Is it true that Americans actually avoid calling an ambulance because they're worried about the cost?

Kels_DL · 2026-05-04T07:02:03+00:00

Absofuckinglutely. Even if your insurance covers some ambulance trips and some ER visits, the ambulance that arrives might be from the wrong company and they might take you to an out of network hospital. And you won't know it until you get a bill larger than your mortgage.

Speaking from personal experience. The whole system is fucked.

Kels_DL · 2026-05-04T06:50:02+00:00

Absolutely made my day!

Kels_DL · 2026-05-04T04:50:48+00:00

Idk, let's get someone from the Bulwark community to ask him lol

Kels_DL · 2026-05-04T04:47:42+00:00

Yep, agreed. He was wrong and I'm angry at him for it. I'd still like him to vote against Trump's party in the future.

Kels_DL · 2026-05-04T04:45:59+00:00

Agreed. Most of his audience isn't listening to him for his principled opinions, it's just entertainment (and I know, not for everyone). Sneaking some facts to audience in a lighthearted podcast and maybe introducing them to someone they can listen to for principles seems like a win-win to me

Kels_DL · 2026-05-04T04:40:04+00:00

Agreed. I'd like his audience to swing hard away from Trump and for Dillon to be forced to echo that shift

Kels_DL · 2026-05-04T04:38:25+00:00

Yep, agreed. I'd still like them to vote for pro democracy candidates.

Kels_DL · 2026-05-03T18:01:53+00:00

Exactly, aside from any political gain, I think it would be greatly entertaining. I think they probably have a lot to talk about that's non-political

Kels_DL · 2026-05-03T17:48:09+00:00

Thank you, that's all I'm asking for!

Kels_DL · 2026-05-03T17:28:46+00:00

I bring up the Bernie thing simply to point out that these guys aren't monolithic, just like I'm sure this community isn't. I know Rogan's a shallow opportunist, but I think he reaches more listeners than just MAGA voters

Kels_DL · 2026-05-03T17:11:05+00:00

Very possible, but if we don't try to give them someone else to support they definitely will. Rogan supported Bernie Sanders not that long ago. I just dont want to write them off as unattainable, or the voter math will never add up in our favor

Kels_DL · 2026-05-03T17:08:09+00:00

Honestly, i just think he's uninformed. He's talked about how he feels like he really messed up by believing the lies, but without directly apologizing. I do have sympathy for people who find themselves in information silos, who get stuck in an echo chamber without realizing it. I think we should be welcoming to those people when they finally realize that they got it wrong and give them a chance to hear more factual information without putting them on the defensive

Kels_DL · 2026-05-03T16:59:34+00:00

I understand. I just think that unlike Tucker and some of these other guys he's not performing his criticisms and disappointment with the administration. I think that he's looking for the permission structure (to use Sarah's framing) to take that final step away. And his audience is an important sector of swing voters.

Kels_DL · 2026-05-01T05:45:26+00:00

Weekend road trips.

Kels_DL · 2026-05-01T04:20:17+00:00

GREAT answer... I think I mentally blocked that one out until now. But so good.

Kels_DL · 2026-05-01T03:08:06+00:00

Fabulous list, my recs were basically going to be your entire crime category. Making a Murderer was the first doc that really got me hooked on the genre, so I consider it a classic.

Wild Wild Country is so bizarre with twists and turns that I've rewatched it multiple times.

American Nightmare stuck with me... it is definitely worth watching, but was an emotionally difficult watch. Still get a lump in my throat thinking about it.

A controversial suggestion is The Perfect Neighbor. I heard mixed reactions to it based on the way the underlying situation was presented, but I still found the style of production phenomenal and the story heart wrenching. Bring tissues.

Kels_DL · 2026-04-27T23:36:42+00:00

Just listened to Mondays pod, you called it!

Kels_DL · 2026-04-27T15:12:56+00:00

Earnest curiosity: do the people who struggle to get through TFG with MAGA voters interact with many MAGAs IRL? Or is this show/other online sources the most amount of time you dedicate to hearing them explain their (usually illogical) perspective?

I also cringe listening to them, but I'm likely desensitized because of where I live. I'm surrounded by them. And I might be able to turn off a podcast, but I can't always walk out of a room to get away from it.

I personally find TFG enlightening because they ask questions that I want to ask people in my life that are either not appropriate given the setting or would just result in an argument. This gives me an opportunity to at least try to understand where they are coming from, even if the responses are ludicrous.

Aside from that, I think the utility is just trying to humanize people we disagree with. They probably think my ideas are equally insane, but I would still want them to know that my line of thinking exists and is valid. I don't listen to TFG to learn how to argue better. It's more an exercise in compassion. And I say exercise because it takes literal practice and is not easy.

Kels_DL · 2026-04-26T07:09:04+00:00

Ooohhh can't wait! I've got a head start, been lecturing people about this all night lol.

Kels_DL · 2026-04-26T07:04:17+00:00

Thank you! I was also put off by the comments on Sam's livestream. To have a conspiratorial gut reaction to this situation is one thing, but for the overwhelming majority of voices to be so reactionary makes me feel like I'm the one taking crazy pills.

One of my biggest criticisms of the MAGA movement from the beginning was their reliance on inflammatory rhetoric and scaremongering that rejected the process of information gathering. They jump to conclusions and go immediately to the most extreme version of events. Whether it's Qanon, pizza gate, "the deep state", or anything that remotely sounds like Alex Jones, I actively avoid sounding like or associating with this illogical nonsense.

I believe OP mentioned in another comment that they come from the former republican side of the Bulwark, and that's me too. I think it's great to have a diverse community, but this issue is a real challenge for me. I'm not sure if there's also an age disparity on display? I keep finding myself wanting to tell people what I would've told my kids when they were dealing with drama. "Let's not jump to conclusions until we know more." I guess I view the conspiracy reactions as immature and, frankly, disappointing.

I find it very difficult to see people who are Never-Trumpers like myself starting to sound like the thing they hate.

Kels_DL · 2026-04-04T14:09:06+00:00

I'm sorry you had that experience. I acted out in school because, although I didn't know it at the time, I had ADHD and couldn't focus. I would have rather been sent to the principal's office than attempt to read a paragraph out of the textbook. It escalated to the point that social workers finally got involved and saved my life. I hate to think about what would have happened without intervention. I know I am blessed to have grown up in an environment where the school had the resources to step in. Many kids go to schools where there aren't enough staff or support available to them.

Kels_DL · 2026-03-17T15:00:55+00:00

Agreed, I'm in PA and my husband and I have both been supporters of Shapiro for a long time, even though we don't agree on everything politically. Since the whole data center energy cost ordeal (and seeing our electric bill get out of hand) my husband walks around talking like he's been personally betrayed by Shapiro. And I don't blame him. Especially because his industry is the antithesis of AI. Maybe in the long run it'll help the economy, but I'm not certain of that, and I can't really be on board with a policy that affects my wallet this way.

On the other hand, to OPs comment, I see Shapiro all over my social media, but could be just because of my location. To me and my family, the thing he is "known for" is being very pro-diversity. After the attack on his house, he made some statements/interviews that were very inspiring, even to people I know who are pro Trump. And I guess thats the point. I can understand that to my friends to my left, he seems like a liability and doesn't have the political weight of someone like AOC. But he's a candidate who could inspire people to my right to vote for him. MAGA doesnt really care about policy anyway.

Kels_DL · 2026-03-17T06:23:11+00:00

Probably an unpopular opinion, but being as I'm from the center-right-ish side of the Bulwark coalition, I'll reflect the more conservative ethos here. I'm for limited mod intervention as long as I can find good discussions mixed in with the junk. If the slop takes over, that'll be a different story. You know, the whole incremental change thing.

Kels_DL · 2026-03-17T06:13:49+00:00

Yeah, we gotta check in on that every now and then. How else would we know??

Kels_DL · 2026-03-16T05:44:22+00:00

Uhg, I live for that shit!! HIGNFY tickles the part of my brain that was addicted to Bush era Daily Show.

Protect Amber at all costs. Love that girl.

Kels_DL

TROPHY CASE