this post was submitted on 27 May 2024
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[–] A_Very_Big_Fan@lemmy.world 13 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I grew up in a Christian family/community where asking questions was met with hostility, and discovering his channel was a major source of catharsis for me. But hooo boy, did he become a raging, unapologetic asshole.

To his credit, it seems like he wanted to mark a new chapter on his channel with these 4 uploads, and I think he succeeded... He's gotten a lot better in terms of being a tolerable person, but his stuff now just doesn't match the sharp and witty commentary from his scripted days.

(edit): Same with Matt Dillahunty. He used to be so well spoken, skilled at respectfully pointing out fallacious reasoning, and was a pretty likable person. His old Atheist Experience shows were gold. Now he's a raging asshole and has lost all of his grace, even though he may be right about what he's saying. And with Tracy Harris gone, AXP has lost both their bottles of lightning.

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Idunno, I think Forrest Valkai and JMike are pretty good, but that may be because I'm a zillenial

[–] A_Very_Big_Fan@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

They are pretty good, but they're no Matt and Tracy tbh. I highly recommend watching some of the pre-YouTube (like pre-2010, or the "Throwbacks") shows where Matt hosts, or literally any of them where Tracy is on. The audio and video is shit, I won't even lie, but the content is peak ATX.

Tracy and Matt used to handle every caller with a level of style and grace no host has matched in a long time. The juxtaposition between them eviscerating every theist's argument and their unrelenting compassion and patience was immaculate. (heh) Back then, the caller had to say something truly abhorrent for them to be the first ones to get heated.

The main issue I see with modern ATX is all the brow beating. They used to talk to their callers like adults, but now they're so patronizing most of the time. Like they're talking to children. Far too often, they embody the angry internet atheist stereotype that the older generation of atheists has been trying to move away from.