click to subscribeGoing Against the Grain: an interview with a teenage critical thinker
This episode is special because we hear from a teenager who goes against the grain, who is a true independent thinker. Amy describes the culture of her some of her peers as one of silencing and thought-policing:
“People would be messaging you privately like ‘this kind of sounds sketchy,’ so maybe you should not say that, otherwise you’ll get in trouble. I was like, who is going to get me in trouble? It’s that kind of conversation where you have to watch yourself because if you’re not watching, then someone else is.” -Amy, @crimeofcupid
Mary Kate (M. K.) is a feminist writer, activist, and engineer. She is the Founder and Editor in Chief of 4W and the Co-founder of Spinster.xyz. M.K. joined me to compare our experiences of being fired after expressing our gender critical views. We also discussed censorship, radical feminism versus liberal feminism, the left’s problem with class and free speech, and more! 
“They are trying to redefine us out of existence and that does make me rather angry. And they’re denying that they do it. So I am just going to keep repeating myself that this isn’t ok. And if they hear that as aggression, which they seem to, well that’s their problem not my problem. I will remain non-aggressive but just saying ‘no.’ No is a complete sentence.” -Helen Joyce
Harriet Fraad, a Mental Health Counselor and Hypnotherapist, joins us to discuss feminism and class. Dr. Fraad writes articles and has a podcast on the intersection of politics, economics, and personal life. Her podcast, Capitalism Hits Home, is produced by Democracy at Work.
It’s Women’s History Month. But flags flying the definition of the word woman (“noun / adult human female”) for International Women’s Day were removed with an apology from town council buildings in Sefton, England after accusations that the flags represent hatred against transgender people. In December, when a woman named Maya Forstater was fired for tweeting that sex is based on biology and not internal identity, an employment tribunal judge said that her speech is not “worthy of respect in a democratic society.”
Investigative journalist Ryan Devereaux joins us for a discussion on the politics of the border frontier. Ryan has reported for the Intercept on the U.S.-Mexico border for the past several years. In this episode, Ryan speaks about the intersections between increasing militarization and climate change, and outlines some of the human and ecological atrocities taking place in the border zone.
Julian Guerrero is an independent journalist who has written for Socialist Worker and Jacobin Magazine. He is also a socialist organizer and activist. In this episode, Julian discusses his own podcast, Working Class Heroes, and I ask him about his thoughts on independent journalism and socialism in today’s climate.
Sarah Russo was formerly vice chair of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), and an intern at Legal Momentum (formerly known as the NOW legal defense fund). She currently studies at Hunter College in New York. In the first episode of Crossroads, Sarah lays out some history of gender equality law in the U.S. and we consider how the legal system has been an arm of patriarchal oppression.