I don't think this should be happening

I think the debate was a good thing for science, and here's why:

Two types of people hear the debate: closed-minded and open-minded. The closed-minded don't matter, they're not changing their minds.

Maybe I'm an optimist, but I find it hard to imagine an open-minded Evolutionist hearing the debate and thinking "This is a debate of equals, Creationism must be a valid position." Ham's arguments are just too fallacious.

But suppose I'm an open-minded, rational Creationist. I'm a kid, or maybe a twenty-something, in Tennessee. I grew up learning Creationism from my church and school. I'm not about to buy a Dawkins book; I have too much else to read, and I "know" Creationism is true anyway. But suppose I hear the debate. Nye's arguments on the whole make a lot more sense than Ham's, even if I believe Ham's theistic tangents. So the seed of skepticism is planted.

From a rational perspective, I understand the "don't acknowledge them" argument. But from a sociological perspective, I really think this did more good than harm.

By the way, part of the reason I think the debate was good for those reasons, is because I was that kid.