Episode 500 - We Made It

About this episode

In this milestone episode, the hosts reflect on 11 years of the podcast, discussing changes in their views, media trust issues, and societal polarization.

Topics: Episode 500: 11 Years of Iron Fist and Velvet Glove Reflections Trevor (“Iron Fist”), Scott (“Velvet Glove”), and Joe (“the tech guy”) mark episode 500 after 11 years, reflect on how their views have changed, and thank Patreon supporters who have covered production costs. They discuss growing skepticism about governments and media, arguing mainstream outlets filter narratives and that Gaza especially has exposed media failures, pushing them toward Twitter and independent blogs. They describe increased polarization, tribal thinking, and how COVID accelerated denial of expertise and conspiracy thinking in Australia. They revisit recurring themes from past episodes—religion in politics, Liberal Party branch-stacking by religious fundamentalists, free trade agreements, submarines/AUKUS, and stalled economic reforms like negative gearing and capital gains—contrasting these with “soft issue” wins such as marriage equality, voluntary assisted dying, and abortion law reform. Trevor plans a break for months, possibly shifting to writing and using Discord/community forums. 00:00 Episode 500 Kickoff 00:58 Hosts Introductions 01:52 Patreon Thanks Rollcall 06:23 Break Plans Ahead…

People in this episode

Hosts: Trevor, Scott, Joe

Topics covered

• media trust
• government skepticism
• polarization
• COVID-19
• politics and religion
• economic reforms
• independent media

Keywords

• Iron Fist
• Velvet Glove
• media failures
• tribal thinking
• conspiracy theories
• economic reforms
• Patreon supporters

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Liberal Party, Patreon

Books & works: marriage equality, voluntary assisted dying, abortion law reform

Places: Australia, Gaza