Not responding to the guilt trip

Advocates often insist that everyone MUST read things that disagree with our side, in order to have a chance of changing our mind.

Nope. I have no obligation to eat stuff that tastes bad, nor do I have an obligation to mentally consume stuff that tastes bad. I shouldn’t try to PREVENT OTHERS from seeing what offends me, but that’s the only obligation.

When I change my mind about important matters, it happens because I’m consuming LESS media material overall, including both “my” side and the “other” side. Consuming EITHER side of Machiavellian nonsense keeps you locked into the nonsense. Both sides are designed to keep you inside a cult. You have a better chance of thinking clearly if you aren’t participating in the whole game. The Fairness Doctrine banned the game, which made independent thought easier.

Later thought… Desistance means being a Conscientious Objector to ALL fights, whether military or media or lawsuits allegedly supporting some noble hero. All fights are fixed, all fights are designed to increase the wealth and power of the fixer. Big fights increase wealth and power of governments, little fights increase wealth and power of a newspaper or stock trader or lawyer.