In the first part of the program, we’re joined by board-certified psychiatrist and writer Dr. Samaiya Mushtaq who details how empathy as a skill requires attention, a commodity in short supply these days. Dr. Mushtaq outlines how the framework of social media allows us to not only dehumanize others but indeed ourselves, to avoid discomfort through a simple scroll, and to become ever more intolerant of those we perceive as insurmountably different than ourselves. She also discusses how this connects to the rise of anxiety, depression, and isolation in our society. Later in the program, journalist, researcher and policy director at Defending Rights and Dissent Chip Gibbons comes back on the show to help us wade through the morass of courts and legal proceedings that create a whiplash of headaches for those trying to negotiate access to supposed rights such as the first amendment. Chip gives historical context to today’s free speech battles and outlines nefarious tactics such as blacklists and their role in legal cases.

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