I agree with the sentiment, but the ones that have fallen down the rabbit hole are virtually impossible to reach. I had someone I knew go that way. We previously had excellent political discussions and pushed each other to examine our biases, but now he drunkenly rambles about the evil libs online.
Meanwhile those unreachable people are feeling more and more persecuted and their beliefs (which are already based on fear) confirmed. Maybe they keep their heads in the sand and “trust the plan,” but when they realize the storm is never coming, they may resort to violence.
I definitely agree with what you’re saying. Some people are too far gone that no amount of facts and logic will persuade them. Innuendo Studios put out an excellent suite of videos on how the alt right is like an abusive relationship and a cult. I won’t waste your time reiterating his points.
I do have a friend, let’s call him Greg, who is ultra religious and genuinely believes that he needs a carrying permit for his firearm because there’s no way to tell who has a gun willing to put him and his family in harms way. He also believes a lot of the talking points that you would expect about abortion, LGBTQ rights, etc. Whenever I debate Greg, he backs up his claims with how he feels and the superfluous fact that erases some pretty important context. He has no idea he’s being misled on issues specifically designed to polarize us. Greg also believes that white people are the most discriminated against in today’s world, and trans people “are coming”. He’s very fearful of his fellow man for someone who’s supposed to love his neighbor, but as his friend of almost 10 years, I know he would never hurt a fly.
With the exception to abortion, he’s been slowly outgrowing this culture of fear and is adopting more middle of the road stances. I’m not sure how he snapped out of the fear-mongering, but I’m just glad he did.
I agree with the sentiment, but the ones that have fallen down the rabbit hole are virtually impossible to reach. I had someone I knew go that way. We previously had excellent political discussions and pushed each other to examine our biases, but now he drunkenly rambles about the evil libs online.
Meanwhile those unreachable people are feeling more and more persecuted and their beliefs (which are already based on fear) confirmed. Maybe they keep their heads in the sand and “trust the plan,” but when they realize the storm is never coming, they may resort to violence.
I definitely agree with what you’re saying. Some people are too far gone that no amount of facts and logic will persuade them. Innuendo Studios put out an excellent suite of videos on how the alt right is like an abusive relationship and a cult. I won’t waste your time reiterating his points.
I do have a friend, let’s call him Greg, who is ultra religious and genuinely believes that he needs a carrying permit for his firearm because there’s no way to tell who has a gun willing to put him and his family in harms way. He also believes a lot of the talking points that you would expect about abortion, LGBTQ rights, etc. Whenever I debate Greg, he backs up his claims with how he feels and the superfluous fact that erases some pretty important context. He has no idea he’s being misled on issues specifically designed to polarize us. Greg also believes that white people are the most discriminated against in today’s world, and trans people “are coming”. He’s very fearful of his fellow man for someone who’s supposed to love his neighbor, but as his friend of almost 10 years, I know he would never hurt a fly.
With the exception to abortion, he’s been slowly outgrowing this culture of fear and is adopting more middle of the road stances. I’m not sure how he snapped out of the fear-mongering, but I’m just glad he did.
There’s always hope.