How to: Engage Extremists
They should speak, but should we listen?
In a free society, extremists must speak freely.
But should we speak to them? Should they even be debated? Or does handing them a microphone make things worse?
Tucker Carlson platformed Nick Fuentes. If that was not bad enough, he normalized him.
That was not the way, but what is?
Everyone has the right to speak - and so do extremists.
However, that does not mean we have to listen. Choosing who to speak to is as much a right as speech itself. No individual owes the extremist their podcast, platform, or audience.
It is fair to say no one is obliged to engage. But the question remains:
When we do so regardless, how should we?
Engaging radicals may have its benefits.
Changing their mind is (near) impossible, but you may persuade their audience. By exposing the extremist publicly, one could convert the listener back to normalcy. Debunk the lies, and you cut the legs out from underneath the bad actor.
In a marketplace of ideas, the good ideas outsell the bad - provided you do sell them.
That requires courage and caution.
One should engage extremists from authenticity: representing a genuine perspective. It should be done honestly: confronting falsehoods, not excusing them. And with alertness: identifying distortions as they appear.
Engaging on different terms is not just counterproductive. It is unethical.
You must call them out.
But there is a risk.
If the extremist bests you, they win ground.
Platforming malicious individuals is only wrong if you allow them to stage a coup. This was Tucker’s mistake. He caved to Fuentes, laundering his image
To engage ethically, he should have cut through the deceit.
That would have been the only defensible approach.
You do not have to invite radicals. But if you do, you had better be rigorous. The truth conserves sanity; appeasement does not.
To persevere in the face of madness, one must be resolute.
Broadcasters may invite extremists.
But they are just as free to exclude them.
Legally, the decision should be theirs. Ethically, they should challenge them if they decide to. If they do and succeed, they provide a valuable service.
Legally, one can say whatever. Ethically, one should be honest.
It is better to confront the lie or not speak at all.