(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . How to Speak MAGA [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-07-02 It has become clear to all of us that to try to talk with a MAGA Trump supporter is an exercise in futility. They are impervious to facts and data. There is a way, however, of challenging their communication wall by using a psychological concept called Cognitive Dissonance. Cognitive Dissonance is the discomfort you feel when your behavior does not align with your values or beliefs. You see a friend steal something, you don’t say anything, and your behavior conflicts with your value of honesty. You are on a diet and the bowl of ice cream wins out. You feel uncomfortable, guilty, self judgmental, the whole nine yards. Go to a piano and play Middle C and the second white key up. It is E and will harmonize with C. Then play Middle C and the next black key and you will really get the feeling of how they don’t fit together. There is a way of using CD to approach MAGA with at least some possibility of making an impact. It starts with making an agreement with Uncle Jack or your co-worker or whoever to have a particular conversation. You say that you just don’t understand why they hold the beliefs and opinions that they do and would like to talk with them to learn more about what motivates them to have these beliefs. You then set the ground rules. “All I want is understanding. No arguments, no debates, no trying to change minds, no back and forth” and if MAGA agrees, then you can begin the inquiry. Pick a topic, bring up something that will challenge it, and ask MAGA how they feel and what believe about the challenge. You: Do you believe that life begins when a sperm touches an egg? MAGA: Yes. You: Well, you know that an egg doesn’t develop into a baby unless it attaches to Mom’s uterus. If it doesn’t, it gets washed out of her body with all the other fertilized eggs. Does that make her a serial murderer? MAGA: Um. Then you drop it completely. You have created the dissonance between MAGA’s value and reality and MAGA will deal with the discomfort however they choose to. If they argue about the biological facts, you let it go, if they get confused, let it go. You have planted the seed and it will grow however it will. You: Do you believe that people should be allowed to carry AR-15 assault weapons around in case they need to protect themselves? MAGA: Second Amendment, blah, blah, blah. You: Well, we also have the Fifth Amendment, which says that we don’t have to acknowledge that we have done something wrong, but we don’t need to walk around the world saying “I plead the Fifth. I plead the Fifth.” (Note that you don’t go into the militia stuff, since you are not arguing.) MAGA: Second Amendment, blah, blah, blah. You: Well, I have read a lot about serial killers over the past years who have used assault rifles to murder a lot of people at once. I have never read about anyone successfully defending themselves against some sort of attack. Have you? Tell me about it. MAGA: I guess not. Then again you drop it completely. No need to get into the number of deaths and such. Again, you have created the Cognitive Dissonance that will disturb them in some way. You: I assume that you are concerned about inflation. MAGA: I sure am. Biden, blah, blah, blah. You: Well, here’s a question for you. If you were President, what would you be doing about it? (Note that this is a trick question. The President has no control over inflation.) MAGA: Um. You: Point out, if necessary, answers that are illegal or illogical. Say, “Yes, that’s a tough one.” Refrain from mentioning that he can’t do anything if he were President – you are not arguing. You: Recently Donald Trump was concerned about electric boats. He said that they will sink under the weight of the battery, you will be electrocuted, and there will be sharks right there to attack you. Do you think that someone this irrational (or pick your own word – ignorant, weird, etc.) should be in charge of the US Navy? (Here is a link you can use if needed https://youtu.be/vL3UmTInva8.) MAGA: What do you mean by irrational? You: Well, even a rowboat will hold three people, far heavier than any battery, so the boat won’t sink in the first place. Throwing a battery into water will not electrocute anyone, and sharks are very very rarely looming ten feet from boats. Anybody who has been in a boat will know this. MAGA: Um. You: Former President Trump was in office for four years. Can you tell me three major pieces of legislation he passed? (Note that this is a trick question. His only legislative achievement was the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.) MAGA: He stacked the Supreme Court to end abortions. You: Actually, that was Mitch McConnell. A president sees a problem, talks with Congress about legislation to solve it, then signs it. What did the former president do about problem solving? MAGA: Um. You: Here is a “what-if” question for you. Former President Trump has been indicted in Florida for retaining boxes of classified documents. Suppose he were brought to trial with a judge, lawyers, evidence, and a jury convicts him. Do you think he should be jailed? MAGA: It was all politically motivated. You: Then what if a child pornographer is treated the same way as Trump was. The police get a search warrant, search the home, and seize his computers. He is brought to trial in the same way and a jury convicts him. He claims that it was politically motivated because the prosecuting attorney was a woman with three children. Do you think the pornographer should be jailed? MAGA; I suppose so. You: What makes the difference? MAGA: He said that the FBI threatened his life. You: That’s strange. It took him three years to remember that? MAGA: Um. You: I suppose you are very concerned about immigration. MAGA: Rapists, murderers, poisoning the blood of the country, blah, blah, blah. You: I’m sure you have seen pictures of people at the border being apprehended by the Border Patrol. MAGA: Rapists, etc. You: Suppose that woman holding a child were your daughter and grandson. Would you feel any different? MAGA: But they are not. You: But they are somebody’s. MAGA: Um. These little scenarios are not meant as scripts to be followed, but as examples of ways to create the Cognitive Dissonance that might have some chance of moving a MAGA to at least consider their stance. To do this will be difficult and you will need to keep your cool and center, as MAGA will not actually say “Um”. You will need to be fast on your verbal feet. You need not harp on an issue, so pick up a new one as soon as the seed of discomfort has been planted. Your basic challenges need to be some form of “What leads you to believe that?” or “What evidence do you have about this?” MAGA may get angry, want to know about you, or start running their mouth uncontrollably, in which case you may need to remind them of the agreement. If need be, you can always say “Now I understand you and thanks for your time”. If this is someone you know, you can add “See you later Uncle Jack”. If not, just a simple “Goodbye” will be fine. Most of all, you will need to let go of attachment to outcome. In working with CD like this, all you are doing is planting a seed and you have no control over how the seed grows and develops. You might have an effect on someone, you might not. What you can do is acknowledge that you have done the best you can and then pat yourself on the back for having made one small step in restoring unity in this divided country. 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