There is a lot of new science that shows that collaboration is at the root of all life on earth, much more than competition. Sea plants, for example, could never have lived on land without collaborating with fungi. The eukaryotic cells that compose all complex life are the product of a weird collaboration between two different kinds of cells. It´s so fundamental. And humans' superpower among the primates is our ability to collaborate. Capitalism harnesses our urge to kill and dominate one another. If we can learn to harness our basic urge to collaborate instead, we'll be fine.

We have a relationship of shared care in which he does most of the physical labour and I do more of the administrative or emotional labour. That´s where our strengths lie, if he struggles with how to handle a specific situation I will help him. People assume that he cares for me and I am his burden. But we care for each other. So people see him as this great guy, which he is, but not for being with a disabled woman. The work we do together often advocates for care–for yourself, within society and in a relationship. We highlight the importance of care and demystify the negative association of caring for someone.

We went from Barack Obama, who was an amazing President, to Donald Trump, who always took the easy way with everything. By the time Barack Obama spent his last year in office you couldn’t walk around saying some of the things that Donald Trump says in press conferences. That kind of racism wasn´t allowed anymore. We were making progress as a country. Trump emboldened those racists. I´m not going to lie, it´s hard right now, but America will prevail in the end.

I try to make the Asian community feel less alone and tell them they need to stay strong when they´re in a classroom with people who are judgmental, have prejudices and go to coronavirus-themed parties at the weekends. Everywhere people could have the mentality to make a coronavirus-themed party and think it would be fun. People die in Asia because of this. Why is this funny? How can you celebrate? It is a tragedy. Thousands of people get infected. Thousands of families get destroyed by this.

I’d even go as far as saying this degree of unity is unparalleled in the modern history of Lebanon. There was chanting, singing, dabke (folk dancing). Patriotic ballads filled the air. Food and coffee were available for all. Strangers greeted and came to the assistance of strangers. While the exasperations and frustrations are very much real the energy on the ground is positive and inspiring through and through. Women, in particular, have played a substantial role in this revolution, at the levels of organizing and mobilizing and sustaining that positive energy.

A lot of political art is about criticizing the world we live in today and that´s necessary but what is also necessary is to envision the world we want to inhabit. Activists have a hard time doing this and often artistic activists have a hard time doing this but we think it´s essential. Unless people can imagine the world they want to be a part of in the future they never will join with you in the present.

Let alone the pressure from society because of the regime’s propaganda against women. I think Iranian women are one of the strongest in the world. They are highly educated and very successful in their lives despite all the things they’ve been through.

There is a perception by many people that the economy is doing well under Trump, and I think that this is perhaps the most dangerous thing that people think, “Well, I don't like what he talks about, but he is good for the economy and so I will vote for him.” I don't agree with that analysis. I feel like the Trump economy has been riding on the tail winds of the economy that Obama basically saved from another Great Depression.

The narrative of the history always portraysthe Jews as victims who have experienced anti-Semitism, who have always suffered. People talk about the period from 1933 to 1945 and then perhaps about the Israel-Palestine conflict. But very little is said about how Jewish people have shaped the German society-- how many artists and scientists were Jewish. There are a lot of Jewish women in Germany and Austria who ran their salons and had interesting personalities.

Politicians and policymakers are fond of suggesting that the present day welfare crisis might be “solved” by placing more responsibility on the shoulders of private actors, notably voluntary associations and families. Such claims are based on the widely shared but mistaken idea that state welfare has diminished the role of social action, as well as families’ self-reliance, and that therefore both must be reinvigorated.

Ireland is obviously and proudly very Irish place. But it is also a very European place. That sense of Ireland wanting to be a part of the European family is very strong. You could see that again in the recent European elections. There is very steady and strong support for Europe, and it has become even stronger.

Until we can resolve and learn how to deal with the different narratives and acknowledge that different people and different groups had different experiences and there is hurt and blame on all sides; until we can do that I don’t know if we can ever really move on.