Between You and me, Why did he join the navy?

[00:00:00] Hi sleepy, just a very quick note before we start today's episode. Do you want to listen to this podcast without the ads? Then you absolutely can. Just subscribe to Fall asleep with Henrik plus and to do so you can just click the link in the podcast description and it'll be fixed. See you there.

[00:00:24] Hi and welcome to Fall asleep with Henrik. I'm Henrik and you're sleepy and it is what it is. What happens happens and right now there is nothing we can do about most of it really. So let's begin.

[00:00:48] Hi sleepy, I'm Henrik, your weird little Swedish friend and I'm here to talk you to sleep if you want to. I'm not saying that this will work on each and every one and perhaps you need one or two listens.

[00:01:25] I'm somewhat of an acquired taste. I'm not doing anything really. I'm just going to talk and you can listen or you can not listen and you'll have to put up with my accent and my lack of words sometimes and sometimes I lose flow totally since I don't decide in advance what I'm going to talk about.

[00:01:57] This podcast is growing so from time to time. From time to time I need to reintroduce myself. I'm aware that I did so last week but right now the show is growing faster than normally and I'm really glad.

[00:02:16] But that also means for all of you old grey sleepies that you'll need to hear or listen to stuff that you've recently heard or heard ages ago and are sick and tired of. Like for instance, who am I? But maybe that means for all of you old grey.

[00:02:41] But maybe that needs, maybe I could use a reintroduction even to you who know me since before. So my name is Henrik Stål. Stål is my surname. It means steel. And that's an old soldier's name. There's not just one family with that name. There's a lot of steels in the world.

[00:03:12] And we come from all kinds of different backgrounds. But originally it's a Scandinavian soldier's name. A name given by the king to a man who agreed to serve in the army. And in exchange got a piece of land. And yeah, a piece of land.

[00:03:39] And a small house where he could, you know, grow stuff and keep animals and live life. And then when the day came that the king needed him to serve in the army, he just needed to do that in exchange for whatever privilege he had. So this was way before my time, obviously.

[00:04:08] This was like in the 18th century or stuff. I can never grasp this. When you guys say the 18th century, you mean the 1700, right? You don't mean... Because that's so weird to me.

[00:04:35] Because in Sweden we say like, when we say the 19th century, we mean the 1900s. Not translated directly. So it's a difference. But it's weird nevertheless. Okay, so anyway. I'm here to entertain you or not. I'm not going to talk about anything specific.

[00:05:04] Or maybe I will. We'll see what happens. Because I am... Originally, I'm an actor. I worked with acting as my main tool. And I've been an actor on stages and in TV and cinema,

[00:05:29] but mostly on stage and on television for children. Do you guys have any recollection of some children's show that you grew up with? Like something we could talk about maybe? Something that we could relate to each other over?

[00:05:55] However, this podcast is being listened to all over the world. So I... I can't... Obviously, I can't... Think of shows that all of us can relate to. But yeah, maybe... Okay, so I was born in 1975. But to make it a bit easier,

[00:06:22] I'm going to include shows that... Are from the 80s or maybe 90s. Okay, so... And obviously, this is going to be... Well... Growing up, there weren't too many shows from Europe streaming in over Sweden. But then again,

[00:06:50] maybe that was the case for other countries in Europe as well. It was mostly the States. The United States, that is. And also Britain, I guess. We had this British TV show in the 80s called Danger Mouse. I think that was... That was an English show, right?

[00:07:25] And we also had Duck Tales. That's an American show, right? Yeah, it must be. It's a Disney franchise thing. That's a weird show, isn't it? And it's not the original setup of, you know, the Donald Duck universe. Because Donald Duck is not a part of Duck Tales. It's just his nephews. As I remember it, his nephews...

[00:07:55] Oh God, what are they called in English? Um... Huey... Huey Lewis and the News. I want to say Huey Lewis and the News, but that's a band, right? So they were called Huey, Dewey, and Louie. If I'm wrong, then that's totally fine.

[00:08:25] Because I'm not... I haven't... I haven't got a doctor's degree in... Donald Duckness. The so-called Donald Darkness. Has that been a case ever? Like someone making... Like a joke about Donald Duck and instead saying Donald Dark? That would be cool. Like... Like...

[00:08:54] Dark Spider-Man? That was the thing I remember. Anyway, so... As I remember it in Duck Tales, Donald Duck, he just left his nephews behind because he wanted to join the Navy. That's a weird decision for... for Donald Duck to do. Why would he do that? I mean, he's... He's not... He's not a Navy type of person.

[00:09:23] I mean, imagine the discipline needed of him. demanded of him in a militaristic environment. And I mean, of course, Donald Duck is... Well, he... He's dressed as this... seaman, but he's not... But he's not... the type, you know? The discipline and...

[00:09:53] I mean, imagine having this choleric... aggressive, ill-tempered duck with you at sea. I mean, when... when... when your... your... company, the people around you, is literally... the... the border between life and death. Sometimes. Imagine... there's a full storm...

[00:10:23] and... you are... gathering your crewmates around you... and you're preparing for the worst. But then there's this one duck... that is annoyed because... someone had... someone ate his porridge... the day before, or something... and refuses to cooperate. That's not... yeah... that's not good. But nevertheless, he does that. He... he leaves his nephews behind... with his...

[00:10:53] uh... with his uncle. This... extremely... wealthy... yeah... he's a billionaire. He's... he's the richest duck in the world. Scrooge McDuck. And... and... and he's... he's like...

[00:11:25] yeah... he just accepts... the guardianship of these... kids. Which is weird because he's... he's not a lovable... jolly type of fella. He's... well, he's greedy... he's... he's main... what is Scrooge McDuck's... main... purpose in life?

[00:11:55] It's his money, right? He doesn't... he don't care about anything else. He has this money bin... like this... iconic vault... on top of a hill... as I remember it. Maybe it's even a dollar sign... on the actual... bin... and... it's bursting... with money. He has like... three... cubic... acres of cash... that he's hoarded... throughout his life.

[00:12:27] Which is weird because what... what are the money... why are they just... lying there? Why... aren't they in circulation? I mean... in real life... having that... much money... like... a hundred billion dollars... or something... having that type of cash... just laying around doing... no good... that would really... I mean... in a...

[00:12:56] in a real... economic... model... these types... of... these amounts... would be... circulating... you know... through markets and... funding... stuff... or... at least... stay in some... bank accounts... generating... generating interest... you know...

[00:13:28] but Scrooge McDuck's... relationship with his money... he's not... he's... he's diving into it... feeling it... swimming through it... kisses it... you know... this suggests... something else... than just... pure... greed... it enters some... weird... realm of... psychosexual... fixation... sorry...

[00:13:58] I'm sorry... but... but it's... I mean... just look at him... through the lens of... Huey, Louie and Dewey... I mean... what... kind of grown-up... is... their... uncle... leaving them... with... you know... is he... truly... a great role model... for these... grown... children...

[00:14:30] besides the fact that it's... physically... impossible... to swim... through... coins... because... in real life... they... they... they... they would function as... this solid mass... and Scrooge McDuck... would cause himself... severe injury... or even death... upon impacting this... said... mass...

[00:14:58] and it's... really disturbing... that... Donald... Duck... suddenly... decides to join the Navy... and... easy as that... just relinquish... custody of his nephews... and... there is... almost nothing... in the narrative... that... scrutinizes this... it's a casual... approach to... parental...

[00:15:28] absence... in a way... which maybe the whole... Donald Duck... universe is... like... full of... I never thought about this... as a kid though... I mean... but why... why... is there... no real parents... in this Donald Duck... universe? Maybe this is an answer... maybe this has been talked about... for millennia...

[00:15:58] the millennia of... Donald Duck discussions... the millennia of... DDD... Donald Duck discussions... but... I mean... there must be... some reason that... every father... is absent... and every mother... I mean... almost... no women... at all... in the universe... like... there are no... in DuckTales... for instance... if I'm going to focus on that show...

[00:16:28] there are no... female... characters... am I right? Yeah... there was this one... girl... who like... oh... I can't remember... her name... but she was like... a guest star... so to speak... if you can talk about... guest stars... in a cartoon... but she was always... always the damsel in distress... in some manner...

[00:16:57] so it was a very masculine... it was a very masculine... capitalistic... adventure dream... like this ethos of... treasure hunting... adventure seeking... old... guys... sort of thing... yeah... I...

[00:17:25] I was... I think I was... in my early teens... when this show... hit Sweden... but... so I don't really remember... it very vividly... but my younger... siblings remember it... very well... we talked about it... just the other day... and there are so many... inconsistencies... in this show... like for instance... I mean... if... if one should break it down... which one should... in...

[00:17:54] one's own podcast... one could... argue that... like... why is there... an... anthropomorphic... duck society... that... has... somehow... developed... identical... economic... political... social structures... to human civilization... despite... them being... you know... ducks...

[00:18:24] and all... with obvious... physiological... limitations... I mean... they're not limitations... in a duck world... but in a human world... like... duck physiology... or anatomy... is... yeah... it's a down... it's a big down... like... the duck... can't manipulate... objects... with wing... hands... that lack...

[00:18:53] opposable thumbs... that's a biological... impossibility... that the show never really addresses... it's... it's... I mean... yeah... it's... it's ducks... but still... it's humans... okay... so I can buy it... I can... I get that... it's a...

[00:19:23] it's a fable... but it's a sloppy fable... isn't it? because... ducks are... and geese... and... some other animals... but then there's also... animals... like... normal animals... and there is... there is no main distinction... between... which of the ones... that are... like... animals... and which of them... are... like... humans... but in animal form... why can't... Donald Duck... go out...

[00:19:53] why can't Scrooge McDuck... go out in a park... and... have a discussion... with a duck... on the pond? why... what's the difference... between the two of them... that... is never mentioned... in the show... or in the universe of... Donald Duck... overall... like... Scrooge McDuck... is repeatedly... identified as... the richest duck... in the world...

[00:20:21] and this implies... like... that... out in the world... around this story... there is this global... economic system... in which there's this... quantifiable... comparable way... of measuring means... you know... or wealth... but... the show... never says anything about... like...

[00:20:50] what type of... inflation... impact... would... Scrooge... massive wealth... of... three cubic... hectares of... hoarded wealth... would have... on like... what is the city called? Duckling... Berg... Buck... Duckburg... Duckburg... he has... three cubic... acres of currency... and... he doesn't have them...

[00:21:20] in circulation... this would... plunge... Duckburg... into... this... huge economic... deflationary... crisis... I think... and... they never say... how he... how he's... keep... how...

[00:21:49] Scrooge... McDuck... keeps... isn't that weird? I mean... there are... parts of the story... that... mentions... his... past adventures... when he... established... like... his fortune... his first coin... and such... but... there are... almost no mention... of his... current... business... like... his enterprise... like...

[00:22:19] I guess it's a conglomerate... and... apparently... it's like... the... multiple industries... but... Scrooge McDuck... never... like... he spends... all of his time... either... guarding... his existing wealth... like... his bin... his money vault... from... the... the Beagle Boys... or... is out... with his...

[00:22:50] his grandnephews... seeking new... treasures... this is hardly... the activities of a... of an engaged... CEO... he's a bit like... Elon Musk... in a way... I guess... he's... not... as much as a traditional... CEO... as you would expect... from someone who's leading... multiple... companies... more like... out and about... and... why is he... guarding his money?

[00:23:19] wouldn't he... hire staff... that guards... his money? he doesn't trust anyone... right? he's just there... and he just wants them... he just... and there's always... this one... criminal enterprise... the Beagle Boys... that tries to steal his money... there are... I mean... he's the richest duck... in the world... this implies... that... there are more species... than just ducks... and maybe there are... like...

[00:23:49] the richest Tasmanian devil... in the world... or the richest kangaroo... and... the story never mentions... how he... adds up to... for instance... the richest bear... in the world... but the fact that he keeps... earning money... and... that... they don't lose... because he keeps on being... the richest duck... in the world...

[00:24:19] this suggests... that... his... wealth is... like growing itself... without active management... and I don't know... it's almost like... he... they are bound... to... or a stock... or a currency... or something... or a market... but they're not... they're just... there... you know... they're coins... in a bin... and why are... birds... clearly...

[00:24:47] like people... while... others appear to have... more... non-sentient... animal qualities... there's... no clear... criteria for... which ones... of the avian species... that have... evolved... into personhood... and... which remain as... conventional animals...

[00:25:19] so... his... bin... which... if I... remember... correct... there's this... dollar sign... I mean... why would you have... a dollar sign... on a building... that... that is meant... to keep... your money... from... yeah... being stolen... it's like... if you were... a bank... you would have this... big dollar sign... on the bank...

[00:25:49] it's... if not... well... disregard... all other aspects of it... it's just... vulgar... don't you think? it's like... if you were a successful actor... you would... just... have... like... the word... success... on your web page... or something... how much money... does he have? like... if you have...

[00:26:19] three cubic acres of... coins... and cash... what is that... in... dollars... like... a hundred billion dollars... or something... and... and I mean... just to keep it all... in the same place... so... swimming through it... like... it's impossible... you would... you would... it's...

[00:26:48] it's the same thing... as diving... from... like... three meters... down... into a concrete... floor... it's the same thing... but... the security... implications... I mean... he has this one accountant... and... he... relies... on... primarily... outdated...

[00:27:18] traps... and his own... paranoia... to protect this... huge... sum of money... like... the GDP... of a small... country... and... then there's always... the... Beagle Boys... and why are... they the only one... who try to steal the money... I don't get it... if he's the richest duck in the world...

[00:27:47] people would line up... I mean... he's got all this money in one house... there would be this massive... pressure from the outside world... to... get their hands on his... on his money... and why aren't... Scrooge McDuck... constantly in meetings... with people... financiers... potential... co-workers... people who want to borrow money... why... is he just... in his... vault... swimming... or out with his...

[00:28:16] grand-nephews... treasuring hunting... treasure hunting... or... like... setting up old... weird... 19th century traps... in his vault... to capture the three... dudes... with masks... I mean... the logistical nightmare... of stealing... physical... currency... in those... quantities... I mean...

[00:28:46] even if they were to succeed... which they never do... in breaching... like... the bin's defenses... oddly enough... they have zero... percent... succession rate... success rate... succession rate... is something else... they have zero percent... they never... get away with it... but yet... they keep doing it... for decades at end... again... and again... using... well... sort of around...

[00:29:16] the same... methods... like... all the time... so even if they were to be... able to break into the vault... they don't have... like... any infrastructure... to transport... or launder... or utilize... these... billions... it's cash... so they are... a fundamentally flawed... criminal enterprise...

[00:29:44] from a practical standpoint... and... they don't... seem to... even... acknowledge... that this... is a problem... they just keep... doing it... like... insane... people... it's... I mean... and they... it isn't for lack of... invention... because there... is... invention in... I mean... there's this...

[00:30:14] inventor... a resident... inventor... in... I don't know his... English name... but he... in Sweden... we call him... Uppfinnar Jocke... which is like... inventor... Jocke... the name... Jocke... his... gear loose... something... he... like... constantly... creates... artificial intelligence...

[00:30:44] robots... and... devices that define... defy... physics... and... yet... these... world... changing... I mean... I mean... really... world... changing... technologies... never... never... alter anything... I mean... imagine... inventing something... that could... for instance... turn... dust...

[00:31:13] into gold... or... I don't... I can't remember... I can't remember... his exact inventions... but... imagine... inventing... something that could make... heavy stuff... levitate... at... your will... that would... fundamentally change... the socio-economic structure... of the city... like... Thackburg... he's... the... inventions... should... like...

[00:31:43] be revolutionizing industries... and... creating... huge... economic... paradigms... but... instead... they just... one-off... plot... devices... kind of stuff... and then... they disappear... after they... featured episode... so... this must mean... either that...

[00:32:11] each and every... episode of... DuckTales... takes place in... its own... parallel universe... or... that... that we visit... for this... one episode... and then... just leaves it... so we never see... the implications of... of... the... Gierluse's... inventions... or... Duckburg is... this... society that... actively... silently... silences and... resists...

[00:32:41] technological... project... project... technological... progress... I... would prefer... uh... it not to be the latter... and... Huey... Louie... and... Dewey... they never seem... sad that... Donald is away... they... are never... seen... asking about...

[00:33:10] their... real parents... and... I mean... they are... under the guardianship... of the world's... richest... duck... they... are never... depicted... attending school... their... education... appears to consist... entirely... of... yeah... they... they have this book... don't... they have this book... like this... uh... scout... guidebook...

[00:33:43] like this... Wikipedia... but... for... members of a club... with... uniforms... so they don't have... a formal education... they just... happen to read... in this book... where... conveniently... every knowledge... that they... need... at every... any particular moment... is... available to them... it's a... like...

[00:34:15] it's... infinite... it's an... it's an infinite... repository... of... very... hyper-specific... knowledge... that... fits in a pocket... it's like... pre-internet... magic... but... it's not... Wikipedia... because... it's only for a... select member... club... like... I don't know the club of... but... it's...

[00:34:44] it's... sort of a scout movement... isn't it? so they need like... a member... membership fee... and a uniform... to... so... okay... maybe they are rich boys... they... they have this book... that give them infinite... very hyper-specific knowledge... of each and every... specific situations...

[00:35:15] I can't stop thinking about... the Beagle Boys... that has been attempting to rob... the same target... using... small variations of... yeah... obviously the same plan... for... what must be decades... with... 100% failure rate... yet... they just keep on doing it... like idiots... never... like... trying to diversify... what they do...

[00:35:44] like... for instance... targeting... other... more accessible wealth... they are... they are insane... was it Einstein... who... who... who said that... insanity... is doing the same thing... repeatedly... and expecting... different results... so they are insane... and has anyone... ever questioned...

[00:36:14] why Donald Duck... a sailor... with... no... apparent... financial resources... and... a very... dubious... relationship... to failure... and... obstacles... was... raising three... children alone... in the first place... where are they... where are... Hugh, Louis... and Dewey's parents...

[00:36:43] this is never mentioned... they... the show just gloss... over this... fundamental... question... okay... so... that was an American show... could I perhaps... dwell on... on the English... danger mouse... for a while... I'm sorry... but I don't really remember... this show as much...

[00:37:14] this was... a show... like this... Cold War... reminiscence... kind of thing... it was... about this mouse... who had an eye patch... he was this secret... agent mouse... and he had this... very anxious... hamster... sidekick... who... was called Penfold...

[00:37:45] and... it was... I guess it was a spy show... which is... I mean... think of it... now... this was... like... I don't remember exactly... when this was aired... but I guess it was in the... final moments... the final decade... of the... of the Cold War... and... it was an English... show as I remember it... it was in London... and...

[00:38:14] he had this... the world's greatest... secret agent... kind of business... going on... in a pillow box... and... they had a boss... who was a... a... chinchilla... type of animal... and... it was always... the same villain... wasn't it?

[00:38:43] a toad... called Greenback... and... he talked... like this... Eastern Europe... dialect... with... yeah... it was obviously... some... Soviet Union... kind of thing... going on there... like... who was... is it... is this... Thatcher... era... Britain...

[00:39:14] yeah... I know very little... about Britain... at this time... but the fact that... he had his... his headquarters... in this... British symbol... like the red... pillar box... yeah... so... okay... so I don't want to go... too deep into the... political stuff... because I'm going to... get it all wrong... I know... but... and I... I remember this being... a funny show... because...

[00:39:44] Penfold was... totally useless... but they traveled... like... all over the world... fighting this toad... Greenback... Baron Greenback... yeah... and... he... Baron Greenback... he loved... like... doomsday devices... with...

[00:40:13] of course... leads your... mind into terms of... nuclear... war... and stuff... and... Soviet... like... Eastern West... struggles... you know... and... there was a lot of... surveillance... wasn't it? I don't know if I say that right... surveillance... encounter surveillance... like... like... uh... Danger Mouse... had like...

[00:40:43] gadgets... like... almost like James Bond... and... Baron Greenback... had all these... monitoring devices... so this is... truly like... Cold War... stuff... again... the weird stuff here is... that there's this... animal society... that somehow... has developed... identical... geopolitical tensions... to human civilization... like...

[00:41:12] like... like... the example... with Duckburg... some animals... have evolved... and others are... conventional... animals... like... for instance... like... Greenback... had this... pet... snake... was it? a caterpillar... maybe? Yes... there's this... non-sentient pet... owned by... a sentient...

[00:41:41] toad... and... and so... and I always wondered... how they... could fit all his... like... Danger Mouse's headquarters... inside... a London pillar box... that would really... I mean... a pillar box... I don't... I don't know... but... it's... very small space...

[00:42:11] yet... it somehow... contains... multiple rooms... and... very advanced... technology... and... comfortable... living quarters... I thought it was... so cozy... that was one of my dreams... growing up... to have a headquarter... going to school... but still having this... secret headquarter... to return to... and gather my... strength... between... within... like... during the recess...

[00:42:46] and there is always... this absurd... type of travel... you could just... travel the globe... in minutes... like using... yeah... it was some... sort of... vehicle... that could... transform from... car... to a plane... to a submarine... submarine... with... minimal... transition time... that was...

[00:43:15] that's also weird... I... I don't think... I'm nailing it... as much as I did... with Duckburg though... this is... harder to find... inconsistencies... it's a more... genuine... universe... that... really springs from... yeah... the time... when it was created... but why does he have... an eye patch? why does... Danger Mouse... have an eye patch?

[00:43:46] there's... as far as I'm... as far as I remember... there's never a... someone telling... how he lost his eye... or whether the patch... serves as a functional... thing... or is it just... aesthetic distinction? is it a war wound? has he... violence in his past? but we can't talk about it...

[00:44:16] since this is a children's show... is it the... like... technology? does he have some sort of... cybernetic... enhancement... implanted in his brain... or something? or is it just... like a brand... you know... a brand signifier? is it his image... you know... image management? I mean... Penfold would know... but... he doesn't do anything...

[00:44:46] really... he's just... in trouble all the time... I don't get... why would someone keep... an assistant... that keeps... getting lost... getting trapped... getting scared... messing it all up... why? he's... he's... he's a... I think he was a hamster... and... and... he was always scared... and he has no function...

[00:45:15] in their missing... missions... beyond providing... some sort of contrast... to Danger Mouse... because Danger Mouse... is so competent... he has no special skills... he... he... always... almost always... on a regular basis... at least... like... messes up the operations... because he's... yeah... he's clumsy... and... he requires... constant rescue...

[00:45:46] but he keeps... his position... as the sole... assistant... to the... quote-unquote... the world's greatest... secret agent... this is... an... inexplicable... staffing decision... and... and... I don't know what that says about an organization... it's... it's...

[00:46:18] and why... this Baron Greenback... I don't remember much of him... more than... that he has this... sweet tooth... or... doomsday machines... and... that he always... as so many other supervillains... in children's shows... exhibits like... this... pathological commitment... to very... unnecessarily complex schemes... for world domination... rather than just... employing... like...

[00:46:48] his... clearly... substantial resources... to vote... toward... achievable goals... he's just... always up there... elaborating plots... involving... weather... control machines... and... mind-altering... broadcasts... or giant robots... or... yeah... he's a bit like... Elon Musk... as well... I'm sorry...

[00:47:17] I don't want to bash... I'm... this is not a podcast that... truly is supposed to talk about... contemporary things... that trouble me... but... yeah... there you have it... but he loves... overcomplicated plans... with single points... of failure... you know... so I'm building this... weather controlling... device... but what happens... if it... can't control the weather...

[00:47:47] which is a big thing... the weather... you know... it's a complex... mechanism... yeah... then... the whole plan just... fails... oh... okay... you know... okay... so I... I can't remember... so... I... what I remember... from... that show... is like... why does he have an eye patch?

[00:48:17] how can he have this whole headquarters... in the pillar box? and... why does Penfold... still have a job? and... why... why is it possible to... travel the world... in just seconds? and... why... does the... major villain... love... over... complicated schemes... so much? I can't... come up with... any other show...

[00:48:46] that I remember... that... maybe... could relate to... people... in other countries... Fraggle Rock... do you remember... Fraggle Rock? like... in Sweden... that show... was called... Fraggle... which means... the fraggles... so... this show... if you remember it... was about... like... this hidden world...

[00:49:17] of... different species... living in... like... mutual... dependence... under... our very feet... it was like... in caverns... in... under... this... I remember the... the...

[00:49:45] the intro... there was like... some... dude... with a dog... and the dog... yeah... the dog... he... he knew that... there were... Fraggles... down beneath... our feet... but the dog's owner... an old man... he never realized... and he always... told the dog to shut up... in other words... I guess but... so there were... five Fraggles...

[00:50:13] I think... Gobo... okay... so I'm making this up... I can't really... Moki... Wimbley... I can't remember their names... so... there were... it was not just... not just the Fraggles... down there in the caverns... they were... there were...

[00:50:43] like... some... small... creatures... called the Doozers... who... were constantly... building structures... that Fraggles... ate... right? and... then there was this... gigantic... gorgs... who... who... like... provided the radishes... that...

[00:51:14] sustained the entire... ecosystem... and then there was this... yeah... humans... that were also... playing a part... so it's... is it a... is it a story about... class relations... like... in a capitalistic society... I... I don't know... I don't remember... I remember though... that I really loved the show... and...

[00:51:45] so the gorgs... were like... a... royalty... so they owned the land... and... controlled the... primary resource... like... the radish... garden... which all the other species depend... and... yeah... they were kings... like... kings and queens... but they were only... three people...

[00:52:15] and so... the gorgs... were three... and... the fraggles... were five... and the doozers were... yeah... very many of them... so the fraggles... they stole... the radishes... and... the doozers... made... construction material...

[00:52:45] in... of the radishes... and... the fraggles... ate them... like... the construction material... right? so there was this... consuming... cycle... that no one... involved... particularly... fully... understood... and then there was this... like this...

[00:53:14] heap of trash... wasn't it? a sentient... trash pile... who was very wise... yeah... I... I think I thought that... this was a... scary character... I don't really know why... I... I... I'm sorry sleepy... I don't really remember this show... very well either...

[00:53:48] so... fraggle rock... somehow exists... simultaneously... beneath a small... human workshop... or like... a lighthouse... or whatever... at the same time... they... oh and I... oh I got...

[00:54:18] I lost my flow... sorry... okay so... hopefully you're asleep now... sleepy... the perplexing thing... about this... is... like... fraggles... subsist primarily on radishes... and dozers... constructions... made from said... radishes...

[00:54:47] while... dozers... apparently consume... nothing... but... dozer sticks... so... that... they were also made from radishes... so... but you can't... if I remember it correctly... these... via... these systems... violate...

[00:55:16] the basic laws... of thermodynamics... right? Energy can... not be... infinitely... recycled... through... a system... without... external... input... so... if... if it's all radishes... then... it... it becomes... impossible in the end... so they can't... sustain... they can't sustain... their own life...

[00:55:47] no... I... I need to clarify this... I don't really know... what I'm thinking... so... it doesn't make any sense... from... uh... nutritional... nutritional... standpoint... the... entire... ecosystem... runs on radishes... gorgs... grow them... fraggles... eat them... dozers... process them... into construction material...

[00:56:17] which... fraggles... can also eat... it's a closed loop... that is against... all known physics... energy... cannot be... infinitely... recycled... through a system... without... external input... and there is no... external input... it's all radishes... it's like... if our... entire... ecosystem... economy-wise... was... based on...

[00:56:46] recycling the same... dollar bill... over and over... and over again... while... somehow... expecting... everyone to get richer... yeah... well... that's maybe... that maybe... is the case... that's how we all think... so the trash heap...

[00:57:14] is a radical character... it's... it's like... an embodiment of waste... transformed into wisdom... and she's saying that... capitalism's... downsides... like... the things... it discards... and ignores... actually contain...

[00:57:46] the knowledge... needed to save us... from capitalism itself... now... don't get me wrong... this is not an... anti-capitalistic... podcast... I'm a part of a system... why should I... pretend otherwise... but it's interesting... to... gather wisdom... from... trash... I remember also...

[00:58:16] there was this... they got a postcard... every now and then... from... some uncle... always these uncles... and... he was traveling around... and he was sending... postcards... to the fraggles... and they always... gathered around... I also remember... one time... one of the fraggles... got lost... and... it was very scary... I guess I was... younger... when this show... was in Sweden...

[00:58:52] like... and I also... always felt sad... for the doozers... like... they work... constantly building... elaborate... elaborate structures... they... that are just... consumed... by this leisure class... that... contributes nothing... to their creation... and they're happy about it... I remember this being said... specifically...

[00:59:22] like... that... the doozers... are really happy... that the fraggles... eat their hard work... so they've... internalized their... exploitation... to such a degree... that... they celebrate... when fraggles... eat their constructions... because it gives them... more space to build... even more... that sounds like... like an afterthought... you know...

[00:59:53] that doesn't sound... real to me... I think that the fraggles... no... the... yeah... well... the fraggles... eating the doozers... constructions... in the middle of the work... you know... I think that... they truly feel... a deep sense of despair... the doozers... and... it's a very unjust society... and we should... ban this show...

[01:00:24] sorry... okay... sorry... sleepy... I'm all out of words... these... were... my words... from me to you today... and... yeah... goodnight...