Another thing is that people defending a believe don't necessary hold it true deep inside. But it's part of their identity, so they play their role, and defend

Another thing is that people defending a believe don't necessary hold it true deep inside. But it's part of their identity, so they play their role, and defend it. Once you pick it up, you'll start to notice it for a lot of things: racism/sexism, welcoming immigrants, climate change is a hoax, I'm a busy person, my boss is terrible, I just love to do < hard thing >, capitalism is bad, I'm concerned by the planet... E.G: I have a friend who keeps insisting she prefers women, has a lesbian dominated social circle, but mostly have sex with males. She is joining protests for all things hurting migrants, but one was sleeping in a car in our street, and after getting her bike stolen, she decided with no proof he was the culprit and called the cops on him and got him deported. I know a vegetarian that eats meat when he travels, because nobody can see him. I had a flatmate who was writing her memoir on the way women were badly treated in India. She eventually dated our Indian other flatmate, and took great care of cleaning his _disgusting_ bedroom and doing his laundry without any reciprocity, for the entire relationship. I know 2 guys that, if asked, will declare they are for peace and think war lords are a bad thing. I mean, who doesn't ? Both considered working for weapon dealers, one actually accepted, and the main clients are the Emirates. All those persons are people I love very much: humans are weird creatures, full of contradictions, doing plenty of bad things. I'm sure those flat earthers can be good friends too, maybe even great citizens for some things I'm terrible at. I'm certainly an asshole competing in several categories, believing idiotic things, pretending to believe others. I think people who see themselves differently have huge blind spots which help them go on the hate train. We all suck. Even when taught critical thinking, which I manage to abuse regularly for terrible results. True, we are not all at the same level on the Gaussian idiocy curve. At least according to ourselves. Yet, in my experience, education works only if freed from contempt. So let's have compassion for "stupid people in large numbers." There are 7 billions of them.