The Dissidents

This week Elizabeth is joined by Ryan Tsapatsaris for a discussion about the complex world of online communities focused on aggression and hate. We draw insights from the book Social Processes of Online Hate as well as Ryan’s own research and expertise in the area. While most of us assume that attackers are laser focused on their targets and on affecting some change, the evidence suggests that attackers are more interested in themselves and in impressing one another. Far more time is spent celebrating, reminiscing, cross-posting, and bragging about their own behaviors than on discussing their target or the target’s behaviors.  Ryan shares examples and his knowledge about platforms like 4chan, the dynamics of anonymity and status, subculture language, and the gamification of online cancellations.  We also spend time talking about “concern trolling” and explore why it works particularly well when directed toward a university or organization. Listen while we work to unpack online hate and its implications for society. Podcast notes Ryan’s article on 4chan: https://oilab.eu/the-bakers-guild-the-secret-order-countering-4chans-affordances/ [https://oilab.eu/the-bakers-guild-the-secret-order-countering-4chans-affordances/]   OILab, an Amsterdam-based network of interdisciplinary scholars scrutinizing political subcultures on the fringe corners of the Web: https://oilab.eu/ [https://oilab.eu/] This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture by Whitney Phillips: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262529877/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things/ [https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262529877/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things/] Cancel Culture: Tales from the Front Lines by Paul du Quenoy: https://www.academicapress.com/node/523 [https://www.academicapress.com/node/523] Walther J. B., Rice R. E. (Eds). (2025). Social process of online hate. Routledge: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/92521 [https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/92521]

In this gripping episode of Free Speech Forward, Chris and Joia speak with Naya Lekht—a Soviet-born educator and research fellow. Dr. Lekht exposes how American colleges mirror the totalitarian censorship her family escaped in the USSR. Drawing shocking parallels between Marxist indoctrination and today's campus culture, Lekht reveals why the "marketplace of ideas" has been replaced by sanctioned groupthink that's destroying critical thinking skills. As a high school teacher fighting back against educational decline, she shares her radical approach to "activating antennas"—teaching students to detect propaganda and find the courage to stand alone against conformity. Learn why Lekht considers the Pledge of Allegiance a litmus test for schools, how patriotism became a dirty word in education, and why both bad ideas and good ideas are essential for intellectual growth. This eye-opening conversation offers parents and educators practical strategies for reclaiming educational excellence while warning that freedom—far from being humanity's natural state—requires constant vigilance to preserve. Find out more about Dr. Naya Lekht and her work at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naya-lekht-phd-0ba243a3/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/naya-lekht-phd-0ba243a3/]

On the eve of July 4th, co-authors Jennifer Richmond and Winkfield Twyman joined Equiano Project Head of Content Ada Akpala for an insightful conversation about blackness and race identity with noted podcaster Danielle Romero.    A native of Troy, New York, Danielle discovered one day that her putative French and Irish maternal great grandmother Lola Perot had spent all her married life passing for white in New York. In fact, Lola was born Creole (colored) in Louisiana. In a fascinating roundtable, we explore where does Romero land in our country's obsession with racial identity? What does it mean when a European American discovers the story of one's family was a racial lie? Is it possible that Romero's origin story can bring us closer to connection in our universal humanity? Is the true impact of Danielle's story not her ancestor who passed for white, but that Danielle's mixed ancestry is a lens into our racial future as Americans?    In a sense, Danielle is the tip of a spear. More and more Americans will discover they are of multiple ancestry groups over time. Come join us for an hour with a national leader in the hunt for identity sans race.       Podcast Notes Danielle Romero’s Podcast, NYTN [https://www.youtube.com/@nytn] The Equiano Project [https://www.theequianoproject.com/] https://www.theequianoproject.com/ [https://www.theequianoproject.com/] My great grandmother hid who she was. 20 years later I understand why | Opinion [https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/contributors/2023/01/09/personal-essay-how-discovering-my-new-orleans-roots-molded-my-identity/69787789007/], The Tennessean, Danielle Romero Race Is Beginning to Bore Me, Winkfield Twyman, Jr.  The Legacies of Black Pioneers: The Problem with Black Excellence with Ada Akpala [https://youtu.be/6_5Uge7hXMw], The Dissidents Podcast Are Light-Skinned People the White People of the Black Community? [https://twyman.substack.com/p/are-light-skinned-people-the-white?] Winkfield Twyman, Jr. The Souls of Black Folk [https://twyman.substack.com/p/the-souls-of-black-folks?], Winkfield Twyman, Jr. This is Your Brain on AI: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly [https://youtu.be/dW7prdE8kTE], Dissidents Podcast

In this inspired episode of Free Speech Forward (recorded and released right around Independence Day), Joia and Chris speak with educator and free speech advocate Jason Littlefield, who reveals why the First Amendment isn't just about politics—it's about human flourishing and psychological well-being. Drawing from groundbreaking neuroscience research, Littlefield explains how self-censorship literally damages our brains and prevents both individual and societal progress. As the creator of Empowered Humanity Theory and co-founder of Free Black Thought, Littlefield advocates living by principles rather than party politics as a way to break us free from the toxic tribalism that's poisoning our schools, workplaces, and communities. Discover why both political extremes reject his science-based approach to human dignity, and learn practical strategies for building a culture where free expression and genuine dialogue can thrive again. This episode offers hope and actionable insights for anyone exhausted by our polarized discourse and ready to reclaim the foundational freedom that makes all other freedoms possible – let’s get it done.   Learn more about Empowered Humanity Theory at: https://www.empoweredhumanitytheory.com/ [https://www.empoweredhumanitytheory.com/]

In this week’s podcast, Jennifer Richmond sits down with Dmitri Shufutinsky’s to discuss his latest article for White Rose Magazine, The Woke Right Keeps the Pendulum Swinging [https://whiterosemagazine.com/a-woke-right-keeps-the-pendulum-swinging/]. In his article Shufutinsky argues that a faction he terms the "Woke Right" has emerged within conservative movements, mirroring the identity politics and grievance-based ideology of the progressive left while simply reversing the targets and victims. We discuss key figures like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Joe Rogan, and Jackson Hinkle as representatives of this movement. Shufutinsky contends that rather than rejecting woke ideology entirely, they've adopted its methods while positioning straight, Christian white men as the new victim class. This manifests through historical revisionism (including Holocaust revisionism), anti-Semitism disguised as "just asking questions," and the weaponization of Christian slogans like "Christ is King" for tribal signaling. In foreign policy, Shufutinsky argues the Woke Right paradoxically supports America's adversaries, particularly Russia and Iran, while opposing support for Ukraine and Israel. He finds it particularly troubling that supposed conservatives would back Putin's Russia despite its low church attendance, high abortion rates, and authoritarian nature that contradicts traditional conservative values. He also emphasizes that the idea of America First, shouldn’t be America Only, which seems to be part of the messaging behind this movement’s foreign policy initiatives. Shufutinsky warns that this movement undermines genuine conservative goals by providing ammunition to the progressive left, potentially causing the political pendulum to swing back even harder toward woke leftism. Instead of achieving the "common sense" governance many voters sought in 2024, the Woke Right perpetuates the same divisive dynamics it claims to oppose. Shufutinsky concludes by calling for a more responsible conservative approach that maintains strong alliances, supports genuine diversity and merit, and avoids both extremes of woke ideology to preserve American strength and Western civilization.   Podcast Notes The Woke Right Keeps the Pendulum Swinging [https://whiterosemagazine.com/a-woke-right-keeps-the-pendulum-swinging/], Dmitri Shufutinky: https://whiterosemagazine.com/a-woke-right-keeps-the-pendulum-swinging/ [https://whiterosemagazine.com/a-woke-right-keeps-the-pendulum-swinging/] Nation of Victims [https://www.amazon.com/Nation-Victims-Identity-Politics-Excellence-ebook/dp/B09PLHGNHD], Vivek Ramaswamy: https://www.amazon.com/Nation-Victims-Identity-Politics-Excellence-ebook/dp/B09PLHGNHD [https://www.amazon.com/Nation-Victims-Identity-Politics-Excellence-ebook/dp/B09PLHGNHD]