I’m not writing to the crackpot I’m responding to. I’m writing to the lurkers on the fence wondering if he has a valid point.
That might be why I’m so used to replies that look like long-form essays. It takes a lot more words to explain nuance and invite critical thought than it does to shitpost.
You’re never going to change their minds. That’s not the point. The point is to push back against them. So people who see the interaction will see the rebuttal and the pushback against the insanity. That’s the important part.
You don’t change the view of the person you are arguing with on the internet, you are putting a red flag so that would-be readers don’t fall into the rabbit hole.
Well, the alternative is a bunch of crackpot comments with no pushback (except downvotes) and 3-10x less actually-decent-takes
Everyone just wants an echo chamber and the internet is happy to oblige
You’re so right.
I’ve found that, while you can’t convince a crackpot of anything, you can study them like a scientific specimen and it can be quite interesting
"Reasoning will never make a Man correct an ill Opinion, which by Reasoning he never acquired.
- Jonathan Swift, A Letter to a Young Gentleman, Lately Enter’d Into Holy Orders, 1721 C.E.
My rule to live by (and this seems to trigger people online for some reason whenever I say it): never engage with comments online. I’ll post a comment, but >99% of the time there is no reason to reply. Someone has to make it abundantly clear that they are responding in good faith to warrant a response. My life has been much better since I started doing this and I would strongly recommend everyone try it out.
Almost 100% of the replies you receive are in bad faith? Friend…
I enjoy the banter back and forth until the person doubles down, then it’s over
The number of threads that I’ve just completely abandoned on .ml when I realize I’m trying to reason with morons is too damn high.
Going to .ml looking for an enlightened discussion is like going to the zoo looking for a glory hole.
I blocked ml just this morning after such an exchange. It’s noticeable immediately 😂
That reminds me, I really must check my inbox
In the dark times of late 2023 I had long discussions with Israel apologists on here, now they don’t seem to exist anymore. Question is, if they actually changed their mind or if they just left, and if my comments had anything to do with that anyway ofc.
They probably got called up
Ahh yes the crackpot belief that it is wrong to support a genocide regardless of who is in power.
I never commented much, apart from here and in reddit, when it still was a thing. Currently I try to avoid even looking into the comment section. It’ just not worth it.
How else are they supposed to virtue signal?
I’m honestly not a big fan of virtue signaling, but maybe that’s just me. I just don’t think dramatically stating an obviously popular opinion, like you’re some sacrificial martyr, really adds much to the discussion. Crucify me in the comments, if you must!
