I also think of Manifest as something like, a scaled up house party, rather than an arbiter of who is good or notable in forecasting/EA
I’ve made a similar point in other comments, but this framing makes things worse. Then it’s not that Richard Hanania has relevant expertise in spite of his controversial statements, it’s that you think he’s a fun guy that you’d like to hang out with. Where people are willing to stomach unsavory co-attendees at a conference in their field, they’re more than happy to skip out on a scaled up house party with them.
I’ve made a similar point in other comments, but this framing makes things worse. Then it’s not that Richard Hanania has relevant expertise in spite of his controversial statements, it’s that you think he’s a fun guy that you’d like to hang out with. Where people are willing to stomach unsavory co-attendees at a conference in their field, they’re more than happy to skip out on a scaled up house party with them.