During a year of non-stop election coverage, we hear the word democracy thrown around a lot. But what does this term really mean—and what can it do in the world of politics and beyond? Today on the show, Patty and co-host Thayer Reed discuss these timely and timeless questions with filmmaker, writer, and activist Astra Taylor, director of the film What Is Democracy? and author of the book Democracy May Not Exist, But We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone.

Over the course of the hour, they dive into topics like rehabilitating the term democracy and expanding the power of the people, the role of the Occupy movement, rallying around debt strike and debt relief, addressing the rural/urban divide, renewed energy for the labor movement, and the importance of giving future generations a say.

Astra Taylor is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and organizer. She helped launch the Rolling Jubilee campaign and co-founded the Debt Collective. Her films include Zizek!, Examined Life, and What is Democracy? She is the author of Democracy May Not Exist, But We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone (Verso, 2019).