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Whenever I see folks denying facts, I remember that the human brain is hard-wired to reject anything that threatens core beliefs. /1
If you press with facts and reason, you’ll be met with stubborn denial, almost inevitably. /2
The human brain needs to feel that the sense of self and identity is not threatened before it will entertain contrary narratives. /3
To win over those who have been lost to the morass of fake news and alt-right propaganda, we must learn to speak in terms that resonate. /4
Such persons are largely concerned with issues of security, freedom from govt oversight, and a perceived erosion of their communities. /5
But we can prevail on those questions as well, if we talk about how the world has become far less secure this year, for example. /6
If we understand that it was fear that drove their actions, that their support is instinctual not intellectual, we might change things. /7
None of this is easy. But if you find yourself arguing pointlessly, you might at least now see why it feels pointless. /8
Try instead to ask them about their fears, and whether they really “feel” less afraid now than before. /9
