S03E13 – Progressives Supporting Hamas and Security Versus Freedom

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, Tom and Ryan tackle two topics. First, we discuss the fact that some individuals and groups have effectively been showing their support for the people of Gaza by calling for violence and even genocide against Israel. Tom pointed out that this seems to be a double standard on college campuses as they would not allow similar calls for violence against Black individuals. Ryan, while condemning the calls for violence, raised the question of whether this isn’t an instance of free speech – though perhaps run amuck or gone too far. They ultimately agree that people should be allowed to say pretty much anything within the bounds of what the law has said, but it has to go both ways. The second topic was raised in the context of the severe crackdown on gangs and criminals in El Salvador under the new-ish President, Nayib Bukele. Under his presidency, he has arrested tens of thousands and they are treating the inmates very harshly. As a result, homicides have fallen dramatically, but the people of El Salvador are now effectively living in a police state and have lost lots of freedoms. This opened up a discussion between freedom and security, leading to a discussion of how it is a continuum – you can have more of one, but often at the cost of the other.