Articles by Plebity

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 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 Osheeroff and Willy Maley - perspectives from the left

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

The why and what of our Free Speech and the Left virtual conference

The why and what of our Free Speech and the Left virtual conference

Conference

Free speech and the left conference 2023

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.

Wikipedia vs Pakistan: who won, blasphemy laws or free speech?

Wikipedia vs Pakistan: who won, blasphemy laws or free speech?

Blasphemy

Redacted. Creative Commons License - Jack Zalium

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? 

Will Wikipedia bow to Pakistan’s censorship laws?

Will Wikipedia bow to Pakistan’s censorship laws?

Blasphemy

Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia

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.

Interview with a robot

Interview with a robot

Article

Image generated by DALL·E 2 based on prompt - Interview of robot by human, Heironymous Bosch styePlebity: Hello, who are you?

AI: I am an AI created by OpenAI. How can I help you today?

Plebity: Could you explain the difference between the political right and left?

AI: The political right and political left are labels used to describe different ideologies. Generally speaking, the political right stands for traditional values and a focus on capitalism and conservative social policies, while the political left advocates for progressive policies and social justice.

Plebity: Why did you not mention class?

Hello, do you know the difference? The Raytheon, Goldman Sachs left is not the left.

Hello, do you know the difference? The Raytheon, Goldman Sachs left is not the left.

Chart

Left vs woke chart

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.

Redline, a voice in the wilderness for leftists who believe in free speech

Redline, a voice in the wilderness for leftists who believe in free speech

Redline - blog collective

In these times, leftists who espouse free speech are like wanderers in the wilderness. The political sands may be swirling so intensely that they are unable to see clearly, but the desert is actually filled with like-minded wanderers, each mistakenly thinking they are alone.

That is why it is all the more important to discover and support a site like Redline. Redline is a blog collective in New Zealand that combines original content with a carefully chosen selection of re-posted articles.

The content on Redline reinforces a consistent editorial line centered on class, worker rights and feminism, grounded in the materialism of the traditional left and on the principle of free speech.