The current crisis in Israel (this Economist article sums things up pretty accurately) is waking up a whole group of the population that until now was not really involved in politics. People start posting politically charged messages on LinkedIn and other social media platforms that they used only for work or family updates. As a result, things can get out of control quickly, with heated debates turning up in the comments. Some thoughts.
- The people you are most likely to convince are the ones in the center. A die hard believer in an extreme position will never change her mind. So write for the people who might be sitting on the fence.
- Aggressive images, rude language, calling people stupid, is unlikely to work. It confirms stereotypes of you being unreasonable. “Hmm, that person just called me an idiot, maybe she is right, and I should change my mind / upgrade my intellectual capabilities” Nope.
- Write your post with a real person in mind, a friend who might disagree with you, but is not unreasonable. What would you tell her? What are her beliefs?
- When you get flaming comments back, count to 10, and either ignore, or post a polite reply. “Everyone has the right to their own opinion”. Maybe correct a fact that was wrong. As a result, the aggressive heckler will look bad, not you. And remember, you are not replying to the heckler to convince her that she is wrong, you are writing to other people who could be more reasonable and are glancing over the comments.