Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter gives him direct access to tens of millions of brains, and he is making a zealous public effort to change and control those brains by flooding them with hate and misinformation.
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George Lakoff is on Mastodon
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Professor Emeritus . Best-selling author of The ALL NEW Don’t Think of an Elephant. Don't Think of a Mastodon! @georgelakoff@sfba.social
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Republicans have launched an all-out war against fact checkers and disinformation researchers.
Using lawsuits and congressional hearings, their war on truth seeks to make it impossible to distinguish between lies and reality.
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Column: Sorry, Joe Rogan: Scientists should never 'debate' anti-vaccine quacks. Here's why
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My column on the anti-science stunt of goading and intimidating by and . Scientists shouldn't get played by gaslighters.
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The problem with “debating” conspiracy theorist weirdos is that they have a whole deck of arguments no one based in reality would even know about. So when they’re laying them down like Magic the Gathering cards, to the uninitiated, it looks like they’re incredibly knowledgeable.
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"Debate me, bro" culture is silly and unscientific.
Never take the bait. Never accept the frame. Never give lies equal footing with the truth.
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1/n Many thanks for hosting me this evening I explained the problems of “debating” science on Joe Rogan with RFK Jr and there are several.
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Repeat the truth. Do not accept and argue with a weak premise. You only reinforce their flimsy frame, and since their “proof” is often the absence of evidence or something that SEEMS true— it’s a fool’s errand. Practice and learn how to make ’s truth sandwich. 🧵
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Throughout my career, if I have imparted one idea to others, it is the danger of "don't think of an elephant".
Fill space with the things you want to say. Don't give the elephant crowd oxygen. This way, you can be effective and maintain your sanity.
From the man himself: 👉
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Don't take the bait! Debating someone with zero credibility or validity only helps them to gain status and spread lies.
By trying to negate their false ideas, you'll end up activating them. They win by making the difference between lies and truth seem like a matter of opinion.
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The antivaxxers have blown past every mass death/disease deadline and it’s just making them angrier. Anybody who falls for it at this stage is either in on the bit for grift reasons or sincerely not smart.
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Replying to @oneunderscore__
There was a point where quite a large bunch of them announced that anyone who had been vaccinated would be dead within two years. I think we've blown past the deadline already.
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Don't take the bait! Debating someone with zero credibility or validity only helps them to gain status and spread lies.
By trying to negate their false ideas, you'll end up activating them. They win by making the difference between lies and truth seem like a matter of opinion.
read image description
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On the question of debating charlatans, idiots and fools, perhaps the Bible said it best: "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him."
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This 💯 and why nails it—we give them far too great a platform by repeating and refuting their frames, rather than leading with our own (broadly) shared values—especially that of freedom!
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How does that happen if the owner himself is spreading and amplifying misinformation and conspiracy theories on a near-daily basis?
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Replying to @lindayacc
Twitter is on a mission to become the world’s most accurate real-time information source and a global town square for communication. That's not an empty promise.
That’s OUR reality.
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Work requirements for food/other types of assistance actually condemn a system of capitalism where one can work and still not be able to feed and house your family, and are a huge bailout for corps that rely on government to make up for their poverty wages.
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Age-restricted adult content. This content might not be appropriate for people under 18 years old. To view this media, you’ll need to log in to Twitter. Learn more
Freedom is under attack from extremist Republicans:
Freedom of reproductive care
Freedom from gun violence
Freedom from discrimination
Freedom to live, retire with dignity
Freedom to have a say in our Democracy
CA Democrats don't agonize —we organize— and we'll win in 2024! -NP
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Strong editorial. Democratic SF politicians want to sound “strict” and “tough” on drug addiction, but harsh policies have proven inffective. Also: How do you “force” people into treatment slots that don’t exist? It’s a sick political game.
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OPINION: Even if we accept Mayor London Breed’s dubious contention that “compassion is killing us” in San Francisco’s drug approach, the proper response is not to “get tough.” It’s to follow data-driven solutions, writes The Chronicle's Editorial Board. trib.al/Dyd6Ckb
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