Another approach is to try to put your ideas into words that others can understand. Bring in descriptive alternatives to your specialized terminology.
In a hypothetical conversation about “dangerous ideologies”, you might say: “Are we talking about homophobia?” If the answer is yes, then you know you can talk about fundamentalism, doctrinal interpretation, and tribal heuristics—ideas that can be explained using metaphors everyone understands.
From there you can begin to explain how these uniquely interact with homophobia to create a dangerous ideology, and why criticism isn’t working. In a case like this you might not need to do much work. You can take the general ideas of your most recent writing and transform them into more accessible language for the audience you’re trying to reach.
Someone arguing against same-sex marriage because of religious objections may actually be fixable with a few conversations, and if your concern was painting the movement as creepy or aggressive this might actually advance your cause more than attempts to directly change their minds with data.
Still, all this takes more time and you have to be sure you are addressing the actual problem.
You could rephrase a conspiracy theory into more neutral language and patiently correcting adherents until it makes sense, or you could spend days putting together an emotional appeal to take the place of misinformation.
The former may work, but it’s not a good use of time if the only people reading it are already lost.
“There are no government attempts to control how many children you have. If you have more than two kids and aren’t rich you’re an idiot.” Here, I’ve replaced “Malthusian ideology” with something understandable, and defined my terminology so it will slot into conversation easier.
This will help people read what you say and understand your perspective, but it won’t guarantee success. This may not be enough to convince someone already emotionally invested in their position. Nonetheless, I will give it a try.
Another approach is to try to put your ideas into words that others can understand. Bring in descriptive alternatives to your specialized terminology.
In a hypothetical conversation about “dangerous ideologies”, you might say: “Are we talking about homophobia?” If the answer is yes, then you know you can talk about fundamentalism, doctrinal interpretation, and tribal heuristics—ideas that can be explained using metaphors everyone understands.
From there you can begin to explain how these uniquely interact with homophobia to create a dangerous ideology, and why criticism isn’t working. In a case like this you might not need to do much work. You can take the general ideas of your most recent writing and transform them into more accessible language for the audience you’re trying to reach.
Someone arguing against same-sex marriage because of religious objections may actually be fixable with a few conversations, and if your concern was painting the movement as creepy or aggressive this might actually advance your cause more than attempts to directly change their minds with data.
Still, all this takes more time and you have to be sure you are addressing the actual problem.
You could rephrase a conspiracy theory into more neutral language and patiently correcting adherents until it makes sense, or you could spend days putting together an emotional appeal to take the place of misinformation.
The former may work, but it’s not a good use of time if the only people reading it are already lost.
“There are no government attempts to control how many children you have. If you have more than two kids and aren’t rich you’re an idiot.” Here, I’ve replaced “Malthusian ideology” with something understandable, and defined my terminology so it will slot into conversation easier.
This will help people read what you say and understand your perspective, but it won’t guarantee success. This may not be enough to convince someone already emotionally invested in their position. Nonetheless, I will give it a try.