You’re listening to What Rough Beast!
We are Virginia Heffernan and Stephen Metcalf, and today we’re talking with the great Ben Meiselas, co-host (and -founder) of the chart-busting MeidasTouch, and USC Law Professor. Virginia also recently profiled Meiselas for The New Republic.
In this episode, we talk about:
How politics has become "gamified" like sports entertainment, with people choosing political figures like they'd pick fighters in a video game rather than focusing on underlying issues and values
The contrast between Meidas Touch Network's approach (focused on empathy, compassion, and data-driven analysis) versus rage-driven media algorithms
How sports and entertainment are being used as tools for political messaging; think of UFC, WWE figures, and sports teams visiting the White House
The concerning overlap between entertainment spectacle and serious governance, with political conversations being treated like debates about reality TV
Meidas Touch Network's stunning growth metrics, now generating more views than Fox News and more podcast downloads than Joe Rogan
This episode is free to all listeners, but please consider becoming a paid Magic + Loss subscriber. Every dollar goes to the continued fight against fascism.
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