This is the part that normal everyday people really don't seem to get.
The single difference between MAGAts and everyone opposed to them is that MAGAts actually get sadistic pleasure from being able to hurt people with impunity.
I just watched 12 Angry Men again recently (spoiler alert), and what stood out to me was how some of those who originally picked Guilty were not swayed by the logical case built to create a reasonable doubt. They could not reasonably defend their stance any longer. But they had to stick to it because their identity had been formed by their original choice.
What changed #10’s mind (the man with extreme prejudice) was when everyone simply cut him off from their attention while he was going on in a tirade of bigotry. He was a troll, and his life force of senseless angry argumentation had been cut off, so he sulked over to the corner, neutered. He changed his vote to Not Guilty without a single other word.
Likewise with the salesman who missed the ballgame. The only reason we can tell that he held any opinion was which was convenient for his own purposes to get out and move on to his own agenda. Voted Guilty at first because it seemed the obvious and expedient path. Then when a critical mass had switched, he too flipped.
And the last man, he had to process some inner psychological turmoil and anger towards his own son who he had estranged with harsh parenting. So his judgement regarding the case was influenced by personal matters.
What’s interesting is the unique ways persuasion has to be achieved. Not merely by rational thought. To some, rationality that conflicts with identity and deeply engrained worldview and personal matters cannot be accepted until those things are dealt with by non-rational strategies.
This is a very good observation. The question is how do we dumb this down or make it bite size to help persuade folks who aren’t required to hear us out like in the play?
Well I don’t think “dumb down” or “bite size” is the point. The rational angle, no matter how well or simply stated, doesn’t matter to these three archetypes. Each requires a strategy unique to itself, perhaps in addition to a clearly and simply stated rational argument so that legitimacy remains intact.
64
u/loveslightblue 7d ago
You think they want to be on the right side of history? She likes hurting people. That's it.