I'm no media strategist, but I'm surprised how consistently we let bad-faith actors (or those whose opinions have been shaped by bad-faith actors) define the terms of the conversation across a range of topics.
Consider renewable energy and the need to move away from burning fossil fuels.
"But global warming is a hoax. We're going through a winter storm right now!"
❌ The moment you begin to respond to the "global warming" bit with facts, IPCC reports, and consensus among environmental scientists, you've lost.
Imagine the consensus we could build around ideas if we made an effort to be aware of the things that the bad-faith actors and their followers claim to value and could tap into them.
🤔 "Well, I know that you're afraid about the safety of your children, and I don't think you mean just the physical safety of kids from sexual predators. I'm sure you've been to places with terrible air quality. Would you rather your children grew up breathing fumes from vehicles and coal power plants, or would you rather they breathed clean air?"
Walls of ignorance are torn down brick by brick, and it's up to us to acknowledge the positions people claim, offer empathy, and demonstrate how proposed ideas are actually in alignment with their stated interests.
