I host the podcast after which the subreddit is named and noticed some of the recent metacommentary threads so thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. The first is that people on a subreddit debating the nature of the subreddit and how it reflects on the users/nature of the subreddit is a very, very common thing on Reddit. It might be one of the main hobbies for users on Reddit. I have seen it in almost every subreddit I've ever used. So bad luck if you think that it is ever going away or is some unique aspect of this subreddit.

On the question of whether I think people on this subreddit should listen to our podcast? I mean for selfish reasons ... yes ;) but also not really. If you want to offer an opinion on something I think you should put research in beforehand OR (alternatively) just acknowledge that you're operating from vibes and intuition. So if people want to discuss some online guru, see some thread in the subreddit, decide to offer their opinions, and have no idea about the podcast that sounds perfectly normal to me. It would be obnoxious and Jordan Peterson-esque to demand that those people go listen to the back catalogue of an obscure podcast before they comment. On the other hand, if those people want to comment on an episode/the nature of the podcast or what we get wrong then yes I think they should have listened. There is plenty on the sub that isn't related to us or the podcast though so, in most cases, I don't think that applies.

As for whether we endorse all of the content posted on the subreddit (or everyone's tone)? Obviously not! It's a subreddit. It is an independent online forum thing where people can and do post whatever reasonable or mental thing they're thinking about (at the discretion of the moderators). Matt and I are honorary moderators with no actual moderating powers or desire to engage in the thankless task of moderation. I moderated a martial arts forum many years ago and that was enough for me. That experience and others did however make me intimately familiar with online community dynamics and the fact that on any forum you will inevitably have trolls and some rather 'passionate' people. That's just a fact of life online. I like some stuff on the sub and I do not like other stuff. I agree with some stuff and I do not agree with other stuff. I think sometimes people are too cruel or hyperbolic but like... that's just their opinion, man. People are entitled to argue for whatever they like and I it is nice to see that most of the worse threads (hi Gustave!) just get downvoted into oblivion.

As for the Lex or Huberman bashing, I think part of that relates to the fact that their forums are more tightly moderated. Excessively so when it comes to Lex and his suspicious Lex-shaped moderation team. To some extent, the subreddit does follow the people we cover, possibly because we remind people about how bad some folk are OR, alternatively, some people may want to defend their honour in the face of our unfair attacks.

If I had a magic wand I might choose for there to be less posts about Lex (or anyone's) appearance but I also think Lex is someone who deserves criticism and tries VERY hard to cultivate a specific image. On top of that in various throwaway threads focused on Lex and other figures, there are sometimes substantial points raised or good discussions, alongside the unrestrained dunking.

Politics-wise I suspect, like a lot of Reddit, that the users here overall lean farther left than Matt and me and that there are some segment of people who follow the podcast because they like us dunking on their political enemies. I would hope people try to apply their criticisms consistently but people aren't perfect.

We are not interested in policing the subreddit and although we do sometimes reference interesting stuff that is found/brought up, we do not feel that this is our space to command. If we thought something was really over the line we would probably voice our opinion on it / mention it on the podcast *IF* we noticed but what to do about it would be up to the moderators.

Overall it is a subreddit and has a relatively chilled moderation policy on figures and a topic that generates controversy, so it is what it is. So there you go, some random meta-thoughts from me. Enjoy!