keep improving
First, thank you for trying to bring a dispassionate, thoughtful and objective perspective to this topic, which I’ve only ever seen elsewhere being talked about (yelled about, really) from either extreme position, as a moral panic of the month or in a “push button, receive alt right talking points” way. Just because someone reacts poorly to some negative thing doesn’t mean the negative thing doesn’t exist. You don’t have to support terrorism coming from Islamic countries, for example, to understand that people in those places have been treated unfairly and oppressed. I haven’t come away from any of the interviews so far thinking that the person interviewed was less than reprehensible, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn anything from hearing what they have to say. Some of the root issues and causes, like bullying and the way that gender sometimes works against men and boys as well as girls and women, are important topics that have not been thoroughly addressed in other places. And I think everyone should be treated with a compassionate approach even if they act out. I'm very politcally liberal, but I also believe that there has been a general trend towards intolerance, groupthink, intellectual laziness and tribalism among my fellow liberals (as well as the people on the other side, if it hasn't always been their way). And I believe that this has a lot to do with the rise of the alt right, and with the results of the 2016 election. Perhaps this is due to the rise of social media, but that’s a topic for another podcast. As criticism, I offer the following. Please keep trying to make clear the difference between the symptoms and the underlying causes. I experienced a lot of the same bullying, marginalization and social isolation as many of the incels you interview, and felt a lot of the same rage and despair, but turned out much differently. But I also don’t buy the party line that only girls and women are being affected by toxic and arbitrary gender roles, or that some of that bullying didn’t come from boys who were trying to impress girls who didn’t like “icky nerds and weirdos”, and that it didn’t to some degree work. These ideas desperately need to be addressed in a way that’s not shallow and self-serving or one sided. Also, I understand that you are not a professional journalist, but you could improve the way that you do the interviews themselves by finding a way to question what they say, not as someone trying to push the agenda of the other side, but as a logical and rigorous person who is trying to get at the truth and who won’t let the interviewee get away with making statements that just aren’t true, or with bad reasoning. You’ve also gotten much better in terms of the style of your interviews, but I did notice (more in the earlier episodes) a nervous laugh that came out sometimes when one of your subjects said something that was offensive or overly aggressive that I think was you wanting to challenge them, but not doing it. Keep it up. You’re doing a good job and addressing a topic that isn’t being talked about in a sane, rational way anywhere else in my experience. Don’t think this has to be about what side you’re on, and don’t get sucked in by the viewpoints of the people you are interviewing.Read full review »
Hypersquare via Apple Podcasts · United States of America · 11/05/19
More reviews of Incel
Naama Kates isn’t here to judge, save, persuade, or confront her guests. She is listening to them, and I think that’s what she’s asking us to do too. Whether or not we like what they say, these are real people sharing their minds. This isn’t about entertainment, it’s about getting past...Read full review »
Sparklee75 via Apple Podcasts · United States of America · 08/19/19
Keep going, Naama. We need to understand before we can change anything. I appreciate your emphasis on evidence and hope you will continue to incorporate input from scientists, including mental health professionals.
MeredithLM via Apple Podcasts · United States of America · 11/29/19
Man I was skeptical about this content. But now I’m hooked trying to understand these people. I’m guessing the majority of the dissatisfaction from this podcast is coming from the feminism movement. Just because someone’s ideology differs from yours doesn’t mean we shouldn’t listen and try to...Read full review »
Jag662014 via Apple Podcasts · United States of America · 11/08/19
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