Dr Finkelstein is the rarest of intellectuals: brave and uncorrupt.

This is the best segment of all-time and that's a pretty high bar. It's very revealing that even the great Frederick Douglass was a sellout at the end of his life. As a black man, I applaud Chris Hedges and Norm Finkelstein for being men who are brave enough to tackle these subjects without the fear of being falsely labeled right wing bigots. You all know that those of us who aren't completely ignorant or brainwashed see your good faith critiques for what they are. We make a complete distinction between your voices and those who use "woke" as a pejorative to deny that institutional racism exists in any form. The bad faith weaponization of race is going to have to be called out by both black and white progressives without fears of mischaracterization. Because reaching a critical mass of people with this message is our only hope in disarming the weaponization of identity as a cloak for domestic and global destruction.

Every time I hear REAL anti-Jewish racism, I think of Norman Finkelstein, and I do what i can to counter it. I have supported Palestinians all my adult life. I salute all you have done sir.

Norm is fierce in his work. He's a hero

Exactly how one must "interview" Dr. Finkelstein - wind him up, sit back, and let him talk. Bravo Mr. Hedges! I could listen to Norman for hours and hours.

I was hoping Finkelstein would appear on this program. Great interview.

Chris should set up a series of interviews with Finkelstein. We especially need this man's insights at this time. He's been martyred, not as badly as Assange, for sure, but he was robbed of his rightful position at DePaul university.

This has been a fantastically salubrious discussion for me. I have been on the outs with all of my colleagues in higher education for resisting their focus on gender, race, and identity. I am also a gay man who has been out and active since 1979. I first wrestled at the emergence of the postmodern takeover of political thought when Q was added to LGBT. Q means queer. We fought against being named queer for decades, but now those who think that LGBT is too confining, have added that and an endless number of letters to being in a sexual minority. In the process, they destroyed the gay movement and created a postmodern movement of gender fluidity, and non-binary identification. There are no laws against being non-binary, or being queer, or the rest of the alphabet soup. Laws against sexual minorities are based on what we do physically. But that was not good enough for the postmodernists who added the so-called progressive chevron to the very beautiful rainbow flag designed by my dear friend Gilbert Baker. The rainbow flag was a Universalist image that embodied all of the basic elements of being human. None of them were designed to be exclusive, or based on identitarian politics. But here we are. They ruined Gilbert‘s flag, and trashed progressive politics down the toilet. It is not surprising that those who benefit the most from this turn are tenured professors and universities writing books on gender fluidity and getting attention for novel takes common to us all. Their angle is language. And that is the point. Once they debunked, or got rid of materialist theories of social change, the academics would have us embrace identity and culture as starting points for radical change. It has done the exact opposite. It has engendered and reactionary movement that is attacking the most vulnerable people in society, while the tenured professors at UC Berkeley do not have to pay the price. I am also Latino. But when the postmodernists decided that Latinx is a better word, I realized I no longer belong in their club. Even though Latinx is an affront and even insulting to about 67% of Latinos in the United States, a professional managerial class that runs nonprofits and the liberal media and publications continue to embrace it nonetheless. Even the New Yorker Loves the word. Identity politics sucks.

Identity politics is nothing without a deep a class analysis , radical redistribution of wealth & power across the board with working class empowerment is the major goal

Dr. DuBois could have immigrated to the Soviet Union. Instead, he immigrated to and died in Ghana. There, he did gravitate to and promote socialism and was a dear friend of socialist, pan-Africanist, and Ghanian President Kwame Nkrumah.

Norman Finkelstein is unparalleled.

"I'll Burn That😉😉 Bridge When I Get to It." Hilarious!

A superior mind who deserves being read and listened to.

Dr. Finkelstein seemed more relaxed than a year or two ago. I find him more articulate and easier to follow now. Impressed by him.

Thanks Chris. Norman takes his time answering questions, we need more than 30 mins when you interview him 😂 Keep up the great work

Meeting with a most remarkable man (among the usual, legendary cancelled intellectuals of our time)… Deepest respect. 🙏🏻🙏🏽🙏

"Diversity" is meaningless without diversity of thought and an environment that encourages one to develop, discuss and debate these topics where one's biggest fear is to temporarily look foolish. Not being put on a list, ticketed, jailed, or hounded by the Capital 'Police.'

Norman embodies and exudes open minded integrity and even handed intellectual prowess, with a desire to approach the truth in all it's awkward complexity, like few others have ever come close to. I could listen to him for hours.

Professor Finkelstein... May you live FOREVER!!!

Norman is so well read and so well versed that it's mind boggling. Another half hour would have been great. Thank you Chris Hedges for doing this interview.

This why the term intersectionality is so poignant but only to the extent that it includes fighting the elitist powers structures and institutions that oppress the rest of the general working class population

Norman Finkelstein is someone I admire incredibly not only for his political stances but his unwavering ability to stand strong against opposition. His deep and immense knowledge regarding the Israeli-Palestine conflict has been top notch. Cheers.

What was the reason for cutting off Norm Finkelstein at the end? You run a podcast on UKposts! There is no time limit! You should have allowed Professor Finkelstein to complete his thoughts! I’m always riveted by what Dr. Finkelstein has to say. He is one of the most important intellectuals of our time.

Two intellectual and principled giants what an honour ❤

In a world of banal, populist crap this interview shines like a jewel..... I remember when there were current affairs programs on Tv (yes remmber when we watched tv!??) that were of this quality..... but now its so rare to get honest academic debate that one feels it's a special and rare treat. MORE PLEASE- we need hope.

It's fascinating this invention of 'identity politics' as though it's ever been anything else is an amazing piece of marketing to divide and rule, shame it works so well....

I never tire or am I ever bored with Dr. Finkelstein.❤

Thank you Chris for having Norm Finkelstein. Always incisive, methodical and conscientious. He is truly one of the few intellectual scholars with unwavering integrity. Thank you both!

Well said!

Always look forward to any interviews with Prof. Finkelstein - he has such a refreshing perspective, but haven't seen much of him on any left youtube channels for a long time.

When a Black person speaks up about police reform it comes with a quality that most White folks won't get. There is a depth of understanding the sting of racism. Some white folks will get it, without the depth of understanding racism. That changes the culture of classroom.

I love Mr. Finklestein’s passion and resolve despite all of the opposition.

Omg, my two favorites. What a perfect start to the weekend.

Two of my heros in the same video 👍😃💕

I agree that identity politics has gone to extremes recently. But let’s remember that white voters practice their own brand of identity politics yet never get called on it. There are countless examples of white voters abandoning their party of registration to vote for a white candidate. When they do it, it’s called politics or just individual choice. When Black voters go for a Black candidate suddenly it becomes identity politics. White voters are individuals making a reasonable choice. Black voters are caught up in group think just voting because a candidate is the same race as they are. We have to get past this double standard and recognize that many of these issues are complex and driven by a number of factors.

This guy on Curb your enthusiasm would be hilarious! Arguing with Larry! LOL

Steve Bannon: "I want them talking about Identity Politics all day long, and then we move with " Economic Nationalism" ("homeshoring") :divide and rule

Thank you, Chris Hedges, for all that you do.

I CAN'T SAY HOW BADLY NEEDED THIS DISCUSSION HAS BEEN THE LAST TEN YEARS WITHOUT SHOUTING. THANK YOU, CHRIS!!! AND NORM

Whenever Norman is on fire, which happens to be all the time, thirty minutes is never enough: you need thirty hours (!)

This interview was too short - please have norman back for hours on end, perhaps even on a regular basis. Despite his bland monotone delivery, he always has such a unqieuly stimulating effect on me - he leaves me feeling like these matters he's discussing really MATTER and that there is a profound value to engaging with ideas like these. He's so inspiring! I love the way he wanders academically to the strangest characters, and his enormous respect for erudition, intelligence, complexity of thought.

As an Indigenous person I absolutely represent my culture. It is the basis of my cultural values and responsibilities. Those values and responsibilities predate whatever TRNN or Norm Finkelstein or the Maga cranks call woke or identity politics. Those terms have been used to silence and dismiss as we assert and live our sovereignty. And those first generation students in NF's classes who applaud one another I would suspect are there, too, because of similar responsibilities to family and community. I'm sure many of their families and communities supported their academic achievements. Yes, we are all individuals, just like all the anti woke, whether "left" or "right", who pound their dear American hearts as righteous individuals. We just have cultural order beyond Democrats or GOP or radical left or radical right. Our identities/existence are/is not based on our political alliances or union membership. For hundreds of years academic freedom meant the academy could lie and be used to oppress and dismantle our governments and cultural practices, from language to ceremony to economies. Anthropologists calling us extinct. Lawyers using the Doctrine of Discovery to dismantle and destroy. Politicians setting up North America's ethnic cleansing institutes aka Residential schools. Little old ladies and old men teachers in small town and big city schools preached about our dirtiness and ignorance and savagery to many generations of future good citizens who would then make decisions about our lives based on what they learned. Something as simple as expecting us to all have lice if we showed up at a public school, or that our parents drank or that they didn't work. When I went back to school, after dropping out at age 13, I could not have gone except that the college I applied to allowed students over 18 who hadn't finished high school (in my case had never gone) to attend if they could pass a composition course. Now, that requirement likely left out those who's first language wasn't English, but because colonization had basically frightened my grandparents/father and aunties and uncles from sharing our traditional language (except in hushed tones.in backyards away from the ears of white people), I am an ok user of the English language. So I got in. Was this a form of affirmative action? Is there more affirmative action now giving people like me (and yes there are many generations of us still grappling with yes, genocide) a chance to find professional opportunities? Dam right. And everyone of us graduates and future graduates are the doctors and nurses and surgeons and dentists and professors and architects and engineers and mechanics and computer scientists and business owners who give back. Yup, we give back because our communities need us. So get over yourself and your fear of a little word called woke. Most of us are more radical than any of you will ever be. Sure I like Obama but I'm not a fool. I know where those drones were sent and who they kiiled. Clinton put more poor people in jail with his 3 strikes, especially poor people who are Black and Indigenous and Latino. Would Bernie have not sent the drones? Bernie hasn't even called for a cease fire in Gaza. Look what happened to Jimmy Carter. He stood by and let Indonesia invade East Timor and kill thousands of people, because of their identity.

Absolutely riveting. Thank you both.

The most down to earth intellectual and the greatest teacher I have ever had in my academic studies during my college years is Norman Finkelstein. Always pellucid and compelling, thought provoking with a depth of feeling and insight that captivates my entire being and makes me aspire to embrace and decipher the broadest abstractions with the most sensitive capaciousness. What an honor. Thank you, Gilbrando Acevedo

Affirmative action was never about representation. It was about off setting racial injustice. About creating pathways out of poverty for an oppressed group.

Simply brilliant. This conversation is radicalism at its best.

I'm instantly glad everytime i see Finkelstein's face on my screen, absolutely love him❤️

The Holocaust Industry was a seminal text in my youth and in my radicalization. from what i can tell, Finkelstein has always been unwavering in his conviction and i respect the man for it. i read his latest and walked away with many, many thoughts. i am very glad I read it, and that it exists for others to read. at certain points it did seem like an out of touch old man screaming at clouds, but perhaps that was just his delivery and not the content. i encourage others to read it with an open mind. i disagreed with several of his points but still walked away more enriched by his ideas. it has certainly stuck with me like no other book i’ve read recently

Norman always talking good sense.

Norm is not a fan of identity politics

Finkelstein is an admirable rebel. He has never sold out & always speaks truth.

I saw the warning signs about Obama the first time... but voted for him anyway because I believed his Republican opponent was worse. I saw the Obama's true colors the SECOND time... but voted for him anyway because I believed his Republican opponent was worse. Done with that game! Obama was the last neoliberal candidate to ever have my vote.

Woke was an adjective describing a black person who was aware of anti-blackness as a powerful cultural, social and political force in the world this knowledge prompt them to remain alert and on the lookout for signs of systematic injustice many scholars traced the term back to the 1923 collection of saying and ideas from the social activist Marcus Garvey

This interview was enormously informative for me. I saw an interview with Dr. Finkelstein on The Gray Zone a few years ago and enjoyed it immensely. Prior to that I saw a documentary on Link TV on him at least 15 - 20 years ago that also was excellent. Anyway, I was especially fascinated in this interview with the way he explained the “woke” movement’s role in sabotaging Bernie Sanders’ last presidential campaign. While I was obviously very aware of the role Clinton’s supporters were involved in that (how could anyone miss that?), I had not realized at all this new (for me) info. In fact I have been still trying to ascertain just what the term, “woke” actually means - if anything. Kudos to Hedges and Dr. Finkelstein.

I would love to see you and Middle Nation have discourse . Thank you for such a wonderful insightful video with one of my favorite people Mr. Norman Finkelstein .

Great pleasure to watch. Thank you for the interview.

I'm ordering his book today!!

Finkelstein has a great number of good analyses and opinions on a range of topics, but his take on affirmative action in student selections if weak here: the students are chosen not because they represent what their group in society _believes_ on certain issues, but because the _visibility of existence_ of that group in society in educational environments is beneficial. Young people sit in classes, they see classmates from different ethnic groups, and see that the society they are growing up in - and taking political positions in - is a diverse selection encompassing different backgrounds, ethnic experiences, etc.

Buying the book. Great interview.

Norman is a hero of mine. He is a great intellect who searches for truth, against what might be his own "natural" biases. He is like Noam Chomsky, one of the greatest American intellects of the last roughly 120 years.

Holy crap Chris. Thank you Norm.

Thank you Mr Hedges for interviewing Mr Finkelstein! There’s light at the end of the tunnel!

need part 2!

Thank you, Chris. In these crazy times good to know Norman is still truckin'! Bless you, 🙏

Loving kindness and compassionate understanding are all the moral "code" anyone needs to understand.

The options in the 2008 election were Obama, H. Clinton or McCain/Palin disaster. The framing of this as a referendum on the voters character completely ignores what options were actually available. Obama certainly did not deliver on his promises and presented himself as more progressive than he was. But look at the other options. Finkelstein’s framing is misleading imo.

Respect and the gratitude where they belong, this was one of the most beautiful segments that I have watched in the long time!!!

Finkelstein is a very educated person who is interested in complicated ideas and careful thinking!

I have so much respect for Norman and for you Chris ❤️

We need part 2!😂

This discussion could be used to argue against the Australian Government's call for a referendum on 14th October to change the Australian Constitution to "incorporate" an elitist group of indigenous representatives that will "speak for" all of 152 diverse nations of Indigenous people within Australia. Calling their campaign "The Voice", Government is pouring millions of dollars into a "Yes" vote, that appeals to people's view of themselves as "kind and considerate". In actuality, it reverses a 1967 referendum that successfully outlawed racist behaviors. This "Voice" is foolish idea that will create division not harmony. One could ask "but why?"

I love Professor Finkelstein: he has definitely become surly with time and now not only is he a great intellectual but also hilariously grumpy

I knew this but could not articulate it so well. Thank you for doing so. It is reassuring and hopefully more people grow to understand these deliberate dividing tactics

I don't think "defund the police" is unpopular in the black community where is Norman Finkelstein getting his information?!

Wish Finkelstein wasn't interrupted and truncated in this interview. It's a podcast format - why impose a unnecessary time constraint?

dr. finkelstein didn't know that one month from the time he gave this interview, he would start doing overtime appearing in shows. fortunately he is strong and articulate and helped to set things straight! long love dr finkelstein!

Would love to see Adolph Reed included as a guest

Finkelstein is brave and fearless like Adolph Reed and Nell Painter and few others today.

I always appreciate Norman's frank messaging. A true scholar.

I love how well-read Dr. Finkelstein truly is as an author in US history he never sugarcoats and sticks to the facts. Exactly what a true scholar no matter their opinion should be stick to truth and the facts only not feelings. As a blind man I admire his constant standing in the gap for those who either do not have a voice or the platform to defend themselves.

We should all begin by saying: “ it’s not a simple question…” I have multiple identities; I claim them all and move as one person whose word is bond, who knows right from left and right from wrong. I’m not taking photos while police and vigilantes murder people. I’m throwing my cell phone at the perpetrator / something! .Carry on.

A very enlightening interview!

Great interview Chris and NF is completely on point in everything he says.

I wanted to hear more

fascinating thanks again ❤

Need another 8 hr with Norm

Wonderful discussion, wonderful distinctions I had not before seen. Thank you

What a brilliant thinker. Wonderful interview.

Thanks for this.

Finkelstein needs daily streams on his own channel. 🔥

Precious interview. Sweetest calm gentle erudition coming through. Thank you both so much! Very lovely.

Part 2 please!

Norman Finkelstein's point-of-view is always refreshing because it is closely reasoned. You may disagree, he may be wrong, you may be wrong but his opinion has an evidence base. Norman Finkelstein, before he is anything else, is well-read. He is scrupulous with fact. He marries scholarship with moral courage. Few people, including me, possess both.

Part II please!!

Very thought provoking!

Finkelstein does the same thing he did during his discussion about this with Jared Ball on BPM.... he doesn't cite the source material he is attacking. Instead, he just hand-waves away all the foundational work of the Combahee River Collective calling it "stupid" "non-arguments". Thanks for your dismissive, unintellectual, and wholly un-serious dissection Norman. Never defines "diversity". Never gets down to the problem of how capitalism has co-opted "diversity" and "identity". So much wanting from this examination...

I learned a lot from you two! Thanks!

He was great on the Jimmy Dore Show. It would be great to see more interviews or his own channel.

Thank you for this interview with one of my favorite brilliant heroes. I love him.

god i love Finkelstein and always have. from when he debated Dershowitz on DN to when he attacked sewer rat (TM) Medhi Hasan