Grits and Eggs Podcast

Host: Deante’ Kyle
Guest: Justin Scott
Episode: #122 – Justin Scott
Release Date: February 17, 2026

Episode Overview

In this unfiltered and insightful episode, Deante’ Kyle welcomes writer and TikTok creator Justin Scott for a wide-ranging conversation. They dive deep into pop culture, current events, community, narrative control, and the concept of "selfhood." Both provide a sharp critique of American societal structures, weave personal stories into larger systemic critiques, and challenge listeners to reconsider narratives, both public and personal. The tone is sharp, reflective, warm, and occasionally humorous, with Deante’s signature wit driving the energy and Justin’s philosophical lens giving the dialogue serious depth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction & Setting the Scene

• Opening banter and jokes about cold weather in Chicago and Atlanta.
• Satirical observations about consumer responses to cold weather (“milk, eggs, and bread” as apocalyptic essentials) and underlying cultural quirks in survival responses.
• Memorable Quote:

  “It’s like, I think this is just how white people know how to survive.”
  — Justin Scott [03:24]

2. On Personal Origins and Writing

• Justin Scott gives a background: Atlanta suburbs upbringing, intense focus on reading and writing instilled by family, preacher-heavy family, attendance at Clark Atlanta, and eventual move to Chicago for new opportunity.
• Writing as a lifelong practice: from punishment to communication skill to vocation.
• Scrabble, wordplay, and literacy as core family values—emphasizing how self-expression and language have shaped identity for both.
• Memorable Quote:

  “I became, like, very—I was required to have literacy just to maintain relationship with my folks growing up.”
  — Justin Scott [07:00]

3. TikTok & Why Speak Out Online

• Both discuss how isolation radicalized them, leading to unique perspectives and a reluctance to socialize—until TikTok became a way “back in.”
• Justin’s explanation: Most ‘relationship talk’ online is romance-focused, but there's a wider world of relationships with self, politics, society.
• Memorable Exchange:

  Deante: “I've never heard anybody talk about selfhood... Not just in adjectives.”
  Justin: “A lot of folks...exist in an adjective. Rarely do you ever just get to live by your own name.”
  [10:51–11:14]

4. Selfhood & Invisibility

• Delving into experiences of invisibility, especially as Black men, and “structural neglect” even from well-intentioned parents.
• Systemic training away from selfhood toward compliance and performance, both in school and at home.
• Critique of seeking validation and “correcting” oneself only for external consensus, never truly witnessing oneself.
• Quote:

  “Most people go in the mirror only to correct. Not to witness, just to correct.”
  — Justin Scott [15:29]

5. The Performance vs. The Genuine Self & Community

• Discussing the interplay between authentic self-expression and community; performance as both a survival tactic and as a barrier to community.
• The dangers of communities made up of individuals lacking true selves:

  “A community with no selves is traffic.”
  — Justin Scott [20:55]

• Honest self-expression may come at a social cost—but is necessary for genuine community, not just compliance.

6. On Parenting & Systemic Pressures

• Breaking down the difference between “system operator” parenting (performative, optics-based) and parenting rooted in authentic care and relationship.
• Intergenerational impacts traced to slavery and ongoing system-enforced repression of Black children’s autonomy and joy.
• Quote:

  “Most people don’t grow up—they sand down… I know people who are smaller now than when they were five.”
  — Justin Scott [22:51]

7. Joy, Capitalism, and Instrumentality

• In-depth critique of how joy, especially Black joy, is seen as suspicious, unproductive, and is often only tolerated when it can be monetized or marketed.
• “Joy is not earned. It came pre-installed.”

  — Justin Scott [24:28]

• Marketing of freedom/joy (beaches, rage rooms, etc.) as another layer of commoditization; true joy and freedom persist in the face of bondage.

8. The Role of Narrative—Who Decides?

• Intensive critique of American narrative control, both historically and currently.

  “White people spend their whole life fighting over narrative control... They outsource wholeness to things like legacy, afterlife.”
  — Justin Scott [34:58]

• Recognition that the American system requires continuous delusion and conformity for its functioning.

9. Current Events: ICE, Policing, and State Violence

• Examination of recent ICE violence in Minnesota, with a focus on both racial and systemic elements.
• The power of narrative warfare: Systemic actors rapidly controlling public perception, labeling violence as necessary or normal, and suppressing counter-narratives.
• Importance of creating a disciplined, fact-based community-driven narrative to counter state propaganda.
• Quote:

  “We need mass discipline... We so desperately need it. What we need more than anything is for niggas to lock in.”
  — Deante’ Kyle [100:21]

10. Press, Propaganda, and Social Media’s Role

• Open call for independent media to act as war correspondents amid local state violence.
• Reality that mainstream press is corporate, bought, and never truly liberatory; only grassroots, independent, and disciplined narrative work can shift the story.
• The exploitation of public anger, commentary, and even violent resistance by the system—none of these alone threaten power if not organized.
• Notable Conclusion:

  “Your anger means nothing to these people. Your decision might mean something.”
  — Justin Scott [116:56]

11. Structural Power, Black and Immigrant Experience, and Systems of Exile

• Historical analysis of how structures like whiteness, immigrant assimilation, and colonial legacies maintain hierarchy and exclusion.
• How policing, data, and “for profit” institutions depersonalize and dehumanize entire groups.
• Shared sense of exile and forced instrumentality among Black and Brown communities.

12. Revolution, Agency, and Narrative

• Returning to selfhood and agency—revolutions are about refusing a will, not merely “unchaining” it.
• Importance of individuals and communities reclaiming agency and narrative from the system’s closed loops and illusions.
• Quote:

  “You’re not gonna feel freedom after the revolution. You felt freedom before the revolution, which is what caused you to go.”
  — Justin Scott [81:56]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “It’s something a little Epsteiny about that... just the whole like, I'mma have a milk mustache.” – Deante’ Kyle [04:33]
• “A community with no selves is traffic.” – Justin Scott [20:55]
• “Most people don’t grow up—they sand down...some people are smaller now than when they were five.” – Justin Scott [22:51]
• “Joy is not earned. It came pre-installed. Pre-installed. It’s literally in the package.” – Justin Scott [24:28]
• “If they find out that you’re not instrumental, Let a white person find out you’re not instrumental, they’re taking you off that list.” – Justin Scott [32:06]
• “We need mass discipline... What we need more than anything is for niggas to lock in. Stop what-if ism, stop whataboutism, take a thing as a thing and run with it.” – Deante’ Kyle [100:21]
• “You’re not going to feel freedom after the revolution. You felt freedom before the revolution, which is what caused you to go, right?” – Justin Scott [81:56]
• “Your anger means nothing to these people. Your decision might mean something.” – Justin Scott [116:56]
• On the role of press:
  Deante’: “If ICE is dressed up for war... then press should be there as wartime press.”
  Justin: "I, I feel like it might be as serious as this..." [96:30–96:33]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [06:22–07:00] – Justin’s backstory and roots in writing
• [10:51–11:14] – Selfhood, identity behind adjectives
• [20:55] – On community and authentic selfhood
• [24:28–25:12] – The myth of earned joy and its commodification
• [29:11–34:58] – Instrumentality, roles in society, white narrative obsession
• [46:46–50:00] – Justin’s relationship with Christianity and family faith
• [61:45–63:22] – The brain and AI, rendering reality, systems vs. trust
• [65:21–70:30] – Systemic violence: ICE, narrative warfare, and state propaganda
• [100:21–101:05] – Mass discipline, collective focus, narrative clarity
• [116:56–117:17] – On not posting just for the sake of it; focus on insight and utility

Episode Takeaways

• Selfhood and Community: Genuine communities require individuals with a strong sense of self; otherwise, it’s chaos or mere “traffic.”
• Joy & Resistance: Black joy, authenticity, and agency are under attack by systems that only value what can be commodified or controlled.
• Narrative is Power: The battle for narrative—in media, on social platforms, and in real life—is a key front in both oppression and liberation. Mass discipline and clear internal narrative are essential.
• Systemic Critique: Deep skepticism of existing power structures, particularly American state and corporate institutions, and a call for revolutionary agency that's prepared, not reactive.
• Personal as Political: Both hosts continually turn the lens back on themselves, rooting all systemic critique in personal journey, vulnerability, and the ongoing project of self-actualization.

Connect with Justin Scott:

• Substack: [Justin Scott's Substack]
• TikTok/Instagram: @this.cipher or @cipherJ

End with Deante’ and Justin’s sign-off:

Deante’ Kyle: “Free Palestine. Free Sudan. And nigga, more importantly, Free America.” [121:39]

Justin Scott: “Free us.” [121:46]

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