Nadine Strossen: Conference Keynote
Nadine Strossen: Conference Keynote
Nadine Strossen reviews the history and importance of free speech as she welcomes participants and viewers of Plebity’s Free Speech and the Left conference. Nadine Strossen is past president of
Personal experiences and thoughts on identity politics, cancel culture and free speech
Personal experiences and thoughts on identity politics, cancel culture and free speech
Panelists: Amna Khalid, Jeff Snyder Moderator: Tara Henley Description: Tara Henley leads a discussion with Professors Amna Khalid and Jeff Snyder on their personal thoughts and experiences with identify politics,
Livestream with Plebity and Partners
Livestream with Plebity and Partners
Join the Plebity team and our partners for a discussion about the upcoming conference events, our expectations and the reasons we organized this conference.
Noam Chomsky on What Defines the Left and on the Principle of Free Speech
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
Why the Left should not abandon free speech
Why the Left should not abandon free speech
Speaker to be confirmed
Is the Left Still Relevant? With Professors Clara Mattei and Rick Wolff
Is the Left Still Relevant? With Professors Clara Mattei and Rick Wolff
Panelists: Clara Mattei, Rick Wolff Moderator: Daphna Whitmore Description: Economics professors Clara Matttei and Rick Wolff discuss the relevancy of the left in today’s context. Rick Wolff is Professor of
Race, Identity politics, and the Traditional Left with Norman Finkelstein and Sabrina Salvati
Race, Identity politics, and the Traditional Left with Norman Finkelstein and Sabrina Salvati
Panelists: Sabrina Salvati, Norman Finkelstein Moderator: Jyotishman Mudiar Description: Recently on her podcast, Sabrina reacted to comments Norman made, which in her view minimized the relative differences in the lives
Left is Not Woke author Susan Neiman in conversation with Freddie deBoer
Left is Not Woke author Susan Neiman in conversation with Freddie deBoer
Panelists: Susan Neiman Moderator: Freddie deBoer Description: Susan and Freddie discuss issues of racism, identity and U.S. politics and why today’s woke has veered so far from traditional principles that
Media ownership, censorship and hate speech laws – with Paul Jay and Freddie deBoer
Media ownership, censorship and hate speech laws – with Paul Jay and Freddie deBoer
Panelists: Paul Jay, Freddie deBoer Moderator: Jyotishman Mudiar of India & Global Left Description: A discussion about independent media and ownership, censorship, self-censorship in media AND a discussion about hate
Nadine Strossen on the History and Importance of Free Speech
Nadine Strossen on the History and Importance of Free Speech
Panelists: Nadine Strossen Moderator: Sasha White Description: Nadine Strossen, former president of the ACLU, responds to a range of questions regarding the historical and enduring importance of the principle of
Holocaust Denialism and the Limits of Free Speech with Norman Finkelstein and Daniel Ben-Ami
Holocaust Denialism and the Limits of Free Speech with Norman Finkelstein and Daniel Ben-Ami
Panelists: Daniel Ben-Ami, Norman Finkelstein Moderator: Sasha White Description: Norman Finkelstein and Daniel Ben-Ami exchange opinions about Holocaust denialism, hate speech laws and the boundaries of permissible speech. Daniel Ben-Ami
Cartels, Corruption and Investigative Reporting – with Ioan Grillo and Luis Chaparro
Cartels, Corruption and Investigative Reporting – with Ioan Grillo and Luis Chaparro
Description: Panelists: Ioan Grillo, Luis Chaparro Moderator: Sabrina Salvati Description: Independent journalists and authors discuss their investigations into the power of cartels and government collusion.
Ukraine, Empire, and Forever Wars with Jill Stein and Dimitri Lascaris
Ukraine, Empire, and Forever Wars with Jill Stein and Dimitri Lascaris
Panelists: Jill Stein, Dimitri Lascaris Moderator: Zain Raza Description: Jill Stein and Dimitri Lascaris discuss the war in Ukraine, American Empire and forever wars and today’s Left.
The Left Needs Alliances and Class Solidarity not Cancel Culture – with Jay Lesoleil and Clementine Morrigan
The Left Needs Alliances and Class Solidarity not Cancel Culture – with Jay Lesoleil and Clementine Morrigan
Panelists: Jay Lesoleil and Clementine Morrigan Moderator: Scott Costen Description: Critiquing today’s identity politics and working towards a leftist vision of a society based on solidarity rather than authoritarianism.
Anti-fascism: Descendants of Spanish Civil War Veterans Compare Their fathers’ Left to Current Identity Politics, Language Policing and Social Activism
Anti-fascism: Descendants of Spanish Civil War Veterans Compare Their fathers’ Left to Current Identity Politics, Language Policing and Social Activism
Panelists: Janette Higgins, Dov Osheroff Moderator: Willy Maley Description: Three descendants of Spanish Civil War veterans sit down to talk about their fathers, their working class backgrounds their growing political
Ukraine, Empire, and Forever Wars with Matt Hoh, Col. Larry Wilkerson
Ukraine, Empire, and Forever Wars with Matt Hoh, Col. Larry Wilkerson
Panelists: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Matthew Hoh Moderator: Sasha White Description: Discussion about the war in Ukraine and the power and influence of censorship and propaganda
Reflections on Covid: One of the Most Elaborate Propaganda Campaigns in Modern History?
Reflections on Covid: One of the Most Elaborate Propaganda Campaigns in Modern History?
Panelists: Max Blumenthal, Christian Parenti Moderator: Rozali Telbis Description: An exploration of the Covid propaganda from March 2020 to the present day; how the official Covid Narrative is unraveling (or
Animal Rights with Wayne Hsiung and Dušan Pajović
Animal Rights with Wayne Hsiung and Dušan Pajović
Panelists: Wayne Hsiung, Dušan Pajović Moderator: Rozali Telbis Description: Discussion about animal rights activism and how animal rights are a free speech issue as well as a core concern for
Transgender ideology and free speech – Stella O’Malley, Arty Morty
Transgender ideology and free speech – Stella O’Malley, Arty Morty
Panelists: Stella O’Malley, Arty Morty Moderator: Sasha White Description: Stella and Arty discuss the difficulties of speaking up and being heard on the topic of transgender ideology. Stella O’Malley is
Religion and Free Speech
Religion and Free Speech
Speakers to be determined
Livestream with Plebity and Partners
Livestream with Plebity and Partners
Join us live as Plebity and Partners wrap up the conference – what went right, what could be be better and our expectations for what comes next.
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
The woke left is to left as ersatz coffee is to coffee
One of the hallmarks of today’s woke left is to conflate speech with violence. Fearful of the ‘harm’ that might be experienced from hearing certain words, the woke left has become widely confused about the issue of free speech in general and between speech and literal, physical violence.
In New Zealand this week, Posie Parker was assaulted as she tried to speak–a mob surrounded her and forced her off the stage and ultimately out of the country. The group that prevented her from speaking has taken to social media to declare a great victory.
Daughter of Spanish Civil War veteran speaks out about identity politics
“I couldn’t be myself,” or words to that effect: It was written in pencil on a piece of scrap foolscap I found amongst my father‘s papers after he died in 1982. He wrote that sentiment in 1977 when he was working on his memoir. My father’s name was Jim Higgins, and his book is called Fighting for Democracy: a Canadian Activist in Spain’s Civil War. It was not published until 2020.
Hello, do you know the difference? The Raytheon, Goldman Sachs left is not the left.
Dear Liberals or Conservatives,
When you say left, you probably aren’t actually talking about the left. Find another name. Or at least understand the difference between the woke left and the traditional left which although largely silenced does still exist.
Here is a crude guide for liberals and conservatives who want to know the difference. See the chart.
recent ARTICLES
Canada’s censorship bill becomes law
After years of contentious debates, Bill C-11, Canada’s Online Streaming Act has become law.
As we’ve written here (Senate Passes Controversial Internet Censorship Bill) and here (Canada’s Plans to Regulate the Internet), this bill poses many dangers for Canadian users and creators alike.
The woke left is to left as ersatz coffee is to coffee
One of the hallmarks of today’s woke left is to conflate speech with violence. Fearful of the ‘harm’ that might be experienced from hearing certain words, the woke left has become widely confused about the issue of free speech in general and between speech and literal, physical violence.
In New Zealand this week, Posie Parker was assaulted as she tried to speak–a mob surrounded her and forced her off the stage and ultimately out of the country. The group that prevented her from speaking has taken to social media to declare a great victory.
The why and what of our Free Speech and the Left virtual conference
Momentum is building for our Free Speech and the Left virtual conference scheduled for June, 2023.
The conference participants include some of today’s most interesting voices, coming together to discuss the most divisive issues of the day.
We’re in active collaboration with the New Zealand site Redline, India & the Global Left and acTVism Munich.
What is the left?
Panelists will consider whether leftist thought offers relevant and useful ways of thinking about capitalism and exploitation, empire and forever wars, cancel culture and identity politics, environmental destruction and degrowth, social justice and universalism, animal rights and morality, and of course free speech.
Daughter of Spanish Civil War veteran speaks out about identity politics
“I couldn’t be myself,” or words to that effect: It was written in pencil on a piece of scrap foolscap I found amongst my father‘s papers after he died in 1982. He wrote that sentiment in 1977 when he was working on his memoir. My father’s name was Jim Higgins, and his book is called Fighting for Democracy: a Canadian Activist in Spain’s Civil War. It was not published until 2020.
How Rhetoric Shapes the Animal Rights Movement
Open dialogue is an important tool for moving discourse forward and gaining a better understanding of the issues we face in our time. In the spirit of open dialogue, the following is my response to the essay Animal Rights and the Challenge of Activism.
In the essay, the author describes the different tactics used by animal rights activists to persuade non-vegans. She emphasizes the importance of free speech, open inquiry, and debate, in particular the importance of non-vegans’ ability to challenge vegans. But in doing so, she also unwittingly exposes how her own rhetoric might influence people in such a way that might undermine the animal rights movement. My response isn’t an attempt at a ‘take-down’ of the author, but instead it is a way to show how important language is in animal rights activism and how even those of us with the best intentions can fall into these traps.
Wikipedia vs Pakistan: who won, blasphemy laws or free speech?
We recently wrote about Pakistan's 48 hour ultimatum to Wikipedia–either remove certain ‘sacrilegious’, i.e. blasphemous content, or be blocked in Pakistan.
In fact, after the 48 hours were up, Wikipedia was blocked throughout the country. The ban was short-lived. Access was restored after a three day suspension.
Who won, blasphemy laws or free speech?
Update: Senate Passes Controversial Internet Censorship Bill
On February 2, 2023, the Senate passed Bill C-11, also known as the Online Streaming Act, with 43 senators voting ‘yea,’ and 15 voting ‘nay.’
The Senate proposed dozens of amendments to the bill, including highlighting the promotion of Indigenous languages and Black content creators; proposing an age verification system to restrict access to certain content; requiring the CRTC to be more flexible on determining what is deemed ‘Canadian enough’; and requiring the CRTC to focus on commercial content only.
Will Wikipedia bow to Pakistan’s censorship laws?
Last Wednesday the Pakistani government issued an ultimatum threatening to shut down the online crowd-sourced encyclopedia Wikipedia. The Pakistani authorities gave Wikipedia 48 hours to remove certain content they deemed to be ‘sacrilegious’ or blasphemous.
The forty eight hours had passed by Friday evening, and Saturday it was announced that Wikipedia had been banned in Pakistan.
Universities that punish reading–even of books from their own libraries
In the abstract, people mostly agree that book banning is a bad thing. The Nazis did us the favor of being very clear about it and literally burning books, but there are rarely cases that are so unambiguously wrong.
In our current culture, it is more common that reading certain books may be punished rather than the books themselves being outright banned. This more subtle form of social control encourages one of the most insidious threats to freedom–the tendency in all of us to self-censor what we read, think and say.