Censored, Arrested, and Still Fighting | Laurence Fox | EP 411

Coming up

• Discussion of hating people and political perspectives.

Intro

• Actor Lawrence Fox's legal trouble in the UK due to his stand against the extensive CCTV cameras and the impact on his acting career.
• The relationship between freedom of speech, truth, reputation, and career development.

Sadiq Khan and the C40 plans

• Sadiq Khan and his London Administration's involvement in the C40 Consortium plans, including drastic transportation elimination and restrictions on consumption.
• Lawrence Fox's tweet supporting the protest against the cameras and his subsequent arrest.

Legal troubles: “I can’t say the plural of this word”

• Disapproval of the scheme targeting the poorest in society and favoring the wealthy, expressed through the restriction on diesel vehicles and promotion of electric cars.
• London's hijacking by regressive environmental policies and the arbitrariness of enforcement laws.

Making congestion worse by trying to regulate carbon

• Critique of the congestion charge and pollution claims in London.
• Criticism of the supposed traffic calming measures as ideological and taxing moves, neglecting real evidence.

Why automobiles are a symbol of individual freedom

• Vehicles as a symbol of freedom and individual autonomy, contrasting with new anti-car sentiments.

Bike lanes in Toronto

• Observations about the increasing difficulty of car travel in Toronto, leading to the suspicion of a "war on cars."
• Encounter with C40 documents, reflecting extreme environmental plans.

Why Fox is willing to stand up

• Fox may face charges for conspiracy to commit criminal damage and support of criminal damage
• Fox believes it's important to stand up against progressivism's hatred for mankind
• He wants to preserve risk, danger, and freedom in his life

Hate, when Progressive ideals clash with one another

• Fox struggled with the concept of hate regarding Sadiq Khan's attempt to control life out of weakness, nihilism, and hatred of life
• Progressives prioritize hypothetical concerns of the planet over the well-being of the economically oppressed
• Progressives sacrifice the poor for their environmental concerns

Is future wellbeing worth fatal sacrifice now?

• Fox questions the credibility of climate predictions by progressives
• He believes making people richer is the best way to ensure a cleaner future for the planet
• Transitioning economies from wood and dung through nuclear energy can lift billions out of poverty and benefit the planet

When Jordan Peterson worked with the U.N.

• Fox worked with the UN on a sustainable development document which he believes transformed an evil into a lesser evil
• Evidence suggests that people with higher GDP take a long-term view of the environment
• Increasing average GDP can lead to a more environmentally-conscious society

German beach towel syndrome

• Fox criticizes the anti-human sentiment present in the notion of the planet having too many people
• He references the idea of "German beach towel syndrome" to illustrate the desire for an uninterrupted, privileged view
• Fox believes in the equality of all individuals and criticizes the hypocrisy of those advocating for environmental measures while not adhering to the same standards themselves

The CCTV problem, fly tipping, and civic sovereignty

• Expresses concern over the extensive use of CCTV cameras in the UK
• Views the proliferation of cameras as an infringement on democratic freedoms
• Compares the cameras to "digital fly tipping," a form of unwanted digital waste in the community
• States that it is a civic duty to undo moral wrongs

You have to be able to criticize government action

• Believes that criticizing government actions, such as lockdowns and surveillance, is a crucial aspect of free speech
• Argues that if an emergency is used as a reason to increase government power, it should be scrutinized and questioned
• Emphasizes the importance of discussing banned topics and the need for infrastructure improvements before implementing control mechanisms

15 minute cities, the lapse of community in suburbia

• Highlights the concept of 15-minute cities with walkable distances and community centers as a positive idea for human flourishing
• Criticizes the transformation of 15-minute cities into digital prisons by moralizing utopists
• Stresses that offering incentives for people to voluntarily embrace specific lifestyles is preferable to coercion and the deprivation of civil liberties

ARC’s rule of thumb, how Moses embodied this

• Policies based on force are suboptimal or outright wrong
• Moses is the archetypal figure who fights tyranny and redeems the slave
• Moses is punished for using force instead of words

What comes next?

• Question about whether to oppose radical woke ideologues with force or faith

Opposition versus invitation

• Use of positive and invitational messages on social media to counter backlash
• Both speakers have paid a personal price for their stand against radical ideologies

You give up all security in a security state

• Opposing the centralizing power of woke ideology with an invitational vision
• Conflict between actively opposing tyrannical surveillance and promoting an invitational vision

Don’t hate people, hate what possesses them (55m52s)

• Fox does not hate woke people, but he hates what they do
• He believes the battle against woke ideology should be philosophical, not physical
• He shared experiences from being in court and interacting with ideological opponents
• He discussed the potential for ideological enemies to be freed from their possession through genuine dialogue

We are in the most difficult phase of the culture war (1h0m35s)

• Fox observed the difficulties in the current cultural conflict from his experiences in court
• He believes that ideologies cannot survive rigorous scrutiny and conversations
• He sees signs and feels that people are running out of patience with certain ideologies

Reform, overthrow, or burn it down? (1h3m57s)

• Fox discussed differing viewpoints on the future of ideological conflict from conversations with Jonathan Pajo and Michael Melis
• He expressed an agnostic view on the future, believing in the potential for a peaceful resolution but also acknowledging the severity of the ideological conflict
• Fox noted signs of fatigue with certain ideologies and discussed the potential for a non-violent transformation, but also acknowledged the possibility of violent upheaval
• He mentioned the vital role of striving to keep enmity out of hearts and the potential for transformative moments in individuals and ideologies

Humor is a bar for acceptability

• Use of humor is a marker for honest communication
• Comedians and ex-comedians are good at listening to the audience
• Audience trust in individuals who don't take themselves too seriously

The arrest and the aftermath

• The police were initially charged when they came to arrest but later became sympathetic
• Family members have differing views on his tactics, with some not approving
• Children were negatively impacted as a well-known actor labeled him as a fascist to his son

The need for old truisms and thicker skin

• Life driven by finding meaning and refining family mechanisms
• Embracing old truisms and having a thicker skin to deal with difficulties
• Marriage ended in 2016, and his partner is described as a calming influence despite facing disruptions

Taking the UK government to court

• Fox is taking the UK government to court for non-consensual child abuse of children in school via their transgender policies.
• He has initiated the Bad Law Project, comprising a small team, including barristers, to take the Department of Education to court to stop the teaching of certain subjects that he finds objectionable.
• Fox is also involved in media activities and has an ongoing court case related to being called racist.

The one thing that a man owns

• Fox emphasizes the importance of one's good name as the only possession a person truly owns.

The end of meritocracy? Launching Peterson Academy

• Fox discusses the issue of qualified individuals being overlooked for positions and the need to establish a new university enterprise with high-quality lectures and a focus on genuine merit.

ARC is beating WEF

• Fox mentions the success of the ARC conference and the significant views garnered on their released material, comparing it to the World Economic Forum's YouTube views over the last year.

Overall, Laurence Fox discusses his legal battles, the value of a good name, the need for a new university enterprise, and the success of the ARC conference in promoting alternative perspectives.