The Left Needs a Pep Rally Ft. Akilah Hughes

Summary

American Fever Dream: The Left Needs a Pep Rally Ft. Akilah Hughes

Released on June 26, 2025, by Betches Media

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Introduction

In this episode of American Fever Dream, hosted by V. Spear and Sammy Sage, the conversation centers around the current political upheaval and the perceived inertia within the Democratic Party. The episode features Akilah Hughes, a writer, comedian, podcaster, and host of the podcast How Is This Better?, who provides insightful critiques and creative solutions to the challenges facing the left in today's tumultuous political landscape.

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1. Navigating a Chaotic Political Landscape

The episode opens amidst escalating tensions as Iran launches missiles at U.S. bases in Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The hosts express their anxiety over the rapidly changing global situation, highlighting the urgency of addressing these crises effectively.

• V. Spear (03:01): "I'm glad you're here... Unfortunately, the world just keeps doing things it would be Great."

This sets the stage for a deep dive into the current state of political affairs and the response (or lack thereof) from Democratic leaders.

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2. The Democratic Dilemma: Absence and Inaction

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the Democratic Party's perceived absence in confronting the chaos caused by the current administration.

• Sammy Sage (05:07): "But the mess we're in is totally the making of our dear leader, the fact that Democrats are just absent, if not supportive of this..."

• Akilah Hughes (05:43): "What can they be doing?... We've got to stop. Stop."

Akilah reflects on past political movements, such as the Iraq War protests during her high school years, and draws parallels to the present, questioning where effective Democratic leadership is in moments of crisis.

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3. Rethinking Strategies: Embracing Performance and Creativity

Sammy Sage introduces the idea that Democrats need to adopt more out-of-the-box strategies akin to theatrical performances to capture public attention and counteract Republican tactics.

• Sammy Sage (07:12): "What would he do in a situation that was out of control?... Democrats need to think of a performance."

The conversation suggests that traditional legislative or judicial actions might not suffice, and instead, a more dynamic and engaging approach could invigorate the Democratic base and appeal to undecided voters.

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4. The Power of Narrative: Learning from WWE

The hosts draw an analogy between political maneuvering and professional wrestling, emphasizing the importance of narrative and spectacle in shaping public perception.

• V. Spear (16:01): "Donald Trump is a WWE Superstar... He understands kayfabe."

• Akilah Hughes (16:20): "Especially the Tim Wall's weird stuff worked so well."

This metaphor underscores the need for Democrats to craft compelling stories and characters that resonate with the electorate, much like WWE superstars do with their audiences.

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5. Authenticity vs. Performance: A Balancing Act

While embracing performance, Akilah stresses the importance of authenticity to maintain credibility and trust among voters.

• Akilah Hughes (19:17): "The coolest people are always the ones who are themselves, who are authentic."

The discussion highlights the tension between theatricality and genuine representation, suggesting that Democrats must find a way to be both engaging and true to their values.

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6. Modern Protest Culture: Diversity and Decentralization

The episode delves into the evolution of protest movements, comparing today's fragmented and decentralized protests with the unified and leader-driven Civil Rights Movement of the past.

• Akilah Hughes (25:40): "If my grandma was alive, she would come to your house and beat her."

• Sammy Sage (28:55): "If you can compel middle-class white people to leave their house on a Saturday, then it's not for nothing."

Akilah appreciates the diversity of modern protests but critiques the lack of centralized leadership, which can lead to disorganization and diminished impact.

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7. The Influence of Social Media and Bots

A critical analysis is provided on how social media and automated bots shape public perception of protests and political movements.

• Akilah Hughes (31:58): "Twitter is like three people who still follow you and a bunch of bots."

• Sammy Sage (32:51): "More extreme statements inherently go viral."

The hosts argue that algorithm-driven platforms amplify extreme viewpoints, creating a skewed representation of public sentiment and undermining genuine grassroots movements.

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8. Celebrity Influence and Political Capital

The conversation shifts to the role of celebrity figures in politics, with a particular focus on Oprah Winfrey as a missed opportunity for Democratic leadership.

• Akilah Hughes (33:34): "If Kamala had been famous for 50 years, I think it would have been much closer."

• V. Spear (33:30): "Oprah for Senate... You need a car."

The hosts speculate that having a widely recognized and respected figure like Oprah could have significantly altered the political dynamics, offering a charismatic alternative to traditional politicians.

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Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, the hosts reiterate the need for the Democratic Party to innovate and adapt amidst unprecedented challenges. Akilah Hughes emphasizes the importance of authentic engagement and strategic storytelling to rejuvenate the left and effectively counteract the current administration's maneuvers.

• Akilah Hughes (34:28): "I would absolutely wear a Mark Zuckerberg T-shirt if at any point his products didn't just make my life a little bit worse."

This episode serves as a call to action for Democrats to redefine their approach, leveraging both creativity and authenticity to inspire and mobilize supporters in a landscape fraught with political instability.

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Notable Quotes

• V. Spear (03:01): "I'm glad you're here... Unfortunately, the world just keeps doing things it would be Great."

• Sammy Sage (07:12): "What would he do in a situation that was out of control?... Democrats need to think of a performance."

• Akilah Hughes (19:17): "The coolest people are always the ones who are themselves, who are authentic."

• Akilah Hughes (25:40): "If my grandma was alive, she would come to your house and beat her."

• Akilah Hughes (33:34): "If Kamala had been famous for 50 years, I think it would have been much closer."

---

Follow and Subscribe

For more insights and updates, listeners can subscribe to the American Fever Dream podcast on YouTube and follow Betches Media on Instagram @betches_news. Stay informed with the latest political and pop culture discussions, all delivered with a dose of humor and perspective.

Transcript

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[V. Spear]

Rise and shine, fever dreamers. Look alive, my friends. I'm V. Spear.

[Sammy Sage]

And I'm Sammy Sage.

[V. Spear]

And this is American Fever Dream, presented by Betches News, the show where we.

[Sammy Sage]

Are talking with a fave of ours, Akilah Hughes, writer, comedian, podcaster and host of the podcast how is this Better?

[Akilah Hughes]

Yes. Thank you for having me. Thank you, thank you.

[Sammy Sage]

This rules also mother to Fauci.

[Akilah Hughes]

Yes, yes. I don't know if you can see his little ears. He's just biting himself.

[Sammy Sage]

So that's what what one does.

[V. Spear]

What kind of dog is Fauci?

[Akilah Hughes]

Fauci is a super mutt from Korea. I got him in the pandemic, which is why he's Fauci. But he's mostly Korean Jindo and Japanese sp bits. So he's just a little weirdo. He looks like a black fox. The cutest little guy.

[V. Spear]

Oh my God, look at those ears.

[Sammy Sage]

You know, it would be so badass if you had gotten him before the pandemic, before people really knew who he was and he's like. Well, actually I discovered him and you know, he's just. Yeah, family name.

[V. Spear]

Do you ever like call him Tony for short?

[Akilah Hughes]

That's very cute. I mean he gets fouch potato. That's the closest we get, baby.

[Sammy Sage]

That's perfect. Perfect. Well, today we are. Okay, so we are recording this on Monday. Listeners, viewers, you're watching this on a Thursday, so the world could be just, like, totally different place by the time you hear this.

[V. Spear]

Oh, it will be, Sammy. On account of the fact that we just. That Iran just launched missiles at our base in Qatar. So it will be different. But we're living in a fever dream right now.

[Sammy Sage]

And also at Bahrain and Kuwait. I'm watching it on the television.

[Akilah Hughes]

Wow, that's happening now for me.

[Sammy Sage]

Lots of.

[Akilah Hughes]

Good grief.

[Sammy Sage]

It's literally breaking news for the people that it's happening to. Actually, we're watching it like, it's just.

[Akilah Hughes]

It might be even worse for the people it's breaking for there.

[V. Spear]

But, yeah, my heart is racing out of my chest that we are recording this right now and that I'm like, okay, I got out a TikTok about the. The first hits.

[Sammy Sage]

But, yeah, you know what's really freaking me out? So there's a Naito summit. They always. How is it that they're always having a meeting when these things are unfolding, which I kind of feel is more dangerous than if there wasn't a NATO summit, because, you know, at these things, our president ends up being, like, dissembling and just totally getting, like, you don't know what's going to happen. Something confidence, just something that could happen that's totally unplanned because someone, like, looks at him funny.

[V. Spear]

Well, the French Embassy is already issuing statements distancing themselves from the United States. Like, President Macron was trying to establish direct communication with Iran because they've kidnapped some French citizens that they're holding. And he is trying to be like, look, man, we had shit to do with this, okay? We are also freaked by Trump right now. Please do not punish us.

[Akilah Hughes]

Us.

[V. Spear]

And so I think, yeah, the NATO summit that's going on right now is very tricky. I'm in LA and was supposed to do the Liz plank show in 30 minutes. That's not gonna happen. I don't think we have time for silliness today, although I love this Plank and it would have been really great. And I'm going to the AI conference in San Francisco, which starts tomorrow. So I think that we're in a weird place right now with people to see how this week's going to unfold.

[Akilah Hughes]

Yeah.

[V. Spear]

I'm glad you're here.

[Akilah Hughes]

Thank you for inviting me into the Situation Room, into the bunker with you all. Yes, it is lovely here. Unfortunately, the world just keeps doing things it would be Great.

[V. Spear]

If it could pause too many things. It's too many things.

[Sammy Sage]

It's truly. It's truly a fever dream, which is why we. That's why we have the show named as such. But we wanted to talk to you about something today specifically. I think this is Evergreen, that we could talk about this any day, no matter when it is our Democrat mess tracker. And while the mess we're in is totally the making of our dear leader, the fact that Democrats are just absent, if not supportive of this, even if you support it in theory, who. It's totally unconstitutional.

[Akilah Hughes]

Give them that. Let's just give them that.

[Sammy Sage]

Right? Like, where are they? What are they doing? And what do you think they should be doing?

[Akilah Hughes]

That's a great question. And it's something that I've been wrestling with. I mean, I think since Trump got inaugurated. But I also think that, like, it's just come into such sharp focus in the past week. I think where I start is what can they be doing? Because I think that, like, we all want them to do something, but we're like, what is the thing? And so I. Look, I was in high school during the Iraq war. I don't know exactly. I don't remember a specific line of pushback that like, was effective. Frankly. We were there for another decade. So it's like, I mean, I think that they could be outspoken. I love that. You know, I mean, I guess Bernie's an independent, but, you know, at least he's on the left saying stuff. AOC is calling for impeachment. There have been plenty of, like, members making statements, but, like, they don't have their own, like, missiles to launch. So I don't know exactly what can be done in the situation. Like, they can. Even if they impeach him, he's been impeached twice. So, like, I am kind of in that pit of despair with I think everyone who's just watching as the world is burning because I don't know, like, when people say, why aren't they doing something? I actually don't know what people are expecting them to do. Like, I don't know, like, he did this without Congress. So what? What, what? Why does it matter?

[Sammy Sage]

The way I think about it is like, what would he do in a situation that was out of control? And so in, like, the idea that you can't do something has never stopped him. And I'm not even suggesting necessarily, you know, serious law breaking moves, but he thinks outside of the box, you know, would, would a Democrat have ever thought that they should go perform working at McDonald's or driving a monster truck, like, to prove a point, like, but could.

[Akilah Hughes]

That be the solution to this?

[Sammy Sage]

I don't mean that, but I think that. I think something that I've realized is how much of what goes on is narratively driven. And a lot of it does get stopped. But, like, as much as things are getting destroyed minute by minute, day by day, a lot of it. A lot of it is foiled. And just sort of. He can't do everything all at once. And I think that when the. When the performance fails and he gets distracted by something else, we move on to something else. So it's like. And I don't think he really, like, wants to be in a war, but I think he gets, like, teased into things. Like, he gets teased into regime change. Like, it's always like, he needs to touch the stove. He just needs to. He needs to do. He can't help it. And even just the suggestion of it, like, snake rattles him into it or saber rattles him into it. That's what I mean. But I think Democrats, like, they need to just think of a performance. Like, they need to think about it not as legislative or. Or judicial or tactical legal things they can do. They need to think about it like, what. What ridiculous stunt would an interesting person pull?

[Akilah Hughes]

Here's my pitch to anybody listening who's, like, maybe a governor of a state, maybe call in all of your National Guard not to do anything but make it so that they can't be deployed. You know, like, start doing the things that, like, lobby the military to not do these things. I don't know. I mean, I think that, like, you're absolutely right. This is a president whose entire MO Is, like, shock, do whatever. The weirdest thing is fake your own death if you have to. You know, it's a lot of theater. And so I think that, like, that could be something. But I also am like, man, we might have to just rely on the international community. Like, I. Honestly, I'm.

[Sammy Sage]

Why would they?

[Akilah Hughes]

Right? Because I'm like. I mean, I don't know. I think about, like, you know, when he shut down the LGBT suicide hotline, and Canada immediately was like, here's a 1-800-number you guys can call in the U.S. good luck. Like, sorry that you're dealing with this. Like, I just think we have sort of a feckless government. I think we. And I think it's everything in our culture right now. I think we need all new representatives. I think we need all new famous people. I think we need all new TV execs. Like, I think we need a complete overhaul. America's in a flop era.

[Sammy Sage]

That is exactly what it is. We. It's not just the, the government. It's not just. It's. It's all of it. It's like the whole set of people that were given permission to give each other power and. But like, how do you. I mean, that's just a great. I love that page one rewrite. I would even go for a parliamentary system at this point. Yeah, I, I'm just trying to trial balloon it. Like, Trump did it just. Why can't we do these things for good? Why can't we use his stupid fucking tactics and showmanship for the benefit of people?

[V. Spear]

Are you suggesting we do in fact come up with a Nobel Peace Prize that he could win if he does XYZ things like, you know how you have to treat Todd. You're like, listen, if you don't pick your ass at the restaurant tonight, you can get dessert.

[Akilah Hughes]

Yes.

[V. Spear]

Is that what we're saying? Like, if you don't do this really horribly embarrassing, weird thing that you do, I will give you a cookie. That's the, that's the path we're on with Trump.

[Sammy Sage]

I think we're past that for him because he. They did that in his first term. We already did that. That was like, who his people were. Ivanka's like, I'm done. I'm out of here. I have 2 to 3 billion to $4 billion by HA.

[Akilah Hughes]

Out with the people who are hostages now because she got their money.

[V. Spear]

She better look to the sky.

[Akilah Hughes]

Is the.

[V. Spear]

Because.

[Akilah Hughes]

What are you doing, girl? Yeah. Oh, my God.

[V. Spear]

Cutter's got to be so mad that they made like new friends with Trump and now they're the target with their plane and their ass kissing tour. They got to be like, man, now we're like, oh, God, guys. And now we're getting bombed by Iran.

[Sammy Sage]

This is. No, this is like really unique. Not great. This is one of the less ideal situations, but also so predictable. And he just didn't. Why couldn't he just renegotiate the jcpoa? Why am I, Why can't I just get. I can't get off this really?

[V. Spear]

Because he doesn't know how to actually make a deal. I think we're learning that that's a thing. Right? He doesn't know how to make a deal. And he has these ideas of like, I'm going to ask for the most extreme crazy thing and, and try to bully my way into getting it. This is not a man. Again, it comes down to a man who does not understand consent or mutual benefit.

[Akilah Hughes]

I think it's this bizarre false confidence. And, like, this is something that I think Democrats could be a little bit better about because, like, I don't know. The next episode of how's this Better? Is about wrestling. It comes out the day after this episode airs. And it's about how wrestling informs all of our politics today. But, like, Republicans don't care if they're cringe. They don't care if they're the heel. They don't. They actually like it if you boo, it gives them something to play off of. And. And Democrats are like, we did something embarrassing. Someone had a stupid sign at a protest. I'm so embarrassed to be a lib. I hate the end of, like, get information. Shut up. You have to. Not even that. You have to root for our heroes, but, like, believe we can do something heroic. I think we're just so down on ourselves. We're like a football team that, like, is down 50 at halftime and we just need our special stuff. Like, can we just pretend? So I don't know. I feel like with Trump, his wrestling of it all is, like, great. If they boo me, I'm winning. And the Republicans, like, I'm in my hometown Facebook group in Florence, Kentucky, and I like to lurk and they're feeling it. They're like, my kids in the military. I really don't want a repeat of what happened when I was growing up. But outwardly, if you look at their status updates, they're like, trump's number one. Trump is winning. And I'm like, guys, it's this false confidence that you kind of have to project. And I feel like we're projecting Loserville. We gotta stop. Stop. And I think that's everybody in the left. I think it's like the hyper lib, like, who were like, biden could have won all the way. To the leftists who were like, burn it all down. We suck. And like, this will be better. I'm like, right? But over there, they're just like, kikiing about being losers. Like, they don't even give a shit. So can we just. Can we try? Let's just try it for one day. Let's have one pep.

[Sammy Sage]

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[Akilah Hughes]

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[Sammy Sage]

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[Akilah Hughes]

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[V. Spear]

We need to be like the AEW of the. Of their wwe. I love that you use wrestling as the. As the thing here, because that is exactly it. And remember that Donald Trump is a WWE Superstar, okay?

[Akilah Hughes]

He was in the hall of Fame.

[V. Spear]

He performed. He's in the hall of Fame. And he understands kayfabe. He understands creating conflict and narratives and storylines to further a plot or a character. And yeah, you root for him, whether he's the healer of the face and they're willing to be cringe. And it is, you know, it is huge.

[Akilah Hughes]

Meanwhile, before Chuck Schumer does anything. And listen, I would never be caught dead defending this man, but before he does anything, anything, we're firing off tweets. Like, can't wait for the stupid statement coming from him. And I'm like, so it doesn't even matter. You guys are really screwing.

[Sammy Sage]

No, here's the thing. I actually think if Chuck Schumer did something cool, people would root for him.

[Akilah Hughes]

No, they wouldn't. They what? He is the heel, and we hate him.

[Sammy Sage]

But that's. That's okay because he's not going to do anything. But think about how people turned over on Gavin Newsom and then he became the hero in, like, a week.

[V. Spear]

Chuck Schumer did try to do something cool. He came on my show. And he said the F word like, 90 times. And it was cringe, actually. Cool. That was his version of cool and edgy. Okay, okay. We all sat there like, oh, my God, not again. Every single time he said the words, it was like, I. I love the F word. And I was like, I don't know if I could use this word anymore.

[Akilah Hughes]

Right. But here's the other thing. It's like, I think we bump against. Like, there isn't anything cool you can do from the left. Like, the goal of the left now is just to make fun of the left. I can't tell you how many conversations I had this past week where it's like, this is exactly what Kamala would have done. And I'm like, are you guys shadow boxing a ghost? What are you talking about? You know what she'd be doing? What she's doing, which is having wine in Napa while the world burns because y' all didn't vote for her. So let's start boxing Trump. And they're like, no, I'm having too much fun. I'm having too much fun.

[Sammy Sage]

Because people on the left are more, like, willing to be like, oh, maybe I am wrong on the right. They're like, there's no way I'm wrong.

[V. Spear]

Yeah, no, I'm gonna be Blue Maga. I'm. I'm in my. I'm in my Blue Maga era. I'm just gonna be delusional. And we're winners, and I. I have to. I think I have to go to a place of optimism and delusion or.

[Akilah Hughes]

Here's the thing. Okay, Here's a pitch. So, like, the only time I think that, like, the values of the. The left and progressives do well in pop culture these days is, like, the Olympics. Like, you know, I don't think that those, like, complaints about the. The, you know, the opening ceremony stuck. Like, they're like, this is Satan. We don't care. We're watching these kids fulfill their dreams. And so I think that, like, what's also great about the Olympics is that they're actually just very earnest, and we have to get to a place where, like, earnest politics can be a winning message. Like, I don't actually want to be competing in a. Who's a cooler? They're politicians. They're all losers. They're all losers. So, like. And, like, let's not pretend Ted Cruz is cool. Let's not pretend that, like, anyone on the right is cool. These are dweebs. So, like, let's just get back to being like, we're not trying to elect and we're not trying to support people who are there to be cool. We're there for the people who are going to get shit done, who are smart and effective. Like, I need an effective team, not a cool team. I don't care if that kid who's on the pommel horse wears glasses and does a Rubik's cube. He's winning gold. This is what we need.

[Sammy Sage]

Well. Well, you know what's cool? The coolest people are always the ones who are themselves, who are authentic. So I think that people will accept a lot of different forms of Democrat as long as it rings as real. And that's all people want. And I think that if, like what you said about, like, the kayfabe, they need to embrace that. They need to understand that. That you can be yourself authentically if you engage in that by just reacting the way they would really react behind the scenes on stage. Like, that's why the Tim Walls weird stuff worked so well. And I think they should stick with that message. It is fudgeing weird to be talking about high school sports teams on the national level. I'm sorry, that is fucking weird. Because. Because you care about what children's genitals look like. Like, why are we discussing this? Why are we. It is weird. It's gross. It's creepy. It is creepy that they want to be in your BE room.

[Akilah Hughes]

It's like the books you're reading. I'm like you. Most these people cannot read. Let them read what comes before their eyes, please. Reading is fundamental, and they're losing it. They're losing the. So read whatever it says. I don't care if it says black people were in America before the Native Americans. I don't care what bullshit they're selling. Just, like, let them read some words. Get some literacy going in this country.

[Sammy Sage]

It's also like, these are the don't tread on me people. So you're going to tread on me and what I can read. And the other thing about, like, the billionaires, we. There's so much idolatry around billionaires, and they need to be showing how fucking weird billionaires are. They are such creeps. They do really weird things. They're all prepping for the end of the world because they know that they've created a world in which they're going to have to. They're causing it, that they're creating the end. They're going to have to go all live in these weird bunkers on, like, weird private islands. That are so armed to the teeth because they're afraid that people are going to revolt against them. They are creepy be.

[Akilah Hughes]

It's just, I don't know, like, the old billionaires. Not to say that, like, billionaires should exist, but the older billionaires used to, like, build things for America. Like, there was, like, there was an obligation to give something back, even if it had their name on it. It was like, well, I would like to create an arts for this country. I would like to create a forest. I would like to employ people. Not just, like, I would like to sit on my hoard of money and, like, have weird skin that looks like the inside of my mouth. And I go on the news and just yell at people like, no, get out of here. You guys are weird. Just give us money and fuck off.

[Sammy Sage]

They're competing for control and they're. They're. Everyone else is like an NPC to them in the entire world if they're old. That's why they can't just be content in their money and, like, off to the south of France, which is what.

[Akilah Hughes]

I would do, right? But that's the thing. It's like, yeah, for a day, I'll go to the south of France and just leave y' all alone.

[Sammy Sage]

They're literally like, they're. They're. They're not just billionaires because just normal, like, what you're saying the older billionaires could just enjoy their money and kind of be. And be able to, like, give some.

[Akilah Hughes]

Of it away at some point?

[Sammy Sage]

Yeah, no, they used to make pledges. These people are freaks. They're just freaks.

[V. Spear]

Well, because the old people used to be happy to have their money and be separate, and now these people also want to control the culture. They don't want to just be rich. They want to be rich and famous. They want to be a mogul. They want to be a trendsetter. They want to be the most popular person. And I think a lot of it is because the billionaires of today started things like social media platforms. And Mark Zuckerberg gets bullied on his own platform, and he doesn't like that. You know what I mean? He thinks he should be the Tom of MySpace. But why we like Tom at Mindspace.

[Akilah Hughes]

Is because he wants a damn business, right? He was like, and you'll never hear from me. I won't even change my picture. You don't need to know what I look like from any other angle.

[Sammy Sage]

Justice just aside, right?

[Akilah Hughes]

Please. You could be walking a mom Zuckerberg and never hear from him again. Like, Right.

[V. Spear]

You could have been the coolest. You could have been, like a mysterious, benevolent kind of billionaire. But no.

[Sammy Sage]

Well, you know why they keep doing this? Because the one thing they can't do is make people like them and agree with them and respect them and think they're funny and cool and hot. So they.

[Akilah Hughes]

Well, they don't improve anybody's life. Like, they have so much ability to do so. And I'm like, I would absolutely wear a Mark Zuckerberg T shirt if at any, at any point his products didn't just make my life a little bit worse.

[Sammy Sage]

Yeah.

[V. Spear]

Yeah.

[Sammy Sage]

But that's the one thing they can't buy.

[Akilah Hughes]

Yeah. They're horrible.

[V. Spear]

Build me a railroad. Okay. Get me something nice.

[Sammy Sage]

A high speed railroad. He prom. They promised that. What? Where is the railroad? Elon Musk. Where's the people from Vegas?

[Akilah Hughes]

He was like, I discovered tunnels. And I'm like, it's not, you know, 1654, bro. Like, do something. Do something.

[Sammy Sage]

There is no tunnel.

[V. Spear]

There's no tunnel.

[Sammy Sage]

Also, that's. Yeah, they're famously no tunnel. Right?

[Akilah Hughes]

Well, I feel like there's a tunnel under Vegas, right? And, like, but it just goes to the hotel and, like, if there's no exhaust exit, so everybody's just like, breathing fumes.

[Sammy Sage]

It's like the shuttle that they exist under the Capitol building. Like, that's all it is.

[V. Spear]

Like, yes. I love that. That reminds me of Thomas the Tank Engine, the little shuttle under there. And it makes me so happy. And I picture it. This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two factor authentication, strong passwords and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected, but many other places also have it, and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it, guaranteed. Or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com podcast for 40% off terms apply. Every time I'm like that, they're like switching gears slightly. What do you think? People have been protesting a lot. I feel like there's protests on protest every day, all day, for everything. The no Kings protests I felt were sort of a departure from what a normal protest is, which is, like, has demands and a structure in an organization with leaders. What do you think about the culture of protest these days?

[Akilah Hughes]

I mean, that's such a good question, because I think I kind of have a lot of thoughts. I think the main thing is, like, if you can compel middle class white people to leave their house on a Saturday, then it's not for nothing, like, I do think that like the show of that, because also I live in la. La. It was a nice day. You could have absolutely not been outside or like been, you know, just drinking a mimosa, but you chose to make a little sign and walk around and be photographed, like, and you know, again, not for nothing, but like, you did that in front of Marines and the police who just a day earlier were like tear gassing everybody and then later on that day tear gassing everybody. And so I think that, like, when we're living in this era of like, media trumps everything, the show of millions of people showing up, wasting their Saturday, spending their Saturday, however people feel about it, I think does matter because it's like, it is something that we will be pointing to. Like, I think that the clips are enough forever when people are like talking about opposition to Donald Trump. You have streets filled across this country, even in really small places with people. Did. Was there a demand? No. I mean, I was at the LA protest downtown and it was like, people were there because they were like, science is important and immigration is, you know, we should probably have a better path to immigration than like rounding people up. And, you know, like, I don't want to go to war. Like, it was sort of a vast array. Right? Just a general. We don't like this. But no king. But I think that like, right. And like, so I. I'm with that. I think that, like, I also am like weirdly defensive of the protests because of like the civil rights movement. Because again, most of that was like, like, the point is the show, the point is that it's gonna get coverage. It isn't. You know, like, we have demands, sure. But like, the reality was like, if these people are out here every Sunday marching and they're peaceful, like, this means something. And so there's that like, very famous now on social media sort of quest or like, I guess statement that is like, whatever you were doing during, whatever you're doing now is what you would be doing during the civil rights movement and during slavery and during the Holocaust and all of the these things. Like, you are the people who are supposed to be responding. And I get furious at the people who are too lazy to leave their homes but are sitting on Twitter complaining about it. Because. Because I'm like, that's what you'd be doing in the civil rights movement. These people would be outside getting sprayed with water hoses, tear gas, bitten by Dogs. And you'd be at home in your little safe house on your toilet, yelling to your wife or whoever lives with you that it's, it's stupid and it's not doing anything and they didn't mean it. It's like, just shut up. Like, oh my God, if my grandma was alive, she would come to your house and beat her. Beat you herself. Like, it's just outrageous that people think that, like, that is somehow an equivalent protest is shitting on people who are willing to show up and who are on their side, who want a better world. So, like, I mean, could they be more organized? Yes, but I also think we're living in the future, right? It's not the 50s. We don't need to have one leader in this sort of centralized power. Tell. Telling us what it is. I think that, like, social media is.

[V. Spear]

Dangerous to have one leader because they will take that leader out. Yeah, exactly.

[Akilah Hughes]

They'll take that leader out. Or if that leadership or group, like, look at Black Lives Matter. The moment certain chapters were seen as corrupt, suddenly the whole mission is bad. And it was never about anything. And I'm like, I just don't buy it. So it's like, I think, you know, if we're living in a decentralized time, we don't have a unified culture, but people can still come together and say, we know that this sucks. I think that that's good.

[Sammy Sage]

I totally agree with you. And I think that the idea that you have to have a demand, obviously it's a. I think it depends what you're doing. You're not a union on strike. You are a very diverse group of people who have different grievances against the administration that are all valid for all different reasons. And we're also not in a political system. Where, where are you going to enact that demand? Who is going to give it to you? What, what, what's the actual way by which you will measure success? And knowing that you can't actually measure that success or probably achieve those specifics around, like one unified thing, you then have people becoming discouraged. Whereas if you can on a continuous basis look around and see that there is, there is opposition everywhere in the country when the time comes that there is a thing to mobilize around or an election or a particular, a particular moment, Black swan event, you never know what's going to come, then those people can all look around and be like, okay, we all are on the same page that this is not okay. So I think, I think it's, it's good and we all. I think a lot of the yelling online is bots that are actually very good at their jobs. And. Yeah. And I think that people don't even realize that.

[V. Spear]

Do you think it's bots saying that black people aren't participating in the protests? Because I live in Rochester and I'm going to tell you, black people are participating in the protest.

[Akilah Hughes]

Like, yeah.

[V. Spear]

Predominantly participating. Yeah.

[Sammy Sage]

Anything suppressive in general, like, that is just like, look at the profile, you can pretty much tell.

[Akilah Hughes]

Yeah, I mean, it's that. And it's also, I think that, like, in this country, in, like the past, I guess what social media has been sort of a big deal for 15ish years. Like, like all of the foreign governments that are trying to sew dissent in the country are always saying black people aren't doing this thing or something negatively impacts black people because they know that black people run the culture. And so if black people start saying this is stupid and isn't cool, then people will be like, oh, well, then, I mean, I. If that's what the culture's saying. And there were black people all throughout la. I know there were black people in New York. I mean, I think that, like, you know, and also I think that, like, look, if there are places where black people are like, hey, we tried to get you to vote and you didn't do it. So, like, screw. You know, I. I absolutely am with that. I also know that I. Right. I also, though, feel like that doesn't mean that they're Republicans. Like, we can have the conversation of, like, do they need to put their bodies on the line? And they also still think that Donald Trump's a piece of shit.

[V. Spear]

Yeah, that doesn't translate to the online space where people are trying to point fingers at who's doing what.

[Akilah Hughes]

Totally. And Twitter is like three people who still follow you and a bunch of bots. So it's like, who are you talking to? Like, why do you. There's no real going viral. There's no, like, message really coming through. It's a bunch of bots that are on the right being like, nobody's at the protests. Nobody's at Beyonce's concert. Nobody. Nobody likes the Olympics. And I'm like, okay.

[Sammy Sage]

Also, more extreme statements inherently go viral. They get more engagement. So we're seeing the most extreme points of view. And I think that that has actually started to work on people's minds. Like, everyone thinks in these absolute boots when everything is very nuanced. Like, everyone wants to be like, oh, we lost. The Democrats lost. The election. Because of this. Because of this reason. Because of this reason. It's like, it's a different reason. Everyone thinks that things.

[Akilah Hughes]

It's actually a lot of reasons.

[Sammy Sage]

All the reasons. It's like you're trying to get these tiny margins of votes, and you're gonna say it's one reason. No, it's like all these things work.

[Akilah Hughes]

You know what? Actually, there is one reason. Sammy, what is it? Oh, one reason. Reason is that Donald Trump's been famous for 50 years, and America is like, I know who that is. That's the guy from the Apprentice. They have, like, no memory about COVID at all because the media wiped it the moment they could. And so they're like, yeah, I mean, he's just. I know him. I don't know anybody else. I know that guy, and he's still alive. So I'm going to vote for the guy that I've heard of. It's so dumb. But in my mind, if Kamala had been famous for 50 years, I think it would have been much closer. My son agrees.

[Sammy Sage]

Interesting. Yes.

[V. Spear]

Fauci says yes.

[Sammy Sage]

Fauci agrees.

[Akilah Hughes]

Yes.

[V. Spear]

Like, how would an Oprah verse Donald Trump have gone in 2016?

[Akilah Hughes]

It would have been a wrap slay. She should have run. And if you think about it, her entire, like, her amount of power diminished because she didn't run. Like, where is Oprah now? She didn't have a show.

[V. Spear]

You watched that.

[Akilah Hughes]

What's going on with Oprah? You need to come out the woodwork and, like, get some political power. You're not 80. What's going on?

[V. Spear]

I know. We need Oprah for Senate.

[Akilah Hughes]

Right?

[V. Spear]

Oprah for a state. Secretary of state.

[Akilah Hughes]

Right. Honestly, if she was just like, I'm going on the shows at the exact same time as Donald Trump on a.

[V. Spear]

Different network, and just everybody tune in. Yeah.

[Akilah Hughes]

We would all be like, you know what? I missed it.

[V. Spear]

Yeah. I need a car. You need a car.

[Akilah Hughes]

Someone's got to pay her, though. Well, the thing is, I don't think she even needs money anymore. So what do you give Oprah? The person who has everything. Another tree, a good harvest, a beautiful party.

[V. Spear]

A Nobel Peace Prize.

[Akilah Hughes]

A Nobel Peace Prize. Okay.

[V. Spear]

She already sent her best friend to space. There's really nothing we can do.

[Akilah Hughes]

She sacrificed her friend to space like there's nothing else.

[Sammy Sage]

All right, well, this has been fun. Everyone check out. How is this better with Akilah Hughes? We are. This was so much fun. We love chatting with you. And until next time, thanks for being here.

[Akilah Hughes]

Thanks for having me, y' all.

[V. Spear]

Until next time. I'm V. Spear.

[Sammy Sage]

And I'm Sammy Sage.

[V. Spear]

And this is American Fever Dream.

[Sammy Sage]

Betches.