On The Rise w/ Marcius Extavour
Oct 13, 2026 · 41 min · 9 segments
Our guest this week is Bayeté Ross Smith, a sculptor, photojournalist, and professor at NYU. Marcius and Bayeté explore how identity influences our social interactions, the impact of technology…
Bayeté Ross SmithGuestMarcius ExtavourHostVishHostNow, when I say identity politics, what I mean is the idea that the only thing or the most important thing to understand about another person, about their thoughts, about their feelings, about their opinions on a particular topic or issue is their identity, their sense of self and how we see them.
But it's particularly challenging or it can be particularly tough to wade through identity politics when we're trying to solve big, tricky issues.
And I've learned the hard way over years that telling somebody you're a physicist or especially using the word quantum, if you're chit-chatting with people at a party, does not work.
That's the fastest way to get people to clear the space and run away from you.
And I think, why is that? Well, when people hear quantum physics, PhD or something like that, they might think, oh God, this guy thinks he's full of it.
Or maybe worse, part of the reputation of physicists is for being arrogant and sometimes blowhards because of it.
Even before I open my mouth to say anything else, after I say quantum physics, I know some people are going to think a certain set of things about me.
And if I said, hey, let's talk about Gaza and Israel, you would enter that conversation with a whole bunch of assumptions about me and I would about you.
Now, when I say identity politics, what I mean is the idea that the only thing or the most important thing to understand about another person, about their thoughts, about their feelings, about their opinions on a particular topic or issue is their identity, their sense of self and how we see them.
But it's particularly challenging or it can be particularly tough to wade through identity politics when we're trying to solve big, tricky issues.
And I've learned the hard way over years that telling somebody you're a physicist or especially using the word quantum, if you're chit-chatting with people at a party, does not work.
That's the fastest way to get people to clear the space and run away from you.
And I think, why is that? Well, when people hear quantum physics, PhD or something like that, they might think, oh God, this guy thinks he's full of it.
Or maybe worse, part of the reputation of physicists is for being arrogant and sometimes blowhards because of it.
Even before I open my mouth to say anything else, after I say quantum physics, I know some people are going to think a certain set of things about me.
And if I said, hey, let's talk about Gaza and Israel, you would enter that conversation with a whole bunch of assumptions about me and I would about you.
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