Hello, everyone. Welcome to this Off the Cuff, another production of Peak Prosperity. I am your host, Chris Martinson, today, very excited to have Peter Begozhen back, Professor Peter Begojan. And today we're going to be talking about culture, culture war, and why some of these things that have been going on lately have been so damaging. I'm really excited to have this conversation. Peter, it's so good to

have you back on the show. Thanks, Chris. It's been, it's been far too long since we've had a

conversation with each other, so I appreciate it. Far too long. So I've been having this conversation a lot.

So as you know, I parsed through COVID a lot because that's my background,

not what we're talking about today. Because what I really am concerned with is all the things

that were done in the name of COVID, but we're seeing them in reflections in other places,

places I know you have been looking at very carefully, very completely. But let's start here.

Peter, I've lost friends. I've lost colleagues. I've

lost it happens all the time now. In my tribe, people report the same thing. And we lose people.

I think because we dare to ask a question that somebody didn't want asked or we were curious in

some way or worse, we have data

that conflicts with something this other person wants to hold. And it's really damaging. I'm wondering

if you could speak to that for us. Yeah, it's heartbreaking. I have been struggling with this myself.

I don't know if I'm oversharing. Let me know if I'm oversharing, but I've just, my,

my personal life has not been going too well, to be blunt. I am, I have now lost so many

friends because of this culture. Actually, people I used to consider my friends, people have

been in my home, people have sat at my dinner table. And I've, to to a person I've asked them to have a

conversation about this I'd love to have a car I'd love to figure out what our

difference is why you're upset and not a single person this is what is

fascinating to me not a single person Chris has is what is fascinating to me. Not a single person, Chris, has accepted my

invitation for conversation. Instead, they have sniped at me on social media. They have sent me

these weird, bizarre, almost dear John notes. Like, I can't, I, I, it's so I've been thinking

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