The Discourse Lab

In this episode, Clay is joined by David Christopher Kaufman. David is a New York based journalist whose writing can be found in many notable publications, including The New York Post, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Tablet, The Jerusalem Post, and Commentary, just to name a few. He has also worked as an editor for The New York Times. David’s writing often focuses on identity. A subject on which he has a somewhat unique vantage point, given that he is black, gay, and Jewish. He is also quite adamant, as you will hear at the top of this episode, that he is first and foremost, an American. David is also hard at work on The Octagon Project, an organization dedicated to combat the rise of the DSA by creating coalitions of groups who share the values of the Jewish community. The website will be up and running very soon, so keep an eye out!In this conversation David and Clay discuss his understanding of identity, Nikole Hannah Jones’ recent article in the New York Times questioning her decision to enroll her daughter in an underprivileged school, the double standard Jews face when talking about antisemitism, his potentially controversial term for Jews that disavow Israel and Zionism, and much more. You can follow David on X and Instagram.A selection of David’s writing:Choosing Between My Two Identities Woke Jews are sacrificing their own at the altar of wokenessHow America’s Jews Became America’s ‘New Blacks’ How #Palestine became the ultimate elitist pursuit**Correction** -> at around the 41 minute mark Clay accidentally says “Adrian Brody” instead of “Adam Brody”. He was in fact talking about Adam Brody.

In this episode Clay is joined by friend of the pod Alex DeVitry. Alex is currently a Master’s student at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where he is studying international conflict resolution, foreign policy and diplomacy, and the Middle East. He also writes excellent articles about political violence in the 21st century on his Substack. This conversation covers two main topics. First, the Houthi’s rise in Yemen: their origins, relationship with Iran, recent military successes, and the threat they pose to Red Sea shipping and the balance of power in the Gulf. Next, political violence: how it takes on a logic of its own, why it’s often misunderstood, and what its normalization means for national identity and civic life. Alex is a man with an outstandingly fascinating and unique origin story, which you can hear all about in his first appearance on TDL.  You can follow Alex on Instagram & TikTok, and subscribe to him (for free!) on Substack.Books Mentioned in this episode:Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire by Richard B. Frank.The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang.Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle.Aristotle’s Children: How Christians, Muslims, and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Middle Ages by Richard E. Rubenstein.The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich ** 2 Small Corrections**- John Stuart Mill wrote during the mid-19th century, not during th 1790-1820 timeframe Alex gives in our convo. - In the nuclear near-miss Alex references the target was American naval vessels at sea between Miami and Cuba. The would-be target was not Miami.

In this episode, Clay is joined by ⁠Sam Raus⁠. Sam is a political analyst and public relations professional. He is also the David Boaz Resident Writing Fellow at ⁠Young Voices⁠.Sam writes on a number of topics from a libertarian perspective, including AI, data centers, healthcare, and social security.Listen to this episode to understand why Sam thinks fears surrounding data centers are overblown, hear his argument for why Gen Z should be able to opt out of social security, and much more!You can ⁠follow Sam on X⁠.

In this episode, Clay is joined by NYC-based comedian and social media personality Omry Hananya, aka The Angry Prophet. Omry has gained a large following online by using humor to disprove anti-semitic conspiracy theories. Listen to this episode to learn about goyslop, the Khazar theory, how to convince your friends to stop being anti-semitic, and much more!

In this episode, Clay is joined by Gabriela Blanco. Gabriela was born and raised in Cuba, where her family endured oppression and economic hardship under the communist regime. When she was 23, she escaped the island and eventually made her way to the United States.Gabriela has traveled the country sharing her story with young people as a speaker for ⁠The Dissident Project⁠⁠, an organization that helps immigrants from tyrannical regimes become influential voices for freedom here in the US. Listen to this episode to get the details of Gabriela's inspiring story, hear her argument in favor of sanctions against Cuba, and much more!You can follow Gaby on X.