The election was NOT rigged, but there is a fundamental flaw in this approach. For people who BELIEVE it was rigged, you cannot use facts to change their minds. That’s because information itself rarely changes a belief, because in that case it triggers a cognitive dissonance. Information at best can reinforce a belief. Our beliefs are primarily comprised of our experiences and our values, the latter serving as a filter for how we interpret our experiences. If you want to change how people believe, you need to provide a new experience that is attached to a strong emotion.

Here’s an example. When I was in my 20s I used Copenhagen tobacco. I knew it was not good for me, but I did not believe it would harm me at that time. Then I saw a story about a young man my age who had oral cancer from “dipping” Copenhagen. His face was horribly disfigured from surgery. That image changed my belief. It could happen to me. I quit.

What is the analogy in our politics? What experience will jolt people out of their discomfort zone of victimhood and grievance? I’m afraid it may require us to witness more extreme scenes of futile violence, and to recognize that it’s US they are after. And US includes most Republicans, by the way.