Bananas: nutritious treat or geopolitical nightmare? Jessica Wynn unpeels the shocking truth behind our favorite fruit on this week's Skeptical Sunday!

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by Jessica Wynn!

• The United Fruit Company (later Chiquita) wielded extraordinary power in the early and mid-20th century, orchestrating military coups in Honduras and Guatemala, and influencing US foreign policy to protect its interests. This corporate empire even played a role in events leading to the Bay of Pigs invasion and Cuban Missile Crisis.
• In 1928, Colombian banana workers protesting for basic rights like real currency payment and decent housing were surrounded by military forces and massacred. While the government claimed 47 deaths, other accounts put the toll at around 3,000 — a stark example of the violence underpinning the industry.
• Even today, banana workers face inhumane conditions including chemical exposure, poverty-level wages, and suppression of union activities. The industry has been linked to child labor, sexual exploitation, and human rights abuses across Latin America.
• The banana industry uses more agrochemicals than almost any other crop sector, with about 85% missing their target and contaminating workers, communities, and ecosystems. Monoculture farming depletes soil, threatens biodiversity, and pollutes water systems, even damaging coral reefs.
• Despite this troubling history, consumers can make positive choices by seeking out bananas from ethical producers like Equal Exchange, Coliman, Earth University, and Organics Unlimited/GROW. These brands prioritize sustainable practices and fair treatment of workers, allowing us to enjoy this nutritious fruit while supporting systems that benefit both people and our planet.
• Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
• Connect with Jessica Wynn at Instagram and Threads, and subscribe to her newsletter: Between the Lines!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1125

Your 105-year-old aunt has vanished into the elder care system while a relative keeps her whereabouts a secret. Can you find her? It's Feedback Friday!

And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

• Your 105-year-old great-aunt Giulia has vanished after her son (your point of contact) passed away. His daughter refuses to tell anyone where she placed Giulia and won't respond to your family's desperate attempts to connect. To what lengths should you go to find an elderly relative who might not even know you're looking for her?
• Your cousin's ex-wife unexpectedly reached out to "apologize" about your childhood molestation by her ex-husband (your cousin). While you've worked hard to heal through therapy and build a wonderful life, her message feels oddly timed and potentially self-serving. How do you respond to someone dredging up painful memories for unclear motives?
• You work at a credit union where your micromanaging boss is actively preventing your career advancement. She's furious you applied for an internal position without her permission and seems determined to keep you under her control despite your excellent performance. How do you maneuver your way through corporate politics when your superior is playing a power game?
• Your older brother has autism and still lives with your parents at 27. They've provided minimal support for his independence, and your mother has been emotionally pressuring you since you were 16 to take full responsibility for him when they can't anymore. How do you balance caring for your brother while prioritizing your own new family?
• Recommendation of the Week: Crystal "The Rock" deodorant
• Your roofing company fired you right before paying your five-figure commission and claimed you had no employment contract (and therefore no non-compete clause). What happens when you decide to call all your clients, explain the situation, and bring them to your former employer's biggest competitor?
• Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
• Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
• Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here:

David Eagleman explains why counterfeiting works, how our empathy fails, why mind reading remains elusive, and if we'll ever upload our minds to computers.

• Dr. David Eagleman worked with the European Central Bank on anti-counterfeiting measures, and his research revealed that most people don't notice security features on bills. His key recommendation was to use faces rather than buildings for watermarks since our brains have specialized neural real estate for recognizing faces, making counterfeit detection easier.
• Research shows our brains have less empathy for people we consider part of our "outgroup." FMRI studies demonstrated that even simple one-word labels (like religious affiliations) can trigger this differential response in the brain's pain matrix when witnessing someone experiencing pain.
• True mind reading via brain scanning is likely impossible in our lifetime. While we can decode basic sensory input (like visual or auditory cortex activity), actual thoughts involve complex personal experiences, memories, and creative combinations that would be impossible to capture without knowing someone's entire life history.
• Uploading a human brain to digital form presents enormous technical challenges and philosophical questions. The computational requirements exceed our current global capacity, and questions about identity (is the upload "you" if your physical body dies?) remain unresolved. Brain plasticity would also need to be captured for the upload to remain dynamic.
• Understanding our brain's natural tendency toward ingroup/outgroup thinking gives us the opportunity to consciously overcome these biases. By recognizing our shared humanity and finding common interests with those different from us, we can build bridges across divides and develop greater empathy for all people. This awareness can help us make more compassionate choices in our daily interactions.
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1123

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