D.O.G.E, The American Dream, Google's billion trillion dollar fine

Summary

Right About Now with Ryan Alford: Episode Summary

Title: D.O.G.E, The American Dream, Google's Billion Trillion Dollar Fine
Host: Ryan Alford
Network: The Radcast Network
Date: November 15, 2024

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1. Bitcoin and Dogecoin Surge

The episode kicks off with a discussion on the recent spike in cryptocurrency values, particularly Bitcoin and Dogecoin. Following Trump's election victory, Bitcoin experienced a dramatic surge, reaching $90,000, sparking conversations among the hosts and guests about the viability and timing of crypto investments.

Ryan Alford ([11:08]):
"Could have made 10 bucks."

Chris Hansen ([12:01]):
"Honestly, Dogecoin is the real big hitter right now."

Chris Hansen shares his strategy of taking a larger position in Dogecoin, emphasizing the potential for substantial returns. He advises listeners to adopt a systematic investment approach, such as setting aside a fixed amount weekly, akin to contributing to an investment fund.

Chris Hansen ([12:08]):
"Set it and forget it and walk away and look back in a year with this administration that's pushing it and Elon, Musk around and see what happens."

2. Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.)

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to Elon Musk's unexpected appointment to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, cleverly shortened to D.O.G.E. This development intertwines with the rising popularity of Dogecoin, creating a synergistic marketing opportunity.

Brianna ([13:29]):
"Elon made a post on X says the Department of Government Efficiency. The merch will be fire."

Ryan Alford ([14:02]):
"Borrowed interest. Shared interest here. Because good for both."

The hosts humorously speculate on the implications of this move, pondering whether it was a deliberate strategy to capitalize on the Dogecoin trend. They discuss the potential benefits of branding and merchandise associated with D.O.G.E., highlighting the playful intersection of government and cryptocurrency branding.

3. Google's Enormous Fine from Russia

The conversation shifts to Google's recent legal troubles, where Russia has imposed a staggering fine of 2 followed by 36 zeros dollars—a figure that far exceeds Google's market value and even the global economy.

Brianna ([22:00]):
"Russia has decided to find Google an amount of money. It’s a 2 followed by 36 zeros."

Ryan Alford ([23:04]):
"Do you even think they're going to write that check?"

The hosts express skepticism about the enforceability of such an astronomical fine, debating whether Google will ever be compelled to pay. They analyze Russia's actions as a strategic move, possibly to make a political statement or as a deterrent against censorship practices by multinational corporations.

Chris Hansen ([23:14]):
"Well, it's larger than the entire global economy."

Ryan Alford ([24:27]):
"But all that tells me is they know that they're never going to write that check."

4. The American Dream: Evolution and Attainability

A substantial and engaging segment delves into the concept of the American Dream, its evolution, and its current attainability. Hosted by Ryan Alford, Chris Hansen, and guest Brianna, the discussion explores differing perspectives on what the American Dream means today and how accessible it is in the modern socio-economic landscape.

Ryan Alford ([26:33]):
"What do you think is the American dream from two sides: personal and general sentiment."

Chris Hansen ([26:57]):
"I think the assumption the American dream is what we grew up thinking, right? A house, kids, dog... It's harder to attain with the tools we were taught."

Chris highlights the shift in strategies required to achieve the American Dream, emphasizing the importance of residual income and personal branding in today's digital age.

Brianna ([28:27]):
"The American dream is everybody has opportunity here. It's a free country, lots of freedoms we can take advantage of."

Brianna offers a personal perspective, reflecting on her journey of purchasing a home and raising a family while navigating the complexities of modern success. She underscores the necessity of adaptability and continuous effort, suggesting that the traditional pathways to success have evolved and now require leveraging new tools and platforms.

Ryan Alford ([32:22]):
"It's equal opportunity. It's just as American as anything. The opportunity to become your own microphone."

Chris Hansen ([37:05]):
"You'll become good at it through repetition. If you keep trying, you'll get there."

The hosts advocate for perseverance, creativity, and strategic use of technology as key components in redefining and achieving the American Dream in contemporary society.

5. Street Interviews: Public Perception of the American Dream

Adding depth to their discussion, the hosts present insights from street interviews where everyday individuals share their interpretations of the American Dream and its present-day attainability. The responses reinforce the notion that while challenges persist, there is still a strong belief in the possibility of achieving personal success through determination and ingenuity.

Ryan Alford ([37:02]):
"What's our take on the American dream? It's alive and well. The time to get stuff done is right now."

Chris Hansen ([37:21]):
"It's as attainable as you want to make it. There are always challenges, but you just keep going."

6. Final Thoughts and Takeaways

In wrapping up the episode, the hosts reiterate the importance of embracing change, leveraging new opportunities, and maintaining resilience in the pursuit of personal and professional goals. They encourage listeners to engage with ongoing trends, such as cryptocurrency investments and personal branding, as avenues to realize their own versions of the American Dream.

Chris Hansen ([39:22]):
"Everyone, have a good week. Buy your cryptocurrencies."

Brianna ([39:31]):
"Go Doge."

Ryan Alford ([39:26]):
"Set it and forget it. Go Doge for the win."

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Ryan Alford ([11:08]):
  "Could have made 10 bucks."

• Chris Hansen ([12:01]):
  "Honestly, Dogecoin is the real big hitter right now."

• Brianna ([13:29]):
  "Elon made a post on X says the Department of Government Efficiency. The merch will be fire."

• Ryan Alford ([14:02]):
  "Borrowed interest. Shared interest here. Because good for both."

• Chris Hansen ([23:14]):
  "Well, it's larger than the entire global economy."

• Brianna ([22:00]):
  "Russia has decided to find Google an amount of money. It’s a 2 followed by 36 zeros."

• Ryan Alford ([32:22]):
  "It's equal opportunity. It's just as American as anything. The opportunity to become your own microphone."

• Chris Hansen ([37:21]):
  "It's as attainable as you want to make it. There are always challenges, but you just keep going."

• Ryan Alford ([39:26]):
  "Set it and forget it. Go Doge for the win."

---

Conclusion

This episode of Right About Now with Ryan Alford masterfully intertwines timely discussions on cryptocurrency trends, corporate legal battles, and the evolving nature of the American Dream. Through engaging dialogue, insightful analysis, and relatable anecdotes, Ryan and his co-hosts provide listeners with both entertainment and valuable business insights. The inclusion of notable quotes and real-world applications ensures that the content resonates with both seasoned entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners alike.

For more detailed discussions and to stay updated with future episodes, visit www.RyanIsRight.com or follow @rightaboutnowshow and @ryanalford on Instagram.

Transcript

[Ryan Alford]

Struggling to grow or start your business or drowning in an ocean of urgency. You're not alone. I'm Matt Reynolds and my brother Chris and I have been in the trenches of entrepreneurship for nearly 40 years combined. We've built successful companies from the ground up. We're sharing our hard earning lessons and practical strategies on the Build you'd Business podcast and I'm excited to say that the Build your Business podcast is the newest addition to the Radcast Network. Learn more at Turnkey Coach Build or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. And now a next level moment from AT&T business. Say you've sent out a gigantic shipment of pillows and they need to be there in time for International Sleep day. You've got ATT 5G so you're fully confident, but the vendor isn't responding and International Sleep Day is tomorrow. Luckily, AT&T5G lets you deal with any issues with ease so the pillows will get delivered and everyone can sleep soundly. Especially you. ATT 5G requires a compatible plan and device. 5G is not available everywhere. See att.com 5G for you for details. The kind of burgers you get today tells you a lot about yourself. You're either someone who settles for sad same old same old burgers or you're Edit Carl's Jr. Obsessed with a tangy OG Western bacon cheeseburger, demanding a house made guacamole loaded guac bacon fired up for the insanely hot El Diablo or craving a classic Charbold Famous star? Give dip into your flavor cravings. Get your mouth to Carl's junior Skate Burger Skate Burger.

[Brianna]

This is Right about now with Ryan.

[Ryan Alford]

Alford, a Radcast Network production.

[Brianna]

We are the number one business show.

[Ryan Alford]

On the planet with over 1 million downloads a month. Taking the BS out of business for over 6 years in over 400 episodes. You ready to start snapping next and cashing checks?

[Brianna]

Well, it starts right about now.

[Ryan Alford]

What's up guys? Welcome to Right About Now. It's our weekly business news of the week here on November 15, 2024. Wherever you are, however you are, thank you for listening. We appreciate you And I appreciate Mr. Chris Hansen. What's up Chris?

[Chris Hansen]

What's up Brian? How are you?

[Ryan Alford]

I am good here in little chilly South Carolina, but I'm good. A little cooler today moving in, but Brianna, how are you?

[Brianna]

I'm good. It was colder than expected this morning. I. I really wasn't expecting it. When I walked out of my house, my jeans got a little holes in my knees today.

[Ryan Alford]

I don't know does it get this cold in California?

[Brianna]

Definitely does not. Okay. Not until, like, January. Then it gets. Then it gets cold.

[Ryan Alford]

All right, so it's a little. A little early, but we've been spoiled. It's been beautiful here, so I've been enjoying. We have, like, 80 degrees. That's the funny thing in South Carolina. 80 to 50, really in a hurry. So nothing like talking about the weather. Everybody loves the weather.

[Brianna]

I heard that we have all four seasons in one day here.

[Ryan Alford]

That's about right. That sounds right. Chris, how sunny Miami?

[Chris Hansen]

It's been beautiful, man. This is the best time of year. It's sunny, breezy. I love it.

[Ryan Alford]

Does it hover? Right around 80, but the. Yeah, low humidity. Lower.

[Chris Hansen]

The humidity can vary. It was a little wet the other night.

[Ryan Alford]

Still tropical, right? What's happening in Miami this time of year?

[Chris Hansen]

Got Art Basel coming up in December. That's kind of what everyone's preparing and talking about. I'm getting a lot of buddies reaching out that are coming down, wanting to connect.

[Brianna]

I just have one thing to say, and that is that I will be wearing this cozy, warm, soft sweater.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, yeah.

[Brianna]

For the rest of winter as it is too cold for me here.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes, it. Hey, it does get cold. Hey. Oh, you're a spark, too. We're both sparks, you know, and. Yes. And you know. You know how you stay warm, though? You got to go to brandabills.com. they've got all the merch you want. And look, hey, it's all about bills, about hats. But their hoodies and their T shirts will surprise you. This is. I will. I'm. I don't just say this, you know, they're a sponsor, you know, probably know that by now if you've been listening to the show. But these are the most comfortable hoodies I've ever worn. If that perfect metal of softness. And they aren't like, you can oversize it and make it fit how you want. But I love how they fit. Like, not too bad. It doesn't like I'm a big dude. Anything too baggy, and I look like, you know, walking, you know, Barney the Clown. I don't know, like, just round and it's round and proud, but it fits tighter on me at the size that I wear, which I like.

[Brianna]

Yeah, it's fitted.

[Ryan Alford]

A little more fitted, but still being a hoodie. So, anyway, great merch.

[Brianna]

I heard, Chris, that you actually got a package delivered.

[Chris Hansen]

We finally made it happen. And it's. Honestly, it's perfect timing because it's hoodie weather at night. Walking the dog. And I consider myself a hoodie connoisseur. And I will say these have that good weight to them. Like, they feel expensive, premium. You know, you can tell it's quality. And I love when on the inside of the hoodie, it feels completely like, you know, like fleece, soft, buttery.

[Brianna]

They are buttery.

[Chris Hansen]

Like, post workout, hit the shower, throw that on, go take a nice walk with the dog. I am frickin chilling, man. It is. It's cozy. It's nice. I too, do not like baggy because I look stupid because I have little legs.

[Brianna]

Have you been skipping leg day?

[Chris Hansen]

Hell no. I've been hitting.

[Ryan Alford]

You miss leg day, bro.

[Chris Hansen]

But like, what Ryan's saying, I just don't look as like, roly poly. I just look more of, like a tree top, you know, if I wear a real baggy hooky hoodie, so. And obviously I'm rocking the Brandon Bills hat right now. Another business mind vacay with Ryan. Literally every hat I have in my house is Brandon Bills because they're awesome.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes. That's what you see here on set. When we're here, I'll hold one up that's got a right about now logo. Send us a dm, we'll send you some merch. And again, go check them out. Brandabills.com. click that button in the right corner. It says custom. Give your brand a boost. They will. They will customize it. That's the thing. They don't just throw your logo on it. They'll do something funky, fun, interesting patches, leather patches. Their design team is more than just a, you know, logo. Throw it on their team. They actually design, and they'll do some things and push the envelope and they'll.

[Brianna]

Mock it up for you. I had them mock up a couple months ago. Ryan was saying no Beta men, so we had a mockup done of the no Beta Men shirts. So, yeah, they're a fantastic team over there.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, no Beta Men. And friends don't let friends order merch from anyone but Brandon. Bills.com official sponsor of Right about now. Yep. Tell her if. Hey, you need to be watching if you're not watching. So if you're listening, we appreciate you, but you need to go check out the YouTube channel and. Or on Spotify, you can watch the video because you need to see. And I want Chris to explain his glasses, which make him look really cool, but I think there's a specific use for those in there.

[Chris Hansen]

The blue light blockers.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah. It's a very important topic, you guys should get educated. We have a show called Vibe Science and we just had a great guest on that told us all about it. Andreas Christo. The UV light can play a lot in your circadian rhythm. And that's. I, me, myself, learned a lot of lessons from it. So dope. Go check out that.

[Ryan Alford]

Have you noticed a difference? Because I've seen you in pictures and like on social and when I catch up with you, I see you having one where we're on video. So have you noticed any difference?

[Chris Hansen]

I do feel like yesterday I was pretty consistent. And this is again, I'm experimenting. This is my first time doing this. Really. I did feel a little bit more calm into the evening, you know, kind of that like my body was adjusting to the natural rhythm.

[Ryan Alford]

Right.

[Chris Hansen]

Of the sun and the moon.

[Ryan Alford]

Yep.

[Chris Hansen]

So I do feel like I was feeling a lot more relaxed and ready for bed earlier than I usually would.

[Ryan Alford]

I did notice on TikTok your break dancing rhythm had gotten a lot better. So is that. Is that the kind of rhythm it improves?

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah, baby, Whatever rhythm you want.

[Ryan Alford]

Circadian break dancing rhythm.

[Chris Hansen]

Put it this way. We know blue light is bad. We stared our phones too much. Can't hurt to rock repair.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, no, I. I will say this. I'm gonna age myself. You guys probably don't remember this. No, man. I'm the old man in the group. But they had this infomercial back in the day, either late 80s, early 90s, blue blockers. And they were these big, huge square, like bifocal. And this was. This was early man. This is late. It was early 90s. Go look it up. Blue blockers. They were a thing. They were the ugliest, big bifocal looking things. But they were. I think my dad had a pair. 1995, whatever it was back in the day.

[Chris Hansen]

That is a vibe they got again in like 2008.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, but I mean, I think maybe they were ahead of their time doing a similar thing. Right? I don't know.

[Chris Hansen]

They were.

[Ryan Alford]

Who knows? Those infomercials, some of them out, you know, some of those products actually turn out to help. And then I just end up in the. I tell you what, we were a yard sale family. We had yard sales like three times a year. You know, that's what happens when you're poor. You have yard sales a lot. And so. But a lot of those infomercial stuff would be in our yard sales. Like my mom and I dabbered suckers, I think, for that stuff. And then I think it passed on to me because I'm I'm kind of a sucker for that. Oh, man, look at that. Holds 8,000 batteries. Case, you know, like, that looks so, like, organized. But you never put those things in those things. They just have the crappiest drawer ever. Like, everybody's got that drawer.

[Brianna]

Oh, yeah, everybody has.

[Ryan Alford]

Don't act like you don't have that drawer. You got that drawer.

[Brianna]

Oh, I do. Mine's bad.

[Chris Hansen]

This was at night tray in my kitchen instead.

[Brianna]

Oh, man.

[Chris Hansen]

For keys and everything. But it's like a mountain of keys, mints, pocket knives.

[Brianna]

Yep.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes.

[Brianna]

We've got a drawer and a tray, so.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, drawer and a tray. We have, look, four kids. There's six of us. We have like five of those drawers. Yeah. One in every room. I'm a pretty neat person, like on the surface, but I have at least 12 of those drawers going on.

[Brianna]

You know, like you open up the.

[Ryan Alford]

Doors and the chaos falls in. You know, I think that's. My mom taught me that or something. Because when I go to my mom's house, it's spotless. But you'll. If you look around enough, you'll find a closet. It's like, don't open it too fast. You never know. Oh, what's happening in the news?

[Brianna]

Well, we are doing good here in the US I've got a record breaking Bitcoin surge to 90,000 on Trump's win. It's actually interesting because Chris had told me and us and all the listeners to invest in bitcoin. And pre election, I noticed that it was trending right around 75,000. I think we talked about it last week and I was like, oh, I should buy some or whatever. And I didn't. And then yesterday I got the notification, it was up to 89,000 and I was like, Dang it.

[Chris Hansen]

Could have made 10 bucks.

[Ryan Alford]

Get off the sidelines, get in the game. 00001 of it.

[Brianna]

I know.

[Ryan Alford]

Did Chris. What's it. What are we at now? Are we still holding it like that? 89.90 or is it going back down?

[Chris Hansen]

It's ripping today. I mean, honestly, dogecoin is the real big hitter right now.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. I mean, would you get in on it?

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah. Honestly, I just took a much larger position in it this morning.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh. So here we go.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah, I. I decided to jump in a little heavier myself, you know, because I've been in it for a while now and I had the conversation with my family last night. You don't need to be complicated. Right. Get on coinbase, set it for $20 a week. Into Bitcoin or whatever it is. Like you would an Investment Fund, take 10% of your income and do that and just chill and, you know, check every month and you're going to be happy.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Chris Hansen]

It's funny because last night my mom goes, how do I get into that Coinbase account you set up for your father? They haven't looked at it in four years. Right. Four years ago. They're like, how do I get out of this thing? So again, history repeats itself. Everyone's happy again, the news is talking about everyone wants to buy it. It's not too late, people.

[Ryan Alford]

Set your tithes for Bitcoin.

[Chris Hansen]

Yes.

[Ryan Alford]

You know, say your prayers, send your tithe and set it and forget it and walk away and look back in a year with this administration that's pushing it and Elon, musk around and see what happens.

[Brianna]

Yeah, speaking of Elon, we have Elon heading up the Department of Government Efficiency.

[Ryan Alford]

Doge it is.

[Brianna]

Yep.

[Ryan Alford]

How awesome. How awesome is that? That just happened to work out to the acronym. What are the chances?

[Brianna]

Yeah, I. I don't know. I was actually wondering if that was on purpose or a coincidence.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, it was convenient that those. Because I think those. That's similar wording to what I think that he was going to have Elon do no matter what. But you. Nothing accidental.

[Chris Hansen]

I'm saying they're like, dude, I'm just saying we can capitalize on this.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Marketing, what do you call it?

[Chris Hansen]

Borrowed interest.

[Ryan Alford]

Borrowed interest. Yeah. Shared interest here. Because good for both. High tide raises all ships, both directions. You know, they want good marketing of the new Department of Government Efficiency. And then of course the dogecoin going up. I'd like to know privately what. How much Doge Trump owns.

[Brianna]

Yeah, I'd like to know too.

[Ryan Alford]

I don't think we'd ever learned that.

[Brianna]

But the team did bring it to my attention that Elon, he made a post on X says the Department of Government Efficiency. The merch will be fire.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, yeah. You know what the. You know how the government. You know how the Doge department could get started? Invest in Doge and use the earnings to pay down the national debt. Yeah, brilliant.

[Brianna]

The.

[Ryan Alford]

The memes gamble with government money.

[Brianna]

The memes are amazing on X right now. If you are not seeing them in relate relation to Elon and the election, they're hilarious.

[Ryan Alford]

It just goes to show you, like, I mean, with like Eon, he doesn't take himself too seriously. Like he posts himself with the gold chain like Doge on it. Like he's. He. I Think at some point, because I'm not sure he was always that way, like 10 years ago. I'm not. I don't know. I'm not saying he wasn't brilliant and different and all those things, but I feel like he loosened up and just said, I'm gonna embrace all this and, you know, and own my different. And, yeah, it's worked out for him.

[Brianna]

He is, like, showing us kind of a lovable side of Elon, which I'm enjoying.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes.

[Brianna]

He's a dork and I like it.

[Ryan Alford]

He is. So I want to see what the Department of Government Efficiency. He's doing it with. Ramsove. I can never say his name right. Vivek. Vivek Rems. Remember something someone said, that's better than me?

[Brianna]

Ramaswamy.

[Ryan Alford]

I love the guy. I just wish I could say his name better.

[Brianna]

Ramaswamy.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes. Yeah, he's cool. I like him. Every time I see him talk, I'm like, that dude's smart.

[Brianna]

Yeah, it looks like. So they'll be regulating federal spending. In a statement released Tuesday, Trump referred to the new agency as doge Department of Government Efficiency. And it says it's not clear whether this entity will exist within the federal government or outside. So we'll. We're gonna have to see what the two of them come up with.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, I. I'm. I'm here for it. You know, like, let's try something different. Like, we've been doing the same in politics and in government for, you know, 100 years. Like, let's. Let's try some different things and see if, you know, some true entrepreneurs can figure it out. Or, hey, they might all cry uncle. He might all probably surprise and go home politically. Yeah.

[Brianna]

Yeah, it's going to be really interesting. Ramaswamy here said, we will not go gently in a post on X. And then Elon Musk said, this is going to send shockwaves through the system and everyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Chris Hansen]

Well, anyone that's been to a DMV knows that.

[Brianna]

Oh, God, not in South Carolina. They're so fast here.

[Ryan Alford]

Hey, they've gotten better. Oh, yeah.

[Brianna]

Oh, you should go to one in California.

[Ryan Alford]

Used to be they. I don't know what happened. It's like five years, six years ago, maybe. I mean, it used to be probably what you experienced, and they've entered, put in the number system and take a number and all that. I don't know. Somebody got that in order, they should get a raise.

[Brianna]

They really did because, well, I went into the DMV when I went to transfer my license from California to here. And I walked in, and she was like, what do you hear for, like, the lady at the front, what are you here for before you even get to pick a number? And I told her, and she's like, okay, do you have this, this, and this? And I was like, nope. She's like, okay, go. Like, you can't even get a number.

[Ryan Alford]

You're not even getting no suit for you. I mean, they're the number Nazis, you know? Like, no, you. No, no, no. No license for you. Like, it's like, they don't mess around. They know what you need. They're like, we're not. Don't get in these lines. Because it used to be a model of inefficiency. I'd. I would be behind 10 people, and they'd get to the thing, and eight of them didn't have what they were supposed to. And they got that in order. I give them credit. Yeah. One thing, you know, the government got right in South Carolina, the roads. Let's not go there. But the dmv, the roads aren't that bad. Are you kidding?

[Brianna]

No, they're not that bad.

[Ryan Alford]

Come on.

[Brianna]

They're really not.

[Ryan Alford]

All right. You don't drive a sports car. I need my Audi.

[Brianna]

Yeah, yeah, they're not bad. If I'm driving my husband's lifted Tundra, they're fine.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, I. My road drivers been in the shop, and I can't wait to get it back because I'm done with the Audi and these roads.

[Brianna]

Interesting news article here to share with you guys. Mattel, the toy manufacturer, they had to pull a bunch of their Wicked dolls off the shelves after somebody misprinted the web address that's on all the packaging. So it was supposed to go to wickedmovie.com.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, boy.

[Brianna]

And it went to a different web address that was showing. It looks like adult entertainment videos.

[Ryan Alford]

So you had. This is, like, on, you know, espn, they have a segment. You had one job to do. Yeah, you know, the. Like, the snapper. You know, like, one job to do, and you screwed it up.

[Chris Hansen]

And so it's hard to believe it's a mistake.

[Brianna]

I thought that's where my mind instantly went, you know, my conspiracy theory brain. But then if it was like, Cinderella movie dot com. Okay, I could kind of see how this was a mistake.

[Ryan Alford]

But being Wicked, do you think, okay, they paid somebody off?

[Chris Hansen]

Like, no one did a double check on that before they, like, really? All right, let's send it to the assembly line.

[Ryan Alford]

Let me just say this. I used to like my first job my, you know how things change. But I worked on my first marketing job with Verizon and I proofread brochures. I literally said Junior AE like 200 page fine print brochures and other things like that. And that went through tons of checks. We got a lot more right than we did wrong. And by the volume our, our percentage was awesome. However you would be surprised at how like that can and does happen. I'll just say now we never. Luckily I probably wouldn't be sitting here today printed any porn sites on any of those. But at the same time there was a couple of ads that actually went out that we worked on that were print ads like newspaper and it went through to the top of the mountain to the bottom like the food chain of people looking at this and proofreaders and you'd have a, you'd have a word with like 40 point font and it was misspelled and no one fucking caught it. Like it was like once in a blue moon and it's like I don't know, I, I could believe the conspiracy totally but at the same time having worked on high volume like high profile stuff like this you would be surprised.

[Brianna]

I think they probably just put wicked movie.com or whatever and everybody just assumed it was right. One person probably put it on there and nobody ever double checked it or typed it into Google. But yeah, don't, don't put out adult entertainment sites on children toys. Not a good, not a good look.

[Ryan Alford]

No, please don't.

[Brianna]

I thought this one was interesting. Russia has decided to find Google an amount of money. I don't even know how to say it has. It's a 2 followed by 36 zeros. The equivalent to around 20 billion trillion trillion man.

[Ryan Alford]

That's quite a lot of money. Here's where my head went. Is this enforceable? Will they ever see a penny of this? Like I get that Russia has a lot of people and Google's a multi continent, you know, multinational, corporate, global brand and provide services in these countries and is liable on some level. I just don't think they're going to write that check.

[Brianna]

No, no. It's very interesting. You know I think that especially like you know with this number. Yeah. To your point like is that enforceable? That's not even a number that yeah wouldn't even fit on a check.

[Ryan Alford]

I don't even know. And even Google I don't think has that sitting somewhere. Like they have a lot, you know, more money Than God. But, you know, like, it's. They don't have that much, I don't think.

[Brianna]

Well, it says that this number is significantly larger than Google's market value of $2 trillion.

[Ryan Alford]

That's.

[Chris Hansen]

Well, it's larger than the entire global economy. The Global economy is 110 trillion.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, exactly. So, you know, this is 20 billion, trillion, trillion. The funny part is Google's response. Google referred to the fine in its recent earning earnings reports, mentioning ongoing legal matters. So, you know, you and I, anybody, we have some ongoing legal matters there. Those things can be very different, you know. Yeah.

[Chris Hansen]

Have the time and money to stretch this indefinitely.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Russia's got a lot of money. I mean, don't, don't mistake some of this dumb shit going on over there. Like, there's a lot of. A lot of money over there. And. But here's what they said. The company noted we do not believe these ongoing legal matters will have a material adverse effect on earnings. Oh, maybe like the equivalent of me getting like a $2 million fine from the government and being like, not really going to affect much. Maybe. But all that tells me is they know that they're never going to write that check.

[Brianna]

Yeah. And it sounds like they ceased most of their operations in Russia and, you know, they're not gonna probably go back to doing business there.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. I mean, was Google, like, if you search for Russia, like, were they putting up like, pitchforks or something? Like in the search results? Like Putin and like, you know, Satan, like having, you know, lunch together? Like, what, what, what, what earned. What earned the, the find this high, I guess just.

[Brianna]

I think they said that it was blocking. They were like, blocking.

[Chris Hansen]

Okay, you're censoring pro Russian channels.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, wow. Then what's the fine in the US for censoring the Rogan Trump episode?

[Chris Hansen]

Exactly. So honestly, Russia is being a good model of what we should all be thinking about. Where private companies are censoring vital information from the public.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, that's right. That's just Google. No big deal.

[Brianna]

Well, it is interesting. I mean, this is a number that most people can't even fathom. Americans searching for the American dream.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes.

[Brianna]

Do you like that segment Segue?

[Ryan Alford]

I did like that.

[Chris Hansen]

You know what it is? It's a number big enough to get us talking about it. If it was 20 million, no one would even pay attention.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes.

[Chris Hansen]

It's almost. You have to be so ridiculous to create the conversation.

[Ryan Alford]

I mean, the American dream has become different. We're doing a segment with our good partner independent center, and we wanted to bring it to life here on the show and really thinking about what the American dream is today and how attainable it is. I mean, when you hear those things, Chris, like, what do you think? I guess I'm going to ask you to think about it from two sides. Like you personally, and then maybe what your sentiment might be for what other people think. I know, I'm not asking you to guess, but maybe just your assumption of what people think the American dream is.

[Chris Hansen]

I think the assumption the American dream is what we, you know, what we grew up thinking, right. A house, kids, dog, you can pay for your kids school debt free. Right. At least that is to me. Well, I have larger dreams than that and I feel like I'm just not cut for that life, to be honest with you. I've tried domesticated life.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. I mean, everybody's dreams different, you know, like. Right.

[Chris Hansen]

But I do think it's much harder to attain with the tools we were taught in the resources. Right. And that's where I think forward thinking. I had a call this morning with a younger guy who's just launching kind of his own company and doing fitness training and stuff like that, you know, and he's talking about, do I do a T shirt? I said no, dude, you, you're the brand. Because if you're, if you're pursuing that and you're building yourself, you can do all that other stuff, right? If people know who you are and you say this all the time, you know, the power being known where I'm like, you know, a supplement, all this stuff. Plus from an earnings standpoint, I always think of residual, right? That's. The residual income is going to get you to the American dream faster than one off, two off stuff. So, you know, I think I still think the American dream is the American dream. I think it's. I don't even know if I want to say harder to attain. I just think the way of getting there has changed and we all need to pivot and learn new tools, explore new things. The world, I mean, even in the marketing world, everything's evolving, changing. AI is coming into play in every industry. So it's. You need to just be actively pursuing and trying to learn and evolve with that. You know, nothing is stuck in time, so. Totally just got to change up your perception.

[Ryan Alford]

Yep, I have some thoughts, but I'm away to Brianna, what are your, what are your thoughts on your.

[Brianna]

Um, okay, so I think I have a unique perspective on this, right. Because I've been, I've been married for five, five kids. I have been married for five years, I have two kids. We just bought a house this year and we, you know, have been saving up to be able to do that, you know, college educated couple. So we did everything, quote, unquote, like, right. You know, and like how we have been raised. Go to school, get good grades, go to college, then you'll be able to get out of college, get a good job, buy a house, have 2.5 kids, get a dog, go on vacation once a year, save for retirement. That is what I would argue has always been the American dream, that you can, whether you're an immigrant coming to America or you are born and raised here, that that is the pathway to success. Go to school, get educated, work hard, you'll have success. It is not attainable in that way anymore. It is only attainable if you are smart. To your point. You can pivot, you can open a business, you can become an entrepreneur. Because here's the deal. In America today, you could make $7 million becoming a YouTube star as a 6 year old, playing with toys faster than you could go through the path of becoming a doctor or a lawyer, you know, or any, any other kind of profession. And so that 7 year old or 6 year old who, you know, made $7 million on YouTube is more successful potentially than somebody who spent 25 years honing their craft and becoming, you know, a cardiovascular surgeon. So how do you rectify the fact that the American dream is just different now?

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, I mean it's different, but I think it's also a slippery slope that that's still a one in a million. Like, yes, it happens, but like let's use Ryan, the kid that has all the toys and the YouTube and all that. That's multi million, you know, 20, 30 million now, maybe more. Yeah, there's a handful of those examples, but there's how many million children in the. So yes you can. There's a lot of different ways to do it, but I think the glamour of that sometimes outweighs the reality of doing it is, is sort of the danger. I can understand how I. But I think the equivalent would be like our parents watching someone that was a gifted athlete, that was a more clearer path to like the wealth that you're talking about. You know, 30 years ago, like that's still a one in a million athlete that had that path and now there's more channels. But I do think, I think it's a combination of what Chris said. We do have these tools now and anyone can unlock them and go watch YouTube videos or come watch some of our content because we talk about it a lot and learn how to make themselves more known. And if you're willing to do that, if you're will, and it's not for everyone, not everyone's going to take advantage of it because either self doubt, either worry of judgment or I'm not good enough, like, or whatever it is, that's fine. But it's equal opportunity. It's just as American as anything. The opportunity to become your own, and I hate the word personal brand, but your own microphone because you couldn't buy your own TV ads. You know, 20 years ago you couldn't afford to do that. But we have this democratization of awareness generation that you have with social media, which allows you to then get more likely, I mean, to hit the jackpot socially like you described. That's a lot more likely if you're playing the game.

[Brianna]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

And you learn the game, so. And there's nothing holding anyone back from doing that. You mean cameras are easy. You just got to be creative, want to do it, put stuff out there. And I'm not saying it doesn't take more creativity than that, but it's equal opportunity. I mean, is what, what's keeping you from being more social, like giving yourself more at bats to that?

[Brianna]

Yeah, well, and like everything, I think becoming successful with the American dream, it's just like a, you know, repetition, Right?

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Brianna]

If you do it over and over again, eventually you'll become good at it. But if you try something and then it doesn't work right away and you give up and you keep switching gears and it's going to take you a lot longer to get there.

[Ryan Alford]

My bigger issue with like, you know what I was going to say, like with the American dream is I don't want to paint with a too broad a brush here. But this is my perception and not how I feel. But you know, there used to be the saying with the American dream and it was kind of like with the, you know, what can you do for your, with, for your country? What can you do? What can you add, like be additive? And in finding the American dream, you do a job that adds to the greater good and yourself. I feel like we've come to the what can the government do for me to help? How can the government help me reach the American dream? It feels like we've gotten a little bit like the younger generation maybe. And again, I don't want to paint too broad of a brush. This is just my perception at a, at a really high level of, you Know, well, the government's in my way of the American dream or the government's not helping me reach. Well, the government was not put there to necessarily help you reach the American dream. It was just stay out of your way. And so. But to govern and keep things licensed and agreed to that, you know, for just a greater good. And so we don't really supposed to be reliant on the government to reach the American dream.

[Brianna]

The only thing that was promised, you know, is promised to everybody is right. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

[Ryan Alford]

And, you know, pursuit being the right word.

[Brianna]

Yes.

[Ryan Alford]

Pursuit is something you do that's not.

[Brianna]

Not that's handed to you.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. It's not handed to you or expected, you know, And I think again, that's not everyone, but I think there's a fair amount of people, though, they're like, I don't. I haven't been given what I needed to reach that well.

[Brianna]

And I think that people have a different baseline. This is my perception, in my opinion, but I think people have a different baseline. Everybody assumes that they are owed housing and a car and food. And I don't think that that was necessarily the belief in maybe our parents generation. It was like, well, if you want those things, you better work hard to get them, otherwise you're going to be on your own on the street. And now it's like, oh, well, somebody's going to provide that all for me.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Brianna]

And if those basic needs are met, you have a less incentive to work hard.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes, I think you're right. I mean, I have certain family members and I, I mean, I hope my. I don't feel like my kids are this way, but they certainly could be at times where I've had certain family members that absolutely, you know, I'll be getting a car, I'll be getting. I'm like, okay, like, you know, I certainly asked for one and my parents helped me, help me out on the first one. But I don't know that I was like, guaranteed, you know, to be given it. If the moon's aligned and my grandmother's car is available, I might get lucky.

[Brianna]

Yeah. Well, and then how, how many people are. Do like hurting their children without realizing it because they're making the path too easy for them. And this is a topic that has come up, you know, for me in parenting over and over again, is that if you take all of the adversity away from the next generation of children and of people and you take the adversity away, they don't know how to handle rejection they don't know how to handle hitting a wall. They don't know how to problem solve because, you know, the adversity's never been there. They haven't had to navigate their way around it.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. And I think it's going to be fascinating. I'm actually going to play a few of the street interviews that I did where we asked this question to people that just randomly on the street, you know, what. What is the American dream to you? And is it still attainable today? So take a listen to those now. All right, man. What do we think about the American dream today? I think it's alive and well. It's more exciting than ever being American. The time to get stuff done is right now.

[Chris Hansen]

You just got to be creative and thoughtful and make stuff happen.

[Ryan Alford]

Remember, the more you can do it.

[Chris Hansen]

For other people, the more you can get out of life.

[Ryan Alford]

Love it.

[Chris Hansen]

Love it.

[Ryan Alford]

And how. How attainable is it today?

[Chris Hansen]

As attainable as you want to make it. I mean, there's always been challenges in this world, and, Ryan, there continue to be challenges. No matter, you know, what you think challenges are going to happen.

[Ryan Alford]

There's a book I like to read.

[Chris Hansen]

Called Rhinoceros Success, and it talks about how in life, you get up every day and go as hard and as fast as you can and realize you're.

[Ryan Alford]

Going to get some barber every once.

[Chris Hansen]

In a while calling you just keep on going and get up and get and do it the next day.

[Ryan Alford]

We need more guys like this guy. Yes.

[Chris Hansen]

That's what I'm talking about.

[Ryan Alford]

All right. All right, ladies. So what do we think, and what does the American dream mean to you today?

[Brianna]

To me, it is equal opportunity for people, not necessarily equal outcome, depending on a lot of variables. Hard work, where you come from, how much you're willing to put into things. But to me, the American dream is everybody has opportunity here. It's a free country, lots of freedoms we can take advantage of.

[Ryan Alford]

The question is, will you love it? Yeah.

[Brianna]

I mean, I kind of want to bounce off that, but I think ownership, there's a lot, especially in Greenville. We have a lot of entrepreneurs, I.

[Ryan Alford]

Think, having ownership in your business and.

[Brianna]

Your life, taking control of, you know, how much you're making and what you're able to do with that and just having the opportunity to do so. I think.

[Ryan Alford]

So. Yeah. Check that. Those were fascinating interviews. We've been enjoying that. We really enjoy this segment. Brought to you by independentcenter.org go check them out. Sign up for their newsletter. You'll get all kinds of interesting. I was actually looking at one of their latest polls. They asked millennials, you know, some things specific to the American dream. And it played in line to a lot of things that we were talking about. But I did, I was sort of encouraged by the percent that still felt like they could go after it. I thought it was going to be lower than that. So that's a really interesting. They send out that poll data. Go to independentcenter.org check out the newsletter, sign up. All you gotta do is give your email and zip code. They'll get it to you. And they don't over email you. This is like every couple weeks. If it's interesting stuff, it's not about politics. It's about policies and what the American people think. Independentcenter.org brought to you this segment about the American dream. Very good, Chris, any final words today?

[Chris Hansen]

Everyone, have a good week. Buy your cryptocurrencies.

[Ryan Alford]

There you go. Set it and forget it. Brianna, any final thoughts?

[Brianna]

Go doge.

[Ryan Alford]

Go doge. Doge for the win. We appreciate you. Find [e-mail] highlight clips, full episodes, links to all the social media. Hey, tell a friend that you listen to us and pass the love on. We appreciate you. We'll see you next time. Right about now, this has been Right.

[Brianna]

About now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast Network production. Visit ryan Ryan is right.com for full audio and video versions of the show or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities. Thanks for listening.