Racism is a leading explanation for the lack of redistribution in the United States compared to other advanced democracies. But how does this work? This paper investigates how racism interrupts support for redistribution. I use analytic listening of broadcasts about the May 25, 2020, murder of George Floyd and resulting protests that aired on right-leaning local talk radio shows from five communities in predominantly white, nonmetro areas of the northern United States, and broadcasts from three left-leaning shows that serve as bases of comparison to investigate. I find that the hosts and most callers on the conservative shows actively deflect attention away from racism in the United States. Through the lenses with which they treat racism, there is little possibility for feeling empathy with lower-income people of color. The results draw attention to a Republican framing in which Democrats are using attention to racism to achieve downward redistribution.

Most recently, the worlds attention has been captured by what seems like disparate issue areas: COVID-19, institutionalized racism, and (a longer-running theme) climate change. This book argues for the glue that connects these three issue areas in an intimate way: relationality. Indeed, the ways of coping with each of these areas requires that people discover, re-discover, and nurture the bonds that help one connect with the other. The chapter discusses how a relational model could be applied to carbon mitigation, and how this would differ from the model of a carbon tax. Directions for future work includes the need to work out how the relational mechanism interacts with behavioral mechanisms identified by Ostrom and Olson. How do we craft institutions that take advantage of all these models? How do we create institutions that increase connectedness between people who are not ordinarily part of the same social network? This book constitutes a small but significant step toward a concerted research program revolving around relationality.

The Introduction discusses the importance of public protest even in a digital era. It uses the mass demonstrations that followed George Floyd’s murder to highlight both a desire to participate in public dissent and the challenges that restrict that participation. Those challenges include police aggression and violence, enforcement of vague public order laws, restrictions on the place where protests can occur, and attitudes about public contention. The idea of a body of protest law and the concept of “managed dissent” are introduced and explained.

The global success of BTS demonstrates that their artistry and message have captured the attention of many. Similarly, their fandom, ARMY, has received attention for its ability to organize around social justice causes. While BTS and ARMY are pushing against and connecting across borders that often seem impermeable, this work does not happen with ease. How do people in a fandom that spans the globe both organize and educate within this fandom community? This chapter examines fandom through a case study. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests called attention to violence and racism against Black people after the murder of George Floyd. There were concerted efforts within the ARMY fandom to raise money and awareness for BLM. Many of these efforts began before BTS and their company announced support for BLM. It is important to recognize the fandom’s public-facing, collective work, and it is equally important to recognize the effort required to educate within the community about this and other social justice issues. This chapter identifies, tracks, and analyzes attempts being made in the fandom to educate and discuss race and racism around BLM by sharing stories of personal experience with racism, hashtags meant to encourage solidarity, and visual art.