Future Hindsight

We discuss how the Democratic party continues to ignore AAPI voters in schools despite their increasing power at the ballot box and the necessity to build coalitions with them to win elections. Between 2016 and 2020, voter turnout in this community increased by 47%. The near doubling of AAPI voters in Georgia and Arizona effectively made the Biden victory in 2020 possible.    Varun’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Show up to a school board meeting Gather insight from engaging in your local community   Varun Nikore is Executive Director of the AAPI Victory Alliance, an organization that works to build Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) political power across the country by providing education on progressive issues; creating and advocating for policies that affect our communities; and building alliances with organizations to help AAPIs exert their power and be the margin of victory at the local, state, and national levels.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Varun on X:  https://x.com/varunnikore   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Varun Nikore Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the intersection of feminism and democracy and discover how the egalitarian underpinnings of feminism are fundamental to an equal society. Abortion bans illustrate this well. “Any time there's a conflict between the Constitution and someone's personal bodily autonomy and the subject of rights under the law, that is anti-democratic.”    Nicole’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Start small, engaging directly in your community Maintain hope and optimism and believe that you’re going where you want to go   Dr. C. Nicole Mason is the founder and president of Future Forward Women, a project at the New York Women’s Foundation.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Nicole on X:  https://x.com/cnicolemason     Sponsor:  Thanks to SelectQuote! Go to SelectQuote.com/hopeful Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Dr. C Nicole Mason Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the importance of shifting our mindset to one that is infused with hope. Positive change comes when we choose hope. Though nobody can fix it all, we can all do something and make an impact. Sharon reminds us that if something is worth doing for everyone, it’s worth doing for one person.    Sharon’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Choose hope. Get involved in an issue that is important to you because your actions do matter.   Sharon McMahon is the creator of “Sharon Says So” and host of the “Here’s Where it Gets Interesting” podcast. She's also the author of The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Sharon on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sharonsaysso/    Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Sharon McMahon Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss why American democracy should not treat the Latinx community as a monolith, what actually matters to this community, and how the strength of their engagement in U.S. democracy will play out in this year’s presidential election.   Maria Teresa’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  VOTE! Share your excitement to vote with everyone you know, especially young people.   Maria Teresa Kumar is the President and CEO of Voto Latino, a civic engagement organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latinx voters, as well as creating a more robust and inclusive democracy.     Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Maria Teresa on X:  https://x.com/MariaTeresa    Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Maria Teresa Kumar Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the purpose of fascist education, the political nature of universities in defending democracy, and the dangers of America’s powerful exceptionalist narrative.   Jason’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Stand up in solidarity with those who are political targets Understand other people’s perspectives because that gives them the voice in a democracy   Jason Stanley is the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and the author of seven books. His most recent is Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future.   Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Jason Stanley Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the necessary policies that make a family friendly economy possible, such as investments in child care, elder care, and paid family leave. Such investments ought to be considered basic infrastructure, which contribute to the economy.   Sondra’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Talk to your friends and family who are having challenges around caregiving. Vote for candidates who support child care and paid family leave, and hold them accountable after elections.   Sondra Goldschein is the Executive Director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, which focuses on building grassroots support for family-friendly policies. The organization also runs a political action committee that focuses on electing candidates who support paid family and medical leave and affordable elder and childcare. Follow Sondra on X:  https://x.com/SGoldschein    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Be the Spark!:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Sondra Goldschein Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Future Hindsight is a finalist in the 2024 Signal Awards and we need your help to win the gold!    We’re being recognized in the Activism, Public Service, & Social Impact category for our episode on Policing Equity and Justice with Dr. Phillip Atiba Solomon.    Public voting is open until Oct 17th, 2024 and every vote counts. Go to this link to vote for Future Hindsight now:  https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/individual-episodes/general/activism-public-service-social-impact   You can also vote for us by following us on Instagram @FutureHindsightPod and clicking the link in our bio there!  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/

We discuss the deep impact of Project 2025 policies on the American people, even if only 10-15% were implemented. Well beyond abortion bans and no-fault divorces, Project 2025 would adversely affect democracy. It would be easier for big money to influence election outcomes, for disinformation and misinformation to spread, and for foreign actors to meddle in elections.   Matt’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Look at what’s going on around you and take action at the local level Join a mutual aid group in your community   Matt Cohen is a senior staff writer covering elections, voting rights, and threats to democracy at Democracy Docket, the leading digital news platform dedicated to information, analysis, and opinion about voting rights and elections in the courts. Follow Matt on X:  https://x.com/Matt_D_Cohen    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Be the Spark!:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Listen to Skye Perryman’s Episode: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/courts-for-democracy-skye-perryman    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Matt Cohen Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

This is a recording of a live event of the American Voter Project at the Eric H. Holder Jr. Initiative for Civil and Political Rights. We discuss the long history of voter suppression, voting rights, the electoral college, the Supreme Court, and democracy.   General Holder’ and Michael’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Vote! Engage in a major social movement   Eric H. Holder, Jr. serves as Chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. He served in the Obama Administration as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States from February 2009 to April 2015, the third longest-serving Attorney General in U.S. history and the first African American to hold that office.   Michael Waldman is president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. A nonpartisan law and policy institute that focuses on improving systems of democracy and justice, the Brennan Center is a leading national voice on voting rights, money in politics, criminal justice reform, and constitutional law.  Follow General Holder on X:  https://x.com/EricHolder    Follow Michael Waldman on X:  https://x.com/mawaldman    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Be the Spark!:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight      Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Attorney General Eric Holder & Michael Waldman Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss deepening our understanding of the climate crisis, the urgent need for decarbonization, and our role in speaking truth about phasing out fossil fuels.    Genevieve’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Call your elected representatives and demand policies to phase out fossil fuels. If extreme weather comes up in conversation, connect the dots to climate change and say: “We really need to phase out fossil fuels so we can halt global heating.”    Genevieve Guenther is the founding director of End Climate Silence and affiliate faculty at The New School. Her most recent book is The Language of Climate Politics: Fossil-Fuel Propaganda and How to Fight It. Follow Genevieve on X:  https://x.com/DoctorVive   Read The Language of Climate Politics:  https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight   Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Be the Spark!:  https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!  http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard    Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight    Read the transcript here:   https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/end-climate-silence-genevieve-guenther  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Genevieve Guenther Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the power and the promise of public schools, the universal rejection of book bans by parents across the country, and an inclusive vision for democracy.   Their civic action toolkit recommendations are:  Have a conversation with people with whom you disagree Remain open-minded.   Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider are co-hosts of the education podcast Have You Heard. Their new book is The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual.    Follow Jennifer on X:  https://x.com/BisforBerkshire    Follow Jack on X:  https://x.com/edu_historian    Read The Education Wars:  https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight   Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!  http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard    Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight    Check out the Future Hindsight website!  www.futurehindsight.com   Read the transcript here:   https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/everybody-benefits-from-public-schools-jennifer-berkshire-and-jack-schneider  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Jennifer Berkshire & Jack Schneider  Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss how ballot measures give voters the opportunity to take power and agency. It is about citizens putting issues that are important to their communities, gathering signatures, and then putting them on the ballot directly to effect policy change.   Her civic action toolkit recommendations are:   1. Voting is the starting line, not the finish line. 2. Hold your elected officials accountable after elections by reaching out to them about the issues that matter to you, and making sure they are keeping their promises.   Chris Melody Fields Figueredo is the Executive Director of The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which works to strengthen American democracy using ballot initiatives.  Follow Chris on X:  https://x.com/fieldsy    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!  http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard    Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight    Check out the Future Hindsight website!  www.futurehindsight.com   Read the transcript here:   https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/people-power-on-the-ballot-chris-melody-fields-figueredo  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Chris Melody Fields Figueredo Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss how two parties alone cannot represent the diversity of views in American society, how fusion voting could solve for better representation, and who exactly should get engaged in our civic lives.   His civic action toolkit recommendations are:  1. Support political parties and reforms that create more choices. 2. Be a good neighbor and participate in a local meeting.   Lee Drutman is Senior Fellow in the Political Reform program at New America, co-host of the Politics in Question podcast (a fellow Democracy Group podcast!), and author of Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America.  Follow Lee on X:  https://x.com/leedrutman    Read Lee’s Paper:  https://protectdemocracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/The-Case-for-Multiparty-Presidentialism.pdf   Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!  http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard    Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight    Check out the Future Hindsight website!  www.futurehindsight.com   Read the transcript here:   https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/break-up-the-two-party-system-lee-drutman  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Lee Drutman Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss what it takes for citizens to take action and run for elected office. Wendy ran as a Democrat in Utah because she wanted to give voters a viable, different choice. She knew it was going to be difficult to win as a first time candidate, but she ran so hard that she left a body mark in the wall. She lost by a mere 78 votes.   Her civic action toolkit recommendations are:  1. Vote and encourage other people to vote 2. Work or volunteer for a candidate during an election year   Wendy Davis is a former candidate for Utah House of Representatives and the author of The Fight You Don’t See – an honest memoir about her campaign.  Follow Wendy on X:  https://x.com/wendydavisutah    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!  http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard    Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight    Check out the Future Hindsight website!  www.futurehindsight.com   Read the transcript here:   https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/what-is-it-like-to-run-for-office-wendy-davis  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Wendy Davis Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Joe Spielberger is the policy counsel for the Effective and Accountable Government team at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), where he advocates in Congress and the executive branch to strengthen whistleblower rights, protect a merit based civil service, and promote government ethics and transparency. We discuss how government can be transparent and accountable to us, the People.    All Americans need to be confident that federal employees are hired based on their qualifications and not because of their partisan political ideology. In retaliation to the whistleblower on Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian president Zelensky, Trump signed Schedule F, an executive order that could have allowed a complete purge of the civil service of nonpartisan career civil servants. Because whistleblower retaliation is rampant, protecting whistleblowers and civil servants is one of the best ways to protect the public from harm. The Supreme Court does not have a binding code of ethics because the Supreme Court refuses to adopt one. However, Congress has clear and direct mechanisms to hold the Supreme Court accountable and can pass legislation that would implement a binding code of ethics.  Follow Joe on X:  https://x.com/jdspielberger    Follow Project on Government Oversight on X:  https://x.com/POGOwatchdog    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!  http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard    Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight    Check out the Future Hindsight website!  www.futurehindsight.com   Read the transcript here:   https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/protect-whistleblowers-joe-spielberger  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guest: Joe Spielberger Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Daniel Alvarenga is a journalist who covers issues pertaining to immigration, racial equity, and Latinx cultures – with a special emphasis on Central America and its diasporas. He’s also the English language podcast host of Humo: Murder and Silence in El Salvador. We discuss the intersection of foreign policy, immigration policy, and democracy.   US foreign interference in Central America has had a huge impact on destabilizing the region. During the civil war in El Salvador between 1980 and 1992, the US contributed $1 billion in military aid. This destabilization is one reason Central Americans migrate to the United States, which in turn creates problems in the US. For example, MS-13 was started by Salvadoran children who moved to Los Angeles. In response, the US government has deported many of them back to El Salvador where the cycle of violence continues. El Salvador has the largest number of murders and disappearances in the world.    Listen to Humo:  https://sonoromedia.com/podcasts/humo    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!  http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard    Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight    Check out the Future Hindsight website!  www.futurehindsight.com   Read the transcript here:   https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/us-influence-in-central-america-daniel-alvarenga  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Daniel Alvarenga Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Barbara McQuade is a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, co-host of the podcast #SistersinLaw, and a professor at the University of Michigan Law School. Her first book is Attack From Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America. We discuss the dangers of disinformation and how we can defeat it.   Democracy depends on truth, and as Americans we should prize truth over tribe. A lot of disinformation is hiding behind the First Amendment – telling lies as a right to free speech. We are overrun with disinformation. One of the strategies is to exhaust us by constantly pumping false claims into the media ecosphere, so that we become cynical or disengage. That is fertile ground for would-be authoritarian regimes. For example, in response to the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen, a number of states have passed laws making it more difficult to vote. Defending truth is vitally important when it is under attack.  Follow Barbara on X:  https://x.com/BarbMcQuade    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!  http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard    Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight    Check out the Future Hindsight website!  www.futurehindsight.com   Read the transcript here:   https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/disinformation-is-sabotaging-america-barbara-mcquade  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Barbara McQuade Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Daria Dawson is the Executive Director of America Votes, which coordinates more than 400 partners to engage and mobilize voters for elections up and down the ballot across the country. We discuss why 2024 is - yet again - the most important election of our lifetimes.    The biggest threat to American democracy is fascism and thus the most important issue in this election is preserving our democracy. Of course, democracy and protecting democracy is a process and never just one election. The top priority for America Votes this year is electing leaders who are committed to protecting the foundations of our democratic system, so that our voices can continue to be heard and counted. Every vote matters. Elections have been won or lost on the margins, so it’s imperative that everyone turns out to vote. Follow Daria on X:  https://twitter.com/DariaCharlei    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow America Votes on X:  https://twitter.com/AmericaVotes    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!  http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard    Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight    Check out the Future Hindsight website!  www.futurehindsight.com   Read the transcript here:   https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/protecting-democracy-daria-dawson  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Daria Dawson Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Alissa Quart is the executive director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and the author of Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream. We discuss what it really means to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps in America, “the land of the self-made.”   Humans are biologically wired to be interdependent. In fact, achievement is often accompanied with isolation and loneliness. Alissa reminds us that “People who are fighting for democracy shouldn't be leaning into their own self made myth, but instead they should be trying to dispel the myth entirely.” The counter narrative to the self-made myth is that being in community and mutual solidarity feels better than being an individualist. Follow Alissa on X:  https://twitter.com/lisquart    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!  http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard    Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight    Check out the Future Hindsight website!  www.futurehindsight.com   Read the transcript here:   https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/give-up-the-bootstrapping-myth-alissa-quart  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Alissa Quart Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

A.J. Jacobs is a journalist and author. His most recent book is The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning. We discuss how the Founding Fathers prized humility, experimentation, and a willingness to change their own minds.    The heart of our democracy is for the community to come together and cooperate. One example is to advocate for democratic reforms, which are nonpartisan. Being apathetic or cynical helps the slide into autocracy. Resisting the allure of quick, hot takes and practicing slower thinking are also crucial to democracy. The founding fathers were deeply invested in balance, especially when it comes to the power of a president being balanced by Congress. A.J. reminds us that everyday citizens can control whether the sun is rising or setting on democracy.    Follow A.J. on X:  https://x.com/ajjacobs    Follow Mila on X:  https://x.com/milaatmos    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!  http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard    Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight    Check out the Future Hindsight website!  www.futurehindsight.com   Read the transcript here:   https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/living-constitutionally-aj-jacobs  Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: A.J. Jacobs Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis