MAHA Mia! feat. Derek Beres (E326)

This was a pretty good, standard episode, so I was surprised to see any controversy in the comments. wtf are so many commenters talking about the obesity epidemic; the guest mentioned it and broached it in the fairest way possible?? Yeah it’s part genetics and part living habits? Is this controversial? Why are people so sensitive about this. And unless there’s something else utterly unrelated to the interview, the guest cites shithead Ezra Klein but the actual point made was fair? Am I missing something here. Is this the onion bit of the worst person you know making a good point??

RFK’s skin and its appearance is a complete choice on his part, I’ll say it. Looking like an overcooked piece of meat is absolutely optional

Fat people also exist in other countries - am I missing something? Fatness isn’t a moral failing.

Even if we all ate the same things and did the same activities, we would all still look different from one another. Body diversity exists. Some people are “naturally fat” the same way some people are “naturally thin” and that’s okay

After the Home Depot comment, I'm now imaging a totally DIY healthcare system where people go into a giant box store warehouse filled with pharmaceuticals, homeopathic remedies, x-ray machines, MRI centers, surgical tools, autoclaves, supplements, gemstones, blood testing equipment, microscopes, etc , and just go ham on themselves.

Echoing what other people have said about glyphosate being an herbicide not a fertilizer -- and it can be pretty toxic, but the concern is way more for the farm workers applying it than consumers

I’m loving Julian’s anti-Americanism this episode. I’m right there with you, fuck this stupid country I hope it collapses

The Home Depot part with Jake killed me. Love you guys great (very depressing but loved it) episode

Julian: "America is a genocidal state, a purge on all Americans". Also Julian: "I'm voluntarily moving to America!" Why doesn't he move to China since he loves deepthroating the authoritarian CCCP boot at every turn?

this episode would have like 10× better if it was only Travis and Derek. I literally cringed just about every time Julian and Jake tried to make jokes.

This was a really interesting episode. While I’m #ActuallyAutistic, I’m not American, so I’m not directly impacted by RFK Jr’s MAHA agenda. However, I did want to raise a concern about Derek Beres’s use of the terms “high-functioning” and “low-functioning” when briefly discussing autism. These labels are widely recognised as harmful within the autistic community and disability justice spaces. Functioning labels oversimplify the complex and shifting nature of autistic experience. They reduce people to a binary that doesn’t reflect reality, and they often result in real harm: Those seen as “high-functioning” are frequently denied accommodations because they appear to be “coping.” Those labeled “low-functioning” are infantilised, excluded from decision-making, and too often dismissed as incapable. These terms aren’t neutral—they’re rooted in how comfortable or uncomfortable an autistic person makes non-autistic people feel. This centres neurotypical perspectives and undermines autistic autonomy and dignity. This framework feeds directly into the dehumanising rhetoric of the MAHA agenda, which seeks to pathologise, segregate, and “correct” neurodivergence rather than honour and support it. If we’re going to challenge that agenda, we also need to reject the language that sustains it. Let’s move toward strengths-based, person-centred approaches that recognise all autistic people as whole, complex individuals—deserving of respect, agency, and support on their own terms.

ever since Mangione I’ve been thinking a lot about Roosevelt’s attempted assassin Zangara who suffered excruciating chronic pain. healthcare and the access or lack thereof is a strong mover in American society

“Abundance” “both sides purity test [genocide]” “Israel” “the left”

Wait did Derek just misspeak again? "Foxtails"? Did he mean Foxgloves?

Glyphosate is a herbicide, not fertilizer. I'm gonna assume Derek just misspoke

RFK Jr’s bullshit on Autism is so enraging and dehumanizing I can’t opine on it rationally.

Just remember if you know your body better than anyone you should be able to diagnose your own cancer without scans or biopsy.

really think y’all should’ve had a fat person on rather than some white dude who teaches yoga. i love this podcast, but this ep feels like a slight let down :\

Ah yes, Julian, the ol' DEagle vaccination, a la Counterstrike

Whatever Jake. I almost bought that hat. Now I’m self conscious… as I should be

One of those episodes where Julien identifies a liberal and then just proceeds to say "cum" for 1 hour.

Glyphosate is a herbicide. It kills plants. Not a fertiliser like this guy stated. So opposite.

Less shit libs please. This dude is trash

Conspirituality is Shit Lib QAA. at about 20 this ass hat references Ezra Kline. Jfc

U.S. had a long history of Eugenics before Nazis came along, this is just a new chapter

Please please do an ep on what’s gone down with Israel and Eurovision. Conspiracy theories be poppin

I don’t know if I’ve ever paid attention to how his last name is pronounced out loud, but he’s always Dan Bongo in my head

portland mentioned!!! when i first went to the dentist here they told me they could tell i grew up somewhere else just from looking at my teeth 🤪

Thanks for your input Derek. Things sound grim stateside at the moment.

The best way to confuse coyotes is to paint a wall or side of a mountain to look like a road or tunnel. They’ll run right into it and knock themselves out cold. As a child, I saw this tactic work many times.

okay, the idea that Ezra Point Klein made one correct point is not like emblematic of us fucking going back to the dark ages. dude. I happen to know someone who works at the Weissman lab who is one of the primary people behind the MRNA vaccine technology. it's not like the technology magically went away because Trump ripped away funding. I mean come on leave it to Ezra to think. oh the real problem is that neither the left or the right is giving scientists credit... no, I mean I'm pretty sure ALL leftist would acknowledge mRNA vaccines are fucking awesome and if they don't honestly they should listen to some trash future. get back to me for fuck's sake

Derek Beres has a very curious way of making these occasional references to Israel where it really doesn't add anything to the conversation that seem to be to normalize it or normalize israeli talking points or something I can't quite place my finger on. The closest thing I can compare it to is when I've met racist people who drop little dogwhistles to normalize their racist opinions in littletiny slivers before revealing their power level. He has a 2014 article that very much tries to both sides the Palestinian issue which is not encouraging. I'm gonna need to know his stance on Gaza before I waste any more time on any media with him. Disappointed that QAA is platforming guests like this.

My two favorite podcasts together again! Great episode

Anti-sunscreen movement?!? We're cooked.

I’ve read the Conspirituality book - highly recommend

My two favorite podcasts coming together 🥲

“The best part of abundance” okay derek come on now

Dude citing Abundance unironically lol

ₗᵢᵥ ₐᴳₐᵣ

"Hungry Enby"? Gooble gobble, 1 of us! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

I do a lot of work with Chronic Health, and the CDC is complete eliminating funding for these programs on the state and national level. These people are pathological liars with no actual belief systems. I’m talking about nutrition classes, walkability audits, etc.

I’m from western Pa where a lot of people get cancer and a lot of fracking has occurred in my hometown area. I have zero faith that even if they definitely claim that fracking chemicals cause cancer I see zero chance that the companies that polluted the area will be held accountable so I find it extremely frustrating that they are trying put the onus of being healthy on the citizens rather than the companies that poison them.

Not an RFK Jr fan, but we need to get real about obesity. It’s not genetics - the United States is not genetically homogenous in any way, and it’s not poverty. It’s choice, availability, and lack of movement. We drive everywhere, eat junk food, drink massive amounts of soda, and don’t move enough. Anecdotally, I work at a place where everyone makes at least $200k a year, and the obesity is very very present. It really is lifestyle. If we just walked more, we’d probably do a lot better

next time there's an episode on health and stuff y'all should have death panel on

As a post menopausal woman I need to see this ‘big hat’ 🔥🥵

Scary part of having such old unhealthy people in office is they just know the true extent of the catastrophes they are setting in motion aren't probably going to be realized until they're dead and they'll never have to answer for anything. Worked for Kissinger to some extent they've similarly corrupted their party to an extent where they will have to be held up as paragons of good governance so the GOP doesn't collapse under having to contend with what they've done

Liv, Laugh, Love Agar

One minute: OMG the empire is disgusting. Look at all the shit they do around the world. All the death and destruction. We must fight the empire. Next minute: OMG I can't believe all the hoops the empire are making me jump through so that I can continue to live in the empire, help fund the empire, and reap the empire's rewards.

Trigger warning: you hear RFK Jr’s voice in this one.

And I think a large part playing into it is that it absolves the government of giving people free healthcare. If everything is made all fuzzy and confusing, if we don't know if ANYTHING helps, if chemo just maybe just makes things worse, if vaccines make you sicker, if insulin is fake, if NOBODY KNOWS if you need heart medication or if you just need to realign your chakras and we pretend nobody knows the mechanics of any illnesses anymore then, ooupsie! I guess the government can't help you and if anything it would be IRRESPONSIBLE of them to try! So what they really need to do is nothing, actually. Huh. Funny how that works in favor of them.

Every time I hear about that abundance book, especially from the main guy behind it himself when he's trying to explain/defend it to Sam Seder on Majority Report, it just sounds increasingly worse. This constant need to pretend neoliberals are "the left" while ignoring progressive criticism/analysis entirely has been a considerable concern for a long time now, in the UK also with its own unhinged underhanded spiteful ways, but especially in the current turmoil of neoliberal failure under the looming sweaty wojak face of a massive international fascism power grab. And their answer is as always to just go more right wing, more authoritarian, BUT NOT FOR THE POOR CORPORATIONS AND BILLIONAIRES YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE...they have much exploitation and extracting to be doing without us measly mortals getting in their way. It's progressive erasure. Also who the hell was pretending the vaccine didn't exist on the left, wait neoliberals did that? We need to stop referring to them as the left cos they sure as shit aren't, they're Thatcherites and Reaganites, to which the former publicly admitted of being her proudest achievement. They will always, but always throw any of their citizens, colleagues and allies under the bus as long as the markets are protected..."oh a sweeping virus across the planet? Sorry we ain't letting that hurt our precious markets, get the fuck back to work, for work sets you free, dontcha know?! Healthcare? Lol! Whoa hey WOAH don't you dare even THINK of mentioning a cut of military spending or weapons sales to countries committing live-streamed war crimes and genocide though! Those deaths were all probably anti LGBT people anyway, which we are too but it's ok cos we're only hating minorites for the MARKETS! Line go up! Freedoms go down! Line go up! Happiness go down! Line go big ups! Population go down, uh oh better appease the white nationalists and fascists again!" - - - - - T h e - m a r k e t s - w i l l - n o t - s a v e - u s

Fellow vegans, we should never have let 'health vegans' into the movement.

Liv Enby Julian Agar

Glyphosate is a herbicide, not a fertiliser

wide spread COVID denialism and reduction in mitigations, spread by both parties, led us to this point. until folks recognize that, we are fucked. sigh...to denounce soft eugenics, then push the "obesity epidemic" narrative is...a choice.

I used to live in Waterloo, the city in Ontario that they mentioned banning fluoride. I remember the election where it was on the ballot - I watched the mayoral debate, and they asked the candidates their opinion on the fluoride referendum. They were all like "oh, well, I guess everyone has to make up their own mind, I wouldn't want to tell someone how they should vote". Fucking cowards, letting poor kids get rotten teeth because you're afraid the granola moms will be mad at you.

I think the high suicide rate in Japan also has to do with the fact that you need a note from the subway operator if you are 5 minutes late to work.

Liv Agar

Glyphosate is not a fertiliser. It’s a herbicide. Also it is harmful. European wheat has no glyphosate and Australian wheat does. I believe that people mistake gluten intolerance for glyphosate intolerance. If you think you’re gluten intolerant try Italian flour and see if you get the symptoms that you attribute to gluten.

Livspirituality

I love it when my 2 favorite pods collide! ❤️

Derek Agar

Liv Agar?

Liv Agar