Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps

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SZEPS WORLD TOUR - KMELE FOSTER on Race, Spirituality & 'Wokeness'

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Aug 8, 2025

Guest

Kmele Foster

Kmele Foster, Editor-at-large of Tangle and co-host of The Fifth Column, dives deep with Josh into race and identity. They explore parenting in racially charged environments and the struggle for understanding amid polarizing narratives. Kmele critiques the concept of wokeness, arguing against enforced equality and emphasizing personal experiences. The conversation touches on the complexity of privilege, the power of literature in shaping identity, and the role of mindfulness in navigating life's challenges. It's a thought-provoking, engaging discussion!

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insights

INSIGHT

Race Monomania Limits Perspective

Race monomania makes race the dominant lens for politics and economics, overshadowing individual experience.
Relying on racial identity overlooks the profound diversity within racial groups and their unique lived experiences.

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ANECDOTE

Ancestor on Jamaican Currency

Kmele shared about his Jamaican ancestor who led a slave rebellion and is on the country's currency.
Despite that heritage, Kmele lives a life of privilege far removed from those historical struggles.

insights

INSIGHT

Individual Experience Trumps Race

Individual lived experience and family environment outweigh abstract racial identity in shaping life outcomes.
Many pressing social issues relate more to family structure and personal trauma than race alone.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Navigating Ethics of Belief and Consumption

Navigating Privilege and Race in America

19:21 • 18min

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Rethinking Race and Identity

37:04 • 16min

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Navigating Race and Identity in Education

53:21 • 12min

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Examining Wokeness: The Flaws of Enforced Equality

01:05:45 • 4min

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The Transformational Power of Mindfulness and Perspective

01:09:20 • 2min

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The Transformative Power of Literature

01:11:36 • 13min

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What is your race? What is your identity? How should your kids think about how they fit in at school, or don't, on the basis of their racial or economic group? What is it really about, this game of being human?

Kmele Foster is one of the most original and humane thinkers Josh has the privilege of knowing. Funny, fearless and wise, the two young dads sat down in Brooklyn during the Szeps Live Around-the-World Podcast Marathon to wrestle with Blackness, whiteness, racism, parenting, guilt-ridden woke white leftists in San Francisco (where Kmele lives) and the meaning of the cosmos.

After having a falling-out with Silicon Valley, Kmele was recently appointed the editor-at-large of Tangle, an independent news website that summarises arguments from the right, left, and center. Kmele's first column was this absolute barnstormer. He also serves on the board of directors of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and co-hosts the smash hit podcast The Fifth Column.

Don't miss this uplifting, provocative, moving, mind-expanding chat.

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