I fought these people with all the ferocity, energy, and righteousness of my early twenties, feeling it was my moral calling. Sometimes I presented multipronged, well-researched counterarguments while speaking calmly. Sometimes I asked leading questions. Sometimes I yelled. I tried to contextualize my point of view in people’s own lives. I wheedled, used humor, pleaded, cajoled, coaxed, produced evidence, begged. But not once was I able to change anyone’s mind.
