A BAD EXAMPLE

Don Lemon on CNN recently gave a great (terrible) example of how not to persuade the hold outs who have yet to get the Covid vaccine. 

On air he bemoaned those (like me) who say, "Oh, you can't shame them, you can't call them stupid." 

His response was "Yes, they are." And "The people who are not getting vaccines, who are believing the lies on the internet instead of science - it's time to start shaming them. What else? Or leave them behind."

(It was not clear to me what Lemon meant by "leave them behind".) 

He continued, "We have to stop saying, 'Oh, we have to listen to people and ...' No, you don't. These people are being harmful to the greater good. You don't have to listen to a minority of people who are being harmful to the greater good and who are not acting on logic, reason, and science."

Lemon's co-worker, Chris Cuomo, eventually chimed in: "You're going to question the vaccine but you're going to take a horse de-wormer?"

It's a classic bad faith debate move to demonize your opponent. Sure it appeals to the self-righteous streak of the people on your side, but it does not persuade. It only creates more animosity. 

Yet this is how America argues these days. 

This kind of stuff is cultural poison.