Why ‘Death Game’ Shows Hook Us: Wealth Gaps, Social Media, Trauma Loops & AI’s Impact | Dr. Jordan Conrad

@SilverDisobedience host Dian Griesel interviews psychotherapist and philosopher Dr. Jordan Conrad about why “death game” stories like Squid Game and Hunger Games draw massive audiences. Conrad connects the genre to widening wealth gaps, the way incomprehensible riches distort perception, and social media’s click economy that pushes people to commodify themselves and chase status through risky or cruel behavior. They discuss Goodhart’s Law (when measures like money or clicks become targets), how groupthink and desperation make participants believe they can survive, and how dystopian class-warfare themes reflect alienation. The conversation shifts to art and life’s “looping effects,” how repeated personal stories can reinforce trauma schemas, why people struggle to express wants in relationships, concerns about AI outsourcing critical thinking and social skills, ADHD diagnoses and the factory model of education, and risks of therapist self-disclosure and political gatekeeping in psychotherapy.

Learn more about JORDAN CONRAD, Ph.D., LCSW here:

https://www.lexingtonparkpsychotherapy.com/

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I’m Dian Griesel and in November of 2017 I began blogging as @SilverDisobedience on my website and @SilverDisobedience on ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠ and @DianGriesel ⁠X⁠ Career-wise, I am a perception analyst, counselor, hypnotherapist, author of 16 books and a Wilhelmina model. For 30 years, via owning an investor & public relations firm, while being in private practice, I have helped my clients to achieve greater understanding as to how perceptions impact everything we do whether personally or professionally. A couple of years ago I added a podcast. Episodes are unscripted, with plenty of no-holds-barred revelations from fascinating, accomplished guests living diverse lives. Intimate stories about work, play, psychology, relationships, pop culture, trends, B.S. + more are unpacked through thought-provoking questions that spark honest revelations, pivotal moments, and unguarded insights — stunning even the boldest guests with their own “aha” truths. ✨

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LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/diangriesel/⁠ 

SHOW RUN: 

00:00 Why Death Games Hook Us

01:26 Meet Dr Jordan Conrad

01:58 From Late Reader to Philosophy

03:58 Emotions as Moral Perception

04:57 Therapy Practice and Bioethics

05:49 Wealth Gap and Big Numbers

09:35 Clicks as Currency

13:12 Goodharts Law and Metrics

15:51 Influencer Illusions

17:24 Squid Game Groupthink

19:21 Class Warfare Dystopias

21:37 Art Imitates Life Looping

24:59 Trauma Stories and Identity

29:18 Everyday Schemas and Space

31:37 People Pleasing in Relationships

32:50 Surprise Guessing Game

33:17 Why We Don’t Know

34:23 Do Opposites Attract

36:00 Self Focus and Growth

38:38 AI and Identity Loss

42:57 Therapy Needs Boundaries

46:04 ADHD and Novelty Brains

50:05 Factory Model Schools

52:50 Therapist Self Disclosure

57:35 Politics in Therapy

01:00:06 Wrap Up and Goodbye