this post was submitted on 18 Nov 2024
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Sun Tzu, The Art of War:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” (That last describes the Democratic party to a tee.)
So yes, it behooves us to understand them if we want to win. If you want to rage and stick your fingers in your ears, good luck with the toddler approach.
And since 100 toddlers will take that statement to mean "appeasement" or "how to get on their level", fuck you, you're a child. Leave these discussions to grownups. In the mean time, go read a grownup book. (Hint: The Art of War is 100% applicable here.)
Here's one with far too much nuance for liberals:
“When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.”
Not even going to explain that one in modern political terms. In any case, we lost, and goddammit we're not going to learn anything from it!
Some people would rather be right than try to solve the problem.
Genuine question. How do you solve decades of religious indoctrination, poor education, and racism en masse?
I could maybe educate my two parents, maybe. But then what?
Genuine answer: one mind and one heart at a time. With any luck, some of them become influential and the message spreads more rapidly.
Religious indoctrination is hard, because so many of them teach that indoctrinating others is a way to save them. Ultimately, however, the whole belief system is a house of cards. It takes surprisingly little to bring it down. Ask them how they know that what they believe merits their belief. It starts there.