Welcome to WTF Do We Do Now

Summary

Dream Life Club — “Welcome to WTF Do We Do Now”

Host: Sumi Krishnan
Date: November 13, 2025

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Episode Overview

This inaugural episode of "WTF Do We Do Now" sets the stage for an open, honest, and engaging discussion about navigating life and business as women founders in a world that often feels overwhelming and uncertain. Host Sumi Krishnan, joined by her co-host Ryan, introduces the show’s mission: to create a space for processing the chaos around us—politics, society, business, and personal life—while offering authentic conversation, catharsis, and a dose of humor. Their candid exchange highlights the power of speaking out during trying times, the importance of community, and the unique perspectives they each bring to the table.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Meaning Behind the Podcast Name

[00:04 – 02:24]

• Sumi explains, “My goal for the podcast is to give space and conversation to what so many people, including me and including you, are feeling now about, like, what's going on in this country and the world. Because shit's kind of fucked up, and yet we keep living and we keep needing to…go to work… and take care of family.” ([00:26])
• She emphasizes the importance of “giving voice” to difficult realities, speaking out against negative forces, and how “every person that speaks out gives another person permission to also not think they're crazy and also not think they're alone.” ([01:56])
• Ryan adds a “micro/macro” lens, viewing the show as a way to process both personal turmoil and the larger societal picture—“How do you weigh trying to fix the world around you with trying to fix your own world?” ([04:47])

The Hosts’ Dynamic: Optimist vs. Cynic

[05:59 – 07:03]

• A key theme: Sumi embodies optimism, Ryan self-identifies as a “cynical by nature” but not entirely.
  • Sumi: “Yeah, you are cynical. And I am an optimist, I think.” ([06:03])
  • Ryan: “I'm more cynical than you.” ([06:17])
• Their banter underscores the complementary nature of their outlooks and the productive tension it brings.

Origins of Their Collaboration

[07:03 – 08:36]

• Sumi, an LA-based artist, met Ryan, a seasoned music producer, through mutual connections in the music industry. What began as a creative collaboration led to frequent, wide-ranging conversations that inspired the podcast: “We should be recording these and sharing these, because why should the conversations just stay between us and these four walls, right?” ([02:26])

From Washington DC to LA: Personal and Perspective Shifts

[08:36 – 11:15]

• Sumi contrasts the politically charged atmosphere in DC with the laid-back LA lifestyle, observing that “you could just literally ignore everything that's going on in the world when you live in LA because you're just in a little paradise.” ([08:56])
• She shares her background: working in DC, volunteering for campaigns, studying public policy, and ultimately making the leap to a music career while retaining her drive for social change. ([09:26 – 10:47])
• Ryan humorously calls Sumi “a grown up” given her impressive civic experience. ([10:35])

Contrasting Life Experiences

[11:27 – 12:32]

• Their differences—Ryan is married with kids; Sumi is single and dating—add layers to their perspectives, both personally and professionally, especially around issues of gender, race, and work-life balance.

The Podcast’s Purpose and Promise

[12:33 – 13:52]

• The show aims to tackle both “big social issues” and “things going on in our own lives,” recognizing that “how to carry on, how to…balance…internal and external…we don't know how to do that necessarily, but we're figuring it out, and it's nice to have conversations to try and do that.” ([12:53])
• Ryan quips, “maybe listening to two idiots try to figure it out themselves will help,” highlighting the show’s humility and humor. ([13:39])

Politics, Conflict, and Identity

[14:04 – 17:29]

• They preview future topics: conflict resolution, political engagement, and the challenge of interacting across political divides, especially as a “minority female” versus a “white male.”
  • Sumi admits heightened sensitivity to sexism and negative speech about women, acknowledging, “I'm just so sensitive to anybody speaking negatively about a woman, especially a tall white man.” ([15:52])
  • Ryan reflects on learning from his wife, a minority woman: “I know that the levels of ignorance that I used to have are pretty damn high and might still be pretty high…my biases as a white man, I'm just not gonna see things I don't see the things that y'all see.” ([17:07])

Progressivism and Regional Bubbles

[18:05 – 19:38]

• Both hosts identify as “progressive,” but Sumi sees a distinction between the LA and DC “bubbles”:
  • “To me, the LA bubble is not even progressive…most people don’t actually keep up, I think, with, like, what’s going on.” ([19:05])
  • Ryan discusses maintaining roots and group chats with friends from his Midwestern hometown, highlighting the diversity of opinions within his social circle. ([18:13 – 18:54])

The Challenge of “Truth” and Political Division

[20:02 – 24:24]

• They lament the fragmentation of shared reality and media:
  • Sumi: “Year from now we’re gonna be saying what is truth?” ([20:02])
• Sumi asks, “what do we do as…progressive people on the left…to actually, like, win back America?” ([20:10])
• Ryan stresses, “You need different parties, differing beliefs…But when it can be weaponized, when you can use that divisiveness to push narratives that actively hurt people, that’s when it becomes an issue.” ([20:30])
• They debate whether the solution is dialogue—Sumi doubts the effectiveness amid widespread “gaslighting”—and reflect on the limits of seeking validation by proving “the other side wrong.”
  • Ryan: “This doesn’t end with the other side going, ah, you got me. Well, it doesn’t go down like that…it never will and it never has in human history.” ([24:00])

Where Do We Go From Here?

[25:10 – End]

• Looking ahead, they tease future episodes exploring possible societal outcomes and pathways for positive change.
  • Sumi: “Maybe the next episode is…where we could potentially be…in four years. How…the kind of various options, like, where we could be as a society or country.” ([25:10])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Every person that speaks out gives another person permission to also not think they're crazy and also not think they're alone.” — Sumi, [01:56]
• “How do you weigh trying to fix the world around you with trying to fix your own world?” — Ryan, [04:47]
• “It's okay to not be a crusader, and it's okay to, you know, take an edible and watch some trash TV at night. It's okay. And then there's other days when you can…take to Twitter and, you know, come at a representative, which is cool.” — Ryan, [05:25]
• “We don't want the world to suck. And at the moment it feels like the world kind of sucks, or at least it sucks more than it should.” — Ryan, [11:17]
• “How do we make this place better?” — Ryan, [21:03]
• “It’s going to be unsatisfying…it doesn't mean we can't keep fighting.” — Ryan, [25:04]
• “Every now and again, I think more than every now and again.” — Sumi, on how often politics will arise, [12:50]
• “We hope not. I hope at least that we're not idiots. But it's like a space for these conversations…” — Sumi, [13:52]
• “The LA bubble is not even progressive…most people don't actually keep up, I think, with, like, what's going on.” — Sumi, [19:05]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:04 — Origin of podcast name & intentions
• 01:56 — Speaking out as a form of empowerment/change
• 05:59 — Optimist vs. Cynic dynamic
• 07:03 — How Sumi and Ryan met, music industry backgrounds
• 08:36 — From DC to LA: shifting worldviews
• 11:27 — Personal differences enhance perspectives
• 12:33 — Scope and promises for the podcast
• 14:04 — Navigating politics, identity, and engagement
• 18:05 — Definitions of progressivism in LA vs. DC
• 20:02 — Wrestling with questions of "truth"
• 24:00 — The futility of searching for validation from “the other side”
• 25:10 — Teasing future episodes on social outcomes

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Overall Tone

Unfiltered, humorous, and thoughtfully candid, blending optimism with healthy skepticism. The hosts create a welcoming space to process cultural, political, and personal upheaval—proof that it’s possible to “keep calm and carry on” without ignoring the world’s messiness, and to do it together, out loud.

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Transcript

[A]

What's the name of our podcast?

[B]

The name of our podcast is what the Do We Do Now?

[A]

What the Do We Do Now? I. Okay, I have an idea. How about we both share what that means to us and why we named it that? I'll go first. I feel like this is.

[B]

You don't want a rock, Paper, scissors for it? No, thank you. You should definitely go first.

[A]

All right, thank you. Why did we name it what Do We Do Now? Because here's what my goal is, actually. This would be so cool to, like, get your genuine, like, honest take about, like, what your goal is for the podcast. So my goal for the podcast is to give space. To give space and conversation to what so many people, including me and including you, are feeling now about, like, what's going on in this country and the world. Because shit's kind of fucked up, and yet we keep living and we keep needing to, like, you know, kind of, like, go to work and do normal stuff and have friends and take care of family and, like. But, like, how do we process that all in the context of the fact that, like, is everything going to shit? So.

[B]

So this is an existential podcast.

[A]

Well, also, I think that, like, when. When things are going down, I think it's really important to give voice to it, to, like, not ignore stuff that's, like, horrific or, you know, speak out against fascism. And, like, actually, like, I think speaking out in and of itself is powerful because it. The more people that do it, the more people that do it, right? Like, every person that speaks out.

[B]

Simple but profound, right?

[A]

Every person.

[B]

The people that do it.

[A]

The more people do that, the more people will do it.

[B]

Okay. Yeah.

[A]

Every person that speaks out gives another person permission to also not think they're crazy and also not think they're alone. And know that, like, we're in this together and everyone's speaking out, and you can speak out, too. And then the more people that speak out, the more people that speak out, and that's actually how change has a potential for happening.

[B]

Look at you go. Oh, my God.

[A]

What? You agree with that?

[B]

This is amazing. I'm so in awe of you right now.

[A]

You're in awe?

[B]

Holy shit. Go. Keep going.

[A]

So anyways, I think that that's why it's important.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And also, it's like a. Yeah, it's like a.

[B]

How can I follow this?

[A]

It's like an expression for us, I think, right? To, like, help process the shit that's happening. And also, we have such great conversations together. So. Okay, on the totally flip side, of the coin. It was like, we need to be recording these and sharing these, because why should the conversations just stay between us and these four walls, right?

[B]

These are fun conversations.

[A]

They're fun. And not all of it's about politics.

[B]

Promise? Promise. Well, okay, that kind of. Hey, great segue. That kind of leads into what I was gonna say.

[A]

Okay, cool.

[B]

Cause I agree with almost everything you said, except the part about where that was the best compliment I've ever given you. I strongly disagree with that.

[A]

Well, really think of a better one then.

[B]

No, I can't. It's scaring me. No, I agree with everything you said. And for me, I think the best answer I could give to that is that it's this kind of thing. You know, I've been in, you know, kind of conversations before. I don't know many. Maybe other people have too, where at the end of a great conversation with somebody. Oh, my God, that felt like a podcast. I wish we did a podcast together. And, you know, it's something people throw around. And it's nice that. Hey, listeners, it's nice that Sumi and I are actually doing it. This is cool. To actually follow through and. And record something and put it out there, and that's fun. The reason I think it's worth doing is twofold. One, what you said. But the other part is it's kind of a micro macro thing for me. That mindset of, like, keep calm and carry on kind of. I just sort of rephrased everything you did into a British saying from the 30s or whatever that was. But, like, yeah, that's essentially the vibe of it. Right. Like, things are terrible, but life does. Like, we do have to go to work the next day, and you and I kind of take our own temperature and take the temperature of the world around us, and we have conversations where we kind of regurgitate back to each other what we're feeling and thinking. And it does seem that right now, yeah, a lot of uncertainty, tensions are a lot higher. I know for me personally, life, both internal and external, can get hard. And it's fun having conversations that not only talk about what's happening in the world and how crazy it is and what do we do now? How do you decide to move on? How do you weigh trying to fix the world around you with trying to fix your own world?

[A]

Right.

[B]

And if you're someone out there.

[A]

See that. Okay, that was a.

[B]

If you're someone out there who struggles with that, because I'm certainly someone who struggles with that, and I know you are too we thought we talk about that then you may be hearing two people struggle with it and try and figure it out is something that could help. Could maybe be a little cathartic, you know, because it's okay. Like, it's. It's okay to not be a crusader, and it's okay to, you know, and it's okay to be a crusader, like. And you're going to feel different at different times. You know, you can pacify yourself. You can, you know, take an edible and watch some trash TV at night. It's okay. And then there's other days when you can, you know. I was about to say something cynical, like, take to Twitter and, you know, come at a representative, which is cool. Like, people do that too. And it's important. I don't know. But that's actually another thing that we should talk about, is our nature. So I'm very cynical by nature. For instance, like when Sumi's gonna, you know, go on things about changing the world, which she does because. Because she's amazing. Everyone's gonna get to watch me fight my own internal battle with not trying to be a cynical asshole in those moments.

[A]

That's actually okay. I've never actually thought about that.

[B]

That's gonna be my. One of my many struggles.

[A]

Yeah, you are cynical. And I am an optimist, I think.

[B]

And we both. But not all the time either.

[A]

But not all the time.

[B]

But I think you definitely, you know, and there's gonna be times where we. We, you know.

[A]

Yeah, because you're right. Because I wouldn't say you're like, my.

[B]

I'm more cynical than you.

[A]

You're more cynical than me, but my general, like, word about you would not be cynical.

[B]

Really?

[A]

No, that's the.

[B]

We've both given each other the best compliment we've ever received today. Yours was, I'm in awe of you. And mine was. You just said. What did you say? Can I hear it one more time?

[A]

Yeah, you can. The word I would use to describe you would not be cynical.

[B]

Felt even better the second time.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. No, not at all.

[B]

Anyone who knows me and hears this isn't gonna believe you.

[A]

I think you have really good ways of, like, looking at the world, reframing things, and also, like. Yeah. Like, helping people cope. Honestly, you know, I think that's. I think that's just from powerful self.

[B]

Just from years of self coping. I've got a lot of practice.

[A]

All right, so basically, Ryan and I met because I am an artist here in la and I was looking for new producers to work with. And I met. I heard about Ryan and his production partner Josh, through my friend Issa, who I met at a Women in Music event. And then she was like, you should work with these guys. They're super chill, super cool. So we met and we started working together, and now we're working on a bunch of new songs.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And then we started having conversations.

[B]

Then we started having conversations in the.

[A]

Studio and thought we should do a vlog. Yeah. So that's. That's the context.

[B]

That's the context. That's. Sumi, I'm. Yeah, I'm a music producer. I've been working in LA for 15. 10. 15 years. 15 years, I think, almost. And I've worked with a lot of different people and been in a lot of rooms like this when we're in a recording studio right now, actually, and which is where a lot of podcasts work, where a lot of things are recorded, is in recording studios. It's their purpose.

[A]

Yeah, but we're in a music recording studio.

[B]

We're in a music recording studio working on music. And we have so many of these wonderful conversations that have nothing to do with music.

[A]

Right. Necessarily. Although music. A lot of times we'll, like, have a conversation like, ooh, let's write a song about that.

[B]

That's true. That's something. That's an annoying thing. All songwriters do.

[A]

Yeah, it's so true.

[B]

I love it. And, yes. So throughout my whole career, I've been in a lot of rooms that have. And I've had a lot of awesome conversations with people. It's one of the privileges of my job that I get to have. And Sumi here is one of the people that I get to have the most fun conversations with. And I'm so happy that we get to record these now and embarrass ourselves and share them with people.

[A]

Yay. Yeah, basically. I mean, and I think too, like, I, you know, I moved here from D.C. and I was super involved with. It's really interesting, like, being. Comparing, like, people who live in LA to people who live in dc, just.

[B]

In general, it's really fun comparing people. It's a brutal thing to do, but, boy, is it fun.

[A]

You don't realize when you live in dc, how plugged in you are until you move across country, you know, to realize that, like, oh, wow. Like, yeah, like, you could just literally ignore everything that's going on in the world when you live in la because you're just in a little paradise and you got sun fucking shining every day. And you got the beauty, sun fucking shining, you know, and you just got to ride your bike to the little cafe and pick up a baguette and like, what? You know, you can also do that.

[B]

In Paris if we're talking stereotypes. So. Yeah, that's true.

[A]

But so I was in D.C. and I started volunteering for political campaigns, like, ever since, like Obama.

[B]

God, you're a good person.

[A]

So it.

[B]

You were living an episode of the.

[A]

West Wing, Kind of legit. Yeah.

[B]

Oh, I'm so jealous.

[A]

I also, and I don't know if Ryan knows this, but I also went to school for public policy. And so I actually wanted to go into politics for a long time. I was gonna like, work. I was gonna work comms for a campaign or something like that. And after graduating from that program, I decided to like, I was doing working with this think tank called Resistance School. And we were building training, we were building training programs for civic engagement. So we were like, helping people understand that there's more to do than like vote every four years. There's so much more to do than that. So that's kind of like. And before that, you're so much more.

[B]

Accomplished than I am.

[A]

No, just in different ways, you know, in cooler ways. Before that I was, you know, like I said, like, working in dc, working in like government consulting.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So I was doing that for many.

[B]

Years, ladies and gentlemen, She's a grown up.

[A]

So anyways, so now, but like, now that I'm actually doing what I wanted to do my whole life, which is art and music and being a singer, songwriter and performer, I'm like, you came.

[B]

Out here with the weirdos in la.

[A]

I'm a bug to like, incorporate. I can't, I can't leave, like, you know, my desire to like, change the world behind.

[B]

Dear Listener, when we were putting this, throwing around the idea of doing this podcast that was kind of a big part of Sumi's thing was, you know, let's record these fun conversations we're having. But also, you know, she's always had that. Yeah, you've talked about that before with me. You know, you, you want to help. You want the world, you don't want the world to suck? I don't want the world to suck.

[A]

We don't want the world to suck.

[B]

We don't want the world to suck. And at the moment it feels like the world kind of sucks, or at least it sucks more than it should. It could be better. Let's admit the world could be better.

[A]

Okay, let's say it could be A lot better. If there was a different outcome on November 4, we would be in a totally different timeline. Like, we would just be in a. Anyways, so. And also, the cool thing about our different perspectives, too, is that, like, personally, we are so different. Like, Ryan is married with two kids.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

And I'm single and dating. And so there's just a lot. Yeah, there's just like, a lot of different, like, perspectives. And you've worked. Ryan's worked with, like, so many. Like, so many artists over your career, and I've been really lucky in the industry.

[B]

I've been abused a lot.

[A]

That there's, like, interesting stories and perspectives that come with all of that, I think.

[B]

Yeah. I've been fortunate to be in a lot of these kinds of rooms and get to meet a lot of fun people. And like I said, I've had these kinds of interesting conversations, and having had a few of them already, the different backgrounds we have do, I think, provide kind of a. The. Well, the dynamic.

[A]

Yeah, I guess so.

[B]

Huh. What we're talking about.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It'll be fun to explore that and see the different, you know, weird. Weird places that we go.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Yeah. And through all of it, we're gonna try to figure out both in our own lives and kind of, you know, in the world, abroad, what the. What the. Do we do now? Yeah, the podcast isn't gonna just be about politics. It's, you know, we may touch on that every now and again. And it's not just gonna be about big social issues or.

[A]

No, every now and again, I think more than every now and again. But.

[B]

Yeah, but we could talk about things going on in our own lives, because essentially what we're trying to do is figure out with both ourselves and with. Yeah. Us as a collective, people listening to us, who themselves are going through, how to carry on, how to. When everything around you feels like it's insane. You want to do something, but your own life also needs tending. Yeah. And how do you balance the two? Internal and external or big and little. Big problems, little problems, external problems, internal, all that kind of stuff. We don't know how to do that necessarily, but we're figuring it out, and it's nice to have conversations to try and do that. And, hey, if you're also trying to figure that out, then maybe listening to two idiots try to figure it out themselves will help.

[A]

I wouldn't call us idiots.

[B]

I would call me an idiot.

[A]

But you're welcome to if you want to, dear listener.

[B]

Yeah, that's true. That's true. If you listen to this and decide we're idiots, that's. Listen, there's nothing we can do about it.

[A]

We hope not. I hope at least that we're not idiots. But it's like a space for these conversations and whatever happens, like, we're. Yes, we're going to talk about how we're processing some of the shit that's happening.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because I think we're all processing that and what we're doing about it. But also, like, we just recorded an episode on our personal stories of getting into fights and like. And conflict resolution and conflict resolution strategies, which, look, if we need. If any point in time we needed that, it's now. Right?

[B]

Yeah. Like, honestly, you could just reframe that to just take it onto. Onto Truth Social and start resoluting that conflict.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Go do it. Yeah, Go resolve all that conflict out there.

[A]

You know what's an interesting topic that we didn't even have on our list that we should do at some point is like. Like, how willing you are and I am. And what we think people should be in terms of, like, ooh. And I think we differ on this, actually, in terms of speaking to the.

[B]

Other side, you know, engaging politically.

[A]

Engaging politically with, like, MAGA heads.

[B]

I don't mind it.

[A]

Like, okay. Wow.

[B]

Okay. Yeah, I think we do differ on this side.

[A]

Yeah, we definitely differ on it. So that'll be interesting to get into at some point.

[B]

Well, and this is gonna be a big dynamic too, is that. And I think that political part is a big place where the differences between us become more apparent is because as a white male, my conversations with MAGA people are gonna just have a different nature than someone who doesn't look like me.

[A]

I've noticed as a minority female that I am so sensitive now more than ever before to anyone. Actually. This is what I was realizing. I was dating this guy and he said two things like speaking negatively about, like, a wife of his friend.

[B]

He was speaking negatively about a wife.

[A]

Of his friend, and then he spoke negatively about another woman, and I immediately.

[B]

Was like, flagged him as a sexist.

[A]

Yeah, I just, you know, and I don't think I would have been so affected by it previously, but. But now I realize, like, I'm just so sensitive to anybody speaking negatively about a woman, especially a tall white man. You know what I mean?

[B]

Oh, man. Yeah. Yeah. It's a thing that's. Oh, man, that's so real. That's kind of like. That's almost like the manifestation of that complaint on the. Right, Right. Like the Snowflake thing. Oh, everyone's so soft on the left. Everyone's so fucking sensitive.

[A]

Yeah, I guess so.

[B]

And you kind of. I don't want to say you just prove their point, but it's more like. Cause it's not about whether they're right or wrong. The issue isn't what they're noticing. Well.

[A]

And they're clearly wrong.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. But the issue is all the hatred and the underlying hatred.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, and it's true. And like, so I recognize in a situation like that that, like, that's not a rational response. Right. And like, what he said probably didn't.

[B]

Well. And it's super easy to defend why you feel that way. Of course you feel that way.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And many, many people do for very good reason. And to be also completely transparent, I'm married to a minority woman. And so I get a lot of. And I've learned so much over the years that I did. I don't know how much I know now, but I know that the levels of ignorance that I used to have are pretty damn high and might still be pretty high. And so even as we go through this, the things I learn and my perspective shifts because, again, my biases as a white man, I'm just not gonna see things I don't see the things that y' all see. And my wife constantly is reminding me of that. You didn't see, that you don't see. That's not the world you live in. You don't know how this works.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so that's gonna be another so interesting aspect here.

[A]

Yeah, exactly.

[B]

And I'll give you insight into the white man's world and what we see, the gold streets we walk on.

[A]

Yeah, no, I mean, but it's. Look, it's important to also understand everyone else's perspective, no matter who you are. And I do admit that, I guess, but.

[B]

Yeah, I admit that, I guess. She says through gritted teeth.

[A]

I think that, like, another interesting thing we're going to touch on is like, literally, what do we do now? As you know, we're both like. I would say we're both progressive. Right.

[B]

It'd be pretty tough not to label me progressive.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

My Midwest group chat would label me the progressive in the group.

[A]

What about your non Midwest group chat?

[B]

Well, okay, so that's the thing. I just made a reference to a thing. So a lot of people live in la, have like a group chat with friends back home. And my back home, I'm from St. Louis, Missouri. That's where I went. I Was born in Las Vegas, moved to St. Louis when I was young, essentially had my formative years there, and I moved out here from there and I still have friends there and I have a group chat with a bunch of guys there who are pretty stereotypical white dudes who are Midwestern and they cover the gamut of all of that. And yeah, that group would definitely say I'm progressive.

[A]

Okay, but are they. Where do they fall on the political spectrum?

[B]

There's conservatives in there, there's dudes who are more like me in there.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

It's a nice little mishmash of. Of different perspectives.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And that's the kind of what I'm referencing is there's, like, having talked to other people out here who have friends back home, that's like a. That's a thing. Your friends back home are a nice little, like, look outside the LA bubble that we live in.

[A]

You know what's really funny about that is that to me, the LA bubble is not even progressive. Like, to me, the DC bubble is progressive. The LA bubble kind of idiots. I mean. Sorry.

[B]

Well, progressive and idiots aren't mutually exclusive. Well, there's a lot of idiots in the progressive community of idiots in every community.

[A]

Okay, that may be true, but people aren't as progressive in LA as, like, one might assume.

[B]

Well, yeah, I mean, LA is the second largest city in the country, so there's going to be a lot of, you know, various. There's a lot of people here and there.

[A]

Yeah. There's just people that aren't. Don't really. Most people don't actually keep up, I think, with, like, what's going on. Do you find that in la?

[B]

Oh, keep up. I mean, I think it totally depends on the circles you're in and depends on what there is to keep up. You know, like, that's another topic we'll get into is like, monoculture. What is keeping up anymore? It's so easy to find your own little bubble, regardless of where you live geographically.

[A]

Anyone with the fuck what is truth? Year from now we're gonna be saying what is truth?

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Well, I'm already wondering what truth is. That's already been an issue.

[A]

God damn. But no, but. Okay. My whole point was, though, that, like, what do we do as both, like, progressive people on the left? Like, what, what, what do we do? What should we be doing, like, on the left to actually, like, win back America?

[B]

Yeah. Well, just to not have life be this.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To get back to a place where, I mean, you know, the most. The most tropey. Thing. The most stereotypical thing, you know, like, wish we weren't so divided. Wish we're more together. And. Yeah, I do wish that. The thing is, I don't think the whole country should be united all the time. You need different parties, differing beliefs. You need a balance between things. But, you know, when. When it can be weaponized, when you can use that divisiveness to push narratives that actively hurt people, that's when it becomes an issue. I think that's what's happening more lately. And what can we do to fight that? To try and get back to, you know, more honest political conversations instead of conversations that are more about, fuck the other side, rather than, hey, how do we. How do we make this place better?

[A]

Yeah, and I think I slightly disagree with that because I don't think that the problem right now is that. No, I mean, I agree and disagree with that. Like, I do think that if we all had that attitude that, yes, we would be living in a better society.

[B]

But had all had what attitude?

[A]

That we should talk to the other side and figure out how to make this place better. But.

[B]

Well, I mean, that's kind of just conflict resolution.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Wouldn't the world be a better place if we're all better at conflict resolution?

[A]

I mean, that's why I agree with it. But I guess my point is that, like, it's hard for me to see that. That point of view now when, like, one side is act. Like the amount of gaslighting that's going on. But people believe their own narratives. Right. Like, I watched. Oh, my God, I watched this little clip with a bunch of preachers who I didn't know their. Like, I didn't actually know their political affiliation yet. I mean, I had my guesses, but they were a bunch of, like, Christian pastors, I guess, like talking together on a zoom call. Four or five of them. And their thesis was one of the guys thesis was like, look, we should, like, make sure politics doesn't enter our, you know, our sermons. And like, it shouldn't affect our constituency. What's that constituency of a church called?

[B]

Congregation. Thank you.

[A]

Congregation.

[B]

Constituency. She's so politics, people. The DC is shining through you.

[A]

Oh, my God. Or my ignorance. But yeah, so like, so they were. And then they were like, we should just keep politics out of it. And then a couple of them were like, yeah, yeah. And then a couple of them were like, what? That's ridiculous. I mean, I just think that, yeah, in general I agree, but right now I can't agree when, like, one Side is literally. Dude is evil. One side is, like, evil and, you know, just against everything we believe in. And I was like, oh, good, a progressive pastor.

[B]

Nope.

[A]

That guy was the most conservative of them all, thinking that what the left is doing right now is evil and to have that much disparity where. And I think he probably actually believes that. But that's what blows my mind. That's what blows my mind.

[B]

This kind of goes back to what we were talking about earlier. How was it possible?

[A]

How was I.

[B]

It's you and your sister again.

[A]

Okay. Yeah, it is.

[B]

It's just. It's the two people that are just 100% convinced they're right, and they can't get it out of their heads that they're wrong.

[A]

But, damn, everyone knows that we're right. I'm just kidding.

[B]

But.

[A]

No, I'm not even kidding.

[B]

It does. You gotta stop thinking. It's not about, like, okay, but right or wrong isn't gonna solve the issue.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Right or wrong isn't gonna make it better. This doesn't end with like, okay, if there's one thing that this podcast could fix, I would love it if both sides could understand that. This doesn't end with the other side going, ah, you got me. Well, it doesn't go down like that, and it never will and it never has in human history.

[A]

We're not talking to people on the right here in this podcast, obviously, but regardless.

[B]

Yeah, but that is not a reality. And so many people are operating in a world where they think that's gonna happen, and it's like, that's what they're fighting for. I'm fighting to make them all realize they were wrong.

[A]

I don't think so. It's not gonna happen. I'll say what I'm fighting for.

[B]

It's not how it's gonna end.

[A]

What I'm fighting for is to.

[B]

Oh, I'm not saying you are. No, no, no, no. Sorry. I don't think I'm painting you with any kind of brush. No, I'm just saying it's unfortunate that a lot of people do think that way, because it's not gonna happen. They're not gonna say that you were right. You got me. Like, humans don't work that way. We're just. It's gonna end awkwardly and weirdly and unsatisfyingly, and it's gonna just shift and we're just gonna get. It's gonna move on to another thing. Like, that's how it works. It's never cool. It's never you know? And then the good guys win and he. Man raises the sword and lightning strikes and credits roll. Like, it's never that. It's always just, like, sucks now, I guess. Okay, this is. This other situation's different, but not worse, but not better, but it's a little, like.

[A]

That's how it's.

[B]

It's gonna be unsatisfying. It's just gonna. That's how it's. That's how it's gonna be. It doesn't mean we can't keep fighting, but.

[A]

Okay, you know what? I wanna do an episode on. Maybe the next episode is like, our. Yes. Our analysis of, like, outcomes of, like, where we. Ooh, let's do, like, where we could potentially be. Right. Like, in four years. How the kind of various options, like, where we could be as a society or country or.

[B]

That's fun.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

All right. Keep listening, people.

[A]

Okay. We are excited, you guys. Hope you are, too.