Better Future with Michael Mezz
Better Future with Michael Mezz
Podcast Description
Bringing you the people, projects and ideas helping steer the world toward a better future.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes of social justice, community organizing, and political activism, with episodes that delve into the rise of authoritarianism, the dynamics of capitalism versus environmentalism, and building community power, exemplified through discussions with guests such as Raymond Wei on grassroots movements and Aru Shiney-Ajay on climate activism.
Bringing you the people, projects and ideas helping steer the world toward a better future.
My guest today is Elizabeth Booker Houston – lawyer, comedian, and political commentator based in Washington DC. We discuss white supremacy in US politics, how to integrate class consciousness with anti-racism, the false myth of “rugged individualism,” and how to build a bridge between identity politics and class politics within the progressive movement.
Follow Elizabeth Booker Houston on social media:
Substack: https://bookersquared.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookersquared
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bookersquared
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.booker.houston
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bookersquared
Support the Better Future podcast by subscribing:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezz
Substack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatesta
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833
Note: This conversation was recorded before the recent Wired article about Chorus – a liberal content creator incubator program, of which Elizabeth is a member – so I didn’t ask about it during this interview.
00:00 Introduction: leftism & whiteness
03:18 White supremacy in MAGA & US politics
07:23 Bridging the gap between race & class politics
13:57 Intersections between race & other leftist issues
17:20 Black leadership in the history of US leftism
20:43 The politics of disability & neurodivergence
23:43 The myth of rugged individualism
30:42 Elizabeth is MAGA-coded?
32:08 Do souls exist?
34:08 Raw milk and micro-aggressions
36:36 Politician lightning round: RFK & Elon Musk
38:49 Politician lightning round: Newsom, Harris, Booker
41:42 AOC, Mamdani, Buttigieg, Crockett
45:26 The progressive movement needs leaders
48:32 What a better future looks like
50:03 Conclusion
Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta
Guest: Elizabeth Booker Houston
Video editor: Nuria Salgado
Sound editor: Andre Corea
Designer: Amea Wadsworth
Thanks for watching episode 004. Lots more on the way :)
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