Garbage Juice Podcast
84 - PROSPERITY GOONING: Vol. 1 (9/23/26)
Wednesday September 23, 2026 You just woke up, the day is September 39th. Its been 18yrs since Sir Brandon GreyJoe of Bidenfell traveled down to the Dornish Salt Flats, climbed aboard the giant valyrian effigy on the last night of Pyro Man, bled from his eyeballs in holy sacrament, and banished all Berniewolves to a national park just beyond the wall. The great Donalderys Trumpgaryen, leader of all seven kingdoms for nearly a century, has recently revealed plans for a newly renovated Grand Conclave at the Citadel, claiming the existing condition to be unsuitable for hosting foreign Maesters and Lords. You pick up your phone, and immediately remember Historical Fantasy politics is gay, and ultimately sabotages the tranquility of your emotional safe space. You think about your job, the future, your one friend, your robust online community… and then it hits you. Will I have enough time to read the manifesto of the trans black mexican white supremacist discord-diva racist that shoots ed sheeran next month? Will my ever deteriorating modern Schizo-Amera-KKK-cana understanding be enough to sustain a populous belief purgatory? After all, the average American is not a consistent ideologue, but the parties and media ecosystems that we subscribe to, often are. Fear not! Starry eyed wanderer. Your favorite Neo-traditionalist communal capitalist, Archaeo Techno-futurist-primitivist, Slop-chugging Neo-totalitarianists are back! Hey, You’re too busy, and you work too hard to tell if something is WOKE or BASED. And for listeners thinking this is the “Are You Garbage” podcast, stick around, you might like us more. Hey Gruk, list and describe 10 massive contradictions in western politics and the politics of the average American. include polling evidence that supports the theory that americans continue to believe conspiracy level stories over those supported by research and journalism Americans and Western political coalitions routinely hold internally inconsistent positions on government size, borders, energy, speech, and institutions, while large shares treat official accounts as less credible than alternative narratives... news.gallup.com These are not fringe phenomena. Heterodox voters—those mixing “liberal” and “conservative” positions—are common; party elites are more ideologically sorted than the public... nytimes.com Distrust of institutions is now mainstream. Smaller government and lower taxes vs. more spending on popular programsMajorities say federal taxes are too high and that they personally pay more than their fair share given what they receive... today.yougov.com This is the classic “more services, someone else pays” pattern. It appears in both parties, though Republicans emphasize spending cuts in general and Democrats emphasize tax increases on high earners...prri.org Climate concern vs. energy reliability, cost, and NIMBYRoughly half of Americans say warming is mostly human-caused; majorities favor more solar and (to a lesser extent) wind. Support for nuclear has risen, yet a majority still opposes a plant in their own area... news.gallup.com Democracy and “will of the people” vs. election-outcome denialAmericans value democratic procedures. Large shares of Republicans (often 50–63% in 2026 polls) continue to say the 2020 election was stolen or rigged, years after courts, Republican officials, and audits rejected the core claims... reuters.com 5. Free speech absolutism vs. support for restricting “false” or harmful contentMost Americans say press freedom and free expression are important and that restrictions have gone too far. The First Amendment is popular until the speech is the other side’s... pewresearch.org 6. “Follow the science” and public-health trust vs. persistent vaccine and origin mythsMajorities still express confidence that childhood vaccines are effective and that MMR benefits outweigh risks... Institutional science is trusted selectively. kff.org PROSPERITY GOONING Visit our Patreon to find bonus material and episodes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
