Maybe a degree in common sense would have helped.
Candace Owens, a conservative political commentator, recently faced criticism online during a debate on the value of college education.
But the issue isn’t just about her claims that college graduates are ‘not the most literate’. Many viewers also mocked her for wearing her Sennheiser HD 599 headphones backwards while urging her debater, Destiny, to ‘do his research’ on the topic.
Owens vs Destiny on the Value of College Degrees
During a heated debate published on YouTube, Candace Owens discussed the practicality of college degrees with streamer Destiny.
For Owens’ side, she explained that she has strong doubts about it and labeled her Journalism degree as her “biggest regret”.
She pointed out that many of her friends with college degrees do not use them in their current positions. This led her to question the financial advantages of pursuing higher education.
When asked to support her claims, Owens dismissed it and simply said, “do your research.”
However, she seemed to struggle as Destiny showed real research that went against what she said.
Destiny replied with statistics and economic research, showing that people with college education earn more money on average than high school graduates. In one of these, he explained that only 51% of bachelor’s graduates have debt, which is about $29,400 on average.
The debate also talked about bigger issues like literacy rates, the difference between academic achievements and being ready for real-world jobs, and the cultural stories around education.
The Backlash Over Owens Wearing Her Headphones Backwards
As the intense discussion happened, sharp-eyed viewers noticed that Owens was wearing her Sennheiser headphones backwards.
They pointed out that the left and right earpieces were switched, despite clear “L” and “R” markings showing the right way to wear them. This mistake quickly led to ridicule and criticism on social media.
Many commenters also joked that this was clearly showing her earlier claims about college-educated illiteracy.
But there are a few people defended Owens.
According to them, in cases of mono podcast audio, the orientation of the headphones might not matter. They even suggested that it could be a headset or setup issue causing reversed audio channels, as they had experienced themselves.
One commenter also said people should focus on politely debating ideas and opinions, rather than attacking the person for a forgivable mistake. They warned against being hypocritical and toxic.
“ It’s a small mistake and making a mistake is something that everyone does. If you start laughing at one, you’re just a hypocrite if you only do it to someone you don’t like. It’s easily forgivable, so it’s toxic to make fun of it just because she has a stupid opinion.” he said.
“Let’s attack ideas and opinions, not people. No need to be toxic. It’s not justified just cause you think the person is wrong.”
Still, many argued that wearing specialized equipment properly is important for how you look, especially when criticizing education on air.
They said the design flaw showed her apparent lack of knowledge on the very topic she was debating.
