Night Vale Presents’ ‘Conversations with People Who Hate Me’ Gets a New Format
New episodes feature host Dylan Marron moderating others’ conversations about online hate.
Dylan Marron’s Conversations with People Who Hate Me is back today, April 2, with a new format — instead of focusing exclusively on his own online haters, Marron will also moderate conversations between guests who have exchanged their own digital barbs.
“I’m not the only person in this world who has received online negativity so I wanted to make sure the ‘me’ in the title wasn’t just about me,” Marron said. “By using the podcast as a platform to host other people’s conversations I’m also able to cover different topics and shed light on experiences that I don’t have.”
The first episode with the new show format, “The Trans Ban,” features Marron moderating a conversation between a trans marine and a marine who supports President Donald Trump’s trans military ban.
Conversations with People Who Hate Me also dropped “Bigot Scum” as a teaser on Feb. 12.
Upcoming episodes — released biweekly — will look at others’ experiences with critiquing art, what it means to be Latinx (or Latino) and the transgender military ban, as well as continuing to explore Marron’s own experiences with his online haters.
“Online hate doesn’t necessarily translate into in-person hate, but it fosters a sense of animosity that I think is unhealthy in both the IRL and URL spheres,” Marron said. “Interacting through the internet alienates us from the people we’re talking to, so we are enabled to say things we wouldn’t necessarily say to their face.”
Marron hopes that by inviting other people to confront their own online haters, listeners will be able to see themselves reflected in the conversations.
He says he’s optimistic that the same principles he’s used when confronting his own digital haters can be put into practice by anyone having hateful interactions online, to break down barriers and have a dialogue with people who lash out from behind a computer screen.
“One conversation won’t singlehandedly undo the centuries-long systemic injustice that has enabled hate to flourish, but one conversation can be a start,” Marron said.
Upcoming episodes
Bitch Talk About Palestine
In response to a post Marron made about Logan Paul someone commented, “bitch talk about Palestine.” So they did.
Burned at the Stake
Jaya Saxena, a freelance writer, penned an essay for GQ that detailed why the beloved television show The Office doesn’t stand up to today’s social standards. A stranger on Twitter said she deserved to be burned at the stake for her opinion. They have a beautiful conversation about why we should critique the art we love.
Latinx
Kat Lazo is a content creator who made a video explaining why she wants people to de-gender the Spanish language and use an ‘x’ instead of an ‘a’ or ‘o’ in the word “Latino.” Alvaro commented, “this chic is so annoying,” beneath that video. The two have a conversation about how they’re each trying to preserve their shared culture.
Talentless Propaganda Hack
Doug, a man from upstate New York, called Marron a talentless propaganda hack. Marron asks him why.
