Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "We're In a Fight!"

Date: September 5, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty

Overview

In this episode, Armstrong and Getty take on a fiery critique of American public education—particularly the rise of "woke" ideologies and the perceived rewriting of history in schools. The hosts passionately argue that progressive movements in the education system threaten the foundational understanding of American history and society, expressing deep frustration with what they see as the indoctrination of children. They also touch on topics such as urban decay in cities like Portland and San Francisco, the death of Publishers Clearinghouse sweepstakes for some winners, and the globalization of NFL games, blending social commentary with their trademark irreverent humor.

Main Discussion: The State of Public Education (04:08–16:37)

The Personal Spark

• Jack shares his son’s experience in an American History class in California’s public school, which from day one, required pronoun selection and a "land acknowledgment" focusing on stolen Native land. The teacher dismissed the assigned textbook as "full of lies and distortions" to be corrected in class.

  "The only assignments on day one was a handout to syllabus, you gave your pronouns and had to write a land acknowledgment explaining how we had stolen the land from the Indian tribe where the school was built...the teacher also handed out the book and explained how the book is full of lies and distortions they will go through and fix." (Jack, 04:29)

• Jack’s stance:

  • He’s “anti-public school,” considering the institution too broken to salvage:

    "I just don’t care. You’re a lunatic. If you believe that stuff, you’re a freaking lunatic." (Jack, 06:07)

  • Joe agrees: Criticizes educators for ideological extremism and lack of historical perspective, emphasizing that American chattel slavery was not a unique evil.

    "Slavery was everywhere, all the time for all of human history. And it was brutal and dehumanizing everywhere it occurred. No exceptions." (Joe, 06:24)

Why History Matters

• Joe introduces the David McCullough/Peggy Noonan perspective on the importance of history education:

  "History shows us how to behave. History teaches, reinforces what we believe in, what we stand for, and what we ought to be willing to stand up for...Indifference to history isn’t just ignorant, it’s rude." (Joe, 10:04, quoting McCullough)

  • He connects this to Orwell’s famous warning:

    “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” (Joe quoting Orwell, 09:04)

The ‘War on Knowledge’ (12:16–16:16)

• Joe reads from Dan Lerman’s Free Press essay:

  • Increasing disdain for memorizing facts and basic knowledge in progressive classrooms.
  • Examples: Kids not taught spelling until middle school, math taught as a “representation” rather than with traditional rigor, reliance on tutors, and Seattle’s move toward a collectivist “math ethnic studies framework.”

  "In many classrooms today, the very idea of committing information to memory has become unfashionable. Schools have decided that facts are no longer worth teaching... At the progressive Brooklyn private school where I once taught, spelling wasn't corrected until middle school..." (Joe reading Lerman, 13:41)

  • Cites the dangers of casting education itself as a “colonial project to be dismantled.”

The Call to Action

• Both hosts warn: Parents should not trust school boards or administrators—they urge active resistance.

  "We folks can no longer sit quietly and idly and quote unquote trust our school boards and our teachers and our superintendents. No man, we are in a fight. So fight." (Joe, 16:16)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On “woke” history:

  "If you spend all your time on Indian tribes and slavery, you’re making an excellent argument to get parents on our side and get pissed off about this." (Joe, 07:53)

• Jack's frustration:

  "I’m so disgusted by all this. That’s why I’ve gone completely anti-public school. I just think it needs to be torn down. Start over. Why do we even have public schools? It’s a bad idea." (Jack, 08:28)

• On “indoctrination”:

  "They think America is an evil place, Western civilization ought to be torn down, and they are actively trying to indoctrinate your kids into their neo Marxist thinking.” (Joe, 07:53)

• On passive acceptance:

  "You run into a 25 year old with crazy beliefs. They got it starting in kindergarten." (Jack, 16:04)

• Joe’s summary of the problem:

  “It is a far-leftist effort to tear down the institutions of Western civilization using fake quasi moral arguments.” (Joe, 38:30)

Additional Segments & Analysis

The Fate of Publishers Clearinghouse Winners (20:30–24:07)

• Story: Joe narrates the story of a man who won $5,000 a week for life through Publishers Clearinghouse, only to have payments suddenly stop when the company filed for bankruptcy.
  • Memorable moment:

    “If the company goes out of business, it sucks. If you planned your whole life around…$5,000 a week for life?” (Jack, 21:26)

Urban Decay in Portland & San Francisco (28:17–36:42)

• Reports of violent Antifa protests in Portland going completely unreported by mainstream outlets. Police are failing to intervene, leading to property and personal damage and calls from residents for government action.

  • Dan Springer of Fox News:

    "Night after night...protesters brought what looked like a guillotine. Some confrontations end with residents getting assaulted. First a bullhorn, then a fist. No arrest was made, despite the injuries." (Dan Springer, 31:03)

  • Economic toll:

    "Portland's now ranked…the second worst place in America to invest with six and a half million square feet of commercial vacancy. The top 20 office towers have lost 57% of their combined value in five years." (Dan Springer, 34:15)

  • Jack’s lament:

    “How bad will Portland have to get before people are willing to turn it around?” (Jack, 35:36)

The “Woke Mind Virus” Explained (38:01–40:47)

• Jack asks Joe for a one-sentence definition:

  “It is a far leftist effort to tear down the institutions of Western civilization using fake quasi moral arguments.” (Joe, 38:30)

• They discuss how many adherents are well-meaning but manipulated, and how the ideology spreads through emotional and social appeal rather than reason.

Lighter Segments

• NFL globalization & YouTube broadcasting: Discussion about the NFL season opener in Brazil, challenges with time zones and maps, and whether YouTube can handle NFL-level streaming traffic. (45:25–49:46)
• Quick comments on
  • Spitting incidents in NFL games
  • Mike Tyson possibly fighting Floyd Mayweather at age 60
  • Outdated globes and global geography
  • Eminem fandom and documentaries (53:47)
• Frequent banter and comedic asides break up the serious topics ("Why was there so much spitting in the game last night?”—Jack, 40:47)

Listener Involvement

• Text line open for stories of local school experiences:

  "Hey, you want to comment on any of that? You have any examples? School year is up and running. Text line 415295 KFTC ARMSTRONG and getty." (Jack, 16:37)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:08 – 16:37: Education rant, the “woke” history debate, Orwell, David McCullough, Dan Lerman’s "War on Knowledge"
• 20:30 – 24:07: Publishers Clearinghouse bankruptcy and its human toll
• 28:17 – 36:42: Urban crisis in Portland and Seattle; city “death spirals”
• 38:01 – 40:47: What is the “woke mind virus?”
• 45:25 – 49:46: NFL in Brazil, streaming, and time zones
• 53:47: Eminem fandom and new documentary tease

Takeaways for New Listeners

• The episode is a passionate, sometimes heated critique of changes in the American education system and progressive (woke) policies.
• The hosts blend cultural commentary with dark, sardonic humor and personal anecdotes.
• Listeners interested in educational reform, urban policy, and contemporary societal debates will find the show especially potent.
• Lighter sports and pop cultural segments punctuate the discussion.
• The show’s tone is fiercely opinionated, often irreverent but always engaged with current affairs.