Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: The A&G Replay Tuesday Hour Two
Date: December 23, 2025
Podcast Host: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode is a replay, featuring handpicked past segments of Armstrong & Getty. The main themes include a deep dive into shifting societal trends—especially how Americans have spent their time over the decades, the rise and implications of being ‘online,’ family and friendship dynamics, evolving attitudes toward monogamy and relationships, and a lighter segment on the nature of Santa Claus imagery. The tone is conversational, irreverent, and at times philosophically probing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How America Spends Its Time: From Family to Online

(03:24 – 14:21)

• Animated Graph Discussion: Joe describes an animated bar graph charting how Americans spent their time from 1930 to 2024, which visually illustrates dramatic societal changes.

  • In 1932, most time was spent with family and school (each ~22%), friends (~19%), neighbors, church, and almost none online.
  • Over the decades friends, coworkers, and entertainment rise; church and neighbors decline.
  • By the early 2000s, online activity appears and quickly accelerates after introduction of smartphones.

• Dramatic Shift by 2024:

  • “Online, 61% of their time.” — Joe Getty [08:31]
  • Friends drop to 14%, family and school even lower; church, neighbors, and other traditional social venues are diminished to negligible levels.

• Loneliness and Social Decline:

  • Google searches for “how to meet people” or “feel lonely” have skyrocketed from 2009–2024.
  • “On the other hand, the upside is everybody's happy. Oh, wait, no, actually everybody's miserable. Loneliness is epidemic. Therapists are printing money, etc. You know, interesting people don't have babies.” — Joe Getty [10:49]
  • Both hosts agree the societal shift is irreversible, with Jack lamenting, “That ain't gonna change.” [09:25]

• Generational Memory:

  • Jack notes that soon, no one will remember the "before times" pre-Internet. [10:19]

Notable Quotes:

• “To be entertained is not to be nourished.” — Joe Getty [13:49]
• “That dopamine hit gets a lot of people to do a lot of things all day today and every day…” — Jack Armstrong [14:09]

2. Personal Milestone: Katie’s IVF Journey

(17:39 – 21:42)

• Katie shares a personal update on her IVF process:

  • “We, in the beginning of September, went through the embryo transfer of our little baby boy… Last Thursday, we had our first ultrasound and heartbeat appointment.” — Katie [17:45]
  • Light teasing ensues about the baby’s name being a combination of all show hosts.

• Reflections on Parenthood:

  • Jack: “There is nothing as life changing or relationship changing as that first kid. I mean, just everything in the entire world that you think about changes when that happens.” [18:27]
  • Joe recounts being fascinated by fetal development and expresses strong views about the humanity of fetuses, although he avoids the politics.

• Societal Value of Motherhood:

  • Joe takes a pointed jab at societal values:
    • “The fact that a certain segment of our political population thinks that a woman’s supernatural goddess like miraculous ability to bring life into the world is somehow a lesser… than occupying a cubicle and making a few bucks.” [20:46]

• Lighthearted Banter:

  • Hosting duties hand off with jokes about being a “birthing person,” coffee jitters, and how old ultrasound tech is.

3. Biology and Cultural Expectations: Are Humans Meant to Be Monogamous?

(27:14 – 39:00)

• Animal Kingdom Comparisons:

  • Discussion springs from a previous segment about animal monogamy and email feedback.
  • Joe explores primate biology: Tournament species (high male-male competition, pronounced sexual dimorphism) vs. pair-bonding species (low dimorphism, more male parenting).
  • “Polygamous primates have large testes as a percentage of body weight and high sperm production... the rest of it. Now, among your monogamous pair bonding primates, the males do much of the infant care.” — Joe Getty [31:08]

• Where Do Humans Fit?

  • Humans are “profoundly confused” and biologically between strict monogamy and polygamy.
  • “Turns out that we aren’t monogamous or polygamous by nature. As everyone from poets to divorce attorneys can attest, we are by nature a profoundly confused species somewhere in between.” — Joe Getty [35:30]

• Cultural Overlay:

  • Jack notes: “We have the ability to think and make decisions and let our instincts run wild or curtail our instincts if we come up with a worldview that convinces us we should.” [35:30]

• Current Demographic Trends:

  • Women’s attitudes toward marriage and children are changing rapidly, especially among liberal women; men (especially conservative men) are more static in their interests.
  • “The trend line of women reporting a declining desire to marry may indeed reflect pessimism about their prospects rather than the institution itself… If the last several decades have taught us anything about the battle of the sexes, we should remember that the war on boys is also a war on girls.” — Quoting Emily Jashinsky via Joe Getty [38:36]

• Sardonic Ending:

  • Jack jokes his rock band will be called “Tournament Testicles.” [39:08]

4. Santa Claus: Campy vs. Orthodox

(41:59 – 45:44)

• Santa Types & Preference:

  • Jack notes the two key types of Santa imagery—cartoonish/Jolly Red vs. ‘Father Christmas’ with dark robes—often linked to class or cultural setting.
  • Joe enjoys a variety of Christmas traditions, referencing Sinter Klaas from the Netherlands.
  • Katie: “I like the red, the, the typical one that you see... at like the Santa pub crawls.” [43:22]
  • Jack perceives the more priestly Santa as an attempt to conflate Santa and religious symbolism.

• Humorous Philosophical Tangent:

  • Joe notes the Christian roots: “I hate to contradict your secular humanist filth, but St. Nicholas, please. Anybody? St. Nicholas, it’s a religious ceremony. It’s a tradition. It’s the birth of Christ…” [43:59]

• Secular vs. Religious Christmas:

  • They discuss the blending and division between the two Christmases—religious and secular/festive.

5. Additional Noteworthy Segments

Novelty Foods & Joyful Simplicity (25:20 – 26:31)

• Brief and funny discussion of a grocery chain serving vanilla soft-serve dipped in melted butter, and how “people who are delighted by that are happier than I am. I should envy them.” — Joe Getty [25:53]

Lighthearted Banter on Days of the Week (21:59 – 22:34)

• Jack laments waking up convinced it was Saturday, only to realize it was Monday:
  • “Not only was it not Saturday, it was freaking Monday, which is the worst of days. You're gonna get down the salt mine. You're gonna dig, boy.” — Joe Getty [22:21]

Memorable Quotes

• "To be entertained is not to be nourished." — Joe Getty [13:49]
• "That ain't gonna change." — Jack Armstrong [09:25] (on societal time spent online)
• "Every day, you know, prior to whatever 1998 was... Not online." — Jack Armstrong [10:37]
• "Loneliness is epidemic. Therapists are printing money..." — Joe Getty [10:49]
• "We are by nature a profoundly confused species somewhere in between." — Joe Getty [35:30]
• "Only hippies who are trying to get laid are going around trying to convince you we're not meant to be monogamous. That's a social construction. Whatever. Shut up." — Jack Armstrong [35:51]
• "My band is going to be called Tournament Testicles." — Jack Armstrong [39:08]
• "I hate to contradict your secular humanist filth, but St. Nicholas, please..." — Joe Getty [43:59]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:24 – 14:21: Americans’ time use through history; the rise of “online”
• 17:39 – 21:42: Katie’s IVF announcement and parenthood reflection
• 27:14 – 39:00: Monogamy, biology, and changing relationship norms
• 41:59 – 45:44: The two Santas: campy vs. Eastern Orthodox
• 25:20 – 26:31: Novelty foods and simple happiness
• 21:59 – 22:34: Losing track of the days – Jack’s Monday confusion

Summary

This Armstrong & Getty hour is a lively criss-cross of smart, funny, and thought-provoking segments: a glimpse into how American social lives have migrated online to a possibly detrimental effect; a celebration of personal milestones like IVF success; a deep and funny examination of the messiness of human mating habits; a contemplation of demographic shifts and what they might foretell; and playful reflection on Christmas traditions.
The signature Armstrong & Getty tone—wry, conversational, and sometimes biting but always animated—shines throughout, inviting both laughter and serious reflection.