Europe is holding its breath ahead of France’s parliamentary elections, in which a “far right” party could win power for the first time since WWII.



The hero of 21st-century right-wing European triumphalism is Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán. Many European far-right candidtaes are his devoted fan boys, as are farther-flung admirers like Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson.



This week, Hungary assumed the rotating leadership of the European Union presidency. Orbán’s first move was to swoop into Kyiv to tell the Ukrainian President to stop fighting and get along better with those nice Russkies.



How has this anti-Western, anti-democratic strongman upended a European democracy? What’s happened to Hungary? And could it happen here?



To subscribe to Josh’s premium podcast feed, hit the Substack page athttps://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe

http://youtube.com/@JoshSzeps_

http://twitter.com/joshzepps

http://instagram.com/joshszeps/

tiktok.com/@uncomfyconversations

Europe is holding its breath ahead of France’s parliamentary elections, in which a “far right” party could win power for the first time since WWII.
 
The hero of 21st-century right-wing European triumphalism is Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán. Many European far-right candidtaes are his devoted fan boys, as are farther-flung admirers like Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson.
 
This week, Hungary assumed the rotating leadership of the European Union presidency. Orbán’s first move was to swoop into Kyiv to tell the Ukrainian President to stop fighting and get along better with those nice Russkies.
 
How has this anti-Western, anti-democratic strongman upended a European democracy? What’s happened to Hungary? And could it happen here?
 
To subscribe to Josh’s premium podcast feed, hit the Substack page at <a href="https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe" data-inline-card="" data-card-data="">https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe</a>
<a href="http://youtube.com/@JoshSzeps_" data-inline-card="" data-card-data="">http://youtube.com/@JoshSzeps_</a>
<a href="http://twitter.com/joshzepps" data-inline-card="" data-card-data="">http://twitter.com/joshzepps</a>
<a href="http://instagram.com/joshszeps/" data-inline-card="" data-card-data="">http://instagram.com/joshszeps/</a>
<a href="http://tiktok.com/@uncomfyconversations">tiktok.com/@uncomfyconversations</a>

The world has never been more connected. Yet never more divided. We yell at each other from inside our echo chambers. But change doesn’t happen inside an echo chamber. It’s time to get out, to stretch our legs, to step on some land mines. It's time to have an uncomfortable conversation with Josh Szeps.

A DM Podcast

The world has never been more connected. Yet never more divided. We yell at each other from inside our echo chambers. But change doesn’t happen inside an echo chamber. It’s time to get out, to stretch our legs, to step on some land mines. It's time to have an uncomfortable conversation with Josh Szeps.
A DM Podcast

Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps

“Authoritarianism in Europe” with Péter Krekó

First things first: The Uncomfortable Conversations LIVE touring empire is expanding, with live shows in Sydney and Melbourne in August with the inimitable Coleman Hughes. Tickets are selling fast. Get yours now. Don’t miss out:



Sydney https://bit.ly/Coleman-Szeps-Syd

Melbourne https://bit.ly/Coleman-Szeps-Melb



Meanwhile, the new YouTube page is going gangbusters. The episode you're listening to was shot as an outdoor TV interview on an early spring day in a Manhattan park. Check it out and subscribe to YouTube for more cool videos to come: https://bit.ly/UC_Videos



Thomas Chatterton Williams is a New Yorker who lives in Paris. He's the son of a Black father from the segregated South and a white mother from the West. He himself is the father of two white-looking children. Straddling the USA and Europe has given him a fascinating insight into identity, diversity and life as a Black man in America and in France. His memoir, Self–Portrait in Black and White, is a must-read.



As Thomas and Josh chat on a chilly but sunny New York day, they wrestle with the Charlie Hebdo and Bataclan attacks, Islamism, blood-and-soil right-wingers, George Floyd’s murder, racial profiling, and much more.



To get more content like this and to join the Uncomfy Convos multiverse, hit the Substack page athttps://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe

http://youtube.com/@JoshSzeps_

http://twitter.com/joshzepps

http://instagram.com/joshszeps/

tiktok.com/@uncomfyconversations

First things first: The Uncomfortable Conversations LIVE touring empire is expanding, with live shows in Sydney and Melbourne in August with the inimitable Coleman Hughes. Tickets are selling fast. Get yours now. Don’t miss out:
 
Sydney <a href="https://bit.ly/Coleman-Szeps-Syd">https://bit.ly/Coleman-Szeps-Syd</a>
Melbourne <a href="https://bit.ly/Coleman-Szeps-Melb">https://bit.ly/Coleman-Szeps-Melb</a>
 
Meanwhile, the new YouTube page is going gangbusters. The episode you're listening to was shot as an outdoor TV interview on an early spring day in a Manhattan park. Check it out and subscribe to YouTube for more cool videos to come: <a href="https://bit.ly/UC_Videos">https://bit.ly/UC_Videos</a>
 
Thomas Chatterton Williams is a New Yorker who lives in Paris. He's the son of a Black father from the segregated South and a white mother from the West. He himself is the father of two white-looking children. Straddling the USA and Europe has given him a fascinating insight into identity, diversity and life as a Black man in America and in France. His memoir, Self–Portrait in Black and White, is a must-read.
 
As Thomas and Josh chat on a chilly but sunny New York day, they wrestle with the Charlie Hebdo and Bataclan attacks, Islamism, blood-and-soil right-wingers, George Floyd’s murder, racial profiling, and much more.
 
To get more content like this and to join the Uncomfy Convos multiverse, hit the Substack page at <a href="https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe" data-inline-card="" data-card-data="">https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe</a>
<a href="http://youtube.com/@JoshSzeps_" data-inline-card="" data-card-data="">http://youtube.com/@JoshSzeps_</a>
<a href="http://twitter.com/joshzepps" data-inline-card="" data-card-data="">http://twitter.com/joshzepps</a>
<a href="http://instagram.com/joshszeps/" data-inline-card="" data-card-data="">http://instagram.com/joshszeps/</a>
<a href="http://tiktok.com/@uncomfyconversations">tiktok.com/@uncomfyconversations</a>

“Racial Identity in Europe” with Thomas Chatterton Williams

When Sydney's biggest broadsheet newspaper published an opinion piece by Josh on the occasion of the Mardi Gras Gay Pride Parade, it triggered a backlash from some in the LGBT+ community. One of Josh's attackers was a prominent activist, Alastair Lawrie, the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Justice and Equity Centre.



Instead of arguing with Alastair on Twitter, Josh invited him on the show to hash out their differences and discuss what challenges the LGBTQ+ community still faces.



To get more content like this and to join in the fun of the Uncomfy Convos multiverse, hit the Substack page athttps://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe

http://youtube.com/@JoshSzeps_

http://twitter.com/joshzepps

http://instagram.com/joshszeps/

http://tiktok.com/@uncomfyconversations

When Sydney's biggest broadsheet newspaper published an opinion piece by Josh on the occasion of the Mardi Gras Gay Pride Parade, it triggered a backlash from some in the LGBT+ community. One of Josh's attackers was a prominent activist, Alastair Lawrie, the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Justice and Equity Centre.
 
Instead of arguing with Alastair on Twitter, Josh invited him on the show to hash out their differences and discuss what challenges the LGBTQ+ community still faces.
 
To get more content like this and to join in the fun of the Uncomfy Convos multiverse, hit the Substack page at <a href="https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe">https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe</a>
<a href="http://youtube.com/@JoshSzeps_">http://youtube.com/@JoshSzeps_</a>
<a href="http://twitter.com/joshzepps">http://twitter.com/joshzepps</a>
<a href="http://instagram.com/joshszeps/">http://instagram.com/joshszeps/</a>
<a href="http://tiktok.com/@uncomfyconversations">http://tiktok.com/@uncomfyconversations</a>

"Is Josh a 'Bad Gay'?" with Alastair Lawrie

Well, what happens now? Does Donald Trump win? Does he lose? To whom? What are we all in for?



On the eve of Trump’s coronation as the Republican presidential candidate at the party’s National Convention this week, he was narrowly shot in an apparent assassination attempt at a rally.



Is this the most dramatic election of our lives? David Frum is one of the most influential anti-Trumpers to come out of a Republican White House. As President George W Bush’s speechwriter, he's credited with the famous phrase the "axis of evil". He wrote the first insider account of the Bush presidency. Frum is now a senior editor at The Atlantic.



David and Josh sat down shortly before the Trump shooting for the occasion of the Republican National Convention. They discuss Trump’s plans, Biden’s options, the fate of both parties… and of America.



In the first half-hour of this episode, Josh reflects on how to process this moment, and how the assassination attempt and response have already begun to shape what the future will hold for this campaign as well as American democracy at large.



To reinvigorate the biggest issues from Josh’s refreshing perspective, get ad-free episodes and extra shows by signing up athttps://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe

Josh Szeps

𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕙 𝕊𝕫𝕖𝕡𝕤 (@joshzepps) on X

Instagram (@joshszeps)

Josh Szeps on TikTok

Well, what happens now? Does Donald Trump win? Does he lose? To whom? What are we all in for?
 
On the eve of Trump’s coronation as the Republican presidential candidate at the party’s National Convention this week, he was narrowly shot in an apparent assassination attempt at a rally.
 
Is this the most dramatic election of our lives? David Frum is one of the most influential anti-Trumpers to come out of a Republican White House. As President George W Bush’s speechwriter, he's credited with the famous phrase the "axis of evil". He wrote the first insider account of the Bush presidency. Frum is now a senior editor at The Atlantic.
 
David and Josh sat down shortly before the Trump shooting for the occasion of the Republican National Convention. They discuss Trump’s plans, Biden’s options, the fate of both parties… and of America.
 
In the first half-hour of this episode, Josh reflects on how to process this moment, and how the assassination attempt and response have already begun to shape what the future will hold for this campaign as well as American democracy at large.
 
To reinvigorate the biggest issues from Josh’s refreshing perspective, get ad-free episodes and extra shows by signing up at <a href="https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe" data-inline-card="" data-card-data="">https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe</a>
<a href="http://youtube.com/@JoshSzeps_" data-testid="inline-card-resolved-view">Josh Szeps</a>
<a href="http://twitter.com/joshzepps" data-testid="inline-card-resolved-view">𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕙 𝕊𝕫𝕖𝕡𝕤 (@joshzepps) on X</a>
<a href="http://instagram.com/joshszeps/" data-testid="inline-card-resolved-view">Instagram (@joshszeps)</a>
<a href="http://tiktok.com/@uncomfyconversations" data-testid="inline-card-resolved-view">Josh Szeps on TikTok</a>

“Authoritarianism in Europe” with Péter Krekó

In 1 playlist(s)

Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips