Making a Point. Pick a point. Any point. Make it a good one, though; one with brass knobs on and attendant dancing fireflies. Argue it clearly, cogently and free of jargon. Back your evidence with forensic precision and solid, easily provable facts. Put some passion into your delivery but don’t drift into messianic hysteria. There. You’ll have been wasting your time and breath.
For if your argument runs contrary to the mainstream doctrine, the prevailing Group-Thought of the moment, it could be delivered by God himself, on an all-channels prime-time TV stunt and still it wouldn’t cut any ice with either Joe Public or with the Masters of the Universe (aka Them).
Because if the Good Shepherds say that Covid-19 was worse than all the plages of Egypt put together, or that Putin, personally, poisoned the Skripals and invaded Ukraine just for the Hell of it, or that we live in a democracy, then that’s what the WeThePeople will believe and bleat back at you and to anyone else foolish enough to back you up.
And you’ll be called all sort of unpleasant names into the bargain. And in some cases burnt at the stake on the local Common. Now you know.
Have a spiffing life.