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Can A Progressive Be Convinced By Facts?
Manhattan Contrarian ^ | 22 Nov, 2021 | Francis Menton

Posted on 11/22/2021 4:00:13 AM PST by MtnClimber

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To: MtnClimber
It has been my experience that leftists are not capable of digesting facts and then changing their mind. They bring the quote, "don't confuse me with facts, I've already made up my mind" to life. They suffer from acute cognitive dissidence.

They discredit your sources, discredit your moral principles, discredit your intelligence, and consider any political or moral alignments you have to be evil, stupid, and ignorant. Liberals imagine themselves to be superior in every way, so to even to consider for a moment that there can be justified opposing opinions is impossible and maybe demeaning.

We'll need a shooting civil war to fix this.

61 posted on 11/22/2021 6:51:01 AM PST by GingisK
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To: MtnClimber
Can A Progressive Be Convinced By Facts?

NOPE

for lefturd loons, living in the world of MAYA is bliss:

ignorance
delusion
illusion
confusion
evasion
misunderstanding
cluelessness
stuck on stupid
can't handle the truth

62 posted on 11/22/2021 6:53:35 AM PST by mjp (pro-freedom & pro-wealth $)
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To: rlmorel

They are mentally ill. Cognitive dissidence is the only rational explanation.


63 posted on 11/22/2021 6:53:43 AM PST by GingisK
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To: Tell It Right
That is an accurate point, IMO.

But they seem to be impervious to most humiliation...I say most, because their only weak spot appears to be genuine, on-target ridicule...that causes them to lose their minds!

64 posted on 11/22/2021 6:56:59 AM PST by rlmorel (If the Biden Administration was only stupid or incompetent, some actions would benefit the USA.)
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To: MtnClimber

No.

Facts and truth
don’t exist
to
post modernist progressives.


65 posted on 11/22/2021 6:58:15 AM PST by cuz1961 (USCGR Veteran )
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To: GingisK

I think many on our side pooh-pooh the potential destructive power of cognitive dissonance.

I know how powerful it is for me when I see it in myself. I have to squash it, or it deeply disturbs me over time.

They don’t investigate the root of the discrepancy when they see one, they simply paper it over. But that discrepancy in the form of cognitive dissonance still ricochets around like cancer therapy involving heavy nuclear particles in cancer tissue which can destroy healthy tissue as well.

I think that explains why many appear to be (and often are) mentally ill.


66 posted on 11/22/2021 7:04:56 AM PST by rlmorel (If the Biden Administration was only stupid or incompetent, some actions would benefit the USA.)
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To: rlmorel

I mentioned Terence McKenna earlier on in this thread, and I think his view explains a lot.

He argues that language creates a separate bubble of reality for each person.

We all have “different” views of reality than every other person.

Language is our attempt to make our version of reality understandable to other people, but it is a very imprecise tool.

All of us censor ourselves all the time when we deal with other people. We automatically practice “when in Rome do as the Romans do”-otherwise we would be getting in fist fights with almost everyone we encounter.

Once you understand how this works, then the existence of crazy belief systems becomes totally understandable.

Some folks can be reached by logical argument, but many are highly resistant to that form of communication.

I see that here all the time. I may agree with a person on ninety nine out of a hundred issues and think we agree on everything, and then one of us touches the previously unknown “third rail” where we strongly disagree.


67 posted on 11/22/2021 7:13:37 AM PST by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it. Think of it as the Cantillon Effect in action.)
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To: cgbg
"...I see that here all the time. I may agree with a person on ninety nine out of a hundred issues and think we agree on everything, and then one of us touches the previously unknown “third rail” where we strongly disagree..."

I see that all the time, and I do work hard to avoid it. It doesn't mean I avoid discussion. I just know that stoking a certain fire that will have no effect beyond damaging my enjoyment of this site is simply not worth it.

Granted, I do have my limits as we all do, and there are certain things that I won't allow to pass, but...that is life.

I will say, that one of the issues I see that goes beyond that "bubble" created by language is the Leftist practice of relativism, where they ostensibly maintain the veneer that any "reality" is just as valid and worthy of consideration as any other "reality".

(I say "ostensibly", because it only covers their bizarre versions of reality. Yours and mine are not worthy of consideration.

The problem is, it balkanizes reality, in that everyone is allowed to have their "own reality". In this world, there is no such thing as a common reality, and I have seen that an allowance such as that is exceedingly dangerous and is corroding the very foundations of society.

68 posted on 11/22/2021 7:28:51 AM PST by rlmorel (If the Biden Administration was only stupid or incompetent, some actions would benefit the USA.)
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To: rlmorel

Notice that I made no claim that any one person’s “version” is more “valid” than any other persons “version”.

That is not a value judgement. That is just an observation.

That is not “relativism” either.

If we can’t agree about the most basic facts with leftists, it makes it kinda hard to even begin to talk about values.


69 posted on 11/22/2021 7:34:08 AM PST by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it. Think of it as the Cantillon Effect in action.)
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To: cgbg

I did understand that distinction.

I was speaking from the destructive viewpoint of the Left, not yours or the viewpoint of Terence McKenna.

The “bubble” inspired reality created by language is largely navigated by our intellect, and cuts across all ideological (and need I say marital) boundaries...and has been here as long as we have been here.

I (and others) are of the opinion the the Left has taken this to an entirely new phase.

Sorry for the confusion.


70 posted on 11/22/2021 7:42:45 AM PST by rlmorel (If the Biden Administration was only stupid or incompetent, some actions would benefit the USA.)
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To: MtnClimber

The answer is: NO. But we all knew that.


71 posted on 11/22/2021 7:44:34 AM PST by Noumenon (Black flag American. KTF)
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To: MtnClimber

For people like my sister in law facts are what you get from CNN and MSNBC. I am certain she sincerely believes that Rittenhouse, was an active member of the KKK, who shot three innocent unarmed Black men who were peacefully protesting a racist police shooting of another innocent Black man. Not even seeing the videos of the shooting would convince her otherwise.


72 posted on 11/22/2021 8:06:00 AM PST by The Great RJ ("Socialists are happy until they run out of people's money." Margaret Thatcher)
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To: rlmorel

One of McKenna’s most hilarious (and depressing) comments is when he says that evil people seem to be the only ones who have figured out how to manipulate language...


73 posted on 11/22/2021 8:15:50 AM PST by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it. Think of it as the Cantillon Effect in action.)
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To: cgbg

Hooo boy.

Was he ever right there. I view Leftism as evil incarnate today, and they sure as hell have figured out the manipulation of language and symbols.

I guess that makes sense...WE tend to look at differences in “bubbles” and figure out ways to ameliorate those differences. We make the naive mistake of thinking the Left looks at those bubbles and approaches them the same way.

Leftists look at those differences in bubbles, and in their evil Alinskyite minds, try to find ways to exacerbate a problem where they see one, create a problem where there isn’t one in order to suit their agenda, and want to make differences more acute rather than improve them.

As the saying goes: It is what they do.

I am going to have to look up works by McKenna. Do you have one in particular that is better than others in this respect?


74 posted on 11/22/2021 8:53:03 AM PST by rlmorel (If the Biden Administration was only stupid or incompetent, some actions would benefit the USA.)
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To: rlmorel

McKenna has books but his podcasts are best since he was an amazing public speaker.

The place to start imho is this podcast:

https://psychedelicsalon.com/podcast-261-the-definitive-ufo-tape/

Don’t let the title deceive you—this is a discussion of why people believe what they believe—including of course ufos.

A couple more to start:

https://psychedelicsalon.com/podcast-596-terence-mckenna-on-art-bell-part-1/

https://psychedelicsalon.com/podcast-597-terence-mckenna-on-art-bell-part-2/


75 posted on 11/22/2021 9:01:42 AM PST by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it. Think of it as the Cantillon Effect in action.)
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To: MtnClimber

You can’t convince a fool no matter how much evidence you have.


76 posted on 11/22/2021 9:09:47 AM PST by Vaduz (women and children to be impacIQ of chimpsted the most.)
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To: cgbg

Thank you, that is much appreciated.

I get a lot of my ideas for books from Freepers nowadays...it rarely sends me down the wrong path...:)


77 posted on 11/22/2021 9:10:39 AM PST by rlmorel (If the Biden Administration was only stupid or incompetent, some actions would benefit the USA.)
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To: MtnClimber

I think you have to look at why someone is a liberal. I’ve found government workers to be a rich source for this reason defying population.

They feel resentful because they are serving humanity at personal sacrifice and have nothing in the way of satisfying wealth/adulation to show for it. Democrats feed this.

Getting back at those they deem Trump supporters feels good. It doesn’t matter that their quality of life is compromised as long as the Trump supporter suffers. Nothing challenges this for them.


78 posted on 11/22/2021 9:46:15 AM PST by mom.mom (...our flag was still there.)
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To: MtnClimber
Better to have argued the merits of the case only and nothing more.

Make her defend her opinions about the basic, color-blind facts of that event only, not her feelings about the greater societal events and what they mean.

Make her be a juror and see if her mind can overcome her emotions to see the case as it is.

The 17 yo kid that night is the who and what really on trial here, not her opinions about society.

Put her in his shoes as the facts demand and let her feel his reasons, his fears, his restraint in the moment and finally his self-defense or likely die by mob justice … followed by all the remorse that naturally comes with it, whether justified or not.

If she is unable to go there with her thoughts and her empathy, then there’s not more you can do for that girl but pray and be patient and then be there if and when she starts to come around.

79 posted on 11/22/2021 10:24:50 AM PST by GBA (Endeavor to persevere)
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To: MtnClimber

THAT is very typical of the responses one gets. I good friend of mine I tried to put the number of US gun deaths in perspective saying more people die from falling deaths than gun deaths. She agreed my stats were correct but that 5000 deaths per year is still too many,


80 posted on 11/22/2021 11:56:45 AM PST by Sam Gamgee
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