Quitting is Winning? Mike Slater Talks to A&G.

while you hold a winning lottery ticket in your hand. Unlikely. But we'll get to that a little bit later. But joining the Armstrong and Getty Show right now is a friend of the show, Mike Slater. You listen to him every day noon to three on AM seven sixty in San Diego. If you're not in Zaniego, whether you know him or not, I don't know. Maybe you catch him on What is This Thing? Mike? The first first online TV networks on Pluto, Roku, Apple TV, everything, I'll streaming networks.

So I'm looking at the publicity photo that they got here, and they got Buck Sexton on their Dana Losh Bill O'Reilly, Jesse Kelly and you you're the only one that's smiling. Everybody else went with kind of a mysterious grimace sort of thing, and you smile. Well, they put me on the end too. It's it's like that debate where Trump said, look at you, Jeff, look at you. You used to be in the middle, and now you're falling off the edge. Right, it's barely on the scene. Hey, did you have you

ever had Josh Rogan on from the Washington Post? Uh no? Is he the one who did that story that you're gonna talk about in a little bit. Uh no, he we I just did like twenty minutes with him. He's the best guy out there on sticking it to China over this whole COVID origin thing. He is so freaking good.

So and his main point was that, Hey, most of the scientists I talked to last weeks, say Rand Paul's right, and Anthony Anthony founction he is kind of doing a whole definition of what is is thing to try to

keep himself out of trouble. So we've been talking a lot on the show, and I think conserving as they really need to understand the depths and reach of China's desire for global domination and how they're doing it with the Belton Road initiative, and how they're doing it even socially um soft power through TikTok and other propaganda means throughout the world. It's insidious and no one's paying attention

to it. Well, this is my gift to you, Josh Rogan, because he is so good on all that stuff, and he's he's absolutely fantastic. And we were just talking about So the w h O has got this Kovacs initiative where they're trying to get vaccines to people all around the world. China is doing zip on it, and we're

doing everything. And I just wish the Biden administration would do a better job and the media would do a better job of recognizing how worth such the good guys and so many stories and China is such the bad guys.

So in this Covacs thing that everybody in the world is supposed to be donating to, China has donated zero dollars and zero shocks, where we have donated four billion dollars already fifty five million shots and if like five million more, it is absolutely But the w h ooa, we're talking about they licked the boots of China the whole time they've been doing China's bidding. And that's China's goal is to take over all these global institutions, whether it's the W H O U, the U n uh

internet like global Internet Advisory Boards. They are doing it with Chinese values and not American values. Jack, And I tell you one real quick thing about masks I heard just talking about Acondum the drama in the Slater home. Is my daughter three and a half years old. She's three and a half now. She's so stinking cute. Oh yeah, I believe, like for round four is the perfect age for children. I will I will babysit a four year old any anywhere, anywhere in the world. You want me

to come babysit your four year old? So freaking cute? Oh yeah, old enough to talk to like self sustainable enough you know, to change diapers. That there. So, she's been looking forward to months, months to go to ballet months. We finally got her and once. So all weeks she's been decided to go to her first ballet lesson literally this morning, Jack, she wakes up. The first thing she says to me, is how many more sleeps? How many more naps? Like? How many more sleep starting until ballet? Like?

Was it now or is it after nap? Oh honey, it's after your nap. It's gonna be so good. Last night we got an email saying all kids are required to wear masks, so we have to mask our three and a half year old daughter, which I find to be a monstrous imposition on anyone, let alone on a child, for all the reasons that every single person listening to your show now knows, uh, in order for our daughter

to participate in ballet. And I don't know what we're gonna do, because I'm not gonna break my little daughter's heart and tell her she can't go today. And now I gotta strap her up like she's some leper. Strap her up like a leper. You hate to do that. So that's the drama today. Um, I get to say, I got the numbers right here since you brought it up. This is from Mark Theeson and the on the Washington Post. But he is actually just going with JOHNS. Hopkins Studies.

So there have been six thousand deaths in America as we all know of COVID the number of people under eighteen three hundred and thirty five can'ts or something and right, and they have no idea at the c d C whether they had, uh, you know, a co morbidity or anything like that at this point, whether they died because of COVID or with COVID. And but three hundred three, even if it was straight out COVID, three hundred three, five out a six thousand is such a nothing. It's

unbelievable that we were acting the way we are. Anyway, Um, you were a swimmer, were you not? Yes, in college and at a pretty high level. Uh. Yeah, how much you want me to brag? Well, I want to I the truth is not bragging, you know what. Just uh, if you're if you're in C double a level swimmer, you're a good swimmer. When I was twelve, I swim next to Michael Phelps. How about that? Okay, that's what I was there. That's my claim to fame and the pool and uh and you're good enough to actually do

it in college. So maybe you have some insight on this whole mental breakdown of Simone Biles. What's what's your taking that? Yeah, you never leave your team behind you don't quit. How about that? For my mental any human being can recognize, whether you do one athlete or you do the elliptical at the gym once every year, you don't quit. You keep going. Uh. And I want to be very clear, I don't care about women's gymnastics at all. That's one of the common criticisms gotten backs, like oh, Sarah,

are you making such a big deal about this. I don't care about women's gymnastics. What this says about our country today and our culture today and where we're going says a lot. And this is what matters because people are celebrating the fact that she quit. Yeah. So I'm

looking at the two articles in the USA today today. Um, the headline at the top is I have to do what's right for me, and then there are two different articles underneath, some things are more valuable than gold and on how she did something so special for all of us, and then the article is it's brave and simply human to protect themselves. You have made us so proud. No, I'm just thinking if Tom Bray quit during the halftime of the Super Bowl and said everybody said I was

the greatest, and the pressure got to me. I don't think this is the reaction it would be. So I just think the it's interesting how we're treating a woman versus a main during this period of time where women and men are supposed to be the same. Great point. I love this. In the Week, the headline is Simone Biles is withdrawal is more impressive than winning. You're like, no, like, no,

that's definitely not more impressive. Hodah, who's like the Today Show host and she's like the gymnastics liaison for NBC or whatever, she sent out this blowhardy tweet about how you've already won, Simone, and it's like, no, you have definitely not already won, and no, no stretch of the imagination did you already win? You quit your team, by definition lost and you let your country down. I mean, that's it's the Olympics. I don't really care it's women's

but you don't quit. I don't know why this is ridiculous that people are like, oh, you know, you're such a hero. If you do a Twitter search for Simone Biles and the word redefine, you have all these people writing, oh, Simone, thank you for redefining what it means to be a champion. Oh boy, thank you for redefining, redefining strength and success

and what it means to be a teammate. And I don't want to live in a country where losing is success, quitting is winning, right Uh, Betraying your team is being a good teammate. Weaknesses strength and that's where we are today.

That's why this matters. And you know, back to my men versus women theory on this is how they handle I think if Michael Phelps had quit and said, you know, the pressure of being the greatest and being all the ads had gotten to me, I think all the stories should be about what a head case he is and not and not about what a champion he is. Well, especially if he did it behind the blocks, right before he was about to jump into the pool, right. I'd

be one thing. If if Simone two months ago said you know what, I can't take it, I got the yips and um now I just I don't want to it's dangerous or whatever. We'd be like, oh, lame, but okay, let you get someone else a chance. But to do it in the middle of the competition, that's pathetic and we should not be celebrating it at all. It should be defined as one of the greatest fall from graces.

I can't in sports history, I can't think of a single instance of any other Olympic athlete ever quitting except for physical injury. But even then you don't quit. Remember Carrie shrug, she broke her ankle, continued to do the vault one ft won the gold medal totally Like we love that, of course and innate in us we love the overcoming. But that's our culture today, victimhood. We we used to celebrate overcoming obstacles and now we celebrate not

overcoming off. That's hurting me. That's hurting me. Yeah, I can't even, is the expressions. I can't even, and she couldn't even, And we're supposed to celebrate that and I can't be a part of that. That's an interesting point text line. What do you think of that four five k ftc um so when like, when you're at the height of you're taking swimming seriously, how many hours a day or week or whatever you practice? Oh uh, four three or four hours in the pool every day? Four

hours a day. Yeah, we'd swim. We've probably spent twelve to fifteen thousand yards, so that's ten thousand yards is seven miles a day. Oh my god. And I was I was d one, but I wasn't, you know, I wasn't these guys like these guys, it's extremely difficult. There was actually a little bit yet they played before Um she competed and she looked very sad and she was talking about how she's old and injuries are hard and

it's difficult. And my wife and I both saw it, looked at each other and we're like, oh, this is like she's not in a good headspace. There's no doubt about that and what these people have to do. But if you're gonna do it, you do it to be the best. It's a high cost. It's a cost that most people aren't willing to spend. And I would advise most people not to do. Actually, I don't know. If you want to be the best in the world at a thing, No, I yeah, absolutely should. Joe was here.

He'd tell this one of his favorite stories. And I forget who said it. It's um, somebody said to a great piano player, one of the great small time and I remember what was but I'd give my life to play the piano like that. And he said, I did Um, and you know that's very very true. If if you pick a sport, musical instrument, or whatever, do I want to put in the time in my entire life to be as good as him? I actually don't know. I really actually don't even if I had the talent to

do it, I actually don't know. You give up your family, right, And let's just even do money. Right, Do you want to be the richest, Do you want to be super super rich? Well, you're working a hundred hours a week and your kids hate you, so congratulations you have a nice car. Yeah, Like it's not worth it, totally not worth the cause of Tiger Woods, right, Tiger Woods best in the world. His dad, his dad and him had

a safe word. It was enough if you said the word enough tiger because his dad was so abusive, emotionally abusive to him that if Tiger Wood ever said the E word, they called it the E word. That was the safe word to knock it off. And he never used it. And his dad and him had a horrific relationship, even though his portrayed as a as a great father son relationship. Um, and then he you know, you know that everyone does us a story like he's found almost dead all the time in his car from all the

pills and everything. Because you want to be the best golfer in the world. Like, no, I'd rather be as good at jack at the golf especially. We always talk about that with the spelling Bee. Would I trade my summers as a kid to be the next you? Not even close? Yeah, that's interesting. Now listen, if you're going to do it, you do it to the end. That's

the other right. So if you're gonna be someone Boles and you make the choice to take a spot away from another girl on the team and to take the weight of the country on your shoulders onesome, you do it. You do it, and we will cheer you on. You don't quit. Now. If she fell or or failed or missed or slipped or whatever, we would still lift her up as like ah bummer, like you didn't do it, but it's okay, you tried. We can't live in a country where we celebrate people who don't even try the

armstrong and yet show. So in San Diego, you know him, Mike Slater. He's on noon to three on AM seven sixty nationally. You catch him on TV. I see a popping up on shows now and then where else do we catch him? Mike Slater um websites mic Slater on locals dot com because I try not to be on the socials too much. But yeah, that that's one interesting thing about the Simone Biles thing is is how much of it was the social media that got in her head. And I can't believe her coaches even let her look

at social media. Let me go one step, Furst, this is my my We'll go one deeper. Uh Naomi Osaka familiar with her the tennis party, so she's all into this called mental health thing, and she dropped out of one of the tennis Grand Laguage because she didn't want to do the media. And I kind of defended her because I think those media post match press conferences are really stupid and pointless, so I defended her. But then she keeps dropping out of stuff because her mental health. Apparently,

Simone bo this is the New York Times. Simone Bob's watched a documentary that Osaka did on mental health, and I think that knocked her out. I think that messed with her brain and she's like she like identified with Osaka too much and became a quitter. I thought so I blamed her coaches for letting her get anywhere near social media. As he said, it's also near Osaka. She's a virus. Osaka is the virus you gotta stay sixty away.

So Mike Slater, who likes she criticize young women on the line with abuse victims, that's the one I get to like, don't you know she was a victim of sexual abuse. It's like, okay, like did she forget that until she was right behind the fault or something? She just remembered that she was. That's what took her out. Give me a break. So what's your hot take? On the January sixth, heoring, Okay, I got a hot take, and I got a conspiracy theory, which is interested in both.

Let's do conspiracy theory. I thought I was red pilled. And then I read the story about the governor of Michigan the kidnapping plot, and how there's this whole plot and everyone makes a movie up in their head about how how she was kidnapped and gonna be kidnapped, like it's some like the cage movie or something, right, And there were It turns out there were twelve FBI informants

for six arrests. So it's like somewhere much closer to twelve FBI informants and some guy who just wanted re pizza in like a giant entrappedment set up, right, So it's like, oh, well, hold on. If the left wants to paint a draw direct line from the kidnapping plot of Governor Whitmer to the riot, the insurrection on January six, Okay, let's draw it. How many FBI informants were there? How many FBI informants were at the January six riot? That that would be a good thing. And I wonder if

that will come out of that hearing or not. So that's my that's my conspiracy theory. Take. I'm going deep into that with Glenn Greenwalds. We was hoping for earlier. I wish we could have, and it would take the right makeup of the committee, and neither the Republicans or the Democrats want to do it. But I wish we could get up there and have some sort of a kumbaya, say, hey, how about we all agree and TIFA doesn't beat police, BLM doesn't beat police, and uh and whoever, those guys

worth the Capitol don't beat police. We just don't beat police, and like, can we all agree on that, just to have one point of agreement. No, I can't do it, because this, this has to be used as a manipulative tool to make every one of your listeners Jack a insurrectionist. And I gotta get people to see that. To them, you are an insurrectionist. You are a domestic terrorist. You are a white supremacist. If you want, do you own

a gun? You're a right wing militia member. Whenever they talk about domestic terrorists being the biggest threat to the American homeland, they're talking about you. So it's getting to be kind of like the whole white thing or institutional racism. So we're all, oh, it's insidious. It's everywhere. You're You're a white right wing militia member in waiting. You're you're ready. You're just ready to erupt at any moment. Uh So we need to crack down on you before it becomes

a problem, before there's an outbreak. Um, that's how that always goes. Hey, we got twenty seconds plug another thing, because since you're kind enough to come on dot Slider Radio on Twitter, Mike Slider dot locals dot com. And oh yeah, how to change someone's mind. And Imagine Jack and the History Kids is my kids book. It's awesome. Imagine Jack in History Kids. That is a cool book for your kids. Mike, I really appreciate you coming on today. You're a good man, Jack. Thank you. It was nice

of you. Yeah, he was a Division one swimmer, so he would know something he's talking about about competing, you get a high level more on the way text line four five two nine five k f tc R Marstrong and Getty