1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:00,640 Speaker 1: Michael. 2 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 2: When Dragon would have a fill in and they'd load 3 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 2: the powers the way they're being loaded now, it was 4 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 2: such a pain for you'd have to push the first hour, 5 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 2: and then when that ended, you had to go back 6 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 2: and push the second hour, in the third hour, in 7 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,119 Speaker 2: the fourth hour. Well, now you push the first hour 8 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,440 Speaker 2: and it just runs right on through all three hours, 9 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 2: even though it's going up, but it's going down. 10 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: What's the big problem. 11 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,159 Speaker 3: Well, the big problem is this is a you know, 12 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 3: we talked about eighty twenty issues. 13 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 1: This is a fifty to fifty issue. 14 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,560 Speaker 3: Half of you are po and half of your extatic 15 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 3: orgasmically happy. So it's like, I just don't care. But 16 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 3: here Dragon, I went, I don't whether you've had a 17 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 3: chance to read your email or not yet, but today's 18 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 3: program is going to be particularly effective, is the word 19 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 3: I would use. Effective? Because our boss, our program director, 20 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 3: mister Temper, is not feeling well to do no, he's 21 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 3: under the weather, so he's working from home. So I 22 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 3: think this is a great opportunity for us to do 23 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 3: several things. 24 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 4: All the cats away. 25 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, well the cats Away, we can completely just blow 26 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 3: this station up, just obliterate everything we could actually do 27 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:25,479 Speaker 3: quality programming for once, or in the event he might 28 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 3: be listening because he's not feeling well and he's just 29 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 3: laying there in bed, you know, pretending to be. 30 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 4: Sick, moves the mouse every now and again. 31 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, work right, calling it work from home. 32 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 3: That we could really just put on the kind of 33 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 3: program that just makes him sit there and think what 34 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 3: was I thinking? Why did I do this? Why did 35 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 3: I do this? And perhaps we could keep him home 36 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 3: for the rest of the week. You know, he just 37 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 3: doesn't want to come back and face face the music. 38 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 4: So tomorrow is Friday, so you might as well just 39 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 4: take Friday off as well. 40 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: I mean, well exactly, I mean, and that's probably the plan. 41 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 3: Call in, you know, call in said, or of course 42 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 3: he didn't call in sick, because well, I'll just email 43 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 3: in sick. 44 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:06,919 Speaker 1: That's what we do now. You don't call in sick. 45 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 4: You just email in sick and blast email. That's where 46 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 4: we'll all get it. Right, So his boss sees it, 47 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 4: so he doesn't have to worry about calling this boss 48 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 4: that boss. 49 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 3: That's right, exactly what makes it and I feel both 50 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 3: uh special and thinking to myself, who cares? Because what 51 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 3: does he really think that you and I care now. 52 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 3: I care that he's sick and he's home alone. You know, well, 53 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 3: what was him blah blah blah blah blah. But in 54 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 3: the grand scheme of things, did we care? No, we 55 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 3: probably don't care. 56 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 4: Yeah, like you said, that he's sick. I want him 57 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 4: to feel better. I'm very happy that he leaves us alone. 58 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 1: Oh, we're ecstatic about that. 59 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 3: Ecstatic except for the email I get that I ever 60 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 3: see until the next morning. He always sends about ninety 61 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:56,959 Speaker 3: two pm, you know, or ten. 62 00:02:58,960 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: I always don't. 63 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 3: I don't worry about it because I don't read until 64 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 3: the next morning. But I know that every morning until 65 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 3: this stupid contest is over, I'm going to get the 66 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:11,079 Speaker 3: email that says at see at nine ten forty twenty four, 67 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 3: I've got to tell somebody. 68 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: You got to listen for a keyword. 69 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 3: By the way, somebody did win a thousand bucks in 70 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 3: this cluster. 71 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 4: That is correct this week, actually earlier this week. Yes, 72 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 4: so people do win. So you do need to continue to, 73 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 4: you know, go to Kwaclarida dot com and enter that 74 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 4: keyword when you hear it, which will be coming up 75 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 4: later this hour. 76 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 3: So I do, but we do wish mister teffer the best. 77 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 3: We We do hope that he enjoys his mental health 78 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 3: day and brilliant on his part to do it on Thursday, 79 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 3: because then. 80 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: Why him in on Friday. 81 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 4: Yeah, so you have to get a four day weekend 82 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 4: the Friday before the super Bowl, and of course it's 83 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 4: still going to be lingering on Monday. 84 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 3: Not even think about that. In fact, I wonder if 85 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 3: he's even in town. 86 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 4: No, I I do feel a little bit of guilt 87 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 4: that I probably should reach out to him and make 88 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 4: sure that he is okay, because he did stop me 89 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 4: the other day as I was running around after the show. 90 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 4: If you're wanted to make sure my nose was okay. 91 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: With your tampon up your nose, and you want to 92 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 1: know if you're over, I wanted. 93 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 4: To make sure I was good, So I feel I 94 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 4: need to reciprocate now. 95 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:19,919 Speaker 3: He just wanted to make sure there wasn't any blood 96 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 3: on the floor, that's all. He was, right, That's right. 97 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 3: He didn't scrip the buttons by bleeding on him. Did 98 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 3: you get domb up there and bio hazard the whole console? 99 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:28,839 Speaker 1: That's right? 100 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 3: Well, and dog got the bio hazard aspect of it. Yeah, 101 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 3: Holy cow, Okay, I want to give everybody a warning 102 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 3: about today's program because I want to talk about something 103 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 3: I think everybody's talking too much about. Think about that 104 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 3: for a minute. I'm going to talk about something that 105 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:48,480 Speaker 3: I think is being way blown out of proportion. 106 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: Now before can you guess what it is? 107 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 5: Kid? 108 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 1: Can you? 109 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:55,600 Speaker 3: Can you possibly guess what it is? Let's go back 110 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,480 Speaker 3: to February second, just to give you an idea of 111 00:04:58,520 --> 00:04:59,919 Speaker 3: what I might be wanting to talk about. 112 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 6: Get write what is a deeply personal story for us. 113 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:09,360 Speaker 6: Nancy Guthrie, Saverna's beloved mother, has been reported missing in Arizona. 114 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 7: Nancy, who is eighty four, was last seen Saturday night 115 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:13,720 Speaker 7: and reported missing on. 116 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 4: Sunday by family members. 117 00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:18,919 Speaker 6: Savanna saying in a statement on behalf of our family, 118 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 6: I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and 119 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:26,360 Speaker 6: messages of support. Right now, our focus remains on the safe. 120 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:27,479 Speaker 1: Return of our dear mom. 121 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 6: We thank law enforcement for the hard work on this 122 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 6: case and encourage anyone anyone with information to contact the 123 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 6: Pima County Sheriff's Department at five to zero three five 124 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:40,239 Speaker 6: one four nine zero zero. 125 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,119 Speaker 7: In a news conference late last night, the Fama County 126 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 7: sheriff said multiple teams. 127 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, let's just stop. That's enough of that. It is 128 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:47,960 Speaker 1: not too long. 129 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 3: So that is the initial Today Show introduction of this, 130 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 3: which is a tragedy. Don't get me wrong. I feel 131 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 3: sorry for Savannah Guthrie. I've told you I've met her, 132 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 3: she's interviewed me. I can't say that we're close friends 133 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 3: or anything, but I truly feel sorry for it, and 134 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 3: particularly for her mother eighty four years old. Whether it 135 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 3: was a kidnapping or something, I don't know, but I 136 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 3: truly care about it. But when I use the phrase 137 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 3: the Cabal, which is this unholy alliance of the dominant media, 138 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 3: the ruling elite, and of course the tech giants, this 139 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 3: is the kind of cognitive dissonance. This is the kind 140 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 3: of self absorption that the Cabal represents. And we're going 141 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 3: to walk through because I spent some time on Lexus 142 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 3: Nexus last night going through the you know, spending too 143 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,000 Speaker 3: much money, quite frankly, for when I get paid to 144 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:45,919 Speaker 3: go in and search diligently for stories about kidnappings. To 145 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 3: give you a little perspective, because as I've said before, 146 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,120 Speaker 3: I'm usually fuck but I make fun of the view. 147 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 3: Not only am I making fun of the view, But 148 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:57,719 Speaker 3: as I often express, I'm really concerned about the people 149 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 3: that watch the view. I'm now concern about the people 150 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:04,000 Speaker 3: who are glued to their television sets or their radio sets, 151 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 3: or reading the newspapers or the websites who are following, 152 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 3: following all the clickbait to follow a story that involves 153 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 3: someone in Tucson, Arizona, several hundred miles from where I'm 154 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 3: sitting right now that I have. I've some friends in Tucson, 155 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:22,240 Speaker 3: and of course I've got family in Scottsdale. And but 156 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 3: but I have I have nothing to offer, and quite frankly, 157 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 3: neither do you. 158 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: Yet we're all. 159 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 3: I shouldn't say we're all. I'm mesmerized by the story, 160 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 3: not because of the and this is horrible to say, 161 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 3: but it's the truth. I'm mesmerized by the story, not 162 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 3: because of the people involved, even though I happen to 163 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,640 Speaker 3: know one of the individuals involved. I am mesmerized by 164 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 3: how the media is so self absorbed and that we 165 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 3: even now we even have well, let's let's go to the. 166 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 5: Tape, mom missing an Arizona. 167 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 3: This is a reporter asking the President of the United 168 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 3: States of America about the disappearance of one of their coworkers' mothers. 169 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 7: Were even based in more fatiages helping out on a 170 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 7: color later on, I think it's a terrible thing. 171 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 4: I always got along very good with Savannah. 172 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:24,240 Speaker 1: Very unusual situation. But we're going to find out how your. 173 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 4: Head so now. 174 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 3: And of course, then he posted on truth Social that 175 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 3: he's making available all federal resources. 176 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 1: Wow. 177 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 3: Now, if if you were one of the and I 178 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:38,319 Speaker 3: think the number is twenty six thousand, if you were 179 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 3: one of the twenty six thousand individuals that have gone 180 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 3: missing in the United States over the past twelve months 181 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:48,400 Speaker 3: or maybe the last calendar year. I forget which data 182 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:51,320 Speaker 3: said I was looking at. But do you wish that 183 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 3: you had that kind of attention? Do you wish that 184 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 3: you had that kind of national media coverage? And then 185 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 3: we also want. 186 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 4: To mention, after our interview off. 187 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,719 Speaker 1: Camp by the way, this is NBC News. 188 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 7: We also want to mention, after our interview off camera, 189 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:12,720 Speaker 7: the President called Savannah Guthrie and spoke to her, offering 190 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 7: words of support for her and her family as they 191 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:16,200 Speaker 7: searched for their mother. 192 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 3: We also there are people all over the country. Now 193 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 3: I've got dozens of these sound bites, but I don't 194 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 3: waste a lot of time on the sound bites. I 195 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:27,280 Speaker 3: want to get straight to the point I want to 196 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 3: make there are Let's set aside Nancy Guthrie for a moment, 197 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 3: and let's go through some cases and see if you 198 00:09:39,559 --> 00:09:44,079 Speaker 3: recall any of these. Okay, I'll just I'm going to 199 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 3: give you the name of the case and the first one, 200 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:50,959 Speaker 3: two three notes because I'm not going to do MSUs 201 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,360 Speaker 3: Guthrie because that's the one we're talking about. But setting 202 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:59,079 Speaker 3: out aside, I've got one, two three, I've got three 203 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 3: that we received significant national coverage going back to twenty 204 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:15,439 Speaker 3: twenty three, Charlotte Sena. Charlotte Sena that received extensive national 205 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:19,000 Speaker 3: coverage on all the major networks. Would you do Alexis 206 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 3: Nexus database search. I'm just pausing to give you time 207 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:26,040 Speaker 3: to rack your little brain cells and see if you 208 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 3: can come up with that name. She was a nine 209 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 3: year old child abducted from Moreau Lake State Park in 210 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:37,440 Speaker 3: New York from September thirty to October two, twenty twenty three. 211 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 3: She was found alive after forty seven hours hidden in 212 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 3: a kidnappers camper. Craig Nelson Junior was arrested via fingerprints 213 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 3: on a ransom note. He played guilty in February of 214 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:51,600 Speaker 3: twenty twenty four, sentence to life in prison. 215 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 1: I don't recall this case at all. 216 00:10:55,679 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 3: I am a huge consumer of the news, obviously because 217 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 3: of my work. I don't recall the case at all. 218 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:07,200 Speaker 3: My apologies to the family, but I don't remember Carlie Russell. 219 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:12,439 Speaker 3: Carle Russell. Massive national headlines and a massive search effort 220 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:17,680 Speaker 3: in July of twenty twenty three is giving you time 221 00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:21,080 Speaker 3: to think a twenty five year old Alabama nursing student. 222 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:23,800 Speaker 1: Oh, here's a little interesting. 223 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:25,680 Speaker 3: Thing which would cause you, I would think to remember 224 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:28,200 Speaker 3: it even more so. It was faked. She faked her 225 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 3: own kidnapping between July thirteen and July fifteen to twenty 226 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 3: twenty three. She claimed to see a toddler on the 227 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 3: highway that had disappeared for forty nine hours. She later 228 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:39,920 Speaker 3: admitted the hoax. Cleig guilty in March of twenty twenty four. 229 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:44,160 Speaker 3: She received probation, community service, eighteen thousand dollars in restitution. 230 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 3: Let's go back to twenty twenty two. Eliza Fletcher think 231 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 3: about it. Eliza Fletcher, thirty four year old Memphis teacher 232 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:58,400 Speaker 3: and a mother of two. Extensive national coverage for days 233 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:02,080 Speaker 3: on end. She was kidnapped while jogging early in the 234 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,080 Speaker 3: morning on September two, twenty twenty two. Her body was 235 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:09,320 Speaker 3: found three days later on September five. Cleosa Absen was arrested. 236 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:11,960 Speaker 3: Play guilty in October of twenty twenty four, sends them 237 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:18,240 Speaker 3: to life without parole. The community Memphis held community memorial 238 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 3: runs two thousand plus participants. It was a BFD in Memphis. 239 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:26,559 Speaker 3: Now let's drop down because those are the cases I 240 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:30,559 Speaker 3: could find going back, say four years that received national coverage, 241 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,319 Speaker 3: extensive national coverage, and I'm talking about, you know, for 242 00:12:33,679 --> 00:12:36,160 Speaker 3: a week or so. Now, this obviously is going on 243 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:38,920 Speaker 3: for it. This is going on now into getting close 244 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:48,200 Speaker 3: to a week, but not quite yet. Travian Shields. That's 245 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 3: the kidnapper. Fifteen year old girl escaped after months of captivity. 246 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:57,880 Speaker 3: Now this one mentioned, this one strikes me as interesting 247 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:02,040 Speaker 3: because when you dig into it, it's only mentioned occasionally 248 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:06,720 Speaker 3: in CBS news national coverage. So a fifteen year old 249 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 3: girl from Texas gets kidnapped. A twenty year old is arrested, 250 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 3: charged with aggravated kidnapping, alleged kidnapping, drugging, and rape over 251 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:21,720 Speaker 3: several months, but yet TBS barely mentioned it. It did 252 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 3: get local and regional coverage in Texas, Chicago. Just recently. 253 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 3: You remember kidnapping in Chicago. A two year old in 254 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:36,800 Speaker 3: Chicago Autumn Shelley kidnapped at gunpoint from a Chicago apartment. 255 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:39,360 Speaker 1: This is just last month. 256 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:45,000 Speaker 3: Kids, last month, three sex, three suspects or charge. Angelique Mobley, 257 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:49,079 Speaker 3: Lamonne Weather's Matthew Price happened in the Grand Bulevard neighborhood. 258 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 3: There was no national coverage. There was some regional Chicago 259 00:13:53,120 --> 00:14:00,880 Speaker 3: news coverage. Montrose boy kidnapping last May. Boys didnap to Montreal, California. 260 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 1: The La County. 261 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:05,079 Speaker 3: Sheriff's Department arrested two suspects, received a warning from the 262 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:07,599 Speaker 3: lieutenant about the dangers of being getting kidnapped. 263 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 1: Can't find any national coverage. 264 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 3: Local coverage only May twenty twenty five a boy kidnapped. 265 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:16,680 Speaker 1: New York. 266 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 3: Twenty twenty three, an Italian tourist is kidnapped and tortured 267 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:26,080 Speaker 3: to get his Bitcoin password. Two suspects get arrested in 268 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:30,040 Speaker 3: Soho in Manhattan. Got significant New York regional coverage, no 269 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:35,280 Speaker 3: national coverage. So the Nancy Guthrie case is receiving what 270 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:39,440 Speaker 3: I would describe simply as extraordinary national coverage compared to 271 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 3: nearly all other kidnappings over the past several years, with 272 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 3: several notable differences. Let's walk through for those differences network prioritization. 273 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 3: Now NBC's Today Show has made this a primary story 274 00:14:56,640 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 3: with multiple segments statements from Savannah. He pulled her from 275 00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 3: the Olympics coverage, which is a reasonable thing to do, 276 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 3: and has given what is only described in the media 277 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 3: in the trade magazines as unprecedented access and airtime. Think 278 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:20,040 Speaker 3: about the resource development. One hundred detectives have been assigned, 279 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 3: You get the FBI involved, you have extensive use of helicopters, drones, 280 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:28,160 Speaker 3: canine units, and all of that is receiving detailed national 281 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 3: media coverage and everybody's an expert and the duration of coverage. 282 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:37,400 Speaker 3: As of day three, it is still the leading national 283 00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:41,640 Speaker 3: news cycles across multiple networks all in fact, all of 284 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:46,720 Speaker 3: the networks, all of the cables, and everywhere in newsprint. 285 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:53,360 Speaker 3: And of course the fourth point the celebrity connection. So 286 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:56,160 Speaker 3: the direct connection to a national morning show co anchor 287 00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:59,840 Speaker 3: has generated coverage levels that are typically reserved for only 288 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 3: the most extraordinary circumstances. So let's compare with some of 289 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:06,560 Speaker 3: the others. So Charlotte Seena the child abduction with a 290 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 3: happy ending, got two to three days of intense national 291 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:14,680 Speaker 3: coverage and that was it. Eliza Fletcher, the murdered teacher, 292 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:17,120 Speaker 3: she got three to five days of sustained national coverage 293 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 3: and that was it. Carlie Russell the Hopes got significant 294 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 3: coverage due to the mystery and the unusual circumstances. But 295 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 3: most of the other kidnappings that I can find in 296 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:30,680 Speaker 3: Lexus Nexus received primarily and sometimes solely, local or regional 297 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 3: coverage only. So the coverage disparity that I'm noting is 298 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,680 Speaker 3: very real and it's very qualifiable. The got three cases 299 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 3: receiving coverage levels typically reserved for missing children or cases 300 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:47,360 Speaker 3: with extraordinary circumstances, and amplified significantly because of Oh it's 301 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,640 Speaker 3: one of them. It's part of the call, but of 302 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 3: the cabal. So I think I've hit on something that 303 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 3: cuts right to the core of how modern media operates 304 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:01,800 Speaker 3: and what it reveals, both about the industry, the cabal itself, 305 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:05,600 Speaker 3: and quite honestly, the audience it is consuming this news 306 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,880 Speaker 3: So let me break it down as someone who's both 307 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:14,040 Speaker 3: been both in the arena and observing it from the 308 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:21,160 Speaker 3: broadcast side. What does this real reveal about the national media. 309 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:24,880 Speaker 3: In fact, let's think about, and I'm gonna put very bluntly, 310 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:31,760 Speaker 3: the missing white woman syndrome problem is really amplified here. 311 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:36,879 Speaker 3: This isn't just missing white woman syndrome anymore just missing 312 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:42,040 Speaker 3: white woman who we know personally syndrome. The media is 313 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:46,560 Speaker 3: always over covered cases involving attractive, affluent white women, think 314 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:51,520 Speaker 3: Lacy Peterson, Natalie Holloway, Gabby Petito. But Nancy Guthrie adds 315 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:56,239 Speaker 3: another exponential layer. She's literally the mother of one of 316 00:17:56,240 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 3: the cabal's colleagues. And the NBC newsroom isn't covering a 317 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 3: stranger's tragedy, They're covering their coworkers' family crisis. So that 318 00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:10,280 Speaker 3: transforms it from a news judgment into something closer to 319 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:15,240 Speaker 3: workplace solidarity. Broadcast lie to you know, three hundred million people, 320 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,879 Speaker 3: if everybody consumed it, it is the ultimate blurring of 321 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 3: the personal and the professional, And that leads us into 322 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 3: the next point I want to make in the next segment, 323 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:30,440 Speaker 3: which is the narcissism of the news industry, and there's 324 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:33,720 Speaker 3: an uncomfortable truth in this, which we'll talk about next. 325 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:36,359 Speaker 1: Michael, let me tell you something. 326 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:40,280 Speaker 8: Let me unburden you. You don't have to apologize ever for 327 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 8: what you're about to say. You don't have to tell 328 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:45,439 Speaker 8: us if you're going off on a derailed squirrel chase, 329 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:48,680 Speaker 8: or you talk about something that everybody's talking about, or 330 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:52,639 Speaker 8: anything else. The content of your show is not what 331 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:56,160 Speaker 8: draws us to you. I'm not convinced we can tell 332 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:58,679 Speaker 8: you what exactly draws us back to the crack. But 333 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 8: you've been doing it. We're hooked, buddy. 334 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:08,320 Speaker 1: That's a great compliment. Thank you, the crack. We just 335 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 1: keep knowing out the crack. 336 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:12,680 Speaker 3: I think I was apologizing because I was gonna talk 337 00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 3: about the missing white woman's syndrome, which may offend some women. 338 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:18,840 Speaker 3: But there is this missing white woman's syndrome, and it 339 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:22,199 Speaker 3: gets amplified in stories like this. But that was the 340 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 3: first thing that tells us. The story tells us about 341 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 3: the cabal. Here's the second thing. It's the narcissism of 342 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:33,640 Speaker 3: this industry. The uncomfortable truth is the media finds itself 343 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:40,640 Speaker 3: endlessly fascinating. Journalists love stories about journalism. Journalists love stories, 344 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:44,600 Speaker 3: and the media loves stories about media figures, stories about 345 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 3: the industry. It's why every retirement, say of a network 346 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:51,240 Speaker 3: news anchor, becomes a news event, or you know, one 347 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:52,320 Speaker 3: gets fired or something. 348 00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:54,239 Speaker 1: They all I want this to do, or if it's all, 349 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:55,240 Speaker 1: it's us, it's us. 350 00:19:56,359 --> 00:19:59,680 Speaker 3: It's why when a journalist writes a memoir, it gets 351 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 3: review and of course it will always make the New 352 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 3: York Times. That's why media critics exist as a beat. 353 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,720 Speaker 3: It's why they're all the gnashing of the teeth over 354 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:16,560 Speaker 3: the Washington Post laying off lots of editors and reporters. 355 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:20,280 Speaker 3: There was one that was described as I was hired 356 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:26,159 Speaker 3: to cover something like DEI and racism and you know, 357 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 3: like a couple of really esoteric topics racism, transgenderism, islamophobia 358 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:35,879 Speaker 3: and something. And she got laid off. Shazam, I wonder why. 359 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 3: And they all cry like, oh my gosh, how can 360 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:42,800 Speaker 3: you dare lay us off? Welcome to the real world, kiddos. 361 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 3: It happens everywhere. So it's the narcissism of the industry itself. 362 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:51,399 Speaker 3: They truly believe they are better than you because they're journalists. 363 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:55,200 Speaker 1: And then there's. 364 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 3: The well I can only describe as the weaponization of 365 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 3: a paris social relationship. To bear with me here, hosts 366 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:14,359 Speaker 3: specifically cultivate intense parasocial relationships, particularly with TV viewers feel 367 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:18,240 Speaker 3: like Savannah gut Thrie, for example, is their friend. They've 368 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:22,199 Speaker 3: watched her announce pregnancies, cry over stories, banter with the 369 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:27,320 Speaker 3: co hosts for years. That format is designed to create intimacy. 370 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:28,919 Speaker 1: It is osmosis. 371 00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 3: You sit there, you know, you're sipping your morning coffee 372 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:33,960 Speaker 3: and you're in your robe, you're kind of getting ready, 373 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:37,520 Speaker 3: and there's this news ha ha ha ha, happy, happy, happy, 374 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:40,199 Speaker 3: and then sad, sad, sad, and here's the story and 375 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:42,520 Speaker 3: you know all these you know, those human interest stories, 376 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:45,200 Speaker 3: and you're sipping your coffee and suddenly you're best friends 377 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:49,480 Speaker 3: with Savannah. You're never gonna meet Savannah never. So when 378 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:55,160 Speaker 3: there when her mother goes missing, the network knows, they 379 00:21:55,320 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 3: consciously know that millions of years will feel personally invested 380 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:04,720 Speaker 3: because they've been conditioned to feel connected to her. It's 381 00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:11,160 Speaker 3: not news judgment. They're exploiting the relationship. And then there's 382 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:17,680 Speaker 3: this fourth thing and this one bugs me. The others 383 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:20,399 Speaker 3: bug me too, but this one because of my former 384 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:23,960 Speaker 3: position as the under secretary really does bug me. There's 385 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,840 Speaker 3: a resource deployment double standard going on here. One hundred detectives, 386 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:33,880 Speaker 3: the FBI, helicopters, drones, national coverage, fifty thousand dollars reward 387 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:38,119 Speaker 3: from eighty eight crime. Now, just imagine for a moment 388 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:42,440 Speaker 3: that Nancy Guthrie was Nancy Rodriguez, just a Latina grandmother 389 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:45,440 Speaker 3: from the same Tucson neighborhood with the daughter who works 390 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 3: at a call center. Would you see the same resource deployment? 391 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:51,919 Speaker 3: Would you see the same coverage? You know the answer, 392 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:57,080 Speaker 3: you don't admit the answer. This reveals that so called 393 00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:02,120 Speaker 3: newsworthiness is not about the inherent value of the victim 394 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:06,040 Speaker 3: or even the severity of the crime. It's really about 395 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:10,760 Speaker 3: proximity to power and media access. The media does not 396 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:17,040 Speaker 3: just report an equality, It enforces inequality through their coverage decisions. 397 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:19,919 Speaker 3: It happens in the editorial boards, it happens in the 398 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:24,919 Speaker 3: newsroom where what is going to be what are we 399 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:30,679 Speaker 3: going to do in BLOCKA? But let's go one step further. 400 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:38,440 Speaker 3: What does this reveal about consumers of news? Really, sadly, 401 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:43,440 Speaker 3: it's the entertainment of tragedy, entertainment of tragedy. 402 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:45,080 Speaker 1: So let me be blunt. 403 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 3: People are consuming these stories because they find them entertaining. 404 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:55,080 Speaker 3: They provide a narrative drama, emotional engagement, mystery, the vicarious 405 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:59,120 Speaker 3: thrill of danger without any personal risk whatsoever. You don't 406 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:00,960 Speaker 3: have to worry about seeing. You know, if they put 407 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,880 Speaker 3: out this, this will be the next thing. Mark my words. 408 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 3: At some point they will identify a vehicle of interest. 409 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:11,600 Speaker 3: It'll be, you know, just my luck, it'll be a 410 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 3: white BMWM sport with Colorado tags. 411 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:15,919 Speaker 1: So you got the black tag on it. 412 00:24:17,119 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 3: Well, the likelihood of that being seen in Tucson it's 413 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:22,919 Speaker 3: going to stick out, not because it's a white BMW 414 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 3: because it got com Well, it's not even to stick 415 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:27,280 Speaker 3: out because that has Colorado tags, because it's winter in Colorado, 416 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 3: and it's it's it's it's the winter in Tucson. So yeah, 417 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 3: there's probably a lot of Colorado tags down in Tucson, 418 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:35,960 Speaker 3: like there's in Scottsdale right now. But they're going to 419 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:39,280 Speaker 3: put that out nationwide. And if you live in Poughkeepsie, 420 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,960 Speaker 3: you live in Seattle, you live in Houston, what's it 421 00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 3: like that? 422 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:47,639 Speaker 1: But but you're still watching the story. 423 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:54,920 Speaker 3: Missing person cases become real life crime thrillers. Will she 424 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,000 Speaker 3: be found a lot? Will she be found at all? 425 00:24:57,040 --> 00:24:58,720 Speaker 1: Who did it? The audience. 426 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:01,320 Speaker 3: The audience is not watching out of some sort of 427 00:25:01,359 --> 00:25:04,760 Speaker 3: feeling of civic duty. They're watching because it's compelling content, 428 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:08,199 Speaker 3: and the news industry knows it, and they feed it. 429 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:11,399 Speaker 3: They know it's going to be compelling. They know that 430 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:14,840 Speaker 3: we've got a dumb down society, and so they're gonna 431 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:16,800 Speaker 3: feed that to everybody because they know it's gonna draw 432 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 3: the ratings. And then you have the problem of selective 433 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:25,520 Speaker 3: what I call selective empathy. This massive public engagement with 434 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:29,439 Speaker 3: cases like this reveals that human empathy is highly selective, 435 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:34,639 Speaker 3: and quite truly what you think about this, that human 436 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:40,040 Speaker 3: empathy is often performative. People will follow this case obsessively, 437 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:44,560 Speaker 3: post prayers on social media, share updates, all creating a 438 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:49,120 Speaker 3: sense of moral participation. But that fifteen year old girl 439 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:52,440 Speaker 3: Texas girl was held captive for months, the two year 440 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:56,159 Speaker 3: old kidnapped at gunpoint in Chicago, that does not generate 441 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:59,959 Speaker 3: the same kind of emotional investment because no celebrity can 442 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:04,240 Speaker 3: connection to it is making it interesting. The victims don't 443 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:08,400 Speaker 3: fit the demographic profile that's going to generate that maximum empathy, 444 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:12,160 Speaker 3: and there's no media saturation to signal to a dumb 445 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:16,320 Speaker 3: down population that this is a tragedy that you individually 446 00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:20,879 Speaker 3: need to care about. And this suggests empathy is less 447 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 3: about the suffering itself and more about the social cues 448 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:32,439 Speaker 3: about which suffering deserves attention. And then there is the 449 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:35,840 Speaker 3: what I would describe as the comfort of these rare events. 450 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:41,040 Speaker 3: You know, stranger abductions of adults are extraordinarily rare. Statistically, 451 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,240 Speaker 3: viewers are far more likely to die in a car 452 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 3: wreck on the way to work than to be kidnapped. 453 00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:50,200 Speaker 3: Yet we obsessively follow these cases while ignoring the more 454 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:53,200 Speaker 3: common and preventable tragedies. Why do we do that because 455 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:57,439 Speaker 3: the rare, dramatic events are psychically they're psychologically safer for 456 00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:01,639 Speaker 3: us to engage with. They're anomaly. They're not the systemic 457 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:06,240 Speaker 3: problems requiring uncomfortable reflection or change about what faces us 458 00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:09,320 Speaker 3: every single day in our ordinary lives that we go about. 459 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:14,439 Speaker 3: But kidnapping by a stranger, that's a boogieman, and you 460 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:17,760 Speaker 3: can fear that without ever having to examine your own 461 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:23,400 Speaker 3: complicity in anything. Domestic violence killing thousands of women annually, 462 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:28,480 Speaker 3: that requires acknowledging uncomfortable truths about relationships, power, and culture. 463 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:32,040 Speaker 3: Car accidents killing forty thousand Americans a year. That might 464 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:36,040 Speaker 3: require rethinking well driving, habits, or infrastructure. Or it might 465 00:27:36,119 --> 00:27:38,280 Speaker 3: require you to remember that this hour's chance will win 466 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:40,520 Speaker 3: a thousand bucks is coming up in the next five 467 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:43,680 Speaker 3: minutes thanks to Mercedes Bins of Littleton, Mercedes of Littleton 468 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:44,440 Speaker 3: dot com. 469 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:47,400 Speaker 5: Well in New York City, a man charged and completely 470 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:51,360 Speaker 5: night they got shot. He does the Mayor of New 471 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:54,640 Speaker 5: York's good to visit in the hospital, because to visit 472 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:59,399 Speaker 5: the criminals, not the cop. New York City doubt what 473 00:27:59,480 --> 00:27:59,919 Speaker 5: you got it? 474 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:05,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, wanted to check on Yeah zofran wanted to check 475 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:06,879 Speaker 3: on the shooter, not the victim. 476 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:07,399 Speaker 5: That was. 477 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:10,760 Speaker 1: That was. That's that's all you need to know. So 478 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:11,679 Speaker 1: let me wrap this up. 479 00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:17,080 Speaker 3: About Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping and again, God bless her. I 480 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:19,199 Speaker 3: hope she's well, Hope they find her, Hope they get 481 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:21,800 Speaker 3: the kidnappers, Hope everything turns out fine. 482 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 1: Have you thought about this? I think there is. 483 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:34,879 Speaker 3: A status dimension, a vicarious status seeking. Being informed about 484 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:38,760 Speaker 3: a major news story of the moment is in some 485 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:39,760 Speaker 3: social circles. 486 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,040 Speaker 1: Social currency. 487 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 3: People want to be able to discuss it, to have 488 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:49,240 Speaker 3: opinions feel connected to a collective experience, which I find 489 00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:52,920 Speaker 3: odd because this is from for me. Maybe it's different 490 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:56,280 Speaker 3: for you. This is not a collective experience. This is 491 00:28:56,320 --> 00:29:01,480 Speaker 3: the tragedy of a family in Tucson, in in in 492 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:04,640 Speaker 3: a neighborhood that I may or may not have been 493 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:06,920 Speaker 3: in that neighborhood in my lifetime. I don't know, because 494 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:09,480 Speaker 3: I've had friends who live in swanky neighborhoods. In neighborhood, 495 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:13,080 Speaker 3: if I was described last night on television, it's swanky neighborhood. 496 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:18,680 Speaker 3: But I haven't had anybody do what I'm about to describe, 497 00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 3: and that is come up and ask me if I 498 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 3: have an opinion about the Savannah guth three Nancy Guthrie 499 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 3: kidnapping case. But if you are in a social group 500 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:39,120 Speaker 3: or friends, or you know you're you're a soccer mom, 501 00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:42,040 Speaker 3: off to sip your chardenay and and you know, talk 502 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:43,480 Speaker 3: about the news of the day, well this will be 503 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:44,640 Speaker 3: at the top of the list. You want to be 504 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:48,760 Speaker 3: able to talk about it. So following the Guthrie case 505 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:52,000 Speaker 3: would signal to your friends that you are plugged in, 506 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:59,120 Speaker 3: You're empathetic, You're engaged. It's virtue signaling through consumption of tragedy. 507 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 3: You're you're look at me. I know all about this. 508 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:06,920 Speaker 3: I think it's a bizarre fixation. But it's not new. 509 00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:13,440 Speaker 3: It's not really about kidnapping specifically. There's a pattern. This 510 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:16,280 Speaker 3: is just the latest iteration of a phenomenon that's been 511 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:21,360 Speaker 3: around since the Cabal really started coalescing as the Cabal. 512 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:24,600 Speaker 3: But you can go back a long time to Lindbergh 513 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:27,960 Speaker 3: Baby Adam Walsh in nineteen eighty one, poly class remember that, 514 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:31,800 Speaker 3: John bay ramsay, Oh my gosh, think about that one. 515 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:37,000 Speaker 3: Elizabeth smart Over in Utah, Natalie Holloway, Kaylee, Anthony, Gabby 516 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:44,600 Speaker 3: Patito each generated wildly disproportionate coverage relative to the statistical frequency. 517 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:50,480 Speaker 3: And everyone involved a very specific demographic characteristic, young white, photogenny, 518 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:55,560 Speaker 3: middle class or above. That's the reality. Uncomfortable as it 519 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 3: may be, that's the reality, young white, photogeny, middle class 520 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,640 Speaker 3: or above. And what makes it bizarre for me is 521 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:07,000 Speaker 3: the cognitive dissonance. Americans are simultaneously obsessed with a rare, 522 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:10,360 Speaker 3: dramatic crime while ignoring all the common ones going on. 523 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:16,080 Speaker 3: Will people die from medical malpractice, domestic violence, preventable diseases 524 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:18,840 Speaker 3: every week that are kidnapped by a stranger in a year, 525 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:23,680 Speaker 3: and what it's not just the cognitive dissonance that bugs me, 526 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:29,120 Speaker 3: it's also the emotional manipulation. Because the cabal knows exactly 527 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 3: what they're doing. This coverage is not accidental. It is calculated, 528 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:41,400 Speaker 3: calculated to generate engagement, which intern drives ratings, which drives revenue. 529 00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:46,680 Speaker 3: The tragedy becomes a product. That's pretty callous, isn't it, 530 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:49,040 Speaker 3: But it's true. You can't deny the truth of that. 531 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,600 Speaker 3: The tragedy becomes the product, and you are the consumer 532 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:57,520 Speaker 3: and you're giving them exactly what they want. And then 533 00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:01,680 Speaker 3: there's the whole collective performance. Everybody involved, the media, law enforcement, 534 00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:04,360 Speaker 3: with the public. They're all participating in a kind of 535 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:08,320 Speaker 3: a theater where the script is kind of this tragedy 536 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:11,360 Speaker 3: matters more than other tragedies tragedies, but you don't want 537 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 3: to say that. And then there's the whole In terms 538 00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:22,320 Speaker 3: of psychology, the terror management theory, you can feel vulnerable, 539 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:26,280 Speaker 3: but you're not really vulnerable. It's in a controlled setting. 540 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:32,160 Speaker 3: You can experience solidarity within the community against a received 541 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 3: external threat. There really isn't that big of a threat. 542 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:38,560 Speaker 3: You can avoid all the existential anxiety about more common 543 00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:43,160 Speaker 3: but less dramatic risks, and you can you can engage 544 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:46,240 Speaker 3: in just world thinking, well, if I'm careful, this won't 545 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:54,160 Speaker 3: happen to me. Heuristic availability heuristic means people overestimate the 546 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:57,920 Speaker 3: probability of events that receive heavy media coverage. This case 547 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:01,440 Speaker 3: will make millions of people irrationally fearful of stranger abduction 548 00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:09,400 Speaker 3: despite it being statistically negligible. To media hypocrisy, resource allocation, injustice, 549 00:33:09,600 --> 00:33:14,440 Speaker 3: audience complicity. This is not just a bizarre fixation. It's 550 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:19,560 Speaker 3: the systematic revealing of who's suffering our society considers valuable, 551 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:23,600 Speaker 3: whose stories are worth telling, and whose lives merit full 552 00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:28,440 Speaker 3: resource deployment. This case is the extreme example that makes 553 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:32,880 Speaker 3: the pattern impossible to ignore. Now, the truly sad part 554 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:37,440 Speaker 3: is my analysis. Everything I've just described based on what 555 00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:40,640 Speaker 3: I believe about this audience won't change anything. 556 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:43,640 Speaker 1: Because I think you know this. 557 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:47,640 Speaker 3: I just want to bring it to the front of four, 558 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:52,720 Speaker 3: the frontal lobe of your brain, and realize that you 559 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:55,120 Speaker 3: are indeed being manipulated