In a recent episode of The Project, host Waleed Aly and Kate Langbroek got into an argument live on air after Langbroek mentioned conspiracies.
It all started with a segment about “15-minute cities” (a city where all necessities, such as grocery stores, doctors’ offices, dentists, schools, and TAFEs, are located within a 15-minute walk from peoples’ homes) and how some conspiracy theorists think that 15-minute cities are a way for the government to easily monitor people and possibly prevent them from ever leaving their city.
As soon as she could, Kate interjected, “You know I adore a conspiracy theory.” And when asked if she believed this one, she hesitated before responding:
Well, I don’t know about you, but governments have recently locked me up. Hence, I’m like, “Oh conspiracy theories,” but let’s just remember that in the 1600s, a man named Galileo was imprisoned and, I believe, died in prison because he asserted that the Earth revolved around the sun.
In a rather scornful tone, Waleed promptly retorted, “Well, well that’s that then.”
After further explanation, Kate claimed that Galileo was punished for his hypothesis even though it was right because it was a conspiracy at the time.
I can understand what you’re saying, Waleed replied, before adding, “I feel like it’s a little different argument.”
Never one to rest, I don’t think conspiracy theorists are always that crazy, Kate countered.
Waleed concluded by saying, “I understand the notion that people are losing trust in government and things of that nature, and I get that. But the issue is that if someone has a fantastic idea, we’ll immediately want to kill it because we’ll think there must be some sort of conspiracy behind it.
So you concur with me then, Kate said.
Waleed cut Kate off right away by saying, “No, I don’t agree with you!”
Before Sam Taunton defused the tension by bringing up Harry Styles and effortlessly transitioning the broadcast to the following section, which involved the As It Was singer, Kate joked, “You’re saying, ‘We.'”
Yet we have to ask if Waleed would have continued making his case if Sam hadn’t interrupted him.
