Thread by @ClaireAccendit

At #GlobalScienceCongress #ScientificThinkingAndAction we talked about the relationships between relatability, trust, #scicomm, communicating about pseudoscience, and changing people's minds.
Regarding all the above, the last one, I'd like to share a story.
Thread

It was the eve of the third and last day at our country's largest #science festival held by @Akademie_ved_CR.
I was at our skeptic organization's stand, when an older gentleman approached me, among the last visitors there.
"I'm an engineer", he introduced himself.

"Do you believe in #aliens?" he continued, without pause.
I smile and reply, my voice box tired: "We can't rule out their existence, the Universe is a big place."
The engineer leans over my table, wagging his eyebrows conspiratorially: "But do YOU believe that they are among us?"

I give my usual answer: "There is no #evidence for that. No one has ever verifiably seen one."
He wags his eyebrows some more: "Maybe they are hiding."
Internally, I roll my eyes: "Why would they be hiding?"

"They are too lazy to go out." I paused, thinking I was being trolled. But, no, he was serious. This is the #argument that came to me at that moment: "When you are on #vacation, don't you go out to see the sights?"
"Sometimes, I'm too lazy."

"Imagine you are visiting Greece - wouldn't you go out and see the #sights?" Now it's his turn to pause and think.
"I just was in Greece. And you're right, I did go see the sights." He shakes his head. "I've never thought about it like this. They really haven't visited us yet."

Before I have the chance to process what just happened, the gentleman turns around sadly and leaves. I didn't want him (or anyone) to leave our stand upset. I wrote our interaction down immediately, I didn't want to misremember it. And almost 3 years later, I still think of it.

Was it good #scicomm or wasn't it? I gave him a different perspective on how to think about his belief and it seemed to have had an effect. On the other hand, I didn't really get a chance to "debrief" him after such a shift. Aftercare is as important.

Did the offered perspective hold up to later scrutiny? Did the engineer go back to his beliefs or started creating new ones?
I have no idea. This interaction and questions surrounding hold a bittersweet place in my memory.

To give this all a happy ending, I want to let all the aliens out there who chose to vacation on #Earth this last year that we Earthlings apologise for any inconvenience caused and will be happy to accommodate you at a better time. Oh, and don't forget to visit Greece!