Open to Debate is a fantastic show that holds old school, formal, moderated debates on contentious issues. It's recorded live with an audience, broadcast on NPR radio
in the US, and available as a podcast.
Back in 2023 they hosted on a debate on the moot 'Is Wokeness Killing Comedy?', at a comedy club, with 2 comedians as debaters and another as guest moderator. Insightful, as usual, and very entertaining;
https://opentodebate.org/is-wokeness-killing-comedy-newsletter/
#ShowerThoughts: 'More is better' is the ethos of a cancerous tumor.
The growth-based productivity obsession is deeply toxic.
https://opentodebate.org/debate/is-our-productivity-culture-toxic/
What’s next on your checklist? We live in a world that celebrates productivity — where getting more done, in less time, is often seen as the ultimate goal. For many, this mindset fuels ambition. It drives innovation, opens doors, builds careers, and creates a sense of progress and control. But there’s a flip side: some […]
Nate Silver predicts the 2024 election to be a “toss-up.” #opentodebate #2024election #politics
Nate Silver joins Nick Gillespie for an insightful evening at Maxwell Social. Check out the full conversation to see his take on AI, Elon Musk, and the 2024 election. source
Nate Silver joins Nick Gillespie for an insightful evening at Maxwell Social. Check out the full conversation to see his take on AI, Elon Musk, and the 2024
“Social Media Makes Marginal Voices Seem Mainstream” Malcolm Gladwell in conversation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPfcbZD3RdQ
#socialmedia #gladwell #opentodebate
It's fascinating to hear Michael Beckley misunderstand China, despite being well-informed on the raw facts. Because he's trying to cram those facts into a one-size-fits-all neoclassical economic frame. It simply doesn't fit a country with a totally different political-economic system from the US, and a massive, diverse territory with a huge population.
https://opentodebate.org/debate/has-chinas-power-peaked/
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This was supposed to be the “Chinese century.” In just a few decades, China transitioned from a developing economy to the world’s second-largest. Measured in purchasing power parity, it actually surpassed the U.S. economy in 2014, and has since expanded its military, monetary, infrastructure, and soft power capacities in ways that all seemed to point […]
"We must consider the possibility that what is really happening is that the language of free speech has been co-opted by dominant social groups, distorted to serve their interests, and used to silence the marginalised. All too often when people cry for justice, and are represented as threats to free speech, what is really meant is just, be quiet."
#JasonStanley, 2016
https://opentodebate.org/debate/free-speech-threatened-campus/
Protests have erupted on university campuses across the country. To many, these students are speaking out against racial injustice that has long been manifested in unwelcoming, sometimes hostile environments. But to critics, their demands have gone too far, creating an atmosphere of intolerance for opposing or unpopular points of view. Are the protestors silencing free […]
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"To the extent that this is an argument between left and right, it is the left right now, most often raising the complaint that its speech is being suppressed. They see students arrested on trespassing charges as being denied their right to protest peacefully against Israel's recent action, and for many its record over decades."
#JohnDonvan, 2024
https://opentodebate.org/debate/free-speech-threatened-campus/
Protests have erupted on university campuses across the country. To many, these students are speaking out against racial injustice that has long been manifested in unwelcoming, sometimes hostile environments. But to critics, their demands have gone too far, creating an atmosphere of intolerance for opposing or unpopular points of view. Are the protestors silencing free […]
The case for recommendation media being addictive is not helped by Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media. The hectoring tone he adopts from the start is grating, and his waffly interjections offer no clarification of Odgers' blurring of definitions.
A more suspicious person might wonder if he was chosen to argue in the affirmative on the #OpenToDebate podcast, precisely for his inability to articulate how this vagueness serves the PR interests of the recommendation media industry.
Full disclosure, I haven't yet listened to the Open to Debate #podcast episode Is Social Media Bad For Kids' Mental Health?
https://opentodebate.org/debate/is-social-media-bad-for-kids-mental-health/
But after some recent reading contrasting "social media" (eg the fediverse) with "recommendation media" (ie DataFarming platforms like FB), I suspect one problem with studies in this area is a lack of clear definitions. Resulting in, for example, recommendation media being given credit for the benefits of the net *in general*.
Social media platforms have become an integral part of the modern digital landscape, shaping how young individuals connect, communicate, and perceive the world around them. However, concerns have been raised regarding the potential negative consequences on children’s mental well-being. Even recently, the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory stating there’s a risk of profound […]
@Ludo Anything using the #hashtag #opentodebate is likely pushing libertarian rightwing mess. Though a brief look at the article, am confused and half anoyed. The 5 #OMN servers each use little more power than a good smartphone and they connect a lot of people.
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