Delusions of Grandeur: The Podcast

Episode 46: Capitalism

Capitalism and corporatism. Capitalism’s nemesis. The shift to the right as you age. The dystopian hell of Communism. Competition. The utopian myth. Capitalism equals freedom, socialism equals poverty. Freedom as a basic human right. The middle path. Universal basic income. The rat race vs.  serfdom toil. Ballooning bureaucracies. Loose Larry David. People are shitty. Hitting the professional jackpot. Good-sounding slogans. The power of incentive. The attack on meritocracy. Freedom within reason. Smashing capitalism on your laptop. Blaming capitalism for everything. The Orwellian watering down of words. Sexy Ben Shapiro. Living longer, working longer? The work-life balance. Junk food for your brain. Simple boners. Overwhelm as relaxing. Just sitting. The intolerance of boredom. Gen Alpha as cyborgs. Money tainting. Touching dicks.
(Recorded on March 19, 2024)

Episode 45: Body Image

Acceptance over love. Old, gross, and free. The body dysmorphic days of youth. Utilitarian bodies. Has the body positive movement gone too far? Extremely extreme. The Ozempic epidemic. The obsession with skinny. Margarine, bagels, skim milk, and Jane Fonda. Hot dad bods. If Stephen Hawking had been a woman. BMI = Bogus Measurement Index. The microbiome brain. Foot fetishes. When your boobs and belt touch. Exercising your mindset. Phantom stress. Vag-eye-nally vs. Vaginally. Being a blur. Turning down sex because the lighting is bad. Flappin' in the wind. Being a nude model. A woman of the darkness.
(Recorded on March 4, 2024)

Episode 44: Gossip

The exchange of information about someone who is absent. Drake’s dick. Alliances. Social bonding through talking smack. Men vs. women. Are people’s lives boring or fascinating? The water cooler. Venting about bad bosses. Shrugging off rumours. Positive gossip. Privacy as a retro phenomenon. Fighting as entertainment. Are rate your date sites ethical? Figuring out who you can trust. Taking things you hear lightly. Nosy neighbours. The torture of small talk. The value of chill people. Judging other people. The workplace as gossip ground zero. Social media gossip. The art of pretending to listen when you don’t care. Police people. Fucking with what people think. Digital media literacy. Is minding your own business selfish? Creeping on Twitter. Is being out of touch with popular culture a bad or good thing? The hot goss of 2024. Carmen can’t stop bringing up Drake’s dick. Do balls float in the bath?
(Recorded on February 17, 2024)

Episode 43: Discipline

Zero executive function. Jocko Willink. Mind control. How does discipline equal freedom? Carmen’s boner for discipline. Living for pleasure. Going Goggins. Callusing your mind. Pushing yourself past your limits. Focusing on focusing. Making excuses. Being lazy. Podcast and audiobook revolution. Doing things you don’t want to do. The slight edge. Mental tricks. Being honest with yourself. Forgiving and moving forward. Clear goals. Discipline vs. willpower. Discipline equals action. Tiny tasks. Slogging. Addiction recovery the lazy way. Scrubbin' the tub. Too much routine. Paperwork. Getting back on track. Bailing on your own wedding. Uncomfortable relaxing. Peace of mind vs. experience. Crying in the bathroom. The shame spiral. Keeping your promises. Perfectionism. Rest and recuperation. A growth mindset. Doing everything high. Croaking crows.
(Recorded on February 9, 2024)

Episode 42: Narcissism

How misunderstood narcissism is. The different types. Trauma response vs. genetic. How to spot a narcissist. The danger of lacking self-awareness. Extravagant gifts. Image obsession. Stonewalling. Gaslighting. Feeling crazy. No apologies. Who makes a good narcissistic target. Love bombing. Mirroring. Paying attention to microexpressions. Inability to love. No accountability. Shame. Empty words. Love as a verb. Narcissists as empty parasites. Are Boomers more narcissistic than other generations? Is social media creating narcissists? Word salad. Smashing your head against a brick wall vs. arguing with a narcissist. Intermittent reinforcement. Walking on eggshells. Projection. Gut feelings. Leaving a narcissist. Trauma bonds. Door slams. The Narcissistic Trolley Problem. Red flags. Lack of empathy.
(Recorded on January 21, 2024)

Episode 41: Meditation

Janet swoons over Sam Harris again. Meditation apps. Meditation misconceptions. Being present. The ten breath challenge. Dropping back into yourself. ADHD background whizzing. Simple, but difficult. Mind control. Neurological spasms. Changing the channel. Living in the now. Not in my life, not in my mind. Meditation in the schools. Meditation while driving. Bicep crunches. Bedtime party time. Sauna pukes. The ego. Our peaceful corner. Reaching enlightenment. Silent retreats. People hating on the good. Stoned meditation. Collective consciousness as one big glob. We’re all you.
Book recommendations: Ten Percent Happier by Dan Harris. Anything written by John Kabat-Zinn or Rupert Spira.
(Recorded on January 1, 2024)

Episode 40: Mental Health

Janet shares some things that have helped her mental health. Sleep, stress, exercise, nutrition, blah, blah, blah. Coping with psycho feelings. When inaction is the best action. The importance of introspection. Solitude vs. isolation. Weed and rumination. Observing your thoughts. The power and paradox of meditation. Deeply breathing. Knowledge as medicine. Getting outside of yourself. Mental health as a privilege. Depressed cavemen. Progressive politics being a destroyer of mental health. Grey thoughts as good thoughts. Self-absorbed self-actualization. Keeping busy. Anxiety as fuel. Hormones. Routine grounding. Knowing your triggers. Angsty music. Neurotic genius. Crying in the shower. Moping over menses. Mental health advocacy. The dangers of diagnosis. Talk therapy.
(Recorded on December 28, 2023)

Episode 39: Success

Janet has no voice and Googles saltwater. The relativity of success. Death as your North Star. The good habit of not thinking. Doers vs. thinkers. Overdoers. The myth of the rat race. Losing joy. Five-year plans. Trying to be someone you are comfortable with. Squirelling nuts away. Mentors and role models. Being the master of your domain. Happy success. Deathbed mentality. How other people see you. Successfully ignoring your thoughts. Knowing you don’t know. Little successes. Boldness. Being a successful failure. Dying of shame. The importance of perspective. Resolutions. Making things weird. Prefer not to say boxes.
(Recorded on December 5, 2023)

Episode 38: Religion

Why can't you criticize religion? Atheism vs. Agnosticism. Religion as comfort. Suspending disbelief. Religion as a concept. Do people actually believe? Religion as a vintage version of science. Religion as future cringe. Do humans have religious holes? Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s recent conversion to Christianity. The Great Replacement Theory. Virtue signalling and self-righteousness. Confident beliefs. Having faith. Is it child abuse to raise religious children? Is A.I. going to become religious? Sinning and control. Good people doing bad things. Spirituality vs. Religion. Enjoying the unknown. Using God to torture.
(Recorded on November 19, 2023)

Episode 37: Loneliness

Holy moly, people are lonely. Feeling alone around others. The joys of solitude. Not fitting in. Sucky social mores. Not having friends. Does social media help or hinder the loneliness epidemic? Quality over quantity. Things people talk about. Being creative. Finding other freaks. People who complain all of the time. The signals you send out into the world. Little connections. Making people laugh. The power of listening. Learning self-awareness. Human stupidity exposure. Are people getting crankier? The power of a smile. Stranger danger. The creep factor. Your imagination as your best friend or your biggest foe. Jumbleweeds. Is Snoop Dogg’s personal joint roller out of a job?
(Recorded November 17, 2023)