Popularity is Currency, Wokeness as Religion, Becoming High-Status with Jerrard Parfait

My guest is listener-favorite, Jerrard Parfait. Last time he was on the show—it was the most-downloaded episode of the year (2021).

Parfait is someone I respect for his parenting style, relationship-building skills, compartmentalization of risk-taking (which is an underrated skill set btw). Not to mention he’s a smart man and great conversationalist.

In this episode, we discuss small talk vs. engaging conversations. I’m not sure how I personally picked up the ability to have conversations beyond surface-level quickly, but I believe it has something to do with where I was raised in South Louisiana (Parfait was born & raised there too).

People in the Deep South are better conversationalists. And maybe that’s because living in a small town, you’re forced to have more conversations. Whereas in a big city, it’s easier to hide and be anonymous.

We talk a lot about Joe Rogan. Why? He may be the most popular media figure in the country right now. His success has been largely dependent on his ability to have great conversations.

We each share a few of our favorite JRE episodes. And I ask Parfait about what he calls “The Joe Rogan Effect,” which is when someone hears a thought or opinion on a JRE episode and regurgitates what they’ve heard as if the opinion were their own.

We share thoughts on many topics—most of them listed below. Toward the end, we dedicate an entire section—similar to Fun Questions— to parenting questions & answers. And since Parfait’s been on the show before, I give him a new set of Fun Questions to answer.

Hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!

Questions asked:

What do you think our listeners like about you?
Do you have any clue where you develop that sense—to be able to get to a meaningful spot—get past the small talk, but yet still be able to do “small talk?”
Are people in Houston receptive to “small talk?”
Where do you think “small talk” went away?
What do you mean by “lower-status?”
At what age do you think you stop making good friends?
What do you make of Donald Trump being banned from Twitter & Facebook?
Wasn’t it better when politics wasn’t conflated with sports?
Is it important that people take pride in their country?
Do you think the world has drastically changed since March 2020?
Why is political correctness a bullshit term?
Do you feel compelled to have a conversation with your minority customers & offer them advice as to how to handle an interaction with police?
Why wouldn’t teaching kids how to interact with police at school be advantageous to society?
Why wouldn’t you watch shows with talking heads?
What kind of books do you read?
Do you recommend the Josh Hamilton biography?
[To Brad] Any other professional baseball players you played against in high school?
What is the “Joe Rogan Effect?”
[To Brad] How much do you consume of Joe Rogan’s podcast?
[To Brad] Have you listened to the Amanda Knox episode?
[To Brad] Did you watch the Amanda Knox documentary on Netflix?
How bad is it in government sectors when district attorneys feel pressure to find a culprit for a crime?
[To Brad] Have you had COVID yet?
[To Brad] Where do you stand on the vaccine?
How did not having a mom growing up impact your life?
Are you constantly aware that you had a mom when you were Luke’s age, and he’s about to become the age at which you didn’t [have a mom anymore]?
What did your mom die of?
Do you have any memories of the days thereafter, or the first five years of your life?
You’ve heard us talk about “that dad” on the show. But is he out there? Or are you him?
As a father, do you have a favorite moment?
[To Brad] What’s your proud dad moment so far?
Re fatherhood: What about an instance where you were the most scared?
What would you say is the best part of being a dad?
What’s the biggest adjustment you’ve had to make since becoming a dad?

Fun questions:

Is it a lie if you believe it? (from George Costanza)
Who’s more likable: Tony Romo or Drew Brees?
If you were put in charge of naming the Washington Football Team, what would you name them?
If you were a Jeopardy contestant & got to pick the Final Jeopardy category, what would it be?
Would you rather win a gold medal or a National Championship?
Name one thing that’s more important to success than working hard?

Popularity is Currency, Wokeness as Religion, Becoming High-Status with Jerrard Parfait

Other topics discussed:

Questions asked:

Fun questions:

Listen here:

Books mentioned:

Connect with Jerrard:

Other topics discussed:

Questions asked:

Fun questions:

Listen here:

Books mentioned:

Connect with Jerrard:

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