analyzing culture, politics, and foreign policy from an Objectivist perspective
Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo reflect on the 2015 attack at Charlie Hebdo, and consider what it takes to uphold the ideal of freedom of speech in the face of threats to it today — threats that come not only from jihadists, but also from within Western societies. Recorded Jan. 6, 2021.
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss the philosophic underpinnings of the incoming administration’s agenda. Recorded Dec. 21, 2020.
Photo by Tabrez Syed on Unsplash
Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss the philosophy behind the “left,” and Ayn Rand’s critique of it. Recorded Dec. 16, 2020.
Photo by Hennie Stander on Unsplash
“We are living under siege, in Paris, in 2020,” said Fabrice Nicolino, a journalist who survived the massacre at the magazine Charlie Hebdo. Speaking at the trial of the alleged conspirators in that massacre, Nicolino decried the fact that the magazine now operates under heavy security: “What we are enduring, you aren’t interested in it.”
In 2015, Islamists burst into the offices of Charlie Hebdo and, with seeming military precision, executed 11 people, including the editor and many of the publication’s leading cartoonists. The magazine had published a cartoon of Muhammad. The gunmen had come to “avenge the prophet.”
To mark the opening of the trial in September, Charlie Hebdo republished the notorious cartoons of Muhammad . In an editorial, it stated: “We would have found it unacceptable to start this trial without presenting them to our readers and to the public. . . . These cartoons are part of history.”
Several weeks later, a man wielding a meat cleaver went to the former offices of the magazine (unaware it had relocated) and stabbed two people he thought worked there. Denouncing Charlie Hebdo’s republication of the Muhammad cartoons, he admitted to police that he planned to set fire to the building.
While the trial was ongoing, in north Paris on October 16, a young Islamist attacked a middle-school teacher, Samuel Paty, and beheaded him. Paty had shown some students one of the cartoons that appeared in Charlie Hebdo — “during a moral and civic education class discussion about freedom of speech.”
What’s the climate today for freedom of speech, specifically on the topic of Islam, in Europe? What can we make of the response of European governments?
To understand the situation, I talked to Flemming Rose, a journalist and author of The Tyranny of Silence.In 2005, he was an editor at the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten when it commissioned and later published cartoons on the subject of Islam to assess the seeming climate of self-censorship. That decision led to boycotts, deadly protests, and a global crisis. Al Qaeda put Mr. Rose on a hit list, and today when he leaves home, he must be accompanied by bodyguards.
We talked about the “cartoons crisis,” which has become shrouded in misconceptions, the worldwide protests and boycotts that ensued, and the massacre at Charlie Hebdo (it had republished the Danish cartoons in support of freedom of speech). Following that attack, millions flocked to the streets of Paris to show their solidarity with the murdered journalists, declaring on banners, “Je Suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”). What became of that visceral outpouring of support in the years since?
The Charlie Hebdo massacre and subsequent attacks have stoked fears about some Muslims in France rejecting the country’s principles of secular government and free speech. The French president, Emanuel Macron, has expressed concern about “Islamist separatism”: Is this a significant phenomenon, I asked Mr. Rose, and what’s his view of the French government’s approach to it?
Flemming Rose is a thoughtful observer. I found the conversation illuminating, but also chilling.
Cross-posted from New Ideal.
Photo by Stephanie LeBlanc on Unsplash
With infections surging and hospitals strained, three new Covid-19 vaccines reportedly have +90% efficacy. What kind of real-world effectiveness can we expect from these vaccines? What will it take to roll them out? In this episode, Elan Journo talks with infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh Adalja about these promising vaccines, ongoing misinformation, and what lies ahead in the pandemic. Recorded Dec. 03, 2020.
Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash
What is the real meaning of Thanksgiving? What’s there to celebrate amid a surging pandemic, rolling economic devastation, and renewed lockdowns? Particularly in these grim times, it’s important to reflect on the values we rely on everyday, yet often take granted or fail to appreciate. Elan Journo and Ben Bayer discuss the secular, philosophic meaning of Thanksgiving and celebrate stories of inspiring achievement and unsung heroes. Recorded on Nov. 24, 2020.
Photo by Irvan Smith on Unsplash
In this podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss what it means to honor the nation’s soldiers and veterans. They also explore the moral considerations underlying the decision to go to war and evaluate American foreign policy. Recorded Nov. 11, 2020.
Photo by Samuel Branch on Unsplash
Paul Krugman wrote a New York Times column entitled “How Many Americans Will Ayn Rand Kill?” In this podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo respond to this misrepresentation of Rand’s philosophy and describe ARI’s actual position on the pandemic. Recorded Oct. 23, 2020
Under the banner of “national conservatism” a new faction is pushing for its vision of a brighter future for America. It promises to restore America’s strength and freedom. Will it? Elan Journo and Keith Lockitch explore why the more “national conservatism” succeeds in reshaping our society, the more we’ll find ourselves moving further away from truly American ideals. Recorded Oct. 21, 2020.
Photo by Dawid Małecki on Unsplash
Elan Journo interviews Hillel Neuer — lawyer, writer, and the executive director of UN Watch — about the influence of China at the World Health Organization — and the broader forms of corruption that plague the United Nations. Recorded Sept. 9, 2020.
Photo by Frederic Köberl on Unsplash
