Preaching To The Choir?

Posted on by under education, Free Press Issues, Political commentary, Social commentary

More than a few times, readers have asked if I realized I was “preaching to the choir” or, as our late friend Hugh used to say, “spitting in the wind”.  I always felt that I was still doing the right thing, trying to open people’s eyes, to make information and viewpoints available that some might not have thought of, but I never quite knew how to answer the question.  Robert Reich seems to get the same question and he has, I think, the perfect answer.

Why I preach to the choir

By Robert Reich

05 February 2024

Several of you have asked me why I spend so much time and energy on this letter, which is read mainly (if not exclusively) by people who already share my views and values.

“Why are you preaching to the choir?” you ask. “Wouldn’t your efforts be more useful if you tried to convince people who aren’t already convinced?”

I doubt I’d be more useful if, say, I went on Fox News. Even if I presented everything I provide in this letter, I doubt I’d change many minds. In my experience, people who have a deep emotional or intellectual investment in seeing the world one way are unlikely to change their minds by seeing or hearing someone who challenges that investment.

The people who need to be reached are those who remain reachable — whose minds are still open to evidence and argument.

Even if you already agree with me — even if you’re already in the “choir” — you still may benefit from two things I can offer.

The first are data, arguments, logic, and analyses.

I’m often surprised how little of this can be found in the mainstream media, which makes so much effort to achieve “balance” and offer the views of “both sides” — or report on who’s “winning” or “losing” — that the underlying arguments are often lost.

My abiding hope is that the data, arguments, logic, and analyses in this letter help you make your case to others in the range of your voice — to friends, family members, and acquaintances whose minds are not closed, and who could be persuaded of the truth.

My faith is that there is no better way to spread the truth than one-on-one — among people who talk and listen directly to one another.

The second thing I wish is that these daily letters give you confidence that you’re rational and not alone.

In today’s incendiary society, it’s sometimes hard to remain confident of one’s views. When many prominent people are telling lies, and when those lies are amplified on Fox News and right-wing radio, and then repeated by people you know (perhaps even inside your own family), it can be challenging to remain sure of oneself.

I don’t mean to suggest that you should hold on to your views if they are contradicted by evidence, or that you should remain steadfast in the face of reasonable arguments to the contrary. In fact, I’ve often told my students that the best way to test their views is to talk with people who disagree.

My point is that at a time such as we’re in, “preaching to the choir” is not a waste of my time. I sometimes think it’s the most important thing I can do.

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19 thoughts on “Preaching To The Choir?”

    • Hello ryinger77. I do also. But I find that often then I have to go back and say everything slower, and with more coaching to get the right-wingers to even begin to understand the conversation. I even have some long time followers who seem stunned I push back on anti-LGBTQIA bigotry. But my “why I do this” on my blog is because I champion those societal underdogs. But to tell the truth, I love the back-up the choir gives me after a post when I know I might be attacked. Hugs. Scottie

      Liked by 2 people

  2. I’m 50/50 on this, Jill. I think it’s important to also try to reach out to others, or we fall into the danger of sitting inside echo chambers. But I do agree that sometimes there are those who are strictly non bendable in their views. In those cases, I do hope we can all learn to live in civil societies regardless of our views.

    Liked by 4 people

    • I’m always more than willing to reach out to others, to engage in civil discourse — key word here being “civil”. But I’ve been smacked down so many times, called every name in the book and even received one death threat, that while I am happy to talk, I don’t seek out those who have already made it abundantly clear that their views are set in stone. It wasn’t always like this, but these days the middle ground has shrunken to the point that there is no room for compromise, for civil discussion, for an intellectual meeting of the minds … and that’s true of both Democrats and Republicans … I just happen to think the Dems have the people of this nation at heart, while the Reps have the interest of the wealthy in mind. Sigh.

      Liked by 3 people

      • Hi Jill. You also got a death threat! Wow, right after tRump won the 2016 election, I had a commenter tell me that now that t***p was elected they were coming for all my kind and us gays … me, would be the next to be killed. I cleaned up what he wrote for your blog, as I respect you so much.

        I felt it strange he spent so much mental energy on the detail of how I would be killed. But it got worse was when I reported that to several members of Ark’s blog who were fervently anti-Hillary Clinton, they claimed that no republican would do/say that, so I had to be making it up. Well welcome to the modern MAGA, and I still have not gotten an apology from any of them. Hugs. Scottie

        Liked by 2 people

        • Yeah, it’s been several years ago and I immediately blocked the dude … never heard from him again, but it just goes to show how horribly violent our nation has become! We don’t even try to resolve differences with conversation and compromise anymore, but automatically grab the gun! I am so very sorry you had to get that kind of a comment, though.

          Yes, I often wonder if people who leave hateful comments on my blog are just bored with life and have nothing better to do than go in search of something that makes them angry. The Republicans who are under the spell of Donald Trump are the worst … they have drunk the Kool Aid and are no longer capable of rational thought or civil discourse. Don’t hold your breathe waiting for an apology, Scottie … they will likely never realize what fools they’ve been. They are cowards, they fear anything that is different than them, and in their fear they respond with violence … or threats of violence. Hugs

          Liked by 1 person

      • For sure, Jill. It’s very unfortunate when society reaches a point that incivility also results in physically harassment and harm and even death threats. I’m sorry you had to experience those and I sure hope it’ll only get better rather than worse!

        Liked by 2 people

        • Given the contentiousness of this year’s upcoming presidential election, I have a feeling it will all get worse before it gets better, my friend. Violence is becoming the norm here, the tool that people use to resolve differences rather than conversation and compromise. Sigh.

          Liked by 2 people

    • Hi Ab. I agree with being civil as long as they will. But in my time online, I find that the time length that most of them will be civil is directly in relation to how much you are willing to agree with them. If you disagree with their views, they will very quickly become nasty … and worse. Hugs. Scottie

      Liked by 2 people

      • That’s a very fair point, Scottie. I think online communities are a different beast of their own and are less reflective, hopefully, of offline realities! 🙏

        Liked by 2 people

  5. Pingback: Preaching To The Choir? | Filosofa’s Word | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  6. For me, it’s the simple comfort of knowing there are people out there and lots of them…who feel the same way, mostly, as I do. I’m sure it works both ways..in both camps..human nature to want to feel you are “right” or at least mostly right.

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