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by giantrobot 1311 days ago
> That's how we got flat Earth to get so big. We mocked, ostracized, and argued them out of common spaces until they created their own. I'd rather flat Earthers and DiAngelo followers find their way back to rational society, not out from it forever.

How are you going to bring irrational people back to rational society? If someone has signed on to some fantastically unrealistic position and made it a part of their personality the only way out is deprogramming. That takes so much effort. It's also not something most people are equipped to handle. It's also not something the general public should be expected to do.
3 comments
pessimizer 1311 days ago
> the only way out is deprogramming.

The non-propaganda word for this is "convincing."

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kibwen 1311 days ago
As the old saying goes: you cannot reason someone out of a position that they did not reason themselves into.
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giantrobot 1310 days ago
There's no convincing people that have left rationality behind. All of these types of conspiracy theory movements operate the same way. They pull people away from rationality and convince them that rational discourse are attacks against them.

It's little different than how cults operate. They go after marginalized (or convince people they have been marginalized) and prey on their insecurities and desire for belonging.

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kodah 1311 days ago
> How are you going to bring irrational people back to rational society?

This is probably where our work needs to be, and I agree it's not everyone's burden to undertake. It's taxing and requires a lot of emotional energy that some might not have. My personal experience with people that believed in conspiracies is that with enough normal human contact they eventually adjust. Sometimes there's an underlying issue that leads to conspiratorial thinking; I'm not even necessarily talking about mental health. It could be financial or interpersonal.

I'm just saying that the alternative of banishment isn't great. It doesn't dissolve the things we don't want, generally.

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dinosaurdynasty 1311 days ago
Problem is if there are enough of them they end up storming a capitol building
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