I don't know the specific views that you are referring to as dangerous (though, for the record, I've only heard very positive things about IKAR)… But I will say that I wholeheartedly believe that as Jews (and human beings, truthfully) we have a moral obligation to think for ourselves. It sounds cliche but the ability to take in information, be it facts or opinions, and discern what we like and agree with and what we don't is what makes us unique as humans…. I have posted at other times (most recently right before the election) that rabbis/community leaders telling me how to think politically is almost a surefire way to get me to think the opposite way….

With that said – i think that often people gravitate toward a leader because they identify with that person's overall world view and approach to things… So without commenting on your two specific examples, I would just say that often people follow a leader's suggested approach not because the leader told them to, but rather, because they identified with that approach in the first place… But again, I would hope that whatever position people choose to follow, it's because they have thought it through and believe in its merit.

I don't mind when entertainers use their platform to promote their views – free country, no one is forcing us to listen or agree or buy more tickets etc. and while avoiding nuance is not an unreasonable strategy, especially for a comedian/satirist, the rest of his material lives in the nuance. That's why it's so clever…and often why it's so funny.

Maybe he'll invite you on the show to debate, Dave…but I'm not buying any books.