Eliza and her friend Kuya Andre, a Filipino American political activist who has attended several anti-fascist actions, discuss how modern Antifa came to be in the US, the creeping rise of global fascism, why Antifa gets such a bad rap in the media, and why Andy Ngo's claims were inaccurate at best. Kuya Andre also shares his experience as a medic at the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally in 2017.
Read MoreEpisode 24: Extinction Agenda -- U.S. Concentration Camps, ICE Raids and Stephen Miller
“If you think those running our concentration camps in America will stop with immigrants, you don't know how fascism works.” My guest Jemarc Axinto and I are mad. We’re mad because of all the human rights violations happening at the border while everyone is turning their backs. We’re mad because of the ICE raids. We’re mad that people are more upset that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used the term, “concentration camps” than they are about the actual presence of concentration camps. We’re mad because Fox News reporters are shrugging them off and saying, “these are not our kids.”
Read MoreEpisode 23: The Dick Measuring Contest in the South China/West Philippine Sea. Is War Inevitable?
The U.S. seems poised to enter war with China, and there’s a huge chance it will be fought in the Philippines. My three guests, Adrian Bonifacio, Jess Rhee, and Mont Jiang discuss what happens when a rising power, in this case China, and an established power, the U.S., collide. We explore how the most crucial theater of war is in the South China/West Philippine Sea, and take a look at the ways the Philippines is caught in the middle of two colonial aggressors.
Read MoreEpisode 22: The U.S. - China Trade War
In early 2018, President Trump said, "Trade wars are good and easy to win." He has since initiated three: a global tariff on steel, a tariff on European autos, and tariffs on Chinese imports, which are the three largest economies in the world. What is a trade war and how does it affect us? Guest Simran Singh discusses with Eliza.
Read MoreEpisode 21: Just Let Game of Thrones Be White
Eliza Romero and guest Oxford Kondo discuss what happens when the fight for greater representation in media goes wrong. Also discussed: Constance Wu’s tweet outburst and the backlash against her, the new Hiroshima movie based on Sadako Sasaki’s story, the latest Chadwick Boseman samurai movie, and why demanding inclusion in shows like Game of Thrones reveals a lack of critical thinking about race.
Read MoreEpisode 20: Neri Colmenares on Progressive Politics in the Philippines and the Importance of the Midterm Elections
Host Eliza Romero interviews special guest, progressive candidate Neri Colmenares, on what a leftist like him can bring to the Philippine Senate and the important issues in the upcoming midterm elections.
Read MoreEpisode 19: Mong Palatino Explains How the War on Drugs Isn't the Only War Being Waged in the Philippines
Eliza Romero and guest, Filipino activist/writer/former legislator/current Bayan Metro Manila chairperson Mong Palatino discuss the struggles in the Philippines that the western media overlooks — the murder of farmers, mining and logging and the destruction of our natural resources, China’s illegal expansion in the South China Sea, and the increased U.S. military presence.
Read MoreBonus Episode: Aesthetic Distance on NPR
From the NPR website:
"Calling all avid readers, accomplished writers, or those aspiring to be: Today we speak to the director of the CityLit festival, Carla Du Pree, about festival highlights and hear about her goals for the event. Plus, meet podcaster and blogger Eliza Romero aka Aesthetic Distance, and hear her thoughts on changes to required school reading and decolonizing the literary canon for Asians Americans."
Read MoreEpisode 18: A Crash Course on Philippine History and Revolution
Host Eliza Romero and guest Christine Fabro of Kabataan Alliance discuss their involvement with Malaya Movement, the National Summit for Human Rights and Democracy in the Philippines, and Christine's upcoming crash course on Philippine History and Revolution.
Read MoreEpisode 17: Us, Jordan Peele and Elevated Horror
Guest Menuhin Hart of Menuhin’s Moviepass Podcast joins host Eliza Romero to discuss Jordan Peele’s latest horror film, Us, and the phrase “elevated horror.” Warning: major spoilers!
Read MoreEpisode 16: All The Movies We're Looking Forward To In 2019
Since it's spring break, it's time to have some fun. Host Eliza Romero and her good friend Jemarc Axinto of Gamers Guide is back and they are talking about all of their most anticipated movies of 2019.
Read MoreEpisode 15: Decolonization for Filipino Americans
Host Eliza Romero is joined by Dr. Leny Mendoza Strobel and Marion Aguas. Together they discuss the process of decolonization, why everyone should consider it, and the different developmental stages. We also touch on that hot button topic of interracial relationships between Filipino women and white men and how one can disinvest in whiteness when you've married your oppressor.
Read MoreEpisode 14: What's Really Going On With The Robert Kraft/Asian Sex Trafficking Case?
Eliza Romero and Jess Rhee talk about Asian sex workers and the problem with the sex workers’ advocacy movement. Think of the sex workers you see in pop culture — Sharon Stone in Casino, Maggie Gylenhaal in The Deuce, and Catherine Deneuve in Belle De Jour — why is it considered empowering and glamorous when white women choose sex work but it’s considered dirty and criminal when Asian women do it?
Read MoreEpisode 13: Modern Day American Colonialism in the Philippines
"American imperialism" is a pejorative, even to Americans. Americans don't like to think of themselves as imperialists or colonizers because the country was founded after an anti-imperialist revolt. we call ourselves a republic, but if we're being honest, we're not that different.
Read MoreEpisode 12: How Bias Impacts The Price of Ethnic Food
Asian food, particularly Filipino food, has been experiencing a surge of popularity recently that is on par with Vietnamese and Thai cuisine a few years ago. But does how you feel about a certain ethnic group determine how much people are willing to pay for that group's cuisine?
Read MoreEpisode 11: The Arrest of Journalist Maria Ressa and the Rise of Illiberal Democracy in the Philippines
Host Eliza Romero and Johns Hopkins University PhD candidate, Alvin Camba, discuss why the Philippines is the most dangerous place in Southeast Asia for journalists, how coalitions work in Filipino politics, and how an illiberal democracy might be the near future for Filipinos (and Americans if we’re not careful).
Read MoreEpisode 10: The Green New Deal and the Rise of Millennial Politics
Last week, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (or AOC, as she is known on social media) debuted the Green New Deal. What is the Green New Deal and what does it mean for all of us? And is the Green New Deal the beginning of Millennial Politics?
Read MoreEpisode 9: Why The Left Is So Divided on Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris has only been campaigning for 2 weeks and people are already crowning her the Democratic nominee for the 2020 presidential election. So why can’t the left agree on what they think about her? Is she the best antidote to Trump?
Read MoreEpisode 8: Comic Books and Their Role in Social Justice
Eliza Romero and Keith Chow aka The Nerds of Color discuss the historical role comic books and superheroes have played in social justice education.
Read MoreEpisode 7: Kill Your Darlings. Are Superhero Franchises Ruining the Film Industry?
Eliza and her guests, Jemarc Axinto of Gamers Guide and NYC filmmaker Millicent Cho, discuss franchise features like Marvel and Star Wars, and Transformers. Are these movies just indie film destroyers and creative blockers? Are they basically killing the film industry? One of the main reasons we're hitting peak franchise era is because we are smack in the middle of an era of peak television.
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