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Readers share the state of their local journalism

Published by skeptic

“It is painful to watch as our once-proud newspaper has become a shell nearly devoid of meaningful content,” one reader says. Homer Sykes / Alamy January 31, 2024, 6:05 PM ET Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here. Last week, I asked readers, “What is the state of local journalism where you live, and how does it affect your community?” Replies have been edited for length and clarity. Ralph, who didn’t say where he lived, shared a concern that I heard from readers all over the country: It is painful to watch as our once-proud newspaper has become a shell nearly devoid of meaningful content. I keep hoping the local-news business will hit bottom and begin a long, slow climb back, but I don’t see any sign of that yet. I wonder when people will begin to feel a need for local news and be willing to pay for …

Readers share their most misunderstood views

Published by Sam

Voting age, atheism, abortion, language education, and more Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Coneyl Jay / Getty January 17, 2024, 3:41 PM ET Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here. Last week, I asked readers, “What is a belief or position you hold that you feel to be misunderstood or misrepresented by many people who disagree with you?” Replies have been edited for length and clarity. R. writes: I believe in fiscal responsibility and that the government has a responsibility to do its work at the lowest possible cost. Many who disagree with me believe that I therefore do not believe in a need to offer support to those who are physically, mentally, or financially needy. M. believes that no person should be allowed to serve in elected office if they are over 80, and that just as citizens age into voting at 18, they should age out of …

Reader views on gender-divided social spaces

Published by skeptic

“Gender defined every generation until Gen X,” one reader argues. “It has been both challenging and wonderful to see those barriers become more permeable.” Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Gallery Stock December 19, 2023, 12:46 PM ET Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here. Last week, I asked for your thoughts on all-male and all-female social spaces. Replies have been edited for length and clarity. Amy was a Girl Scout as a kid and is now a leader of her 7-year-old daughter’s troop. She solicited her daughter’s opinion: She said: “I love it! I love that it is only girls. I hope Girl Scouts lasts forever and stays just girls.” The gist was that boys talk loudly all at once, over one another, but in a single-gender space she and her friends can listen to the adult, talk amongst themselves, and respond. At 7 she is aware of the …

Has Alcohol Left Humanity Better or Worse Off?

Published by skeptic

“At this point in my life, the pros outweigh the cons,” one reader argued. Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Tom Stoddart Archive / Getty November 15, 2023, 11 AM ET Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here. Last week, I asked readers, “Are humans better or worse off for having beer, wine, and spirits? Or, if you’d prefer introspection, how about you personally?” Several of you pointed out that humanity benefited greatly from alcohol in bygone eras when there was a dearth of clean water. But today we’ll focus on the modern era. Replies have been edited for length and clarity. Dave shared his family background and its effect on his attitudes: On one side of my family, alcohol was generally forbidden and never touched during family gatherings. On the other, it was central to every family event. If you asked me which side is more fun, I’d say …

How to Talk About the Middle East

Published by skeptic

Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here. Last week, I noted the polarizing conflict in the Middle East and asked how citizens of faraway countries should handle differences about the best way forward so as not to tear their own societies apart. Replies have been edited for length and clarity. I just think people need to remember they aren’t required to publicly declare their opinions on world events. We all need to calm down, try to educate ourselves on the history behind the conflict, and listen to the people actually being directly affected by this tragedy, instead of just pumping more empty, ill-informed rhetoric into the world. I generally think I have answers to every question but on Israel versus the Palestinians, I am at a loss. The monstrous atrocities by Hamas on October 7 have placed the Israelis in the most clear-cut, no-win situation I have ever seen. …

Two Diverging Approaches to Social Justice

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“The problem with this dilemma you pose is that it takes a great deal of ‘wisdom’ to know when to apply either approach,” one reader argues. Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Gert Kreutschmann / Getty November 1, 2023, 10:31 AM ET Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here. Last week, I asked what you think about an argument between Petra and Rodrigo. (As a reminder: Petra thinks people should do their job, narrowly construed, as well as they can. CEOs should maximize profits. ER doctors should strive to save the life of every patient. Lawyers should do their best to represent every client. Scholars should publish their findings as accurately as possible. And parking-meter attendants should write citations without regard for who is getting them. Rodrigo thinks the world is better if everyone is not only doing their job, but taking a broader view. CEOs should feel a social …

What Israel Can Learn From America’s 9/11 Response

Published by skeptic

“I hope Israel looks hard at what the U.S. does when provoked and does better,” one reader argues. Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Stringer / Reuters October 25, 2023, 3:45 PM ET Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here. Last week, as observers characterized the recent attack on Israel as that country’s 9/11, I asked, “What did you learn from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and America’s responses to them?” Replies have been edited for length and clarity. R. writes: I learned that Al Qaeda was a horrifically evil group in a part of the world where evil is all too common. But I also learned that separating the world into good and evil is not a good way to conduct foreign policy. Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11, and our war in Iraq did more harm than good. My advice to Israel is to proceed …

Why Driverless Cars Are a Tough Sell

Published by skeptic

“Our century-long love affair with all things automotive dooms the driverless concept to a niche market,” one reader argues. Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg / Getty. September 27, 2023, 10:10 AM ET Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here. Last week, I asked for your thoughts on self-driving cars. Replies have been edited for length and clarity. Kathryn is bullish and looks forward to shedding the responsibility of driving: Yes, driverless cars are the future, at least for people alive today. I’m sure there will be some later innovation in transportation we can’t even imagine yet. Cities should allow them to be tested on the street now, assuming the vehicle has passed something analogous to the driving test humans take to receive a driver’s license. I’d love to have these vehicles in my neighborhood. I live in an urban area and use our sidewalks …

15 Readers on Trust in American Institutions

Published by skeptic

“My trust is more fragile than 10 years ago,” one reader writes, “because I can see very easily how our institutions could be completely destroyed in a matter of months.” Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Samuel Corum / Getty September 20, 2023, 4:27 PM ET Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here. Last week, I asked readers, “Do you trust America’s institutions more than, less than, or as much as you did a decade ago? Why?” Replies have been edited for length and clarity. Judith sees distrust as a sign of cultural maturity: I believe that the widespread loss of trust in institutions is a combination of two equally strong forces. The first is our culture’s maturing beyond facile acceptance of what we are told by those institutions into a more confident posture of questioning what we are told based on what we know and believe. The second force …

Is Racial ‘Color-Blindness’ Possible?

Published by skeptic

Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here. Last week, I asked, “What roles should ‘color-blindness’ and race-consciousness play in personal interactions?” Replies have been edited for length and clarity. Adam is of two minds: The phrase “I don’t see color” is deservedly a joke; it’s hard to imagine growing up in America and never noticing the racial category that society has placed the person into. Occasionally, that awareness is helpful. I might have doubted a Black friend’s stories of discrimination if I didn’t have an awareness of her race and what that can mean. But, as a white person, color and race are not things I usually try to think about when I’m talking to individuals. I thought it was a good thing when, after moving to an urban area with a racially diverse population, I realized that I no longer always took note of the racial composition of …