I’m more talking about real life people that you may struggle to convince because you’re operating on different paradigms of where truth comes from and what it might be. Some of these people are seeking truth, they just think they already have it and you’re the one blinded by ideology.
I think I kind of understand where we’re talking past each other.
I’m holding a higher standard for what “truth seeking” means, and I would not describe what I see most conservative people doing, even the offline ones, as truth seeking.
I agree that a conservative watching Fox news believes they are consuming the truth, but I don’t think that this is the same as being a truth-seeking person.
I think that the modern, offline conservative is more accepting (just more) of inconsistencies in their worldview than they were, like, 20 years ago. There used to be more cultural emphasis on consistency as a virtue, and less distrust of smart people as a category, and those were things you could more easily leverage against a person.
But as you say, the old tactics still work, it just depends on who you’re talking to and when and how. The first step in any rhetorical battle is identifying who you’re talking to.
I’m more talking about real life people that you may struggle to convince because you’re operating on different paradigms of where truth comes from and what it might be. Some of these people are seeking truth, they just think they already have it and you’re the one blinded by ideology.
I think I kind of understand where we’re talking past each other.
I’m holding a higher standard for what “truth seeking” means, and I would not describe what I see most conservative people doing, even the offline ones, as truth seeking.
I agree that a conservative watching Fox news believes they are consuming the truth, but I don’t think that this is the same as being a truth-seeking person.
I think that the modern, offline conservative is more accepting (just more) of inconsistencies in their worldview than they were, like, 20 years ago. There used to be more cultural emphasis on consistency as a virtue, and less distrust of smart people as a category, and those were things you could more easily leverage against a person.
But as you say, the old tactics still work, it just depends on who you’re talking to and when and how. The first step in any rhetorical battle is identifying who you’re talking to.