How One Conservative Changed Someone’s Mind

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

It’s not often that anyone changes their mind about politics. We all have our reasons for believing what we believe. Here, however, is one of those times that someone changed his mind.

Watch this seven-minute video.

https://www.prageru.com/video/stories-of-us-brandon-straka?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_3087502

Brandon Straka was a staunch leftist until someone did something that changed his mind, leading him to become a conservative.

What can his experience teach us about being effective conservatives?

Here is what I got out of it:

· If you are dealing with someone who is overwhelmed by feelings of resentment, anger, or fear, you need to allow that person to express those feelings and feel heard before you can start having a logical discussion. You need to acknowledge their pain even if you disagree with their beliefs that are causing it.

· For communicating with someone with whom you disagree, Facebook comments are, in my opinion, an ineffective place to make a claim, express an opinion, or otherwise discuss an issue. They are, however, a good place to present evidence. In this case, someone gently presented Straka with some evidence — and just the evidence — without judgment (video is a wonderful thing in a world of fake news). That did the trick. Of course, it doesn’t always work, but it is worth a try. When you post, share, comment, or otherwise communicate evidence, do so politely.

· If it works, the person needs time to process it. He needs time to research it and mull it over. So be patient. Straka had to reevaluate his trust in CNN and consider the implications of CNN having lied to him. That led him down a chain of reasoning to a major paradigm shift. In the end, a speech just came to him. While he was consciously puzzling through his conundrum, his subconscious was also working on the problem.

· Aside from being an intellectual decision, changing your political stance is a scary thing. Internally, it can be disorienting. Externally, it can even mean rejection and loneliness — not to mention a hit to your pride. A person needs to know he will have a friend if he admits to changing his mind. As you well know, political discussions frequently get heated and can easily turn nasty and mocking. You have to avoid that. It only gets in the way. You have to continue to both be assertive and be a friend.