People don't maintain different sections of their brains for "beliefs arrived at by dispassionate and factual study" and "beliefs that help me get through the d

People don't maintain different sections of their brains for "beliefs arrived at by dispassionate and factual study" and "beliefs that help me get through the day and give me power over my situation" and "weirdo beliefs that I got from the sewer of the internet". All of the conspiracy theory people feel a loss of control over their lives or disconnection with society. They feel like traditional media is trying to invalidate their personal experiences. Lots of people are willing and ready to exploit that feeling by wedging in a conspiracy theory. Then these exploiters will either sell them something, or try to get them to vote for a candidate, or something. There are also some genuine crazy people, but don't assume that as the default. So what can you do? I think you can only make a difference in a 1 on 1 conversation. You can't directly repudiate their weirdo beliefs. You have to acknowledge what they believe. You have to accept at the start of the conversation that you may not turn them around. If you really want to make a difference, have a tiny goal for each conversation - just connect with them. Let them feel like people from the mainstream world care about them. Look up "High Demand Groups" (aka Cults). The resources for them also apply to people who believe in conspiracy theories.