This episode of This Dum Week opens with a shaky technical start before Gator and Alex hit their stride, covering a wide mix of politics, tech hype, culture, and internet oddities. The show blends reflective dives into historical scandals, contemporary tech controversies, and satirical exposés of modern influencers.

The first part revisits how media narratives take shape, with a detour into the Dan Rather “typewriter memo” scandal during George W. Bush’s reelection campaign — framed as an early case of internet fact-checking and citizen journalism. From there, the hosts leap into today’s equivalent: Elon Musk’s empire of companies, controversies around Doge, and exaggerated claims about his prowess in gaming and streaming.

The second half shifts to influencer culture and spectacle, focusing on the rise and fall of “Liver King” — his exaggerated image as a primal lifestyle guru, steroid admissions, staged apologies, and ongoing grift. The discussion ties together questions about honesty, internet attention economies, and the blurred lines between self-help and exploitation.

As always, the episode is peppered with sharp humor, philosophical tangents, and skepticism toward the week’s dummest narratives.

Technical Glitches & Opening Banter

Hosting troubles and missing co-hosts at the start

Audience participation encouraged while waiting for Alex

Media Narratives & History

Dan Rather and the Bush-era “typewriter memo” scandal

Early online debunking as proto-citizen journalism

How political scandals set the stage for today’s internet battles

Politics & Ideology

Socialist politicians, fringe groups like the DSA, and ties to mainstream figures like AOC

Misremembered leaders during COVID (Cuomo, de Blasio) and media framing

Tech & AI Communities

Effective altruism vs. effective accelerationism (tech doomers vs. accelerationists)

Quantum computing figures crossing into the AI discourse

AI safety debates within rationalist communities

Elon Musk & Gaming Claims

Musk’s promotion of gaming achievements (Diablo 4, Path of Exile)

Exaggeration and myth-making around his “top player” status

Connection to Twitter’s push into livestreaming and gaming audiences

Influencer Culture: Liver King

Liver King’s meteoric rise in the “ancestral lifestyle” niche

His exaggerated physique, extreme branding, and cult-like following

Steroid scandal revelations and leaked emails

Public apology video and self-justification narratives

Continued grifting through supplements despite exposure

Joe Rogan and Derek (More Plates More Dates) commentary

Broader reflection on internet charlatans and endless cycles of exposure/apology