Yes, a strong sense of belonging and community - and its counterpart, avoiding excommunication - are very powerful. Religions throughout the ages demonstrate that. I think there’s one more thing, though.
People who are willing to abandon reason in order to believe that they’re “winning” are the problem. That willingness is exploited by manufacturing a losing condition for them, while at the same time supplying the “winning solution”: join us.
There you have it, the bits that, when combined, create the paradox of “We’re being oppressed at every turn! We’re undeniably correct and unstoppably strong!” “You’re losing, come with us so we can all win really soon.”
2 quotes come to mind
The problem:
“you cant reason someone out of something they were not reasoned into.”
- Jonathan Swift
And the solution:
”He drew a circle that shut me out- Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle and took him In!”
- Edwin Markham
You have to draw a bigger circle. It is the way to deprogram people from that tribalistic mentality. Teaching them and “winning” debates will not work.
You can have the hateful murderous delusional assholes in your circle. I want my family to live.
Yeah, i mean that sounds great until 40% of the country gets so fanatical and dehumanizing that they decide the only choice is to fight a war.
I prefer finding common ground, deprograming, and forgiveness over violence unless that is the only path that remains.
Of course not. You never could. It’s why you can’t convince someone to stop being a Christian fundie by explaining how evolution is unequivocally true. Even if you can overcome the sunk cost fallacy, you’ll never overcome the backfire effect.
We can’t fight the Republican Party.
FTFY.
I think that’s a bad take. We can’t fight MAGA with the truth, but that’s not the same as we can’t fight them.
Yeah? How’s that fight going so far?
Not going well is distinct from not possible. The article suggests we’re using the wrong tactics.
judging from polls? badly.
can’t
won’t.
