No Argument Here

One of my saddest days was when I realized that beliefs, once set, do not change. In fact, the work of Jonathan Haidt and others indicates exactly the opposite: Beliefs tend to become stronger in the face of contradictory evidence, even when that evidence is seemingly irrefutable to less biased observers. This explains why people deny the effects of climate change even as they are experiencing severe draught, unprecedented wildfires, and extreme weather. It is also why Texans cling to a pre-Copernican, Texiocentric view of the universe.

“Houston, we have a problem.”

Conversely, one of the most affirming moments of my life was when I realized that I am not the only one who agrees with me. For me, it is easy to forget that I am not alone. I live in an extremely conservative part of Colorado. But even if I did not live on a blue island in a red sea, the non-stop drone of the Right Wing rant is everywhere. My online relationships have allowed me to break through some of that and come up for air. The reality is that I - we - are not alone.

The majority of Americans – including 97% of scientists in one Washington Post poll – know that climate change is real, despite what my Congressman and his corporate sponsors would have me to believe. I am not the only person who believes that health care is a basic human right, not a privilege reserved only for those who can afford the premiums. Most Americans believe that compromise and bipartisanship are good things, even as the Tea Party behaves more and more like an abusive, drunken husband in an increasingly dysfunctional marriage.

At one time, I argued with these people. I presented logical, cogent arguments to support my beliefs. In return, I was called a “libtard” in replies that were almost verbatim copies of the Limbaugh/Beck/WorldNetDaily rant of the day. I miss civil discourse, but I grieve over the loss of creativity in conversations.

I still write comments on my Congressman’s Facebook page, but I have long since given up on changing anyone’s mind. It is difficult to persuade someone once they have made an emotional investment in a position. If they have a financial investment, then persuasion becomes nearly impossible. You can absolutely forget it if they have been somehow persuaded that their very soul is at stake.

Instead of trying to persuade people who think compromise is a sin, we need to reach out to the majority of Americans who actually agree with us and convince them to put their beliefs into action. The 2012 election had the highest voter turnout in almost 100 years, yet only 57.5% of voting age Americans participated. Republicans know their chances for victory shrink as the number of voters goes up. They also know they can’t win on policy and must resort to strategies that eliminate as many voters as possible. This is why states like North Carolina, Texas, Florida, and others are creating barriers to voting. For these people, participatory democracy is not a goal. Democracy is the enemy.

While most of us would never think of keeping grandma from voting, we would also probably never think of working to oppose a law that would do just that. Meanwhile, state legislatures are imposing what amounts to poll taxes and literacy tests. They justify the power of their shrinking powerbase by saying that this is a republic, not a democracy. That may be, but Jefferson, Madison, et al., did not intend to create a fascist oligarchy in which corporations are people and entire populations are reduced to fiefdoms.

It would be morally wrong for us to be complicit in their disenfranchisement of voters. It is irresponsible to behave as if we have been disenfranchised when the only thing preventing us from voting is our apathy.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, "The man who does not vote has no advantage over the man who cannot vote."

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