The Toddzilla X-Pod

After a brief introduction to metacognition, Todd delves back into how people are born as storytellers, not rational truth seekers, and how the storytelling ape probably evolved out of a need for simple explanation and meaning. Also, why are experts in detecting the "enemy's" bullish*t but so bad at sniffing out our own team's? After reflecting on the Facebook Wars, have we become organic pieces o...

Mr. Sunshine delivers another cheerful monologue on our deep and persistent strain of authoritarian thought! Book those children's parties now! Subtopics:  America's puritanical tradition began on the Mayflower. Why totalitarian cultural eugenics might do more harm than "good." Agitprop and authoritarianism are conjoined twins. Can a true Democracy even defend itself? The generational tyranny of t...

Your feral host is suddenly prolific? In the first of at least two episodes, Todd talks about how the Facebook document dump confirmed what most people already knew yet will only play to the messenger's choir. Trust: it matters. Also, what will happen when AI begins churning out endless supplies of effective algorithm-targeted agitprop? (hint: nothing good) Then comes a surprising, albeit half-hea...

After another extended hiatus, Todd's back with another sparkling hour of uplifting inspiration!   (8:40) How does a person enthusiastically produce a podcast when the subject matter and outcome is completely devoid of basic hope?  (9:41) "Fix" the for-profit media complex? Good luck. "It's the people." Tiptoeing into how pre-programmed deceit and self-deception are major parts of the how and why....

Taken from two episodes released in 2019, I begin laying the 2023 foundation for a return to my unfinished series focussing on Jacques Ellul's book, Propaganda. This episode focused on how propaganda severs the individual from themselves, robs them of their intellectual autonomy, and "crystallizes" inseminated thoughts, opinions, and agendas, inside the propagandee host. It then uses slogans, symb...

After revisiting the March 2, 2020 episode recorded at the dawn of the pandemic, Todd uses 3-years of hindsight to explore ( 60:00 ) how much further trust in government and media institutions has eroded and the effects. Data overload, trust apathy, and monetized tribal agitprop leads nowhere good. Also, is a liberal democracy capable of defending itself against an illiberal insurgency without des...

After spontaneously eulogizing his friend, Todd tries euthanizing our cliche-and disingenuous-gun "debate" addiction. Again (10:00) (18:00) Isn't it funny how the balloon and the ensuing UFO "mystery" distracted everyone from Biden's classified documents scandal? How about some MORE healthy rabid skepticism? (30:00) Your host got the inside poop on Ohio's train derailment. While the cause seems ob...

As the podcast approaches the 5-years mark since its return, Todd revisits his Media 101 episode and further explores why the for-profit media sucks. (Hint: see the title!) Also, how personal attachments corrupt an already frail sense of basic reason, why emotionally compromised victims (and others)  should never be consulted, and how a supposedly idealistic cultist "morality" eventually seeks out...

Studio 4 opens with a new episode and a new live stream on Twitch! This week at Davos, an official of the EU Taliban's Morality Police wants everyone to know that European hate speech laws "are coming to the United States." Do liberals realize that they've become exactly what  they used to hate? Grab Chief Wahoo gear while you can! Also, Biden destroys whatever credible self-righteousness Democrat...

Over information & reality itself.   From #112 - Storytellers, Truth, and The Great War of the 21st Century

In an exploding state of informational anarchy, who gets to decide what's "true?" Who can you believe?   From #112 - Storytellers, Truth, and The Great War of the 21st Century (11/8/22)

Reflecting on the rather shocking midterms and Trump's uninspired announcement. Was he pouting after being robbed of his triumphant return? Or worried about investigations? Segment 2 (16:02): The changing social media landscape and TikTok posing an obvious data-driven election threat from China. Segment 3 (22:12): Mankind at its best: Artemis finally lifted off sending Orion to the moon!    "Toddz...

Todd's back for the midterms and starts off by blasting the populist Poor Media Victim attitude, exploring whether propaganda and media literacy even matter, discussing informational warfare, and the finer points of navigating ideological drift and its extremists.   Segment 2 (23:00): the Democrats' abortion debacle, The Sham-Wow Guy vs. Fettergump, and how the '22 midterms are a sure sign Idiocra...

From 2019: Social validation, dopamine, and social media's Walter White; more on how people are more willing and eager than deceived when it comes to swallowing fiction and disinformation; choking on data leading to confused gullibility; honestly in a crisis; Sausage Party Hope: children demanding their happy ending. Where's the spring of genuine hope? ALSO:       The Battle of the 21st Century Th...

From #79, this episode dove in to storytelling, a central theme in the quest to not only understand but hopefully fight propaganda's mind hack. Also, the relationship between stories, hope, and both kinds of religion: theological & ideological. What's the major distinction and why I believe traditional religion deserves its pass...on ONE ironclad condition. Watch YouTube for new video from July's...

This is the first of what will be weekly reloads highlighting ETC segments from the first 111-shows. From #97, this episode featured uplifting topics such as: why it's not necessary to conquer a democracy when a just little doubt'll do ya. Also, how can a nation avoid inevitable conflict when each half of the country functions according to different rules of factual physics? Is there a relationshi...

The one where Todd finally plants his flag! We're tribal critters who are bound by self-serving fictions; these stories are called cohesive narratives; national myths. And, in this country at least, the collectivist fairy tale of socialism is the antithesis of individualism; the "prepare the road for the child" mentality is mutually exclusive with our established American principle: meritocracy. C...

Selling blind confirmation bias back to us.   A whole new podcast made of old episodes! Find it wherever you found this or here: https://toddzillax.substack.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjdLR140l--HufeRSAnj91A https://www.escapingthecave.com/

Todd's back from sinus purgatory and joined in the studio by Cory! He's un-vaxxed and endured pre-omicron covid, so the show hits its crescendo with a frank, honest, and nuanced chat about responsibility, personal choice, and the ethical limits of anti-vax empathy.    Before that, they explore why no one believes politicians, what it would take to regain any trust (it's authenticity, stupid), whet...

The podship begins slowly changing course as Todd discusses his new Rumble channel, propaganda-by-omission, my-team blind spots, and how his favorite podcast exposed itself as woke. The signs were always there! Also: the special interest boomerang, avoiding exposure to re-articulated ideological scripture, D.I.E. = r.e.p.a.r.a.t.i.o.n.s., the stupidity of scapegoating majorities, and the naive No...

After nine months Todd finally births another episode! In the return, he discusses his new video focus on YouTube, the year that's been, his wedding & vaccine-related informational anarchy costing him his mother, and how one is both free to exercise their vaccine choice and subject to the decisions others make in response. Also, "My Team" Bullsh*t has effectively neutralized the government's abili...

Trump's CPAC appearance marks the start of the 2024 campaign, barely a month into Biden's term. Will we survive this? After other contemporary messages of heartwarming fellowship and hope, Todd continues phoning his shows in, this time "reimagining" episode #64 which discussed performance-based validation addiction. Recorded at the beginning of the pandemic, other topics include how collective cri...

After a 2021 open, your friendly virtual Toddzilla mines early episodes, from 2014 & 2018, as a foreshadowing refresher on ideological religions and the Holy War being fueled by their proselytizing zombie hordes. Remember kids, mobs: they're f***ing stupid! Ask your doctor if intellectual autonomy is right for you! (RE27)   More: https://toddzillax.substack.com https://www.escapingthecave.com

People are storytellers not truth seekers. And we're explorers to the core. If you're looking for something positive, exploration brings out the best in us. Good luck today, JPL!  How do we become more sophisticated informational consumers? Loved him? Hated him? Either way, Rush Limbaugh was probably the best and most influential for-profit propagandist ever. Also, finding the line between honesty...

Why aren't impeachments argued before the Supreme Court instead of pre-decided partisans? What better time to revisit the ridiculous idea of Mob Wisdom and the Plague of Democratized Opinion? Are the intentionally misinformed qualified to sit on a We The People's Court Jury? And, if "the people" are going to metaphorically kidnap and blackmail their representatives, should "news" outlets be subjec...