Coexistence, My Ass: The Price of Peace and the Power of Comedy

Every few months, the world rediscovers the word peace.A ceasefire is staged, a headline sighs in relief — and for a moment, we all pretend coexistence is possible.But coexistence without equality isn’t peace — it’s PR.In this episode of Out Loud, I sit down with two women who refuse to perform peace — and instead expose its price:🎬 Amber Fares, the Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker behind Speed Sisters and Coexistence My Ass, and🎭 Noam Shuster-Eliassi, the Israeli comedian and activist whose story and stand-up form the heart of that new Sundance documentary.Together, we talk about:• The danger (and necessity) of being funny in a fascist moment• Growing up in the “Oasis of Peace” and seeing the myth of coexistence unravel• The cost of telling the truth in a society built on denial• How women are using comedy, art, and film to resist propaganda and reclaim empathy“What we’re saying in this film — Palestinians have been saying for decades,” Noam makes it a point to tell me.“If it’s easier for you to hear it from me, then that’s your homework.”🎧 Coexistence, My Ass is about courage, laughter, and the moral clarity we need to imagine real peace — not the photo-op kind.