Take Nobody’s Word For It: Sophie Watson
April 9, 2021

Sophie Watson joins me to chat about her experience at Cambridge University, where she is currently working on an undergraduate dissertation about surrogacy. (Sophie’s proposed dissertation topic was detransition, but her advisors told her they would not and could not oversee this project, deterring her from writing it). In November 2020, Sophie published a piece in Unherd called “Cambridge is censoring any dissent on trans issues” about the student campaign against Kevin Price, a porter at Clare College who resigned as Labour Councillor rather than agree with a motion that included the statement “transwomen are women.”

Sophie explains the details surrounding the Kevin Price story and her decision to speak up in his defense. We also talk about what made her realize that the gender identity narrative was faulty, and how she discovered radical feminism. She also talks about her blog, titled “Nullius in verba” which translates to “take nobody’s word for it”, and what that phrase means to her.

Sophie’s links:
Her Substack (please read her incredible first post!): https://nulliusinverba.substack.com/people/18362516-sophie-watson
Her article about Kevin Price: https://unherd.com/thepost/cambridge-is-censoring-any-dissent-on-trans-issues/
Her other articles in Unherd: https://unherd.com/author/sophie-watson/
Follow her on twitter: https://twitter.com/psycholophie
Her first blog post is also available to read on Plebity: https://www.plebity.org/conversations/nullius-in-verba-take-no-ones-word

Other links:
I mentioned the undergrad thesis that was cited in the infamous Atlantic article, “The Secret Internet of TERFs”. This is that thesis:
“A computational approach to analyzing and detecting trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) on Twitter exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) on Twitter” by Christina T. Lu of Dartmouth College:
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1164&context=senior_theses

Correction: I misremembered the history of an undergraduate university I attended. During the conversation with Sophie, I erroneously said that The New School was founded by professors who left Columbia University after refusing to sign a statement that they were not communists, as a part of the McCarthy Era. In fact, the professors left Columbia rather than sign a loyalty oath in 1917, taking a stand against U.S. entry into WWI.
In 1933, The New School established a program called the University in Exile, for European scholars who were fleeing the Nazis. You can read more about the school’s history here: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/how-did-the-new-school-come-to-be and here: https://www.newschool.edu/nssr/history/

Crossroads with Sasha White is an interview series about free speech, censorship, and gender identity ideology. New episodes every Friday!

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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

Cancel CultureConference 2023RaciscmFree speech and the left conference 2023
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

Conference 

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 and experiences of blacks and whites in the United States today. In that podcast, Sabrina expressed strong disagreement and mentioned an interest in talking directly with Norman about these issues. Today we bring them together as part of Plebity’s Conference.

Norman Finkelstein is a longtime author and scholar. His academic career has spanned many decades since his PhD from Princeton University in 1987. He has written numerous books, among them The Holocaust Industry, which generated significant controversy. Norman has written and spoken extensively on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Norman is a lifelong scholar and activist of the left. His latest book, I Will Burn That Bridge When I Get to It, is a critique of current day identity politics and can be purchased here:
https://www.sublationmedia.com/books/i'll-burn-that-bridge-when-i-get-to-it

Sabrina Salvati is the host of Sabby Sab's podcast and the co-host of Revolutionary Blackout Network. She is an activist and former educator. Sabrina writes on her substack https://sabbysabs.substack.com/ and provides leftist commentary and interviews on her youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/sabbysabs.

Jyotishman Mudiar is a co-founder of the YouTube podcast India & Global Left (IGL).

AcademiaFeaturedFree speechTransgender IdeologyMark White
The woke left is to left as ersatz coffee is to coffee

The woke left is to left as ersatz coffee is to coffee

Woke

1948 Nescafe advertisement

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.