Episode 9: "Listening Through the Noise: What Extremists, Lawmakers, and Citizens Miss Most"

Season #1

🎙️ Voices of Americans – Episode 9 Title:

"Listening Through the Noise: What Extremists, Lawmakers, and Citizens Miss Most"

 

🔑 Keywords:

political violence, empathy, extremism, terrorism, media, disinformation, white supremacy, demographic change, hope, accountability

 

đź“ť Episode Summary:

In Episode 9, co-hosts Dr. Melissa Sexton and Larry Wallace sit down with scholar and media analyst Dr. Amanda E. Rogers to explore the layered realities behind political violence, disinformation, and rising extremism in America and beyond. From the historical roots of terrorism to the subtle ways white supremacy evolves and embeds itself in public life, this episode offers a sobering yet hopeful conversation about what it takes to really understand what we’re facing. The trio discusses how fear, media narratives, and shifting demographics shape national discourse—and why empathy and personal accountability are non-negotiable if we want to move forward. More than a commentary on chaos, this episode offers clarity: real talk about power, policy, and how we listen through the noise to rebuild something better.

 

Dr. Amanda E. Rogers holds a Ph.D. from Emory University, currently serves as a Fellow at the Century Foundation, where her research expertise focuses on transnational political violence and non-state armed groups, ranging from Neo-Nazi accelerationism to the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). Rogers is also a consultant and analyst with expertise in the media of extremist groups, and geopolitical strategy (with particular specialization in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia) for civil society organizations, U.S. governmental bodies, and multipolar institutions. As an independent scholar, Rogers’ academic work has been supported by Fulbright, the U.S. Department of Education, the Mellon Foundation, Fulbright Hays, and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers, among others. Her art, photojournalism, cultural commentary, and political analysis routinely appears in such forums as the Brookings Institution, the Smithsonian, Frontline Club, Al-Jazeera, the New York Times, the Atlantic Council, The Intercept, CNN, and the BBC. She can often be found Tweeting as @MsEntropy. 

🔍 Key Takeaways:

  • Empathy isn’t soft—it’s strategic in confronting political violence.
  • Personal accountability is essential for societal healing.
  • Media narratives deeply influence public perception of extremism.
  • Demographic change can trigger fear—but also unlock new possibilities.
  • Extremist ideologies often grow from normalized cultural beliefs.
  • White supremacy is not static—it mutates through history.
  • Interconnected systems require interconnected solutions.
  • Hope lives in the practice of community, not just policy.
  • Disinformation thrives where trust has already broken down.
  • Self-reflection and cultural humility are prerequisites for progress.

 

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction: Framing Political Violence and Extremism

02:10 – Empathy, Accountability & the Responsibility to Understand

07:51 – Terrorism, State Violence, and the Narrative Divide

13:25 – How Societal Norms Enable Evolving Forms of Violence 1

8:14 – What Homegrown Extremism Reveals About American Identity

25:45 – Historical Lineages of Hate: Then and Now

30:33 – White Supremacy’s Shifting Strategies

34:31 – Demographic Change: Catalyst for Fear or Opportunity?

40:09 – Ending with Hope: Where Responsibility Meets Relationship