Podcast Summary: TBTL #4628 – "I'll Have A Bluesky Christmas Without You"

Date: December 26, 2025
Hosts: Luke Burbank & Andrew Walsh

Episode Overview

This episode centers on Andrew’s curious adventure into the world of joke theft on the ascendant social network Bluesky. The hosts discuss internet etiquette, joke attribution, blocking culture, and their misadventures both online and offline. The conversation is funny, rambling, and self-deprecating, in classic TBTL style, but also ponders the nuances of internet behavior, originality, and changing generational norms. The episode also features moments of self-reflection, personal regret, and gratitude to donors.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Printer Banter & Lighthearted Open [00:00–01:00]

• The show opens with an extended comedic sketch about printer ink, tech glitches, and the futility of office technology.
• Tone: Playful, absurd, and sets the loose, silly mood for the episode.

2. The Bluesky Joke Mystery: Setting the Scene [03:00–10:00]

• Andrew shares his nervousness about telling a story involving Bluesky, the alternative social platform to Twitter, and how his curation style changed once he moved to Bluesky.
• Luke and Andrew riff on how social media content strategies vary by platform and how “following” patterns have changed.

3. Joke Ownership, Attribution, & Viral Dopamine [10:00–13:00]

• Andrew recounts a recent incident: he posted a joke (a funny sign at the airport) which coincidentally, Luke had also posted, leading to some innocent “joke overlap.”
  • Andrew: "You did just see the same [sign], and so my point…is obviously, I don't think that you were trying to steal my joke, but…you did see a joke and end up reposting it…innocently done." [08:55]
• The conversation sets the context for discussing how easy it is for jokes and ideas to cross-pollinate on social media without malice.

4. Investigating the “Jingle Horse” Joke [10:45–22:37]

• Andrew sees a post (“giddy up, jingle horse, pick up your feet…sounds like something my homophobic gym teacher would have screamed at me”) on Bluesky from a mid-tier account he follows.
• He immediately recognizes the joke from a year prior, posted by a different Twitter (X) account.
• Andrew Googles and finds the original, then screenshots it and reaches out to the Bluesky poster to ask if they're the same person, thinking maybe it’s a recycled joke from their own older account.
  • Andrew: "Are you the same person who posted this a year ago by any chance?" [13:19]
• Andrew isn’t confrontational but genuinely curious about possible joke recycling, following their prior talk about accidental joke overlap.

Notable Quote:

Andrew: "I was giving him the benefit of the doubt…but then I was just like, oh no, you're just sleazy. You're just taking this joke and when somebody asks you about it, you just block them." [22:15]

5. The Blocking & The Ethics of Internet Content [19:37–30:27]

• Andrew is surprised to discover that, rather than responding, the account has blocked him.
• He uses alternate accounts to view the public posts, noting a pattern: the account reposts viral photos and jokes, often without attribution, but is not wildly successful at viral engagement (“very mid-level thievery”).
• The hosts debate what constitutes unethical behavior in meme/joke culture versus benign repetition.
• Both are mystified and slightly stung that such a non-confrontational heads-up resulted in an immediate block.
  • Luke: “It feels so Astroturf. So incredibly [inauthentic].”
  • Andrew: “I don’t think I’ve ever been blocked before…it just seems so…shady.” [21:59]

6. Generational Perspectives on Blocking & Online Conflict [25:23–29:35]

• Luke theorizes blocking is more routine for younger internet users, while for him and Andrew it feels extreme or alienating, especially over such a low-stakes issue.
  • Luke: “I don’t think I’ve ever blocked anyone in my life. I don’t know if I know how to do it.” [25:23]
• Andrew ponders whether reposting memes/jokes is now simply accepted—are they being old-fashioned about internet originality?
  • Andrew: “Maybe this is just what you call shitposting…” [28:06]
• Both try to wrap their heads around shifting online etiquette and standards, realizing they might be out of step with meme culture.

7. Online Mystery, Power Dynamics & Conclusions [31:48–35:55]

• Andrew reflects that he’s less upset and more confused by the incident; the experience raises bigger questions about how internet culture is evolving and whether he understands it anymore.
• Luke likens the feeling to someone flipping you off on the road for a perceived misdeed you didn’t even realize you committed.

Notable Exchange:

Andrew: “…It’s almost like more—it's less of an online fight I got into and more of, like, just a mystery. And the mystery is, do I understand the Internet?” [31:48]

Luke: “It’s like when you didn’t even realize that your driving was annoying someone else and they pull around you and they flip you off…” [31:48]

8. Personal Regrets & Vulnerable Moments [38:23–43:40]

• The discussion segues into tales of regretted childhood behavior.
• Andrew shares a story about impulsively squashing a caterpillar in front of classmates—an act he’s regretted for 40 years.
  • Andrew: “It’s the reason I don’t trust myself… one of the reasons I’m scared of heights is …how do I know I’m not going to have another woolly bear moment and just throw myself off. Like, where did that come from?” [40:51]
• Luke admits to tricking a neurodivergent peer into almost eating a real worm, only to end up eating several himself—a formative memory of shame.

9. Donor Thanks & Gratitude Segment [43:48–50:04]

• TBTL thanks a new batch of donors with their signature warmth and humor, riffing on donor names and geography.
• This segment is full of inside jokes about recurring listeners and references to their longstanding community.

10. Housekeeping, Upcoming Shows & Sign-Off [50:05–51:15]

• Andrew plugs an upcoming episode with Hannah Brooks Olson for a “top five cleaning products” list.
• Luke closes the episode with the classic sign-off: “No mountain too tall… and good luck to all!” [51:15]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the pointlessness of online thievery:
  Andrew: “It’s very mid-level thievery…it’s kind of just blowing my mind… the blocking of me shocked me.” [22:15]
• On changing internet mores:
  Luke: “Maybe there’s just a whole Internet world that you and I, my friend, are not hip to.” [29:08]
• On youthful cruelty and self-forgiveness:
  Andrew: “It’s the reason I don’t trust myself… it stuck with me so much. It’s such an ugly memory, and it was crazy.” [40:51]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Printer sketch & intro: 00:00–01:00
• Bluesky/Internet context: 03:00–10:00
• Joke overlap & attribution: 10:45–13:00
• Jingle Horse joke investigation: 13:14–22:37
• Blocking & internet conduct: 19:37–30:27
• Generational discussion of blocking: 25:23–29:35
• Concluding the mystery: 31:48–35:55
• Personal regrets (caterpillars + worms): 38:23–43:40
• Donor thanks: 43:48–50:04
• Housekeeping & sign-off: 50:05–51:15

Episode Tone & Style

• Language & Tone: Casual, self-deprecating, tangential, introspective, and empathetic. The hosts maintain their signature banter, balancing irony and earnestness.
• Audience Experience: Even without having listened, the audience will appreciate the hosts’ transparency, wry humor, and the thoughtful (if meandering) exploration of modern internet etiquette and self identity.

Summary Takeaway

This episode embodies TBTL’s unique blend of whimsy, vulnerability, cultural observation, and deep friendship. What starts as a minor internet scuffle becomes a rich exploration of attribution, memory, internet norms, regret, and grace, leaving listeners amused, thoughtful, and reassured that everyone is still figuring things out—one post, one mistake, or one worm at a time.