It Takes a Potemkin Village: The 251st Evolutionary Lens with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying
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Nov 13, 2024
The hosts delve into Kamala Harris's campaign spending, revealing a billion-dollar war chest that surprisingly funded celebrity endorsements rather than genuine grassroots support. They critique the ethics behind celebrity influence in politics and highlight the questionable use of funds from small donations. The discussion shifts to the health implications of seed oils, challenging mainstream nutritional advice and promoting healthier alternatives like coconut and avocado oil. They encourage listeners to think critically about dietary choices and political realities.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Paid Endorsements
The Harris campaign spent $1 million on Oprah's company, Harpo Productions, for a celebrity town hall.
This event, seemingly organic, was a paid endorsement disguised as genuine support.
insights INSIGHT
Reverse Robin Hood
The Harris campaign spent $26 million on text message outreach, often soliciting small donations.
This "reverse Robin Hood" tactic potentially laundered big donor money through small donations.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Million-Dollar Set
The Harris campaign recreated the "Call Her Daddy" podcast set for $1 million near Kamala, avoiding travel.
This prioritized a controlled environment over genuine interaction with voters while running for president.
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In this 251st in a series of live discussions with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying (both PhDs in Biology), we talk about the state of the world through an evolutionary lens.
In this week’s episode, we discuss how the Harris campaign spent their billion dollar war chest—including on celebrities who appeared to be endorsing her because they believed in her, but were actually getting paid. Also: $26 million was spent for “text message outreach,” any many people donated $10 or $20. It’s reverse Robin Hood: stealing from the poor, to give to the rich. Related: how can we stay optimistic about unity, when we are seeing such different things? Finally: the New York Times finds a whole bunch of well-credential “experts” in nutrition to assure us that seed oils are excellent for your health. (They’re not.) You have a choice: follow the science, or think scientifically for yourself, and actually be healthy.
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Mentioned in this episode:
Harris campaign disbursements from the FEC: https://github.com/gaiaus/2024-us-presidential-general-election/blob/main/harris%2Fspending%2Ftop_500_recipients.MD
News Nation with Lindy Li: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv3XbWtHyMg
Rescue the Republic: https://jointheresistance.org
Smith professors saw a perfect campaign: https://www.smith.edu/news-events/news/hope-and-action
Reason for Optimism: https://naturalselections.substack.com/p/reason-for-optimism
Are Seed Oils Actually Bad for You? https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/09/well/eat/seed-oil-effects.html
Professor Gardner’s site: https://www.med.stanford.edu/profiles/christopher-gardner
Thumbnail Courtesy: Kent Nishimura / Stringer / Getty Images News via Getty Images.
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