Dangerous Laughter

Peachy Keenan, author and satirist, joins A.J. Rice on Dangerous Laughter for a wide-ranging conversation about her new book, Supervillains: Architects of America’s Decline, Hollywood, political comedy, marriage, family and the political battles unfolding in California. Keenan uses satire to examine people, institutions and cultural trends she believes have contributed to American decline. Topics include: • Peachy Keenan• Supervillains: Architects of America’s Decline• Hollywood politics• Disney• Jimmy Kimmel• Late-night comedy• Censorship• Political satire• Keenan’s career writing in Hollywood• Disney live-action remakes• Secular feminism• Catholicism• Marriage• Motherhood• Family formation• Celebrity culture• California politics• Steve Hilton• Xavier Becerra• Gavin Newsom• Karen Bass• Nithya Raman• Los Angeles politics• Local activism• School boards• Political ridicule Keenan discusses California’s 2026 political landscape as voters prepare to choose a successor to term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra advanced to the November 3 gubernatorial election. In Los Angeles, incumbent Karen Bass faces Nithya Raman in the mayoral election. Keenan offers her own assessment of those contests and discusses whether the political and cultural approach associated with California could influence other states. The conversation also explores her transition from secular feminism to Catholic motherhood and why she now views marriage, children and family formation as important parts of the broader cultural debate. THE BIGGER QUESTION Who ultimately shapes a civilization? Politicians? Hollywood? Media institutions? Or families and communities deciding what values they intend to preserve? Keenan’s answer points away from political despair and toward local action, parenthood, community involvement and something particularly useful on Dangerous Laughter: Ridicule. Subscribe to Dangerous Laughter with A.J. Rice for conversations about politics, comedy, culture, media, books and perfectly timed derision. PEACHY KEENAN Supervillains: Architects of America’s Declinehttps://passage.press/products/supervillains Website / Substack:https://www.peachykeenan.com/ X:https://x.com/keenanpeachy A.J. RICE https://ajricepr.com/ DANGEROUS LAUGHTER https://dangerouslaughter.com/ Chapters (00:00:01) - Cold Open / Dangerous Laughter Intro(00:01:35) - Introducing Peachy Keenan(00:03:35) - Peachy Keenan's Origin Story(00:07:26) - Defining Super Villains and Their Mindset(00:10:40) - Red Pill Moments and Covid Crackdowns(00:14:21) - Picking the Villains: Chase Strangio and Others(00:16:30) - Break / Promo for Dangerous Laughter(00:17:31) - Curse of the Bearded Lady Promo(00:19:29) - Back on the Show: Book Imagery and Trump's Return(00:21:18) - Charlie Kirk's Assassination and the Trans Mafia(00:26:23) - Mockery as Weapon: Alinsky and Comedy's Power(00:29:59) - Jimmy Kimmel, His Wife, and Late Night Decline(00:32:05) - The Man Show Era and Entertainment Nostalgia(00:35:04) - Hollywood's Woke Turn: Disney, Frozen, Snow White(00:39:26) - Break / Celebrity Endorsement Bit(00:41:39) - Trickle Down Misery and Attacks on Family(00:43:34) - Husbosexual Life and Backlash to Big Families(00:47:22) - Divorce Influencers and Minor Super Villains(00:53:08) - Super Villain Lightning Round: Schwab, Newsom, Fauci(00:57:27) - Closing Message: Become a Superhero(00:59:08) - Where to Find Peachy Keenan and Sign Off

Willy Woke’s factory asks only one thing: accept whatever “truth” you’re served. But why do smart people keep ordering seconds? Dr. Andrew K. Fox joins A.J. Rice on Dangerous Laughter for a sharp, irreverent conversation about woke culture, gender erasure, and the curious distance between having an education and exercising good judgment. When does compassion become conformity? What happens when changing the language becomes a substitute for defending an argument? And why can people recognize manipulation everywhere except inside the ideas they applaud? Fox, author of Truth in the Age of Applause: How Stupidity Is Ruining the American Dream, explores faith, identity, cultural pressure, and the increasingly awkward business of saying what you believe. Along the way, Rice brings the satire—and Willy Woke makes an appearance. The vocabulary gets more sophisticated. Does the reasoning? Listen to the full conversation, then decide: are we thinking for ourselves—or simply getting better at knowing when to clap? Explore the book, featuring a foreword by Riley Gaines:https://truthintheageofapplause.com Connect with Dr. Andrew K. Fox:https://drandrewfox.com More Dangerous Laughter with A.J. Rice:https://www.dangerouslaughter.com A.J. Rice:https://ajricepr.com Follow Dangerous Laughter in your podcast app, and share this episode with someone who enjoys a question more than a comfortable answer. Chapters (00:00:01) - Cold Open and Self-Destruct Bit(00:01:36) - Intro to Dangerous Laughter and Guest Setup(00:02:59) - Dr. Andrew Fox's Origin Story: From UK to USA(00:05:54) - Becoming a US Citizen Post-9/11(00:07:26) - Fire Chaplaincy and the Realities of the Job(00:10:03) - Willy Woke and the Chocolate Factory Blog Controversy(00:12:06) - Legal Battle and Settlement with City of Austin(00:13:49) - Connecting with Riley Gaines(00:15:30) - Humor as Moral Warfare(00:18:32) - Break: Satirical Montage and Book Promo(00:21:56) - Bonhoeffer and the Philosophy of Stupidity(00:25:42) - Social Contagion and Modern Parallels to Nazi Germany(00:28:42) - Chaos in France and Immigration Crisis(00:31:37) - Assimilation vs Immigration Debate(00:34:24) - France's Revolutionary DNA and Cultural Decline(00:36:58) - French Stereotypes and Capacity for Immigration(00:38:37) - Break: Pope Comments and Book Promo(00:40:18) - Celebrity Endorsement Bit - John Gruden(00:42:05) - Western Civilization, Anti-Semitism, and Reality(00:45:10) - Mamdani, Voter Apathy, and Political Stupidity(00:46:17) - Western Elites and Immigration Motives(00:48:34) - Islamic Political Strategy and NYC Politics(00:50:45) - Dual Citizenship and Serving in Foreign Militaries(00:53:05) - Tucker Carlson Clip and October 7th Debate(00:58:12) - Hidden Message of the Book: Overcoming Fear(01:02:13) - Closing Remarks and Where to Find the Book

He spent 14 years teaching in public schools. Now he’s taking school boards’ own arguments to their most uncomfortable conclusions. Shamgar Connors joins A.J. Rice on Dangerous Laughter to challenge what he describes as government-school indoctrination—with costumes, sharp satire, and questions officials would rather avoid. From Shamgarita’s fictional WNBA ambitions to Wolfgar’s appearance at the public-comment podium, Connors uses outrageous characters to question gender-identity policies, defend parental rights, and expose what he sees as institutional hypocrisy. Behind the comedy is a serious question: Who decides what your children are taught—and what happens when parents push back? What happens when a former teacher takes school-board policies literally—and arrives in character to test them? Shamgar Connors joins A.J. Rice on Dangerous Laughter for an unfiltered conversation about school boards, gender identity, parental rights, free speech, and political satire. First comes Shamgarita, his fictional WNBA hopeful and captain of the “Pronoun Protectors.” Then comes Wolfgar, his wolf persona who brings identity debates directly to the public-comment podium. Finally, the costumes come off—and Connors explains the serious convictions behind the comedy. A former public-school teacher and coach, Connors discusses his concerns about school policies in Stafford and Spotsylvania, Virginia, why Alex Stein inspired his approach, and how satire can challenge officials more effectively than another carefully worded complaint. The conversation also turns personal: Connors recounts his kidney-transplant dispute over COVID-19 vaccination requirements, his life on dialysis, his Christian faith, and why he continues speaking out. In this episode:• School-board meetings and public-comment rules• Gender identity, bathroom policies, and parental concerns• Shamgarita, Wolfgar, and character-driven political satire• Alex Stein’s influence on Connors’ activism• Free speech, school-library controversies, and accountability• Faith, medical freedom, and the story behind the costumes• Why A.J. Rice calls comedy a civic duty Can a costume expose a contradiction that a conventional argument cannot? Watch or listen to the full conversation, subscribe to Dangerous Laughter, and share it with someone who follows the fight over America’s schools. Perfectly Timed Derision. Stay dangerous. FOLLOW A.J. RICEWebsite: https://ajricepr.com/Publius PR: https://publiuspr.com/X: https://x.com/PubliusPRInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/publiuspr_dc/Publius National Post / Substack: https://publiusnationalpost.substack.com/Books: https://ajricepr.com/publius-prose FOLLOW DANGEROUS LAUGHTERWebsite: https://dangerouslaughter.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DangerousLaughterCastos: https://dangerous-laughter.castos.com/Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-7889972Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dangerouslaughtershow/X: https://x.com/dangerouslaughsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dangerouslaughterApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us... Chapters (00:00:01) - Cold open and show intro(00:01:36) - WNBA culture wars setup and Enes Kanter clip(00:04:15) - Introducing Shamgarita, WNBA pronoun protector(00:06:17) - Defining 'woman' and Katanji Brown Jackson jokes(00:08:26) - Leftist hypocrisy and inclusion complaints(00:11:03) - School board bathroom policy expose(00:13:05) - Jennifer Craig Ford drag show expose(00:16:33) - Casanovia school board scandal and wrap-up(00:18:40) - Shamgarita's school board podium speech(00:21:02) - Curse of the Bearded Lady book promo(00:22:38) - FurCon news segment(00:24:41) - Introducing Wolfgar the Alpha Therian(00:26:59) - Furry kink culture explained(00:29:13) - Furries in public schools expose(00:32:14) - Hetero dress codes vs furry acceptance(00:34:18) - Schools, money, and Hot Topic culture(00:36:39) - Wolfgar on backlash and Charlie Kirk comments(00:38:54) - Celebrity endorsement bit and book ad break(00:41:20) - Back with real Shamgar Connors, origin story(00:44:01) - Kidney failure and tetanus shot story(00:45:24) - UVA transplant list and COVID vaccine refusal(00:48:14) - Death panels, Fauci, and COVID fallout(00:52:33) - How Shamgar started his activism(00:54:55) - Threats, faith, and staying motivated(00:56:53) - Closing remarks and where to find Shamgar

IS THE COLLAPSE OF MARRIAGE DESTROYING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY? What if America's biggest political crisis isn't happening in Washington—but inside the American home? On this episode of Dangerous Laughter with A.J. Rice, Washington Examiner Commentary Editor Conn Carroll joins America's publicist A.J. Rice to expose the troubling relationship between the decline of marriage, the breakdown of the nuclear family, and the future of Western civilization. Drawing from his provocative book, Sex and the Citizen: How the Assault on Marriage Is Destroying Democracy, Carroll argues that the destruction of traditional marriage isn't merely a cultural shift. It could threaten the social foundations that helped make American democracy possible. From the sexual revolution to the masculinity crisis, modern dating, celebrity worship, and Hollywood's warped portrayal of relationships, A.J. Rice and Conn Carroll take on the cultural contradictions reshaping America. In this provocative, politically incorrect conversation, discover: The Marriage Crisis: Why declining marriage rates and family instability may have consequences for democracy, economic prosperity, and social mobility. Sex and the Sexual Revolution: How changing cultural norms, government policies, and modern individualism reshaped American family life. The Masculinity Crisis: What Andrew Tate, changing gender expectations, and the growing divide between men and women reveal about modern relationships. Hollywood vs. Reality: How Sex and the City, The Godfather, Star Wars, and popular entertainment influence our expectations of love, commitment, and family. Taylor Swift and Celebrity Culture: Are parasocial relationships and digital entertainment replacing meaningful personal connections? The Future of Western Civilization: Can America rebuild strong families, restore community institutions, and preserve the foundations of a free society? Is marriage simply a personal choice—or one of the most important institutions protecting American freedom? Conn Carroll challenges conventional wisdom about sex, family, marriage, and democracy, while A.J. Rice delivers his signature political satire, cultural commentary, and perfectly timed derision. This episode explores the intersection of American politics, traditional family values, the sexual revolution, Western civilization, declining birth rates, cultural transformation, and the future of the United States. ABOUT THE GUEST Conn Carroll is a political commentator and Washington Examiner Commentary Editor. He is the author of Sex and the Citizen: How the Assault on Marriage Is Destroying Democracy. FOLLOW CONN CARROLL Website: https://www.conncarroll.comX: https://x.com/conncarrollWashington Examiner: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/author/conn-carroll/ GET THE BOOK Sex and the Citizen: How the Assault on Marriage Is Destroying Democracyhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1637589514 FOLLOW A.J. RICE & DANGEROUS LAUGHTER Show: https://dangerouslaughter.comA.J. Rice: https://ajricepr.comX: https://x.com/dangerouslaughsInstagram: Chapters (00:00:01) - Intro and Cold Open(00:01:36) - Welcoming Khan Carroll and His Book(00:02:50) - Marriage as Foundation of Western Civilization(00:05:12) - Sex and the City as Cultural Terror Group(00:09:06) - Origins of the Social Capital Project Research(00:10:30) - History of Monogamy and Christianity's Role(00:12:34) - Marriage, Democracy, and Social Outcomes(00:14:28) - Polygamy, Violence, and Idle Men(00:16:25) - Vikings, Iceland, and Historical Polygamy(00:17:48) - Break and Ad Reads(00:18:44) - Celebrity Endorsement Bit(00:19:56) - Back to Show and Andrew Tate Introduction(00:21:45) - The Tate Brothers and Marriage Views(00:23:58) - Loneliness, Tate, and Exploitation of Men(00:26:17) - Dating Apps as Modern Polygamy(00:27:59) - MeToo, COVID, and Fear of Approaching Women(00:29:35) - Marriage as Technology and Democrat Politics(00:30:44) - Rome, Christianity, and the Marriage Program(00:32:58) - Cousin Marriage and UK Immigration Concerns(00:35:53) - Break and Trans Culture Bit(00:37:28) - Curse of the Bearded Lady Promo(00:39:07) - Dolly Parton vs Lindsay Clancy Fandom(00:44:21) - Identity Politics and Female Activism(00:46:08) - Taylor Swift, Celebrity Culture, and Marriage(00:50:34) - Fictional Movie Weddings Roundup(00:58:33) - Legal History Behind the Assault on Marriage(01:00:43) - Closing Remarks and Where to Find Khan

Mind Viruses, Mass Psychology & the Battle for Your Attention | John Leake What happens when an idea spreads through a society faster than people can stop and question it? New York Times bestselling author John Leake joins A.J. Rice on Dangerous Laughter for an in-depth conversation about his book, Mind Viruses: America’s Irrational Obsessions, and the psychology behind mass fear, groupthink, propaganda, social contagion, conformity, and institutional authority. Leake draws on thinkers including Carl Jung, René Girard, H.L. Mencken, Thomas Sowell, and Roger Scruton to examine the ways individuals and groups respond to fear, social pressure, tribal identity, and powerful institutions. Central to the conversation is Jung’s concept of a “psychic epidemic,” which Leake uses as a framework for understanding moments when large groups become intensely focused on particular fears, beliefs, or social narratives. Topics include: • John Leake• Mind Viruses• Carl Jung• Psychic epidemics• Mass psychology• Groupthink• Social conformity• Tribal behavior• Fear and scapegoating• Propaganda• Institutional authority• The “expert class”• Media influence• Social pressure• COVID-19 controversies• Debate over transgender medicine for minors• X• TikTok• Reddit• Social-media algorithms• Attention economy• René Girard• H.L. Mencken• Thomas Sowell• Roger Scruton• Free speech• Political satire• Humor and ridicule A.J. and John examine why intelligent people can sometimes adopt beliefs primarily because those beliefs are reinforced by institutions, peers, media, or social incentives. They also discuss how modern social platforms accelerate the spread of ideas by rewarding emotionally powerful content. Fear travels quickly. Outrage travels quickly. Certainty travels quickly. Nuance usually has to take the stairs. THE BIGGER QUESTION What happens when attention itself becomes the battlefield? If governments, corporations, media organizations, activists, universities, and technology platforms are all competing for attention, understanding how fear and social reinforcement work may be increasingly important. And because this is Dangerous Laughter, the conversation eventually arrives at a very different weapon: Ridicule. Humor can weaken the aura of inevitability surrounding an idea, institution, or political slogan by making people willing to look at it differently. So can comedy interrupt a psychological contagion before conformity takes over? Subscribe to Dangerous Laughter with A.J. Rice for conversations about psychology, politics, culture, media, free speech, history, comedy, and the ideas reshaping American life. JOHN LEAKE Mind Viruses: America’s Irrational Obsessions Chapters (00:00:01) - Cold Open and Dangerous Laughter Intro(00:01:55) - Welcoming John Leake and Sartorial Banter(00:05:51) - What Is a Mind Virus? Jung, Witch Hunts, and Scapegoating(00:09:49) - How Fear Gets Weaponized by Interest Groups(00:12:15) - Timeline: From Y2K to 9/11 and the Birth of Modern Hysteria(00:16:00) - Eisenhower, Kennedy, and the Scientific-Technological Elite(00:18:06) - Break: Charlie Kirk and the Art of Weaving Comedy and Truth(00:19:25) - Curse of the Bearded Lady Ad Segment(00:21:05) - Fukuyama, Huntington, and Why Smart People Believe Nonsense(00:23:02) - The Captured Expert Class and the Cognoscenti(00:27:50) - Fauci as Godfather: Identity Over Truth(00:29:00) - Bonhoeffer on Stupidity and Mass Delusion(00:32:12) - The Vatican Vaccine Coin and Fauci's Papal Authority(00:33:27) - Chase Hughes: Identity Politics and Belief Manipulation(00:35:55) - Ivermectin, Late Night Comedians, and Death Panels(00:38:32) - Break: Celebrity Endorsements and Ads(00:41:53) - Mencken Quote and Historians of Dangerous Laughter(00:43:13) - Social Media, Jung, and the Uncontrolled Psychic Experiment(00:46:36) - Internet Maturity, AI, and Modern Addiction(00:50:26) - The Comfort of Certainty vs. the Discomfort of Skepticism(00:53:27) - Historical Delusions and the Transgender Mind Virus(00:58:10) - Institutional Capture and the Texas Ban on Trans Medicine for Minors(01:00:02) - The Hidden Chapter: Attention, Globalism, and Unified Agendas(01:04:25) - Closing Thoughts and Where to Find John Leake