My guest today is Raymond Wei – filmmaker, community organizer, and co-founder of The Conscious Citizens. Ray creates sharp, accessible videos about everything from geopolitics to community organizing, and his work is rooted in on-the-ground experience. In this episode, we talk about building community power, the rise of the authoritarian police state, and how to lay the bricks for a better future – even when it feels like things are going in the wrong direction.

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The Conscious Citizens: https://www.theconsciouscitizens.org/

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Ray on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@raytrospectively

Ray on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@raytrospectively

Thanks for watching episode 002. Lots more on the way :)

Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta

Guest: Raymond Wei

Producer: Andre CoreaDesigner: Amea Wadsworth

Intro/Outro music: Carlos Carty

0:00 Intro

1:56 Hypernormalization explained

6:53 Capitalist realism

12:42 What would a better future look like?

16:42 Shifting our values

21:25 The solidarity economy

25:36 Is capitalism required for innovation?

35:06 Everything is connected to Palestine

39:29 The rise of the surveillance state

49:33 Concrete steps toward building a better future

59:21 Outro