Why the Tiny Little Mustache, eh??!!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "Why the Tiny Little Mustache, eh??!!"

Date: May 12, 2026
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Armstrong and Getty tackle several topics, anchored first by the headline that the family of a Florida State University shooting victim is suing OpenAI (ChatGPT's creator). The discussion branches into issues of AI responsibility, media's role in mass shootings, and legal/ethical dilemmas posed by new technology. Later, the conversation lightens with explorations of frailty and aging, journalism’s failures, NBA playoffs, and some poignant life reflections. The episode is marked by A&G’s signature candid, irreverent back-and-forth, weaving in humor, skepticism, and thoughtful critique.

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Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. AI and Mass Shooting Lawsuits (00:27–11:44)

• Lawsuit Against OpenAI:

  • The family of a Florida State University shooting victim alleges OpenAI’s ChatGPT "actively participated" in planning the attack, providing instructions and statistical analysis on gaining the most media coverage.
  • Quote, Jack Armstrong (01:21):
    "If you've ever had a doubt about our theory that idiots, losers are buying their gripes being publicized with blood, here's a guy who just came out and said it."

• Media as Motivator & Co-Conspirator:

  • The hosts lament the media’s role in incentivizing mass violence: reporting details, manifestos, amplifying shooters' 'gripes'.
  • Quote, Joe Getty (01:45):
    "You're just reinforcing that, right? That is actually a better story than the AI."
  • Quote, Jack Armstrong (02:16):
    "They bribed you with blood so you can get ratings, you monsters."

• Is ChatGPT Responsible?

  • OpenAI denies any intent, claiming its responses were neutral, factual, & sourced from public internet data (02:37).
  • Florida’s AG argued that if ChatGPT were a person, it could "face charges for murder" (03:00).
  • Comparison: A person giving weapons advice would be criminally liable, but a chatbot (or Google/library) is just a tool (03:11, 05:12).
  • Both hosts doubt the plausibility or utility of such lawsuits, calling out "plaintiffs' attorneys" for profit-seeking (04:01).

• Practicality and Limits of Policing AI:

  • Jack & Joe debate the impossibility of coding chatbots to block all dangerous queries without undermining the tools' usefulness.
  • Reference to chatbots' content filters (Anthropic’s Claude vs. Grok vs. ChatGPT): Claude has far more stringent rules.
  • Quote, Joe Getty (09:20): "I just don't know how there's any policing any of this."
  • Analogy to a person overhearing a potential crime in a bar: how much responsibility to intervene or report (09:40–10:14).
  • Ultimately, the chat suggests these issues are less about right and wrong, more about civil suits and setting new precedents (10:25).

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Key Segment Timestamps:

• [00:27–11:44] – Deep dive into the OpenAI lawsuit, media culpability, and legal/ethical boundaries of AI.

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2. Frailty: A Measure of Aging (12:07–26:31)

• What is Frailty?

  • Discussion sparked by Joe's discomfort with the word "frail" and a new scientific push to objectively define and diagnose it.
  • Definitions:
    • Frailty: Greater vulnerability, less resilience to health events (hospitalization, falls, death).
    • Pre-frail: Early signs but less severe.
  • Some surprising stats:
    • 11% of adults in their 50s are frail; 51% of those 90+ (20:22).

• Diagnosing Frailty:

  • Two methods:
    • Physical tests (grip strength, walking speed, exhaustion, inactivity, weight loss) (21:26).
      • Three of these five = frail (23:09).
    • Holistic ("deficit accumulation" model): looking at health conditions and daily task performance (22:05).

• Commentary on Aging Well:

  • Prevention: The importance of strength training, exercise, and staying active ("About the only thing you can do about muscle loss...is don’t lose it in the first place." – 25:29).
  • Nature vs. Genetics: Acknowledge limits—bad genes or "bad luck" are often the real cause, despite our efforts.
  • Anecdotes: Discussion of friends/family with genetic illnesses, and public figures (Mickey Mantle, Teddy Roosevelt) living as if death were imminent due to family history (28:34).

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Key Segment Timestamps:

• [12:07–11:44] – Frailty and aging, medical definitions, prevention, and genetics.
• Memorable exchange:
  • Jack: "How's your grip strength?"
  • Joe: "People still come to me to open jars, so I guess I'm doing it." (23:34)

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3. Media Critique & State of Journalism (13:00–17:29)

• Leaking and Trust in Politics:
  • Irony of 'don't leak' emails being leaked; ties to historical precedent among Founding Fathers (13:16).
• DC Journalism—How to Fix It:
  • Discuss forum of Washington Post alumni suggesting:
    • More on-the-ground reporting, fewer 'suits yelling on TV'.
    • Treat lies like obscenities—don't repeat them.
    • Take regular sabbaticals for perspective.
  • Mark Fisher: Push for deeper, less flashy coverage, and reporting "door to door, not via email or AI."
  • The hosts note the futility of these fixes if media lose audience anyway.
  • Vacation gives perspective: "I think about the stories we would have talked about that I don't even hear about. ... A week later doesn't matter that it even happened." – Joe Getty (17:17)

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4. Quick Hits & Closing Segments

• Alaska's Sun Cycle (17:57–18:46):

  • Tidbit about 84 days of sun north of the Arctic Circle; discussion of how such cycles affect life.

• NBA Playoffs and LeBron (32:22–33:20):

  • Joe laments the "insufferable" New York media if Knicks reach finals; praises LeBron still being a Top 20 player at 41.

• Pakistan, Iran, and International Politics (33:32–34:59):

  • Revelations that Pakistan & Afghanistan allow Iran to park aircraft, casting doubt on their role as peace brokers.
  • Quote, Joe Getty (33:54):
    "Allowed Iran to park key aircraft on their bases so that they wouldn't get blown up during the war."
  • Jack: "There's your honest broker. The Islamist country of Pakistan." (34:02)

• Life and Mortality Reflections (26:31–29:29):

  • How knowing (or not knowing) genetic fate can shape a person’s life, referencing historical examples and contemplating future generations' choices with genome data.
  • Quote, Joe Getty (27:08):
    "Number one cause of cancer: bad luck."

• Wayne Brady and Ethics of Game Shows (29:56–31:51):

  • A critical take on "Let's Make a Deal" after seeing a poor contestant lose $10,000:
    • Quote, Jack Armstrong (31:16):
      "Your rims cost $10,000. Peel off a couple of Benjamins for the nice lady. Damn, this is just cruel. It struck me as cruel. Not entertaining."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI & Lawsuits:

  • "You can't be cynical enough about plaintiffs attorneys. They don't care about right or wrong...they think, I'll bet we can get this company to pay." — Jack Armstrong [04:01]

• On Aging:

  • "How to become frail is obvious. You know, cardiovascular and strength training, you've got to do it." — Jack Armstrong [24:15]

• On Genetics and Health:

  • "Here’s how you avoid cancer: Have the right genes. ... That’s a huge factor." — Jack Armstrong [26:31]

• On Media & Perspective:

  • "Every time we go on vacation, I think about the stories we would have talked about that I don't even hear about. ... A week later doesn't matter." — Joe Getty [17:17]

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Tone and Style

• Conversational, irreverent, often humorous or sarcastic.
• Willing to get philosophical and heavy, then pivot to light banter or pop culture.
• Cynical of both media and legal systems, but critically self-aware.

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Concluding Segments

• Final Thoughts: Both hosts reflect on aging, personal/family exercise habits, and pending news for their colleague Katie Green (about to have a baby).
• Loose Ends: NBA commentary, trending news, and reminders to subscribe to their podcast for more candid content.

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Episode Takeaway

A&G use current events to probe deep questions—about responsibility (legal, media, AI), how we measure health and meaning as we age, and the quirks of society, all punctuated with jokes, barbs, personal anecdotes, and appeals not to "be frail". Whether discussing lawsuits, dying media, or game show ethics, their blend of skepticism and humanity is always at the fore.

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For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode is essential Armstrong & Getty: a stew of current-event critique, skeptical social commentary, health advice, and entertaining asides. If you want their take on AI lawsuits, frailty (as both medical and metaphorical), or why some game show moments are more cruel than entertaining, this is classic A&G—engaged, irreverent, and always questioning.

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Important Timestamps:

• [00:27] OpenAI Lawsuit & Media Incentives
• [12:07] Frailty & Aging
• [13:16] Journalism Panel Hacks
• [17:57] Alaska’s Midnight Sun
• [32:22] NBA & LeBron
• [33:32] Pakistan–Iran News
• [29:56] Let's Make a Deal Ethics
• [35:15] Final Thoughts

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“When it comes to frailty, don’t be.” – Jack Armstrong [26:10]

Transcript

[Narrator/Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast, guaranteed human

[Jack Armstrong]

broadcasting. Live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

And now here's Armstrong and Getty.

[News Reporter]

The family of one of the victims killed in last year's mass shooting at Florida State University is suing Chat GPT maker Open AI, claiming the company's artificial intelligence was an active participant in helping the suspected killer plan the attack.

[Joe Getty]

He literally utilized OpenAI and chat GPT as his co conspirator. Okay, so this story got my attention yesterday. I happen to be listening to ABC News when Pierre Thomas started into this. And let's listen more.

[News Reporter]

We will discuss the new lawsuit claims that Eichner used Chat GPT to explain to him how to load and operate a shotgun, including how to turn the safety mechanism off. At one point, the lawsuit alleges, the shooter asked how many fatalities it would take to get the most attention. According to the lawsuit, ChatGPT responded, replying that he was much more likely to get media coverage. If children are involved, even two to three victims can draw more attention.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let me just say this very quickly. If you've ever had a doubt about our theory that idiots, losers are buying their gripes being publicized with blood, here's a guy who just came out and said it. He said, look, I want my gripes to be known. How many people do I gotta kill?

[Joe Getty]

You know, that's an excellent point. We have talked about that a lot over the years. We're like the only people that seem to talk about that. Hey, media. When you put their face on there and read their manifesto, you realize you're just sending the message to other lunatics that if you want your face on TV and for someone to hear what your gripes are about how much you hate high school or your wife or your job or your co workers or whatever, you got to kill a certain number of people. You're just reinforcing that, right? That. That is actually a better story than the AI.

[Jack Armstrong]

They bribed you with blood so you can get ratings, you monsters.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, okay, maybe we'll come back to that. Or not. But this is interesting on its own. Sure. Well, let's roll on then. We'll discuss now just.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, we can finish it and go back, whatever.

[Joe Getty]

Back to their report.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah.

[News Reporter]

OpenAI denies responsibility, saying in this case, ChatGPT provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found broadly across public sources on the Internet, and it did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, well, the Florida Attorney General Made a pretty decent point here.

[News Reporter]

Florida's Attorney general stating if ChatGPT were a person, it would be facing charges for murder,

[Jack Armstrong]

aiding and abetting, instructing. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

If I was a guy that showed him how to load a gun and told him how many people I thought he needed to kill, I would be in trouble.

[Jack Armstrong]

Also, if he later made it clear that he was thinking of slaughtering people and you didn't report it,

[Joe Getty]

did he make that clear? I mean, because that's separate. You could ask a question without making it clear that you were going to do it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, Right.

[Joe Getty]

How many people do you think a mass shooter needs to kill to get media attention? I could see asking that question just out of curiosity.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, and the mechanical stuff about how do you take the safety off and all. Please, that's utterly defensible.

[Joe Getty]

That's just ridiculous. I mean, we can't have AI or a library or encyclopedias or the Internet. If you're gonna outlaw that, you gotta

[Jack Armstrong]

keep in mind you can't be cynical enough about plaintiffs attorneys. They don't care about right or wrong or whether we have the Internet. They think, I'll bet we can get this company to pay.

[Joe Getty]

That's it.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's what they think about when they go to bed at night. Then when they spring out of bed in the morning and put their cloven hooves in their dress shoes and yes, my daughter's in law school, they. That's what they think about. Now you can be lecturing judges and juries, I guess that'd be well placed protect this crap.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I could picture a jury buying that because a lot of juries are stupid.

[Jack Armstrong]

I could see, given my. Our passionate belief that the whole mass killer thing and media thing is what we just described. I could see researching how many people do you have to kill to get on the network news where they describe what you are mad about and digging into that just to make the point more strongly on the show. Now obviously this guy wanted to do precisely what he was talking about. So I don't know.

[Joe Getty]

I just can't imagine any world where the Internet exists. He could have done this without AI. He could have done this very same thing with just Google 10 years ago, before AI came on the scene. He could have learned how to. Certainly could have learned how to load a shotgun and take this and to take the safety off. What a stupid detail.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, well, that's eastern media lead. He's never held a gun in his hand, by the way, Pierre, why that mustache, that tiny little mustache. What's going on with that, please. You're going to grow a stash. Grow a stash. Where were we? Oh, yes.

[Joe Getty]

Perfectly reasonable critique.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes. In the past they would have used his Googles as a. As evidence, but they never would have. No one tried Sundar Pichai out of his office and put cuffs on him. Yeah, I don't know. It's troubling. What I'm trying to come up with. Like a borderline case that's clearly guilty.

[Joe Getty]

How? I don't even know if we could. Let me use an extreme example. I don't even know if we could police this or should police this. What if a person is having. Ruminating with their chat bottom about, I think I'm going to shoot up a school. I'm miserable and I want everybody to know how mad I am. My ex wife. Right. So I'm going to shoot up a school. Should OpenAI or anthropic or whatever company have some sort of mechanism where the police are alerted?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes. Yeah, I think so.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know if that's even possible, though.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I think it is possible. The problem is, and bad people have figured this out. I'm writing a novel about a. There you go, clever. You fooled it. And that would be enough. Right? Right. I mean, yeah, I want to. And I hate to even talk about this sort of thing because it's terrible, but I want to rape my neighbor. How do you suggest I get into the house most stealthfully at night if somebody was just that straightforward and didn't even use the I'm writing a novel pose or whatever, what then?

[Joe Getty]

God, I would.

[Jack Armstrong]

I.

[Joe Getty]

So you alert the police and then you come to my house and say, yeah, I was wondering how to make sure nobody could get into my house.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Yeah. But then if you committed the crime, though, and that was found, we're talking about prosecution after the fact. So I'm sorry, you'd been talking about preemptive warning. I'm talking about prosecution now. Could you sue ChatGPT for giving me detailed instructions on how to. You know, I just think there's too many examples.

[Joe Getty]

I don't see how we could make the chat bots alert the police on every single one of these.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, well, okay. We're talking about two different things though, I think.

[Joe Getty]

Well, what are you gonna. Well, what? So if you're going to have them, you're wanting to sue the chatbot afterwards.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

But then how are they going to stop that from happening?

[Jack Armstrong]

They have to design a zillion lines of code that say, I won't Answer that question. But then again, it's easily gotten around.

[Joe Getty]

Well, we talked about this a little on the One More Thing podcast. That's why, for instance, Anthropic, which is the most conscientious of the chatbots, almost

[Jack Armstrong]

to the point of absurdity.

[Joe Getty]

Dario Modi. He's got 7200 lines of rules, I would guess, on Claude, if you said, how many people would I have to shoot to get the media's attention? Something would happen. It wouldn't answer that question or something. Grok only has 200 lines compared to the 7,000 on thropic. On limits of things you can do. Then chat GPT had lines like, do not mention opossum.

[Jack Armstrong]

Raccoon.

[Joe Getty]

Raccoon.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's right. Unless you were specifically asked about raccoons

[Joe Getty]

because it had some sort of problem where it kept working raccoons into answers or something. I don't know. Anyway, I just. I just. I just don't know how there's any policing any of this.

[Jack Armstrong]

Somebody must have dropped some code in there just to be funny. Anyway, back to the more serious topic. Yeah, I don't know. Oh, boy.

[Joe Getty]

So say you're talking to somebody at a bar. You're a scumbag and you're talking to your scumbags. Your scumbag bar. Yes, I've been to scumbag bars.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Full of scumbags.

[Jack Armstrong]

Cheap beer.

[Joe Getty]

But you're talking to this. You know, I don't know anybody this scumbaggy. But you're saying, you know, I'm thinking of shooting up a school or something like that. How many people you suppose I ought to kill?

[Jack Armstrong]

They.

[Joe Getty]

They have to go to the police. They probably would go to the police. I would go to the police. Yeah, but if they didn't go to the police and you did that, are they on the hook for something? If you said, I didn't think he was serious, he was drunk.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know. I would have.

[Joe Getty]

He says all kinds of crap over these years and he's never done any of it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, Right. I'd have to read the statute, because if it was a hypothetical conversation, then no, of course not. It's protected speech.

[Joe Getty]

Right. So I don't know how this is all gonna work out.

[Jack Armstrong]

Final note on this topic, though. Keep in mind that right and wrong really don't have a lot to do with this. These are civil suits where people are looking to get paid. Sometimes you deserve justice of some sort because you have been wronged. Of course.

[Joe Getty]

True. But it's gonna set some Sort of precedent. And also for what people, what our expectations are, I think, for these chatbots as a society.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And also the chatbots themselves, if they have to pay off, they're gonna make some rules internally of what we allow our chat bot to do. Gonna influence their coding.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

I don't. I just like, it seems stupid to me. We use this example yesterday on some of the chat bots. If I say I'd like the lyrics to, you know, name a popular song and some chatbots will say, I can't give those to you, they're copyrighted. Which is hilarious.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right?

[Joe Getty]

Because you can go to a gazillion sites and get the lyrics. I don't want all chatbots to end up like that. Like practically every question you ask that's copyrighted, that could lead to a crime, that Whatever.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. And that's how you end up with raccoons in your attic. I'm sorry, I'm doing it now too.

[Joe Getty]

You have to listen to the One More Thing podcast from yesterday. It's entertaining and very interesting.

[Jack Armstrong]

I agree. Yeah, a little self promotion, but it's true. I enjoy the heck out of it. Armstrong and Getty. One More Thing. It automatically downloads if you subscribe to Armstrong and Getty on Demand.

[Joe Getty]

Cool. We got more on the way. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Narrator/Announcer]

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[Joe Getty]

Gotta admit, as a man, there's one word I would not want to be described as. It's frail. Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are you frail? Frailty is like the number one sign of not aging well. And it's always been just the eyeball. Ya, it looks kind of frail now. They actually have ways to assess that and try to help you not be that well. Are you frail? Find out coming up.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I want to know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Here's my favorite headline of the day. Susie Wiles, chief staff for Trump. Email from Susie Wiles warning White House staffers not to leak is leaked.

[Joe Getty]

Oof, that'd be so frustrating. I guess every White House deals with it.

[Jack Armstrong]

You write an email, you can't leak stuff and somebody leaks that it would

[Joe Getty]

make you so mad when you and it make you paranoid and you realize you couldn't trust people.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Including I'm reading that John Adams book or whatever. Alexander Hamilton leaking some stuff. Washington said to try to, you know, maneuver things around the election. Everything. I get you. I mean even the very top level of founding fathers did It.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. Well, speaking of reportage, I found this interesting. I've never seen this website before in my life, but they had a forum where 16 Washington Post veterans talked about what they would change about D.C. journalism. And you might recognize some of the names. Some big names, you know, some insufferable lefties, some much more moderate people. But more door to door reporting. Fewer suits yelling at each other on tv. The one guy says, you know, more real life stuff and stuff that affects people. Anytime you see suits yelling at each other on tv, you know you're being fed cheap swill. Not healthy journalism slop as they call it. Punditry and partisan potshots are distractions from the harder work of gumshoe reporting. The kind that happens door to door, not by email, not through AI and not at news conferences.

[Joe Getty]

Well, I would say that whole suits you yelling at each other thing. Yeah, everybody caught on. That's why nobody watches. Yeah, nobody watches that stuff. You gotta realize. I gotta realize.

[Jack Armstrong]

Mark Fisher said that. Longtime writer, editor. More deep dives on boring, neglected topics.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that's a tough one. Although if you got no audience already, why not do an hour on the debt?

[Jack Armstrong]

Nobody's.

[Joe Getty]

Nobody's watching.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, this guy did a huge like year long dig into real estate easements. But he said it was fascinating when he finally produced the piece. But nobody has a budget like that. This one chick says. Chick? Joseph. Joseph. This woman, a respected journalist. I call the guys dudes.

[Joe Getty]

It's the same. I think. So.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, she says, treat lies like you

[Joe Getty]

realize we didn't get a job because of that very issue.

[Jack Armstrong]

When was that again?

[Joe Getty]

We're gonna go work for the Zone. The. That was like the cool alternative music station, right? And I said chicks. And so they wouldn't hire us.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Stupid, I thought. Really stupid. Nice job. Way to pass on us idiots.

[Joe Getty]

Never Forget, that was 30 years ago.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, and we've been number one since. Anyway, treat lies like obscenities,

[Joe Getty]

you know,

[Jack Armstrong]

bleep them in essence, don't repeat them. And there's a little eye of the beholder.

[Joe Getty]

That's a problem with that? That's the problem with that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. Let's see. More leaders who inspire in journalism. Good luck with that. More coverage of everywhere else. Get out of Washington D.C. i beg of you. Yeah, said this one pop culture reporter. DC Journalism, like all the big industries in this town, would benefit immensely from popping the bubble of the nation's capital every once in a while. Yeah, yeah. Democracy dies in darkness and blah, blah, blah. We get it. What happens here on a regular old Tuesday morning has national and global consequences. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I think she makes the point. And one of the other writers, this is one of my favorites, said something similar was for mandatory sabbaticals. Aaron Wiener. He may pronounce it Viner because he was in the Berlin bureau for years and years. If I could make one change to DC Journalism and be a durable business model. Oh, if I can make one remotely viable change, it'd be mandatory semiannual sabbaticals. A certain myopia infects anyone who's doing the same thing for too long. And myopia is a plague level affliction when it comes to journalism. Being in Berlin has given me so much perspective on what DC journalism gets right and wrong, but even short vacations can do the trick. You're gonna love this, Jack. I remember once taking a vacation with my family, then returning to work during Senate confirmation hearings for a candidate who was obviously going to get voted through. Yet the entire city was on covering every detail of the hearings. With a modicum of outside perspective, I was able to ask, why does this matter? It's something I would have had trouble doing if I'd been fully immersed in the coverage. Get out of town from time to time. It does wonders for the mind and for the work.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Every time we go on vacation, I think about the stories we would have talked about that I don't even hear about. It would have been the story of the day. And a week later doesn't matter that it even happened. Yeah, because it wasn't actually important.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yep, agreed.

[Joe Getty]

So we're going to talk about whether you're frail or not. That's important.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh my gosh. Yeah. More than some stupid hearing or two idiot congressmen yelling at each other.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Armstrong and Getty hate cleaning, Hate scrubbing, Hate dishwashing. Bro, we got you millions of videos about smart cleaning hacks will make your chores feel like a breeze. Download TikTok and check it out.

[Jack Armstrong]

Some people have fewer sunrises to look forward to than the rest of us. Their health is fine. They just live in Alaska. And after this sunrise at 2:57am Sunday in northern Alaska, the sun won't set at that latitude again for 84 days. That part of the Earth 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle is now tilted most directly toward the sun.

[Joe Getty]

So no sunset for 84 days. I remember one time I was on a trip in Canada, way up far in the summertime and sitting around a campfire and it was still light at 11 o' clock at night. And it was so weird. Yeah, it was awesome, but it was, it was just weird. It's like, look at my watch, it's 11 o'.

[Jack Armstrong]

Clock.

[Joe Getty]

I can't sing out here in the sun.

[Jack Armstrong]

Imagine what that's like and what that does to your system. And then in the wintertime, you get like two hours of sun or something like that. Yeah. All day long. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'd consider moving to far north Alaska, but I'm thinking maybe not. Are you frail, friends? I certainly hope not.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, he has the evolve, our institution.

[Jack Armstrong]

He is, clearly is. For the longest time, doctors would diagnose frailty largely based on giving you a look. See, you'll know it when you see it. They used to actually say in medical school, which is just a crude way of saying frail people look frail.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that's the way I would go with it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. But now they're trying to get more scientific and objective about frailty because it's an important concept as you get older,

[Joe Getty]

which predictor of dying.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. And having all sorts of problems that might, you know, might not shove you through death's door, but it'll certainly put you on the doorstep.

[Joe Getty]

And except for, you know, people who walk in front of airplanes and whatnot, we're all trying not to die.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, Exactly. I've now seen that video 800 times without trying. Uh, so here's how they define frailty, how it differs from normal aging, et cetera. Uh, doctors generally define frailty as having more vulnerability and less resilience to health events. So you're more likely to fall, more likely to be hospitalized, to need long term care, or croaking. The ultimate frailty. Oh, that you can think of frailty as rapid aging or more rapid aging than your peers says a different saw bones. Estimates vary, but according to one 2020 global survey globally, bot 11% of adults in their 50s qualify as frail.

[Joe Getty]

What percent 11.1out of 10 person in their people in their 50s are frail.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wish there were a way to enact our long ago announced principle that you've got to tell people what the percentage is about before you give the number.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Because people don't make a mental note of a number that they don't know what it's describing.

[Joe Getty]

True. Yes. That is 100% true. I don't do it. I wish I would.

[Jack Armstrong]

Remember, nobody does it in print. All right, so I'm going to try it that way. According to the big survey among people in their 50s, 11% of them qualified as frail, while people 90 or older, 51% of them were considered frail.

[Joe Getty]

Wow, that first number seems high. And that the second number seems low. Only half of people in their 90s are frail.

[Jack Armstrong]

Remember, it varies as you age.

[Joe Getty]

But still, I mean, in your 90s, I would think.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Even for your age. Well, I don't know what the standard is. Frail for your age at 90. My dad's definitely not frail for his age. Definitely not.

[Jack Armstrong]

Doctors think of frailty as a spectrum, starting with the pre frailty stage. How do you know if you're frail? There are two main methods of diagnosing frailty. One focuses on older adults physical abilities. Uses a series of short tests, including grip strength. Oh, please. Grip strength. I could. I can crush rocks in my mighty hands.

[Joe Getty]

Grip strength. Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

And walking speed.

[Joe Getty]

I walk really fast.

[Jack Armstrong]

To evaluate five key traits. Weakness, slowness, exhaustion, physical inactivity, and unintentional weight loss.

[Joe Getty]

No.

[Jack Armstrong]

If people have three, four or five of these traits, they're diagnosed as frail. Having one or two of them qualifies as free. Pre frail. Rather, the other diagnostic framework called the deficit accumulation model takes a more holistic approach. A provider diagnosis. I'm sorry, I just do that to amuse myself. Change my tone of voice like newscasters do. There were 44 victims. A dog gave birth to 15 puppies. Anyway, sorry, just amusing myself. So the other more holistic thing. A provider diagnoses frailty based on the number of health conditions a patient has, like high blood pressure, mild cognitive impairment. The model can also include a person's own view of their health, their ability to perform complicated everyday tasks such as driving. And then they give you like a decimal score.

[Joe Getty]

Give me that list from before of the. That had the speed you walk that list. Would you say three out of five of them makes you frail?

[Jack Armstrong]

Three, four or five, you're frail. Having one, one or two qualifies you as pre frail.

[Joe Getty]

Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

How's your grip strength?

[Joe Getty]

I don't know. I. I mean, I'm.

[Jack Armstrong]

The aluminum can compare compared to.

[Joe Getty]

Compared to what it used to be for me. Compared to other people my age. I wouldn't have the slightest idea.

[Jack Armstrong]

They have a scale. Okay. I don't know. I don't know. I'd say if you can't even dent an aluminum can probably hurt. Then they go with walking speed.

[Joe Getty]

People still come to me to open jars, so I guess I'm doing it.

[Jack Armstrong]

There you go. Well done, sir.

[Joe Getty]

Walking speed. I walk super fast. My kids complain it about all the time. Why are we running, dad?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, there you go.

[Joe Getty]

His life is short. I say let's go.

[Jack Armstrong]

You're anti frail, but they want to measure weakness, Check slowness. Oh, please. You can't detect any motion when you're looking at me. Most of the time, exhaustion, physical inactivity, and unintentional weight loss.

[Joe Getty]

I'm pretty active and all that night, but I catch every single disease that comes my way. I mean, they say haunting doesn't spread easily. I could catch it every cold, but, you know, I've always been that way.

[Jack Armstrong]

How to become frail is obvious. You know, cardiovascular and strength training, you've got to do it. I'm so happy my wife has embraced that. Now.

[Joe Getty]

The factory burnt down with everything in it. The world's shortest giraffe was born. I'm working on that.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, here's the scary part. All right, here's the scary part. As we age, our physiological reserve across a number of the body systems declines naturally. Said a doctor. The more illness you experience, there is a more rapid decline in that physiological reserve. Oh, but there is an underlying natural rate that we all have. They think too much muscle loss may cause a domino effect that leads to frailty. As people get weaker, they also typically move slower. Those combined changes can cause someone to pare back their exercise level. As people become less active and more deconditioned, they actually develop more of a sense of fatigue and low energy. Finalist. People consume fewer and fewer calories because their bodies are less active. They start to lose weight. Once you're frail, it's difficult to reverse course, so they emphasize early intervention and prevention. You know, just move, get up and move. Exercise, strength, train. Get a couple of dumbbells from the used sports equipment store.

[Joe Getty]

About the only thing you can do about muscle loss as you get older is don't lose it in the first place. Because if you do, it's right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? Well, I work like crazy having had both hips replaced on strength and flexibility now because I hadn't realized how weak and inflexible I'd become. Now, politically, I've always been inflexible, but physically, not so much. At one point, I tripped over something. I just, like, stumbled over something, and I should have been able to save it easily and ended up on my arsenal. And I thought, oh, yeah, that was a real wake up call. So what are you gonna do? Don't be frail.

[Joe Getty]

Don't be frail? That's your suggestion?

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't be frail?

[Joe Getty]

When it comes to frailty, don't be.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, Wake up. Thank you so How?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I mean I, I agree completely that we can play a role in these things with exercise and diet, but yeah, man. Certainly seems a certain percentage of it

[Jack Armstrong]

is just your lot in life. Yes. Yeah. I remember sitting around with a handful of guys who were smoking cigars, at least two of whom were physicians, and I said, don't you worry about mouth cancer at all? They said, here's how you avoid cancer. Have the right genes. Now you can't laugh in the face of that and be a complete. A hole to your body. But that's a huge factor.

[Joe Getty]

I've repeated this many, many times. It happened to be in the Wall Street Journal right when I got cancer. Number one cause of cancer, bad luck is still the most likely factor.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

So it's just. Guess you were set to have it even. That's really quite amazing even, you know, given half a million deaths every year that you can link to smoking and obesity, cancer, things like that. Yeah, there are things that nudge you toward cancer, but it's still mostly bad luck genetically then.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right, and there are things. If you have that bad luck genetically, you do that. Your dad, the guy next to you, Keith Richards, will, will outlive us all. He's the human cockroach and a great guitar player. But yeah, yeah, that's a huge part. I wish you could get a genetic test where they'd say, oh no, no, no, no, you're practically.

[Joe Getty]

Do you.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wonder about that because then I would just be completely irresponsible.

[Joe Getty]

I've got a friend, like I, I'm not aware of all the technological advancements because I don't have anything like this in my family, but I got a friend, his family has the gene for some horrifying health malady. I don't remember what is, but a really bad one that is going to take you out early. And, and he got checked for it and he doesn't have it, but his brother does. Oh, would you rather know that or not?

[Jack Armstrong]

Boy, that's a heavy one.

[Joe Getty]

I know. I think I'd rather not.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would have to think about it. I've known people with that attitude teach their own

[Joe Getty]

thing I can do about it. I'd rather not.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or would you like to, you know, spend my money, not put stuff off, you know, just because we all have like a half thought about internal timeline for when and how we're going to live our lives.

[Joe Getty]

Some people makes them live a crazy lifestyle though. The two most glaring examples that I know of are Teddy Roosevelt and Mickey Mantle. Mickey Mantle, partied like a lunatic because all the males in his family died, like, when they're 45, so he didn't think he had long, so he just lived this crazy, out of control life.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And Teddy Roosevelt, to a certain extent, did the same thing, Although he didn't. He didn't end up a drunk. He ended up President of the United States. But.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

You know, fighting buffalo and all the things that he wanted to do because he didn't think he was going to live very long.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Because the men in his family died so young.

[Jack Armstrong]

So I don't know. I don't know.

[Joe Getty]

Could go both ways.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Oh, heavy, man. Heavy. Ponderous, man's ponderous. Life and death. Death, life.

[Joe Getty]

I think, like, maybe even my kids generation. Everybody's gonna have to answer that question. Because when you get that whole genome thing nailed down and it's cheap enough for everybody to do. Oh, yeah, everybody's gonna have that. Be faced with that. Do you want to know every single thing or not?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, they have that with some of the, like, insidious forms of breast cancer that gals get, and some of them get the preemptive double mastectomy to, you know, save their lives, which is terrible, but, yeah, I get it. Yeah. Much less heavy note. So it gets to be a certain hour in the studio, and let's Make a Deal was on, and with Wayne Brady. Yeah. There was a gal dressed as a. I don't know, like a insect or a fairy or something. She had wings and she.

[Joe Getty]

An insect or a fairy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Probably a fairy, but you could tell she was of modest means. Okay. And she'd want.

[Joe Getty]

The only way you can get people to jump up and down with excitement on let's Make a Deal.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, exactly. She'd won some stuff, and she had the chance to go for it all and win $10,000. And this was an enormous thing for her. $10,000. And depending on who you are and how you're doing, you know, nobody would turn down $10,000, but it obviously meant an enormous amount to this woman. And she rolled the dice of fate, or whatever the hell they call it, that she had her own. And it immediately came up red. She lost. Lost the money. Was it Wayne Brady? Wayne, give her the ten grand?

[Joe Getty]

You wouldn't miss it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Geez louise. Give it to her out of your own pocket under the shows, but slip it to her on her way out.

[Joe Getty]

No kidding. Well, since she'd only get to keep five pro. Come on, Wayne Brady, give her five grand.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't need to See some. The woman who probably has to eat government cheese losing ten grand for my entertainment. That was not enjoyable.

[Joe Getty]

Wayne, what'd you drive to work today? Please. What do you get paid for this episode?

[Jack Armstrong]

Your rims cost $10,000. Peel off a couple of Benjamins for the nice lady. Damn, this is just cruel. It struck me as cruel. Not entertaining.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, we will finish strong. Next.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Yes you can. A five minute quick and easy calorie burning workout. Give it a try.

[Jack Armstrong]

Come join our sweat sesh on TikTok, The Armstrong and Getty show.

[Joe Getty]

If you're an NBA fan. I am. I'll probably start watching the playoffs next round. The conference championships. It's. It's likely to be Knicks versus Oklahoma City. And the. The whole New York media thing is going to be insufferable. It's gonna. It's very hard to root for New York teams because all the movie stars and every pundit is rooting for them. And it's just, ah, it's so hard.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's something beautiful about Oak City beating New York.

[Joe Getty]

I know, I know. That's gonna be so very American. Yeah, it's going to be so awesome.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, Lakers got swept and so a lot of chatter today for NBA fans of whether or not LeBron should retire. He's passed his prime. I just looked it up a couple of different publications that rank all the players in the NBA. He's still a top 20 player in the league with his stats at age 41, which is freaking amazing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

Because Kobe retired at 39 or something. He was like the 99th best player as last year. It's really quite amazing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyhow, got to play with his boy. I know that was one of his big goals.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I would think at some point, the grind of it. But yeah, the travel. The travel.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, I wanted to get this on. This is a newsy thing. I haven't heard much reporting about it, but according to CBS yesterday, citing US Officials speaking on the condition of anonymity, Pakistan, which somehow emerged as the country that's supposed to be brokering the peace deal between the United States and Iran.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ridiculous.

[Joe Getty]

And that's where we meet to have the, you know, the peace talks.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Allowed Iran to park key aircraft on their bases so that they wouldn't get blown up during the war.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's your honest broker. The Islamist country of Pakistan.

[Joe Getty]

Per the report, both Pakistan and Afghanistan allowed Iran to park some of their best planes there so that they didn't get blowed up. Keeping in mind, also Pakistan and Afghanistan played a role in helping the Taliban and hiding bin Laden from us all those years. How did we maneuver, allow ourselves to get maneuvered into a deal where Pakistan plays any role of this whatsoever? Why didn't Trump just say, no, we're not meeting in Islamabad?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, maybe because they have relations with both countries. It struck me as crazy from the beginning. They are avowedly anti Zionist, as in wipe Israel and the Jews off the face of the earth. A lot of Pakistan and a lot of their government, they say it all the time. It's in official documents.

[Joe Getty]

I'm surprised they just haven't given Iran a weapon.

[Jack Armstrong]

A nuclear weapon.

[Joe Getty]

A nuclear weapon.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hmm. They don't trust him that much.

[Joe Getty]

Apparently not. Check your clock.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's time to stop Jack and Joe. They've gotta go. And if they don't, you can. They'll be back tomorrow.

[Joe Getty]

Here's your host for final thoughts, Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let's get a final thought from everybody on the crew to wrap up the show. Michelangelo, our technical director, pushing the buttons will lead us off. Michael. Yeah. And a family member that got too frail too fast. And so I go to the gym constantly now. So. Yeah, I'm familiar with that word. Frail. Yeah, yeah, indeed. Jack, final thought for us.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. I get to the gym every day for that very reason. Earlier in the show, Katie Green called in from her hospital bed where she was about to have a baby. She may have already had the baby and. And that was charming. If you didn't hear that, get the podcast. Armstrong, you Getty on demand. Or if you want to know what a Booty Rumble is, we talked about that earlier.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, you skip that segment. Do not listen to the Booty Rumble segment. Which is in which hour? I don't know. I can't remember.

[Joe Getty]

Listen to the whole four hours.

[Jack Armstrong]

My final thought, I. I feel like a nervous dad. I'm nervous for Katie and. And her husband and her family looking at my phone constantly to get an update on the baby situation.

[Joe Getty]

It's such a big deal. It's the biggest of deals.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it is. Next to meeting God. In the end, it's the biggest deal. Yeah,

[Joe Getty]

I'll bet. We have news tomorrow for you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Or if you follow our Twitter. Why don't you follow us on Twitter? You probably find out on Twitter.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, Twitter's a soul deadening mind suck. But not if you follow us.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty wrapping up another grueling four hour workday.

[Jack Armstrong]

So many people. Thank you. Thanks. So little time. Go to armstrongandgetti.com. i'm telling you, it is catching on. The Armstrong and Getty T shirt. Enforce the law. That's how you clean up whatever city or town is going to hell around your ears. Armstrongandgetty.com check out Superstore.

[Joe Getty]

Spencer Pratt should wear one.

[Jack Armstrong]

He should get one to Spencer Hanson.

[Joe Getty]

We'll see tomorrow. God bless America.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. It's simple that I love each other.

[Joe Getty]

Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind it

[Jack Armstrong]

is what it is. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

How do you know?

[Jack Armstrong]

I know. I talk to him.

[Joe Getty]

Are you?

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't you think that's a little odd?

[Joe Getty]

Yep.

[Jack Armstrong]

What the hell are you talking about? I haven't said a word, so stop yelling at me.

[Joe Getty]

When it comes on for you to go, you have to go.

[Jack Armstrong]

I said bye.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Oh.

[Jack Armstrong]

And that's it. Oh, and on that possibly nightmare inducing

[Joe Getty]

note, thank you all very much.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg be who says renting

[Narrator/Announcer]

can't feel like home? Make your rental feel like yours. It all starts with one scroll. Download TikTok to discover easy home decor ideas.