It's like wrestling with a pig. You get all sweaty and stinky and the pig likes it.
I was at my Dad's last week celebrating his 70th birthday, and of course, that means my pigheaded right-wing brother has to be there. I'm in the kitchen getting dinner ready because my wife and I are the ones putting this shindig together, and I start hearing my brother start talking his shit.
Now, I know I pretty much stand alone when it comes to political discussions at Dad's house. For this reason, I try my best to avoid discussing politics there. Things just go better when we're talking about the local college sports team's recent exploits than when talking about the news of the day. Then I get a call to the living room to help shut my brother up. Sigh.
I think about this for a minute. I could just point out what I know about why whatever it is he's talking about (the exact topic is unimportant) is simply wrong, ill-informed, half-baked, or whatever, but I just realized something, as you all probably have already. This is for the rest of us who haven't.
- It doesn't matter if you're right or not. Getting through to someone that thick-headed is probably not possible. I mean, this guy hoards incandescent light bulbs in his basement.
- Even if #1 is not entirely true, your opponent will just shift the subject to something else. You can then refute that, and he'll shift it to something else. Again, and again, and again until you lose your temper.
- If you debate the undebatable's idiotic point of view, you validate it.
So this is what I said, more or less.
I have no earthly idea what you're talking about. If you really want my opinion, here it is. Fox News, or Rush, or whoever it is who put those ideas into your head are just flat-out lying to you. They're making it up. I won't even try refuting any of it because it's not even real. Besides, I did not start this discussion. Unlike you, I know better, and if you don't want to be blamed for ruining what ought to be a rather pleasant gathering, I suggest you change the subject. I'll give you one. College football. I think we can talk about football without the discussion degenerating into a food fight.
OK, so I probably stopped at the first half of this mini-rant, but you get the point. Your right-wing relative is an asshole for bringing it up, so stop just short of calling him an asshole and tell him to STFU. Turns out the person he really wanted to wind up was me, and he followed me out to the deck while I was grilling the burgers. I kind of pwned him on points on the ensuing debate, which could then take place without everybody else getting all pissed off. And I don't think he had the nerve to bring up politics again the rest of the evening.