I know you’re playfully joking, but I second their opinion. I was basically on a crusade against misinformation in 2020 and 2021 against COVID deniers and election truthers. Nobody ever changes their mind. Nobody ever admits their wrong. No matter how respectful and accommodating you are, no matter what sources you find, it’s just not worth it. Give one response if you feel inclined, but don’t reply to the reply. Don’t waste your time. Don’t get pointlessly stressed.
People do change their minds sometimes, but it’s never done in the moment and if you press them too hard on their beliefs they’ll double down.
We know how to change people’s minds, and it’s paradoxically by not confronting the misinformation. Instead, present an alternate but real fact about the root cause of their mis-belief.
On top of that, I don’t think most people realize how that level of dehumanization affects the conversation as a whole. We are not replying to people, we are replying to walls of text, abstract concepts, hypotheses, and we treat one another as such. It’s why anonymous internet discussions so quickly devolve.
I know you’re playfully joking, but I second their opinion. I was basically on a crusade against misinformation in 2020 and 2021 against COVID deniers and election truthers. Nobody ever changes their mind. Nobody ever admits their wrong. No matter how respectful and accommodating you are, no matter what sources you find, it’s just not worth it. Give one response if you feel inclined, but don’t reply to the reply. Don’t waste your time. Don’t get pointlessly stressed.
People do change their minds sometimes, but it’s never done in the moment and if you press them too hard on their beliefs they’ll double down.
We know how to change people’s minds, and it’s paradoxically by not confronting the misinformation. Instead, present an alternate but real fact about the root cause of their mis-belief.
You don’t primarily reply to convince the person you reply to, it’s about the other readers.
On top of that, I don’t think most people realize how that level of dehumanization affects the conversation as a whole. We are not replying to people, we are replying to walls of text, abstract concepts, hypotheses, and we treat one another as such. It’s why anonymous internet discussions so quickly devolve.