Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You
Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You
Episode 27: Is The Media Hurting Your Prepping? Probably.
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Hello, everybody.
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Good afternoon and welcome to the three B Y podcast for today.
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This is Spice.
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This is salty. And we are your friendly murderers of the sacred cow. There shall be a sacred cow murdered today in this podcast.
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Maybe yours. Maybe not.
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Maybe you're certainly some people's. Honestly, if what I have to say outrages you, then maybe I'd like to make a suggestion that you really stop it. Think about why? Because what I'm saying should not make anybody mad. What we're saying because we both believe in this is something we see that this is a prepper community thing. This isn't It's not really a how to or it's not really a seven tips source. Effective. It is just observation podcast about something we see in the prepper community that we think is just something that really should be pointed out as maybe not a good idea,
spk_1: 1:07
A potential change of direction. Podcast. You might consider it.
spk_0: 1:11
Yeah. You know, frankly, I doubt anybody really will change their mind about it. After I just like you to start thinking about all we ask you to start thinking about, start paying attention to what you're doing and thinking about. Hey, is this something I really mean is already married to this? And who knows? Maybe you'll find it. ISS. So you wanna you wanna spit out the seasons or shall I?
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Twinkies are a great prep because the last forever. No, I'm kidding. I'm sorry. I just felt the need to throw that out there.
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Here we go, over little fried drinking.
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Yeah, that's a great, great idea.
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Yeah, it's good. You have tried one yet, have you?
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Not if the world freezes over
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first, how about we not bury the lead and jump right to it?
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What we're looking at today is the difference between listening paying attention to what's going on in the world around you in order to be better prepared and paying attention to political news.
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Right? Here's the thing. We get so inundated by the hate machine and we talked about this before. The hate machine is something that is used by everybody to gain political and economic power. They try and crank up the hatred as much as possible to get everybody hating everybody else and everybody taking sides. Because that puts money in the pockets of the people who were generating money and power into the pockets of people who are generating hate
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and deflects serious criticisms from the people who are generating the hate
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right redirects it elsewhere. Is this an old thing? People have done this for years. Kim Jong Il was in North Korea, did it, and it's followed through with all of the generations of his family. Um, they use a red herring, which is the U. S. As there target puppet enemy to build a sense of hate to empower themselves and their cult of personality
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because it causes a sense of internal solidarity and willingness to accept things which would otherwise seem unacceptable when it is put in the framework of, Well, we're only doing this because we have to protect ourselves from the bad evil outsiders. And I wouldn't say it's been going on for years. I'd say it's been going on for millennia,
spk_0: 3:47
right. But the difference being for you not have the communications technology in the past that we have now we don't have this instantaneous every walking around looking. They're bloody damn phones. All that is not drive me. Sorry. Nothing. I'm a little just a bit ago, we were. We were in in town and we saw three people drove by right, narrow texting as we're driving down the road, not paying it even the slightest bit of attention to their driving, weaving all over the three guys in a row. Anyway, you want to be a proper to help. Help stop saving our tough Save your life. Don't do that. But, Dad, gum phone away where you're driving. I'm getting better about that.
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Good. I've been working on it, working on him. Actually, I don't play with my phone when I very
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much either. Usually just said the audio book going. I
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think the real difference that's come about is not the willingness or intent of people who want money and power to use this tactic or the realization that this tactic is very useful. It's that the technology has become such that there are so many news quote unquote sources that it is now easy and, uh, rewarding for people to be able to select the ones that agree with them and filter out the ones that don't agree with them. And they feel like they're getting in diversity of news because they're listening to multiple sources, but they are entirely blocking out everybody who disagrees. It puts people into this positive feedback cycle where everybody they hear is agreeing with them, makes him think the whole world's agreeing with them. And what they're saying is obviously true and right.
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You'll hear me use the phrase every once in a while way. Talk about biases. And this is one of the major biases that I think people in the prepping community really, really need to understand what it is and get past. If you want to be Ah, much Maur aware person, you're not being aware by listening to ST People say the same thing the same things over and over again. You're being indoctrinated. There's a difference.
spk_1: 5:59
It's called selection bias. Absolutely. It is a built in human tendency. This is not because people are are being weak willed or badly educated or whatever. It's wired into the human brain. We need to make sense of the world in one way. Our brains are wired to interpret information is that we wait information that agrees with our current mindset more heavily. Then we wait information that disagrees with our current mindset and we recall information that agrees with what we thought going in better than we recall. Dissenting information. So even with the most clear of intentions, if you're trying to be fair, your brain's not wired to be fair. And most people, frankly, are not trying very hard.
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There's a fun example of exactly what we're talking about. It comes to the movie the Blues Brothers Great movie, If you haven't seen it, Well, come on, Communist Brother. What are you talking about? Well, the great movies. Well, time anyway, there's a There's a scene in there when the boys go into a country bar, a Roadhouse and they're talking to the woman who works there and what kind of music you like, what you play here. She she can't smile. That says, we like both kinds of music, country and western. That's the bias we're talking about because people who don't listen to anything other than country and Western, which I'm not really care what you do. But you know, that's the world we live in. You know, I have friends who can tell me anything about anything, but by golly, they know every single NASCAR driver and who they hate. Okay, as a hobby. I don't care. That makes perfect sense. You know, everybody's got their thing. I am a football fan. She, ah
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goes out and does things.
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She's not really much of a fan of anything, but I referee. When I goto sport here, it's most often so. But you know, it's It's one of those deals where we all get caught in our own. Little are a little area, and it sneaks up on us like we go to church. I'm not saying pro Prakan whatever but yours when we go to church and we hear the same thing over and over and over and over again, to the point where it becomes second nature to us is this. This is just what we we know God is,
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and it seems downright wrong headed that anybody should think otherwise.
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I'm not. We're not getting into who's right and who's wrong. We're learning or anything like that. I'm just saying this is what's happening when you know people of one faith do this. People of another faith do this, then you get to conflict. But the real problem is if you listen to, uh, people like the media, they don't ever talk about this? They don't go into the facts that yes, you, as in whoever have been taught was get away from religion. You have been taught ex story in school. This is the history that you know, because this is what the official history that was taught in your school said right, It may be complete in a lot of it is complete. Balderdash. Okay, a lot of those history type of school is complete. Baloney. I'm a historian. I can tell you this. You don't believe me. Profit, CJ dot or GE or, uh, dangerous suggests a dangerous history pocket. Dan Karlin looked it. Look up, Dan Karlin. You don't believe me? Hey, a lot of the stuff that they taught us in school it's just complete nonsense.
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Or they very carefully selected particular details and constructed a story around those details to serve their ends, ignoring the overall picture in the process.
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And yet they take this as a what? We know everybody's been taught this so we don't ever question it. We just use this as our basis of, um our basis of
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constructing our culture.
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What differences is make. Well, the difference is you don't stop. It puts the news media aside. Put the alternate news media side and you just get caught up in this wheel the squirrel wheel of going and going and going. You're wasting time. You're not getting anywhere you're spending mental resource is on stuff that is just a complete and utter useless thing,
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every significant emergency that has arisen on the political front that a person as an individual citizen could have a significant impact on or was likely to significantly impact them. Every one of those things that I can think of in my lifetime at least, has been a complete surprise. 9 11 Yeah, we knew there were people out there who hated the United States and would love to kill a bunch. But where and when it actually happened, not a clue. Watching news wouldn't have helped you a lick, what, on the news afterward,
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we'll have our good moving like that would have told us, right, the Oklahoma City bombing.
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Wrong. But thank you for playing. Nobody had a clue until afterwards, and then when the story first cream out, they certainly made a lot of noise and sensationalism and explored a lot of issues, but, ah, lot of the original reporting was just wrong. And knowing those facts wouldn't have significantly helped you in the least, anyway.
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Well, what about what about the Kennedy assassination that would that would a If we had just been paying attention? The news? I would have never happened, right?
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They told us that there were some people out there who really didn't like Kennedy. That was a news flash, right? But as to it actually happening, No,
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you get our point. I mean, you know, we see so many people talk is wasting be wasting their time on politics and and, you know, just please.
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Now the news does have a point,
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though. The same principle. Another another incident. May I used the example. Please. Did, um, they're Cuban missile crisis. Okay, that might have been useful to know. So there is sometimes, you know, the Cuban missile crisis. Unfortunately, it's a perfect example of Cuban missile crisis is a perfect example of the news getting just about everything wrong. So what? They were telling the people at the time with pretty much wrong. Um,
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and some of it was because they didn't have access to the good information and some of it because it was because news outlets to have an agenda and they have a story they're trying to tell
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if I could get the one book that explains the news media better than any other book that I've ever read has really nothing to do. It's not right. A Reedus. It's about the news media is a book called Colin but is about the Columbine School massacre. Almost guarantee. Unless you've actually gone in 10 years later and studied or read about it with modern information. What happened at Columbine? I guarantee you have no idea what it was about. You have no idea that it was not supposed to be a mass shooting. You had no idea that that trench coat Mafia thing ever talked about was complete Baloney didn't happen. You is everything that the news said except for the number of bodies was wrong. The sheriff was lying. It's proven it z he got in trouble for you. Hey, was lying, came out just Actually, everything was wrong. So this is This is where I come back to us every so I gotta keep trying. But the information you're getting isn't correct. Probably
spk_1: 14:41
a lot of times people are doing it subconsciously because it feels good, too. Feel like you're right. I feel like people agree with you and feel like you know what's going on and going to the same news sources to get your stories as a way to get that. And so we unconsciously do it.
spk_0: 14:58
I have a friend who's always watch Fox News only walk what chocolate is because they're the only people who agree with me. Okay, that's entertainment. That's not news. Yeah, it's entertainment.
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And if if that's your groove, that that's how you want to spend your time, absolutely. But the primary point we're going for here is don't mistake it for prepping,
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right? And the other thing we want to make sense is okay, think about what you're doing. Think about all the time you spent a lot. I know while you people have been just fretting about what's going on in Congress and with the president and stuff like that you're freaking out about. So it's those press secretary, whatever. I don't care. I don't know. How does any of that affect you personally? And how can you have any input whatever to the situation. If the answer is well, it's my president. That's fine. But what can you do about it? Nothing. And stop wasting your time
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or do what you like. But don't think it's propping.
spk_0: 16:07
Yeah, I mean, just if you enjoy getting all angsty about politics, if that's what makes you happy, just it doesn't help you. It doesn't help your family be safe.
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The counter example I was going for, however, was completely different.
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Go for it.
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I was going for a real example of one. Paying attention to the news could have been a significant benefit.
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We get there ourselves,
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this little thing called Hurricane Sandy.
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Sure, but that's our other news. That's different I'm talking about.
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But the important port point there is you not only had to listen to the news to get the facts of what was going on, and you can tell they're not making that up because they're not gonna make up an entire radar map. And that's what they were showing you. Yeah, it does look like it's pretty much zeroing in on me At that point. You can turn off the sound because you ought thio know what you're supposed to be doing when a big storm said it your way, you should have your plans. And now it's time to go ahead and implement those plans and not sit there glued to the screen, listening to 14 different analyses
spk_0: 17:15
just to be clear, that I was not talking about the weather. It is part of the news, technically, but you know, if you got a hurricane or the tornadoes are in your area, But even still, you have to watch and be careful on the weather because so much of that stuff is just so sensationalized. For example, you go on, Do I use a website that I really don't like weather dot com. You go on there and they got this big, huge scare story, the
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biggest scare story in the country. They can come up with that.
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It has nothing to do with you. Whatever. And what do you likely to dio click on it? Why did you want to see who's in trouble is it? Maybe they won't put your area or anybody's area in the headlines. They make you click on it to see where they're talking about. That's baloney. You eat it up. If not sure, if that's your dish, eat it. I mean, go for it. But to me, I see that I am. I'm out of here. I'm going to a site where I could just goto see the weather where I'm at. That's all I care about
spk_1: 18:20
when the political news actually does make a difference, such as in the Cuban missile crisis. It's true that the Cubans were getting pretty close to tossing nukes. Well, not Cubans. The Russians, Soviets were getting quite close to throwing nukes in our direction. So knowing that that was going on and deciding not to be in a city in Southern Florida would have been a very reasonable approach. But not listening to every little detail on analysis and rehash and opinion disguised his news. And
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this is the thing that gets to be about the North Korea's. How many people are hanging on every word that idiot says, you know, honesty. Unless you living. I think he's not. And even if he does, I mean, you won't see it coming. You will not see it coming. It will. It will go boo and you if I ask how Pearl Harbor Waas it went boom. We don't hit. That's what they call why they call it a sneak attack, that's what 9 11 waas we knew Line 11 was a problem when the airplanes started to hit in the buildings, you know,
spk_1: 19:35
And if you were on a American base in South Korea, being keeping a closer eye on that situation would make a lot more sense. But But if here on the continental United States, it's not a legitimate worry for you, in the short term you will know what the big issues are without being slavishly attached to the news channels.
spk_0: 19:57
And the biggest danger we face from international stuff is sneak attack. But frankly, it's not a sneak attack. We're gonna Our country will kill them first. Um, And if it is a sneak attack, well, there's nothing we could do about except for be prepared to deal with the aftermath. If you're worried about a North Korean E M P, that's fine. But don't sit around waiting, watching to see if you can figure out what's gonna happen to your E M P prospect. That's all we're saying. That's what your worry is. Instead of sitting there watching the computer for every word that idiot says it's been that same time going through your perhaps seeing seeing way where you're at what you're doing here yet
spk_1: 20:47
Good propping takes a hell of a heck of a lot bored. Sorry. Apologize. Heck of a lot more time, then simply what you can do by watching the news today and worry that it's gonna happen this week. You're not going to be significantly prepared for a major event that way. Anyway, you're much better off if you have spend the effort putting the internal logistics in place. So you're ready to go. And then when something happens, you're surprised. But you're prepared
spk_0: 21:23
and that that's what I want to bring. I will bring it to an end with one thing that we hadn't talked about. But I know she totally agreed The other big, huge danger of being a news junkie. Ah, prepper freak out person is it takes your eyes off the real threats. What's most likely to happen to you is not a North Korean nuclear warhead landing on your head. No wait. Much more likely to get hit by hurricane tornado on Earth Quake train
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wreck of toxic chemicals.
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You know you know, the ones on idiot driving down the roads Texting is much more likely to kill. You
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are yelling at his talk radio, for that matter
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were yelling it. You know you talk so we always worry about the big thing we always worry about. The s teach became Say it out loud s h T f situations. We always worry about that. We always worry about the grid down Oh, my gosh, to grid down and yeah, I'm not saying I prepped for it, but when in reality, what I really need to be concerned about is it's 100 degrees outside. The power goes down for six hours. No, I'm going to keep from roasting inside my house. How you keep my are my foods. Do I have my food to type of food that I lose all my food because I have everything in my freezer? My, you know, this is the kind of stuff we need to think about.
spk_1: 23:12
It's another natural human test tendency to over weight the dramatic and overweight. The things we've heard about most, and that is the biggest risk of prepping by newscast is it draws all your attention to things that are very dramatic, and it puts to the top of your mind whatever things the people at the news station feel like talking about. And that's really not where the high probability risk is most people, and therefore it's drawing your attention away from the things that are most likely impact you and your family.
spk_0: 23:51
Do you want most likely to impact you thing that you could do to keep from having a disaster in your family? Put on your seat belt. It's a simple over the number 12 thing is don't tax while you drive, you know? I know. I'm sorry. It's boring, you know it is. And you know another thing. You go back to our last podcast or two times ago. I forget now and, uh, the health stuff. Health stuff. Get, get, get yourself. Put
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yourself scored away. There
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does. This is what you get me. This has nothing to do with with the news or anything. That's the real thing. That's that's where the rubber is gonna hit the road for you.
spk_1: 24:35
Can I, uh, closed this one off?
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Clothes should be closer
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because I've got a modification of a quote that was very meaningful to me when I was I must have been a teenager or something. Reading the quote was about All wars are the same size cause death comes one of the customer. And in truth, all emergencies are the same size because they do also come one to the customer. The one that you have to deal with is the one that you have to be prepared for. How many other millions of people might be dealing with it is not necessarily relevant. Question. Take a look at what's likely to impact you and be ready.
spk_0: 25:20
Well, it looks like she threw the spit ball down the middle and struck me out. So I guess we're gone. But
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rabbit hi.