These are questions which I think we must all challenge ourselves - and others - to find answers to.
I’m not known for being unerringly polite. OTOH, I’m very rarely deliberately rude. I stray on the side of being polite, but never to the point of compromising being to the point and stating in plain language what is on my mind, or stating facts. I’m not averse to responding impolitely or sarcastically when aggressively and unjustly (in my opinion) challenged. That riles some people. Am I getting it wrong? Should I be ineffably polite in order to promote constructive discourse? Gurwinder on Notes believes so:
Hamish McKenzie (Substack co-founder) appears to agree:
But here’s the thing. We live in an age when the Devil has unmasked himself and is screaming directly in our faces. ‘This is ME,’ he rages, ‘I have done you harm, I mean you even more harm. I want to control you, enslave you, and make your life a misery before I kill you. So what are you going to do about it?’ How do you respond? More to the point, how do you respond to Satan’s little helpers and useful idiots who are openly promoting his Satanic agenda? Politely? Patiently? Non-confrontationally? Will that optimise the quality of the info you transmit and receive? Should you cultivate the patience of a Saint or the meditative calm and serenity of the Buddha himself when confronting people who are openly advocating or supporting enormous harms to yourself, to society and to individuals either by denying self-evident truths or promoting lies and misinformation? Should you turn the other cheek?
Is there indeed any point in engaging with such people with the ambition of trying to have a constructive dialogue?
I don’t know the answers to these questions and, as ever, the correct approach is likely to be highly contingent upon the individuals involved, but in general, my instincts tell me that patiently and politely engaging with brainwashed Woke leftists, climate and Covid cultists is a complete waste of time and, after briefly testing them out by politely attempting to share factual information with them, when that fails, you should just allow yourself the luxury of telling them that they are complete a-holes or whatever. Patience is a virtue, except when it isn’t.
I believe in politeness, as an individual trait. I do not believe in the polite society where everyone, by default, adheres to common standards of ‘nice’ behaviour, by rejecting out of hand any impulse not to be ‘nice’ by sharing what might be perceived to be ‘offensive’ views or factual, but highly ‘inconvenient’ information. That kind of approach, for example, has got us to the point where fantasy physics and fantasy biology are cited in support of Woke gender politics and a ‘just’ energy transition in order to save us all from an imaginary ‘climate crisis’.
I am of the opinion that it is precisely our overly polite societies which have allowed evil to thrive just below the polished exterior surface of our unbearably tolerant social set ups and ever so polite academic and professional groupings, geared to avoid confrontation and friction, therefore healthy debate. It is why the monstrosities imposed upon us by the Covid response were possible, because we meekly complied, ‘for the greater good’ and because we did not want to stand out as being rebellious or impolite, e.g. by not wearing a mask on the bus or in the supermarket, or not getting jabbed to protect the vulnerable. Lest you be in any doubt at all, the Covid response was monstrous and it was evil:
This is more art than science, (I mean the legacy definition of 'art' and 'science', not their current usage). That said, a concise mocking can rattle around in the minds of those inclined to shallow reflection.
I agree that it is impossible to argue with “The Powers That Be” (TPTB). My last three emails to three separate politicians elicited two no replies and one reply so bland as to be an insult.
Reiner Fuellmich was spot on with his verdict than Covid was a heinous, globally coordinated “plandemic” aimed at crushing and digitally shackling the entire population. Most of the establishment including 99% of our politicians back TPTB, either because they are bad in that they are fully aware (e.g. groomed by the WEF) of the evil that is being inflicted on the people, or they are mad, i.e. just stupid useful idiots who chose to go with the flow.
Andrew Bridgen is doing a great job showing up our bad/mad politicians who empty the House of Commons chamber whenever he gets up to speak on Covid vaccine injuries or the WHO pandemic treaty and IHRs. At least the video evidence and Hansard get published. It’s so sad that he is practically a lone voice. Germany has Christine Anderson: https://www.theepochtimes.com/christine-anderson-from-15-minute-cities-to-climate-lockdowns-the-onslaught-of-digital-tyranny_5214622.html.
He is also showing up how the Covid response was obviously globally coordinated, with the same “cock-ups” perpetrated all round the world, e.g. in this interview by Dr John Campbell: https://twitter.com/JeffreyPeel/status/1652331296901693442?t=-1l25bv06WDmzPhXlKm9yA&s=19. He doesn’t quite get to the Fuellmich conclusion of pure evil.
The only hope is to raise public awareness of what is going on and somehow vote all the bad/mad current politicians out of office. That’s an uphill battle as most political pundits seem unaware of the evil being perpetrated by the mainstream parties, e.g. in this parochial (and quite amusing if you are anti-SNP) review of Scottish politics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYNDAOPebAs