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.

And baiting & trolling in forums like this. It’s impossible have an open honest exchange of ideas by oneself. Television is going to give us what we indicate we want, what we tune into. News is no longer news, it’s for-profit entertainment and people tune in by the millions. If we want adult discussions, then we can start by refusing to participate in, or tune into, those which aren’t. If someone can’t or won’t do that, then s/he is part of the problem.