WEBVTT - Unnecessary Evils

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning, peepsend. Welcome to wok F Daily with Meet

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<v Speaker 1>your Girl.

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<v Speaker 2>Daniel Moody pre recording on the Road.

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<v Speaker 1>I am away traveling for work, making the last push

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<v Speaker 1>for the end of the year.

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<v Speaker 2>And you know, I tell you that.

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<v Speaker 1>I have been taking a break from watching cable news,

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<v Speaker 1>and anytime that I do dip my toe in, I'm like,

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<v Speaker 1>instantly shut it off.

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<v Speaker 2>Instantly shut it off. Folks.

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<v Speaker 1>I will tell you, you know, as you were trying to

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<v Speaker 1>make sense of the senseless, as you were trying to

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<v Speaker 1>piece together this massive, global, disastrous puzzle, make sure that

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<v Speaker 1>you are seeking out sources that have a wide aperture,

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<v Speaker 1>that are bringing in multiple angles and multiple scenes so

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<v Speaker 1>that you are not being fed one line of bullshit.

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<v Speaker 1>And what I find is that I'm having more so

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<v Speaker 1>now to hop around in order to get real information

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<v Speaker 1>and not just sanitized bullshit that is meant to make

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<v Speaker 1>us feel good about our tax dollars going to kill

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<v Speaker 1>thousands of children, because that's what's happening, and I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>going to mince words about it. You know, what I

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<v Speaker 1>continue to say is that violence begets more violence. Right.

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<v Speaker 1>Violence is not the answer, and yet we have always

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<v Speaker 1>been fed that war is a necessity, that there is,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, some evils are necessary. And I am thinking

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<v Speaker 1>now in my you know, older years, that that is

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<v Speaker 1>just a bag of bullshit. That if you were to

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<v Speaker 1>take money off the table, if you were to take

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<v Speaker 1>power off the table, if you were to take toxic

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<v Speaker 1>masculinity off of the table, if you to take ego

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<v Speaker 1>off of the table, I absolutely believe that we could

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<v Speaker 1>get to better solutions than carpet bombing. I think that

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<v Speaker 1>we could get to better solutions than kidnapping. I think

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<v Speaker 1>that we could get to better solutions right than trying

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<v Speaker 1>to defend the indefensible.

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<v Speaker 2>And so where we find.

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<v Speaker 1>Ourselves right now is in a global conundrum where you know,

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<v Speaker 1>it's not being covered on the news, but there are

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<v Speaker 1>massive protests that are taking place all over the globe

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<v Speaker 1>against the war that is unfolding in Israel and the

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<v Speaker 1>fact that Netanyaku refuses to even consider a cease fire,

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<v Speaker 1>and that the comparisons that he uses is like, well,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, the Americans drop the atomic bomb on Japan

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<v Speaker 1>right after Pearl Harbor. You know, the Americans right waded

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<v Speaker 1>into war in Iraq, So like, who are they to

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<v Speaker 1>tell us?

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm like, where the motherfucker's paying the bill?

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<v Speaker 1>You know, America's foreign diplomacy has always been do as

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<v Speaker 1>I say, not as I do. And right now that

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<v Speaker 1>truth is coming home to roosts and Americans are waking

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<v Speaker 1>up to the fact that while their schools may not

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<v Speaker 1>be funded, while community centers may not be funded, hospitals

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<v Speaker 1>may not be funded. Right that billions and billions of

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<v Speaker 1>dollars have been going overseas to do things in quote

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<v Speaker 1>unquote the name of democracy that don't sit well with us.

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<v Speaker 3>US.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's be real, Americans don't really give a shit about

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<v Speaker 1>what happens outside of its borders. Ever, we're not really

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<v Speaker 1>taught to be invested, you know that because like everywhere

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<v Speaker 1>else in the world learns English on top of two

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<v Speaker 1>and three other languages, we don't do that. It is

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<v Speaker 1>not mandated because we have always been at the center

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<v Speaker 1>of the global universe, for better or for worse. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think that what we are seeing as we're watching

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<v Speaker 1>these new axes form is that America's standing is shaky

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<v Speaker 1>at best, and that this country is dealing with its

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<v Speaker 1>own rise in authoritarianism and thinking that the alternative that

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<v Speaker 1>we have is biden. But as We're watching Biden's side

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<v Speaker 1>with another authoritarian, We're thinking to ourselves, how that work?

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<v Speaker 1>How does that make sense? And so, folks, we are

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<v Speaker 1>at a critical moment and juncture in this country and globally.

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<v Speaker 1>And if you are feeling unsteady, if you are feeling uneasy,

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<v Speaker 1>know that you are not alone. Know that every single

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<v Speaker 1>one of us is going through a wave of emotions

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<v Speaker 1>and feelings every single day, right and you know, and

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<v Speaker 1>what we need to continue doing is continue being in conversation,

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<v Speaker 1>continue being in community and not just going dark, going silent,

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<v Speaker 1>right and deciding that the other is not worth engaging with,

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<v Speaker 1>because that is how they win. Coming up next is

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<v Speaker 1>my pre recorded conversation with our friend, our in house doctor,

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<v Speaker 1>doctor Jonathan Metzel, getting a sense of how he is doing,

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<v Speaker 1>what's happening on his college campus, as well as where

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<v Speaker 1>he sees our future. Right now, folks, you know that

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<v Speaker 1>whenever I have the opportunity to speak with our friend,

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<v Speaker 1>our in house doctor, doctor Jonathan Metsel, I am always thrilled.

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<v Speaker 1>However our conversations are depressing, they still do provide some

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<v Speaker 1>guidance and light to at least make us feel like

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<v Speaker 1>we are not alone in our feelings. Jonathan, I will

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<v Speaker 1>start off by just asking how you are doing, How

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<v Speaker 1>are you doing? How are you managing right now?

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<v Speaker 3>I mean for everybody, it's been a it's just been

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<v Speaker 3>a horrible month, honestly. I mean it's just been a

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<v Speaker 3>horrible month. It's like just the violence on all fronts, violence,

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<v Speaker 3>so much violence right now, and then it just feels

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<v Speaker 3>like people are being consciously or unconsciously or or strategically

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<v Speaker 3>set against each other. So very long held alliances are

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<v Speaker 3>fracturing right now, and and I think everybody is feeling it,

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<v Speaker 3>or anybody who's thinking about the world right now is

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<v Speaker 3>feeling it. And we're feeling it in the spaces where

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<v Speaker 3>you know, we don't we were usually feel safe, right

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<v Speaker 3>So we've had a lot of incidents here on campus

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<v Speaker 3>at at where I teach, and and it's set people

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<v Speaker 3>apart and alliances of people who alliances of people who

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<v Speaker 3>thought they were allies and then it's like, how could

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<v Speaker 3>you post that on social media or something like that,

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<v Speaker 3>and so it's just it's a it's it's a moment

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<v Speaker 3>and the question is like are we ever going to

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<v Speaker 3>put this back together? And what's happening?

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<v Speaker 1>Really?

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<v Speaker 3>I mean I think there's just a need for perspective

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<v Speaker 3>right now in terms of what's what's happening. So I

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<v Speaker 3>would say, my my, my, my mood. I mean, it's funny,

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<v Speaker 3>but I actually feel and I don't know if you

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<v Speaker 3>feel this way. I'm curious, like maybe ten days ago

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<v Speaker 3>things felt totally out of control, like totally out of control,

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<v Speaker 3>and now I don't know, I feel like I'm back

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<v Speaker 3>on regular ground. I don't know. I'll give you an example.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm giving the keynote address next week at the DEI

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<v Speaker 3>Summit in a big DEI summit of college presidents at

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<v Speaker 3>the end toward the end of next week, and I

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<v Speaker 3>don't know, I was freaking out because I'm like, oh

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<v Speaker 3>my god, there's so much racism in the world and

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<v Speaker 3>anti semitism and are we still allies and blah blah blah.

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<v Speaker 3>And now I'm like writing my talk and I'm like, fuck, yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>we're still allies. You know, like let's see where we're

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<v Speaker 3>at right now. Let's just take a deep breath and

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<v Speaker 3>figure out like how to move forward. And so, I

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<v Speaker 3>don't know, I guess I just feel a little bit

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<v Speaker 3>more grounded, like it just it doesn't feel like the spinning,

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<v Speaker 3>crazy ass sensation that it felt like before. I don't know,

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<v Speaker 3>how do you feel about that?

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<v Speaker 1>I will say that I feel very unsteady is the

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<v Speaker 1>word to say. I feel very unsteady in terms of

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<v Speaker 1>how this war in Israel is continuing to progress, how

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<v Speaker 1>violence or threats in this country are escalating. I was,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, reading about how the FBI and other intelligence

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<v Speaker 1>agencies say that the continuation of this war is going

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<v Speaker 1>to escalate threats of terrorism in this country, and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I had been feeling like that before, right Like I'd

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<v Speaker 1>been feeling like that. As we listen to every single

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<v Speaker 1>Republican you know, speak and continue to escalate the a

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<v Speaker 1>violent rhetoric that comes out of their mouths, we seem

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<v Speaker 1>to be inside of a tinderbox. Though in a way

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<v Speaker 1>that even twenty sixteen, twenty twenty, it felt different. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think that it's because now we're on this global

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<v Speaker 1>stage and scale where I think, for the first time,

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<v Speaker 1>for some voters, they feel a real divergence from where

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<v Speaker 1>this administration is placing itself and where they believe that

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<v Speaker 1>their empathy and their compassion and where they frankly their

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<v Speaker 1>tax dollars where they want that to go. Seems to

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<v Speaker 1>be different, right, and it seems to not just be

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of people, you know, it seems to be

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<v Speaker 1>hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people. I'm watching

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<v Speaker 1>as the president posts on his social media platforms and

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<v Speaker 1>I go there to see what the comments are saying,

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<v Speaker 1>and the comments are not good.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, the comments are not good. And you know this.

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<v Speaker 1>Earlier today as we're taping, there was a Cornell student

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<v Speaker 1>that was arrested for threats against the Jewish community. We're

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<v Speaker 1>seeing that all over the place, right, and so I

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<v Speaker 1>just I feel very unsteady about the direction outside of

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<v Speaker 1>the geopolitical you know, I can go down a rabbit

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<v Speaker 1>hole about that, but it's really the emotions that I'm

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<v Speaker 1>I feel very This country feels very very unsteady right now.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I mean it's I mean, there's the thing, right

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<v Speaker 3>The thing is horrible, and I'm happy to talk about

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<v Speaker 3>the thing. I mean, the thing is horrible right now.

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<v Speaker 3>And also, I mean the two complicating parts beyond that,

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<v Speaker 3>Uh Number one is how do you know what's real

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<v Speaker 3>right now? I Mean, there's so much manipulated information right now.

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<v Speaker 3>We did an incredible thing here in Nashville last week.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm part of this group millions of conversations, and we

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<v Speaker 3>brought together it's run I'm on the board of it.

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<v Speaker 3>It's run by a woman, Samar Ali, who's a Palestinian

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<v Speaker 3>Christian her you know, from Lebanon, and we brought together

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<v Speaker 3>a real, a real cross section of people from Nashville,

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<v Speaker 3>Muslim and Jewish leaders, and we had I thought, I thought,

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<v Speaker 3>like a really honest and just honestly the best thing

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<v Speaker 3>that I've been part of right here, right because like

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<v Speaker 3>you know, like I don't know, I'm Jewish, and I've

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<v Speaker 3>been I've been, as you know, protesting the NITA Yahoo

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<v Speaker 3>government for a year and supported a twoesday solution for

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<v Speaker 3>a year and all these kind of things, like I

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<v Speaker 3>don't think I'm I don't think I have some stereotype

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<v Speaker 3>of people because of their religion. And I certainly think

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<v Speaker 3>that if we start doing the protocols of the Elders

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<v Speaker 3>of Zion against all Jews right now, it's also not

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<v Speaker 3>very helpful. So we had this incredible, incredible conversation here.

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<v Speaker 3>It was actually in the news. The Tennesseean was there

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<v Speaker 3>and it was so positive. And then they started trying

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<v Speaker 3>to promote it on social media, like, here's a moment

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<v Speaker 3>where we can actually talk about our anger and our

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<v Speaker 3>fear and our uncertainty and not break the historic connections

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<v Speaker 3>we've built here. The mayor was there and I put

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<v Speaker 3>it up on social media as other people did, and

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<v Speaker 3>it got I think three retweets on tweeter Twitter three retweets,

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<v Speaker 3>and nobody could get more than five engageds on it,

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<v Speaker 3>I mean, like total engagements, even though it was this

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<v Speaker 3>like house thing we did. But then if you look

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<v Speaker 3>at some shit Judith Butler said twenty years ago, it

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<v Speaker 3>gets nine million hits or some crazy thing about zionis

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<v Speaker 3>controlling blah blah blah or whatever. So again, I'm not

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<v Speaker 3>trying to deny the thing itself, but I guess part

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<v Speaker 3>of the anxiety is also there's just some kind of

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<v Speaker 3>high level algorithmic disinformation campaign that's also setting us against

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<v Speaker 3>each other. Right now that I really do feel that.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, you're not feeling it out of nowhere. It's

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<v Speaker 1>actually true and happening. And we know what Elon Musk

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<v Speaker 1>has done in terms of all of the departments that

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<v Speaker 1>were in place to make sure that there was some

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<v Speaker 1>type of equity that there were some type of guardrails

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<v Speaker 1>and barriers for hate speech and all of the he

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<v Speaker 1>did away with all of those things. So if you're

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<v Speaker 1>promoting positivity, if you're promoting connection and community, that is

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<v Speaker 1>not the desired uh algth, that's not the desired content

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<v Speaker 1>of his new white supremacist platform, reinvented platform, Like, that's

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<v Speaker 1>not the goal.

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<v Speaker 3>It's like this toxic mix of it feels like three

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<v Speaker 3>things are happening at the same time. One is the

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<v Speaker 3>guardrails are off on this. Two is that Americans just

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<v Speaker 3>haven't paid attention to foreign policy ever, I mean ever, right,

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<v Speaker 3>So all of a sudden it's like, oh wait, there

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<v Speaker 3>is a world out there, So it's like this engagement

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<v Speaker 3>with so there's a total kind of lack of knowledge

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<v Speaker 3>in a certain way for a lot of people. And

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<v Speaker 3>then all of a sudden, there's this whole new domain.

0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:50.360
<v Speaker 3>And it really does feel like the forces that are

0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:56.120
<v Speaker 3>setting us against each other didn't didn't just happen two

0:15:56.200 --> 0:15:58.840
<v Speaker 3>weeks ago, Like there's been a It feels like this

0:15:58.960 --> 0:16:02.560
<v Speaker 3>is kind of pre metad some of this stuff from

0:16:02.600 --> 0:16:05.400
<v Speaker 3>a disinformation standpoint, I have no evidence for that, just

0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:07.440
<v Speaker 3>how it feels to me. You know, like I have

0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:10.120
<v Speaker 3>students quoting from the protocols of the Elders of Zion

0:16:10.160 --> 0:16:13.000
<v Speaker 3>who like honestly haven't done their homework all semester, and

0:16:13.040 --> 0:16:15.920
<v Speaker 3>all of a sudden they're reading a text from you

0:16:15.920 --> 0:16:19.600
<v Speaker 3>know whatever. I'm like, come on, man, and so and

0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:21.800
<v Speaker 3>so it's partially that, and then of course it's on

0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:24.880
<v Speaker 3>top of this horrible thing where there's like death and

0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:31.800
<v Speaker 3>destruction and things that seem like absolute human catastrophes of

0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:36.440
<v Speaker 3>you know, state and terrorist sanctioned murder and all these things,

0:16:36.480 --> 0:16:38.520
<v Speaker 3>and so it's just this toxic mix, and I just

0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:41.920
<v Speaker 3>I guess I just feel like we're very easily like

0:16:41.960 --> 0:16:44.640
<v Speaker 3>it's a horrible thing and we're very easily manipulated right

0:16:44.680 --> 0:16:46.800
<v Speaker 3>now because we're scared and we're ill informed, and it

0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:51.200
<v Speaker 3>just feels like all those things are together, and so

0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:52.920
<v Speaker 3>I don't know, it's just a question of like, how

0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:55.520
<v Speaker 3>are we going to fix this right now? Of course,

0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:59.920
<v Speaker 3>there's fixing the actual thing, And I'm not trying to

0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:01.560
<v Speaker 3>be vague about the thing. I mean, I'm happy to

0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:04.240
<v Speaker 3>talk about what's happening in the Middle East. Also. I mean,

0:17:04.480 --> 0:17:06.520
<v Speaker 3>as you know, I've been working in the Middle East

0:17:06.560 --> 0:17:10.960
<v Speaker 3>for a decade. I have very strong feelings, but it's

0:17:11.000 --> 0:17:13.720
<v Speaker 3>also like waking up to all these things. And to

0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:15.520
<v Speaker 3>be honest, I don't think it's just waking up to

0:17:15.600 --> 0:17:19.200
<v Speaker 3>US foreign policy. I think personally American Jews have been

0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:26.399
<v Speaker 3>way too silent about the settler movement and about you know,

0:17:26.680 --> 0:17:31.159
<v Speaker 3>right wing Israeli government people walking through Islamic holie sites.

0:17:32.560 --> 0:17:36.639
<v Speaker 3>I think that I think that there's a collapsing of

0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:40.960
<v Speaker 3>support for Palestinian people and some horrible stuff right now,

0:17:41.000 --> 0:17:43.159
<v Speaker 3>Like all these things are happening at one time, and

0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:44.679
<v Speaker 3>so I don't know. The question is like, how do

0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:47.879
<v Speaker 3>we how do I mean, maybe we've had our moment

0:17:47.920 --> 0:17:50.520
<v Speaker 3>of shock. Maybe maybe we've had our moment of shock,

0:17:50.560 --> 0:17:53.159
<v Speaker 3>and now we're going to step back and figure out

0:17:53.200 --> 0:17:55.400
<v Speaker 3>a way to reconnect. I mean, that's that's my hope.

0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:57.720
<v Speaker 3>But I'm just kind of blabbing on right now because.

0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:00.520
<v Speaker 2>I don't know.

0:18:00.880 --> 0:18:04.600
<v Speaker 1>If I don't think that the moment of shock is done,

0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:08.240
<v Speaker 1>I don't I think that when you have a country

0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:11.159
<v Speaker 1>like the United States that has been able to exist

0:18:11.680 --> 0:18:15.560
<v Speaker 1>fairly much inside of a vacuum, not having to pay

0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:19.480
<v Speaker 1>attention to or be concerned with any of the happenings

0:18:19.520 --> 0:18:24.640
<v Speaker 1>outside of our own borders, right, I think that there

0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:28.760
<v Speaker 1>is a great learning and need to understand what is happening.

0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:32.280
<v Speaker 1>I also have been hearing reports, you know, that it's

0:18:32.400 --> 0:18:37.120
<v Speaker 1>actually the older generations, the boomers, that are more susceptible

0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:44.239
<v Speaker 1>to believing misinformation than younger millennials gen Z, gen X

0:18:44.320 --> 0:18:47.360
<v Speaker 1>folks are like, they know what they're you know, they

0:18:47.400 --> 0:18:49.159
<v Speaker 1>know what they're looking for, and they know where to

0:18:49.240 --> 0:18:53.879
<v Speaker 1>source information from. And so I guess one of the

0:18:53.880 --> 0:18:58.480
<v Speaker 1>places that I am readily concerned, and it is a

0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:03.560
<v Speaker 1>self centered concern about our own democracy, which is the

0:19:03.640 --> 0:19:10.679
<v Speaker 1>fact that you know, here we are where this month,

0:19:11.040 --> 0:19:14.800
<v Speaker 1>a year out from the twenty twenty four presidential election,

0:19:15.680 --> 0:19:19.440
<v Speaker 1>the most consequential election of our lifetime. It is honestly

0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:24.040
<v Speaker 1>an election between you know, democracy and authoritarianism. I won't

0:19:24.040 --> 0:19:26.760
<v Speaker 1>even say good and evil, because I'm not feeling quite

0:19:26.840 --> 0:19:30.800
<v Speaker 1>good this moment about this current administration. But what I

0:19:30.840 --> 0:19:35.480
<v Speaker 1>will say is that when you are witnessing in the

0:19:35.560 --> 0:19:39.760
<v Speaker 1>comments in social media, in regular one on one conversations

0:19:39.800 --> 0:19:47.919
<v Speaker 1>with people about their grief and their distrust over what

0:19:48.160 --> 0:19:51.760
<v Speaker 1>this government is doing. I was watching, you know recently

0:19:52.880 --> 0:19:57.160
<v Speaker 1>earlier this earlier in the week a committee hearing at

0:19:57.160 --> 0:20:01.680
<v Speaker 1>the Senate with Secretary of State Blincoln, and it's being

0:20:01.760 --> 0:20:05.480
<v Speaker 1>interrupted every every every other sentence that he is saying.

0:20:05.600 --> 0:20:08.159
<v Speaker 1>There are protests that were breaking out inside of the

0:20:08.160 --> 0:20:14.240
<v Speaker 1>Senate hearing hearing, and people are pissed, they are angry,

0:20:14.400 --> 0:20:18.080
<v Speaker 1>they are outraged, and so I worry about the effects

0:20:18.520 --> 0:20:23.040
<v Speaker 1>of that outrage on an election that is a year away.

0:20:23.119 --> 0:20:25.399
<v Speaker 1>And sure, we like to say that people don't have

0:20:25.520 --> 0:20:29.679
<v Speaker 1>long attention spans, because they don't. It's particularly Americans. But

0:20:29.720 --> 0:20:32.840
<v Speaker 1>I honestly, Jonathan, I feel like this time, this moment

0:20:33.480 --> 0:20:37.639
<v Speaker 1>is different. And if this administration does not get a

0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:42.120
<v Speaker 1>hold of not only their narrative but their actions, then

0:20:42.160 --> 0:20:48.120
<v Speaker 1>I think that they will erode any support that they

0:20:48.160 --> 0:20:52.879
<v Speaker 1>have been able to gain. And people and people, what

0:20:53.320 --> 0:20:55.119
<v Speaker 1>I think is that people will stay home.

0:20:55.880 --> 0:20:59.720
<v Speaker 3>I mean, let me ask you this. I mean again,

0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:02.800
<v Speaker 3>people are pissed. People are pissed for a reason, right,

0:21:02.800 --> 0:21:06.359
<v Speaker 3>A lot of people on different You know, our foreign

0:21:06.400 --> 0:21:10.200
<v Speaker 3>policy has been misguided. We haven't done enough to stand

0:21:10.320 --> 0:21:13.359
<v Speaker 3>up to the Nittanyao government. I've felt that for a

0:21:13.480 --> 0:21:21.800
<v Speaker 3>very long time. I think we've pursued peace treaties under

0:21:21.840 --> 0:21:27.159
<v Speaker 3>the Abraham Accords that made agreements with governments and businesses

0:21:27.200 --> 0:21:31.000
<v Speaker 3>and not with everyday people on the ground. We've too

0:21:31.240 --> 0:21:37.320
<v Speaker 3>easily avoided the catastrophe that is happening in Gaza. Like

0:21:37.359 --> 0:21:42.119
<v Speaker 3>all these things led up to this moment, and and

0:21:42.240 --> 0:21:44.879
<v Speaker 3>there are really important questions about like how how did

0:21:45.000 --> 0:21:47.359
<v Speaker 3>Nittanyahu get elected? How did he get so much power?

0:21:47.440 --> 0:21:53.720
<v Speaker 3>It's not just about Israeli politics, it's also about US politics,

0:21:54.400 --> 0:21:56.919
<v Speaker 3>and so all these things are true. And at the

0:21:56.960 --> 0:22:02.320
<v Speaker 3>same time, I don't know, yep, we've got who's the

0:22:02.359 --> 0:22:07.199
<v Speaker 3>Grand Inquisitor Tokyomata or whatever from the Spanish Inquisition, Like

0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:11.760
<v Speaker 3>that guy just became Speaker of the House of Representatives,

0:22:13.280 --> 0:22:18.400
<v Speaker 3>and it's like it's just kind of passed right through.

0:22:18.600 --> 0:22:22.840
<v Speaker 3>So who is dividing the opposition? Who benefits from that?

0:22:23.000 --> 0:22:23.240
<v Speaker 1>Right?

0:22:23.960 --> 0:22:26.560
<v Speaker 3>It just seems to me that all these things are

0:22:26.560 --> 0:22:29.480
<v Speaker 3>happening in a way that are incredibly convenient if you

0:22:29.560 --> 0:22:32.480
<v Speaker 3>want to take over the United States ultimately. So I

0:22:32.600 --> 0:22:35.800
<v Speaker 3>find this a terrifying moment because again, all these things

0:22:35.840 --> 0:22:38.480
<v Speaker 3>are true. And even though like a lot of this

0:22:38.520 --> 0:22:42.040
<v Speaker 3>stuff for many people I know, happened yesterday, it's been

0:22:42.040 --> 0:22:44.359
<v Speaker 3>a slow moving train wreck for a really long time.

0:22:45.240 --> 0:22:49.040
<v Speaker 3>But right now, who is benefiting from a totally fractured

0:22:49.200 --> 0:22:55.720
<v Speaker 3>US opposition, you know, the same people who put Trump

0:22:55.720 --> 0:22:58.879
<v Speaker 3>in office in the first place. And so it's a

0:22:58.880 --> 0:23:02.439
<v Speaker 3>scary moment, not just because we're I just it's a

0:23:02.520 --> 0:23:04.840
<v Speaker 3>terrifying moment because I think we have a very short

0:23:04.880 --> 0:23:08.240
<v Speaker 3>time to figure out how to come back together on this.

0:23:11.440 --> 0:23:17.119
<v Speaker 1>I believe that the pieces were put in play in

0:23:17.800 --> 0:23:24.080
<v Speaker 1>probably I don't know, the mid twenty the mid two thousands.

0:23:24.960 --> 0:23:29.640
<v Speaker 1>To divide and conquer, right like that has always been

0:23:29.920 --> 0:23:32.199
<v Speaker 1>the goal of those that have been in opposition of

0:23:32.200 --> 0:23:36.680
<v Speaker 1>the United States and so and democracy. And it's working

0:23:36.880 --> 0:23:42.919
<v Speaker 1>because we have a very malleable right wing, white supremaist

0:23:42.920 --> 0:23:46.880
<v Speaker 1>political party that is more than happy to throw out

0:23:46.880 --> 0:23:51.840
<v Speaker 1>democratic norms in order to uphold their power. And that's

0:23:51.880 --> 0:23:54.639
<v Speaker 1>what that's for me, That's why I feel so unsteady.

0:23:55.640 --> 0:23:58.959
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, And in a global context, right if all this

0:23:59.160 --> 0:24:04.760
<v Speaker 3>leads to Russia having much more influence Yep, and Iran

0:24:04.840 --> 0:24:11.280
<v Speaker 3>having much more influence the current Iranian government, you know,

0:24:11.800 --> 0:24:14.360
<v Speaker 3>if Russia takes over Ukraine and Iran has much more

0:24:14.359 --> 0:24:17.280
<v Speaker 3>influence in the Middle East, that's not a great thing

0:24:17.400 --> 0:24:21.600
<v Speaker 3>for I'll just say liberal protest movements in the United

0:24:21.640 --> 0:24:28.720
<v Speaker 3>States right, if we lose democratic footholds for better or worse,

0:24:28.760 --> 0:24:35.920
<v Speaker 3>and oppressive states that are more aligned with our right

0:24:36.880 --> 0:24:40.320
<v Speaker 3>become more globally powerful. It also has implications for the

0:24:40.440 --> 0:24:43.280
<v Speaker 3>United States, and so how we move right now is

0:24:43.320 --> 0:24:46.879
<v Speaker 3>really perilous and it's really important. And I'm sorry, I

0:24:46.960 --> 0:24:49.480
<v Speaker 3>know I'm talking at like fifty thousand feet right now,

0:24:49.480 --> 0:24:52.320
<v Speaker 3>but I'm just trying to I'm trying to just think

0:24:52.359 --> 0:24:54.960
<v Speaker 3>strategically about like what you do at a moment like this,

0:24:55.080 --> 0:24:56.440
<v Speaker 3>and it's not easy.

0:24:57.200 --> 0:24:58.119
<v Speaker 2>No, it is not.

0:24:58.960 --> 0:25:02.320
<v Speaker 1>And so we will leave it there today, my friend,

0:25:02.600 --> 0:25:06.879
<v Speaker 1>and pick it up again next week. Always appreciate you, Jonathan,

0:25:07.359 --> 0:25:10.960
<v Speaker 1>your insight, your analysis, and all we can be sometimes

0:25:11.080 --> 0:25:15.000
<v Speaker 1>is at fifty thousand feet because that's where we can

0:25:15.680 --> 0:25:19.639
<v Speaker 1>see clearer than when things are up close. So always

0:25:19.640 --> 0:25:27.080
<v Speaker 1>appreciate you, my friend. That is it for me today,

0:25:27.119 --> 0:25:31.600
<v Speaker 1>Dear friends, on wokef as always power to the people

0:25:31.720 --> 0:25:33.119
<v Speaker 1>and to all the people.

0:25:33.240 --> 0:25:36.040
<v Speaker 2>Power, get woke and stay woke as fun