fiction/non/fiction S8, Ep. 51 Omar El Akkad on Gaza and Western Empire
Sep 18, 2025
Join novelist and journalist Omar El Akkad as he delves into the powerful themes of his National Book Award-nominated work. He shares his emotional disconnection from the West and critiques the Democratic Party's response to Gaza. El Akkad discusses practical resistance to capitalism and how to engage children in understanding global atrocities, emphasizing compassion over indifference. His personal journey from Egypt through various countries informs his insights, making for a thought-provoking conversation on ethics in today’s political landscape.
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Tweet Became A Book Title
- A tweet Omar posted in October became the book's title after Knopf bought his manuscript.
- He began writing publicly in late 2023 driven by rage over Gaza and a friend's suggestion to put that anger on the page.
Normalization Through Tolerance
- Late capitalism normalizes worse outcomes by increasing tolerance for harm and loneliness.
- This tolerance enables corporations to replace human needs with cheaper, extractive substitutes like poor AI companions.
From Censored Albums To Western Freedom
- Omar recalls growing up in the Arab world and seeing Western media as liberation from censorship.
- Moving to Canada and later the U.S. felt like an exchange where freedoms came with hidden moral costs.
