70 – The Politics of Empathy, Knowledge, and Responsibility w/ Jeff Monson

In this dense episode, we speak with MMA pioneer, grappling legend, and political radical Jeff 'The Snowman' Monson. Unlike what you might expect, Jeff's politics didn't come from reading theory but rather as a direct result from his accomplishments in wrestling and combat sports, as well as his years in social work. He was like many Americans, in a bubble. Through his work and especially through his travels as a competitor, he saw the suffering of marginalized people that he was previously unaware of. This broke him down emotionally and spiritually. But knowing what you know now, do you pretend nothing has changed or do you accept what you saw and the responsibility that comes with it? A lot of that depends on how much empathy you have. Radical politics is just empathy, knowledge, and responsibility. 

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