My first episode of bloggingheads is up. I’m paired with Megan McArdle. We talk about drugs, crime, guns, efficient markets, and luxury fever.
Watching it, I learned that:
1. Megan is an extremely good interviewer.
2. When I concentrate, I tend to frown. Smiling is better.
3. I talk too fast.
4. I talk too much.
5. When I stop talking, Megan generally says something worth hearing.
Right. No surprises there. (One silly mistake, where I say “homicide” instead of “suicide,” thus reducing the whole argument I’m trying to make to complete incoherence.) There were some good passages, though.
It’s a weird experience, talking to a screen that shows your own face but not the face of the person you’re interacting with, and I was pretty uncomfortable. I’ll do better next time, coach.
“Next time” is likely to be with my old friend and colleague Glenn Loury. We’ll be talking about crime and drugs, especially as they interact with race. Not to hold you in suspense: Glenn is way smarter than I am, but I’m going to try to convince him that the problem is a tragedy rather than a melodrama. Since Glenn is less attached to his his opinions than just about anyone I know — he gets very close to the ideal of not caring at all how nearly the conclusion that emerges from a discussion resembles the position he started out with — I’m giving myself pretty good odds.