Kirk's smug "Watch me outdebate and own the libs" shtick - the antithesis of a genuine exchange of ideas - has prompted critical pieces on the subject: https://www.techdirt.com/2025/09/17/the-debate-me-bro-grift-how-trolls-weaponized-the-marketplace-of-ideas/.
In 2018, Aisling McCrea argued that debate itself is problematic; it's not just corrupted by right-wing provocateurs: https://theoutline.com/post/6709/debate-is-stupid?zd=3&zi=3xbryajr
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