The government loves to mark just about any information as secret, which wouldn’t be a big deal if it wasn’t so contrary to running a healthy democracy.
AI Summary
# Stuff You Should Know - Classified Information Episode
Josh and Chuck dive deep into the bewildering world of classified information and state secrets, exploring how governments decide what to keep hidden and why the system has become a bloated, often contradictory mess. Starting from ancient autocrats all the way through the atomic age, they trace how America's classification system evolved from vague military guidelines into a complex bureaucratic behemoth that now stamps everything from state dinner menus to imaginary plots against Santa as "classified." The episode examines the real costs of overclassification—from breeding corruption and authoritarianism to accidentally hindering scientific progress and preventing agencies from sharing information that could prevent disasters—while exploring why politicians rarely want to declassify anything despite the democratic damage it causes.
Movies Discussed
Airplane!
"I just made an airplane reference and top secret is the same guy. This is Zuckers, right? — Josh noted that both Airplane! and Top Secret were made by the Zucker brothers."
— Josh
American Gigolo
"Raging Bull, American Gigolo, stuff like that. — Josh mentioned American Gigolo as another example of Schrader's screenwriting work."
— Josh
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
"Gold member? Gold finger. Gold member was a good one. — Chuck corrected Josh's confusion about Gold Member vs Goldfinger when discussing the humorous mix-up of Bond titles."
— Chuck
Chernobyl
"Have you seen made? Haven't seen made. Wow, we. It's a even after it and just like, I wonder what bad thing is going to happen to her next. — Josh recommended the movie Made and discussed how it wears you down with bad things happening to the character."
— Josh
First Reformed
"And he also did Meet Me in St. Louis. Like the last movie he did before this one was first reformed, the Ethan Hawke movie. — Josh mentioned First Reformed as one of Paul Schrader's recent films before The Card Counter."
— Josh
For Your Eyes Only
"They have their four tiered system for your eyes only, for purchase eyes only, moon raker, live and let die, and gold member? — Josh humorously confused British classification terms with James Bond movie titles when listing classification levels."
— Josh
Full Metal Jacket
"Because you're both doing that. Should we take a break? Yeah, let's. All right. We'll take a break and we'll talk about the atomic age and how that played in right after this. When you say private pile, do you mean Gomer pile or full metal jacket? — Chuck made a reference to Full Metal Jacket's Private Pyle character when discussing made-up classification terminology."
— Chuck
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
"When you say private pile, do you mean Gomer pile or full metal jacket? — Chuck referenced the TV show Gomer Pyle when discussing the term 'Private Pyle'."
— Chuck
Hardcore
"He also made a movie called Hardcore back in the, I think the 80s about, it's always just very grisly, grisly stuff. — Josh mentioned Schrader's Hardcore as an example of his grisly filmmaking style."
— Josh
Live and Let Die
"They have their four tiered system for your eyes only, for purchase eyes only, moon raker, live and let die, and gold member? — Josh humorously confused British classification terms with James Bond movie titles."
— Josh
Meet Me in St. Louis
"And he also did Meet Me in St. Louis. — Josh incorrectly attributed Meet Me in St. Louis to Paul Schrader when discussing his filmography."
— Josh
Moonraker
"They have their four tiered system for your eyes only, for purchase eyes only, moon raker, live and let die, and gold member? — Josh humorously confused British classification terms with James Bond movie titles."
— Josh
Parks and Recreation
"And I guess the Parks Department says it'd be a whole lot cooler if you didn't mention this. Is that from Parks and Rec? — Josh made a joke about Parks Department classifications referencing Parks and Rec, and Chuck asked if it was from the show."
— Chuck
Raging Bull
"Raging Bull, American Gigolo, stuff like that. — Josh listed Raging Bull as one of Paul Schrader's screenwriting credits."
— Josh
Station Eleven
"I've been watching Station 11 and it's one of my favorite shows in years. — Chuck praised Station Eleven as one of his favorite shows in years, describing it as a post-apocalyptic pandemic story."
— Chuck
Taxi Driver
"He wrote Taxi Driver. He also made a movie called Hardcore back in the, I think the 80s. — Josh discussed Paul Schrader's work, noting he wrote Taxi Driver and directed Hardcore."
— Josh
The Card Counter
"The quick movie recommendation on that note, the new Paul Schrader movie, The Card Counter, fantastic. — Josh recommended Paul Schrader's The Card Counter, noting Oscar Isaac plays a former Abu Ghraib prison guard haunted by his past."
— Josh
The Last Temptation of Christ
"But he also wrote, I mean, he wrote Last Temptation of Christ and... — Josh mentioned that Paul Schrader wrote The Last Temptation of Christ."
— Josh
The Leftovers
"Did you ever see the leftovers, I think, is what they were called? Well, what's funny is we're watching that too. — Josh asked about The Leftovers, and Chuck revealed they were also watching it, having started due to being in a similar mood as Station Eleven."
— Josh
The Road
"It's not the road. It's more interesting. It's more hopeful and artistic. — Chuck compared Station Eleven favorably to The Road, noting it's more hopeful and artistic."
— Chuck
Top Secret!
"I went back and watched that movie again for the first time in years and it is hilarious. — Chuck mentioned rewatching the 1984 comedy film Top Secret while discussing the Zucker brothers' filmography."
— Chuck
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