Decoding the Gurus

We immerse ourselves in the dark waves of the discourse to bring you treasures beyond mere mortal ken. Supplementary Material 27 00:00 Introduction & Australian Holidays 03:53 James Lindsay's New Revelations 07:20 Michael O'Fallon's Conspiracy Hipsterism 09:41 Trump, Bukele, and Transparent Conspiracies 11:53 The Whitehouse declares the Lab Leak is a FACT 14:42 The conspiracy leak treadmill: UFOs, RFK assassination, and lableak 21:26 The Rise of the Idiots: Grimes on Transformers Cinematography 29:17 Lex vs. Flint: The mask slips 33:21 The Iron Curtain falls on Lex's Subreddit 35:18 Subreddit Moderation Choices 41:46 Douglas Murray on Joe Rogan 46:36 Darryl Cooper's Nazi Apologetics, the Role of Experts and JAQs 57:25 Strategic Disclaimers & Convincing Apologetics 01:03:28 The Rogansphere and Media Power 01:07:30 Murray on the Lab Leak 01:12:19 Murray's Anti-Establishment Hypocrisy 01:19:10 Standards in Journalism 01:22:42 Alternative Media's Double Standards 01:28:33 Douglas Murray joins Sam Harris 01:29:26 The Psychology of Religious Extremism 01:36:04 Radicalisation and Extremism 01:41:24 Murray's 'Criticism' of MAGA 01:44:32 What is even the Right Wing? 01:55:11 What about Elon Musk? 02:05:40 AfD isn't that bad, and Elon has promoted Douglas too! 02:16:10 Rogan and the Moon Landing 02:17:16 Sam is still a bad judge of character 02:19:29 Isn't everyone a hypocrite? 02:23:16 Free Speech Debates 02:26:58 The role of Moderation 02:31:37 Outro The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (2hr 32 mins). Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus [https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus] Sources * Sam Harris Episode 410 Douglas Murray: The Whole Catastrophe [https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/410-the-whole-catastrophe] * Joe Rogan Experience #2303 - Dave Smith & Douglas Murray [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah6kirkSwTg] * Flint's post about Lex Fridman [https://x.com/FlintDibble/status/1911135869248975257] * Grimes on Transformers' cinematography [https://x.com/Grimezsz/status/1913824727971536959] * James Lindsay on being used by Nazis [https://x.com/ConceptualJames/status/1913714177195364754] * Nathan Barley on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMD9ghErEvtyYW0e8h89myjKJueWN3AHI] * Whitehouse website on the Lab Leak [https://www.whitehouse.gov/lab-leak-true-origins-of-covid-19/] * Joe Rogan Experience #2307 - Tim Dillon [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1ry_B1XNUk]

In this episode, Matt and Chris pour themselves a stiff drink and slip into the fever‑dream crossover of Jordan Peterson and Michael Shellenberger, a conversation that opens with the claim that Western Europe is now the single greatest threat to free speech; yes, croissants and GDPR apparently out‑authoritarian China and Russia. According to Shellenberger, we can now rest safe as free speech has been restored and “America Is Back!” thanks to God-Emperor Trump and the living avatar of honest utterance, Elon 'Horus' Musk. Our hosts marvel as Shellenberger insists USAID is a rogue soft‑power leviathan that somehow staged January 6th, sabotaged the 2020 election, and deserves to be nuked from orbit... although he can’t quite prove any of that YET . Alongside the conspiratorial drivel there is also a heavy serving of Peterson's obscurantist mythicism and dinner‑party anthropology as he explains how Hungary is a model democracy, the US nation beset by parasites, and that this is all inevitably connected to how people are not paying enough attention to Jesus . But that is not all! You will also learn about Manly Men vs. Gentlemen, Musk’s “move fast and break government” ethos, and the revelation that free speech is not a nice‑to‑have but a must‑have—unless you are a lawyer, journalist, or student on the wrong side of the Trump administration. So buckle up for an hour of dystopian déjà vu, as two self‑styled rebel intellectuals morph into state propagandists, cheerleading every single action of Trump and Musk while lecturing the rest of us on free thought. Sources * “Trump, Musk, Kennedy: The Dawn of Transparency,” The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast, Ep. 526. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4YYergYonc] * Shellenberger's Substack [https://www.public.news/], including gems like "Why Trump’s Victory Is, For Millions Of Us, Cathartic" [https://"WhyTrump’sVictoryIs,ForMillionsOfUs,Cathartic"] and "Both USAID And The CIA Were Behind The Impeachment Of Trump in 2019" [https://"BothUSAIDAndTheCIAWereBehindTheImpeachmentOfTrumpin2019"] * Taibbi & Shellenberger testify to the House Judiciary Committee to help uncover "the Biden-Harris Administration's unconstitutional censorship campaign" [https://judiciary.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/censorship-industrial-complex] * Singal-Minded articles detailing Shellenberger's sloppy journalism [https://Shellenberger'ssloppyjournalism] and conspiracy theories [https://conspiracytheories]

In this stunning crossover episode, Matt and Chris are joined by Australian 'media personality' and podcast host Josh Szeps for a joyful discussion of podcasts, gurusphere, and general media dynamics. As you might imagine, we discuss issues around the heterodox sphere, cultures of criticism, and the issues involved with 'platforming' controversial figures. We discuss the constantly surprising popularity of Lex Fridman and his unique interview style, how the heterodox respond to criticism, and rampant hypocrisy. Also, Matt is finally held to account for his food takes, and we find out the real story behind the Olympic mascot, Olly the Kookaburra. Sources * Josh's Substackistan podcast [https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/]

We project our insecurities onto the gurusphere, wallowing in our inadequacy to bond over shared hatred of outgroups, and interview Flint Dibble along the way. Supplementary Material 26 00:00 Introduction and Greetings 01:53 Ol' Squeaky and Lex's horny poems 05:11 Eric Weinstein is still waiting for the call 09:26 Interview with Flint Dibble 11:05 Introduction and Catching Up 12:19 Joe Rogan and Public Perception 14:57 Hypocrisy and Slander 16:05 Graham Hancock and Neo-Nazi Connections 22:08 Upcoming Exposé on Joe Rogan 23:03 Pyramids of Giza: New Claims 24:45 Debunking the Mega Structures Theory 25:20 The Researchers Behind the Claims 28:21 Scientific Methods and Evidence 31:58 Conclusion on Pyramids and Science 35:13 Gurusphere Dynamics 37:47 Pseudo-Archaeology and Public Perception 46:11 Mr. Beast's Egypt Adventure 50:36 The Role of Pseudo-Archaeology in Conspiracy Theories 58:50 Post-Interview Discussion 59:53 Trump's Tariffs and Economic Impact 01:04:30 The Amazing Tariff Formula 01:09:45 Geoffrey Miller's 9D Chess Theory of the Tariffs 01:13:30 Contrapoints Conspiracy Video 01:14:55 Some things Matt will not mention on Tariffs 01:17:35 QAnon Anonymous on Graham Hancock 01:22:33 Some Other News covers Joe Rogan 01:30:13 Ryan Beard's Destiny Content Nuke 01:32:33 The Studies Show covers Conspiracies 01:33:53 Hasan argues for tariffs 01:37:40 Back to Rogan and Chris Williamson 01:39:21 Critically Reviewing Cory Clark's Study 01:47:58 Incestuous Bro Podcasts and Legacy Media Struggles 01:53:00 Bonding over outgroup hatred and Criticism Capture 02:02:04 USAid is funding the attacks on Tesla! 02:07:56 Trump's Badass Son humilates Biden 02:10:28 Tribal Hypocrisy 02:11:52 Joe Smashes All Your Paradigms! 02:14:59 The villain, Sam Harris criticizes the hero, Lex Fridman 02:20:18 Does Lex speak to EVERYONE? 02:23:44 Concluding Thoughts from Maladjusted Haters The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (2hr 25 mins). Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus [https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus] Sources * Archaeology with Flint Dibble- Megastructures under Giza Pyramids⁉️ ARCHAEOLOGY REWRITTEN or viral 💩? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQMfGuKgTwU] * Piers Morgan episode with Flint and Milo Rossi [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50CFOaCvDSw] * Joe Rogan Experience #2293 [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/2293] - Chris Williamson * QAnon Anonymous: Graham Hancock’s Ancient Apocalypse (E318) [https://soundcloud.com/qanonanonymous/graham-hancocks-ancient-apocalypse-e318] * Contrapoints: Conspiracy [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teqkK0RLNkI] * The Studies Show: Conspiracy Theories [https://www.thestudiesshowpod.com/p/episode-69-conspiracy-theories] * What "Happened" To Joe Rogan? - SOME MORE NEWS [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zt7hAFFqfI] * Men's Health: Joe Rogan Responds to the Controversy Surrounding His 'Endorsement' of Bernie Sanders [https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a30740105/joe-rogan-bernie-sanders-endorsement-controversy/] * Ryan Beard: Content Nuke Destiny [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-1L0LyqOYQ] * Hasan making a progressive case for tariffs [https://x.com/DrewPavlou/status/1910173442395025436] * Sam Harris' recent podcast criticising Lex and Rogan [https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/405-more-from-sam-tariffs-signal-gate-trump-elon-douglas-murray-joe-rogan] * Lex's wounded bird response to Sam Harris' criticism [https://x.com/lexfridman/status/1909681264933650621] * Clark, C. J., Fjeldmark, M., Lu, L., Baumeister, R. F., Ceci, S., Frey, K., ... & Tetlock, P. E. (2024). Taboos and self-censorship among US psychology professors. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17456916241252085.

In this very special decoding, Matt and Chris revisit the wisdom of the internet’s favourite philosopher-warrior/political theorist, Lex Fridman, as he dives once again into the complex realities of the Ukraine war. Joining Lex is IDW hero and conservative commentator Douglas Murray, who actually offers some sensible insights on the specific topic of Ukraine. Fear not, though, Lex ensures his signature 'non-partisan' approach remains intact, framing Zelensky as a potentially corrupt leader who is emotionally driven, and responsible for prolonging the conflict to evade the inevitable investigations. Meanwhile, Putin remains a tragically misunderstood patriot whose greatest crime is that he loves his country a little too much. Lex is in rare form, reaching new heights of weaponised naiveté, and bravely defending himself against the legions of online "grifters, drama-farmers, liars, bots, sycophants, and sociopaths." Expect generous servings of geopolitical delusions, questionable polemics, and heartfelt serenades to Joe Rogan—all delivered with Lex’s characteristic humility and wisdom as a love-filled Man of Peace. We are genuinely sorry to drag you back into Lex's world, but someone has to keep an eye on his Ukraine takes. Sources  * Lex Fridman- Douglas Murray: Putin, Zelenskyy, Trump, Israel, Netanyahu, Hamas & Gaza | Lex Fridman Podcast #463 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvI42TyE5Ww] * DTG: Lex Fridman's Take on the Zelensky Interview: The Wounded Bird and Ukrainian Bot Farms [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQKY8ZkfExg] * DTG: Douglas Murray: Can indulgent dinner conversation save OUR civilisation? [https://decoding-the-gurus.captivate.fm/episode/douglas-murray-can-indulgent-dinner-conversation-save-our-civilisation]