A Think First Podcast with Jim Detjen
Politikk og nyheterFaktaSamfunnThink First is a short-form podcast that makes you pause — before you scroll, share, or believe the headline.Hosted by Jim Detjen, a guy who’s been gaslit enough to start a podcast about it, Think First dives into modern narratives, media manipulation, and cultural BS — all through the lens of gaslighting and poetic truth.Some episodes are two minutes. Some are ten. It depends on the story — and the energy drink situation.No rants. No lectures. Just sharp questions, quick insights, and the occasional laugh to keep things sane.Whether you’re dodging spin in the news, politics, or that “trust me, bro” post in your feed… take a breath. Think first.Visit Gaslight360.com/clarity to sharpen your BS filter and explore the 6-step clarity framework.🚨Distorted (Advanced Copy) is set to release on October 14, and pre-orders are now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.Reserve your copy today — and join me in cutting through the distortion.Paperback and Kindle: AmazonHardcover: Barnes & Noble
Siste episoder av A Think First Podcast with Jim Detjen podcast
- #72 Distorted · Read It Before the World Does (00:05:29)
For three years, I’ve been building something bigger than this podcast. It’s called Distorted: How Gaslighting and Poetic Truth Bend Our Perception of Reality. And now — before the hardcover and paperback release in February 2026 — the Early Access Edition is here. This episode is the behind-the-scenes story of how the book came to life, why it’s coming out early, and how you can be part of the launch. Expect dry humor, self-deprecation, and more family roasts than I probably should admit. Gr...
- #76 When the Government Stops, Military Families Still Pay. (00:15:45)
When Washington shuts down, the headlines talk about politics. But at kitchen tables in Kansas, California, and overseas bases, it’s military and veteran families who feel it first. In this episode, Jim Detjen unpacks the gap between the story we’re told and the reality families live — from furloughed civilians to unpaid Border Patrol agents, to kids wondering why “back pay later” doesn’t buy Pop-Tarts tonight. Featuring reporting from CBS and Reuters, the voices of families, and a simple met...
- #75 Wikipedia · The Internet’s Biggest Gaslight (00:20:33)
They told us Wikipedia was the “free encyclopedia anyone can edit.” What they didn’t tell us is how it edits you back. In this episode of Think First, Jim Detjen pulls apart the myth of Wikipedia’s neutrality — exposing how “fringe” labels erase arguments, how intelligence agencies treat it like a propaganda shop, and why Tucker Carlson was left stunned when co-founder Larry Sanger admitted just how compromised the site has become. This isn’t just about a website. It’s about the funhouse mirr...
- #74 Walter Russell and the Gaslight of Science: Madman, Mystic, or a Thousand Years Too Soon? (00:16:44)
In 1921, artist-turned-polymath Walter Russell claimed to spend 39 days in a coma-like “illumination,” tapping the very “source of all knowledge.” His revelations became The Universal One — a sweeping vision of reality as crystallized light, consciousness, and rhythm. Nearly every scientist dismissed him as mad. Except Nikola Tesla. This episode unpacks the gaslighting Russell faced, the poetic truths that turned him into a cult prophet, and what his story reveals about how science treats out...
- #73 Are Mormons Christian? The Michigan Shooting & Narrative Distortion (00:11:08)
A tragic shooting at an LDS church in Michigan sparked a viral fight online — not just about violence, but about identity. Commenters claimed, “Mormons aren’t Christian.” Others insisted, “Christianity is under attack.” This episode asks the harder question: why does grief get hijacked so quickly? Why do we rush to tribal labels instead of human loss? And what does it reveal when victims’ identities are rewritten before the blood even dries? From the LDS debate to the larger pattern of narrat...
- #71 Jimmy Kimmel, Charlie Kirk, and the Line Between Satire and Spin (00:06:44)
When Jimmy Kimmel tied the “MAGA gang” to Charlie Kirk’s assassination, it wasn’t just a joke — it was a spark. The fallout got his show suspended, affiliates pulled the plug, and even the FCC weighed in. Was it satire gone wrong… or political messaging with a laugh track? In this episode of Think First, we cut through the outrage to ask: Where’s the line between comedy and propaganda?When does free speech protection collide with corporate censorship?And what happens when regulators and netwo...
- #70 Bad Therapy: How the DSM Made Fragility a Feature, Not a Bug (00:20:33)
What happens when the manual for diagnosing mental illness stops being a guide for doctors… and starts shaping childhood itself? In this episode of Think First, we trace how the DSM widened the map — turning sadness into depression, tantrums into mood disorders, and shyness into social anxiety — and then follow Abigail Shrier’s Bad Therapy into the classrooms, clinics, and living rooms where those labels became culture. From stomachaches that trigger suicide screenings… to classrooms run like...
- #69 Charlie Kirk’s Assassin · The Family Made the Call. The FBI Took the Bow. (00:05:20)
Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah. The rifle is recovered, the suspect arrested, and the bullets reportedly engraved with ideology. It wasn’t the FBI that solved the case. It was a father who picked up the phone and turned in his own son. The Bureau? They claimed the spotlight anyway. In this episode of Think First, we unpack the Bureau’s credit grab, the headline war over “shooting” vs. “assassination,” and why the first story you hear is rarely the truest one. Visit Gaslight360.com/clar...
- #68 We Pay. They Podium. — How U.S. Clubs and Colleges Train the World’s Olympians (00:12:57)
America’s college sports system is the best in the world — but who’s really reaping the rewards? In swimming, more than 15% of NCAA athletes are foreign, with some top programs like University of Florida running over 60% international rosters. These athletes train in U.S. clubs, compete for U.S. schools, and then take their peak performance home — winning Olympic medals for other countries. Add in new roster limits from House v. NCAA and the squeeze on American athletes becomes even tighter. ...
- #67 Engraved Bullets · How the Charlie Kirk Story Is Already Being Written (00:05:18)
Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah. The rifle has been found. The bullets were engraved with words tied to ideology. And before the facts are even settled, the headlines are already at war — some calling it a “shooting,” others a “killing,” still others an “assassination.” This episode of Think First breaks down what we know, what we don’t, and how language itself is being used to gaslight the public. From engraved ammunition to Wikipedia edit wars, the narrative is moving faster than the ...
- 🚨 By Popular Demand: The New Era Begins for Think First (00:02:12)
The people spoke — and we listened. After a long late-night dinner at Cowboy Star in Colorado Springs with Don and Sarah Marbauch of Arizona — a retired fighter pilot, Air Force Academy grad, clarity advocates, and unofficial ambassadors of common sense — the tipping point arrived. Think First is going bigger. Starting now, you’ll get 25–40 minute episodes, at least twice a week. The same sharp lens on gaslighting and poetic truth… the same dry wit… but with room to go deeper, sharper, and sm...
- #66 Why Gas Pumps Are Still So Slow · The Psychology of Pump-Time Manipulation (00:05:53)
It’s 2025… and gas pumps are still painfully slow. Is it really outdated tech? Or is your time at the pump being deliberately hijacked for something else? In this episode of Think First, we unravel the subtle gaslighting behind pump delays — and why your mild annoyance may be the point, not the problem. From behavioral conditioning to advertising psychology, we break down how gas stations became attention farms disguised as fuel stops. By the end, you’ll never wait at the pump the same way ag...
- #65 The Coin Shortage That Wasn’t · Think First (00:05:52)
Remember those little signs at checkout in 2020? “Due to a national coin shortage, please use exact change or pay with card.” Was it really about supply chain disruption — or was it a quiet nudge to push us further into a cashless society? In this episode of Think First, Jim Detjen unravels the strange story of the “coin shortage” — why it appeared everywhere at once, how it shaped our payment habits, and what it reveals about crisis-driven behavior. Was it a shortage of coins… or a shortage ...
- 🔍 Ep. 3 The Cindy James Tapes · Patterns of Fear (00:07:16)
By 1983, Cindy James had reported over a dozen attacks. But each incident followed the same script: No witnesses. No suspects. No evidence. Police began to doubt her. Doctors prescribed medication. And her own family struggled to keep up. But what if the repetition was the point? What if the perpetrator knew exactly how to make it all look suspicious — just enough to be dismissed? In this episode, we examine the turning point when the system stopped protecting Cindy… and started watching her ...
- 🔍Ep. 2 The Cindy James Tapes · Someone’s Watching (00:07:09)
Cindy James always said it started small. Phone calls with no one on the line. Notes left on her windshield. Footsteps outside her window — when no one was there. By the time police finally started paying attention, Cindy had documented over a hundred separate incidents. But here’s the thing: almost none of them could be verified. Was she being hunted… or haunted by her own mind? In Episode 2 of The Cindy James Tapes, we rewind to the early days of Cindy’s ordeal — the first signs of surveill...
- 🔍 Ep. 1 The Cindy James Tapes · Hog-Tied Truth (00:06:20)
A woman is found dead — hog-tied, drugged, and strangled. But police don’t call it murder. They call it suicide. In the opening chapter of The Cindy James Tapes, we examine the haunting death of Cindy James — a 44-year-old nurse who spent seven years reporting stalking, attacks, and threats… only to end up dead in a way no one can explain. Was she the victim of an elaborate campaign of psychological terror? Or the architect of a tragic illusion? One thing is clear: Cindy James was gasli...
- #64 Cursive · The Poetic Truth Behind Its Erasure (00:05:53)
Cursive wasn’t just elegant — it was untraceable. So why did American schools suddenly erase it… while students in France, India, and China still learn it today? In this episode of Think First, we examine the poetic truth that cursive was “outdated” — and expose what was really lost when we stopped teaching it: historical memory, cognitive depth, and analog privacy. Could this have been about more than efficiency? What if cursive didn’t die…what if it was killed? 🎙️ Subscribe, share, and...
- #63 Ballerina Farm · The Poetic Truth Behind Perfect Motherhood (00:07:31)
A Juilliard ballerina. A JetBlue heir. Eight kids. And a farm in Utah with 20 million followers. Ballerina Farm is wholesome, nostalgic, and almost too perfect. But is it empowerment through motherhood—or a carefully curated illusion? In this episode of Think First, Jim Detjen traces the rise of Hannah and Daniel Neeleman, the “queen of the tradwife” controversy, and why their story is a case study in gaslighting, poetic truth, and the way social media edits reality into fantasy. Not a paid e...
- #62 Cracker Barrel • Minimal Isn’t the Problem. Meaningless Is. (00:06:10)
Cracker Barrel spent $700 million on a makeover. New interiors. A new menu. A new logo. The company says the heart of the brand hasn’t changed. But when a logo stops telling the truth — when it could belong to anyone — it stops belonging to the people who loved it. This episode of Think First isn’t about pancakes. It’s about memory, meaning, and what happens when design confuses “modern” with “appropriate.” Nostalgia isn’t fluff. It’s capital. Strip it away, and you’re not evolving — you’re e...
- #61 NIL Unmasked · How College Sports Went Pro Without Saying It Out Loud (00:08:34)
The rules of college sports just changed forever — and not everyone’s playing fair. In this episode of Think First, Jim Detjen pulls back the curtain on NIL — Name, Image, and Likeness — to show how athletes are getting paid, how the NCAA is fumbling the playbook, and why the smartest deals still come down to authenticity. From Bryce Harper’s clean-label fit with Just Ingredients, to Sprouts investing in women’s sports, to a high-school quarterback’s million-dollar headline that wasn’t what i...
- Be Someone's Reason to Think First (00:03:04)
No flaming cars. No gaslighting breakdowns. Just a quick bonus drop to say… we’re at 200 downloads per episode — and it’s time to grow. This one’s for the OGs, the founding listeners, the people who laugh at the dark stuff and think for themselves. If that’s you, we need your help. Text a friend. Post the link. Whisper it to your dog. Because the only way smart voices cut through the noise… is if you send the signal. Support the show Stay sharp. Stay skeptical. #SpotTheGaslight Read and refle...
- #60 When Empathy Becomes a Sin (00:06:07)
Empathy is supposed to be untouchable—a universal virtue. But what happens when empathy gets rebranded as weakness… or even sin? In this episode, we dig into how empathy is praised, twisted, and weaponized—from theology to politics to pop culture. Is empathy healing, enabling, or just another tool for control? Support the show Stay sharp. Stay skeptical. #SpotTheGaslight Read and reflect at Gaslight360.com/clarity
- #59 What Happened to Customer Service After COVID? (00:05:00)
Remember when stores were open 24/7, hotel rooms came with daily housekeeping, and tipping was a thank-you — not a ransom note? Since COVID, businesses keep promising that “normal” will return… but the truth is, it’s not. In this episode of Think First, we unravel the gaslighting baked into today’s customer experience: airlines charging more for less, restaurants pushing QR menus that nobody asked for, and shrinkflation turning family-size snacks into travel-size lies. It’s not just bad servi...
- 🕵️♂️ Trailer: The Cindy James Tapes (00:01:29)
She said she was being watched. For seven years, no one believed her. And then… she was dead. In this five-part investigative series, Think First opens the files on Cindy James — a woman found hog-tied, strangled, and drugged in a vacant lot in 1989. Police called it suicide. Her family called it murder. The coroner called it… an unknown event. But before she died, Cindy left behind letters. Journals. Notes. Fragments of a story the system couldn’t explain. Her own words. Unfiltered. Unfinish...
- #58 Giants, Gaslighting, and the Smithsonian (00:05:01)
Over 100 newspaper reports from the 1800s claimed giant human skeletons were discovered across the U.S.—many reportedly sent to the Smithsonian. But today, there’s no trace. No bones. No files. Just silence. In this episode of Think First, we dig deep into the forgotten headlines, the Book of Enoch, the role of America’s most trusted museum, and the patterns of erasure that hint at something bigger… and taller. What if the real cover-up wasn’t about bones—but about the truths they threatened ...