Avoiding the bait
I've figured out a good way to stop being tempted to argue with dumbasses on the internet: realizing that they're generally either about 15 or adults with the mental capacity of a 15-year-old. If I imagine a 15-year-old walking up to me in real life and being as arguementative as these internet people are, or asserting such stupid things as some of these people say with such confidence, it quickly becomes funny and I realize that it's not worth my time.
On the other hand, I feel like it's dangerous to let ignorance pass. Evolution can't really be argued against, yet there are a LOT of people who do. The Moon landing can't really be argued against, yet there are a lot (less than above!) people who do. Anyone who looked into it, would realize that evolution is a simple thing to prove and that the arguements against it are bunk, but people don't. Same with the Moon landing.
It's like the current election, where the Republicans (not only them, of course) rally support by spreading easily falsifiable information, but they repeat it so much that their followers believe it without ever looking into it -- any counter-arguement is dismissed as lies. It's scary.
So... letting dumbasses spew out misinformation can be dangerous. Sometimes arguing with them can make them seem credible, yet you can't always let them stumble on their own ignorance. We're coming into an age of ignorance and superstition, fueled, I believe, in no small part by the internet. It's kind of scary, especially when you look at how learned people are treated during such periods, historically.
On the other hand, I feel like it's dangerous to let ignorance pass. Evolution can't really be argued against, yet there are a LOT of people who do. The Moon landing can't really be argued against, yet there are a lot (less than above!) people who do. Anyone who looked into it, would realize that evolution is a simple thing to prove and that the arguements against it are bunk, but people don't. Same with the Moon landing.
It's like the current election, where the Republicans (not only them, of course) rally support by spreading easily falsifiable information, but they repeat it so much that their followers believe it without ever looking into it -- any counter-arguement is dismissed as lies. It's scary.
So... letting dumbasses spew out misinformation can be dangerous. Sometimes arguing with them can make them seem credible, yet you can't always let them stumble on their own ignorance. We're coming into an age of ignorance and superstition, fueled, I believe, in no small part by the internet. It's kind of scary, especially when you look at how learned people are treated during such periods, historically.