In today’s episode, after a few thoughts on the Trump address to Congress and his BS spending plan, the topic is “How to change people’s minds.” Haeley and I set about to do some research on a: how possible it is to change minds, and b: if so, what are the best methods? I take a look at and describe a number of studies that shed light on this issue, and the goal is to apply it to both the Dr. Price debate and any future debates! Have a listen and see what conclusions we reached!
After that I’ve got an extra long voicemail and response segment, since I didn’t do one last week. I had a ton of voicemail and I picked out some good ones to react to.
Here are the links to the articles/studies we referenced:
Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds
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You did as good a job as could be done with the Price interview. Standing in front of that fire hose of alt-right Republican talking points and not being blown over took a lot of equanimity and fortitude.
One thing about changing people’s minds that you touched on lightly is, I think, a much larger factor. It’s the perception of the people holding the other point of view by the potential changee. For example, for my demographic (old fat bald white guys), I am very liberal. I’m for universal health care, universal civil rights for women, LGBT, minorities and everybody else (even me), high quality affordable (if not free) public and higher education, etc., etc. But . . . I generally think of Social Justice Warriors as wimpy, weaselly, douchey little people. I basically disagree with a lot of the SJW methodology and the way they present themselves, but beyond that, I wouldn’t want to be numbered among them. It would make me feel all creepy crawly. So, my agreement with some aspects of the SJW paradigm is incidental and something I would be inclined to resist and not readily admit to. Sometimes it’s the believers in an idea that the opposition find repugnant more so than the idea itself. I’m not saying it should be that way, just that I think it often is.
The failure of the DNC in 2016 was an EPIC fail, guys. It gave us Trupistan. The DNC and their processes nominated the only person in the country less electable than Donald F-ing Trump. They DID that. It HAPPENED! If we let the same people select candidates in 2018 and 2020, we WILL lose. This cannot be said often enough, though I still think we will fuck up. Again. And lose. Again. We still don’t get it.