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Chris Fox's avatar

Davis' achievement was done by making himself the exception. A virulent bigot can't have exceptions.

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Steve QJ's avatar

Which is why talking to people as if theyтАЩre human beings instead of dismissing them or name-calling is effective. Sadly, especially nowadays, these are also exceptional behaviours.

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Chris Fox's avatar

I don't do the name-calling thing but I do tend to disengage, having run out of patience long ago. In decades online I have only seen two conversions out of thousands of people, which is FAIAP zero.

But that exception strategy works. Once a bigot knows someone from the hated group to be a respectable person the whole attitude crumbles. I like to think I've been the exception a few times for gay-haters.

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Passion guided by reason's avatar

Opinions by and large change gradually and incrementally in humans. The "conversion" experience is relatively rare - typically only due to traumatic or transcendant experiences.

For example, I know people who were pretty deep into neo-progressive ideology, and who have gradually pulled themselves out of it, typically a small piece at a time over years. I wouldn't call any I have known a "conversion" experience, but despite being slow, such shifts can be important.

I myself am one case in point.

And congrats in being the cognitively dissonant exception! That does work, as you say, albeit usually gradually and incrementally.

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