In London where I live, philosophy meetup groups are much better than this. A broader mix of people—few have philosophy degrees, few know any formal philosophy, some have no university degree, very many recent immigrants, though admittedly almost everyone is middle class. Almost always good conversations, with decent reasoning, including people taking contrary and controversial stances, but respectfully discussed and never any heatedness or performative wokeness. Discussions in groups of 4-6 people work best. (The main bad dynamic is if you get someone who talks too much and dominates a conversation.)
In London where I live, philosophy meetup groups are much better than this. A broader mix of people—few have philosophy degrees, few know any formal philosophy, some have no university degree, very many recent immigrants, though admittedly almost everyone is middle class. Almost always good conversations, with decent reasoning, including people taking contrary and controversial stances, but respectfully discussed and never any heatedness or performative wokeness. Discussions in groups of 4-6 people work best. (The main bad dynamic is if you get someone who talks too much and dominates a conversation.)