250 - Norman Finkelstein: Trump, Israel, Gaza, and the Criminalization of Dissent

Norman Finkelstein received his PhD from the Princeton University Politics Department, and is best known for his research on Israel and Palestine. Norman also appeared on episodes 192, 218, 228, and 244, where he addressed the facts and fictions generated by the Israel-Hamas War, October 6th, allegations of genocide and apartheid, Hezbollah, the Holocaust, and more. In this episode, Robinson and Norman discuss Trump, the current state of Gaza, the fate of Palestine, wokeness, Bernies Sanders, Chuck Schumer, antisemitism, free speech, and other topics. 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

00:01:11 Norman’s Predictions for the War

00:10:12 Trump and the End of the Ceasefire

00:14:29 Why Didn’t The Democrats Strike a Ceasefire in Israel?

00:25:50 A Jeremy Corbin Witch Hunt?

00:29:52 On Wokeness and DEI

00:54:01 Bernie Sanders and the Working Class

00:57:16 Bernie Sanders, Chuck Schumer, and Anti-Semitism

01:04:17 Is Trump a Slave to Money, Power, and Putin?

01:11:02 Is Chuck Schumer’s Definition of Anti-Semitism Terrible?

01:19:52 Free Speech and Academia

01:24:34 How Norman Feels About Being Academically Canceled

01:27:45 On Noam Chomsky’s Deceptiveness

01:29:42 More on the Cancelation

01:34:13 How Should We Define Anti-Semitism?

01:43:45 What Should We Do With Holocaust Deniers?

01:47:14 On W.E.B Du Bois

01:58:31 On Race and IQ

02:01:35 Suppression of Free Speech

02:09:02 How to Prevent Another Holocaust

02:18:18 Chuck Schumer is Wrong About Media Echo Chambers

02:22:01 How to Fight Violent Hate

02:35:58 On Chuck Schumer’s Backstory and the Holocaust

02:40:05 Cleaning the Augean Stables of Gaza Scholarship

02:46:21 What Changed on October 7th

02:48:59 Gaza Is Already Rubble: What’s Next?