In this interview with Stavit Sinai, we explore her journey from growing up in a Zionist environment to avoiding conscription in the IDF, and the challenges she faced, including accusations of antisemitism for her activism. I also provide an in-depth breakdown of the psychological phenomenon of cognitive dissonance and its relevance to these complex issues. 00:00 Introduction 04:19 Born to Holocaust Survivors into an Apartheid 8:48 Two Shades of the Same Ideology 12:02 Contact with Palestinians 13:45 High School and the Path to the IDF 16:05 Coexistence, Reform Religion, and Zionism 17:52 Pre Military Camp, Dirty Tents, and avoiding the IDF 23:43 The Role of the Moral Reasons 27:29 Cracks in The Zionist Ideology 29:16 A Dive into Cognitive Dissonance 48:53 The Friends Who Didn't Get Away 52:10 Unlearning Zionism and Execution After Death 55:11 Standing up to Zionism and Shlomo Sand 58:07 The Intifada and A Bus Bombing 1:01:30 Power Relations, Historical Context, and The Big Bad ‘T’ Word 1:06:56 An Abolitionist Paper Covers Nat Turner Revolt 1:11:45 An Emotional Issue and Family Strains 1:17:00 Does Changing Opinions Matter? 1:20:04 First Arrest 1:25:16 Liberal Zionism Legitimizes the Project 1:30:41 The Humboldt University Speaker and Yair Lapid 1:34:03 A Gas Chamber Dark Prophecy 1:36:40 The Humboldt Protest 1:40:35 The White Rose Underground 1:46:45 The Antisemitism Smear and Plato’s Crito 1:51:22 From BDS to Palestine Action and Elbit Systems 2:02:59 Arrest and Jail Time 2:05:50 Direct Action Success 2:08:25 What About October 7th and After 2:15:55 A Silver Lining to the Honest Far Right 2:23:17 Our Capacity to Liberate Ourselves
Vijay Prashad and I discuss the fierce defiance of the Global South, from the legacies of leaders like Kwame Nkrumah to the global conversation about neocolonialism. We dive into the new mood of the Global South after October 7th, the fight for dignity in places like the West Bank, and the global power dynamics that continue to shape these battles. whatjaythinks.com 00:00 Pop Quiz Introduction 03:16 Vijay’s Interest in the Global South 08:19 The Case for Kwame Nkrumah 14:09 Nkrumah and Pan Africanism 19:19 Controlling Resources, Sovereignty, and MultiNational Corporations 25:15 National Liberation and getting Branded a Marxist 27:57 The Difficult First Phase After Gaining “Independence” 39:38 The New Mood of the Global South After October 7th 50:45 Controlling the High Ground and “Air Superiority” 56:14 “You eat. And you want Dignity.” Water in the West Bank 1:04:15 The Reverse of Dignity and the Erasure of Humanity 1:07:21 Utilitarian Progress and Humiliation and Nuclear Weapons 1:12:25 Hiroshima Day 1:19:04 The US Election and do I need a hug? 1:22:54 I do love Jill Stein… 1:25:43 Final Thoughts and References for Further Reading 1:32:52 Tolerances of Freedom Mobutu v Lumumba and Hamas’s “Decision” 1:41:12 An Actual Smile to End City Population Projections: https://sites.ontariotechu.ca/sustainabilitytoday/urban-and-energy-systems/Worlds-largest-cities/population-projections/city-population-2100.php Kwame speech to Pan African leaders https://youtu.be/nrYf97_IUrE?si=KAXfXNCHuwzpjE47 Kwame speech from exile https://youtu.be/2niDtrZalWc?si=yKyqXTYskeFCHXxT Patrice Lumumba speech https://youtu.be/ouXas0XYHxM?si=wJKlh9nW2iPO7Gh5 Qaddafi on the Gold Dinar https://theecologist.org/2016/mar/14/why-qaddafi-had-go-african-gold-oil-and-challenge-monetary-imperialism https://thenewamerican.com/us/economy/markets/gadhafi-s-gold-money-plan-would-have-devastated-dollar/ https://millenium-state.com/blog/2019/05/03/the-dinar-gold-the-real-reason-for-gaddafis-murder/ Hilary emails about Gaddafi https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/01/06/new-hillary-emails-reveal-true-motive-for-libya-intervention/ The non alignment movement https://www.fikerinstitute.org/publications/the-non-aligned-movement-history-relevance-reform https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cold-wars/nonalignment/50C54C20DC60A6DE4F28F44AD2E6B2A2 George Padmore Book https://dialecticalartist.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/panafricanism-or-communism.-the-coming-struggle-for-africa-by-george-padmore-.pdf Congo Mine That Build the Atomic Bomb https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200803-the-forgotten-mine-that-built-the-atomic-bomb https://www.wired.com/story/the-dark-history-oppenheimer-didnt-show/ Bitter Fruit https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674019300 Fidel Castro speech to the intellectuals June 1961 http://lanic.utexas.edu/project/castro/db/1961/19610630.html This Way To the Spring https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27774750-the-way-to-the-spring Curb Your Enthusiasm "Palestinian Chicken" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640882/
A reflection on my first trip abroad, where I first learned the name Kwame Nkrumah and started wondering why things were the way they were. An effort to broaden the conversation from Palestine, exploring the tangled relationship between peace, justice, free will, the principle of Unjust Riches and the impact of the past year’s global events.
An examination of the intertwining of Zionist ideology and symbology in my upbringing in Judaism. What Kamala was talking about when she spoke to AIPAC. And who I am voting for in the US elections.
An essay which takes this question seriously. 00:00 Introduction 01:00 What does condemn mean? 02:46 Condemnation and victims statements 08:54 Two paths to being condemned 11:11 Do I condemn the condemned? 12:06 Children aren´t condemned 13:23 Nemr´s Pain 16:51 Doesn't delegitimize 19:05 Native American Analogy 21:00 Manifest Destiny 23:50 Would you argue against the Trail of Tears? 26:48 The Condemnable Future is not Inevitable 29:35 A Short Answer 30:26 Nemr´s Interview from Middle East Eye
Jay discusses Palestine with historian and author Ilan Pappe. Together they ponder if we are seeing the end of Zionism and what might that collapse might look like. Jay then reads an essay on the topic of forgiveness and redemption and how the psychology of cognitive dissonance prevents us from having evidence change our mind.
In the final part of this series, Jay dissects the definition of the words Zionism, Israel, and Judaism and delivers a Speech he wishes a future Prime Minister of Israel would give. The entire collection and all resources can be found here: whatjaythinks.com
A conversation with Miko Peled on his journey from unquestioned Zionism to becoming an active Palestinian Activist. In this episode we discuss: Jacob Israel de Haan Where are the Palestinian Nelson Mandelas? How Miko changed his mind When the only thing left is violence Why Zionism is flawed from the beginning What the future might hold for Israel Zionism vs Judaism and more...
A conversation with Richard English who dares ask the question "Does Terrorism Work?" In this episode we discuss: The IRA The Troubles Hamas Al Qaeda Jewish Terrorists Whether Israel is an example of successful Terrorism The motivations of terrorists How to evaluate the success of terrorists Deciphering the intent of terrorists How terrorist motivations change when they take power and more... 1948 Einstein and Arendt letter to the NY Times More information and recommendations at whatjaythinks.com
A conversation with Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy where we take the pulse of Israel and discuss how he came to question the Zionist project and where we might go from here. In this episode he discusses: Two State Solutions What Israelis know How America ruined Israel Why journalists censor themselves The power of American Jews to change things If there is any hope Does Israel have a plan? More information and recommendations at whatjaythinks.com
Jay Shapiro breaks down arguments being presented by popular thinkers such as Sam Harris and from Zionists who defend Israel. He walks through the complications of deciphering the popularity of Islamism and Jihadism and Hamas and he outlines the mentality of "tribal essentialism".He teases a trilogy of upcoming episodes with Gideon Levy, Richard English, and Miko Peled. In this episode he discusses: Deciphering IDF intentions Settler expansion Roman Abramovich Birthright Zionism as Colonialism The Arab Spring Menachem Begin Irgun, Stern Gang, Hagana Two State Solutions One State Hopes More information and recommendations at whatjaythinks.com
David Livingstone Smith has been studying "dehumanization" for decades and has written three books on the subject. In this episode Jay and Smith apply his findings to the current conflict in Israel and broaden their scope to examine how a rising modern factor of "Distance" interplays with violence.
Jay Shapiro's personal essay and account of how the disfigurement of American Judaism has forged an existential crisis for something much bigger than survival of the state of Israel.
A nuanced look at the morality of intentions and self-deceptions in the Israel Palestinian conflict. A look at the moral distinction between collateral damage, intentional civilian targeting, and something much more common and psychologically complex which the Jewish experience makes Israel particularly suspectable to. Referenced in this episode: The Rest Is Politics - Husam Zomlot The Rest Is Politics - Yuval Noah Harari Slavoj Zizek - Bookfair Speech on Israel and Palestine Essay published at What Jay Thinks: What Jay Thinks
Is there any hope for that strained or broken relationship that's become a causality of the political divide? Is common ground found best by going towards our superficial commonalities or in the direction of our deepest existential fears and hopes? Are the toxic business models of social media too much for us to overcome? Monica Guzman is the blue leaning daughter of two Trump voting Mexican immigrants and is the head of storytelling for Braver Angels - an organization dedicated to healing our partisan divide. She just published a book entitled "I Never Thought of it That Way". If she can't help us, no one can. This episode also begins with a related special comment and essay from Jay about so-called "Trump Derangement Syndrome" and the current crises in Ukraine.
What is it like to be a baseball bat? This episode is a dive into the philosophical approach known as Object Oriented Ontology (OOO) with the author and philosopher Ian Bogost. Ian Bogost is a video game designer, author, and philosopher known for his most recent book Play Anything, but this episode is all about his book Alien Phenomenology: or What is it Like to be a Thing?
How many countries are there? 197? 193? 180? It depends who you ask and who is counting. What constitutes a "state"? How does that differ from a "nation"? Why do certain claims of self determined statehood go unrecognized while others are accepted and others are disputed. How do we respond to Putin's actions in Ukraine? How does the diminished and tarnished role of US global leadership affect world stability? Will Europe step up and fill the void? Is China really the threat that we fear they are? Have western democracies and economies become overconfident in a post-Cold War period? In a conversation which places current headlines in a historical and legal context, Finish International Lawyer and Scholar Tero Lundstedt breaks down the blind spots in international law which continue to haunt the once-believed-to-be-peaceful breakup of the Soviet Union.
Does 2+2 really equal 4? What realm of truth am I in when I speak about my pain? What kind of truth claim is it to speak about the existence of "Poland"? How about the existence of ghosts and gods? Spencer Greenberg breaks down his taxonomy of truth claims to help us better understand what we and others might be saying when we declare something to be true. He also lays out his personal philosophy of Valuism, a deceptively simple yet illuminating framework that can guide your behavior and focus your mind on what really matters to you. Spencer's work and his intrinsic values test can all be found here: https://www.clearerthinking.org/ Spencer's essay on the "Seven Realms of Truth" can be found here: https://www.spencergreenberg.com/2019/03/the-7-realms-of-truth-framework/
Is it possible that the default position of libertarianism which has so deeply influenced politics, economics, and philosophy since the enlightenment could produce an ecosystem which stalls our ability to handle the existentially daunting task of freedom? Does the political structure of libertarianism dissolve into a fantasy the moment it encounters a problem of the commons like COVID or climate change? Is a conception of libertarianism as a "freedom from" preferrable to a conception of it as a "freedom to"? Have the economists owned the conversation for too long in this arena? Is a strong-arm government really the biggest threat to individual freedom? Will intentional libertarian blindness maximize a version of our selves that we aren't so proud of? Where does libertarianism end and anarchy begin? Jay tangles with the editor of Reason Magazine and proud libertarian Nick Gillespie in a 2 hour conversation through the weeds of freedom.
What if much of what we do to our children works directly against what we profess we ultimately want for them? Alfie Kohn argues that things like homework, grades, systems of praise and punishment, reward and sanction, and generally the enforcement of an atmosphere of fierce competition in education all undermine our stated goals. So are the goals wrong? Are the goals false? Or is something much more fundamental to society in need of a major rethink? Alfie Kohn is an accomplished author, speaker, and psychologist who has been advocating for reform in education and parenting for over 25 years. His impressive collection of talks, books, and essays can all be found at https://www.alfiekohn.org/