Decoding The Gurus

Supplementary Material 16: Riding a Phoenix to Rescue the Gurusphere

We plunge ever deeper into the convoluted world of guru punditry and are dazzled at the theatrics at the 'Rescue the Republic' event, inspired by the profound insights of Eric Weinstein on political speeches, and thrilled at Michael Moynihan's hard knock interview with the moderate heterodox thinker Megyn Kelly. Join us won't you?

00:00 Introduction and Health Check Adventures

04:15 Exploring the GuruSphere and GuruCon

08:57 Matt and Chris Debate Round 1: The Unholy Alliance...

Gurometer: Dr. K

By popular demand, here is the audio version of the previously released video of the Gurometer of Dr. K, now on the Patreon feed.

There are many different systems for quantifying a person's essential essence. You could use an Ayurvedic questionnaire to determine your doshic levels, you could consult an astrologer to identify your most auspicious dates and the origins of your personality quirks, or you could even ask a psychologist to take a personality inventory and discover your OCEAN ...

Kamala's Nomination & the Guru-sphere's Conspiracy Circus

An analysis of the wild conspiracy reactions to Kamala Harris replacing Biden, featuring hot takes from figures like David Sacks, Lex Fridman, and Bret Weinstein. Plus, we unpack the 'cringe immunity' of Konstantin Kisin and his 'comedic' commentary.

Editor Andy working hard.

Ken Klippenstein visits the War Room

Ken Klippenstein is currently in the news due to Elon Musk/Twitter's overreaction to his release of the JD Vance Dossier but before that, he took some time out of his schedule to visit Steve Bannon's War Room. The result is a fiery exchange... or maybe not exactly.

I think it helps when you see the visuals of this guest appearance, which Editor Andy has kindly provided. He will be adding details of which Supplementary Material the videos are taken from moving forward.

Super short video on Pageau

Editor Andy with a tiny morsel from a previous Supplementary Material.

And don't worry some longer stuff and new episodes coming this week.

Vote on Upcoming Episodes

Hey everyone,

We have developed a rather extended list of future episodes and thought that when informing you all on what’s coming, it might also be interesting to get feedback on what people are interested in.

Matt and I often adjust plans for episodes when we feel like a break or a vibe shift, something crazy comes out or we just really want to cover something. Some of our best episodes have been ones that not many people asked for. But we also don’t ignore feedback and peo...

Discussion with Dan Saltman on Dr. K & Guru Tier List

Hi everyone,

Following the Dr. K episode, Destiny's co-host, a long-term critic of Dr. K, suggested a chat on stream about the episode/issues identified. We recorded that a few days ago and ended up spending quite a bit of time on the Gurometer and the Guru Tier list we made and Destiny's placement on it, along with more discussion about the issues around the DDoS kid (the controversy in which Destiny discussed the ethics of killing someone preventing you from working).

The discus...

Darryl Cooper, Nazi Apologetics & Discourse Disturbances

Join Matt and Chris for a deep dive into the discourse stirred up by Darryl Cooper’s controversial interview with Tucker Carlson. In this episode, the decoders tackle Cooper’s revisionist takes on Winston Churchill, Hitler, and WWII, asking whether throwing in strategic disclaimers really makes it all okay.

They also explore reactions from the wider comment-o-sphere, including the musings of libertarian firebrand/idiot Dave Smith, various historians and history YouTubers, and the ho...

DTG September Live Hang Out

That's right! We are back for our September live Hang Out.

With Chris in a Singapore hotel room and Matt in sunny Australia, getting ready for his American adventure.

If you are a Galaxy Brain Guru, join us for a chat, won't you? Or you can watch the recording afterwards.

The time is set for 10am Australia on Sep 24th or 8am Singapore or CLICK the link above and find the time in your timezone.

Hopefully see some of you in the morning.

Gurometer: Dr. K (unedited)

Here, is the full Dr. K Gurometer episode without Editor Andy's video flourishes.

There will be an improved version but it will take a while so wanted to release the raw version.

Lightly edited audio version is coming to the Patreon feed very shortly too.

A Conspiracy Masterclass with Bret and Heather!

Bret and Heather teach people how to reason about the first Trump assassination attempt using science and logic.

Prepare to be educated.

Supplementary Material 15: Russian Stooges, Lex's Lovebomb, and Heterodox Insights

We rip off the plastic mask to reveal the true gurus lurking underneath and discuss:

01:20 Russian Propaganda and Influencer Scandal

13:50 Profit Incentives and the Need for Disclosure

23:50 Excessive Profiteering and Advertising

30:55 Lex Fridman interviews Trump (with love)

42:49 Trump and Conspiracy Theories

45:41 Trump and Kamala Debate Reactions and the Heterodox Take

55:11 Destiny vs. the Alternative Media

59:38 When Joe met Bret

01:...

Alex O'Connor (finally) gets Jordan Peterson to admit he believes in the resurrection

There are limitations to indulgent sense-making conversations but Alex O'Connor (Cosmic Skeptic) through one such very patient approach finally gets Jordan to admit to a religious belief in the physical resurrection. Something that he should have been able to acknowledge years ago. Was it worth the wait? You be the judge.

Dr. K (Part 3): Therapeutic Non-Therapy

Join Matt and Chris as they embark on their final exploration of the content of Dr. K, the streaming psychiatrist behind Healthy Gamer GG. Previous episodes have focused on his advocacy of Ayurvedic medicine and use of classic rhetoric from Complementary and Alternative medicine spaces but this time the episode examines his most controversial content: the (non)therapy sessions with influencers, particularly a very challenging and controversial conversation with the since departed streamer Rec...

Russell Brand and Alex Jones expressing their sincere Christian piety

We look at a truly despicable display of performative religiosity from two self-styled Christian renegade truth-tellers: Alex Jones and Russell Brand.

Article on the bankruptcy trustee's plans for InfoWars: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0003l7gl6o

You won't believe how Andrew Gold decodes this Woke Cult Zombie!

We take a look at Andrew Gold's dissection of his interview with Eni Aluko and how the woke mind virus had consumed her intellect... and consider if his analysis might reveal some of its own rhetorical techniques.

Feedback welcome prior to public release.

Supplementary Material 14: Return to the Gurusphere

World travels complete the Guru Decoders reconvene to examine how the Gurusphere has been behaving in their absence. Bad news abounds.

Featuring:

• Introduction and Hosts' Reunion

• Chris's Travel Tales Cultural Observations and Comparisons

• Health Concerns and Anti-Vax Movement

• RFK Jr. and Political Endorsements

• Quarantine Measures in History

• Bret Weinstein endorses Trump

• Eric Wein...

  2024-08-31 05:19:35 +0000 UTC View Post

Balaji Srinivasan's waffling defence of Huberman

We examine the 1,000-word tweet defence by reactionary tech entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan, where he attempts to argue that Huberman was actually more correct than the out-of-touch 'elites' when he made an elementary mistake in his discussion of probability.

Also, there is some discussion of the unacknowledged incentives of contrarianism.

Hat tip to editor Andy as always on his thumbnail game!

Gurometer: Gabor Maté

We process our decoding trauma with the aid of the Gurometer and see where Gabor fits in the Guru Pantheon. Also, some responses to feedback and a discussion at the end on questions of authenticity.

MORE Lab Leak Discourse: Nothing New

An evergreen video that we could probably periodically release every few months. Alina Chan thinks covid came from a lab leak… who knew?

Brief Update

Hi everyone,

It is Chris here. Just wanted to drop a message since we are bit delayed on our usual release schedule. The reason is… me being on a family trip and catching covid! I’m basically all better now but being back in the UK & Ireland and being in AirBnB’s or family homes proved non-conducive for anything productive.

Had planned to get Dr K part 3 out and Decoding Academia and maybe even a SM but catching covid put a further dent in all that.

I’m heading ...

Galaxy Brain Monthly Hangout - August 2024

Come one, come all for our monthly Galaxy Brain hangout.

Both Decoders will be in attendance with the junior member being back in the homeland and with plenty of rambling tangents sadly unavoidable.

Any questions, comments, or general feedback welcome.

Also, the time will be midnight on the 17th Aug, UK time, but click the link above to check your local time.

See some of you soon.

Supplementary Material 13: Dead Bears, Biblical Stories, and Coffeezilla's Legal Battle

We reflect on the meaning of some biblical scriptures to understand the gurus, alongside:

• Jonathan Pageau gets into the Olympics

• RFK Jnr. and the Dead Bear

• Guru Dystopia: Trump Meets Adin Ross

• Eric Weinstein enters the 2024 Campaign

• The penetrating insights of Joe Rogan

• Coffeezilla fights back against Logan Paul's defamation case

• Litigious Musk and nuisance lawsuits

• Celebrity...

  2024-08-14 09:07:34 +0000 UTC View Post

Interview with Matt on his Gambling Research

For those of you who want to hear Matt being responsible and talking about his gambling research, today is your lucky day!

Here he is on the Outside the Screen Podcast.

Paper discussed: Hing et al paper: N Hing, M Browne, M Rockloff, L Lole, & AMT Russell, ‘Gamblification: risks of digital gambling games to adolescents’ (2022) 6 Lancet Child and Adolescent Health 3...

Next Book: The Selfish Gene

Some people asked us to announce in advance when we were planning a joint book review and so that’s what this is.

With Richard Dawkins being a goomba online and his gearing up for a farewell US tour, we thought it would be a good time to look back on the book that originally made him famous.

This book was formative for both Matt and I in terms of inspiring an interest in evolution and science but it’s been a loooong time since either of us read it.

Will the fond memories...

Jordan Peterson x Russell Brand: Indulgent (Quantum) Christian Monologuing

Want to suffer once again through indulgent monologues about quantum Christianity with Jordan Peterson and Russell Brand? We've got you covered!

Bryan Johnson: Absolutely not a Vampire!

In this life-enhancing episode, Matt and Chris venture into the futuristic world of tech entrepreneur and biohacker Bryan Johnson, clarifying along the way that he’s not the ACDC frontman.

 They examine Johnson's Project Blueprint and 'Don't Die' movement—a quest for indefinite lifespan extension through supplements and lifestyle changes—and consider whether their apprehension means they are actually death lovers gorging themselves each day on death burgers and life-draining...

Impromptu End of Week DTG AMA

Ask questions, hang out, have a beer.

Just another impromptu livestream so Chris can justify a late-night beverage.

This time only one hour! To find the time in your time zone click on the link above (currently not working I’ll edit shortly but it’s 11PM JST)

Matt may pop by if he is awake...

Ken Klippenstein vs. The Elites

We updated on this segment a little in the most recent Supplementary Material but here is editor Andy's version of the original.

We cast a critical look at some of the recent populist and somewhat guru-ish framing in the output of journalist Ken Klippenstein as he leaves The Intercept and strikes out into the world of Substack.

Find his original letter about why he is resigning from the Intercept here: 2024-08-08 06:32:27 +0000 UTC View Post

Ranking the Gurus

Editor Andy was hard at work and has improved the video of the tier list ranking so if you wanted some more visual stimulation your request has been answered.

Enjoy!