actually are.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, so Japan will be a landmass with historical sites and no humans.

[Katie]

Well, the whole country will be like the proverbial Japanese soldier hiding out in the jungle after World War II. I mean, there are. Occasionally you'll come across a human being and be like, whoa, hey, what the hell? It's a whole country. Tokyo will be a, you know, a post apocalyptic moonscape or something.

[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Hey, we're Armstrong and Getty and I don't know if you know about Shopify. You do actually. If you've ever used our store like Armstrong and Getty T shirts and stuff like that, that's because of Shopify that we have that website. They're the platform so we can just concentrate on the funny T shirt.

[Katie]

Starting your own business is intimidating, can be lonely because you have to wear so many hats. Shopify is there for you as a business partner to get you started. So helpful.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, Shopify is packed with helpful AI tools that write product descriptions, page headlines, they even enhance your product photography.

[Katie]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, you can get the word out about your product like you've got a giant marketing team behind you and it's Shopify.

[Katie]

Turn your big business idea into With Shopify on your side, sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com/armstrong. Go to shopify.armstrong.

[Joe Getty]

The Armstrong and Getty show.

[Jack Armstrong]

So I got this new Talk Back feature that we're going to try and we're, we're, we're in the, we're in the what the, what do they call it, the beta phase of figuring out how we're going to utilize this on the show or whatever. And I threw out the first question to try this out to somebody. This is somebody called in and then we record them and. Or whatever. Because we stopped taking calls years ago for a variety of reasons that listeners would know. So I throw out the question of what do you like about the Armstrong and Getty show? Hey, you could be the first. Call it Hitler, Muslim, extremist.

[Katie]

Okay stuff.

[Jack Armstrong]

So, hey, you could be the first. Okay, we don't need to hear twice. So we're off to a good start. And I again, do we need to reiterate why we stopped taking calls? But apparently this is some more on the question of what do you like about the Armstrong and Getty show? You are my favorite people. You make me laugh in the morning when I'm taking the train to work. I love it. Thank you for being you. I do have to agree. Joe's looks are rough, but then again, he has beautiful hair. Why do you lie?

[Katie]

Is it your greed?

[Jack Armstrong]

The best part of Armstrong and Giddy is Katie. And when she was gone for a week, that was like a void I couldn't believe.

[Katie]

You make me laugh, you make me cry, you make me mad. But in the end, you make the first three or four hours of my day at least a good, informative day. Thanks, guys.

[Jack Armstrong]

He was weird. Parent whining.

[Katie]

Have a good one.

[Jack Armstrong]

What do I like about the Armstrong and Getty show? I like the fact that you don't take calls. We'll see how this little experiment goes, but I'm not optimistic. Neither am I now.

[Katie]

Have a nice day, brother.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't let your meatloaf.

[Katie]

All right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't let your hot dog stand.

[Katie]

Don't let your wrist watch. Okay, that made me incredibly uncomfortable.

[Jack Armstrong]

Me too. Why? Why did that make me so.

[Katie]

Why did you ask that question? All right. Important things to talk tomorrow.

[Jack Armstrong]

You up with the question. We'll try it again.

[Katie]

Better than that.

[Jack Armstrong]

So I just. I wanted something I knew people would respond to. To get the first one. So this was in the New York Times the other day. It was an opinion piece, but a lot of fact built into it. The question was, American men are getting worse at maintaining friendships. I think. Have I actually heard this before? Have I heard. Just heard people in real life mention it to me? Anyway, American men are getting worse at maintaining friendships. Is it a lack of time or energy or is it something else? And then getting into some of the details that this person writes. What I didn't know is that American men are getting significantly worse at friendship. A study in 2024 by the Survey center on American Life found that only a quarter of men reported having six or more Close friends. That seems like a lot to me. Pulling a similar question, in 1990, Gallup had put this figure at. Over half of men had six or more close friends. The same survey center found that 17% of men had zero close friends. That was a five fold increase from 1990. The zero crowd went from. Well, it increased five times. Yeah, probably roughly three to 17.

[Katie]

Awful. I agree six seems like a lot, but, yeah, zero is too few.

[Jack Armstrong]

The lack of intimacy among male friends may seem normal because it's what we're accustomed to, but it isn't. Until the 20th century, it was not uncommon for men in this country to openly hold hands, sit on each other's laps in public party.

[Katie]

Wait, whoa, whoa, wait a minute.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that happened all the time.

[Katie]

Wait a minute.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know if I believe this. Until the 20th century, it was not uncommon for men in this country to openly hold hands, sit on each other laps in public parts, and write each other passionate, platonic love letters. You know, my desire to befriend you is everlasting. Abraham Lincoln. I have wrote to his friend Joshua Speed, blah, blah, blah. Herman Melville, who wrote Moby Dick, once wrote to. Yes, Katie, you already have a comment. I can tell.

[Katie]

I was just gonna say, if this is true, you guys should bring that back.

I've ever heard in my life. Oh, kill me.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, my God. So is it. Herman Melville once wrote to Nathaniel Hawthorne. What's he famous for? Red Badge of Courage? No, it's Stephen Crane. What? Hawthorne.

[Katie]

Right. Anyway, the. The Scarlet Letter might be Kebab. Crane.

[Jack Armstrong]

Two. Two famous authors from the 1800s. Melville wrote to Hawthorne that. Hawthorne's heart beat in my ribs. And mine in yours, and described their friendship as an. Friendship as an infinite fraternity of feeling. That is not the sort of thing I would write to a friend other than, yo, did you see that game last night? Would be closer to it. Can I sit on your lap in the park?

[Katie]

Hey, when we played golf, that was an infinite. What did you say?

[Jack Armstrong]

Fraternity of feeling.

[Katie]

Yeah, today. Dude, it was fun. Thanks for writing.

[Jack Armstrong]

I gotta know this, Katie. Who's Nathaniel Hawthorne? What did he write?

[Katie]

Scarlet Letter.

[Jack Armstrong]

Scarlet. There. Joe was right.

[Katie]

Congratulations. I got it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, today we may see these gestures as homoerotic, but men at the time, gay and straight, talk to one another in this way. I don't know that we have to go back to holding hands as we walk down the street or sitting on each other's lapse. But I don't. I don't. I don't know. You don't Even see grown women sitting on each other's laps. So it's not a male thing. What the hell is that?

[Katie]

Is there a lack of seating back in the day? Was that what was going on?

You absolutely do see women sitting on each other's laps.

[Jack Armstrong]

You do? Yeah.

[Katie]

Oh, yeah, all the time.

[Jack Armstrong]

Where?

[Katie]

Bars, concerts. Okay, absolutely. If there's only one chair.

[Jack Armstrong]

Did they ever accidentally kiss?

[Katie]

Yes, all the time. Crazy how it happened.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, well, so I guess I'm wrong about that. I still don't know if that's got much to do with the friendship thing.

[Katie]

Something tells me there's a greater point here beyond the lap sitting in hand holding, though. Right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, so. So for the. I have a bunch of questions. Define good friend, close friend. I. I feel like I need a definition on that.

[Katie]

Oh, I think we all have one in our heads, don't we? Beyond a companion, you do stuff with, you talk about your lives and ups and downs in a sincere way. If you have to call on them to help you, even if it is inconvenient, expensive, or difficult, they'll come through for you.

[Jack Armstrong]

How often do you need to talk to them to qualify?

[Katie]

Depends, I suppose. You know, it's funny. This should come up. I missed the last hour of the show yesterday, an unexcused absence which will go on my permanent record. But I had the opportunity to reconnect with a friend who I had not seen in far too long. And because of his travel schedule and all, and I had to, like, go where he was. It's something I had to give. And so I missed an hour of the show, which I never would have done for years and years and years. But I. Because. Partly because I'm a little obsessive about this job. I have not prioritized friendships, and it has left me a less happy person. So it's funny that this should come up today.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hmm. Do you think that's what people are doing? Men are doing? They're working too much to have friends.

[Katie]

Or other entertainment is always there. It's the same thing that keeps guys from going out and finding a girlfriend and, you know, actually having delightful physical relations. They're so entertained, they're on their couch, they don't bother.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, so that's. That's kind of where I was going, is just thinking it's probably the same phenomenon of not needing to date or have sex. I mean, if you can overcome the strongest desire that all beasts have to have sex, then you can certainly give up, you know, hanging out with another dude now and then. And talking.

[Katie]

Yeah, right.

[Jack Armstrong]

For whatever it is that you're doing instead, which I assume is, I don't know, video games, porn hanging out. I don't know what it is, but.

[Katie]

Yeah, porn, video games. I think it all is under the awful, evil umbrella of disconnectedness. I've got another big fat article that I've, I've got in my queue to read about, you know, that topic again. I mean, it's just undeniably at the root of so much that's going on right now in, in human society, particularly the Western world again. And we've made this point many times, forgive us if you've heard it before, but the idea that catastrophic plunges in the birth rate are merely interesting is that would not apply if there were any beast on earth that had a catastrophic drop in its birth rate. Remember when we scientists would be obsessed with it?

[Jack Armstrong]

Remember when we're getting so many news stories about bees because bees might go away. How about human beings going away? That seems like they.

[Katie]

Bees, Jack.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah. So I, I.

[Katie]

Stupid. I'm ashamed of that.

[Jack Armstrong]

I had my, I had my guard up a little bit and still do for it just being a there's something wrong with men story when it's homo sapiens. Clearly there's something wrong with human beings. We're not getting together at all. So trying to turn it into a. Why. Why are men so worried about sitting, you know, being seen holding hands that they don't have friends anymore? I just, I feel like they're going for an angle there that.

[Katie]

Yeah, that was a particularly New York Times ish. Guys really ought to be able to hold hands and maybe kiss and stuff like that because, you know, traditional masculinity is stupid. It had a bit of a feel.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. And that's why you don't have friends anymore, because you're too homophobic.

[Katie]

Yeah. Right. Now that, that isn't it.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know if I noticed that it's different than it was decades ago. Like 1990. I was a 25 year old in 1990. So I don't know, it's either a crisis or it's not. Well, but, but again, there is a crisis that people, people in general don't hang out with other people, period. So don't try to make it a there's something wrong with men's story.

[Katie]

No, in my mind, no, no. I think it's the canary in the coal mine or the, the owl or something. I don't know. But because women have so much stronger, generally speaking, so much stronger an urge to build coalitions and social groups than men do. And it's different. I think you're seeing it first among men, especially because. And it's funny, we were talking about this in the context of the Democratic Party, trying to understand why they've lost, um, and how masculinity and traditional roles have been demonized, especially on the progressive left.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Katie]

The things that brought men together traditionally for years and years. And it's funny the New York Times should suddenly be enamored with traditional male roles and the way males acted. A lot of that's gone.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. One note before we take a break is just. I was thinking at the gym because everybody. Whereas this. I'm sure this is true for you, Kat. Gym you go to. But everybody wears earbuds. So everybody's got earbuds in. And I go to the gym every single day. And I was just sitting there with my earbuds, listening to a podcast, sitting there in between sets the other day, thinking, I have been going to the same gym with the same people oftentimes for what, nine months now. I don't know anybody's name. I've never spoken a word to any of these people. You go back pre wearing earpieces. I think I would know everybody in here. Just because you couldn't help it. I mean, you would. You couldn't help being in the same room with all those people in silence or maybe with a. With a. A jam box playing in the corner that you wouldn't have started up again. Hot today. And yeah, I know I supposed to go golfing with some friends, but I could. And the conversation starts and now, you know, you play.

[Katie]

I play. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And something happens.

[Katie]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And you get to know her and everybody you know, but now nobody. I have never said a word to a single person at my gym.

[Katie]

Maybe. Are you dog the other day and our neighbor came out with her dog and I shouted a happy greeting intending to converse, but she had the earbuds going and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Katie]

Which I do all the time. I'm not faulting her.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no, no. Yeah, it works both ways. But anytime I tried to say something like, are you done here? Or whatever, so they always gotta pause their device and what was that? So, yeah, that might have something to do with it.

[Annabe]

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[Greta Thunberg]

Activists, including Greta Thunberg, the environmental activist, arrived at a port in Israel after they were detained by Israel's navy on board an aid ship bound for Gaza. The activists group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition claims that the Israelis, quote, unlawfully boarded their ship, which was full of baby formula and medical supplies, and quote, confiscated the goods. Israel calls the ship and its passengers a, quote, selfie yacht, and they said the mission's sole purpose was publicity. Israel plans to quickly deport the detained activists back to their home countries. Israel also claims that the aid that wasn't, quote, consumed by the celebrities, unquote, will be sent to Gaza through humanitarian channels.

[Katie]

That's some good trolling right there by the idf.

[Jack Armstrong]

How dare you. The selfie yacht. It is obviously such a stunt because it's such a dent in, you know, in the whole thing. And this doesn't get reported a lot, but there have been millions of meals provided there in Gaza. Millions, some of which are stolen by Hamas, but most of them aren't millions. Over the last several weeks, yeah, they.

[Katie]

Had less than a single truckload of aid. More than 1200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, etc. I think the selfie yacht is a good name for it. I love that they made these people watch 10-7- footage as condition of their release. The Freedom Flotilla. You think Hamas wants freedom, you morons.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is all wrong.

[Katie]

Yes, you're right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, so that was back when she was more of a child. You can't blame her really for the, you know, the lefty world elevated her to pope status when she was a child. You know, that would get to your, that would go to your head. You would start to Think. Well, people really care what I think about stuff.

[Katie]

She's unhinged, poor kid.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it was that whole because she's a child, it makes it more true thing about climate change there. For a cup of coffee, Soda fans. I say pop, so I'll say pop. Pop fans are freaking out over the limited return of the beloved, beloved Coca Cola flavor. I didn't know this was so beloved. Diet cherry Coke is making a comeback. Anybody excited about that?

[Katie]

No. I consumed that way back in the day, but it sounds disgusting to me now.

[Jack Armstrong]

You don't drink pop? Oh, you're better than us. I don't drink pop either.

[Katie]

Correct. Yes, yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Katie, do you drink pop?

[Katie]

Rarely. But everything, everything that's cherry flavored tastes like cough syrup to me. That manufactured cherry flavor, I can't do it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Different red fruit. But did you know. This is. My son said this can't be true. He wanted a strawberry milkshake. The other day we were at In N Out and he says they have the best strawberry milkshakes. I said, you know, I've never had a strawberry milkshake.

[Katie]

Which he, wow. Added to the list of things Jack has never.

[Jack Armstrong]

Which I couldn't believe. And I know I've never had a story. It always sounded gross to me, but, you know, I'm starting to think it might be delicious. This is this. I think about this because my son Henry, the 13 year old had his first ham sandwich the other day and loved it. It's not because I haven't like allowed him. I've been trying to encourage that for years, but he just thought ham sounded awful for some reason. He finally tried ham and he said, dad, ham is fantastic. I said, yes, yes, it is. Yes.

[Annabe]

Welcome.

[Jack Armstrong]

So he loves the ham sandwich. And I'll bet in the last week, I'm not exaggerating. I'd be shocked if he hasn't had 20 ham sandwiches in the last week. Two or three a day and. But you know, I'm a guy. I had my first BLT when I was 45 and I. And I remember coming on the air the next day and saying, the BLT is amazing. I never had one before.

[Katie]

Have you checked out, I don't know, a sunset or falling in love. Those are kind of nice too.

[Jack Armstrong]

Puppies.

[Katie]

A nice puppy.

Working with you is so great, Jack, because every day it's like, really, wow.

Yeah, I know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, well. But I have such wonders that await me. You know, other people have to, I don't know, travel to Bali to have some new experience. All I got to do is have a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich or.

[Katie]

Try one of the three most popular.

[Jack Armstrong]

Flavors of milkshake on earth right now. I've never had a strawberry milkshake. I should try that.

[Katie]

They're really good.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's what everybody says. I don't know. They always sounded gross to me. And whenever you're offered one, there's also chocolate or vanilla.

[Katie]

But why? Why? The strawberry is a delightful berry universally enjoyed.

[Jack Armstrong]

But there's always a chocolate or vanilla option there and I know, I love that. So I just figured why risk it?

[Katie]

There you go.

Well, when you go to In n out, try the Neapolitan shake. They mix all three.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is that one part of the secret menu? I don't like the secret menu thing. I don't. I don't like that at all. That for some reason that bothers me.

[Katie]

Get over it and try it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Elitism or something.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.