Farhad Manjoo, an opinion columnist for The New York Times, addresses the issue of conspiracy theorists, specifically focusing on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination and has a long history as a conspiracy theorist, recently made inaccurate statements about vaccines on Joe Rogan’s show. He was called out on Twitter by vaccine scientist Peter Hotez, who claims to have been the target of stalking and harassment since criticizing the podcast. Rogan then challenged Hotez to debate Kennedy on his show, offering $100,000 to the charity of Hotez’s choice.
Manjoo, who has debated Kennedy in the past on “The Brian Lehrer Show” regarding a different conspiracy theory, warns Hotez against accepting the challenge. Manjoo believes that debating conspiracy theorists is unfair because they can make up anything while their opponents are bound by evidence and the truth. During their previous debate, Kennedy argued that the 2004 presidential election was stolen from John Kerry by George W. Bush and the Republicans. Manjoo refuted Kennedy’s arguments by providing evidence and pointing out flaws in his claims. However, he felt that the audience did not grasp the truth and instead saw both debaters as presenting two different versions of events, further strengthening the conspiracy theory.
Manjoo concludes that debating conspiracy theorists is a mistake because it often does not lead to a better understanding of the facts and can actually strengthen the conspiracy theory’s hold on people. He believes that the best approach is to ignore conspiracy theories, as they may fade away naturally without additional attention. Manjoo also acknowledges that conspiracy theories were prevalent during Donald Trump’s presidency and suggests finding a way to counter them without giving them undue attention and amplification, particularly as Trump campaigns for president again.
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