Society & Culture
In 2016, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump declared: “I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct.” This led many after his victory to blame “identity politics” for his win. When Trump was banned from Twitter, he claimed it was an assault on free speech. Columnist Nesrine Malik contended that both of these things were myths, and joined us to explain how these arguments over lies impact the struggle for greater equality in society. In a presentation with novelist Ece Temelkuran, Malik shared from her book We Need New Stories: The Myths That Subvert Freedom, looking at how what she believes to be the lie that American values are under assault creates a solid obfuscation from the real problems. By interweaving reporting with a frank and no-holds-barred analysis of American history and politics, Malik offered a compelling account of how calls to preserve “free speech” are used against the vulnerable; how a fixation with “wokeness,” “political correctness,” and “cancel culture” is in fact an organized and well-funded campaign by elites; and how the fear of racial minorities and their “identity politics” obscures the biggest threat of all–white terrorism. Don’t miss this poignant inspection of the crises roiling American contemporary politics–and the introduction of a radical framework for understanding and identifying it. Nesrine Malik is an award-winning British-Sudanese columnist and features writer for the Guardian. She lives in London. Ece Temelkuran is one of Turkey’s best-known novelists and political commentators, and her journalism has appeared in the Guardian, New York Times, New Statesman, Der Spiegel, and more. Her latest book How To Lose A Country: The Seven Steps From Democracy to Dictatorship was internationally acknowledged. Her new book Together is out in May 2021. Buy the Books: We Need New Stories: The Myths that Subvert Freedom by Nesrine Malik Together: 10 Choices for a Better Now by Ece Temelkuran Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here.