Most people don’t really care to inform someone or tell someone they’re wrong. Most of the time they themselves are not informed enough on a topic to give these assertions with credible evidence and reasoning. For both of these reasons everyone should be attempting to argue why things like climate change or vaccines are important. Two totally different topics but they’re great example so this. People honestly dismiss climate change as a far off threat or as simply a fabrication, I’ve even heard people try to argue the climate change concerns are equivalent to religious beliefs. So, it seems to me the main issue is people don’t try to inform or argue enough. Every single one of you dopers for example should be on twitter looking for genuinely ignorant tweets or ones operating on a false premise. Let’s say you’re looking through a tweet and see people claiming they don’t vaccinate their kids. It appears most people ignore it and dismiss these people as “idiots”, but that doesn’t solve anything because they’re still idiots at the end of the day. Therefor it is your responsibility, or rather civic duty to educate and inform your fellow citizen especially in a democracy of all things. It may not make you friends but the moment you ignore someone claiming they wont vaccinate their kids, I believe you’re complicit with their behavior and beliefs. I’m just taking a single extreme example here, but in this case a child could die, or rather multiple children could die. All because you dismissed someone saying something you deemed idiotic on the internet so you just glance over it and go on about your day, or you hear someone in the bar say something stupid like this and don’t say anything because you’re timid and frail.
This is a serious issue, and I believe it’s the most dangerous threat we’re facing at the moment. Complicity with ignorance, especially on the internet and among family/friends.
I already spend way more time than I should correcting dumbass antivaccine postings, using good evidence. Antivaxers respond by changing the subject, Gish galloping with a volley of equally ridiculous claims, personal attacks or with stubborn silence.
While there’s satisfaction to be gained in refuting online stupidity, an arguably better strategy is to appeal to organizations having power to restrict the flood of misinformation. If one can influence their local newspaper to stop giving “equal time” to antivax bozos, convince the bookstore not to host a moronic antivax author or prod a professional organization into taking a strong stand against antivax docs, it’s a better use of one’s time.
The second someone says “Yeah, but…” it’s time to walk away.
Abortion causes homosexuality.
No, it doesn’t. Where do you get that crazy idea.
It creates a hostile womb, and makes future children more likely to be gay.
That’s not how it works.
Yeah, but, there’s more homosexuals since abortion was made legal.
Substitute “vaccines” and “autism” and you have another idea.
It’s not my responsibility to educate anyone else, I’m still ignorant enough that I have to spend all my free time educating myself.
It is to my benefit that others in my society/country should be less ignorant, and to that end I pay taxes that support education, and sometimes contribute to causes that seem to be effective in communicating about their particular area of concern. No-one is likely to listen to me by myself, I prefer to join with others to be more effective. If I am going to teach anyone by myself, it is by quiet example.
OP seems to have this idea that if only everyone who has the right ideas would try harder, ignorance would decrease. To me that is laughable. And also, all the people with the wrong ideas are thinking the same thing.
In your journey through life, if people keep telling you an idea you believe is crazy at some point it’s your responsibility to evaluate it. Or perhaps they have, and they just are crazy.
When you try to fight emotions with logic/facts, it’s almost always a losing battle, because the two things aren’t on the same wavelength. What someone wants is what someone wants. Emotions and feelings hit a deeper level than facts and logic, which are cerebral and superficial.
It’s like trying to reason with someone who is terrified of spiders by telling them of the benefits that spiders do. It won’t work and they’ll just hate you for it.
I’m more than happy to help somebody learn something new. And I’m happy when people help me learn something new.
But let’s face reality. Some people have no desire to learn and resist any information that doesn’t confirm their existing beliefs. Trying to educate people like this is a waste of time and will just annoy both of you.
Ignorance can be easily fixed. Willful ignorance cannot.
Sorry, I don’t believe this is similar. A person can choose to use their reasoning ability, to think (to take steps to overcome a phobia, for example, lots of people do that), or they can take the easier path and stay with their existing opinions. People don’t choose to be homosexual or heterosexual. Both of these are important things to remember.
[QUOTE=Barack Obama;21576773Therefor it is your responsibility, or rather civic duty to educate and inform your fellow citizen especially in a democracy of all things. It may not make you friends but the moment you ignore someone claiming they wont vaccinate their kids, I believe you’re complicit with their behavior and beliefs. I’m just taking a single extreme example here, but in this case a child could die, or rather multiple children could die. All because you dismissed someone saying something you deemed idiotic on the internet so you just glance over it and go on about your day, or you hear someone in the bar say something stupid like this and don’t say anything because you’re timid and frail.
[/QUOTE]
Has this worked for you, even once?
My wife has two books out about vaccines, that are in well over 100 libraries, With any luck they’ll give ammunition against anti-vaxxers. I’d be really pleased if they converted even one person. I’m not holding my breath.
You think a creationist is going to change if they learn what evolution is about or the evidence of science? You think scum like Hamm don’t know this? They have been educated that the slightest fault in the Bible means they’d have to abandon the whole thing and their deepset faith - and become an immoral atheist, no doubt.
There is a YouTube video of stupid creationist sayings, one of a preacher who says (and I don’t quote exactly) “if the Bible said that 2 + 2 = 5, I’d believe it.” You think showing him 2 + 2 = 4 is going to change his mind?
Random antivaxxer/CT/climate change denier/etc.: “I believe <insert specific nuttery> is true, and the mainstream “science” that disagrees with me is a big sham.”
Me: “You’re mentally ill. Get help to stop being mentally ill.”
Somehow I doubt this’ll have the hoped-for effect.
If your reasoning is stronger than their emotional investment then they will concede their position to yours. I have actually done this many times, recently with people who dismissed climate change. I managed to convince a few people to concede their position on the effects of climate change. They agreed the effects would be devastating, however they disagree with the cause and relation of cc with humans.
I have an acquaintance that is an anti-vaxxer. In all other respects she perfectly normal. The first time she started on a rant I was shocked. I’m sure I looked it. The 2nd time I sensed it coming again and I just looked glazed over ( my intention). Another person with us started arguing with her and I meandered off. The 3rd time I adopted my ‘bitch’ face ( a very nice one, if I must say) and looked right at her. No 4th time has occured in 2 years. I think I was successful in shutting her up, to me at least. I ain’t got enough time in my life to teach/inform her about her error. She’s not gonna learn, anyway. She’s doomed to ignorance, I’m afraid.
