# Debate as Spectacle By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-06-27 The first Presidential debate of the 2024 election between Trump and Biden is upon us. Even though this exchange will be structured as a debate, it will surely be a spectacle. If a debate is primarily held to present alternative views on contentious issues, this debate will likely fail. It is unclear why this debate is being held. Both individuals have held the Office. We know them as Presidents. We know their policy preferences. We understand how they comport themselves in the position. The debate can’t possibly add more insight into these aspects than observed reality. So, what is the point? Part of it is likely tradition. We have held Presidential debates in the past; therefore, we will continue to do so. Perhaps the public wants a debate as a test of the cognitive ability of the aged candidates. Maybe the American public is so conditioned by “Reality TV” that this is “The President Show.” A debate is as much about the audience as the interlocutors—the audience, as much as Trump and Biden, will make this debate a spectacle. One is likely to watch it selectively. The confirmation bias will be in full effect. One will see what one wants to see. It will be a Rorschach test. Will it provide voters with new information? Probably not. Will it change voters’ views about which candidate will better lead the United States in a complex and dangerous world? Probably not. Will watching the spectacle allow large segments of the population to feel smug about how their candidate is superior? Probably. This Presidential debate is not about them; it is about us. We will unlikely watch this debate with an open heart and mind. It is doubtful that we can distinguish between what is best for the future of our country and what we like. It is likely that we will consume this, like we consume everything else, wastefully as a spectacle. Joseph de Maistre observed, “Every country has the government it deserves.” Sadly, these are the candidates we deserve, which is the debate we deserve. It is a perfectly absurd spectacle.   #### Related Items [[Debate]] [[Spectacle]] [[American]] [[Politics]] [[Reality TV]]