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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

#VietThanhNguyen #TheSympathizer #Palestine #CancelCulture #MiddleEast #Decolonization #IsraeliApartheid #AntiSemitism #HBO #PoliticalArt #Immigrants #Refugees #Gaza #AsianMastodon #VietnameseAmerican #AsianAmerican #IsraelIsATerroristState #BoycottIsrael

Having my tea while my breakfast congee is cooking & watching one of my fave YouTube channels, the #FridayNightSemites podcast.
Hosted by #Palestinian #comedian Sammy Obeid & #Jewish #filmmaker Josh Healey.

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Noam Shuster-Eliassi: The Israeli Comic Laughing in the Face of Apartheid

Noam Shuster-Eliassi is a self-described “traitor comedian” – an Israeli artist, activist, and all-around cultural troublemaker who isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Growing up in Israel’s only intentional Jewish/Palestinian community called Neve Shalom / Wahat as-Salam (‘Oasis of Peace’), Noam refused to join the Israeli army and instead became an organizer against the occupation. Now, she’s turning her unique perspective into comedy that takes on everything from Israeli censorship to the contradictions of what she calls the “peace industry.” Think of her humor as the antidote to Israel’s polished PR—challenging, honest, and unapologetically bold.

In this episode, Noam breaks down her one-woman show, Coexistence My Ass (yes, that’s really the name), the reactions to her pro-Palestine material, and the toll of being a loud voice for human rights and equality from Gaza to the West Bank and inside present-day Israel itself. She also dishes out some wild stories from her time at East Jerusalem’s “Corona Hotel” quarantine, shares what it’s like to speak at international peace summits without pulling punches, and dives into her own, not-so-sanitized take on Israel’s official narratives. This conversation gets real about the risks (and occasional rewards) of using comedy to cut through apartheid, dehumanization, and the unspoken hierarchies baked into Israeli society.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=64atewhC8vE

#podcast #Israel #NoamShuster #Humour #JewishComedian #Palestine #Gaza #comedy #StandUpComedy #IsraeliComic #ComicActivism #LaughterIsMedicine #FreePalestine #Humanitarians #AntiZionistJews #ZionismIsACult #conversations #JewsAgainstOccupation