002 – Building Community Power in a Failing System (with Raymond Wei)

Listen to this episode from Better Future with Michael Mezz on Spotify. 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.Support the Better Future podcast by subscribing:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezzSubstack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatestaSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833Follow Ray and his work:The Conscious Citizens: https://www.theconsciouscitizens.org/Ray on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raytrospectively/Ray on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@raytrospectivelyRay on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@raytrospectivelyThanks for watching episode 002. Lots more on the way :)Host/Creator: Michael MezzatestaGuest: Raymond WeiProducer: Andre CoreaDesigner: Amea WadsworthIntro/Outro music: Carlos Carty0:00 Intro1:56 Hypernormalization explained6:53 Capitalist realism12:42 What would a better future look like?16:42 Shifting our values21:25 The solidarity economy25:36 Is capitalism required for innovation?35:06 Everything is connected to Palestine39:29 The rise of the surveillance state49:33 Concrete steps toward building a better future59:21 Outro