Video summary
The podcast begins with an exploration of common misconceptions taught in schools, utilizing a website called Retro Codex to identify facts that have since been disproven for those who graduated high school around 2000 or later. The discussion highlights several specific examples, such as the belief that lightning never strikes the same place twice, when it actually hits locations like the Empire State Building multiple times annually; the idea that bulls charge at red colors rather than movement and physical provocation; and the myth that goldfish possess only a three-second memory, whereas they can retain memories for years. Other debunked myths include George Washington having wooden teeth—when he wore dentures made of tin, gold, and lead—and the notion that hot water is more effective at killing bacteria during hand washing compared to cold water. The conversation then shifts from these scientific corrections to a broader philosophical debate regarding how educational institutions present historical narratives to children. One speaker argues that schools traditionally teach simplified or "wrong" stories first—such as idealized versions of Thanksgiving or Columbus's discovery—to allow basic concepts to sink in before introducing nuance and complexity later. They suggest this approach helps build patriotism by letting students appreciate a country's great deeds before learning about its flaws, similar to how one might tell a child their father is good before revealing his past mistakes once they are adults. However, the counter-argument presented suggests that modern education often front-loads grim realities, such as teaching fourth graders extensively about climate change and existential threats, which may inadvertently foster apathy or cynicism in young minds rather than inspiring action through optimism. A significant portion of the dialogue focuses on the psychological impact of early pessimism versus optimism, particularly concerning neuroplasticity in children. The speakers discuss how reflexive systems work; for instance, telling a child that America is terrible can shape their entire youth into viewing it negatively, whereas starting with generalized positivity allows specific scrutiny to develop later as they mature. This perspective extends to parenting advice where fostering optimism and agency is seen as crucial because action flows from hope rather than despair. The discussion also touches on the concept of "unlearning," noting that undoing established beliefs or myelin sheets formed in childhood is significantly harder than initial learning, reinforcing the idea that early education should prioritize building a foundation of confidence before introducing harsh realities like power structures and systemic failures. The dialogue briefly veers into cultural comparisons between American and British self-perception, highlighting how nations often possess an insecure internal reputation despite external admiration from others abroad. The speakers joke about Americans complaining about their country's lack of patriotism while being the tallest in the room globally, contrasting this with Britons who frequently criticize themselves regarding issues like racism or capitalism even when loved internationally by other cultures. This self-defeating distortion is compared to Jack Butcher's observation that unlearning is a hundred times harder than learning, serving as a metaphor for why societies might cling to negative narratives despite evidence of their own greatness. Towards the end of the segment, the conversation transitions into a promotional discussion about hydration and electrolyte balance, specifically endorsing Element, an electrolyte drink mix designed to reduce muscle cramps, fatigue, and brain fog while regulating appetite. The speaker shares personal experience with using the product daily for five years to optimize performance during workouts or other physical activities, noting its taste profile as a sweet, salty nectar that makes a tangible difference in reducing cravings and optimizing health. The segment concludes by offering details on purchasing options, including free shipping within the US and a no-questions-asked refund policy with an unlimited duration for those who wish to try the product risk-free via their website or link provided in the episode description.
Read the full video transcript
Have you seen the Retro Codex? Really,
really cool website. So, it's a website
that teaches you things that you learned
in school that are now disproven. So,
you can go in and look at what year you
graduated high school
and it'll tell you what you learned in
school and have now been disproven.
Jared, can you pull this up for me? So,
um I put this in as 2000s, which would
be for me and George. Uh lightning never
strikes the same place twice. Uh
lightning has struck several places
multiple times. Empire State Building is
struck approximately 25 times a year. Uh
wearing red near a bull will cause it to
charge. Bulls may not be able to
distinguish the color red from other
colors. What triggers the bull is
movement and physical provocation, not
color. The red cape is to conceal blood
stains. Uh goldfish have a 3-second
memory. Goldfish retain memories for
weeks, months, and possibly years.
George Washington had wooden teeth. He
did wear dentures, but they were made of
other materials such as tin, gold, and
lead. Human teeth from enslaved
individuals. It's a bit gnarly.
Uh you need to wait 20 to 30 minutes
after you eat to swim or you'll get
stomach cramps and drown. There's no
clinical evidence for that. There's
another one. Go a bit further down for
me.
>> see. Oh, if you roll your eyes they'll
get stuck.
>> and folk wisdom checked on the top left.
I was like, I don't recall getting
>> Uh go down a bit more. If you pee in the
pool, everyone will know cuz it'll turn
water green.
>> Hot water washing hands is not Go back
up. than cold water. Yeah, right there.
Interesting. I'm learning a few things.
>> Water temperature has not been found to
impact the antibacterial efficacy of
hand washing. Uh I didn't even know
that. After a person dies, their hair or
fingernails can keep growing.
>> Who who who thinks the Earth is the only
planet with water? I don't know I don't
know about that.
>> But in the 2000s, might you have thought
that cuz Pluto being a planet would have
been true when we went to high school.
>> Yeah, yeah, yeah, true.
>> Uh brown sugar is healthier than white
sugar. Yeah, I just thought it's it's
nice to find and then obviously all of
this stuff with the food pyramid, that's
got turned literally upside down.
>> So, some of these will end up being
overturned, too. But yeah.
Um oh, for sure.
>> I I think when I was thinking about, you
know, the way kids are educated, I think
that schools do something that I think
in some cases it like stay at least they
traditionally that is that is maybe the
right thing to do which is you teach the
wrong story.
The simple wrong story first just to
like let the concepts and then later you
start to build the nuance and you
realize that the but that's a kind of
like you like Thanksgiving. I think it's
I I think it's I learned early on that
Thanksgiving was this like wonderful
thing and the pilgrims came and the the
Indians at the time the Indians were
like everyone was happy and they had
this nice feast and
or you know, just like Columbus
discovered the new world but like no, he
didn't but like and just like keep it
let let the basic story sink seep in and
then later you can be like actually like
that this is like an allegory kind of
for that that represents like a much
larger more complicated much nastier
story often and I think sometimes right
now what they're doing is they're you
know, out of kind of
I don't know, you know, kind of
political reasons or whatever they're
they're they're teaching kind of very
very like you know,
um
kind of a hardcore first story to really
young kids right away that um
>> They're front-loading the gnarly
version.
>> Yeah, exactly and maybe going too far
even in that direction
when
like I think I think I mean I this is a
whole other can of worms but I think
that maybe I want to
>> But but they disguise it
>> I I know I think that um
I do think American children should be
taught first all these good right things
about America. They should learn that
they're in this great country that's has
complicated they've not been perfect but
they've done a lot of great things.
Um and it's this wonderful thing and
patriotism and be really proud and then
later
later then you can learn a lot more
nuance. Or it's the same reason that I
think you shouldn't be teaching your
kid, you know, that like you think your
dad's a good person but actually you
know, he cheated when in his 20s like
you know, you know, that he like did
that you know, he got fired like you
don't do that. You start with the dad's
great of course and then later in life
when the kids an adult you start I don't
know this is part isn't controversial
anymore. You start to then say you know,
dad
you know, dad can say to you, you know,
yeah, I'm not perfect. I did this and
this but like
Yeah.
>> You don't need to front load.
>> Kids are kids and like it's a very
different kind of person to teach.
>> Well, also because I mean I remember
talking to
very close friend of mine who's got a
bunch of kids. Wonderful guy, very
successful in what he does. And I asked
him what his parenting advice would be.
And his first rule was
you need to teach your kids to be
optimists
because action flows from optimism and
agency flows from optimism, right? And
so what you're describing sort of
creates a picture that you don't want to
aspire to engage with and seems
antithetical to that.
>> two you know, second, third, fourth
graders just hammer climate change,
climate change, the your future's
destroyed. Like what why? Who thinks
this is a good idea?
>> Right.
>> Little little kids.
>> Well, then the older generations are
like, oh my god, these younger
generations are so apathetic. I'm like,
yeah, you're getting waterboarded
with
existential threat all day, yeah.
>> I guess it makes sense that the younger
you are, the more neuroplastic you are,
right? And even like statements like
that are quite reflexive. So if if you
go on if I go on the news tomorrow and
say it's it's going to be a sunny day, I
have no impact on whether it's going to
be a sunny day. But a reflexive system
is if I go on the news tomorrow and say
there's going to be a bank run.
I have an impact on whether there's
going to be a bank run. And if you go in
thinking America's a terrible country,
that's going to be quite a reflexive
thing for your entire youth. I mean,
it's quite funny listening to an not
that you were complaining
but an American talk about the lack of
patriotism in their country.
>> of funny with two Brits next to the two
of us.
>> Yeah, it's kind of like Chris talking to
me about like how he's frustrated with
the size of his forearms right now. You
know what I mean?
>> I'm like, okay,
okay, I understand but
yeah, I think it's interesting for
America to be going through that when
you're still by far the tallest
in the room.
>> Right. Totally.
>> And and by the way, there's so so much
British history to be proud of.
>> Oh, don't get me started.
>> This negative lens
>> Don't get me started, Tim. I I I
I said this to Chris previously, that we
are the most insecure
in terms of internal reputation versus
external. So, if you travel anywhere
else in the world, apart from a few
places,
they often like love the UK. Um but
internally, they often criticize
themselves the most. I'll never forget a
friend of mine um
uh came uh his sister came home one day
and she said,
"You know what?" She goes, "Britain is
the racist country on Earth."
And he paused for a second and he just
said, "Compared to what?"
She couldn't answer.
>> [laughter]
>> It's that line about capitalism, it's
the worst system apart from all of the
other ones.
>> Yeah.
>> It's just a crazy distortion, lands, and
it's so self-defeating and it's like
this crazy Yeah, I
Jack Butcher's got this great line. He
says, "Unlearning is 100 times harder
than learning."
And if you're laying down those myelin
sheets and some kids who's 5 years old,
6, 7, I don't know when you start to
understand what climate is and what
power structures look like, but
yeah, you're probably best starting off
with generalized optimism and getting
into specific pessimism or specific
scrutiny as opposed to generalized
scrutiny.
>> maybe, you know? Like maybe a little
middle school elementary school is just
is just, yeah.
>> Most people don't realize how much being
dehydrated impacts their performance,
which is why for the last 5 years, I've
started pretty much every morning with
Element. Element is a tasty electrolyte
drink mix with everything that you need
and nothing that you don't. This orange
salt in a cold glass of water is like a
sweet, salty, orangey nectar and I
really tell the difference when I take
it versus when I don't. It plays a
critical role in reducing muscle cramps
and fatigue, helps to optimize brain
health, and regulate your appetite,
while also curbing cravings. Best of
all, they have a no questions asked
refund policy with an unlimited
duration, so you can buy it and try it
for as long as you want. And if you
don't like it for any reason, they'll
just give you your money back. Plus,
they offer free shipping in the US.
Right now, you can get a free sample
pack of Element's most popular flavors
with your first purchase by going to the
link in the description below or heading
to drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom.
That's drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom.
Congratulations, you made it to the end
of the clip and the full length episode
is available
right here.
Go on.