Are We [Americans] Really This Gullible?

Have you ever taken a look at how our product packaging is getting smaller and smaller while the prices go higher and higher? Have you thought about how we are willing to have a known cheater as our leader? Have you thought about how there is no such thing as customer service anymore? Well, I have. Take a listen to this episode of The Marc Medley Show.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
M m well, hello and welcometo another episode of The Mark Medley Show.

(00:51):
Thank you so much for that applause. As always, it is wonderful
to be together with you again onthis platform as I have the opportunity to
share my thoughts with you, andagain you always have the opportunity to agree
or disagree if by chance you don'tknow who you are listening to. This

(01:12):
is your host of The Mark MedleyShow. Mark Medley. Today's episode is
titled are We really that gullible?And we will be in brackets in the
title in terms of the we meaningAmericans? Are we really that goal?

(01:41):
Now? I could talk to otherparts of the world also, but since
I live here in America and I'ma proud American, I'm going to talk
to what I know, which isus here in the United States of America.
So my question is, have wealways been this gullible? Do we
not see how gullible we are herein twenty twenty three? Does it not

(02:09):
seem gullible to anyone else but me? One of the things that you know,
even with my blog, I havethe critical Thinker, I have The
Mark Medley Show, which is thepodcast. Then I have the radio broadcasts,
which is the reading Circle with MarkMedley. And in many times when

(02:29):
I get into discussion, whether I'mwriting or whether I'm talking, I'm usually
talking about something that I've observed ornoticed that I think many people take for
granted or either they're in survival modeor they don't see it, or don't
have the time to see it,or just don't notice it or observe it
or what have you. I don'tknow. I just know that as I

(02:50):
observe the way things are and theway things are going, I know I
can't be the only one who areseeing the things that I'm seeing. My
concern is that there are other folkswho are seeing it and no one is
speaking out. We ought to bespeaking out about things in mass and the
masses. The masses ought to bespeaking truth to power as things are going

(03:17):
on right in front of our faces, right in front of our noses.
And it causes me to question,are we really that gullible or do we
just not care? Now? Thesource that we all go to for definitions
is always the Mirriam Webster Dictionary Soul. Certainly, I went to where we

(03:42):
all go on. I went toMiriam Webster and I looked up the word
gullible and it said easily duped orcheat. It a matter of fact,
the sentence that they use in thedictionary is selling overpriced souvenirs to gullible tourists.
Now, I couldn't think of toomuch of a better example than that,

(04:06):
because where I'm going to go throughoutthis episode, it's some things that
I see that we're being cheated,we're being duped. And my question is
why aren't more folks crying out makingnoise about our being duped? The first

(04:26):
one. I don't know if anyoneelse has noticed besides me, but have
you noticed that the packaging and productsizes for what we're buying now keeps getting
smaller and smaller, and yet theprices keep going higher and higher each time
I go to the grocery store.Because I don't have to go now since

(04:48):
it's just me as often as Idid when it was a family of four.
But since I'm saying going, I'mon my own, I don't have
to go to the grocery store asmuch. So for the few times that
I do go, there's a starkdifference in price from the time I went
the last time to the current timethat I go, and not only that,

(05:10):
the package sizing has shrunk. Nowwhen I do share this with my
partner, she laughs, she laughsand thinks I'm just being funny or being
silly, when in all honesty,I'm not. The package sizing has decreased.
If you buy a coffee container,the coffee container has decreased in size.

(05:32):
Ice cream cartons have decreased in size. So I know what I'm seeing,
and I'm just wondering, why isit that no one else is observing
that our noise that, or ifthey are, if we are seeing it

(05:54):
in mass, that we're not sayinganything about it, because again, the
size is getting smaller. And Ihonestly think these corporations, and I used
to work in corporate America, soI know how we play the marketing,
advertising in public relations games, ButI honestly believe, and I've said this
on prior episodes, that the corporateexecs really do think the average consumer is

(06:15):
stupid? Do they honestly think thatwe are not going to see and maybe
they do, that we're not goingto see that that package size is not
the same size that it was thelast time we purchased it. And the
price did not go down because thesize went down. The price actually went
up. The price actually roles.In other words, you're paying more and

(06:44):
getting less the same thing. AndI know I've talked about this on prior
episodes. In terms of customer service, I think we probably get the least
amount of customer service across the boardthan we've ever gotten ever. And I
remember kind of when the slide startedbecause at the gasoline stations they used to

(07:08):
be called service stations, and theyrecalled that for a reason because when you
pulled in to fill up or getgas, you actually were given some services.
They would come to your windshield andthey would wash your windshield with the
squeegee. If you needed air inyour tires, you could get that without
having to pay the machine put ina quarter and now it's a dollar and

(07:31):
a quarter and how's a dollar fiftycent? But now it's almost three dollars
just to get some air to putin your tire. But at one point
in time, to be able toget air in your tires, that was
free. As a matter of fact, I can remember, and I'm dating
myself, I can remember when youcould actually get a free map from a
gasoline station. So you could pullin and you can fill up your tank,

(07:54):
you could walk away with a map, you could have your windshields wash
and air in your tires. Asa matter of fact, I remember when
they would even check oil. Seethat's how far back I'm going. Where
you can get your oil checked fromthe serviceman at the gas station, not
that you would have to get outyour car yourself and check it yourself,
or that you would have to getout your car and wipe your wind share

(08:15):
yourself. The serviceman would do thatfor you. And that's why it was
called a service station. When youpull into the quote unquote service station now
which I don't even think you cancall it that anymore. It's just a
plaine old gas station. You barelyand I know. See this is in
New Jersey, were one of theone or two states who still have the
attendant pump the gas for you.And all the rest of the country you

(08:39):
have the opportunity to pump the gasfor yourself. You get out the car,
so you really get no service.But in the state of New Jersey,
where this podcast is being broadcast outof, we still buy law,
have to have attendance and so webarely get the attendant to come out of
the booth to put the gas inyour car. So no longer can we

(09:00):
call those service stations. So whatI tell you that customer service across the
board, because now when you goto the various stores, and I did
a podcast on this extensively, acouple of podcasts episodes ago, the expectation
is you're going to check yourself out, that you will no longer be able
to go to a cashier and havethe cashier ring you up and check you

(09:28):
out. I've said before. Youwould think, and this is where I
think the executives once again think weare stupid or either we're being duped.
You would think that the checkout experiencewould be the best experience of your time
in the store, and yet itis now the worst. Not don't get

(09:50):
me wrong, if you have oneor two items to go to self check
out by all means, but theexpectation that you're going to check out and
entire hire basket full of items.I was in the store the other day
and I watched an elderly lady andher daughter, and she was trying to

(10:11):
figure out how to scan those items, and the daughter tried to figure it
out, and she looked at onepoint and I saw them when they gave
up and the attendant had to comedo it for them. Now, if
the attendant could come over and doit for them and the self serve,
the same attendant could have been thecashier that rang them up at the cash
register. See, some of thisstuff just about makes sense to me.

(10:33):
This is what I'm saying. Arewe this gullible that we just go along
with everything? Do we just goalong to get along? That no matter
what is shoved down our throats,we go along with it. Nothing said,
no complaints, We just go along. I sit there in amazement as
I go to these stores and Iwatch lines line up, people line up

(10:54):
around the store, and you'll havetwo or three or four different employees,
two or three of them will besomewhere trying to look busy while there is
one on the cashier. So theother day, see I get a kick
out of irony. The other day, one of the employees had finished her
shift and now she was able toshop like anyone else. She became Joe

(11:18):
and Jane customer. She was behindme, The line was behind the store,
and the young lady who was atthe cash ear had a basket full
of items. I had two items, I think the lady that worked there
she had like maybe one or twoitems in her hand, and everybody behind
her. So she immediately tells thecashier call for back up. And I

(11:43):
just got giddy because I turned aroundand I said, oh, you had
an opportunity to be one of us, to see what it feels like on
our side of the cashier line.She says, well, no, in
all honesty, once it gets toa certain number online, we're supposed to
call for back up and see.And at that point the backup came and

(12:03):
she said go, you know,because she's the next online. And so
the young lady behind me who workedin the store, she says, yeah,
you go. So I went onover. She followed me, and
so the person that was in frontof me that had that basket full of
items, the cashier were still foolingwith her while I had gone on checked
my stuff out and walked on outthe store. But my point was sharing

(12:24):
that is this is somebody who workedin the store that had the opportunity to
see what we as customers go through. And as I keep saying that should
be the best experience after you've walkedaround the shore store, after you've walked
around and picked up your items,and now you were about to spend your

(12:45):
hard earned money. That should bethe most satisfying point. You should not
be made to wait, to getfrustrated and to be sitting there like,
oh my god, how long isthis going to take? Or be forced
to go and check it out yourself, because again, just like with the
package shrinkage, where the prices arenot shrinking with it, the same thing

(13:09):
is going on here with no customerservice, You're going to do it yourself
and still pay more. That doesnot make sense to me, and I
do not understand why the masses arenot pushing back on corporate America, on
these stores, on these folks whomake these products. But yet we go
right along, We just buy,We just give them our money, just

(13:31):
like, okay, you know whatabuse us? Please? Can you abuse
us some more? Please? Here'smy money. I've worked all week for
this, or all months for this, or whatever it is, and now
I'm going to stand here and befrustrated as I buy a product in your
store, and my purchasing of theseproducts are making you money or giving you
profit or making you rich, andyet I'm being abused and we just go

(13:56):
right along. So that's in thatarea in terms of we really that gullible,
Are we really that easily duped?Are we really that willing to be
constantly cheated? Now, speaking ofcheating all politics society, this is what

(14:18):
I'm about to say. This partof the rant has really is really not
about politics, even though it ispolitical figures, It's not about politics per
se. It really is about rightor wrong. Where have we gotten to
where we have absolutely no problem withnominating and electing and supporting a criminal,

(14:41):
bottom line criminal. This we knowninety plus charges and now I get it,
innocent until proven guilty. But atthe end of the day, the
man is a crook. The manhas always been a crook. The man
had no business leading us, leadingthe country. The man was a crook.

(15:03):
Then the man got into the WhiteHouse, most likely by being a
crook. And yet we still havefolks out there who was even if he's
behind bars, are willing to saythat's who we want as our leader.
Really, where have we fallen tothat we will take someone behind bars as

(15:26):
our leader? Yes? Has therealways been corruption in politics. Yes.
Will there always be corruption in politics, yes, But you go in there
with your eyes wide open, knowingthe man or the woman is a crook,
and yet you're still saying, I'mgoing to support that and vote for

(15:50):
that regardless. We're talking charges onvarious state levels, we're talking charges on
federal level. We're talking about theleading and the heading up of an insurrection.
We're talking about all kinds of crazystuff, and yet we are willing,
not well, I can't even includemyself and the we many, too

(16:11):
many are willing to support that nonsense. What does that say about us?
What does that say about the countrythat the masses are willing to support someone
who most likely is going to haveto do some type of jail time.

(16:33):
I don't care if it's a day, the person is still going to have
to do some jail time, becausesomewhere amongst that nineties something is going to
be found to be guilty. Now, I do not blame him for pleading
not guilty, because he has absolutelynothing to lose. He has everything to

(16:55):
gain by pleading not guilty to everything. Prove it. I get it,
hey, But out of that ninetyI just have a feeling that so one
of the ninety is going to popand be guilty. It's a real long
shot that you're going to beat ninetycharges across federal and various states that one

(17:17):
of them, because all it takesis one that one of them is not
going to come up guilty. Andat that point, you're a convicted felon,
and you have folks that are saying, we don't care if he's kind
of a convicted felon or not.We're still gonna vote for him. He's
still our guy. What kind ofhatred is that? Where are we?

(17:45):
Are we really that gullible? That'sthe question I keep asking throughout this particular
episode, is are we really thatgubble? Why aren't we speaking our old
Why aren't those of us who arenot gullible? Why are we not making

(18:06):
more noise? Now? I havethis one little platform, but I'm making
a little bit of noise on it, and hopefully somebody will hear it and
say, you know what, he'sgot a point there. You know what.
I never looked at it that way, I never thought about that way.
Then next time I go to thesupermarket, I'm gonna take a look
at the packages and see if itwas smaller than the last time I was
here. I'm going to see howmany people are willing to support someone who

(18:33):
most likely is going to be aconvict. Are we that easily duped?
Are we that willing to be cheated? Are we so out there that it
just doesn't matter to us? Andyet we keep sinking lower and lower and

(18:57):
lower. The country continues to sinklower and lower and lower. I can't
imagine what the leaders because I couldn'timagine what the leaders of the other country
thought when forty five was in office, I can't imagine what the leaders around

(19:17):
the world are thinking about the peoplewho are willing to still say we want
that back. And not only willwe be getting that back, we'll be
getting that back even worse because atthis point now he has charges against it,
he's been impeached twice, ninety chargesagainst it, indict it several times,

(19:40):
and the people of the country usto say that's who we want to
lead us. Something is wrong withthat picture. I don't care what anyone
says something is wrong with that picture, because see, this is the thing.
That's why I say this is notnecessarily about politics, Democrat, Republican,
independent, whatever, right is right, wrong, is wrong? You

(20:02):
know, those of you who arelistening good and well, President Obama would
not have made it past one charge, let alone ninety. Matter of fact,
I'm not saying Obama never did anything. I don't know what he did.
You don't know what he did.But the most that anybody could hang

(20:22):
on him was a tan suit,and noise was made on that, matter
of fact, more noise was madeon the tan suit than is being made
on the ninety charges. That doesnot make sense to me. How gullible
are we? How gullible are wewilling to be? Again? Going back

(20:48):
to Merriam Webster's definition, easily dupedor cheated a matter of fact, it
didn't even say like it would bea difficult task. It said easily doped
or cheat it, and we goalong with the duping. That's the part
I don't get that so many ofus are going along with being duped,

(21:11):
So many of us are going alongwith being cheated. A matter of fact,
not only are we willing to goalong with being cheated, we're willing
to elect and have a cheater leadus. We're willing to vote an elect
a known cheater. So I guessthat might answer my question in terms of

(21:34):
how gullible are we. I lovethe platform the opportunity to express again,
you have the opportunity to agree ordisagree. I do ask that you share
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Let somebody know the Mark Medley Showexists. Looking for some exposure,

(21:56):
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They just call my radio show thepodcast, and I always have to
say, no, that's a radiobroadcast. This is the podcast. The

(22:18):
Mark Medley Show is the podcast.The Reading Circle with Mark Medley is the
radio show. The Critical Thinker isthe blog. Now, if you want
to have access to all of thatand all of my social media sites,
log onto my website Mark Amedley dotcom, m A R C A M

(22:40):
E D L E y dot com. That is the portal that will give
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You have the submissiform there that youcan get in touch with me there

(23:03):
and I'll take a look and seeif I'd like to interview you on the
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these episodes are archived. The MarkMedley Show is archived there as well as
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(23:26):
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(23:47):
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(24:08):
eight point seven FM. It isweb streamed around the world on go brave
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(24:30):
provide commentary, just like I'm providingcommentary now. But give that some thought.
Give the question, the essential questionin this title is are we that
gullible? Are we really this gullible? Really? I mean, have you
has anyone besides me taken the lookto see how gullible are we? Well,
that's it for this particular episode.Like I said, please share it,

(24:52):
Please follow me on my social mediasites, Please subscribe to my YouTube
channel. The more the merrier.It is Labor Day for us here in
my school district. The first dayfor the teachers is tomorrow. First day
for our students is on Thursday.So I am on anticipatory tiptoe to see
everybody on tomorrow and on Thursday.I am like that kid I've always been,

(25:18):
even as a kid, for firstday of school. I know I'm
gonna be excited tonight because I feellike a child and tomorrow's my first day
of school as the principal. Ihad the opportunity to meet with my staff
tomorrow and Wednesday, and then onThursday our scholars come back. So I'm
just relaxing today. Thought I wouldrecord this episode, but it really gets
to me in terms of our gullibility. I don't know if that's a word

(25:41):
or not, but just how gullibleare we that we're willing to elect a
known cheater, that we can goto the store and just willingly go along
with serving ourselves and paying more toget less product for more pricing. How

(26:02):
gullible are we? And the massesare not saying anything. It doesn't seem
like anyone is speaking truth to power. All right, go to my website
Mark A. Medley dot com.We'll be together again in our next episode, and to