I read an article the other day, and it keeps popping up, about a group of neo-Nazis/white supremacists who held a meeting in D.C. to more or less celebrate their awesome caucasian-ness and the rise of Trump. 

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/9/10/...nald-Trump

It wasn't exactly a Nuremburg rally, only some 200 or so were present. And it isn't like these types of groups only recently bubbled up out of the sewer. But what has me freaked out are the comment sections to stories like this. 

Trump supporters are saying that George Soros hired these people to stage this event. It's insane, but apparently this perverse fairy tale is believed by what looks to be a pretty fair number of people. The same with the thousands of people protesting Trump's electoral win. They're all hired by Soros. 

It's like asking someone, "What's 1+1?" And their answer is, "Red." 

In seeking to change minds, the idea has always been to win with facts and a better argument. But that's a non-starter here. In order to win an argument with facts, there has to be an agreement not just on what the facts are, but an implicit understanding about the nature of reality. 

It's one thing to be born into a family and society that perpetuates a certain religion and believe in that religion. After all, we really don't know what happens when we die, so that sliver of hope that we keep going is understandable. But two years ago, I don't think these people would have said such crazy shit as they are saying now. Or is this the extension of the birther phenomenon or something like that?

Your math analogy is not an apt one.

And your conclusion that you can only convince those people of facts that accept them is pretty obvious on its face, there wouldn't be a problem to begin with in that case.

I don't see you adding anything original here in terms of thoughts. Just a hey, let's discuss this. I thought you a better poster than that, frankly. I'm disappointed.

(November 22, 2016 at 12:49 pm)Excited Penguin Wrote: Your math analogy is not an apt one.

And your conclusion that you can only convince those people of facts that accept them is pretty obvious on its face, there wouldn't be a problem to begin with in that case.

I don't see you adding anything original here in terms of thoughts. Just a hey, let's discuss this. I thought you a better poster than that, frankly. I'm disappointed.

Bolded mine.  Well, this is a discussion forum...

And that last sentence is just you being an ass.  Or just your normal self, it's hard to tell the difference sometimes.

When's the last time you added value to a conversation? You should probably clean up your own backyard.

(November 22, 2016 at 12:49 pm)Excited Penguin Wrote: Your math analogy is not an apt one.

And your conclusion that you can only convince those people of facts that accept them is pretty obvious on its face, there wouldn't be a problem to begin with in that case.

I don't see you adding anything original here in terms of thoughts. Just a hey, let's discuss this. I thought you a better poster than that, frankly. I'm disappointed.

It's mainly a shift in media perception. Blogs and opinionated websites are what people are looking for these days. I've seen a sufficient amount of shit posted here as fact without doing the checks. So it's not a miracle that people tend to believe every conspiracy that is thrown their way.

Sorry for my nasty comment, 

(November 22, 2016 at 2:24 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: When's the last time you added value to a conversation? You should probably clean up your own backyard.

Too right. People who live in glass houses shouldn't post to message boards.

Boru

(November 22, 2016 at 5:50 pm)Excited Penguin Wrote: Sorry for my nasty comment, 

Here we go again...

Boru

EP: Stop with the kudos, please. Mine, I mean - I don't care who else you give them to.

Boru