There's no Arguing with Conservatives ...

[Why Syzygy]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-sweeney/theres-no-arguing-with-co_b_126805.html?show_comment_id=15944428

A new study out of Yale University confirms what argumentative liberals have long-known: Offering reality-based rebuttals to conservative lies only makes conservatives cling to those lies even harder. In essence, schooling conservatives makes them more stupid. From the Washington Post article on the study, which came out yesterday:

(...)

The typical mantra of the left is that we don't need to sink to the Republicans' level because we have the truth on our side. But if the other side is utterly immune to the truth -- and indeed, the truth only makes them dig deeper into their fantasy world in which the economy is fundamentally strong and the War in Iraq is a staggering success -- what's a leftie to do?

[MrScorpio]

1. I found that to be generally true for a lot of other different kinds of people...

With their own fully held beliefs. Most people never like to be told that those beliefs may be wrong.

[Why Syzygy]

9. One conservative,

confronted with irrefutable evidence (Bush's own library website!) that Bush went to prep school in CT, and was not a good ole west Texas boy, said out loud, he would rather believe a lie than believe Bush was from CT. It's nothing less than astonishing. I hope that the same can never be said of liberals.

[SpiralHawk]

20. True Fact: xCommander AWOL (R) is a Nutmegger Preppy PartyBoy Cheerleader

The very pinnacle of Republicon character...

Here is is blowing the thang for his eeleet preppy pals, not at Grottlesex, but at Andover.

[Tennessee Gal]

2. Facts don't make a dent.

Don't confuse them with facts.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Couple of reasons why it's futile to argue with conservatives.

1. They have their talking points. Doesn't necessarily mean that they understand what they're repeating.
2. They don't use deductive logic or rhetoric. Either that or they can't use them. They rely on logical fallacies.*
3. Conservatives are bound and determined not to "lose" a single argument. They're right, get over it.
4. They aren't informed of all the facts in order to have a give-and-take of a discussion or an academic argument.

* Fallacies are devices to get off the topic of the controversy and instead make personal attacks on the opponent or make an appeal to the emotion of the audience, appeal to (or attack of) authority, etc.

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/fallacies.html

[Scuba]

5. Are you kidding? Or did you mean something other than "rhetoric"?

[IntravenousDemilo]

8. Rhetoric has more than one meaning. Not all rhetoric is empty. n/m

[Scuba]

4. Why I engage conservatives on blogs explained...

"When arguing with conservatives in front of on-the-fence independents, remember that you're not trying to convince the conservative to actually buy into silly notions like facts and reason. You're highlighting the differences between left and right for the outside observer. If the other guy insists on political views that belong only in Disney World's Fantasyland, other folks will realize what's happening."

[southerncrone]

12. Good point.

:thumbsup:

[Why Syzygy]

16. Yep! Excellent point.

And bless you for having that fortitude. I can't do it. I have a hard time dealing with ANYONE who fails to use reason.

[bigmonkey]

17. Absolutely agree.

You argue with conservatives not to convince them, but to discredit their positions with any onlookers.

[Scuba]

6. Yeah, but the study was conducted by political SCIENTISTS, so it doesn't count anyway...

Only a liberal whackjob would argue differently.

[whoneedstickets]

7. That confirms my experience on DU's Guns forum. nt

nt

[jwirr]

10. Many times we confront conservatives on issues that involve their

faith issues. For instance one reason you cannot convince them of global warming is because their God created the world and He would never let this kind of disaster happen to His people. In this argument we confront creationism, and God's concern for His people. If they give up on these issues then they lose their faith. I can actually understand that - without what they have been taught they are empty.

It is useless to go after the rwers in most cases because they are not arguing reality they are arguing faith. The only way we can even hope to break through their wall is argue from a liberal Christian basis. At least there you are not asking them to give up everything they believe and you are giving them a new framework to fill their empty spaces.

[Motown_Johnny]

11. I go with "God gave man dominion over the earth" argument

and ask if they believe that or not.

Once they say yes I then propose that since we have dominion over the earth then it is within our power to ruin it.

They kinda just mumble and wander off after that.

If not, I go to a "do you think he left the training wheels on" kinda thing which usually shuts them up.

[Odin2005]

13. That's why reasoning with the wackos is impossible, they must simply be made irrelevant.

[Anakin Skywalker]

14. You don't talk to CONservatives. Period.

[OneGrassRoot]

15. K&R n/t

[Why Syzygy]

18. Thanks, OGR. n/t

[kctim]

19. Why not?

Arguing with conservatives and liberals is fun and easy.