If you’re anything like us, you probably started your morning by scrolling through BlueSky or Threads, and within 45 seconds, you've found something that made you want to throw your phone into the nearest body of water.
Maybe it was a politician saying something objectively wild. Maybe it was yet another meme about how "nobody wants to work anymore."
Here’s the hard truth we’re chewing on this week at the studio: That anger isn’t an accident. It’s a business model.
Grab your coffee (fair trade if you got it, whatever gets you through if you don’t). Let’s break it down.
🧠 The Deep Dive: The Economy of Anger
We’ve all heard the saying, "If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product." But in 2025, it’s more specific than that. You aren't just the product; your cortisol levels are the product.
Neils, BobbySox, and Bill have been debating this in the writers' room of the bunker: Why does the internet feel so hostile lately?
The Science of "Engagement Farming"
Algorithms are designed to keep you on the app. That’s it. That’s the whole goal. And guess what keeps you scrolling longer than happiness? Rage.
A study published in Nature confirmed that anger spreads faster and wider on social networks than joy or sadness. When you see something that violates your sense of justice (which, as liberals, is a pretty sensitive trigger for us), you feel a compulsion to "fix" it. You comment. You quote-tweet. You share it to your group chat to say, "Can you believe this guy?!"
The Trap
Here is the kicker: The algorithm doesn't care why you engaged. It doesn't know you’re debunking a lie. It just sees "High Engagement."
- You comment to correct a lie ➡️ The algorithm boosts the lie to 5,000 more people.
- You quote-tweet to mock a bad take ➡️ The bad take gets more reach.
The Counterwave Move:
We call it the 10-Second Pause. Before you engage with that post that made your blood boil, check the source. Is it a real person with a genuine opinion? Or is it an anonymous account designed to harvest your outrage for ad revenue?
If it’s bait, don’t bite. The most revolutionary thing you can do is scroll past it.
🌪️ The Spin Cycle: Debunking the Week's Noise
🏠 The 50-Year Mortgage Trap
The Pitch: The White House is floating a new solution to the housing affordability crisis: The 50-Year Mortgage.
The Reality Check: It’s about time we fixed housing, right? Wages are flat, prices are in orbit. But before you sign on the dotted line for a loan that lasts half a century, let’s look at the raw math.
Who Actually Wins? We compared a standard $400,000 mortgage against this new 50-year proposal. Here is the breakdown:
- The Monthly "Savings": Stretching your loan from 30 to 50 years drops your payment from ~$2,450 to ~$2,100. You save about $300 a month. That’s it.
- The Total Cost: This is where it gets ugly. On a 30-year loan, you pay roughly $400k in total interest. On a 50-year loan? That interest balloons to over $800,000.
The Bottom Line: You end up paying $1.3 million for a $400,000 asset. Basic arithmetic tells us the real winner here isn't the homebuyer—it’s the banker.
The Human Cost: If you’re lucky enough to buy your dream home at 25, a 50-year term means you’re making payments until you are 75 years old. You won't just be raising your kids in that house; you’ll be raising your grandkids, all while wondering if you can ever afford to retire.
Bill's Take: We’ve washed this solution in hot water and added bleach, but it still comes out looking dingy. They aren't offering affordability; they’re selling a lifetime subscription to debt in exchange for a place to live.
🌿 The Palate Cleanser
Since we just told you that your phone is trying to manipulate your emotions, we figured we should offer a solution that doesn't involve a screen.
Recommendation: The Public Library.
No, seriously. It is one of the last "third spaces" in America where you can exist without spending money.
- The Activity: Go get a physical library card.
- The Vibe: Walking through the stacks is the analog opposite of the "Infinite Scroll." No ads. No algorithm. Just books that are waiting for you to choose them, not the other way around.
🦃 Next Week on Counterwave Radio: Think the turkey is the only thing getting roasted? 🦃🔥
We’re turning the heat up on the history books in our next episode, "The Real Story of Thanksgiving: Guns, Germs, and PR." Forget the hand-holding myths; we’re digging into the reality of Patuxet, a tense standoff with 90 armed warriors, and how honest Abe turned a forgotten event into Civil War propaganda. Plus, we've got turkey tips from Turbo, our in-house man-of-many-talents.
Put down the pageant version from little school and pick up some real history. See you then.
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