Signing off to have dinner & watch some shows with Mom.

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

In this episode of #FridayNightSemites, we sit down with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and professor Viet Thanh Nguyen, acclaimed for his book The Sympathizer (now a brilliant show on HBO Max). We discuss his experience of being canceled for speaking out for a ceasefire after October 7 and his thoughts on boycotting other artists—even those he strongly disagrees with. Viet opens up about the backlash he’s faced for standing in solidarity with Palestine, and we explore the myths, propaganda, and language shaping public perception of the Middle East.

He dives into his political differences within the Vietnamese-American community, how the U.S. treats immigrants versus refugees, and offers advice to young writers on creating political art during times of war and crisis. We also cover the broader themes of decolonization, anti-Semitism, and the colonial origins of how we talk about the Middle East. This is a no-holds-barred conversation on solidarity, history, and speaking truth to power when the stakes are high.

Whether you’re interested in the politics of Palestine, anti-colonialism, or how to navigate controversial conversations in the literary and academic world, this episode is for you. Join us as we unpack these critical issues with honesty and a bit of humor—because if we don’t laugh, we’ll cry.

Watch the full #interview now, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share for more conversations on the Middle East, decolonization, and beyond.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i8owWxjqy-Y

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