Good morning, peeps, and welcome to OOKP Daily with Me your Girl, Danielle Moody recording from the Home Bunker, Folks, I'm very excited about today's episode and for you to take a listen to it. I had the pleasure of interviewing and we're actually doing a episode swap and share with Jason Petty aka Prop, who is the host of
Hood Politics over on iHeart. And I'm really excited because the conversation, you know, we really covered a lot of ground in talking about black participation in politics, props thoughts on why mistakenly there are some black men that support Donald and why that's problematic. We talk about, you know, voter suppression, we talk about, you know, democratic messaging. We talk about so much because what I really love about Hood Politics and PROPS show is that he makes politics
accessible to everybody. He's like, if you have been hustling on the corner, or a former member of a gang, or you are you know, formally incarcerated, like you understand politics. You understand politics probably more than most, and trying to engage people in a way that doesn't make it feel like this is for somebody else, that this is actually about your life and how politics play such a huge part in your life, right, and so I think that
the conversation is extraordinarily rich. I really hope that you all enjoy it. Please let me know in the com sections what you think about the things that we cover, and also check out props show Hood Politics also with iHeart folks. I am super excited to be doing a crossover episode with a fellow iHeart a podcaster, a fellow politico, Jason Petty aka Propaganda, who is the host of Hood Politics.
I love what you say under the description of the show, which is basically like, you know, if you've ever, you know, been in a gang, if you've ever liked been in the street, if you know you know anything about that, then you know politics facts.
Yeah, And I.
Think that that for me, I was just like, oh, how opening is that? Like, yeah, because you because the way that politics is discussed has all always been this very narrow you need to have a degree, you need to have this like all of this kind of bullshit, and what you're offering is like, no, politics is for all of us, for every for every one of us. So talk to me. I guess about how your show got started and why?
Yeah, dude. Then, first of all, thank you for for for reaching out and making this happen. Yeah, Like, whether it's like you were in a gang or you ran from them, you know, you the the the interactions, the ways for which you had to learn to navigate just to survive. The world that we're in is like you, like you said, like you, you, we're we're made to
feel like we don't know what we're talking about. And the more that I became more formally educated, the more I was like, man, a lot of this, Like I know a lot of this already, you know what I mean, I just didn't. I didn't know these words or these terms, you know, right, and uh and and then when I uh, before I was doing like music and podcasts and stuff, like before I was doing that full time, I was
teaching high school, I was teaching at juvenile halls. And so if you're teaching at juvie, like I mean, if anything, it's like I'm just trying to figure out how to keep y'all engaged, you know. And so as I was finding I was like, man, there's I'm pulling for my own past. I'm pulling from experiences they had, and I'm like dude, it's like it's really like we really know this no more than we think we do, you know.
And and I think ultimately, like you said, like I'm super passionate about the fact that like politics, that maybe the name of it, but they're discussing our lives like you're you're you're discussing things that in a lot of
ways don't even affect them. It affects us. So and then with the the like like like like like Mama and Auntie and them would say the un mitigated gall to act like I am not I'm like, I don't I'm not worthy to be in this conversation because I ain't got the vocabulary you got, Like I'm like, this is absurd. You're discussing my life, you know. So, so I feel like the more that like what I wanted to do was come in and really like like translate that,
you know, for for us. You know what I mean, And you know what I mean when I say us, you know what I'm saying, Like I'm trying to translate that to and and hopefully to like I want to onboard you Like I'm like, why why shouldn't Pooky and them run for city council. You know what I mean. Like you actually you know the streets better than the
rest of us, you know what I'm saying. Like we talk a lot about like like I explained the difference between like real political power and like astro turfing, Like you know, I already know, like you know, your uncle, your auntie and them could send out a text be like, Hey, we're gonna be at the park on Saturday. You got fifty people there. Like that's real power, you know what
I mean. So I'm like, I just I wanted people to like to to participate in something that has much more to do about their lives than than they think they did they think it, do you know, and that you're actually well way more equipped than you think you are.
Yeah, I think that that's right. And I also think that the the the narrative around politics has been set up in a way to make people feel like no, no, no, you go ahead and vote in these uh these representatives right who who know more, who are who are smarter than you, who will figure things out so that you don't have to bother yourself with them or educate yourself in any type of way. I actually put up a post on broke ass Twitter, uh recently because I said that.
You know, I I was a fellow on Capitol Hill. I worked for a member of Congress. That's how I got like first started.
In in politics.
Yeah, like that's how I first got started. And this is one hundred years ago. And I had such reverence for Capitol Hill. I had such reverence for these members of Congress. And now you look at these people and
they are absurdly like clowns, like it is. It's it's a travesty, right, like how how how ignorant they are and how much they are celebrating you know that ignorance, and so it for me, it's like, no, if we were to rename politics, it would be like called you know, your daily life, like right, like if you were to if we were to say, like, it's not politics, it's your day. You were voting on what your day to day life, your day right life, and it's your day to day life.
When you see these dudes, like when you see them up close, you're just like, oh, nigga, you're twelve, you're and you're just trying to get put on. So you're saying whatever you need to say so you could stay put on. It's so it's so like you like, man, that's so true when you see it up close, and it's like, oh, fam you you didn't. You haven't read any of them. You haven't read these briefs, like you didn't right now, you didn't read it. Like so I'm like, oh,
I'm more informed than you are. Yeah. When you when you when it, when you see it up close, yeah, it's like the facade falls. Yeah. Yeah.
And it's and I think that that's what people and that's why I really like the the onboarding, the opening up that your show is offering, because we need more people, not less, to be involved. And I think that the way that the Republicans their strategy has been, let us just throw a bunch of shit at the wall, let
us exhaust as many people as we possibly can. Let's overwhelm write this system with crazy, and then those that would likely be to tap in will tap out because they just don't have the bandwidth for it.
Yeah, you know.
And so I think that it's I think that it's in important one for people to recognize that that's a strategy, the overwhelm, the ignorance that it isn't it isn't just by accident, brilliant?
What do you do you do you think that that's like, do you do you find that? Like your show has sort of the same kind of like like ethoughts, like you're like the point you're trying to make is that like you're smarter than you think you are? Is that? Is that kind of I listened to a lot of your shows, and it's like, first of all, you're brilliant, Like let me just say that number one.
Thank you brilliant.
You know what I mean? And and I love the like you know part of me with listeners can take this how every they want. But like the sound of black women being fully black women is like a warm blanket for me. So to just hear you, just to hear you speak naturally, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, sh Like I'm like that's yeah, I need that like that Like I'm like, huh, I yes, anyway.
Go on, yeah, yeah, I think that for me. WOKF started out The show started out of anger. It was a response to Donald Trump becoming president of the United States.
So the show launched in twenty sixteen or twenty seventeen. Brother, And what I will say is that for me, I wanted people to recognize that they have more power than they think, right, that this game that these white, old, you know, rich straight men are playing, it is a game about power, and the way that they take power from you is to make you believe you have none.
Right.
And so my show has always been about raising consciousness. Like no, no, no, no, no. You see why your school board looks the way it does, it's because you didn't show up to the school board. Meaning, but you know who always shows up, The seventy year old racist white people that live in your neighborhood. They're the ones that are always going to show up because they have time and they are making and they are making the
time to do it right. So the reason why certain things look the way they do is because those people they are they are committed to their racism, they are committed to hatred, and they will do and stop it nothing in order to make sure that the system remains the way it is. So for me, it's about raising people's consciousness and saying no, no, no, no, no, yes. The place that we're in is incredibly overwhelming and incredibly dark and incredibly frustrating, but that at the end of the day,
we have more numbers. We have the numbers. We have the people, right, the people just need to wake to wake the fuck up, wake up.
Yeah, I love that you called it well one because like it's before the name.
Was stolen from a systry, correct as it was before if it came like yeah.
Before they stole it and redefined it, which is another thing that they do, which is another like move of power to like take something that sounds familiar and redefine it and then give it back to us as if we don't know what we talk about, you know. So I love that you like kept the name to be like no, no, no, no, no, you don't you don't get it, you don't. I'm not just gonna I'm not just gonna let you have this Like nah, yeah, I think too.
Like what what what I picked up from a lot of a few of your episodes is really and about the example that you gave is the fact that like as broken as the system is, like it it does work, you know, which is which is why such an effort to disenfranchise us, you know, even if you go back to like reconstruction and like why we were disenfranchised from voting is because when we did you know what I mean, why are there why are there at least five black
neighborhoods under Lakes Because because it works, you know, and so so to so to lock us out to convince us that we don't know what we're talking about, is because why you don't show up at the you know, like you said, the school boards, or why to be like, Okay, let's let's make sure. Let's make sure voting polls are only between the hours of ten and four. You know what I'm saying why everybody's it's because it works. You know.
I constantly say on the show every time that we're coming up on an election, and all elections, is that no one tries to steal anything that isn't worth something. So if people are trying to steal your vote aka voter suppression, it is because your vote is valuable.
Right.
If people are trying to throw out your ballots, right, it is because your voice is valuable, right, because nobody tries to steal something that is of no value to them.
Man, did you guys have did you guys have the the fake ballot boxes around your way? No?
No, I live in I live in New York. I'm like I live in Brooklyn.
Yeah, that's that's that's not gonna happen. So we saw him around Kelly, like I'm in LA, like East La, and we saw him. Obviously it was targeted because this is like a black and brown neighborhood, so you would put you would put them over here. But for me, it was so it was funny, like that is so funny to me. How like it's like you have to look at you looking at somebody like, yo, that's your man's like get your man's like word like this is really is this your king?
This is what y'all doing, y'all put Yeah, Yeah, it.
Was funny to me that, Like, how man, it's just like like I know, I know clearly like consistency doesn't matter to these people or how corny you look. But I'm like that is corny, Like there's there is something about I feel like us people of color in general, like we have a there's a code that we live by, and like part of that code is like what I'm not gonna be is corny. Right, that's corny, you.
Know, right because you because you don't have the ability to actually like basically what you're saying is you ain't shit and you actually have to you have to go to these incredible lengths in order to cheat, because if it was just based on merit alone, yeah, you you you were not right, like so and I and I feel like if we were to if we and I and I say, like, if folks were to talk about the Republican Party in that way and being like they are just objectively corny as fuck, it's just like they
just they don't they don't have the swag, they don't have the ability, they don't have the intellect, they don't have the charisma. What they do have an abundance of is hate and the ability to cheat and cheat and do so unchecked right in a lot of ways because
their whiteness protects them. And so I like to me, I think, you know, and I want to talk to you about about twenty twenty four and the black vote and what is what you know I'm hearing and I want to hear like what you're hearing from the people that listen to you. But black people particularly and I'll say older black people and younger black people are really
frustrated with Joe Biden for a myriad of reasons. And one of them right, like there was just recently an article in the New York Times and an advertisement that was put out by like a thousand black pastors and churches that are calling for a cease fire, that are saying, how can you talk about the soul of this nation and fighting for democracy? And this is what our money is going to fund? On top of that? Just you know, are you you like, are you once again using us
right in a way that we've been used before. We know what the stakes are, right, you don't have to tell us about what happens if Donald Trump becomes president again. Black people live this right like we are. We are very aware and so you know, my my, my question for you is what are you hearing? Because I hear a mix of I'm gonna vote my values, I'm not, I'm you know, I I you know, and they're saying this now and it's it's you know, we're in February, right,
We're still nine months away. It's still very early. But but what are you hearing from folks that are that are that are listened to you?
Yeah, I'm hearing, like you said, I'm hearing a lot like it's kind of all over the board. And what I've noticed is at least among black people, your socioeconomic status has actually played a bigger deciding factor that I found.
Like generally I have found Black people as community when it comes to our votes in our politics is it's very transactional in the sense that like I don't have to like any of y'all what you're gonna do for us, you know, and and if you could show and prove, like if I can honestly say, like my life is better, my children are better, We're not being locked up, like we're not being hunted, you know what I'm saying, Like you doing something about you know, police brutality, doing stuff
about the money doing some of our community. And it's like, word whatever, you know what I'm saying. At least and you don't sound ye at least you're not talking racists, you know what I'm saying. Right, So like at least you're not saying it, you know what I mean? So like stuff be super transactional that I found at the same time, Like, so with that said, like we're not I found we're not very like we're centrist, Like we're
not very progressive. Where it's just like I don't know, I don't talk all that all that because my dad was a black panther. So like for me, a lot of times when I start talking like the hommies, it's like, oh, here we go. You know, he on that revolutionary you know what I'm saying. So like there's like that you feel me. And then at the other side, if they are gonna be obviously it's like it's mask off with the Republicans. So they're like, well, it's mask off with y'all.
So like that's like kind of a non starter. But what I found is when you feel like we're not getting back, like we've we've given the Democratic Party so much and we haven't we haven't received you know what you said you was gonna give us. At this point, it's like, well, I mean, at least I know at least I know what it is with the Republicans, at least I know what it is. And then your default is to become selfish and be like, well, I'm just gonna give mine, like I'm just gonna if I can't.
If you not like I thought it was about us. I thought it was I thought it was squad. It's not about us, okay, word, and I'm just gonna give mine At least I know what it is you want. You want, you just want money? Okay, word me too, I'm saying. Right, So so I found that a lot of times, like it's like, well, since clearly I don't trust none of y'all's morals anyway, then I'm like, Okay,
who's gonna get me to the bag? Faster? Has been what I have found now to your point, as far as age demographic, I feel like Gaza is gonna Gaza could cost Joe the election. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know what I'm saying, Like even with the stuff that, like cause again it was like you was, you was talking talking when we started, you know, and yeah, like I was like, at least you like you could say, well, at least he's not Fela, like b I'm somebody to
the stone age, you know what I mean. And it's like, well, bro, now you're doing that, like right, bruh like own fam you know. So so yeah, both of us in our you know, uh coastal enclaves obviously like our lenses are yeah, are are pretty distorted. So like my best to get out of that. But like what I have found, especially what's crazy is what I have found is like Trump resonates with like hood dudes like Street, which.
I just I don't get it. I just don't get it. I don't agree, I don't agree, but I get it. What is the what is it?
Because because they recognize that he's a boss, like this is a gangster. They're like, you're just I understand this, You're just a gangster.
It's like I'm never wrong, but there's no code, there's no He throws his own fucking clique under the bus. Do you know what I'm saying? Like there's no honor there.
I know, but it's like you nigga should have fell in line. Wow, I'm saying that, Like I get it, Like you supposed to fall in line, Like I told you what we was doing, this was this, This was the system. This what we're doing. You fall in line, you stay loyal, were good, you know. But I agree too, cause I'm just like I agree too, Like man, but like but when it comes, you're gonna let all your boys go to prison for you, Like I don't. I
don't understand that. But they're like, bro, it's like mob stuff, that's my stuff. Like you supposed to be able to, you supposed to like if we all if we all own, you're supposed to take your team, you're supposed to take your five ten five ten years. I'm gonna put money on your books and make sure you're family good. I'm gonna put that on what he is doing. That's what you like.
So I'm saying like if you are, because I and I cannot pretend to know the ins and outs of anybody's of gang life, of street life, of anything, but what I will say, the little the little snippets that I've seen in her, It's like, whether I agree with it or not, there is a code. There is a code of like you protect you protect your own, like this is this is our this is our click, this
is our tribe, this is whomever. Like, yes, if somebody does go away, like we're gonna do our best to make sure that like they're taken care of, you know, and then when that person comes out that we're going to try and give them what it is that you know we held on to them or whatever. And I'm just like, so just in that vein right, what you like? This man is?
I agree? I mean I feel like if you don't, like they're also not I mean, it's not like they sitting down and like following all ninety one charges, you know what I'm saying, right, and just know what this dude's putting out, which is like I'm the boss, Like this is what I do. You know what I mean? And I can and I can get that from I can get it from a cursory standpoint. And then and
then even among that community, there's diversity of thought. There are dudes that are like, nah, like you said, this man got no honor. Like, you know, the more that you see him up close, you like, this man got no honor. You realize all of its cap Like he's not a millionaire, he's not a billionaire. It's not really his money, you know. But that's the type of stuff that I feel like that's where me and you come in when we sit down and say now old now.
Like right this because I'm because yeah.
Not true, not true. Now you make your own decision, you know what I'm saying at the end.
Of the act, but do it with actual information and not just the things that he's putting out. We're rapping on time, But let me close out with this question for you, which is this. You know, we have nine months until the election. If prop if Trump manages to steal this election, to win this election. I talk about it every day on woo KF that this country our democracy ish, which is which is what it is for black and brown people, for queer people, for anyone who's
not white and wealthy and straight and Christian. It's democracy light. But if Trump gets in, do you think that people truly understand what will happen? Do you think that the consequences like that, or that they think that we'll just be able to hang on like we did in the first four years.
No. I think my I come from like history, social science, like educational background, and when you come from that, it's like I can name off hand ten democracies that collapsed, like it happens all the time. Democracies collapse, you know, and nations collapse and they rebuild. I think that I find that any predictions are usually off the mark in either direction. Like you know, I feel like it's not like the day after he gets elected the world's going to go up in flames, and it's also not like
nothing's going to happen, you know what I'm saying. Like, I think that the slow crawl, which clearly starts did decades ago into the collapse of the American democracy and it'll become something else later. But you know, the idea of an autocratic you know, dictator, which he is, is like this happens all over the world all the time. You know what I'm saying. It's the it's the death of an empire. It's really we're really watching the slow
death of an empire. It is what it is. I don't think people really understand what that means and how it looks, and then how long it's going to take to if we'll ever become an empire again, you know, I don't. I think that people have a much like shorter understanding of history than they than they should, you know, which to me actually gives me a little peace in the sense that like there is such thing as France, like Greece is still a country, you know what I'm saying.
Those were collapse, the democracy, like they've collapsed, you know what I mean, And now I mean it still exists, you know what I'm saying. So I think in some senses, having a longer view of history, like I'm like, in the same way that like when the meteor, the asteroid that killed the dinosaur struck you know, it wiped out life and then earth was fine. You know what I'm saying. I think that there is there is that like it
ultimately will be fine. Will we survive it? I don't know if we're gonna survive correct, Yeah, but I do think I yeah, I think that like Trump in the sense again going back to like why like I think hoods does like recognize it is like he's like, I'm gonna do what I said. I'm gonna do like I told y'all day one, I'm finna black pos up like that. I don't understand. I told you that's what I was gonna do. And I was like, yes, he did what he said he was gonna do. You know. So I
think that like there's there's there's that. I do think that there's that reality. I think also think the reality that people are not accepting is the fact that he might win. That is a high possibility that he is that he will win this election. Now he's I also get frustrated with the fact that people talk like he like y'all forget he lost twenty twenty like that he did.
He did lose, you guys, Yeah, he lost, like y'all, y'all talking about him like he won, like he he lost, you know, so so yeah, but yeah, I don't I don't think people understand like the idea of like you could live in a fallen democracy, that that is possible.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I have loved this conversation so very much. We will have to do more of these as we count down to the election.
Yeah, we're gonna have to We're gonna have to do some like reaction pods or like did you see this?
We absolutely will. So this is we'll say this is the first installment crossover wok F and Hood Politics prop. Thank you so much. It has been fantastic.
Yeah. No, I appreciate, appreciate you everything you're doing, the way you bringing it like this is dog. Thank you.
That is it for me today, dear friends on wok F as always, power to the people and to all the people. Power, get woke and stay woke as fuck.