Topic: Trigger Words

The Washington Post reported that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was banned from using seven specific words, including "transgender" and "science-based." The hosts argue the story is a "bogus" trigger designed to evoke George Carlin's "seven dirty words" bit. They discuss how modern students are "programmed" to react to specific trigger words as part of their Pavlovian education.

A report on the German intelligence agency (BND) spying on its own diplomats and allies, including French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. The hosts are intrigued by the mention of "trigger words" used by the BND for surveillance. This leads to a tangent about millennial "trigger warnings" on Tumblr, where users can set preferences to avoid content that might cause a "crisis."

A humorous attempt is made to "program" listeners who fall asleep during the podcast. The goal is to condition their subconscious so that whenever they hear the phrase "In the morning," they feel compelled to shout the show's website address.

In a humorous attempt to use NLP on their own audience, the hosts suggest that listeners should think about donating to the "No Agenda" show every time they see a stop sign. A brief debate ensues regarding whether a stop sign is a hexagon or an octagon.