Armstrong & Getty On Demand – "We're Scroomed!"

Date: October 8, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Podcast: Armstrong & Getty On Demand (iHeartPodcasts)

EPISODE OVERVIEW

In this episode titled "We're Scroomed!", Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty deliver their signature blend of sharp political commentary, sardonic humor, and spirited debate. The main theme is a deepening concern about societal polarization, pervasive media dishonesty, and the collapse of common civic moorings, all of which have left the hosts feeling "screwed and doomed"—or as they coin it, "scroomed." From high-profile political scandals to the dangers of AI-driven misinformation and open calls for political violence, this episode tackles the breakdown of shared reality in America.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. Media Dishonesty & Polarization

Timestamps: 01:50–06:09

• The hosts begin by highlighting what they see as outright lies in mainstream news, particularly about government workers during shutdowns.

• Joe Getty rails against media coverage suggesting air traffic controllers are working without pay, calling it a "flat out lie."

• Jack Armstrong points out that public opinion polls often reflect shallow, uninformed views—easily swayed by media spin due to brief, one-sided information flows.

  "I used to think spin was a problem. Now people just tell outright untruths right under the banner Major Bigfoot Media."
  —Jack Armstrong (02:25)

• The duo laments the near-total fragmentation in news consumption: different factions get different versions of the same story with barely any overlap.

2. Society's Broken Feeling

Timestamps: 10:25–11:36

• Repeated references to a broader societal malaise—everything feels "unmoored" and "broken."

• The loss of traditional anchors (friends, family, civic engagement) and rise of an all-consuming online world are blamed for growing anxiety.

  "Everything feels like, ah, broken. Everything’s just broken."
  —Joe Getty (11:09)

3. Antisemitic Rhetoric at Pro-Hamas Rallies

Timestamps: 06:47–13:17

• The hosts are appalled by the lack of substantive mainstream media coverage of openly antisemitic, pro-Hamas rallies—especially near the anniversary of the October 7 attacks.

• Jack describes “amazing clips from idiots at those rallies,” which the New York Times, in his view, conspicuously ignores.

• They play clips of a protester openly referencing Nazi rhetoric.

  "If a right winger was saying that, off the charts news."
  —Jack Armstrong (12:58)

• Point made that hatred is normalized from some quarters, but sensationalized or condemned only when politically convenient.

4. Political Violence, Hypocrisy, and the Case of Jay Jones

Timestamps: 09:37–11:09, 20:03–27:34

• Focus on Jay Jones, Virginia AG candidate, whose texts and calls included wishing for political opponents' children to die so they would "feel pain."

• Excerpts are read from news coverage and National Review’s Jeff Blair, who brands Jones a “moral monster of the first degree.”

• The Democratic Party’s tepid response (“he apologized, so it’s fine”) is seen as pure partisan power calculation.

• The duo argues if a GOP candidate had done the same, the media’s reaction would be relentless and intense.

  "He made a passionate appeal to a bleak moral worldview that, alarmingly, is consistent with other rhetoric and violent slaughter we've seen coming from the left in recent months and weeks. And he wants to be the attorney general of the state of Virginia. Let the voters decide."
  —Jack Armstrong (26:49)

5. The Dangers of AI-Generated Misinformation

Timestamps: 27:34–32:46

• Jack unveils his early access to Sora, an “all-AI” social media/video platform. The content is nearly indistinguishable from reality, including deepfake speeches.

• Both hosts are alarmed; there’s concern that convincing fake videos (e.g., of Trump declaring war, or candidates caught in scandals) could be weaponized during elections.

• They discuss how this technological step means anyone can deny reality or allege damning evidence is "just AI."

  “So like I said, we’re there. We’re wondering when we would get there. We’re there.”
  —Joe Getty (30:09)

  "What percentage of the population… could see a video of, say, Donald Trump saying we’re canceling the next election and be fooled by it? It’s a sizable percentage."
  —Jack Armstrong (31:43)

6. Humor, Banter & Memorable Moments

Timestamps: Throughout, highlights at 11:55–12:07, 15:01–15:57

• The show’s trademark absurd sidebars—a running joke about a camel in the studio and what to feed it (“baked beans did not work out well”—13:39).

• Light mocking of “baseball terminology,” and the knowledge gap about gubernatorial hopefuls.

  "Reminding casual baseball fans that the so-called foul pole was actually in fair territory. You hit the pole, it’s a home run."
  —Jack Armstrong (05:19)

7. Mailbag & Listener Reactions

Timestamps: 35:13–39:46

• Feedback includes joking accusations at Jack for liking Taylor Swift and for “not grilling like a man.”
• Listeners echo anxieties about AI, misinformation, Trump-era hatred, and connect these trends to the hosts' core concerns—how many now accept “Hitler” analogies literally, and what that portends for real world violence.

8. Wrap-up & Teasers

Timestamps: 39:57–40:07

• Tease for Hour 2: more on nutjobs at protests and how the "major media beclowns itself."

MEMORABLE QUOTES & MOMENTS

• “We’re screwed and doomed. We’re scroomed.”
  — Jack Armstrong (05:06)

• "How do you think Jews start owning everything? I don't know, they use their dark magic I guess...I would like to have some magic, but I don't feel like I have any magic."
  — Clip from pro-Hamas protester (12:07) (highlighted with aghast reactions from hosts)

• "These are Jones’s thoughts, near verbatim, mind you, not mine... He made a passionate appeal to a bleak moral worldview that, alarmingly, is consistent with other rhetoric and violent slaughter we have seen coming from the left in recent months and weeks."
  — Jack Armstrong on Jay Jones (26:49)

• "Everything feels like, ah, broken. Everything's just broken."
  — Joe Getty (11:09)

• "It will get harder to see reality because crap in equals crap out."
  — Listener mail read by Jack, on the AI/social media future (36:34)

• "What percentage of the population do you think at this point just in the US could see a video of, say, Donald Trump saying we're canceling the next election and be fooled by it? It's a sizable percentage."
  — Jack Armstrong (31:43)

TIMESTAMPS – IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

| Segment | Start | End | |-------------------------------------------------------|----------|----------| | Media dishonesty and political polling | 01:50 | 04:58 | | Two realities in news algorithms/polarization | 04:15 | 06:09 | | Antisemitic rhetoric at protests and media silence | 06:47 | 09:37 | | Political violence, Jay Jones scandal | 20:03 | 27:34 | | AI deepfakes and the collapse of trust | 27:34 | 32:46 | | Mailbag on extremism, AI, and internet culture | 35:13 | 39:46 |

TONE & STYLE

• Language: Informal, sardonic, occasionally biting.
• Tone: Frustrated, darkly comedic, alarmist but self-aware, mixing earnest concern with off-the-cuff banter.

FOR FIRST-TIME LISTENERS

This episode is a classic example of Armstrong & Getty’s take-no-prisoners approach to media criticism and cultural analysis. They expertly blend humor with outrage as they diagnose what they see as the fraying of American civic life—from unfiltered antisemitic hate going ignored, to leading political figures normalizing threats and violence, and the looming specter of AI eroding trust in all media. It's insightful, provocative, and peppered with the hosts’ uniquely irrepressible style.