Mike Rowe and The ART of Making Money From Fear with Gavin de Becker | The Way I Heard It

Gavin de Becker, a security expert, discusses the importance of personal responsibility, intuition, and societal manners, highlighting how fear and skepticism play crucial roles in safety and decision-making. He shares personal stories, including a violent incident involving his children, to illustrate conflict resolution and the consequences of actions. De Becker critiques current societal trends, such as overreliance on government intervention and the erosion of personal accountability. He also touches on the impact of COVID-19 policies, the role of pharmaceutical companies, and the importance of skepticism in evaluating safety and effectiveness claims.

• The importance of manners in social interactions and how they have changed over time.
• Apologies as a crucial social skill that can mend most mistakes and offenses.
• The decline in teaching and practicing manners and apologies in modern times.

"I think people don't learn a lot of the kinds of behaviors that would make them easier to get along with, and apology, for example, is a big one that I teach my kids. It's really easy to do and if you do it often it gets easier to do and very valuable."

• Apologies are simple yet effective tools for resolving conflicts and maintaining social harmony.

• Historical context of dueling as a means to resolve conflicts and its impact on social behavior.
• The concept of actions having consequences and how this understanding has deteriorated over time.

"Back in the days of dueling... I think maybe manners were better overall when people understood that most actions have an equal and opposite reaction, consequences, cause and effect, all that stuff."

• The threat of severe consequences like dueling may have influenced better manners and accountability.

• A personal story involving a severe family conflict and its resolution without external intervention.
• The role of apologies and understanding in resolving family disputes.

"My daughter called and she said Pisa, one of my sons, just stabbed Amos in the neck with a pair of scissors... We get home, and Pisa, the one who's done the stabbing, has run away... I sit them together and I say, look, what happened? And he says he said to me such and such and he kept repeating it... and I'm sorry. And I said, Amos, is that good enough for you? He said, yeah, that's all fine."

• Even severe conflicts can be resolved through direct communication and sincere apologies within the family.

• The shift from resolving issues within the community to relying on government intervention.
• The negative impact of over-reliance on authorities for minor issues.

"It used to be this way in even in the old west in America; people would deal with their issues. And now you're supposed to call the police if the people next door are playing their music too loud. That's not a police matter."

• Community-based resolution fosters stronger social bonds and personal accountability.

• The current state of law enforcement and its reluctance to intervene in minor or non-violent crimes.
• The broader implications of this reluctance on societal order and safety.

"Police officers are now right here in LA... a sheriff's deputy was walking right by, looked at it, no, not interested, just don't want to get involved."

• The decline in law enforcement's willingness to engage can contribute to social decay and a sense of lawlessness.

• The importance of listening to fear and intuition as survival mechanisms.
• Differentiating between true fear and unwarranted fear.

"When fear gets your attention and says don't argue with me now, don't debate with me right now, just act. Now that fear is true fear."

• True fear is an immediate response to danger and should be acted upon without hesitation.

• Unwarranted fear stems from memory or imagination and is often not based on immediate danger.
• Strategies to manage unwarranted fear and anxiety.

"Unwarranted fear is something from your memory or your imagination... if it's from a news report about a plane crash six weeks ago, it's not very relevant to your circumstance."

• Understanding the source of fear can help in managing and differentiating between real and imagined threats.

• Intuition as a protective mechanism that bypasses logical reasoning to provide immediate guidance.
• The societal discouragement of listening to intuition due to fears of being labeled as prejudiced.

"Intuition, which a lot of 'Gift of Fear' is about, I learned when I was doing that book that the word, the root of it, 'in te,' means to guard and protect. So that's what intuition does for us."

• Intuition is a vital tool for personal safety and should be trusted, especially in situations that evoke fear.

• The conflict between listening to intuition and societal pressures to conform to political correctness.
• The potential dangers of ignoring intuitive signals due to fear of social judgment.

"Now we're told to override it because, oh, you might be a racist if you think your reason was the guy's race. Now the reality is race is absolutely irrelevant, but there's some circumstance there."

• Societal pressures can lead individuals to ignore their intuition, potentially putting themselves in danger.

• Real-life examples of how intuition and fear can guide safe behavior.
• Encouraging people to act on their intuitive signals to avoid danger.

"When you get true fear, which is different from anxiety and worry... it's not subject to having a lot of discussion. You see the lava coming down the street toward your house, you don't say, I don't know, should I take that seriously or not? You just run."

• Acting on true fear without hesitation can be crucial for personal safety.

• The enduring relevance of intuition and fear in ensuring personal safety.
• The importance of balancing societal expectations with personal safety instincts.

"Fear is a signal that is there to protect you. There's no animal in nature that would say I'd like to turn off my fear signal because that's how they survive."

• Intuition and fear are natural and essential tools for survival that should be respected and heeded.

• Dogs perceive reality without the complexities of human emotions and regrets.
• Humans possess the ability to listen to survival signals which can be crucial in life-threatening situations.
• The speaker emphasizes the importance of listening to these signals based on a career of interviewing both survivors and victims.

"The dog just sees what is and doesn't see the way it used to be and the way it ought to be and the way it could be and the way I regret that it's become."

• Dogs represent a pure perception of reality, unlike humans who are burdened by past and future concerns.

"I've tried to teach in my career is to listen to the survival signals that you get and you can debate later on but to listen to it."

• Listening to survival signals is vital as it can be the difference between survival and victimization.

• The company provides protective coverage and logistical support for individuals at risk of assassination.
• Clients include media figures, founders of large companies, foreign government figures, and individuals with personal threats like stalking ex-partners.
• The company employs anti-assassination strategies, including physical protectors and various security measures.

"My company provides protective coverage and logistical support for people who are at risk of assassination."

• The company focuses on high-risk individuals, offering protection and logistical support.

"We apply anti-assassination strategies and that includes protectors who are present with clients and present at their homes and public appearances."

• Strategies involve physical presence and other measures to ensure clients' safety.

• The company operates a training academy in San Antonio, offering rigorous training for protectors.
• Training includes practical skills and fear inoculation exercises, such as simulated shooting scenarios and dog attacks.
• The career in protection is highlighted as a noble and essential job, requiring trust, honor, and integrity.

"We have a training academy in San Antonio... people learn all variety of really unusual skills."

• The academy provides comprehensive training in various protective skills.

"It's $177,000 for a 9-day full immersion training... people get shot with simunition, attacked by police dogs."

• Training is intense and realistic, preparing protectors for real-life threats.

• Protectors must possess invisible qualities like commitment, integrity, readiness, and skepticism.
• The company emphasizes these qualities through rigorous selection and training processes.
• Protectors must be individuals who the protected person feels comfortable with and can trust in critical situations.

"The invisible qualities are things like commitment and integrity and readiness and skepticism."

• Invisible qualities are essential and continually assessed in protectors.

"80% of the work is just being someone who the protected person is comfortable having in their environment."

• Trust and comfort are crucial in the protector-client relationship.

• Protectors face ethical dilemmas, such as the potential harm to bystanders when disrupting a threat.
• Training focuses on minimizing harm while achieving the primary goal of protecting the client.
• The company uses techniques like "down and to the side" to control threats while considering the safety of others.

"We have a thing called down and to the side which means down into the side... pushing down to the side."

• Techniques are designed to control threats with minimal harm to bystanders.

"It's an ethical question but it's not one you that has anything to do with any thought process."

• Ethical considerations are critical but must be balanced with immediate protective actions.

• Protectors must be prepared for real-world scenarios, such as public appearances and potential attacks.
• Historical examples like the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald highlight the importance of proper training and readiness.
• Protectors' actions are often scrutinized, but the focus remains on immediate response and client safety.

"One of the people in my company saw that his US Marshal's badge looked too shiny."

• Attention to detail and intuition are vital in identifying threats.

"The police officers have no training in protection... Chief Curry was escorting and holding Oswald's arm."

• Historical failures in protection emphasize the need for specialized training and readiness.

• The field of personal protection is complex, requiring a combination of practical skills, ethical judgment, and invisible qualities.
• Training and readiness are paramount to ensure the safety of clients and the effective management of threats.
• The industry continues to evolve, addressing new challenges and maintaining high standards of integrity and honor.

"The field of personal protection is complex, requiring a combination of practical skills, ethical judgment, and invisible qualities."

• The complexity of the field demands a multifaceted approach to training and readiness.

"Training and readiness are paramount to ensure the safety of clients and the effective management of threats."

• Continuous training and preparedness are essential for effective protection.

• Details of the Shooting Incident:
  • The shooter fired six rounds.
  • The movement of the person towards the shooter altered his aim.
  • Different people got shot, including a round hitting the windshield and the car.
  • One round hit James Brady in the head, and another hit McCarthy in the stomach.
  • One round hit the car, flattened out to the size of a dime, and entered the President's armpit.

"The upset of the person in the air moving toward him caused his aim to change and of course different people got shot."

• The movement caused the shooter to miss his intended target, hitting others instead.

"One round hit Brady who was shot in the head and McCarthy who was shot in the stomach."

• Both Brady and McCarthy were critically injured during the incident.

"A lot of people think that the President was shot when he was waving that he was shot directly; he was not. It was coming off the car."

• Misconception about the President's injury clarified; the bullet came off the car.

• Jet Evacuation Training:
  • Academy uses a jet fuselage filled with smoke for evacuation training.
  • Training includes operating the door and emergency procedures.

"We put you on the plane and we fill it with smoke and an emergency starts and red lights and the pilot says Evacuate the aircraft and people can't get out because they haven't thought about how to operate the door."

• Simulated emergency conditions to teach proper evacuation procedures.

"What you want to do as I do when you board a plane is find those doors, find those exit doors and those windows."

• Importance of identifying exit points on a plane for safety.

• Plane Crash Survival:
  • Story of a man surviving a plane crash by understanding his orientation and removing his seatbelt.
  • Importance of quick thinking and understanding surroundings in emergencies.

"He went to undo his seat belt and the reason he was underwater is he had sensed the plane turning like this; he was hanging upside down."

• Awareness and quick thinking helped the survivor escape.

"He got out in the water and he first climbed up on top of the roof and he jumped off into the water and he swam to shore."

• Actions taken by the survivor to ensure his safety.

• Preparation and Training:
  • Emphasis on the importance of preparation and training for emergencies.
  • Personal responsibility in ensuring one's own safety.

"Once our people are trained to do that, they never forget and also to help somebody else do it."

• Training instills lasting knowledge and the ability to assist others.

"Preparation matters, and being prepared matters, and being thoughtful matters."

• Key takeaway on the significance of preparation.

• Safety Measures and Procedures:
  • Counting rows to exit doors and understanding emergency procedures.
  • Importance of knowing how to operate emergency exits.

"Know where the exit windows are; that's the real piece when they're talking about how the door operates actually pay attention."

• Emphasis on the importance of familiarizing oneself with the plane's emergency exits.

"Count the rows to the exit in both directions; you're probably not going to be able to see."

• Practical advice on ensuring one can find exits in an emergency.

• Training for Law Enforcement:
  • LAPD officer's survival story and the importance of not giving up.
  • Training includes understanding the body's response to injuries.

"We have a woman we interviewed who was an LAPD officer, was shot in the heart and survived and shot back."

• Example of resilience and training effectiveness.

"If you look down and you see less than that, don't stop. If you stop, it's fear, it's not hydraulics."

• Lesson on not succumbing to fear in critical situations.

• Curiosity and Skepticism:
  • Importance of maintaining curiosity and skepticism.
  • Personal responsibility for one's safety and decisions.

"If we are not able to ask skeptical questions or to interrogate those who tell us that something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we're up for grabs for the next charlatan."

• The necessity of skepticism in preventing manipulation.

"In ourselves, our safety must be sought; by our own right hand, it must be wrought."

• Emphasis on self-reliance for safety.

• Role of Government and Corporations:
  • Discussion on the government's role in safety and the impact of corporate claims.
  • Critique of the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA.

"Governments are in the total business of we'll take care of it; we protect you in every regard."

• Criticism of government's overreach in personal safety.

"The FDA would get out of the effective business and just stay in the safe business."

• Suggestion for the FDA to focus solely on safety rather than effectiveness.

• Excess Mortality Rates:
  • Concerns about increased mortality rates and potential causes.
  • Examination of the impact of mass vaccination programs.

"We had a 40% increase in death claims for insurance companies; it was unheard of."

• Significant rise in death claims noted by insurance companies.

"Did our mass vaccination program end up harming some people?"

• Questioning the adverse effects of mass vaccination.

• Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness:
  • Discussion on the criteria for vaccine safety and effectiveness.
  • Examples of adverse effects and the need for transparency.

"The CDC will tell you it's safe and effective; the Scripps Medical Center will say it's not safe and effective."

• Contrasting views on vaccine safety.

"All vaccines also have adverse effects for some people, and that equation has got to be reasonable."

• Need for a balanced approach to vaccine safety and effectiveness.

• Final Thoughts:
  • Emphasis on the importance of preparation, skepticism, and personal responsibility.
  • Critical examination of government and corporate roles in safety and health.

"Preparation matters, and being prepared matters, and being thoughtful matters."

• Reinforcement of the importance of being prepared for emergencies.

"If we are not able to ask skeptical questions or to interrogate those who tell us that something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we're up for grabs for the next charlatan."

• The necessity of maintaining skepticism and critical thinking.

• The market for aspirin is highly competitive and saturated.
• New market share can only be gained by taking it from competitors.
• The safety profile of aspirin is questionable by today's standards.

"If aspirin came onto the market today as a new product, it would never make it onto the shelf because 80,000 people a year wind up in the hospital with stomach bleeding."

• Aspirin's safety concerns would likely prevent its approval in the current regulatory environment.

• Vioxx was approved despite significant safety concerns.
• The pharmaceutical industry is criticized for unethical practices and significant criminal fines.

"Vioxx killed somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 Americans in a way that was known to the manufacturer in advance."

• The approval process for Vioxx involved conflicts of interest and lack of transparency.

"Pharma companies are the most criminally fined companies in the United States."

• The pharmaceutical industry is described as deceitful and manipulative in meeting regulatory criteria.

• Governments historically use fear to control populations.
• There is a call for skepticism and critical thinking when it comes to health policies and mandates.

"We scare you first... and nobody says go and learn. Everybody wants you to listen to authority."

• The conversation highlights the importance of questioning authority and being informed.

"If you're going to put something in my body, then I have a lot of questions. I want to be comfortable with that."

• The speaker emphasizes the need for personal autonomy and informed consent.

• The CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 boosters, including for children.
• There is criticism of the speed and transparency of the vaccine approval process.

"The new booster products were tested on six mice, nothing on human beings."

• The conversation questions the rationale behind the ongoing promotion of COVID-19 vaccines.

"The safety trials were not released until a court ordered it, and it's not pretty."

• The lack of transparency in vaccine safety data is a significant concern.

• Policies during the pandemic have led to significant public division and fear.
• Governments benefit from a divided populace as it reduces the likelihood of unified dissent.

"For these policies to infect so many millions of people with that level of division and hostility, that's how revolutions happen."

• The conversation suggests that fear and division are tools used by governments to maintain control.

"Throughout human history, the main instrument of control has been fear."

• Technology, particularly smartphones, amplifies fear and control mechanisms.
• The rapid spread of information and misinformation heightens public anxiety.

"Everything is on steroids; everything is heightened."

• The conversation highlights the need to navigate the digital age with a critical mindset.

• The conversation touches on the potential for political and social change through unity and informed action.
• The speaker discusses the importance of individual rights and skepticism of centralized power.

"Fear is the mechanism used for controlling human behavior."

• The conversation underscores the need for vigilance and critical thinking in the face of governmental and corporate power.

• There is a call for valuing all types of work and recognizing the contributions of various professions.
• The conversation criticizes the devaluation of manual and essential labor by the "laptop class."

"The Family Farm is poetry, and industrial farming is science fiction."

• The speaker emphasizes the beauty and importance of traditional, hands-on work.

• The conversation challenges the notion that college is the only path to success.
• There is an emphasis on the value of vocational training and alternative career paths.

"There are so many jobs that are important that make contributions but are not glorified on TikTok."

• The speaker advocates for recognizing and supporting diverse career options.

• The conversation includes personal anecdotes and reflections on the impact of policies and societal attitudes.
• The speaker shares experiences and observations that illustrate broader themes.

"He looked at us as if we were surely the proximate cause of his demise."

• Personal stories are used to highlight the real-world impact of fear and division.

• The conversation hints at future discussions on various topics, including personal stories and broader societal issues.
• There is an openness to continuing the dialogue and exploring new areas of interest.

"We barely scratched the surface."

• The speaker expresses a willingness to delve deeper into various subjects in future conversations.

• The conversation ends with a call to action for listeners to engage, subscribe, and continue the dialogue.
• There is an emphasis on the importance of staying informed and involved.

"Please subscribe."

• The speaker encourages ongoing engagement and participation from the audience.