In this episode of the Quillette Cetera podcast, host Zoe Booth is joined by Anthony Rispo—a writer, independent researcher, and co-host of The Discourse Lab podcast. Anthony holds a degree in psychology from Columbia University, where he specialised in social cognition and sociopolitical behaviour. His academic research has explored narrative, perspective-taking, and autism, and he founded Columbia’s Heterodox Academy Campus Community to promote open inquiry and viewpoint diversity.
Zoe first discovered Anthony on Instagram, where he shares nuanced, carefully reasoned commentary on culture and politics. His platform offers thoughtful, accessible videos on everything from identity and political behaviour to social psychology and group dynamics.
In this conversation, Zoe and Anthony reflect on their own journeys through highly ideological phases—Anthony as a gay man in activist circles, and Zoe as a self-described vegan Marxist feminist. They discuss how those beliefs affected their personal lives, particularly family relationships, and what it took to step back from those frameworks while still extending empathy to those who remain within them.
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Adam Szetela on How Cancel Culture and Sensitivity Readers Are Shaping the Publishing Industry and Silencing Dissent
In this episode of Quillette Cetera, Zoe Booth speaks with Harvard fellow and Cornell PhD Adam Szetela—author of new book That Book Is Dangerous: How Moral Panic, Social Media, and the Culture Wars Are Remaking Publishing (MIT Press, 2025).
A working-class kid turned literary insider, Szetela exposes what he calls “the sensitivity era”: a cultural climate in which books are cancelled before they’re published, authors are shamed into grovelling apologies, and sensitivity readers act as ideological enforcers—surveilling fiction for offence.
Drawing on eye-opening examples and experimental research conducted at Cornell’s Social Dynamics Lab, Szetela explains how peer pressure alone can turn readers against even canonical figures like Allen Ginsberg. He also reflects on the publishing industry’s class divide, the fragility of elite institutions, and why pro wrestling and bodybuilding may offer a better education than the Ivy League.
From J.K. Rowling and Goodreads mobs to the politics of soccer and masculinity—this is a frank and timely discussion about literary freedom in an age of moral panic.
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Can We Regulate Online Hate Without Killing Free Speech? With Dr Andre Oboler
In this episode, Dr. Andre Oboler—CEO of the Online Hate Prevention Institute and a global expert on antisemitism, hate speech, and online extremism—joins Zoe Booth to unpack the surge in antisemitic hate speech since October 7, 2023,.
Dr. Oboler discusses recent antisemitic attacks on Australian synagogues, and his role as an expert witness in the landmark Wissam Haddad hate speech case, which tested the limits of Australia’s racial vilification laws. He critiques the failure of major social media platforms to moderate digital hate, and outlines the legal, educational, and community responses needed to address the rise in online antisemitism.
The conversation also tackles a difficult but essential question: How do we protect free speech while holding people accountable for inciting hatred and violence online?
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Masculinity and Political Extremism with Sociologist Josh Roose
This episode explores how masculinity, identity, and marginalisation can drive young men toward political and religious extremism. Drawing on research with Australian Muslims and broader work on the “Manosphere,” the conversation covers honour cultures, online radicalisation, misogyny, and the emotional undercurrents linking movements from jihadism to the far right. Also discussed: the social impact of economic stagnation, and how healthier models of masculinity might offer a way forward.
Dr Joshua Roose is a political sociologist and Associate Professor at Deakin University, specialising in religion, political violence, and male identity. His work combines ethnographic research with policy insight to examine the forces shaping extremism in contemporary societies.
Note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of this recording were lost due to technical issues.
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Discussing the Iran-Israel War with an Iranian Dissident Danial Taghaddos
As missiles fly between Tehran and Tel Aviv, I’m joined by Iranian dissident Danial Taghaddos to make sense of a rapidly escalating war—and what it means for the future of Iran, Israel, and the region. Danial moved to Australia in 2018 and became politically active during the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests. A royalist and advocate for a return to constitutional monarchy under the Pahlavi dynasty, he’s emerged as a compelling voice in the Iranian diaspora, challenging both the Islamic Republic and the Western narratives that often obscure the regime’s abuses.In this episode, we talk about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, what the regime actually wants from this war, and how Zoroastrianism and Persian identity shape Iranian views on Israel. We also unpack how the Iranian diaspora organizes abroad, why many Iranians support Israel despite the regime’s propaganda, and how the West continues to misunderstand the Islamic Republic. From public executions to political repression—and threat of Islamism and regime spies operating in the West—this conversation is a sobering look at the human cost of Tehran’s ambitions, and a hopeful one about the people resisting from within and without.
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Quillette's Zoe Booth, sits down with a guest to discuss some of the best Quillette articles from the week + more. Common themes include gender issues, feminism, free speech, evolutionary psychology, philosophy, politics, science and more.
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