#Munk Debates

[ethiack]

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: The Growing Threat of Radical Islam

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Somali-born human rights activist, writer and former politician. *Watch the Munk Debate: Is Anti-Zionism Antisemitism? Live June 17th*.

To escape an arranged marriage, she sought political asylum in the Netherlands at the age of 23. In her early 30s, she renounced the Islamic faith of her childhood and began identifying as an atheist, becoming an outspoken critic of Islam in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. In late 2023, Ayaan shocked many by announcing her conversion to Christianity. She has recently launched a new platform, Restoration, which aims to unite and equip those who want to restore the confidence and institutions of the West.

CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:34 The State of Radical Islamism in the West 09:07 Government Failures to Control Immigration 14:13 A Failure to Understand Radical Islamism 17:57 Why People Are Scared to Deal With the Issue 19:41 The Case of Shamima Begum 23:54 Sponsor Message: Munk Debates 24:43 Have We Run Out of Time? 27:37 How to Deal With the Problem 35:42 Ethics of Banning an Ideology 41:52 Sponsor Message: ExpressVPN 43:18 Was Believing New Atheism a Mistake? 47:18 Religion Fills Our Need for Community 51:55 Does Ayaan Believe in God? 57:04 Advice to Young People on Finding Meaning 1:01:45 What’s the One Thing We’re Not Talking About?

[beautifulpersonpeach]

I’ve been reading your blog for the better part of the year and it’s helped me rethink many things. This year was weird for me and I’ve been reflecting, I finally got courage to write this confession and I only feel comfortable sending it here. It’s okay if you post it. I think there are other people like me.

My Confession:

I’m an Orbit-Blink shooter who used to fight with an Army shooter daily until she died during the earthquakes in Turkey this year. I didn’t realize how much of my life and fan experience was tied to her until she died BPP. The way I got into shooting was through my Blink friend who introduced me to Loona when they debuted. At first I thought I was defending Loona and then defending Blackpink, but at some point shooting on its own for any reason became addicting. I would jump in on a ratio, throw insults and post gore and graphic images to people’s DMs for any small reason.

There was one Army shooter I hated because she was always there with screenshots or videos to drag Blackpink. Whenever there was a fanwar I knew I would see her there. And times when she wasn’t in the fight, I would use another account pretending to be an Army to tell her what was happening so I could rile her up to join the fight. I didn’t know it at the time but I loved fighting with her. She made me feel alive. The way she was passionate about BTS made me want to get some of that passion directed at me in any form.

Now, after months of reflecting, that’s what I realized. Because when the earthquake happened, I didn’t know she was dead. I kept checking her account for days, sending DMs from my fake Army profile, wondering why she was not replying. I even created a new scandal for Taehyung in our shooter group but she didn’t tweet. Then 2 weeks later her cousin tweeted from her account to say she died in the earthquake. BPP, it was like my whole life stopped. I became extremely depressed and dealt with extreme self loathing. I couldn’t look at any fandom fight without thinking about all the things I did to her. I hated myself and wanted to die. I went through that Armys profile and saw how her love for BTS was genuine. After months of therapy now I understand more why I acted like that, but it’s something I’ll forever be ashamed about.

In the depths of my depression I deleted Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram. After some weeks of missing what’s happening, I got Tumblr and found your blog talking about fandom behavior. In so many ways you’ve saved my life BPP. The way I was shooting was more for other shooters than Loona or Blackpink or even myself. I realize now there’s a whole subculture of kpop shooters and I think what they have is an addiction. I notice the same things with how solo stans behave. They think they’re doing it for the idols but it’s for them and other stans they’re fighting. It creates destruction. Life is short. Why spend it on something destructive?

I’ve changed everything about how I behave online. Through therapy and reading your blog, I realize people use fandom to express themselves, and if that expression is mostly negative, there’s deeper problems with that person that needs solving. Now I curate my space and avoid shooters and fanwars completely. I now focus on what I enjoy which is good lore and good music (I still enjoy a good fight but I now satisfy this need by getting engaged in Munk Debates in my city). Loona’s lore was the reason I was interested in them, so after weeks of stalking that dead Army’s profile, I learned that BTS has lore too. I fell down the BTS rabbit hole and officially became an Army on Jimin’s birthday (after reading your blog I’m now Yoonminkook biased hehe)

I’m a very new Army but an ‘old’ kpop fan and reformed shooter. I’ve committed to live a life that’s critical and compassionate. Because of how I’ve become Army, some things I’m seeing in how fans of diff fandoms act has a different meaning to me. I still struggle with shame and sometimes when I see fanwars or see solos trending hashtags and things, I remember me from what feels like long ago. I remember that Army shooter who feels like someone I owe my life to. I remember how so much is going on in the world and we could do with more kindness but people use fandom to be awful assholes. I was one such person, attimes I still have to bite my tongue. But what I do now is log off, go do something physical and positive that makes me tired, or scroll through your blog archives.

There might be people like me trying to get away from the shooter mindset and struggling because it’s hard. It’s like an addiction. I want those people to know it’s doable. Recognizing the problem is the hardest part for real so if they are at that point, it gets easier from there.

Thank you for having this blog BPP. I hope you stay here in 2024 as well.

***

Happy to hear you’re in a better head space than earlier this year.

Take care of yourself. Really.

[david-goldrock]

Natasha Hausdorff's Rebuttal in the Munk Debate Anti-Zionism is Antisemi...

[outstandingfabulousphenomenal]

toronto... helped an old man who was concussed on the street with a journalist who as it turns out is besties with my friend mak... ran into my high school reach for the top coach and my hart house transfem debate predecessor... waved at my munk one classmate on his bike and my high school english teacher... one of my favourite things about this city is that it is so small but saw my (very nice and good, at least to me!) ex at remembrance day and was reminded that this was a double-edged sword

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The God of this universe is a Zionist, and, therefore, the question I have for you is simply: Are you? If you’re not, you are heading on a collision course with God, and you will have to give an account one day of what you did or didn’t do to “the least of these” Jesus’ brothers and sisters, the Jewish people. If God is a Zionist, we ought to be!

Now, maybe you’re wondering, “What is Zionism?” Very simply, it means that you identify that the Jewish people have a right to return to their ancestral homeland.

Douglas Murray, a British author, conservative political commentator, journalist, and solid advocate for Israel and the Jewish people, laid out Zionism very well in a recent Munk Debate in Toronto, Canada....

[heplev]

Ganz einfach auf den Punkt gebracht

Douglas Murray bei Munk Debates: Wenn du für die Palästinenser protestierst, aber nicht gegen den echten Völkermord im Sudan oder nicht protestiert hast, als Assad in Syrien innerhalb eines Jahrzehnts sechsmal so viele Menschen tötete wie in allen Kriegen Israels und seiner Feinde in 75 Jahren umgekommen sind, dann bist du ein Antisemit. (Video-zitiert von Dr. Eli David, X/twitter, 10. Januar…

[lmarodrigues]

Natasha Hausdorff's Closing in the Munk Debate Anti-Zionism is Antisemit...

[taylortruther]

okay now that i know what you're asking LMAO i haven't finished it yet, i got distracted listening to this podcast:

Thoughts on something to give each other bestie?

what do you mean? for my double date friends? i am bringing wine. but if you meant something else lmk!

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The charitable foundation organizing a controversial debate featuring Steve Bannon is also one of the biggest funders of Canada’s network of right-wing think tanks.

The upcoming event, pitting the alt-right Donald Trump advisor and former head of the racist, far-right Breitbart.com against former George W. Bush advisor David Frum, is being organized by the Munk Debates, a “charitable initiative” of a shadowy group called the Aurea Foundation.

The Aurea Foundation was established in 2006 by Peter Munk, the billionaire former CEO of Barrick Gold – “the world’s largest gold mining company” – who passed away earlier this year.

According to its website, the Aurea Foundation “supports qualified institutions and affiliated individuals involved in the study and development of public policy,” giving “special attention” to issues like the “economic foundations of freedom” and “the strengthening of the free market system.”

In practice, the Aurea Foundation is one of the biggest funders sustaining a network of right-wing think tanks in Canada.

Continue Reading.

[oscarwetnwilde]

I didn’t even edit this. This reaction did happen this way. 

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“The Aurea Foundation was established in 2006 by Peter Munk, the billionaire former CEO of Barrick Gold – “the world’s largest gold mining company” – who passed away earlier this year.

According to its website, the Aurea Foundation “supports qualified institutions and affiliated individuals involved in the study and development of public policy,” giving “special attention” to issues like the “economic foundations of freedom” and “the strengthening of the free market system.” In practice, the Aurea Foundation is one of the biggest funders sustaining a network of right-wing think tanks in Canada.Canada Revenue Agency disclosures for 2017 show Aurea distributed nearly $1.8 million in funds. A few beneficiaries include: The Fraser Institute ($518,238) Macdonald-Laurier Institute ($250,000) Montreal Economic Institute ($250,000) Canadian Constitution Foundation ($250,000) C. D. Howe Institute ($225,000) Manning Foundation ($100,000) These “gifts” to other registered charities and qualified donees accounted for nearly two-thirds (63%) of Aurea’s total expenditures in 2017. Between 2011 and 2017, Aurea’s regular donations to these right-wing organizations have totaled in the millions: The Fraser Institute ($1,675,568) MacDonald-Laurier Institute ($1,255,000) Frontier Centre for Public Policy ($1,204,000) Montreal Economic Institute ($968,000) C.D. Howe Institute ($870,000) Canadian Constitution Foundation ($425,000) Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms ($275,000) Atlantic Institute for Market Studies ($252,500) According to group’s charitable disclosures, the right-wing Fraser Institute has been a top recipient of Aurea Foundation cash over the years.The Fraser Institute has received $1.7 million from the Aurea Foundation since 2011 and received a $5 million donation from Munk himself in 2016 to fund an education program that provides right-wing training sessions for teachers and offers teenagers cash prizes to write essays attacking minimum wage increases. Programming accounted for 23% of the organization’s $2.7 million budget. The only program listed on the Aurea Foundation’s website is the semi-annual Munk Debate. Speakers selected to participate in Munk Debates often voice right-wing and neoconservative views. Past speakers have included the controversial University of Toronto professor andalt-right idol Jordan Peterson, the former leader of the anti-immigrant UKIP party Nigel Farage as well as Richard Nixon’s Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Former Republican house speaker Newt Gingrich, meanwhile, has participated in no fewer than three Munk Debates.

- “The Group Behind Steve Bannon’s Toronto Event Also Funds Canada’s Biggest Right-Wing Think Tanks.” PressProgress.ca, November 2, 2018.

[thethirdman8]

Riveting hour and 38 minutes.. The Munk Debates, so good. Do you have an open mind? Let's find out..

“ Vous ne devez pas faire confiance aux médias mainstream.”

Matt Taibbi, The Munk Debates (extraits)

[inbonobo]

#JordanPeterson #debate for #PC or #PoliticalCorrectness vs #PROgressive, #Con won with a 6% #vote gain. Also, short for #Conservative :)

could this be why the Pro faithful are so weary of debating?

Is political correctness an enemy of free speech, open debate and the free exchange of ideas? Or, by confronting head-on the dominant power relationships and social norms that exclude marginalised groups are we creating a more equitable and just society? For some the argument is clear. Political correctness is stifling the free and open debate that fuels our democracy. It is also needlessly dividing one group from another and promoting social conflict. Others insist that creating public spaces and norms that give voice to previously marginalised groups broadens the scope of free speech. The drive towards inclusion over exclusion is essential to creating healthy, diverse societies in an era of rapid social change. The Spring 2018 Munk Debate will move the motion: Be it resolved, what you call political correctness, I call progress…

[heplev]

Zitate

Es gibt kein Kriegsrecht, das besagt: Du darfst einen Krieg anfangen und dich dann beschweren, dass du ihn verlierst.Douglas Murray, 17.06.24 Gideon sagt, Israel braucht nichts dringender als Kritik. Der liest nicht einmal die Presse seines eigenen Landes.Douglas Murray, 17.06.24 über Gideon Levy (in Munk Debates, Kanada) Die vielen Lügen. Die skrupellose Benutzung von Bildern aus Syrien, der…

[lmarodrigues]

Natasha Hausdorff's Opening Statement in the Munk Debate Anti-Zionism is...