Podcast Summary

Podcast: Next Comes What
Host: Andrea Pitzer
Episode: Why Speaking Out Matters
Date: September 11, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode, hosted by Andrea Pitzer, centers on the critical importance of publicly standing up for democratic principles and values in the face of rising authoritarianism, focusing specifically on recent actions by the Trump administration. Pitzer draws on contemporary events, historical parallels from the rise of strongmen like Mussolini and Hitler, and her own experiences at recent protests in Washington D.C. The episode is a call to action: Pitzer argues that "virtue signaling"—expressing what you believe in—matters, especially when the fabric of democracy and civil society is under threat.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recent Authoritarian Actions by the Administration

• Brutality in Policy & Media Manipulation

  • Destroys a Venezuelan boat under questionable claims of drug trafficking ([00:13–00:27])
  • Media figures like Bari Weiss are posited as “truth tellers” but act as “toadies to power” ([00:31])
  • Mainstream networks like CBS allegedly agree not to edit administration officials’ interviews, even when facts are misrepresented ([01:05])

• Suppression of Dissent

  • Legal and institutional pressure to silence critics; even Supreme Court justices warn lower courts not to "defy" higher court decisions ([01:20])

2. Parallel with Historical Authoritarian Rises

• Pitzer explores complacency and complicity of mainstream political actors historically:

  • Italy (1920s): Liberals included fascists for electoral gain—ended in tragedy ([03:46–03:56])
  • Germany (1929): Conservatives struck deals with Nazis, nurturing authoritarianism ([04:06])

  “Mainstream political parties abandoned their gatekeeping role and let extremists in the door. Both cases obviously turned out to be a pretty tragic miscalculation…”
  — Andrea Pitzer [04:22]

• Highlights that the U.S. still has more options for resistance than citizens of contemporary authoritarian regimes, like Hungary and Turkey ([04:35])

3. The Propaganda Playbook and Public Opinion

• Propaganda’s Role:

  • About “one quarter” of people reliably support strongman leaders in any society ([05:14])
  • Much of Trump’s support is described as “malleable,” dependent on propaganda and lack of compelling alternatives ([05:44–06:26])

  “People were propagandized to believe he stood for nebulous ideals that pushed their vague ideas about what America is or who is really American…”
  — Andrea Pitzer [06:37]

• Polarization and Bait-and-Switch Politics:

  • Policies targeting marginalized groups (especially immigrants) are both unpopular and damaging ([07:16–07:58])
  • Approval among young and Hispanic voters has dropped dramatically ([08:04])

4. Chilling Effects on Free Speech and Academia

• Growing Deterrents to Dissent:

  • Legal, economic, and social penalties for expressing opposition are rising
  • Example: Texas A&M removes faculty over LGBTQ curriculum after political pressure ([09:04])
  • Faculty nationwide are fleeing states due to these pressures ([09:24])

• Historical Echo:

  • Governments in history—USSR, North Korea—have censored institutional memory and information ([11:19])

5. Popular Protests & the Power of Demonstration

• Mass Mobilization in D.C.:

  • Pitzer describes the “We Are All DC” march—thousands protesting federal overreach ([16:18–18:22])
  • Noteworthy diversity of marchers, despite fear of government retaliation ([18:22–18:35])

  “I would have never imagined having the National Guard in place in this town terrorizing people. The intrusion of federal officers, the threats to home rule, demonstrations won't fix the problems, but they help let people know how many others out there are unhappy about it.”
  — Andrea Pitzer [20:08]

• Activism’s Ripple Effect

  • Acts of protest, even “theater” like the "sandwich guy," get attention and energize opposition ([18:40–20:08])

6. Virtue Signaling: Why It Matters

• Virtue Signaling as Civic Duty:

  • Publicly expressing principles is key to maintaining and rebuilding civil society
  • Historical risk: The fewer who stand for something, “the easier it is to eat away at its edges” ([21:22])

  “What virtue signaling does—what it can accomplish, especially when it’s followed by action—is to set that tone of expectations or normalcy.”
  — Andrea Pitzer [25:27]

• Vice Signaling by the Administration:

  • Trump’s “vice signaling” seen in policy language and visual propaganda mimicking Nazi themes ([22:26–22:51])

  “Their virtue signaling is vice signaling and it is projecting a promise to create and protect an all white America. This is literally what they are working to do using Nazi propaganda methods.”
  — Andrea Pitzer [22:26]

7. The “Mushy Middle” and the Need for Moral Clarity

• Both parties, especially Democrats, are failing to rally the middle towards defending rights or democracy—leaving ideological space for authoritarian encroachment ([24:45–25:20])

• Ordinary people need to show up at meetings, on the streets, and through public declarations ([25:20–27:10])

  “Just standing up for what you believe as often as you can opens the door for others to imagine what they could do too.”
  — Andrea Pitzer [25:27]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Risk of Silence:
  “Things are bad enough now that it's uncomfortable to speak out... but still they have this growing fear that the country is spiraling...”
  — Andrea Pitzer [09:35]

• On Government Pressure:
  “With the tremendous dive he's taken on issues that he ran on... people were propagandized to believe he stood for nebulous ideals.”
  — Andrea Pitzer [06:19, 06:37]

• On Protest Impact:
  “Demonstrations won't fix the problems, but they help let people know how many others out there are unhappy about it. And that can be a basis for action.”
  — Andrea Pitzer [20:08]

• On Virtue Signaling:
  “Virtue signaling matters. Do you stand for anything?”
  — Andrea Pitzer [02:43]

  “What virtue signaling does... is to set that tone of expectations or normalcy.”
  — Andrea Pitzer [25:27]

• On Propaganda:
  “We see Homeland Security posting ads reproducing Nazi propaganda, sometimes using the same language and more often using similar images.”
  — Andrea Pitzer [22:26]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Shocking Administration Actions: [00:13–02:27]
• Historical Authoritarian Parallels: [03:39–04:22]
• Propaganda and Public Opinion: [05:07–08:22]
• Academic Freedom Threats: [09:04–09:35]
• “We Are All DC” March Account: [16:18–18:35]
• Virtue Signaling Rationale: [21:22–25:27]
• Call to Action for the Audience: [28:15–29:42]

Final Takeaways

• Speaking out is essential: Failure to publicly stand for core democratic values allows authoritarianism to take root unchallenged.
• History is a warning: Centrist and mainstream actors who fail at gatekeeping and instead collaborate for short-term gain pave the way for strongmen.
• Virtue signaling isn’t just superficial: It creates social pressure, upholds community standards, and lays groundwork for collective action.
• Now is the time: Even symbolic demonstrations matter—they show those in power (and each other) what the public will not accept.

“We can insist on human decency and rights... but before we can act to build that country, we have to imagine that world and we have to speak up for it.”
— Andrea Pitzer [29:42]