Conversation Is the Only Way Forward
By Frank Filocomo There is nothing more dangerous than an ideological echo chamber. In Reclaiming Conversation , Sherry Turkle urges readers to "talk with people whom you don't agree." This is, of course, easier said than done. What if, for instance, the person with whom you are conversing is a holocaust-denier or, at least, a holocaust-skeptic? Should said person even be entertained? A few weeks ago, former UFC fighter and far-right political provocateur, Jake Shields, sat down with X-user and pro-Israel advocate, Adam King, who goes by the pseudonym, Awesome Jew , online. Shields is, in many ways, a rebarbative figure. He is obsessed with, what has historically been referred to as, the Jewish Question, or, the JQ. That is, more or less, the rather myopic and derivative view that Jews run the world. This is nothing new: an old and boring form of bigotry. While some discern anti-Zionism and antisemitism, Shields doesn't bother. Dave Portn...
