The Art of Fighting BS

Phrost and Jack wade into the skeevy world of AI scams and human trafficking to discuss pig butchering, crypto rip-offs, and how lonely idiots get taken advantage of. They actually cover a lot of ground on this one, from AI-generated stories and images used in social media scams, to sophisticated deepfake and voice cloning scams, plus the deeply troubling rise of human trafficking in scam call centers.

In this episode, Mike Mahaffey, a second-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, shares his experience in martial arts and his advocacy efforts for communities currently being targeted by hate groups. Also in this episode, Phrost's microphone decides to stop working correctly and his audio sounds like garbage, prompting a disclaimer before the damn episode ever starts.

Griffin Barber is a retired police officer, science fiction and fantasy author, and Editor for Baen Books. He also hosts and produced The Baen Free Radio Hour. We talk about the mind-blowing scale of the 1632 (“Ring of Fire”) series in which Griffin has written, up and coming authors, and the role SciFi/Fantasy plays as a tool to sort out our biggest challenges in society.

BJJ legend Stephan Kesting comes on the show to discuss misinformation and chronicle his adventurous canoe trip through Canada's wilderness. Highlighting issues from medical systems to social media polarization, Stephan emphasizes preparedness, critical thinking, and experiences with nature, including encounters with polar bears and wildfires. His book, Perseverance: Life and Death in the Subarctic, is available everywhere NOW, including on Amazon and Audible. Timestamps 00:00 Brandolini's Law and Social Media Rants 04:07 A Journey and a Book: Writing and Publishing 05:26 Health Scare and Kidney Transplant 06:30 Modern Medicine and Big Pharma 07:38 Polarizing Figures in the BJJ Community 08:25 COVID-19 Expertise and Political Stance 16:47 Organ Donation and Personal Stories 19:03 Canadian vs. American Healthcare 21:56 Political Climate and Authoritarianism 24:37 Jordan Peterson and Self-Help Gurus 27:59 Elon Musk and Fascism Allegations 31:41 Parenting and Critical Thinking 33:15 The Role of Hierarchy in Emergency Situations 34:32 Training and Challenges in the Military and Firefighting 38:40 Personal Reflections on Mortality and Life Choices 41:46 Exploring the Canadian Wilderness 46:19 Encounters with Wildlife and Survival Strategies 50:44 The Ethics and Practicalities of Hunting 54:06 Unforeseen Challenges and Problem-Solving More info: The Strenuous Life Podcast GrappleArts.com Bullshido · 56 Stephan Kesting: Strenuous Living

On this episode of The Art of Fighting BS podcast, Steve Kwan from the BJJ Mental Models podcast discusses the journey and philosophy underlying his role in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world as a coach and podcaster. Steve emphasizes the importance of education beyond just techniques, focusing on human learning, strategy, and the community aspects of martial arts. The conversation addresses broader issues such as the cult-like potential within martial arts communities, the treatment of women in the sport, and the irresponsible spread of misinformation by influential figures. Steve also shares his pragmatic views on the best fighting strategies, both in competitions and in hypothetical scenarios; and Steve's goals for fostering a supportive and inclusive community within the BJJ Mental Models platform. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to Steve Kwan and BJJ Mental Models 01:07 The Value of Jiu-Jitsu Beyond Techniques 02:42 Community and Culture in Jiu-Jitsu 03:56 Addressing Toxicity and Predation in Martial Arts 25:48 The Impact of the Pandemic on Martial Arts 37:19 Conspiracy Theories and Martial Arts 40:51 The Myth of Hollywood Fitness Routines 41:51 Survivorship Bias in Sports 42:55 The Misinformation Pipeline in Jujitsu 43:19 The Rise of Unconventional Health Practices 52:59 The Importance of Safe Training in BJJ 57:30 The Role of Chiropractors and Pseudoscience 01:02:39 Fighting Misinformation in Martial Arts 01:08:13 Final Thoughts and Community Building Bullshido · 55 Steve Kwan BJJ and BS

Professor Rob Tuck, author of the Critical Ninja Theory substack, comes on the pod and discusses his curious road from specializing in Japanese literature to becoming an expert on the historical and mythical ninja. He discusses how his academic background and research led him to debunk many popular misconceptions about ninjas, highlighting the distinction between historical 'shinobi' and the fictional 'ninjas' popularized by media. With insights into his research process and experiences in academia, Rob underscores the importance of critical literacy in understanding Japanese history. He also delves into amusing aspects of ninja fiction and its cultural impact, making the conversation both enlightening and entertaining. 00:00 Introduction and Background 00:27 Discovering the Ninja 00:55 Research and Collection 02:29 Support and Academic Journey 05:20 Critical Ninja Theory 11:20 Real History vs. Fiction 17:16 Ninja in Popular Culture 21:47 Misconceptions and Realities 35:12 The Flexibility of the Ninja Concept 35:45 Western Influence on Ninja Weapons 37:15 Japanese Perception of Ninja 39:25 Ninja in Western Media 41:48 The Fascination with Ninja and Martial Arts 45:17 Anime and Japanese History 54:49 The Evolution of Ninjutsu 57:58 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Media mentioned in the show Resources and More https://criticalninjatheory.substack.com Bullshido · 54 Critical Ninja Theory with Prof. Rob Tuck

In this episode, philosopher Aaron Rabinowitz, PhD., from the 'Embrace the Void' and 'Philosophers in Space' podcasts, joins the discussion to delve into the nuances of Taiji (Tai Chi), masculinity, martial arts in general, and the philosophy of moral luck. Aaron talks about the importance of healthy masculinity in the context of martial arts, the philosophical concept of luck and how it challenges traditional notions of free will and responsibility. He further discusses his experiences with Tai Chi (Taiji), the value of different martial arts styles, the just world illusion, and the Creator Accountability Network. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:38 Healthy Masculinity and Political Directions 01:54 Martial Arts and Masculinity 04:52 Aaron's Martial Arts Journey 06:48 Understanding Taiji 28:40 The Philosophy of Luck 47:31 The Just World Illusion and the illusion of Deservingness 48:39 Hardwired for Fairness 50:20 Social Dominance and Masculinity 51:12 Privilege and Luck 54:38 Restorative Justice and Criminal Reform 56:30 Community and Cancel Culture 01:08:41 Masculinity and Virtue 01:14:45 Final Thoughts and Recommendations Aaron's Taiji instructor can be found at:https://members.molingtaiji.com/index.php The Embrace the Void, and Philosophers in Space podcast can be found on all major podcasting platforms, and at the links below:https://www.voidpod.com/ https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com

Dr. Jason Goldsmith from The Immunology Podcast comes on to discuss the looming appointments to federal agencies overseeing the American healthcare system including Dr. Mehmet Oz, and RFK Jr.—and all the fallout we should expect from the upcoming changes. Listen to the episode below (like a weirdo), or on your favorite podcasting platform (as long as it's Apple Podcasts or Spotify, we have no idea where you're getting this from otherwise). Bullshido · 52 The Wonderful Land of Oz

With how social media is these days, it almost seems reasonable to assume that anyone who demonstrates a lack of social skills and/or a fixation on edgelord, meme culture is on the spectrum. And in a culture where so many young males are being raised by the internet rather than strong men in their actual lives—and everything that results from that—the issue can get even more confused. In this episode, Jack talks to Phrost about his experience working with actual autistic people, the particulars of the condition, and their place in our society, while Phrost goes into the history of the term "Weaponized Autism", and the ways in which young men are victimized by our culture, then weaponized by the worst actors in our culture—against their own best interests. Then, as always, the show goes off the rails. Enjoy. Listen below or subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, etc. Don't forget to leave a comment and a rating. (A good one, MF.) Bullshido · 51 "Weaponized Autism vs. Actual autism

For our 50th episode, we invited a few people to join in live and help us rank a set of popular conspiracy theories on their threat value to society brought by people who sincerely believe in them.

If you have an internet connection (which you do, otherwise you're reading this in the far future via gravitational waves or sophons or something), you're probably aware that a significant portion of any fandom is wet garbage on a hot day—and we're not just describing the smell at your local convention. And as we've been pointing out for the past several decades here on Bullshido, where there are sad, pathetic losers, there are the people who make their livelihoods preying on them by validating their garbage opinions. No bro, it's not your fault nobody invites you to the panel discussion, "they" are out to get you. In this episode, Phrost and Jack discuss a few examples of these people, such as "The Critical Drinker", explain the history of the weaponization and monitization of nerds, incels, and related losers, and try not to cut back on the profanity... and fail at that, and then fail at bleeping it out in the audio, because fuck it.

In this episode we discuss the burning dumpster clown assault rifle rodeo that is America right now, and Phrost nearly gets himself canceled over a "hard-R".

In this episode, Phrost and Jack do a short dive into the "Manosphere" —the corner of the internet that targets emotionally vulnerable dudes (mostly younger), and exploits that vulnerability to sell them garbage supplements, "how to get a date" programs, and much worse.

On this episode of The Art of Fighting BS Podcast, Steve Mix and Phrost discuss an overview of how disinformation works and how to counter it, then the discussion goes completely off the rails and ends up about the origins of the "warrior cop" mentality and how much law enforcement sucks as a career. Also, violent terrorist acorns. Listen here, or anywhere you get your podcast episodes, via iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, actual clouds, or the 5g reception from your latest Covid booster shot. And subscribe to our Patreon here to get the raw episodes on the same night they're recorded! Bullshido · 46 - Disinformation, Soldiers vs. Cops. vs. Acorns And here's the video referenced in the podcast: https://youtu.be/LmUphvIxIig

Steve Mix joins Phrost and recounts his experiences on the darker side of the Internet, the differences between police and soldiers, and art. Listen here below, or subscribe to The Art of Fighting BS podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. Bullshido · 45 Messages From the Dark Web

Gabe Pearlman is a BJJ Black Belt under one of the first Americans to receive a black belt in the sport, Tim Burrill. We discuss the role training in a full contact style plays in having a meaningful life at all ages, the differences between BJJ gyms, and the value of a BS-free training experience.

Dr. Jason Goldsmith (MD, PhD) and attorney Dante Bradley, join us to discuss the massive drama and BS in the... *checks notes* world of Dungeons and Dragons.

Matt Thornton of the Straight Blast Gym is an icon in the martial arts world, and in particular, has been beating the drum about functional training even longer than we have. In this conversation we discuss violence, how it is an unavoidable part of the human experience, and how to ensure good men are better at it than bad.

Ever dream about just saying "F it" and going to train an obscure martial art in a foreign country? Alyxe Khei did, and then lived that dream. He joins us on this episode of The Art of Fighting BS podcast to discuss tips and advice for people who want to visit exotic places and get punched by the people who live there, and we delve into the real history of Martial Arts and how ethno-nationalism looms over virtually every one of them.

Should you get the new bivalent booster? After all the back and forth between public health officials and social media influencer/grifter cranks, you'd think this would be a simple answer.