They're not stupid but they are deeply unpleasant people.
Problem is we are spoiling for a fight. That is more than enough to keep them interested.
I can liken it to dog training/handling. Or parenting.
Scolding and reasoning is not the preferred tactic, because we inadvertantly reward them with attention. That is often more than enough to keep the behaviour going.
You have to remove that reward. Then they go off and find something else to do.
To paraphrase every nice turn of words, every historically / philosophically minded reproach.
"Oooh, our precious politics. You mustn't!"
There's the problem. Increase the percieved value of politics to them at the same time as saying "not for you!".
Like, if we carry on, we can stop them. Obviously, we can't.
Moreover, their right to a vote and expression is right at the heart of the preciousness of democracy. But we want to reshape that basic right to make it sound like we want it to. That it's for people with 'our' sensibility.
Anything to hide, each and any of us is just one person with equal rights.
It seems an example of false pride, false effort. I believe people quickly react to that sort of thing. It acts to further this over identification with a romanticised dream of what our self is and how politics validates that.
It increases and entrenches emotional investment in it. We're not debating issues, we're engaging in a phony conflict over their right to be the individual they decide, over their right to expression and the vote.
With less of this... less emotional BS, less personal, less personality - it becomes boring all over again.
Seriously. Ignore them! Flatter them. Then shuffle them out.
The other approach is doomed, it just keeps it all going.
