Viet Thanh Nguyen on Being Canceled Over Palestine: What if those were your people in Gaza?

[@Friday_Night_Semites]

If you’re enjoying Friday Night Semites, please don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to support our work and amplify these voices. Your engagement helps us continue bringing you honest conversations and perspectives that matter. Thanks watching! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@hvm2hvm]

I'm sharing but everyone is tired of my political shit lol, dunno if they'll watch but fingers crossed :D

[@Lll20498]

I love Viet Thanh Nguyen and I love that he spoke up immediately with his full chest. I watched him in a zoom webinar early on when allies were in short supply. Courage and conviction on an issue that he could have waved off and been like "not my battle" or "it's too complicated" like so many others.

[@Friday_Night_Semites]

What was your favorite part?? Please like, share and subscribe!

[@meinihruns1090]

And we need to remember people like him when the rest start justifying their silence

[@aamnahere6250]

It's incredible to know that an author whose book (The Sympathizer) I have just started reading and absolutely loving with all my heart has been vocal against the ethnic cleansing, military occupation and genocide of the Palestinian people. Thank you for being consistent in your principles.

[@fleurevers2315]

Great discussion. I loved the Sympathizer. It’s so important to hear different perspectives on American imperialism. Art can lead to empathy which is so needed in this moment.

[@CauseOfFreedom-mc7fx]

I just discovered this and I can’t get enough. Really awesome episode

[@Mariluv1723]

Thank you for bringing on another great guest! Can’t wait to read his books ❤

[@osheaeimear83]

Watching this from Vietnam

[@foodlaw5778]

Viet always is real to his values, solid guy.

[@lisclark80]

Once again, another BRILLIANT episode!! Thank you for this conversation! Love y'all!!! ✊🏽 🤍

[@Friday_Night_Semites]

What was your favorite part?? Please like, share and subscribe!

[@lisclark80]

All of it but as a Nicaraguan descent, I appreciated how Viet spoke about how we are implicated via our taxes whether wr like it or not. If you don't know, then you are being lazy or you don't care. It has given me further clarity with some of the people in my life who fall under that category which I find infuriating. But Viet seems to hold some space or level or understanding for them....?

[@m.q.m.39]

Thank you for this talk. This gives me more knowledge and other point of view. The Vietnamese Professor speaks very eloquently, I would love to learn history from him.

[@Itsjustme24-000]

All the palestinians look so exhausted even the onew who are not in the war they all look so drained 😢 collectively they are carying sonmuch trauma itd heartbreaking but the good peoppe of the world are rooting for palestines freedom ❤❤ anyone who speak up for them is a hero without a cape. Respect sir.

[@talksmoke1190]

Self inflicted

[@moldypizza]

I loved The Sympathizer (book and show) and my respect for Viet only skyrocketed after seeing how steadfast he is in his defense of Palestine. Amazing get for the show!

[@crystalsharadin9772]

Speaking of Hollywood propaganda, Indie Nile just did a stellar video of it on his KZbin channel, including talking about Exodus, Borat, Homeland, and so many other films and TV. Highly recommend!

[@tracysauvage1351]

I like Indie Nile too...but it took me a while to cop on that his name meant (in denial)...I thought the indie meant independent broadcaster...and his name was Nile... Boy can I be dumb sometimes. From Ireland 🇮🇪 Saoirse don Phalaistin 🇵🇸🕊🕊🕊

[@ninafonoroff14]

I love that Viet Thanh Nguyen says that Hollywood is the US Ministry of Propaganda. I've long said this, to the annoyance of my friends. But I want to see the series "The Sympathizer," and of course read the book.

[@rabiqbal]

This one was the best yet!

[@Friday_Night_Semites]

What was your favorite part?? Please like, share and subscribe!

[@GladiolaGirl]

Bravo...love this interesting conversation. You guys are awesome! 👏🏼❤️

[@zenethemoon]

Viet Than Nguyen was absolutely cooking 😮‍💨👨🏻‍🍳

[@arimas1977]

Such an inspirational conversation ❤️🙏

[@selfhealherbs1632]

Y'all I love what you're doing here. Thank you! Josh, would you let Sammy lead the conversation more sometimes? I'd love to hear more from where he takes the questions. Also, do you think Boots Riley would make a good guest about Black Palestinian solidarity and the connection between labor and movements for Palestine? Thanks!! Keep it up!!

[@inaruboricua]

Great intro to this channel for me, just came up from watching Sammy. Subbed and shared, ty. You two are a perfect pair and it's great to get to know Viet. I was leery of the film but I'll snag the book now. Appreciate his all out defense of refugees, that's so real and needed right now. Gonna read his non-fic too.

[@anandasouthard7760]

Great guest, great conversation! You guys tricked me though. I got really excited for a second thinking it’s Friday 😂 Still love y’all though

[@Friday_Night_Semites]

Haha, sorry to do that to you! Had to drop this one early, please like, share and subscribe!

[@ShivamChadha98]

It should be noted that “Europe” is also a colonial term! A continent is a large contiguous land mass. Some definitions thus says there’s 3 continents (the Americas (also colonial), Afro-Asia, and Antarctica), 4 continents (North America, South America, Asia, and Africa), or 5 continents (North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Antarctica) depending on if they consider the narrowing land bridges connecting them or separate them on the basis of their plate tectonics often being different too. Either way, Europe is NOT a separate continent. Similarly, Oceania/Australia is considered an island instead like Greenland (and Antarctica in the 4 continent model). This is further supported by oceanic currents and weather patterns that tend to arise at borders of continents. Greenland and Australia don’t get the status of continents because they’re too small, which is ignored in the British and French propagated 7 continent model because Australia was a settler colony by the time their colonial education curricula were standardized across territories they occupied (Antarctica is ignored in the 4 continent model because it’s also considered too small, but that’s more arbitrary to me). Either way, there’s no natural marine border between Europe and Asia. This is why Russia and some of the prior USSR countries still use the term Eurasia instead in a 6 continent model (they also consider Australia and Antarctica as continents). I think this is still an Eurocentric perspective because Russia also serves white supremacy, and it really should just be called “Asia” instead of “Eurasia”.

[@CB19-h6e]

I love your show, you guys need to do more with marketing, a show of this caliber should have hundreds of thousands of followers!😀

[@tatica822]

Thank you so much for this podcast, I really appreciate the insight. It makes me feel sane

[@floatingdisembodiedhead8975]

His answer to why he as a non-Arab and non-Jew cared about Palestine was simply beautiful. Great man. Thank you Mr Viet Thanh Nguyen.

[@osheaeimear83]

Watching this from Hanoi

[@clintonandrews1651]

Enjoyed that , love from new zealand , be brave be strong

[@f1mbultyr]

This was fantastic!

[@uzgunseytan4238]

I loved The Sympathizer! It's one of my favourite books.

[@AmethystTravis]

Best interview ❤❤❤

[@Friday_Night_Semites]

What did yall think of the episode? What was your biggest takeaway?

[@RY_2023_]

Feeling sane lol

[@thomasteraoka6311]

I'll check out The Sympathizer show! The trailer made me think it was like "a brave Vietnamese decided America is 100% right" kind of story, but after this interview I see I made some big presumptions

[@clintonandrews1651]

To never give up and no matter how small your contribution its all part of a massive wave

[@davishropshire5361]

First time here! Loved it

[@yasspanda2559]

A Vietnamese speaking up against colonization, who would've thought?

[@archaeomom]

Please link up with The Dollop. I'd adore seeing that live show and I'd love to see it in southeast Michigan, though it feels like a comedy desert here. Anyway, Keep going!!!!!!! Love you guys!

[@808create5]

You’re back awesome ❤❤❤

[@Friday_Night_Semites]

Yup and You're awesome! Please like, share and subscribe!

[@lyben123]

Oh this was so good! Thank you ❤

[@buildinganewworld2682]

4:42 I'm gunna blow your mind right now: Europe is part of Asia too. I call it "Far West Asia."

[@agnivadasgupta]

Technically, it is one continent. Typical Europeans thinking they're special and must have a continent dedicated to them west of Urals, even though Eurasia is one big contiguous landmass.

[@Aless6996]

Finally! I missed you guys!

[@faizaambah]

Great show

[@RY_2023_]

Love this podcast 🤍

[@Friday_Night_Semites]

What was your favorite part?? Please like, share and subscribe!

[@RY_2023_]

" you are either the a target or token " and also the small geopolitical lesson at the beginning and the guest is amazing

[@Free_Falastin2024]

Guys, west Asia is Europe. A singular tectonic plate extends from the middle of Iceland to Japan. There is nothing exceptional or different about Europe that would warrant calling it a continent. It's just a peninsula in western Asia.

[@anhvuquang7906]

damn, i hope i can meet Viet Thanh Nguyen one day, truly the Vietnamese George Orwell, both the Vietnamese communists and anti-communists seem to hate him

[@Nlwalker487]

Woah. That question about why Viet Thanh cares about Israel-Palestine was profound to me. I'm only Ashkenazi on my father's paternal side. So, I can't say it's because I'm Jewish, especially since my grandfather converted. I've followed this since I was a teenager. It must be something deep. Humanity maybe? But that feels like a cop-out answer. I really wonder what it is

[@mrnd01]

Levántate

[@afs6853]

“[…] the Germans, who I love to hate on.” Mood. Let’s go!

[@robbob1866]

Could you please try to get #Nemahsis to come on? She is a talented and beautiful soul, an absolute mench. Smart, funny, and compassionate. And have you watched Stick of Gum? So lovely. #Nemahsis please 🙏 ❤

[@zk6019]

❤❤❤❤

[@StAmander]

I really loved this episode. I think this really hits home for a lot people, but in all of the right places like a masseur would. 😂 You can my back pain is on my mind. My dad was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam war. He never saw battle directly, as he pretty much hung out in the hangars fixing the navigation systems. It truly was not a “both sides” situation, as I don’t ever recall from him or any Vietnam War history book or documentary mentioning any danger of the Viet Cong bombing the military bases or even camps. They would use guerrilla warfare and attack on the ground, but never in the air. Heck, the US even used psyop during the Vietnam, particularly using cultural beliefs and ‘superstition’ about the supernatural to get the villagers and/or the hidden viet cong to do what they wanted. Though maybe the not bombing bases in/ near Vietnam is what he meant, and not bombing on US soil. Obviously xenophobia has no need for logic, because otherwise some specific people would not be attacking refugees and instead welcoming them like “Hell yeah, Brother. All of these freedoms and opportunities is what makes America great.” However, it’s still jaw dropping at times who are against refugees at certain times. Hell, my ancestry is primarily of Irish Celtic heritage, which means a millennia of colonialism to this very day, but I am also aware of how distant I am likely from those relatives as well. Being an adoptee makes family history, whether it’s a family tree or your medical records that much worse. I always have to point out those differences in experiences that I’ve had as an adoptee compared to people who weren’t otherwise taken from biological parents, but im aware of the nuances of these differences, that may seem slight to outsiders, but have a huge impact to those of with “primal wounds”. When I came out as trans in high school, I was quickly radicalized from learning both about how disproportionate the rate of homeless LGBT youth was and the concept of a chosen family. It was one of the building blocks in helping me manage my primal wound’s healing process, as growing everyone else, but me got to dictate who were my real parents. Which for one reason or another, came up when he talked about needing to also making sure everyone knew he was a refugee and not an immigrant. Personally, I’ve come to realize that whenever I hear “it’s too complicated.”, it means that an open, calm and respectful dialogue is needed. With my speech impediment and neurological hearing disorder, talking is difficult, and frustrating. Particularly with folks who do not try to understand what I meant. Sometimes, I’ve talked passed someone because the words and the definitions of those words were different enough to confuse each other into thinking we fundamentally disagreed with each other. This may very well be the case, particularly on what would/ could the solution be. It also seems there’s a complete difference in what was taught happened, whether it was the Nakba or six day war. I mean, there seems to be a complete separate set of facts, so it’s really hard to have these conversations, even if you are not Palestinian, Jewish or otherwise impacted by the current situation, just because of the frustration involved in the labor of learning more things to prove certain things right and certain things wrong, because it’s not much different than democrats and the Maga republican situation here in the US. But I hope, I absolutely hope that I can reach through these conversations, and I learn more and more ways of making constructive dialogue about this situation, because as much as there are a vast amount of nuances, some of these facts don’t have a huge amount of nuance to them. We think that there is because of the propaganda and how emotionally charged these things are. It’s not easy when you are immediately dismissed because it’s critical of one side regardless of what you personally think should happen (which in my case is meaningless and useless, as I’m an Irish-American who hasn’t converted (yet) to Judaism, my opinion is one of the least important aspects of this discussion. The focus should first and foremost be on reconciliation, de escalation and immediate ceasefire/ return of hostages/ humanitarian aid to Gaza). People assume you are doing this because you have hate in your heart, but it’s because of the love and compassion that you watch all these news, read all of these history books and have these hard discussions and even watch graphic footage and hear horrifying stories that keep you up and even give you nightmares, do all of these things that make you sick so you cannot allow yourself to forget because never again means never again to you and it feels like a disservice otherwise. Sorry I kind of went off on a tangent there, my pain meds interfere with my adhd and my meds managing my adhd. But yes, you either are the token or the target. That has been the experience with being trans. Right now a huge target of violence, stalking, harassment and discrimination and the normalization of this in a “democratic” and “free” society that has spread throughout the world at large. I don’t think there’s any country that I could safely be a refugee in, because of my trans status, if project 2025 happens. But this is probably a junk comment to everyone else, but I’m glad I went through everything that I did to write it, because I know what I need to focus on, as I improve my skills when it comes down to solidarity, 😅

[@Friday_Night_Semites]

What was your favorite part?? Please like, share and subscribe!

[@StAmander]

@@Friday_Night_Semites Gosh, I don’t think all of it is quite the answer you are looking for, but I was originally planning on just listening while on my sewing machine sewing some kappot, and figuring out a good pattern to make and design to hide the clips/ pins etc necessary to make the Kippah stay on without the clips/ pins being visible and/ or lost, but instead I watched it from start to finish without putting down the phone once and didn’t even place the fabric on my machine yet. I really wanted to get it done before Yom Kippur. Not sure if it that’ll happen. But he’s right about the UCLA protests being worse than USC. They originally just arrested the pro Palestinians, but thanks to videos of some certain pro Israel agitators shooting fireworks into one of the encampments, they started to go after the pro Israel folks as well.

[@jtruque]

Before colonialism America was the far east of the far east.

[@zk6019]

[@DavidNunezPNW]

I am team SWANA!

[@bluedesert4467]

They say Israel is the 'only democracy' in the Middle East. Then why is Israel fighting so hard to become an ethnocracy.

[@antmagor]

Wish we could come up with another term besides canceled. Feel that way for two reasons. Number one I am loathed to use the terminology of folks on Fox News who use this phrase to provide cover for persons who just don’t want to take accountability. If somebody says something racist, “it’s not because they’re racist. It’s because they were canceled!” You know that narrative. Also, I wish we could come up with another term because as the guy said at the top of the video, this is a very specific form of censorship, rooted in the Palestinian exception. I think that aspect of it makes it worthwhile to give it a specific designation so that person‘s hearing it know specifically what’s being referred to.

[@farrukhmehboob5352]

The title of show 🤌

[@robinfriedrich6678]

31:23 bookmark

[@zk6019]

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[@nedim_guitar]

6:00 Israel was banned from the Asian football federation (some countries refused to play with them), and the European football federation invited Israel in. Look it up!

[@colorswordsandlearning]

Colonization is Colonization. No both sides about it .

[@danielswindell125]

Viet Thanh Nguyen is calling for people to boycott Jewish speakers and products, and then saying it was morally wrong that he was cancelled.

[@ALL_CAPS__]

Blaming Marx for what people said they did in his name and work, is like blaming Jesus for Hitler saying he did it for god and his religion.

[@H.Rose7]

🫒Love to you all, prayers, and thanks for sharing. T. Nguyen is so thoughtful and reasonable🧡 I imagine he would appreciate the real Jesus if he actually knew or met Him, and he (Nguyen) may only be an atheist from exposure to false or destructive religion? That looks to be the case for many. But the True God is real, good, merciful. Man is the one who is doing all the horrors and destruction we are witnessing. Jesus taught to love your neighbor, but many professing Christians are obviously not following his teachings..They'll have to answer to Him for that..

[@sicilianknicca_mickygreeneyes]

kurdistan

[@marie-laure.]

The problem with looking at the issue from a colonial perspective is that it destroys a lot of the "it's all the Europeans fault", because they did not invent colonialism, they may have given it a name but it started before them, before the Roman empire. And when I say the problem, i really mean, i don't think it's the root cause, the root cause is freedom and equality, without considering that we are all free and equal and therefore cannot be oppressed, because of human rights, then we will just prop up a new form of colonial violence against another. Being free, means no one gets to be a property, there cannot be serfs or slaves, every human is their own master. Being equal means there is no hierarchy among free humans. And the logical consequence of the above is fraternity, because that's what free men must live by if they want to preserve the right to be their own masters.

[@philmckay9973]

i dont understand that california accent they are speaking. lol

[@chachomask]

glad to see your propacast is failing miserably and doesnt mange to take off, additionally your comment section likes to engagement compared to the amount of views you're getting is super sus lol - do better

[@Friday_Night_Semites]

😂😂😂😂

[@miatarraf3414]

By what metrics are you assessing their success or lack thereof? Or are you just a 🤡 Zionist who hates hearing the truth?