1x40: Zero-Dollar Energy

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181

It absolutely blows my mind that people will consider stop listening to a show, watching a TV, show or reading a journal because they so earnestly disagree with something.

Let me be very clear about this.

Bad Voltage is four dudes talking into a microphone. We don’t tell people what to think, we don’t pretend to be experts, and we don’t advocate our listeners pursue particular courses of action. We have never presented ourselves as an authority…quite the opposite…in many cases emphasise we don’t know all that much about a topic.

We are four guys with four different opinions and the fun in Bad Voltage is the cocktail of this different perspectives and how they intermingle.

So Bryan has a viewpoint you radically disagree with. So what? What is actually going to change with him sharing it on a podcast? Do you think that some impressionable person is going to listen to the incoherent ramblings of Bryan Lunduke and then suddenly stop vaccinating their children?

Maybe some people will do that, but if they are stupid enough to only listen to one person’s view on a podcast and then act on it without performing their own research and forming their own opinion…well, I suspect we have survival of the fittest and these people ain’t gonna survive that long. They will eventually turn into this person eating a block of cheese:

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People, stop taking Bad Voltage so bloody seriously.

We are an entertainment podcast about things we are interested in. We relish discussing topics that involve us disagreeing with each other.

Just because we say it, doesn’t mean it is fact, fiction, or anywhere in-between. It means that it is our personal opinions and perspectives.

Personal opinions. Personal opinions. PERSONAL opinions.

I rabidly disagree with @bryanlunduke, and I know that @sil disagrees with him even more-so. Irrespective though, we are united in that Bryan has the right to share any view he has on the show, so long as it is presented respectfully. He did precisely that on the show. I think his reasoning is total bollocks, but I also think that anyone with half a brain will see that his reasoning is bollocks and subsequently brand his views as bobbins.

When we switch off to stop hearing things we don’t like, that gets us into a dangerous place. We should encourage a world and an environment where we can talk about anything and have a conversation with the right to think whatever we think at the end of it.

As an example, I fucking hate guns, but I love hearing gun nuts rationalizing why they think guns are good and important. I can’t stand religious zealotry, but I love to hear deeply religious people try to explain their views to me. While after these conversations I invariably come away thinking my original view, in all of those cases I always learn something from those conversations…it may be more material to bolster my view…but I always learn something.

It is good to have our views and perspectives challenged. To threaten to switch off because you were challenged is…frankly…in my personal opinion…lame.

Where it gets dangerous is that @Flamekebab may stop listening to Bad Voltage because of vaccines. Other people may threaten to stop listening if we discuss Mir (as it is seen as fragmenting and destroying the Linux world). Some people may threaten to stop listening when I talk about how I use the evil proprietary Cubase to mix the show. Some may threaten to stop listening if we talk about software patents. Everyone draws their line in a different place, and one person’s vaccinations is another person’s proprietary software.

We are not going to stop covering complex or controversial viewpoints because of this risk. If we did, it would neuter the show, it would compromise our perspectives, and the overall product would suffer.

If that means that some of you stop listening, well, I am sorry to hear that. I would suggest instead though that you just reject the viewpoints you disagree with, or, if you prefer, skip a segment.

Sorry for the rant, but come on people, let’s get a hold of ourselves. :slight_smile:

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182

I’m sorry to hear that you’re thinking of no longer listening to the show. If one person out of four in one segment out of four in one show out of forty expresses a view with which you seriously disagree and that taints the whole show in your eyes, so be it. We exercise our jealously guarded right to speak on any subjects we consider interesting, and you are equally welcome to exercise your right to not listen on that basis. To me that seems an overreaction; I disagree with @bryanlunduke at least as much as you do, and I was as clear as I know how about that, and I’ll do my best to convince him of the righteousness of my point of view, but you’re certainly welcome to walk away if one six-hundred-and-fortieth of Bad Voltage is not to your taste.

I’ll be honest here, though: I expected better of you, pal. You’ve been on this rollercoaster with us for a really long time. You’ve heard me quote Voltaire on this subject before. People with wrong opinions shouldn’t be prevented from stating them; they’re a walking opportunity to help us refine our arguments to help them understand. If we can’t convince them, we need better arguments. Or possibly an army of Gestapo social workers marching children to Vaccination Camp.

The shower review was cutting-edge journalism, though. I’ll hear no word against that.

183

I was going to write out something extensive arguing. Nah, no point. I’m not asking the show to change, I’m not criticising either.

You asked for listener feedback, I gave it. I was genuinely shaken up by the segment. I’m not taking the piss - I was shocked at my own reaction, I don’t mind saying. I think that says a lot about the rather mental level of emotional investment I have in your show, lads, and that’s something you should all be proud of.

184

Huh. Nice response. I misread what you had to say, then. I once heard someone say that great art was that which causes an extreme emotional reaction in its perceiver. Dali was a huge disciple of this philosophy, as was Andy Kaufmann. If we’ve caused such an upheaval in your own thoughts, then full credit to you for being ballsy enough to admit it. I hope that your internal musings on this help you to understand yourself better, which is in the end the whole point of everything. And we appreciate the feedback; I apologise if I attacked a strawman position which I mistakenly thought you held!

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185

I also, like @sil, appreciate your honesty, and my apologies too if I misunderstood you.

I think having an emotional reaction to a segment is probably a good thing. I think, to your point, it shows that you are invested in the show, and this is tremendous.

I would caution though not to take us too seriously. We want an emotional reaction but we also don’t want our listeners to get tied up in knots. We want all of you to enjoy the show, not feel it is a rollercoaster.

That said, I think this is even more reason to listen.

Maybe we should release a version of the show with @bryanlunduke muted. :wink:

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186

That is taken as quite high praise, and I appreciate the honest open assessment of yourself, us and the show. I am curious about one thing (and this does not just apply to your reaction, but my general assessment of how multiple listeners perceived the segment). I’m finding it difficult to rectify why many are seeing this segment as generally anti $topic when one presenter was rabidly pro, two presenters were very very pro and one presenter was not rabidly anti but felt that an individual should make a decision on $topic with the information they have and their understanding of that information (however wrong that information may be). Would be interested on any clarification you may be able to offer there.

Additionally, I know I was a little taken aback by the segment myself and actually bring up why in 1x41. I hope you’ll decide to listen.

–jeremy

187

Interesting. Very interesting.

–jeremy

188

Or, maybe you should clip one of the rare times that @bryanlunduke says ‘I agree with Stuart’ and just insert that through out the show. :smile:

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189

My stance is to pretty much just take or use any vaccines offered by the medical industry. However, let me share a news item from my home country:

I know this is statistically insignificant but it does make you wonder how trustworthy vaccine manufacturers are.

190

I wonder if the official reason for the adverse reactions and the true reason will be the same.

191

So, here in Poland there were a couple of outbreaks in daycares and now local authorities intend to make the vaccinations a requirement for children if they are to go to a daycare. I generally like the idea. No reason for everyone to share into the risk that antivax people want their children to take.

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192

I guess I just don’t understand. Wouldn’t it just be those who have not had vaccinations that need to be concerned about risk? Wouldn’t those who have had vaccinations not have to worry about it?

There is a terrible disconnect of logic here. It seems that the argument is “unless everyone is vaccinated, then everyone is at risk.” It makes me wonder if the underlying concern is that, maybe the vaccines really don’t work, or maybe don’t always work, which I have a hard time believing, unless you start talking about the flu vaccinations (which I noticed were conspicuously absent in this conversation).

193

That’s nearly exactly the case. Basically, there’s no vaccination that is 100% effective in protecting an individual. They are usually very effective, but there will be people who were vaccinated, but didn’t get full immunity. A big part of how vaccinations work and how they prevent large outbreaks is something called herd immunity. You can read about it here: Herd immunity - Wikipedia

More of - the more people are vaccinated - the less people are at risk.

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194

Wow this threads still going…

What next? Why racism is overrated? Your opinions on the Israel/Palestine situation? Death penalty? Apparently stirring the pot gets results!

195

We have already had that discussion as @bryanlunduke will remember with @oldgeek and myself contesting his comments about Stephen Hawking.

196

Or we could re-open the thread where the discussion went off on a tangent as to the best way to re-heat pizza! :smile:

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197

@sil would something like this be helpful?

http://www.onairplayer.com/box.html

198

I see the theory, @oldgeek, but in practice they wanted a thing which contains the music and would replace a stereo rather than an augmentation to one. (They now have a raspberry pi 2 with mpd on it and a custom display for the TV, and seem happy with it…)

199

That must be satisfying considering the frustration you expressed.

After all, as they say: “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” :smile:

200

Agreed on all points :slight_smile: