Manufacturing Dissent

Fresh off a flight from Karachi, Dana joins Hani and Shawn for a candid conversation on political expression, diasporic disillusionment, and the cost of speaking out. Dana reflects on his return to Pakistan and the risks of airing dissent on social media (7:06), while the crew discuss the learned helplessness shaping the American-Muslim diaspora (14:41). From the ethics of negotiating with genocid...

Following a heated Clubhouse exchange with fellow Pakistani millennials on the subject of Israel's latest attack on Gaza (05/21), Hani and Shawn unpack the polarized discourse around Palestine within Pakistan’s public sphere and professional classes. From the temptation to play Oppression Olympics (4:53) to the instrumentalization of Uyghur suffering in anti-China narratives (22:42), the hosts cha...

After a long hiatus, Hani and Shawn return to confront the empty critiques and political nihilism surrounding the recent wave of Palestine solidarity protests. The duo discusses a flurry of subjects like gaming, the US Presidential Candidates as the primary season kicks off (5:45), and Kanye West (9:30) before turning their focus to the model minority diaspora—especially the Houston Shia Muslim co...

Picking up from their previous episode, Hani and Shawn dig into the root causes of America’s increasingly vapid political and social atmosphere—and what it signals for the decade ahead. From the ousting of Kevin McCarthy by the Freedom Caucus to the Squad’s missed moment during Force The Vote, the duo draws parallels across partisan dysfunction and ideological hollowness. They critique the Democra...

Aun links up with hosts Hani and Shawn during peak COVID19 lockdowns for the debut episode of Manufacturing Dissent: Hani opens with his new obsession: turn-based strategy games. What begins as a chat about gaming quickly spirals into deeper reflections on media, art, and the algorithms shaping our collective psyche. Shawn draws parallels to Ender’s Game (15:28), sparking debates about nostalgia,...