Marissa Streit: Bitcoin vs Inflation The Financial Revolution | DSH #1423

Summary

Digital Social Hour - Episode Summary

Title: Marissa Streit: Bitcoin vs Inflation The Financial Revolution | DSH #1423
Host: Sean Kelly
Guests: Marissa Streit and Charlie Kirk
Release Date: June 28, 2025

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1. Introduction

In this episode of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly engages in a profound discussion with Marissa Streit and Charlie Kirk. The conversation delves into a myriad of pressing topics, including financial literacy, distrust in government institutions, the education system, Bitcoin as a financial resistance tool, and the looming threats posed by global powers like China and Russia. The dialogue is rich with insights, personal anecdotes, and thoughtful analysis, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of the current socio-political and economic landscape.

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2. Conspiracy Theories and Trust in Government

Marissa opens the discussion by addressing the prevalence of conspiracy theories and the importance of discerning credible information from baseless claims.

• Marissa Streit [00:00]: “I basically say, okay, so you have five fingers. You're only allowed to have five conspiracy theories. Okay? And you can't hold more than five conspiracy theories because then your brain can just blow up, and you don't want that.”

She emphasizes the necessity of maintaining a balanced perspective to avoid falling prey to unfounded beliefs.

• Marissa Streit [01:29]: “The distrust in government was almost innate... the government is controlling everything. And it's not just Russia and Pravda. It's not just China and communism. We see it in America too.”

This innate distrust stems from experiences within the education system and perceived governmental overreach, contributing to a broader skepticism among citizens.

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3. Education System and Censorship

The conversation shifts to the challenges within the American education system, highlighting issues of censorship and the suppression of dissenting views.

• Marissa Streit [02:30]: “I used to be a teacher... you just see so much censorship in that field... Teachers are not allowed to actually teach truth in America.”

Marissa critiques the controlled curriculum imposed by teachers' unions and local school boards, arguing that it often contradicts the interests of parents and the broader community.

• Marissa Streit [03:22]: “We are told that we should invest more money into something that ultimately might be hurting us.”

She draws parallels between the limitations in education and broader societal issues, underscoring the detrimental impact of a constrained learning environment.

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4. Institutional Distrust: Harvard and the SPLC

Marissa expresses deep skepticism towards prestigious institutions and organizations that, in her view, perpetuate distrust and misinformation.

• Marissa Streit [03:27]: “Over the last three years the US government gave almost $9 billion to Harvard. How is that fair?”

She questions the allocation of substantial government funds to institutions with massive endowments, arguing that such practices are inequitable for the average American.

• Marissa Streit [12:52]: “The SPLC is a hate group itself... What is the point of a hate watch group giving away our location?”

Marissa critiques the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for labeling organizations like Turning Point USA and PragerU as hate groups, raising concerns about safety and freedom of association.

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5. Bitcoin as Financial Resistance

A significant portion of the discussion centers around Bitcoin's role as a countermeasure against inflation and governmental financial control.

• Marissa Streit [00:38]: “Bitcoin has become very interesting to many of us because we don't want the government to control everything we own.”

She highlights Bitcoin as a tool for financial independence, allowing individuals to safeguard their assets from governmental manipulation and inflationary pressures.

• Charlie Kirk [01:19]: “We were just talking about how you're not really in crypto, but your values align with the philosophy behind it.”

The alignment between Bitcoin and the guests' values underscores the cryptocurrency's appeal as a decentralized financial system resistant to traditional governmental intervention.

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6. Current Political Climate and Censorship on Social Media

The episode delves into the pervasive issue of censorship on social media platforms and its implications for free speech and political discourse.

• Marissa Streit [12:52]: “They put Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, and PragerU on their hate map. Which you got to wonder, why does the SPLC need to give the location of organizations like Turning Point and Prager U?”

Marissa discusses the dangers of labeling organizations as hate groups, which can lead to real-world consequences, including violence and harassment.

• Charlie Kirk [13:30]: “They're doxing you guys.”

The revelation that the SPLC publicly shares the locations of targeted organizations raises concerns about safety and the erosion of trust in watchdog groups.

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7. Global Economic and Political Threats: China and Russia

Marissa and Charlie examine the strategic maneuvers of global powers like China and Russia, emphasizing their economic and cyber tactics against the United States.

• Marissa Streit [18:16]: “Our adversaries are taking advantage of this. China, Russia, the Communists.”

She articulates how these nations exploit America's internal vulnerabilities, such as economic weakness and societal division, to advance their geopolitical agendas.

• Marissa Streit [24:10]: “Chinese chess, they think in terms of... many years.”

Marissa likens China's strategic planning to Chinese chess, highlighting the long-term and multifaceted approaches these nations employ to undermine American interests.

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8. Importance of Homeschooling and Classical Education

The guests advocate for homeschooling as a superior alternative to traditional public and private education, emphasizing its benefits in fostering independence and critical thinking.

• Marissa Streit [31:04]: “I actually think homeschooling is way better than private school.”

She argues that homeschooling allows for a more integrated and practical education, where subjects are blended naturally, mirroring real-life scenarios.

• Marissa Streit [32:53]: “I think AI is a great thing for homeschoolers... blending classical education with AI and technology.”

Marissa envisions a modern homeschooling environment enhanced by artificial intelligence and classical education principles, preparing children for the complexities of the real world.

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9. Social Media Bots and Division

The discussion turns to the manipulation of social media through bots, which Marissa claims are used to propagate divisive and harmful narratives.

• Marissa Streit [27:08]: “They're being weaponized... driving a narrative.”

She explains how bots amplify extremist messages, creating artificial engagement that misleads the public and fosters societal division.

• Charlie Kirk [28:05]: “Now it's getting extreme. Now it's like holocaust and now all these. It keeps getting like crazier and crazier, right?”

The escalation of extremist rhetoric on social media platforms illustrates the detrimental effects of bot-driven misinformation on public discourse and societal harmony.

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10. Concluding Thoughts

Marissa emphasizes the importance of focusing on actionable solutions rather than getting entangled in online negativity and unfounded disputes.

• Marissa Streit [30:26]: “I don't need to get angry about things that I have no control over.”

She advocates for directing passion towards tangible changes, such as reforming the education system, rather than engaging with destructive online behavior.

• Marissa Streit [31:07]: “Homeschooling prepares a child better for the real world than any [public or private school].”

Marissa concludes by reiterating the benefits of homeschooling, classical education, and technological integration as pathways to fostering a more informed and resilient future generation.

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Notable Quotes

• Marissa Streit [00:00]: “You have five fingers. You're only allowed to have five conspiracy theories.”
• Marissa Streit [00:38]: “Bitcoin has become very interesting to many of us because we don't want the government to control everything we own.”
• Marissa Streit [03:22]: “We are told that we should invest more money into something that ultimately might be hurting us.”
• Marissa Streit [07:51]: “Cash Patel is an honest guy... it's very likely what he believes.”
• Marissa Streit [22:00]: “America is at risk because... people are afraid to say that they're patriots.”
• Marissa Streit [31:07]: “Homeschooling prepares a child better for the real world than any [public or private school].”

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Conclusion

This episode of Digital Social Hour offers a compelling exploration of contemporary issues affecting American society. Marissa Streit and Charlie Kirk provide critical insights into the intersections of education, financial independence, governmental trust, and global threats. Their candid dialogue encourages listeners to question prevailing narratives, seek financial autonomy through avenues like Bitcoin, and consider alternative educational models to foster a more resilient and informed populace. Whether you're seeking inspiration or a critical perspective on current events, this episode delivers thoughtful and provocative content that challenges conventional thinking.

Transcript

[Marista]

Sane. The conspiracy theories. And I. I basically say, okay, so you have five fingers. You're only allowed to have five conspiracy theories. Okay? And so you can't hold more than five conspiracy theories, because then your brain can just blow up, and you don't want that. Right. And so, like, how do you avoid being just one of those kooks who just believes everything that you read on the Internet or anything that seems outrageous enough?

[Charlie Kirk]

Okay, guys, got Marista here in Las Vegas from Prageru about to learn about bitcoin this week. Huh?

[Marista]

I'm super excited.

[Charlie Kirk]

We were just talking about how you're not really in crypto, but your values align with the philosophy behind it. Right?

[Marista]

Yeah, I. I think so. Two things. One is, I think financial literacy is so important. And we have seen the government, the education system, really rob us from the opportunity to understand what is happening with our money. And the other part of it is that we just don't trust the government. And we know that the bigger the government, the smaller the citizen. We just lose control over our own assets. And so I think bitcoin has become very interesting to many of us because we don't want the government to control everything we own. And, I mean, you've seen around the world how governments have tapped into people's bank account accounts and robbed them blind. But even in America, when they keep printing more money and suddenly our. You know, you see inflation, and our money is not worth stuff anymore. And so bitcoin has been, in some ways, the financial resistance.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. When did your distrust for the government start? Was it recently?

[Marista]

Oh, my gosh. My dis. You know, I may have been born this way. I'm a born professional troublemaker. And so, to me, I think the distrust in government was almost innate, mostly because when they tell me to believe an expert and they censor me and they prevent me from learning more than the truth should not be insecure. Why are you censoring me? Right. And so the journey for me started in education. I used to be a teacher. Teacher. I taught Keith through eighth grade. I ran a school. And you just see so much censorship in that field, in that world where you're not allowed to talk about certain things, you're not allowed to ask certain questions, you're not allowed to push against the teachers unions. Not allowed, not allowed, not allowed. Teachers are not allowed to actually teach truth in America. And so I came out of that system saying to myself, oh, boy, oh, boy. You know, the government is controlling everything. And it's not just Russia and Pravda. It's not just China and communism. We see it in America too. We just live in a matrix and we don't realize it.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, that's a shame, because teachers want to inspire the next generation and I guess a lot of them must feel limited, huh?

[Marista]

Well, I think our education system in America is built to limit what is allowed to be taught. You have a highly controlled education system, whether it's the teachers unions or, or sometimes even the local school boards, they control what is being taught. And oftentimes it's against the interests of the actual community, the parents. But you have seen gaslighting of parents. Oftentimes parents don't even know what's in the class, what's in the curriculum, what are the books that are brought into the schools. And so when you talk about the fact that it's a shame, it's more than a shame. I think it's horrific because we are told that we should invest more money into something that ultimately might be hurting us.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, there's a lot being exposed right now within the education system. Harvard's under fire right now. Have you seen that?

[Marista]

Yes. Well, Harvard's. You know, I don't understand the whole concept of us giving billions of dollars to an Ivy League school that has $52 billion in an endowment. I mean, you take a, like, like a, a trucker or a taxi driver that saves every dollar they have and then they have to go pay additional sums of money in taxes in order to fund rich Ivy League schools that have billions of dollars. You know that over the last three years, you can look this up, but over the last three years the US government gave almost $9 billion to Harvard. How is that fair? How is that fair for the hard working American that can barely afford a meal at the end of the month to pay billions of dollars to an Ivy League school with mostly rich people going there?

[Charlie Kirk]

That's weird. I wonder what the proportion is, like how much they're donating compared to other colleges. But that sounds really high.

[Marista]

I mean, that's money from the government. Not to mention how many billions of dollars they receive from wealthy donors. What do they do with all that money? Okay, they say that it's used for research. They say that it's used for education. Well, I mean, is it what is coming out of there that is so beneficial to the rest of the country?

[Charlie Kirk]

I don't believe any study that they produced, to be honest.

[Marista]

Yes, I know. Believe in the experts. Right. And you. Look, we could, we don't have to go into the COVID stuff if you, if you don't want to. But yeah, honestly I think it's these institutions that have developed the distrust in the experts. It's. It's because of them that so many Americans don't even know who to trust anymore.

[Charlie Kirk]

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[Marista]

Yes, that's true. I've spoken to so many experts, even on the environmental issue, who have told me that when they actually study what is happening with the environment, that there is just complete gross exaggeration when it comes to, you know, global warming and what needs to be done about it, and whether solar even works and whether wind and solar is pragmatic and is it better for the environment? And they know the truth, but they're not allowed to speak about it because you have the people who control the experts telling them what to study, what to research, what to say. So are they even experts or are they just dummy dolls?

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, I really grew up believing that one, too. They pushed that one hard in public education.

[Marista]

Yes, the climate change hard. Yes.

[Charlie Kirk]

Global warming. Now no one talks about it.

[Marista]

Well, nobody talks about ESG anymore, the environmentally and social governed small businesses that have been destroyed by ESG because of these silly regulations. I think less and less people are speaking about dei. The thing is, these things, they morph into new ways to propagate social constructs and ways to push, you know, silly ideas on people so that they comply, you know, through fear. So you start with dei and then you have ESG and all these letters, and then you've propagated through the schools. It starts in kindergarten, K through 12th grade. And then you go into. Into college. And then if you ask, how dare you ask, how dare you defy esg? How dare you defy dei? And they intimidate you and bully you, and ultimately that's how they control. And the moment people start asking questions, they'll just move on to the next prop. They'll come up with a new one.

[Charlie Kirk]

It's almost like people can't even be themselves these days in a workplace.

[Marista]

You know, I used to teach Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth when I taught fifth grade, because I had no idea, you know, I do love the earth. I love nature. I'm a total nature girl. For me, the mountains are where I love to be. And I remember that we would be in the teachers lounges and we would hear the narratives that if you love the environment, well, you have to teach Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth. And it didn't dawn on me at that point that actually that was an incredibly politically driven agenda that was pushed into the schools. Now, obviously, Al Gore was a politician, but I was a teacher, and the teachers unions said, and my colleagues said. And so therefore I did. And it was very hard to push against the narrative, because when you come out of teacher ed schools, I call them education seminaries, you're really taught to comply. You're taught to listen to what the experts tell you to do. Listen to npr. It was literally written in my textbook, my education textbook, that I should listen every morning to NPR so that I know the truth, and therefore I can propagate it into the classroom.

[Charlie Kirk]

Crazy.

[Marista]

And I mean, honestly, I confess, it's what I did because I just didn't know better.

[Charlie Kirk]

So they're even brainwashing the teachers themselves.

[Marista]

Of course. The teachers are the head of the snake. The teacher seminaries are the head of the snake. It's not the teacher's fault. It wasn't my fault. But it all started with the teacher seminaries. That's where this communist Marxist education starts.

[Charlie Kirk]

Wow. You think it's fixable in our lifetime?

[Marista]

So the issue is that the radical left and the Marxists, or the communists, they'll take over institutions that already exist, and they'll ride off the fumes and the good reputation that these schools will have. Right. So Harvard University is a perfect example of that. Right. Harvard was once great, but the left will take over these institutions and ruin them. And so are the institutions so ruined that we may not be able to fix them. That is probably the case. Do I think it can be fixed? Yes, but I think we'd have to have the courage to build anew and the cultural understanding that some of the institutions that have been built a long time ago have been ruined and are probably not fixable.

[Charlie Kirk]

Crazy. Because these are historic, historic institutions, which is.

[Marista]

I mean, this is why the left is so smart. They'll go after the staples, the historic institutions. And it takes a long time for people to realize, wait a second. Those who I trusted before cannot be trusted anymore. It just takes a while. You know, I think people are waking up.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, well, that's a big reason why Prageru's crushing it. Right. Same with Turning Point. There's new companies that are providing the truth to people, Sean.

[Marista]

I think people are intellectually starving. I think it's why your podcast does so well. I think why so many independent media companies are doing so well is because people are realizing that something is going on. You know, I think people think that it all started with the lockdowns. I don't call, you know, the COVID days, you know, the pandemic. It was the lockdowns um, and I think the silver lining in it is that people have been waking up and they're kind of running for the hills. They don't really know what hill to run towards. And part of the problem with social media is you don't really know who's credible and who you can actually lean on. And so everybody is kind of in this phase of running around everywhere. And I, I, I'm hoping that Prager U is one of those places that people know that we've had really an enduring way to teach what is true. And we are unwavering. We're not at the mercy of the social media likes and social media campaigns that, you know, lead to extreme narratives. And I think ultimately that's what people are going to end up looking for. They're going to look for credibility, not just views and likes and clicks, but actual credibility. And we need that. And so my hope is that we'll be able to maintain that reputation for Prager U and just know, share the honest truth and give answers to people.

[Charlie Kirk]

I love that. Are you guys still dealing with a lot of censorship on social media?

[Marista]

It's interesting. So as I sit here, we are just dealing with the Southern Poverty Law Centers, the splc. They call themselves a group that fights against hate speech. And they're a hate watch group, but really they are. The SPLC is a hate group itself. And so they just put Turning Point usa, Charlie Kirk, and Prageru. They put us on their hate map. Which you got to wonder, why does the SBLC need to give the location of organizations like Turning Point and Prager U? What is the point of a hate watch group giving away our location?

[Charlie Kirk]

They're doxing you guys.

[Marista]

Well, I'll tell you. A few years ago, the SBLC put an organization called the Family Research Council on their hate watch list. And you know what happened?

[Charlie Kirk]

What happened?

[Marista]

A person was inspired by the SBLC and created a horrendous, brought a horrendous shooting onto into their building.

[Charlie Kirk]

Jeez.

[Marista]

And you know, there was real bloodshed. Real bloodshed because of the splc. So you think the splc, supposedly this hate watch group, would actually be careful about giving the locations of people who they intellectually disagree with? But no, they double down on it. And so a few years later, they just published this huge map with locations of, of groups they hate.

[Charlie Kirk]

That's crazy. Reminds me of the guy that hacked into the Tesla system and published everyone that had a Tesla car and their address.

[Marista]

Yes, they're supposed to have these. And, and they say this in the name of tolerance.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah.

[Marista]

How ironic.

[Charlie Kirk]

Crazy. And they say the left is the peaceful one.

[Marista]

The left is not the peaceful one. All you have to do is study communism and you understand how. How vicious they are.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, that is scary. So are you guys gonna go after them legally or what? Are you gonna.

[Marista]

I don't know what our legal recourse is. I do think that we should report them to the FBI, because this is a. It's. It's serious. If you're. If you're giving the location of organizations that you're claiming are hateful, specifically inciting this kind of hate towards us, I think it's something that we need to take very seriously. Yeah, it's scary.

[Charlie Kirk]

Speaking of FBI, I got to ask about Cash Patel and Dan Beninga. You seen that video?

[Marista]

No, I have.

[Charlie Kirk]

I hope you guys are enjoying the show. Please don't forget to like and subscribe. It helps the show a lot with the algorithm. Thank you. Now, they were talking about the Epstein thing and how they were basically saying how he killed himself. Yeah, but people are upset.

[Marista]

Oh, yes, I have seen that video. Yeah.

[Charlie Kirk]

People are upset because they believe it was, you know, an assassination or whatever.

[Marista]

I don't know. I think, you know, it's very tough with. With some of the theories, and it's hard to know when it's a conspiracy theory. I'm trying to come up with this new rule in order to keep myself sane. The conspiracy theories. And I basically say, okay, so you have five fingers. You're only allowed to have five conspiracy theories. Okay. And so you can't hold more than five conspiracy theories because then your brain can just blow up, and you don't want that. Right. And so, like, how do you avoid being just one of those kooks who just believes everything that you read on the Internet or anything that seems outrageous enough? So. Okay, so I already have five conspiracy theories. I. I don't have room to vacate for another conspiracy theory. So I don't really know. But I do think that Cash Patel is an honest guy. I think that he has a lot of courage, and I think that if he says something, you know, it's very likely what he believes.

[Charlie Kirk]

So now I gotta hear about these five conspiracy theories.

[Marista]

What are my five conspiracy theories?

[Charlie Kirk]

I gotta hear about these. So you're fully convinced on these five?

[Marista]

I think. Isn't the whole point of the conspiracy theory that you are questioning it, but you're open to more information? But you think it's likely if it's worth holding in your brain I agree. Yeah.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. So, yeah, I lean towards it being true, but I'm not like fully sold on it. There's not enough evidence.

[Marista]

Yeah. And I think for those of us who are really open minded about things, I think it's fair to know that there is a limit to the information that we are receiving. And so it's, it's hard to just build your entire identity around these conspiracy theories. And this is, by the way, what people do with conspiracy theories. They, they'll build an identity around it. And they're, they're. I remember being a teacher there, there, there are kids who are particularly, kids who are particularly prone to conspiracy theories. Usually they, they're a narcissist or they, they have borderline personality disorder or they love to scream a lot and get a lot of attention. Sometimes they're the class clowns. And so sometimes conspiracy theories are actually true. But I think that you have to be open enough to keep studying and figuring out whether it's true or not, because the whole point of it being a theory is that you don't actually have the evidence.

[Charlie Kirk]

Right. Is it true? The CIA coined that term conspiracy theory. I've seen that online.

[Marista]

It's very likely, it's very likely that the Russians have started. A lot of the terms that we use like political correctness came from Russia, from communism. And the communists realized that if they control, if they can control the world. I mean. Sorry. The communists realized that if they can control words, they can control the world because they can control culture. Right. And culture ultimately leads to political thoughts and ideology. And so I think that so many of the words that we use today actually came from communism. And this ties back again to education. So many of these words, these communist words, these Marxist words are actually part of the lingo in our, in our classrooms.

[Charlie Kirk]

Wow, I did not know that. What do you think the biggest threat right now is to America? You think it's ourselves? You think it's another country?

[Marista]

I think it's a few things. I think we are definitely a threat to ourselves. I think the, the fact that we have a nation with amnesia, we don't understand where we came from. We don't understand the value of our freedom. We don't understand the DNA of what it means to be an American is an incredible threat because we can't defend ourselves. How does somebody defend something they don't understand? How does somebody love something they don't understand? Do you really love America if you don't understand the true history of blessings of how we've been Become the most prosperous nation on God's green earth. How do you defend a country like that? And so I definitely think that's very dangerous. But I also think our adversaries are taking advantage of this. China, Russia, the Communists. I think they do realize that America is at risk because, you know, people are afraid to say that they're patriots. They're afraid to say that they're willing to defend America. They're afraid to put borders up. Yeah, right. And so you. Why wouldn't. Why wouldn't China take advantage of it? Of course they would.

[Charlie Kirk]

I feel like a lot of countries caught up during Biden's watch.

[Marista]

Yes, yes. I think that they saw that. That we were, you know, I think the Chinese saw that Americans are. Are weak, lazy, and fat, frankly, and they took advantage of it. Right. It's like, oh, look at them, you know, just like a fat little rabbit sitting there in a grass. Plain grass field. Let's go. Let's go eat it. Let's go after it. And, you know, they probably made the bet that we won't defend ourselves because we don't love our country. Why would we defend a country we don't love? We've been taught that we should hate our country, that we're racist, xenophobic, homophobic, all these horrible things. So they took advantage of it. And I think we're lucky. I think it's a miracle that truly, in the DNA of the American spirit, nobody fights like Americans. Nobody fights for freedom like Americans. I'm like, look at Canada, look at Europe. They're just laying down and taking it. Not Americans.

[Charlie Kirk]

That's true. We got that.

[Marista]

We got that in us. And that's. I think that's the miscalculation that. That China is making. They don't realize what it is to be spiritually American.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. Proud to be an American, right?

[Marista]

Yeah.

[Charlie Kirk]

I remember singing that song growing up.

[Marista]

Yeah.

[Charlie Kirk]

The banger. Yeah. I think with Trump's new term, I've been pretty happy overall. How have you been feeling? First 150 days?

[Marista]

Gosh, I think it's so unfair to judge a president on 100 days, especially a president who is expected to bring a lot of change. But if you think about it, if you build a business, what can you do really, in 100 days, you lay out your plan? I think that people are trying to judge President Trump based on his actions, which is fair, but I really think it would be more fair to judge him based on the results. And there are things that are happening in Washington and around the world. That we don't understand. We don't have full visibility. But we do know one thing. We voted for something different. We voted for America First. We voted for that. And by the way, America first doesn't mean America only, right? America first means that we do need to have allies, but I think we need to understand who our allies really are. As Americans. We've been lied to also by other nations. And I think that what President Trump is doing right now is he's kind of shaking it out, trying to figure out who are America's real allies and who are the fake ones out there.

[Charlie Kirk]

I'd love to hear your opinion on that. Who the real ones are and who the fake ones are.

[Marista]

Well, I. I really do wish I would know. I mean, I think some of the people who understood that America, America can't shield the rest of the world when it comes to their economies, that we can't pay for everybody's livelihood with the tariffs. I think whoever came in first and. And met with President Trump and said, you know, I'm in. I'm on your side. I think that's a very good sign. And I think those who are holding back and those who are pushing back, I think obviously they have to defend their own countries. But I think the tariff wars is a very interesting thing. And I use the word tariff wars because the people are very upset about the tariffs. And I think that what people don't understand is that America is at war. We are at world at war. There is a. There are wars all over the world, but now wars look a little different from what they used to. Right? So World War II, you know, you saw bullets and tanks, but wars today are different. And a big part of the war is economy. Right? You have economy and you have AI. Right? And those are, you know, the cyberspace, those are where people don't quite know how to wrap their head around the fact that there. There is a war. But the first line of response, world war is. Is the economy, and that's through tariffs, and that's through shaking out and seeing who's on the American side and who is not on the American side. And so it's painful to pay for things more expensive than we wish. And I'm sure there are many businesses, including small businesses, that are suffering. But I asked this question. Would you prefer suffering on an economic level, probably temporary, or are you willing to go into wars of bullets and tanks, lives getting involved? Yeah, and I, you know, that's the question. I think Trump is a businessman, and he understands that you can conduct business, both peace and war, through economies and through money. And I don't know who can be trusted on the other side. That's the question. Right. Some. Some. Some of the other nations might be so ideological seeped into their beliefs that, you know, maybe a better economy for their own country is. Is not even a question. It's not a parameter. They may not care. Iran is an example of that. The Iranians don't really care how. How poor their country is. They don't care about their own people because they're so ideologically seeped into radical Islam. But, you know, it's possible that Donald Trump can talk to some of the other countries and bring them in closer to, I guess, allying with the United States through partnerships and financial deals.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. South Africa meeting was interesting.

[Marista]

Yes.

[Charlie Kirk]

You called them out.

[Marista]

Yes.

[Charlie Kirk]

I love presidents that are just so honest like that.

[Marista]

I think that more honesty across the board from all governments will. Will help us understand, you know, what is this matrix that we're living in. Right.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah.

[Marista]

You sometimes don't know whether you have a president or you have a deep state in many of these countries. Right. Who's actually running everything. And, you know, as. As painful as it is to suffer from what social media is bringing upon us, I think that it's also waking up a lot of questions.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. I do think war is going to change, too. I agree with you. People don't even know what a cyber war would look like. But if the power goes out for a week, a lot of people would be affected.

[Marista]

Yeah.

[Charlie Kirk]

Really bad.

[Marista]

I mean, the Chinese know that. The Chinese know that a cyber war can be very, very dangerous and can have a huge impact all over the world. And we have to keep our eye on China.

[Charlie Kirk]

And they're the second biggest owners of farmland in America.

[Marista]

They own farmland. They own farmland right by our bases. They manufacture our medicine. They. I mean, look how people are freaking out over the tariffs.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah.

[Marista]

Imagine if they just decide to shut down our economy. We can't let that happen. They're playing chess, Chinese chess. It's a Democrat chess. Yeah. Have you ever tried to play Chinese chess hard? It's not like the chess that we're used to.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. You got to think, like 10 moves ahead in Chinese chess.

[Marista]

Right. And you have to have a lot of patience. So Chinese chess, they think in terms of, you know, many, many years. And Westerners, we're just used to everything being frontal. Right. Right away. Right away. What's the response? 100 days, Donald Trump has been president. Is it good? Is it bad. The Chinese don't think like that. Chinese think like Chinese chess.

[Charlie Kirk]

That's true. They manipulate the media all the time with those headlines.

[Marista]

Yeah. I mean, you also see on social media with the bots. Right. We all know that the Chinese have these farm bots and so do the Russians and you know, frankly much of the Arab world, mostly because they have such access to energy. Right? Yeah. Energy is what helps you fuel social media because you need all these giant mega computers in order to run your, your machines. Is why California is really a problem for, for all the big tech companies. Right.

[Charlie Kirk]

Expensive.

[Marista]

It's very expensive. And so while we are shooting our, shoot our, shooting ourselves in the foot over the energy and the whole global warming narrative, the other countries are having a feast on us and getting ahead of AI and getting ahead of social media bots, et cetera. So there's a lot to understand here and wrap your head around.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. When I'm on Twitter, I see so many, like I'll click on the profile. Fake.

[Marista]

Yes.

[Charlie Kirk]

Makes you wonder how they're be. How these bots are being weaponized. Like what messages are they.

[Marista]

Well, of course they're being weaponized. Do they have an impact on you when you have 60,000 bots, you know, post or melons and you know, saying Free Palestine, people say, oh, well, my audience must be all about free Palestine. Where, you know, probably most Americans, they don't really care. You know, they're okay. A country the size of El Salvador on the other side of, you know, the planet, is that really the focus of Americans? Are there really 60,000Americans that care so much about this issue that follow you? Probably not.

[Charlie Kirk]

That sounds like a high number. When I even know what's going on.

[Marista]

They don't care or they don't really care. They're like, okay, whatever. Yeah.

[Charlie Kirk]

So you think it's being used for the anti Semitism stuff?

[Marista]

Yes, I think it's used to drive a narrative. I think it's preying on independent social media creators that really depend on clicks and views. Because. Because you do. Right. That's how you measure your success. You want to see if your videos are going viral and you want to see if your clips are, you know, in getting people engaged. Right. And so if you're seeing that engagement is by talking about Israel or posting Free Palestine, then you're just going to do more of it. And so America's adversaries are taking advantage of it. Why not divide America over an issue like Israel or, or anti Semitism? It's, it's the perfect target. And sadly a lot of social media creators are falling into it. You're who never cared or talked about Israel or the Middle east are suddenly obsessed with Israel in the Middle East. And it's frankly bizarre.

[Charlie Kirk]

You know, I don't even see it getting better because I thought it'd be like it's been a probably a year or so people talking about it and it seems like it's getting more and more traction.

[Marista]

Well, if you keep rewarding the worst behavior, then you're going to get more of the worst behavior. Why would it get better? The worst behavior is continuously rewarded on social media.

[Charlie Kirk]

Now it's getting extreme. Now it's like holocaust and now all these. It keeps getting like crazier and crazier, right?

[Marista]

Yeah. Well, I guess it should not be a huge surprise that the. The continue to be the target. If you study history every hundred years or so continue to be the scapegoat of, of blame the theories. Many conspiracy theories ultimately lead to hatred because you know, the ideology teaches that it is you to be blamed for your misfortunes no matter what the j went through, no matter where they lived and whatever, whatever they suffered. At the end of the day taught. Control your mind, control your fortune, just control your mind. Don't look to blame others. Conspiracy theories oftentimes look to blame others. And so as you know, the ten commandments to the world, again, it teaches you that you, you, you are responsible for you. It's a very tough message to digest. It's oftentimes why very well. Even in, in situations where it's. It's very unlikely that they'll do well because every day they say to themselves, you, you, you are responsible for you. But that is a very, very challenging pill to test for conspiracy theorists.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, Accountability, huh?

[Marista]

Accountability.

[Charlie Kirk]

That works in business too.

[Marista]

Yeah. Personal responsibility and accountability do very well in business because every day as an entrepreneur you go and you get kicked in the face and you just keep going because again, you're reminded you, you, you are responsible for your own fortune. It's all here, it's all up in your mind that leads to it every single time.

[Charlie Kirk]

It's crazy. I didn't know it was 100 years.

[Marista]

The Holocaust was just 75 or so.

[Charlie Kirk]

Years ago and it was there one before that too.

[Marista]

And this, there is always some sort of conspiracy theory that leads to hatred. It happened in Russia and happened in Poland. Happened. It happened in Iran many years ago. Yes.

[Charlie Kirk]

Damn, that's crazy. And do you, do you respond to any of these trolls or haters or you kind of just.

[Marista]

I generally don't respond because I think it's a waste of my time. I don't need to get angry about things that I have no control over. I think that there are things that I can get very passionate about and fiery about, things that I really do believe we can change, like America's education system. I do believe it can be fixed. I think that we can wake up parents. I think that Gen Zers and Gen Alpha are waking up. They're that generation of distrust. They realize that they've been lied to about experts. And so I much rather focus on things that are pragmatic and are a good use of. Of my time and my passion. Yeah, the social media bots are not worth my time.

[Charlie Kirk]

I love it. So for parents watching this that can't afford private school, what. What do you recommend? And things like that.

[Marista]

I actually think homeschooling is way better than private school.

[Charlie Kirk]

Really?

[Marista]

Yes. I think homeschooling teaches you that you can associate and talk with same age. I'm assuming you and I are not the same age and we can look at each other in the eye and we can talk. The problem with many of the this, both public and private schools as we know them, you put kids in the same room with kids of the same age, and they only know how to communicate with one another. When you homeschool your kids, you can actually communicate with everybody. I also think it teaches discernment. It teaches you that learning is not an assembly line. You don't have period one math period to literacy, period three, whatever, ESG or social emotional learning, right? Everything is blended, and that's what life is, right? You're running a business. You. Your whole life is blended, right? You do a little math, you do a little reading, you do a little. And that's what creates the fibers for discernment. And sadly, the way most of our institutions, our educational institutions have been created in, you kind of have this unrealistic view of life where A, you're protected and defended constantly by an adult, B, you're constantly monitored by the government or somebody above you. C, you can't blend the different disciplines of what you're learning, right? And so math doesn't necessarily blend naturally into reading, where life should make that happen. The beautiful thing about homeschooling is that you can do that. The ch. You know, the child can be independent. They don't have to be hovered over all the time. They can communicate with people of different ages. They can build discernment because they're exposed to so many more things. They can travel, they can have a classroom that's not a four walled room. That's what the real world is. And so I actually think homeschooling prepares a child better for the real world than any.

[Charlie Kirk]

Love that is it a full time job, you think? If you're going to homeschool or go down that route 40 hours a week.

[Marista]

I think many parents have figured out ways to do it and there are a lot of amazing systems there that help parents. I do think that generally one of the parents would have to be at home at least part of the time. But then, you know, depending on where you live around the country, the kids grow up. They, they grow up and then they learn how to manage their time and follow their curiosity. And there are so many amazing technologies now that allow a child to be on their own. And again, that will teach them autonomy and the ability to do things on their own. I think AI is a great thing for homeschoolers, by the way, and I'd love to see more homeschoolers bring AI into their education. I'm very big on classical education. It's the hottest word now. Many parents are realizing the classical education is incredibly helpful and important. But I think that if we find a way to blend classical education with AI and technology, I mean, that's just going to be like a superstar way of, of teaching our kids.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. And meanwhile public schools are banning AI.

[Marista]

Yeah, well, they don't want discernment, they don't want personal reliance, they don't want accountability. These are the people that don't want Bitcoin.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, it's nuts. I use it every day.