Norman Finkelstein received his PhD from the Princeton University Politics Department, and is best known for his research on Israel and Palestine. In this episode, Norman and Robinson sit down for a discussion about Donald Trump, the latest from Israel, Palestine, and Gaza, and the dying Left. Norman also appeared on episode 192, where he and Robinson discussed allegations of genocide and apartheid, Hamas and Hezbollah, and connections between the war and the Holocaust. Norman was also featured on episode 218, where he addressed the facts and fictions generated by the Israel-Hamas War, and episode 228, which was all about October 6th. Norman and Robinson also discuss Mehdi Hassan, Noam Chomsky, Christopher Hitchens, the Holocaust, Apartheid, Joan Peters, Julia Sebutinde, the Mossad, Sheryl Sandberg, Destiny, Lex Fridman, Bill Ackman, Alan Dershowitz, and more. Norman’s most recent book is I’ll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It! Heretical Thoughts on Identity Politics, Cancel Culture, and Academic Freedom (Sublation Media, 2023).
Norman’s Website: https://www.normanfinkelstein.com
OUTLINE
00:00:00 Introduction
00:07:25 Mehdi Hassan: The Working Class is Stupid
00:12:59 How Far Will the Supreme Court Go with Donald Trump?
00:21:49 Why Bernie Sanders Appeals to the Common Man
00:38:12 How Did Identity Politics Help Trump Win?
00:46:02 The Joy of Stereotypes
01:01:23 Why the People Loved Bernie Sanders and Trump
01:06:16 Noam Chomsky, Philosopher King
01:11:16 Christopher Hitchens Was Not a Serious Intellectual
01:20:58 Norman’s Parents Hate For Religion After the Holocaust
01:34:06 A Lex Fridman and Destiny Conspiracy
01:37:12 Norman’s Family and the Holocaust
01:45:43 Why Jews Stopped Caring About the Holocaust
01:54:43 Why Norman Never Had a Bar Mitzvah
02:02:52 Why Norman’s Parents Hated Germans and Poles
02:11:22 Comparing Gaza to the Holocaust
02:16:48 Comparing Gaza to Apartheid South Africa
02:24:41 Corruption Over Genocide in Palestine
02:27:05 On the Colossal Joan Peters Palestine Hoax
02:30:16 On Norman’s Time as a Maoist
02:39:35 The Corruption of Julia Sebutinde at the International Court of Justice
02:42:25 Does the Mossad Blackmail Public Figures?
02:52:49 Sheryl Sandberg and the War Crime “Israeli Propaganda Machine”
03:05:19 On Accusations of Sex Crimes on October 6th
03:18:12 On His Mortal Feud With Alan Dershowitz
03:31:19 On Bill Ackman and the Pro-Israel American Billionaire Class
Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.
