If you’re a leftist who believes in free speech you aren’t homeless
Free speech is a fundamental value of the left.
FEATURED ARTICLES
Dov and Willy talking – perspectives from the left on political violence, history, colonialism, imperialism, racism, antisemitism, social media and the importance of critical thinking and debate
Dov Osheroff and Willy Maley: perespectives from the left on political violence, history, colonialism, imperialism, racism, antisemitism, social media and the importance of critical thinking and debate
Participants:
Willy Maley
Dov Osheroff
Moderator:
Mark White
Preview next week’s Free Speech and the Left conference
View this 5 minute preview of next week’s Free Speech and the Left conference
Our panelists discuss censorship, cancel culture, identity politics, the relevance of today’s left and other issues during the upcoming Free Speech and the Left conference.
The online event will take place June 17 to 24 and feature authors, academics, journalists and activists from a dozen countries. The conference will consist of pre-recorded presentations, panel discussions and livestream segments.
Participants include Nadine Strossen, Richard Wolff, Freddie deBoer, Noam Chomsky, Jill Stein, Susan Neiman, Tara Henley, Paul Jay, Jacob Mchangama, Norman Finkelstein, Wayne Hsiung, Katherine Corcoran, Ioan Grillo, Matthew Hoh, Lawrence Wilkerson and others…
Co-hosted by Plebity, India & Global Left, Redline, and acTVism Munich, the conference will be broadcast on Plebity’s YouTube channel.
The full list of panels and conference schedule can be found here: https://www.plebity.org/conference-2023-free-speech-and-the-left/.
Noam Chomsky on What Defines the Left and on the Principle of Free Speech
Panelists: Noam Chomsky
Moderator: Mark White
Description: Noam Chomsky offers his thoughts on what defines the left and on the enduring principle of free speech. Noam Chomsky is a longtime scholar, author, teacher, intellectual, activist and social critic.
Noam Chomsky is a longtime scholar, author, teacher, intellectual, activist and social critic.
recent ARTICLES
Identity Crisis Episode 6: Reacting to Woke Instagram
In this episode, we take a deep dive into woke instagram. We read and analyze posts from a popular account that "dissect[s] progressive politics and social issues in graphic slideshow form". We break down a number of neoliberal and pop political talking points about the paradox of tolerance, Karl Popper, pronouns, dysphoria, gender & sex, and free speech. We critique the "fast food" type of political diet that this instagram account represents.
We make the case for free speech, for the enduring value of the First Amendment, and talk about how anyone who is challenging the status quo is someone who needs speech rights to be protected.
We also touch on one particular area of public speech that we do consider harmful: rhetoric which implies that suicide will result from any particular action, event, or speech—or any form of suicide encouragement/suggestion in the media. We talk about ethical reporting guidelines around suicide and consider the role of this kind of rhetoric in the gender identity conversation.
Upper Hand Mars: Individuality over Ideology
Mars joins Sasha for a discussion about choosing individuality over ideology, different ways of talking about gender, teenagers with dysphoria, and the value of getting out of your box and interpreting issues with nuance.
Identity Crisis Episode 5: Have you lost friends for being gender critical?
In this episode, we discuss losing friends over politics, building resilient relationships, and give four tips on how to survive as a gender critical teen.
Separating Fact From Fiction in Gender and Sex: Zach Elliott
Zach Elliott is the founder of the Paradox Institute, a science education group presenting contemporary sex difference research in short animated videos. He researches and writes about human sex differences and the biology of sex, and plans to pursue a Master of Science in Biology.
Zach joins Sasha to talk about his book, Gender Paradox, the origin of his interest in learning about sexual dimorphism, and his view that we should consider both social and biological factors when analyzing the differences between the sexes.
Who Owns the Internet?
The democratizing potential of the Internet echoed across the world: it was seen as a true equalizer, a force for good, and one that looked the same everywhere irrespective of one’s geographical location -- it defied all territorial borders. This vision was hardly seen as radical or controversial. Quite the opposite, it was widely embraced among tech circles, even by the likes of Microsoft.
But that Golden Age of the Internet is long gone.
Identity Crisis Episode 4: Groupthink and Preference Falsification
In this episode, we discuss the phenomenon of groupthink in relation to the debate over sex and gender. Whether individuals adopt the groups' opinion out of fear, to avoid discomfort, or to fulfill social inclusion needs—the result can be that an unfounded idea takes hold.
Zach Elliott Dissects the ACLU’s Claims About Trans Athletes
Zach Elliott is the founder of the Paradox Institute, a science education group presenting contemporary sex difference research in short animated videos. He researches and writes about human sex differences and the biology of sex, and plans to pursue a Master of Science in Biology.
Zach joins Sasha to thoroughly dissect a recent tweet thread by the American Civil Liberties Union, “Four Myths About Trans People in School Sports: Debunked.” We read through each “myth” presented by the ACLU and tried to give as impartial and rational a critique as we could. Zach explains why the “facts” about biological sex in the thread are misleading or downright incorrect. We also discuss the recent legal cases surrounding girl’s high school track teams. Zach gives one proposal for how to solve the issue of transgender people and sports teams, and we muse on the circularity and vagueness of many of the ACLU’s points.
Sean P. McCarthy: r/WallStreetBets Should Scare the Elites
Sean P. McCarthy is a comedian and co-host of the Grubstakers podcast, which covers the lives and misdeeds of billionaires. Sean joins me to talk about GameStop, Wall Street, populist movements, and why this story about the stock market should matter to all of us.
Identity Crisis Episode 3: Facing Despair + Debate on Porn
This episode we set out to answer the question, "how do you deal with feelings of despair and hopelessness in this movement?" Part of what we wanted to convey is the importance of cordial disagreements and debate. Our conversation soon became a debate on one issue that we at least partially disagree on: pornography. We decided to lean in to this clash of ideas and see what would happen. This is the result!