It's Not You, It's The Media

• Is Your Social Media Activism Working?

  Suchitra, Bhakti, and Madhuri take a step back from the incessant noise of social media to dissect what all that posting really leads to. Is your social media activism actually making a difference? From the early days of Twitter-fueled revolutions to the performative hashtag activism that followed, the hosts trace the history of online organizing and examine its transformation in the wake of Palestine’s genocide. At a time when mainstream media has fully aligned with state narratives, Instagram and TikTok have become essential sources for alternative reporting — while simultaneously being controlled by billionaires with vested interests in suppressing dissent.The episode dives into how social media has blurred the lines between activism, consumerism, and self-promotion. They interrogate the role of fundraising, questioning whether crowdfunding is empowering or an indictment of a state that has abdicated its responsibilities. They also explore the exhausting and often exploitative nature of trauma-sharing, the rise of hyper-individualized resistance, and the troubling shift of activism from structural intervention to spectacle. This episode unpacks the effectiveness — and limitations — of social media as a tool for real change.Key TakeawaysSharing a post or donating to a fundraiser offers instant catharsis, but does it translate into material change? The hosts discuss how digital activism often functions as a quick, conscience-clearing act rather than sustained resistance.Graphic imagery of violence and oppression is widely circulated in the name of awareness, but does it radicalize or merely desensitize? The hosts challenge the ethics of “pornographic” suffering and its role in online activism.Crowdfunding for humanitarian aid has become necessary in a collapsing world, but it also reinforces individual responsibility over systemic accountability. There’s a shift from collective demands to reliance on the generosity of the wealthy.Social media has reshaped activism into a performance, where “activists” are incentivized to prioritize visibility over strategy. Algorithms and virality distort collective movements into individual branding.In-person organizing is crucial as seen in the ongoing pro-Palestinian protests: real-world action, not just social media outrage, is necessary for momentum.KeywordsSocial media activism, digital resistance, Palestine, fundraising, neoliberalism, crowdfunding, cultural work, performative activism, spectacle, misinformation, political organizing, billionaires, Meta, TikTok, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, trauma-sharing, de-platforming, censorship, algorithmic suppression, organizing beyond social media.Hosted bySuchitra Vijayan, Bhakti Shringarpure, and Madhuri Sastry A podcast by The Polis Project https://www.thepolisproject.com

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• How Will The Media Do Trump 2.0?

  Suchitra, Bhakti, and Madhuri look into the crystal ball to offer up some forecasts about how the media will respond to a second Trump presidency. Reflecting on his first term, the hosts remember liberal media’s relentless obsession with his persona, his life, his tweets and his gaffes, all of which overshadowed policy critique and normalized him and his politics through repetition and over-exposure. They predict that the same media preoccupation with his personality, his wife and his kids will return but this time with an added element of Trump’s current “bromance” with tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos who are set to take center stage in the White House. The hosts warn listeners about the return of performative resistance led by white feminists eager to reclaim their narratives while ignoring the ongoing activism of marginalized communities. They lament the decline of meaningful satire and late-night TV as platforms for political commentary, replaced by an influencer culture that dominates the discourse.The hosts also argue there will be less surprises this time around since right-wing, conservative and normative aesthetics and lifestyles have already become embedded in our lives. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are mediums for such aesthetics, where stealth wealth, trad-wife, gilded age and synchronized dance video trends promote uncritical whiteness, conservatism, and a culture of obedience. The hosts discuss what they call “the Kardashian metric” where the Kardashian women’s shifting body ideals mirror broader cultural trends, reinforcing systemic hierarchies, and race and gender norms.. They further reflect on the exhaustion of expressing resistance in a media landscape that reduces revolutionary language to hashtags. Ultimately, the media and culture are complicit in perpetuating systems of oppression while peddling illusions of progress.Key TakeawaysThe liberal media’s strategy of amplifying Trump’s personality as entertainment actively contributes to public desensitization, blurring the lines between critique and normalization. White feminists will likely dominate the “resistance” narrative, using their platforms for visibility while disregarding the labor and leadership of marginalized communities.Trad-wife TikToks, stealth wealth trends, and old-money aesthetics mask deeply conservative values under the guise of lifestyle choices, erasing their political implications.Late-night TV’s diminished influence highlights a shift in cultural relevance, with the vacuum being filled by influencers who prioritize relatability over accountability.With fact-checking gutted and influencer platforms rising, the media is poised to provide fertile ground for the normalization of right-wing ideologies.Articulating resistance in a media landscape that dilutes revolutionary language into hashtags and trends is exhausting. Repetition, though fatiguing, remains necessary for building movements.By failing to engage critically with systemic issues, the media allows right-wing ideologies to infiltrate cultural and political discourse, further marginalizing vulnerable communities.Keywords: Trump, liberal media, white feminism, TikTok, stealth wealth, Kardashians, cultural conservatism, late-night TV, satire, media ethics, normalization, performative resistance, systemic oppression, influencers, resistance, commodification, aesthetics.Hosted by Suchitra Vijayan, Bhakti Shringarpure, and Madhuri SastryA podcast by The Polis Project https://www.thepolisproject.com

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  40:18
• Why The Media Won't Call It Genocide

  Suchitra, Bhakti, and Madhuri tackle the harrowing question: why won’t the media call what is happening in Palestine a genocide? Through incisive analysis, the hosts unravel the complicity of international law and media institutions in denying and obfuscating the reality of genocide, exposing the colonial frameworks that govern both. They discuss the ICC’s delayed and inadequate response, the ICJ’s groundbreaking yet overlooked ruling, and the broader power structures that perpetuate injustice. This episode draws connections between systemic impunity, media narratives, and the global silence surrounding the atrocities in Gaza.The conversation also interrogates why the media refrains from using words like “genocide” or “apartheid,” instead acting as a defense mechanism for Israel’s exceptionalism. From the role of institutions like the ICC, ICJ, and the United Nations, to the complicity of major media outlets like The New York Times and the BBC, the hosts explore how language, denialism, and selective accountability create a fertile ground for the erasure of Palestinian lives.Key Takeaways-While the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity, the response came years too late and included a false equivalence by prosecuting Hamas officials. The ICJ’s declaration of plausible genocide in Palestine, brought by South Africa, marked a significant moment in international law, yet the media and global powers have largely ignored it.-International legal structures, including the ICC and ICJ, operate within a colonial framework that selectively applies justice, shielding powerful states like the U.S. and Israel while disproportionately targeting non-Western nations.-Major outlets avoid terms like “genocide” and “apartheid,” instead opting for euphemisms and passive voice that obscure accountability. Investigative reports revealed that BBC’s Middle East editor, Rafi Berg, has systematically diluted coverage critical of Israel, while The New York Times has a history of employing individuals closely tied to the Israeli military establishment.-Platforms like TikTok are providing younger audiences with unfiltered narratives, reshaping perceptions of American foreign policy and Israel’s role in the Middle East. Viral moments, such as renewed attention on Osama bin Laden’s letter to America, highlight a growing awareness of suppressed histories.-Denialism not only erases atrocities but also justifies them, perpetuating the logic of elimination. Israeli officials and media narratives consistently dehumanize Palestinians, with rhetoric that normalizes violence and reinforces the cycle of oppression.Keywords: Palestine, genocide, media complicity, ICC, ICJ, apartheid, colonialism, international law, Israel exceptionalism, TikTok, propaganda, genocide denialHosted by Suchitra Vijayan, Bhakti Shringarpure, and Madhuri SastryA podcast by The Polis Project www.thepolisproject.comReferencesICJ ruling on plausible genocide in Palestine: https://www.icj-cij.org/node/203454ICC arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/11/1157286Rome Statute: https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/2024-05/Rome-Statute-eng.pdfAmnesty International,...

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  35:21
• The Indians Are Coming!

  Suchitra, Bhakti and Madhuri start off the new year with a focus on the crop of Indian Americans who support Donald Trump, MAGA and have emerged as shamelessly racist and anti-migrant despite their own immigrant background. A recent feud between Trump, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy over the topic of H1-B visas and who gets to migrate into the US tech empire brought out all the racist rhetoric into the open. The hosts go over the parade of conservative Indians of Hindu and upper-caste backgrounds (Vivek Ramaswamy, Sriram Krishnan, Kash Patel) that have risen to power in recent years, many of whom will likely have official positions in Trump's cabinet. They discuss the shift from the language of "model minority" and "skilled" labor to the caste-inflected language of "merit." The ascendancy of male, Hindu, upper-caste and tech-centric Indians in the US has only blazed a negative trail for immigrants seeking visas and citizenship. These wealthy and powerful men have paradoxically shrunk the public's understanding of immigration, visas and have furthered the racist and hierarchical language of "skilled" vs "unskilled." The discussion also exposes just how badly the media covers migration and remains entrenched in a white and colonial understanding of borders, nation-states and foreigners. Key takeaways-The Indians are not coming, they are already here. And it is an ugly, MAGA mess. - The ongoing feud between Ramaswamy, Musk and Trump unleashes anti-migrant racism and normalizes the public's view that immigrants snatch jobs from American citizens. - Indian Americans who support Trump are likely to make the already arduous and expensive H1B visa process even more difficult. - Indian migration to the US is grown exponentially in the last two decades and primarily includes privileged, educated, upper-caste and upper-class Hindus.- The tech-centric, capitalist and conservative Indian Americans make the caste-inflected language of "merit" pervasive and also entrench hierarchies of "skilled" vs "unskilled" labor. -The media covers migration through a white and colonial gaze, and refuses to analyze the draconian nature of the nation-state when it comes to borders, policing, and anti-migrant racism. -These debates and feuds between powerful Indian immigrants leave a lot of collateral damage in their wake. Less privileged immigrants from all over the world are the ones who pay the price when policies and process are put through the wringer. Hosted by Suchitra Vijayan, Bhakti Shringarpure, and Madhuri SastryA podcast by The Polis Project https://www.thepolisproject.com/References:World Economic Forum. “Indian Diaspora Hits Record-Breaking Numbers" https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/09/india-has-the-world-s-biggest-diaspora-here-s-where-its-emigrants-live/ India's Diaspora is bigger and more influential than any in history https://www.economist.com/international/2023/06/12/indias-diaspora-is-bigger-and-more-influential-than-any-in-history Ari Hoffman and Jeanne Batalova, "Indian Immigrants in the United States," Migration Policy Institute. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/indian-immigrants-united-states Trump sides with tech bosses in Maga fight over immigrant visas

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  48:45
• When the Media Tries to be Woke

  Suchitra, Bhakti, and Madhuri ask what happens when the media tries to be woke. Turns out, it all becomes very cringe. The episode unpacks performative wokeness in mainstream media, and exposes how the term woke – rooted in Black resistance – has been stripped of its radical origins and become a marketing tool. The word woke originates in abolitionist and Black liberation movements but today it has become adopted, diluted, and misused in mainstream culture. The media uses woke language and terms for signaling progressiveness while avoiding substantive engagement with systemic injustices. The hosts explore how the media co-opts wokeness by using tactics like breadcrumbing – a strategy where media outlets offer sporadic, surface-level content on social justice issues to maintain credibility without making meaningful change – and cherry-picking, wherein palatable elements of activism are co-opted while deeper critiques of oppressive systems are ignored.They offer sharp critiques of cultural moments which are etched in virtue-signaling and performative politics, while examining how wokeness has been reduced to a spectacle. They also analyze the ways in which the media has mishandled significant movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter. The episode also explores the concept of cancel culture, exposing how its effects disproportionately target marginalized voices – such as Palestinian authors – while powerful figures often face minimal consequences and return to the spotlight unscathed. The hosts argue that this selective accountability reflects the media’s complicity in upholding existing power structures, even as it masquerades as progressive. This episode argues that wokeness is a form of gaslighting when wielded by the media. By projecting an image of moral clarity and progressive values, the media deflects criticism and perpetuates the very systems of oppression it claims to challenge. Keywords: Wokeness, woke media, gaslighting, pop culture, appropriation, co-option, BLM, MeToo, systemic oppression, selective outrage, activism, cherry-picking, breadcrumbing, capitalism, commodification, progressiveness, tokenism, representation, stereotypesKey Takeaways: The term woke is historically rooted in values of resistance, abolition, and Black activism. Since then, it has evolved and appropriated by mainstream culture and reduced to a tool for advancing capitalist forces, evident from woke bumper stickers, tote bags, clothes, and meme culture which takes no critical stance or accountability.Examples of wokeness are etched in virtue signalling and performative politics. Some examples are, Nancy Pelosi appropriating Colin Kaepernick’s take the knee protest against the NFL, or Beyonce co-opting the message of Black Panthers in Super Bowl 2016.Breadcrumbing is a technique used by the liberal media to maintain credibility by sporadically engaging and publishing progressive content without advocating for systemic change. Similarly, cherry-picking is another technique used to highlight aspects of activism which appear essential while ignoring the foundational issues of capitalism and imperialism. The media overall prioritizes aesthetics, visible from the reception of movies like Barbie and Oppenheimer, all the while superficially representing and covering important campaigns such as the BLM protests, MeToo, and anti-racism protests.The media practices cancel culture and are only selectively accountable. They dilute the disproportionate impact of cancel culture on marginalized communities.

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  38:08

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