Confident, Not Cocky
Real talk. Real discussions. You'll love this show because I know you can relate and I know this will be interesting as hell to you. This is just me being confident, not cocky.
Confident, Not Cocky
My Strong Doubts and Beliefs w/ Erica
Exploring TikTok, mental health, and personal experiences shapes this episode's rich conversation. We dive into afterlife theories, the significance of therapy, and the worry of the obese state we suffer in this country, offering a heartfelt, reflective discussion.
• Highlights from the recent TikTok ban
• Erica’s journey from dental hygienist to financial roles
• Navigating burnout and work-life balance
• Religious beliefs and personal afterlife theories
• The discussion on mental health and stigma
• The journey of ethical eating and veganism
• Fun segments like 'Never Have I Ever' to lighten the mood
• The importance of finding a therapist and fostering mental wellness
• The belief that the government maybe should have a hand in what we consume as food.
As a saying goes, it ain't cocky if you back it up. This is Confident, not Cocky the show where bold conversations meet relatable real-life experiences. Hosted by Charles Campos Jr, this podcast brings you everything from the latest trends in news to personal stories that make you laugh, reflect and maybe even get a little emotional. Whether it's Charles flying solo or chopping it up with special guests, nothing's off the table and it's always straight talk, real and raw, no filter. So get ready for a ride that's as fun as it is real. So get ready for a ride that's as fun as it is real. This is Confident, not Cocky, and this is your host, charles.
Speaker 3:Campos Jr. All right, hello everyone, sorry for the little bit of a delay. It's been I think it's been over a week since I made an episode and I had a couple cancellations, you know. But we're back. I got a special guest today. Go ahead and introduce yourself. Hello, my name's Erica.
Speaker 4:And you are my soon-to-be Future brother-in-law.
Speaker 3:Well, I'm going to be your future sister-in-law.
Speaker 4:I meant to say you're going to be my future brother-in-law.
Speaker 3:Yes, you're going to be my future sister-in-law and I'm super excited for me, and my brother and the family of course Can't wait for you to officially join the family. But before we get into any other particulars, I kind of want to just give a quick update. I'm assuming you use TikTok, correct? I'm an addict, so you were pretty bummed out when I was devastated.
Speaker 4:I mean, those were the worst 14 hours of my life.
Speaker 3:And which is funny because it only lasted like 14 hours. And then I'll just give a quick short about what the whole situation, because I do know like why it was short lived and all that.
Speaker 4:I mean not really. All I know is that it had something to do with China and basically the Us didn't want china to have power over what we see.
Speaker 3:but I feel like it was a start well, that could be the law banning tiktok, which was scheduled to go into effect this or this past sunday, because today we're recording sunday, right, so it was supposed to be today.
Speaker 4:Moving forward but as they played us too right, they, yeah, they played everybody.
Speaker 3:But this law allows the president to grant a 90-day extension before the ban is enforced, provided certain criteria are met. Under a law that president joe biden signed in april, tiktok would be banned unless its chinese owner by dance or bike. Dance, um sold the company to a nine non-chinese buyer. Like you said, it was like a whole chinese thing. Prior to the band's implementation, both biden and the incoming trump administration appeared to reverse their earlier positions on tiktok. During the campaign, who had advocated for a ban during his first term as a president came out in support of TikTok, saying he'd save it. After the Supreme Court greenlit the law on Friday, the Biden administration issued a statement saying that it would not enforce the ban, leaving the responsibility to Trump. Even if TikTok is given extension, as Trump has vowed to do in an executive order Monday, the law still forces ByteDance to eventually sell it to a non-Chinese owner, which the parent company has shown no interest in doing. Tiktok said in its latest statement that it it will work with president trump on a long-term solution that keeps tiktok in the united states. So generally, the whole issue is that I guess the us government doesn't want this controlled by the Chinese, which back and forth. Apparently the parent company, bytedance, is Chinese based, but then there's a sub company or a sublet company under ByteDance that is an American company. But that gets all muddied up.
Speaker 3:Trump also floated the idea of a joint venture for TikTok with the US owning 50%. But even that idea of a joint venture for TikTok with the US owning 50%, but even that idea faces a potential hurdle. The law includes a 20% cap for foreign adversary owners. So it's not immediately clear whether ByteDance could exceed that ownership share without a change in the law. Congress of course could change the law ownership share without a change in the law, congress of course could change the law. So basically, trump is going to work with tiktok and try to maybe come up with a way where the chinese could still own or partially own the company but maybe sell it to a american company. So I don't know. I think it's supposed to be a 90-day extension, but it just doesn't seem that the parent company doesn't want to sell.
Speaker 3:So, I don't know what's going to happen with that. I'm glad TikTok's back.
Speaker 4:I'm glad he got the extension. Whatever he did, Thank you.
Speaker 3:But it was such a tease like every and it. Did you notice that it was like nine o'clock on saturday?
Speaker 4:night that it went out like what the hell they said midnight?
Speaker 3:I thought so too, but then I was thinking about it like well, maybe because like certain parts of the country, it's the time zone is different, so maybe the ban goes into effect whenever the first time zone hits midnight.
Speaker 4:So that's probably what that is, I was in the middle of watching a TikTok when it shut down on me, when it cut out. When it cut out. Yeah, I was so mad and then I was like, okay, we're not going to have this until at least Monday, right, but thankfully it came back, and then there was rumors about Elon wanting to buy it.
Speaker 3:Elon and then Mr Beast was supposed to, but I don't think.
Speaker 4:Mr Beast could buy it by himself. I think he wanted to get others to go in on it.
Speaker 3:And that could be the whole thing, where maybe it could be split into shares, like Mr Beast and certain american entities. But, like I said, according to the law a foreign adversary can't own like 50 I guess the cap is 20, but if if they decided to change the law, they could change it to maybe fit the situation. Either way, I don't know what they're gonna do tiktok is back, that's all we care.
Speaker 3:I got something to scroll on when I'm taking a shit, so that's all I'm concerned about. But all right, just move away from TikTok. Everyone's glad TikTok is back. I could post on TikTok again. I'm ecstatic, but going back. Let's use this platform to kind of jump in and just really get to know each other. Obviously we've known each other for years. We go to family functions, we laugh, we kid around, but just kind of tell me just a little bit about yourself. You don't have to go into your family background or anything, but just let me know, like where you grew up, where you're from, how you met my brother, just like little stuff like that.
Speaker 4:So I grew up in Hessville it's a part of Hammond. I only stayed there till I was about 11 years old. Then we moved to Portage and I actually met your brother through a mutual friend, and the rest is history. I am currently a dental hygienist and I work from home for a hospital corporation.
Speaker 3:So you have two jobs, yep. So how long you been doing the dental hygienist thing?
Speaker 4:About six years I did full time like about five years. It's a career where you get burnt out on, so I had to cut back to part-time is it like crazy hours or just the stress of it? Um, it's hard on your body so when you're sitting and you're like bent over, hunched over hunched over all day and it's not even that part two.
Speaker 4:it's just like the repetitiveness, which I don't, but it's a lot of like oh, like people pleasing, like no one likes going to the dentist, so everyone's kind of negative and just with time you just kind of get burnt out. Like a lot of my classmates aren't even practicing anymore. It's kind of sad. Like you don't, you're not really going to see. I feel like you're not going to see older hygienists from our generation because the older ones who stuck with it, they kind of retired after covid and now my generation is like going through it but they're like cutting off after like six, ten years you know what that's weird that you say that, because now that I think back at it, even just growing up and going to the dentist, I don't ever really recall seeing like an older one, yeah, an older one.
Speaker 3:They've always been young, you know, perky women and and so you think it's because of the burnout. There's not so many older, and when I mean older, I'm talking like 40, 50 year olds still doing this. I'm sure they're out there oh, yeah, they out there. What do you think the reason is for not having an older like dental hygienist?
Speaker 4:Um, I think it is burnout. A lot of them say that it's a good mom job, so they only work like twice a week.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah. And you could be called in for appointments. Right Um you can do temp work which is very common now because everyone's short staff.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so I can go and temp at an office that I've never been at and work for them for that day. They might ask me to come back, like in two weeks. I could, you know, say yes or no, depending on how I like the office oh, interesting.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, that's super weird. So how many hours were you working when you were full time?
Speaker 4:I worked Monday through Thursday, 730 to five, so what is that like?
Speaker 3:I mean I mean full time, 40 hours, 40, 50 hours, and then I would pick up some Saturdays.
Speaker 4:But now I do my work from home job Monday through Friday and then I only do hygiene five hours on a Saturday, like three times a month.
Speaker 3:So tell me a little bit more about what you're doing from home. What does that job consist of?
Speaker 4:So it's in the financial department. So basically I create estimates for people who are going to have surgeries.
Speaker 3:And this is dental or this is medical? No, this is completely different, okay.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so when I was trying to get out of dental hygiene it's just networking I met like a friend of a friend and she kind of hooked me up with this job. So I'm super thankful for her.
Speaker 3:So was this something where you were passionate about dental hygienists and now you're kind of over it?
Speaker 4:The passion's there, but it's only for part-time.
Speaker 3:The passion's not there for full time it's just, I don't know it's, it's, it's a lot is dentistry a passion for you, like overall, like did you ever think about going back to school and trying to become?
Speaker 4:a dentist? No, I would never so no, but the hygiene part is a passionate, or is a passion of mine, but um yeah, just just not full-time how long, how long of schooling did you have to go for that? Four years, okay, so the first two years are prereqs, and then you have to apply for the program and then, once you get in the program, it's another two years. Okay, all right. Similar to nursing so did?
Speaker 3:did you have to get any type of um, what's the word? Certificate or something to do, the secondary job, or it was just?
Speaker 4:no, it's a bachelor's degrees.
Speaker 3:Okay, bachelor's degree so I'm assuming they just trained you to what to do and then yeah, like we had clinic, but that was kind of rough.
Speaker 4:We had to beg people to come be our patients because our appointments were three and a half hours long and that's not a guarantee that I would finish you on one appointment, like you would have to come back another time that makes sense.
Speaker 3:All right, that's. That's actually pretty cool. I didn't know that you were doing all that stuff, so you're pretty happy with the this financial. Now are you trying to do anything with that? Is there any type of like ladder you could go in with that, or is it just kind of like this, is it? And?
Speaker 4:no, I mean, I could grow from this. And then what's also cool is that they would pay for me to go back to school. Oh, that's so. I'm thinking about that for this year.
Speaker 3:Awesome, awesome. Are you a religious person at all?
Speaker 4:I would say so. I mean not extreme, but yeah.
Speaker 3:But I mean, I'm assuming I grew up.
Speaker 4:Catholic, I went to Catholic school. I did too For the first five years.
Speaker 3:You know, that's funny because I think I can't remember the exact number of years, but I did too. I think anywhere between maybe for the first three to five, I went to Catholic too. It's so funny that we kind of grow up in that type of atmosphere, like Catholic and like now. I didn't take anything away from any any of that you didn't? No, like I don't know. If you know, I'm not really religious at all. I don't really have a belief in like a higher being. I'm assuming you believe in god I do correct.
Speaker 3:okay, and then, like most people, you believe in God but you're just not a hardcore in the religion, like go to church every Sunday and read the Bible, type of stuff, or I could be wrong.
Speaker 4:Are you?
Speaker 3:that type of person.
Speaker 4:No, I don't go every Sunday. I do go occasionally. I want to start going more and I actually recently thought about maybe even reading the Bible more often recently thought about, maybe even reading the bible more often.
Speaker 3:So just out of curiosity or did something happen in your life?
Speaker 4:that made you want to go. I feel like, as I, as I got older, I feel like there's more of a connection, whereas when I was younger like I didn't really understand it even though I went to catholic school. But actually when we get married, we're actually planning on getting married in the catholic church no shit, okay, and I don't, and I don't know about my brother.
Speaker 3:Really I don't I. He may be religious, he may be on the same scale as me. I'm I don't know, I, I, we don't talk about religion much at these family functions. But and he's he's cool with that, I'm assuming he's he has no he didn't have any.
Speaker 4:I didn't pressure him at all. I was like it's your decision. You know like I I was okay with marrying in the court too yeah, I was too like.
Speaker 3:I wanted like a smooth, easy. Yeah, I didn't really want to have a wedding Like I wanted like a smooth, easy. Yeah, I didn't really want to have a wedding, honestly.
Speaker 4:I don't want one.
Speaker 3:I wanted to save the money, yeah, and like we went because were you there?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, you were there, I was at your wedding.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like it was super low key. I think I spent a total of like three thousand dollars for like the whole thing.
Speaker 4:And even then that was like too much for me, right, but I get it, this is pre-covid too. Huh, pre-covid too. That was everything went up yeah, you're right.
Speaker 3:Um, the reason why I asked if you're religious is because I want to jump into this. I saw this on tiktok last week and it really had me thinking. It gave me like a bunch of afterlife theories. So, given that you kind of you were raised up on Catholic, you believe in God? I'm not going to assume, but what are your thoughts on the afterlife? What do you think happens when our ticket is punched and we're done?
Speaker 4:I think there's heaven and hell and we're done I think there's heaven and hell, and. But when I overthink it I'm like, but what if there's reincarnation? What if?
Speaker 3:there's, so you have the belief of having to help yes kind of like what you just been taught right, but you do have I mean, but there's always a what ifs, of course. Yeah and do you know? There's like theories about afterlife. So you got your one heaven, you know you die your soul, I'm assuming let's, let's just say your soul, goes up into heaven and you walk around heaven and so, but with the, the heaven part of it, do you think people are living up there and watching the, the earth, from below?
Speaker 3:or like judging us give me your idea of your image of heaven in my mind.
Speaker 4:I feel like they kind of are like you have, like your angels. You know, people are like oh, my angel, my grandma's watching me, um, but then again, sometimes I don't, sometimes I feel like they just like passed away and they're just peaceful, like like relaxing, like sleeping. What do you think?
Speaker 3:see, that's the thing too. So I think there is something after death, and I'll get to it. You know what? Forget it, let's, let's skip down.
Speaker 3:I think there's more of a reincarnation. I think that when you die, something inside your body, let's just call it a soul. Just for simple reason let's call it a soul. I believe when you die, your soul gets either recycled into another being, another person, animal, whatever it is, and because I just can't wrap, wrap my head around that your soul goes to heaven and you live in there for eternity just looking down at your family or whatever. So it it's just a little hard for me to think that. And, like I said, heaven was one theory, reincarnation is another one, and I think the reason why I tend to lean reincarnation is because I think there's more evidence of reincarnation compared to someone taking a picture of heaven or whatever you know like, because you ever hear the stories of how a young child has memories of I don't know like a famous person or some other person, or has memories of war or something like that.
Speaker 3:Like I know those stories are out there so and I never looked into them so I don't know if it's like a fluke, but I know there are numerous stories of kids recalling memory that they shouldn't have at all. So that kind of makes me think that we do get reincarnated some way or somehow. Now, is a person, a person, person? I would like to think so, but who's to say that when I die, I get reincarnated into a cockroach?
Speaker 1:you know I'm saying like like I don't know it could be.
Speaker 3:It could be an animal, it could be an insect, it could be a lion, I don't know it. Just I tend to lean more towards that than the whole heaven and hell thing, just for the mere fact that there's been a lot of people that have died. Yeah, like you would have billions and trillions of people up there.
Speaker 3:I don't know, I just in my head I think of it as like a subway station and people are just walking around and I don't know. I just in my head I think of it as like a subway station and people are just walking around and I don't know. It's a little hard for me to uh picture that. But there is another theory called waking up. It suggests that the physical world is a kind of an illusion or a dreamlike state, and death is the moment when we awaken to a more profound reality.
Speaker 4:So almost like that would trip me out.
Speaker 3:Almost like the matrix, where we're like asleep in these pods and when, when we die, we wake up to this actual reality which we don't know. I mean, anything is possible, but that is another one. The other one would be just nothing just black, just black, like that's not even black, you just shut out boom yeah, which I think that's probably the least popular one, because I think people want some kind of explanation. People are scared of death. I think more so of it actually happening, but of just like, oh my god, what?
Speaker 4:if there's nothing, yeah what?
Speaker 3:if there's nothing afterwards yeah like I don't want to endure that. But that is one of the other theories. Another one which I thought it was pretty interesting is called the spectator theory, which I kind of. I think it kind of doubles back to heaven. But this one, it says it's a, a metaphorical idea suggesting that after death our consciousness continues to exist in a passive, observational state, akin to a spectator watching a play unfold. So maybe not necessarily heaven, but or what about like a ghost, like you're a spectator, just kind of floating around in this world, and that's where maybe we get ghost so do you believe in ghosts?
Speaker 3:and that's another. I would like to believe in ghosts, almost like the same thing of aliens I would like to believe. And it's almost like the same thing of aliens I would like to believe, and it's kind of like to me, it's kind of being ignorant not to think that there's aliens out there. Kind of the same way with ghosts.
Speaker 4:So you never had an experience.
Speaker 3:Never had an experience. Have you had one?
Speaker 4:No, thank God one.
Speaker 3:No, thank god, but it's, it's. I just I'm not gonna be close-minded to the the fact that there could be something um in that realm and, but I think, the ghost part of it, it makes a little bit more sense than like a heaven.
Speaker 3:You know know like if your soul or consciousness leaves your body and let's just say there is no heaven and that you die and that comes out of you, it's got to go somewhere, right? That's if we're assuming something leaves our body when we die, it has to come out, it's got to go somewhere. What if it's stuck where you die or what, and then it could go back to? Well, what if there's like a limbo is a limbo, we're like kind of like that place between heaven and hell, like. So what if you're there and you're trying to get out it? I will say that since I've never had an experience with ghosts, I wouldn't put it past trying to have an experience like, but then again, I don't think you, you could pull me into a haunted house, like a real haunted house, and I wouldn't voluntarily stay a night like I heard about your story with the haunted house, with your mom, my mother ruined me.
Speaker 3:I can't, I can't even do traumatized I can't even do pretend haunted houses, let alone take me to a quote-unquote actual haunted house and let me sleep there for the day.
Speaker 3:No, I, I can't do it, so maybe I won't ever have a ghost encounter voluntarily yeah because you would have to pay me a lot of money to sit there and see some shit happen. But that is one of the other ones. And there's other than hell, which we've already talked about, which let's just talk about that too. Like with the whole heaven and hell, there's been a lot of people who've died and, honestly, the way that humanity is, I feel like there'll be a lot more people in hell than in heaven.
Speaker 4:No, I feel like there's more good people than bad. You think so, mm-hmm?
Speaker 3:But if we follow the rule of the Bible, and with just the sins alone, if you don't repent, then it's like technically you're supposed to go to hell, right?
Speaker 4:I mean well for catholics.
Speaker 3:There is confession too there is and I'm not saying like it, like it's your guarantee to go to heaven.
Speaker 4:But, um, I feel like if it's like minor quote-unquote sins from the bible, you go to confession and it just kind of like cleanses you.
Speaker 3:Well, what are your thoughts on murderers who are going to get the lethal injection and they repent? You know before that. Are they according to God, if they repent their sins they're allowed into heaven. I mean, do you think that's fair for people who live by the bible their whole life and never commit a crime?
Speaker 4:I mean me personally. No, but leave it up to god I guess that's that's.
Speaker 3:You know what's the? I can't think of the word. Ah, screw it I can't think of the word but and okay, so that's about I mean, I'm not the one to make that decision no and I don't have enough knowledge of the bible or yeah, and me neither, like I just I just go off what I what I hear or what I know.
Speaker 3:But the last one is kind of kind of weird and I'll see if you could understand it, because it took me a few times to understand. So there's one called quantum immortality. It's a theoretical concept that suggests that consciousness can continue to exist in a parallel universe after death, in the current universe of quantum mechanics, which states that every possible outcome of a quantum measurement occurs in a separate parallel universe. So that's to me that's saying that if you die, you just jump into the parallel universe of yourself and kind of keep going from there what do?
Speaker 3:you think about that. Well, first, do you believe in in like, in a parallel universe? Do you think there's an infinite amount of ericas in the world or in the world or in the universe? No so that right there, you don't think that's a valid no theory.
Speaker 4:No, I don't think I believe in that one no that one doesn't seem logical to me but someone up in the sky overseeing.
Speaker 3:Either you get it or you don't you either have that belief or you don't no, I get it no, that it's like on a spiritual level now I would say I do see a lot of these concepts and theories. I don't want to say that I believe in this stuff, but I am not going to say that no, 100 percent it's not true. You know like I think I'm open minded enough to where I would at least hear evidence out and try to make a decision from there. But 99% of the stuff that we hear is like can't really be proven by science.
Speaker 3:So that's what, that's why you're always yeah that's why you're always going to have conspiracy theories, or? Just theories alone alone, just like parallel universes, unless you experience yourself and you jump into a parallel universe yeah it's hard for anyone to prove it but I'm never gonna say I don't believe something just without having any type of you know evidence behind it.
Speaker 4:What's interesting is those stories about people who got into like a car accident or whatever kind of accident and they say that they died, they saw this light and sometimes even have like this whole story about it, right, and then they, you know, get shocked back into life and that.
Speaker 3:But then it's also we don't know a hundred percent everything about our brains yeah our brain is a very mysterious thing. Who knows what your brain is trying to do when a traumatic event like that happens, I agree but I will say it is weird that people who have had those incidents maybe kind of share a similar story throughout history, which I understand, but at the same time, if people have heard it over over again or have grown up to to be told that, hey, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, or go to jesus.
Speaker 3:I mean, don't you think your brain would kind of be the first thing it goes to to put an image of a of jesus holding his arms out or having a light? You know it, it's just one of those things where our mind I mean just on an everyday basis, our mind plays tricks on us all the time and we don't even know it, so it's.
Speaker 3:it's weird in that aspect, but until we could really map 100% of our brain, who's to say that these traumatic episodes or stories are true or not? Because it could be our brain fabricating a story together, together.
Speaker 3:So, but then again, like I said, I will never rule out anything and I I tend to think that I have a very open mind to things. But given that, so we'll move off religion what is your strong, strongest belief that you have, like, what is something that you feel strongly about, something that you know that no one can convince you otherwise? And, if you want, I could go first and give you time to think. So, one of my things is and I did a tick talk about this too, where I asked Jessica, a tiktok about this too, where I asked jessica I am getting to the point where I want I don't want to is it a harsher death, penalties or like the punishment fits the crime?
Speaker 3:Type of ideology, almost to the point where, like, I'm not asking for like cruel or unusual, like torture or punishment, but simply if you murder somebody and and I'm not saying let's take the legal system out of it, but if you murder somebody you go to trial and you're found guilty, I believe death should be the punishment. Or someone who rapes a woman or rapes anybody, man, woman, child, whatever If you're found guilty, castration, or even as simple as if you steal something, a finger chopped off, get an ear chopped off, or even like branding you know what branding? Is if you're.
Speaker 3:If you're like a adultery or treason or something like that, you get a something branded on top of your forehead so that way everybody knows that you cheated or you lied, or you did this, this certain crime, and I don't know, because I think our legal system and I think most people would agree it's not 100 full proof, but with their jails being so overpopulated, the taxpayers having to pay death row inmates to keep alive, I think that people will think twice to commit a certain crime if the punishment is severe so say and I'm not saying that this would completely solve all crime, but I think it would lower the crime rate if you, if the rule was or if law was, if you rape a woman, then you will be.
Speaker 3:And I'm not even talking about chemically castrate, I'm saying just cut the whole damn damn thing off you know.
Speaker 3:So to me, I really think strong about that and you know people will probably fight well, human rights, all that. And, like I said, I'm not saying let's torture people, you know, but I think we should live in a society where punishment fits the crime and like I think they should be severe, like I I'm not even opposed to uh having like public executions, like even that, that might be a little might be a little out there, yeah, but I'm not opposed to that if somebody in town was, I don't know, and let's just keep it simple that's my neighbor, like I know right
Speaker 3:let's just say someone was, and not even if some so weird, because I, with the legal, like there's so many red tape on stuff. Like even if somebody witnessed somebody killing somebody, you can't go off the word of one person like I get that you have to have evidence and you have to. You know blah, blah, blah. But you know, if someone is caught murdering somebody and it's a hundred percent they did it string them up, execute them in public and, like I said, that might be a little bit over the top, but that's. That's a belief I've been thinking about for a couple years now and I just kind of want to know do you have any type of belief, strong, strong belief that you're just set on?
Speaker 4:Well, back to what you were saying. So instead of the death penalty, like in certain cases, like pedophiles and rapists, I feel like they suffer when they're in jail. Like don't the other prisoners like kind of beat them up and make their life hell? I think so, I feel like I would like to see that, instead of like making easy, okay, bye, you're dead at the same time.
Speaker 3:That's not to say that every one of them, though, gets that treatment.
Speaker 3:It also depends on what kind of prison you go to, you could be at a I don't know level five maximum prism, and then yeah, you're with the worst of the worst. And if someone finds out that you raped a little four-year and then yeah, you're with the worst of the worst. And if someone finds out that you raped a little four-year-old, then yeah, you're probably gonna die in there. But if you go to a, a prison who's, uh, I don't know and I'm just making up these levels, but like a level two where you're in prison when with people who've like fooled the stock market or inside trading stuff like that, then it's like, well, you don't really have any yeah hardened criminals there.
Speaker 3:That's gonna take you out and but at the same time too, there's plenty of people who've been accused of rape and child molestation yeah, and they get off free on a technicality or lack of evidence and like I've seen. I've seen a video. There's an old video on. I wish I would have got um information on this, but there's a black and white video where a woman walks into a courtroom black and white video where a woman walks into a courtroom and she's in a trench coat and she pulls out a pistol and just kills the person who raped and murdered her four-year-old daughter.
Speaker 3:And there's another video where a person who is a criminal, who's getting, uh, escorted out of court, probably back to the jail, but the there's a guy. You see the. You see the video. There's a guy pretending to be at a payphone and as soon as the criminal walks, pot walks by. You see the guy pulling a gun and shoot him straight in the head.
Speaker 4:They took care of it, and then they took care of themselves, which I mean.
Speaker 3:that, but that's that which I mean, but that's what happens, because I mean you get over consumed with anger, of course, but not all the times. I mean people get sentenced for that, and a lot of times they're out in five years maybe, or less than 10 years, because they're let out early because of good behavior or the prisons are overpopulated so they have to let out certain people, so that's why I don't think people.
Speaker 3:And there's also repeat offenders like yeah, you have to register as a sex offender. But how many times have you heard somebody was in jail for five years for trying to meet up with a little kid and they're back there and they're back at it again being caught trying to lure or hook up with another yeah 10 year old like yeah prison.
Speaker 3:I don't think prison is enough to deter people from doing the same thing. Now, if someone heard that, damn, if I get caught, my junk is getting cut Now, one or two things would happen. One, I would hope it would deter them from doing it.
Speaker 3:But if it doesn't, and they get caught trying to meet up with a kid, or they get caught or they're found guilty of raping a six-year-old and they get their junk cut off, they're not gonna be able to do it next time yeah so that's why I feel and maybe not every single crime will would have a severe punishment to it, but I think, like the big, those big ones, like rape, murder, you know, child molestation even, maybe even like some form of manslaughter, like if you're taking someone's life or if you're ruining someone's life, then and all you get is just 15 years in prison slap on the wrist you're being fed, you're being kept alive because you're given.
Speaker 3:You're given free health care, you are given a cell. I mean you got a roof over your head, you're not homeless and you're getting outside time you're probably getting some kind of job. You know, I don't know how prison works, but I know some prisons have it to where you could work for a little bit of money so you could take care of yourself yeah, but like and they get their teeth clean for a whole semester, during school, I went to indiana state prison and clean their teeth, the prisoners and I
Speaker 3:wasn't allowed to know what they did, of course, but like the well-behaved ones got their teeth cleaned and that it just blows my mind that someone convicted for such a heinous crime could just live in prison for the rest of their life and but that's it. Yeah, their freedom is taken away. Yeah, they can't do all the things they want to do outside, but like you, just like, you murdered up a 21 year old kid and now his life is gone, his family life is ruined and they're never going to be able to get past that. But now you're being taken care of off my dime, off the taxpayers money, you are being taken care of and all you have to do is just sit in a cell. Now to your point. Do some murderers and rapists, do they, get taken care of in prison? Absolutely, and they should. But there's a lot of people out there and it doesn't always happen that way, but I guess so, and it's okay if you don't. I just wanted to share this belief out there because it's always on my mind.
Speaker 4:You know what? I really don't have a strong belief like that, or at least one that I can think of right now, but I can really get behind of what you're saying.
Speaker 3:And that's fine. Like I said, I just wanted to put that out there. It's kind of something that just sounds like you're passionate about it. Yeah, and it's kind of been rattling in my mind for a little while, so I wanted to just bring it out there. But you know what, moving from that I, there's another. You know what? Fuck it, it's 2025. I said this before and I'll say it again. I'm just going to say it 25.
Speaker 4:I said this before and I'll say it again. I'm just gonna say it do you think depression is a real thing?
Speaker 3:you're canceled. I'm just kidding, I know right, but I and okay, and I'm not saying that I am shutting it down 100 and I guess, if I've never experienced it, I can't say for sure because I I can't relate, but I think of it sometimes as depression. I think in my head. Is it a real thing and is it a like a chemical imbalance?
Speaker 3:thing, or because, in my head is if you are so down in the dumps, why don't you do something that makes you happy? There's so many things that you could do. I mean, you can't tell me that you got to be 25 years old and you say you're depressed, but you can't tell me you made it 25 years and you don't have one or two things that make you happy. And if you do, why don't you do those things to make you happy? So and I don't, I don't understand. Maybe I don't, maybe that's it, maybe I'm ignorant to it and I don't. I didn't do too much research when I had this thought, but even going back some years ago, like I've always thought depression's not real, like if you're upset, then do something to not make you upset.
Speaker 4:I don't know. Yeah, I see what you're saying. I definitely think depression is real. I think it's easier said than done, like, oh, just do something that makes you happy. I think it is like a chemical imbalance. But in this day I feel like people are using that word a little bit too loosely, like people might have like an acute case of depression, like during winter. But I definitely think depression is real.
Speaker 3:Okay, so I like how you said yes back. Maybe in this day people are maybe using it more so yeah but at the same time too, let's just say even 10 years ago, we probably know more about mental illness now than we did 10 years ago. And to say that let's just say if somebody says to depress, is there a way, is there a test to what doctors say like is it a doctor or is it a therapist that's telling you you're depressed or confirming that you're depressed?
Speaker 4:I think it could be both, but I think mainly like a psychologist. But I think you could still go to the doctor and just tell them like how you've been feeling yeah and I mean, I think they have like checkups like every so often to see how you're doing. But I think they could both diagnose, see.
Speaker 3:But then it's like well, nowadays people work two jobs, people got five kids, people are poor, people work below the poverty line. Shit happens. You get into car accidents, your parents die, you get broken up with.
Speaker 4:People go through shit every day I think we're just more sensitive now, like our generation. And then everyone's cooped up on their phones, on their ipads, tiktok, and when you don't see anyone, you don't communicate, you don't get vitamin d you're more susceptible to get depressed I don't know.
Speaker 3:Know, like I said and I may get canceled, I may get hate for this I really don't think depression is a thing, and I'm sure people who are diagnosed with depression will argue otherwise. And, like you said, well, you know, it's not so easy to do this, do this to but it. But then it's like, well, if it's not easy to make yourself happy, so you're just, you're just better off staying in a depressed state, like, are you not gonna work to get to a better place? I don't know, I don't know if it's to me, if it's to me, if it's like a laziness, it's kind of goes back to like obese people and fuck it, I'll.
Speaker 3:I'll say this I think people who are obese are lazy, you know, I mean. But then you'll get arguments about well, it's a glycos thing, or it's a thyroid thing. Well, a lot of it is dieting, you know, and people who are, you know, bigger statue and they'll say, well, it's so hard for me to lose weight, well, if you don't put the work in, if you're not striving, striving to get to a point where you go to the gym, every day you're eating better and you're making a goal for yourself.
Speaker 3:I mean, yeah, it's hard work so if you just say well it's, it's not as easy as you make it sound and it's a lot of hard work. Well, well, yeah, nothing that is satisfying in life usually is easy to obtain. People don't become millionaires and billionaires because it's easy, or everybody would do it. Or people don't have rock hard abs and are cut and look like supermodels because it's easy, because, if so, everybody would do it. And that's how I feel about depression. If you say you have depression, well, why are you not working to do stuff that makes you happy? And to me it's like well, my thing is, if I'm not feeling okay mentally, I go to the gym, that's my thing. Or I play video games for a couple hours. I make time for that. I don't know it just.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and in some people I think that's the case, but other people there really are people that need medication.
Speaker 3:But what does that medication do? Like, what's the medication for? Is it to give the people energy to do something? Like what is? And I, and I'm asking you like you're a professional but maybe I don't know but is it the lack? Like there's not a medicine that gives you?
Speaker 1:There's not a medicine that gives you motivation, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:That has to come from within. So these medications that people who are depressed are getting, Lexapro. Do you know what it's for? What is it supposed to do for?
Speaker 4:them. I don't know exactly what it does, but I think it just helps them function more Without just being down and depressed. But I mean, there might be some people on it who don't need it just because they're just saying like, oh, I'm depressed but they're not doing the things to make them feel better.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like you said, I can see that. It's just always. It was always a weird thing to me because and you never knew anyone who actually had depression.
Speaker 4:I was just gonna say I've never met anyone who, and you know, you've never had medication for depression or I've never been around anybody who has been depressed.
Speaker 3:I mean, I've been around people who have gone through some shit and or were just like not having a good year like temporarily, yeah but I I've seen them bounce back that's what I'm saying like we're all human, we're all have, we all have families, we all have shit we deal with on a on a daily basis.
Speaker 3:Majority of us have jobs that we either hate or just don't enjoy doing, and we've all made choices in our past that we wish that we could have done differently, differently to put ourselves into a better position. And and I don't and it's kind of sounding like I'm saying people who say they're depressed are weak-minded, and maybe that's what I'm saying a little bit, but it's, I know it's a per person situation and, like I said, I don't know anybody who's been depressed. I don't know anybody who's taking medication, so I haven't talked to people about this. Now I've seen TikTok videos or I've seen YouTube videos of people talking about depression. It gets to me a little bit that I can't, I guess, wrap my head around depression being a real thing, because it almost to me sounds like the person is either just weak minded or just doesn't have the motivation to get out of a funk, because I mean, I know I fall into that like a funk where things have not gone my way and I just kind of like, want to give up and be like fuck this.
Speaker 3:But then it's like life goes on. It's like I can't stay in this position. I gotta do something to help my you know my position or get back on my feet, and so that's why I think it's a little. But you do believe that depression is some kind of clinical chemical reaction real thing absolutely.
Speaker 4:but I feel like you know, like I said earlier, everyone's depressed nowadays, but I mean mean there are real cases. I believe so, I believe so.
Speaker 3:But then there's also quote unquote, real cases of ghost encounters. Do we believe?
Speaker 4:that Back to that. That's what I was going to say.
Speaker 3:Do we believe that? Yeah?
Speaker 4:I mean I was depressed for 14 hours when TikTok was down. I know right.
Speaker 3:I'm back now. You didn't take any medication for it.
Speaker 2:It wasn't that long if it was two days, I would have went to the doctor now we're making fun of people with depression but going off that then I got.
Speaker 3:I looked up five signs of bad mental health. Let's go through these five and see if one of us have all these, one of these any of these.
Speaker 4:I thought you were going to say Zodiac sign. No, charles, that's not like you.
Speaker 3:No no, no thank you All right. So the first one, one of the signs of bad mental health you have problems sleeping. You sleep too much or not enough, and you're always tired.
Speaker 4:Okay, always tired sometimes, but I don't have problems sleeping, because how old are you? 29?
Speaker 3:29 and I'm 35 and honestly, I think I've been thinking more that as I get older, I think I'm gonna get more tired, because I remember back in the day when I was 18, 19, like even in college, like in my early 20s. I can stay up to 6 am get two hours of sleep and still be functional all day yeah and do it again right now I work, you know seven to four and like I'm ready to go to sleep in a couple hours.
Speaker 4:So I just think that's just part of getting old yeah, if I'm not in bed by nine, I already know I'm going to be tired the next day.
Speaker 3:Right, so like that, I think that's just part of being an old. Yeah. Depending on what your situation is. So I think that's mute. I don't think one of us has that issue. Second one you could get upset about nothing because you're at your limit and after you regret it. But that kind of sounds situational too, right. But I think this is saying that anything you, anything that happens or I guess, nothing that happens you get upset about it at all. Have you ever had that where?
Speaker 4:I mean, if I'm having a horrible day, yeah. But like on a regular basis now.
Speaker 3:So, and I think that's more situational.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And I think, yeah, you probably regret it afterwards and I'm trying to think in the mind of whoever wrote this, because this is kind of like a universal five signs, because I've seen like a handful of different sources and the five signs kind of like just recycle itself, but I think they're more so talking about if you're just walking down the street and you see, I don't know, a squirrel, go up into the tree and like get pissed off about that I think, if you are experiencing that every single day for no reason, I think that would be the sign of a mental issue, but if you're just having a shitty day and someone that just yells your name and you're like what I'm like, OK, well, I think that's more reasonable.
Speaker 3:So, I think we're good there. The third one is you don't have self-esteem and you hate making choices because you always think you'll make the wrong one. Now I know I think I can relate to this a little bit and I think I've talked to enough people to where this is probably a common thing, and I think self-esteem is a hard thing to not master but to have a positive self-esteem. And I think that also goes to how strong your mind is. Because let's just take like bullying, I was bullied when I was little. I was bullied probably for a lot of years, yeah, all the way through through high school. I mean it slows, it slows down, but I've always been kind of like a chunky, short kid. But I think at our early age I've learned to kind of like let it slide off my back, and I don't think a lot of people know how to do that. I think people will take uh, like harsh remarks and name calling and stuff like that to the heart and let it really get to them.
Speaker 3:now there's a difference between like being verbally abused and bullied and then obviously, if you're being physically bullied, well that's that's something else you just gotta learn like self-defense or just take a crack at the kid and knock them out, but that's, that's something different. But to have a strong self-esteem, I think that has to do with your strong your mind, your state of your mind. It has to do with your environment. It's got to do with the people you hang out, with, your parents like I think there's a lot of variables with having a a strong self-esteem.
Speaker 3:and when it says you hate making choices, I think that goes to having a low self-esteem, because if you have a low self-esteem you may be afraid to make a certain maybe let's just say social choice, because in your head if you make a choice and it doesn't seem to be the correct one, then you just think.
Speaker 4:You're going to die yourself.
Speaker 3:I'm not worth like. So Do you Think you have that issue at all, or do you think you did have that issue Before?
Speaker 4:Maybe when I was a little younger, but nothing extreme, just like when you get older, you hopefully get a little bit more confident.
Speaker 1:Right Gain self-esteem.
Speaker 4:So I mean you get older, you hopefully get a little bit more confident right gain self-esteem.
Speaker 3:So I mean, I don't feel like I have that issue, so I don't think so like I said, I think we're doing good so far.
Speaker 3:I think we're doing good, because a lot of this stuff too, I think when you get older you just learn yeah you know, you learn how to handle stuff and you learn how to figure shit out, and you know, apply it to to your self-esteem or to like a lesson learned. All right, the last I got one or two more. You are no longer interested by anything, even things you used to love, so maybe this goes kind of to how depressed people feel maybe it's like a just no interest just don't want to do anything, something that you like doing, let's just say video games, something that you like doing. Now you have no interest in doing it.
Speaker 3:Even thing, yeah, even things you used to love. And the next one is you never live in the moment because part of you is still stuck in the past now I think a lot of people yeah, I have this issue yeah a lot of people probably have gone through traumatic events or just bad experiences, and it's hard to move on to the next level and to keep this past or to keep your past intact. So is there anything in the past that doesn't allow you to move forward?
Speaker 4:not really. I mean, there's maybe some situations that come up like just minor stuff, where I'm like just like thinking about my past and maybe it like holds me up from doing something, but it's not nothing like extreme nothing, crazy, right nothing crazy so I would say I think you're, I think you're good, I think.
Speaker 3:I'm not depressed as long as TikTok's here, I'm not depressed and then and that's what I'm kind of worried too, because I feel like when people get diagnosed for depression, I think I feel like they just go through questions like this and just mark off on a sheet of paper and here's your meds and be like oh you, you failed seven out of ten questions.
Speaker 3:You're depressed yeah so I, who knows, like I said, I probably should have done more research, but I I have no idea. But I will stand my ground until someone can um convince, convince me otherwise and you need an interview with therapist maybe I do yeah like you know, I go to therapy. Did you know that really? Yeah, I've been doing therapy for a few months now.
Speaker 4:Wow, good for you know I go to therapy. Did you know that really?
Speaker 3:yeah, I've been doing therapy for a few months now wow, good for you and I won't lie.
Speaker 4:Is it helpful?
Speaker 3:it's helpful. It's very helpful and I think and I've talked about it before but, like for me, I grew up where you don't express feelings or you're not encouraged to express feelings, so I was never the person to talk about my feelings or tell people what's wrong with me, if I'm having a bad day or there's something wrong with me.
Speaker 3:I was never the that boy to cry my feelings to somebody like I always kept that in and I think a lot of it, like a lot of my decisions that I've made in the past, I think if I would have had somebody to talk to as an outlet, probably would have talked me down out of doing a lot of the stupid shit that I did. And so, like now, I'm just working through all my stuff, that all my process of thinking that made me do stupid, stupid shit in the past. It just let me realize, or just like a different way of of thinking really, and it drives me crazy that I'm 35 years now. 35 years now, I'm 35 years old now, and I just look back I'm like, oh my God, why did I do that?
Speaker 1:Or why did I?
Speaker 3:say that, like, how did that benefit, benefit me? And it's scary because, like with the help of therapy, I kind of see myself maturing. You can process it, righturing, you can process it Right, exactly, I can process it, I could analyze it, and then I could kind of see how it's affecting me or how it affected me. And, yeah, I would recommend everybody go to therapy?
Speaker 4:I don't, but I would like to. I mean even if you just did you connect with your first therapist, like, did you have that connection with them?
Speaker 3:because sometimes it takes a while to find I went through two different therapists before I really settled on uh, the one I have now what didn't you like about the first two?
Speaker 3:So the first one was it was kind of like what you see in the movies you sit at a couch or you lay down and the guy sits in a little one-seater with his legs crossed and he takes notes. So that was my first one. He was a older gentleman, probably 50s or 60s, and I thought it was cool like I I would express my feelings, but I never really felt like he was coming up with solutions, but I never felt like I was growing as a, as a person. I just it was more like. It was more like I was just complaining or spilling my feelings out and it was just someone listening and I wasn't really getting like advice.
Speaker 3:And then my second one was a. It was maybe like not an older black guy, but maybe in his 30s, 40s, and it was just like a vibe thing. You know, just like you, you sit with somebody, you have a conversation and then you either just like vibe with that person or you don't. So I think I did like one or two sessions with him and then I just didn't go back.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And then there was a long period, maybe like a year period, where I didn't, I wasn't doing any therapy. And then I found this, this woman, and she's, she's younger, she's probably a little bit closer to my age, um, but you, just, you just click, just click. You know, like she actually is saying stuff and giving feedback and giving advice and like just making sure that whatever I'm saying she's reiterating back to me, and so I understand, you know, like the outcome of things like it's, it's a lot, a lot better, and so I think I've grown just, I guess, mature, wise, in the short period that I've been with her than I have with any other therapist. So, guys, therapy, I know it might be like a little taboo, but if you think you're going through anything, or even if you don't think you're going through anything, sit with a therapist if you can afford it and you don't even have to go in-house or to an office. I do mine, uh, like online through a laptop.
Speaker 3:I can even do it on my phone yeah like you could do it over your phone, over a laptop. But therapy is not just for people who are going through shit. I think therapy can help you grow as a person like, even if you're not happy with your situation, talk to someone about it, get, get a neutral party, because I think that's what a lot of people do They'll go talk to their cousin, their sister their brother.
Speaker 4:They're going to take you aside.
Speaker 3:And yeah, it's like they're going to be partial to you. They're not going to be able to give you a strong, neutral stance on it. So, I think that's what's important is finding a person that doesn't have any stick in the game, that could give you advice and be real with you, because they have no impact on what decision you make. You know.
Speaker 4:So there's an online therapy program called BetterHelp. It's not a sponsor, but maybe one day.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, I I recommend it. It's doing wonders for me. So, like I said, even if you don't have anything going on, it's not, wouldn't be a bad idea, just to talk things out and shit there might be something that comes up that you didn't even know that was an issue, but just talking to somebody definitely helps. And then, moving on to, you used to be vegan, right.
Speaker 4:I knew this subject was going to come up? Yes, I was vegan for seven years.
Speaker 3:Seven years vegan.
Speaker 4:Yep.
Speaker 3:Now what drove you or what motivated you to become vegan seven years ago.
Speaker 4:And so it started off with giving up men.
Speaker 3:Men.
Speaker 4:It started off with giving up meat.
Speaker 3:Meat Okay.
Speaker 4:During Lent and I was on YouTube like researching recipes that didn't involve meat or whatever, and then, um, I found myself just eating like mac and cheese and peanut butter and jelly. So that's the whole reason why I went on to onto youtube and then I got into veganism videos and they sucked me in like they were like you know, we don't need meat, you don't need need cows like, or milk from cows, because that's for babies, baby cows, and it's not like I disagree with anything now. But yeah, it was like an ethical save the animals, I don't want to eat meat, health reason. It was kind of like many different reasons. But yeah, I stuck it out for seven years and then, um, about two years ago, uh, my body was just telling me like, okay, this is it I want me yeah, give me a steak give me the steak.
Speaker 3:So what's the? I guess what's the the most beneficial thing about being vegan health-wise.
Speaker 4:Well, they say it's more energy.
Speaker 3:So more energy.
Speaker 4:Although I didn't really experience that, I feel like my energy level is still the same. And then they say like well, it is true, a lot of the meats have toxic.
Speaker 3:Oh like processed yeah, processed meat, say like well, it is true, a lot of the meats are like have toxic, oh like process, yeah, processed meat so like on a health basis, it's really not healthy to consume all that sure, and milk too yeah, see, I can see that. But, like you said and you could correct me if I'm wrong but being a vegan is more about the ethical part, about not consuming or things from a living being more so than the health benefits, correct?
Speaker 4:well, it depends on who you talk to well, there's I'm sure there's different type of parties but I say the majority of vegans are in it for save the animals, ethical reasons right and I get that.
Speaker 3:So now, so you haven't been vegan for how long? Two years now yeah, about two years and so when you transition from being a vegan to just eating meat regularly, did your body go through any surprisingly? No, really not at all. Just a smooth transition.
Speaker 4:Nothing really happened nope, the first thing I had was eggs. I was like, okay, let me slowly go into it. And then I had like turkey bacon. And then I had like milk, like a milkshake or ice cream. Nothing happened after that. Then I was like, all right, let's go for a burger. Nothing happened after that. It's like my body remembered how to process it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. Well, because it's at the same time I mean even meat and stuff like that that's processed and it probably has certain toxins in it.
Speaker 4:It still has things that your body needs yeah, at the end of the day, yeah, and I try to eat clean with it. Still too Like when I buy meat, I buy grass fed.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's probably the best way to do it.
Speaker 4:It's just so damn expensive to eat clean.
Speaker 3:I know it's so expensive, Like you would think, if you want your country to stay lean not lean, but stay healthy and not have such a high obese numbers you think you would make it easier or cheaper to eat healthy, but it's so fucked up that we live in a country where it's a lot cheaper to get two mcdoubles in a small fry than it is to eat like a salad with, you know, lean chicken or anything like that, that's and even the price difference between organic blueberries and regular blueberries or any other fruit is crazy and what's the difference mass production what's the difference between buying organic fruit from a regular fruit like?
Speaker 3:is it just the way that it's picked from the vine and processed?
Speaker 4:it's usually local, so organic, yeah, organic local yeah, uh, not always local, but usually it's local um, and then the regular blueberries or whatever they're usually sprayed oh, like with the whole yeah, pesticides, and then they're like mass like yeah, yeah, I get produced and picked I can see, so that's all right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I guess, like I guess I always see organic and I never really know what that means. I just know what it costs more. But did you hear that? Um, that the fda is banning the number three red food?
Speaker 3:yes like I read that. I'm like man, that's, that's actually awesome. Yeah, I wish 40. Yeah, like I wish like states, or maybe maybe not the whole country, but I I wish that the government gave states the power to regulate food honestly, just like like trans fats and like high sugar, uh products and stuff like that. I think I think, overall as a country, we would be a lot better if we had this shit regulated. Then you'll get people with a freedom writer saying no, government shouldn't be get their hands involved and it's our freedom to choose, blah, blah. But it's the same thing with cigarettes. Like cigarettes, yeah, you're they, they didn't ban it, but they're they're charging hella money for you to do it. They put the label on there telling you that they it had. It causes cancer and, in a way, maybe we should start doing that with food because it's like I said, our obese numbers are ridiculous. I think we're like the fattest country out of the whole damn world but here's what I don't understand with that.
Speaker 4:So red 40 isn't hot cheetos. Does that mean they're getting rid of hot cheetos completely, or just the ingredient?
Speaker 3:no, it's, I think it's certain ingredients. So I found something that. So I found 12 foods that might. Might is a key word, but might not be allowed under the new laws in 2025. So I'll go down to like, like you said, like hot cheetos. So technically it would be considered like a high sodium package snack that's your chips and stuff, but it basically these chips that have such a high sodium intake in them. It contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease. Um, new regulation could require, just like, a reduced sodium content. So maybe not necessarily like the flavor of it. Well, it might affect the flavor but.
Speaker 3:I just think, like chips, like that, like they may be by law, just have to cut whatever ingredient or process that makes that sodium so high. They'll just have to cut that down and things are going to taste the same and it may not, but at the end of the day, like this country's got to get out of that of a habit of just eating so damn much and, and I'll go through a couple more, I think I said 12, but I think I took one, two, three, four, five.
Speaker 3:I took like the, maybe like the five most common foods that might be effective but, like artificial colored candy.
Speaker 3:So like how the red, the red dye is going to be uh, outlawed. Like some dyes such as the red 40 and yellow 5, have been linked to behavioral issues and allergic reactions in in children. So certain candies, depending on how vital that ingredient is to that candy shit, it may be fucking like twizzlers might have to go away, or like they may have to serve like a damn sugar-free, like there might be a lot of sugar-free shit that might have to go into play.
Speaker 4:A lot of breakfast foods like Pop-Tarts. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3:And, like we talked about earlier, like processed meats with nitrates, like as a preservative, like hot dogs, bacon and deli meats. Studies have associated these preservatives with increased cancer risk. So, like we got all this food that's mass produced and the way that it's processed, the way that it's packaged, the way that it's preserved, it's like it's affecting us, it's affecting the country in a big way, maybe not like in an astronomical like way, but like in a very, you know, minimal, like long drawn out effect.
Speaker 3:Another one which is dear to my heart energy drinks, like governments have been debating on only selling to like 18 year olds and higher which, yeah, I get that Kind of the same thing as cigarettes.
Speaker 3:I mean, if it's gonna have such a effect on your body, then maybe it's. It can only be regulated or sold to people that are 18 years and older, but it concerns about that. It's pretty obvious. It includes heart problems, sleep disturbances and and increased anxiety. Yeah, which? Yeah, because I think it's the caffeine, but at that point I think more so. Caffeine is not bad for you. We know that, like a large amount of caffeine could be bad for you. But as far as energy drinks, I think with the caffeine and the high sugar, when mix those two together, that's when you start having problems.
Speaker 3:That's why I feel like zero sugar edited drinks might be okay, but maybe all of them will have to go to zero sugar, which I think most of them are now. Yeah, they're going zero sugar. I mean, you have your alanis, you have your celsius, you have your your rain and stuff. It's really only monster. Uh, red bulls, maybe one of the big one that's really is bang still around.
Speaker 4:I thought bang went out no, I think it's still around it could be, but it's like.
Speaker 3:It's like I said, it's only like two or three big companies that still sell like sugared, like drinks. They still have their non sugar or their zero sugar ones, but they still sell and I think those drinks might just have to go away and they may have to stick with the, the zero sugar do you drink coffee as well?
Speaker 3:so like I swap back and forth. So some mornings I make a coffee for myself and then I go to work and then, like I'll have a energy drink, like at lunchtime, like around 12 o'clock. So I kind of go back and forth. Or sometimes I'll start my day with an energy drink and then, like, have another energy drink later in the day. The day. So I think I consume let's just say because I don't do it every day, but let's just say one and a half drinks that could have caffeine in it a day one and a half, let's say not too bad
Speaker 3:and then the other one is ultra processed breakfast cereal and this is kind of concerning to me because my kids, yeah, fucking consume the shit out of cereal every week. And kind of concerning to me because my kids fucking consume the shit out of cereal every week and it's due to the high sugar in artificial ingredients.
Speaker 3:And I'm thinking like, yeah, that that makes sense, because I think that cereal is probably loaded with sugar and I think cereal may have a harder problem, like if they say that you have to lower the sugar content on cereal, maybe not completely go away from it, but they said that you have to have a certain percentage of sugar. I think that's going to take away a lot of the flavor from the cereals. And there's probably going to be kids out there that that are not gonna like it and go to something else.
Speaker 3:So I can see that hurting certain companies. But hey, like I'm all for that. Like I said, like at the same time, I don't think government should be telling us what we can and and can't do. But when this country has such a long history of, like health issues and obesity, at some point someone some of the president or congress or the senate that runs this country we gotta do something to help or help each other out, because we as citizens are not doing it. I mean, these numbers just keep growing it's every every year.
Speaker 3:And but we're just so consumed with convenience that we would rather just go to mcdonald's and consume 3 000 worth of calories in one sitting rather than make the in the lifestyle too.
Speaker 3:Everyone's working 24 7 yeah no one has time to cook but I think that if the government started implementing new laws or different regulations or limited certain ingredients, I think I think at first people would be pissed and it might not go as well, but I think in the long term I think it would be better for the country but I don't know if, yeah, I think, if it was just slowly implemented, like I think, if if they just said like, can you imagine if the government just said, look nope, no trans fat, illegal for trans fat.
Speaker 3:That might cause oh yeah, for sure like, oh like, because trans fat isn't a lot of things that taste good and specifically like fast food restaurants. So you're talking about like people's rights. You're talking about companies, businesses like that. I think it would be maybe over the top, but just like the stuff that we like, just outlawing like red number three or outlawing red number 40 down the line, like stuff like that.
Speaker 3:I think it would make companies be more conscious of how they process and make their food and I think, in the long run, it would help us. It would help us as a country and it's very doable. Other countries do it I think so too, I think exactly yeah, we're the only ones I have that there's.
Speaker 3:There's gotta be something to it. And I don't know what the what the ranking is, but like whatever country is in the top 10 for, like healthiest citizens, like there's got to be something to it. I know us is in the bottom, but like what are these other countries doing right? That we're not doing, but that's a whole nother. That's a whole nother. Debate on its own. But let's play. I want to. Like I said I told you earlier, you want to do the never have, ever again all right, let's do it and, like I said, it's nothing crazy is there's no like no sexual stuff in it.
Speaker 3:It's nothing like that.
Speaker 4:But let's just put our fingers up.
Speaker 3:Well, there's, there's like 20 things. So we're just gonna we're just gonna keep count on what our number is and we'll see who had who's done the most okay out of out of each one of us. Okay, yeah, so we're gonna give yourself a point for each thing that you haven't done haven't so you haven't done, okay, all right, so the first one skip school I have done I have done too, all right, so no points for us, no points broken a bone? Have I broken a bone?
Speaker 3:I haven't I think I dislocated a knee but I never broken a bone, so I got one. Fired a gun. I fired a gun. I know you've had that fire. Yeah, yeah, with with yeah with your brother okay, uh, have you done?
Speaker 4:drugs and cigarettes don't count mom and dad don't listen to this.
Speaker 3:So yes, yes okay, so me too, we're, so we're still, at one all right, been in a limo. I've been in a limo for my problem.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I went in a limo to a jonas brothers concert all right, jonas brothers jesus christ.
Speaker 3:all right, uh, got in a tattoo. Yes, you have a tattoo. What tattoo do you? All right, jonas Brothers, jesus Christ. All right, gotten, a tattoo.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 3:You have a tattoo. What tattoo do you have?
Speaker 4:I have it on my inner ankle. What is it? It's a moon.
Speaker 3:My last name is Luna. I guess I've never noticed that.
Speaker 4:And then some flowers. Okay, I got it literally when I was 18.
Speaker 3:Oh really so it's like not the best, but so it's like not the best, but it looks like I don't regret it.
Speaker 4:Looks like it was done in a prison it was actually done in this really sketchy tattoo shop in lake station.
Speaker 3:That's awesome. All right, so we're still at one point okay ridden a horse. I've well, you know what I lie I have ridden a horse.
Speaker 4:Huh ponies count.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we'll, we'll count that because I'm counting mine as a pony, yeah okay, so we're still both at one sung karaoke.
Speaker 4:I've sung karaoke yeah who hasn't uh, gotten a ticket uh, yeah, I've gotten, a ticket multiple multiple all speeding yes, I've been good for some years knock on wood, been arrested no I've never been arrested, thank god.
Speaker 3:So we're both that too. Well, we're gonna tie this shit. Well, no, because there's some kind of like special occasion things that you might have done that I haven't. Have you gone, zip lining, yeah see, I've haven't, I haven't gone to plenty, is that fun?
Speaker 4:yeah, it was kind of scary. I've seen videos. I um let go of the string that I was supposed to hold on to so, and they snapped a picture of me like falling back yeah, it was kind of bad all right.
Speaker 3:Have you been on tv? Have I been on tv?
Speaker 4:I've never been on tv like, even like in a news sports game oh yeah, like, even like a sports game.
Speaker 3:I don't think I've ever no, I don't think so so I I'm at four, so you're at two, right yep been on a cruise yeah I've never been on a cruise yeah, I suck man, I'm like boring I haven't done shit
Speaker 1:got in a piercing. I got a piercing before.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I got ears pierced. Uh see, this is smoked, so I'm assuming cigarettes. Have you smoked cigarettes?
Speaker 4:Unfortunately.
Speaker 3:yes, I mean not on a regular basis.
Speaker 4:It was like you're drunk and you take a puff.
Speaker 3:Have you met a celebrity? Yeah, who have you met?
Speaker 4:The Jonas Brothers.
Speaker 3:You met them backstage, justin Bieber.
Speaker 4:Yeah, justin Bieber, uh-huh, yeah, I actually. Me and my friends were like crazy.
Speaker 3:We would go to concerts hours early and wait for them to come really and there would be like a small group of us outside I mean, and they signed our cd, but like met, like yeah, shook, their hands had a conversation with them.
Speaker 4:They said just in passing no they, they came up to us really shook my hand, signed my cd. I gave um nick jonas, a hug, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's cool. Well, I think I'm at six oh lord um been skydiving indoor skydiving I don't think that counts no, okay, so what I would know? Are you at three now? You're at three now with the skydiving.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, I'm at three.
Speaker 3:Okay, so I'm at six. I'm not going to ask this question. I'm going to ask this question. Okay, I'm going to skip that one. Have you done skinny dipping? Yes, have I done skinny dipping? I think I have. I done skin skinny dipping. I can't remember if I have. I think I have. I had to have like in my head I'm thinking like at a lake or something, but it could have been a swimming pool.
Speaker 3:Have I fucking done? I'm gonna, I'm gonna give me a point because I don't remember. I don't have a clear memory of skinny dipping so I'm at 8 and then the last one been drunk. I think we all been drunk, so I got 8 points damn you got 3 damn. I guess you've lived a little more exciting life than I have. That sucks, so I didn't think. I didn't even read that list beforehand.
Speaker 4:I'm like I guess I'm freaking boring, I don't know but you're gonna have to tell me the one that you didn't want to read.
Speaker 3:Later I'll tell you it off, off, uh, off audio. So I'm gonna end the podcast. I'm gonna ask you two questions. It's just kind of it's just funny hypothetical questions that I think that were interesting, and just thinking about who I was going to have on the show, I think this would come up with some pretty interesting answers. Okay, so the first one is if you could make any fictional character real but they had to live with you as a roommate for the rest of your life, who would you choose?
Speaker 2:but they had to live with you as a roommate for the rest of your life who would you choose?
Speaker 3:like the first thing that pops on my head, it would be like iron man, like iron man?
Speaker 4:yeah, because that dude is rich and he's your roommate, so he's gonna give you some of that money I don't know why, but the first person that came to my head and I feel like I would want to think about this question a little bit more but the first person that came to my head was Rachel Green from Friends. Why? I just feel like she's cool. She'd be a cool roommate. She has cute clothes.
Speaker 3:I just feel like we'd have a good time, like Harry Potter or nobody don't talk to me about Harry Potter. I don't like Harry Potter. You don't like Harry Potter. What's wrong with Harry Potter actually?
Speaker 4:me and your mom talk about this all the time, because you know how she loves Harry.
Speaker 3:Potter.
Speaker 4:I hate Harry Potter. I've tried to watch it. I never tried the books. I think the books are probably worse for me, but I've tried to watch those movies about three to four times. I can't get into it. I fall asleep. It's just not my thing.
Speaker 3:You know what I'm. The same way with Lord of the Rings. Oh yeah, I can get with that too, I've tried to watch it and I get bored and I can't get into it. So I understand where you're coming with. That's just like I said. I've watched harry potter, harry potter movie, wise. They are good movies. I enjoy watching them, but I'm not like a huge fanatic like I'm not the one to like watch it like 20 times or anything like that, but that's so funny that you would pick just like a regular ass person.
Speaker 4:Yeah, she was cool I mean rachel green from friends hey, that's your answer.
Speaker 3:That's your answer. And she has to be your roommate for the rest of your life, so you're you're cool with that yeah, I mean, like I said, she's the first person that came to my head.
Speaker 4:I mean I would have to think about this, that's a huge commitment, but the first person is rachel.
Speaker 3:Okay, I'll give you that All right. The second one is this might be a little bit of a thinker, just because the answers could be very consequential. I don't know if I said that right If you had the opportunity to shorten your life by year for $250,000 per year, how many years are you taking off? So basically, if you said you know what, I'm going to take three years off of my life, okay, so 250 times three, I'm going to give you $750,000.
Speaker 4:And we don't know what that age is.
Speaker 3:That's the thing. You don't know what that age is, so you're going to assume you're going to live into your eighties and nineties. So, like, what is three years, give me, give me 70, you know almost a million dollars. But since you don't know what age, do you even take a year? Or do you say nah me. Or do you be like bet, give me 10, give me 10 years, give me that money, give me 2.5 million dollars I would play it safe and do one to two years I, and I think that's what most people would think because I thought about that too.
Speaker 3:I was like I think the most I could go up to, but like maybe three, because it's like you have no idea, Like my luck. I'll say, give me, I'm gonna play it safe, Give me one year. And then I'm like I'm dead Cause I was going to die with it, Like that'll be my luck.
Speaker 4:But I think people would say give me a little money If they did do it. Yeah.
Speaker 3:I think two years give me 500k hope that I live to my 90s and like what? What's two years gonna be off my belt, you know? It's not gonna really matter, especially like if you're in a like uh, if you're like a crippled 90 and you can't really move around anyway. I don't say saying like, let me get my, let me get my life, let me get my kid's life situated, give me $500,000.
Speaker 3:I think I could make that work. But yeah, three years will probably be the most, because, like, can you imagine like anything can happen to you, like I could get in a car accident like 10 years from now, and it's like shit you know, I just, I just I just cut three years off, you know, to that and so instead of 10 years it was seven years. But yeah, I think two years is because $500, you could do a lot with $500,000 shit.
Speaker 3:You could pay everything off by a probably by a house, or at least a down payment on a house, and then put that shit in some kind of investment right I think, that's I think that's fair, all right. Well, I appreciate you coming on it was it was awesome to talk to you. I think this is the probably the longest we've had a conversation which just us two yeah basically, but I enjoyed it and once again, appreciate you coming on.
Speaker 3:I know some people get really like not weird, but like anxious coming on and right now it's just audio, like my plan is to get video, but that's, that's going to be down the line because that's going to be a lot more software updates, uh, maintenance and all that.
Speaker 3:But hey, if something, if it goes somewhere, that's the plan you got this yeah, and then if I get video I'll bring you back on so everyone can see all the faces you make answering these questions and stuff like that I'll make sure to brush my hair that day.
Speaker 4:There we go. Thank you for having me on all right, everyone.
Speaker 3:Thanks for listening. I appreciate everybody. Uh tuning in and uh till next time.