Campus Protests, Antisemitism, and Western Values (Episode #367)
Campus Protests, Antisemitism, and Western Values (Episode #367)
Sam Harris discusses the recent protests on college campuses, why focusing narrowly on the problem of “antisemitism” will be counterproductive, widespread confusion about the threat of Islamic extremism, and the necessary defense of Western values.
May 13, 2024
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Bless you, Sam Harris. Despite the fact that you don't believe in God, He believes in you.
Did Sam ever issue an apology for his choice of words on the triggernometry podcast? I feel like this important message now would reach a lot more people if he had. His "by any means necessary" stance on Trump, which by his own admission includes lying and cheating, draws some awful parallels to the islamist/anti-Israel crowd. If we are to defend Western values, that should include honesty, integrity and truth. Don't get me wrong: I whole-heartedly agree with his message in this episode, but I can't help but think that it comes across as hypocritical when Western values are only valuable to him when they are convenient.
Wow Thank you for sharing info!
Arab money fuels the whole thing and the thing is to destroy the West
Get past the politics of identity?
So can israel get past the idea of being a jewish state. It is a state based on ethnic idenity.
Btw i support israel, just asking you to get things straight in your head.
Crazy how quickly Sam did a U turn on freedom of speech and anti censorship to a totalitarian worldview, where his view of history and politics is the right one and people who disagree with him are idiots who should be fired.
His inability to see the slippery slope nature of what he is suggesting, truly amazes me. We would end up in the equivalent of Putin's Russia in a matter of years if Sam the president.
Why is it so hard for people to have some integrity and defent the rights of someone who holds an opinion that they find despicable?
How is the current Israeli government accepable to you Sam, with Ben Gvir and Smotrich, two ministers who sincerely aren't much better than Himmler and Goebbels? Not to mention Netanyahu, who while not as extreme as the other two, is still much worse than for example Trump, who Sam despises so much.
As for the Apartheid, please travel to the West Bank, join a group of Palestinians and tell me if they have the same rights as Israeli settlers. There are literally separate roads for each people. The fact there is Apartheid in the West Bank is accepted even among Israeli zionist intellectuals, like Benny Morris for example, who co signed a document with a group fellow Israeli historians, condemning the Apartheid in the West Bank. So what do you know Sam, that these people don't?
The US directly funds Israel with weapons but Sam whatabouts around it to China’s muslims.
But hey he did it with a calm soothing voice so he must be correct. 🤡
Sam, you’re truly a genius and a prophet of our time. So often I strongly see your argument. But why do you perpetually equate anti-war (or even pro-Palestine) protests with pro-Hamas rhetoric? There’s always a few with an extreme voice. But obviously the vast majority of western protests are clearly calling for a ceasefire and would support criminal charges against Hamas members and new elections. This constant misinformed conflation undermines all your arguments on this subject.
Maybe Harris should actually read the New York Times? Then he would know that 90 percent' of those, not dumb, not misinformed, but highly intelligent protestors at Harvard don't support Hamas in any way. The kids are protesting dropping bombs on a trapped civilian population. They don’t want our government supplying arms to Israel to murder a civilian population. That's about it. Where Harris is right is that students, and I think there are definitely some, who are antisemitic should be expelled from school. Most Hamas supporters are malcontents who come from outside of college campuses.
If a force within Mexico brutally attacked the United States and then ran and hid in Mexico City, and then the United States started bombing the hell out of the civilian population in Mexico City, do you think there would not be protests all over college campuses? Harris has cast himself on his own petard. Religion turns otherwise intelligent men into idiots. He cannot see that by misrepresenting the student protests he is making everything worse for the Jewish people. He has turned himself into a true Ben Shapiro.
The Islamic goal is world domination and sharia.
Free palestine 🇵🇸
Of course Sam and his followers will say that The NY Times is a rag. Here, A quote from an article today: “These people there deserve death, a hard death, an agonizing death, and instead we see them enjoying on the beach and having fun,” complained Mr. Shlezinger, the religious affairs correspondent for the widely circulated right-wing Israel Hayom newspaper. “We should have seen a lot more revenge there,” Mr. Shlezinger unrepentantly added. “A lot more rivers of Gazans’ blood.” Rivers of Gazan's blood, Sam. And you call the other side the death cult. It doesn't get worse than calling for rivers of blood. Poor Sam. Join Bret and Elon. You all deserve each other.
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Jewish member of the US senate speaks out in support of protests https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o54H2KP_JJ4
Never liked the guy. Now I have many reasons not to like him.
Thats insane! Most protesters on campus are for Palestinian civilians, not Hamas, and not for antisemitism. Why do you sound misleading here?
Sam Harris explains it so clearly and unambiguously. But sadly, those incorrigible die-hards on the other side would say in a simplistic, kneejerk manner that Israel is…and always has been…an imperialist oppressor of the Palestinian people…and that the situation in Gaza mirrors the racist apartheid of the old South Africa, etc., which is the same vapid, worn out, and hackneyed rhetoric, completely devoid of reason and common sense. So, that's the untenable predicament that Israel is in. And to make matter worse, the jaded, feckless, lifelong career politicians in the U.S. are doing everything they can to keep Israel from eradicating Hamas once and for all…because they're trying to placate their radical Islamic constituents here in the U.S., most of whom are in Michigan.
What about left-wing authoritarianism?
This is the most I have laughed out loud since 10/7. Thank you, Sam! 😅🙏
Benny Morris made an incredible point. Arab dictatorships would kill any historian of theirs that did not tow the line. Therefore the pro Palestinian historians are literally at threat of assassination and can’t produce a neutral point of view. Meanwhile, those countries that attacked Israel have never opened their military records to public inspection. Israel has opened them to the public.
Thank you for being the single most rational voice out there on the topic of Israel 🇮🇱🙏
Thank you Mr Harris for this video. There is a revolution going on within the said "Muslim" world. As an Algerian ex-Muslim, I am witnessing a complete breakdown of Islam spearheaded by Streamers who speak English, French, and all kinds of Arabic languages that open live after live for 4 5 6 or more hours debating and criticizing Islam's core texts and more importantly, showing Muslims what is really in their religion, I think this is the most important point, the vast majority of Muslims ( just like Christians) are not "ignoring" or deciding to be liberals, they plainly don't know anything about their religion and blindly defend it because they have been brainwashed since their young age into believing that it is a religion of peace. I might be getting ahead of myself but I am willing to compare this movement to what happened in the 2000s with you and the other 3 horsemen. I would highly encourage you and your team to look into @Jacklefou @Mihoub Bouchama DZ who are English speakers for a possible discussion that will allow them to get the visibility they need to keep spreading knowledge about Islam
The very fact that they are covering their faces and masking up shows me theyre cowards and bullies
An invidious smearfest of imbecilic proportions.
Thank you Mr. Harris, you are a voice of sanity in a country and world gone utterly mad. These children, as well as many adults demonstrating on university campuses across this country truly seem like the Hitler Youth. I don't even know how one would rehabilitate these diseased humans.
Thank you for your clarity of thought and your insightful social commentary!
Sam harris you and destiny both have really good takes on this, and both of you are aware of the damage of identity politcs and oppressed vs oppresser narrative, and the two of you really want to protect and defend western narrative
Please, man. Careful with what you wish for. Private platforms "combating" disinformation is a horrible idea. My country has only in paper free speech. People are literally going to prison for criticism, without their attorneys even have a chance to read the process. Even I would be risking myself if I say this out loud here. The only shred of hope we had in years was called Ellon Musk. Why? He denied just what you are suggesting and after his purchase, we no longer have shadow bans, censorship and now he's exposing what have of most evil and dangerous in here. We are talking about Western values. Where no one can shut your mouth. Disinformation is a price for it. And can be combated without someone holding the "absolute truth", which in the end, will be the political view of the company. I'm sure it's not what you want.
Was perfect, except for the very end where you said: "If liberals remain 'confused' about Islamic extremism, the appetite for right wing authoritarianism will continue to grow on the West"
First, sorry, man… But there is no confusion. It's an alliance. Historically left supported the Arab side and right support Israel. USA might be a little different, but on the rest of the world, it falls on this category since the Cold War. Does the values of the left and Islam conflict? Sure, but they need each other now. Isn't the very woke idiots who are siting this Marxist oppressor/ oppressed narrative to support Hamas? And what would be the right authoritarianism? Trump? Again, the West is more than the USA. Just look at any dictatorship and countries with less liberties. You will see a patter emerge.
How can you see 20,000 kids be murdered and defend their murderers. i used to respect you.
The Israeli fare right is conducting a genocide right now. my western values are not compatible with the genocide and the war crime. I am surprised yours is. you only accept the genocide from the Israeli far right only if you assume that the value of their people is higher than the value of brown people or people from another race or religion. that is bigotry. you may not realize how bigoted you are because you don't value life equally. On October 7, terrorist organization Hamas killed 36 children. Since then ally government Israel has killed 20,000 children. you don't see the difference because of your bigotry. if you were not bigoted you would see the 20,000 children as a bigger crime that you can not defend. younger people understand the equality of the value of human life. you don't seem to.
We
Must address
Antisemitism first!
One of the best episodes ever!
Let me say something that may surprise you if you know the middle east from an Israeli perspective. i come from a Christian family in the middle east. i am not a believer in any religion. certainly not in Islam and I am no a supporter of Hamas. my village was attacked in the 70s by Palestinian gunman that made my family refugees. but I am terrified of Israel murdering my family. every experience i have, tells me that i am more terrified of Israel more than anybody else in the middle east including Muslims. Muslims don't scare me as much as Israel does.
Do your western values include slaughtering 20,000 little children?
So Israel killing 20,000 children should not be criticized? if i say that Israel is committing genocide by murdering 50,000 innocent civilians, am i antisemitic. Antisemitism is your method of stopping discussion and protecting war atrocities.
Christianity, the resurrection and the meek don’t represent weakness, but rather surrender, sacrifice and transcendence of ego respectively.
Sam, I’m born arab and Muslim and I’m no longer either. I was taught in school at around 8 yrs old to kill Jewish children and that dying in a suicidal way grants me a ticket straight to heaven. It’s truly a cult of death. I valued the west but this is now frightening. That the west is siding with Islam is horrifying. What can we do? I think Trump is a good candidate to just speak up and enforce strict and clear rules/laws against actual hate speech. Otherwise the west has lost. Europe is handing over their home to Islam. This is insane
He should talk to Norm Finklestein
Fantastic episode!
No Trump fan here but Trump's Muslim ban was simply an instantiation of Obama's policy which placed a temporary restriction on countries from which Islamic extremist are most likely to originate
I can almost understand the confused students. They're young and impressionable. But the professors? How?!