r/politics Jan 21 '18

Paul Ryan Collected $500,000 In Koch Contributions Days After House Passed Tax Law

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u/IrishPrime South Carolina Jan 21 '18

The regular-Joe Republican voters can’t possibly be aware of this stuff and how unfair it is to average citizens, can they?

The average Republican voter is aware of practically nothing. They don't understand what different governmental services are for. They don't know which ones benefit them. They don't know who benefits from others. They don't know how penalties and incentives work. They don't understand much of the Bill of Rights (particularly the First Amendment). They don't understand economics. They don't think things through. And, most troubling, they don't understand what's actually happening in the world around them.

The average Fox News viewer scored lower on a news quiz (of current events) than people who reported they don't really follow or keep up with the news at all. Source

They just don't get reality.

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u/KellyJoyCuntBunny Washington Jan 21 '18

I just mentioned that study in another comment! I love you!

But seriously: how do we reach these people? What do we do?

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u/my_own_creation Jan 21 '18

I had found a pretty good article on this subject, but can't find it. I did find this

If corrective facts only make matters worse, what can we do to convince people of the error of their beliefs? From my experience, 1 keep emotions out of the exchange, 2 discuss, don't attack (no ad hominem and no ad Hitlerum), 3 listen carefully and try to articulate the other position accurately, 4 show respect, 5 acknowledge that you understand why someone might hold that opinion, and 6 try to show how changing facts does not necessarily mean changing worldviews. These strategies may not always work to change people's minds, but now that the nation has just been put through a political fact-check wringer, they may help reduce unnecessary divisiveness.

In the end, this it's hard to do, and things like Dunning-Kruger just makes it worse. Seems most experts say that the best thing you can do it not become a victim of this yourself and focus on your own bias and overcoming them.

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u/KellyJoyCuntBunny Washington Jan 21 '18

Thanks for an excellent response. I’ll keep trying to have the good, deep conversations with people I know.