| I am in the process of reading all of these comments, so I know I have a ways to go. If we are in fact talking about strange beluefs becoming a matter of identity, then any attempt to talk someone out of that identity will not help anyone. It's certainly important to acknowledge our own beliefs, and to check those beliefs against the facts on the ground. You can sure start to feel like you are surrounded by crazy people, and get pulled into arguing "the facts" anyway. That's how I usually screw it up. So what happens if, instead of pushing back on facts, when someone in personal conversation insists that (for example) the current president was illegitimately elected... what happens with a responsing by questions that signal my interest in their point of view? "Ok, what is the most important thing for Americans to do right now?" Usually people will think I am agreeing with them. I might have to assert my point of view, I don't want to lie to people. I don't know if anything will work, at this point. |