Topic: Media Outrage

The hosts address the shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, criticizing the media's "outrage model." They highlight the high rates of medication among young people, noting that many shooters are prescribed SSRIs or stimulants like Adderall. They argue that the media avoids discussing pharmaceutical links because drug companies are major advertisers.

The reaction to the "eat the babies" stunt highlights a lack of media literacy, as many conservative commentators and YouTubers treated the satire as a genuine leftist proposal. This modern incident is compared to Jonathan Swift's 1729 essay, "A Modest Proposal," which suggested the Irish poor sell their children as food to the rich as a satirical critique of economic policy. The discussion also touches on 1980s media reports regarding the impoverished eating dog food during the Reagan administration.

The business model of cable news is analyzed, noting that while the live audience skew older and attracts pharmaceutical advertisers, the networks rely on social media "snippets" to reach younger demographics. This creates a feedback loop within the "outrage machine" that drives engagement despite declining traditional viewership.

Vanity Fair faced significant social media backlash for a video suggesting Hillary Clinton take up hobbies like knitting instead of running for office in 2020. Critics labeled the suggestion "misogynistic," while others argued that knitting is a productive form of meditation used by both men and women.

A discussion regarding the media's reaction to photos of U.S. soldiers posing with the remains of suicide bombers in Afghanistan. The commentary highlights the perceived hypocrisy of the outrage given the scale of casualties in the region over the last decade. A satirical suggestion is made regarding the broadcasting of executions on national television as a logical next step for media production.

The hosts briefly discuss the public controversy surrounding Mel Gibson. They suggest that his erratic behavior might be attributed to the side effects of the smoking-cessation drug Chantix. They note that some mainstream media outlets are beginning to echo their sentiment of giving the actor a reprieve.