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 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

Preview next week’s Free Speech and the Left conference

Preview next week’s Free Speech and the Left conference

Conference 

conference preview - 20 hours in five minutes

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

Noam Chomsky on What Defines the Left and on the Principle of Free Speech

Conference 

Noam Chomsky on what is 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

Canceled Women with M.K. Fain

Canceled Women with M.K. Fain

PODCAST

M.K. Fain 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!

A search and rescue experience in the apocalypse of California’s wildfires

A search and rescue experience in the apocalypse of California’s wildfires

ARTICLE

The North Complex Fire is still burning in Butte County, Northern California. It's one of the worst wildfires in California history and has ravaged a vast area, some 40 miles long and 20 miles wide. My two days there were a visit to a different planet. We were part of a K9 search and rescue team, sent to look for dead bodies. Our team consisted of 4 humans and 2 dogs, a German shepherd and a Malinois. We were part of a larger search and rescue operation that had teams from almost every county in Northern California, several hundred individuals. Each morning, we were sent out to our assignments after signing in, listening to a 7 am briefing and after checking out various pieces of equipment which included a radio, a gadget called a nano that would track our whereabouts all day and through which we could send an emergency signal if necessary, a can of red spray paint to mark areas that were searched and a complete K9 first aid, trauma kit.

Welcome to Gender Land with Helen Joyce

Welcome to Gender Land with Helen Joyce

PODCAST

Helen Joyce "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

Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close For Comfort

Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close For Comfort

ARTICLE

Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close For ComfortRight-Wing Populism in America: Too Close For Comfort by Chip Berlet and Matthew N. Lyons presents a thorough understanding of various manifestations of right wing populism in the United States. It traces the history of this socio-political movement from before the American Revolution until the year 2000. Berlet and Lyons go beyond caricatures to explore how right wing populism gains strength first by exploiting real economic, social, and political grievances, but then goes on to scapegoat perceived shadowy elitist puppet masters, typically Jewish bankers, ‘PC Police’, etc-- and perceived ‘parasites’ from below--welfare recipients of color, recent immigrants, etc. The authors show that right wing populism is often an alliance between disaffected members of the elite and the working and middle class. These movements tend to emphasize their shared “whiteness” and sense of victimhood in order to bond together.

Harriet Fraad on Feminism and Class

Harriet Fraad on Feminism and Class

PODCAST

Harriet Fraad 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.

In this episode of Crossroads Dr. Fraad speaks about the history of the feminist movement, capitalism, and how identity politics have hurt attempts at a unified social justice movement. We also discuss current events such as the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein, and the historic Bernie Sanders campaign.

Meghan Murphy on Feminism and Free Speech

Meghan Murphy on Feminism and Free Speech

PODCAST

Meghan Murphy 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.”

Strangers In Their Own Land by Arlie Hochschild

Strangers In Their Own Land by Arlie Hochschild

ARTICLE

Strangers in Their Own Land - bookcoverStrangers In Their Own Land by Arlie Hochschild is a must-read for anyone interested in going beyond conventional political analysis and exploring the “deep story” worldviews that shape thinking on both the left and right of the political spectrum. Hochschild describes “deep stories” as emotional images that shapes the essence of a person’s worldview, and this book was her attempt to understand the deep story that forms the ideology of the right wing. Hochschild is a UC Berkeley sociologist who spent five years in Louisiana in an attempt to break through the “empathy walls” that divide the political spectrum in the US. She worked to overcome her own biases as a member of the left-leaning political spectrum by forming human connections with conservatives in Louisiana, many of whom were Tea Party activists.

Is this the end? A conversation with Vincent Mignerot

Is this the end? A conversation with Vincent Mignerot

ARTICLE

The earth goes dark and cold.Vincent Mignerot is an independent researcher located in Lyon, France. He is founder of the organization Adrastia, dedicated to studying and spreading awareness about the collapse of the environment and human civilization. He is a frequent speaker in front of university audiences in France where his views on capitalism and human nature get him into hot water with some on the left. Whether you agree or disagree with some of Mignerot's arguments you will see that he is a careful, logical thinker who builds his arguments brick by brick. He compares what humans have done to the earth to a burned cake in the oven, which can never be reconstituted into its original ingredients. The damage is irreparable but there are ways we can prepare and adapt ourselves to what is coming.