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Friends,
What an amazing conversation with music legend, political rock star, and one of my heroes, Billy Bragg.
Billy really needs no introduction, but in case you’ve missed his decades-spanning career in music, I’ve made a long spotify playlist of some of my favorite Billy Bragg songs for you here. Billy’s music has always held a special place in my heart and my activism, and his new book, The Three Dimensions of Freedom which focuses on his thoughtful versions of liberty, equality, and accountability, has only amplified my admiration for him. It’s a great book that you can read in a couple hours, and will enliven your sense of history and motivate you. Go get it.
We talk about
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why the language of Marxism no longer works, and why we need a language of compassion
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how to tend to individualism ethically, and how to have agency
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how the alt-right and atheist bros and Brexit all arise from a sense of meaninglessness
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how Billy’s model relates to the traditional tripartite motto of Liberty! Equality! Fraternity! and why he replaced “fraternity” with “accountability”
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how holding some asshole accountable on twitter relates to accountability for political leaders
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why Morrissey is a dick (not in the episode, but at Billy’s shows, he’s been calling Boris Johnson “Borrissey”)
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the problem with “freedom of speech”
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why concerns about no-platforming are ridiculous
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why Flat Earthers have a point (not really, but sort of!)
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gay slaps in the face (listen for Billy’s gasp, it’s great)
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shifting fields of culture and what is acceptable and unacceptable
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how one of his albums was deeply personal for me and wove into a time of abuse
(Also, isn’t Billy a total Daddy now?)
XO
CH
CH
Conner Habib 
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