The Subtext: Free Speech with Jacob Mchangama Part 1

Nikki Minaj thanked Elon Musk for saving free speech, so naturally, Lee and Savannah had to phone a friend to learn more about what is going on. Jacob Mchangama, Founder and Executive Director of The Future of Free Speech sat down with The Subtext to discuss everything from social media and censorship to hate speech, political polarization, and the First Amendment. They examine the real costs of protecting speech we disagree with and why history suggests those costs may still be worth paying.

Want to keep learning more? Well, you're in luck because Jacob's organization is hosting a summit in Nashville, TN this fall: The Future of Free Speech - Global Free Speech Summit Oct. 2-3, 2026 (globalfreespeechsummit.com).

Things we mentioned in this episode:

Letters from a Stoic by Lucius Annaeus Seneca (amzn.to/4pCYnZm)

Europe Since Napoleon by David Thomson (amzn.to/4yFlHtF)

The Agency on Paramount+ (paramountplus.com/shows/the-agency)

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (amzn.to/4vOvICf)

Enchiridion by Gil Epictetus (amzn.to/4yFnAqn)

The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga (amzn.to/4bb3N8j)

M*A*S*H* on Hulu (hulu.com/series/ae94231d-0f04-482a-b9ee-9911e3…)

The Future of Free Speech - Global Free Speech Summit Oct. 2-3, 2026 (globalfreespeechsummit.com)

Follow Jacob! Facebook (facebook.com/jmchangama) | X (x.com/JMchangama) | Instagram (instagram.com/JMchangama)

Follow The Future of Free Speech! Facebook (facebook.com/futurefreespeech) | X (twitter.com/SpeechFuture) | Instagram (instagram.com/futurefreespeech)

Follow The Subtext: Instagram (instagram.com/thesubtextshow) | Threads (threads.com/@thesubtextshow) | X (x.com/thesubtextshow) | YouTube (youtube.com/@SubtextShow) | TikTok (tiktok.com/@thesubtextshow)

Follow Lee: Instagram (instagram.com/leeccamp) | Twitter (twitter.com/leeccamp) | Lee's Newsletter (nosmallendeavor.com/newsletter)

Follow Savannah: Instagram (instagram.com/savannah_locke) | Substack (savannahlocke.substack.com)

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