Forum Overview :: Balance of Power :: I've come to the conclusion that you can't deprogram a cultist through debate.

[quote name="Mischief Maker"]I've met a few escapees from the MAGA cult over the years, and absolutely none of them got out because a liberal logic-and-reasoned them out of it. For all of them it was a calm moment where they were alone with their thoughts, they saw something Trump or Bush jr. or some other Republican said or did and realized, "wait, what the fuck?!!" A thing many religious cults do is send their people out to proselytize in really annoying and intrusive ways, like pestering people in busy airports or knocking at their doors at inconvenient times. The purpose is not actually to get converts, it's for the proselytizing cultists to have bad experiences with outsiders. "Here you were, offering to share the secrets of the universe with these outsiders, and they were rude and dismissive. Some even yelled at you!" I think these bad-faith "debates" serve a similar purpose for MAGA. The thrill of being in an argument with a liberal and seeing them get angrier and angrier when you refuse to acknowledge facts emotionally pushes them deeper into the cult. They know that Trump is a nepo-baby con-artist pedophile, but they don't really <I>know</I> that he's a nepo-baby con-artist pedophile because they're too wound-up fighting the "culture war." Hell, I've seen clips from right-wing influencers telling cultists that it's "cool" to be the uncle who ruins Thanksgiving for the rest of the family. No, I think the best thing you can do to deprogram a MAGA cultist is to socially isolate them from liberal society. Ever notice how designated MAGA dating apps and social media always crash and burn? Being conservative isn't a fun time if there's no liberals around to trigger. Let them calm down and maybe they'll see something Trump's done or said and say, "Wait, what the fuck?!!"[/quote]