Steve CoxKonto zweryfikowane

I firmly believe that in a forum of debate, the best ideas win. His ideas in regard to race/ethnicity/nationalism are dispicable and often idiotic. I simply don't believe engaging him would help his side on those things.

That's where I vehemently disagree. It normalizes it. And I can tell you from experience. The alt-right wasn't taken seriously in Charlottesville. They were given platforms. Liberals legitimized them. And they grew. And they did what you all got to see on tv.

I disagree. I want to *eliminate* those views from our society, and I believe the *only* way to defeat *any* ideas - whether terrorism, nationalism, or racism - is with better ideas. Attacking them only sends them back underground where it grows in the dark.

Honest question: Have you ever convinced someone on the alt-right to abandon their bigoted ideology? I haven't. And I don't think I can. Some can be changed... but this is a SLOW process. They want the attention, IMO. This gives them the light they desperately need to grow.

I know, they want to dupe people into believing that they will. By this logic, why not try to change a moderate republican or centrist democrat? Some of them claim they want universal health care. The focus on the alt-right is a waste of energy, at best.

People have to decide to change. You can't make them. And I've never seen any of them claim they might change. But yes, I've seen them change. And yes, it's slow. In the candidate forum last Wednesday, I was the only independent with 7 Democrats and 1 Republican. 1/?

When immigration came up, asone pertinent example, I was the *only one* on stage who advocated for *all* immigrants. This pale-skinned white guy whom you earlier claimed wanted to "normalize Nazis" advocated for *all* immigrants. 2/?