You can’t “change the mind” of a liberal. It’s an evolutionary process, over time. At some point, they’ll have an epiphany of their own accord, which is called being “red pilled,” but you can’t force that epiphany with mere logic and facts. At most, you can provide the environment conducive to the “red pill moment.” But you can’t expect it. Think of Helen Keller suddenly understanding the sign language word for “water,” but only after her teacher knocked her brains out day after day and failed.
I like your thinking here, and you are so right. It’s called planting-a-seed. We can’t always expect to be able to see the results of our efforts. Many times we are only able to plant seeds. Then we step back and pray for Devine intervention as well as a chance to meet again to further “water” that seed.
Both motivations are important. Whittaker Chambers recounted the now-archetypal story of the young woman, the daughter of a Western diplomat, in Moscow during the blood purges: "One night she heard the screams." In many cases, the emotional motivation is a sense of betrayal by a corrupt elite. Hypocrisy is epidemic and ridicule is effective.
But again and again, when former leftists and especially the intellectuals write of their long march to the right, the motivation is the slow realization that the party line is a lie. People with intellectual and moral integrity reach the point at which they rebel against the discipline of constant lying. The morally corrupt remain leftists.
That is an important point for us to remember when we are talking to someone on the other side. He may be a fully conscious, vicious, malignant liar who revels in his resentment and hate and who views us with contempt if we are polite. But am I sure of that? There is the possibility that he might be someone who can be redpilled. But it's even trickier in any public forum (or if I want to remain on speaking terms with a neighbor or coworker). The opposing speaker may be a contemptible liar upon whom we are prepared to unload. But the real target is the audience. The liar will be presenting himself as the reasonable person in the room, lying with a smile and telling the audience what it wants to hear. If a conservative just tries to blowtorch him, the conservative usually comes across as a disagreeable loon. The trick is how to expose the liar before the audience in a way that moves the audience our way.
yep
just like a drug addict or alcoholic
unfortunately they usually have to hit rock bottom
before they realize they have to change their behavior