Break it Down with Rick and Tim

Mental Health Part 1: Portland’s Drug Addiction Problems

This is the first episode in a three-part series dedicated to the topic of mental health. Rick and Tim talk about how mental health encompasses your emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences cognition, perception, and behavior and it determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Why does society ignore those dealing with mental health problems? For example, Britain's Royal Family?  Chronic drug use creates mental health problems and creates abusive relationships. Trauma. Rick shares how he was at the breaking point with the loss of his family and how he is holding it together. Dealing with grief along with his home security being challenged by Portland's drug-addicted homeless has added to his shaky mental health. Tim shares how he witnessed Rick lose his cool with a trespassing vagrant on drugs stealing property. Tim asks, "Do the homeless on drugs deserve any empathy?" Rick has a surprising answer and states drugs are a choice, and the decision to destroy your own life from drugs does not give you the right to destroy other people’s lives —and the right to hijack our neighborhoods. Tim defends the drug-afflicted by saying their decision-making skills are impaired from the drugs they are taking. Has the Covid lockdown stopped us from being able to communicate effectively? By locking up the drug addiction population and being punitive, does that perpetuate the cycle of trauma? Does peer outreach provide an answer? Is white rage a mental health problem? Do Trump cultists suffer from a shared psychosis? In this week’s “Let’s Trigger Rictor” segment, Tim succeeds in setting Rick off in regard to accepting people who choose drugs over friends and family. Clips include The Daily Show with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry talking about mental health, Tiktokker crookedcounselorcooper, and a clip of Flat Earthers at a Flat Earther convention. And you think you have problems?

Mental Health Part 2: Bigfoot and Star Wars

In this episode, Tim breaks down what caused Rick to become so involved in the absurd bigfoot cult. Rictor still stands with his new opinion on the subject: bigfoot is not real. Rick says it’s a make-believe gold rush reinforced by grifters and narcissistic womanizers. Every belief system caters to the broken individual and that included Rick as he shares why he fell hard into the bigfoot rabbit hole. Tim really shines in this episode with his experience in talking to people who have experienced trauma. He also succeeds in setting Rictor off with the “Let’s Trigger Rictor” segment regarding how Lucasfilm handled Star Wars, especially when compared to Star Trek’s showrunner, Terry Matalas’ handling of Season three of Picard. Clips include Mark Hamill giving his opinion on Rian Johnson’s handling of Luke Skywalker on ABC News, “The Ten Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty” from Spike TV, “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.

Mental Health Part 3: Accomodations and Solutions

Tim discusses the infrastructure for mental health. Where do we develop our shapes of reality in regard to development and critical thinking? Why does the topic of mental health have the stigma of shame associated with it? Seasonal Affective Disorder affects 20% of people living in the Pacific Northwest, including Rick. He shares how he was able to defeat it by using a therapy light. How do we support kids in the school environment? As a teacher, Tim thinks it would be ideal to have a teacher and a counselor for every classroom. Rick suggests the Internet and social media contribute to the well-being of a person’s mental health. You can’t control what people say but you can control how you react. Not everyone likes you, but not everyone matters. New York law allows for involuntary hospitalization when a person’s mental illness prevents them from providing for their own basic needs, as well as when they present a danger to themselves or others. Is that the answer for getting the drug-induced psychosis homeless population off the streets? What does a solid healthcare system that addresses mental health look like? Rick mentions how California's Governor Ronald Reagan signed the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act in 1967, all but ending the practice of institutionalizing patients against their will in the state of California. The number of mentally ill people entering the criminal justice system doubled in the first year after the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act was enacted. When deinstitutionalization began 50 years ago, California mistakenly relied on community treatment facilities, which were never built. In this week’s “Let’s Trigger Rictor” segment, Tim asked Rick what his thoughts were on Brazil’s version of Donald Trump and where radicalization starts. Clips include TMZ’s Van Lathan standing up to Kanye West, TikTokker hopebraincenter, American History X (1998).

Dominion vs Fox News and Elon Musk

Tim and Rick discuss the historical lawsuit brought on by Dominion voting machines vs the fraudulent Fox News channel. Tim goes through the 20 examples where Fox News was liable, and Rick knows Smartmatic is coming in for the kill. Tim finally sets Rictor off with his “Let's Trigger Rictor” segment with the topic of Elon Musk, whom Rictor despises with tremendous passion. Tim tries to defend Elon Musk as best as possible, but Rictor's contempt for Musk is overwhelming with what he has done with Twitter and reinforcing bigotry and hate on social media. Clips include Jon Stewart, a ridiculous Right-Wing commercial for Relaxium, Rick voting electronically, and multiple clips from Fox News implicating themselves repeatedly with Dominion Voting Systems.

The Riff Episode on Elon Musk, Ron DeSantis, Star Wars and Avatar.

No topic. No structure. That was the goal of this episode. Rick and Tim decided to talk about whatever came to mind, however, the episode was originally recorded in January, so Rick and Tim needed to add a minor update on what has been happening in the country with the topic of Elon Musk and his recent abysmal interview on CNBC. The discussion shifts to what Ron DeSantis has done to Florida with his extreme Christian Nationalist fascist laws targeting LGBTQ+ people. Tim says we are witnessing a "brain drain" from the red states to the blue states because of the restrictions and lack of human rights.
The riff topic returns back to the original recording with Rick and Tim’s thoughts on Star Wars, and their shared opinions about what Disney has done to the franchise since George Lucas sold everything to Disney. It turns into a critical commentary on Director Rian Johnson and what he did to the Star Wars Sequels with Episode 8: The Last Jedi. In this week’s “Let’s Trigger Rictor” segment, Tim asked Rictor what his thoughts were on Avatar 2: The Way of Water. Did Rick like it? Does Rick bitch about it as expected? Or does Tim himself get triggered by the topic? Tim refers to the Matrix franchise which he really likes and shares his thoughts on the recent Matrix film Resurrections. Rick and Tim riff on a few serious things they have experienced over the past year. Rick decided to finish college as a middle-aged adult and Tim talked about what he has experienced with gun violence with the tragic loss of his student. Tim breaks down how the military-industrial complex helps our economy. Rick loves the achievements made with the James Webb Telescope and all things science. Why did Tim decide to become an educator? Religion returns as a topic in regard to how divisive it can be. Rick proposes why can’t Christians just forgive Satan? Tim answers because religion is fear-based, and Christians need to fear Satan in order to have an identity as a flock. Why is Rick’s real name Rictor and where does it come from? Clips include CNBC, TikTokkers .allie. Phillips and alawnerrr, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, clips from The Last Jedi, and The Star Wars Special Edition commercial.

The Trans Topic

Rick and Tim talk about the recent new target the Republicans are dehumanizing and radicalizing with their evangelical base, which is trans people. For example, the hate monger Marjorie Taylor Greene calls trans people like Dylan Mulvaney pedophiles. Caitlyn Jenner’s abusive and absurd internalized hate toward young trans advocate, Dylan Mulvaney, is also explored. The “Let’s Trigger Rictor” segment is about Ron DeSantis’s Florida bill HB1403 which allows doctors to discriminate against anyone that goes against their religious beliefs. Tim asks, what is the conscientious objection stated in the bill? President Lyndon B. Johnson once said, “If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best-colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” Rick and Tim explore ideas to celebrate and protect trans people while addressing the obstacles they face on a daily basis. Clips include Sunny Hostin from The View, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, TikTokker Dylan Mulvaney.

The Rogue Supreme Court

Rick and Tim talk about the recent devastating Supreme Court 2023 decisions and how they affect everyone. Gays, blacks, and women. Affirmative Action, President Biden’s Student Loan Relief, and protecting LGBTQ are the three topics struck down. Tim wants to know what is the current student loan debt and Rick gets lost as Tim tries to explain the debt’s numbers and compound interest. They both discuss the hypocritical Clarence Thomas who ruled against the very thing that got him into Yale College: Affirmative Action. Do we still need it? Tim thinks we need to educate ourselves on it and know that it's not perfect. Legacy Students vs Affirmative Action Students. Federalism is explained and is now eroding the federal government through the judicial branch. Lori Smith and her fraudulent manufactured illegitimate court case (which was based on a lie and an unfounded worry) now allows LGBTQ+ people to be discriminated against by religious people. By deciding on a hypothetical, the court set a precedent and opens the door for more bigotry and subjugation against a marginalized community. Tim uses the metaphor of a role-playing game being walked before the supreme court. Redlining is referred to. Tim keeps saying he wants to draw a differentiation with what the law says and Rick keeps reminding him that these hate-filled Christian bigots don't play by the law and are empowered by their renegade Supreme Court. Religious freedom ends when it becomes an excuse to harm other people. Legal advocacy groups are undermining our society in the name of Jesus, like the Alliance Defending Freedom. Rick and Tim discuss what's next with the Supreme Court in the next term: Second Amendment for those on a restraining order, gay marriage, and contraception. Should businesses have the right to vote as an entity is this week's "Let's Trigger Rictor" segment.

The Final Show?

We are now at the end of The Break it Down with Rick and Tim Podcast. The goal was to make ten shows. Instead, Rick and Tim made 17. Over the past year, many topics were discussed from Critical Race Theory to UFOS and Bigfoot. Everything was brought to the table to be broken down that mattered to both Rick and Tim. On the last show, the guys go over the different episodes and if they have had a change in opinion on the different topics or not.
Numerous clips are shown from the previous 16 episodes. From Caitlyn Jenner on The Ellen Degeneres Show to trans advocate Dylan Mulvaney to White Power Hower Tucker Carlson. But for this episode, we added a few new clips from TikTokkers @Gia_gunn3, @riceandhiabichuelas, and Musclesandnursing. A couple quick movie clips from Pulp Fiction and Napoleon Dynamite were included as well.