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Brett
You're listening to the HMS Podcast, brought to you by MMP guns.com your most trusted online marketplace for firearms, ammunition and accessories.
Dick Toledo
It's Dick Toledo for FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook right now. With FanDuel, you can make the smarter play with performance trends. You can get the latest stats right inside the app and see who's heating up. Get started today by visiting FanDuel.com KUPD and you'll get started with $200 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place your first $5 bet. Make every moment more with FanDuel, official sports betting partner of the NBA 21 plus and President Arizona first online real money wager only $5 first require bonus issued as non withdrawal bonus bets that expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms of sportsbook.fanduel.com gambling problem. Call 1-800-next-step or text NEXT STEP to 533-42-IT'S-AY, and Tombstone Tactical is turning up the heat with unbeatable deals on SIG and Springfield firearms all month long. Grab a 9 millimeter Springfield starting at just $279.99 or take home a SIG pistol starting at only $369.99. Whether you're upgrading your carry gun or adding to the collection, now's the time to buy. But these prices won't last forever. So swing by Tombstone Tactical and save big before May ends. For full info and store location, hit up tombstone tactical.com.
John Holmberg
Still streaming Homburg's Morning Sickness online at 98kupd.com I hope to Leo's doing what I just asked him to see if we can get that done in time, but I have. If you're not watching, are you watching any of you guys start Black Mirror Season 7? Any of that? Gotta watch that show. Man, oh man, is that good stuff. But the first episode, the very, very rarely do I watch TV and think to myself, oh, that might start something. You know, like I've always thought people that blame video games and violence and movies and things for why their kids are dicks are just lazy parents. That's kind of all they have. The imagery and the misery of it all. Yeah, all right, maybe. But I don't think so because too many. Your kid was going to do that no matter what, you know, because then explain to me why it happened years ago when kids would lose their minds and they didn't have video games and stuff like that then just, you know, it's happening so much more often. No, it's not but this thing I watched on Black Mirror in episode one, I thought, oh, that's a thing. Because there's money involved. And whenever there's like a payday at the end of something, people will do things. In the episode from episode one of season seven, which is kind of a. It's a dark comedy. The episode's a dark comedy. It's Rashida Jones is in it. And basically it comes down to this family's kind of making ends meet. They've got this new technological thing that keeps his wife alive and it's hard to pay for it. So he's at work and this guy at his work is like on this website and he's just laughing. He's like, you need to get back to work. And he goes, no, no, I'm on Dumb Dummies. The website's called Dumb Dummies. And so he's looking into it and it's basically essentially, it's like only fans only. It's just, how bad can we. How bad can we abuse the guy online and give him money? Like, let's put him up to chore. So it's essentially the old payday stuntman only accelerate it. So the one guy's got a cup of his own, the big old thirst buster of his own urine and people are like, pennies, you know, take. And it gets to like, when he gets to like 13, he'll drink it. So he's just raising little bits here and there. So in order to make some real money, you know, you start doing more absurd stuff. So you start seeing the lead character in the show. He's now, he's missing a tooth. You know, he's down there doing Dumb Dummies to keep his wife alive with this new technology. And then a picture of him at work with a fist that's now a giant dildo that the guy who watches Dumb Dummy saw him on. So it became public. Well, I'm like, well, that's, that's going to be a thing now. There's going to be people with ideas. Well, here it is. Streamer. Lets follow followers. Chinese water torch him. Water torture him for cash. So basically he sat online for 12 hours and the dripping thing on his forehead, which is designed to make people insane, like the old, the old torture, the Chinese water torture, which you'd always hear. So every drop of water was 3 cents. So it's pretty low. It's almost like having a record deal. You're not getting tons of dough. But he's sit there forever and did the water. He Made a machine that would drop water depending on people's donations and lay beneath it.
Brady
He ended up 16 solid hours with.
John Holmberg
One pee break for the list of donations. The episode of Black Mirror is called Common People, and they're saying he got the idea from this. It's a new thing that they want to start a website to say, hey, if people are willing to do it, is it wrong? But when you start looking, you're like, oh, boy, this is. There are people who are going to do this. You know, the things you'd have to do are going to get worse and worse and worse. This is something that TV made happen immediately and said, all right, if you want to do horrible stuff for money, we'll pay for it. And who's worse, the person doing or the people paying for it? So the guy got the water torture thing, and he's like, you know, mentally, he's not completely normal, so he's trying to do another one or he wants people to do it again. Another torture to suggest, like, maybe waterboarding. And he'll take money for that. And you can donate, but it's you really, who the donator is the problem on this more than it is waterboarding. Says who? Or what? Physically, I'm wondering, maybe you could die. You could die from once. You know, I don't know if it's. I don't know if there's a limit. Like, oh, it's your fourth time. You're definitely gonna die here. But that's. Yeah, this is the first time I've ever gone, well, this is definitely TV's fault. If this guy did this because he saw in Black Mirror, oh, yeah, I could do something like that. I think people have been doing. It's probably a dark web thing. I mean, the idea isn't fresh how.
Larry McFeely
Much I'll hang myself, right?
John Holmberg
And that's what it'll turn into. It'll be like, oh, okay, I'll. If you guys donate money to this cause, I'll do something terrible. Cut my arm. And we have those people who do that to cut their wieners off. That one guy just went to jail for the eunuch guy who was frying up people's balls voluntarily. He had a store. But that becomes. Whether it. See, that's free market enterprise to me, that's free market capitalism. If there's an audience and you're. And you make money doing it, then there's a demand. So that means it's on the audience. That means it's us. If there's. If you can make enough Money, doing stuff to torture yourself. And you know, that means that we're consuming your product.
Larry McFeely
So it's more on us now that gets out there. More.
John Holmberg
More people would do it. So you know somebody. Well, yeah, I say that. I'm with you. I say let them do it. And people who want to pay for it, if your stunts good enough, that's it. That's a thing. But they're. They're already trying to say, like, we can't do this. And they're trying to blame Black Mirror. And it's like, no. If you take these ideas and enough people give you money to do it, you can't make stupid illegal. They'll just find different ways to do it. But then you start wondering, would I. How. How. How down on my luck do I have to be to go get donate? Like, first off, for me, even, like, go fund me? I have to be pretty down the list of, like, before I turn to the Internet and just beg.
Larry McFeely
Wasn't there a case, I mean, all the way back when, like, Superman was either the cartoon or the. The original one where a kid basically jumped off on a cape and they were trying to blame it on Superman.
John Holmberg
Because, oh, yeah, thought he could fly. Yeah. Everybody always tries to blame something else for why their kids are dumb.
Brett
Well, those kids had off themselves listening to Judas Priest records.
John Holmberg
Right? Right.
Larry McFeely
I don't know.
John Holmberg
They were dumb.
Brett
Yeah, yeah.
John Holmberg
If the record, if anything, tells you to do something that's just like. And you can buy it at Tower, it's on you. Because otherwise. Now, again, the argument that the lawyer had with the Judas Priest suicide was plenty of people have listened to this and not killed themselves. So it's not them. It was the person doing it. Like, yeah, suicidal thoughts don't come from hypnosis. Through a record, you have to have that. So where does it go? But yeah, this one says, have you seen the movie Nerve, John? It's just like that. But people are daring you to do something, and the winner gets rich. And I don't know, but how bad would it have to get for me to, like, be with that boxer was to take it. Yeah. Because we all have a price. Well, Squid games, that's a total.
Larry McFeely
But talk about another thing that would. Oh, I got the idea from that.
Brady
But you're dying.
John Holmberg
There's no need for money at the end. If there's death in the end, it's just torturing yourself.
Larry McFeely
People are trying to survive to win.
Brady
Sure.
John Holmberg
But they've been placed in a situation where they're going to Only one will live. Like you know I'm not doing that. I'm not going to get involved in that deal because it's like there's the end game is just not torch cut off a finger something we all say that every man has his price and we always usually make it about what would it take to blow a guy.
Brett
That's usually typical man what it is.
John Holmberg
But I mean if Brady and I are look you know much money we could make doing this. Think about it. Let's just put it right out there. You standing next to me with your with your willie out and me saying if we don't hit $1 million by the end of the day I won't blow Brady. I mean people would like to watch that for the laughs. You and I walk out with 500k laughs and tears. You and I walk out with 500k each or each.
Brett
Okay. All right.
John Holmberg
We put a million dollar deal. I'll do it right now. $1 million deal on it. You get to watch me blow Brady in the most and I would do it only to make Brady so uncomfortable it would be and then the guilt you'd have to live with afterwards. If I made you finish.
Larry McFeely
Yeah.
John Holmberg
I'd walk around with like a championship belt on just to constantly remind you of how hilarious that is. Morning sickness.
Byron
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Brett
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Dick Toledo
Guns.Com It's Dick Todleign for FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook right now. With FanDuel you can make the smarter play with performance trends. You can get the latest stats right inside the app and see who's heating up. Get today by visiting FanDuel.com KUPD and you'll get started with 200 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place your first five dollar bet. Make every moment more with FanDuel, official sports betting partner of the NBA 21 plus in President Arizona first online real money wager only. Five dollar first deposit required. Bonus issued as non withdrawal bonus bets that expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms of sportsbook.fanduel.com gambling problem. Call 1-800-next-step or text NEXT STEP to 53342.
John Holmberg
Morning sickness. Sure gay for a little bit, but eh, you know, everything's paid for. We're all good.
Larry McFeely
Thermal camera with a shotgun.
Brett
It's a good thing Tripp's not in town. How much did you say?
John Holmberg
I knew it. I don't.
Brett
I would rather.
John Holmberg
What would you rather do? Torture yourself for gay stuff?
Brett
Torture myself?
John Holmberg
Would you really? Oh yeah. You'd like cut off fingers before you.
Brett
Yeah, I'll cut off a finger.
John Holmberg
You and I sitting in a room. People want to give us a million dollars and all you gotta do is.
Brett
Blow me or cut off a finger. I'll take the finger.
John Holmberg
No, that's dumb.
Brett
I got nine others for a million dollars.
John Holmberg
Look, nobody's gonna give you a million dollars. Hold on. Nobody's gonna give you a million dollars for one thing.
Brett
That's what you said.
John Holmberg
You cut off your hand. You cut off your hand. Blow me. See, I just like. Okay, you cut off both hands. Now we have an agreement.
Brett
Well, it's. Both were men.
John Holmberg
You're gonna blow me?
Brett
Yeah.
John Holmberg
Every man has a price. Oh, absolutely.
Brett
Oh, I'm not saying there's not.
Dick Toledo
Yeah, he's just saying you weren't there.
Brett
That's right, I wasn't. Yeah, you didn't number yet.
John Holmberg
Grateful that you had both hands while you did it.
Brett
You don't want.
John Holmberg
So would you. Yeah, but we all kind of, you know, we think, oh, that's just terrible. I can't believe society. But we all deep down Think. Geez, you put the right price on it. What would I do?
Brett
I don't think that guy got the right price.
John Holmberg
That boxer. Oh, the boxer did not get paid enough. For what? Taking two willies? That's a. That's a big price. But a million dollars, Brady. And all you got to do is stand there and take it. Oh, hilarious. And I guarantee you I would make you explode.
Brett
Ready?
John Holmberg
I can't believe I finished. And every time I. There wouldn't be a second of being in a room with you, I wouldn't be staring directly into your eyes after that. I love you. Just loved it. I would try to make you live your life with just the greatest. Like, you think you're carrying weight now? Oh, boy. Oh, boy.
Dick Toledo
Hold on.
John Holmberg
I can't even be in a room with you anymore. Let's go for another million. God dang it. Okay. All right, I'm in. I'll do it. It's a lot of money anyway.
Larry McFeely
It wasn't that bad.
John Holmberg
No, it would be great for you. I'd be. But I. For the laughs and for your disc. I can get over it. I'll be fine. Like, yeah, you blew Brady. I'm like, yeah, a million bucks. Screw you. I did it. Yep. I'll do it again, too. And people are going to get no ammunition with him. With you. Saw you on video there getting blown for a million dollars. Just, you know, that's not.
Brady
What'd your mom think of that?
John Holmberg
Oh, God.
Larry McFeely
Wasn't me.
John Holmberg
Oh, Kirby. Wondering.
Dick Toledo
Resort to lying.
John Holmberg
You got to face your God for that. Except for, you know what the better part would be?
Larry McFeely
I think I got bigger issues.
John Holmberg
Yeah, no, you know. You know, you don't have any issues. You know, it'd be rough, though, is explaining how come Kirby's car is brand new, all that. Like, that would be the tough stuff.
Larry McFeely
Oh, that's nice.
John Holmberg
All the stuff you'd buy for the family and then realize how you got. How you ascertain this, how you got it. Yeah, that doesn't bother me. But the torture thing. And when you watch the. The show Black mirror, the episode's called common People, when you watch the show, they don't really show him doing anything. He just shows up, beat up. They do show him with that thing on his hand that's just this gigantic and essentially just sits there until people are like. And they suggest, like, all right, take it and do this. I'll give you another 30 bucks. $500 to put this here. And he's like, all right. And he just Accumulates money. We'd all do it. Brett would do it before he cut his own hands off. What's your limit?
Brett
Fingers are gone.
John Holmberg
But you cut your hands off before you do that. No, you'd blow me first for sure. What a moment of pride. Anyway, that's the world we live in now. So. And for those of you who are trying to follow Brady earlier this morning explaining how $100,000 is worth another amount of money, somebody did email and explain it very well. He said, if you take the cumulative or average of the United States and make that your baseline of what a hundred thousand dollars is based on all the major cities together. Boom. And then say, now you can break them down on which one has the most value through that. It's very difficult.
Larry McFeely
That's what I thought when I said.
John Holmberg
No, you didn't.
Larry McFeely
When I read the story.
John Holmberg
Then you would have had to explain that better than. That's a really good question. That's proof that when you said that's a really good question, that meant you had put no thought into the baseline. And here's how it's easier to understand. Brady sounded drunk, so we made him drunk. Here's drunk Brady doing that story all over again.
Larry McFeely
They did a little research on saying what $100,000 salary will get you in various cities comparison. What's that worth in New York? Nothing around a $30,000.
John Holmberg
Yeah. Job here, huh.
Larry McFeely
Basically a hundred thousand dollars in New York equal to $30,000.
John Holmberg
Yeah.
Larry McFeely
And Phoenix, it's worth about $77,000.
Brett
Compared to what?
John Holmberg
Yeah.
Larry McFeely
Compared to the expense of living. Yeah, but I guess.
John Holmberg
But what are we comparing it to? Because a hundred thousand dollars in Phoenix is a hundred thousand dollars.
Larry McFeely
How far it goes depending on where you live, compared to earning a hundred thousand dollars places the individual tax filer at the upper limit at 22% tax bracket.
John Holmberg
Yeah, but that's. It's got to have a baseline of something to comp it to the cost.
Larry McFeely
Of living in those cities.
John Holmberg
We understand that. Where is the hundred thousand dollars? 100,000. You can't have your statistics without.
Larry McFeely
Yeah.
John Holmberg
Where it's worth exactly 100,000. And Brett's. He's about to start swinging. You see what we're saying?
Larry McFeely
The top 20 cities where they're saying that there are. It is not the most expensive.
John Holmberg
No, we're not asking that.
Larry McFeely
Yeah.
John Holmberg
What's the. In order to have this work, you have to have a 100,000 equals 100,000 in order to make the baseline.
Brett
Yeah.
Dick Toledo
Which city is $100,000?
Larry McFeely
I'm looking right now. 89,000 is in very close. Oklahoma. Texas.
John Holmberg
Higher. Brady, higher.
Larry McFeely
It doesn't give the $100,000 city.
Dick Toledo
So it's a flawed study.
John Holmberg
Yeah.
Brett
What's Izzy doing?
John Holmberg
Yeah, let's go over and see if Izzy can figure this out.
Larry McFeely
Yeah, it's. What is the base city of $100,000? That's a great question.
John Holmberg
Really is.
Dick Toledo
I love it when things wash over you.
John Holmberg
It's just the learning curve with Brady bogus.
Larry McFeely
It might be.
John Holmberg
It might be what?
Larry McFeely
But it's probably covered by that ad.
John Holmberg
Oh, yeah, There's a big ready to remodel ad over the top of the story. So he skipped a really crucial part because he printed the ad. That makes tons of sense. There it is. It's gotta be above that. You little gem. That's too good. I like drunk Brady. We haven't done that for a while. That's a really good question, Gina.
Larry McFeely
You might never ask that because, you know, you, you, you.
John Holmberg
No, that made me cry.
Larry McFeely
Talking with people and you're saying, oh, I make $60,000. I'm like, that'd be like $30,000 in San Francisco.
John Holmberg
No, no, that's a baseline. You made a baseline with that. You made this the median. You made this your hundred. Yeah, that's your baseline.
Larry McFeely
That's at the end of day.
John Holmberg
So you bring up another city on cost of living comparatively to what you've baselined, though. You can't just say randomly. Cities. This is what it's worth versus what you'd have to have one. Gina, you might be worse than Brady in that one because she just texts and goes, did Brady get slowed down? He sounds drunk. Oh, my God, Gina. That was the whole purpose of the. All right, you got to do a disclaimer for all of it, I guess. Anyway, there you go. I enjoy that a lot. We got a rock horse coming up in a little bit. It's 98, Arizona's most powerful rock radio station. He said fully erect.
Brady
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John Holmberg
All you have to do is go.
Brady
To reactdefense.com the home of Tactical Black.
Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Arizona: Episode Highlights (04-16-25)
On the April 16, 2025 episode of Holmberg's Morning Sickness on 98 KUPD, host John Holmberg and his co-hosts—Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo, and Larry McFeely—delved into thought-provoking discussions centered around the societal impact of media, personal responsibility, and economic disparities. Below is a comprehensive summary of the key topics, insights, and dialogues from the episode.
[01:13] John Holmberg kicked off the conversation by referencing the latest season of the acclaimed series Black Mirror, specifically Season 7, Episode 1, titled "Common People." Holmberg highlighted the episode's exploration of how financial incentives can drive individuals to perform increasingly wild and dangerous stunts for views and money.
John Holmberg ([02:45]): "It's a dark comedy. Rashida Jones is in it. Essentially, it's like OnlyFans but more absurd. The protagonist starts with minor stunts for pennies, escalating to severe self-torture for donations."
The hosts dissected the episode's premise, where a man performs self-torture—such as enduring water drops simulating Chinese water torture—for donations to support his family's medical needs. This portrayal raised critical questions about responsibility: Who is at fault when individuals compromise their well-being for financial gain? Is it the creators who depict such scenarios, the individuals who choose to engage, or the audience that consumes this content?
Larry McFeely ([05:42]): "It's more on us now. The audience creates the demand, pushing performers to their limits."
The discussion seamlessly transitioned to historical instances where media and societal influences were blamed for personal actions. Holmberg drew parallels to the infamous case involving Judas Priest records and their alleged link to teenage suicides, a claim that was later debunked.
John Holmberg ([07:17]): "The lawyer argued it wasn't the records causing the deaths, but the individuals themselves. So, where does the blame really lie?"
Similarly, references to the Superman cartoon were made, where a tragic incident of a child attempting flight sparked debates about the influence of fictional heroes on real-life behavior.
John Holmberg ([07:34]): "Everyone tries to blame something else for why their kids are dumb, but often, it's just them. The media reflects the underlying issues."
A significant portion of the episode was dedicated to examining the intersection of free market capitalism and self-harm for profit. The hosts debated whether the onus lies with the individual performing the act or the audience that monetizes it.
John Holmberg ([06:33]): "If you can make enough money doing stuff to torture yourself, then there's a demand. It's the audience that's consuming your product."
The conversation ventured into hypothetical scenarios, with Holmberg humorously proposing that he and Brady could perform extreme stunts for a million dollars, emphasizing the absurdity and ethical implications of such pursuits.
John Holmberg ([12:10]): "If you and I did something like that for a million dollars, people would watch for laughs, but where do we draw the line?"
Transitioning from media influence to economic analysis, the hosts revisited Brady's 100k Brady Report—a study examining the purchasing power of a $100,000 salary across various U.S. cities. The discussion critiqued the study's methodology, particularly its baseline definition of $100,000.
Larry McFeely ([15:03]): "They did some research, saying $100,000 in New York is like $30,000 elsewhere. But what's the baseline?"
Holmberg pointed out flaws in the study, noting that without a clear baseline city where $100,000 equals $100,000, comparisons become skewed.
John Holmberg ([17:52]): "You can't just say $100k in Phoenix is $77k without defining the baseline. It's a flawed study."
The hosts emphasized the importance of context when evaluating financial data, highlighting that the cost of living varies dramatically across cities, thereby affecting the real value of salaries.
Larry McFeely ([16:43]): "In Phoenix, $100k is worth about $77,000 when adjusted for living costs, compared to $30,000 in New York."
Throughout the episode, Holmberg and his co-hosts maintained a balance between serious discourse and lighthearted banter, ensuring an engaging listening experience. Their playful debates about extreme stunts and humorous hypotheticals added a layer of relatability and entertainment to the discussions.
Brett ([12:55]): "I would cut off a finger for a million dollars."
John Holmberg ([13:08]): "Nobody's gonna give you a million dollars for one thing. You cut off your hand? Blow me first, Brady."
As the episode concluded, Holmberg touched upon the importance of critically evaluating media influences and economic studies. He reinforced the notion that both individual choices and audience behaviors play pivotal roles in shaping societal norms and trends.
John Holmberg ([19:26]): "We bring up another city on cost of living comparatively to what you've baselined. You can't just say randomly. Cities. This is what it's worth versus what you'd have to have."
Conclusion
The April 16th episode of Holmberg's Morning Sickness offered listeners a deep dive into the ramifications of media influence on personal responsibility and the economic complexities of income valuation across different regions. Through insightful discussions and engaging dialogues, John Holmberg and his co-hosts encouraged critical thinking about the content we consume and its broader societal impacts.
Whether you're a regular listener or tuning in for the first time, this episode provides a compelling exploration of contemporary issues that resonate in today's fast-paced, media-driven world.