The Dissidents

In the Hold my Drink — navigating the news and politics with a chaser of civility — and Counterweight podcast, Episode 35, we speak with the Executive Director of the Californians for Equal Rights Foundation, Wenyuan Wu. Wenyuan’s grassroots group was instrumental in voting down Prop 16 in California, which aimed to repeal part of the state constitution to keep discrimination illegal. The Foundation is currently working to expose initiatives in public education that seek to center racial identity and racial essentialism in K-12 curricula. We speak with Wenyuan about education, educational activism in Asian communities, and what it means to be an American. All discussed with La Croix Pamplemousse sparkling water (which as Wenyuan says is a sign of her successful assimilation into American culture!), a MacDonald’s $0.99 Diet Coke and a spiked lemonade. To read a recap of the conversation and additional thoughts, and to see what we are each reading, visit our post American Values: Beyond the Hyphen on the Hold my Drink website. You can also watch the conversation on the Hold my Drink YouTube page.

In the Hold my Drink — navigating the news and politics with a chaser of civility — and Counterweight podcast, Episode 34, we speak with Buck Angel on the difference between transsexual and transgender, generational differences in the trans community, new language and labels, and his own experience and transition. Buck, who is also affectionately called Tranpa, speaks to people on perseverance and overcoming hardship, self-acceptance, and moving beyond stereotypes to live authentic lives. A former model, who later experienced homelessness, addiction and prostitution before transitioning and becoming the first transsexual porn star and now a successful entrepreneur, Buck does not allow what’s in between his legs to define him. All discussed with a chaser of civility, of course (plus some bonus tips on Buck’s work-out routines), and some water and wine. To read a recap of the conversation and additional thoughts, and to learn more about Buck, visit our post Talking with Tranpa on the Hold my Drink website. You can also watch the conversation on the Hold my Drink YouTube page.

In the Hold my Drink — navigating the news and politics with a chaser of civility — and Counterweight podcast, Episode 33, we speak with Wilfred Reilly, a Political Science Professor at Kentucky State University and author of the book Taboo. Reilly is a master of assessing and debunking current narratives on race and identity with quantitative and comparative analysis using factual data. In essence, he gives language and insight around many issues that have become taboo in our society, including policing and race in America. In this episode we discuss the taboo, the spread of critical social justice theories and Reilly’s optimism that we can move beyond this moment of cultural revolution with an emphasis on objective reality. All discussed with a chaser of civility of course, and some Kentucky bourbon libations. To read a recap of the conversation and additional thoughts, and to see what we are each reading, visit our post Talking Taboo on the Hold my Drink website. You can also watch the conversation on the Hold my Drink YouTube page.

In the Hold my Drink – navigating the news and politics with a chaser of civility – and Counterweight podcast, Episode 32, we speak with Debbie Hayton, a controversial trans activist who embraces viewpoint diversity within the community. We speak about her transition, definitions of sexuality, gender and the importance of individual experiences. She shares with us her views on biology that have sparked offense within the trans community and the difficulties of navigating monolithic views of a trans identity in a complex world. All discussed with a chaser of civility, of course, and a diet Mountain Dew, a pinot noir and a beer. To read a recap of the conversation and additional thoughts, and to see what we are each reading, visit our post Heterodox Humanity in Trans-Activism on the Hold my Drink website. You can also watch the conversation on the Hold my Drink YouTube page.

In the Hold my Drink — navigating the news and politics with a chaser of civility — and Counterweight podcast, Episode 31, Izabella Tabarovsky, a Russian-Jewish American immigrant, and Asra Nomani, an Indian-Muslim American immigrant join me to talk about the framing of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The new social justice movement has replaced the nuance and complexity of the situation with binary stereotypes of oppressor and oppressed. We discuss how the real-world application of such simplistic dogma has dangerous implications beyond the rise of antisemitism. All discussed with a chaser of civility, of course, and a shot of humanity. To read a recap of the conversation and additional thoughts, and to see what we are each reading, visit our post Antisemitism's New Narrative on the Hold my Drink website. You can also watch the conversation on the Hold my Drink YouTube page.

In this week's Hold my Drink + Counterweight podcast, we speak with Angel Eduardo, who penned the idea of star-manning. Angel shares with us how he star-mans his conversations and interactions, especially in the divisive world of social media. His motto is to reject, refute and refuse bad faith actors and hostile conversations, but never reciprocate. All discussed with a chaser of civility of course, and a hot tea (in a Superman mug), a watermelon spritzer (now I sound like my mom), and a glass of white wine. To read a recap of the conversation and additional thoughts, and to see what we are each reading, visit our post A Lesson in Star-manning on the Hold my Drink website. You can also watch the conversation on the Hold my Drink YouTube page.

In this week’s Hold my Drink + Counterweight podcast, we speak with Neil Shenvi, writer and author of a forthcoming book on Christian apologetics. Neil explains how the basic foundation of Critical Social Justice is not compatible with Christianity, especially some of the most important principles of unity and kinship under Christ. All discussed with a chaser of civility, of course, and a pinot noir, bourbon and a seltzer water. To read a recap of the conversation and additional thoughts, and to see what we are each reading, visit our post Christianity and Critical Social Justice on the Hold my Drink website. You can also watch the conversation on the Hold my Drink YouTube page.

In this week’s Hold my Drink + Counterweight podcast, we speak with Izabella Tabarovsky. Izabella is a Russian-Jewish immigrant whose article, The American Soviet Mentality (among many others), was paramount in framing our ideas on the current American experience. The collective demonization and polarization that has captured our country has frightening parallels to Izabella’s experiences behind the “Iron Curtain” in the Soviet Union. Join us as we discuss black American consciousness, viewpoint diversity, and collective mentalities. All discussed with a chaser of civility, of course, and an herbal tea, bourbon, mimosa and watermelon vodka. To read a recap of the conversation and additional thoughts, and to see what we are each reading, visit our post The American Soviet Mentality on the Hold my Drink website. You can also watch the conversation on the Hold my Drink YouTube page.

In this week’s Hold my Drink + Counterweight podcast, we speak with the author of Reinventing Racism, Jonathan Church. Jonathan uses Stoicism as his basis for pushing back against racism, and an evolving neo-racism found in tropes like White Fragility. Join us as we discuss how Stoicism may be an answer to resolving inequities and injustices in our societies and so much more. All discussed with a chaser of civility, of course, and water (because you know, that seemed like a solid Stoic choice!) To read a recap of the conversation and additional thoughts, and to see what we are each reading, visit our post Stoicism and Racial Justice on the Hold my Drink website. You can also watch the conversation on the Hold my Drink YouTube page.

In this Bonus Episode, our guest is author, Shane Ahalt, Sr. Shane is a former Naval Aviator, Teacher, Father and Husband. He recently released his crime novel, Out of the Red and into the Black. We discuss the inspiration for his novel as well as the challenges and resiliency in black America. All discussed with a chaser of civility, of course, and a virgin Irish Coffee. You can also watch the conversation on the Hold my Drink YouTube page.