June 4, 2025
How AI Will Change Everything
Marketing expert Mark Beckman joins me to talk about Artifical Intelligence and how it will change life as we know it, for good and bad, but how we need to embrace change or be destroyed by it,
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This segment of America Today is
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I want to find a there was a
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story over the weekend.
They kind of sent a chill up my
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my spine and and I may not be
able to find it.
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So I'll just tell you there is a
particular larvae that travels
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with a family that comes from, I
guess it's Latin America and I
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think it's called the worm fly
or the the screw worm or
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something.
Anyway, for for decades they've
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been able to deal with this by
somehow integrating, believe it
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or not, the same fly but exposed
to a lot of radiation.
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So they treat these flies with
radiation and then they
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integrate them because they're
not they're, they're sterile and
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they can't reproduce.
And the hope is that these
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sterile flies will neutralize
these other flies that are
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coming closer and closer to the
United States.
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And apparently the larvae, if it
gets into your skin, it can eat
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alive a cow or a dog.
And it, it can even kill a human
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if you don't detect it.
And this thing really gets in
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and it causes such a massive
and, and I hate to usually talk
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about this kind of stuff, but
the people in the United States
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are concerned.
And one of the problems is that
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some of this, these flies are
getting closer.
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Now they're at Oaxaca or Oaxaca,
Mexico.
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And they believe that the
cartels might in be instrumental
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in moving these flies into the
United States.
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Isn't that strange?
I mean, now we're at this level
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where we're integrating and
weaponizing insects to
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infiltrate the United States.
So keep our eyes on that one.
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Of course, I wrote this over.
I was listening to a podcast.
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I can't remember.
I think it was Joe Rogan or
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something like that.
And there was somebody arguing
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about why, oh, with Harvard and
what's going on with Harvard.
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And the big debate is, should
the government be shutting down
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this institution of, of high
knowledge and higher learning
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for political reasons?
And of course, the issue is also
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about Harvard and how it has
been completely wokeified by DEI
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standards.
And it prompted me to sort of
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articulate what I think is the
real issue here.
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And people that, and I know a
lot of liberal friends of mine
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who absolutely think the DEI is
fair.
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They think it's fair.
They think that that it's a
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proper way to make sure that
nobody gets left behind or is
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unfairly treated because they
don't have white privilege.
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That's the essence of the
argument for DEI.
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This is why, you know, Hollywood
has one of every kind of
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demographic in every movie.
Now.
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You have an Asian, you have a, a
gay black man, you have a, a, a
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dumb white guy and a beautiful
blonde who has no sex appeal.
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And they think that by making
sure that everybody is fairly
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represented, that it'll be more
fair and, and also more boring.
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And, but I, I want to, I want to
spend a little bit of time with
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this because this is a well
articulated perspective.
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And also they're good friends of
mine up in, I'll tell you
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there's a principle.
This is also what triggered
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this, what I'm about to share
with you, a principal up in
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North Chicago, good friends.
They've been acquaintances of
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mine for decades and this guy by
the name of Alvin Kulieki and he
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was the principal and they have
a library named after him.
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He's generational.
The guy's been there since 50s
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and he was a great teacher.
I believe his was it mad anyway?
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So now they're trying to paint
him as a racist because there
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are old yearbooks with him
wearing blackface and that he
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engages in racism that he was
under all that time, not not
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only the principal, but
apparently very racist.
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And what's come to light is that
that's been no further from the
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truth.
I mean, I know this family,
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there's not a racist bone in
their body, but they want to
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change the name because some
junior investigative reporter
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from this high school, I think
it's N Oakland or something,
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decided to expose and Alvin
Kulieki died.
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He's been dead for a while, but
they want to remove his name now
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from the library because he was
a racist and he did blackface,
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you know, back in the 60s when
everybody was doing blackface
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and a damn near killed, you
know, what's her name, the
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blonde woman, Ellen DeGeneres
damn near killed her career and
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I think others too.
So this is all part of that DEI
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nonsense where anybody that
appropriates something from
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another race is somehow.
So I, I, I'm sick of it.
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I'm sick of DEI and I want to
tell you that it's harmful and,
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and I'll tell you why, Red, real
diversity only comes from
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diversity of opinion, especially
from those who disagree with
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you.
Real equity is impossible for
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the simple reason that No2
persons are the same.
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Equality provides all everybody
a chance, but equity promotes
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mediocrity and a truly
progressive society prospers
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only when humans push themselves
harder.
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But not all people are driven.
Many are lazy and they want to
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take what they haven't earned.
In the equity model, the
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producers become enslaved by the
non producers, which is what
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we're seeing now.
Now inclusivity.
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Inclusivity means everyone gets
to play and no one is allowed to
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win, which goes against the
human tendencies for vanity,
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pride, desire for achievement.
Take these principles away and
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we would still be living in huts
and in treetops.
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And This is why DEI is best
illustrated in Animal Farm,
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where the pig ultimately becomes
more equal than everybody else.
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And I think of Alexandria Ocasio
Ortez as a pig from the book,
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mind you, because she's out
there touting that everybody is
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should be equitable and
everybody should be the same.
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But yet she gets to be in
charge.
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So DEI is, again, it's it's a
lie because it makes everyone
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equally unimportant.
And if you are a subscriber to
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DEI as being the level playing
field of America, what you're
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going to produce is mediocrity
and favoritism and tribalism.
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And that's what what's
happening.
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That's why we're seeing what
we're seeing in American Society
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today.
But the good news is the
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majorities are pushing back on
this big election in Poland.
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Over the weekend.
I mentioned earlier, Carol
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Norwicki has won a conservative
much in the same ilk of Trump,
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and also Trump supported him as
well.
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And it's because people in
Poland are sick and tired of
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immigration policies.
They're sick and tired of their
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country and its integrity and
its pride being overrun.
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And by the way, we're seeing
this now in France.
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We're seeing it in England.
There's a big rally over the
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weekend in England and I believe
also in Wales, hundreds of
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villages.
People are standing up against
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this.
And we're seeing a what is
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called a red tide and they're
pushing back against the
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European elites who strangely
have, according to the article I
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read by Margot Cleveland in the
in the Federalist earlier today,
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the elites of Europe are
borrowing from the Democratic
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playbook, which means the
Democrats are the now the party
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of censorship, surveillance, and
again, DEI policies, which are
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the overtone of Marxism, trying
to make everybody equally
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impoverished.
And then a whole host of other
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things with the climate change.
And, you know, so we're seeing a
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red tide, I guess you could call
it, across the world.
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People have peeked into the
other side and they don't like
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what they see.
And that's, that should be
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encouraging.
All right, a couple more minutes
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on deck.
I want to talk about this bold
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new idea to completely get rid
of social media for the sake of
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our children.
And it's a, it's an idea that
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whose time has come.
We'll talk about that in just a
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second.
You're listening to America
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Today.
Don't forget to follow the
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podcast, and you can do so on
Spotify.
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Just look for America Today with
Jim Watkins and of course the
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website jimwatkins.org.
We'll be right back.
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You're listening to America
TODAY.
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All right, welcome back.
It's America Today, Jim Watkins
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and I read a great article
today.
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As you know, I'm a big fan of
The Federalist, and it's
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something that we all should be
really thinking about.
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Let me roll off some statistics
for you here because, you know,
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I know that right now in the
world, there are four point no
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5.4 billion people that possess
a cell phone.
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That's a pretty incredible
there's what, 7 billion people?
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So that means that a majority,
75% of human beings are in
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possession.
You know, presumably the
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remainder are probably young
kids under the age of five and
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old people who just never
adapted, but or you're a remote
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Bushman in Indonesia or
something, you know?
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But the fact is, is that most
humans on the planet are now in
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possession of a cell phone, and
a smartphone at that.
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So here are some more statistics
for you.
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As of late 2020, 495% of US
teens aged 13 to 17 have access
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to a smartphone at home.
Internet usage Nearly all teens
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96% A report using the Internet
daily.
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This comes from Pew Research 46%
stated they are online almost
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constantly, a significant
increase from 24% just a decade
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ago.
Perception of screen time, again
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from Pew Research Excessive use
in 2020, four, 45% of teens felt
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they spent too much time on
social media, up from 27% in
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2023.
Teen girls are more likely than
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boys to say they spend too much
time on their smartphones, and
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we know that the algorithms are
set up just for that reason.
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So Needless to say, it is a
tragedy that we are in this
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position because it's having
such a profoundly negative
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effect on our students.
And so there was an article
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about the idea, if I could find
it, that we should just cut them
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off that, that you got to go
cold.
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You got to go cold Turkey and
turn off the little screen and
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take phones from children.
Don't even give them to them
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till they're 1618 years old.
And even then, you know, even
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then it's a risky proposition
because it's 1617, which is
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about the time when our kids
started using smartphones.
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We, we sort of groomed them with
Roblox and Game Boy and every
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other technology, but none of us
really anticipated that it would
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be like it was.
And I, and I hate to use it, but
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I'll do it just because it's
something on my mind.
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But back in the days when I used
to watch Star Trek The Next
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Generation, it oddly they had a
episode, an episode where
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everybody on board the
Enterprise got addicted to these
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games, that these optical games
to the point where the actual
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Enterprise was taken over by a
foreign entity that had
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introduced these games to the
the members of the Starship
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Enterprise.
And I just think I reflect back
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on that because this was 10-15
years before the advent of the
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smartphone.
So it was rather prophetic and
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it kind of stuck with me just
how dangerous these devices are
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for a whole host of reasons,
mainly because it's warping the
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perceptions of reality.
It is unbelievable.
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When you walk through an airport
and I know you will, or you walk
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through some sort of public
square, think of how much things
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have changed.
It it's, it's right there in
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front of you.
We're all doing it.
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We're all looking at our screens
too much.
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I'm probably, I probably spend
an hour or more total in the
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morning and in the evening, but
that's about it.
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Everything else is work related,
but I'm unique and I have too
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many things to do, just like you
and most adults, but kids,
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they're, they're falling out of
relationships.
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00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:27,760
They're.
And so this article and I
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00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:30,760
believe it's John Daniel
Davidson from the Federalist
225
00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:34,760
talks about cutting the cord.
Get your kids out there, get
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00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:38,560
them engaged.
It's OK for them to be bored,
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00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:42,640
but don't succumb to the
temptation of allowing them.
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00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:44,520
Now we're going to have Mark
Beckman on.
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00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:48,960
He'll be on tomorrow.
And he, of course, has written
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00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:52,400
how AI will change everything.
And that's all everybody's
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00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:55,640
talking about is AI.
If you go on Instagram or if
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00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:59,080
you're scrolling on TikTok,
every other commercial is about
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00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:02,560
AI.
And AI is sweeping the nation
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00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:08,400
and it's also jacking up the
addiction level of these
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00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:12,840
smartphones and smart devices.
So you know, we got to this
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00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:16,360
point because we all embraced
the technology and it's
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00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:19,720
continued to get better.
But now we're learning AI think
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00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:22,320
a valuable lesson.
And the lesson is that it's
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00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:25,680
distorting the reality of our
young people to where they can't
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00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:29,000
function properly and they get
fidgety and they have to be
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00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:31,240
engaged in something that's got
their attention.
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00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:35,040
And meanwhile, this there's this
world going on around them.
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00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:37,800
So, all right, what else is
going on?
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00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:40,440
I know that there was some other
stories that came across my desk
245
00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:43,440
this weekend.
I know I'm excited about the
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00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:44,920
WNBAII.
Don't know.
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00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:46,760
Is Caitlin Clark back on
tonight?
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00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,600
I don't know if she is Tuesday
night, the fever.
249
00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:52,760
I've been getting into an
argument.
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00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:55,680
I think she's a bigger deal.
But my kids who were in their
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00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:59,480
mid 20s and they love sports say
that all this stuff about
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00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:03,040
Caitlin Clark and everything is
is OK, but it's gimmicky.
253
00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:08,280
And a report I read out this
week claims that Nike is behind
254
00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:10,440
a lot of it.
Nike has been driving all of
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00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:13,800
this Internet buzz and the
conflict between the players.
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00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:20,880
And so we have that.
But I think to me, it's it's
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00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:23,760
it's great to see women
excelling in sports.
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00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:26,280
And if they can make a buck, why
not?
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00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:28,760
Right.
All right, so we do have the
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00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:30,800
website up.
It's working now.
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00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:32,760
It gathers all the highlights
from the show.
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00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:38,320
So I encourage you to check that
out and we also, I think it's a
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00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:43,480
Speaking of AII want to play a
couple of clips that pertain to
264
00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:47,680
this very subject of why we have
to be especially careful about
265
00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:49,160
the minds of our little
children.
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00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:53,760
Look at listen to this teacher
give us the truth about what's
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00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:55,080
happening with our kids.
I.
268
00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,760
Think that you guys don't know
what's going on in education
269
00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,040
right now that's fine.
Like, how could you know unless
270
00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:03,120
you were working in it?
But I think that I think you
271
00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:05,119
need to know.
So here is exactly what it's
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00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:07,040
like right now working in public
education.
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00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:11,240
First of all, the kids have no
ability to be bored whatsoever.
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00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:14,040
They live on their phones and
they're just fed a constant
275
00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,599
stream of dopamine from the
minute their eyes wake up in the
276
00:17:16,599 --> 00:17:19,480
morning until they go to sleep
at night because they're in a
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00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:21,800
constant state of dopamine
withdrawal at school.
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00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:25,920
They behave like addicts.
They're super emotional, like
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00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:27,520
the smallest thing sets them
off.
280
00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:31,200
And when you are standing in
front of them trying to teach,
281
00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:35,920
they're vacant, they have no
ability to tune in if your
282
00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:39,280
communication isn't packaged in
short little clips or if it
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00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:41,320
doesn't have like, bright
flashing lights.
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00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:43,840
That's actually the way harder
part for me than just the
285
00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:48,200
outright behaviors is just being
up at the front, talking to a
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00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,320
group of kids who have their
eyes open.
287
00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:52,440
They're looking at me, but
they're not there.
288
00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:56,000
They're not there and they have
a level of apathy that I've
289
00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:58,240
never seen before in my whole
career.
290
00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:01,080
Punishments don't work because
they don't care about them.
291
00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:03,880
They don't care about grades.
They don't care about college.
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00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:08,360
It's like you are interacting
with them briefly in between
293
00:18:08,360 --> 00:18:10,920
hits of the Internet, which is
their real life.
294
00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:15,160
The other issue that does not
get talked about is the
295
00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:18,200
proliferation of porn and the
easy access.
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00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:21,080
Now, I'm old enough to remember
that when you walked into a
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00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:25,160
store or convenience store or,
you know, some drug store,
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00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:28,960
pharmacy store, that anything
that was adult related was
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00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:33,000
behind the counter and it was
partially obscured so that you
300
00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:36,320
weren't sitting there standing
there with your mommy, you know,
301
00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:40,720
looking at the woman's cleavage,
you know, and, and that that was
302
00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:43,760
fine.
That was important because for
303
00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,000
two reasons.
One, it prevented you from being
304
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,280
obsessed with it.
And two, it also sent a message
305
00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:53,280
that this is not appropriate for
young people and that you, isn't
306
00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:57,080
it interesting that, you know,
being told no, right?
307
00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:00,320
Being told no, that you can't
have access to something because
308
00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:04,720
it's morally wrong.
And today children, when they
309
00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,880
get on the iPhone or smartphone
or tablet, they're not told no.
310
00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:12,640
They're, they're not only not
told no, they're told how to get
311
00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:15,920
there.
And the tech companies know that
312
00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:20,800
they're doing this and they're
making, I'm going to save
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00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:23,520
billions of dollars a year.
Everybody's got their, their
314
00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:25,680
hand in that, in that, in that
cookie jar.
315
00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:28,960
And nobody is saying no.
And, and I think we need to hear
316
00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:33,960
no more.
We need to hear ourselves tell
317
00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:36,560
our children, no, you can't do
that.
318
00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,440
It's not appropriate.
All right, America today, Jim
319
00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:40,680
Watkins.
See you tomorrow.
320
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:41,880
Have a good day.
00:00:12,620 --> 00:00:16,140
This segment of America Today is
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I want to find a there was a
20
00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,560
story over the weekend.
They kind of sent a chill up my
21
00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,520
my spine and and I may not be
able to find it.
22
00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:30,680
So I'll just tell you there is a
particular larvae that travels
23
00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:35,560
with a family that comes from, I
guess it's Latin America and I
24
00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,800
think it's called the worm fly
or the the screw worm or
25
00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,200
something.
Anyway, for for decades they've
26
00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:47,560
been able to deal with this by
somehow integrating, believe it
27
00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:52,800
or not, the same fly but exposed
to a lot of radiation.
28
00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:56,360
So they treat these flies with
radiation and then they
29
00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,440
integrate them because they're
not they're, they're sterile and
30
00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:01,560
they can't reproduce.
And the hope is that these
31
00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:06,360
sterile flies will neutralize
these other flies that are
32
00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,000
coming closer and closer to the
United States.
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00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:14,120
And apparently the larvae, if it
gets into your skin, it can eat
34
00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:20,440
alive a cow or a dog.
And it, it can even kill a human
35
00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:23,680
if you don't detect it.
And this thing really gets in
36
00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:27,440
and it causes such a massive
and, and I hate to usually talk
37
00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,040
about this kind of stuff, but
the people in the United States
38
00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,040
are concerned.
And one of the problems is that
39
00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:36,440
some of this, these flies are
getting closer.
40
00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,800
Now they're at Oaxaca or Oaxaca,
Mexico.
41
00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:44,840
And they believe that the
cartels might in be instrumental
42
00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:48,280
in moving these flies into the
United States.
43
00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:50,600
Isn't that strange?
I mean, now we're at this level
44
00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:56,040
where we're integrating and
weaponizing insects to
45
00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:59,400
infiltrate the United States.
So keep our eyes on that one.
46
00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:04,200
Of course, I wrote this over.
I was listening to a podcast.
47
00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:06,400
I can't remember.
I think it was Joe Rogan or
48
00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,640
something like that.
And there was somebody arguing
49
00:03:09,640 --> 00:03:12,840
about why, oh, with Harvard and
what's going on with Harvard.
50
00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:18,760
And the big debate is, should
the government be shutting down
51
00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:22,200
this institution of, of high
knowledge and higher learning
52
00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:26,160
for political reasons?
And of course, the issue is also
53
00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:30,800
about Harvard and how it has
been completely wokeified by DEI
54
00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:34,200
standards.
And it prompted me to sort of
55
00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:36,880
articulate what I think is the
real issue here.
56
00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:40,280
And people that, and I know a
lot of liberal friends of mine
57
00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:43,160
who absolutely think the DEI is
fair.
58
00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:46,600
They think it's fair.
They think that that it's a
59
00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:51,720
proper way to make sure that
nobody gets left behind or is
60
00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,920
unfairly treated because they
don't have white privilege.
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00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,600
That's the essence of the
argument for DEI.
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00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:01,880
This is why, you know, Hollywood
has one of every kind of
63
00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:03,720
demographic in every movie.
Now.
64
00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:08,200
You have an Asian, you have a, a
gay black man, you have a, a, a
65
00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,720
dumb white guy and a beautiful
blonde who has no sex appeal.
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00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,360
And they think that by making
sure that everybody is fairly
67
00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:21,200
represented, that it'll be more
fair and, and also more boring.
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00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:23,600
And, but I, I want to, I want to
spend a little bit of time with
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00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,240
this because this is a well
articulated perspective.
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00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:31,400
And also they're good friends of
mine up in, I'll tell you
71
00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,720
there's a principle.
This is also what triggered
72
00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:37,560
this, what I'm about to share
with you, a principal up in
73
00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:42,560
North Chicago, good friends.
They've been acquaintances of
74
00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:49,280
mine for decades and this guy by
the name of Alvin Kulieki and he
75
00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:51,800
was the principal and they have
a library named after him.
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00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:54,640
He's generational.
The guy's been there since 50s
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00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:59,800
and he was a great teacher.
I believe his was it mad anyway?
78
00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:04,480
So now they're trying to paint
him as a racist because there
79
00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:09,320
are old yearbooks with him
wearing blackface and that he
80
00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:15,480
engages in racism that he was
under all that time, not not
81
00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:17,680
only the principal, but
apparently very racist.
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00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:21,560
And what's come to light is that
that's been no further from the
83
00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:22,960
truth.
I mean, I know this family,
84
00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:27,040
there's not a racist bone in
their body, but they want to
85
00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,200
change the name because some
junior investigative reporter
86
00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:32,600
from this high school, I think
it's N Oakland or something,
87
00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:37,280
decided to expose and Alvin
Kulieki died.
88
00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:40,920
He's been dead for a while, but
they want to remove his name now
89
00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:44,200
from the library because he was
a racist and he did blackface,
90
00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,480
you know, back in the 60s when
everybody was doing blackface
91
00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:52,880
and a damn near killed, you
know, what's her name, the
92
00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:58,120
blonde woman, Ellen DeGeneres
damn near killed her career and
93
00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:01,120
I think others too.
So this is all part of that DEI
94
00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:05,640
nonsense where anybody that
appropriates something from
95
00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:09,120
another race is somehow.
So I, I, I'm sick of it.
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00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:12,760
I'm sick of DEI and I want to
tell you that it's harmful and,
97
00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:16,400
and I'll tell you why, Red, real
diversity only comes from
98
00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:19,760
diversity of opinion, especially
from those who disagree with
99
00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:23,120
you.
Real equity is impossible for
100
00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:25,800
the simple reason that No2
persons are the same.
101
00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:31,000
Equality provides all everybody
a chance, but equity promotes
102
00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,680
mediocrity and a truly
progressive society prospers
103
00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:37,520
only when humans push themselves
harder.
104
00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:42,200
But not all people are driven.
Many are lazy and they want to
105
00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:46,200
take what they haven't earned.
In the equity model, the
106
00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:50,680
producers become enslaved by the
non producers, which is what
107
00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,840
we're seeing now.
Now inclusivity.
108
00:06:53,840 --> 00:06:57,600
Inclusivity means everyone gets
to play and no one is allowed to
109
00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:01,960
win, which goes against the
human tendencies for vanity,
110
00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:06,080
pride, desire for achievement.
Take these principles away and
111
00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,960
we would still be living in huts
and in treetops.
112
00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:12,920
And This is why DEI is best
illustrated in Animal Farm,
113
00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,640
where the pig ultimately becomes
more equal than everybody else.
114
00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:20,480
And I think of Alexandria Ocasio
Ortez as a pig from the book,
115
00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:24,040
mind you, because she's out
there touting that everybody is
116
00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,240
should be equitable and
everybody should be the same.
117
00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:28,800
But yet she gets to be in
charge.
118
00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:35,800
So DEI is, again, it's it's a
lie because it makes everyone
119
00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:40,480
equally unimportant.
And if you are a subscriber to
120
00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:44,760
DEI as being the level playing
field of America, what you're
121
00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:49,200
going to produce is mediocrity
and favoritism and tribalism.
122
00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:50,480
And that's what what's
happening.
123
00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:53,520
That's why we're seeing what
we're seeing in American Society
124
00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:55,480
today.
But the good news is the
125
00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:58,640
majorities are pushing back on
this big election in Poland.
126
00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:01,720
Over the weekend.
I mentioned earlier, Carol
127
00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:06,560
Norwicki has won a conservative
much in the same ilk of Trump,
128
00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,000
and also Trump supported him as
well.
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And it's because people in
Poland are sick and tired of
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immigration policies.
They're sick and tired of their
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country and its integrity and
its pride being overrun.
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And by the way, we're seeing
this now in France.
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We're seeing it in England.
There's a big rally over the
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weekend in England and I believe
also in Wales, hundreds of
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villages.
People are standing up against
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this.
And we're seeing a what is
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called a red tide and they're
pushing back against the
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European elites who strangely
have, according to the article I
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read by Margot Cleveland in the
in the Federalist earlier today,
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the elites of Europe are
borrowing from the Democratic
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playbook, which means the
Democrats are the now the party
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of censorship, surveillance, and
again, DEI policies, which are
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the overtone of Marxism, trying
to make everybody equally
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impoverished.
And then a whole host of other
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things with the climate change.
And, you know, so we're seeing a
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red tide, I guess you could call
it, across the world.
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People have peeked into the
other side and they don't like
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what they see.
And that's, that should be
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encouraging.
All right, a couple more minutes
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on deck.
I want to talk about this bold
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new idea to completely get rid
of social media for the sake of
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our children.
And it's a, it's an idea that
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whose time has come.
We'll talk about that in just a
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second.
You're listening to America
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Today.
Don't forget to follow the
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podcast, and you can do so on
Spotify.
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Just look for America Today with
Jim Watkins and of course the
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00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,400
website jimwatkins.org.
We'll be right back.
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You're listening to America
TODAY.
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All right, welcome back.
It's America Today, Jim Watkins
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and I read a great article
today.
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As you know, I'm a big fan of
The Federalist, and it's
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something that we all should be
really thinking about.
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Let me roll off some statistics
for you here because, you know,
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I know that right now in the
world, there are four point no
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5.4 billion people that possess
a cell phone.
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That's a pretty incredible
there's what, 7 billion people?
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So that means that a majority,
75% of human beings are in
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possession.
You know, presumably the
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remainder are probably young
kids under the age of five and
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old people who just never
adapted, but or you're a remote
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Bushman in Indonesia or
something, you know?
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But the fact is, is that most
humans on the planet are now in
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possession of a cell phone, and
a smartphone at that.
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So here are some more statistics
for you.
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As of late 2020, 495% of US
teens aged 13 to 17 have access
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to a smartphone at home.
Internet usage Nearly all teens
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96% A report using the Internet
daily.
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This comes from Pew Research 46%
stated they are online almost
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constantly, a significant
increase from 24% just a decade
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ago.
Perception of screen time, again
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from Pew Research Excessive use
in 2020, four, 45% of teens felt
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they spent too much time on
social media, up from 27% in
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2023.
Teen girls are more likely than
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boys to say they spend too much
time on their smartphones, and
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we know that the algorithms are
set up just for that reason.
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So Needless to say, it is a
tragedy that we are in this
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position because it's having
such a profoundly negative
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effect on our students.
And so there was an article
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about the idea, if I could find
it, that we should just cut them
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off that, that you got to go
cold.
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You got to go cold Turkey and
turn off the little screen and
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take phones from children.
Don't even give them to them
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till they're 1618 years old.
And even then, you know, even
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then it's a risky proposition
because it's 1617, which is
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about the time when our kids
started using smartphones.
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We, we sort of groomed them with
Roblox and Game Boy and every
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other technology, but none of us
really anticipated that it would
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be like it was.
And I, and I hate to use it, but
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I'll do it just because it's
something on my mind.
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But back in the days when I used
to watch Star Trek The Next
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Generation, it oddly they had a
episode, an episode where
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everybody on board the
Enterprise got addicted to these
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games, that these optical games
to the point where the actual
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Enterprise was taken over by a
foreign entity that had
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introduced these games to the
the members of the Starship
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Enterprise.
And I just think I reflect back
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on that because this was 10-15
years before the advent of the
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smartphone.
So it was rather prophetic and
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it kind of stuck with me just
how dangerous these devices are
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for a whole host of reasons,
mainly because it's warping the
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perceptions of reality.
It is unbelievable.
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When you walk through an airport
and I know you will, or you walk
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through some sort of public
square, think of how much things
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have changed.
It it's, it's right there in
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front of you.
We're all doing it.
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We're all looking at our screens
too much.
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I'm probably, I probably spend
an hour or more total in the
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morning and in the evening, but
that's about it.
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Everything else is work related,
but I'm unique and I have too
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many things to do, just like you
and most adults, but kids,
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they're, they're falling out of
relationships.
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They're.
And so this article and I
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believe it's John Daniel
Davidson from the Federalist
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talks about cutting the cord.
Get your kids out there, get
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them engaged.
It's OK for them to be bored,
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but don't succumb to the
temptation of allowing them.
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Now we're going to have Mark
Beckman on.
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He'll be on tomorrow.
And he, of course, has written
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how AI will change everything.
And that's all everybody's
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talking about is AI.
If you go on Instagram or if
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you're scrolling on TikTok,
every other commercial is about
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AI.
And AI is sweeping the nation
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and it's also jacking up the
addiction level of these
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smartphones and smart devices.
So you know, we got to this
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point because we all embraced
the technology and it's
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continued to get better.
But now we're learning AI think
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a valuable lesson.
And the lesson is that it's
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distorting the reality of our
young people to where they can't
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function properly and they get
fidgety and they have to be
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engaged in something that's got
their attention.
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And meanwhile, this there's this
world going on around them.
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So, all right, what else is
going on?
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I know that there was some other
stories that came across my desk
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this weekend.
I know I'm excited about the
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WNBAII.
Don't know.
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Is Caitlin Clark back on
tonight?
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I don't know if she is Tuesday
night, the fever.
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I've been getting into an
argument.
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I think she's a bigger deal.
But my kids who were in their
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mid 20s and they love sports say
that all this stuff about
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Caitlin Clark and everything is
is OK, but it's gimmicky.
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And a report I read out this
week claims that Nike is behind
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a lot of it.
Nike has been driving all of
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this Internet buzz and the
conflict between the players.
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And so we have that.
But I think to me, it's it's
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it's great to see women
excelling in sports.
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And if they can make a buck, why
not?
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Right.
All right, so we do have the
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website up.
It's working now.
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It gathers all the highlights
from the show.
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So I encourage you to check that
out and we also, I think it's a
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Speaking of AII want to play a
couple of clips that pertain to
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this very subject of why we have
to be especially careful about
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the minds of our little
children.
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Look at listen to this teacher
give us the truth about what's
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happening with our kids.
I.
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Think that you guys don't know
what's going on in education
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right now that's fine.
Like, how could you know unless
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you were working in it?
But I think that I think you
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need to know.
So here is exactly what it's
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like right now working in public
education.
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First of all, the kids have no
ability to be bored whatsoever.
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They live on their phones and
they're just fed a constant
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stream of dopamine from the
minute their eyes wake up in the
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00:17:16,599 --> 00:17:19,480
morning until they go to sleep
at night because they're in a
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constant state of dopamine
withdrawal at school.
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They behave like addicts.
They're super emotional, like
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the smallest thing sets them
off.
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And when you are standing in
front of them trying to teach,
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00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:35,920
they're vacant, they have no
ability to tune in if your
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00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:39,280
communication isn't packaged in
short little clips or if it
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doesn't have like, bright
flashing lights.
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That's actually the way harder
part for me than just the
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00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:48,200
outright behaviors is just being
up at the front, talking to a
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00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,320
group of kids who have their
eyes open.
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00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:52,440
They're looking at me, but
they're not there.
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00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:56,000
They're not there and they have
a level of apathy that I've
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00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:58,240
never seen before in my whole
career.
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00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:01,080
Punishments don't work because
they don't care about them.
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00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:03,880
They don't care about grades.
They don't care about college.
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00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:08,360
It's like you are interacting
with them briefly in between
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00:18:08,360 --> 00:18:10,920
hits of the Internet, which is
their real life.
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The other issue that does not
get talked about is the
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00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:18,200
proliferation of porn and the
easy access.
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00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:21,080
Now, I'm old enough to remember
that when you walked into a
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00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:25,160
store or convenience store or,
you know, some drug store,
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00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:28,960
pharmacy store, that anything
that was adult related was
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00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:33,000
behind the counter and it was
partially obscured so that you
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00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:36,320
weren't sitting there standing
there with your mommy, you know,
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00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:40,720
looking at the woman's cleavage,
you know, and, and that that was
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00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:43,760
fine.
That was important because for
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00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,000
two reasons.
One, it prevented you from being
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00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,280
obsessed with it.
And two, it also sent a message
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that this is not appropriate for
young people and that you, isn't
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it interesting that, you know,
being told no, right?
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Being told no, that you can't
have access to something because
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00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:04,720
it's morally wrong.
And today children, when they
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00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,880
get on the iPhone or smartphone
or tablet, they're not told no.
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They're, they're not only not
told no, they're told how to get
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there.
And the tech companies know that
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they're doing this and they're
making, I'm going to save
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00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:23,520
billions of dollars a year.
Everybody's got their, their
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00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:25,680
hand in that, in that, in that
cookie jar.
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00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:28,960
And nobody is saying no.
And, and I think we need to hear
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00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:33,960
no more.
We need to hear ourselves tell
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00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:36,560
our children, no, you can't do
that.
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00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,440
It's not appropriate.
All right, America today, Jim
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00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:40,680
Watkins.
See you tomorrow.
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00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:41,880
Have a good day.
