Uncancelled Culture (2024) - David Baddiel, Roxane Gay, Andy Mills, Megan Phelps-Roper & Tim Dean

Uncancelled Culture (2024) - David Baddiel, Roxane Gay, Andy Mills, Megan Phelps-Roper & Tim Dean

Author: Festival of Dangerous Ideas February 5, 2025 Duration: 1:01:20

Throughout history we have found ways to regulate human behaviour through the threat of social exclusion. But while the idea of 'cancellation' is not new, the online sphere has radically shifted the way we hold people to account and punish perceived wrongdoing. 

Is redemption possible in the digital age? And can narratives of growth and forgiveness help us shift the power from condemnation to compassion? What does 'forgiveness' look like in the digital age? 

 

David Baddiel is an accomplished comedian, author, screenwriter and television presenter. His works include the Sunday Times Politics Book of The Year – his polemic Jews Don't Count, and The God Desire.

Roxane Gay is an author whose works include AyitiAn Untamed StateThe New York Times' bestselling Bad Feminist, and The New York Times' bestselling Hunger: A Memoir of My Body and the nationally bestselling Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business.

Andy Mills is an American reporter and podcast producer who co-created The Daily at The New York TimesReflector and several documentary series including Rabbit Hole and The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling.

Megan Phelps-Roper is an author and podcast producer who left a life of religious extremism in 2012. She has spent the past decade using her experiences to work with schools on anti-bullying campaigns, with law enforcement organisations investigating deradicalisation, and with tech companies on the intersection of safety, free speech, and the value of dialogue across ideological divides. She hosted and produced The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling.

Chaired by philosopher, Tim Dean.


For more than a decade, the Festival of Dangerous Ideas has curated a space where provocative thinking isn't just welcomed, it's the entire point. This podcast is a direct line to that stage, offering an archive of talks that deliberately unsettle comfortable opinions and interrogate the stubborn problems we often agree to ignore. Each episode captures a live conversation from Australia's original disruptive ideas festival, presenting arguments that can be exhilarating, uncomfortable, and vitally important. You’ll hear from a compelling roster of festival alumni-including leading experts, intellectual troublemakers, and visionary authors-who share perspectives that conventional discourse frequently sidelines. The discussions here aren't theoretical exercises; they grapple with the pressing and difficult issues shaping our society and culture right now. Tuning in means granting yourself access to a decade-long tradition of intellectual courage, where the core assumption is that some truths are only reached by first entertaining a dangerous idea. It’s a chance to listen as boundaries are pushed, not for shock value, but for clarity. The result is a consistently challenging and refreshing audio experience that complicates simple narratives and expands what feels possible to talk about.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Podcast Episodes
Claire G. Coleman (2022) | Words are Weapons [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:36
Stories define who we are, our history and they can be weaponised. Stories can erase an entire culture. History is nothing but a story. Noongar woman and author Claire G. Coleman invites you to consider that Australia ha…
Joanna Bourke (2022) | The Last Taboo [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:44
Our modern society is dependent on extraordinary levels of abuse and violence towards non-human animals. While we may love animals, we continue to interact with them in thoughtless, violent and cruel ways. We destroy the…
Frances Haugen (2022) | Unmasking Facebook [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:31
Former Facebook product manager, Frances Haugen did not set out to be a whistleblower, but when it became a question of saving lives, she knew it was time to tell the truth. On top of her concerns about mental health and…
Sisonke Msimang (2022) | Precious White Lives [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:16
Australia is professed to be the most successful multicultural society in the world. However, with our treatment of multicultural communities throughout the pandemic, a selective immigration progress and fraught ongoing…
Kevin Roose (2022) | Caught in a web [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:03
In a world where the internet saturates everything, where does the internet stop and our human selves begin? As we're nudged and pushed by an endless stream of alerts, notifications and recommendations, our attention and…
Ruth Ben-Ghiat (2022) | Return of the Strongman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:28
From Russia and China to America, Turkey and beyond, illiberal leaders have used corruption, machismo, disinformation, propaganda and violence to stay in power and expand their influence for decades. With authoritarianis…