General Discussion

applegrove

(133,208 posts) Tue May 26, 2026, 11:51 PM 4 hrs ago

How to talk to a MAGA:

1/ Most of us think the problem is that we do not have enough facts. But research shows something different.The words we choose, tone we use, & even how we open conversation can shut a person down before we ever get to the point.Here is what to stop doing
#DV1 #ProudBlue #Voices4Victory #USDemocracy
— Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo (@digitalwarrior.bsky.social) 2026-05-26T14:45:06.607Z

2/ The number one conversation killer is the fact dump. Someone says something wrong and you immediately flood them with data. Their brain hears it as an attack. The defenses go up. Rational thinking goes offline. And you have lost them before you made a single real point.
— Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo (@digitalwarrior.bsky.social) 2026-05-26T14:45:06.608Z

3/ Second biggest mistake: moral superiority. Any language that implies you are smarter or more ethical than they are triggers what researchers call ego-defensiveness. You feel righteous. They feel condescended to. Nobody moves. And the relationship pays the price.
— Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo (@digitalwarrior.bsky.social) 2026-05-26T14:45:06.609Z

4/ Third: challenging someone in public. If you correct your uncle at the dinner table in front of the whole family, he is not going to agree with you. He is going to dig in to save face. Public confrontation almost always backfires. Private conversations is where minds open.
— Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo (@digitalwarrior.bsky.social) 2026-05-26T14:45:06.610Z

5/ Fourth: making a soft Republican feel like they have to join the other side. The moment they think you are recruiting them, every wall goes up. Their identity is at stake. Your job is not to make them a Democrat. It is to help them trust their own values again. Huge difference.
— Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo (@digitalwarrior.bsky.social) 2026-05-26T14:45:06.611Z

6/ Here is what works instead. Lead with curiosity. Ask what they think before you tell them what you think. "I have been wondering about something" lands completely differently than "You need to know this." A question invites. A declaration pushes. Every single time.
— Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo (@digitalwarrior.bsky.social) 2026-05-26T14:45:06.612Z

7/ Ask permission. "I have been reading a lot about this lately. Would you be open to hearing a different take?" That one sentence changes the dynamic entirely. It respects their autonomy. It signals you are not trying to bulldoze them. And most people will say yes.
— Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo (@digitalwarrior.bsky.social) 2026-05-26T14:45:06.613Z

8/ Use your own experience. "I am worried about my mom's prescriptions" lands differently than "the tariffs are raising pharmaceutical costs by 7%." Personal stakes make it real. Abstract politics keeps it distant. Keep it human, keep it close, keep it about people you know.
— Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo (@digitalwarrior.bsky.social) 2026-05-26T14:45:06.614Z

9/ When they share something you know is misinformation, do not call them a liar. Ask: "What makes that source trustworthy to you?" That question does more than any fact-check ever will. It invites them to think rather than defend. Then whovoted4this.org has the receipts when needed.
— Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo (@digitalwarrior.bsky.social) 2026-05-26T14:45:06.615Z

10/ The one skill that unlocks conversations is asking the right questions. It turns out the most persuasive thing you can do in a political conversation is stop talking and start asking. The research on this is striking.
— Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo (@digitalwarrior.bsky.social) 2026-05-26T14:45:06.616Z

11 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

How to talk to a MAGA: (Original Post) applegrove 4 hrs ago OP

Bopping them over the head with a 2x4 is the only thing that will knock any sense into them NoRethugFriends 3 hrs ago #1

That whole scolding, guilt-tripping piece assumes that we are dealing with niyad 3 hrs ago #2

I can't fix stupid RainCaster 2 hrs ago #3

Using questions is essential to having a meaningful and successful conversation with anyone. But let's not forget... littlemissmartypants 2 hrs ago #4

all that sounds very rational ... for patient people to try orleans 2 hrs ago #5

If the object is to have a discussion and not an - werdna 2 hrs ago #6

You are most welcome. applegrove 1 hr ago #7

You can't have a discussion with MAGAts. They all follow too many logical fallacies in their verbal vomit AZLD4Candidate 1 hr ago #8

If I may Seinan Sensei 1 hr ago #10

Talking to a MAGA is like teaching a dog to type SocialDemocrat61 1 hr ago #9

I just say, ''You're an idiot.'' and walk away ... aggiesal 1 hr ago #11

NoRethugFriends

(3,790 posts)

1. Bopping them over the head with a 2x4 is the only thing that will knock any sense into them

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Wed May 27, 2026, 12:30 AM

3 hrs ago

niyad

(134,156 posts)

2. That whole scolding, guilt-tripping piece assumes that we are dealing with

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Wed May 27, 2026, 12:54 AM

3 hrs ago

at least semi-rational people who might pay even the slightest bit of attention to anything we have to say. Sorry. I solved the communication issues simply by not interacting with these petty little destructo machines. Fortunately, I rarely encounter them.

RainCaster

(13,900 posts)

3. I can't fix stupid

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Wed May 27, 2026, 01:48 AM

2 hrs ago

Why bother?

littlemissmartypants

(34,541 posts)

4. Using questions is essential to having a meaningful and successful conversation with anyone. But let's not forget...

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Wed May 27, 2026, 01:59 AM

2 hrs ago

They might be psychopaths.

Psychopathy is a very common
mental disorder. It is twice as
common as schizophrenia,
anorexia, and bipolar disorder.
It is equally common as bulimia,
panic disorder, and autism.
The only mental disorders
significantly more common than
psychopathy are substance abuse
or dependence, depression, and
post-traumatic stress disorder.

Psychopathy affects all
ethnic, cultural, racial,
and socioeconomic groups.

...psychopathy
is a spectrum disorder,

Prevalence in the United States
Approximately 70% of the
population is estimated to
have no psychopathic traits
whatsoever.

Key Point
👇👇👇👇👇👇
The remaining
30% have low, medium, or
high levels of psychopathy.

Source:
https://psychopathyis.org/stats/

Characteristics of Psychopaths

1. Aggressive, callous, and cunning
2. Complete absence of conscience and empathy
3. Very adept at manipulating others
4. Willingness to engage in immoral, criminal conduct
5. Willingness to take what they want and do as they please, regardless of who is hurt or wronged
6. Deceptive ability to appear outwardly benevolent
7. Deceptive ability to behave in superficially charming ways to hide purely selfish motives
8. Willingness to use intimidation and violence to control others in order to satisfy their own needs
9. Willingness to intentionally violate the basic inherent human rights of others
10. Complete absence of any sense of guilt or remorse for the harm their actions have caused to others
11. Rationalization of their own immoral behavior
12. Will attempt to lay blame upon someone else for their own conduct
13. Denial, will deny their own wrongdoing outright
14. Utter contemptuousness toward the feelings and desires of their fellow beings
15. Pathological lying, will say anything without any concern for truth to advance their own hidden agendas
16. Ablity to feign [fake] normal human emotions and empathy
17. Distorted sense of the consequences of their actions
18. Total failure to accept any responsibility for their own socially irresponsible ways
19. Strong bellef that they will never be brought to justice for their criminal behavior

Learn how to spot one. If for no other reason than to save humanity and you might save democracy along the way.

❤️

orleans

(37,241 posts)

5. all that sounds very rational ... for patient people to try

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Wed May 27, 2026, 02:00 AM

2 hrs ago

i don't have much patience with "them" and haven't for quite awhile.
i don't deal/interact with "them"
i'll let the nice, tolerant, patient dems give it a try
i would totally suck at it

werdna

(1,257 posts)

6. If the object is to have a discussion and not an -

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Wed May 27, 2026, 02:04 AM

2 hrs ago

- argument, these are all time honored suggestions to achieve productive communication. I believe these suggestions would work in written communications - such as social media, chat-rooms - as well. Thank you , applegrove, for this post.

applegrove

(133,208 posts)

7. You are most welcome.

Reply to werdna (Reply #6)

Wed May 27, 2026, 02:05 AM

1 hr ago

AZLD4Candidate

(6,983 posts)

8. You can't have a discussion with MAGAts. They all follow too many logical fallacies in their verbal vomit

Reply to werdna (Reply #6)

Wed May 27, 2026, 02:14 AM

1 hr ago

that one can't keep up. Gish Gallop is their biggest one, following by argument from ignorance, hasty generalization, red herring, strawman, sophistry, moral relativism, appeal to authority, the divine fallacy, begging the question, slippery slope, loaded question, confirmation bias, equivocation, Texas sharpening, and the No True Scotsman fallacy.