Beer and Conversation Podcast

Woodstock is said to have defined a generation. The original plan was for about 50,000 people, but close to half a million people arrived on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York. The operations were a mess. The roads weren’t adequate. There weren’t enough porta-potties, security, or food. And there was a nasty storm. Despite the mess and the miserable circumstances, it was mostly peaceful, and the police said the attendees were courteous, considerate and well-behaved.

The original Woodstock was not the lovely peace and love fest that people seem to imagine. It was a mixed bag of poor planning, horrible execution, and a somewhat miserable experience — that changed people’s lives!

The main organizer — Michael Lang — apparently didn’t learn anything from the first event. The operations for Woodstock 1999 were even worse.

The event was held at an old military base. People were in the blazing sun on a concrete tarmac. There wasn’t enough water, and there was almost no shade.

There was very little “peace and love can change the world.” The bands were encouraging mayhem and violence. There were sexual assaults. Eventually, the whole place was set on fire. It was a catastrophe.

With special guest Longinus, the boys review Belhaven Scottish Ale, then discuss conspiracy theories, and why people believe them.

Conspiracies are real things, but “conspiracy theory” has taken on the tinge of the tin-foil hat crazies. That’s the sort of theory the boys discuss.

• What are the components of a conspiracy theory?
• What benefit does it give to the believer?
• How is the internet involved?

It’s usually a shared delusion, not an individual idea. And it usually fits with some legit zeitgeist in the culture. It resonates with some subpopulations.

Conspiracy theories are often irrefutable because any objection becomes evidence of the conspiracy theory. They also become part of a person’s self-identity.

People find a strange sense of safety and control when they believe in conspiracy theories because they have secret knowledge. They’ve peered behind the veil of deception.

There’s a feeling these days that conspiracy theories are more prominent on the political right. That is not true. Conspiracy theories are common on both ends of the political spectrum.

People who believe they are out of power are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories, and that changes over the years.

Along with special guest Longinus, P&C drink and review a homebrewed brown ale, then discuss the Book of Acts, as part of their “shortcut to the classics” series.

What book is more classic than the Bible? The boys choose Acts as the most representative “shortcut” because it includes elements of law, history, prophets, the gospel, and the epistles.

A simple outline of Acts would be that the message of Jesus spreads from Jerusalem, into Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. But it’s more complicated than that. There are questions about the role of Jew and Gentile, whether converts need to be circumcized, and how the church will view the on-going role of the law of Moses.

The book highlights the two main apostles of Christianity, starting with Peter’s ministry to the Jews in Jerusalem, and ending with Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles — not only in his missionary journeys, but in his witness to the center of power in the first century — Rome.

Acts is a historical narrative, which is fitting for a faith that is based in historical claims about particular acts and people who did real things in the real world.

The boys drink and review Triple Dog Triple IPA from Flying Dog Brewery, then respond to a listener question on gay marriage.

What does “marriage” mean? And are Pigweed and Crowhill in favor of same-sex marriage?

The boys start with biology. Pair bonding. Procreation. What goes on in the animal kingdom? When does monogamy make sense?

And what about property? Isn’t marriage largely about inheritance? Then there’s the issue of forming political bonds between different tribes.

It was only recently that marriage changed from being primarily about procreation and property to its current focus on love and romance. That separation of marriage from procreation to love is what set the stage for same-sex marriage.

The boys take a middle-of-the-road position. “Marriage” does not include same-sex unions. But that does not mean there should be no monogamous path for same-sex-attracted people.

The boys drink a “Patuxent Walnut,” then discuss three recent news items.

Pelosi goes to Taiwan. It was a ballsy move on her part. China stomped around, red-faced and furious, and threatened to shoot down her plane. But she went anyway. Was that right, or will she be the match that starts WW3?

P&C discuss the U.S.-Taiwan relationship in general, and tie it in with Pelosi’s visit and Biden’s recent bumbles about the U.S. defending the island against Chinese aggression.

Griner goes to jail. The 6’9″ basketball star went to Russia with a small amount of marijuana, gets arrested, and has become a pawn in “prison exchange” negotiations.

She’s not the only U.S. citizen who’s been arrested in Russia for drug possession. Mark Fogel, a former U.S. embassy official, was arrested for possession of 17 grams of marijuana — for which he had a prescription! But nobody says much about Fogel because he doesn’t have star privilege.

The FBI goes to Mar-a-Lago. On its face, this looks like Banana Republic behavior, where law enforcement is used against political enemies. But on the other hand, do we really trust Trump to do the right thing with classified documents, or to tell the truth about it after the fact?

Raiding a former president’s and potential future candidate’s home is unprecedented, and the FBI should have done far more to make sure this was all above the board. They did not, and the FBI has a huge black eye as a result.

The boys drink and review Old Pro from Union Brewing, then discuss narcissism.

Narcissus was an unfortunate fellow who fell in love with his own image, and lent his name to everyone who is a little too obsessed with themself.

Researchers say we have a narcissism epidemic. What’s causing it? A lack of meaning in life? Decline in religion? Social media? Smart phones?

We’ve created a culture where it’s expected that other people have to bow to and accommodate our personal preferences. “You must refer to me this way.” Really?

We no longer believe in status based on merit. We have a generation of kids who got trophies for participating, who were told that the world revolved around them — irrespective of their own accomplishments.

The boys drink and review Low Pitch Hazy IPA from Hi-Wire Brewing, then discuss the morality of suicide, euthanasia, doctor-assisted suicide, and related issues.

It’s illegal to kill yourself, and most religious traditions say it’s immoral. That view is increasingly challenged these days. There are lots of movements for “death with dignity” and similar concepts.

We have a natural revulsion to suicide, but sometimes it’s hard to come up with clear arguments for why it’s wrong, especially in very hard cases. And there are some cultures where suicide is an accepted part of life.

Modern people often believe that something can’t be wrong if it doesn’t hurt other people. How does a suicide harm other people? The boys discuss.

In honor cultures, suicide can be an honorable act where you take the shame away from your family.

Some people face the prospect of unending suffering, with no hope of recovery. Is it right to tell them they can’t end it?

The boys drink and review Double High-Pitch IPA from Hi-Wire Brewing, then discuss the invasion of Ukraine.

Pigweed gives a little historical background on the relationship between Ukraine and Russia, then P&C go through the four possible explanations of the situation recently offered by Jordan Peterson.

1. Putin is an evil expansionist thug who wants to expand his territory and restore the old Soviet Union.

2. [Following John Mearsheimer] The West has been provoking Putin by inviting all of Russia’s border states into NATO and the EU.

3. Russia’s concerned about the stability of its petrochemical-based economy and needs to secure bordering countries.

4. Russia is more serious about Christendom than the West is, and wants to save Ukraine from the decadent, anti-Christian West.

Each of these explanations might have a piece of the truth.

Also, how did the United States get drawn into this? It was understood — just a short time ago — that Ukraine was a horribly corrupt oligarchy, and we didn’t particularly care about it. Now we defend Ukraine as if we’re defending “democracy.”

There’s also a video version of the show.

The boys drink and review two awful beers from Heavy Seas, then discuss gay parenting in general, with a particular emphasis on the recent discussion on the topic between Jordan Peterson and Dave Rubin.

Jordan Peterson regularly encourages people to take on more responsibility in their lives, including getting married and having children. Dr. Peterson’s lectures had an impact on Dave Rubin, a gay man, who wondered, “what about me? How do I fit in?”

Peterson and Rubin talk about all the adjustments Rubin had to make to try to make this apply to his life with his gay partner. Does it even work? Can all the normal paths and expectations in heterosexual relationships and marriage simply transfer over to a gay relationship?

If meaning and purpose in life are so closely tied to marriage and children, how does this work for homosexuals? And should it?

Is it right to subject children to this experiment so that gay parents can feel self-actualized?

(What were the awful beers? Pina Colada IPA and Strawberry Banana IPA. They tasted fake.)

P&C drink and review a homebrewed mild ale, then discuss recent disturbing revelations about psychiatry, and a very disturbing finding in the area of Alzheimer’s research.

An analysis of multiple studies shows there’s little evidence that depression is caused by a “chemical imbalance” — which is what we’ve been told for decades. It’s “common knowledge” that depression is from low serotonin, right? Well … maybe not. And experts in the field have known this for years, but psychiatrists have continued to prescribe drugs based on this apparently false theory.

One in eight people in America is taking anti-depressants, and it might all be a waste of time!

Have psychiatrists been engaged in a “noble lie” to help their patients?

Also, are drugs displacing therapy that might actually help people? It’s hard to help someone lose weight, exercise, eat well, get more sleep, fix their bad relationships, come up with some sense of meaning and purpose in their lives, etc. It’s easy to hand out pills.

Who wins here? The pharmaceutical industry. Are pharma industry profits what’s driving “the science” — on the backs of depressed people?

Also, is depression an aberration, or is depression the default state?

What if psychedelic mushrooms do more for depression than the pills we get from SSRI drugs?

Shortly after this serotonin story there was another story about outright fraud that has set back Alzheimer’s research at least 10 years.

How does this relate to our overall confidence in “settled science”?

P&C drink and review a homebrewed India Pale Ale, then discuss the recent SCOTUS decision on EPA over-reach.

The boys do a quick review of the role of administrative agencies and their authority to regulate, and how that relates to Congressional authority to control things through legislation.

Then they look at the specific issues relating to EPA’s Clean Power Plan, where they forced coal-burning plants to reduce their emissions to levels based on a switch to natural gas.

This case illustrates a big difference between the political left and the right.

The left doesn’t care as much about legal authority if they agree with the goal. They also love to push the idea of a crisis, because when you’re in a crisis, legal authority and procedures don’t matter as much.

The right puts more of an emphasis on restraints on power and respect for legitimate authority. They don’t want government by crisis.

Along with special guest Longinus, P&C drink and review an IPA from the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, then discuss spiritual guru and cult leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.

Rajneesh started off life as a troublemaker — as both a student and a teacher — but eventually found his groove with his own system of meditation, blending eastern mystic ideas with western psychology. He settled into a life of teaching and became fairly popular. He set up an Ashram in India and gathered a pretty decent following, but (fleeing tax problems) decided to move to Oregon to create a new community.

They bought a huge ranch and created an incredible compound, but neglected to consult the zoning laws and ran into trouble with the county and the local town.

Coming shortly after the Jim Jones disaster, people were worried about these glassy-eyed intruders and their strange ways.

Bhagwan and his followers essentially went to war with the local town, and the vision of the utopian community fell apart.

Pigweed and Crowhill, with special guest Longinus, drink and review a coffee stout from Guinness, then continue their “shortcut to the classics” series with a review of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

They start off with a whirlwind tour of the story, then discuss various potential meanings and interpretations.

Generally speaking, the boys are not impressed, and they wonder why in the world this has become such a classic. It is the third most quoted book in the English language!

It’s silly and playful, but is that all? Are there any hidden meanings? Is there an underlying theme? What’s the appeal of this strange book?

The boys drink and review Hi-Pitch Mosaic IPA from Hi-Wire Brewing, then discuss tools, machines, and robots, and how they affect labor and employment.

The Luddites were people who objected to modern equipment that robbed them of their livelihood. But that process of increasing efficiency and reducing labor costs has been a major driver of wealth and opportunity. The industrial revolution destroyed some jobs, but created many more.

But does that always happen? Does automation always result in more opportunity? Or is there an inflection point at which it’s a net negative?

This is a very serious issue for our culture as artificial intelligence and robotics continue to replace more and more jobs. And it’s only going to get worse.

What’s the solution? And who’s thinking about it?

Some people recommend Universal Basic Income, but does that really work?

P&C drink and review “Bed of Nails” brown ale by Hi-Wire Brewing, then discuss recent decisions on the free exercise of religion.

Two important cases came down this term: Kennedy v. Bremerton involved the coach who prayed on the 50-yard line, while Carson v. Makin had to do with a restriction on public money being used to support a religious school.

Kennedy was a football coach at a government school in Washington. As a government employee, did his prayers constitute “the government” endorsing religion? Or, as a private citizen, did he have the right to free speech and free exercise?

In Maine, the government decided to give parents money to send their children to secondary schools but forbade them from using that money in a religious school. The court held that was straightforward discrimination on the basis of religion.

The boys discuss these cases and the broader question of government entanglement in religion.