Have you ever corrected anyone who's on your side on here?

[Anonymous]

Someone you usually agree with says something you think is wrong or even nonsense: do you correct them?

What was your disagreement (whether or not you corrected them)?

Right wing, yes, at least once

Left wing, yes, at least once

Moderate, yes, at least once

Right wing, never

Left wing, never

Moderate, never

Don't know/see results

Updates

1 y

Say someone said something everyone knows is not true, like "Hunter Biden never did drugs", or "Donald Trump is not a felon".

Would you correct them, even though you support their side? Why, or why not?

Updates

1 y

Disappointingly few responses, but it's telling that there are no right wingers willing to call out nonsense from their own side, despite the more than ample opportunities.

[msc545]

I have corrected people that I agree with and they have corrected me. I am grateful for some excellent critiques of my reasoning and my writing. I have also been appropriately corrected by people I usually disagree with and I am equally grateful for those thoughtful corrections.

[Asker]

It never happens on the right, though. Someone's claiming Trump never stood trial, let alone convicted or sentenced. Not one person has stood up and corrected them, even those involved in the conversation.

[msc545]

That is not surprising. There are people that believe some really outlandish things like the Earth being flat and once they have that belief it is almost impossible to change their minds. When people believe in conspiracy theories, it is also almost impossible to change their minds and this is very pervasive on the right. People believe all kinds of ridiculous things like space lasers cause forest fires and they are owned by the government and they do it on purpose or Trump didn't stand trial and on and on. If you try to change their minds about any of these things, it just is almost impossible to do so. I find that this does not occur on the left to any great extent, but it is extremely pervasive on the right. Possibly because Trump himself lies constantly and just simply makes up things out of whole cloth that are clearly untrue. He is very much against science and very interested in a big advocate of fairy tales and concocted explanations that make no sense. I think that many of his followers are afraid of saying something different because they don't want to get in trouble with their peers and they certainly don't want to get in trouble with Trump. The right has absolutely no respect for truth.

[Asker]

Oh, I don't doubt that, what I find amazing is that there's nobody on the right willing to tell him the truth: that he's factually wrong. It's not the only example, either.

I also know that online conversations almost never change people's minds, but I don't know of any research that looks into the attitudes of people who read without participating. I can only hope that repeating the truth shines a light on their lies.

[msc545]

Good points! I think that those who have told him that he is wrong about *anything* have been met with rage and revenge by him.

[NathanDavis]

I have no sides...

[Asker]

I think you do. I think you pretend both sides are equally bad, which is giving support to the side that is worse.

[NathanDavis]

no, I don't think both sides are equally bad...

I just know that both sides have done wrong, more or less doesn't matter... because they do wrong together

and I don't support any of it, I just don't bother myself with the nonsense around it... we all have our issues, regardless of which side we take, we are all going to face problems, and I am one to take on the problems affecting me the best I can, rather than spend my time blaming any or other, or both sides

[Asker]

"more or less doesn't matter" but it does.

Saying, for example, "immigrants have never done anything wrong" is a lie (that no-one has told), but it's not as bad as "everything wrong was done by immigrants", is it? (Feel free to replace "immigrants" with "Jews", for a historical perspective.)

[NathanDavis]

I never said anything about immigrants or Jews...

[Asker]

Maybe not, but both sides have, just not quite as extreme. You say you can't see a difference? Or you don't want to acknowledge it?

[NathanDavis]

I never said I can't see differences

I only says I have no sides, I've never voted for nobody and I never will either

[SleepingHazard]

I can agree with someone and still correct them on something they say. Yes.

[SleepingHazard]

Thank you for mh!