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Rachel Maddow vs. GOP Wacko Art Robinson

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reason091110/08/2010 11:17:44 am PDT

I’m completely boggled by the fact that no one here seems to think that this interview was a bit absurd. Did Rachel Maddow just ask Art Robinson to explain hormo-whateveritwas in a segment less than 20 minutes? Most people cant get basic physics in a whole semester. Was she kidding? and in defense of a scientific conclusion no less…especially considering the the low probability that many of those watching her show if any have the scientific background necessary to understand the issue. That’s barely enough time to put forth a good hypothesis. There was no way he could do that and given that Rachel is a Harvard grad, I’m going to give her credit and assume that she knew very well what she was doing and wasn’t being a mindless idiot (though maybe that’s saying the same thing.) Science is complicated and often counterintuitive. You don’t prove the validity of an idea on a political news entertainment show and that’s what she was asking him to do. Surely the author of this blog would agree with this…
But it does speak to the underlying problem here in the States with our current media. It’s never a discussion of ideas; never exploration of truth. It’s all just my side against your side. Did Maddow ask her viewers to explore his ideas. Lets face it, Maddow wasn’t going to allow him to put forth a reasonable explanation even if he could. We all knew there was a lag. So did Maddow. She’s done satellite interviews in the past. There is no doubt that she interrupted him every time he attempted to explain it. This is just the given. It’s what you see with your eyes and hear with your ears. What conclusion you come to about why she did it, I realize, is purely subjective. To me, you have to be weary of anyone that stifles real discussion. That interview went terribly for Maddow. It certainly made me think less of her. I’d never heard of Arthur Robinson, but he certainly didn’t seem like an idiot. Though I do have to question how smart it was for him to go on her show. News entertainment shows aren’t amenable to serious discussions. They think their viewers are more entertained by shouting matches and snide remarks. I suppose sometimes they are right about that.