John DeVore, writing on Medium, takes us through the kind of discourse pouring through right-wing media.

I’m not saying it’s impossible for two people who don’t see eye-to-eye to have a civil conversation. But If someone demands you debate them, they’re selling something, and your soul is part of the deal.

I do not trust people who insist other people debate them, and I don’t trust them because the “debate me” crowd is usually always the “agree with me or else” crowd.

They are fanatics at heart. They believe what they believe with the fire and passion of a desert hermit who claims he talks to god. There is no arguing with a prophet. And everyone’s a prophet these days, preaching and passing the hat. An endless scroll of “listen to me, me, me.”

There is no debate, only yelling, yelling, and finger-pointing. There is only reason and consistency, and courage. The best you can do is repeat facts and truths and then smile. Stand up for yourself. But don’t expect to win. Never expect that. Just say your piece, and let go.

There is no debate. As the famous fictional space lobster once said, “It’s a trap!” It’s a trap because the people who demand debate don’t care about what is true or right, facts or evidence. There is no debate because every debate can be won by saying, “Because I said so.”

The idea that one can use reason and civil rhetoric to persuade someone to change their mind is a fantasy — humans don’t want their minds changed. They want flattery. Humans will betray their neighbors for a compliment. History’s greatest atrocities were committed by a cynical, highly-motivated minority who praised the petty prejudices of a vain body politic. The podcast hosts routinely tell his faithful precisely what they want to hear, and they swoon.

Kudos on the space lobster bit.