Fake news and dumb commercials — Why we’re in real trouble (Jim Gearhart podcast)

It's like the old saying goes: Garbage in, garbage out.

Jim Gearhart wouldn't be surprised if pesticides are making people dumber. There's no doubt external influences can wreak havoc on us. Anyone who remembers New Jersey's history with MTBE can attest to that.

But it's not only chemicals we've got to worry about. It's the media we consume.

"We get our information from outside. So what information are we getting now from outside?" Jim asks in the latest installment of the Jim Gearhart Show podcast, available here, on iTunes and Google Play.

Too much comes from political, or environmental, or other propaganda. And people even divide themselves up voluntarily — only watching the TV news broadcasts that agree with their politics.

Then, we're being inundated with commercial messages, telling us to buy something.

"We're getting a limited version of reality, augmented by our minds being turned to silly putty by thousands of influences assaulting us a day, telling us that unless we buy something, we're not going to be loved, we're not going to live very long, and for God's sake it's only 1995 plus shipping and handling. Call now, we'll give you two of them!" Jim says.

So what do we do about it? Watch the video above or check out Jim's latest podcast to see what he has to say.

And that's just part of what Jim takes on in the latest installment of his podcast. Check out the full episode below to hear the rest. Email Jim at Jim@NJ1015.com.

The Jim Gearhart Podcast is available every week on New Jersey 101.5 and in the New Jersey 101.5 app. You can also subscribe with your favorite podcasting app for iPhones, Android devices or your computer:

Subscribe to the Jim Gearhart Show on the NJ 101.5 app to get alerts of new episodes.

Love podcasts? Also check out Forever 39, Annette and Megan's new podcast about turning 40 — and loving life along the way. This week, ask when's too young for a kid to have a smartphone

Also: The New 'Jersey' Guys, Chris and Dan, explore their favorite teams' best aquisitions/a>. And in Speaking Millennial, Miss New Jersey 2017 Kaitlyn Schoeffel took a break out of her Rocky-like training for the Miss America Pageant to join Bill, Jay, and Jessica for a rollicking conversation about the political correctness of putting "Beauty" in front of pageants,

— Townsquare Media staff

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