TRASHFUTURE Episode Summary

Episode Title: Socialism with Ponzi Characteristics

Guests: Grace Mausser & Álvaro López (NYC-DSA)
Date: October 8, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of TRASHFUTURE centers on two major themes: a comedic dissection of current events, particularly the spectacle around Jordan Peterson and the world of “AI hardware,” and, crucially, an in-depth interview with Grace Mausser and Álvaro López from New York City Democratic Socialists of America. The latter half delivers an energizing, detailed look at the on-the-ground organizing that led to Zoran Mamdani's sweeping primary victory in New York, debunking superficial analyses that chalk up left victories merely to social media savvy.

Part 1: Tech Grifts, Demons, and the AI Pacifier (00:16–25:27)

Jordan Peterson’s Infinite Maladies (00:16–09:19)

• The hosts riff on Jordan Peterson’s latest health drama, poking fun at his daughter's claims of “spiritual attacks” and linking his constant illness to bizarre diets and Internet narratives.
  • Quote: "All I'm saying is that maybe. Maybe the get scurvy on purpose diet is causing him to become unwell." – A (03:07)
  • Running jokes about "demons" and "Morgellons" as explanations for his ailments.
• Insight: Critique of how public figures in the self-help sphere blur the line between genuine medical issues and Internet folklore—Peterson framed as a symbol of Right-wing “weirdness fatigue.”

Tech Industry's AI 'Product' Nonsense (10:32–25:27)

• The crew lampoons the partnership between Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Jony Ive, ridiculing the concept of a "phone with no screen" as emblematic of Silicon Valley's penchant for pointless gadgetry.
  • Quote: "It's solving a problem that does not exist by creating a bunch of new problems that are worse." – B (23:23)
• Comparison to previous failed products (e.g., Humane AI Pin, Nokia N-Gage), exposing the pattern of investor-driven hype over actual consumer benefit.
• Criticism of the environmental impact of expanding data centers:
  • Moving AI compute to physical devices would erase gains made by electric vehicles in emissions reductions.
• Lively satirical sidebar: Imagining a “Keir Starmer AI” device, poking fun at political blandness and risk-aversion.

Key Moment:

• (13:18) A clarifies: “The issue is that this is something they're doing to justify their valuation, not something they're doing to solve a problem. The problem they're solving is we need to justify our enormous valuation with any product.”

Part 2: Inside a Real Socialist Grassroots Machine (25:55–60:22)

Setting the Stage (25:55–27:05)

• Host A introduces Grace Mausser (Co-Chair, NYC-DSA) and Álvaro López (Electoral Politics Coordinator, NYC-DSA) to bust the myth that Zoran Mamdani’s victory was due to being “good at TikTok.”

Dissecting the Myth: Beyond Charisma & Social Media (27:05–31:44)

• Both guests emphasize that while Zoran’s communications strategy was important, the real story is years of organization and positive, clear messaging that inspired and mobilized people.
  • Quote: “Once someone was inspired or interested and ready to do something about it, there was a huge and robust field apparatus that was able to absorb them.” – Grace (29:18)
  • Alvaro: Focused messaging invited people to join a movement, not just support a candidate: “It was saying, we’re building this movement, come join us and it’s gonna be fun...organize our neighborhoods...”
• The campaign created a path from online engagement to real-world political activism, underpinned by infrastructure—not just viral content.

The Real Work: DSA’s Organizing Model (31:44–36:44)

• The campaign was the payoff for:
  • Years of DSA investment in grassroots electoral strategy since 2017.
  • A non-hierarchical approach: democratized campaign skills, making strategic planning and canvassing accessible, not just for insider “consultants.”
  • “Anyone can door knock...but we also believe that anyone with the time and interest should be let into strategic decisions.” – Grace (From 2017, iterative skill-building enabled massive scaling.)

Old School Meets New School: Mass, Relational Organizing (36:44–41:03)

• Alvaro highlights the strategy to train volunteers as organizers, who then replicate and train the next—likened humorously to “a socialist pyramid scheme.”
  • Town halls and mass rally canvasses used to quickly identify and develop leaders.
• Centrality of “relational organizing,” blending modern tactics (viral comms) with timeless union-style base-building.

The Message Matters: Policy Drives People, Not Consultants (38:22–41:03)

• Zoran’s popularity isn’t magic; it’s the difference between a campaign with policies that actually excite people (housing, affordability) and the consultant-driven PR of centrist parties.
  • Quote: "The policies aren’t exciting and nobody likes them. So no one wants to go knock on doors for them unless there’s something in it for them." – A (38:52)

Media Narratives and the Myth of “Elitism” (41:03–49:01)

• Responding to media (“NBC”, Tusk) attempts to paint Mamdani’s base as “outsider elites”:
  • Reality: Younger voters, people lacking inherited assets, South Asian and Hispanic New Yorkers formed the core.
  • Quote: “The number one indicator of if you voted for Zoran is age...you are of a generation that...has lost access to a bunch of stuff...” – Grace (42:40)
• The “proper New Yorker” trope is dissected as a centuries-old weapon for anti-change conservatism.

Building an Actual “Big Tent”—For Workers, Not Consultants (47:50–51:25)

• Mass organizing builds a true coalition of the economically excluded, not just a “big tent” defined by needing pundits and the consultant class.
• Rebuke of “triangulation” politics that strive for minimal anti-immigrant postures (“correct amount of fascism,” referencing Starmer/Labour), instead advocating for inclusionary material politics.

Organizing, Not Consuming Politics (51:25–58:31)

• Real change comes from participatory, relationship-based work: door-knocking, unionizing, organizing demos, not just voting or retweeting.
• DSA’s democratic structure frustrates power-brokers and pundits because there’s no one person to horse-trade with—by design.
  • Quote: "People in New York City...find DSA a little baffling and threatening because they don’t know who to talk to negotiate with us...we are a mass democratic organization." – Grace (55:29)

Conclusion & Action Points (58:31–60:22)

• Disempowering “professional political consultants and pundits” is both strategic and necessary for real democratic politics.
  • Quote: "It is good to do that. They should be disempowered. They should be marginalized as much as possible and driven from public life." – A (58:31)
• Final plug: How listeners can get involved (join DSA, links to campaign and chapter resources).

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Maybe the get scurvy on purpose diet is causing him to become unwell.” – A (03:07)
• “It's solving a problem that does not exist by creating a bunch of new problems that are worse.” – B (23:23)
• “Once someone was inspired...there was a huge and robust field apparatus that was able to absorb them.” – Grace (29:18)
• “It's a socialist pyramid scheme.” – Álvaro (40:07)
• “We’re embracing an inclusionary politics that’s grounded in a material reality, in affordability and things that are getting harder, but that we know that the government actually can fix, and we're demanding that they do so. But we can do that without excluding immigrants, without excluding trans people, without, you know, buying into racist ideology.” – Grace (49:01)

Key Timestamps/Segments

• 00:16–09:19: Jordan Peterson anecdotes and commentary
• 10:32–25:27: OpenAI/Jony Ive device satire and critique of tech industry hype
• 25:55–60:22: In-depth interview: DSA organizing, victory mechanics, rebuttal of media narratives

Episode Tone

The tone oscillates between irreverent, acerbic satire in the opening “tech & culture” segments and earnest, clarifying optimism in the interview. The humor remains sharp throughout, even as the conversation turns toward real leftist organizing and the nuts-and-bolts of movement politics.

For Listeners: Takeaways

• Left victories are built on years of methodical, scalable organizing—not just memes and social media stardom.
• Democratic structures scare entrenched elites precisely because they can’t be bought off or negotiated with in back rooms.
• The consultant/pundit class is not necessary for genuine “big tent” organizing; in fact, real coalitions are built by and for ordinary people.
• Listeners in the US are encouraged to join or support the DSA; New Yorkers can volunteer for Zoran Mamdani’s campaign.

For more info and links to DSA and local campaigns, see the show notes provided by the hosts.