Ep. 130 Astra Taylor "Democracy is a Verb"
Summary: <p>Returning to play for Team Human today, filmmaker, author, musician, and activist Astra Taylor.</p><p>Astra joins Douglas for a conversation that wrestles with the paradoxes and contradictions inherent in democracy. It’s a discussion explored in her latest film, <a href="https://www.whatisdemocracy.info/" target="_blank"><em>What is Democracy?</em></a> and her new book, <em>Democracy May Not Exist But We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone</em>. (<a href="https://www.hudsonbooksellers.com/book/9781250179845" target="_blank">Hudson Books</a>, <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250179845?aff=henryholt1" target="_blank">Indie Bound</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/125017984X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=democracymaynotexist-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=125017984X&linkId=6252ef71c11e8d8560e521f798615d5f" target="_blank">Amazon</a>)</p><p>Do we really have a clear vision and political imagination of what democracy should look like? How can we both recognize the tensions in democracy and create conditions where these contradictions are more <em>constructive</em> than destructive? In what ways are we empowered in our everyday lives to enact democracy?</p><p>Astra and Douglas explore these questions and more as they make the case that democracy is not a “thing” nor a set of procedures, but rather an “unfolding,” a process. Democracy is a verb!</p><p>Follow Astra on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/astradisastra?lang=en" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Hear Astra discuss her work with the Debt Collective on the <a href="https://teamhuman.fm/episodes/episode-01-debt-collective/" target="_blank">very first episode of Team Human.</a> </p><p>Today’s episode begins with Douglas looking at Trump as “editor in chief.” Is Trump using a Reality TV show mindset to draw the media into his “production” of reality? </p><p>Check out written versions of Douglas’s monologues on Medium. Past Team Human podcast episodes can also be found on <a href="https://medium.com/s/douglas-rushkoff" target="_blank">Medium</a>. </p><p>Team Human is made possible thanks to the generous support of our listeners on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/teamhuman" target="_blank">Patreon</a>. Your support makes the hours of labor that go into each show possible. You can also help by <a href="http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1140331811" target="_blank">reviewing the show on iTunes.</a></p><p>On this episode you heard <a href="https://fugazi.bandcamp.com/track/foremans-dog" target="_blank">Fugazi’s “Foreman’s Dog”</a> in the intro thanks to the kindness of the band and Dischord Records. Mid-show you heard R.U. Sirius’s <a href="https://rusirius.bandcamp.com/track/president-mussolini-makes-the-planes-run-on-time" target="_blank">President Mussolini Makes the Planes Run On Time</a>.<em> </em>This episode concludes with Mike Watt ’s <a href="http://hootpage.com/hoot_hyphenated-man.html" target="_blank">beak-holding-letter-man</a>.</p><br><hr><p style="color:grey;font-size:0.75em;"> See <a style="color:grey;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://acast.com/privacy">acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>
