Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 1180 ｜ Baby Bonuses & a Message from Big Matcha

00:00:00.000 Trump is thinking about offering a $5,000 baby bonus to people having babies.

00:00:07.440 This sounds like a good thing, but I'm not so sure.

00:00:11.180 Also, I'm going to try matcha.

00:00:14.020 Okay, we got big matcha here, and they're going to force me to try their chartreuse dirt water.

00:00:20.720 We're talking about a lot on today's episode of Relatable, so buckle up.

00:00:25.600 It's brought to you by our friends at Good Ranchers.

00:00:27.420 Go to goodranchers.com, code Allie.

00:00:29.220 That's goodranchers.com, code Allie.

00:00:40.820 Hey, guys.

00:00:41.720 Welcome to Relatable.

00:00:42.700 Happy Tuesday.

00:00:43.720 Hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far.

00:00:46.420 Okay, y'all.

00:00:47.500 I just got to be real with you.

00:00:49.540 I'm tired, and I have a headache because I stayed up past midnight last night, which is late for me, reading.

00:00:58.620 Okay, I only do this about once a year, get into a really good fiction book that just like takes so much of my attention.

00:01:09.820 And so I was reading this book, The Light Between Oceans, last night, and the last 150 pages or so have been like extremely gripping.

00:01:22.120 And I didn't realize this book.

00:01:23.420 I didn't realize this book came out in 2012, and there was a movie about it that came out in 2016.

00:01:28.420 It was a really good book.

00:01:30.720 But fun fact about me, I get extremely emotionally invested in the books that I read.

00:01:38.120 And I simply do not have the time or the capacity to do that.

00:01:43.260 I can't do that every month.

00:01:44.720 I love intense stories.

00:01:46.840 I love sad stories.

00:01:48.200 Like The Notebook is one of my favorite movies of all time.

00:01:51.740 Meet Joe Black, another one of my favorite movies of all time.

00:01:55.180 And they're both like really sad.

00:01:57.400 I don't mind feeling things.

00:01:59.260 I like crying in movies and books.

00:02:01.780 I have no idea why.

00:02:03.080 I just do.

00:02:03.740 I like to really know the characters and be attached to the characters.

00:02:07.840 When I was in second grade, we had to write a short story.

00:02:10.640 I don't even remember what it was about, but one of my characters that I created, her name was Rachel.

00:02:15.120 And I remember at the end of this short story, which I'm pretty sure was only like eight pages long, I cried because I missed the characters.

00:02:23.640 I've always been this way.

00:02:25.180 I love books.

00:02:26.480 I love writing.

00:02:27.880 And you know what?

00:02:28.500 My haters are hardest hit.

00:02:29.820 But because of the title of my book, Toxic Empathy, some haters who have never, ever read the book, haven't even read the subtitle.

00:02:37.160 They'll be like, oh, she doesn't have any empathy.

00:02:40.140 She doesn't feel things for people.

00:02:41.640 That is wrong.

00:02:43.220 In real life, I have very deep, deep empathy for people, but also for in fiction.

00:02:50.400 Like, I feel so deeply for every character and can see the perspectives.

00:02:56.580 And in this book, it was even more difficult because there's no clear protagonist or antagonist.

00:03:01.900 When I tell you that I was heaving and sobbing last night at midnight, okay, like just pouring my eyes out reading the end of this book.

00:03:15.080 I do recommend it if you're looking for a book like that.

00:03:18.620 Like, it's really, really good.

00:03:20.560 And you know what?

00:03:21.260 You know how I found it?

00:03:22.360 I asked Grok.

00:03:23.940 Grok is great.

00:03:25.200 I said, Grok, I want a good book that I can get emotionally invested in.

00:03:30.480 Actually, I don't even think I said that.

00:03:31.880 I think I said, like, gripping book that has a love story but no sex scenes, no LGBTQ stuff, and no social justice themes. 0.82

00:03:43.300 And, like, I don't want it progressive at all.

00:03:46.280 And it suggested this, and it was perfect because it didn't have any of that.

00:03:50.600 But I need, I need, like, a light read now.

00:03:53.600 I need something else.

00:03:54.840 Not trashy and cheap, but something with a little bit of levity.

00:03:59.720 Let me warn you, okay?

00:04:01.380 Before you go check this book out of the library, I do not recommend this book.

00:04:05.840 If you are pregnant, if you are freshly postpartum, if you have, this is serious, if you have suffered pregnancy loss, especially recently, or if you are struggling with infertility.

00:04:22.140 Okay?

00:04:22.420 That's my legitimate trigger warning for you.

00:04:24.720 Obviously, you can do what you want.

00:04:26.540 You know where you are in your, you know, emotional healing journey.

00:04:31.700 However, this, like, as a mom, this was heart-shattering for me.

00:04:37.760 So if I were in a particularly vulnerable season of life, this would have been, like, an especially difficult book for me to read.

00:04:45.640 But, y'all, I just love a good book.

00:04:47.660 I love a good book.

00:04:48.620 I love it so much.

00:04:50.080 And Brie and I sometimes talk about Kristen Hanna books.

00:04:53.940 And have you been reading The Nightingale?

00:04:55.880 Did you ever read that?

00:04:56.760 I did.

00:04:57.260 You did?

00:04:57.620 Did you like it?

00:04:58.940 Yeah.

00:04:59.460 You did?

00:04:59.800 I did.

00:05:00.220 It was one of those that I think I liked over time.

00:05:03.160 As soon as I finished it, I was like, ugh.

00:05:05.520 Yeah.

00:05:06.240 But now, like, looking back.

00:05:07.620 Ugh, like, what do you mean?

00:05:09.500 Like, that's so sad.

00:05:10.480 Oh, so sad.

00:05:10.740 I don't really want to think about it.

00:05:12.300 Oh, did you cry in books?

00:05:14.780 Yes, all the time.

00:05:15.960 Yeah.

00:05:16.560 Oh, that was another one.

00:05:17.780 I probably read that six years ago.

00:05:20.220 Another one where I was, like, sobbing at midnight.

00:05:23.120 I don't even remember, honestly, what happened.

00:05:25.720 And you don't have to tell me, but I just remember being really sad.

00:05:29.020 So sad.

00:05:29.840 It's about France during Nazi reign, so it's very, it's dark.

00:05:36.900 Yes.

00:05:37.360 Did you read The Women?

00:05:39.140 No, I haven't yet.

00:05:40.520 And now I'm kind of de-influenced after what you said about it.

00:05:43.160 After what I said.

00:05:43.880 Now, a lot of people in my DMs loved it and thought it had a lot of twists and turns.

00:05:49.380 I'm like, okay, I was like 150 pages in.

00:05:51.860 And if you don't have me in the first 100 pages, you're not going to get me.

00:05:55.640 Okay?

00:05:56.300 If you can't get me in the first 100 pages, you don't deserve me in the next 100 pages.

00:06:02.460 Okay?

00:06:02.960 That's such a fair point.

00:06:03.940 Oh, come on. 0.87

00:06:05.140 I like some Kristen Hanna stuff.

00:06:07.200 I also read The Great Alone.

00:06:09.600 Have you read that one?

00:06:10.800 No, I haven't.

00:06:11.300 That one's pretty good.

00:06:12.360 A lot of people split on Winter Garden.

00:06:15.660 Oh, okay.

00:06:16.700 Some people say so good, like broke them, cried and all of that.

00:06:23.000 And then others are like, no, it was so depressing and never redemptive, which I don't like.

00:06:28.840 Yeah.

00:06:29.120 Well, I feel like if historical fiction is your thing, then you're just kind of going to like what she writes no matter what.

00:06:35.740 Yeah, I do love historical fiction.

00:06:38.240 Yeah.

00:06:38.940 But after reading the book that I just read, I was reminded of what good writing, like really good writing, just for the sake of like a good sentence.

00:06:50.700 I'm not even talking about the plot.

00:06:52.760 Just a beautifully worded sentence.

00:06:54.280 I was reminded of what that looks like.

00:06:56.200 Yep.

00:06:56.400 And you're not going to get that in the women or a lot of Kristen Hanna books. 0.63

00:07:00.900 I'm sorry, Kristen Hanna.

00:07:02.160 I'm sure you're a big related gal. 0.99

00:07:06.280 But yeah.

00:07:07.220 Okay.

00:07:07.440 What other good books have you read?

00:07:10.100 Okay.

00:07:10.560 I recently read one called Everything Sad is Untrue.

00:07:14.200 Okay.

00:07:14.740 It's about a little boy.

00:07:16.160 Interesting title.

00:07:16.840 From, I forget what country he's from.

00:07:18.720 I was just looking it up.

00:07:19.680 A little boy from the Middle East who moves here. 0.83

00:07:22.120 And it's kind of hard to describe.

00:07:23.940 It's written really weirdly, but it's really beautiful.

00:07:26.400 About like a little immigrant boy. 1.00

00:07:28.440 It's not woke or anything.

00:07:30.200 Yeah.

00:07:30.660 I highly recommend that.

00:07:34.460 Oh gosh.

00:07:35.300 Now I can't even.

00:07:36.500 I loved, I love to read.

00:07:38.620 I love to read fiction.

00:07:39.980 And I just, sometimes I just like, I'm like, I just have to read something right now.

00:07:43.920 And I love getting sucked into it.

00:07:45.700 But then I feel like I have to take a break.

00:07:47.980 Yeah.

00:07:48.340 For a little while.

00:07:49.120 Well, especially if it's like something really dark.

00:07:50.740 Oh, Where the Crawdads Sing. 0.90

00:07:52.140 That's a movie now too.

00:07:53.220 Oh yeah.

00:07:53.500 I loved that book.

00:07:54.980 Another one.

00:07:55.760 I sobbed my eyes out in the living room at midnight.

00:07:59.140 This is just like what I do.

00:08:00.700 Cause I'll go to bed and I'll just like be reading casually.

00:08:03.260 And I'm like, yeah, I've got like a hundred more pages left.

00:08:05.620 I'll just like read a couple more chapters.

00:08:07.740 And then I'm like, oh, I have to finish this, but I need to turn the light off so my husband

00:08:12.460 can sleep.

00:08:13.140 And so I go into the living room when I finish it.

00:08:15.800 And yeah, that was really good.

00:08:17.840 Yep.

00:08:18.520 I don't think I watched the movie.

00:08:21.160 It's not as good.

00:08:22.360 No.

00:08:22.740 I don't recommend it.

00:08:23.780 It rarely is.

00:08:24.720 Yeah, that's true.

00:08:25.720 That one was really good.

00:08:27.580 I'm listening to two books right now, which won't make me cry.

00:08:31.500 Your Brain on Birth Control by Sarah Hill.

00:08:34.960 I'm not interested in birth control, but it's a lot about like women's hormones and stuff. 0.52

00:08:39.460 And then Healing ADD by Dr. Amen.

00:08:42.160 So yeah, I'm listening.

00:08:43.740 I'm reading.

00:08:44.740 We're about to go on vacation though.

00:08:46.420 And I like, I need a good beet tree that's not trashy.

00:08:50.300 So if anyone has it, I'm so glad I did not read this on my vacation because Chief Related

00:08:58.140 Bro would have been like, this is fun.

00:09:00.620 I literally told him this morning, first of all, when I got to bed last night, he was like,

00:09:05.800 how was your book?

00:09:06.500 And I was sobbing and he was like, okay.

00:09:08.380 And then this morning I made him listen to me, tell him in detail every, like the plot

00:09:15.960 of the book.

00:09:16.580 And he was like, okay.

00:09:18.980 He didn't cry?

00:09:20.500 Huh?

00:09:20.880 He didn't cry?

00:09:22.100 No, he didn't cry.

00:09:23.680 Unbelievable.

00:09:24.080 He didn't cry.

00:09:24.780 Now I think, I don't know.

00:09:26.220 I think he would be emotionally impacted by the story if he read it or if he watched it.

00:09:32.240 Chief Related Bro just walked into the studio right now.

00:09:35.720 Um, but yeah, he, he's like, he's probably walking at me like, seriously, are you still

00:09:42.080 talking about this book?

00:09:43.600 Because I've been talking about it for like three days.

00:09:47.660 Okay.

00:09:48.240 So if y'all have any book suggestions for me, please send them.

00:09:51.820 Okay.

00:09:52.040 We're actually going to get into some stories before we get into our last silly segment.

00:09:56.560 We've got a lot of like fun segments on today's episode where we talk about matcha and barefoot

00:10:02.980 people and even pit bulls.

00:10:05.220 Okay.

00:10:05.720 So just wait for that.

00:10:08.240 Um, all right.

00:10:09.180 Well, let me tell you though, about share the arrows that is sponsored by good ranchers.

00:10:15.120 Y'all.

00:10:15.560 I am so pumped about share the arrows this year on the way into the studio.

00:10:19.000 I, I was listening to the playlist that I've created for share the arrows as I'm trying

00:10:24.660 to think about what I want Francesca Battistelli to, uh, sing for us and how I want her to lead

00:10:31.820 us in worship.

00:10:32.560 And I just get emotional thinking about it.

00:10:35.040 One of my favorite parts of share the arrows last year was listening to 4,000 women singing. 0.99

00:10:40.200 This is my father's world acapella.

00:10:42.260 It was just an other worldly moment.

00:10:45.180 It was a foretaste of heaven to stand among like-minded, courageous Christian women, to worship God, to

00:10:54.480 learn from wise women, to get solid theological teaching, to be challenged.

00:10:58.900 One of my favorite messages that I received last year was from an attendee who said, I walked

00:11:04.920 out of there with zero fear of man.

00:11:07.480 And I just pray that that is true of the thousands of women attending share the arrows this year. 1.00

00:11:12.640 I don't want you to have FOMO.

00:11:14.360 So many of you who didn't go last year said, oh my gosh, I have FOMO.

00:11:17.860 I can't believe I couldn't make it.

00:11:19.240 Okay.

00:11:19.400 This year is your year.

00:11:20.700 October 11th, Dallas, Texas.

00:11:23.560 Share the arrows.

00:11:24.620 You got to join us.

00:11:25.880 We've got Elisa Childers.

00:11:27.540 We've got Katie Faust.

00:11:28.860 We've got Ginger Duggar Volo. 0.99

00:11:30.200 We've got so many others.

00:11:32.000 It's going to be apologetics, theology, health, motherhood, encouragement, challenge, worship.

00:11:37.580 It's going to be absolutely incredible.

00:11:40.080 Share the arrows, sponsored by our friends at Good Ranchers.

00:11:43.880 Get your tickets, Christian women, at sharethearrows.com. 0.54

00:11:47.660 That's sharethearrows.com.

00:11:54.340 Okay.

00:11:54.940 A ton of you have been asking me about this Trump baby bonus.

00:11:59.220 Do I think it's a good thing that the Trump administration is floating this idea that they

00:12:04.400 are going to reward women who have babies with $5,000?

00:12:12.120 I'll let you know what I think.

00:12:13.460 But first, let me tell you the details of it.

00:12:15.920 The Trump admin is exploring policies to boost the U.S. birth rate as part of an agenda to

00:12:22.060 promote the family and to promote family values.

00:12:24.900 One initiative proposed to the admin.

00:12:27.080 I've seen Anna Paulina Luna, a representative from Florida, float this idea.

00:12:32.820 I've seen others kind of take claim for this proposal.

00:12:37.180 But it's a $5,000 baby bonus for new mothers.

00:12:40.860 These policies were proposed as policy experts and advocates of boosting the birth rate have

00:12:45.620 been meeting with White House aides, sometimes handing over written proposals on ways to help

00:12:50.060 or convince women to have more babies.

00:12:52.760 So we don't know exactly who the main author is of these proposals.

00:12:57.300 We just know that the Trump administration is entertaining them.

00:13:00.540 This is something that Elon Musk has talked about a lot.

00:13:03.400 And we know one of his heroes is Genghis Khan.

00:13:07.040 And so it shouldn't be surprising that he is using IVF and a bunch of surrogates to try to

00:13:12.600 do his part to repopulate the earth.

00:13:15.340 And there are a lot of moral and ethical issues with that.

00:13:18.420 If you are new here and you don't know my opinion or my take on IVF and surrogacy, look

00:13:25.140 up those past episodes.

00:13:26.500 We've got lots on them, but a lot of issues with the forced fatherlessness that he is

00:13:33.340 bringing upon the children that he is creating.

00:13:36.560 We've also heard J.D.

00:13:38.000 Vance from a more traditionalist perspective say families are good.

00:13:42.420 Babies are good.

00:13:43.140 We should be doing whatever we can to encourage the formation of families and for parents to

00:13:49.340 have more children.

00:13:51.140 One proposal, according to the New York Times, that was shared with White House aides would

00:13:55.560 reserve 30 percent of scholarships for the Fulbright program, the prestigious government

00:14:00.580 backed international fellowship for applicants who are married or who have children.

00:14:05.920 Another proposal calls on the government to fund programs that educate women on their

00:14:10.020 menstrual cycles in part so they can better understand when they are ovulating and able

00:14:16.100 to conceive.

00:14:17.300 Now, we do need more education.

00:14:19.720 I don't know if I want the government to get their grubby hands on that, but it is absolutely

00:14:25.400 true.

00:14:25.980 I see all of these people like Maria Shriver complaining that funding is being taken away

00:14:31.620 from like research for women's health when the reality is with all of these funding is

00:14:37.700 being taken away from stories.

00:14:39.500 This is an aside.

00:14:41.040 It's not the Trump administration is specifically saying, let's take funding away from cancer

00:14:45.460 research.

00:14:45.880 Let's take funding away from women's health research. 1.00

00:14:48.280 It's that they may be reducing the funding to one area of the government or one government

00:14:54.480 program that they have rendered corrupt or they not have rendered, but they have seen

00:15:00.300 is corrupt or ineffective.

00:15:02.400 They're wasting money.

00:15:04.040 They're not actually accomplishing their stated goals.

00:15:08.640 And so they might defund or reduce the funding for a particular program or part of the government.

00:15:13.780 And that happens to take some money away from some kind of research.

00:15:18.880 You've probably seen people say, oh, they're no longer funding the suicide hotline for LGBTQ

00:15:24.820 youth.

00:15:25.560 Well, it wasn't specifically taking funding away from that.

00:15:29.260 But again, we need to ask ourselves, why do these programs exist?

00:15:33.300 Are they accomplishing anything?

00:15:36.060 And if they're not accomplishing anything, if they're not actually effective at, say, making

00:15:41.940 women healthier, then why should our tax dollars be funding them? 1.00

00:15:45.880 No one is asking, what are the results of these programs?

00:15:48.720 They're just asking, what are the stated intentions of these programs?

00:15:51.320 And that's not how you judge the effectiveness of a program by their stated intentions.

00:15:55.260 You have to judge it by the results.

00:15:56.820 And so some critical thinking here.

00:16:00.600 So should the government fund some kind of program to educate women about their cycles? 0.99

00:16:04.260 I'm not sure.

00:16:04.880 But women do need to know more about their cycles and how and when to get pregnant and all 1.00

00:16:10.160 of that.

00:16:10.820 When the New York Post asked Trump in the Oval Office about the baby bonus, President Trump

00:16:15.660 said, sounds like a good idea to me.

00:16:18.260 Speaker Mike Johnson has something to say about this, too.

00:16:22.640 He was asked on Fox News about the baby bonus idea.

00:16:26.740 And here's what he had to say.

00:16:27.720 Sot one. 0.58

00:16:28.460 Every creative idea that the president and this White House come up with, they pan immediately,

00:16:32.680 no matter what merit it may have.

00:16:34.860 We are the Republican Party.

00:16:36.000 We're the pro-family party.

00:16:37.180 We always have been.

00:16:37.960 And we take great pride in that.

00:16:39.240 We're working every day to rebuild a culture of life in America.

00:16:42.060 We want to advance policies that help families and make it easier to raise a child in America.

00:16:49.880 OK, so we want Republicans to be on the side of the family. 0.58

00:16:54.560 We want women to have children. 1.00

00:16:58.020 That is absolutely true.

00:16:59.940 And I want the White House to be on the side of more children and stronger families and all

00:17:05.720 of that.

00:17:06.060 So is that what a $5,000 baby bonus would accomplish?

00:17:10.720 Well, I've got thoughts on it.

00:17:11.840 Let me go ahead and tell you about our first sponsor, though.

00:17:13.880 It's WeHeart Nutrition.

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00:17:17.840 I take their supplements every single day without fail.

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00:17:23.400 I never compromise on this because it has really changed how I feel for the better.

00:17:28.360 It has improved my skin, my hair, my nails, my ability to fight sickness.

00:17:35.020 I take their magnesium, their postnatal vitamin.

00:17:37.880 I take their omega-3s.

00:17:39.820 I take their iron supplement, which has really helped my iron levels.

00:17:43.700 I've always kind of been borderline anemic, and it's helped me there.

00:17:46.840 And I also started taking, probably six weeks ago, maybe a little more at this point, their

00:17:51.800 Wholesome Balance hormone supplement.

00:17:57.400 It is like the Swiss Army knife for women's hormones. 1.00

00:18:02.420 It's got saffron, ginger, curcumin, kiwi, vitamins.

00:18:05.280 And I'm telling you, I don't want to get into too much detail for the related bros in the

00:18:10.260 room and out there, but I can tell you, it seems to have really helped me this last cycle.

00:18:17.440 It has, I would say that it improved my mood.

00:18:21.720 It improved symptoms of PMS.

00:18:25.160 And I'm just very grateful for that.

00:18:27.500 Like I've realized as I am like 18 months postpartum that my hormones still kind of seem

00:18:32.820 out of whack in some ways, and I really think that this Wholesome Balance product has helped

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00:18:55.500 White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said in a statement to the New York Times regarding

00:18:59.640 this proposal that Trump is proudly implementing policies to uplift American families.

00:19:05.040 It's not clear if the $5,000 baby bonus is a part of his policy plan.

00:19:10.820 We don't know.

00:19:11.580 But the Heritage Foundation did have something to say about this.

00:19:15.280 The policy analyst, a policy analyst at Heritage, Emma Waters, said that, quote,

00:19:20.400 our ultimate goal is not just more babies, but more families formed.

00:19:24.260 According to the New York Times, the Heritage Foundation has been researching how to increase

00:19:28.560 the birth rate for over two years and is preparing to release a report in the coming weeks on how

00:19:33.480 it believes the administration and Congress should counter declining birth and marriage

00:19:39.000 rates.

00:19:39.540 This is legitimately a problem.

00:19:42.540 The issue is, however, that we don't just need more babies.

00:19:46.160 That's not the biggest issue.

00:19:47.420 The biggest issue is not the depopulation crisis.

00:19:50.740 I believe the biggest issue is the dissolution of the family.

00:19:55.240 And a much deeper issue is the lack of desire to have children.

00:20:02.800 And that is something that is spiritual, that is cultural, that is moral.

00:20:07.540 It is not economic.

00:20:09.160 I don't care what people say.

00:20:10.700 People say, oh, well, people can't afford housing today.

00:20:13.280 People feel like they're so stretched thin with their budget.

00:20:16.680 And all of that may be true.

00:20:18.100 I'm not discounting that.

00:20:19.520 And of course, financial problems can weigh heavily on a person and can and should to some

00:20:24.480 degree determine the decisions we make.

00:20:27.880 However, there have been much more difficult economic times where families have said, you know

00:20:34.280 what, we are going to trust the Lord and we feel that it is our obligation and we desire to have

00:20:40.880 children and we are going to figure it out in much more turbulent times than today, not only

00:20:47.580 throughout history, but in other countries right now.

00:20:50.680 And I'm not just talking about women who get pregnant because they don't have any way to 0.58

00:20:56.360 prevent pregnancy.

00:20:57.280 I'm talking about people who say, no, we're going to get married.

00:21:00.440 We're going to have children because this is the right thing to do.

00:21:03.420 And because we want to do this, it's the most natural thing in the world.

00:21:06.480 It's literally what makes the world go round.

00:21:09.520 And so if you don't desire to do that, don't kid yourself that it's because you're too stressed

00:21:14.060 out or you have too much going on or you are just going to wait until you're more stable

00:21:19.800 when you're 35 or until you have more money.

00:21:23.200 It really is because ultimately, ultimately, for the most part, and if something, if this

00:21:29.620 doesn't apply to you, then it's not about you.

00:21:31.860 But for the most part, married people aren't having children because they don't want to.

00:21:37.380 And in large part, people are not getting married because they don't want to get married.

00:21:43.960 That doesn't apply to the related bells out there who want to have kids and want to get

00:21:48.680 married and just haven't been able to do those things yet.

00:21:51.460 But I'm talking about in the culture in general, that is true.

00:21:55.040 And so until we address why people don't want to commit and why people don't want to have

00:22:02.400 children, and I honestly think the government cannot do that.

00:22:05.780 I don't think the depopulation crisis is going to solve itself because, look, I don't want

00:22:12.260 millions of more children who don't have present fathers and mothers, okay?

00:22:18.280 I don't think that that's actually better for the world or better for society.

00:22:23.320 I'm not saying that those who don't have parents aren't innately valuable because, of course,

00:22:29.640 they have just as much inherent worth as anyone else.

00:22:31.880 And, of course, they can be very productive members of society and add so much to the

00:22:35.960 world.

00:22:36.280 But ultimately, the building block, the foundation for any free society is the stable family.

00:22:43.580 And children need a mom and a dad. 0.80

00:22:46.540 That is the ideal situation for every child, to have a loving, present mom and dad that is

00:22:52.980 best for them, that creates the highest likelihood possible that they are healthy and mature and

00:23:01.040 developing and productive people who will go on and to contribute positive things to their

00:23:06.940 communities and to society as a whole.

00:23:09.640 And so, yes, I think that policy can speak to that in some way.

00:23:14.320 And I am, again, open to proposals for that, but I'm not open to proposals that just reward

00:23:21.940 people for having more kids, no matter their marital status.

00:23:26.620 I'm just not.

00:23:27.520 Like, I actually don't think that we should be rewarding that.

00:23:31.840 I think that actually could incentivize very bad and destructive behavior.

00:23:36.700 Bethany Mandel wrote an op-ed in the New York Post criticizing the $5,000 incentive.

00:23:41.540 She said a one-time payout of $5,000, an amount that wouldn't even cover the cost of one of

00:23:46.720 my births, if you don't know Bethany, she's got six kids, isn't a life raft, she says the

00:23:53.320 $5,000 isn't a life raft, but a pat on the head as families struggle to stay afloat and

00:23:57.520 amid rising costs, child care shortages, and a culture that undervalues parenthood.

00:24:03.900 American families need tax reform rooted in research, reflecting the real needs of modern

00:24:09.860 mothers and fathers, and support that empowers families to dream bigger, not just survive.

00:24:14.960 The problem isn't just a drop in babies, it's a drop in marriages. 1.00

00:24:18.980 Since 1970, the U.S. marriage rate has fallen by 60%.

00:24:23.240 While married couples, especially religious ones, still do have children, and statistically have

00:24:28.380 more sex than singletons do, there are simply far fewer of them today.

00:24:32.960 So maybe instead of a $5,000 baby bonus, Trump should consider a one-time tax break for newlyweds. 0.93

00:24:40.140 And I think that that's a good idea.

00:24:43.180 I'm not saying that the $5,000 proposal has absolutely no place, but indiscriminately giving

00:24:49.560 that out to anyone who has a baby, again, I actually just don't think that that would

00:24:53.920 be a net positive.

00:24:56.880 Something that I've been thinking about, I mentioned that I'm listening to this book,

00:25:00.760 Your Brain on Birth Control, and just how much not ovulating, because when you're on

00:25:06.940 the birth control pill, you're not ovulating, how much not ovulating has an effect on you

00:25:13.580 as a woman, and how you think, and what you are attracted to, and the feelings that you

00:25:18.440 have, because God created our bodies to have a cycle that includes ovulation.

00:25:23.900 It is not a coincidence that when you physically can get pregnant, because there are only a 0.97

00:25:28.600 few days a month when you can do that, when you physically can get pregnant, you also find

00:25:33.040 yourself wanting to get pregnant.

00:25:35.440 Like you want to have a baby, you're thinking about babies, or maybe you find yourself wanting

00:25:40.080 to be intimate with your spouse during that time.

00:25:42.980 God created our bodies for that.

00:25:45.400 And so when you take away ovulation, you also take away that surge of hormone that makes

00:25:52.520 you start thinking about wanting to get pregnant.

00:25:55.040 And so you have all these women on the birth control pill who are not ovulating, who think,

00:26:00.400 oh yeah, I'm just a go-getter boss, babe, and I don't want kids.

00:26:04.000 That's just naturally how I am.

00:26:06.100 I'll never want kids.

00:26:07.580 No, you're just not ovulating.

00:26:09.480 You're just not ovulating.

00:26:10.940 You think you don't want kids.

00:26:12.400 You think this is just a part of your personality.

00:26:14.120 You think that this is just like innate drive.

00:26:16.780 No, you're just not ovulating.

00:26:19.280 And because you're not ovulating, you are suppressing the very real natural God-given

00:26:23.820 instinct you have to commit to a strong man who wants to make babies with you.

00:26:30.040 Okay?

00:26:30.540 So the birth control pill has really suppressed like a core part of what it means to be a woman.

00:26:38.820 And I think it is a huge reason why the birth rate has declined.

00:26:43.280 Not because it is preventing pregnancy, but because it is preventing the desire to get pregnant.

00:26:50.280 It has such a psychological impact on women. 1.00

00:26:54.200 And it is such, I mean, it is such a negative.

00:26:56.940 One of the testimonies in this book was a woman who she was, she was in grad school and she was

00:27:02.900 chasing her career and everything was going great.

00:27:05.100 And she decided to get off the birth control pill because she wanted to see how she felt off of it.

00:27:09.180 She said, as soon as she got off the birth control pill, she started having, um, these feelings

00:27:14.520 once a month.

00:27:15.680 She started thinking about newborns.

00:27:17.180 She started thinking about marriage.

00:27:18.540 She started thinking about commitment.

00:27:19.640 She started thinking about having babies and she was mortified.

00:27:22.320 And she said, this is going to sidetrack me.

00:27:25.160 I'm not going to be able to pursue my career anymore.

00:27:28.260 So what did she do?

00:27:29.060 She got back on the pill.

00:27:30.480 She got back on the pill so she could suppress those very real instincts.

00:27:35.240 Oh my goodness.

00:27:36.080 And how many women is that true for? 1.00

00:27:38.440 So there's so much going on here.

00:27:40.940 I mean, it's pharmaceutical as well as spiritual and emotional and mental.

00:27:45.620 Our priorities are simply out of whack.

00:27:48.760 Is there a place for policy?

00:27:50.660 Yes, but Lord, give us an awakening.

00:27:53.980 Give us a revival because it is so much deeper than just like an economic need.

00:28:01.380 And it's going to take hearts of stone turning into hearts of flesh and for us to prioritize

00:28:07.920 marriage and selflessness and sacrifice and commitment and all of those things again.

00:28:14.440 And those are like really, really deep issues.

00:28:18.060 All right.

00:28:18.460 We've got a few more things to talk about.

00:28:19.920 Let me pause and tell you about our next sponsor.

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00:28:23.360 Y'all, I'm so excited to work with Fellowship Home Loans.

00:28:26.520 I always am hoping to partner with companies that share my values, that are unapologetic

00:28:32.360 about their faith, that offer a service or a product that is in alignment with our faith.

00:28:38.140 If you are making a huge purchase, like a purchase of a home, you want to make sure that the people

00:28:44.400 handling your treasure, like handling your money, are aligned with your values.

00:28:49.460 They are going to prioritize things like honesty and integrity, hard work, that they care about

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00:28:58.920 And I can guarantee that when you work with Mike and Brian and all of the people at Fellowship

00:29:04.980 Home Loans, that you will get exactly that.

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00:29:13.560 And that is to glorify God.

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00:29:19.940 you talk to anyone else, I encourage you just reach out to Fellowship Home Loans.

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00:29:55.040 All right, we're about to get into our segment with Phoenix.

00:29:58.120 If you missed our last Gen Z segment that we did a few weeks ago with Phoenix, where

00:30:03.680 she walked us through a trend that was happening on TikTok that she thought was troubling, this

00:30:10.280 will be your first time being introduced to our Gen Z muse.

00:30:13.620 And we're going to talk about matcha and all kinds of fun stuff.

00:30:17.220 But I did want to say, because I forgot to say this at the top of the episode, my Canadian

00:30:22.980 friends, we were praying for you.

00:30:25.780 We were.

00:30:26.560 We were praying for the election yesterday.

00:30:28.620 And it did not go the way that we wanted it to.

00:30:33.620 And I know a lot of people up there are mad about Trump because Trump made some comments

00:30:37.980 and people thought that he inappropriately interfered and that it caused more people to

00:30:43.900 vote for the Liberal Party and Liberal leadership there in Canada.

00:30:46.980 And yeah, OK, I get it.

00:30:49.780 But if you, not you conservatives out there, but the people who voted Liberal, if you were

00:30:55.560 voting based on what the president of another country says, if you are that emotional, you

00:31:01.740 are that flippant, like then you don't need to be voting.

00:31:05.580 You don't.

00:31:06.280 That's not how an adult thinks.

00:31:07.920 That's not how an adult functions.

00:31:10.040 Why would you allow President Trump to affect how you vote? 0.98

00:31:14.380 That's just silly.

00:31:16.300 OK, the fact of the matter is, is that Canada is the capital of nicer than God toxic empathy. 0.68

00:31:26.260 OK, and so they believe, despite all the evidence before them, that being progressive makes you

00:31:32.600 a good person, despite the fact that Canada in so many ways is in shambles economically,

00:31:40.280 certainly socially in a lot of ways.

00:31:43.100 And so I am sorry to all of you who voted the correct way, who were praying so hard.

00:31:48.700 We do understand that God is on his throne, that he is totally sovereign, that nothing

00:31:54.140 surprises him or takes him aback, that nothing is too difficult for him, that nothing can

00:31:59.700 thwart his will.

00:32:00.480 Job 42, 2, that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

00:32:04.980 Hebrews 13, 8, that he loves you and sees you.

00:32:07.640 And that you are placed exactly where you are on this speck of the universe, on this tiny

00:32:14.640 spot of eternity by God who does nothing accidentally or arbitrarily.

00:32:18.880 And I know all of you Christians up there in Canada know that.

00:32:22.400 I've talked to many of you and your hope and your strength and your resolve is so admirable

00:32:27.560 to me.

00:32:28.360 But I just want you to know that I'm sorry that I went that direction.

00:32:31.240 And I am continuing to pray for y'all.

00:32:36.160 Okay, we're going to go ahead and get into this fun segment with Phoenix, but I do want

00:32:41.040 to just make a little announcement, a fun announcement for Blaze TV.

00:32:44.140 So my interview with Nicole Shanahan, you'll remember when I talked to her, went to California,

00:32:50.640 had a chat with her just about all things RFK campaign, the things she saw, the truth about

00:32:55.800 Silicon Valley.

00:32:56.680 It was an incredible, a revelatory conversation.

00:33:00.520 If you haven't watched it, go watch it.

00:33:02.820 But she's now joined as a host of Blaze TV. 0.56

00:33:05.980 Like what a blessing to have someone like Nicole on our side at this network.

00:33:12.200 I am so pumped about this.

00:33:14.940 This show is going to be amazing.

00:33:17.620 You can go to youtube.com slash Nicole dash Shanahan.

00:33:21.820 That's where her show will live.

00:33:24.260 Or you can subscribe to blazetv.com slash Allie.

00:33:27.660 You'll get access to all of the content that she is producing.

00:33:31.880 She is awesome.

00:33:32.720 I am so excited about her show.

00:33:35.100 All right.

00:33:35.480 Without further ado, here is Phoenix.

00:33:43.520 Okay, y'all.

00:33:45.100 Somehow I have found myself with a matcha latte right next to me.

00:33:53.240 This matcha latte was made by our Gen Z muse, Phoenix. 0.74

00:33:59.680 And she has seen my rants about matcha tasting like grass and my disbelief that anyone likes

00:34:08.680 matcha, that it's all just made from lawn.

00:34:12.540 And she has said, okay, I am going to make you a matcha latte and convince you that it is

00:34:22.240 good.

00:34:22.500 So I haven't tried it yet.

00:34:24.560 But tell me, what is matcha?

00:34:27.980 Take us to the roots.

00:34:30.040 Well, matcha is actually just a whole tea leaf.

00:34:33.960 So this is where I have a problem when people say matcha tastes like grass.

00:34:38.960 I'm like, what were you expecting?

00:34:41.060 All tea is from leaves.

00:34:43.020 All tea is from leaves.

00:34:44.120 All tea kind of tastes a little bit on the earthy side.

00:34:48.160 Really?

00:34:48.460 I mean, if you drink green tea.

00:34:51.260 But have you, I'm like, I've never thought, ooh, this peppermint tea or this earl grey

00:34:57.040 tea tastes like my backyard.

00:34:59.320 I've never felt that way.

00:35:00.600 But have you felt that way about green tea?

00:35:02.140 Yes, I have.

00:35:03.780 Okay.

00:35:03.900 Now, I did not know.

00:35:05.140 So tell me what matcha is, though, because I didn't know this.

00:35:08.500 It's like a green tea leaf that's grown in a very special process.

00:35:13.680 It's shaded so that the leaves grow bigger and thinner.

00:35:18.060 And it's like those green tea leaves are ground up into a very fine powder that dissolves in

00:35:23.220 liquid.

00:35:23.840 Okay.

00:35:24.700 It's got a lot of great properties, like L-theanine.

00:35:26.900 I know you've seen that in, like, the whole food supplement aisle.

00:35:29.520 Yes.

00:35:30.040 It's a calming property.

00:35:31.800 So even though this has caffeine in it, you don't get anxiety like you do with coffee.

00:35:35.840 Jittery, right.

00:35:37.140 None of that.

00:35:38.200 It's slow-release caffeine.

00:35:40.140 So you don't get crashes and all that different kind of stuff.

00:35:44.360 It's not addictive like coffee is.

00:35:46.060 Okay.

00:35:46.340 So if you go a day or two without your morning matcha, you're not going to get a headache.

00:35:52.200 Okay.

00:35:53.100 So that's why people like it, because it gives you a boost of energy without being a spike

00:35:57.940 of energy.

00:35:58.820 And it's got the L-theanine in it, which is good for you.

00:36:02.560 And I'm guessing it has the other benefits of green tea.

00:36:05.640 I've heard of a variety of benefits of green tea.

00:36:07.740 And I've wanted to drink green tea in the past, especially when pregnant, but I've just

00:36:13.820 never been able to get into it.

00:36:15.020 So this makes sense.

00:36:16.240 So this is just green tea grown in the shade.

00:36:19.520 Yeah, basically, basically with a bunch of other great properties like antioxidants

00:36:25.280 that you would normally get from like plants and stuff.

00:36:31.060 It's because you're consuming the whole leaf.

00:36:33.220 And did it start in Japan?

00:36:34.620 It did.

00:36:35.300 It is traditionally Japan.

00:36:36.600 That's why I have my little Japanese bamboo whisk.

00:36:38.680 Do you make your own?

00:36:40.160 I do make my own matcha.

00:36:41.220 Okay.

00:36:41.400 Tell us how you make it.

00:36:42.400 Um, so, well, first I go out into my backyard and I cut some grass.

00:36:47.040 Yes, of course.

00:36:48.360 This is how all good matcha stories start.

00:36:50.540 Totally.

00:36:51.400 Um, actually, I just take a cup of whole milk, a tablespoon of honey, about half a teaspoon

00:36:56.920 of vanilla extract.

00:36:58.340 And, um, you know, your desired amount of matcha that you put in a couple tablespoons

00:37:04.500 of hot water and you whisk with the little traditional whisk.

00:37:08.060 Okay.

00:37:08.740 And then you pour that shot of matcha into your sweetened milk.

00:37:14.040 Yeah.

00:37:14.760 And then you have a matcha latte.

00:37:16.360 Okay.

00:37:16.680 What kind of matcha powder do you use?

00:37:18.940 I like to use ceremonial grade matcha, but...

00:37:22.000 Okay.

00:37:22.120 Is ceremonial grade real?

00:37:23.740 What does that mean?

00:37:24.780 I've seen that and it just seems like a gimmick.

00:37:27.860 Well, it's not sweetened.

00:37:29.080 You can buy some matcha that is sweetened.

00:37:31.240 Oh, okay.

00:37:31.720 So ceremony, there's actually in Japan, they have like tea ceremonies and people who do

00:37:37.360 traditional Japanese matcha ceremonies.

00:37:40.260 I'm not very versed in that.

00:37:41.400 I just know it happens in Japan.

00:37:43.500 Okay.

00:37:43.980 So a Japanese relatable listener could tell us.

00:37:46.500 Yep.

00:37:46.780 Probably.

00:37:47.700 Um, but it's higher quality and it's, you know, so you can find some organic ceremonial

00:37:56.220 matcha that doesn't have any pesticides on it, things like that.

00:38:00.040 But it's, it's not sweetened and it's not cheap essentially.

00:38:02.940 And that's what you do.

00:38:04.280 I do use ceremonial grade.

00:38:06.020 Okay.

00:38:06.440 Gotcha.

00:38:06.820 Okay.

00:38:06.980 I'm going to taste this.

00:38:08.600 I'm fully...

00:38:08.920 And you drink it every morning.

00:38:09.980 You don't drink coffee?

00:38:11.320 I do occasionally drink coffee, but I feel better when I drink matcha.

00:38:15.140 Okay.

00:38:15.460 I probably would too.

00:38:16.660 Although I like the jolt of my iced coffee every morning.

00:38:20.700 Okay.

00:38:21.580 I'm scared.

00:38:22.960 I'm fully prepared for you to say you, but...

00:38:25.380 Yeah.

00:38:25.740 It's, it won't be you.

00:38:27.860 Okay.

00:38:28.220 It won't be personal to you.

00:38:30.040 I do appreciate the glass straw.

00:38:31.800 I can smell the grassiness.

00:38:34.320 I can smell it.

00:38:35.240 I can smell it.

00:38:38.060 Okay.

00:38:39.580 Okay.

00:38:42.000 Definitely hints.

00:38:44.480 Definitely hints of grass, but it is sweet and I taste the sweetness and I appreciate the

00:38:50.680 sweetness.

00:38:51.640 Okay.

00:38:51.960 So if I were to drink this and just tell myself, this is better for you.

00:38:55.540 This is better for you.

00:38:56.560 This is better for you.

00:38:57.800 I think I could drink this.

00:39:00.040 Yeah.

00:39:00.240 I think I could drink it.

00:39:01.300 I love coffee.

00:39:02.680 Okay.

00:39:02.900 What about hot?

00:39:03.880 Have you ever had hot matcha?

00:39:05.160 Is that good?

00:39:05.860 Oh yeah.

00:39:06.380 I actually, I, I think I probably like hot, a hot matcha latte better than an iced matcha

00:39:12.360 latte.

00:39:12.620 Okay.

00:39:13.540 But the thing about matcha that I feel like people who've only tried it a couple of times

00:39:19.020 fail to see is that matcha is an acquired taste.

00:39:22.400 Like coffee is an acquired taste.

00:39:23.680 There's a reason 14 year olds drink Frappuccinos.

00:39:26.120 You know, there's a reason that, you know, 12 year olds don't like blue cheese.

00:39:30.700 She's trying to say that my palate is immature.

00:39:33.840 Because I don't like, I don't like matcha.

00:39:36.060 Okay.

00:39:36.260 But I drink, I do drink black coffee.

00:39:39.600 Well, like we black coffee drinkers definitely think we're better than everyone else.

00:39:44.620 Oh, for sure.

00:39:45.580 That my, my mom would agree with you on that.

00:39:49.160 Um, but I have to say, you know, how many times have you actually tried matcha?

00:39:54.380 Have you given yourself enough time to acquire the taste?

00:39:56.980 This is a second time.

00:39:57.480 So you haven't given yourself enough time to acquire the taste.

00:40:00.120 Yeah.

00:40:00.560 It's, it's an acquired taste like anything else.

00:40:02.460 Okay.

00:40:02.880 Maybe if there's ever a time when I feel like I need to wean myself off of coffee, maybe

00:40:08.460 I will try.

00:40:09.040 Now I don't typically do dairy.

00:40:11.840 So I'm guessing you could replace it with almond milk.

00:40:14.860 Oh, totally.

00:40:15.780 Okay.

00:40:16.640 Totally.

00:40:17.820 Um, okay.

00:40:19.220 Fine.

00:40:20.300 Fine.

00:40:20.920 Phoenix.

00:40:21.680 I will say it's not as bad as you thought.

00:40:23.660 I just want to tell you that this is not sponsored by big matcha.

00:40:30.560 You might think big matcha came after me and they were like, you better say that matcha

00:40:35.540 is good or else we're going to, I don't know, take down your podcast.

00:40:40.040 But no, I just, I voluntarily said, okay, we can do a segment on matcha because I caused

00:40:47.600 a firestorm when I said that I don't believe that anyone likes matcha, that it's just the

00:40:53.120 thing right now.

00:40:54.120 And I still am like, are we going to find out one day that like, I don't know, there's

00:41:00.200 something going on with it.

00:41:01.820 There's a reason that they're pushing matcha.

00:41:03.700 I don't know.

00:41:04.440 Well, it can't be worse than the mold in the coffee.

00:41:06.980 That's true.

00:41:08.420 And that's why everyone should drink seven weeks coffee because seven weeks coffee is

00:41:12.660 mold free and saves babies.

00:41:15.760 I don't know.

00:41:16.180 Maybe one of these companies will also make watcha, watcha.

00:41:19.920 That'd be cool.

00:41:21.060 Um, macho one day and I'll drink it.

00:41:24.040 Okay.

00:41:24.900 Thank you so much.

00:41:31.600 Mother's day is almost here.

00:41:34.040 And I just really encourage you as a mom to not only think about, okay, what are, what

00:41:40.540 do you want for mother's day?

00:41:42.120 What are you going to get your mom?

00:41:43.260 What are you going to get your mother's mother-in-law? 1.00

00:41:45.480 Those are all good things to think about, but think about what you can give to other moms, 0.95

00:41:50.660 maybe moms who are in need, moms who might be in crisis pregnancies, first-time moms who

00:41:56.800 don't know how they are going to take care of the baby that they have.

00:42:00.800 Pre-born is a network of clinics across the country that helps take care of those moms.

00:42:05.780 When a pregnant mom walks into the doors of pre-born, they feel loved.

00:42:09.660 They feel cared for.

00:42:10.580 They feel seen.

00:42:11.820 They are given a free pregnancy test, free ultrasound.

00:42:15.340 And we know through data that women are so much more likely to choose life for the baby

00:42:20.560 inside their womb when they see that baby on the ultrasound, when they hear that beating

00:42:25.600 heart.

00:42:26.100 And so pre-born is offering them truth and a true choice.

00:42:31.000 And a life-affirming choice is the direction that we hope they go in.

00:42:35.940 And pre-born does everything they possibly can to help women make that decision.

00:42:40.880 So I encourage you, donate to pre-born today.

00:42:44.160 $28 covers the cost of a life-saving ultrasound.

00:42:47.760 But whatever you can donate, maybe it's $2.80, maybe it's $28,000, whatever you can donate

00:42:54.800 that goes towards saving the life of these image bearers of God and serving their moms

00:43:00.680 and dads.

00:43:01.460 Go to preborn.com slash Allie to make that impactful donation today. 0.85

00:43:05.840 That's preborn.com slash Allie. 0.81

00:43:12.120 We do have four minutes left.

00:43:13.980 Should we talk about Brian Stelter?

00:43:16.140 Oh, let's get into it.

00:43:17.060 Let's talk about Brian Stelter.

00:43:18.600 Okay.

00:43:19.720 So there's this story that Vince sent, and it is about Brian Stelter.

00:43:26.460 He is spotted shoeless and disheveled, according to freebeacon.com, on an Amtrak train after

00:43:33.660 leaving the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

00:43:36.780 And we will put up this picture.

00:43:38.000 You remember Brian Stelter as the guy who used to be on, I think it was called Reliable Sources

00:43:44.200 on CNN.

00:43:46.320 And he is on this train.

00:43:47.980 He does look very disheveled, okay?

00:43:49.960 You know, I won't fault him for that, but I will fault him for not wearing shoes on public

00:43:54.560 transportation.

00:43:55.340 Another thing that I have an issue with, in addition to matcha, is people taking off their

00:44:01.480 shoes when they're traveling on an airplane, especially barefoot, but even sock-footed.

00:44:07.280 Because you're going home and you are walking around in your socks.

00:44:11.760 There are so many germs.

00:44:12.840 And also, I just think other people are smelling your feet.

00:44:16.060 It's also undignified.

00:44:18.320 Now, Phoenix, you think that this is worse than walking around on a plane without shoes,

00:44:23.540 right?

00:44:23.980 I do.

00:44:24.760 It's so bad.

00:44:26.480 As the girlies would say, that is not chic.

00:44:28.820 It's not chic?

00:44:29.580 That is not chic.

00:44:30.440 It's definitely not chic.

00:44:31.900 No, it's nasty.

00:44:33.280 It's on the ground.

00:44:34.340 It's not like...

00:44:35.240 Airplanes, there's going to, you know, they're in the air.

00:44:38.360 There's not that many opportunities for mice and bugs and rats and whatever to get on

00:44:44.080 the airplane.

00:44:45.620 Homeless people. 1.00

00:44:46.300 Yeah, homeless people don't usually have enough money to afford plane tickets.

00:44:49.560 So there's that.

00:44:50.620 And then, you know, there's all sorts of icky things running on the ground on Amtrak trains.

00:44:58.720 And then you're just going to put your feet on that.

00:45:01.400 Think about all the foot fungus, the little...

00:45:03.860 So much.

00:45:04.920 There's so much.

00:45:05.460 And I just think about, like, it makes me question your discernment altogether.

00:45:10.740 It really does.

00:45:11.860 Because how long are you on this train?

00:45:15.080 Really?

00:45:15.400 Really.

00:45:15.900 That you have to take your shoes off.

00:45:18.840 And I'm thinking...

00:45:19.880 He might be...

00:45:20.680 I don't know this, but he might have had some...

00:45:23.480 He might be slightly inebriated.

00:45:25.940 And maybe tequila makes his clothes fall off.

00:45:28.680 I don't know.

00:45:29.500 I don't know.

00:45:30.000 At least his shoes fall off.

00:45:31.180 Maybe that's what's going on here.

00:45:33.020 But have some respect for yourself.

00:45:35.440 My grandma would say, act like you've been somewhere.

00:45:38.160 Oh my goodness.

00:45:39.160 Act like you've been somewhere, Brian Stelter.

00:45:41.240 To be fair, I think we were always questioning Brian Stelter's...

00:45:44.500 Discernment.

00:45:45.160 Discernment and decision making.

00:45:46.760 I think we all were.

00:45:48.220 Yes.

00:45:48.600 I think his former employers were.

00:45:50.300 This is just too much for me.

00:45:51.760 The only thing that would make the end of this episode worse is if someone brought a pitbull 1.00

00:45:57.200 onto my set.

00:46:00.120 Okay, I have to disagree with you on that one, Allie.

00:46:03.460 I can't fault the puppies.

00:46:07.400 She's an apologist.

00:46:08.260 Oh my gosh.

00:46:08.620 I am a pitbull apologist.

00:46:10.040 I did not know this was happening.

00:46:13.280 I think...

00:46:15.580 Phoenix, are you prepared for what you're about to engage in?

00:46:19.040 I am.

00:46:19.760 I am fully prepared.

00:46:21.040 Go for it.

00:46:22.040 Okay.

00:46:22.720 Hot take. 1.00

00:46:24.260 White suburban women suck at training dogs. 1.00

00:46:29.300 And some breeds require more training than other breeds. 1.00

00:46:33.860 This is not typically happening to white suburban women. 1.00

00:46:36.000 I'll just say that.

00:46:36.880 That's probably controversial.

00:46:37.880 But this is not typically happening to white suburban women. 1.00

00:46:40.500 This is happening to women of all backgrounds.

00:46:43.100 Disproportionately, pitbulls are owned by Hispanic Americans and Black Americans. 1.00

00:46:47.160 This happens in all different kinds of communities.

00:46:49.120 It doesn't have to do with training.

00:46:50.680 In some cases, it might because, you know, training is important for all kinds of dogs.

00:46:56.520 But this is because pitbulls were bred to bait bulls and hogs and to not let go. 0.86

00:47:02.100 And just like retrievers retrieve, just like shepherds herd, just like other dogs do what

00:47:08.200 they were made to do, Labradors also retrieve, pitbulls latch on and they don't let go.

00:47:17.300 And they go for the jugular.

00:47:19.060 All dogs bite, not all dogs maul to death because they don't have the ability to do so.

00:47:24.560 Pitbulls have the unique ability to do that. 1.00

00:47:27.580 And it doesn't have to do with training.

00:47:29.540 It doesn't have to do with training.

00:47:30.780 It has to do with the instincts that dogs have.

00:47:33.620 You know, I now I I will let you know I have been bit by a dog right here.

00:47:39.500 I had plastic surgery when I was 18 months old because I got a chunk taken out of my

00:47:44.120 face by a dog wasn't a pitbull that was bred specifically like not not bred, but trained

00:47:50.100 to be aggressive.

00:47:50.980 Um, and if you can train a naturally sweet dog to be aggressive, I firmly believe that

00:48:00.200 training a pitbull, there are plenty of pitbulls that do not have these instances.

00:48:05.380 I do think that training is a large part of it.

00:48:08.500 Now, I am actually pro like mandatory education for dog training for, um, like what people call

00:48:17.900 the bully breeds.

00:48:18.660 I do think people need to know like specifically how to train these dogs.

00:48:23.220 And I don't think that, and I think people need to make better, more responsible choices

00:48:28.300 about what homes they choose to bring these dogs into.

00:48:31.120 And I think a lot of people mistake, um, signs of early aggression in dogs and don't train

00:48:39.540 them out of it.

00:48:40.360 Um, like, you know, chihuahuas are notoriously some of the most aggressive, you know, dogs on

00:48:46.980 the planet, but chihuahuas, they can't maul you. 1.00

00:48:51.860 And yes, you can, sure.

00:48:53.880 You can train a sweet dog to be aggressive.

00:48:55.860 You can train a naturally aggressive dog to be as sweet as possible, but you can't train

00:49:00.260 a retriever not to be able to retrieve.

00:49:02.760 You can't train a shepherd not to be able to herd.

00:49:06.460 You can't train a lab not to be able to swim.

00:49:09.860 You can never put them by the water, but as soon as you put them in a situation where

00:49:14.440 their instincts kick in, they are going to be able to swim.

00:49:17.360 The same thing is true of pit bulls.

00:49:19.440 There are definitely sweet pit bulls.

00:49:20.720 I've known sweet pit bulls before who have never mauled.

00:49:24.600 The thing is you don't know, and it's not their fault.

00:49:28.020 That is something deep in their brain.

00:49:30.060 The problem is you never know when they're going to be triggered and you know when they

00:49:33.320 bite, they're not just going to like nip at your heels the way that a chihuahua would.

00:49:38.760 They can literally bite your head off.

00:49:42.140 And here are some statistics.

00:49:43.700 Pit bulls and Rottweilers make up 77% of all fatal dog bites, despite only making up 6%

00:49:50.000 of the U.S. dog population from 2010 to October 2023.

00:49:53.420 There were 478 fatal dog bites with 196 of those coming from pit bulls.

00:49:59.420 So yes, I'm for training.

00:50:01.000 Yes, I'm for licensing.

00:50:02.220 But I am for it to be illegal to breed these animals because I care about people more than

00:50:07.840 I care about dogs.

00:50:08.980 And they're just not fit for domestication.

00:50:11.920 I just have to ask, how much of this do you think is correlation versus causation?

00:50:17.040 Like, are the people who are buying these dogs people who want aggressive dogs?

00:50:22.680 Because I've...

00:50:23.380 No.

00:50:23.580 Well, some of them most certainly are because I know people who are like, or I've seen actually

00:50:29.360 a trend on TikTok.

00:50:31.440 I've seen a trend on TikTok where people have bought some of these bully breeds, specifically

00:50:38.080 the Cane Corso breed, which is not very dissimilar from pit bulls.

00:50:42.820 Yeah.

00:50:42.960 Um, to be like their personal protection dogs and they train them to be somewhat aggressive

00:50:49.460 as protectors of, you know, women, of farm animals, et cetera.

00:50:56.500 And so I do think that some of this is actually caused by people who want aggressive dogs and

00:51:02.120 intentionally do not train the aggression out of them.

00:51:05.020 And, you know, some of these pit bull stories are like, well, this pit bull got out of its

00:51:09.680 fence or this pit bull, you know, ran away from home, et cetera, et cetera.

00:51:14.560 And I've seen, I've seen several pit bull stories like that.

00:51:17.140 Of course, that's the case.

00:51:17.860 But I've seen too many livestock, too many farm animals, too many babies, too many adults,

00:51:22.920 too many elderly people mauled to death by pit bulls.

00:51:27.720 It doesn't happen by golden retrievers.

00:51:29.500 It doesn't happen by labs.

00:51:30.680 I've been bit by all different kinds of dogs, actually, not pit bulls, because I wouldn't

00:51:35.140 let my kids around pit bulls. 0.80

00:51:36.540 The risk is just too great.

00:51:38.460 The bite and hold instinct is just too strong in a pit bull.

00:51:42.380 And I'm telling you right now, if you are listening to this, don't allow your kids around

00:51:46.820 pit bulls.

00:51:47.280 Do not own a pit bull.

00:51:49.220 Release, surrender your pit bull. 0.93

00:51:51.100 If your pit bull ever bites, put that pit bull down. 1.00

00:51:53.740 It's time to be done with pit bulls.

00:51:55.220 It's just not worth it.

00:51:56.200 Okay.

00:51:56.540 It's my show.

00:51:57.260 So we're going to end on that note.

00:51:58.960 Phoenix, thank you so much.

00:52:00.320 I really do appreciate you taking the time.

00:52:02.420 You haven't changed my mind on pit bulls, but maybe on matcha.

00:52:05.700 Great.

00:52:06.280 Thank you.

Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - April 29, 2025

Ep 1180 ｜ Baby Bonuses & a Message from Big Matcha

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