This assumes Sessions was a racist or fan of the KKK in the first place. Be careful.
> This assumes Sessions was a racist or fan of the KKK in the first place. Be careful.
He was by their definition. Changing their definition is usually impossible. Leading them to a different conclusion is realistic.
Most of the unending arguments (and real-life unfriending) I’ve seen are because people disagree on premise/definitions but argue implications/conclusions without realizing where the real disagreement is. It would have been different to realize the issue and go back to the premise/definition to continue the debate. If we can’t at least understand each other’s premise we will never understand what comes from it.
In this case I think it’s possible to stipulate a definition (without agreeing), but still have a useful discussion of the conclusion. We know/understand the premise here even if we disagree with it. And I think it’s possible to change minds without changing their definition of “racist” (which won’t likely happen).