685: Ruby Setnik

Summary

Duncan Trussell Family Hour - Episode 685: Ruby Setnik

Release Date: April 26, 2025
Host: Duncan Trussell
Guest: Ruby Setnik, Comedian

---

Introduction to Ruby Setnik and MGMT’s Pop Dilemma

The episode opens with Duncan Trussell warmly welcoming Ruby Setnik back for her second appearance on the show. Duncan enthusiastically promotes Ruby’s stand-up performances, highlighting her brilliance and humor. The conversation swiftly delves into the complexities of the music industry, specifically focusing on the band MGMT and their unintentional entanglement with pop culture.

Duncan [01:01]:
"MGMT were like two friends from college, and they're into weird fucking music. Like, they're into, like, psychedelic, like '70s music and stuff."

Ruby and Duncan discuss how MGMT, initially a niche band with psychedelic influences, inadvertently created a pop hit that overshadowed their authentic musical identity. This phenomenon leads to a broader discourse on the struggle artists face between maintaining authenticity and succumbing to commercial pressures.

Ruby [05:01]:
"I think unless you're constantly questioning yourself, you slip to the easiest one, and the easiest one is always the commercialized."

---

Authenticity vs. Commercialism in Art

The dialogue intensifies around the theme of authenticity in art. Ruby and Duncan explore the inherent tension artists encounter when balancing genuine expression with the demands of the market. They ponder whether it’s possible to find a middle ground or if artists must invariably choose between staying true to their vision or achieving commercial success.

Duncan [06:37]:
"Do you ever get that feeling of, like, you have to choose when you're making art between authenticity and commercialism?"

Ruby counters by emphasizing the ease of falling into commercialism unless one vigilantly maintains self-awareness and resists the tempting allure of mass appeal.

Ruby [07:14]:
"I think unless you're constantly questioning yourself, you slip to the easiest one, and the easiest one is always the commercialized."

---

Capitalism’s Influence on Artistic Integrity

The conversation shifts to the pervasive impact of capitalism on art. Duncan and Ruby critique how capitalist structures often force artists to package their work in consumer-friendly ways, diluting originality for broader acceptance. They argue that capitalism inherently prioritizes profit over genuine creativity, leading to a homogenization of art.

Ruby [12:10]:
"And it's. And that path, like, the getting it through, it's all and it's all. It's like under. Capitalism is actually the ultimate issue."

Duncan [26:20]:
"How do you ... it's like you've deprioritized the worker and prioritized the person who owns the means of production."

---

Media Portrayal of Artists: The Case of Elliot Smith

Ruby introduces a segment about Elliot Smith’s unexpected appearance on a morning show, symbolizing the clash between an artist’s authentic self and media commercialization. They dissect how legacy media can distort an artist’s image, often stripping away their genuine persona for entertainment value.

Duncan [13:37]:
"This is the beginning of several humiliation rituals that any artist is gonna have to go through."

They highlight the absurdity of such portrayals, questioning the integrity of media gatekeepers who sensationalize artists’ personal struggles.

---

The Role of Organized Religion: Catholicism vs. Other Views

Transitioning to a more personal topic, Ruby and Duncan delve into organized religion, particularly Catholicism. Ruby shares her evolving perception of Catholicism as a source of structure and community, contrasting it with her younger skepticism. They discuss the differences between Catholic and Lutheran views on grace and original sin, with Ruby finding Catholicism's perspective on intrinsic human worth and redemption more comforting.

Ruby [52:18]:
"I think that, yes, what you're saying is correct. Like, it's easier. It's like, intuitive, be yourself in, like, as a baby..."

Duncan [52:46]:
"You're beautiful and you're made of love and you're perfect. But then you're born. And that's a bit of a tumble. Tumble. And it bruises you up and you've kind of..."

---

Redemption and Self-Forgiveness

The discussion deepens into themes of redemption and self-forgiveness. Ruby articulates a nuanced understanding of these concepts, suggesting that true redemption involves acknowledging one's flaws and embracing self-love amidst societal pressures. Duncan concurs, emphasizing the importance of compassion towards oneself and others in overcoming personal and collective struggles.

Ruby [77:04]:
"And people who fall, people who miss the mark, as you say, the farthest, and then come back to self-love somehow."

Duncan [78:02]:
"And forgiveness bot. And she is beautiful, no?"

---

Challenges of Priesthood and Authenticity

A humorous yet poignant exchange ensues about the expectations of priests, critiquing the unrealistic standards imposed on religious leaders. Ruby satirically suggests that lack of physical fitness in priests might correlate with misconduct, highlighting the absurdity of superficial judgments.

Ruby [55:00]:
"If he's a priest and he's still a priest and he's doing his duty and he's not jacked, where is that energy going? And then they tend to do pedophilia."

Duncan [57:00]:
"Jesus was ripped."

This banter underscores the broader theme of authenticity, questioning how societal expectations can distort genuine character and professionalism.

---

Emotions and Human Experience

Ruby and Duncan explore the nature of emotions, particularly anger. They debate whether anger is a primary emotion or a secondary response to underlying feelings like sadness or unmet needs. Their introspection reveals the complexities of emotional expression and repression in personal and professional contexts.

Ruby [37:34]:
"Like anger is like sadness over time that isn't being dealt with, you know."

Duncan [38:09]:
"How can you forgive anybody if you still hate yourself."

---

Conclusion: Embracing Compassion and Authentic Connections

Throughout the episode, the recurring message is the importance of authenticity, self-compassion, and genuine human connections. Ruby and Duncan advocate for structures, whether artistic or religious, that foster sincere self-expression and mutual understanding. They emphasize the need to navigate societal pressures thoughtfully, maintaining personal integrity while seeking meaningful relationships.

Duncan [81:37]:
"And how the fuck can you do that if you haven't forgiven yourself or found some way to get forgiveness?"

Ruby [84:11]:
"But it's just the people that I've met. You know what I mean?"

---

Final Remarks and Promotion

As the episode draws to a close, Duncan promotes Ruby Setnik’s new stand-up release, encouraging listeners to support her work. He also briefly mentions membership perks for the podcast, urging fans to join for commercial-free episodes.

Duncan [96:40]:
"And you must not stop doing stand up. You're so funny."

---

Overall, Episode 685 of Duncan Trussell Family Hour featuring Ruby Setnik offers a rich exploration of the interplay between authenticity and commercialization in art, the impact of capitalism on creative integrity, and the role of organized religion in personal redemption. Through insightful dialogue and candid reflections, the hosts encourage listeners to seek genuine connections and maintain self-awareness amidst societal pressures.

Transcript

[Duncan Trussell]

Welcome back, everybody. Boy, is this a great episode with a brilliantly funny comedian, Ruby Setnik. She. This is her second episode of the dtfh. I've been taking her on the road. If you have a chance to see her out there, you must go see her perform. She is a star and you can see her perform. This upcoming weekend, we will be performing at the Emerald City Comedy Club in Seattle. You can find tickets [e-mail] and now, everybody welcome Ruby Sednik. Ruby, good to see you.

[Ruby Setnik]

You too.

[Duncan Trussell]

You know what, we were talking about this before the podcast, but I think I have a way to connect it to something I'd love to talk to you about.

[Ruby Setnik]

Okay.

[Duncan Trussell]

All right. So I mentioned this earlier. One of my kids likes that MGMT song that we want. Boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop. And so, you know, you hear songs over and over.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

But you don't ever really explore the band or the song or anything about it. But it's omnipresent for a while. So I'm like, what the fuck is that song? And like, mgm. I found out the craziest thing. MGMT were like, two friends from college, and they're into weird fucking music. Like, they're into, like, psychedelic, like,'70s music and stuff. And so. Yeah, pull up MGMT. College performance. Yeah. So look at this. This is like, before they really broke out. Now I wish we could play the music. I guess we can. Whatever. Just check it out. Oh, wait, that's not it, Josh. That's a different song. Go back to the song that they. Kids, that's it. You might have to skip forward. So this. I'm. I'm pretty sure it's like, pre fame. They're at Harvard. They've been playing music in, like, you know, frat houses.

[Ruby Setnik]

Are they Harvard students?

[Duncan Trussell]

I think so. It's so cool. You know, like, now imagine it also.

[Ruby Setnik]

Feels like they're karaoke ing their own song.

[Duncan Trussell]

I. Well, I could be. They might have already been famous. I'm not sure. But what I read is they're in college together. I don't know the exact timeline here.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah, they look young.

[Duncan Trussell]

They're young. So this song, which you couldn't go anywhere in Los Angeles without hearing that song for, like, at least a year, had already gotten popular around Harvard. People were listening to it. And then they go on tour with, I don't know, an already established band. And then after that tour, whatever happened on the tour, their experience of touring, they were, like, done. All right, we're Done. One of them was maybe gonna become a guitarist for the band. Somebody from Columbia Records saw them, was like, hey, we gotta do an album. And that song. They wanted that song on the album. And they're like, no, we are so done playing that song. We wrote that song.

[Ruby Setnik]

As a joke.

[Duncan Trussell]

It's a joke. Did you know that?

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah, I do know this about mgmt.

[Duncan Trussell]

They just wanted to make pop music. And they were like, I think it's easy to make a hit pop music song. And they make it and it becomes one of the most famous song.

[Ruby Setnik]

That's so frustrating.

[Duncan Trussell]

And they have to play it forever. What started is like a just, you know, eye rolly.

[Ruby Setnik]

Like, they went on to do that a few more times. Like, they ended up in these. And I could be wrong about this, but they. I believe they ended up in, like, a contract that they didn't like, and they felt spiteful about it. And so they just. They were like, we have to write this additional album. So they just, like, jerked off and made, like, something that they thought was a joke. And then it was again, a very successful. Yes, like, amazing piece of art.

[Duncan Trussell]

They're like, oh, you want me to make trash? You want me to trash it? The people like, yeah, okay, we'll fucking do that. And Columbia Records is like, great. Oh, hurt our feelings. No, please don't make popular music.

[Ruby Setnik]

Well, it's like, when assholes try their best and when geniuses try their worst, I think it makes about the same type of thing. It. Like kids, they just make middle of the road accessible. So.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yes, yes, yes. And so they released an album, which is what they wanted to make. And of course it's not as popular. They knew it wasn't gonna be as popular. The fans who would play this at sorority houses or whatever the fuck, they were horrified at the music that they made. That album is actually really good. And. But so do you ever think about that? You don't want to be judgmental, you don't want to be cynical, but sometimes you sort of. You do look out at the world and you realize, like, I think if I just had some kind of, like, I don't know, some combination of endurance and greed, that I could emulate pop culture, what's popular, chameleon myself into that and produce something not because I want to make it, but for them. It was satirical. But do you ever get that feeling of, like, you have to choose when you're making art between authenticity and commercialism? And do you think that there is a middle ground between the two? Or.

[Ruby Setnik]

I Think unless you're constantly questioning yourself, you slip to the easiest one, and the easiest one is always the one that is the commercialized. Like. Like, I think the way that I experience it is like, there's the path that's already been stomped on, you know, and then there's the one that you make yourself, and it's. You always end up on the one that's been stomped on. And you have to bring yourself, tear yourself away from it. I think. Unless you're like a singular person who, like the only path you. You insist on being yourself all the time. I'm not like that. I will chameleon.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

I don't know.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah, I mean, I'm. Listen, sometimes I think that rude people have confused their rudeness with authenticity. I think then sometimes people think that, like, manners means being a sellout or something like that. Or just general, basic.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yes.

[Duncan Trussell]

Sensitivity to people around you doesn't mean that you're inauthentic, you know, but that.

[Ruby Setnik]

Do you.

[Duncan Trussell]

Don't you think, though, in some way, like, it's harder to do the commercial stuff? Like, in other words, like, if you're just. There is something. I mean, easy, not commercial maybe, or profitable about making the things you want to make in the world?

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah, that's a good point.

[Duncan Trussell]

But wouldn't you say, like, abandoning all that bullshit and just being like, you know what? I'm gonna make something. Cause I'm tired of. I wanna have. I wanna fly around in private planes. I wanna. I wanna. I wanna. I want health insurance. I don't wanna.

[Ruby Setnik]

Oh, I think I can. I think I get what you're saying. I think. I think that, yes, what you're saying is correct. Like, it's easier. It's like, intuitive. Be yourself in, like, as a baby, like the. The most, like, actual version of yourself. Like the most truthful. Yes. That is like the easiest thing, but it's a hard thing to do. It's harder to listen to the easy voice, if that makes sense. Like the voice that's telling you actually who you are and what you should be doing is softer and calmer. And the voice that is fucking freaking out is telling you to make is giving you bad advice. It's not like the trustworthy voice, but it's definitely the louder voice.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

I think it's easier to slip into a harder life ultimately, if that makes sense.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yes, it is. And what a nightmare.

[Ruby Setnik]

What a nightmare.

[Duncan Trussell]

Cause the very last thing you want is to be well received as something you're not.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. It hurt, but people convince themselves that. And that's why I think that's what I'm talking about.

[Duncan Trussell]

About.

[Ruby Setnik]

You have to constantly be interrogating yourself because I think you forget what you want from it in the first place. You know what I mean? Because, like, the only way to do anything is to just is doing it. That's the thing. Right?

[Duncan Trussell]

Right.

[Ruby Setnik]

But there's so many peanuts around it. Especially, like, with standup, like, what we do. But with anything, like any art form, anytime you're like yourself, there's so much stuff around it that could trick you and you think that's the thing. You know what I mean? But that's actually just the business.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

Which is so not. Which is so a different thing.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

And, yeah, like, I can make. I can go live in the woods and be funny. You know what I mean?

[Duncan Trussell]

Right.

[Ruby Setnik]

And it's just as good.

[Duncan Trussell]

Right.

[Ruby Setnik]

If not better, you know?

[Duncan Trussell]

Well, yeah. Yeah. Oh, my God. That is the. Like, one of the easy mistakes you can make when you're consuming art. Whatever it is, is you can accidentally imagine that this is an actual meritocracy in the sense that you see whoever and you think that person has to be the funniest person or the most talented singer or the best actor. And you just will never know all the people in America, in the world who are infinitely better than the best.

[Ruby Setnik]

Singer, your favorite singer, but they won't make Instagram.

[Duncan Trussell]

They won't make Instagram.

[Ruby Setnik]

You'll never know about them.

[Duncan Trussell]

You'll never know about them.

[Ruby Setnik]

It's tragic.

[Duncan Trussell]

It's awesome.

[Ruby Setnik]

It's amazing.

[Duncan Trussell]

Do they think it's tragic, though, a lot of those people?

[Ruby Setnik]

No, I think it's tragic that they don't. I think that art at its best is like someone is expressing something truthful about themselves in an intelligent way so that it's delivered. It does, at some point, I think, need to be delivered, because the best possible end result of that is, like, catharsis and people don't feel so alone. And that's good. Like, it's like, art is like a connective experience. It, like, brings people. It, like, makes them okay with stuff that they're shameful about. And it. It's a conversation, you know?

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

And I think it's good when good art reaches a lot of people. But that being said, I don't think that that's good for good artists all the time. And it's usually really bad for them.

[Duncan Trussell]

Right.

[Ruby Setnik]

And it's. And that path, like, the getting it through, it's all and it's all. It's like under. Capitalism is actually the ultimate issue. It always kind of turns into that. Or it has to. If it's like massively produced, you know.

[Duncan Trussell]

Right. You know what?

[Ruby Setnik]

That's strange.

[Duncan Trussell]

That brings us to something you have showed me. One of my favorite things, which I have watched so many times now. Do you remember the name? Do you remember the name of how. I could find it on YouTube easily. It's Elliot Smith, Morning Interview. Elliott Smith Morning Interview. You know what? If they demonetize us, it's fine, man. Well, you kind of have to play it. So this is. So Ruby sends this to me when we're on the road. I don't remember why we were talking about Elliot Smith, but. So this is actually in la, is what Aaron said. This was in la. But somehow Elliot Smith ends up on this show. Elliot Smith, the gloomy bard of like the indie gloomy minstrel, ends up on this fucking crazy morning show and just play it. It's the craziest shit I've ever seen. His CD is entitled, not surprisingly, Elliot Smith, and it is on. This is an intriguing label. Is this. Am I getting this right? Kill Rock Stars.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah, it's a punk label.

[Duncan Trussell]

Feeling a little hostile, are we, Elliot? I mean, Jesus Christ. Yeah, so back off. You wish it was. Now you. You say that. Can you pause it for a second, Josh? Just because we just. Okay, so you know. You know the lead up to Easter is Lent, right?

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah, I know about Lent.

[Duncan Trussell]

So Jesus goes out in the desert to be tempted to pray.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

Buddha goes in. Is Matt with like Mara prior to enlightenment.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

And whenever I've pictured Satan in the desert. Sinister force. Mara also sinister, dark. But I'm pretty sure, like, this is what the devil looks like this morning.

[Ruby Setnik]

This fucking guy.

[Duncan Trussell]

This is like, what if I. This is more akin to what Lucifer is than anything I've ever seen.

[Ruby Setnik]

You seem a little hostile, Elliot.

[Duncan Trussell]

And this is some bizarre. It's not the first and it won't be the last, but this is the beginning of several humiliation rituals that any artist is gonna have to go through.

[Ruby Setnik]

Morning Time tv. And I like the Satan metaphor because every time I've done it, I felt like it was hell and I couldn't imagine life after it.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yes.

[Ruby Setnik]

Or before it. Like, when you're in it, it feels like eternal suffering.

[Duncan Trussell]

It feels crazy. And you know what they're calling this shit now is legacy media. Because this is like. This is a lineage that Lucifer here is part of a lineage that has its roots in just Some in what used to be new technology and censorship. And this idea of this guy. I mean, I don't know who he is. Maybe I'm wrong, but probably if you're doing a morning show or whatever the fuck this is, you're not thinking about authenticity. You're thinking, I gotta get numbers to sell ads to make money. It's never even occurred to you that any of the shit we're talking about, you're just like. You've crystallized as part of this monolithic gatekeeping mechanism that in general will filter people. Like Elliot Smith. How many people more talented than Elliot Smith did one of these and was like, you know what? I'm going back under the fucking bridge, dude.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah, well, and this is such. And there's such duality. It feels like you're like making a cockroach hang out in the sunlight, you know, like in the most beautiful way, like in the most loving way.

[Duncan Trussell]

Very talented.

[Ruby Setnik]

He's like fucking squirming in his dark hoodie and his purple hair.

[Duncan Trussell]

A talented cockroach who loves heroin. Now, let's keep playing angry.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah, some of it. Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah, yeah. Are you. Would you. Would you classify. Because, I mean, this is. This is sort of a circus like environment to drag you into at this hour of the morning. And I'm wondering if. If there's a potential. Any of us might come to physical harm.

[Ruby Setnik]

No, I don't think.

[Duncan Trussell]

What's he talking about? Okay. Meanwhile, there's like a cyborg lady behind him. It looks like. Like there.

[Ruby Setnik]

I've seen, like, so needlessly beautiful. Why she's so gorgeous.

[Duncan Trussell]

Gorgeous, yet uncanny valley quality. And then you have some. Not a wrist pause again, by the way. It's like that puppet behind him. Yeah. If you just glance at it, you could be like, all right, that is a terrify. If I show if that puppet. If I showed that to my kids, they would scream. You know what I mean? That's. That's the puppet.

[Ruby Setnik]

Never noticed that it has a rotten tooth and a black eye, dude.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah. And I don't mean to get conspiratorial here, but, Josh, before we play this, pull up the Black Eye club. You know about this, Ruby.

[Ruby Setnik]

Mm. Mm.

[Duncan Trussell]

Images. Find that montage people made.

[Ruby Setnik]

What is this?

[Duncan Trussell]

Oh, there it is. It's down there. There it is. So all these people. You ever gotten a black eye?

[Ruby Setnik]

No.

[Duncan Trussell]

Me either. All these just. Yeah. See the Black Eye club. Who is punching them on Instagram? This is a really funny conspiracy theory, which is all of these famous people, politicians and Powerful people. Can you enlarge any of those? They all have black fucking eyes. They all get black eyes. And people think that there's some initiatory.

[Ruby Setnik]

Mechanism punched in one of your eyes.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah, they punch the shit out of you, too, when you get in the club. I know. So go back. Let's look at that puppet. I'm telling you, Ruby, look. Black Eye Club. This is the beginning. And showing him. This is them inviting him in. This is. He represents and recently initiated. You almost look at that puppet and you're like, is that puppet like Elliot Smith? All right, now press play. No, it's not.

[Ruby Setnik]

It's. It's not really folk, but it's sort of, like, foreign.

[Duncan Trussell]

This episode of the DTFH is brought to you by my dear friends at Turtle Beach. New sponsors, new friends. Because they just sent me the Turtle Beach Stealth 700. Oh, my God. If you're looking for a new gaming headset, this is it, friends. If you play on consoles, it just works. I got it working on my PlayStation instantaneously. And sure, go ahead and roll your eyes and say, that's no big deal. You're probably not 51. You probably don't have. Have dogs and children rampaging around you. You don't understand. Try to. Try to connect headphones in a cyclone of life that you love. That's what my experience every day is. And I could just do it. It just worked. These are awesome headphones. I haven't messed with gaming headphones in a while, so I got to experience that. Like, oh, my God, maybe the singularity really is coming. You feel like you're in the space. It's fully immersive. And these headphones have crossplay, meaning that my old ass can easily switch between them and my computer and my phone, Meaning you can go from playing a video game to listening to music on your phone easily, no problem. And they look cool. The only problem with them is that. And this is really bad sometimes, the end of the day, my wife likes to talk to me about, you know, like, I don't know, lots of things. Babies. Lots of stuff about her friends, about babies and babies and babies and babies and babies and stuff about how to take care of babies and how great babies are and how cute babies are. And the noise canceling on these headphones made it so I couldn't hear her wonderful stories about her friends. Babies that I love to hear so much. And I guess that's the only bummer is, like, yeah, I just couldn't hear it at all. Couldn't hear it just. Only thing I could hear was Elden Ring. Just the peaceful, beautifully orchestrated world of Elden Ring. So, I don't know. I'll reach out to them and see how I can get the noise canceling down because, boy, I sure don't want to miss any more baby stories. They're. They're incredible. Head to turtlebeach.com use code duncan for 10% off your entire order. That's 10% off your [e-mail] with promo code Duncan. After you purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. Please, for the love of God, support our show and tell them we sent you. Get the ultimate immersive gaming experience with Turtle beach today. I love Turtle Beach. Please, if you're thinking about getting gaming headsets, do use the offer code. I want more stuff from them. I'm sorry, Turtle beach, if that makes me seem greedy, but I. I love your stuff. Been using it for a long time. Thank you, Turtle. Be. What's the symbolism of that?

[Ruby Setnik]

Can I. I just feel like that. Because obviously that we talked about that. It's like a. It's like you couldn't write that in a movie. You know what I mean? If someone was gonna die by probably suicide later on, that is how you would foreshadow it. And it feels like. And I said this to you. Cause whenever I watch this, it feels like a recording of just a nightmare that Elliot is having about his own life, you know?

[Duncan Trussell]

This. No. Yeah. This is like the. As he's dying, this is like he hallucinates.

[Ruby Setnik]

This is the hallucination, which is why I feel this is the type of shit that makes me believe in God a little bit. It's like this is the type. Because it all feels like we're in this big dream soup, you know? And, like, things are just, like, mirroring each other. It's way too poetic and it's way too rit to feel random. You know what I mean?

[Duncan Trussell]

Absolutely. You're getting jeered and mocked at. And he's having to just. Whatever he's doing right now is like, he's beginning to, like, this is the same thing that happened to mgmt. This is like MGMT realizing, like, this song that they made mocking pop music will become what they're known for forever. And he's also, I think, recognizing that this is his future. This is at least a year of doing shows like this. He's probably thinking a little bit about his publicist right there. He's like, I'm paying this bitch $15,000 a month. And she sent me to this fucking piece of shit. Why is he asking me that? How do I react to this? All right, let's hit play. I don't know.

[Ruby Setnik]

It just looked good.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah. The stunt people didn't think so. What do you guys think? From the cd? They're all like, holy shit, he's so good. Shut them up. I know.

[Ruby Setnik]

This guy. He's regretting everything.

[Duncan Trussell]

He's everything.

[Ruby Setnik]

He said she's like, look at her. All of them.

[Duncan Trussell]

Cyber Babe is just. I don't know. I'm so confused by cyber Babe.

[Ruby Setnik]

I don't think here in 2025 we can call her cyber Babe.

[Duncan Trussell]

That's what he called her. Cyber Babe. It's science. Josh, pull up, like, sex. Hey, pull up sex. Pull up sex. Robot. Sex. Android. I mean, was. Is that what she was going for? Because for a second, that's an Android. Pull up the real doll right there. This.

[Ruby Setnik]

I mean, like, I wouldn't click on that website.

[Duncan Trussell]

Real silicon dolls. 24.

[Ruby Setnik]

I guess that's okay.

[Duncan Trussell]

So go back to Cyber Babe. One more over.

[Ruby Setnik]

She does have uncanny valleys.

[Duncan Trussell]

She's kind of uncanny valley.

[Ruby Setnik]

But that's kind of what happened. When someone is very beautiful, they don't look real.

[Duncan Trussell]

That's.

[Ruby Setnik]

And they become not attractive, in my opinion. I mean, I don't like people in New York.

[Duncan Trussell]

I just noticed that she. There were moments where she. Send me that website. Josh.

[Ruby Setnik]

Josh, save that website.

[Duncan Trussell]

But this. It's crazy that in our world there is this bizarre boundary between us finding out about people like that and people like that. A terrible maze that has to be navigated. There's no way around it. And the gatekeepers within that maze are just like that guy, making fun of this tortured genius. Not all of them are like that, but there's just all these. You know what I mean? Why are we creating. Why is this built in? You're saying Capitalism.

[Ruby Setnik]

I do think that that's the thing that you're getting at. It's like if once you make it so that if some. The way that you make something happen is that it has to have money around it. It. That's when it's just commercial. That's literally what it is, I think. Right. Like, I don't really have the vocabulary to describe what I'm trying to say.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah, no, Right.

[Ruby Setnik]

But like that you force it to be something that it's not because it has to be palatable enough to sell. You know what I mean? It has to be succinct enough to sell or Describable enough to sell.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

So you, you. It changes its nature has to change. Right.

[Duncan Trussell]

It has to be packaged.

[Ruby Setnik]

It.

[Duncan Trussell]

Packaged, yeah, yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

It has to be succinct and you need.

[Duncan Trussell]

And so it all seems quite logical, you know, in the sense that. Cause this is the way it's always been. When you find yourself contending with that, you're not. Even though you are. You don't. Maybe you don't quite understand why it feels so fucked up that some of the things you're dealing with feels. Feel kind of crazy and fucked up. You are just thinking, but who the fuck am I to question this system? Like, what am I, who do I think I am that I should question the system? That was the exact same system David Bowie went through, Mick Jagger went through.

[Ruby Setnik]

Well, I don't know. But then you think about what's the difference if. Cause I know I said it's good for the art to reach more people, but I actually don't know if that's true. Cause I think about before the system kind of that we have now and like late stage capitalism and whatever. Like. Like if. If we were in a small. How many people. They always say like 200 people in a community back in the, in the early times. Right. Like, and Elliot Smith was in our community, it would be fine. And he just live in the cave at the top of the mountain and we leave, you know, cheese and dead goats for him.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

And every once in a while he'd crawl out and he'd play a song and he'd play a song and we'd think about it.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

For a year. You know what I mean? And it would be fine. That would just be the world. But now it's like you have to like take someone like Elliot Smith and the market economy, like match them together. Of course it looks disgusting and strange. You know what I mean?

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

But. And I would argue like, that is what it's like anytime you take like the mushy human form and try to like make it work in like a bureaucratic system, you know? Well, yeah, it's like a weird thing.

[Duncan Trussell]

It's like when you're. When you're. When you get a call from the phone company after your mom died.

[Ruby Setnik]

Exactly.

[Duncan Trussell]

And they're like, you know, they're really late on the bill.

[Ruby Setnik]

It's like the apple. It's like the pin pad transaction after you have a child or whatever.

[Duncan Trussell]

Exactly. Oh my God. That is the. Exactly. That's the craziest collision of things, which is you. When your wife is when your partner's about to give birth.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

And you're terrified. Josh, pull up my. Aaron giving birth. Second child 3.

[Ruby Setnik]

Just pull up the robot sex.

[Duncan Trussell]

Our 3. Pull up robot giving birth.

[Ruby Setnik]

Pull up robot giving birth.

[Duncan Trussell]

Can you pull up a robot giving birth, Josh?

[Ruby Setnik]

Okay.

[Duncan Trussell]

Actually, see if you can find that.

[Ruby Setnik]

Okay. Okay, I will.

[Duncan Trussell]

But, yeah, that's the. That's the. You know, the hospital attitude.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

Oh, yeah, There you go.

[Ruby Setnik]

Victoria, pregnant robot gives birth. This is. This is. We've got to. Fetish porn. That's fetish porn.

[Duncan Trussell]

Let's pull that up.

[Ruby Setnik]

Josh, go ahead and pull that up. Josh.

[Duncan Trussell]

Meet Victoria. Wrong one. Meet Victoria. She blinks, breathes, and bleeds. She's fucking just like you. She's also pregnant and about to undergo an emergency C section. Victoria, how are you feeling?

[Ruby Setnik]

Oh, I'm not feeling well. No. Why'd they put a ghost of a Victorian child inside of that pregnant robot doll?

[Duncan Trussell]

I'm sure everything will be fine. Oh, my. Victoria is. And this is a crisis exercise. Can you pause it? Josh, pull up sex robot, please. Josh, I just want to point something out here. Sex robot. Yeah, pull up that. Any of those. That's good. That's actually. That's based on the crew that went up to space. Isn't that interesting, how quickly they made that? Isn't that cool? Actually, that's them. Mm. No, that's Jeff Bezos's office. They're.

[Ruby Setnik]

They look like they're in birthing position, but.

[Duncan Trussell]

Okay. Now pull up the pregnant top of the line robot again and let's do a compare and contrast. Go back to that. You're gonna tell me that's top of the line. Go back to the sex robot. How the fuck can they do that? And you've got this like it's a mannequin. Somebody put a tape recorder in a mannequin head.

[Ruby Setnik]

And they did put a recorder in a head. I don't.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yay. Okay, keep playing. I want to see it give birth. What's weird is it gives birth to a real baby.

[Ruby Setnik]

There's different roles in a multidisciplinary way. Nurses can be doctors. Doctors can be nurses. Novices learn how to manage crisis without the fear of harm to the patient.

[Duncan Trussell]

This is all real functioning medical equipment, and Victoria responds to everything as a human would, with a little help from someone just beyond. I don't have insurance. Who controls Victoria? I can't afford this. Responses wirelessly via laptop.

[Ruby Setnik]

Sometimes we come into here and we.

[Duncan Trussell]

Don'T know the scenario, and it's like.

[Ruby Setnik]

A Real life situation. Having an environment like this where we can. Oh my God.

[Duncan Trussell]

I could have done better, man. What the fuck? Oh my God.

[Ruby Setnik]

You know, I think actually what could be really good for society is if we changed out the sex robots to have that faith. Oh, can you her to have the sex robots faith.

[Duncan Trussell]

Can you imagine? Go back to the robot babies. Look at this. Oh my God. That'd be a fun prank.

[Ruby Setnik]

That's accurate though. That's what the.

[Duncan Trussell]

That's exactly what they look like. Realistic. And Victoria has a family. Other life sized patient simulators. Adult males do have amputated legs. What's that for? Our pediatric simulators can simulate bee stings or anaphylaxis. Things that a parent would normally experience. Wow. And right down to actually premature infants. And when things go well, Victoria delivers a baby. I want to hear her talk one more time. Victori, as you can hear, that was a C section. Victoria's baby cries and feels and moves like a real infant.

[Ruby Setnik]

Nothing's haunted.

[Duncan Trussell]

Within five minutes of Victoria's baby being born, we've injected it with 17 different vaccines and sprayed poison in its eyes.

[Ruby Setnik]

Oh my God.

[Duncan Trussell]

But that, that, that, that is definitely another example of this collision between eternal beauty and whatever the fuck we're doing right now, which we are calling late stage capitalism. But don't you think calling it late stage capitalism is kind of optimistic because.

[Ruby Setnik]

It'S about to end? Yeah. Or that's the implication.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah, yeah. Like people who say that have some fantasy that this is late stage. This, this might be.

[Ruby Setnik]

That is my fantasy.

[Duncan Trussell]

Opening phase capitalism. Why do you think it's late phase?

[Ruby Setnik]

Because I don't think it can sustain itself. I don't think you can have this much misery. I don't know. But I'm brand new and I don't read the news and I don't even read at all.

[Duncan Trussell]

You don't? I. No, I call it that just as a term of convenience because you want to come up with like some. You want to name whatever it is.

[Ruby Setnik]

The thing is.

[Duncan Trussell]

So you say late stage and then I get yelled at because it's like capitalism. You don't know what you're talking about. You're talking about. You shouldn't mix up classism with capitalism or something like capitalism is just a method of exchanging goods and services. It's not.

[Ruby Setnik]

I guess the idea is that once it gets past a certain stage, it always turns into a class issue.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah, Marxism, that's like Marxism. That's the Marxist critique of capitalism, I think.

[Ruby Setnik]

I think so.

[Duncan Trussell]

Is Pretty much like, just the way that's gonna work is you've. Because. How would you say it? It's like you've deprioritized the worker and prioritized the person who owns the means of production. You deprioritize the person living in the house and prioritize the person owning the house that people are living in. And because of that, that the money or the way that you. Whatever the symbol set is for the transactions flows up, not down. It's always gonna be a bad deal. And so therefore, at some point, I think Marx did say that it can't sustain itself. It will end.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah. I'm hopeful that it's all gonna.

[Duncan Trussell]

What do you replace it with?

[Ruby Setnik]

I don't know. I guess. And this is the thing is, whenever I complain about, like, fascism or whatever, the thing is, whenever I complain about that, people are like, well, all systems are bad. All systems are bad.

[Duncan Trussell]

Oh, yeah, that's a weak argument.

[Ruby Setnik]

I know. But I feel like that's always what I get when I, like, complain about conservatism. They're like, oh, well, everything's fascism. Eventually it's like, okay, well, then we should talk about that, because that's a problem, too. You know what I mean?

[Duncan Trussell]

I think it's more of a problem with definitions.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

You know, I'm never going to do it, but I've honestly, like, this is, like, ideas I don't do on the podcast. But I really did kick around the idea of finding somebody to play an actual Nazi fascist who is offended that the term Nazi is being used so liberally. You know what I mean? Like, you know, like. Because I do think, like, Hitler and the Nazis would take offense that a lot of, like, what they might view.

[Ruby Setnik]

As that we're using Nazi, derogatory.

[Duncan Trussell]

That is not. You're totally wrong about national socialism, whatever the fuck that is, is not national. That's not us. And fascism, too. I think it's just. These are. I think what's happening is muddled terms. And in that. And also what's happening on both sides is an immediate rejection of interrogating what's happening. Like, just the very act of looking around and being like, boy, it feels like there's a better way to do this.

[Ruby Setnik]

Well, I think just like, the primary emotion in society and in my personal life lately feels like anger. And when I was, like, a young person, a younger, way younger person, I always felt like anger wasn't like a. Like, if. If the metaphor is like, primary colors and secondary colors.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

Like, anger Is not a primary emotion. It's a secondary emotion. It's always a result of a more primary emotion being suppressed. And then that turns into anger.

[Duncan Trussell]

Anger. Oh, wild.

[Ruby Setnik]

I. I don't. And I don't. I'm not getting that from anything.

[Duncan Trussell]

It's just how I've always felt as a parent. Let me tell you.

[Ruby Setnik]

You don't.

[Duncan Trussell]

Anger.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

Is a primary emotion.

[Ruby Setnik]

I think you can trick yourself. Like, you don't real. Because you think. Because the babies are feeling upset.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah. They're unfiltered and they get mad.

[Ruby Setnik]

It's because the need isn't being met and the need represents a more primary emotion. Or like, it's a. It's like. Like anger is like sadness over time that isn't being dealt with, you know? You know, and for a baby, the time scale is smaller.

[Duncan Trussell]

They just get pissed.

[Ruby Setnik]

Right to pissed.

[Duncan Trussell]

They get pissed. And it's a. It's just a way of, you know, the problem with anger. And I get why people.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

It's so dangerous because some people feel like they're malfunctioning if they're angry or something must be off with me, or I shouldn't express it or, you know, the expression of anger in an unbridled way is a failure as a human. Yeah. And then you just get the repressed. You get people who stuff all their anger down and then, like, it comes out in surprising moments at weird times.

[Ruby Setnik]

Totally. And I think I don't trust it. Like, whenever anybody's, like, really angry about something, I think that there's something underneath it. Like something like when it, like, like I get that the. The trans stuff is hard and it takes. It takes people a while to warm up to new ideas. But whenever guys are, like, super angry about, like, trans women, I'm like, oh, that's what you jerk off to. That's the only way you can come. I think. You know what I mean?

[Duncan Trussell]

I mean, I'm not arguing with you here, but, like, I. It is impossible for me to jerk off and not be angry no matter what.

[Ruby Setnik]

No, that's exactly my point. I think that, like, furious. I think that, like, horniness for men, it makes them. Because it takes up so much of men's time and so much of their thoughts that whatever it is that they jerk off to makes them angry because they wish that they could read a book. You know what I mean? They wish they could take a walk.

[Duncan Trussell]

That's why I jerk off to books.

[Ruby Setnik]

That's. Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

I just. Library pictures. I can't read.

[Ruby Setnik]

I can't borrow books from you.

[Duncan Trussell]

I can't read. That's why I'm so angry at books.

[Ruby Setnik]

But I don't even know what I'm talking about.

[Duncan Trussell]

No, I think. No, I think what you're talking about is really. I love thinking these things because it's the deconstruction of whatever the current cultural obsessions are and the positive and the negative. Like having the courage not just to analyze why this is wrong to me, but then why is it right to them? Put yourself in their shoes, whatever it may be. Or high heels in some people's case. Like put your. Like try to take all of your potentially justifiable critiques of something that you have seen. Don't even worry about the sources. Let's just take your sources, whatever they are. Even though if you've been getting shit from like some slanted algorithm, fuck it. Just let's imagine all that's real. But then do you have the ability to go to the other side and completely understand that side too, and why? And because even if they're wrong, let's take something a little less, like, culturally relevant.

[Ruby Setnik]

Sure.

[Duncan Trussell]

Witch burning.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

That was real.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

You would find a woman.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

Drag her out of her house and just burn her. You torture her first. Yeah. You'd get her. You torture her until she admitted that she kissed a goat's ass under the full moon and had been casting spells on the village. And then you would incinerate her.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

And so we hear that and we're like, wow, people were so fucking stupid back then. Yeah. But they weren't doing it like LARPing.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah. And you can't blame. Because the instinct is to be like, what's the fucking phones? And I do think that that adds like a lubricant to like, mob mind and stupidity. It's easier to hate through the cell phone. That's not a new thing to say. And I'm reminded of it all kind of with what I do and the people that I meet. But, like, we've always been worse as a group. Like, we used to burn women because they read books. You know what I mean? Like, we used to get together in the town. Not because of Facebook, not because, like Instagram, not because of like a dirty algorithm or Zuckerberg or whatever, but we as a group, with our feet on earth, after a long day of thinking all day, we just had all day to think and work, decided it was time to burn a woman at 6pm after supper, which was made out of grains we didn't have plastics in our brains and we've always been a flawed species.

[Duncan Trussell]

Well, that's it. And when you look back at. Or you watch some, I don't know, there was a great movie, the Witch. I think when you look back at like any.

[Ruby Setnik]

The witch.

[Duncan Trussell]

The Witch. When you look back at whatever those moments are, at least when I do that, you don't realize that those people actually thought they had to do that. They believed they had to do that. There was a real sense of this is the right thing to do.

[Ruby Setnik]

Well, yeah, and I think it takes a special type of autism to go against the grain. You know, you always have the people. There are always the people who like hide the Jews or like are like, actually, I have slaves, but I don't think it's good. You know what I mean? They're like these people who go against the grain and they're weird and they're one offs because they whatever thing in their brain is different and they don't. They're not as susceptible to like the weirdness of the group mind that allows us to treat people really horribly, you know?

[Duncan Trussell]

You know, the current Pope or I mean the late Pope, he was controversial, right?

[Ruby Setnik]

I do know that, but I don't know a lot about it.

[Duncan Trussell]

Pull up Pope. Pull up the sex question from sex robot.

[Ruby Setnik]

Sex robot.

[Duncan Trussell]

No, pull up, pull up Pope takes question from non binary teen. See if we can find it. Scroll down, I'll know when I see it. Pope takes. Maybe they might have actually said queer. Pope takes question from like, like a queer. Pope takes question from twink. Queer twink. Pope takes question from queer twink.

[Ruby Setnik]

It was like Pope graciously takes a question from a fucking queer.

[Duncan Trussell]

Well, it wasn't what you would expect if you. Okay, like, yeah, play just any of those. Like this is why people got. Got pissed off at the end of the day. Oh, wait, I should read this. Go back to the beginnings of. People who don't speak Italian are like, what he's saying. Being homosexual isn't a crime. It's a human condition. We are all children of God and God loves us as we are. And for the strength that each one of us has to fight for our dignity. Being homosexual is not a crime. It's not a crime. Let's make this distinction first between sin and crime. But it's also a sin to like charity with one another. So what about that? So. Oh, oh, that. It was like a lot of people like, no, the pumpkin fucking say that. And you know, I've been watching all these things with this particular Pope. And it's the like, I don't know if he was like a saint, but the consistency in what he was saying over and over and over again was God loves you. And this divisive mode of thinking between people is he didn't say it like this, but is fucking everything up.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

And he was like just always some kid, you know, a Catholic kid who's like, I guess gay or I don't know what he's calling himself, but you know, asked the Pope about this and his response was, these people who are saying this stuff that you're asking about are. He called them infiltrators. And so there you have the fucking Pope. Whether you like it or not. That is one of the great Christian leaders on planet Earth, which is why when he died. Marjorie Taylor Greene, pull up that shit. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted after the Pope died on Twitter. I think it was on Twitter. This episode of the DTFH has been supported by Lucy. These are wonderful nicotine pouches. Lucy breakers have an extra surprise. Each pouch holds a capsule that can be broken open to release extra flavor and hydration. They taste really good. I like Lucy Wintergreen. And also I'm a weirdo. And I've always enjoyed like in the spy movies, you know when they crunch the Sinai pillow. This is like the opposite of that. Like, you get to pretend you're like a spy, crack down on that thing. But instead of getting cyanide and falling to the floor, dead or unconscious, you get an extreme blast of hydration and flavor. It's the perfect addition to something that was already perfect. If you haven't tried them, you should. Also, there's something really weirdly satisfying about that crunch. You know, I'm a nicotine man. A nicotine pouch man. My endorsement, the nicotine pouch. I don't give it lightly, but I hereby award Lucy with the D T F H Triple Diamond Nicotine Pouch award. There's only three diamonds in it. Top tier nicotine pouch. You get the flavor, you get the. And it's nice. Mixes things up a little bit. Also, they're great and they don't make me puke like some other pouches do. Gentle, delicious, 100% pure nicotine. Let's level up your nicotine routine with Lucy. Go to Lucy Co Familyhour and use promo code FamilyHour to get 20% off your first order. Lucy has a 30 day refund policy. If you change your mind. Again, that's Lucy Co and use code familyhour to get 20% off of these Incredible pouches. And here comes the fine print. Lucy. Products are only for adults of legal age and every order is age verified. Warning. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. Huh. I didn't know that. Today there were major shifts in global leaderships. Evil is being defeated by the hand of God.

[Ruby Setnik]

Wow.

[Duncan Trussell]

That's. That evil that she is talking about is a guy who is saying we have to find a way to love each other for our differences.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah. It's really simple. I think that. Because it's interesting and I like, I've been curious about.

[Duncan Trussell]

I know you like Marjorie Taylor Greene, and this wasn't a personal attack.

[Ruby Setnik]

Now I've been curious about organized religion as a way of imposing structure upon yourself in a good way. Like being a person who has, like, morals and values and, like, reads a book and sits in a room every week with a group of people facing the same direction and thinking about God. And I think it's good. And I felt frustrated in the past. Like, when I was a younger person, I would have frustrations of, like, why do people need God to be good? And like, all of these questions. But now I almost. I'm like, I need a father. You know what I mean? Like, it is like. But anyways, the point is, is that I've been learning about Catholicism and it's actually kind. It's more optimistic than I understood because, like, there's the Lutheran thing of, like, grace in. If you're a Lutheran. Grace is like the metaphor is that it's like. Like you're basically cow shit and you're bad. By being on earth and being human, you're bad.

[Duncan Trussell]

Original sin.

[Ruby Setnik]

And then grace is like the way that you paint yourself so that God's view of you is good so that he just has a good thing to look at. Like, he has a good view out of his window. It's like the snow on the cow shit that makes it just, like, nice for God to look at you. Whereas Catholicism is more like you're born onto the earth. You're. You're beautiful and you're made of love and you're perfect. But then you're born. And that's a bit of a tumble. Tumble. And it bruises you up and you've kind of.

[Duncan Trussell]

You're.

[Ruby Setnik]

You get fucked up.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

By being born.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

Which makes sense. That makes sense to me.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

And then life is about redemption.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

And so the way that I've been thinking about that is that, like, from the Catholic perspective, but this isn't even about Catholicism. It's about a way of looking at things and people, which is that, like, everything is misery, and then love is just the way through it, kind of. And that is beautiful, and I like that. And the only way that I've ever found optimism to be palatable is in a box of pessimism. I've talked to you about that. I think that's what makes you great, is that you make hope palatable by, like, being kind of, like, funny and shitty and, like, sarcastic around it. And then in. Underneath that, you're saying something hopeful, and that's the only way that you can take it. Otherwise, it's just not believable.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah, Well, I do think that's. Yeah, I agree with you. And I think, of course, of all the things of. Like, Christianity in general is so misunderstood. But, of course, Catholicism is gonna be misunderstood.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah. Cause it's culty.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah. And it's like the. It's strict. It's formal. It's. You know, it can be. Depending on what mass you go to, it can be boring as fuck. It can seem.

[Ruby Setnik]

It is really boring. It's not like church, where.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah, yeah. There's all kinds of sort of, like, aspects to it where, you know, you look at, like, these mega churches and, you know, it's like some kind of insane Broadway production. It's trying to, like, keep you entertained. Whereas Catholicism is not like that.

[Ruby Setnik]

Have you met a lot of. Cause, yeah. Cause you're Catholic, so you've met. Sorry, is that.

[Duncan Trussell]

My wife is Catholic.

[Ruby Setnik]

Your wife is Catholic?

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

Have you met Catholic priests? Yeah, they're so charismatic.

[Duncan Trussell]

They are.

[Ruby Setnik]

Because they have to. Because that's the job. And then some of them are like. Like. I met one recently who's, like, jacked. He's, like, jacked. And I realized, oh, that's the only way that they're trustworthy, actually. Well, like, if he wasn't.

[Duncan Trussell]

You don't trust them if they're not ripped.

[Ruby Setnik]

No. Because then they're a pedophile for sure. You know?

[Duncan Trussell]

Wait, hold on a second. Everything.

[Ruby Setnik]

They're not jazz.

[Duncan Trussell]

You're saying if the priest is not ripped, he's a pedophile.

[Ruby Setnik]

Absolutely. Or he's fucking laid. He's someone. He's fucking someone.

[Duncan Trussell]

Okay, help me out here.

[Ruby Setnik]

If he's a priest and he's still a priest and he's doing his duty and he's not jacked, where is that energy going?

[Duncan Trussell]

This is the craziest shit I've ever heard in my life. So. Okay, wait. Walk me through. Okay. First. Okay, let Me just say in the priest class in general. I don't mean just Catholicism, Episcopalians, rabbis, I don't care who they are. Shamans, gurus. One expectation I have never had is for them to have a six pack. I've never been like, dude, your shamans.

[Ruby Setnik]

Now that I've told you this, you're going to notice that like 50% of them do. And the 50% of them that don't are probably. You're going to think to yourself, oh, yeah, he kind of seems like a pedophile. Because think about it, Duncan. If you couldn't. If you had to just sit around with your balls all the time and you just couldn't come and you weren't working out, you. The come has to go somewhere. It either goes into your.

[Duncan Trussell]

Why does it have to be a kid?

[Ruby Setnik]

No, not again. There's so many things to. It's not that he's a pedophile. I'm just saying that he's not being a good priest if he's not working out. And. And then they tend to do pedophilia.

[Duncan Trussell]

Anything like this before.

[Ruby Setnik]

Do you understand the point?

[Duncan Trussell]

Jesus was ripped.

[Ruby Setnik]

Jesus was ripped.

[Duncan Trussell]

Jesus was not ripped. So my. Jesus was. Pull up a picture. Pull up. But then pull up. There are ripped Jesuses. Pull up.

[Ruby Setnik]

Because this is like. This is why it becomes a thing in when people choose to, like, sexually repress themselves.

[Duncan Trussell]

There's your Christ.

[Ruby Setnik]

Weird way.

[Duncan Trussell]

There's Ruby.

[Ruby Setnik]

Not a pedophile. And I'll stand by that. And I stand by that. Jesus is not a pedophile. You can quote me on that. Pull up the sex robot. Look.

[Duncan Trussell]

That'S your God.

[Ruby Setnik]

Because he's dealing with his abstinence correctly. Well, I mean, that's what I mean.

[Duncan Trussell]

Okay, like.

[Ruby Setnik]

Like, if I'm saying that it's not one or the other, but there's a spectrum of being a pedophile to being jacked within priesthood.

[Duncan Trussell]

The one critique of pretty much all forms of monastic Christianity, especially even Jesus that I've heard, which is kind of tough to argue with, is it's like, if you don't have. Like, relationships are such a huge part of the human experience. Like, knowing intimacy at that level is such a huge part of the human experience. And so the argument is like, don't you need to know the full spectrum of what it is to be a human being? If you're going to offer any sort of advice or counsel to people, don't you need that? And this has, I think, been a debate in the Catholic Church, hasn't it, Josh, Aren't the priests always sort of. Isn't there some faction of the Catholic Church that is pushing towards non celibacy? Yeah, church. I mean, look it up.

[Ruby Setnik]

But there's an argument too that like when. That they're. They have a clear perspective on human relationships because it change the AI overview, you guys is not trustworthy. It's word salad.

[Duncan Trussell]

Go down to clerical celibacy in the Catholic Church. Scroll down a little bit. In February 2019, the Vatican acknowledged that the policy has not always been adhered to and that rules have been secretly established by the Vatican to handle clergy who violated their vows of celibacy. Some clergy have been allowed to retain their clerical status after violating their vows of celibacy and even after secretly marrying women. Prefect for the Congregation for Clergy, Cardinal Benjamino Stella also acknowledged that child support and transfer have been two common ways for such clergy to maintain their clerical status And. Yeah, yeah. So this is like, this is definitely to me seems like something that would benefit the Church is if the Popes could fuck. Well, yeah, if they could just. If they could get married. If they could experience what it's like to like, you know, be in a rough spot in a marriage. If they could experience what it's like to you know, just all the stuff that goes along with like marriage or dating or any of this stuff that the people that they're talking to are going through, they would probably be more effective.

[Ruby Setnik]

That makes sense. But at the same time, it's like if you want effective, a scientifically proven counsel, that's more the place of a therapist, I think.

[Duncan Trussell]

And you think so?

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah, but I mean, it's an issue because like, within. More like within, like the conservatism that is like within that is like people who go to church are more likely to not really buy into the practice of therapy or whatever because of the weird. But what I'm. I think what I'm saying is like, there is an argument to be made for like, innocence leading to a type of knowledge. Like the way that like someone who's never written a song before, they don't know any of the rules and so they are more likely to make a mistake that is something that's actually new and maybe even more beautiful than if they do. Than if they're like classically trained or something. So like there is something to be said about like, it's like if a baby could talk.

[Duncan Trussell]

I disagree with that. I think that though not to brag, I did study psychology in school and I do think I do Think that.

[Ruby Setnik]

Show them the certificate.

[Duncan Trussell]

Where's my certificate? This one's mine. I don't have yours. What the fuck? You got to keep my certificate around. Hold on one second.

[Ruby Setnik]

You got. You got to keep my certificate around. Josh, you gotta keep.

[Duncan Trussell]

I apologize.

[Ruby Setnik]

I have to put it on the wall.

[Duncan Trussell]

My wife and I went to a priest and got some counseling. Oh, I loved it. He said that, I am the leader of the house. She needs to listen to me. And I was like, this is cool.

[Ruby Setnik]

Is that true?

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

Oh, no, no.

[Duncan Trussell]

Look.

[Ruby Setnik]

Why'd you put your sunglasses?

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah. When I don't want my certificate, I put on my sunglasses. So this is a certificate, friends. This says. This certifies that Douglas Trestle is an expert in physics, computing, history, art, geopolitics, philosophy, et cetera.

[Ruby Setnik]

It says et cetera. And it does say et cetera.

[Duncan Trussell]

So anyone out there listening to this who, like, feels like I. First of all, are you certified, Ruby?

[Ruby Setnik]

No.

[Duncan Trussell]

Okay.

[Ruby Setnik]

Not in et cetera.

[Duncan Trussell]

There we go. So uncertified person talking. Certified person is now talking.

[Ruby Setnik]

He printed this out. The paper is more thin than toilet paper.

[Duncan Trussell]

Can I also point? Okay. All right. And that's exactly what you're gonna get from the uncertified. This is a blue ribbon.

[Ruby Setnik]

It's blue.

[Duncan Trussell]

But you know what that means first place. No, it does.

[Ruby Setnik]

You're number one in certificates.

[Duncan Trussell]

No, it means it's.

[Ruby Setnik]

You're number one in fake certificate making.

[Duncan Trussell]

It is fake. Oh, really?

[Ruby Setnik]

I just saw.

[Duncan Trussell]

Can you put your hand through it?

[Ruby Setnik]

Barely whisper.

[Duncan Trussell]

It's clearly real. It's taking up time, space. So it's real. This is a real certificate. This is like, totally this.

[Ruby Setnik]

You're such a shit bird about your certificate specifically.

[Duncan Trussell]

Here's the problem with the lawyer.

[Ruby Setnik]

You're great. You're like, a great guy. And this is.

[Duncan Trussell]

The Disney certificate has overtaken the modern leftist. Your postmodernist questioning of reality has led to literally. I have a certificate right here. Holding it up, it blocks my face. Hello.

[Ruby Setnik]

That doesn't make sense.

[Duncan Trussell]

So therefore, this is.

[Ruby Setnik]

What do you mean, hello?

[Duncan Trussell]

It literally says certificate.

[Ruby Setnik]

Josh is holding up this.

[Duncan Trussell]

And, Josh, show me yours. Well, I don't have a camera, but. But mine said Josh. Josh, that's a certificate. It says. What is it? May I ask? Yeah, what does that say?

[Ruby Setnik]

It says of expertise.

[Duncan Trussell]

No, this right here says certificate.

[Ruby Setnik]

I know it says certificate.

[Duncan Trussell]

Say it busted. It says certificate because you said, this is not a certificate.

[Ruby Setnik]

I say that it is not a certificate.

[Duncan Trussell]

You did.

[Ruby Setnik]

Josh, playback where I said that it's Thin paper.

[Duncan Trussell]

No.

[Ruby Setnik]

That you printed out.

[Duncan Trussell]

You said this is not a certificate. It is. Oh. So what do you think? Where do they print certificates at?

[Ruby Setnik]

I don't know. At the printers.

[Duncan Trussell]

They appear once a person. No, this is a real certificate, et cetera, of expertise. And I am an expert. But. No, I think that.

[Ruby Setnik]

But I see what you're saying. I don't want counsel from someone who's never had sex before unless they're jacked, in which case I'm like, okay, you're dealing with your sperm. I'll talk to you.

[Duncan Trussell]

But the. I think that maybe there's also, like, in the modern sort of secular world, there is this rejection of the priest class, which has been a fundamental element in human society in some way, shape or form. The mystic, the shaman, the whatever, and the spiritual advisor. Way older than therapists. And in that. The other thing that is, like, especially with Catholicism or Christianity or any of these things is like, until you participate in it, like, you really. It's like licking the outside of a jar that has honey in it. You're not, you know, you're not gonna. It's all gonna seem weird. None of it will make sense. It will all seem justifiably so. Or the critique of. You know, a lot of times when I get it, like when I'm like, on Reddit and there's like the inevitable, you know, tap dancing on the grave of God, how awful, you know, this religion or that religion is. And I read the comments, you realize, like, oh, my. That Christianity that they are rejecting, if that was Christianity, I'm also rejecting that. You should fucking reject that for real. And then it's like, oh, they've sort of woven together a version of a thing that isn't even it.

[Ruby Setnik]

Well, we don't do a lot of dramatic acknowledging without religion in society that we don't have structures that sort of. Yeah. Dramatically acknowledge the fucking misery of life. You know what I mean? It's all just like, it's okay, go to work, take care. It's going to be. Go to thing. Make sure to put your shoes on.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

And at no point, unless you're going to church is someone like, God's. God's watching. This choir of children is singing beautifully and the candles are melting and we're all in a big room with high ceilings thinking about death.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

You know, and I don't know. I think it's good.

[Duncan Trussell]

And then you get the deep thin. The bottom drops out because. Yeah. That's the craziest moment in any kind of temple, but Christianity, where I would reckon that unless you're born into it and really got lucky with whoever was articulating it to you, you're rejecting it. But for whatever reason, for a lot of people, it's quaint, it's interesting. Maybe you just feel like you want to be around people.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

But you're still playing around the idea that this is just a quaint form of primitive, like, you know, imaginary. I'm not saying you're literally thinking that, but at some level you might be like, okay, you're a little imaginary Jesus friend, but I kind of want to be around people. And then it's like a fucking tiger pounces on you and you feel something real.

[Ruby Setnik]

Real and like the love of Jesus Christ.

[Duncan Trussell]

And then you have to reckon with that. And that part of your mind that has been telling you that the default reality secularist world is the most sophisticated form of human existence. It has to reckon with the experiential reality of whatever the particular thing is. It's inevitably way older than some passing fashion.

[Ruby Setnik]

Definitely.

[Duncan Trussell]

And then you're fucked.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

Now you're really fucked. Because it's like if you're a whole. If the whole concept of interacting with reality is truth, we must live according to our own truth. Truth.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

And then you experience something that doesn't. Is maybe the least cool thing. Loving Jesus.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yes.

[Duncan Trussell]

That is not cool.

[Ruby Setnik]

It's not punk rock.

[Duncan Trussell]

That is so embarrassing. Like really? And your smartest friends are gonna like just be like, are you okay? You need to get the fuck out of Texas.

[Ruby Setnik]

Because you feel loving Jesus in you?

[Duncan Trussell]

Well, no, because you have to deal with like, I mean my own experience with that is. It's embarrassing. Like because for me, the.

[Ruby Setnik]

Because loving anybody's embarrassing too.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah. And now you're gonna like act. And it's, it's certainly not unique. It's one of the biggest world religions. So now. But now. But for me it's just the eat. You have to deal with that part of you that thought it was, this was bullshit and thought you were actually right and like the majority of the planet was just.

[Ruby Setnik]

Can you tell me? Can you tell me? Because right now my thing is, is that I feel guilty all the time. And what do you, from what you've learned in your long life of talking to interesting people, what are. Can I know your thoughts about like redemption and self forgiveness? Do we have time for that?

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah, pull up the sex robot. You pull up the sex robot. Let me show you. There's a forgiveness bot. And she Is beautiful, no? Well, you know, the friends, they say that the unreleased dream will gradually just destroy you. The unactualized dream, it lives inside of you like a piranha stuck in an old ham chained to the floor of a cursed lake. And eventually, if you don't find a way to get that piranha out of your ham chest, it's going to devour you. That's your dream. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who said that sometimes just taking that first step is all it takes. You might see a dam, think to yourself, wow, that dam is very powerful. Then you get a little closer and you realize, holy shit. I think if I just move that brick, I could take this whole dam down, flood the valley, teach the farmer. Took my wife a lesson about why not to mess with me. Show him what justice is, turn his farm into a cursed lake, throw some piranhas and old hams in there, like the Coleridge poem. And sometimes a little step is all it takes. And sometimes that little step is making a beautiful website. Squarespace. Thank you for supporting my podcast for so long. It's such a great service. Why are you sleeping on it? Why are you sleeping on your dream? I'm serious. You gotta have some kind of online presence. And let me tell you, you don't want to go down the dark path of trying to build your own website using some kind of HTML software. God help you finding a web designer. At least try Squarespace first. You're going to be shocked. I've used it recently to build a website. I do check on it from time to time because there's always new innovations that they've applied to it. It's always been great. But now you can put your social media feeds on it. You can have paywall up if you want to do that. Obviously, like, you can sell merch. It's got a million options for people to. For all the various services out there for people who want to buy your stuff. And even better, it now has this incredible AI that will help you, like, through all of the steps. That can be somewhat tedious in the creation of a website. I just used them, like five months ago and it wasn't like, within hours. After several vodka sodas, I was able to whip together a really awesome website. And if you're interested in checking that out, and if you're interested in seeing that website, go to sheratonsflight.org this is a website dedicated to my late son, Sheridan Trussell, who unfortunately drifted away on some balloons that I thought would be funny to tie to him. And did not do the right calculations for weight of baby versus the power of the balloons. Anyway, it's an awareness website and I was able to make this on I think at least three, maybe four vodka sodas at like 3am and it just did it. The AI was basically like the friend who like drives you home. It just did it. It helped me. It's incredible. You got to try them out. Squarespace is awesome. So if you're thinking about starting a website, give Squarespace a try. Head over to squarespace.com duncan and you can try it out for free. And when you're ready to launch, use offer code Duncan. You'll get 10% off your first order of a website or a domain. Again, that's Squarespace.com Duncan. And use offer code Duncan to get 10% off your first order Of a website or a domain. Thank you, Squarespace. You know, I, I, I have, I like doing as I said, et cetera means comparative religion in there. But I think a lot about Buddhism and Christianity these days and trying to find some kind of where are the connecting points. And so in Christianity, you, the way you're, there's going to be this growing recognition of what I would, I guess like what you might call the most beautiful thing ever. Just incredible. Like you know, if there's kings and queens and royalty and fame all of, and you've had some experience with what you thought was the most high tech, cutting edge thing when you brush shoulders with what people would call the Holy Spirit or Christ consciousness or whatever it may be, when somehow it gets through the cracks and you get some sense of not only is this the most beautiful thing I've ever encountered, but it seems to be, it seems to be directly interested in me as I am. It doesn't seem to be rejecting me at all. And yet just some sense of it at all gives me a feeling of like, God, I'm so fucked up. I'm so fucked up. And you, because maybe you've been doing a very good job at rationalizing your selfishness. You know what I mean? Maybe you've, as many of us have you think that you've decided your self interest is there's something spectacular about the way you've been living your life, which is always putting you in thoughts about yourself and your importance and what you need is the nucleus of everything, even in the negative. And suddenly you just start realizing, oh, ugh, ugh, I'm so self absorbed. I was everything. It's always, even if I's not making it about me, it's about me, isn't it? Everything I do, I'm thinking what do I get out of this?

[Ruby Setnik]

And that's what stand up can do. Or like being in the industry, you want to talk about like corrosive stuff, you know what I mean? On the side of it.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah. Or capitalism transactionalism. Yeah. And then there's suddenly this sense of like, that is not the road to happiness at all. Self serving attitude has not been doing anything for me at all. And then. Anyway, the point is, I think the beginning phase is a sense of like, for lack of a better word, like shame or guilt. It's like in the same way, like if you step on dog shit.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

Or God help you, you get on your hand, you know, like you're not. You need to smell it. And not like the smell, it's gonna get you to the grass or whatever technique you use to get dog shit off of your shoe.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

So that initial sort of awareness, it's identified in Buddhism too. You start meditating and you just have to deal with all the decisions you've made that suck.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

And there is no lipstick on the fish. There is no snow on the cow shit. No snow on the cow shit.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

But where Christianity addresses this is by saying, that's everybody.

[Ruby Setnik]

Everybody feels everybody.

[Duncan Trussell]

You can't be perfect in the world. You're not going to be perfect in the world. There is no. Whatever standard you've been holding yourself to. It doesn't matter what you've done. That Aaron was telling me.

[Ruby Setnik]

And that's the thing of that. We're all kind of born a sinner a little bit.

[Duncan Trussell]

And sin apparently means missing the mark.

[Ruby Setnik]

So that's so beautiful. That's so neutral.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah, yeah. So that, that. And then it's not like, okay, so go flog your back or like go, go beat yourself up or go torture yourself or do like you know, carry like what her mom was doing. That kind of insane shit.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

But rather recognize you are contending with the exact same thing everyone's contending with. And then maybe you can find a way to be kinder to people around you, regardless of what side of the political spectrum they fall on. Because everybody's dealing with this insane predicament.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah. You ever go to AA or any 12 step type thing? Sure. Yeah. It's just a. I just. Because it's a similar. When people get in a room and they get up and they talk about like the worst shit they ever did and everybody's like, yeah, yeah, me too.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

Nice to meet you.

[Duncan Trussell]

That's it.

[Ruby Setnik]

It's so good. We should do that just for everybody, I think. But then I'm saying that as an addict, where I'm like, I think people need that, but maybe they don't. Maybe just addicts need it.

[Duncan Trussell]

No, I think everyone, I think wherever. What's really sad is this what we call the puritanical attitude.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah.

[Duncan Trussell]

It doesn't seem to actually align with politics in the way I once thought. I used to think the puritanical attitude was a purely conservative way of being sex negative squares who hate Dungeons and Dragons and goths or whatever and drugs.

[Ruby Setnik]

You hate what they did for Dungeons and Dragons.

[Duncan Trussell]

It's funny and awful. But then you realize like, oh my God, when you look at the puritanical attitude of people who are excoriating podcasters for being Nazis for saying the wrong thing, you realize that, oh my fucking God, though what is being judged is different. The attitude is the same thing that I recoiled at when I realized I was being judged by somebody who thought they were better than me. Cause they went to fucking church and that I did drugs and love psychedelics and it was not gonna wait for marriage to have sex. And you realize, though the data set is completely different. The attitude condescending, exclusionary, judgmental and manipulative. And also, weirdly, missionary in intent, the shunning, all of that, you realize, oh my God, if there is a spir of evil in the world, that's what it fucking looks like. Not the data set. The data set, whatever. They're upset about some legitimate things. The mechanism of reproach is so fucking identical.

[Ruby Setnik]

I hear you.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah. You know what I mean?

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah, I do.

[Duncan Trussell]

And so this is why this sort of concept that the Pope is talking about and you hear about in Christianity is so I think why there's some kind of bizarre Christian resurgence happening is because it's a great antidote. Because it isn't saying, everyone's right, everyone's right. We should pretend everyone's right. We should pretend there's no transgressions. We should pretend that there aren't people who've done legitimate harm in the world, but rather first step, recognize they're like you, you're like them, and find a compassionate way of dealing with.

[Ruby Setnik]

To live on earth together.

[Duncan Trussell]

And how the fuck can you do that if you haven't forgiven yourself or found some way to get forgiveness? How can you forgive anybody if you still hate yourself?

[Ruby Setnik]

And people who fall, people who miss the mark, as you say, the farthest, and then come back to self Love somehow. And that's a long journey. I think those are the nicest people. Usually those are the most trustworthy people. It's like what you're talking about with the priest. You want someone who's lived a hard life, who's done the wrong thing, and that's who you want to talk to, you know? That's who I want to talk to.

[Duncan Trussell]

But also the idea that, like, priests just were born priests. Like, I'm pretty sure a lot of priests, like, were born babies.

[Ruby Setnik]

I'm pretty sure a lot of them were born babies.

[Duncan Trussell]

That is not true.

[Ruby Setnik]

With.

[Duncan Trussell]

That's why it's very dangerous if you have a. Like that. Maybe that's why they can't have sex, because they. Their babies are always priests. And that will destroy a mama.

[Ruby Setnik]

Oh, yeah. Priest baby. With you yonketing on it, it's a baby.

[Duncan Trussell]

You know, it's cool that you've been thinking. It's interesting. I guess I didn't realize that was happening, that I've been thinking about religion, organized religion.

[Ruby Setnik]

It's just. Cause I'm around this Catholic family all the time who are just the friends that I've made in Austin.

[Duncan Trussell]

Me too. I'm around a Catholic family.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah, Your fucking own Catholic family I'm around.

[Duncan Trussell]

They're all Catholic now, except me. Because you just.

[Ruby Setnik]

You are who you're around, you know? Because the people are all we have. That's the thing, Duncan. That's why I'm thinking about so critically. That's a big part of why I'm, like, questioning my whole life and career and whatever, is because in the three years that I've, like, strayed from home in pursuit of standup or whatever, the only thing that I give a shit about after all of it, is just the people that I've met. And it's not enough to keep me in Texas, you know what I mean?

[Duncan Trussell]

Or wherever.

[Ruby Setnik]

It doesn't even. Or New York or Massachusetts or like, the weird places that I've gone, you know what I mean? Like, all that. That I've gotten out of it are these people that I've just. And I love them. These people that I've met. You know what I mean? I love them so much. And I wish they all lived in the same goddamn town with Elliot Smith in the cave.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

But they don't, you know? And so you end up. I've just. I'm questioning, like, if it's. I think people are just the only thing, you know. And so. Yeah. And so, yeah, I've been Thinking about organized religion, which is so fucking random. But it's just because, yeah, the people who are my community right now happen to be Catholic, you know, and so that's the lens by which they view the world. And I love them so much that I want to look through their lens, you know, well, look, judge a tree.

[Duncan Trussell]

By the fruit, you know, Let me tell you, there is like, I just. The way my brain works is I just have to accept things as they are, regardless of how, like, much that kind of, like, fucks with my head. And I can't deny, like, every encounter I've had with people in our community, people who, like, go to the Vatican, hang out with cardinals and stuff, and is completely the opposite of what I thought they were going to be like. Yeah, And I'm having a deal.

[Ruby Setnik]

Smart and charismatic and sweet.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah, and really, like, real sweet and like. And not like some kind of, like, trick that you might experience if you were getting, like, recruited into something that doesn't feel like that. There's no love bombing happening either. There's none of the classic cult signs. That's just this, like. Like, loose, loosely connected group of people, some of them more connected than others, who have, like, found this philosophy. They're all sort of aligning then on. That's really old. So, yeah, I am having to contend with that a little bit in my own head because it's like. It's so beautiful and I have to, you know, I might have to eat shit a little bit because.

[Ruby Setnik]

What do you mean?

[Duncan Trussell]

Well, because I think of all forms of Christianity, the one that I've been most judgmental of is Catholicism for no reason at all, other than what we all. For reasons. Because we all hear about, like, the child abuse shit and pretty much anything that's hurting kids. It's like, I'm out. But then obviously that is not, like, doctrine. And I've talked to Catholics and they hate it. And their explanation of why is so brilliant. That isn't what I thought. Which isn't the repressed priest thing, but more in line with, like, this is what happens when power imbalances are happening inside of the structure of Catholicism, where people are not. Or, like, have too much power. I don't know why. I don't know why. But yeah, what the fuck? Why are these Catholics? What's going on with these Catholics being all nice? You want to see something that'll make you cry? Did you see.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah, pull up the sex robot?

[Duncan Trussell]

This is actually.

[Ruby Setnik]

When's that gonna stop being funny?

[Duncan Trussell]

Pull up the. Pull up the sex robot that cries when you break up, then pull up.

[Ruby Setnik]

The one that jacks off when you break up.

[Duncan Trussell]

Pull up like Pope. I don't know why I went on a poke kick. It was on Reddit. Pope answers question Pull up kid who loses son or kid who lost his dad. Ask Pope a question. This fucking cheap.

[Ruby Setnik]

I'm not allowed on Reddit anymore.

[Duncan Trussell]

You just.

[Ruby Setnik]

I've decided that this one little boy.

[Duncan Trussell]

Asks Pope Francis, is my dad in heaven? This will fucking kill you. Those with Robin Hood gold. What's up with the Robin Hood commercials? They're so weird. Remember when they robbed him? The beginning part they cut out. Which is. The kid wouldn't go up there. He was just crying and he couldn't ask the question. Belle's faith. In 2018, a shy 8 year old boy named Emmanuel Balderi met Pope Francis. And in that moment, something extraordinary happened. Something that would shape his soul forever. Now at 16, Emmanueli vividly recalls the embrace, the words of comfort, and the incredible bond he shared with the pontiff. This is gonna be amazing if he's in jail. Children of Rome's corvial from jail, he told us what it was. Emanuele stood at the microphone too, overcome with emotion. Just play what the kid did. We don't need the narration. What the fuck? Why is there always some dude who ruins everything? Nobody needs it. Get out of there, man. Find the other one. But then, when it came time to.

[Ruby Setnik]

Ask the question, I felt a strong anguish.

[Duncan Trussell]

Now go with the actual Pope talking about. I mean not, no offense, that is the kid when he's older. But like Jesus, who edited that there. Pope gives USA Today. God damn it. Why is there always somebody who's. A boy in a blue shirt is sitting here? You can see his hand as it moves in front of his face. He walks to the microphone.

[Ruby Setnik]

Self insertion.

[Duncan Trussell]

This is so sad. He's worried his papa isn't in heaven because he's an atheist. Technically, your papa's nowhere based on your papa's.

[Ruby Setnik]

Little boy.

[Duncan Trussell]

I know. Killed me. Okay, so the Pope is saying a short time. Okay, go back a little bit. Josh, you're not helping. This man never felt more. I asked Emmanuel permission to repeat his question in public, and he said yes. But he said, please put piano music to it. So I'll say it out loud. A short time ago, my dad died.

[Ruby Setnik]

Gay for father.

[Duncan Trussell]

He was an atheist, but he had all four of his children baptized. He was a good man. Is my dad in heaven?

[Ruby Setnik]

The violin. This is heart today.

[Duncan Trussell]

What a beaut. What A beautiful thing that his son says of his father. He was good. That man gave a beautiful testimony to his children for his children to be able to say. He was a good man. But unfortunately, his father is burning in hell. I mean, up until that point, it was great. But why? It's so sad he said that, though. I mean, what the. Really? Are you kidding? No, obviously he said that. Like, obviously, you know what he said. But, you know, what did he say?

[Ruby Setnik]

He said that.

[Duncan Trussell]

Keep playing. I'm sorry. Keep playing. I just feel weird. The violin's killing me. That he has inherited. It's a beautiful thing that he's inherited the strength of his dad. And also that he has the courage to cry before all of us. If that man was capable of raising children like this. It's true. He was a good man. He was a good man. God is the one who decides who goes to heaven. But how does God's heart react to a dad like that? How? What do you think to an audience interaction? A dad's heart. God has the heart of a father. And faced with a dad, a non believer, who is able to have his children baptized and to give them that courage, do you think that God would be capable of leaving him far from him? Do you think so? See, this is a pro. Okay, that's beautiful. But I do have a problem with this where I'm just kind of like.

[Ruby Setnik]

You know, because it's just the baptized thing.

[Duncan Trussell]

No, it's like, couldn't God like maybe killed his dad?

[Ruby Setnik]

Oh, yeah. Well, that's God's plan. And then they're always like, that's where that plan.

[Duncan Trussell]

I mean, like, there is a. There's got to be a part of you, you know, like, Sarah Silver used to have this great joke, which is.

[Ruby Setnik]

Like so many great God jokes.

[Duncan Trussell]

Make a wish, kids. Yeah, you know, how did it go? How did that joke go?

[Ruby Setnik]

I don't know.

[Duncan Trussell]

Make a wish kiss. I mean, well, there. There is one wish.

[Ruby Setnik]

There is one wish.

[Duncan Trussell]

I'm so fucked up.

[Ruby Setnik]

Why do you have to call it that? Oh, yeah, she goes, it should have been called Make a different wish.

[Duncan Trussell]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But, you know, I guess, like, to me, Ruby, I. I'm so like, I. Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway this spring. Refresh your spring personal care items and earn four times points on all your favorites when you shop in store or online. Earn 4 times points when you shop for items like Pantene shampoo, Gillette Fusion, five razors, Secret body spray, always Pads Loves Diapers, Pepto Bismol and Nervive Nerve Relief Cream. Then use your rewards for discounts on groceries or gas. Offer ends May 20th. Restrictions apply. Promotions may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details. I don't like I'm an orphan. Like, both of my parents are dead. Well, now I have a family. But anytime I go chasing after some place, that place, minus the community that you're talking about, it's just like a set.

[Ruby Setnik]

Do you worry? I worry about the wound, the. The dad shaped hole or whatever. The thing you're talking about, the orphan wound. And you go running into the world and I think that it tricks you and it can trick you over and over and over again and it's like, tricks you with, like you're filling it with alcohol, you're filling it with you're smoking all the time. Or stand up, unfortunately, like stand up, you know what I mean? But you can treat anything in your life badly if you're using it to distract yourself from your big old orphan hole. You know what I mean? Like, it's so scary. It's this thing. I feel like I've tricked myself over and over again into the thing that actually isn't for me. I'm just looking for authority.

[Duncan Trussell]

What if it's not your dad, though?

[Ruby Setnik]

No, my dad or whatever.

[Duncan Trussell]

What if it isn't a dad shaped hole? Yeah, that's the other trick, isn't it? The other trick is you want an explanation.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yeah. For the sake of narrative.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah, the story. You find a reason that this is. This neurosis exists and then if you have that reason, it's less of a chaotic world. But oh my God, what if that's not it at all? Do you ever think about not to say that clearly these are where we crystallize as humans? But.

[Ruby Setnik]

Well, that's the thing with that we're saying. I guess that's what I've been thinking about recently. Because with Catholicism, that's the thing of like when you're born, it's just that that's the tumble and all the mistakes you are making just because you got. You had to be born. So you know what I mean? And all the wounds that you have are just the wounds that happen when you fall out of the ethereal heaven or whatever and have to be on earth with the dirt and the bugs and the capitalism and the presidents and the knives and the blood.

[Duncan Trussell]

Yeah.

[Ruby Setnik]

And then so inevitably you get wounded. No matter. And some wounds are bigger than others.

[Duncan Trussell]

Take up your cross Take up your cross. That, I think is a real divergent point between Buddhism and Christianity is that whereas Buddhism kind of deconstructs the identity, so you really realize, like, it's not a dad size hole, it's a universe size hole that you confused with. But whereas with Christianity, that's where they just split. Because Christianity is like, no, yeah, just forget about, like. It's not about. It's not about the hole, it's about the soul. It's about Jesus, it's about connecting the.

[Ruby Setnik]

Back of a car. It's not about the hole, it's about the soul.

[Duncan Trussell]

It's not the size of the hole, it's the size of the soul. You're the best. Thanks for coming on here.

[Ruby Setnik]

Yes.

[Duncan Trussell]

And you must not stop doing stand up. You're so funny. You got any? You got any? Have you been headlining A little bit? Ruby, you got any shows coming up?

[Ruby Setnik]

I was not right now. I had. I need to figure out how to. I need to do that. But I. But I just had a bunch of. I had the Don't Tell set come out, so that's cool.

[Duncan Trussell]

Where is it? Where can people.

[Ruby Setnik]

It's just on YouTube. The don't tell did took footage of me that is very nicely lit and sounds nice. And it's seven minutes.

[Duncan Trussell]

Oh, my God.

[Ruby Setnik]

Good stand.

[Duncan Trussell]

That is so great. All the links you need to find it will [e-mail] come see us in Seattle. You can see Ruby live and she's brilliantly funny. And thank you so much for coming on the show. All right, that was Ruby Setnik, everybody. All the links you need to find her will [e-mail] or just do a Google search. Remember, if you want commercial free episodes of the dtfh, all you have to do is become a member. And if you're listening to this, go to patreon.com DTFH for commercial free episodes. I gotta get out of here now. Goodbye. Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway this spring. Refresh your spring personal care items and earn four times points on all your favorites when you shop in store or online. Earn 4 times points when you shop for items like Pantene Shampoo, Gillette Fusion, five Razors, Secret Body Spray, Always Pads, Loves Diapers, Pepto Bismol and Nervive Nerve Relief Cream. Then use your rewards for discounts on groceries or gas. Offer ends May 20th. Restrictions apply. Promotions may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.