this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2023
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You can't talk to them person to person. That type of persuasion works in matters when the other person is operating in the cerebral realm of logic. The problem in politics is that we're operating in the realm of identity, and you cannot reason somebody out of a matter of personal identity, because the brain treats threats to personal identity the same way as physical threats. Especially when it is a closed belief system that defines politics as tribal combat, veracity as irrelevant, any information that comes from outside the tribe as per se objectionable, and agreement as a failure of will.
Basically, the psychological research funds that you have to take them out of the Q/MAGA bubble, and surround them with people with diverse views. It can't be done in online forums. I've tried. If you listen, you just get regurgitated talking points, and if you ask questions that start to make them think they abruptly disengage.
Is this not exactly what people are doing by making sweeping generalizations about others? I get you have had bad experiences, and I don't doubt it in the slightest; however, saying that
seems very problematic. Yes, there are plenty of bad actors and people who will argue in bad faith, but there are also those who literally have never been exposed to different ways of thinking. There are those who have succumbed to the outrage machine. There are those who may just need a small nudge to challenge these beliefs they've been spoonfed their whole life.
The moment that you write off a whole group of people based on political beliefs, you write off any chance you have to change minds.
There's a difference between prescriptive and descriptive, between saying what should be, and what is. I'm telling you the result of my empirical observations. You are welcome to try changing minds of people in the MAGA world. Don't let me stop you. I'm just pointing out why it won't work.