Krystal Ball and Kyle Kulinski dive into politics, philosophy and random BS with people they like. Krystal is co-host of Breaking Points. Kyle is host of Secular Talk on YouTube.
https://krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com
Debate me, bro!
We’re taking a step back to talk strategy on KK&F, looking at recent online discussions, disagreements, and discourse to tackle the question of when political debate is worthwhile — and when going toe-to-toe with bad-faith actors is a waste of time and energy. From political campaigns to community organizing and beyond, healthy debate affords us the chance to change minds and address misconceptions. But when our interlocutors respond dishonestly or unproductively, when is it time to disengage?
We saw this play out in a recent online altercation between vaccine scientist Peter Hotez and podcaster Joe Rogan. Rogan seized on Hotez’s retweet of a piece taking issue with vaccine misinformation on Rogan’s podcast, challenging Hotez to appear on the show and debate anti-vaccine presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Hotez’s refusal to take Rogan up on the offer has led to online attacks from right-wingers (including Elon Musk himself). In this case and beyond, when, if ever, do you owe someone your thoughts in an exchange of ideas? We’re getting into it this week on KK&F, and we hope you’ll join us. The conversation will be available to everyone Saturday on your favorite podcast streaming platforms, including Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Podcasts. Paying subscribers get video access a day early, on Friday night. See you soon!