For my second podcast, i chose to listen to the podcast containing Crystal Sanders pertaining to segregation within schools then and now. This podcast opened up with a simple introduction of the history of schools and segregation. After about 5 or 6 minutes, they began to talk about different acts that have been bypassed over the course of history and first begin with the act of Brown v. board of education which i believe just celebrated its 65th anniversary not too long ago. Before the passing of this act, America was in shambles as there were discriminant and heinous acts being committed against people of color. School systems would often shut down as protests and riots were running rampant worldwide. People of color have been fighting for their equal justice for centuries and when it feels like this was getting closer to an end, it was only the beginning. The fight for equal rights has been one topic that his been talked about for decades and continues to be a problem in today’s society. Even in today’s society where people are constantly being judged and racially profiled, it seems as nothing really changes. While segregation is no longer a thing in today’s world, there are definitely people who have been racially insulted as such being called a racial slur or someone being prejudice to them. Or having to deal with the reality that stuff like white supremacy still exists in today’s world. No matter how much time elapses or people evolve, there will always be an instance that someone feels their racial identity is holding them back from succeeding. Another clear sign that racial disparities are apparent even in today’s world are through colleges and school in general. It seems that most high end colleges consist of upper class asians and white as they are the richest ethnicities and have the best outcome of succeeding in college due tot his. Most black people do not attend college, yet alone graduate high school as they are rarely ever given the same opportunities as their racial counterparts. And if a college is dominantly run by black people, it is either a local college or one with a low graduation rate. While segregation is not apparent in today’s world, it still occurs right underneath everyone’s noses.

The thing that instantly caught my eye as soon as the podcast opened up was the idea from Peter Pomerantsev stated was that while yes Russia is having their fair share with Ukraine right now, in reality it is a battle between NATO and Russia. Another constant theme that seems to be mentioned are these ideas of authoritarianism, white supremacy, liberal and democratic movements across many parts of the country and its an interesting concept to think about because as a fellow American i have no idea how people outside of the United States think of us. I know there is this joke that always goes around that states Americans don’t know any country outside of their own, and while i do know some other countries, this is mostly true. Growing up in American societies and American rules like creating the “American dream” it is really hard to focus on the struggles we are going through as a country because I have grown accustomed to it. I’m used to believing we have always been the best country because of the industrial craftsmanship we possess and that we are far too “advanced” for other countries when in reality, while we maybe be an industrial powerhouse, our mental health systems, crime rates, physical well being of individuals, etc.. are all the huge concerns, yet get little to no attention because we believe America is doing well and will continue to thrive in the future.

In this podcast, Peter made a great comparison of democrats being like Ukranians because they based their decisions and reactions off of empathy. Ukrainians are nice people who do not wish harm upon anyone, and he made it seem like Republicans can be deemed as Russians as they are more aggressive and can take over at any moment if given the chance. Now i do not know if this the best simile but it was an interesting idea that i could not just pass over. Another political idea that was being mentioned was the idea of polarization. Polarization is just when people have opposite opinions on a subject which leads to an increase in tension over time. Polarization dives into the idea of power and submissiveness. Peter then proceeds to talk about how Ukraine has for a long time felt silenced and repressed as a result of the higher kingdom that is Russia. Also talks about the corruptness that surrounds Russia that has allowed it to gain its strong entitlement and basically have full control over smaller locations like Ukraine.