Taibbi and Murray vs Gladwell and Goldberg

[George K]

The Munk Debate: “Be it resolved, don’t trust mainstream media.”

Video here: https://vimeo.com/munkdebates/review/775853977/85003a644c

[jon-nyc]

I’ll check it out. I saw it earlier but it was behind a registration wall.

[Horace]

Taibbi listed lots of good examples of media bias, but fell flat when he held up the media of 70 years ago as a paragon. No need for that easily assailable idea to even be in the debate since the media 70 years ago wasn't the subject. Gladwell pounced on that over and over, which derailed about 40% of the debate. Matt's a racist because he likes the media back then more than now. Eyeroll. Lots of cheap clapter and applause lines from Gladwell with his woke zingers. I hadn't realize Gladwell was so ideologically captured. Murray, by far the most eloquent debater, pretty much destroyed him. Neither Gladwell nor the pro-mainstream-media woman on his side admitted to any systematic bias in the institutions at all.

By the way, whomever set up the audience seating, wanted pretty Asian girls in the background of every shot. Mission accomplished.

[jon-nyc]

I’ve seen one other Monk debate, and Michelle Goldberg was in it too. I don’t remember the exact topic but there was a wokish side and a rational side. She seemed genuinely unaware of the wokeness in her midst - like the proverbial fish who looks at you funny when you tell him about the existence of water.

[jon-nyc]

It was this one.

https://munkdebates.com/debates/political-correctness

[Horace]

Found this writeup:

https://tarahenley.substack.com/p/weekend-reads-we-dont-deserve-to

I actually didn't think the debate was very interesting, but I'm gratified and a little surprised at the landslide victory for Taibbi and Murray.

There was a logic puzzle quality to it. Like, the proposition at hand was, "True or False: Team A will win this debate". Then Team A spends the debate attempting to convince the audience that they won the debate. Without trust, established or assumed, in Gladwell and Goldberg, they lose by default. And they definitely did not establish it, while Taibbi and Murray presented plenty of evidence that trust is not warranted.

[George K]

Gladwell reflects on the debate:

Link to video

[Horace]

Interesting, thanks for posting that. It's not uncommon for pwned libtards to be propelled into therapy by that pwnage. This is doing them a favor, as most libtards are in need of therapy. I hope Gladwell sends Murray a thank you letter.

[Horace]

I hadn't realized it before this debate, but according to my survey of google, Gladwell has never been taken seriously as an intellectual. He's at the level of a Bill Nye.