Podcast Summary: The Musers The Podcast – Episode 15: "Sign of the Times"

Date: October 1, 2025
Hosts: George Dunham, Craig “Junior” Miller, Gordon Keith
Duration: ~57 minutes
Theme: Reflections on anxiety, division, and hope in today’s world, as seen through the Musers’ blend of humor, personal stories, and historical perspective.

Overview

This episode, titled "Sign of the Times," features The Musers as they grapple with whether the present era is uniquely fraught—or just another moment in the long cycle of modern anxiety. Eschewing politics but not the world's harder edges, the trio explores recurring fears throughout U.S. history, the impact of technology and social media, the nature of social division, and the challenge of finding hope amid bad news. Through stories, both absurd and poignant, the Musers share honest insights and signature wit about living in "crazy times."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sleep, Superstitions, and Bad Luck: The Bullwinkle Deer Head

• (00:35–08:15) The Musers begin with exhausted banter about sleep, segueing into a listener letter on superstitions. George and Craig then recount the saga of "Bullwinkle"—a deer head that, after being carted to a football game, seemed to bring bad luck to every team whose hat it wore, and was ultimately blamed for several calamities, including a major earthquake.
  • Notable Moment: The legend of Bullwinkle humorously illustrates how humans try to find patterns and explanations in chaos—underscoring skepticism about superstitions.
  • Craig, on Bullwinkle's bad luck (08:02): “Cursed the Cowboys, Maulers, Vikings and earthquake in Mexico.”
  • Gordon, unfazed (08:11): “I am very unfazed by this, man.”

2. Are Things Worse Now—or Just Louder? The Historical Cycle of Fear

• (09:01–12:41) George introduces headlines of violence from the 1960s–70s, questioning if today is truly more tumultuous. The group discusses the cyclical nature of fear and division in American history, citing the civil war, the 1960s, and today.
  • Gordon, on the 1960s (10:28): “The 60s still take the cake as far as civil unrest...more craziness...had people questioning the fabric of our culture than even now.”
  • Craig, expanding to the 1860s (11:37): “We’ve never been more divided than the 1860s when we were fighting each other. Bloody battlefields.”
  • They agree that while the present feels tense, the social fabric has been under siege before—and arguably worse.

3. The Social Media Accelerator

• (13:05–15:18) The Musers delve into how social media magnifies fear, discord, and misinformation, making problems seem worse than they are. The hosts discuss their own changing relationships with consuming news.
  • Craig (15:18): “I was poisoning myself…overwhelmed with so much bad news and so much suffering and bloodshed that it starts to get to you.”
  • Gordon (14:29): “If you spend a lot of time scrolling through… reading the gas fire that is taking place… I don’t think that is good for anybody.”

4. Local vs. National: Where Does Real Change Happen?

• (17:33–18:50) The show highlights the importance of engaging in local civic matters versus national "soap opera" politics, lamenting that municipal issues lack drama but have the biggest impact.
  • Gordon (18:01): “It’s probably the most important. But it’s not as fun.”

5. Modern Fears: Corruption, Crime, AI, Nuclear War

• (19:04–20:43) The hosts discuss survey data on top American fears: corrupt politicians, followed by war, inflation, and technological threats. There’s skepticism about whether these threats are truly worsening or just noisier.
  • George (19:04): “Number one fear of Americans was government—corrupt politicians or government officials.”

6. The 10% Who Shout, The 90% Who Sigh

• (22:38–24:38) The Musers dissect how online discourse is dominated by fringe voices, while the vast middle majority are disengaged.
  • Craig (23:33): “But they control 90% of THE conversation and the 90% of Americans in the middle… don’t want to hear any of the noise.”
  • George (24:03): “Well, they need to get involved. They need to get more engaged.”

7. The Power of Comments: Human Nature with a Megaphone

• (26:26–29:06) After recounting a story of a bereaved person reading online comments, the hosts lament how digital communication amplifies humanity’s worst impulses.
  • Gordon (27:32): “It started at the beginning of time… now we all do. Now all of our private thoughts are public and we’ve lost the judgment as to whether we wanted to say this out loud in a crowded room because the crowded room is always safe now.”

8. Optimism and Pessimism Through Generations

• (47:35–54:15) The hosts unpack whether they're hopeful or despairing about the future.
  • George (47:35): “Are you an optimistic person or pessimistic as you get older?”
  • Craig (48:24): “I’ve always been a pessimist until recently… short term I’m very optimistic and long term I’m still pretty pessimistic.”
  • Gordon (49:35): “I think that the early part of our demise is going to be very exciting and fun… as far as humans, I think that we were… the apes in the chain here.”

9. Hope, Technology, and The Next Generation

• (53:38–55:28) Amid worries about AI, climate, and the future, the Musers reflect on intergenerational hope and what they see in the world through their children’s eyes.
  • Craig (50:56): “She’s made me more optimistic about humanity short term… but I am really worried about what kind of world she will be living in.”

10. Laughing Through It: Funyuns as Hope

• (55:48–56:11) The episode closes with humor, even as they admit they can’t solve the world's problems—but find solace in Funyuns.
  • Gordon (56:11): “Funyuns gives me hope.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On repetition of history:
  George (09:01): “Some of our headlines repeat themselves from years ago and decades ago, centuries ago.”
• On the real vs. virtual world:
  Gordon (14:29): “We get to choose our reality online too… We faction up even more.”
• On optimism versus realism:
  George (47:35): “I’m 58% optimistic as opposed to 78 or 79.”
• On generational improvement:
  George (53:58): “This next generation… I’ve seen a lot of good from them in acceptance, and I think they handle things better than our generation did. In some ways.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:35–08:15 – Bullwinkle: The deer head of doom (bad luck story)
• 09:01–12:41 – Comparing unrest: Today vs. the 1960s and 1860s
• 13:05–15:18 – Social media: Amplifying anxieties & news fatigue
• 17:33–18:50 – Importance of local politics
• 22:38–24:38 – The divided attention economy: The 10% vs. the 90%
• 26:26–29:06 – The poison of comments and public vitriol
• 36:29–42:15 – Nuclear war, digital threats, and AI
• 47:35–54:15 – Personal optimism, pessimism, and hope for the future
• 55:48–56:11 – The Funyuns moment: Finding hope and humor

Conclusion

In “Sign of the Times,” The Musers deftly blend wit, warmth, and hard questioning, illustrating that today’s anxieties are both unique and familiar. From the power of online negativity to the hope they find in everyday people (and Funyuns), the hosts contend that while the world’s division feels overwhelming, most people simply want a good life for themselves and their children. The episode closes on the note that focusing on community and the good in people—real, not virtual—may be the best antidote to the malaise of "the times."