The Trump believers are a very powerful proof for this point. And the twitterization of the public discourse has helped the liars a LOT. Putting out a lie takes but a few words, countering it takes ten times the effort, and the usual reaction to someone making detailed, reflected and considering counter arguments is "Look at Woko Haram over there! Put it in twenty words or make a video or shut up!"
That is perhaps the realist problem- the fact people are quick to believe a lie that suits them doesn’t help, but even if you have legions of people who will take the time and effort to lay out truth and fact and logic- people have to be willing to expend the time and effort to hear the words and understand, and most people don’t want to spend time and effort trying to disprove what they believe or want to be true. It’s a bit like your boss giving you a raise for being a “good person” and then you investigating and trying to prove you are not. I personally believe that we should make good faith efforts to disprove our own beliefs. If we cannot disprove them or others cannot then we are as sure as we can be. If we are disproven, we have calibrated our reality. Either way though, if done in good faith we gain an understanding of the way an other position thinks and have both a path to empathy and also an understanding of where and how to try and shed truth into their world.
Religion is a good example- I see many people arguing for or against religion, often using quotes or misquotes that aren’t even in those religions dogma or are taken out of context. How can one argue you are wrong about the contents of a book which that person doesn’t have the subject matter expertise or perhaps hasn’t even read?
But- all that takes effort. It does come a bit back to the renewed mentality of “you’re with us or against us!” I think.
There are so many causes and so many people and groups looking for recognition and help. No one can have the time to live life and know the challenges and cultures and every little thing about every identity on earth. So we are expected to have an opinion and it is general divided to those who are “for” and “against” so no opinion is generally treated as poorly as being on the “wrong side.” So people form opinions on matters they have little knowledge of. It takes time to get into the details and truly understand almost any issue-
A lot of people don’t want to put in the effort or read or listen etc- but giving the benefit of the doubt, a lot of people just can’t be well informed about everything but we are often expected to be vocal and opinionated on everything lest we be an “enemy.” So there is little time from when an issue becomes in focus in which someone unaware has a chance to research and form conclusions. Once the ball is rolling it becomes rhetoric and more about the individuals arguing than the issue for most- so now it’s too late, and then we have formed these strong ties to identity and world view so we reach the point where the thing you didn’t know about a month ago is now the thing you believe strongly and aren’t apt to try and learn reasons you are wrong. Most people just seek a stable worldview and reject things that make them question their own self identity and understanding of the world.
But- all that takes effort. It does come a bit back to the renewed mentality of “you’re with us or against us!” I think.
There are so many causes and so many people and groups looking for recognition and help. No one can have the time to live life and know the challenges and cultures and every little thing about every identity on earth. So we are expected to have an opinion and it is general divided to those who are “for” and “against” so no opinion is generally treated as poorly as being on the “wrong side.” So people form opinions on matters they have little knowledge of. It takes time to get into the details and truly understand almost any issue-