Debate Chatter

 I sat and watched an interview with Brit Richard Dawkins.  On my list of influential intellectuals who are worth watching and hearing....he's in the top ten.  What he generally says....makes a lot of sense.

So he go onto the subject of 'safe spaces'.  

For those who aren't into this....these are typically college kids (18-22) who arrive at college and immediately feel that their past world has not prepared them for this moment of truth.  They can't handle various topics of conversation.  You can probably make up a list of a hundred subjects....which can't be discussed in their presence.

This fear business translates into an anxiety-attack.  They literally hyperventilate and start acting like a 5-year old kid....based on words.

Dawkins comment?  "You want to be physically safe, but intellectually you should be challenged."

If the college is simply creating a massive shelter for you....to last four years....how will you be able to handle and cope with reality?  

He has a point, but with all these 'kids' who've arrived at college and unable to handle reality or truth....do you just open the backdoor of the college up and ask them to leave?  Do you require a serious debate class as part of their graduation requirements?  Do you provide rehab?

It's just something to wonder about.  

Ten Observations

1.  I watch a YouTube channel called 'Whatever', which features a male moderator and five college-age ladies.

In a 20-minute discussion....the term 'like' gets uttered by the ladies at least 300 times.  I've never seen this type of language behavior, and wonder where it comes from.

2.  This AM, I watched a clip from last night....a WWE 'Raw' wrestling event....where the bad-guy left the ring and got almost to the exit....when a fan from the audience came out to attack him.  WWE security stepped in....must have been five guys to haul the fan out of the arena.

3.  If you've finished four years of college and a 11-year-old kid can debate you and win....your degree is probably worthless.  

4.  I watched some AM news piece out of NY City....where a young Republicans group was out in protest.  I'd guess there were a max of 20 in the group.  Number of journalists formed up to view this?  I'd guess near sixty.  

5.  I would suggest....just on average....a typical person walking around gets a dozen doses of propaganda....from TV, radio, the internet or newspapers.  

6.  The new laws says that any intelligence report (classified at any level) that deals with Covid origins....must be totally declassified and released to the public.  

Where this leads to?  Unknown.

Personally, I doubt if there is more than ten reports on this, and they probably all come from the same source in Wuhan.

7.  It used to be if you brought the word 'fluid' up in a conversation....you were talking about brake fluid, transmission fluid or wiper fluid....not sex-stuff.  It does seem a bit odd how fluid got shifted around. 

8.  I would suggest that the whole first year of college now....is mostly a rehash of your last two years of high school, and you are mostly shocked that they mention stuff that you never heard about....while in high school.  Then you are shocked that they are charging you money for what is basic high school stuff.

9.  Tik Tok having more persuasion risk.....than anything on US TV networks?  I would suggest that.  

10.  If Cohen is the primary witness in this NYC Trump case, and 50-percent of the case is based on what Cohen says....I'd be questioning the win potential.  If Cohen fails on any 'truth' he says....the case is screwed.  

Seekers of Raw Truth

 I sat and read a piece today....there's this team of professors who got a grant by the DC folks.....to build something called a misinformation fact-checking 'tool'....named "Course Correct."

How much in this grant?  $5.7-million.

Who would use it?  Journalists....medical folks....election officials, and just about anyone against misinformation would just 'dial-in' or access this, and be given 'correct' information.

Where would the correct information come from?  Well...the internet.  But this would be 'sanctioned' information that the government or the machine would 'bless'.

After reading this....I was reminded of that scene in the 'Wizard of Oz'....where the curtain gets pulled from the 'all-mighty' part of the room, and its just a guy speaking.

Was the $5-million wasted?  Yeah, I'd say so.

But I would imagine there are hundreds in DC who believe that a computer could speak raw truth, and you could trust the computer.  It's just that raw plain truth....might be too much for some to handle.