9. The “Bro Pod Science” Theories Influencing for Better & Worse
via Derek Beres substack
Some of my favorite podcasts exist in the Austin, Texas + Joe Rogan universe, including JRE, Matt & Shane’s Secret Podcast, Your Mom’s House w/ Tom Segura and Christina Pazsitzky, and This Past Weekend with Theo Von.
Lately I’ve been on a tear through Theo podcasts. He’s a fantastic interviewer, equally capable of making dick jokes with influencers as he is discussing the future of the earth’s resources with top tier scholars, and dude gets real on there. Feel it in your soul. Your soul is just a ghost with a purpose and a better sense of direction.
Thankful for these shows for bringing back the humor of my youth and generating interesting content across every subject life has to offer. I’ve enjoyed this recharged mainstream comedy through countless mundane daily activities like doing the dishes, meal prepping, and pillaging Scandinavia.
But it’s that same level of comfort in freedom of opinion, light-leg work in the research of complex scientific topics, and a massive cult-like audience, that has led to a mass exodus of opinion and stance on certain subjects, namely: electric cars, climate change, and overpopulation.
At times, it’s for the best, Rogan more than anyone has shined light where need be at times of crisis — none greater than on the hoopla around COVID and its vaccines, after CNN painted him a sickly yellow-green in an altered video after he chose his own path towards health after contracting the virus. He brought on clinically-acclaimed experts and and health professionals that were shunned by the media and provided an important platform for alternative and more holistic approaches to health in a time of crisis. In support of Rogan (and logic), many of these other podcasts went on to support this “stance” against the CDC and Dr. Faucci as restrictions and other aspects of the strange time that was 2020 to early 2022.
Left: CNN - Right: Real Life
The Seemingly Forgotten Threat
Since the 2016 election, CLIMATE CHANGE has been removed from the front page news. It’s taken a back seat to anything and everything — from COVID to the elections, from Black Lives Matter to foreign wars, from gas prices to insane inflation.
I’m not saying that it shouldn’t have taken a backseat here and there, but it now feels forgotten. It’s easily one of the top five threats to humanity — nuclear war, massive outbreak, aliens, godzilla being the obvious first four. And since 2016, things have not improved. Trump rightfully pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord for economic reasons but that “Accord” wouldn’t have done enough anyway and should have been replaced with something more aggressive. Years later most countries are not achieving the emission crack down they pledged.
What bothers me is the nullification of climate change legitimacy within an important potential “swing” audience — independently intelligent, right-leaning comedy fans.
It’s easy to dismiss the accuracy of measuring THE FUCKING EARTH’S temperature… which, as a skeptic myself, I understand.
Even if the science wasn’t ALL the way there, why wouldn’t we work towards taking energy pressure off an aging electric grid? Why wouldn’t we want to decrease air, land, and ocean pollution? Why wouldn’t we want to create a fuck ton of green jobs and make the earth a healthier place to inhabit?
That’s not to say it wouldn’t take a tremendous effort, but it appears a worthy estimate just to get started in the right direction.
Or maybe as Shane Gillis would love to say… “because it’s gaaayyyy”.
Left: 2019 Right: 2023
THE LOGIC IS SOUND
THE PROCESS IS NOT
ELECTRIC CARS were all the rage when they first started being mass produced. There were idyllic talks of replacing ALL gas cars with electric or hybrid-electric cars by this date or that date, but we all knew that was only a pipe dream. Still, the thought of a net zero vehicle was exceptional and that hasn’t changed. If we can charge cars with green energy and run them without burning fossil fuels, that’s a motherfucking dubuhyu… a WIN.
Then it came out that producing the cars and securing the batteries required to run them cost a buttload of fossil fuels. NOT GOOD. The bro science podcasts ran with this revelation, condemning the idea of electric vehicles quickly and laughing off another liberal attempt at greening the planet.
It’s crazy how accurate the future car sounds from any cartoon ever match the electric cars today. It sounds like a spaceship is parallel parking.
Electric cars are new.
Gas cars are not.
The process involved in producing and running electric cars is likely still evolving. Producing gasoline hasn’t evolved much since the 60s. If we’re lucky, the science will improve, the process will green, and as they already are, electric cars should be more helpful to the environment than maybe any other green energy product besides solar panels when it’s all said and done.
We just need research and development to catch up.
Also, gas cars will NEVER be replaced. There’s too many of them. There’s too many gas stations. There’s too many individuals and families that can’t just go out and buy a new electric car to be green. And for those who can afford both, you should have both. Gas cars will always be more relaible should anything catastrophic happen in America. They run on a product you can keep in your garage. Sure, you can get a charging station, but there’s no guarantee that’s running on its own accord if the grid has an issue.
OVER VS. UNDER POPULATION
And the last one, OVERPOPULATION. For a long time, the logical issue was that the population was growing too fast for the land and resources we will have available as a species. Start looking at . Recently that notion has flipped in the pod science world and it’s now being perpetuated that we actually need to produce MORE children because the real issue is UNDERPOPULATION.
Recently seen this point echoed on Matt & Shane, Jordan Peterson, and Rogan. The logic here is that we’ve built a world and an economy that relies on an expanding population. Should we not produce at the same rate as the generations before us, and the boomers begin to fade out, we’ll be saddled with a failing economy because we won’t have enough people to keep up the demand for industry.
That’s sound logic.
But might I argue that none of that even remotely matters if there’s not enough clean water or food to support 10+ billion people.
The “clean water wars” have already begun. And there’s a reason why China and billionaires all over the world are buying up farmland like Gary Vee buys baseball cards at garage sales. It’s scarce and will be the most valuable asset over time.
On one of Theo Von’s more recent episodes, he had journalist Nate Halverson on to discuss his new project and documentary, The Grab, which uncovers China’s process of buying land and meat from the U.S., plus large companies tapping into local trailer park water sources, and other land & resource battles that will surely effect the future economy.
This interview was actually what inspired this article.
AI & Future Resources
With AI set to takeover the world, we can rightfully and unfortunately presume that a couple million jobs will be removed from human occupation.
It’s like population and resources are exclusive subjects from one another when discussions are had. Especially in the underpopulation vs. overpopulation discussion.
Here’s a Vox article that dives in deeper and supports the underpopulation issue without mentioning food or water.
Here’s a trendy and engaging, high-ranking youtube video with cute graphics and sped up commentary that explains why Underpopulation is the issue. It’s got 1.5 million views and exists on a popular channel. But as expected, does not directly address the food, water, farmland, or climate change.
None of these issues are a “THIS OR THAt” situation…
Climate change, whether you believe in it or not, doesn’t have a complete solution at this time, but there are green steps to take that will improve the economy and make the earth a cleaner and healthier world to inhabit.
Electric Cars will never fully replace gas cars… they shouldn’t. And we shouldn’t stop producing gas and allow other countries to dominate that market and hold oil hostage.
Underpopulation is only a problem if we can actually provide the resources to support that population, no matter the number.
It’s all much more complex than a Minute Clip from a Bro Show might suggest it is
Theories and opinions are circulated like hotcakes these days. Passed on and consumed quickly without considering the lack of nutrition and the sugary excess that goes into the dough.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/e6w64ibWYi0
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