re: #151 Killgore Trout

I think that’s correct but there’s also another dimension. There’s always been the silly and simple angle to politics: dubious claims, factually challenged ads, silly conventions, gotcha sound bites etc. but there also used to be a more serious side to be found. I recently rewatched Buckley debating Chomsky (it’s worth watching just a few minutes to remember what adult discussions used to look like). Although Hitchens was more bombastic he was also a holdover of the era of more serious adult debate which doesn’t really exist anymore. Although the wingnuts have been more open in abandoning their intellectuals I think the problem is widespread in modern culture. There’s not much open honest exchange of political ideas. It’s been abandoned in favor of simplistic populism and showmanship.

Here’s a recent, serious debate. It’s an hour long during which Dan Savage completely destroys Brian Brown with facts while Brown casts the anti-gay movement as the real victims, but it’s cordial and both sides get their say.

Youtube Video