Kaizen Asiedu is a voice in ascension. A former esports personality - making a name for himself as the charismatic commentator on many a League of Legends tournament - Kaizen has transitioned into the realm of political commentary, self-help, and mentorship. His short-form videos about victim culture, historical myths and critical thinking frequently go viral, earning him an avid fanbase. Today, he boasts nearly two million followers across all platforms.
Why did we invite him on?
With just days to go before the New York mayoral election, it looks like it’s Mamdani’s to lose. If that happens, democratic socialism is coming to the world’s financial epicentre. Olivia Reingold joined us last week to discuss his origin story, but we wanted someone else sit down and discuss his future. Kaizen was the obvious candidate. What does his victory mean? What does it say about the left? What does that say about America?
What did we learn?
Kaizen has come onto the scene quickly, alreading earning quite the elevated position. Motivated by what he saw to be a fracturing discourse, he decided it was too important for him to stay silent - he had to raise his voice.
”The day that Trump got shot, I wasn’t particularly political, but I saw that humanity was in crisis, and it was time to start speaking up.”
While not political, Kaizen sensed that the culture was souring. He saw an increasingly divided society, with schisms forming not on the basis of content or character, but on the innate characteristic of race. This, he feared, was a troubling omen of things to come.
”There’s this culture of race essentialism, and it’s really unhealthy. White people feel this collective guilt that a specific subset of people did, black people feel they are entitled to a collective grievance against white people… Tribalism is building up.”
Racial divides seem, on some level, to be healing. But the divides remain, and some are entrenching further. The tribes haven’t gone away. Now, they’re political. Your alignment is your new identity, and if you fall on the wrong side of the line, you’re fair game.
”We’re demonising each other. Rather than seeing one another as individuals with different value systems that they filter the same information through and come to different conclusions, we see them as evil and stupid, and the only response is domination. It’s intellectual hubris, and it bothers me. I’m more aligned with the right now, but I’ve voted for Democrats my whole life.”
This division isn’t helped by the politicians themselves. The nature of political discourse for many years was civil and good-faith; paint your opponent in the best possible light, highlight your shared interests and present why your plan would do a better job of achieving those common goals. Instead, delegitimisation, shame and humiliation are the tactics of the day. It’s why Trump was so popular (he’s a natural). It’s also why Mamdani looks set to take New York.
”Mamdani is Trump’s foil. He’s a populist, and that’s why Trump was ascendant to begin with; he had an instinct and ability to understand the issues of the common person. What’s going on in New York? You see this multi-ethnic, multi-religious coalition rallying around Zohran because he understands their complaints.”
When Olivia outlined how serious the cost-of-living crisis is in New York, it was frankly alarming. Listening to her explain how difficult it is for even a wealthy person to make ends meet, it quickly became clear why Mamdani was so popular. If the right candidate comes along at the right time and is able to communicate the concerns of his voters back to them, he’s going to walk into office.
”If you’re a New Yorker, and you see you’re paying $4500 a month in rent. And the choices are either a Republican, a disgraced former governor, or Zohran Mamdani, who is touching on issues you actually care about, what are you going to choose?”
Whatever you think of Mamdani, one thing is clear; the right is responding all wrong. There’s much to criticise about him, but instead they go for low-hanging fruit that alienates the undecided voter. To Kaizen, these attacks discredit those who use them.
”If you’re going to criticise him, be specific. Point to the one Imam that he’s associated with who has dangerous views, and take issue with that. Don’t just say ‘He’s a Muslim and Muslims want to take over America’. Be specific. The right are making the same mistake the left made with Trump.”
Instead, he offers an alternative approach.
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