In the end Joe Rogan was more correct than Fauci's advice.

Most podcasts are not debates but conversations with people who ask open ended questions and get guests to talk and share what they know. The debate gotcha format creates little depth.

> Joe Rogan was more correct than Fauci's advice.

No he was not

Debates can be better than CNN gotcha questions, you know that right?

At the end of the day a debate is only as good as the interlocutors. I wouldn't advocate spectating two people screaming at each other either.

It's just sad that I can't even point to an instructive example here. This is part of my frustration. I don't think I've seen a good contemporary debate in a long time.

I think the reason covid became politicized is the same individualistic vs communitarian tension in all other american politics.

  Individualistic: vaccines don't help the young
  Communitarian: vaccinating everybody creates herd immunity that protects the community
  
  Individualistic: Masks don't protect the wearer 
  Communitarian: Masks reduce the virus the wearer breathes out reducing the harm to others

On lab-leak, Rogan pushed it hard based only on circumstantial evidence while Fauci thought natural spillover was more likely but didn't rule out lab leak. I don't think we'll ever know for certain.