Keeping your cool with right-wingers.

[Loony Le Fist]

Lately I have been doing a lot of engaging and online agitation. I tend to be a pretty passionate person, so I tend to be very spirited in debate. I understand that this can actually cause some people to shut down so that it becomes impossible to get through to them. So, I have worked hard to modulate my emotions more and stick to data and logical arguments to convince them.

Nonetheless, the intellectual distortions can make it frustrating. I know that in many cases, it might not even be entirely the fault of the person I'm reaching out to. But sometimes I can't help but feel like punching them in the face. :mad:

Does anyone have any tips for keeping cool in situations like that. Sometimes, even when it's easy to dismantle their arguments, it's very frustrating to have to dismantle the same arguments repeatedly.

[Ceallach_the_Witch]

i usually turn the pc off and go to the pub

[Sinister Intents]

Just be belligerent with people online that you don't know and be annoyingly sweet to right wingers in real life?

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

I find that often, one can suss out common ground with a right-winger/conservative who's more mislead than politically committed. Often it's simply a matter of providing historical context in a way that's engaging and interesting - a solid grounding with a handful of solid examples is often sufficient.

Of course, on the other hand, politically committed right-wingers (or social democrats, or whomever) are a different matter. In that case, I think it's best to make an example of them for third parties (though, of course, being conscious of not coming off as holier than though or a detached academic, an asshole, etc. in these cases can be key). Again, the common ground is key, but I think the approach is different, and more of a "game" of comparison and contrasting. "So, we both value x (say, ending poverty), but your proposals, y, and z actually exacerbate the problem, as in [example]. On the other hand, there is precedence that shows [mass organization/popular power/direct action/whatever] actually addresses the root causes of poverty, as in the case of [example]."

Having shit-tonnes of literature on hand can be v. helpful in this regard.

[The Intransigent Faction]

i usually turn the pc off and go to the pub

Hear hear!

Sometimes I have more trouble being cool-headed than I used to, but do your best.

If anything, it's from talking to far-right wingers in the past who half-mockingly accused me of being a communist that I came around to actually doing more research and ditching liberalism.

So I suppose if you can use their arguments against them in some way to show why socialism is the best way forward, great. If it's just an online back-and-forth that goes downhill fast, those are easy to get tired of and aren't really worth the time, generally.