Education, fostering a culture of learning, merciles ridicule of any of that would reject it. There was a time that anyone screaming about the water turning the freaking frogs gay. Would only be seen standing on street corners smeared in their own shit as everyone shunned them. Not as an influential leader outside of small religious cults. You can never do away with them completely. But as a society we used to do much better about it. Boomers normalized it, us gen-x tolerated it, and it became a fact of life for millennials. Hopefully the Zoomers will finally start the push back the other direction. And those of us that are sane in the previous generations can show solidarity and support more than in that.
Especially for religious identity and other identity politics.
The way to flip such positions is to provide role models, people who are still clearly identified in the group, but who embrace – to the degree possible – tolerant liberal democratic evidence-based social structures.
Those are unreachable regardless. Making it socially unacceptable will keep many from falling into the trap at least. They should of course always be given a chance to change their minds and grow. But they have to have a reason to want to change. Which is why ridicule and social stigma are an important aspect.
How do you change that culture without eliminating the type of content that feeds that culture?
Education, fostering a culture of learning, merciles ridicule of any of that would reject it. There was a time that anyone screaming about the water turning the freaking frogs gay. Would only be seen standing on street corners smeared in their own shit as everyone shunned them. Not as an influential leader outside of small religious cults. You can never do away with them completely. But as a society we used to do much better about it. Boomers normalized it, us gen-x tolerated it, and it became a fact of life for millennials. Hopefully the Zoomers will finally start the push back the other direction. And those of us that are sane in the previous generations can show solidarity and support more than in that.
… only entrenches people in their positions
Especially for religious identity and other identity politics.
The way to flip such positions is to provide role models, people who are still clearly identified in the group, but who embrace – to the degree possible – tolerant liberal democratic evidence-based social structures.
Those are unreachable regardless. Making it socially unacceptable will keep many from falling into the trap at least. They should of course always be given a chance to change their minds and grow. But they have to have a reason to want to change. Which is why ridicule and social stigma are an important aspect.