The Dissidents

In this urgent and unplanned episode of Free Speech Forward, hosts Joia and Chris respond to the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025—the most horrific attack on free speech on US soil in their lifetimes. Recording in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy, they grapple with what Kirk's murder means for America's future as we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. As the founder of Turning Point USA, Kirk was killed while doing exactly that to which he dedicated his life: engaging in civil discourse and debate on a college campus. Joia and Chris examine the dangerous ideology that equates "words with violence," tracing how this academic concept has escaped universities to radicalize ordinary Americans into justifying—or even celebrating—political murder. They explore the troubling reactions from some Americans who are rationalizing Kirk's death, and issue an urgent call for all who value civilization to defend the bright line between speech and violence. This episode serves as both a tribute to a fallen advocate for free expression and a rallying cry for defending the foundational freedoms that make peaceful disagreement possible in a diverse society.

Learn more about Charlie’s legacy with Turning Point USA at: https://tpusa.com/

In this next special episode of Free Speech Forward in celebration of the Declaration of Independence, Chris and Joia speak with Episcopal chaplain Dan Isadore. He reveals why the loneliness epidemic plaguing America's youth isn't solved by offering more "belonging"—but instead by restoring individual agency and the sacred value of each person. Drawing from his transformative friendship with mathematician James Miller Peck, Isadore exposes how stolen attention through technology and group identity politics prevents young people from developing authentic selfhood. As a university chaplain fighting for the next generation, he shares his radical grassroots approach of creating "visibility" moments where youth feel truly seen and heard—sparking them awake to their own creative power. 

Discover why he believes misinformation fears stem from top-down authority assumptions, how free speech directly flows from respecting individual sacredness, and his simple-yet-effective grassroots mentoring method that prioritizes going to people rather than expecting them to come to your institution. This episode connects the Declaration of Independence's timeless principles to today's mental health crisis, offering hope for anyone who cares to help young people rediscover their voice and freedom in an increasingly conformist world.

This episode is also co-sponsored by the Free Society Coalition: https://www.freesocietycoalition.org/

This week Jennifer Richmond and Brandy Shufutinsky speak with Sarah Mchlaughlin on her recently released book – Authoritarians in the Academy. As universities are run more and more like corporations with increasing numbers of administrators, priorities have shifted. As part of this shift, we often see universities making financial decisions that can be at odds with their values, namely freedom of speech. This includes not only US university campuses that operate overseas in places like China and Qatar, but also on our home turf. In order to appease financial partnerships Sarah has found that American universities have become increasingly censorious. In some cases, this censorship is to protect overseas students who face harsh recrimination for speaking out on American campuses in their home country, but in many more cases the calculation is monetary. So, what can we do to roll back these trends? Sarah shares several suggestions, including whistleblower protections, transparent speech codes, and programs that educate vulnerable students on how to exercise their freedom anonymously, when necessary.

Podcast Notes:

Authoritarians in the Academy: https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/authoritarians-academy

In 2022 Counterweight, the organization that Helen Pluckrose founded and that was absorbed into the Institute for Liberal Values had a virtual conference on Alternatives to Diversity and Inclusion. Starting in 2025, we will be rolling out one talk a month that was presented at the conference. We sit down with the original presenters throughout 2025 to see what has changed since 2022. With Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives seemingly on the chopping block, we are curious to hear what our original participants are witnessing and experiencing on the ground. Is DEI really dead or just in remission? Are there healthy alternatives to DEI that we should consider, or do we throw the baby out with the bathwater and wipe our hands clean? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments.

This month Jennifer Richmond interviews Lyell Asher.  In the update to his original talk on Liberal Approaches to Diversity and Inclusion, where he gave us suggestions on how ways to “hack” DEI, we explore what has changed since 2022. His methods of introducing complexity and nuance into DEI conversations remains a viable “hack” for DEI, but we note that the fervor for DEI training has subsided or maybe gone underground. However, what has not changed much is the rise of the “bureaucratic class” in academia, responsible for implementing ideological pedagogy that maligns the pursuit of knowledge.

Podcast Notes:

How Ed Schools Became a Menace to Higher Education, Lyell Asher in Quillette https://quillette.com/2019/03/06/how-ed-schools-became-a-menace-to-higher-education/

Look Who’s Talking About Equity, Lyell Asher in Quillette https://quillette.com/2020/08/12/look-whos-talking-about-educational-equity/

Understanding Ed School Ideology and Dysfunction | Lyell Asher, Hold my Drink Podcast (now Dissidents Podcast)

Why Knowledge Matters: Rescuing Our Children from Failed Educational Theories, E.D. Hirsch, https://www.amazon.com/Why-Knowledge-Matters-Rescuing-Educational-ebook/dp/B07MTP1Q7Y/

The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them, E.D. Hirsch https://www.amazon.com/Schools-We-Need-Dont-Have-ebook/dp/B0036S4DX8/

How The Other Half Learns: Equality, Excellence, and the Battle Over School Choice, Robert Pondiscio https://www.amazon.com/How-Other-Half-Learns-Excellence-ebook/dp/B07PH9J87P/

Undoctrinate: How Politicized Classrooms Harm Kids and Ruin Our Schools―and What We Can Do About It, Bonnie Kerrigan Snyder https://www.amazon.com/Undoctrinate-Politicized-Classrooms-Schools_and-About/dp/1642939129

Episode 47: Undoctrinating the Classroom | Bonnie Snyder, Hold my Drink Podcast (now Dissidents Podcast

The Longing for Total Revolution: Philosophic Sources of Social Discontent from Rousseau to Marx and Nietzsche, Bernard Yack https://www.amazon.com/Longing-Total-Revolution-Philosophic-Discontent-ebook/dp/B0CVPV7QHS/

Why Colleges are Becoming Cults, Lyell Asher on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hybqg81n-M

The Cultural Matrix: Understanding Black Youth, Orlando Patterson https://www.amazon.com/Cultural-Matrix-Understanding-Black-Youth/dp/0674728750/

Soft White Underbelly, YouTube Channel 

n this powerful episode of Free Speech Forward, Chris and Joia speak with Muslim feminist reformer Soraya M. Deen, who reveals the shocking reality of advocating for women's rights within religious orthodoxy—where speaking truth can mean exile from your own community. From her awakening moment watching Ayaan Hirsi Ali on C-SPAN as a young mother to co-founding the Clarity Coalition, Deen exposes how cancel culture operates within faith communities and why so many of those who need to speak up remain dangerously silent. As an interfaith advocate fighting extremism and fundamentalism, she shares her radical approach of "truth circles"—creating brave spaces where conflicting ideas can clash without violence. Discover why she believes the greatest weapon against bad ideas is better ideas, how she builds collective consciousness using the "100th monkey" principle, and her urgent call for open debates about anti-Semitism and radical Islamic ideology on college campuses. This episode offers hope and practical strategies for anyone facing opposition within their own community while fighting for fundamental human freedoms.

Learn more about Soraya M. Deen’s work at: https://www.claritycoalition.org/soraya-deen/

We have a lot of questions about AI. Maybe you do too. If you follow our work you’ll note that we’ve done several presentations on AI (Reimaging the Academy Panel Discussion, and This is Your Brain on AI Dissidents Podcast). To get a better grasp on both the problems and opportunities, we invited Robert “RSnake” Hansen, a tech security guru and author of the book, AI’s Best Friend, to our podcast. Our conversation centers on the moral alignment of AI. The divergence between censorship and alignment is discussed, which touches on the issue of bad actors in the design on AI. While we work to “raise” AI from infancy into what we hope can model a “best friend”, one of the tools we have to monitor the progression is transparency. We know that China’s DeepSeek leans heavily on censorship; Gemini leans politically left; Grok leans right. These evaluations and critiques are important as we find the best way forward in this new landscape. But will it be enough? If AI can do wonderful things beyond human capacity, like cure cancer, are we ok losing some of our autonomy “to the machine”? Let us know in the comments what you think.

Podcast Resources:

AI's Best Friend: https://www.amazon.com/AIs-Best-Friend-Robert-Hansen-ebook/dp/B0CWDJCVHT

Dr. Nafees Alam and Matt Watson interview Andrew Hartz, founder of the Open Therapy Institute. They discuss the impact of political issues on mental health training, the importance of addressing bias in therapy, and the need for cultural competence that includes diverse sociopolitical values. Hartz shares insights on diverse approaches in therapy, the significance of self-censorship, and the challenges of navigating emotional responses in therapy sessions. The conversation emphasizes the importance of patient-centered care and building awareness of diverse perspectives in mental health.

Today we’re delighted to begin a new series of episodes under the Free Speech Forward banner, an exploration of free speech and its connection to the Declaration of Independence. This series is a celebration of the Declaration in honor of its upcoming anniversary, a project conducted in partnership by 1776 Forward, the Institute for Liberal Values, and the Free Society Coalition.

Today's guest is Marsha Familaro Enright, an educational entrepreneur and thought leader in independent thinking and self-reliance. As the founder of Reliance College and the creator of The Great Connections Seminars, she’s spent decades revolutionizing education to help young minds become leaders of their own lives, learning how to live in and advocate for a free society. Her programs aim to provide what Alexis de Tocqueville called "an apprenticeship of freedom."

As we come up on the 250th anniversary of the U.S. founding, understanding its history, ideas, and impact is more crucial than ever and education plays a deep role.

Aiming to open in the fall of 2026, Reliance College is a uniquely designed college program combining a rigorous liberal arts and sciences course of study with practical work in the student's area of professional interest. It is an expansion of the 16-year-old week-long The Great Connections Summer Seminar. Year after year since 2009, 75% of participants have testified that their lives have been transformed by this program. It is designed for young adults (ages 16-24) who want to develop independent thinking, leadership skills, and intellectual confidence. Hosted in Chicago, this immersive experience helps participants engage deeply with great ideas, sharpen critical thinking skills, and connect with like-minded peers—all in an exciting, discussion-driven learning environment. 

This week Elizabeth is joined by Ryan Tsapatsaris for a discussion about the complex world of online communities focused on aggression and hate. We draw insights from the book Social Processes of Online Hate as well as Ryan’s own research and expertise in the area. While most of us assume that attackers are laser focused on their targets and on affecting some change, the evidence suggests that attackers are more interested in themselves and in impressing one another. Far more time is spent celebrating, reminiscing, cross-posting, and bragging about their own behaviors than on discussing their target or the target’s behaviors.  Ryan shares examples and his knowledge about platforms like 4chan, the dynamics of anonymity and status, subculture language, and the gamification of online cancellations.  We also spend time talking about “concern trolling” and explore why it works particularly well when directed toward a university or organization. Listen while we work to unpack online hate and its implications for society.

Podcast notes

Ryan’s article on 4chan: https://oilab.eu/the-bakers-guild-the-secret-order-countering-4chans-affordances/  

OILab, an Amsterdam-based network of interdisciplinary scholars scrutinizing political subcultures on the fringe corners of the Web: https://oilab.eu/

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture by Whitney Phillips: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262529877/this-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things/

Cancel Culture: Tales from the Front Lines by Paul du Quenoy: https://www.academicapress.com/node/523

Walther J. B., Rice R. E. (Eds). (2025). Social process of online hate. Routledge: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/92521

In this gripping episode of Free Speech Forward, Chris and Joia speak with Naya Lekht—a Soviet-born educator and research fellow. Dr. Lekht exposes how American colleges mirror the totalitarian censorship her family escaped in the USSR. Drawing shocking parallels between Marxist indoctrination and today's campus culture, Lekht reveals why the "marketplace of ideas" has been replaced by sanctioned groupthink that's destroying critical thinking skills. As a high school teacher fighting back against educational decline, she shares her radical approach to "activating antennas"—teaching students to detect propaganda and find the courage to stand alone against conformity.

Learn why Lekht considers the Pledge of Allegiance a litmus test for schools, how patriotism became a dirty word in education, and why both bad ideas and good ideas are essential for intellectual growth. This eye-opening conversation offers parents and educators practical strategies for reclaiming educational excellence while warning that freedom—far from being humanity's natural state—requires constant vigilance to preserve.

Find out more about Dr. Naya Lekht and her work at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naya-lekht-phd-0ba243a3/