The Chris Cuomo Project - Listener Comments: School Shooting PTSD, China and Fentanyl, Gorilla Glass

Episode Date: April 20, 2023

In a special episode of The Chris Cuomo Project, Chris reacts to another grab bag of YouTube comments and listener calls about his interview with Dilbert creator Scott Adams, students experiencing PTSD from school shootings, his appearance in the mid-1990s, China and the fentanyl crisis, and many more.  If you’d like to ask Chris a question, call [phone]. Leave your name, location, phone number, email address, and your brief question, and it may be addressed in an upcoming show. Follow and subscribe to The Chris Cuomo Project on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube for new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know how when you're watching or listening to something, you say, well, I just like to say, and I really wish this person knew, well, guess what? Have your say right now. I'm Chris Cuomo, and welcome to another special for our Chris Cuomo Project podcast, which is where you have your say. Just like on my show at News Nation every night. Your questions, your comments. This is why I'm asking you to subscribe and to follow so that we can be in community here, a collaboration. That's what a project is.

That's why we called the podcast that. So thank you for subscribing and following and wearing your independence as a free agent. I'm telling you, the more we get away from the parties, the more the game can change. So where are your heads? Where are your hearts? What do you want to know from me? What do you want to know about me?

Let's get after it. Support for the Chris Cuomo Project comes from Sundays. Now, we got a problem in the Cuomo house. We got three dogs who now like Sundays better than the other food that I was giving them. Sundays is healthy dog food. Easy to store, okay? Very tasty, very nutritious because Sundays is fresh dog food made from a short list of human-grade ingredients. No, not humans.

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That's what foundational nutrition is about. And these are the people at AG1 who've been doing the work to get it right. Okay. I tell friends, I tell family, I get no complaints. Okay. If you want to take ownership of your health, it starts with AG1. Try AG1. You get a free one year supply of vitamin D3K2 and five free AG1 travel packs. Okay? That's what happens with your first purchase. So make it. Go to drinkag1.com slash CCP. Drinkag1.com slash CCP. Check it out. This is from your interview with Dilbert creator Scott Adams. VoodooChild333 wants to know, or writes, You don't see Barack Obama living in the Bronx.

He lives in Martha's Vineyard, where 99% of the residents are white. And? Oh, I get it. You're trying to say Scott Adams is right and that you should get away from black people. Look, he admits himself, he was being provocative and foolishly so. And I think there was an arrogance attached to it where he thought he could just say anything and get away with it in today's highly hyperactive

and radioactive gotcha cancel culture. And he was wrong. There is no rational basis of making a determination of how to exist as simple as stay away from members of another race. Barack Obama being a wealthy guy who chooses to have a summer place in Martha's Vineyard or wherever does not make the point that even he is afraid of black people. And the idea that black people only live in the hood is also a bullshit notion. Disproportionately, are people of color still on lower socioeconomic levels? Yes.

But that doesn't mean that all black people live in the hood. But that doesn't mean that all black people live in the hood. I really believe that a big problem we have when it comes to race in this country is that too many people learn about racism instead of living with other races and having people who are different from they are in terms of space and place and face in their lives. And I know that it's one of the greatest gifts of my journalism is, in terms of being a journalist, one of the greatest gifts I have is that I grew up in such a diverse place and knew so many different kinds of people and not just, hi, I'm Chris.

Nice to meet you, John, who's a black guy, but that we played together. We fought, we kissed, we hugged, we ate in each other's houses, we dated. Those things have been very formative for me because I understand, first of all, just the differentiation of what it means to be white or brown or black.

Irish people are not the same as Italian Americans or Irish Americans. They're very different if they're still attached to their ethnic heritage. They have different ways of thinking and feeling and fighting. And, you know, these are meaningful distinctions and they exist, obviously, no matter where you are in the color spectrum. Dominicans are not Haitians, are not Hondurans or not Cubans or not African-Americans or not Afro-Caribbeans. Now, there is a lot of homogenization in our culture. We put people in boxes, but that doesn't mean it's respectful of the reality. So, Scott Adams is not wrong. Here's

my second point. You can disagree with something, but still regard it and try to understand it, even if your sole motivation in doing that is to counter or oppose it. Scott Adams is not wrong that there is a growing number of white people in America who feel that they are being targeted, that there are changes that are to their disadvantage and that are not necessarily to the betterment of society. And even if they are wrong, they still feel that way. And if what you care about is persuasion and best ideas winning and society getting better and figuring out how to win campaigns, you can't just disregard them as

a bunch of bigots who are wrong and backing a bad guy. You're not going to persuade them that way. You're going to harden their resistance to your suggestion. And that's exactly what's happening. Is that really what you want? From that same interview, Mancha Kadim writes, just providing cover for a racist. Yeah, I get it. I don't think he's a racist. I also think that we forget something in these little gotcha analyses. I have never met a real racist who doesn't want to admit it. And when I say that, I'm not talking about implicit bias or someone who is unconsciously racist because their ignorance or their experience.

I'm saying someone who wants to go out and make the case that white people should avoid black people, I've never met anybody who wants to say that, who's doing it on the basis of a specific racist belief that doesn't want to announce that loudly and proudly. So you start with the fact that Adam says, I am not that, that is not my point at all, and I think you have to give that some weight. I get why you don't want to, but I don't shy away from conversations because they're controversial, especially when I believe that they are getting at something we have to deal with in this country. I'm laughing because I'm really not pulling just mean comments. I swear I'm not. This is from your most recent batch of you responding to youtube comments so this is a comment from the comments farid as dean writes what exactly your relation with new nation is it a full-time or

just one of your hosting channels uh news nation not to be confused with the news max which is a conservative outpost uh is a new cable network that is owned by Nexstar, which is the company that owns the most local television stations in the country. And I am there full-time. I'm there Monday to Friday. Based on breaking news, I could be on at any time, but it's 8 and 11 p.m. Eastern, and it's absolutely full-time, and I'm all in. From the same episode, Catherine Melnick writes, I think you confuse a lot of us in your audience because of your background in politics, your family legacy, and your time on CNN. You also cross over into the field of entertainment with some of your guests. It feels muddled and confusing. I think speaking as a

member of your audience, I wish your show had more focus and clarity. If you could sum up the objective of what the Chris Cuomo Project was in two or three sentences, what would you tell your audience? It all seems rather vague. T-me. T-mean? It says T-I. I think it's a typo. I think they meant two.

Oh. This is about talking to people that you can't about what makes them interesting and reflects what we're dealing with as a society, whether it's political or cultural. I don't see definition beyond that as a plus. I think diversity of thought and the marketplace of ideas is the most beneficial space of the podcast. It's about going deeper into directions that I think should be of interest to you. That's the point. This is another one from a recent walk-in talk. Maria Gonzalez-Picanz writes, I find the walk-in talks very insightful and helpful. I always watch them. Also, 237 pounds. Big is beautiful. I've never liked scrawny. When I met

you in the mid-90s, you were lanky. As men mature, they become broader and improve. You look very strong and manly nowadays. Thank you. I have never been lanky a day in my life. If you met me in the 90s, I was somewhere between 240 and 210 pounds. Now, here's the thing. I don't believe that the numbers on the scale don't mean anything. It's about how you feel. I think that there is a relationship. Not all body composition is the same. The 237 pounds that I was was not anything like the 240 pounds that I was when I was 23 years old. So, you know, the quality of mass and droopy man boobies are also a metric. And so I'm trying to come down. I do like to have more muscle mass on me.

I think it helps me from a functionality. And there's probably some kind of vanity involved in that. I don't really body build. Why? I kind of have an ugly body. I don't really body build. Why? I kind of have an ugly body. Like I'm very asymmetrical, which is weird because I do so much bilateral training.

But I've just, you know, I do like to have my shirt off a lot during the summertime, especially when I'm fishing or I'm outside. I guess there's a vanity in that. I've never processed it as that. Not that I don't want to look good. Not that I don't take some perverse sense of pride in that. But my goal is

always the show versus go, I guess. Because I know I could look better. I could just dye it. I mean, what matters to society aesthetically now is if a man has abs and has like some definition, like that's it, you're in. When a lot of the times, I mean, some of those people can be very capable, but a lot of them can be completely incapable. Whereas a guy who is a less or a woman who has a less pleasant looking body may be way more capable. And I'm just talking about the ability to move things and be athletic, let alone to fight or defend themselves. I mean, that has nothing to do with size. Literally nothing. The Chris Cuomo Project is supported by Cozy Earth. Why? Because I like their sheets. That's why. A lot of people don't

get a good night's sleep for a lot of reasons. One of the ones that you can control is bedding. One out of three of us report being sleep deprived. Okay, well, what is it? Well, it stresses all kinds of things, but the wrong sheets can make you hot, can make you cold. I'm telling you, I don't even believe it either, but Cozy Earth sheets breathe. And here's what I love about them. Cozy Earth's best-selling sheet is a bamboo set, okay? Temperature regulating. Gets softer with every wash. I'm not kidding you, all right? Now, so if you go to CozyEarth.com and you enter the code, enter the code CHRIS, and you can get up to 35% off your first order. CozyEarth.com, and the code is CHRIS.

CozyEarth.com and the code is Chris We don't fake the funk here and here's the real talk Over 40 years of age 52% of us experience some kind of ED between the ages of 40 and 70

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If you don't say so yourself. I'll be honest with you. I don't really understand the point of the question. What do you do with the kids? What do you mean? What do you do with the kids who are being victimized? You are welcoming them into a reality that gun violence is real and present in their lives, and they better be ready for it. And if you're saying, what are you doing with your kids that's making them do that more often? That's a good question. And that's a hard question. Why are there so many more school shootings than we used to have? Well, no, no.

There's more gun violence than we've ever had. That's not true. And the number one gun crime in America is? The number one gun crime in America? Homicide? Suicide? Suicide. It's not even close.

What does that tell you? Well, then the problem isn't just the guns, suicide? Suicide. It's not even close. What does that tell you? Well, then the problem isn't just the guns, right? Now, it is. You're much more likely to commit suicide as a man, certainly, but even as a female, woman, whatever we call it now. If you have a weapon, why? Because it's easier. It's easier. It's literally a one-snap judgment, and your life is gone.

The guns are relevant, but there are other problems that play into our violence. Look, you can't get away from the fact that we have more gun violence than anywhere else in the world because we have more guns. I just don't see that ever not being true. So I think you have to be reasonable

about your expectations. But in terms of what you're teaching the kids, there's a good shot, a chance that you're going to, there's a good shot that you're going to get shot in America. Not like a real chance, meaning that it's 50-50, right? To me, that's when things become real. Is it 50-50? Well, now this is an existential thing for me to think about.

Every time you cross traffic against the light, that's a 50-50 proposition. There's a 50-50 chance you're going to get hit by a car, especially in a big city like New York City. That is nowhere near what the realities of gun violence are. There's no reason to exaggerate the problem. The problem is bad enough on its legitimate face of its statistical and probability outcomes. You're not a gun law away from being safe. Why there are more school shootings? I think there is a copycat issue. I think you do have an issue with kids and understanding that and being comfortable and familiar with it.

But I think that the remedies for this are really unsatisfying. People don't want to talk about violence. They want a law. They want a bad guy. They want to blame. They don't want to talk about what kind of culture we are and what we condone and what we prize and what we reward and what we degrade. We don't want to talk about it. We don't want to talk about how we ignore mental health or how we ignore wellness. Got to get away from mental health because somehow you're already separating it from body health.

And that's the beginning of the block, right? So if I have depression, one, you're like, I can't believe you said that. If I say I have diabetes, you're like, oh, I hope you're managing it because I heard about this new thing and that thing, and you're just going to be fine. You're going to be great. And I say I have depression. You're like, oh God, there's something wrong with this guy. You see what I'm saying? So we have to deal with that because that's what you see at the root of suicidality by weapon is that we're not dealing with the

suicidality and the reasons for it. Why do we want to hurt people so much in this society? Why do we want to hurt people so much in this society? Why do we want to hurt ourselves? Why do we see that as an expression of pain? That's the real conversation to have, but that's not satisfying to you as a voter. So what are we teaching our kids? We're teaching our kids what we show our kids and what we reinforce with our kids. It's as simple as that.

Hey, Chris, my name is Corey. I'm from Charleston County. You know, I was one of those kids born back in the 70s. And I was looking at the situation with all this drug pills and all this stuff that's going on and all that stuff. But back in the 70s, man, everybody were off to college and went to school. Now it's all about black and white. It's never about the situation that needs to be addressed. It's about we giving all our jobs to China. All our jobs to China.

And China in return, China's giving us what? Drugs. Killing off the kids. I would like to have a conversation with you about why America allowed China to dog the American people with the drugs and fentanyl and taking our jobs and we're sourcing it out. And we as the taxpayers got to suffer. You are a beautiful addition to the conversation. And thank you. This is exactly what i was talking about which is that you can disagree with some of the man's arguments his feelings

the basis for the same whether he has proof of the same but i'm talking about politics politics is persuasion politics is about how people feel. Maya Angelou, people will forget what you said, but they won't forget how you made them feel. There's such a truth to that about politics and this idea that politics should be all about the facts. That has never been the case, and not because it's about lying, but it's about promise and reason to believe and aspiration and imagination. So where does that leave us? aspiration and imagination. So where does that leave us? A lot of what was just said is put through the lens of America making its own problems and why we let China. China has been given opportunity by American manufacturers because of advantage, because they make more money by making things there cheaper and without regulation.

That's why they do it. The reason we have lost jobs is not that we've given them jobs. It's that innovation in manufacturing has removed a lot of the need for human capital. And that's the biggest reason. Now, the idea of jobs being shipped overseas is also true. But remember, those are jobs that Americans don't want to do and certainly we have learned won't do for the amount of money that other countries are willing to pay people to do it. Billions of jobs that are open in our country right now. So that's a little bit more of context of why are we in this situation? The question is, who is trying to get us into a better position? And that is what leads to what I believe, my brother, is the real problem, is that we've allowed our politics to become about who is worse and who is to be blamed. And again, Trump is all in on this. He just gave a speech about his response

to being indicted. And all he would say to you is no crime was committed. He could not go through the facts and circumstances of the situation and show that he was being wrongly accused. Why? Because that's not what he's about. He did what he said he did. Should they be prosecuting? Is it worth it? Is it worth all the turmoil? I don't know.

That's a debate. And you have to have feelings about it. And they matter every bit as much as mine, to be sure. Each of us only has one vote. But we have allowed our politics to become this reductive, zero-sum, binary game of who's worse. And that's why we're not in the solution business anymore. Because the problems, having a man like this who is just so upset about things and is very sensitive to people telling him who to blame and why to be angry in the first place. We're not in the solution business. We don't

need to be. The problem is enough to get his vote, to blame somebody else, to exaggerate the problem or manifest the problem and say that it's because of who's in power, so you should go for me. Because they're worse. And I just don't think that that is a recipe for better in any other situation in your life. But we only allow it to apply to our politics and it's got to change and i believe a big part of the change is getting away from the parties hi chris just calling to tell you i love the broomhead interview actually just more the conversation more please i think so many of us are just hungering and thirsting for respectful dialogue so that was great thanks you always say i cherry pick the mean comments so i think are just hungering and thirsting for respectful dialogue.

So that was great. Thanks. You always say I cherry-pick the mean comments. Because you do. Well, this is a more indicative sample of the types of things we get. So then you admit that you avoid the majority, which are neutral to positive, and look for the shitty and negative. Absolutely not. We get a fair mix of both negative and positive on this program.

I like to select ones that I think that you're going to react well to or have a nice discussion on. I think this is a good example of, like, she's complimenting a very specific type of interview that you just did. And I thought you'd like to hear that. Look into the camera. Look at him. Look at me. Look at him. Look at me.

He's lying. What are you talking about? How am I lying? i lying what are you talking i just told you why i picked this that's not a lie i'll play some mean ones if you want oh i know you will that's exactly my point but to the caller did she leave her email and information like that and stuff or should i be asking people to do that you heard the call you heard the call in full okay so. So when the calls come in, you should also leave me your email because at some point, we're going to start putting out stuff for you guys and I want you to be on the list and make it easier.

Now, I have the need to feed your appetite for debate with decency, for conversation. I believe it's the new normal. I believe that the battling boxes of cable TV is done. Everybody knows what they think and how they feel about everything now. You're not going to be coaxed. And I think that's okay. But I do think you should be open. And the way you stay open is by exposing yourself to ideas that you don't own or that you may even oppose. Two reasons. One, you could be wrong.

And two, you should know your enemy. If that's the way you want to play it, and I don't suggest you do. But at a minimum, rhetorically, you should know what underpins the ideas that are in confrontation with your own, in contrast to your own. So thank you very much for liking what we're doing because it's not for everybody. Most people, unfortunately, no, that's not true. Most people are like you, but most people don't pay attention to politics the way people do on the fringes.

And those people do not want what you want. So it's like a balance of how do you build an audience? How do you help? So thank you. Thank you for helping me find my own way. Your phone is in terrible shape. I have to get a new one, but I am in litigation, as you know,

and the phone is material. It looks like you threw it against the wall, like you lost a video game. Let's discuss. It's not like Apple is an advertiser i think that putting any glass type substance on a phone is about as stupid and effing idea as you can have and what do you think is going to happen now what do you have a case for it two points why don't you have a case for it one i did and when it went

past the point of no return when i broke all of these things with the case on it the lenses camera then i was like forget it um two what does it say about your product if it needs a case and it supposedly already has gorilla glass what kind of gorilla? A small, emaciated, non-confrontational? Yeah, like a curious George type ape. Well, a chimp will eat your face. I personally would not want to have my face eaten by a chimp, but that's just me. You personally could not keep the chimp from eating your face. Well, no. That's why I'm saying it'd be a really bad experience for all of us. Maybe not the chimp, though. Does it make you feel less than that a small primate could eat your face?

No, it's like a completely different animal. It was a different set of judgments going on in their brain. But just the fact that you can't dominate. I think you would be torn apart by a chip too. Like, I know you think you're a strong guy, but like, I think you, I think you drop a chip in here. I think we're both toast. Hold on.

A few points. One, I don't think I'm a strong guy. I am demonstrably strong. Okay. Yeah. Compared to a guy like me. One, I don't think I'm a strong guy. I am demonstrably strong. Okay, yeah, compared to a guy like me, yeah, sure. No, no, I'm not making a comparison. Let's go down to the Bronx Zoo. Two, if a chimp were to fall into this room right now, it would absolutely attack you first.

Yeah, sure. Because you are basically food. Yeah, I look like a banana. I got this white skin. It's like you peel back the... I'm going to be okay in that situation just because it's going to have plenty to nosh on when I figure out a banana. I got this white skin. So it's like you peel back the... I'm going to be okay in that situation just because it's going to have plenty to nosh on when I figure out a way to kill it.

Yeah, that chimp is going to be very hungry after it gets the very little meat that is on my bones. I'm spear systeming that chimp into a different reality. Good luck. There is no such thing as luck. And there's also no such thing as me winning a fight with a chimp because they are so strong.

That's what I'm saying. Oh, right. Yeah. See, exactly. You knew I was right. Come on. I mean, I have been with a chimpanzee and not the way you're thinking. And when it held my hand,

the strength that it is immediately communicating to you, even when they hug you and hold on to you, you're like, oh boy, you would be really up against it if you had to fight a chimpanzee. What was my point? That Apple makes glass phones that are too cheap. You call this Gorilla Glass. It is the worst named product ever. It's just so stupid to have glass on these things. People are going to drop them. It happens all the time. I think they do it because you're going to drop them. I believe in planned obsolescence. I believe that they're creating products now where either the software

goes out or you can't get a main module for whatever it needs to do what it does anymore. I think they're doing this to us to keep us buying more and more and newer things. I made an investigation about that on.com and then they fired me. Wow. Why? Too close to the truth? No, I just didn't get along with a couple of guys there. Shocker.

Thank you very much for checking out this special edition of the Chris Cuomo Project. Your comments, your calls. Listen, we don't have to agree on everything. I'm often wrong about things, which is why I'm not trying to beat you over the head with my own opinions. It's about conversation and being critical thinkers. That's what being a free agent is about. So thank you for subscribing, following, and helping make the project better. That's why it's called The Project.

It's about your input and mine. I'll see you on News Nation, eight and 11 o'clock every night Eastern. And I'll see you on NewsNation 8 and 11 o'clock every night Eastern, and I'll see you again here soon.