The Superior Men Podcast

Matt and Jay discuss why you need a vacation, "active leisure" vs "passive leisure," research showing how vacations will literally save your life (and reduce your weight and improve your productivity...), why you need to make annual traditions, the joys and horrors of family trips, the value of memories, The 6 Keys To Planning Your Vacation... and much more!

Continue reading TSMP #49 – You Need a Vacation! at We Are Superior Men.

The Prince (1532) by Niccolo Machiavelli

The most famous (and infamous) book on politics ever written. The Prince was initially denounced as a collection of sinister maxims and a recommendation of tyranny. It is, in reality, the first description of the science of politics as they are ACTUALLY practiced rather than as they SHOULD be practiced.

As a young Florentine envoy to the courts of France, Spain and the Pope, Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) was able to observe what rules a monarch must follow to stay in power - and which rules would lead to his failure (and often his death).

500 years later, The Prince has only grown more influential. Machiavelli's timeless wisdom and ruthless cunning are more relevant now than ever. If you want to achieve power and maintain it, this book is required reading.

Read and listen to "The Prince" on Amazon!

Want more great books? Check out our MUST READ LIST!

"The Prince" Show Notes

0:00 - Intro to "The Prince"

Very brief historical background: Prior to the writing of The Prince, Machiavelli had spent 14 years on the war council of Italian city-state of Florence and was one of the most influential diplomats in Italy. Then the powerful Medici family returned from exile, dissolved the Florentine city-state, and removed all government officials - including Machiavelli.Machiavelli wrote The Prince in an attempt to gain favor with the Medici family and regain his political position. The book is dedicated to the young prince Lorenzo de Medici. Machiavelli distills decades of diplomatic knowledge down into a single book designed to instruct the young prince on what he must do for his principality to succeed.Intended audience: Anyone who wants to become more powerful, anyone who believes the world is a kind, gentle, safe place, and every scholar or student of the dark art of politicsWho won't like it: People who insist the world is a kind, gentle, safe place, people who need to classify all actions as right or wrong, people who only watch Disney movies and romantic comedies

6:00 - How easy is the book to read?

Difficult. Although the Mansfield translation is very readable (and filled with vital footnotes), The Prince discusses 500 year old Italian history and politics and they take time to learn. But the greatest challenge is wrestling with Machiavelli’s amoral - and sometimes immoral - political advice.Print: 160 pages (5-8 hours to read - many, many more hours to study and digest)Audio: 5 hrs 15 minutes

6:30 - Reviews and significance of "The Prince"

Dozens of versions and translations available, all of them popular on AmazonTrue number of readers = Unknown (Millions upon millions over the last 5 centuries)Because of multiple copies of the book, hard to say how many thousands of reviews (maybe 5k? 6k?) -- All of them are roughly 4.5 starsCurrently: #1 Amazon - Modern Renaissance Philosophy#5 Amazon - History of Renaissance Europe#7 Amazon - Philosophy (entire category)#48 Audible - Renaissance History#92 Audible - Classic Literature (entire category)

9:45 - Bio of Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian Renaissance diplomat, philosopher, historian and playwright who lived in Florence during the end of the 15th and early 16th century.Machiavelli was born in a chaotic era of shifting city-states, where Italian noble families constantly battled amongst themselves - as well as with France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire - for regional influence and control. Five years after the Medici family had been expelled from Florence, Niccolo was appointed to the position of secretary of the Florentine Council for Diplomacy and Warfare. He was an advisor for 14 years...until the Medici family returned to power.During his tenure, the Florentine government sent Machiavelli as a diplomat throughout southern Europe to help negotiate various conflicts, including to the courts of King Louis XII of France, King Ferdinand of Spain and the Pope in Rome.Niccolo

The most famous (and infamous) book on politics ever written. The Prince was initially denounced as a collection of sinister maxims and a recommendation of tyranny. It is, in reality, the first description of the science of politics as they are ACTUALLY practiced rather than as they SHOULD be practiced.

Continue reading The Prince – Bookcast #16 at We Are Superior Men.

Should you own a gun? Matt and Jay discuss weapons and the founding fathers, tyranny vs freedom, the confusion over "a well regulated militia," Red Flag laws, why you can't own James Bond's weapons, the definition of an Assault Weapon (paintball guns anyone?), killing Matt with a fridge, gun safety, the tremendous dangers of giving up our weapons and much more!

Our “Sexual Magnetism” book is coming soon! We’ll be offering limited advanced copies and deep discounts but ONLY if you've signed up for our email list! To sign up head over to https://www.wearesuperiormen.com/join/

For faster access, tell your mobile assistant or smart speaker "Play 'The Superior Men Podcast'!"

Make sure to listen to our 30-minute book review show "The Superior Men Bookcast" - available now with your TSMP subscription. Bookcast #16 “The Prince” is coming August 4th!

Ep. 48 - Should You Own a Gun?

6:00 - Matt owns guns, Jay possesses guns and shoots them but does not own them

7:30 - Guys DO love shopping - that is, if it's guns, cars and boats

9:30 - The history of weapons, rights, and the founding fathers of the United States

10:30 - The 2nd Amendment and the commas

12:00 - Weapons and Freedoms: The American colonies vs the British

14:30 - US v. Cruikshank (1876), the Supreme Court recognized that the right to arms pre-existed the Constitution

16:30 - Government of free men vs Communist Dictatorship/Monarchies

18:15 - Should you own a gun? Gun ownership is THE underlying right that enables all other freedoms - aka The right to protect yourself against tyranny

19:00 - What is a "militia" anyway?

23:30 - Restrictions for owning a gun under the 2nd Amendment: Age, Felon status, Mentally ill

26:30 - Controversial Red Flag Laws - Is it okay to remove someone's guns from them by force?

29:30 - McDonald v. Chicago (2010), the Supreme Court extend the Second Amendment's protections nationwide

30:30 - The National Firearms Act (1934)

33:30 - Sorry, you can't legally own a James Bond-style weapon

36:30 - The differing gun restrictions of different states

40:00 - What is an "Assault Weapon"? / AR does NOT equal Assault Rifle

42:00 - The various states definitions of "Assault Weapons" - including paintball guns

45:00 - What is an "Assault Rifle"? There is no federal definition of an Assault Rifle

46:30 - California's arbitrary definition of an Assault Rifle

48:30 - Are guns designed to kill people? YES!

49:00 - Killing Matt with a fridge / Definitions: Homicide, Murder and Manslaughter

52:30 - Statistics: Murders by firearm (2017) vs Gun deaths (2017)

For more info on police and weapons, make sure to check out our last podcast, TSMP 47: Fuck the Police?

57:00 - Gun safety and accidents

59:30 - 5 ways you should implement gun safety into your household

62:30 - Ice cream shops banning ANYONE with weapons (including police officers)

63:00 - Should we get rid of all weapons? Won't that make America safer?

65:30 - If guns become "illegal" HOW are we going to collect all these guns anyway?

67:30 - Mexican gun laws: Very stringent restrictions on citizens owning and carrying guns vs Drug Cartel activity w/weapons

69:00 - Should you own a gun? Yes! Giving up guns means giving up your rights and the opportunity to defend yourself

70:30 - Guns enable citizens to protect themselves from a tyrannical government

72:30 - Why it's important that gun ownership is the 2nd Amendment and not the 9th or 10th

74:00 - Why EVERYONE needs to teach gun safety to children

76:30 - The dangers of knee-jerk laws

Stay Armed...Stay Safe...Stay Superior!

Should you own a gun? Matt and Jay discuss weapons and the founding fathers, tyranny vs freedom, the confusion over "a well regulated militia," Red Flag laws, why you can't own James Bond's weapons, the definition of an Assault Weapon (paintball guns anyone?), killing Matt with a fridge, gun safety, the tremendous dangers of giving up our weapons and much more!

Continue reading TSMP #48 – Should You Own a Gun? at We Are Superior Men.

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (2007) by Timothy Ferriss

Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan – there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. 

This step-by-step guide to luxury lifestyle design teaches:

• How Tim went from $40,000 per year and 80 hours per week to $40,000 per month and just a few hours per day

• How blue-chip escape artists travel the world without quitting their jobs

• How to eliminate 50% of your work in 48 hours using the principles of a forgotten Italian economist

• How to trade a long-haul career for short work bursts and frequent “mini-retirements”

Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, or earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.

Read and listen to "The 4-Hour Workweek" on Amazon!

Want more great books? Check out our MUST READ LIST!

"The 4-Hour Workweek" Show Notes

0:00 - Intro to "The 4-Hour Workweek"

Tim Ferriss's goal is to help you take advantage of 21st century technology, time-management skills and non-location-based business in order to design your life the way you want it Intended audience: Anyone who wants more money/time/freedom, anyone who believes that “retirement” is the goal, anyone who wants to travel the world, anyone who wants to upgrade their lifeWho won't like it: People who don't believe in “outside the box thinking,” people who are unwilling to become uncomfortable to get what they really want, people who refuse to learn new things

6:00 - How easy is the book to read?

Easy to readPrint: 416 pages (8-10 hours to read - but you’ll be re-reading & referencing)Audio: 8 hours

6:30 - Reviews and significance of "The 4-Hour Workweek"

Book (2007): 7,764 reviews - 4.4 starsCurrently: #3 Amazon - Job Hunting & Career Guides#18 Amazon - Business Motivation & Self-Improvement#1 Amazon - Time Management#615 out of ALL Amazon books (Over 32 Million)

9:45 - Bio of Tim Ferriss

Born Timothy Ferriss July 26, 1977 (42 Years old)Grew up in East Hampton, New York Graduated from St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire - exclusive boarding high school, paid for by his grandparents ($60k+/year)Started Princeton but by his senior year he was in a "very, very dark" place and even contemplated suicideHe took a year off from college to teach Japanese and then work odd jobs in ChinaHe came back and received a degree in East Asian Studies from Princeton University in 2000After graduation, Ferriss started his own sports nutrition company BrainQuickenHas written five books, all NY Times bestsellers:The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans, Tribe of Mentors His podcast, “The Tim Ferriss Show,” has over 500 million downloadsHis blog has been ranked #1 on the Top 150 Management and Leadership Blogs on the internetTim has been an early investor/VC for over 50 businesses, including Uber, FB, Twitter, Alibaba, Shopify, Duolingo and others.First American in history to hold a Guinness World Record in tangoFirst American to win a championship for Chinese kickboxing (1999)Speaks 5 languages (German, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and English)Horseback archer (yabusame) in Nikko, JapanIs a strong proponent for the medical use of psychedelic drugs for mood disorders and PTSD. Since 2016, Ferriss has donated over $2,000,000 for clinical research into psychedelics for John Hopkins University, the Imperial College in London and other schools.

12:00 - Major Themes of the Book

First you must reconfigure your assumptions and beliefsAlways ask “Why? Why? Why?”Do what you fear mostGet comfortable with discomfort.Think big, aim highMoney is the means, Freedom is the end.

DEAL

“Define” what you want – motivation requires motive‘Dreamline’ excitement into your life.What do you REALLY

Forget the old concept of retirement and the "deferred-life plan." Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, or earning a monthly five-figure income online, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.

Continue reading The 4-Hour Workweek – Bookcast #15 at We Are Superior Men.

Matt and Jay discuss if we should say "Fuck the Police," the George Floyd protests, the dangers of riots, the value of cheesecake, the abuse of power, vigilante justice, and how we can make our law enforcement - and our country - better.

Our “Sexual Magnetism” book is coming soon! We’ll be offering limited advanced copies and deep discounts but ONLY if you've signed up for our email list! To sign up head over to https://www.wearesuperiormen.com/join/

For faster access, tell your mobile assistant or smart speaker "Play 'The Superior Men Podcast'!"

Make sure to listen to our 30-minute book review show "The Superior Men Bookcast" - available now with your TSMP subscription. Bookcast #15 “The 4-Hour Workweek” is coming July 7th!

Ep. 46 - Fuck the Police?

4:00 - Matt has worked in and with law enforcement for years, Jay doesn't have a law enforcement background

6:30 - Protests, riots and cheesecake

9:00 - Our goal: Attempt to discuss police problems without discussing race

11:00 - Using riots to accomplish criminal activities

12:30 - We need to focus on FACTS not on FEELINGS

13:30 - Breonna Taylor

16:00 - What is a "no-knock warrant"?

18:00 - Anyone who breaks into Matt's house will be shot

Police report for Breonna Taylor shooting almost blank

20:00 - Multiple controversies with Taylor shooting

23:00 - Knee-jerk reactions are rarely - if ever - appropriate

25:00 - Why "Black/White" thinking is dangerous

26:30 - Is murder ever okay?

27:30 - David McAtee

30:00 - When McAtee was shot officer body cams were not on. Unacceptable.

31:00 - Don't de-escalate a scenario by shooting your gun

33:00 - Body cams, work monitoring and privacy

35:00 - Can I just pee in private?

37:30 - Emergency massage therapy

39:30 - George Floyd

44:00 - The four officers involved in the Floyd shooting: Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Kiernan Lane

47:00 - Thao, on video, while Floyd is dying: "This, kids, is why you don't do drugs." Thao is an accomplice to murder.

50:00 - Officers, suspects, normal citizens - EVERYONE is responsible for their own actions

51:00 - Rayshard Brooks

54:00 - The rights of citizens to defend themselves

55:30 - Michael Jackson style knife-fighting isn't always a good idea

57:00 - Why escalation will always happen eventually

60:00 - Sad that Brooks is dead BUT he could have prevented his own death

62:30 - Eric Garner

64:30 - Michael Brown -- Ferguson, Missouri

67:00 - The "myth" of Michael Brown vs the FACTS

70:00 - The importance of the US Constitution / 1st Amendment

72:00 - The 2nd Amendment - Why American citizens need guns

75:00 - The 4th Amendment: Illegal searches and seizures / Communist countries? No 4th Amendment

77:00 - The 5th and 6th Amendments: Due Process and Rights of Accused

80:30 - Ahmaud Arbery

82:30 - Fuck the police? No, society NEEDS the police!

84:30 - Vigilante justice vs Police justice

86:00 - What happens when police are removed from society?

90:00 - Why we need better police officer training

91:00 - How to make better police officers

94:30 - Why we need to increase police transparency

96:30 - Camden, NJ police department remodel - Each officer had to go meet all the people in their individual local neighborhoods

Matt and Jay discuss if we should say "Fuck the Police," the George Floyd protests, the dangers of riots, the value of cheesecake, the abuse of power, vigilante justice, and how we can make our law enforcement - and our country - better.

Continue reading TSMP #47 – Fuck the Police? at We Are Superior Men.

Matt and Jay discuss the benefits of COVID-19, why masks are making America more attractive, coronavirus and traffic, Chris Hemsworth's free 10-minute video bodyweight workout, becoming mentally strong during coronavirus... and much more!

Our “Sexual Magnetism” book is coming soon! We’ll be offering limited advanced copies and deep discounts but ONLY if you've signed up for our email list! To sign up head over to https://www.wearesuperiormen.com/join/

For faster access, tell your mobile assistant or smart speaker "Play 'The Superior Men Podcast'!"

Make sure to listen to our 30-minute book review show "The Superior Men Bookcast" - available now with your TSMP subscription. Bookcast #15 “The 4-Hour Workweek” is coming June 30th!

Ep. 46 - The Benefits of COVID-19

11:00 - The beginning of the Coronavirus

13:00 - Masks have been worn for over a hundred years in Asian countries

16:00 - People more attractive when wearing masks

18:30 - COVID-19 predictions: Generally inaccurate

21:00 - The biggest problem with the coronavirus: We don't know how bad it really could be - and we won't know until later

23:30 - Is the worst behind us? Or is the worst still to come?

26:30 - Predicting the pandemic & Jay's problems with math

29:00 - Matt's COVID cost/benefit analysis

33:30 - Does government have a right to determine which businesses are essential vs non-essential?

36:30 - Sooner or later, money will become more important than (some) human lives

40:30 - Jay can't massage right now because...rules

47:00 - If restrictive rules remain in place for too long, the American people will rise up and dissent

48:30 - Right now is a fascinating social experiment: How will each of the 50 states respond to the coronavirus?

52:00 - Re-evaluating what's valuable during chaotic transitions

54:00 - The Benefits of COVID-19 --- Benefit #1: Coronavirus + Traffic = Happiness

55:30 - Benefit #2: Time off work = Time to do stuff "you never have time to do"

56:00 - Benefit #3: The opportunity to work at home

WASM Article: Setting Up Your Home Gym

58:00 - Benefit #4: No excuses - now you're more available to workout at home

Chris Hemsworth's 10 minute bodyweight program anyone can do from home (via Men's Health)

Book: "You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible of Bodyweight Exercises" by Mark Lauren

63:00 - Benefit #5: Time to change habits: Working out, eating better, listening to more podcasts, listening to/reading some great books

65:30 - Benefit #6: An opportunity to redo and remake your routine - and yourself!

68:30 - Benefit #7: More time with family

70:00 - Matt's mom's new video bookclub with her grandkids

72:00 - We WILL get through this - why not use this time so you're stronger and better on the other side?

73:00 - Benefit #8: Amazing deals online for school right now

76:30 - "When there's blood in the streets, buy property."

78:30 - Now is the time to take advantage of the Coronavirus. Right now.