The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 5.22 American Airlines Blamed 9-Year-Old Girl For Being Filmed in Plane Bathroom, & Today's News

Episode Date: May 22, 2024

Get 15% off your first order + Free T-Shirt and Shaker at https://huel.com and use code Phil15 Go to http://meundies.com/defranco to get 20% off your first order and free shipping. Use code “PHIL” for $20 OFF your first SeatGeek order & returning buyers use code “PDS” for $10 off AND your chance at weekly $500 prizes! https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/PHIL  Daily Dip newsletter subscribers can win up to $1,000 in SeatGeek credit so make sure you’re subscribed: https://www.dailydip.co/ ==== ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩- – 00:00 - American Airlines Blames 9yo for Not Spotting Camera Employee Taped to Toilet  02:59 - Coffeezilla Accuses Rabbit AI of Being Founded on Crypto NFT Scam 07:25 - Try Guys Launch Streaming Service, Eugene Leaving 10:40 - Sponsored by Huel 11:47 - Tennessee to Offer 100 Diapers Per Month to Families Under Medicaid 13:54 - Louisiana Set to Classify Abortion Pills as a Controlled Dangerous Substance 16:14 - Three European Countries Recognize Palestine as a State 19:08 - Sponsored by MeUndies 20:22 - Video Games Make Us Violent? Experts Say Benefits Outweigh the Few Drawbacks 25:45 - Comment Commentary  ——————————   Produced by: Cory Ray Edited by: James Girardier, Maxwell Enright, Julie Goldberg, Christian Meeks, Matthew Henry Art Department: William Crespo Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Brian Espinoza, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Chris Tolve, Jared Paolino Associate Producer on Video Games: Brian Espinoza  ———————————— #DeFranco #TryGuys #Coffeezilla ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sup, you beautiful bastards! Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show, your daily dive into the news. I hope you're having a good, what, Wednesday evening, Thursday morning. We've got a lot to talk about on today's extra, extra large show, so hit that like button to train YouTube to let it know you like these big daily dives into the news, and let's jump into it. Starting with, I want you to rate the following sentence on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being a mild and acceptable statement, and 10 being the most batshit crazy thing you've ever heard. Here we go. If one of my employees secretly films you on the toilet, that's your fault, you negligent child. That's a two, right? You're like, yeah, makes sense.

Not in any way. Completely disconnected from reality, right? And understand, we are not talking about a hypothetical. This is the actual insane legal defense that American Airlines just concocted in this case from back in September. I'll explain, or I'll try to. So on this Boston-bound flight, you had a 14-year-old girl having to use the bathroom. So one of the flight attendants, Estes Carter Thompson III, seemingly does something kind for her purely out of the goodness of his heart. He says, oh, no, no, no, little girl, don't use the coach bathroom. Come use the first class one instead. With him even escorting her there, though, before he let her in, he

reportedly had to go in himself to wash his hands and told her that the toilet seat was broken. And so after he leaves, she enters. She does her business and then noticed something that was very, very off. Tape to the underside of the toilet lid with red seat broken stickers is an iPhone with a recording light on. And y'all, I am not kidding. This, it's so obvious. You can see it right here if you don't believe me. And so the girl whips out her own phone, snaps a pic of this just pervy, MacGyvered, Mission Impossible level setup. And so by the time that the plane landed,

police were actually at the gate ready to arrest the flight attendant, with investigators allegedly also finding videos on his phone of four other girls aged seven, nine, 11, and 14. But then that's not even the craziest part because that nine-year-old girl's family, they sue both Thompson and American Airlines,

with the company then rolling out the most outrageous defense I've ever fucking heard, arguing that the harmyear-old girl's family, they sue both Thompson and American Airlines. With the company then rolling out the most outrageous defense I've ever fucking heard. Arguing that the harm caused to the girl was, quote, approximately caused by her own faults and negligence. Right? And blaming her for using the, quote, compromised lavatory, which she knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device. And so naturally, the reaction to this has been a mixture of fury and bewilderment.

Right? You have the girl's mother telling the Boston Herald, how in good conscience could they even make such a suggestion? It both shocks and angers us. American Airlines has no shame. And their lawyer telling WCVB Channel 5, if really are they going to stand up in front of a Texas jury and point to a nine-year-old and say, don't blame us, it's her fault. But for now, we're going to have to wait to see where this case goes, if American Airlines sticks with this defense. And hopefully, in the meantime, Estes Carter Thompson III has himself a little accident. But notably, even if that doesn't happen, he is facing years and years in prison. Though actually, at last second update to this story,

we were finishing up, American Airlines is now trying to walk back their statement, with Boston.com saying that the company told them they found an error in the filing made by its outside legal counsel, and saying that this company told them they found an error in the filing made by its outside legal counsel. And saying that this defense does not represent its stance and has directed that it be amended. Or seemingly they saw how the situation was growing and saw which way the wind was blowing. With all that said, I gotta pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts here? Because I don't know.

Personally, that is such a big thing to overlook. And then, in big tech news, Rabbit AI, it turns out, has much bigger problems than MKBHD. Because the last time we talked about this company was because MKBHD called their R1 AI barely reviewable. Without creating this whole debate online for a while about negative reviews and, you know, is MKBHD a bad actor? Which, just to make clear, he's not. He's reviewing. He's giving his opinion. That's what people want. But, unfortunately for Rabbit AI, they are also on the radar of another huge creator by the name of CoffeeZilla. With him now putting out a video saying

not only is the R1 flawed, but also alleging that it was built on a scam and shows a pattern of Rabbit failing to deliver on its pie-in-the-sky promises. Because before it was called Rabbit, Coffee claims that the company was originally called Cyber Manufacture Co. With that name change actually only happening

two months before its official announcement. And it turns out that name change is pretty significant because Cyber Manufacture Co. wasn't just like a shell company or the same company under a different name. They had separately raised venture capital for a completely different project, not AI. It was for NFTs.

So the NFT project was called Gamma, with Coffey noting that this was back in 2021 when NFTs were all the rage, with Gamma raising about $6 million. And Coffey going on to say that this whole endeavor is especially shocking to look into because in 2024, the company CEO, Jesse, said that they would never touch crypto, never. And so when Gamma comes up, Jesse boils it down to a little COVID project that he did once. Saying, you know, NFTs were released, he bought some himself, but he left the project once it was open sourced. Looking into all of that, Coffey claims that Jesse actually made massive promises with Gamma, like promises of a Gammaverse and plans to launch the first carbon neutral or negative cryptocurrency. These crypto coins or tokens, they weren't released and Coffey

claimed that the $6 million raised for the NFT project, it's just unclear if it went to rabbit somewhere else or who knows. But he did say that all these issues tie back to the R1 device. This project is built on the skeleton of that scam project. It's also because the R1 was overhyped in a similar way as a do it all device. But this same company isn't some history lists company. They have a history of abandoning investors like they did with Gamma NFTs. Alleging that there is a pattern here because some of the Gamma promises were just huge. Like his carbon neutral crypto idea then turned into this plan where the NFTs would create a clean energy grid that people could then co-own that would produce coins. There were hopes for storefronts, comic books, brain logic controlled tools. It all kind of sounding insane.

But Coffey also argued it's important to listen to this because the same CEO is trying to sell us the future of AI. Look, I'm not here to stump for the big wig venture capitalists who lost their faces on this. At the end of the day, these are both consumer-facing businesses. They got real people to invest real money into both the $200 Rabbit R1 and into this Gamma NFT project. Both are overhyped. One just already didn't deliver what they promised, while the other is working on fixing it. With coffee going on to say that Gamma NFT owners should get their money returned, estimating about a million dollars worth of refunds and claiming that Jesse previously suggested this before. But also, notably for its part, the Rabbit team has responded to Coffey, saying there's no way to actually refund an NFT

unless the owner agrees to burn the tokens on the blockchain. Also saying we don't agree with calling the Gamma project abandoned when it was open sourced and given back to the community in alignment with community feedback. Also further accusing him of taking Jesse's comments out of context and claiming that the $6 million in venture funding raised for Gamma was only used for the Gamma project. And with that, saying that they delivered on their promises by creating and selling NFTs, establishing an IP studio,

and creating a sort of metaverse and open sourcing that project. With Coffey saying that the Rabbit team also denied Gamma ever promising a carbon negative coin, that it was just an idea. But Coffey maintains that they did promises and they just failed to deliver, even pointing to a video that they once released that said, Ultimately, our efforts will lead to the Gamma Token, the first ever carbon negative cryptocurrency

powered by our sun. Together, we will create a sustainable future for all life on the planet we call home. Join the discord today. They're saying, sure, they did deliver some other things, but they weren't what they initially said they would do, nor were they nearly as big as their promises, especially when it comes to the carbon negative coin, with Coffey ultimately saying that he'll leave it to the viewer to decide who to believe here. Though notably, it also seems like this might just be the start of his efforts looking into Rabbit, because last week he tweeted asking former or current employees of the company to message him.

So we'll have to wait to see if anything comes from this. And in the meantime, I'd love to know your thoughts. And then in huge internet news, let's talk about the Try Guys. Because they just announced what every fandom loves to hear, change. Fans love change. Everyone knows that. I'm kidding. But so far, we are actually seeing a very overwhelmingly positive response, which you might not think would happen after, you know, that whole Watcher debacle. But so far, varying levels of positive for each of the announcements. With the Furs being that they're launching their own streaming service.

With Zach telling Rolling Stone, "'We're at a point where we find that our taste "'in our audience's taste is at odds "'with what algorithms, specifically "'the YouTube algorithm, rewards.'" And they elaborated on that in a video that they put out today, noting that YouTube is changing, which is fine.

But because the algorithm doesn't always favor what their viewers want. These are all layers that separate us and you. So moving forward, we're at a crossroads, right? We have two options. We can be successful on YouTube by making stuff that we and you guys don't truly love, or... We can slowly fade away into irrelevancy,

making cool shit that the algorithm doesn't care about. Right, so they decided to pave a new road, which is why they announced their ad-free subscription streaming service, which is called Second Try. It's available worldwide, your phone, TV, other devices, but also notably with this saying they're not leaving YouTube.

And if YouTube is still the best way for you to watch us, we get it, so all the shows you're used to seeing here will still be here. All of our shows will still be here, sometimes a little later, sometimes a lot later. But on second try, you're going to get early access to old favorites. Uncensored content that YouTube won't allow. Exclusive news stuff just for you. They'll have new content on their service as well as content that they greenlight from other creators. And it'll cost $4.99 monthly, or you get a discount when you sign up for a year. And also

with all of this, there's the announcement that they're expanding their cast, which is then connected to the announcement I was most interested to see the reaction to sign up for a year. And also with all of this, there's the announcement that they're expanding their cast, which is then connected to the announcement I was most interested to see the reaction to, and that is Eugene. And with that, they told Rolling Stone that this upcoming season will be his last as he goes on to pursue other creative endeavors. And Eugene, for his part,

said he's so proud of what the Try Guys have become and saying more answers regarding his future involvement are coming tomorrow. And so with all that, there's a question of, well, why is this being received so positively compared to Watcher? Especially as people are actively making comparisons. And while going through the reactions or looking at the likes to dislikes, not everyone is fully on board. You see a number of people

saying, you know, the service rollout from the Try Guys sounds a lot stronger and better for fans than what Watcher initially talked about. Top comments on the announcement saying things like, this was much better done than the Watchers who made their sad couch video like a boo-hoo or poor moment. Instead of, hey, we want to make stuff that YouTube thinks is a sin. Do you want to watch it? Plus, they're looping their ticketed live shows into it as well, which is a nice perk for people who already pay for those, as well as this is strong dropout vibes, meaning they seem to be taking a page from the dropout playbook. No restraints placed on them by corporations, company, create the content they want, not be stymied by the unreasonable, unfair and inconsistent rulings of YouTube on what is

and isn't allowed in a video, hiring, collaborating with friends, and other personalities. And regarding Eugene, one of the top comments saying, at least it's official. I feel like we've been getting ghosted for two years. This feels like finally breaking up officially. The final thing I will say here is I wonder how many groups and creators out there saw the whole Watcher debacle and since then have had to go back and rework their similar announcements to off-platform subscriptions. Because make no mistake, the Try Guys are not going to be the last ones to do this. And if anything, it feels like a small part of a much bigger trend. And it's yet another example of sometimes it's not best to be the first one

through the door or the first one through the door in a while. And then we'll get back to the news in a second. But I got to say, I don't always have time for breakfast, lunch, a snack in the morning. You know, I've got too much going on, but today's sponsor, Huel, they're here to help because Huel is no prep meals that don't compromise your health. You know, Huel is ideal for me when I'm pressured for time, I'm on the go, I'm in a rush or just away from the kitchen. I just shake with cold water and I have a convenient and nourishing meal in seconds. Personally, I love Huel's black edition. I personally think, I think I'm the first person to say this, that once you go black, you just won't go back. You know, it's a low-carb, high-protein powder meal with 40 grams of protein plus 27 essential vitamins and minerals.

It's plant-based, gluten-free, and has no artificial sweeteners. Plus, they've got tons of great flavors, though. I love chocolate the best. You know, Huel products, they're designed by nutritionists and dieticians to give your body everything it needs from a healthy meal in an extremely easy and convenient way. In short, the headline is you get a high quality nutritious breakfast or lunch for just $2.50 a meal. So if you want to save money, save time, and eat healthy, click the link in the description and use code PHIL15 for 15% off your first Huel order, plus a free t-shirt and shaker, which is a $40 value. That's code PHIL15 for 15% off your first order. Link in the description. Because having a busy life shouldn't stop you

from eating healthy. So check out Huel today. And then let's talk about the tale of two states and what they're doing regarding children. And you'll notice one is much more controversial than the other, though we're gonna start with the less controversial one. And that's because Tennessee is about to become

the first state in the nation to give families free diapers under Medicaid. So starting in August, parents will be able to go up to the pharmacy and grab up to 100 diapers per month, totally free of charge for children under two years old. Though I will say, for those of you that haven't had children or you've never really been around babies, while that sounds like a lot, it's also not a ton. Babies under two years old, they're essentially 24-7 pissing, shitting, eating machines. In fact,

I looked into this. On average, they'll use as many as 300 diapers per month. While very beneficial, this program will actually only cover about a third of that. As they become toddlers, that number drops to around 150, which is also why Tennessee diaper banks hand out millions of diapers each year. And even with that, they can't keep up with the rising demand, especially as the cost has shot up since the pandemic, with families being seen spending over $1,000 on them over the year. And I mean, that's just for one kid. So you have the National Diaper Bank Network saying that nearly 47% of American families struggle to afford diapers in 2023. So what we actually often see is that because of that financial stress, parents will try to save money by conserving their supplies, which you know can mean leaving their baby in the same diaper for as

long as possible, sometimes a full day or even longer. I mean, that's just the setup for rashes, UTIs, fevers, blisters, boils. Also, there's things that you might not think about, like if you can't supply a full day's worth of diapers, most daycare centers won't let you in, which in those situations means that a parent, all of a sudden, they're gonna have to miss work, which only squeezes finances even more. And so that said, even if it is only a partial fix, Tennessee's new program could make a huge difference

for poor families. And actually, as a kind of cherry on top here, the state also lowered the bar for Medicaid eligibility by tying it to the federal poverty line. So whereas before, a parent in a household of three couldn't earn more than $1,600 a month, now they can still make up to $2,000 and still qualify for the diapers and other benefits. With Republican Governor Bill Lee, who touted the diaper program as a pro-life, pro-family measure, saying he hopes that it'll provide a model for other states to follow. Whereas more liberal

advocates hope a model for the federal government. Because right now there is no federal program, not even SNAP covers diapers. And even if there was, you know, that's only one expense. It doesn't include formula, clothing, wipes, medicine, daycare, probably other stuff that I'm also forgetting right now. But progress is progress, and it should be celebrated. Though, you know, not every change is a good one. Like I said, this is a tale of two states, and the second state is Louisiana. Louisiana is in the news because they're about to become the first ever state to classify abortion pills as controlled dangerous substances, and with that, punish illegal possession of it accordingly. Because we just saw their state house pass a bill that would

classify both pills taken on the two-step medication abortion procedure as Schedule 4 drugs, which puts them in the same category as opioids, narcotics, and other highly addictive drugs. And under the legislation, anyone outside the medical profession possessing these drugs without a valid prescription could be charged with a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and fines of up to $5,000. Though pregnant people who possess the drugs for their own consumption would be exempt and doctors can still prescribe it. But also very notably here, both medication and surgical abortions are already banned in Louisiana with limited exceptions to save a patient's life or when a fetus can't survive, but not for things like rape or incest. You know, doctors are already

banned from prescribing abortion pills to end pregnancies in almost all cases, but they can prescribe it for other critical uses. Because something you might not know, I just learned it today too, is that one of the two drugs used for abortions actually has a lot of other important purposes. It can prevent gastrointestinal ulcers, aid in labor and delivery, and stop excessive bleeding after a miscarriage or childbirth. Which is also why you have tons of doctors and medical professionals pushing back against this bill, arguing that it's just going to delay care for patients in need and increase fear among pharmacists that they will be prosecuted for filling these prescriptions. And this is you also have other experts condemning the proposal as unscientific,

saying abortion pills are just not addictive drugs that people use to get high like other Schedule IV substances. And with this, arguing that the move goes against scheduling guidelines that are meant to classify drugs by weighing their potential for misuse and danger with their medical benefits. And then even beyond that, many have also raised questions about how this law would be enforced.

With Dan Sussman, for example, Senior Vice President of the advocacy group Pregnancy Justice, telling the Washington Post, how will prosecutors determine whether this is for one's own use or not? Will they perform pregnancy tests? It's creating this idea of a surveillance state for pregnancy that feels quite dystopian. But as far as what happens next, you know, the bill is having

to head back to the Senate for final approval. And that, because the provision classifying abortion pills as dangerous drugs was an amendment to another bill that initially aimed to make it illegal to give a pregnant woman an abortion pill without their consent. But it is expected to get the votes, and it will then go to a Republican governor who is expected to sign it. But also, while we talk about a tale of two states, I mean, this legislation is super significant because it could reach way beyond Louisiana. Because Louisiana, they would just be the first state to take this step, with experts saying this will effectively create a roadmap for other states to follow suit. And then, it is yet another day, so let's talk about more Israel and Palestine updates. Starting with yesterday,

you know, I mentioned that the UN had suspended relief efforts in Gaza due to a lack of supplies, something that Israel claims is because Hamas steal supplies, though the US doubts that. We now have an update on that after the Pentagon said that it believes that no aid from the American-made peer actually has made it to the wider populace. Saying this is due to a few factors, including that the several trucks have been intercepted. However, they didn't say that it was Hamas, and outlets have said that it was just several desperate individuals. Regardless of the who and the why, the US is saying that they're working with Israel and the U.N. to make new routes if the aid is actually making its way to those who need it. Then there's the update with the situation with the Associated Press. Because right after yesterday's show went out, Israel ended up reversing its decision and

returned the outlet's equipment as well as let the live stream go back up. Though there is a bit of an asterisk there, as the communication minister said that the country still reserved the right to use the law on anyone providing Al Jazeera live feeds. But then that brings us to the news today that Spain, Norway, and Ireland decided to recognize Palestine as a state, starting next week on May 28th, with Slovenia expected to follow shortly afterwards. Which notably means that they'll be joining the nearly 140 countries worldwide that recognize Palestine, which is more than two-thirds of the UN. And while this move doesn't mean that they're also unrecognizing Israel, that hasn't made Israel any less unhappy. With them summoning envoys from all three to accuse them of rewarding Hamas for the October

7th attack. With Israeli Foreign Minister Katz adding, I am sending a clear message today. Israel will not hold back against those who undermine its sovereignty and endanger its security. After the terrorist organization Hamas carried out the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, after it committed the most horrific sex crimes the world has seen, these countries chose to give a reward to Hamas and Iran and recognize a Palestinian state. Israel has also decided to recall their ambassadors from all three countries, which just kind of further adds to the increasingly international isolation the country has been facing. However, this is also happening as the countries who made this decision wanted to make it clear that this was not an anti-Israel move, with Spain's prime minister

saying this recognition is not against anyone. It is not against the Israeli people. It is an act in favor of peace, justice, and moral consistency. While this act is really seen as more symbolic right now, and it won't really change how they interact with Palestine, you do have some saying that it does add pressure onto Israel to seriously try to negotiate a two-state solution. Many Israelis are actually open to the idea, although Netanyahu is not, especially if Hamas is still around. With his coalition arguing that for as long as that group is still around, it stands a chance of taking over Palestine, which would then pose an existential threat to Israel. And then on the Palestinian side, there's also a split. The group that controls the West Bank is open to a two-state solution, and both it and Israel were seriously negotiating this back in the early 2000s before negotiations broke down. And of course, so much has happened since then.

Many people pointing to things like Netanyahu's support of Israeli settlements within the West Bank that erode Palestinian territorial claims. And then of course, there's Hamas, which historically opposed recognizing Israel. Though their tune also seems to be changing, at least publicly, because of this war, with them saying that they're possibly open to the idea of a two-state solution that uses the 1967 borders. Like with every aspect of this story, and really any piece of news, words are words, actions are actions. And for now, we're going to have to wait to see how things actually play out on the ground. And then most of the year, fancy underwear technology, it might sound unnecessary, breathable, quick, dry, moisture, wicking, anti-odor, overkill. But then summer hits.

Suddenly steaming beads of sweater forming slimy pools and places they shouldn't, or at least you don't want. Suddenly breathable, quick, dry, moisture-wicking, and anti-odor, they're sounding pretty damn essential. Main point being, summer is coming and you need to be prepared like me with the sponsor of the PDS, MeUndies. Because MeUndies has breathable cuts for everyone this summer. Their signature super soft micromodal fabric is breathable, stretchy, and oh so comfy, making it ideal for all-day wear. And you need something even more breathable and summer-proof? Check out the Move Me line with Breathe Fabric, which is moisture-wicking and anti-odor technology perfect for working out or just keeping you extra cool

on those sweltering days. Like they are my go-to underwear for hikes. Plus, MeUndies has a cut for every butt with over 20 different styles and 100 different colors and prints. You know, I love them for a lot of reasons, but really it's because they're so comfortable and so durable.

And if you're not happy with your first pair of undies, it's on MeUndies. And I also think that it's important to point out that they use sustainably sourced materials and they work with partners that care for their workers. The main thing, summer is coming. So be prepared with MeUndies. And get 20% off your first order plus free shipping at MeUndies.com slash DeFranco. That's MeUndies.com slash DeFranco for 20% off plus free shipping.

MeUndies, comfort from the outside in. And then video games are making you violent. We've all heard someone say that and outside of playing League or Call of Duty or Dota, we all know that's not true. Please send your thoughts and prayers to the controllers and keyboards I've destroyed in the past. But joking aside, you know, there is a long-standing history of people blaming video games anytime something bad happens, especially when there are things like school shootings. When does fast grocery delivery through Instacart matter most? When your famous grainy mustard potato salad isn't so famous without the grainy mustard. When the barbecue's lit, but there's nothing to grill.

When the in-laws decide that, actually, they will stay for dinner. Instacart has all your groceries covered this summer. So download the app and get delivery in as fast as 60 minutes. Plus, enjoy $0 delivery fees on your first three orders. Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart. Groceries that over-deliver. We must stop the glorification of violence in our society. We have to do something about it.

This includes the gruesome... The reality is that after nearly two decades of study, we know that the benefits of gaming heavily outweighs the cons. And then even in the cases where there are downsides, it's nowhere near what critics claim. With now the most recent work on this coming from the Pew Research Center, which surveyed nearly 1,500 teens across the US. And according to them, video games have been a huge boon when it comes to things like problem solving, with 56% saying that gaming improved that aspect of their lives compared to just 3%, saying that it made it worse. Then, you know, there were friendships and the ability to work

as a team with 47 and 41% saying that gaming improved those things with just 4% saying that it made those worse. And I would guess those 4% are in your lobbies running down mid. Yes, I'm making references that only 7% of you are going to get. But also with this, you know, someone could argue, hey, that's just a survey. We need studies. And fortunately, there are actually a ton of those. Because, you know, gaming has now been around for decades. We're getting old. And so we can see not only how it affects kids and teens, but how it has affected adults, right? They've spent a lifetime of gaming. And overall, the conclusion has been that recent research has shown that as video games have become more popular, children in the United States and

Europe are having fewer behavior problems, are less violent, and score better on standardized tests. Violent video games have not created the generation of problem youth so often feared, according to Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson of Texas A&M International University. And looking deeper, one study in 2021 looked at how video games affected kids between the ages of four and seven. And they're finding that there is a significant positive association between time spent playing recreational video games and selective attention. Right, and honing selective attention skills is actually really useful. You know, it's the ability to focus on a single thing and ignore distractions, which is a skill that could arguably be transferred

over later in life to study for more effective periods of time and not just my son not listening to me when I say dinner's ready. But also, this same group also gets massive benefits from gaming in a clinical setting. And I know that may sound weird, but there are games meant to help people manage pain

or prevent asthma attacks, and they work shockingly well. Gaming's also been shown to improve brain plasticity, which is a fancy way of saying your ability to change how it responds to learning. And this isn't only good for developing minds, but also for adults where, you know, life can get in the way of stimulating your mind. For some of you, that may sound insignificant, but there is a lot to suggest that constantly learning, that helps build new connections within the brain that in the long term could help hold off things like dementia. Plus everything we're talking about here, that's just how it affects our minds. Because there are also other physical benefits like fine motor control and coordination

that help with career paths. And in fact, as far back as 2007, it was shown in the Archives of Surgery, which is a journal on that subject, that surgeons who game have much better fine motor control. And notably since then, the need for such skills has just increased, not just because our surgeries have become more fine-tuned and need much better coordination, but also because the tools they use increasingly rely on controllers, like literally a controller. Because often now, the least invasive surgeries

don't involve a surgeon sticking his hands into a patient at all, but rather a little machine. Maybe the next time you're gonna have to get surgery, you ask, hey, is my surgeon, do they play no-build or build? Who do you main in Smash, doctor? Get the fuck out of here. You're only cutting me open if you play Fox.

He the shoe. Mr. Game and Watch. My friend was operated on by a surgeon that played Kirby. He pees through five holes now. But also with gaming, you know, some of the careers are a little bit more on the nose. Like how the military is actually shifting to using Xbox controllers for various applications after finding that they were almost ubiquitously understood by recruits. You know, even non-gamers at least grasp how to use a controller nowadays.

So all of this isn't to say that video games are this cure-all for everything. There are definitely drawbacks. But playing a first-person shooter or any game, for that matter, it's not going to make you into a mass murderer as is often claimed. In fact, a 2017 study found that gamers didn't show any signs of being less empathetic than their counterparts. And possibly the only thing that even comes remotely close is that the American Psychological Association found that gaming can cause some aggression, especially in young children playing extremely violent games. And there, it can manifest in some hitting or fighting.

Which, to be fair, I mean, you can show a young kid just about anything, and they will copy it. Which is also something we've seen in movies and TV. It's why, fucking shocker, being a parent matters. Moderating what your very young child sees or does, important. If you don't raise your child, the internet and random strangers will. But then even in that very specific situation of a very young child playing a violent game, it generally doesn't translate to a long-term problem, according to the British journal Royal Society Open Science.

With them finding that teens who played violent games didn't exhibit any more aggression than those who didn't play them. And according to Dr. Ferguson, violent video games are like peanut butter. They are harmless for the vast majority of kids, but are harmful to a small minority with pre-existing personality or mental health problems. And so they can exacerbate issues in a small group of people, especially when they're children. Which again, is why across the world, games have a rating system. So these are rare cases where the kids shouldn't even be playing these games to begin with, as it's already been deemed inappropriate for them. It's also very similar to claiming that watching a horror movie will make a kid into a serial killer. And so really possibly the worst

thing that gaming does is that it can be addictive, something that the World Health Organization has even recognized, which leads to a wider variety of issues. And even in cases where people aren't addicted, as Pew found with their study, it can negatively impact schooling and sleep schedules for a small group of students. So a hot take here, I don't think that it takes a lot to get a teen on a horrible sleep schedule or to ignore their homework. But anyway, that's where I'm going to end with this because I know mostly I'm preaching to the choir a bit here. But hey, consider yourself armed with even more information for the next time your uncle at Thanksgiving starts blaming Call of Duty for a mass shooting. And then let's close out today's show with a

congratulations and comment commentary. First, congratulations to Patty B, the latest winner of our weekly $500 giveaway towards any tickets on SeatGeek. Patty's heading to NOAA Con at the Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival in September. For everyone else, remember, SeatGeek and The Daily Dip are still giving away up to $1,000 in tickets, and you should definitely enter today if you haven't already. All you do is add code PDS to your SeatGeek app profile for a chance at the weekly $500 prize, no purchase necessary. And $1,000 prizes are available to Daily Dip subscribers who add code PDSNEWSLETTER, doubling entries and winnings. But that said, it brings us to common commentary, where I'm going to dive into the comments on the last show and just kind of talk with you. Starting with the anti-Boeing comments, because there were no shortage of

them yesterday. Meg Doster is saying, why is Boeing acting like 10-year-old me playing Roller Coaster Tycoon trying to kill off all my customers? Which, funny comment, love that game, but I also gotta agree with most of the replies. Like, to be fair, this sounds like this isn't actually due to Boeing's apparent hatred for human life. I'm def a Boeing hater, but I don't know if this is one of those situations. One guy died and it was a heart attack. And how is clear air turbulence Boeing's fault? Ignorant take. And separately, folks like Ryan Meal saying, airline pilot here, this is why you hear flight crews say to please keep your seat belts fastened even if the seat belt sign is off while you are seated. There's something called CAT, clear air disturbance,

which cannot be seen or predicted, opposed to turbulence that occurs in certain types of clouds or associated with known weather systems. Unless other aircraft have reported the CAT, it can happen abruptly and be severe. One second can be smooth enough for us to have the seatbelt sign off, and then something like this could happen. So yeah, to the people out there that are like,

why do I have to have my seatbelts on? What, I'm gonna need my seatbelt if I crash into a mountain? No, it's because of stuff like this. Safety theater exists, but this is not one of those things. Also in those comments are people sharing their not only opinions,

but their experiences regarding burn pits. People sharing stories like, my mother died of cancer caused by the burn pits. It was terrible seeing her constantly get rejected by the VA. But adding, I'm glad the vets who suffered from it can finally get the benefits they deserve. Rachel sharing, I lost my husband in 2015 from a cancer caused by the burn pits in Iraq. He fought the army and fought the VA, but adding, I'm glad the vets who suffered from it can finally get the benefits they deserve. Rachel sharing, I lost my husband in 2015 from a cancer caused by the burn pits in Iraq. He fought the army and fought the VA, and it was so tiring. All the while, he was fighting

a cancer that eventually destroyed his lungs. This is a movement I have followed for a long time. It's long overdue, and yet it's still not enough. We need to do more for our vets. And with this, we also saw for all the vets down here in the comments, accredited veteran service officer, VSO here. If you have questions, want assistance in filing a claim for service connection, or you were previously denied, please find a VSO in your area. You do the same job for free that a lot of lawyers are charging for. Most, if not all, counties have VSOs. There are also many national service organizations, DAV, Disabled American Vets, VFW, American Legion, etc., with VSOs, as well as your state's Department of Vet Affairs. So hopefully amplifying the news yesterday and all the people chiming in here, it ends up finding

who it needs to find and someone gets help. But for today, that's where I'm going to end this show. But one, I'll see you right back here on this channel tomorrow for more news. Or two, if you missed the other video, click right there. Yeah, I love yo faces and I hope you have a great one.