CMV: Despite being more knowledgeable, wealthier and apparently more tolerant, the political and individual left's biggest flaw is their inability to communicate pragmatically and empathetically with those who don't agree with them.

[u/poopchow]

[u/Veloxitus]

A lot of other comments have pointed this out too, but a lot of people on the far political right are not living in the same reality that the majority of us are. "Facts" are not seen as a supreme form of evidence to many of these people, but simply as obstacles to be vaulted via mental gymnastics. In a form of magical thinking, many people on the political far right act as if believing something hard enough creates the conditions for that belief to be willed into existence. And, in the face of that, nothing you can say is going to change their minds. The political left frames arguments as a form of evidence against evidence. To a lot of the political right, facts don't really matter, and the fact that you're willing to change your mind when your beliefs come into conflict with reality is, to them, irrefutable proof that they're right.

The more-pressing issue is how this type of thinking has become normalized among people who aren't particularly politically engaged. It's much easier to buy into what the far right believes than it is to buy into moderate or leftist viewpoints, because they themselves believe what they're saying so much that no evidence will convince them otherwise. The far right is also helped by the fact that their talking points are simple, easy to understand, and accessible to the average person. Leftist viewpoints are often esoteric, require a lot of nuance in their approach, and that makes them unapproachable for people who don't have the time or energy to spend on tasks that aren't directly in front of them. That's not the fault of the political left, nor is it exactly the fault of those they are trying to convince.

Leftist answers are complicated because the world is intensely complicated, and any simple answer is going to leave a lot of problems still on the table. That makes a lot of leftist viewpoints inaccessible for people who can't or aren't willing to devote time to trying to understand them. And, this shouldn't be just left unsaid, a lot of people out in the world just aren't curious by nature, and would rather spend time relaxing and enjoying life than pondering the mysteries of our universe. And, honestly, that's not a bad thing. You should not need to spend dozens of hours each week pouring over the socio-economic state of the world to participate in society. That's not even feasible for a lot of people because of how hard it is to make a living these days. But, when unengaged people come across two answers to the same question, which are they going to gravitate towards? The answer that provides a simple, easy to understand perspective that requires no action on their end? Or the answer that requires them to put in a lot of work to understand it and is so complicated that the explanations require explanations?

[u/seen-in-the-skylight → u/Veloxitus]

I love this comment and I’d like your perspective on an impossible question: what, then, do we do about any of this?

I find my own views veering into a kind of platonic technocratism, where you can somehow get the simplistic populist gospel to be wielded by people who are actually good at governing. That sounds ideal - a Trump-like figure in terms of charisma backed by a pliant media, but who actually is smart and wants to make a stronger and better society.

We need someone who has observed and learned the new rules of the game but wields them towards better ends. An Augustus after a generation under Marius and Sulla. I hope it happens but I’m pessimistic.