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: 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?