Ask Lemmy

I have been told by multiple people (so, like, two. Maybe 3) over the years that things I have posted have changed their minds and their leanings on political topics. But these were not any of the people I was directly addressing. I think they may have all been before the rise of Big Social, too.

The person you're taking to online has a vested interest in defending the position they put forth. Someone reading your response who initially agrees with the person you're talking to does not have a defensive attitude to the same degree. Your arguments will be much more successful with the observer than with the other participant. You will probably never know if you had an impact on the observer. That's what you should be aiming for though.

I'm done trying to change minds, they're sure as shit not changing mine. I just can't with these people anymore. You can't reason someone out of an opinion they didn't reason themselves into.

Public shaming is the way to go, it's served humanity plenty well in the past to curb unwanted behavior and minority opinions. Shove the hypocrisy down their throats and revel in their little shocked Pikachu faces.

Using their own tactics against them is cathartic and effective, they're used to people trying to reason with them and then dragging you into more and more insane arguments and stances. The reins really come off when you realize you can lie just as much as they do and hand wave any counterarguments. Burden of proof? How about I just throw some more bullshit at you, etc. Quote the bible, extra points for obscure/confusing passages. Frustrate the fuck out of them, its only fair.

Feel free to disagree but in my own experience observing people any tipe of radical thought is usually a mental health issue. You can't treat mental health through comments.

I've watched conservative theists unravel and admit things about themselves openly as they crash out under questioning they started by making a thread on debate forums, but they always relapsed by the next day.

I am a lurker, mostly. I have never tried to change anyone’s opinion online that I can think of. But as a lurker, you can bet that my viewpoint might be changed by a good argument, even if it’s not directed at me. Just as it happens with religion, I’m sure there are conservatives (or leftists for that matter) on the internet that may have cracks beginning to form in their worldviews, and the right exposure on the internet can send them down a rabbit hole of questioning and considering alternatives. I suspect a major part of the reason I have gotten more and more leftist myself over time is because of exposure to good arguments on the left and much fewer on the right, plus the lack of desire from the right to partake in good faith arguments.

So what I’m saying is, your argument may not get through to the target, but there is collateral … well, not damage, but you get what I mean.

I recommend you read this.

I'm not sure there even is right or wrong. It's almost like the war is just entertainment. A sick part of human nature. The animalism within all people.

No. They will just shift their personality on you, usually saying "well I really hate all politicians, but I just think Trump is funny" or something dumb like that. MAGAts do not want facts. Living in crazy conspiracy world is their hobby. They can post something like "Hillary is a vampire" and all the cons in their echo chamber upvote it.

If it means anything, I started my journey on lemmy as an armchair socialist who in practice was more a welfare capitalism type person. Now I’m a full on anarchist (anti-capitalist). So a steady stream of influence, especially when people make good points and it helps make sense of my suffering, has shifted my political views strongly.

(But the basis for that shift was already kind of laid out, I’ve been fascinated by anarchist critiques for a while, and one of my favourite political authors was one. But the sort of being in a community of likeminded people [lemmy] and having significant suffering at the hands of the current system that made me more strongly shift towards those views).

On the other hand. Simply having a few conversations with my vaguely left wing partner about my views has led her to go from vaguely social democrat to anarchist.

I think the lesson is change is possible, it’s just a slow series of events that add up. Usually there isn’t one thing that straight up switches a person.

absolutely not and i imagine the same is true for leftists.

I just humour people when they tell me political opinions I don't agree with. No one ever changes their minds.