Speaking the Unspeakable

Join us on May 29 for an intimate evening salon to talk about forbidden things. In partnership with Interintellect.

Every society has things you’re not supposed to say. Not lies, exactly — more like truths that have been flagged as dangerous, or questions that mark you as suspect for even asking. The list is not set in stone. It shifts. It grows. It shrinks. And the paradox is that almost everyone instinctively knows what’s on it.

Trump came to power in no small part by being fearless about speaking the unspeakable, about immigration, about trade, and about liberal orthodoxy. The “special relationship” with Israel and the broad contours of U.S. policy in the Middle East went broadly unquestioned — until they weren’t. And patriarchy was dismantled in the name of individual freedom — yet widespread discontent with dating, marriage, and family life suggests the new order hasn't delivered what it promised. But say that out loud, and you're accused of wanting to drag women back to the 1950s.

So how does something become unspeakable? What machinery makes a thought go from common knowledge to forbidden knowledge? What do people lose when they comply — and what do they risk when they don’t?

On Friday, May 29, 7pm until late, join Shadi Hamid, Christine Emba, Anna Gát and Damir Marusic for a small-group conversation about speaking the unspeakable. It’s not a conversation about how to be more civil. It’s about the strange dynamics of public silence on topics we are all talking about.

Limited tickets, sign up below to get the location!