Bryan why shouldn't you talk to whomever will have an open, interesting conversation with you? It is your choice. What happened to the belief in freedom of choice? What happened to tolerance of different opinions? There is absolutely nothing educational with talking to a group of people that all nod their heads together in agreement. People should be applauding you for the diverse amount of people that you have interviews with to understand your ideas. Who cares what others think...
Of course you should have talked to Tucker! There is a difference between a journalist who wants to ambush you, embarrass you, and "expose" (in his mind) your "stupid" position - versus one who, like Tucker, holds a controversial point of view but genuinely wants to understand a different perspective. It is possible to be both opinionated and objective; most of the time, Tucker passes muster on both counts. You said yourself his interview was genuinely fair, and that you enjoyed the interaction. What other evidence do you need? So, talk to Tucker, talk to Bari Weiss, talk to Glenn Greenwald, talk to the so-called "anti-vaxxers" who come from a scientific point of view, talk to commenters who regard intervention in Ukraine as against American interests. Talk to anyone who comes from a place of honesty and curiosity. Hell, you might learn something.
Solid defense, Bryan (though I don't understand why a defense is needed.) The piece is worth reading just for this line: "Objectively speaking, Tucker’s views are no worse than my dad’s, and I talk to him all the time." I cannot limit my circle of friends (or family) by what I consider to be their "damned-odd" (to me) beliefs in politics. Thankfully, we have the humanity to connect on other margins.
For anyone who remains upset please consider reading Arnold Kling's "The Three Languages of politics: Talking Across the Political Divide." It helped a lot of my students see the futility and limits to tromping down the tribal path.
1. It doesn't move the football forward to talk only to audiences that already agree with you. If you want to change minds, you have to go to the people who aren't on your side already.
2. Only a moron thinks that being interviewed by somebody implies endorsement of everything they stand for.
You can talk to whomever you want or course, with any reasoning about why you think it advances some worthy goal. But your explanations are almost entirely devoid of any consideration for the sort of politics Tucker partakes in, which makes talking about journalists being good or bad almost nonsensical.
Tucker trades in smearing people and ginning up outrage and hatred for whatever group of people seems convenient at the moment, with little ever intellectual accountability let alone regret (famously, he's against the very concept of apology or admitting error). He uses the appearances of his guests to help legitimize this project. It's an ugly business, and you're welcome to be glib about it, but I don't think the comparison to "most journalists" holds water as an excuse. Yes, it IS really fun and funny to tear people down and avoid any logic or empathy. It feels wonderful to feel righteous and carefully protect yourself from serious criticism. But it's not really a worthy part of the project o advancing ideas.
As a European and a classical liberal what I find particularly annoying about Carlson are his forays into our politics and the ignorant blather they invariably produce. His admiration for European quasi-fascists (and I don’t use that word as a generic insult but in its precise meaning) really grates. That being said, it is unfortunately a trait common to a lot of US conservatives, who seem to lack the necessary detection systems. Does that mean you shouldn’t talk to him? Nah. But I really wonder what you gain by talking to an audience that is already anti-feminist (not necessarily for the right reasons...) especially when you could be making the same points to a liberal (in the US sense of the word) audience that needs convincing and now has the perfect excuse to ignore you.
It is disappointing as Tucker Carlson is an agenda-driven journalist, and like all journalists in that group you have to play into their narrative. I have no doubt that your appearance on his program was to state a point that you felt needed to be articulated by yourself in person, but the reliable media measure is that you had a point of view that Mr. Carlson wanted to amplify for his audience. If that doesn't trouble you, then it is a win-win for you both.
I don't watch any TV news, so I haven't seen much Tucker.
But I remember that when they were burning down cities for BLM, he was one of the only ones covering it. Ditto for COVID NPIs.
On a personal level, he gave a lot of airtime to the situation in my school district in which the School Board was incredibly abusive, did a lot of illegal things, and even tried to use the FBI to shut parents up.
That effort got resignations, policy changes, and a new governor. In fact the election of Youngkin was a deathknell for COVID NPIs and an important starting point for what I hope is a revolution in education (universal school vouchers passed in Arizona, Iowa, and WV, should get votes this year in FL and TX).
So Tucker has done a lot of good for the world. Certainly more than his critics.
And of course I agree with him on immigration so I don't even have a downside.
I think the argument is that if your goal is to expand the reach of your ideas and get people to take them seriously, going on Tucker is counterproductive as half of the country will now automatically consider you a right-wing crank and automatically dismiss anything you have to say without even really thinking about it. Fairly or not, the concepts of this book will now be inextricably linked with the far right.
1. Vaccines saved hundreds of millions of lives and made the pandemic less deadly.
2. With Great Power comes Great Responsibility.
3. Therefore it stands to reason, anti-vaccine messaging is one of the most immoral things you can do. After all you just recently argued in the Hanania reply piece that silence is much better than spreading lies.
4. Tucker Carlson is the biggest anti-vaccine loudspeaker on mainstream cable news hence is spreading some of the most harmful lies that definitely influenced them to make a decision that cost many people their lives.
So I think it would be okay to go to his show and argue for vaccines because I agree with Dale Carengie about changing people's minds and not shunning them.
But the appearance was about Feminism instead. You seem unaware of point 4 or for some reason haven't brought up in this post.
I don't fault you for going the show, but I won't be watching. Much better things to do with my time then giving Tuckers crass form of journalism any attention.
Amazing post, really concretizes a point I've been trying to make: Most of the ruling class are only slightly better than normies when they're less wrong, and far worse than normies when they're more wrong.
I have no problem whatsoever with you going on Tucker Carlson's program. Yes, some disagree with Tucker's ideas, SO FREAKING WHAT?? I am getting sick and tired of supposedly "educated" people (some with "PhD"s) behaving like silly infantile snowflakes who cannot take a criticism or two, who cannot bear people who think differently and say so aloud
If I were you, Caplan, I would go on Tucker's program again, just to spite your critics.
And as for your critics: why don't you just shut up and behave like adults, for a change.
I'm glad you went on Tucker Carlson! I don't watch him. I don't want to. I don't care for his views or his style. I do, greatly respect that he has people on his show with whom HE disagrees. I also know for sure that I have come to agree with you on many views that I originally disagreed with you on. Not because you convinced me, but because you made a compelling and *friendly* case for Open Boarders, and Against Education, etc. Starting from an interview with you, I did more reading and more thinking. I changed my mind. I assume (without evidence) that most of Carlson's viewers are watching him because he confirms their biases, I also know how important it is to be exposed as often as possible to things I disagree with.
It's sad that there are people who think Tucker's views are beyond the pale. I don't follow him, but he always struck me as pretty much center-right. Would you actually shun someone because they think we should have borders or that crack shouldn't be legalized? You'd have few people to talk to in that case.
Bryan why shouldn't you talk to whomever will have an open, interesting conversation with you? It is your choice. What happened to the belief in freedom of choice? What happened to tolerance of different opinions? There is absolutely nothing educational with talking to a group of people that all nod their heads together in agreement. People should be applauding you for the diverse amount of people that you have interviews with to understand your ideas. Who cares what others think...
Of course you should have talked to Tucker! There is a difference between a journalist who wants to ambush you, embarrass you, and "expose" (in his mind) your "stupid" position - versus one who, like Tucker, holds a controversial point of view but genuinely wants to understand a different perspective. It is possible to be both opinionated and objective; most of the time, Tucker passes muster on both counts. You said yourself his interview was genuinely fair, and that you enjoyed the interaction. What other evidence do you need? So, talk to Tucker, talk to Bari Weiss, talk to Glenn Greenwald, talk to the so-called "anti-vaxxers" who come from a scientific point of view, talk to commenters who regard intervention in Ukraine as against American interests. Talk to anyone who comes from a place of honesty and curiosity. Hell, you might learn something.
Solid defense, Bryan (though I don't understand why a defense is needed.) The piece is worth reading just for this line: "Objectively speaking, Tucker’s views are no worse than my dad’s, and I talk to him all the time." I cannot limit my circle of friends (or family) by what I consider to be their "damned-odd" (to me) beliefs in politics. Thankfully, we have the humanity to connect on other margins.
For anyone who remains upset please consider reading Arnold Kling's "The Three Languages of politics: Talking Across the Political Divide." It helped a lot of my students see the futility and limits to tromping down the tribal path.
You did nothing wrong.
1. It doesn't move the football forward to talk only to audiences that already agree with you. If you want to change minds, you have to go to the people who aren't on your side already.
2. Only a moron thinks that being interviewed by somebody implies endorsement of everything they stand for.
You can talk to whomever you want or course, with any reasoning about why you think it advances some worthy goal. But your explanations are almost entirely devoid of any consideration for the sort of politics Tucker partakes in, which makes talking about journalists being good or bad almost nonsensical.
Tucker trades in smearing people and ginning up outrage and hatred for whatever group of people seems convenient at the moment, with little ever intellectual accountability let alone regret (famously, he's against the very concept of apology or admitting error). He uses the appearances of his guests to help legitimize this project. It's an ugly business, and you're welcome to be glib about it, but I don't think the comparison to "most journalists" holds water as an excuse. Yes, it IS really fun and funny to tear people down and avoid any logic or empathy. It feels wonderful to feel righteous and carefully protect yourself from serious criticism. But it's not really a worthy part of the project o advancing ideas.
As a European and a classical liberal what I find particularly annoying about Carlson are his forays into our politics and the ignorant blather they invariably produce. His admiration for European quasi-fascists (and I don’t use that word as a generic insult but in its precise meaning) really grates. That being said, it is unfortunately a trait common to a lot of US conservatives, who seem to lack the necessary detection systems. Does that mean you shouldn’t talk to him? Nah. But I really wonder what you gain by talking to an audience that is already anti-feminist (not necessarily for the right reasons...) especially when you could be making the same points to a liberal (in the US sense of the word) audience that needs convincing and now has the perfect excuse to ignore you.
It is disappointing as Tucker Carlson is an agenda-driven journalist, and like all journalists in that group you have to play into their narrative. I have no doubt that your appearance on his program was to state a point that you felt needed to be articulated by yourself in person, but the reliable media measure is that you had a point of view that Mr. Carlson wanted to amplify for his audience. If that doesn't trouble you, then it is a win-win for you both.
I don't watch any TV news, so I haven't seen much Tucker.
But I remember that when they were burning down cities for BLM, he was one of the only ones covering it. Ditto for COVID NPIs.
On a personal level, he gave a lot of airtime to the situation in my school district in which the School Board was incredibly abusive, did a lot of illegal things, and even tried to use the FBI to shut parents up.
That effort got resignations, policy changes, and a new governor. In fact the election of Youngkin was a deathknell for COVID NPIs and an important starting point for what I hope is a revolution in education (universal school vouchers passed in Arizona, Iowa, and WV, should get votes this year in FL and TX).
So Tucker has done a lot of good for the world. Certainly more than his critics.
And of course I agree with him on immigration so I don't even have a downside.
I think the argument is that if your goal is to expand the reach of your ideas and get people to take them seriously, going on Tucker is counterproductive as half of the country will now automatically consider you a right-wing crank and automatically dismiss anything you have to say without even really thinking about it. Fairly or not, the concepts of this book will now be inextricably linked with the far right.
1. Vaccines saved hundreds of millions of lives and made the pandemic less deadly.
2. With Great Power comes Great Responsibility.
3. Therefore it stands to reason, anti-vaccine messaging is one of the most immoral things you can do. After all you just recently argued in the Hanania reply piece that silence is much better than spreading lies.
4. Tucker Carlson is the biggest anti-vaccine loudspeaker on mainstream cable news hence is spreading some of the most harmful lies that definitely influenced them to make a decision that cost many people their lives.
So I think it would be okay to go to his show and argue for vaccines because I agree with Dale Carengie about changing people's minds and not shunning them.
But the appearance was about Feminism instead. You seem unaware of point 4 or for some reason haven't brought up in this post.
How are points 1, 2 and 3 compatible with 4?
I don't fault you for going the show, but I won't be watching. Much better things to do with my time then giving Tuckers crass form of journalism any attention.
Is there a line to be drawn based on Tucker's promotion/dog whistle of replacement theory, see e.g., https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/deplatform-tucker-carlson-and-great-replacement-theory, or his deleting Kanye's comments about Jews from his interview of Kanye to showcase his views?
Amazing post, really concretizes a point I've been trying to make: Most of the ruling class are only slightly better than normies when they're less wrong, and far worse than normies when they're more wrong.
I have no problem whatsoever with you going on Tucker Carlson's program. Yes, some disagree with Tucker's ideas, SO FREAKING WHAT?? I am getting sick and tired of supposedly "educated" people (some with "PhD"s) behaving like silly infantile snowflakes who cannot take a criticism or two, who cannot bear people who think differently and say so aloud
If I were you, Caplan, I would go on Tucker's program again, just to spite your critics.
And as for your critics: why don't you just shut up and behave like adults, for a change.
I'm glad you went on Tucker Carlson! I don't watch him. I don't want to. I don't care for his views or his style. I do, greatly respect that he has people on his show with whom HE disagrees. I also know for sure that I have come to agree with you on many views that I originally disagreed with you on. Not because you convinced me, but because you made a compelling and *friendly* case for Open Boarders, and Against Education, etc. Starting from an interview with you, I did more reading and more thinking. I changed my mind. I assume (without evidence) that most of Carlson's viewers are watching him because he confirms their biases, I also know how important it is to be exposed as often as possible to things I disagree with.
It's sad that there are people who think Tucker's views are beyond the pale. I don't follow him, but he always struck me as pretty much center-right. Would you actually shun someone because they think we should have borders or that crack shouldn't be legalized? You'd have few people to talk to in that case.