THEY MAY NEVER BELIEVE YOU

Researchers have come to the rather discouraging conclusion that we can't stop people from believing things that aren't true. Or at least once they've invested themselves in a belief, there's little to no chance of changing their perspective. And it's especially true around political issues. 

Stories don't work. Facts don't work. Once views are entrenched, we're all far more likely to grasp at validation for them than we are to accept evidence to the contrary no matter how compelling or true it is. On the one hand, this actually isn't surprising and I suppose it's oddly comforting to know that flat-Earth types aren't crazy. They're just the victims of the weird things that our brains all do. On the other hand, it's still frustrating when you want to help people understand the truth about an issue. 

But this does reinforce the value of two things:

1) Don't wait until people have a strong opinion before you try to engage them. It's going to be harder or almost impossible to do it later once they're locked in on why you and your thing don't fit their world view. Start now.

2) Focus on the ones who still need something to believe or who already share your belief. Let the dissenters catch up if and when they are ready to change.