Break it Down with Rick and Tim

No topic. No structure. That was the goal of this episode. Rick and Tim decided to talk about whatever came to mind, however, the episode was originally recorded in January, so Rick and Tim needed to add a minor update on what has been happening in the country with the topic of Elon Musk and his recent abysmal interview on CNBC. The discussion shifts to what Ron DeSantis has done to Florida with his extreme Christian Nationalist fascist laws targeting LGBTQ+ people. Tim says we are witnessing a "brain drain" from the red states to the blue states because of the restrictions and lack of human rights.

The riff topic returns back to the original recording with Rick and Tim’s thoughts on Star Wars, and their shared opinions about what Disney has done to the franchise since George Lucas sold everything to Disney. It turns into a critical commentary on Director Rian Johnson and what he did to the Star Wars Sequels with Episode 8: The Last Jedi. In this week’s “Let’s Trigger Rictor” segment, Tim asked Rictor what his thoughts were on Avatar 2: The Way of Water. Did Rick like it? Does Rick bitch about it as expected? Or does Tim himself get triggered by the topic? Tim refers to the Matrix franchise which he really likes and shares his thoughts on the recent Matrix film Resurrections. Rick and Tim riff on a few serious things they have experienced over the past year. Rick decided to finish college as a middle-aged adult and Tim talked about what he has experienced with gun violence with the tragic loss of his student. Tim breaks down how the military-industrial complex helps our economy. Rick loves the achievements made with the James Webb Telescope and all things science. Why did Tim decide to become an educator? Religion returns as a topic in regard to how divisive it can be. Rick proposes why can’t Christians just forgive Satan? Tim answers because religion is fear-based, and Christians need to fear Satan in order to have an identity as a flock. Why is Rick’s real name Rictor and where does it come from? Clips include CNBC, TikTokkers .allie. Phillips and alawnerrr, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, clips from The Last Jedi, and The Star Wars Special Edition commercial.

Tim and Rick discuss the historical lawsuit brought on by Dominion voting machines vs the fraudulent Fox News channel. Tim goes through the 20 examples where Fox News was liable, and Rick knows Smartmatic is coming in for the kill. Tim finally sets Rictor off with his “Let's Trigger Rictor” segment with the topic of Elon Musk, whom Rictor despises with tremendous passion. Tim tries to defend Elon Musk as best as possible, but Rictor's contempt for Musk is overwhelming with what he has done with Twitter and reinforcing bigotry and hate on social media. Clips include Jon Stewart, a ridiculous Right-Wing commercial for Relaxium, Rick voting electronically, and multiple clips from Fox News implicating themselves repeatedly with Dominion Voting Systems.

Tim discusses the infrastructure for mental health. Where do we develop our shapes of reality in regard to development and critical thinking? Why does the topic of mental health have the stigma of shame associated with it? Seasonal Affective Disorder affects 20% of people living in the Pacific Northwest, including Rick. He shares how he was able to defeat it by using a therapy light. How do we support kids in the school environment? As a teacher, Tim thinks it would be ideal to have a teacher and a counselor for every classroom. Rick suggests the Internet and social media contribute to the well-being of a person’s mental health. You can’t control what people say but you can control how you react. Not everyone likes you, but not everyone matters. New York law allows for involuntary hospitalization when a person’s mental illness prevents them from providing for their own basic needs, as well as when they present a danger to themselves or others. Is that the answer for getting the drug-induced psychosis homeless population off the streets? What does a solid healthcare system that addresses mental health look like? Rick mentions how California's Governor Ronald Reagan signed the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act in 1967, all but ending the practice of institutionalizing patients against their will in the state of California. The number of mentally ill people entering the criminal justice system doubled in the first year after the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act was enacted. When deinstitutionalization began 50 years ago, California mistakenly relied on community treatment facilities, which were never built. In this week’s “Let’s Trigger Rictor” segment, Tim asked Rick what his thoughts were on Brazil’s version of Donald Trump and where radicalization starts. Clips include TMZ’s Van Lathan standing up to Kanye West, TikTokker hopebraincenter, American History X (1998).

In this episode, Tim breaks down what caused Rick to become so involved in the absurd bigfoot cult. Rictor still stands with his new opinion on the subject: bigfoot is not real. Rick says it’s a make-believe gold rush reinforced by grifters and narcissistic womanizers. Every belief system caters to the broken individual and that included Rick as he shares why he fell hard into the bigfoot rabbit hole. Tim really shines in this episode with his experience in talking to people who have experienced trauma. He also succeeds in setting Rictor off with the “Let’s Trigger Rictor” segment regarding how Lucasfilm handled Star Wars, especially when compared to Star Trek’s showrunner, Terry Matalas’ handling of Season three of Picard. Clips include Mark Hamill giving his opinion on Rian Johnson’s handling of Luke Skywalker on ABC News, “The Ten Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty” from Spike TV, “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.

This is the first episode in a three-part series dedicated to the topic of mental health. Rick and Tim talk about how mental health encompasses your emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences cognition, perception, and behavior and it determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Why does society ignore those dealing with mental health problems? For example, Britain's Royal Family?  Chronic drug use creates mental health problems and creates abusive relationships. Trauma. Rick shares how he was at the breaking point with the loss of his family and how he is holding it together. Dealing with grief along with his home security being challenged by Portland's drug-addicted homeless has added to his shaky mental health. Tim shares how he witnessed Rick lose his cool with a trespassing vagrant on drugs stealing property. Tim asks, "Do the homeless on drugs deserve any empathy?" Rick has a surprising answer and states drugs are a choice, and the decision to destroy your own life from drugs does not give you the right to destroy other people’s lives —and the right to hijack our neighborhoods. Tim defends the drug-afflicted by saying their decision-making skills are impaired from the drugs they are taking. Has the Covid lockdown stopped us from being able to communicate effectively? By locking up the drug addiction population and being punitive, does that perpetuate the cycle of trauma? Does peer outreach provide an answer? Is white rage a mental health problem? Do Trump cultists suffer from a shared psychosis? In this week’s “Let’s Trigger Rictor” segment, Tim succeeds in setting Rick off in regard to accepting people who choose drugs over friends and family. Clips include The Daily Show with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry talking about mental health, Tiktokker crookedcounselorcooper, and a clip of Flat Earthers at a Flat Earther convention. And you think you have problems?

Are MAGA cultists suffering from a mental health disorder? Rick and Tim discuss Donald H. Christ (our criminal ex-president) and his big announcement of running for president again. The question is, did Donald make his announcement too soon? The damage Donald Trump has caused, and his platform of hate are returning in the next election cycle. Who coined the term “Make America Great Again?” Hint: it wasn’t Donald Trump. Were the Obama years as bad as conservatives say they were? Has our country been pulled so far to the extreme right that moderates are now looking like the extreme left? The absurdity of Ron DeSantis suggesting he was sent by God to be a fighter is talked about and deservedly laughed at. Tim admonishes Rick for objectifying people and that is an example of what America has become today. Rick is unapologetic and disagrees and says it’s not wrong to objectify people who are harming people’s lives in a profound way. For example. Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump. Rick doesn’t think they deserve any respect. Tim concedes that if done for the purpose of comedy, then it’s okay, as long as it’s not taking away from the importance of the topic. The use of the N-Word is heavily discussed as to why Rick and Tim despise its use. Tim wants a culture shift to happen in our country where our politicians work for us and not fight for us in Washington and gave his classroom’s fifth-period lunch as an example. Rick confesses he is suffering from anxiety because of FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out and Tim offers an intervention. The subject of Elon Musk is discussed with what he has done to Twitter along with Joe Rogan making an ass out of himself in regard to his claims about Oregon and conspiracy theories. Rick shares what it is like to return to college as a middle-aged man getting his bachelor’s degree and Tim talks about what it’s like as a teacher losing students to gun warfare. In this week’s “Let’s Trigger Rictor” segment, Tim asks Rick about his thoughts on animal cruelty. Does Tim succeed in getting Rick set off? The subject delves into Portland State University’s lack of ethical conduct in preparing students for graphic content in films teachers present in class. An incident made Rick take an issue all the way to the Dean of Students in regard to the African film, Touki Bouki (1973), for which the class was assigned to watch without being given a disclaimer for its graphic and disturbing imagery. Because of that, Rick shares a story of animal cruelty that he, unfortunately, witnessed as a seven-year-old boy which has traumatized his entire life. The impact of social media also reinforces trauma with graphic videos being blindly shared on newsfeeds. Clips include The Daily Show with Jordan Klepper interviewing uneducated brain-dead MAGA cultists, Joe Rogan’s podcast, various MAGA TikTokkers and MAGA politicians, CNN’s interview with Oprah Winfrey and the use of the n-word, and most importantly a clip of the late Dr. Maya Angelou educating us on the power of words.   

The day has come that Rick and Tim have been longing to discuss. The first official indictment against our criminal ex-president, Donald J. Trump. Was Rick right in his guess of what Donald J. Dump would do? How is Tim teaching his students about this historical moment in our country? Aside from talking about the failure of our previous president, topics include Twitter's suppression of information, Marjorie Taylor Green's dangerous and inflammatory rhetoric, and her harassing mass shooting victims like Parkland survivor David Hogg. Tim asks, what is the goal of America? Is it the economy that comes first over people? Or is it a socialist point of view? Rictor proposes why we can’t be in favor of capitalism at the expense of human lives. Tim brings up the trail derailments and blames President Biden for it. But Rictor reminds Tim that President Dump is responsible for rolling back train regulations in 2018. The "Let's Trigger Rictor" segment is about Ron Desantis and weaponizing his state against the Federal Government. Clips include Now This, Tiktokker Animenewsnetwork, The Daily Show, and 60 Minutes.

In this episode, Tim and Rick talk about where they were when the country went into lockdown/quarantine. Tim shares how he foretold what was to come with his statistics high school class and that his at-risk students were vulnerable to missing out on their education because of their lack of access to online learning (while upper-class parents were able to pay for tutors and private instruction for their children). Tim believes a generation of students is damaged from the lockdown and what will be the ripple effect because of it? Tim also breaks down what “Cattening the Curve” is in how he explained the whole pandemic to his class. Rick explains he understood the danger of the hospitals being overwhelmed with how the virus was multiplying vs the number of hospital beds that were available. The economy vs human lives is discussed. Rick made a commitment to take care of his new puppies by first taking care of himself —by wearing his facemask and getting the vaccine. He also shares a video he made of getting the historic vaccine for the first time and Tim talks about Nicki Minaj and her cousin in Trinidad that she tweeted had global consequences for people of color. Rick tells Tim about how he first found out about the virus being aerosol based because of the infection at a Washington state church’s choir practice and how he almost lost a Trumper cousin to the virus’s MAGA misinformation while at the same time, a MAGA cult victim friend of his died. In this week’s “Let’s Trigger Rictor” segment, Tim asks Rick if LGBTQIA+ should be separated by preference and gender. Tim also educates Rick on the new term 2-Spirited that has been added to the full acronym: LGBTQIA2S+. Rick does think LGB should be separated from being lumped in with gender identification. Clips include Fox News’ Tucker Carlson interviewing Dan Patrick, the Texas Lieutenant Governor, who advocated for the elderly to die for the sake of the economy, CNN news clips of Bob Woodward’s tapes of Donald Trump admitting the virus was aerosol based and withholding that information, Dr. Hiren Mehta from Florida, Malcolm Clark from the LGB Alliance, and various Tiktokkers.

Fresh from the discussion of religion, politics, and bigfoot, Rick and Tim decide to take on the bigger questions in this episode with... are Aliens real?  What was the WOW signal of 1977? As a Catholic, what are Tim’s thoughts on aliens and their possible motives? The discussion revolves around Bob Lazar’s Area 51 claims and the different UFO footage recently released by the Pentagon. Is soft disclosure happening? Rick shares his thoughts on the long-running show, Ancient Aliens. Is it utter bullshit? And this week’s “Let’s Trigger Rictor” Tim attempts to set Rick off with the topic of guns. Do guns kill people? Clips included are Contact (1997), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), The Lazar Tape (1991), Ancient Aliens (Series), and Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980).

Critical Race Theory and The White/Grand Replacement Theory topics are continued on this episode of Break it Down with Rick and Tim. Tim brings up the topic of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay Law” and how absurd it is. Rick then shares a moment when a teacher outed him for being gay at the age of 9 to his mother. Why did that teacher sexualize Rick before Rick even knew what he was? MAGA extremists are attempting to manipulate adults with commercials promoting book banning. These include historical books about Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights advocate Ruby Bridges, Pulitzer Prize nominee author Toni Morrison, and author Alice Walker. The MAGA list of book hate also includes LGBTQIA+ books. All thanks to the hateful rhetoric of MAGA Governors Ron DeSantis, Glenn Youngkin, and Greg Abbott. The fearmongering and lying done by MAGA Republicans are referenced with Arizona gubernatorial loser, Kari Lake, and loser Donald Trump with his election tampering. Tim explains to Rick what exactly is white fragility and uses Tucker Carlson as an example. Both men talk about their experiences with white rage in public. In this week’s “Let’s Trigger Rictor” segment, Tim brings up more of what Florida Governor DeSantis is trying to do to his state’s students and their access to information. Tim explains why Republicans think they are always winning before the mail-in votes are counted. Fighting gets us nowhere. Fighting creates trauma. Talking. Compromising. Finding avenues through empathy that allow for progress. Why can’t we do that?  Clips include Bill Maher saying his definition of “woke” is, APB Speakers on Dave Pelzer, Channel 12 News in Arizona, Army General Mark A. Milley testifying before congress, and a Tennessee politician named Jerry Sexton suggesting book burnings.