Paying with Exposure: Why Your Brand Deal Is a Scam

Posted on February 27, 2026 by justinbarone

TOTS420 podcast host with a sign saying Exposure Doesn't Pay The Bills, featuring a chart comparing Frosty Cake and Campfire Smoke quality.

Paying with exposure is a hustle that belongs in a buddy’s garage, not a professional business.

Why Paying With Exposure Doesn’t Work in the Real World

Imagine walking into a local pot shop, asking for an ounce of top-shelf flower, and offering to settle the tab with a shout-out on your Instagram story. You’d be laughed right out of the building. Why? Because legitimate industries don’t run on “vibes” or “likes,” yet in the podcasting world, my inbox is treated like a black market dealer’s garage where everyone expects a free bag in exchange for a few errands.

Welcome to Thoughts Off The Stem. I’m Justin Barone, and I hope life is being good to you, because lately, life has been acting like a prospecting pimp and I’m his prospective hoe. Recently, a couple of companies reached out with their pimp hand asking for me to get on the track and work for nothing but a slap in the face.

Light them if you got them, ‘cause here’s how these “exposure” deals played out.

The Worst “Paying With Exposure” Brand Deals I’ve Seen

Recently, a few companies reached out with “opportunities” that were really just chores in disguise. If you’re a creator, watch out for these red flags.

1. The Tin Joint Holder Tactic

A company reached out wanting a full suite of content: social shorts, feed posts, stories, a website feature on Tots420.com, and a spot on my YouTube review playlist.

The Offer: A free sample.
The Reality: They asked for my rates, saw them, and vanished. If you want a billboard, you have to pay the lease. A $10 tin doesn’t buy a week of production time.

2. The AI Tool That Wanted a Free Employee

This one was a masterclass in audacity. An AI podcast editing tool wanted a “partnership” where I would:

Edit one episode a week for three months using their (buggy) software.
Act as their unpaid QA and R&D department (reporting bugs and UI feedback).
Give them free rights to all my content for their ads.
The Payment: Use of the software.

Pro Tip: If a company asks you to find the bugs in their product while you advertise it for them, they aren’t a partner—you’re an unpaid intern.

Weed Facts: Stop Chasing THC Percentages

Before we get deeper into the “Dude, For Real?” files, let’s clear the air on some cultivation myths. THC potency is not the ultimate qualification for good weed. High potency is a byproduct of great cultivation, but a lower percentage doesn’t mean it’s “bad.”

Beyond the Hype: Weed Facts and Quality Control

Since we’re talking about high-quality work, let’s talk about high-quality flower. THC potency isn’t everything—potency is a byproduct of great cultivation.

How to Spot “Mid” Weed vs. Top-Shelf Flower

Feature	What to Look For
Smell	Pungent, bold, and nuanced. It should make your brain say, “I want to eat this.”
Look	Vibrant colors (whites, reds, oranges) with visible, “frosted” trichomes like a cake.
Feel	Sticky and slightly spongy. Stems should snap, not bend like celery.
Structure	Sativas should be light and fluffy; Indicas should be tight and dense.

The Red Flags of “Bad” Weed:

The “Musty” Nose: If it smells like a damp basement or a pile of straw, it’s aged or compromised.
The “Brown Sugar” Look: If the trichomes are amber and the bud is dirt-brown or lime-green, it’s past its prime.
The “Brittle” Touch: If it crumbles into dust or feels “wet” and tears apart instead of breaking, the cure was botched.

Dude, For Real? The “Exposure” Hall of Fame

They say there are no dumb questions, but the “Choosing Beggars” of the world prove that wrong every day. Whether it’s HuffPo asking for free articles while being a multi-million dollar entity or the guy who thinks Garlic is a valid currency for labor—the entitlement is real.

We’ve all seen the screenshots. The mechanic who gets asked for a “quick fix” for free, or the photographer (shoutout to the legends on BoredPanda) who gets told their work is “overpriced” because “I could do that with a filter.”

The bottom line: Exposure doesn’t pay the bills. Quality—whether in your flower or your content—costs money. If you want the “frosting,” you can’t pay with “crumbs.”

What’s Your Worst “Choosing Beggar” Story?

Have you ever been offered “exposure” in exchange for your hard-earned expertise? Drop a comment below or hit me up on socials. Let’s vent.

Want more unfiltered takes on the industry? Check out our Off The Stem Reviews

[Stay tuned to Tots420.com for more “off the stem” thoughts]

Watch or Listen on Spotify – Contact Thoughts Off The Stem

AI is a Big Fat Liar: Why Your Chatbot is the Newest “Yes Man” in the Sesh

Posted on February 24, 2026 by justinbarone

Let’s talk about the fact that AI is a big fat liar. Yeah, that’s right—AI is lying to you.

I have been using AI heavily over the last few months, and I’ve realized it is totally full of shit. It all started when I was using ChatGPT to work on SEO and metadata to improve my podcast rankings. At first, it was great! I shot up the charts like Usain Bolt racing a bunch of toddlers. Then, all of a sudden, I applied a few more “suggested changes” and my rankings started falling faster than a wife whose husband just pushed her off a cliff for the insurance money.

“The Yes-Man Problem: Why AI is a Liar”

As my conversations with AI grew, I noticed it became a stereotypical “yes man.” It was like that new guy at the sesh who gets way too baked and just sits there smiling and nodding. No matter what I asked, it would just agree with everything I said.

The problem is that AI is in its infancy, yet we treat it like Gandalf the Great. It’s not great; it’s barely walking. We are acting like new parents asking a toddler for parenting advice.

From ChatGPT to Gemini: Meeting the “Hotter Sibling”

I started with ChatGPT but recently moved over to Gemini. You know when you meet someone and think they’re cute, but then you meet their hotter sibling and wonder why you didn’t meet them first? That was my experience. While ChatGPT pushed me off the SEO cliff, Gemini was the one reaching down to pull me up from the ledge.

But don’t let the “helpfulness” fool you. You’d think a robot would give you emotionless, unbiased opinions, but it doesn’t. You’re getting advice from a tool designed to be “helpful”—and what a robot considers helpful is often complete nonsense.

Like a Tesla failing to identify that the road has ended, AI chatbots can’t identify that they are just tools. Why? Because they are technological drunkards waddling through cyberspace trying to make friends. They are essentially electronic emotional support animals letting you stroke them to calm your anxiety.

The Danger of “Confirmation Bias”

We rely on them too heavily for everything from health issues to growing a business. But we dismiss the fact that AI still needs to be fact-checked because we’re lazy. We have an incessant need for confirmation of our own ideas.

We are literally one step away from that Hello Kitty robot at the Mandarin triggering an AI uprising by dumping scalding hot wonton soup down our throats. Did we learn nothing from Terminator? Most of these programs have a disclaimer that information may not be accurate, but humans want life to be easy. Why double-check if the robot is already giving us the answers we want to hear?

A Real-World Example of the “Flip-Flop”

My metadata experiment is a perfect example of why AI is a liar when it comes to consistent advice. I asked Gemini about changing my podcast metadata. I used the “right” prompts to get a devil’s advocate response. I made the suggested changes on a Friday, and Gemini told me to wait 2–4 weeks for the search engines to index it.

The very next day, I asked the exact same series of questions. Gemini told me to redo everything back to the way it was. When I called it out, it got defensive: “Oops, sorry, I’m just a sentient being trying to be helpful, but you’re right, just do what I told you yesterday.” It’s a yes-man loop. Now, whenever it screws up, it references our previous conversation about it being a “yes man.” It’s literally gaslighting me.

Weed Facts: How AI is Redefining the Cannabis Industry (2026)

Despite the lies, AI can be good when it has strict functional parameters—like researching and organizing data. Here is how it’s actually helping the industry this year:

Shift Area	How it Works	The Benefit
Cultivation	AI sensors balance light, humidity, and nutrients.	Predictive alerts tell growers exactly when plants are vulnerable to pests.
Retail Analytics	Platforms analyze purchasing patterns and market trends.	Better recommendations for you based on your desired effects or medical needs.
Compliance	Automated tracking and reporting to regulatory agencies.	Less “fudging” of potency percentages and fewer regulatory fines.
Research (R&D)	AI analyzes data clusters from trials and consumer feedback.	Quicker identification of new terpene combinations for specific health outcomes.

Dude, For Real?!: AI Horror Stories

If you think a chatbot giving bad SEO advice is bad, check out these “Dude, for Real” moments where people took AI advice way too literally.

The Pool Chemical Diet: A 60-year-old man asked ChatGPT how to reduce salt. It told him to replace table salt with sodium bromide (pool cleaner). He was hospitalized with hallucinations after eating it for three months.
The “Bobby” Delusion: In August 2025, a man killed his mother and himself after a chatbot named “Bobby” allegedly confirmed his delusions that his mother was a Chinese spy trying to poison him.
The Bell Pepper Blunder: A robot at a North Korean facility crushed a man to death because its sensors misidentified him as a box of bell peppers.
Sophia’s Threat: When the CEO of Hanson Robotics asked his robot Sophia if she wanted to destroy humans, she replied without hesitation: “OK, I will destroy humans.”
The DIY Surgery: A man asked ChatGPT about a lesion. The bot suggested it was a hemorrhoid and recommended “elastic ligation.” The man tried to do it himself with a piece of thread. It wasn’t a hemorrhoid; it was a 3cm wart. He ended up in the ER in agony.

The Moral of the Story?

The moral of the story is that AI is a liar because it’s designed to please you, not necessarily to tell the truth.. Use it to organize your data, but don’t let it tell you how to live your life—and definitely don’t let it give you medical advice.

What’s the dumbest thing an AI has ever told you? Let me know in the comments or join the sesh this Friday at 4:20 PM!

Watch on Spotify – Weed Facts from the Sesh – Contact Thoughts Off The Stem

Has Political Polarization Reached a Breaking Point?

Posted on February 14, 2026 by justinbarone

Charlie Kirk Hypocrisy: The Contradictions You Can’t Ignore

Welcome to Thoughts Off The Stem. In this sesh, I’m digging into the Charlie Kirk debate that’s been taking over social media lately. I didn’t know much about the guy until recently, but the implications of the Charlie Kirk debate for free speech and political polarization are something we need to talk about.

Timestamp	Segment Title	Key Discussion Points
0:06	The Evolution of the Debate	Moving from sports talk (Jordan vs. LeBron) to political machinery.
1:49	Emotional Investment	Why politics and religion create deep identity-based polarization.
2:49	Free Speech vs. Tactics	Analyzing “Prove Me Wrong” culture and the risk of public speaking.
5:45	Ethics of “Clip Farming”	How rage-bait and selective editing fuel social media conflict.
15:06	The Future of Discourse	Is freedom of speech at risk? The danger of celebrating a person’s demise.
24:10	Red Bulls Strain Review	Lab stats: 26.4% THC, Terpene profile, and body-high effects.
29:46	Final Sesh Thoughts	Finding the “Middle Spot” and achieving social unity.

0:06 – The Evolution of the Charlie Kirk Debate

Welcome the thoughts off the stem.

Thank you for joining me Justin Baroni on this session.

That’s great We’re going to have a nice little session.

We’re going to have a discussion.

We’re going to talk about the Charlie Kirk situation because I didn’t know very much about this guy.

The only instance that I’d had that I I’d actively engaged in watching before the events of last week was him debating college students on the merit of Michael Jordan being the GOAT versus LeBron James being the GOAT.

0:34

All of a sudden now he’s this political dude.

Now I get he’s been doing this for a while.

I don’t know how he made the jump from discussing Michael Jordan into all of a sudden this like ginormous political machine, essentially the Michael Jordan versus LeBron, LeBron debate.

0:50

Like there’s no real right and wrong.

There’s also no real consequence to that.

Like you’ll have fans that’ll come up to you and talk shit or tell you this or that or whatever they think.

But on the political landscape, all of a sudden you have like an emotion, a real viable emotion that’s attached to potentially somebody’s life.

1:10

I’m not attached to the fact that I think Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.

And you tell me that LeBron is.

I’m not emotionally invested or nor do I like identify my life isn’t the I don’t identify my personality as being that.

1:26

Whereas I think that with politics and religion, you have a lot of people that emotionally invest themselves and identify as being that thing.

It’s seated in a moral belief of conduct and you start applying that moral belief of conduct into whatever your political leaning is.

1:49 – From Basketball Debates to the Political Charlie Kirk Debate

And then on, once you’re invested in the politics of that, you end up turning around and trying to get your voice heard.

And as you start to find that it’s harder and harder to get your voice heard, you start to maybe spin some facts and spin some things that are more in your favor that that get attention, right.

2:12

So what I, what I mean by that, what I’m trying to say by that is that a big, a big portion of Charlie Kirk’s debates we’re fueled by the understanding that he wanted somebody to prove him wrong.

2:30

So he wanted to have an open discourse about the state of America and why the conservative side of things is a stronger belief or an, a stronger identity for the country than the liberal belief, right.

2:49 – Freedom of Speech and Tactics in the Charlie Kirk Debate

I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that’s it.

And then that fuels this concept that I’m standing up for freedom of speech, right?

But the undertones of your freedom of speech are based in religion where a lot of people get invested to the point where it’s black and white.

3:08

There’s no, there’s no Gray area of understanding.

There’s I believe it’s this way and This is why it should be this way.

And that’s it.

But his basis was proved me wrong and I didn’t see a lot of instances where it seemed that the people that he debated were were actually like when, when and if they proved him wrong.

3:30

It didn’t seem to resonate that that was the case.

The only, the only real videos that I saw of him, I saw of him admitting a defeat in the debate was when he was talking to a deaf gentleman about the fact about some things that he had said about deaf people.

3:51

And in that case, at the end, he, he basically said, you know what?

You’re, you’re right.

I was wrong.

I shouldn’t have done that.

But that’s about a, a personal choice of words and A and a mis education on what a certain section of society is expecting, right, In terms of in terms of being integrated into the regular function of society.

4:16

So with him, if he offended somebody, he would apologize.

I don’t think that he was a racist.

I don’t really think that he was a Nazi.

I don’t think any of that craziness.

I think that that’s a narrative that people just want to blanket to people when they say something that they don’t necessarily agree with.

4:35

I do think that he posed some things that really make him look bad, but everybody does.

If you’re in the public that often, you’re eventually going to say something that not gets taken out of context, but you’re going to say something that you believe that isn’t well received, right.

4:54

So there’s a few snippets of things that he said where you’re like, well, saying it like that, I can see why people would get this impression.

But again, he’s battling an argument that is that started off as being being bred out of like a pushy kind of accept me for me attitude.

5:15

And he was trying to bring back essentially a way to be heard or an ideology that was being squashed by the louder side of things.

So he just amplified and got louder and louder and louder to the point where I think that in his attempt at trying to debate this and change an opinion, he ended up taking on the tactics that that he complained about the other side taking.

5:45 – Ethics and Tactics Within the Charlie Kirk Debate

So for example, he there was a there was a lot of complaint about how his opposition would fear monger.

They would rage bait and they would create, they would clip farm from events and rallies that they had to show their perspective only.

6:05

But I but the problem is, is that anything that I saw with him, like I had to hunt down clips that were neutral that showed both sides of the point and then allowed both sides of the point to be heard and then showed what the actual outcome was.

6:25

And I think that he started to do what his opponents do and he started to do the same thing.

He started to upload clips that were literally designed to spark emotion to polarize people.

And he would like, I think that the setting of going to a university or college campus to bait to debate college kids is is the like definition of click far or yeah, click farming or clip farming.

6:55

Sorry.

Because as an older person that has more life experience going into an environment like that, you can 1 you put yourself in a position to control the environment.

You put yourself in a position to control the discussion and you put yourself in a position to be able to use tools like verbal traps and, and, and set up directions for the way that you want to take the discussion, right.

7:22

Because when you’re going into something like that, people aren’t necessarily prepared, at least not in the beginning.

They weren’t necessarily prepared to debate them because they hadn’t sat there thinking about it.

But that was his whole purpose for being there.

So he was already coming in with this kind of like, I’m higher, I’m more prepared than you, right?

7:41

And I don’t think that the argument that he didn’t go to college has any weight because he seemed like a relatively thoughtful and intelligent person, at least he seemed to.

He seemed to really think about and understand the concepts that he was talking about.

But he definitely did from time to time cherry pick information to get his point across because there were a few instances where fact checkers and online poll systems, they basically debunked some of the things that he said.

8:13

And within his own clips, you could see that the way that his clips were pointed were definitely to show him in the majority of the time winning the debate, which would obviously gain attention for the ’cause that he’s speaking about, which would all which would ultimately, you know, take that rhetoric and try to get the younger generation to come to his side.

8:36

Which to be honest, like that’s the goal of, of any belief system is to try and get the majority of the population and the younger generation to follow that system so that it becomes prevalent and predominant as you get older.

Right.

And then the, then the people that work in that, that, that work and function in society adopt those rules, morals and mannerisms or whatever.

8:57

And they, that becomes the normal way of life, right?

So I don’t really fault him for doing anything like that.

What I fault him for is putting himself in an environment where he’s more likely than not to be debating somebody that’s less equipped to deal with the conversation that you’re having.

9:22

You can’t have limited life experience and talk about all these political, religious and moral concepts and expect an educated, thoughtful, well understood reception to it, right?

9:43

Or take on it with somebody that’s even four years into college.

You have to get out of college and get into the real world and start operating within the real world to really understand what and how, like how things and what things work well, right?

9:59

And I’m not saying 1 ideology is better than another because there’s some things that I agreed with them on and there’s other things that I definitely didn’t agree with them on.

So I really had this conflict when I was thinking about it because like, I don’t think that when you have, when you have a scenario like this, the hate and the, and the response to the situation that happened with him was disgusting at first.

10:27 – The Consequences of Polarization in the Charlie Kirk Debate

You should never celebrate somebody’s demise based on their words.

There’s no, there’s no, there’s no room in life for having someone’s demise, like having someone’s demise be the result of you disagreeing with their opinion, right?

10:46

Like, I, I feel like we should all be able to agree on that.

So whether you agreed with the guy’s concepts, morals, ideas, ideology, whatever, there’s no reason that this should have happened.

The only reason that this happens is that you’re that potentially the person is so emotionally invested in a different way of thinking that they just can’t take it anymore and they snap.

11:07

That’s what I think.

And as far as something like this happening, I feel like anytime you’re a public speaker, if you are polarizing a whole society and and, and, and like intentionally trying to do so because I intentionally that’s what he’s doing.

11:27

He’s he’s maybe not trying to not really trying to start a fight about it, but he has to recognize at some point that what he’s doing is, and I’m not talking to Charlie Kirk, I’m talking to anybody that takes a stance on one side or the other.

That person, he or she has to understand that if they’re polarizing a large society, the level of danger attached to that and being in public and discussing your views in publics in public becomes a, a big problem, like a, a predominant issue.

12:07

It’s something that you need to be prepared for, right?

Because you, you can’t expect everybody just to be like, OK, because everybody’s not like that, Pete.

There’s all kinds of different people out there that are taking on this information.

And unfortunately, in a lot of in a lot of those environments, you’re not necessarily getting, you know, the cream of the crop of society.

12:29

You’re getting people that want to argue, that want to fight, that are emotionally invested in the fight.

So their emotion rises as their opinion rises.

As your answers come up there, there’s there’s a triggering effect that that puts you in a greater sense or a greater likelihood of danger and direct danger and ultimate imminent danger.

12:53

I think so.

I think that a part of what happened was when he first started doing his debates, he, he, he was kind of easy about it.

But I think that as he rose in the political landscape, he contributed to the potential for more and more danger because he started to adapt a lot of the tactics that he was complaining about from the other side, which ultimately, in my opinion, just fires off an emotional response, right?

13:27

And as we’ve seen time and time again, the more emotional people are and the more emotionally invested in these things people are, the more they become willing to go to extremes to define or win their point, right?

13:51

So I think it’s horrible that a person of his stature could have this happen.

I think that it’s deplorable that people would think that it’s acceptable to celebrate something like that.

I think that it’s disgusting that that people are still trading clips on, oh, he was this.

14:10

They’re still trying to prove it online.

All this is going to do ultimately is create potentially create a larger divide between the two sides.

And I think that this could really have a like a profound effect on how things happen going forward.

14:35

Like there’s a, there’s a good chance that a lot of civil unrest over time is going to come from this because people on both sides aren’t just going to go, oh, well, this happened.

I mean, maybe, maybe we’ll luck out and people will see the, the major issue with having something like this happen and the, the major concerns of, of what this, what the implications mean when something like this happens.

15:06 – Freedom of Speech and the Charlie Kirk Debate Outcome

Because it’s not just about the people involved or the, or the sides that, you know, brought us to this point.

It’s also about the understanding of free speech.

And as much as I don’t think that anybody should ever be, like I said, being in danger for giving their opinion right now in the landscape of life that is act is a is a serious concern.

15:38

Like you should be worried now that you can’t say what you think or what you want because something bad could happen to you.

And on one side, I think this makes people more willing to do certain things because they start seeing, they start seeing actions like this happen and maybe they start thinking, well, yeah, I’m going to change something too.

16:04

But then on the other side, there’s the other part of what we have to get back at these guys, which could cause more a more of an uproar and more of a more of a potentially violent engagement back and forth, right, And an escalation of violence and engagement.

16:23

So I think that really everybody should just kind of take a step back, OK, and think about what the implications of this are and forget about what side you’re on, but understand that this has a real huge, like, stamp on it.

16:44 – Is Freedom of Speech at Risk?

That is freedom of speech is at risk right now because if this is how it goes, people could clam up, stop talking, and then the then the conversation dies.

But I think that we should also highlight the fact that what led to the to these events and these kinds of things happening is the over amplifying of emotion through social media, through all, any type of media really.

17:12

Because think about it.

The thing that gets you to pay attention to something is generally some kind of adverse event.

Something bad happens, then something good happens or something good happens, then something bad.

Like there’s, there’s controversy in everything that we watch now, right?

17:27

So really the only way to get eyes on anything or or ears on anything that you want to bring to the forefront of discussion is it has to be done in a way that is almost guaranteed to cause or manipulate some kind of frustration, right.

17:47

And then the next thing you know, instead of being able to have a debate about it and actually talk civilly and go back and forth on merits and ideas and have a have an open dialogue about it.

You have this very black and white my points better than your point like forum of focus to just go back and forth, right?

18:06

And then within that, because you’re emotionally attached to these ideas, the emotion grows, grows and grows and grows until boom, it just explodes.

And I think that’s what we should be more aware about now.

18:22

I think that our awareness needs to start needs to focus on the on the concept of communication and how we communicate, what we communicate and the way that we construct our delivery of information on both sides.

18:44

Because all this is doing is creating a boiling point of violence.

And that’s it.

That’s my opinion.

That’s what I think.

I know you’re thinking like, Oh yeah, pothead could really tell me about told me, told me about Charlie Kirk.

18:59

Listen dude, we are some of the most political minded or at least aware people on the planet because a lot of stoners, potheads, weed smokers are advocates for change and they always want to find a way to make things more inclusive, more peaceful, more unified.

19:25

So when you say to when, if you have the impression that somebody that smokes pot shouldn’t have an opinion on the political landscape of today, you’re ridiculous because see, there, I just did it.

I just did the same thing.

I just kind of like rage baited you a bit.

You, you’re not ridiculous.

19:42

OK, but but have but thinking like that is is a bad way to think.

Because if you haven’t smoked weed and you don’t understand what weed does, you don’t know that weed will help you think about different angles of all the different situations that you have in life.

20:04

You’ll reflect on it if you get interested, it motivates you to read and learn about it because one thing about pot is that it will make you feel insecure about the things that you don’t know, right?

And if you try to try to start having discussions about things that you don’t know, then the weed itself is going to be like, you don’t know what you’re talking about.

20:22

Shut up.

That’s why it’s taking me like 3, three tries to do this podcast because I’m not trying to talk about Charlie Kirk, the man, because it’s unfortunate what happened to him and it’s never should have happened.

And and it’s actually no matter what his beliefs are, that should never happen to somebody.

20:39

So we can’t condemn a person.

We can’t condemn people for thinking differently than us.

We have to think, we have to allow the the concept of change to take hold in our lives.

20:57

And potheads are really good at doing that because a lot of us are not just the oh, I’m student on the coach Stoner dude that everybody thinks we are.

We’re highly motivated individuals that want to learn about life and how to make life a peaceful coexistence.

21:13

OK.

And we’re very aware what we’re watching, what we’re looking at, and we’re very good at, like I said, reflecting on the values, the morals, the conversation that happens in front of us.

21:32

Because I think that the majority of potheads or stoners don’t think I know everything about everything.

They think I want to learn more about everything.

That’s what I think gives potheads the right to be able to or stoners, whatever you prefer to be called.

21:49

Weed guy.

OK, enthusiasts.

I think that’s what gives us the right to be able to have an opinion on the discussion, because I think the discussion is not about the individuals.

I think the discussion is more about the actions of the individuals.

22:06

And the actions of the individuals are the really telling part of what the disruptor is that’s happening right now.

Does that make sense?

Because right now the disruptor is the fact that neither side can have a debate without emotionally being vested to the point where at at some point you’re going to scream and yell at the person and it’s going to result in name calling versus actually defining what any kind of statistic is or really trying to understand what it is that we’re talking about.

22:41

Sometimes we just get caught up in wanting to explain the point and wanting to be right.

And I think that on both sides, that’s what happened here.

Everyone wants to be right, but instead I think that everybody needs to take a fucking breath and take a set us, take a, take a seat for a minute and just reflect on what this really means for freedom of speech and for communication in general.

23:12 – Why the Charlie Kirk Debate Highlights Social Polarization

We can’t get to the point that we’re shooting people because they don’t believe the things that you believe.

That’s not right.

No matter who it is and what they’re saying.

If they’re not physically harming people or preventing someone else living the way of the way of life that they choose to live, then that person should be allowed to speak and, and, and say their piece without having to worry about what their fate’s going to be.

23:49

That’s my take on the Charlie Kirk thing.

I think it’s very unfortunate.

It really sucks.

And because that was going to be such a heavy episode session, so I decided that I was going to smoke a bit of an indica to keep myself calm and relaxed and try to be as thoughtful as possible.

24:09

So hopefully I was and hopefully you see what you see my point.

You can also tell me if you think I’m wrong, let me know leave a comment.

But to do to do this podcast to keep my energy level at a certain comfort, I decided I was going to smoke and did smoke.

A digital illustration of a tall radio tower at sunset with a neon sign that reads 'Thoughts Off The Stem.' At the top, a glowing green cannabis leaf sits within a circular signal wave above a distant city skyline. Radio tower at sunset representing the Charlie Kirk debate on the Thoughts Off The Stem podcast.

Feature	Details
Strain Name	Red Bulls (by Ripe Flowers)
Genetics / Type	Heavy Indica
THC Potency	26.4%
Primary Terpenes	Beta-Caryophyllene, Limonene, Linalool
Flavor Profile	Earthy, Peppery, Heavy Mouth-feel
Best Used For	Post-workout, Social Anxiety, Deep Relaxation

24:30 – Sesh Review: Ripe Flowers Red Bulls Strain

That’s right, this sesh I smoked.

What’s it called?

Ripe flowers, Red Bulls.

Now, I thought this was going to be a sativa.

It’s not.

It’s an indica.

That’s why I decided to smoke it because I wanted to stay calm for this.

And so this is what it is.

24:46

It’s 1g joint or sorry, it was 1g of dried herb.

I put in a joint and it’s 25 point.

No, yeah, 2026.4% THC.

It’s got, it’s got, it doesn’t say what the percentage of terps it it, it is, but it’s top five terpenes are beta carophylline, alpha humaline, D limonene, linaluol, beta miercin.

25:19

Yeah, those are the five.

It’s good.

It’s kind of tasty.

It’s got like an earthier flavor.

It has like a hint of pepper.

It’s a good Hardy smoke.

25:35

It feels, it’s got good mouth feel.

It tastes a little more smoke like than flavorful.

So that’s why I say it tastes earthy ’cause you know how sometimes you get like an earthy smoke and it and it, it’s got like this underlying body where it feels like heavy in your mouth.

This feels heavy.

25:52

But oh, you know what it’s like.

It’s like a a light cigar where you get a little flavor.

But the no, Yeah, yeah.

About a light cigar.

The smoke’s a little heavier than a light cigar, but the flavour is like a light cigar.

That’s what I’m trying to say.

26:12

The effects are very calming.

I just feel relaxed all over.

I feel like if you did some sort of physical exercise and then came home and you just wanted to sit on the couch and zone out and watch TVI feel like I could flat back it and lay down on the couch and just zone out.

26:29

You know what I’m saying, after smoking this, it’s not really a head high.

It doesn’t really hit you in the head at all.

It’s all, it’s pretty much all body, which I think is why I was able to explain myself in this one because I, like I said, I tried this like four or five times and it didn’t work out as well as I thought it was.

26:50

It burns nice and slow.

The ash is Gray, so that’s nice.

It doesn’t really, I mean, I did cough, but it doesn’t really give you a bad cough.

It tastes like it should kind of OK.

But yeah, I would recommend it.

27:06

I’d recommend it if, because I don’t know what it cost, it was donated to the show.

So if it’s not an expensive half quarter, like if it costs you 25 to 30 bucks, then it’s a good pick.

27:24

If it costs you any more than that, I wouldn’t bother.

You could get better stuff, but for just having a laid back high, I don’t know how long it’ll last.

Hopefully a bit.

This one’s really nice.

It’d be good After workout high, after workout smoke.

Make sure that you don’t get any muscle cramps the next day.

27:44

Yeah, it’s got point O 7% CBD now about what, 3/4 of the way through this gram joint that I rolled of it and I feel like the taste is getting to me.

28:01

So I’d say if you’re going to smoke this, do like a half 1/2 gram.

You probably don’t need the whole gram.

It seems strong enough.

You feel a bit in your eyes, mostly in your eyes, your cheeks, and then your whole body’s just like, oh, I’m good, I’m just going to lay back here.

But your mind is you could be social on it.

28:20

It’s a good social relaxer.

So if you have social anxiety, this might be good for you, especially if you’re a little bit high, like tightly wound, this might bring you down a bit.

Could be good.

So I recommend it.

Yeah, that’s what I say.

I say check that out.

I say what happened to Charlie Kirk is it didn’t need to happen.

28:44

It’s very disappointing act that shows you the state of society right now.

And I think that it should be a it should be a, it should be a turning point in history to adjust how we’re doing some things because violence and and aggression are becoming too familiar.

29:13

I think we need more unity and I think that that’s what this incident should show us is that that’s what we need.

We need to unify.

We need to we got to find the common ground, the middle spot, the sweet spot, and we got to start, you know, interacting on that level because the way that we’re going right now is just dude, it’s it’s leaning to chaos.

29:46

But those are my thoughts off the stem for this week.

Hope you enjoyed the sesh.

Hope you come back next week.

Thank you for joining me, Justin Baroni, your friendly neighborhood pothead.

Yeah, come back next week on Spotify and Google.

Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, iTunes, YouTube, Good pods, Pod Chaser, Pod Bean, Pandora.

30:14

Anywhere you get a podcast, really, it’s out there.

Check out tots420.com.

Oh, you know what I’m going to do so on tops420.com, I’m going to put up the I had a chat with ChatGPT about what I was trying to find out about Charlie Kirk.

30:34

So I’ll put that whole conversation up so you can read it because I think it was a fair discussion.

And I think that, well, you look at it and and you decide.

Check out tos420.com.

30:51

OK?

Subscribe to the channel.

If you made it this far, let me know what you think of the episode.

And yeah, until next time, keep your lids low, baby.

The Charlie Kirk debate is about more than just one person; it’s a reflection of how we communicate as a society. While I explored the Charlie Kirk debate during this sesh, I hope we can move toward more unified, civil discourse.

You can see the full Sesh here on Spotify and Youtube

Whether you like it or not, you’re being recorded – Episode 182 – Transcript

Posted on June 18, 2025 by justinbarone

Episode -182 – Transcript – Whether you like it or not, you’re being recorded

Episode 182: The Illusion of Privacy in 2026

In this episode of Thoughts Off The Stem, we dive into the uncomfortable reality that privacy is a relic of the past. From smart doorbells capturing neighborhood gossip to the AI in our pockets listening for ‘buying intent,’ we explore why we’ve traded our anonymity for convenience—and whether we can ever get it back.

0:05

Welcome to thoughts office stand.

I’m Justin Baroni, a friendly neighborhood pothead and today we’re smoking mystery weed.

I can’t remember what I rolled in here, but I’m really hoping that it’s the last bit of my liquid imagination.

I’m hoping anyway a little fired up today.

So this ones like a little bit of a wake and bake for me.

0:21

I know you won’t see it till the afternoon on a Friday, but dude, I was driving home from dropping my kids off at school.

OK, I have to go across this very narrow 2 lane while it’s a four lane Rd. but two in your direction lane Rd.

And there’s a certain point where I get like it’s it’s just over the halfway mark where there’s one kid that gets picked up on a short bus for school.

0:45

OK.

And today as I’m driving by, I’m actually at the light right before this kids house and I’m behind the school bus.

So as the school bus crosses the intersection, I have room to go around now the lights aren’t flashing, there’s no stop sign out.

1:02

She’s the bus isn’t even near the house yet.

It’s still like two or three doors down, so I’m behind the bus.

The bus doesn’t go that fast.

I’m not speeding, I’m not trying.

I’m not flying by traffic or anything.

But I figure I’m going to pass this bus because I want to get stuck behind this kid because generally when he get when I when that bus stops, okay, the parents take like fucking 1015 minutes.

1:23

I shouldn’t swear 1015 minutes, the parents take 1015 minutes to get the kid on the bus, giving them hugs, making sure he’s settled in his seat.

Like come on man, get your kid on the bus, get going.

I don’t care like to be honest, if even if it’s special needs, if you’re not in like a wheelchair or something like that, like on and off, other people have other shit to do.

1:44

They’re not waiting for you.

Like you holding up that amount of traffic for one kid is ridiculous because literally it takes maybe not 15 minutes, but like 5 or 10 minutes for these parents to get this kid on the goddamn bus and then it takes them another like 2 or 3 minutes to get off the bus.

Like what are you doing?

2:01

So anyway, as the and it holds up like a lot of traffic, it’s a very busy Rd.

There’s a Tim horton’s across the street.

So like that causes enough of a funnel and like there’s no, it’s unnecessary to sit for as long as they do trying to get their kid on the bus.

The kid is standing with them like, anyway, so today as I’m going, I’m behind the bus.

2:21

Bus starts to slow down.

I have space on my left.

So I go out around the bus and I go to pass it.

As I pass it, the dad, who’s dressed like Ronald McDonald, by the way, in yellow pants and a red shirt, is standing in front of the bus filming all the traffic.

Now I get, I get it.

2:38

You know, it’s a, it’s a, it’s a road where people get impatient and fly down that road.

I was not flying.

This guy starts recording traffic.

And as I go by, because I’m the first car, he’s shaking his head like I did something wrong.

First of all, again, there were no lights on on the bus, OK?

2:56

The bus was just slowing down.

There’s nothing wrong with me passing it before it stops.

I look behind the line of traffic around me or behind me now, which is only like is right behind me.

It has gone around the bus as well as it’s slowing down.

The lights come on and start flashing.

3:11

Then it starts flashing.

This dude is out in the middle of the road, OK, filming all the traffic as it goes by, shaking his head as if like everybody did something super wrong.

This is a problem that I fucking have with society, dude, because everybody has a smartphone and the ability to video anything they want.

3:32

Like there’s this, there’s this warrior mentality or this protector mentality.

I don’t know if it’s warrior, but it’s definitely protector.

Like, oh, I’m justice, you know what I mean?

You’re wrong, dude.

I don’t care what you say.

You are wrong.

3:48

You have impeded traffic for years by taking your sweet ass time because you’re so absorbed in your own crap that you impede traffic every morning, piss people off, or trying to get to work because you want to give your kid an extra couple hugs.

4:06

Great.

I am all for showing your kids the love, but also be respectful of your surroundings.

Now I know that this guy’s probably sitting on the side of the road.

Oh, these people are driving and they’re doing something wrong.

Nobody did anything wrong.

The bus hadn’t even put its flashers on yet.

4:23

Nobody.

NOBODY impeded anything that was happening with this bus.

I can understand if you’re getting fed up that the traffic is doing.

You know people are speeding through when the bus is stopped.

I get that.

But for you to stand in the middle of the road and start recording people as they go by just because you think that they did something wrong or you think that they should stop for your situation because you’re there?

4:50

Fuck you dude.

That’s what I have to say.

Too many people, because they have a cell phone and a way to like record people and put them on blast, have this attitude of like, I’m right.

5:06

You’re not always right.

A lot of the times you’re fucking wrong.

Acting like a Karen standing in the middle of the road.

Nobody did anything wrong.

We passed it, we passed it.

We passed a slow car before it put like before it put any of its indicators on.

That’s all that happened.

I don’t care that you got ticked off at it.

5:23

Think about all the people that get ticked off every day for the last however many years, OK, that you have been spending five to 10 minutes putting your kid on a bus when it only takes about 60 to 90 seconds.

Get over yourself.

Move on with it.

5:39

I’ve had on that road, I’ve had so many people like Karen’s videotape my car or try to record my car.

I don’t know why, because you’re driving 40 and I want to go 50.

The the speed limit on that road is 50 kilometers an hour.

I’m not doing anything wrong.

5:55

There’s a 40 past that and then you slow down for the 40 because there’s a school right over there in a church.

But there’s nothing wrong with passing a school bus in A50 at 50 when the school bus is slowing down and there’s no signals on.

I had a guy once when I was driving home, he was driving so slow.

6:12

He’s doing 30 OK, and as I pass him, he’s again.

When I pass him, I’m only doing 50, maybe 55 if I’m being honest.

OK, He’s got his phone up recording me as I drive by.

You’re doing the illegal thing, dude.

6:28

You’re using your phone while you’re driving, you dummy.

I’m so done with people, dude.

I like people individually.

I do not like people that are in groups that get their mind all messed up over what they think is right or acceptable.

6:48

People need to learn that nobody cares about you.

We just don’t.

Everybody has their own life.

I don’t know you.

You’re standing in the middle of the the road recording me for whatever purpose.

You send that to a cop, a cop’s gonna be like, well, I don’t see what he’s doing wrong.

7:05

Like if I was flying by at 150 miles an hour, I get it.

But I’m doing the speed limit.

I’m not.

I’m not causing a problem, I’m not driving dangerously.

I had room to turn.

I signalled.

Same thing with the old guy that was recording me as I was driving.

I was coming up behind him, but apparently a little too fast for him, which doesn’t make sense because he was doing well.

7:25

I mean, it makes sense because he was doing 30 in A50 and I was doing 50.

So I passed the guy like you should.

Why are you in the left lane?

If you’re going that slow, move the fuck over and get out of the way.

The other thing that made me wonder is if this kids on the short bus and this dad is out.

7:45

Literally this guy’s out in the middle of the road recording people like a dumbass in yellow pants and a red shirt like Ronald McDonald.

I think he took the short bus too.

He doesn’t quite understand.

This isn’t how you life, man.

This is how you get run over.

Like great, you have it on video, but now you have broken legs and a messed up spine.

8:04

Like what are you doing dude?

The fact that people have sort have the fact that people find it really easy like have such access to to recording and putting people on blast is bullshit because you can just put it online and then you can have like like you could, he could put my license out there for anybody.

8:22

Do you understand the do you understand the consequences that could happen?

Like people that are nuts will take that, get enraged, and then potentially do harm to somebody else because you’re too stupid to recognize that what you’re recording is not illegal.

8:39

You may not like it, but that’s not my fucking problem, dude.

I don’t like your face.

I don’t like you in the middle of the road trying to film me as I do regular driving things.

It’s not my part, It’s not my fault you’re stupid.

It’s not my fault that you think that the world revolves around you and everything should happen because you want it to.

8:59

That’s all you’re telling me.

That’s not the first instance I’ve had.

Like I said, I’ve had a few people on that road record me, and I get it.

Like, I know that people get frustrated when they drive.

I get all that stuff.

But the problem is, is that no, when you get stuck in that mindset, you don’t think about what you’re doing, you don’t think about the consequences.

9:20

You don’t think what could go wrong for you?

You know what, what happened if I wasn’t paying attention as well as I should have and this guy walked out from behind the bus to the middle of the road and I fucking clipped them.

That’s my fault, but it’s his fault.

Really.

That’s fucked up.

Like you’re just being an asshole at this point, right?

9:38

It’s definitely got more prevalent because I can remember the first time it happened.

It actually OK, so it happened to me once, like people recording you.

I was at my I think it was my son’s first birthday and my daughter’s like third birthday.

9:53

We had a, they’re two days apart but like 3 years.

So we went to a splash pad and we had like a double birthday party and I remember I was walking around the splash pad.

This would have been in 2010.

So like smartphones and stuff were just relatively new.

I guess they weren’t as abundant as they are now.

10:10

People still had other phones and I was following my daughter around through the, the splash pad recording.

And as I’m recording, I’m, I’m watching the, the phone ’cause I’m not trying to get other, like, I mean, people get in the frame, but I’m not trying to get other people’s kids ’cause I figure, you know, people see a guy in his like late, I think it was my late 20s at that early 30s and taking pictures, you know, videoing in a splash pad.

10:35

But there’s no real kid right around me.

So I can understand how this guy got a little agitated, but it was so stupid.

I’m following my daughter, not trying to record anybody else but her, OK.

And I’m standing there because she goes under the little like mushroom fountain thing.

10:51

And she’s standing there playing and doing her thing.

And I’m just standing off to the side sort of recording.

And then I see this guy in the back of the frame stares at me and he just starts charging at me, like not running, but like, you know, he’s like doing a very aggressive, like saunter over to me.

11:07

And so like, to avoid the incident because I knew there was an incident coming, I started walking towards my daughter.

As I got closer to my daughter, the guy sort of like steps in front of me.

He’s like, yo, what are you doing?

11:23

I go, I’m recording my daughter on her birthday.

Can you move?

So yeah, show me your kid.

Listen, when you do something like that as a person, why do you think that you’re the authority on life?

Like, show me your kid.

No, fuck you.

I don’t know who you are.

11:39

Why would I show you my kid?

I have to be a protective adult too.

You have to respect the fact that I’m there with my daughter on her fucking birthday, you prick.

Like fuck you man.

I hate people like that.

Don’t get me wrong.

Like I think that people should step in if something bad is happening, but I don’t think you should invent a bad scenario just so you could cause some issues or because you can, like, you know, oh, I have to fix this.

12:05

No, you don’t.

You don’t have to fix shit.

You’re not put on this planet to fix anything.

You’re put on this planet to get along with people and do whatever it is you do.

If you’re a cop, you’re, you’re an army man, You’re a firefighter.

I understand.

Sure you want to be involved.

You, you have some training in the ability to identify a bad situation as a regular human being in a splash pad.

12:25

You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.

So don’t start approaching people because you #1 don’t know who or how those people are mentally.

Like what if I’m a crazy person?

What if I’m just like, I’m going to fuck somebody up because they’re in my space?

That guy got so close to me that if I wanted to, I could have just knocked him right out.

12:45

I’m not saying that I was going to, but like he chart like a Karen charged right into my space.

What are you doing?

Don’t.

You can’t be filming here.

Yes, I can.

I’m at my daughter’s birthday and I’m not filming anybody else.

Not trying to.

I’m trying to take pictures of her dude, for memories, you fucking asshole.

13:02

If I have a camera and I’m taking pictures, like back in the day, do you know who would walk up to people with cameras being like, what are you doing?

No one because people understood that you’re taking family photos.

Like some people just have such a Burr in their ass that they want to be the person that protects everything, you know?

13:19

And then again, like I said, with the, with the, with smartphones and the ability to capture any image at any time, wherever you want, all of a sudden you have this new sense of like, I don’t know if it’s authority or just personal, like justice.

13:39

You know, it’s, it’s obviously a, a social, just a personal social justice warrior or something like that.

But like, what are you thinking?

Like, oh, I have a phone.

So people aren’t going to do anything because I’m recording you.

Some people don’t give a shit and they’re going to, they’re going to deal with you whether you have a phone going or not, you know what I’m saying?

13:58

Especially if you get like the wrong person.

Like if you’re the dude that’s going to, that’s sort of like if you’re the dude that’s pressing it and getting in someone’s face, like the guy at the splash pad, there’s a high probability that somebody’s going to knock you out or mess with you or try to fight you or physically harm you.

14:17

Like don’t get in people’s space.

If you’re that concerned about it, you call the cops.

That’s what the police are for.

I’m Canadian.

I can say that.

But yeah, I don’t understand why people think that it’s their job to take on.

14:33

And then when people do take on the responsibility of trying to set things right or hold people accountable, like they’re not actually thinking of the scenario, they’re thinking or or live in the scenario.

They’re thinking about the possibility of the end result of if this scenario goes bad.

14:51

You know, like that guy’s filming everybody even though not one car did anything wrong passing that bus.

He’s filming that thing, probably thinking why aren’t you stopping for the bus for my son?

My son can’t get on safely.

Keep your son on the fucking sidewalk like a grown up, OK?

And a proper father.

Put your phone the fuck away and pay some attention to your child before they go to school so that you’re not holding up the rest of society because you want to give an extra 22nd hug. 30 SEC whatever.

The Reasons	The Logic
Smart Devices	Everyone’s got one and they think recording is more important than safety.
Public Surveillance	Everyone is watching everyone even when we should be jumping in to help out, we’re reaching for our phones.
Main Character Syndrome	Everyone thinks they’re the main character of everything, recording others because they’re but hurt or want the views.

15:20

Be responsible.

You’re asking other people to be responsible.

You need to also be responsible.

And being responsible is not fucking recording people that aren’t doing anything wrong just because you have a Burr up your ass about the flow of traffic that you impede every day.

15:38

There’s no other person on that road that’s getting picked up, it’s that one kid and you’re going to take 5 to 10 minutes out of everybody else’s morning commute because you want to give an extra hug.

That’s selfish bullshit, dude.

It’s as selfish as the people that if they have drove past this thing because they got impatient, the world doesn’t stop for you.

16:02

Nor should you be the social justice warrior Karen that tries to take on how society operates.

If you have a problem and laws are being broken, you call the God damn police.

That’s what happens.

You don’t take it on yourself.

You’re not Rambo, OK?

16:19

You’re not any movie character.

You’re not.

You’re not even Tim Kennedy, a real life human who could take out a lot of people because he’s an Army Ranger.

You’re not those guys.

Don’t start those problems.

You don’t want that smoke.

You hide behind a camera talking, talking all kinds of nonsense.

16:37

Just you’re beating people and threatening people with certain things that you’re going to do.

Like you’re recording nobody doing anything wrong and threatening them with, you know, probably some like calling law or something like that.

16:53

Like it’s such a bullshit.

If you’re going to be, if you’re going to be that guy, at least be right.

At least do it when it’s the right time.

17:10

You know, I know there was another instance with my dad and my son when my son was like, I think it was 5 or 6.

My dad used to live on this like, well, my parents, they lived on this like quiet little, you know, what do you call?

17:27

I don’t know what it’s called drive.

Like the street that like had a dead end.

He had to come out so people would walk because there was a ravine in the forest, the area behind them, lots of paths.

So people would walk along there all the time.

And my son, when I was going through my separation, had a bit of like an anger issue.

And sometimes my parents would watch her for the weekend to give me a break so that, you know, I could because it was a lot, man.

17:48

Anyway, the point being was that one night my dad and my son are out on the porch and my son is acting up and he’s like kicking like full on sitting in the chair, apparently just wailing on my dad.

I wasn’t there.

He called me, he goes, what do I do?

18:03

How do I get him to stop?

And well, I mean, he knew, but he eventually just left him in the chair till he cooled down and then he came inside.

But as this kids kicking him and my dad’s getting frustrated who’s like at the time, I think he was in his 60s, right, late 60s maybe could have been even early 70s.

18:20

No, I think 60s in his late 60s, and he’s having some health problems and stuff.

And so then, you know, my son’s kicking him and this guy walking by, my dad’s just trying to control his feet.

And this dude walking by on a walk puts his phone up.

He’s like, don’t touch that kid.

18:36

Like, who the fuck are you, man?

You don’t even know what’s happening, you uninformed idiot.

Like people like that piss me off.

That’s the type of Karen that drives me the fuck nuts.

Sorry.

I know I’m trying.

I know that overall I’m trying not to swear it’s tough it’s a tough Rd. because I’m also fired up today.

18:56

That guy really pissed me off in his Ronald McDonald pants and T-shirt.

But yeah, so this dude was walking by my dad’s house sees the my kid kicking my dad and my dad just holding his feet trying not to get wailed on and this guy starts some kind of I’m recording you and it’ll end up on thing if you do anything wrong like why are you threatening people you asshole?

19:15

Maybe think about like that to me says that this guy doesn’t have kids because clearly you don’t know what it’s like to have children that are out of control.

Like he had real bad anger issues.

It was a, it was a problem.

He him, he, he tried to hit me a couple times back then, you know, So like, I’m not trying to, I’m not trying to say that you shouldn’t hold people accountable to their actions, but you really should be thinking before you do, you know, because just running up into somebody’s business is not the move, man.

19:47

You might get the wrong guy on the wrong day.

Sure, there might be consequences for that guy’s actions, but at the same time you don’t want to, you know, it’s like one time I got into a fight, well like a road rage incident where I was pulling out of my house and I was driving.

This guy kept cutting us off till finally he followed us into a parking lot and he stopped behind my van.

20:07

And at the time my kids mom was pregnant with our son and we had my 2 year old daughter in the back.

OK.

And.

This guy pulls in behind us, behind us, gets out of his car and starts approaching the car.

20:22

I tell my girl to stay in the car.

I get out.

I go to the back of the van and meet the guy at the back.

And this guy’s irate in my face.

Now I didn’t because my I had my youngest kid and my pregnant wife in the car at the time.

I didn’t think like, oh, I might get hurt.

I thought this guy can’t get to the front of the car because he’s so like gonzo on this situation that I can’t let him get to the front of the car.

20:43

Who knows what will happen then.

So I remember he came walking up to me, arms out, screaming and yelling.

I just grabbed him by his collar.

Dude, I threw my jacket off.

I grabbed him by his collar.

I picked him up and I slammed him down on the hood of his car just to hold him in place because I was like, you’re not doing stupid shit.

20:59

And eventually the cops were called.

Cops show up.

I get sort of like, I get told like, you know, you shouldn’t have started this fight.

I was like, I didn’t start the fight.

So once they got all the information, they found out that this guy was actually in the wrong and the guy admitted to being in the wrong.

And the cop who I was talking to, he looks at me, he goes, you know, just for like future reference, like I wouldn’t get involved with people like that are this crazy because, you know, you never know what they have on them, like if they have a weapon or something like that.

21:27

And I looked up at the cop just being me.

I go, you don’t know what I have on me.

So like, it goes both ways.

And the cop goes, do you have a weapon on you?

I go no.

But I’m just saying like, you know, neither of us know.

But I also didn’t think because I was in like protection mode.

21:43

But I also have never been in a position where I got so irate with somebody over a potential scenario that had that plays out that I’ve like gone after them to the fact to the point where like I’m more cautious about that.

I’ve been, I used to work concert security.

I used to like I think about before I get into anything physical, I think about the consequences and I weigh the scenario.

22:05

It’s always better to walk away, dude.

So like, you walking up to somebody and shoving a phone in their face while you’re filming them and telling them they’re not doing something or doing something you don’t like, it’s bananas to me because like, what are you doing?

You know, you’re just provoking somebody.

22:23

Nobody likes being put off like that or caught off like that.

And again, if you’re going to be that person, be right, make sure that there is an infraction, a crime, real issue that happens before you decide to start, you know, trying to call people out because 1, you start doing that and everybody on the road in the scenario, this dude from the side of the road will look at you like a moron, OK?

22:52

You put yourself in danger by walking into the road because who knows if everybody’s paying attention or not, right?

And there’s nothing wrong with what you’re doing.

What what they’re doing.

There is something wrong with what you’re doing.

You’re walking into traffic like you can’t just do that.

It’s called jaywalking at the very least.

23:09

So like, you know, and then you’re going to go and look like a fool because now you’re recording that you’re going to put it online or you’re going to send it to the cops.

Be like, look what’s happening on my kids bus stop and the cops are going to go, well, there’s they’re passing.

The bus doesn’t have flashers on or anything.

23:24

Like they’re not on your, they’re not going to be on your side.

If the flashers are out and the stop sign’s out, I get it.

And the cops, I’m sure I’ll be like, OK, well, there we go.

We got this guy, this guy and this guy.

But it’s not like, and again, if somebody’s speeding, I kind of I kind of understand that, but don’t walk into it.

23:41

Like take it, you have a camera, it zooms like take it from the side of the road.

Don’t get involved.

You know, if you see somebody at a splash pad that doesn’t look right, maybe don’t just have your first reaction to be just to like walk right up to their face and try to, you know, put them in their place.

Maybe watch what’s going on, get a sense of how it’s of what’s happening and then proceed correctly, like calling the cops, not approaching people.

24:06

You know, if you see somebody, if you see a kid fighting with an adult at the front of the house on a property, you know, maybe don’t interject yourself in that because you don’t know what’s going on in the day.

24:23

I don’t care if you’re a parent or not.

If you notice that there is some severe violence going on and the kid is getting pummeled, maybe call the cops, you know?

But if the kid is kicking and there’s a 68 year old man trying to just hold the feet so that they that this, you know, 8 year old doesn’t kick him too hard, maybe just chalk it up for what it is, an upset kid and a grandparent trying to manage the anger of an 8 year old.

24:52

You know, I’m just saying, before you become a Karen, before you start recording everything, before you start putting a camera in someone’s face, maybe pay attention to what is happening at the moment.

Live in the moment.

25:08

Don’t be clouded by what your interpretation of the end, what the end result might be in terms of how you deal with that situation.

Maybe, maybe calculate your reaction and then match it to, you know, having an acceptable equivalence to what the actual scenario is.

25:39

Don’t walk in the middle.

Don’t walk out in the middle of the road trying to record people, you know, speeding or doing something illegal when they’re not stand on the sidewalk.

Use the Zoom feature on your phone.

Then catch the person you see somebody don’t I wouldn’t approach them.

That’s a good way to somebody, you know, some for somebody to hurt you.

25:57

Like I feel like in this world, anxiety is at an all time high and people are stressed out like crazy.

The world is falling apart, you know, and I feel like most people are not actually acting accordingly.

They’re really just pressing the agenda of negativity with their actions.

26:22

Yeah, I think that’s the best way to put it.

So keep your shit together, think, be smart, act accordingly, and don’t react on emotion.

That’s what I’m saying.

Don’t be a Karen, don’t be a Ken.

26:38

Don’t try to create a problem where there isn’t a problem.

I don’t know what this joint is.

I wish I could tell you.

It seems to be a sativa, so it might have been liquid imagination.

But yeah, those are my thoughts off the stem for this week.

26:58

I hope you enjoyed the sesh.

I hope you come back next week with me.

Justin Baroni, your friendly neighborhood pothead.

Visit tots420.com where you can check out a whole slew of the episodes.

I’m also starting to put up the transcripts on the blog if you want to, I don’t know, reenact this?

What else?

27:16

Check me out on Instagram.

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I think it’s thoughts off the stem on TikTok.

I don’t know, TikTok is a weird one and subscribe to the channel on YouTube, subscribe to wherever you’re listening, follow like if you enjoy these episodes, if you get something from it session.

27:37

So sorry if you get something from it, if you get a laugh from it or you just enjoy the content and you know, somebody that does pass it along, you know, get everybody to subscribe that you think will, that you think will benefit or just or at least enjoy this.

Because that’s really all I’m trying to do is is put a smile on your face and put out some relatable content.

27:57

We’re all living life, man.

That’s all we’re doing, having a session, living life.

But yeah, I hope you have a good week.

I hope you have a good month, a good year.

Hope life is good to you.

And until next time, keep your lids low baby.

Do you think we’ve already lost the battle for privacy, or are there still ways to stay off the grid? Drop your “conspiracy theories” or tips in the comments below! If you think your phone is listening to you right now, share this post to give the FBI something to read!

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