• psvrh@lemmy.ca
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    5 months ago

    You know what?

    This kind of reaction, the one of the article, is exactly what doesn’t work.

    Retorts with facts don’t work; it’s ignored at best and reinforces the lie at worst. Look up the “information deficit hypothesis“ and why it’s proven to be wrong. It might feel good, if not self righteous, to Democrats, but it doesn’t move the needle.

    It’s also why calling out comments like this as weird, creepy and/or stupid does work. It hits back, smacking the lie in the face instead of giving it oxygen, and it’s the smack in the face that gets traction instead of

    No one cares what Vance or Trump say. We’ve proven that, but drawing attention to what idiots they are, calling them it, does work because it makes the story about how ridiculous their lies are, instead of a debate about veracity.

    • BellyPurpledGerbil@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      This is exactly right. Taking obviously thoughtless statements/insults seriously is a stupid move. It gives a bit more life to lies and accepts completely baseless criticisms as debatable. In debate club you might earn a lot of points. In front of a bully, you’re reacting exactly how they want you to react. You’re giving them the attention they want. Hitting the bully back is common sense. And that’s why they’re whining. The bully always cries when you fight back. Don’t dish out shit if you can’t take it.