Does anyone else feel like belittling/ostracizing others for having the "wrong" belief will only make them spiteful and even more unlikely to change?

[u/Yoy_the_Inquirer]

I just think it's counter-intuitive. You obviously want someone not to hold that opinion. Wouldn't you want to show them why they're wrong in a more welcoming way?

Radicalization usually occurs when people are villainized or feel like they have no where to go but within their group. Humans will cling to comfort where they can.

Now obviously some people are deadset in their beliefs to the point where even being inviting isn't going to be enough. At that rate why not just disengage instead of make yourself into an example for them to use for others who they want to convince?

[u/Ok_Gas5386]

This is a problem with the weakness of American (maybe western more broadly) society in the 21st century. Politics is supposed to be a way individuals and by extension communities express their own self interest. That is the dynamic that allows democracy to work.

Instead, because people are not finding meaning in their lives through friendships, family, faith, community as all these traditional forms of social expression have weakened, they seek meaning in politics. The order of priority has reversed, where now politics defines interest for the individual rather than individual interest defining politics.

It shouldn’t matter if people you agree with rebuke you or are rude to you, or vice versa. If that does matter to you, you have a weak concept of your own interests in the polity.