A podcast discussing, culture/'Culture Wars', religion, politics, sexuality...from a progressive, ex-muslim perspective.
Sep 30, 2024
Joining me for this episode is Adi Callai, of the Rev & Reve Youtube channel - With an unusual perspective for someone who grew up in Israel. Adi researches counterinsurgency and military philosophy …& recently put out quite a radical, remarkable, well-researched video titled, ‘The Gaza Ghetto Uprising’.
In this part of the conversation we talk about topics such as; atrocity propaganda, the weaponization of identity for colonial purposes, pinkwashing, Refaat Al-Areer, the inversion of narratives (like Israel accusing Palestinians of using human shields while using human shields themselves). All this and more.
If u enjoy the show pls consider supporting via patreon.com/nicemangos
———
Links:
The Gaza Ghetto Uprising: https://youtu.be/Pt_1k7nSv1M?si=R0nIvAdNXkQxPBPZ
Antisemitism, Weaponized: https://youtu.be/5MVIh6Rnzog?si=k7A6aJ02r_AKn-22
Hen Mazzig admits he was a paid contractor for the government of Israel:https://forward.com/israel/412206/did-this-pro-israel-superstar-work-as-a-secret-agent-on-college-campuses/
Smotrich self-IDs as a fascist homophobe: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-01-16/ty-article/.premium/israels-far-right-finance-minister-im-a-fascist-homophobe-but-i-wont-stone-gays/00000185-b921-de59-a98f-ff7f47c70000
NY Times “investigation” of mass r*pe by Hamas falls apart https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/watch-ny-times-investigation-mass-rape-hamas-falls-apart
Israeli media has debunked the ultra-Orthodox group Zaka's gruesome October 7 atrocity stories, but the American press won't do it. https://theintercept.com/2024/02/27/zaka-october-7-israel-hamas-new-york-times/
New York Times Exposé Lacks Evidence to Claim Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence Oct. 7 https://www.democracynow.org/2024/3/1/nyt_anat_schwartz
An investigation into a New York Times story is causing internal chaos at the company https://www.npr.org/2024/03/03/1235606433/an-investigation-into-a-new-york-times-story-is-causing-internal-chaos-at-the-co
The unravelling of the New York Times 'Hamas r*pe' story https://www.aljazeera.com/program/the-listening-post/2024/3/2/the-unraveling-of-the-new-york-times-hamas-rape-story
The New York Times pulled a high-profile episode of its podcast “The Daily” about sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 amid a furious internal debate about the strength of it’s original reporting https://theintercept.com/2024/01/28/new-york-times-daily-podcast-camera/
Israeli soldiers are using Palestinian civilians as human shields in Gaza to enter and clear tunnels and buildings they suspect may have been booby-trapped, a leading Israeli NGO and newspaper have reported. https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/14/israeli-forces-in-gaza-use-civilians-as-human-shields-against-possible-booby-traps
Israeli protesters rally for 'the right to r*pe' prisoners https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/8/13/israeli-protesters-rally-for-the-right-to-rape-prisoners
00:58:54
Sep 23, 2024
⚠️ Content Warning: discussion of Israel's assault on Gaza
Hey folks,
Here’s some of what I’ve been feeling lately. I will need to make some changes.
If you enjoy the show, pls consider leaving a review and/or supporting via patreon.com/nicemangos
[If you’re already a patron of the show this won’t affect you. But just so you know where I’m at.]
As always, I’m super thankful to all the wonderful patrons of this show who make this work possible. It’s truly a privilege to have your support.
00:32:16
Sep 13, 2024
Joining me for this fun-filled episode of The Aftershow is Entomologist *and* Jordan Peterson/Muppet impressionist, Peter.
We discussed a wide range of fascinating topics - from tabletop games & ‘nerd culture’ to air travel with octopuses, Jordan Peterson, The Muppets, Sam Harris, merge-gate, the recent multi-part episode on race ‘science’ & a whole lot more!
Access the full episode/series by becoming a patron today via patreon.com/nicemangos
Links:
Original Salon Article that caused the merge-gate outrage https://www.salon.com/2021/06/05/how-the-new-atheists-merged-with-the-far-right-a-story-of-intellectual-grift-and-abject-surrender/
My first episode responding to those who were defending ‘New Atheism’ during merge-gate
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6IQdcBSI6ShQuH5S6sYmi2?si=Inb2aotYSK221JCuZY72_w
2 Part Panel on merge-gate situation:
Defending New Atheism, Maybe Just Don’t (pt 1) https://open.spotify.com/episode/6FesH5ZincC0rUfKtYPkad?si=L4Nxbg5iTxyLKSKTTajQiA
Defending New Atheism, Maybe Just Don’t (pt 2) https://open.spotify.com/episode/2XIxGXj3IN8iLhU9xa0SPd?si=zlyJK1ztShqBH75WLk331w
Twitter thread explaining the timeline of the merge-gate situation: https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1406646731933167619?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Polite Conversations episodes ft. Michael Brooks:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3PIDupohwYl7gzOdzXDHE4?si=pOIufMaSTu2iGr3chQp4yQ
Review of Rubin’s Book https://open.spotify.com/episode/6sduCNViMS0uZLeVayYPj7?si=fhjtM6FNTyq0-Gn23sqR_g
Recent Polite Conversations race ‘science’ episodes
Pt 1: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1r8AfX2Z15mkgDBr8Q0e8g?si=2wIGL3vxReyzry7vz6-0yA
Pt 2: https://open.spotify.com/episode/12HQ6bzV3iB0dhGwkgRQ3v?si=AHek0UOLROK6G1vhKJmpGg
Pt 3: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ZRzUS4RBy3qq3zo9Enaly?si=3srh-vtBR72-c_DTvyUp7A
00:25:16
Sep 05, 2024
In this part of the panel we discuss several online movements adjacent to race ‘science’ - Pronatalism, the tech right, Effective Altruism, etc.
Present-day eugenicist Diana Fleischman trying to define eugenics as broadly as possible https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1385264417869283329?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
My Ex-Mus to TradFash Pipeline series that I mentioned (patreon exclusive)
Pt 1- https://www.patreon.com/posts/ex-mus-to-pt-1-106445369?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
Pt 2- https://www.patreon.com/posts/ex-mus-to-pt-2-106501752?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
Pt 3- https://www.patreon.com/posts/ex-mus-to-pt-3-106529773?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
Rightwing Ex Muslim Sarah Haider tries to reassure her right/far-right audience that she supports white people having lots of babies https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1765759777848664346?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
On Effective Altruism: Fraud, Lies, Exploitation and Eugenic Fantasies https://www.truthdig.com/articles/effective-altruism-is-a-welter-of-fraud-lies-exploitation-and-eugenic-fantasies/
America’s premier pronatalists on having ‘tons of kids’ to save the world https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/may/25/american-pronatalists-malcolm-and-simone-collins
The articles Kevin mentioned near the end: https://www.science.org/content/article/it-s-toxic-place-how-online-world-white-nationalists-distorts-population-genetics
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03252-z
00:48:18
Aug 29, 2024
My guests for this episode include science ‘influencer’ Mr. @Evopsychgoogle, evolutionary biologist Kevin Bird @thebirdmaniac on Twitter and anthropologist Cathryn Townsend @cathryntownsend
On this part of the panel we discuss the panelists’ recent article in Stat News (linked below), on how this type of junk science continues to be legitimized to this day, despite glaring errors in the data.
We discuss self-described ‘scientific racist’ Richard Lynn as well as E.O. Wilson, Steven Pinker, Sam Harris, Charles Murray and their contributions to race ‘science’. We also talk more broadly about how the Intellectual Dark Web has played a major role in reviving it in recent years.
Links:
The Panelists’ article that we discussed in the beginning of the episode:
Journals that published Richard Lynn’s racist ‘research’ articles should retract them https://www.statnews.com/2024/06/20/richard-lynn-racist-research-articles-journals-retractions/
My previous episodes with Mr. @evopsychgoogle:
Pt 1 - https://open.spotify.com/episode/4jSFhcmT6xNJ4JOwbEkscE?si=JnGZZ36GTNSVYKr0dYz4Fg
Pt 2 - https://open.spotify.com/episode/5gvuP3xLyqKSpJgTjf43A3?si=AenT06jVTuGNc-pd6W4BtA
My Miniseries on Sam Harris ‘Woking Up’ https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1caIpbHnvDjKu0Ph4DA0Nb?si=DxI59yjtRjuDV7rQSv9cEw&pi=u-kmAFEyuTRNiJ
If you’d like to support the show pls subscribe to the YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@politeconversationspodcast
——
Other Related articles:
Quinn Slobodian article about the Pioneer Fund and The Bell Curve: https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-white-man-unburdened-slobodian-schrader
The Tainted Sources of The Bell Curve: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1994/12/01/the-tainted-sources-of-the-bell-curve/
Free book by William Tucker on The Bell Curve: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-41614-9
Primary research articles debunking Lynn:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S104160801000035X?via%3Dihub
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1041608009001071?via%3Dihub
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886909003675?via%3Dihub
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289609001470?via%3Dihub
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289609000634?via%3Dihub
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886909002475?via%3Dihub
https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/tzr8c
https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/26vfb
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1041608024000141?via%3Dihub
01:33:23
Aug 23, 2024
Here’s the first part of my 3-part discussion on race ‘science’.
In this part I talk about my own observations of the slimy tactics and talking points the IDW/Heterodox race ‘science’ fans tend to use.
It’s a journey through some of the wildest IDW race ‘science’ clips I could find - From Molyneux and Rubin discussing brain size & race to Sam Harris platforming and defending Charles Murray.
The next 2 parts will be a panel featuring various scientists/academics. Including returning guest, Mr. @Evopsychgoogle from Twitter.
Consider this episode a primer for the panel discussion.
All parts are available early via patreon.com/nicemangos
If you enjoy the show please consider supporting via patreon and access all episodes before they are released.
00:34:22
Aug 07, 2024
Here’s a recording of the Twitter Space from Friday Aug 2nd, ICYMI.
Joining me on this Space was political writer/podcaster (and former rightwinger) Matthew Sheffield.
As always, please note, Twitter Spaces are live events, and unfortunately the sound is never as good as the usual podcast audio, since u can only functionally use Spaces on the mobile app.
If you enjoy the show pls consider supporting via patreon.com/nicemangos and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
——
If the *bad* kind of weirdness was an Olympic sport, it would be hard to pick a winner. There are so many unhinged rightwing takes to choose from.
We discussed a whole lot on this Space - Seems like years worth of stuff, but it really just covers the past couple of weeks; The assassination attempt on Trump, the weird culty prop bandages, JD Vance, couches & dolphins, Biden stepping down & endorsing Kamala (this was recorded pre Walz being picked, so that isn’t mentioned), the weird rightwing meltdowns about Kamala being both of Indian heritage and being black….the rightwing outrage about the Olympics, JK Rowling and others plunging to new levels of transphobic madness, the Olympics allowing genocidal war criminals to participate - all that and more, right here.
Links:
Police warned Secret Service of a suspicious person at Trump rally before gunman opened fire, source says https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/-police-warned-secret-service-suspicious-person-trump-rally-shooting-rcna161933
Diapers for Trump: https://news.sky.com/story/donald-trump-supporters-wear-nappies-13129050
Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA wearing diapers https://www.salon.com/2018/03/25/how-a-diaper-protest-led-to-the-implosion-of-a-conservative-student-group/
Rowling’ s horrendous tweet about Imane Khelif which is still up at the time of this writing https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1819488996356964754?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Khelif’s opponent apologizes https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/articles/c2j3jg51rg4o
Loomer goes full birther about Kamala https://x.com/eyesontheright/status/1819240726003106181?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Loomer calls Kamala a ‘brain dead bimbo’ : https://x.com/eyesontheright/status/1815958476721369094?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Paris Olympics organisers apologise to Christians for unintentional Last Supper parody https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/28/paris-olympics-organisers-apologise-to-christians-for-last-supper-parody
Before Going MAGA, J.D. Vance Reportedly Brought Baked Goods to His Trans Friend: A former Yale classmate says Trump’s VP pick brought them treats while they recovered from top surgery. https://www.them.us/story/jd-vance-trans-friend-law-school-baked-goods-conservative-turn
Vance searching for woman + dolphin https://x.com/atrupar/status/1816849447407456694?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
01:46:01
Jul 30, 2024
SAMPLE: I had a fun chat with Patron of the show, Mugsy. A fellow Canadian, who has an interesting history as a former funeral director. We talk a little about that, about progressive Christianity, his impression of Sam Harris, other recent episodes of Polite conversations, rightwing tokenism, racism in Canada, centrism & more!
Access the full episode/series by becoming a patron today! www.patreon.com/nicemangos
00:20:46
Jul 24, 2024
Linguist, noted ‘Pinkerologist’ and friend of the show Dr. Caitlin Green (@Caitlinmoriah) joins me to analyze and discuss the Extremely Rational thoughts of one Steven Pinker.
In pt 2 we discuss Pinker’s constant downplaying of r*pe statistics and the inadequate, cherry-picked sources he uses to support his flawed arguments.
——
If you have experienced sexual assault or violence here are some helpful resources:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safe-campuses-bc/what-is-consent
https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/health/services/promotion/sexual-health-sex-101-sexual-assault-dating-violence-learn-more-alcohol-other-drugs-learn-more
Brown University: Yes, it is possible to establish consent if you and/or your partner(s) have been drinking or using other drugs. Consent cannot be obtained through the use of coercion or force or by taking advantage of the incapacitation of another individual. If anyone is incapacitated for any reason, they cannot give consent.
If someone has been using alcohol or other drugs and you are thinking about having any kind of sexual interaction with them, it is your responsibility to check in, ask, and make sure they consent to what is going on. Being intoxicated yourself does not absolve you of the responsibility of obtaining consent. If you are unsure whether you can establish consent, don’t have sex.
https://endingviolencecanada.org/sexual-assault-centres-crisis-lines-and-support-services/
https://www.wannatalkaboutit.com/ca/sexual-violence/
https://www.rainn.org/international-sexual-assault-resources
——
Links:
Great thread by Kate Manne which came up in the episode https://x.com/kate_manne/status/1149902823200632833?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Detailed thread on Pinker’s discussion on R*pe in Better Angels of our Nature https://x.com/magi_jay/status/972958282125062144?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw!
If you enjoy the show pls consider supporting via patreon.com/nicemangos
01:00:28
Jul 19, 2024
This is a public SAMPLE of an upcoming episode. Please subscribe via patreon.com to hear the full episode. Part 2 is available via Patreon.com/nicemangos
——-
Linguist, noted ‘Pinkerologist’ and friend of the show Dr. Caitlin Green (@Caitlinmoriah) joins me to analyze and discuss the Extremely Rational thoughts of one Steven Pinker.
In pt 2 we discuss Pinker’s constant downplaying of r*pe statistics and the inadequate, cherry-picked sources he uses to support his flawed arguments.
——
If you have experienced sexual assault or violence here are some helpful resources: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safe-campuses-bc/what-is-consent
https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/health/services/promotion/sexual-health-sex-101-sexual-assault-dating-violence-learn-more-alcohol-other-drugs-learn-more
Brown University: Yes, it is possible to establish consent if you and/or your partner(s) have been drinking or using other drugs. Consent cannot be obtained through the use of coercion or force or by taking advantage of the incapacitation of another individual. If anyone is incapacitated for any reason, they cannot give consent.
If someone has been using alcohol or other drugs and you are thinking about having any kind of sexual interaction with them, it is your responsibility to check in, ask, and make sure they consent to what is going on. Being intoxicated yourself does not absolve you of the responsibility of obtaining consent. If you are unsure whether you can establish consent, don’t have sex.
https://endingviolencecanada.org/sexual-assault-centres-crisis-lines-and-support-services/
https://www.wannatalkaboutit.com/ca/sexual-violence/
https://www.rainn.org/international-sexual-assault-resources
——
Links:
Great thread by Kate Manne which came up in the episode https://x.com/kate_manne/status/1149902823200632833?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Detailed thread on Pinker’s discussion on R*pe in Better Angels of our Nature https://x.com/magi_jay/status/972958282125062144?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw!
00:12:20
Jul 15, 2024
Linguist, noted ‘Pinkerologist’ and friend of the show Dr. Caitlin Green joins me to analyze and discuss the Extremely Rational thoughts of one Steven Pinker.
In part 1 we discuss hats, gloves, rationality, hypocrisy, Pinker’s special brand of ‘positivity P 0rn’ and more!
Links:
Steven Pinker's aid in Jeffrey Epstein's legal defense renews criticism of an increasingly divisive public intellectual.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/07/17/steven-pinkers-aid-jeffrey-epsteins-legal-defense-renews-criticism-increasingly
A thread on the ironically named organization FAIR (Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism) - a who’s who of some of the most intolerant and racist rightwing hacks around https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1367585945160146947?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
The Harvard Crimson:
Pinker is often willing to defend his colleagues — even when it attracts controversy. In 2012, the University of Miami philosopher Colin McGinn was accused of sexual harassment by a graduate student. When the matter became public, Pinker wrote in an open letter that McGinn was a “brilliant and distinguished scholar” and that if the University of Miami pursued disciplinary action against McGinn for “exchanging sexual banter with a graduate student,” it would “put a chill on communication between faculty and graduate students and on the openness and informality on which scholarship depends.”
In our conversation, Pinker often brings up “The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature,” which, even two decades after its release, illustrates core aspects of his thinking today.
The book argues that our individual behaviors — our intelligence, our sociability, our tendencies toward violence — are rooted in our genes, not just the environment in which we are raised.
“.. in 2006 Pinker published a favorable review of a scientific paper which argued that Ashkenazi Jews may have evolved to have higher IQs than other racial and ethnic groups.”
One of the first academics to be canceled, Pinker says, was E. O. Wilson. Wilson was a biologist and professor of evolutionary biology at Harvard. Today, he is known for two things: his award-winning work on biodiversity and his public branding as a racist.
In 1975, Wilson published a book called “Sociobiology: The New Synthesis,” which argues that behaviors result from genes — “very much in the strain of work that I wrote about on human nature,” Pinker says — and stepped into a debate about scientific racism. In his book, Wilson writes that there should be a “discipline of anthropological genetics” to explore whether cultural differences are biological.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/10/27/steven-pinker-scrut/
Pinker currently serves on the E. O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation’s board of advisers
https://eowilsonfoundation.org/about-us/our-team/
Screenshot, Pinker upset at anti-scientism and historians ‘historicizing’
https://x.com/mccormick_ted/status/1182645627169263616?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Pinker smears anti-genocide students as ‘Pro-Hamas’
https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1810472709580570796?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Pinker’s video about how ‘Political Correctness is redpilling America’
https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1138497096569540609?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Pinker Publishes response about associations with Epstein on Jerry Coyne’s blog which has also done the Just Asking Questions routine about whether convicted child r*pist Jerry Sandusky was truly guilty or not. https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1150216005114912769?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
——
Pls subscribe via patreon.com/nicemangos to support the show
Pt 2 available early to patrons
01:17:33
Jul 12, 2024
*This is a public sample of an upcoming episode. Please subscribe via patreon.com to hear the full episode. Part 2 is available via the Premium tiers on Patreon.*
——
Linguist, noted ‘Pinkerologist’ and friend of the show Dr. Caitlin Green joins me to analyze and discuss the Extremely Rational thoughts of one Steven Pinker.
In part 1 we discuss hats, gloves, rationality, hypocrisy, Pinker’s special brand of ‘positivity P 0rn’ and more!
——
Links:
Steven Pinker's aid in Jeffrey Epstein's legal defense renews criticism of an increasingly divisive public intellectual.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/07/17/steven-pinkers-aid-jeffrey-epsteins-legal-defense-renews-criticism-increasingly
A thread on the ironically named organization FAIR (Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism) - a who’s who of some of the most intolerant and racist rightwing hacks around https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1367585945160146947?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
The Harvard Crimson:
Pinker is often willing to defend his colleagues — even when it attracts controversy. In 2012, the University of Miami philosopher Colin McGinn was accused of sexual harassment by a graduate student. When the matter became public, Pinker wrote in an open letter that McGinn was a “brilliant and distinguished scholar” and that if the University of Miami pursued disciplinary action against McGinn for “exchanging sexual banter with a graduate student,” it would “put a chill on communication between faculty and graduate students and on the openness and informality on which scholarship depends.”
In our conversation, Pinker often brings up “The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature,” which, even two decades after its release, illustrates core aspects of his thinking today.
The book argues that our individual behaviors — our intelligence, our sociability, our tendencies toward violence — are rooted in our genes, not just the environment in which we are raised.
“.. in 2006 Pinker published a favorable review of a scientific paper which argued that Ashkenazi Jews may have evolved to have higher IQs than other racial and ethnic groups.”
One of the first academics to be canceled, Pinker says, was E. O. Wilson. Wilson was a biologist and professor of evolutionary biology at Harvard. Today, he is known for two things: his award-winning work on biodiversity and his public branding as a racist.
In 1975, Wilson published a book called “Sociobiology: The New Synthesis,” which argues that behaviors result from genes — “very much in the strain of work that I wrote about on human nature,” Pinker says — and stepped into a debate about scientific racism. In his book, Wilson writes that there should be a “discipline of anthropological genetics” to explore whether cultural differences are biological.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/10/27/steven-pinker-scrut/
Pinker currently serves on the E. O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation’s board of advisers
https://eowilsonfoundation.org/about-us/our-team/
Screenshot, Pinker upset at anti-scientism and historians ‘historicizing’
https://x.com/mccormick_ted/status/1182645627169263616?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Pinker smears anti-genocide students as ‘Pro-Hamas’
https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1810472709580570796?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Pinker’s video about how ‘Political Correctness is redpilling America’
https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1138497096569540609?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Pinker Publishes response about associations with Epstein on Jerry Coyne’s blog which has also done the Just Asking Questions routine about whether convicted child r*pist Jerry Sandusky was truly guilty or not. https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1150216005114912769?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
00:20:37
Jun 25, 2024
I’m writing a series over on my patreon…on something thats pretty personal to me - the Ex-Mus to TradFash pipeline. It’s a path I’ve seen too many go down and completely descend into blatant far right f*ckery.
I’ve dedicated a fair bit of time this month to unpacking this phenomenon more broadly and to documenting the far right trajectory of one Ex-Muslim in particular, previously thought to be one of the better, more moderate ones by many who had followed the new atheist and Ex-Muslim scenes.
If you are interested in learning more about this particular form of radicalization, do check out the series on my patreon.
Parts 1 & 2 are up for all Patrons, Part 3 (the wildest ride of the series) coming soon.
***
Find part 1 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/106445369
Find Part 2 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/106501752
Once you’re a Patron you can also check out other Patreon Exclusive posts like “Black History Month with Sam Harris: https://www.patreon.com/posts/black-history-98603534?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
00:15:57
Jun 18, 2024
Researcher (from Political Research Associates) & co-author of Safety through Solidarity, Ben Lorber (@BenLorber8 on Twitter) Joins me for a conversation about the far right in both Israel and more broadly, the Jewish far right.
We discuss far-right Israeli ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich, the rhetoric we are seeing coming from so many Israeli officials, extremist anti-miscegenation groups like Lehava, and American-Israeli extremist rabbi Meir Kahane. We also discuss the ADL and the demonization of solidarity protests and encampments, as well as the concerning new pipelines for liberals to make common cause with the right on the topic of Israel. Christian Zionists, tokenization, and more, right here on episode 4 of The Global Far Right.
If you enjoy the show pls consider supporting via patreon.com/nicemangos
Thanks to Premium Patrons for making this miniseries possible!
——
Links:
Find Ben’s book, co-authored with Shane Burley, ‘Safety Through Solidarity’ here https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741043/safety-through-solidarity-by-shane-burley/
Ben’s article on Bronze Age Zionists https://x.com/benlorber8/status/1757871425925333192?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Ben’s thread on ADL’s inconsistent methodology for their antisemitism audit
https://x.com/benlorber8/status/1780623385971540469?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
CNN clip on tokenization that came up in our chat https://x.com/abbydphillip/status/1785147804668616941?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Jonathan Greenblatt of the ADL saying “we are not the Jews of trembling knees” https://x.com/benlorber8/status/1787536049465413921?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Greenblatt referring to students, including Jewish groups, as ‘Iranian proxies’ https://www.thedailybeast.com/cair-calls-on-msnbc-to-ban-adl-boss-over-iranian-proxies-remark
The Atlantic: The Golden Age of American Jews is Ending https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/04/us-anti-semitism-jewish-american-safety/677469/
Tom Cotton calls encampments ‘little Gazas’ https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2024/05/01/tom-cotton-campus-protests-gaza
Former US ambassador to Israel says students are marching in support of Hamas https://x.com/davidm_friedman/status/1719070572083040616?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Columbia Professor Shai Davidai refers to students as terrorists https://x.com/palmena_ic/status/1782361692900384969?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Ted Cruz saying these protests are antisemitic while perpetuating antisemitic tropes himself https://x.com/tedcruz/status/1785406268607287383?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Ben Shapiro tweet on antisemitism vs support for Israel: https://x.com/benshapiro/status/644505141299671041?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
“.@anncoulter tweets re: Jews awful, nonsensical. @anncoulter is also super pro-Israel, and has always been so, so I won't lose sleep.”
Christian Nationalist Sean Feucht enthusiastic about rising antisemitism
https://x.com/benlorber8/status/1783539026022006823?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Ben Gvir’s association with far right leader of extremist group Lehava https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-extremist-benzi-gopstein-said-advising-ben-gvir-on-police-issues/
Isaac Herzog referred to intermarriage as a ‘plague’ https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/incoming-jewish-agency-head-walks-back-calling-intermarriage-a-plague/
Meet Lehava, the Israeli Fascists Mounting a Vicious Crusade to Keep their Women Away from Arabs https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/meet-lehava-israeli-fascists-mounting-vicious-crusade-keep-their-women-away-arabs-1466584
Israel’s Far-right Finance Minister Says He's 'A Fascist Homophobe' but 'Won't Stone Gays' Israel’s Far-right Finance Minister Says He's 'A Fascist Homophobe' but 'Won't Stone Gays' - Israel News - Haaretz.com
Extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane’s Cousin drove into anti-genocide protesters in NYC https://www.huffpost.com/entry/reuven-kahane-arrested-columbia-gaza-protest-assault_n_663bbd77e4b0c38baf0eacd4
01:18:31
Jun 08, 2024
I was joined by the wonderful hosts of Left Reckoning for this episode, David Griscom (@DavidGriscom on Twitter) & Matt Lech (@Mattlech on Twitter), many of you may know Matt Lech from Majority Report too.
(Pls note this episode was recorded a couple of weeks ago, which is why you wont hear us mention more recent developments)
We chat about a lot of High Level Ideas; Free Speech, grifters like Dave Rubin, centrists like David Pakman, Texas, Gaza, the ICC, Leftists vs Democrats & more!
If you enjoy the show pls consider supporting via patreon.com/nicemangos
——
Links:
Find Left Reckoning here: https://www.youtube.com/@LeftReckoning
Check out our previous hang out on New Atheists finding god, here: https://youtu.be/Fywb4l0PcWM?si=TqyNnAH9xEp5YJLL
The threatening video to Ireland that the Israeli Foreign Ministry put out:
https://x.com/israelmfa/status/1792943282105848152?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
“An angry President Reagan described Israel's bombing of west Beirut as a 'holocaust' in an angry phone call to Menachem Begin, the Israeli prime minister said.” https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/08/30/Begin-Mr-President-I-know-what-is-a-holocaust/7292399528000/
My recent Technofascism episode that came up in our conversation: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0nPioIhFQt6Obo8rWqTBkO
01:39:30
May 31, 2024
[This is a SAMPLE of my new Premium Miniseries, pls subscribe to the premium tiers via patreon.com/nicemangos to access the full episode]
Researcher (from Political Research Associates) & co-author of Safety through Solidarity, Ben Lorber (@BenLorber8 on Twitter) Joins me for a conversation about the far right in both Israel and more broadly, the Jewish far right.
We discuss far right Israeli ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich, the rhetoric we are seeing coming from so many Israeli officials, extremist anti-miscegenation groups like Lehava, and American-Israeli extremist rabbi Meir Kahane. We also discuss the ADL and the demonization of solidarity protests and encampments, as well as the concerning new pipelines for liberals to make common cause with the right on the topic of Israel. Christian Zionists, tokenization, and more, right here on episode 4 of The Global Far Right.
If you enjoy the show pls consider supporting via patreon.com/nicemangos
Links:
Find Ben’s book, co-authored with Shane Burley, ‘Safety Through Solidarity’ here https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741043/safety-through-solidarity-by-shane-burley/
Ben’s article on Bronze Age Zionists https://x.com/benlorber8/status/1757871425925333192?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Ben’s thread on ADL’s inconsistent methodology for their antisemitism audit
https://x.com/benlorber8/status/1780623385971540469?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
CNN clip on tokenization that came up in our chat https://x.com/abbydphillip/status/1785147804668616941?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Jonathan Greenblatt of the ADL saying “we are not the Jews of trembling knees” https://x.com/benlorber8/status/1787536049465413921?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Greenblatt referring to students, including Jewish groups, as ‘Iranian proxies’ https://www.thedailybeast.com/cair-calls-on-msnbc-to-ban-adl-boss-over-iranian-proxies-remark
The Atlantic: The Golden Age of American Jews is Ending https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/04/us-anti-semitism-jewish-american-safety/677469/
Tom Cotton calls encampments ‘little Gazas’ https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2024/05/01/tom-cotton-campus-protests-gaza
Former US ambassador to Israel says students are marching in support of Hamas https://x.com/davidm_friedman/status/1719070572083040616?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Columbia Professor Shai Davidai refers to students as terrorists https://x.com/palmena_ic/status/1782361692900384969?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Ted Cruz saying these protests are antisemitic while perpetuating antisemitic tropes himself https://x.com/tedcruz/status/1785406268607287383?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Ben Shapiro tweet on antisemitism vs support for Israel: https://x.com/benshapiro/status/644505141299671041?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
“.@anncoulter tweets re: Jews awful, nonsensical. @anncoulter is also super pro-Israel, and has always been so, so I won't lose sleep.”
Christian Nationalist Sean Feucht enthusiastic about rising antisemitism
https://x.com/benlorber8/status/1783539026022006823?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Ben Gvir’s association with far right leader of extremist group Lehava https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-extremist-benzi-gopstein-said-advising-ben-gvir-on-police-issues/
Isaac Herzog referred to intermarriage as a ‘plague’ https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/incoming-jewish-agency-head-walks-back-calling-intermarriage-a-plague/
Meet Lehava, the Israeli Fascists Mounting a Vicious Crusade to Keep their Women Away from Arabs https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/meet-lehava-israeli-fascists-mounting-vicious-crusade-keep-their-women-away-arabs-1466584
Israel’s Far-right Finance Minister Says He's 'A Fascist Homophobe' but 'Won't Stone Gays' Israel’s Far-right Finance Minister Says He's 'A Fascist Homophobe' but 'Won't Stone Gays' - Israel News - Haaretz.com
00:22:20
May 27, 2024
Since we are around the 6 year anniversary of the IDW debut in the NYT, myself and political writer/podcaster (former rightwinger himself) Matthew Sheffield (@mattsheffield on Twitter) did a Twitter Space last week (14th May 2024) to honour this magnificent group of intellectual giants…
We took an in-depth look at the history of both the ‘Intellectual Dark Web’ and more broadly…the history of rightwing movements rebranding as new, exciting, different, transgressive or even ‘counter cultural’/ ‘heterodox’ while they continue to spout the same orthodoxies and viewpoints upholding the status quo.
You will never believe the SHOCKING conclusion …..are the IDW truly Heterodox or just another attempt at a rightwing movement rebranding themselves?
We also did a bit of a ‘where are they now’ segment, let me tell you dear listeners — they are not in the greatest intellectual shape, these Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web…
Please note this is a live event, so the audio is not up to usual podcasting standards - apologies! We cleaned it up as best we could.
———
If you enjoy the show pls consider subscribing via patreon.com/nicemangos
Links:
Archived version of the original IDW article in the New York Times by Bari Weiss https://web.archive.org/web/20180508113210/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/opinion/intellectual-dark-web.html
Archived version of the ‘Sleek Website’ that Bari references in her ‘Meet the Renegades of the IDW’ piece which is essentially just a list of awful people https://web.archive.org/web/20180509020318/http://intellectualdark.website/
The IDWesque article from 1995 that Matthew was referring to, also from the NYT https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/12/magazine/the-counter-counterculture.html
A piece I wrote a couple of years ago on Harris’ rightwingery and how New Atheism in general has been useful for the Christian Right https://x.com/mattsheffield/status/1490457060307177472?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Eric Weinstein’s unhinged ‘to the victims go the spoils theory’ re: Palestinians https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1790462571537133925?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
The Evopsych episode mentioned in the Space: pt 1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/4jSFhcmT6xNJ4JOwbEkscE?si=By3wE6dxSs-oRRqHfyzYqQ
Pt 2 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5gvuP3xLyqKSpJgTjf43A3?si=jLKlykmWTj6tcu3dbW65ig
My recent ep on Dawkins mentioned in the Space https://open.spotify.com/episode/1uSIJRoF9LxkkNtRYBZvRV?si=1abadRJkRw-RK7O7nP1orA
Polite Conversations episode on the IDW in Pakistan & Saudi which also came up in the Space: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4OWPkudZ6zfH7p9swNXAtI?si=Ofpw6DuYReOjtX_AKzyCBw
01:53:44
May 22, 2024
Tech critic Paris Marx (@parismarx on Twitter) of the excellent ‘Tech Won’t Save us’ Podcast joins me for a fascinating & frightening discussion about the intersection of Tech & Fascism.
Tech Won’t Save Us is a podcast that critically examines the tech industry.
———
Links:
Find Tech Won’t Save us Here:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3UhsI7s4bkH1FcMZI5u9iD?si=15c68cd79657412d
Find Paris’ newsletter Disconnect here: https://disconnect.blog
The Tech Won’t Save us Miniseries on Musk is available here:
Pt 1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/7M6jMwkb9cJ0kOrMTqzQDi?si=tHJgsAnQTlKVUlmOEYKTwg
Pt 2 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3g9zikUskeQYeCxVV8ut58?si=TCiCPTB2TVGOkANlSUN8BA
Pt 3 https://open.spotify.com/episode/1VQboA8VgR7UD9fXEHhDoy?si=sQnRVnZjQ36TGa-dZ1_BVw
Pt 4 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3DwZUo59Qm7MFJ2cHvVWj0 si=2U0BQ4X9SLm2LmXd9h_JAA
My Miniseries on Harris ‘Woking Up’ is available here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1caIpbHnvDjKu0Ph4DA0Nb?si=66ec707de5ec4fd9
Polite Conversations Food & Fascism ep: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ESZbJst9wpaEaEGziGSFo?si=scsteHS7QbaIi7XbFcEI1Q
———
More about Balaji & his ‘Tech Zionism’ https://x.com/veenadubal/status/1783896103823585538?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
The New York Times instructed journalists covering Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip to restrict the use of the terms “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” and to “avoid” using the phrase “occupied territory” when describing Palestinian land, according to a copy of an internal memo obtained by The Intercept.
The memo also instructs reporters not to use the word Palestine “except in very rare cases” and to steer clear of the term “refugee camps” to describe areas of Gaza historically settled by displaced Palestinians expelled from other parts of Palestine during previous Israeli–Arab wars.
https://theintercept.com/2024/04/15/nyt-israel-gaza-genocide-palestine-coverage/
Australian PM has called Elon Musk an "arrogant billionaire" in an escalating feud over X's reluctance to remove footage of a church stabbing. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-68878967
Meta has apologised for adding "terrorist" to the biographies of some Instagram users describing themselves as Palestinian. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67169228
Meta censors pro-Palestinian views on a global scale, report claims:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/dec/21/meta-facebook-instagram-pro-palestine-censorship-human-rights-watch-report
Twitter Removes BBC Doc Criticizing Indian PM Narendra Modi:
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/twitter-elon-musk-bbc-india-modi-1234667887/
Jerry Coyne accused of spitting on pro Palestinian protester: https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2024/05/01/credentialed-leftist-at-work/
https://x.com/yumcoconutmilk/status/1785638690678620577?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
Coyne saying the more minorities u let into a school the less quality you have: https://x.com/nicemangos/status/1725166190945833392?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
The Israeli army has marked tens of thousands of Gazans as suspects for assassination, using an AI targeting system with little human oversight and a permissive policy for casualties:
https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/
CNN Political & Foreign Policy Analyst, Barak Ravid, shares what he heard from IDF soldiers - “The orders are basically just shoot every man of fighting age":
https://x.com/abierkhatib/status/1775778192608931922?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw
——
If you enjoy the show pls consider supporting via patreon.com/nicemangos - the show is entirely listener funded.
01:48:59
May 21, 2024
Since we are around the 6 year anniversary of the IDW debut in the NYT, myself and political writer/podcaster (former rightwinger himself) Matthew Sheffield (@mattsheffield on Twitter) did a Twitter Space last week (14th May 2024) to honour this magnificent group of intellectual giants…
We took an in-depth look at the history of both the ‘Intellectual Dark Web’ and more broadly…the history of rightwing movements rebranding as new, exciting, different, transgressive or even ‘counter cultural’/ ‘heterodox’ while they continue to spout the same orthodoxies and viewpoints upholding the status quo.
You will never believe the SHOCKING conclusion …..are the IDW truly Heterodox or just another attempt at a rightwing movement rebranding themselves?
We also did a bit of a ‘where are they now’ segment, let me tell you dear listeners — they are not in the greatest intellectual shape, these Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web…
Please note this is a live event, so the audio is not up to usual podcasting standards - apologies! We cleaned it up as best we could.
———
If you enjoy the show pls consider subscribing via patreon.com/nicemangos
Links:
Archived version of the original IDW article in the New York Times by Bari Weiss https://web.archive.org/web/20180508113210/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/opinion/intellectual-dark-web.html
Archived version of the ‘Sleek Website’ that Bari references in her ‘Meet the Renegades of the IDW’ piece which is essentially just a list of awful people https://web.archive.org/web/20180509020318/http://intellectualdark.website/
The IDWesque article from 1995 that Matthew was referring to, also from the NYT https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/12/magazine/the-counter-counterculture.html
00:16:06
May 17, 2024
This is a SAMPLE version of the episode, access the full episode via patreon.com/nicemangos
——
Tech critic Paris Marx (@parismarx on Twitter) of the excellent ‘Tech Won’t Save us’ Podcast joins me for a fascinating & frightening discussion about the intersection of Tech & Fascism.
Tech Won’t Save Us is a podcast that critically examines the tech industry.
00:12:50