The Daily Zeitgeist - The Royal Trendenbaums 10/17: Taco Bell, Pepper X, Ethnic Cleansing, Meta, Kevin Spacey

Episode Date: October 17, 2023

In this edition of The Royal Trendenbaums, Jack and Miles discuss QSR's report on the fastest drive-thru wait times, the new Pepper X Hot Sauce, the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza by the Israeli government, Meta creating a new wave of glassholes, and Kevin Spacey's performance at Oxford!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, I'm Gianna Pradenti. And I'm Jermaine Jackson-Gadsden. We're the hosts of Let's Talk Offline from LinkedIn News and iHeart Podcasts. There's a lot to figure out when you're just starting your career. That's where we come in. Think of us as your work besties

you can turn to for advice. And if we don't know the answer, we bring in people who do, like negotiation expert Maury Tahiripour. If you start thinking about negotiations as just a conversation, then I think it sort of eases us a little bit. Listen to Let's Talk Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Jess Costavetto, executive producer of the hit Netflix documentary series, Dancing for the Devil, the 7M TikTok cult. And I'm Clea Gray, former member of 7M Films and Shekinah Church. And we're the host of the new podcast, Forgive Me For I Have Followed. Together, we'll be diving even deeper into the unbelievable stories behind 7M Films and Shekinah Church. Listen to Forgive Me For I Have Followed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Keri Champion, and this is season four of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. Every great player needs a foil. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game.

Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Listen to the making of a rivalry. Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese on the iHeart on the iheart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast presented by capital one founding partner of iheart women's sports hello the internet and welcome to this episode of the royal trendon bombs courtesy of lumber jack uh with a q ah like lumber jock lumber jock Like Slumber Jacques? Slumber Jacques.

Or is it just J-A-Q? Oh, just J-A-Q. Slumber J-A-Q. No, yeah. I know Jacques. I know the word Jacques. I know a Jack. I mean, that's my homegirl, Jacqueline.

Yeah, yeah. But that's why. That's other J-A-Q. Oh, you know Jacqueline? I know Jacqueline. Okay, okay. So shout out to you. Shout out to producer Brian, who, when when we asked do you remember have we done this short show title

muttered none of this matters under his breath true true and that's our daily dose of realism and nihilism we love it I'm Jack that is Miles and I will have the lingonberry pancake

and nothing I am Jack. That is miles. Uh, and I will have the lingonberry pancake and, uh, nothing matters. We believe in nothing. We believe in nothing. So miles USA today, uh, QRS magazine.

In fact, this is, I'm not going to give USA today credit for this. They're just reprinting the great reporting done in QRS magazine. You know, what's so funny, Jack, you were asking what's so funny jack you're asking what's qrs magazine the fucking paper of record usa today had a fucking typo it's qsr

magazine for quick service restaurant they said they had the typo throughout and i was like that's so weird that it's qrs magazine because qsr is a known thing. That's quick service restaurant. Right. An industry term. And USA Today, unaware. It's okay. Saving money on the copy editing. It all happens. It happens to the worst of us. That's right. Anyways, they have a report on what is the fastest fast food chain's drive-thru wait.

Like who's getting you in and out. Who's getting you in and out the drive-thru wait like who's getting you in and out who's getting you in and out the drive-thru uh-huh uh and you'll never guess who's number one baby with a bullet one of our faves oh no really yeah to go bell to cobo oh who'd have thought i mean man the people at my local this shit this shit is coming out yeah even when i do my even when i do the custom shit yeah is there like how far behind are the others there so 278.84 seconds like the the specificity is great. That's what they averaged. They went through loads of drive-thrus. 125 orders completed during breakfast hours, 529 during lunch, 174 during the afternoon,

600 during dinner. And yeah, so they went in. It was from June of last year to July, or June to July of this year. And yeah, so 278.84 seconds to, in second place, Carl's Jr., 303.74 seconds. KFC also at 303 seconds, just right there. And then coming in last, one

does not surprise me, but the second to last does surprise me. All the way back at 436 seconds is Chick-fil-A. Yeah, Chick-fil-A. They're always at the bottom. Of course, they're always at the bottom. I feel like they're doing it willfully. They like having a little line there to show you.

Even though they have so many people out like pre-empting you with the fucking order ipad and shit yeah they uh they they take their sweet ass time um mcdonald's is second to last 413 seconds yeah that surprises me i've had do better i feel like i've had quick maybe i... Maybe I order very standard menu items for McDonald's. No, you don't, Jack. You ask for so many Filet-O-Fish sandwiches or the

breakfast burrito. I've ordered with you. You're always ordering the stuff they don't have ready. Have you had those since you were a kid? No. Like the little breakfast taquitos? Yeah, whatever the fuck. It's like in a pitiful like fajita flour tortilla whatever never i mean why would you get

that at mcdonald's unless they were out of every other breakfast sandwich i think i did it to hurt myself and remind me that there are better things out there than than that but yeah taco bell is fucking killing it yeah like way out front ah well good to know we're on the right side of that one jack 25 seconds out in front of the second place and like a significant like you know almost 200 seconds in front of chick fil a like that's a you... When you're eating at Taco Bell every day like we are, that's a lifetime, man. That adds up.

Imagine if I was doing that in one of these other places, I might not ever be able to see my son grow up. That's right. It probably says something bad about being able to get food out that quickly uh that i'm just not going to try not to think about versions of the great all-knowing bell yeah i'm not i'm not gonna think about that at all um all right uh pepper x marks the spot

as south carolina pepper expert scorches his his own Guinness book heat record. Oh, wow. The guy who made the Carolina Reaper? Yeah. He's gone. This guy is a mad scientist. Isn't he just trying to kill people at this point? Like, how is this okay?

It's also wild that Elon Musk paid him to make this as part of the writing. Is that real? No. I can totally see that. Pepper that is the hottest fucking pepper out there um yeah but this is you know just always pushing the furthest edges of technology i i watched an entire uh episode of a documentary i think we did did we do like a streaming on a stream it was about like uh on netflix right that was about like like sort of really peculiar things to yeah yeah i remember this peculiar contests and one of

them was like people eating the hottest pepper in the world and i just like i have bad memories from watching that just yeah my internal like you, whatever those mirror neurons are in me are too strong. And I just like felt like bad. I felt like physically pained watching these people like harm themselves for no real reward. Right, right, right. Yeah. It bummed me out. Look, I was doing stuff on the internet around the time when eating dumb peppers was like a thing you did for clicks.

Yeah. And yeah, I mean, shit, I've I've had like the fourth hottest one. And that was like enough to just like fucking bend me, like just fucking make my stomach cave in although i did read up before i ate a lot of bananas because i was reading from like competitive eaters whenever they do like eating super spicy stuff to protect their stomachs first they eat a lot of bananas because the potassium helps like make things less fucked up for your for your tum tum and because it's like a slimy food that coats your belly yeah and just to look at the scoville units this shit, right? Like fucking a Habanero is around a hundred thousand Scoville units. The one that he did last time, the Carolina Reaper, 1.64 million units. Right.

Just so you know. That was plenty, by the way. Police pepper spray has 1.6 million Scoville units. Fucking bear spray has 2.2 million units. The fucking pepper X 2.2 million units the fucking pepper x 2.69 million units so it's it's spicier than bear spray yeah it was so uh one person who is the one of five people who have successfully eaten one of these and i use successfully very loosely yeah what does that mean ed curry who is the hot pepper expert who bred the carolina reaper and who made pepper x is the hot pepper expert who

bred the Carolina Reaper and who made Pepper X is one of five people who did it and this is his description of the experience I was feeling the heat for three and a half hours then the cramps came those cramps are horrible I was laid out flat on a marble wall

for approximately an hour in the rain groaning in pain apparently he was laid out flat on a marble wall so like it gives you spider man powers which is crazy but I love that this is this is his work

and this is like a brag this is him flexing on people oh yeah it ruined my life that's how good it is that's how impressive my work is it ruined everything um and he's a real he's a real marketing genius his company's called pucker butt truly genius a visionary a visionary yeah the horrifying details from the ground in g Gaza continue to come in. Yeah. The body count that is being reported of Palestinian children is, you know, far outnumbering estimates from the Hamas attack.

But the outrage seems to be, you know, it's just what we've talked about before. It just seems to be like discounting going on of human lives. Well, and it's also fucked up that we're reduced to what the, what the body count is to be like, okay, are we done now? Like,

can that be it? Uh, but we aren't. And then we're also just seeing like, again, like the disparity and how it's being reported just continues to be fucking awful. Like you have,

you know, some outlets being like uh you know the israel israel strikes a hospital like with many dead and then you have other ones that are just kind of obscuring anything using passive voice and just wanting you to make it feel like oh yeah that place kind of like blew up i guess right um or like this is crazy over there like local news is like what like the headline would be like israel denies bombing a hospital yeah yeah um al jazeera has you know says an israeli airstrike has hit uh a hospital in gaza city but ktla and like other like u.s

outlets mainstream outlets are like uh israel denies this. Israel is going to take, take a beat on this. Um, but it's just, I mean like now, like CNN now actually has something more than 500. I mean, God,

I can't even like read these that again, we're Joe Biden needs to, this is very important for Joe Biden. He's going to be in Israel tomorrow. And many people are wondering what he is going to do and say i'd imagine the optics are going to be like we stand by this country but that sort of like like we'll always stand by israel kind of rhetoric has given the the government their uh license to do fucking anything it feels like so i'm very curious how he navigates this, because there's no way he doesn't see the amount of protests that are happening right now all over the United States and the world and not and not think that that may factor into what is going to happen in November of 2024.

But I also wouldn't put it past him to just be like, well, if we just have the media drown out any voices of dissent, then we can manufacture the needed consent to go through with something like this to support something like this. And maybe it'll just be a fraction of people. But it's like it's like as people, I think a lot of us feel like we see the way the world has been working for the last century, and we're like, this is actually all fucked up. Everything we have is built on a pile of bodies where we don't fucking give what's due to working people. Everything's all over the place. But the leaders of the modern world are still very much caught in this old century way of looking at things. And're you're starting to see like how the how that friction is manifesting more and more but it seems like they have no interest in it and like addressing it in any meaningful way so yeah i don't know i would hope that he would say

something to you know at let that bare minimum have a ceasefire yes let alone moving on to the next part of like what occupying gaza looks like and in the west bank but yeah one horrific step at a time it seems well you know we just are keep just a non-stop onslaught of like really really tragic headlines yeah all right uh let's take a quick break and we'll be right back. Hey, I'm Gianna Pradente. And I'm Jemay Jackson-Gadsden. We're the hosts of Let's Talk Offline, a new podcast from LinkedIn News and iHeart Podcasts. When you're just starting out in your career, you have a lot of questions.

Like, how do I speak up when I'm feeling overwhelmed? Or can I negotiate a higher salary if this is my first real job? Girl, yes. Each week, we answer your unfiltered work questions. Think of us as your work besties you can turn to for advice. And if we don't know the answer, we bring in experts who do,

like resume specialist Morgan Saner. The only difference between the person who doesn't get the job and the person who gets the job is usually who applies. Yeah, I think a lot about that quote. What is it like you miss 100% of the shots you never take? Yeah, rejection is scary, but it's better than you rejecting yourself. Together, we'll share what it really takes to thrive in the early years of your career without sacrificing your sanity or sleep. Listen to Let's Talk Offline on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jess Costavetto, executive producer of the hit Netflix documentary series Dancing for the Devil, the 7M TikTok cult. And I'm Clea Gray, former member of 7M Films and Shekinah Church. And we're the host of the new podcast, Forgive Me For I Have Followed. Together, we'll be diving even deeper into the unbelievable stories behind 7M Films and LA-based Shekinah Church, an alleged cult that has impacted members for over two decades. Jessica and I will delve into the hidden truths between high control groups and interview dancers, church members,

and others whose lives and careers have been impacted, just like mine. Through powerful, in-depth interviews with former members and new, chilling firsthand accounts, the series will illuminate untold and extremely necessary perspectives. Forgive Me For I Have Followed will be more than an exploration. It's a vital revelation aimed at ensuring these types of abuses never happen again. Listen to Forgive Me For I Have Followed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Keri Champion, and this is Season 4 of Naked Sports, where we live at the intersection of sports and culture. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry,

Kaitlyn Clark versus Angel Reese. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Every great player needs a foil. I ain't really near them boys. I just come here to play basketball every single day, and that's what I focus on. From college to the pros, Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Angel Reese is a joy to watch.

She is unapologetically black. I love her. What exactly ignited this fire? Why has it been so good for the game? is a joy to watch. She is unapologetically black. I love her. What exactly ignited this fire? Why has it been so good for the game? And can the fanfare surrounding these two supernovas be sustained? This game is only going to get better because the talent is getting better. This new season will cover all things sports and culture. Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network,

iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. culture listen to naked sports on the black effect podcast network iheart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast the black effect podcast network is sponsored by diet coke and we're back we're back and um people are walking into public places wearing like meta headsets essentially which this is different from the google glasses because they are full-on virtual reality headsets yeah um the thing that they're carrying in is i don't know it's like augmented reality where it looks like they're just holding inside the augmented reality like they reality where it looks like they're just holding inside the augmented reality like they've imaginatively made it so you're holding an ipad like it doesn't the heads-up display is like still on an ipad that you're holding

in your hand for some reason um but i don't know i don't know man I don't know, man. Just don't whatever, you know, get, get your, get your fucking wallet taken out of your pocket. Cause you're too busy with your fucking goggles on. I, I,

I thought this was talking about those sunglasses that had the cameras built in, but I didn't know people were talking about full on full on VR headsets. Yeah. Just being like, this is the future guys. Um, look like shit.

Uh, but, well, yeah, I don't know. Fucking bummer. Um, it truly is the, the Apple one.

Like I feel like is when we're going to really start seeing it. Um, if they ever get that product off the ground. Because it's got like brand prestige for consumers. You know, I'm not out here with some meta quest. I'm out here with my $5,000 or whatever the fuck it costs thing. It's wild. I mean, again, I'm not going to lie.

I do want to see what it's like to watch a movie on those goggles just to see what that's like uh but other than that i can't there's no way i could ever wear that in public like a your part of me is like i remember being a kid and i got these when i was running track in high school i got these noose track spikes that was so proud of and i fucking like i was kind of being flashy with them at a meet somebody straight up took fucking jack that shit when i was off your feet oh no no i had them off like after a race and i had like and i had my back turned and somebody came through and nicked them and ever since then i'm like you know what you don't really need to be out here flashing shit yeah you know what i mean and then with this like most def says mr fashion that style never lasts long the harder you flash harder you get

flashed on there it is all right is there a more terrifying sentence in the english language than kevin spacey made a surprise appearance no uh he just showed up at an oxford lecture yeah and received a standing ovation. I saw the headline that was Kevin Spacey received standing ovation at Oxford University on lecture about cancel culture. Yeah. So it was writer and free speech advocate

Douglas Murray, who was giving a speech all about the evils of cancel culture. And Kevin Spacey came out and did a five-minute scene frompeare's timon of athens um sadly zero scenes from barry sonnenfeld's nine lives unfortunately which we talked talked about recently uh how that career went out how barry sonnenfeld's career ended as a feature filmmaker um but yeah the lecture i don't know it this this seems to be i think we're

seeing it also with gaza where you know the old heads at ivy league schools are like these these damn children with their yeah or like the wall street journal had that op-ed that was like don't hire my students because they criticized Israel. Um, and I don't, I don't know like all the details of like what the student groups are saying. Yeah. But it's interesting to use your power to be like,

I'm going to pen an op-ed to blunt the future of these people anyway. But it's like, who are the people even fucking throwing this? Like, obviously it can't be like a group of upstanding people. If you're like, and here to do a fucking monologue is kevin spacey y'all let's give it up the lecture was actually a memory of uh the late philosopher sir roger scutton um who they believe uh the organizers of the lecture is a victim of cancel culture um because he was fired from his role

as a government housing advisor in 2019 merely for spreading anti-semitic conspiracy theories oh he also uh also yeah he's he covered a lot of ground here actually he also claimed that islamophobia had been invented by the muslim brotherhood in order to stop discussion of a major issue so he he was, you know, he was all, you know, covered a lot of ground. And, you know, these people were just, Kevin Spacey and his friends at Oxford were just impressed by his ability to, you know. It's a shame. Be a piece of shit. Sir Roger Scruton could have had a heck of a career working for the U.S. government.

That's right. Well. could have had a heck of a career working for the US government but anyways according to the lecture the play Timon of Athens is about a guy who is generous to all but when he falls on hard times everybody

deserts him which doesn't seem like it's exactly the same as Kevin Spacey's situation in that play Timon is generous and gives away all his money to his friends and when he's broke none of them will help him uh which i don't know that feels like slightly different i can't put my finger on like how it's different from the racist philosopher or from

sexual predator kevin spacey but right right It's just like something different. Yeah. I'm glad they found their king, I guess, at Oxford. Well, there's all kinds of cool stuff happening around the world. That's right. Well, that is going to

do it for us this Tuesday, October 17th. We are back tomorrow with a whole ass episode of the show. Until then, be kind to each other. Be kind to yourselves. Get the vaccine. Don't do nothing about white supremacy. And we will talk to you all tomorrow. Bye. Bye. Hey, I'm Gianna Pradenti. And I'm Jermaine Jackson-Gadsden. We're the hosts of Let's Talk Offline from LinkedIn News and iHeart Podcasts. There's a lot to figure out when you're just starting your career.

That's where we come in. Think of us as your work besties you can turn to for advice. And if we don't know the answer, we bring in people who do, like negotiation expert Maury Tahiripour. If you start thinking about negotiations as just a conversation, then I think it sort of eases us a little bit. Listen to Let's Talk Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jess Casavetto, executive producer of the hit Netflix documentary series, Dancing for the Devil, the 7M TikTok cult. And I'm Clea

Gray, former member of 7M Films and Shekinah Church. And we're the host of the new podcast, Forgive Me For I Have Followed. Together, we'll be diving even deeper into the unbelievable stories behind 7M Films and Shekinah Church. Listen to Forgive Me For I Have Followed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Keri Champion, and this is season four of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry, Caitlin Clark versus Angel Reese. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's basketball. And on this new season, we'll cover all things sports and culture.

Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio apps, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke.