How to Join Tonight's Debate

(No, not the GOP freak show. The interesting one.)

If you ask Craiyon to illustrate, “A debate about China’s trade relations with the West,” it gets totally racist. I swear to God. What is wrong with that thing? This was the only non-offensive illustration I managed to get in three tries. (I mean, if you don’t mind a dead cow’s head.)

Remember, tonight at 1800, that is, 6:00 p.m. New York time, in the Cosmopolitan Globalist Chat Room, we will debate the following proposition:

RESOLVED: TO LIMIT OUR EXPOSURE TO A HOSTILE ADVERSARY, THE WEST’S TRADE WITH CHINA MUST BE SHARPLY CURTAILED.

FOR: Claire.

AGAINST: Jay Burkett of the Neoliberal Standard.

After delivering our opening statements, we’ll debate for about twenty minutes (or longer, if people are still interested). Then we’ll open the floor to everyone who wants to support or defend the proposition. But we’ll do this in a systematic way, so that everyone who wishes may speak and be challenged in turn.

We warmly invite all of our subscribers to join. But please be punctual, because after explaining the rules, we’ll ask for a vote on the resolution before we start. Then we’ll ask again afterward. The winner will be determined not by majority, but by number of minds changed.

Depending how many of you show up and how interested you are, we should be done in time for you to watch the GOP debate. Like watching evolution in reverse.

Now, about the time. A number of you wrote to point out that neither the date nor the time in my initial invitation made sense. (And don’t I know it—I also screwed up and managed to commit myself to doing this at midnight. As anyone who knows me will tell you, the last time I stayed up until midnight was probably during the Reagan Era.)¹ Yes, I got the whole thing completely bollixed up.

Here’s the correct time and place.

Place: Here. Go to the menu bar above and press “CHAT.”

Time: Today. Here. (Enter your city.)

See you at the debate.

1. But I made a commitment, and I am a professional, so I will be where I said I would be, at the appointed time and place. I’ll just be a bit punchy. So watch out, Jay.